Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz19990131.htm

BIBLICALLY TESTING THE SPIRITS
"Part III: Testing MAJOR Freemasonry Beliefs With John 1:1-18"
(John 1:1-18)

Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

(1) The Masonic Lodge is part of our cultural heritage: while we visited Sturbridge Village last year, the guide pointed out to Nadine and me that the wall decor in one of the village green home's upper rooms was painted for Masonic meetings! Als o, the Masons meet in the Nepaug Grange right across the street from our Church!

In keeping with that heritage, some of us have belonged to the Lodge or to one of its affiliate groups like Demolay, Rainbow Girls or Eastern Star. We were perhaps satisfied at the time that we were doing the community good through this group's charitable contributions.

In fact, some Bible-believing Christians remain active in the lodge or in one of its affiliates, thinking they are serving the Lord!

(2) However, the beliefs of Freemasonry are anti-Christian according to its own leaders' writings! Consider these statements:

(a) J. D. Buck, M.D., a Masonic writer of importance, in Symbolism of Mystic Masonry, p. 57 wrote: "In the early Church as in the secret [Masonic] doctrine, there was not one Christ for the world but a potential Christ for every man. [Christi an] Theologians first made a fetish of the impersonal, omnipresent divinity; and then tore the Christos from the hearts of all humanity in order to Deify Jesus; that they might have a God-Man particularly their own." (cited in Harmon Taylor's letter to The Biblical Evangelist on why he left the Masons)

In other words, Dr. J. D. Buck taught the true Early Church did not view Jesus as God come in the flesh, but taught each man on his own could achieve Christ's consciousness! How can that be true?!

(b) In "The Kentucky Monitor", Fellowcraft Degree, p. 95, renowned masonic authority, Albert Pike wrote: "Masonry makes no profession of Christianity . . . but looks forward to . . . when . . . there shall be but one altar and one worship; one common altar of Masonry on which the Veda, Shastra, Sade, Zend-Avesta, Koran and Holy Bible shall lie . . . and at whose shrine the Hindu, the Persian, the Assyrian, the Chaldean, the Egyptian, the Chinese, the Mohammedan, the Jew and the Christian may kneel . . . " How can one say Freemasonry is upright when Pike asserts such clear ecumenism?

A Christian who is still in the lodge may then ask, "Can you give me more information so I know what to DO about it?!"

(We turn to the sermon "Need" section . . . )

