Phil Beach Jr. emphasizes the importance of discerning which spirit we are following, urging the congregation to reflect on their walk with Christ in light of the Holy Spirit's guidance. He highlights the messages to the seven churches in Revelation, stressing that Jesus calls us to listen to the Spirit's voice amidst the many distractions and influences of the world. The preacher warns against self-deception and the dangers of being governed by worldly desires, encouraging believers to seek a deeper relationship with God and to be led by His Spirit. Ultimately, he calls for repentance and a commitment to live in accordance with God's will, allowing His glory to shine through our lives.

Thank you for the Lord Jesus. We thank you for this wonderful influx of the Holy Spirit this morning into our hearts that resulted in the eyes of our heart being opened to see more clearly the beauty of Jesus Christ, the beauty of His sacrifice, the beauty of His love. And Lord, we know that as a result of seeing this beauty, you're saying something to us. It's not simply to stir our emotions and to give us a nice, warm feeling about you. That's not your purpose, Lord, and we know that. We pray, Lord, that as we look into your word this morning, that you will help us to understand the meaning and purpose of why you have unveiled to our hearts the unspeakable sacrifice of Jesus Christ for guilty ones like us. Father, I pray that you will use your word this morning to open up our hearts, that it will be light and expose all darkness, truth, expose all lies, life, and expose all areas of death, and that, Lord, we would be empowered by your word today to more fully and more completely and more entirely be slaves to Jesus Christ and His will alone in our lives. So we commit this word. Father, I cannot communicate this without the help of the Holy Spirit. I have no ability or no power, Lord. Power belongs to you, and so I pray for the Holy Spirit's power to take this word and to communicate it into our hearts. We pray, Father, in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, Amen and Amen. The message this morning that the Lord has laid upon my heart is entitled, What Spirit Are You Listening To? What Spirit Are You Listening To? If you turn your Bibles to the book of Revelation, now, some of you may be just starting out as Christians. I don't know, but the book of Revelation is the last book in the Bible. Revelation chapters 2 and 3. Revelation chapters 2 and 3. In Revelation chapter 2 and 3, Jesus gives a message to seven different churches. Chapters 2 and 3 deal with seven different churches in Asia Minor. At the time when the only living Apostle was John, the Apostle Paul most likely had been dead or had been with the Lord for probably 30 years when the book of Revelation was written. 30 years. Paul had already been dead. Jesus had been raised from the dead and been in heaven probably close to 60 years and suddenly, a little background here, John Revelation chapter 1 verse number 9. You can go to verse number 9. This is just a little bit of the history of why the book of Revelation was written. This is John's own testimony. He says, I, John, who am also your brother and companion in tribulation and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the island that is called Patmos for the Word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. John was the only living Apostle at this time. The time period was probably somewhere between 90 AD and 102 AD. All the Apostles, every single one of them, had been martyred for Jesus Christ. Every one of them, according to church history. Peter was crucified upside down and when was brought to the crucifixion, he himself requested, according to church history, to be crucified upside down because he said he wasn't worthy to be crucified right side up like his Lord was. So he chose to be crucified upside down. Peter and James and Andrew and Bartholomew and Matthew, all of them had been martyred. They lost their lives for Jesus Christ. Years have gone by. John alone is alive. He was exiled to an island called Patmos because of the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. He was so hated by the officials and so despised by the officials that he was sent to an island there to die. But little did he know, or little did the officials know, or little did anyone know, that oftentimes in a Christian's most difficult time and hour, God sees an opportunity to reveal Himself. And we see here his own testimony in John Revelation chapter 1 verse 9. He was the companion together with the other brothers and sisters in tribulation in the kingdom and the patience of Jesus Christ. He was on the island which is called Patmos for the Word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day and heard behind me a great voice as of a trumpet. And this voice spoke and said, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, and what you see, write in a book and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia. And then he mentions the seven churches. And the Scripture says, and I turned to see the voice that spoke with me, and being turned I saw