Épisodes

  • Beloved, You Are from God & Have Overcome | 1 John 4:4
    Jul 6 2025

    Lord's Day: July 6, 2025 Preacher: Carlos Montijo Series: First John Topic: Assurance Scripture: 1 John 4:2–5; Romans 1:25; 1 John 5:19; John 12:31; Ephesians 2:2; Mark 3:28–30; James 4:4; 2 Corinthians 4:2–4; Romans 8:37; John 15:17–21; Matthew 16:15–19; John 8:32; Matthew 18:18; 28:18–20; Hebrews 2:14–17; 1 John 2:19–20

    4You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. 1 John 4:4

    • Those who are not from God deny Him instead, and “exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.” (Rom. 1:25) — Either/Or

    I. Conquerors & Overcomers

    • 1 John 4:4 2—Law or Gospel?
      • The apostle showers God’s people, “my little children,” with gospel indicatives
    • What does the world mean in this passage?
      • Unregenerate society as a whole, which is influenced by the spirit of the antichrist that “is already in the world” (1 John 4:3) and lies under the power of the evil one (1 John 5:19)
    • Who is “he who is in the world”?
      • Satan

    II. Haven’t the Antichrist and the antichrists overcome the world?

    • John 16:33
    • 2 Corinthians 4:2–4
    • There is no cosmic, dualistic struggle between God and the devil, Christ and Antichrist

    III. Haven’t the Antichrist and the antichrists overcome the church?

    • Matthew 16:15–19
    • What is the church? taen ekklesian, the called-out ones chosen by God
    • Roman Catholic Church-State claims to the papacy, Peter as the 1st pope

    IV. Amazing promise: No one and no thing—not Death, not the Devil, not any other power, nor anything else can ever prevail against us—God’s church, nor separate us from His greater love (Romans 8)

    • 1689 LBCF 26.3: “The purest churches under heaven are subject to mixture and error,1 [though] some have degenerated so much that they have ceased to be churches of Christ and have [instead] become 'synagogues of Satan'.2 Nevertheless, Christ has always had, and always will have to the end of time a kingdom in this world, made up of those who believe in him and profess his name.3” (1) 1Co 1:11; 5:1; 6:6; 11:17-19; 3Jo 1:9-10; Rev 2:1-3:22 (2) Rev 2:5, 1:20; 1Ti 3:14-15; Rev 18:2 (3) Mat 16:18; 24:14; 28:20; Mar 4:30-32; Psa 72:16-18; 102:28; Isa 9:6-7; Rev 12:17; 20:7-9
    • The churches and people who fall away and become apostate do not belong to Christ, Christ did not “lose” them

    We meet on Sundays for worship at 10:00am:

    • ThornCrown Covenant Baptist Church
      4712 Montana Ave
      El Paso, Texas 79903

    Contact us at:

    • web: ThornCrownCovenant.Church
      call/text: (915) 843-8088
      email: ThornCrownCovenantBChurch@gmail.com

    Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com

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  • Confessing Christ & Denying Antichrist | 1 John 4:2-3
    Jun 29 2025

    Lord's Day: June 29, 2025 Preacher: Carlos Montijo Series: First John Topic: Discernment Scripture: 1 John 4:1–4; Luke 11:23; 9:49–50; Acts 20:26–32; Hebrews 5:14; 2 Corinthians 11:13–15; Matthew 15:13–14; Revelation 3:17; 1 John 2:22–23, 18; Matthew 7:15

    2By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world. 1 John 4:2–3

    • To confess Christ is to deny Antichrist
    • Law of Excluded Middle: Luke 11:23 and Luke 9:49–50

    I. There are many false ways of relating to God, and “many false prophets have gone out into the world”

    • Acts 20:26–32
    • Those who are in error are often completely unaware of their own biases and imbalances—self-deception
    • They often assume that their errors/traditions are biblical, instead of carefully investigating them, instead of discerning all things, instead of testing every spirit
    • Gresham Machen’s Christianity & Liberalism—Either/Or, Excluded Middle

    II. Confession

    • What does it mean to confess Jesus Christ who has come in the flesh?

    III. Repentance

    • Repentance is a form of discernment, a rejection of lies and acceptance of truth

    IV. What is “the spirit of the Antichrist” (v. 3)?

    • Zeitgeist, spirit of the age, mindset that is of the Antichrist,[1] allegiance

    We meet on Sundays for worship at 10:00am:

    • ThornCrown Covenant Baptist Church
      4712 Montana Ave
      El Paso, Texas 79903

    Contact us at:

    • web: ThornCrownCovenant.Church
      call/text: (915) 843-8088
      email: ThornCrownCovenantBChurch@gmail.com

    Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com

    [1] Gordon H. Clark, First John: A Commentary, Trinity Paper, No. 2, 2nd ed. (The Trinity Foundation, 1992), p. 126 .