Need: "I always thought the Masonic Lodge was a good thing until I was just told its beliefs are not godly! Can you enlighten me?!"
  1. We must test all beliefs, for there is much error around, 1 Jn. 4:1.
  2. GOD via Scripture GUIDES the WAY for us to do so (as follows):
    1. We must see if a group properly asserts the Incarnation of Christ, that He is the Creator God come in the flesh, 1 John 4:2-3; 1 Cor. 12:3.
    2. We must see if a group properly asserts salvation by faith alone in Christ or if it wrongly makes man's merit a means of it, Gal. 1:8-9; 3:3.
    3. In discussing errant beliefs, we must view Scripture with each error:
      1. Paul tells us to be wise in the truth while staying "unmixed" with error, Romans 16:17, 19 (B.K.C., N.T., p. 501).
      2. This ends in God's giving us discernment victory over Satan, v. 20.
      3. So as an aid to keep ourselves unmixed with error, we view Scripture WHILE VIEWING EACH errant view AS WE GO!
  3. Accordingly, we view some MAJOR Freemasonry ERRORS using John 1:1-18, taking each errant view with Scripture as we go:
    1. Regarding Christ's deity, where Freemasonry secretly indoctrinates its members in stages to come to view Satan as God, John 1:1, 3, 14, 17 and 4-5 teaches Jesus, God incarnate, is the only true, upright God!
      1. Freemasonry gradually tries to get members to see Satan as God:
        1. At the 14th Masonic degree, Freemasonry amiably claims "God is, as man conceives Him, the reflected image of man himself." (Albert Pike, "Morals and Dogma," p. 223 as cited in Shaw & McKenney, The Deadly Deception, p. 130. Jim Shaw gained the 33rd degree at the Lodge's highest Washington, D.C. temple.)
        2. In the 19th degree, Pike speaks aright of an evil Satan, saying: "Lucifer...Is it he who...blinds feeble, sensual, or selfish Souls? Doubt it not!" (Ibid., Pike, p. 324 as cited in Shaw, Ibid., p. 134)
        3. However, in the 24th degree, Pike errantly upholds idolatry, saying: "Masonry, successor to the Mysteries (Isis, Osiris, Baal, Mythras, Tammuz, etc.) still follows the ancient manner of teaching." (Ibid., Pike, p. 401 as cited in Shaw, Ibid., p. 131)
        4. Then, in the 32nd degree, Pike wrongly denies an evil Satan exists, saying: "...there is no rebellious demon of Evil, or Principle of Darkness coexistent and in eternal controversy with God..." (Ibid., Pike, p. 859 as cited in Shaw, Ibid., p. 134)
        5. Finally, for the 30th through 33rd degrees, Pike turns profane, stating: "...the Masonic religion should be, by all of us initiates of the high degrees, maintained in the purity of the Luciferian doctrine." (cited in H. R. Taylor, "Mixing Oil With Water," 6/86 of The Evangelist, p. 49. Taylor was Masonic Grand Chaplain of the State of New York.) Since Pike's "Luciferian doctrine" is Satanism that denies God exists (cf. the Satanist Bible intro. [H. Freeman, Every Wind of Doctrine]) Freemasonry deceptively comes to set Satan up as God for its unsuspecting members!
      2. Yet, John 1:1, 3, 14, 17 & 4-5 teach Jesus (1:17), as God Incarnate (1:1, 14) and Creator of all (1:3) resists the evil darkness of Satan (1:4-5; B.K.C., N.T., p. 272). Thus, all other "gods", especially Satan, are false gods! Freemasonry gravely errs on Christ's deity!
    2. Regarding salvation, though Freemasonry teaches good works earn salvation, John 1:12-13 teaches salvation by faith alone in Christ alone:
      1. Freemasonry teaches that salvation is by works: Albert Mackey in the "Encyclopedia of Freemasonry" writes: "By the lambskin the Mason is reminded of that purity of life and rectitude of conduct which are so essentially necessary to his gaining admission into the Celestial Lodge above..." (cited in Shaw, Ibid., p. 132)
      2. Yet, John 1:12-13 affirms that salvation is by faith alone in Christ:
        1. If one believes on Christ, God gives him the right (exousian, B.K.C., N.T., loc. cit.) to be a "born" son (tekna) of God, Jn. 1:12 ( John Mitchell, Fellowship, p. 63; UBS Grk. N.T., p. 321).
        2. Now, becoming a "born" son of God occurs without any human effort or merit, Jn. 1:13: (a) John says such a relation arises free of natural ancestry ("not of blood"). (b) This relation arises free of any parental decision to produce a child ("nor of the will of the flesh"). (c) This relation arises free even of a husband's (literally andros) will where the wife may not have willed it (UBS Grk. N.T., p. 321)! John thus labors to show this birth is NOT of any imaginable human role, but is entirely of God!
        3. Thus, eternal life comes only from God through faith alone in Christ apart from any human effort or merit! The way of salvation by works as taught in Freemasonry thus greatly errs!
Lesson Application: (1) John 1:1-18, in CONTRAST to major and covertly anti-Christ beliefs in Freemasonry, asserts (a) Jesus Christ as the SOLE, TRUE, UPRIGHT Creator God Who OPPOSES the evil Satan (Jn. 1:1,3,5,14 and 17). Also, (b) Salvation is by God's unmerited favor as one simply believes in Christ alone, Jn. 1:12-13. (2) We thus (a) REJECT Freemasonry doctrine as non-Christian, (b) separate from it and (c) seek to educate misled people about it!

Conclusion: (To illustrate the sermon lesson . . . )

 As additional evidence that the Christian should take a firm stand on Freemasonry, consider the following quotation from noted Mason Albert Pike in his work, Morals and Dogma, p. 11. (I obtained this quotation from checking out this book from a public library and reading it for myself!) Pike wrote of the symbols in Freemasonry in connection to what came from ancient Babylon, saying: " . . . seven steps, or stages, to each of which was a gate, and at the summit an eighth one, that of the fixed stars. The symbol was the same as that of the seven stages of Borsippa, the Pyramid of vitrified brick, near Babylon, built of seven stages, and each of a different color. In the Mithraic ceremonies, the candidate went through seven stages of initiation, passing through many fearful trials -- and of these the high ladder with seven rounds or steps was the symbol. You see the [Masonic] Lodge, its details and ornaments, by its Lights . . . "

Well, Genesis 11:2-4a details the making of such a tower at Babel of baked brick and pitch for mortar whose top had a significant association with heaven (possibly a reference to the zodiac of the stars)! You see God judging this in Genesis 11:9, and Dr. Ryrie in his footnote showing how the Babylonians later sought to change the name "Babel" that means "to confuse" to the more appetizing ter m "gate of God." (Ryrie Study Bible, KJV ftn. at Gen. 11:9)

In Revelation, 17:4-5, God reveals to John the latter day mystery Church of Babylon the GREAT that has become even a mother of spiritual religious "harlots."

I suggest that Freemasonry, known to be a forerunner of the Mormon religion (as we documented from last week's study) and, as we will see in a future sermon in this series, a heavy influence via Oriental cult beliefs of many Roman Catho lic rites, is perhaps a main VEHICLE of this false Babylon theological error!

If that is SO, we as BELIEVERS should certainly take a stand AGAINST its ERRORS. Also as believers, we should heed the call of GOD in regards to this false system in Revelation 18:4: "Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partaker of her sins."



Let us heed the Lord by reaching out to evangelize the lost around us and standing for the truth in separation from error!