seven golden candlesticks. And then in the midst of the seven candlesticks, one likened unto the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and gird about the paps with a golden girdle. His head and his hair were white like wool, and white as snow, and his eyes were as a flame of fire, and his feet likened unto brass, as if they burned in a furnace, and his voice as the sound of many waters. And he had in his right hand seven stars, and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead, and he laid his right hand upon me, saying, Fear not. I am the first and the last. I am he that liveth and became dead. Behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And have the keys of hell and of death. Write the things that you have seen, and the things which are, and the things that shall be hereafter. And then in verse 20, Jesus gives the meaning of two of the objects that John saw. The mystery of the seven stars, which thou sawest in thy right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels, or the messengers, of the churches. And the seven candlesticks, which you saw, are the seven churches. So that's a little introduction. That's why the book of Revelation came about. Now, in chapters 2 & 3, there is a reoccurring statement. Each time Jesus speaks to one of the churches, He makes this statement. It's found in Revelation chapter 2 verse number 7. After He talks to the church, commends it, corrects it, rebukes it, oftentimes gives a warning to the church. Then He makes this statement. Please listen carefully. Please, let's ask the Holy Spirit to awaken our hearts this morning to this message, to this living Word that's in His heart. Verse 7, chapter 2, He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. That statement is made seven times in the book of Revelation chapters 2 & 3. It follows, that statement follows, each time Jesus addresses one of the churches. Ephesians chapter 2, verse 11. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. Revelation chapter 2, verse 17. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. Revelation chapter 2, verse 29. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. Revelation chapter 3, verse 6, same thing. Revelation chapter 3, verse number 13, same thing. And then lastly, Revelation chapter 3, verse number 22, same thing. Now, the number 7 is very significant. In the Bible, 7 represents completeness. It represents fullness. Seven churches. In these seven churches, we see God speaking to all the church in every generation from its inception to the very end. We see that in these seven churches, Jesus is addressing issues that have plagued the church from its inception right on through to the very end. So, 7 represents completeness and fullness. The Bible in the book of Revelation indicates that there's seven spirits that are before the throne of God. That word seven is a symbol. God is one. Seven spirits indicate the fullness of God's, number one, knowledge. He knows everything. Number two, power. He's all powerful. He's all ruling. He rules over everything. Even when it looks like things are out of control, God is still on the throne. So, it indicates the fullness of His power, the fullness of His knowledge, and the fullness of His sight. He is everywhere. And so, therefore, when we look at the term, He that hath an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying. And we realize that God has said that seven times. We immediately recognize that God is emphasizing that phrase for a reason. This is 60 years after Jesus Christ was raised from the dead, 30 years or so after Paul the Apostle was martyred and brought into the presence of Jesus Christ. The foundation of the church had been laid. The Bible, as we know it, was pretty much complete at this time. The book of Revelation completed the whole Bible. The writings of Peter, the writings of James, the writings of Paul, and the writings of the evangelists, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, had been distributed through most of the known church. The Word of God was already present, except the book of Revelation, which was being written at the time. But the church was in great peril and danger. They were in such great peril and danger that Jesus thought it was necessary to do something that He had not done ever in the time past, during the time when the Apostles were alive. He personally revealed Himself to the last living Apostle and spoke His Word to Him and commanded Him to write it down and distribute it to the seven churches in Asia Minor. And after each time He spoke, He said, He that hath an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the church. The problem that Jesus was confronting in the church at this hour, when He wrote this book, which is an ongoing problem, is the problem of listening to the wrong spirit. What spirit are you listening to this morning? Who's governing you? Who's controlling you? Ephesians, which is in your New Testament. It's after the book of Galatians. It's before Philippians. There is a great, great danger, beloved, in the hour that we live in. And Jesus is addressing that here by speaking seven