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  • Spirit of God, or of Antichrist? | 1 John 4:1-2
    Jun 22 2025

    Lord's Day: June 22, 2025 Preacher: Carlos Montijo Series: First John Topic: Discernment Scripture: 1 John 4:1–3; Acts 20:30; Hebrews 4:9–13; 5:9–14; John 7:24; 2 Peter 1:3–4; 1 John 2:18–25; Matthew 7:13–14

    1Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God.... 1 John 4:1–2

    • Discernment in a sense illustrates law and gospel: It is both a command (law), a daily necessity and duty that we all must practice constantly, as well as a good, gracious gift from God (gospel)

    I. Discernment is definitional to the Christian—to be a Christian is to discern

    • Discernment is the mirror that allows us to see who we really are

    II. How then do we grow in our discernment? In our ability to test every spirit?

    • Discernment and sound judgment are closely related in Scripture, go hand in hand, frequently overlap
    • You cannot judge righteously unless you first discern properly
    • Grasping God’s Word, understanding it, requires discernment

    III. Beware—A lack of active, consistent, constant, daily discernment points to and leads to a lack of understanding

    • It leads to forgetting things that we previously learned, even to a lack of desire to understand, “dullness of hearing” (Heb 5:11)
    • Discernment is cumulative

    IV. One of the main reasons we must have our “powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil” is because the devil and his antichrist spirit are master counterfeiters‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

    • One of the necessary qualities of biblical discernment—in addition to knowledge of Scripture and of sound doctrine—is logic

    V. There are many, many erroneous ways of relating to God, many false claims to the true God

    • Matthew 7:13–14

    We meet on Sundays for worship at 10:00am:

    • ThornCrown Covenant Baptist Church
      4712 Montana Ave
      El Paso, Texas 79903

    Contact us at:

    • web: ThornCrownCovenant.Church
      call/text: (915) 843-8088
      email: ThornCrownCovenantBChurch@gmail.com

    Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com

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  • Our Daily Duty to Discern Spirits | 1 John 4:1
    Jun 15 2025

    Lord's Day: June 15, 2025 Preacher: Carlos Montijo Series: First John Topic: Discernment Scripture: 1 John 4:1; Acts 20:30; 1 Timothy 4:1–3; 1 Kings 3:7–13; 11:1–6; Matthew 7:9–11; 1 Corinthians 12:7–13; 2 Timothy 2:3; 1 Thessalonians 5:21–22; James 1:5; Matthew 5:37

    Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 1 John 4:1

    I. “…to see…”

    II. Who or what are these “spirits”? Πνεύματα

    III. Discernment Defined

    • Discernment, in part, is to “know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He gave us.” (1 John 3:24)
    • Discernment is to “test the spirits to see whether they [too] are from God” (1 John 4:1)

    IV. Does discernment really matter to God?

    • King Solomon
    • Wisdom is not “knowledge applied”

    V. Discernment is a good gift from God

    • 1 Corinthians 12:7–13
    • The gift of discernment is a blessing and benefit of our Union with Christ and His Spirit, the anointing of truth, whereby God equips us with His means to teach us the truth and distinguish it from error

    VI. Who then has the duty to discern, and how often must discernment be exercised?

    • As “good soldiers of Christ” (2 Tim 2:3), we must know both our friends and our foes, allies and our enemies

    VII. Analogy of Scripture

    • 1 Thessalonians 5:21–22
    • Discernment is a powerful weapon, and a lifestyle

    VIII. We discern good from evil, true teachers from false prophets, good churches from bad ones...

    • “All congregations in the Christian Reformed Church in North America may allow women to serve in the office of minister, elder, deacon, or commissioned pastor.”[1]
    • “God’s Chisel,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqGIHpiqkjg

    We meet on Sundays for worship at 10:00am:

    • ThornCrown Covenant Baptist Church
      4712 Montana Ave
      El Paso, Texas 79903

    Contact us at:

    • web: ThornCrownCovenant.Church
      call/text: (915) 843-8088
      email: ThornCrownCovenantBChurch@gmail.com

    Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com

    [1] ‘Women in Ecclesiastical Office | Christian Reformed Church’ [accessed 14 June 2025].

