Counterfeits

In: 1. Fake stuff- NYC shopping story, hats, basement, mamma you go (aggressive negotiation)

a. Progreso, Mexico- Fakeleys, Joakleys

b. Dr. Thunder, Mr Pibb- Not real Dr Pepper

2. Tell you about another big faker- the devil

3. The devil is a counterfeiter

a. Many people try to make the devil out to be a god

1) Created being not a creator

2) He was an angel god created and cast out (Prophecy 2 meanings)

a) Ezekiel 28:2 (King of Tyre) In your great pride you claim, ‘I am a god I sit on a divine throne in the heart of the sea.’ But you are only a man and not a god.

b) Ezekiel 28:12-17 You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and exquisite in beauty. 13 You were in Eden, the garden of God. Your clothing was adorned with every precious stone, all beautifully crafted for you and set in the finest gold. They were given to you on the day you were created. 14 I ordained and anointed you as the mighty angelic guardian. You had access to the holy mountain of God and walked among the stones of fire. 15 “You were blameless in all you did from the day you were created until the day evil was found in you. 16 Your rich commerce led you to violence, and you sinned. So I banished you in disgrace from the mountain of God. I expelled you, O mighty guardian, from your place among the stones of fire. 17 Your heart was filled with pride because of all your beauty.

c) Isaiah 14:12-15 How you are fallen from heaven, O shining star, son of the morning! You have been thrown down to the earth, you who destroyed the nations of the world. 13 “But you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, And I will sit on the mount of assembly. 14 ‘I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’15 Instead, you will be brought down to the place of the dead, down to its lowest depths

d) Pride is the root of all sin. Everything becomes about us “I will”

b. He is not Everywhere, All-Powerful or All-Knowing (Omnipresent, Omnipotent, Omniscient)

4. He is distorted and He loves to distort

a. False religions are inspired by demons- attempt to redirect worship away from God

1) Galatians 1:8-9 If any one (one of us or even an angel) is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, let him be condemned to hell

2) Mormonism- Joseph Smith learned from an angel named Moroni

3) Early leaders of the Jehovah Witnesses claimed angels directed them

4) Islam- visions Muhammad had in a cave with the angel Gabriel

b. The Unholy trinity- Dragon (Father), Beast (Son), False Prophet (Holy Spirit)

c. Mark of beast-

1) Exodus 13:16 This ceremony (firstborn) will be like a mark branded on your hand or your forehead. It is a reminder that the power of the Lord’s mighty hand brought us out of Egypt (Phylacteries pic)

2) 2 Corinthians 1:22 God seals us with the Holy Spirit

3) Revelation 7 God marks the 144,000 Jews

4) Revelation 13:16-18 He required everyone—small and great, rich and poor, free and slave—to be given a mark on the right hand or on the forehead. 17 And no one could buy or sell anything without that mark, which was either the name of the beast or the number representing his name.

d. Astronomy/Astrology (Esna Zodiac pic) Names of the stars

1) Temple of Enseh- complete Zodiac 2000BC. Between Virgo & Leo is a Sphinx (to bind together) Tells us where to start. The story between the woman and the lion

2) Many teach that Adam & Seth created the story

3) Astrology has corrupted it, Romans converted it to stories of demi-gods, heroes of old (direct the trajectory of your life)

5. A low view of God is the cause of a hundred lesser evils. A high view of God is the solution to ten thousand temporal problems- AW Tozer

6. The devil sends errors into the world in pairs of opposites. He relies on your dislike of one to draw you into the opposite one- CS Lewis

7. Remind you of some of the ways the devil brings counterfeits into our lives

8. Three ways the devil is a counterfeit, a fake

I. FAKE LEADER- Like a lion

* 1 Peter 5:8-9 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world

A. A lion

1) Symbol of strength, courage and Kingship

2) Greek- Leo, Latin- Panther, Swahili- Simba (Nants Ingonyama bagithi baba)

3) They are the only cats to live in groups (pride)

a) Dogs & Cats

· Dog- they feed me and take care of me, they must be god

· Cat- they feed me and take care of me, I must be god

· Dog at throne- Where you a good dog? Yes I was loyal

· Cat at throne- Where you a good cat? You’re in my seat

4) King of the beasts

a) Don’t have a natural predator or enemy

B. The devil is a counterfeit lion

1) Works through intimidation, manipulation, fear, condemnation

a) Lion’s roar can be heard 5 miles away, square vocal cords, not much lungs

b) Older lions roar to scare prey towards the pride

c) To show their power

2) The devil is LIKE a ROARING lion

a) Fear is the devil’s calling card. If you take a card you will get a call

b) 2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind (God loves us, has all the power, remember that)

c) Philippians 1:28 Don’t be intimidated by your enemies. This will be a sign to them that they are going to be destroyed, but that you are going to be saved, even by God himself

C. Jesus is the real lion

1) Genesis 49- Jacob’s prophecy- Judah is a lion, scepter will not depart (tribe of kings)

2) Revelation 5:5 Do not weep the Lion of the tribe of Judah is worthy to open the seals

3) The true King/ruler of this world

a) 1 Corinthians 15:24-26 he will turn the Kingdom over to God the Father, having destroyed every ruler and authority and power. 25 For Christ must reign until he humbles all his enemies beneath his feet. 26 And the last enemy to be destroyed is death

b) Revelation 11:15 The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever

* Jesus is the real lion

II. FAKE MESSENGER- An angel of light

* 2 Corinthians 11:13-14 These people are false apostles. They have fooled you by disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. But I am not surprised! Even Satan can disguise himself as an angel of light