times. He that has an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the church. There's a great danger because there are many spirits, many voices, that are being heard today in the church. Many voices in our lives coming to us, and we need to know what spirit we're listening to. We need to be sure that it's the Spirit of the Living God and not another spirit. Ephesians chapter 2, beginning in verse 1. And you hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins, wherein in times past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prints of the power of the air. Listen, the spirit that now is working in the children of disobedience. Did you catch that? Jesus said seven times, he that hath an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit of God is saying to the churches. Why? Because there is a spirit that's in the world, but it's not of God. And that spirit is being described right here. Let's read it again. Verse number 2, Ephesians chapter 2. And we're going to discover the characteristics of that spirit, so that you and I are going to be able to tell if that's the spirit we're listening to. And if we're listening to this spirit, we're not listening to the Holy Spirit. Wherein in times past ye walked. Now listen closely, please. The spirit that you are listening to directly affects your walk. It affects your walk. Now listen, it's not what you say. It's how you walk. And so, in asking the Holy Spirit, in asking God, Lord, what spirit am I really listening to? Don't think about what you might believe or what you might say. Ask Him to show you your walk. I remember the last year of my high school, I just had gotten saved, and I went to a Christian school. And we had little paces, little workbooks that we did. And in each lesson, there was a saying, a little saying, and you had to memorize it. And I always remember this saying that I had to memorize, and it was this. Trying to think of it now, just slipped my mind. Yeah, an ounce of action is better than a ton of talk. Do we get that? An ounce of action is better than a ton of talk. Which means, you can say a whole lot, but it's your action, it's your walk that reflects what is truly governing you. Now, watch carefully as we begin to discover, watch carefully as we begin to discover the different spirits that are in the world, that God warns us not to be under the power of. Wherein in times past ye walked according to the course of this world, the course of this world, the way of this world, the principles of this world, the value system of this world. Now, remember now, you might be saying, oh, I don't believe in the value system of this world. But are we talking about what we believe now? No, we're talking about how we walk, our actions. Many, many months ago, the Lord led me to teach a series on the greatest form of deception known to man. How many remembers what that deception is? Self-deception. And one of the facets of self-deception is believing everything is okay when your walk isn't. Because you convince yourself that what you believe and your walk are somehow disconnected. So long as I believe the right thing, it doesn't matter how I walk or how I act. That's self-deception. God says be not deceived, God is not mocked. Whatever a man sows, that shall he also reap. And so it does matter how we act. What spirit are you listening to today? There is a spirit that we're learning about now in Ephesians chapter 2 that causes people to walk in the course of this world, in the way of this world, in the fashion of this world. With the value systems of this world. Now keep your finger there. Ephesians chapter 2. We're going to go back, but now I want to turn to 1st John chapter 2. The Bible interprets itself. 1st John chapter 2. What is it to walk in the way of this world? What is it to walk in the fashion of this world? What is it to walk in the course of this world, which this spirit in Ephesians chapter 2 drives and leads men and women to do? Ephesians or 1st John chapter 2 beginning in verse number 15. Love not the world. Now as we are learning, listen, as we are learning about the spirit that is working in the world, we can also be learning about what kind of a life our lives look like when we are listening to what? The Spirit of God. And so we're going to be experiencing contrasts as we look into the Word of God this morning. Okay? Now the Bible says love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. So what can we imply by that? He that hath an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches. What will the Spirit be saying to every single person that has an ear to hear what the Spirit is saying? What will the Spirit be saying to you? What will the Spirit be saying to me? The Spirit will be saying, love not the world, nor anything that's in the world. And so if that's not a message that is being driven home in our lives daily, are we listening to the Spirit of God? No, we're not. How many like to think? We're gonna have to think now. See? Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man loved the world, the love of the Father is not in him. Now for all that is in the world. Okay. What did we read in Ephesians chapter 2? In times past he walked according to the course of this world. Now John is telling us what is in the world. So if we're walking in the course of this world, this is how we're walking essentially. Chapter 2, 1st John verse 16. For all that is in the world. Number one, the lust of the flesh. The word lust there simply means desire. The desire of flesh. The desire of the flesh. That's number one. Number two, the lust of the eyes. The desire of what one sees with his eyes. And number three, the pride of life, or as the NIV says, the boasting of what one has and is and does. Now you remember last week I caught Colette off guard. She wasn't paying attention. With that same scripture, but this week she was right on. Actually, I told her out. No, I didn't. I didn't. Okay now, let me ask you this question. Listen carefully to the Spirit. What Spirit are you listening to? What Spirit are you listening to? How can you tell? Well, is your life governed by the lust of flesh, by the lust of eyes, and by the pride of life? If it is, then it is not the Spirit of God that we're listening to, but the Spirit of this world. Now you might say, well, what are the lusts of the flesh? Because the Bible says that that's part of what's in the world, and that will be what the Spirit of this world is driving you to follow if you're listening to it. Well, let's go to the book of Galatians. Galatians chapter 5. Galatians chapter 5. Beginning in verse number 16. Galatians 5 16. Galatians is after 2nd Corinthians and before Ephesians. This is what the Apostle Paul says. This I say then, walk in the Spirit and you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. For the flesh lusts or desires contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit has desires contrary to the flesh. And these are contrary one to another, so that you cannot do the things that you would. Or in other words, if you walk in the flesh, you will not be able to please the Spirit. And if you walk in the Spirit, you will not fulfill or satisfy the desires of the flesh. That's what it's saying there. And now watch this. Verse number 19. Now the works of the flesh are made manifest, which are adultery. Adultery. He that hath an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the church. The Spirit is saying to the church. Church, I want you to flee utterly, entirely, 100% from any form, any fashion, any kind of movement that will lead you toward adultery in any shape or form. Any kind of sexual impurity, any kind at all. That's what we're hearing. If the Spirit of God is talking to us and we're listening to the Spirit, because the Spirit of God is always bringing to our mind what? The Word of God. But now if we're not hearing what the Spirit is saying, what are we doing? We're flirting with adultery. We're flirting with immorality. We're flirting with uncleanness. And it doesn't have to be an actual act. It can be flirting in your mind and letting it live without humbly praying to God for repentance and finding a brother or a sister that you could trust to confess your sin to. Who is flirting with adultery this morning? As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I knew of a pastor many, many, many years in the ministry. Nationally, internationally known. Preaching the Word. Ministering to multitudes of people. Adulterous affair. And then became an addict to pornography for ten years. And is just now, just now, experiencing deliverance. But now after the deliverance, he's enduring the horror of the damage that has been done to lives because of this sin. Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the flesh is that life in us that is corrupted because of sin. That's the flesh. It's there. And if we feed the desires of the flesh, we will fall into sin. That's just one word now. Look at these words here. Adultery. Fornication. Fornication covers the whole world of pornography today. That a person has access to at the touch of a button on their computer. Hear the Spirit of God this morning, dear ones. If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we can not live in darkness. There can be no darkness. What spirit are you listening to this morning? This is why Jesus had to burst into time. Sixty years after He was resurrected from the dead, thirty years after Paul was martyred, even though the foundation had been laid, even though the Word of God had been circulating, something very horrible began to happen in the churches throughout Asia Minor and throughout the world. Men and women in the church started to listen to a spirit that was not of God and therefore even though they had access to the Word of God, even though they read the Word of God, it did not affect them. It was only a book of doctrine. It was only a book of information. It was only a book of historical facts. But it was no longer having the effect on them of bringing them down to their knees and seeing Jesus and repenting of sin and drawing close to the Lord. And therefore Jesus had to burst on the scene and once again speak from heaven and and show the church, I know what's going on. This is what Jesus