A. A messenger

1. A person who carries a message or goes on an errand for another, especially as a matter of duty or business (runners, marathon- Greeks over Persians, from Marathon to Athens)

B. The counterfeit messenger

1. They would bring a false message

a. 2 Samuel 18- Ahimaaz runs without a message (false messenger, my brothers wrath)

2. The Enemy goes by a few names, and they reveal his methods

a. Accuser of the brethren- Revelation 12:10

1) He tries to steal, kill, and destroy

2) Wants us to forfeit our future by focusing on our past

3) Condemnation says give up, quit, no hope- that is not of God

4) A test is an opportunity with the goal of success. Temptation is an opportunity with the goal of failure- Preston Morrison

b. The angel of light

1) Wants to appear as someone to help us

a) Tried to make Eve think he cared about her, God was being unfair

b) The first temptation of Christ? “Tell these stones to become bread,” Jesus would have been proving His identity the wrong way

2) He blurs the line between right and wrong

c. The Father of lies

1) His native tongue is fake news

2) He is always redefining right and wrong and rewriting true and false

a) Isaiah 5:20 Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter

b) We are proud of things we should be ashamed of and ashamed of things we should be proud of (Philippians 3:19 they glory in their shame)

c) We’ve shamed men for so long they’ve started acting like women

3) Bad information leads to bad decisions- the truth sets us free

a) Many of our bad habits are based on false assumptions

b) Is there a lie you have believed to be true?

c) Whenever you lose hope (things can’t change), you have believed a lie of the Enemy

C. The real messenger

1. The promised messenger of God

a. Malachi 3:1 Look! I am sending my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. The messenger of the covenant, whom you look for so eagerly, is surely coming," says the LORD Almighty

b. Luke 8:1 Jesus began a tour of the nearby cities and villages to announce the Good News concerning the Kingdom of God

2. The messenger to show us who God is

a. John 1:18 No one has seen God, but Jesus came to make it clear to us who God is

b. Hebrews 1:1-3 Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. 2 And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son.

* Jesus is God’s real messenger

III. FAKE SAVIOR- Like a lamb

* Revelation 13:11 Then I saw another beast, coming out of the earth. He had two horns like a lamb, but he spoke like a dragon

A. A savior

1. A savior rescues us from danger, ruin or defeat

2. The assumption is that we are in danger of eternity away from God, a meaningless life

3. They are a hero that puts your life above their own to help you

B. The fake savior

1. The devil is all about himself

a. Always the sign of a false teacher- draw people to themselves

b. Acts 20:30 Even some from this group will distort the truth in order to draw disciples into following them instead of Jesus

c. False shepherds who use the people for themselves instead of giving themselves for the people

d. The Devil is the same, we are simply tools for Him to hurt and destroy as a way to get back at God

2. Counterfeit ways to salvation

a. All roads lead to God- sincere, sincerely wrong (prophets of Baal on Mt Carmel)

b. Being good

1) Good – God = O

2) Galatians 2:16 MSG- We know very well that we are not set right with God by rule-keeping but only through personal faith in Jesus Christ. How do we know? We tried it--and we had the best system of rules the world has ever seen. We believed in Jesus as the Messiah so that we might be set right before God by trusting in the Messiah, not by trying to be good

c. Love is God (God is love)

1) The world has made one of its highest virtues Tolerance (endorsement)

a) I can love you without endorsing your behavior

2) True love sometimes has to tell you what you are doing is wrong

3) Right and wrong by nature is divisive

a) Matthew 10:24-26 I came not to bring peace, but a sword. 35 ‘I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36 Your enemies will be right in your own household

4) Right after the Bible calls Jesus the Lion of the tribe of Judah is Revelation 5:6 Then I saw a lamb as if it had been slain

a) Jesus is The lion AND the lamb, The judge and the Savior, Truth and Grace

b) Fake truth and fake grace

c. Ultimately the devil wants you to think you are your own savior

3. Counterfeit experience

a. Drugs- pharmakeia (sorcery) – Fake peace

1) A fake way to deal with life

b. Alcohol

c. Lust- fake love

d. False attempts at comfort

1) The Holy Spirit is the real comforter

e. These are all man’s ways to try to experience God without God

C. The real Savior

1. John 3:16 God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever would believe in Him might not perish but have everlasting life

2. John 8:24 You will die in your sins; unless you believe that I am who I claim to be

3. 1 Peter 1:18-19 you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold 19 but with precious blood of the lamb without spot or blemish

4. 1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus

5. Acts 4:12 Salvation is found in no-one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved

* Jesus is the real Savior of the World

Cn: 1. Don’t fall for an imposter, a fake

2. Stop drinking Mr Pibb and Dr. Thunder and get the real thing

3. Jesus is the real King, the real messenger sent from God and the real Savior of the World

4. Only Jesus offers real peace and comfort

5. Do you know Him? Or are you looking to the things of this world to give you direction, to bring you comfort and peace

6. You are not your own savior and the things you are pursuing will never help you experience God without God being in the experience

Al: 1. Peace of God, His comfort

2. Salvation