was saying. I am the one who stands in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks. He's observing everything that's going on in our lives. He sees it. Who are you listening to? Does anybody sense the battle that's going on now? The battle. Are you battling as a Christian? You know, if you're not fighting the good fight of faith, chances are you've been knocked out by the devil. Did you hear? If you're not fighting the good fight of faith, chances are you've been knocked out by the devil. You've been put to sleep. You're right where he wants you. Do you feel the urgency? Oh God. Oh God have mercy. Help me. Help me Lord. All right. Fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry. The Bible always speaks of idolatry in the New Testament with covetousness. A covetous man, the Bible says, is what? An idolater. Witchcraft. Witchcraft includes any dabbling in any of the New Age, any dabbling in anything that has to do with interest in spiritual things that are not rooted and grounded in the Word of God. That's running rampant today. That's coming into the church. Many years ago, we preached a series of messages on witchcraft in the church. And basically, witchcraft in the church can be identified when the emphasis is off of the Lord Jesus Christ and His finished work and our bowing before Him in humility and brokenness and offering our lives to Him. He's the master. We're the servant. Witchcraft is in the church when the emphasis is no longer on that. But it's us rising up and saying, I want this and I want that and trying to use the Word of God as a means to get what we want. That's witchcraft. Christian witchcraft. And that's rampant today. Rampant today. Hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envy, murder, drunkenness, revelings, carrying on. And such like of the witch I tell you before, as I have also told you in times past, they which are practicing such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. So that's one aspect of what's in the world. The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes. What are the lusts of the eyes, beloved? Let me just say this. God did not give us eyes as vehicles by which we can lust after things. God gave us eyes in order to admire His... Please listen carefully. Please listen carefully. We need revelation on this because we're blinded. We can't see the depths of our need before God. Our eyes are not intended to be instruments by which we look and go, oh, I want that. Oh, I want that. Oh, isn't that nice? I want, I want, I want, I want. The eyes were not given in order to want what we see. The eyes were given in order to admire and in order to marvel at the beauty of God's creation. Do you know that most of our world today and the church world has fallen into being governed by I want what I see? What do you do when you see a car? Oh, I want that. What is that? I know this stuff doesn't make you shout, does it? But it's the truth. I want, oh, I want lust of I. What does God say? Be content with what you have. Be content with such things as you have. What spirit are you under the control of? What spirit are you following today? Would you find your life governed a lot by what you see? Do you find your actions based on what you see? Do you find yourself doing things, buying things, making plans, based on what? Based on having heard from God? Lord, what's your thought? Or based on, ah, I want that. Praise God. So I'm gonna get it. Do we want milk or do we want meat? The lust of flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, or the boasting of what one has or what one does. He that hath an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches. Back to Ephesians. We're gonna close momentarily. Okay, now watch this. Ephesians chapter 2. Are you asking yourself this question, beloved? What spirit am I under the control of? Please do. Please let the Holy Spirit show you. Please let the Holy Spirit shine light. Oh, may God shine light into our hearts. Ephesians 2, 2. We're in times past. Now here Paul's saying that this is the way we should have lived in the past. But unfortunately, many times, it's a present thing. According to the course of this world, you walked according to the course of this world, according to the prints of the power of the air. The Spirit that now works in the children of disobedience. So there is a power that's in the air. How many feel that power as you live day by day? Oh, it's strong, isn't it? You see why we need one another? You see why we need the Word of God? You see why we need to pray together? You see why we need... Watch verse 3. Among whom also we all had our way of life in times past. Now again, this is referring to past tense. This is the way we should have lived before. But when Jesus appeared on the scene and wrote the book of Revelation, He was dealing with a church that was what? Living like this in the present. And that's why they needed correction and reproof. And that's why we need it. Among whom you all had your way of life in times past. Listen. In the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh. And of the what? Of the mind. And so not only do we desire to fulfill the desires of the flesh, which we just read, but also the desires of the mind, which has to do with the soul, which has to do with the more subtle sin of self-life. It's self. Oh, no, we're not guilty of these overt sins, but we're guilty of what? It's self-government. That's what it is to fulfill the desires of the mind. It's self-government. It's I will decide. I will make the decision. I will be the one that governs my life. See, as Christians, we're not the one governing our life. We're asking the Lord Jesus to govern our life and to order our steps. Day by day, moment by moment. And we're by nature children of wrath, even as others. Well, in closing, let's go back to Galatians and we'll read one verse. Ephesians chapter 5. Oh, I'm sorry, Galatians chapter 5, verse number 24. 5 24. Galatians 5 24. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections or the passions, the desires and lusts. And so that's what the Word of God says regarding those who are listening to the Spirit of God. And that's what the cross of Jesus Christ is all about. They that are Christ's have crucified the flesh. Now, let me ask a question as we begin to close. What spirit are we following? Today, not based on what we hope to be true, but based on God's Word and its radiant light, exposing and shining the very depths of our heart and our actions. Who are we listening to? When it's the Spirit of God, we are before Him in His Word, seeking to be governed by Him, dreadfully trembling at the thought of being governed by our own selves. Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean not unto what? Your own understanding. But in all your ways acknowledge Him and He'll direct your path. It was Mr. T. Austin Sparks who once said in one of his books that after having come to see the Lord in a new way, he discovered how nearly a whole life of ministry had been under the government of his own choosing. And he began to tremble as he saw how he could not trust himself and how he had lived so many years trusting himself, making decisions based on the light of his own mind. And he got to where he spoke of as being crippled, unable, until he knew from God that he was hearing from God. Now as God leads, we're going to continue with these thoughts at another time. But now, let's just bow our hearts before the Lord and commit the Word of God to the Holy Spirit's power. Father, we come to you and we come to your light, the light that brilliantly shines through your word, the light that comes from your countenance, and we want to know what it is to tremble as your word says. Tremble at your word. Tremble in your presence. We pray God that your word will divide light from darkness, go to the depths of our being, expose, as Hebrews 4.12 says, the very thoughts and intents and motives of our heart. Get to what it is, Lord, that is the spring of our walk. Get to the very center of our being, Lord. Show us what it is that's moving us. And Lord, wherever we see the lusts of the flesh as the fuel of our action, or the lust of our eyes as the fuel of our action, the fuel of our planning, whatever it is, or the pride, the boastful bragging of what one has, or what one is, or what one can do, Lord, I pray for grace that we might repent and be delivered and be led by your word and by your Holy Spirit. Now, Lord, only you can sort this out, and we pray in the next minute or a few minutes, Lord, you'll minister to us. Let's just quietly sit in his presence as his word penetrates, as his word goes deeply into our hearts. If you're hearing with your spiritual ears the Spirit of God, you will be aware every day of your life the checks of God working in your spirit, checking you about what's motivating you, checking you about what you're seeing with your eyes when it generates a desire in you, checking you about the temptation to brag, or boast, or become confident, or rely upon anything that you have, or anything that you are. And if you do not experience this every day of your life, brother, sister, your heart is backslidden, cold, numb, under the spell of this world, and God is calling us in such a state to confess and repent and come afresh to him in brokenness and humility. In the presence of the Lord, let's just sing this song with grace. Jesus, I surrender all. Thank you, Lord. Father, we just pray you'll show us, Lord, that your dealings in our life over these issues are not an end in themselves, but it's a gateway so that we can come into the fullness of your life, the fullness of your joy, the fullness of what it is to follow you and to be led by you. Oh, the possibilities, Lord, of how your glory can be known in our little town of Hackettstown. If we would just repent of being led by our own selfish desires and offer ourselves to you, what you could do just in this little town, not what we could get, not what we could become. It's not about us becoming anything. It's about you, you becoming glorious in the eyes of the world through your church. Oh God, please give us a vision of what this could mean for you if we would but believe and receive in the name of Jesus, Lord. Do it, we pray. Amen.