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  • In Christ, We Know What Is from God | 1 John 3:24-4:1
    Jun 8 2025

    Lord's Day: June 8, 2025 Preacher: Carlos Montijo Series: First John Topic: Union with Christ Scripture: 1 John 3:23–4:1; Ephesians 2:18; 1 Corinthians 1:30–31; Ephesians 1:3–6; Romans 8:32; James 1:27; Proverbs 7:7; Ecclesiastes 8:5; Hosea 14:9; Philippians 1:9–11

    24And the one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. We know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He gave us. 1Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 1 John 3:24–4:1

    I. Union with Christ

    • There is no tension between the renovative benefits of Christ and His forensic benefits, between objective and subjective benefits, or between the legal and the relational benefits
    • Our Union with Christ also unites us to the entire Trinity

    II. Summary of 1 John 3

    III. What is Discernment?

    • 1 John 4:1
    • Discernment can mean different things in Scripture
    • “The term 'discern' in the Bible refers to the ability to perceive, distinguish, or judge something clearly and accurately. It involves a deep understanding and insight that goes beyond mere surface-level observation. Discernment is often associated with wisdom and spiritual insight, enabling individuals to differentiate between truth and falsehood, right and wrong, or good and evil…. Discernment is a recurring theme in the Scriptures, emphasizing the importance of spiritual insight and understanding. It is considered a gift from God, essential for making wise decisions and living a life that aligns with His will.”[1]

    We meet on Sundays for worship at 10:00am:

    • ThornCrown Covenant Baptist Church
      4712 Montana Ave
      El Paso, Texas 79903

    Contact us at:

    • web: ThornCrownCovenant.Church
      call/text: (915) 843-8088
      email: ThornCrownCovenantBChurch@gmail.com

    Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com

    [1] ‘Topical Bible: Discern’ [accessed 8 June 2025].

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  • United to Christ, through Faith, by His Spirit | 1 John 3:24
    Jun 1 2025
    Lord's Day: June 1, 2025 Preacher: Carlos Montijo Series: First John Topic: Union with Christ Scripture: 1 John 3:22–24; Genesis 15:5; 1 Peter 1:13; Ephesians 1:3–6, 2:13–22; Romans 5:8–10, 8:32 24And the one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. We know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He gave us. 1 John 3:24 Our union with Christ, by faith in Him, being accepted as individuals through Him and in Him, and abiding in the anointing of His Spirit and of the truth, makes our good works pleasing in God’s sight—despite the reality that they may be “accompanied by many weaknesses and imperfections”—because “He looks upon them in his Son” (2LBCF 16.6). I. Union with Christ We are united to Christ in a, not universal, as in all men, but a corporate sense, as in, all the people of God II. The doctrine of Union with Christ can be complex, lots of facets, parts, pieces Big picture doctrine that encompasses many other doctrines, much like covenant theologyThe phrase “in Christ” in Scripture, in Him, through Him, with Him—Union“Union with Christ is not to be understood as a moment in the application of salvation to believers. Rather, it is…the way in which believers share in Christ in eternity [past] (by election), in past history [just history, includes OT saints] (by redemption), in the present (by effectual calling, justification, and sanctification), and in the future (glorification).”[1] III. Our Union with Christ was established “before the foundation of the world” Ephesians 1:3-6Elective or Decretal Union (Predestinarian)“Biblical analogies include the union of a vine and its branches, the head and members of the body, a husband and wife within the bond of marriage, and the foundation and cornerstone of a building. Dabney noted that Scripture also compares the union of Christ and his people to the bond between the Father and the Son. Yet this analogy does not infer the deification of believers.”[2] IV. We must get the biblical foundational priorities straight, properly ordered The legal and logical priority that grounds all of our benefits in our personal union with Christ is Christ Himself—His life and death, His active and passive obedience, and is what grounds our Union with Him, and is the foundation for everything we receive in HimEphesians 2:13-22 V. Some claim that there is no priority between any of the salvific benefits that we receive in Christ Romans 5:8-10 VI. The subjective (our experience) is based on the objective (God’s truth), not the other way around The best definition of Union with Christ fully embraces and encompasses everything that it means, all of its doctrines, because it’s really a shorthand that encompasses the entire doctrinal system and order of salvation (ordo salutis), and more—regeneration, justification, adoption, sanctification, glorification, etc. We meet on Sundays for worship at 10:00am: ThornCrown Covenant Baptist Church4712 Montana AveEl Paso, Texas 79903 Contact us at: web: ThornCrownCovenant.Churchcall/text: (915) 843-8088email: ThornCrownCovenantBChurch@gmail.com Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com [1] Michael Horton, The Christian Faith: A Systematic Theology for Pilgrims on the Way (Zondervan Academic, 2011), p. 590. [2] Qtd. in Bruce A. Demarest, The Cross and Salvation: The Doctrine of Salvation, Foundations of Evangelical Theology (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1997), 325.
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  • Informed Faith Comes First | 1 John 3:23-24
    May 25 2025

    Lord's Day: May 25, 2025 Preacher: Carlos Montijo Series: First John Topic: Faith Scripture: 1 John 3:22–24; Mark 1:14; Matthew 3:8; Acts 26:20; John 6:29, 63; 5:46–47; Hebrews 11:8–10, 17–19; 1 Corinthians 2:16; John 8:51

    23And this is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He gave a commandment to us. 24And the one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. We know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He gave us. 1 John 3:23–24

    • Our prayers must be informed and guided by Scripture, just as our faith must be informed and guided by Scripture
    • We are commanded to first and foremost understand and believe the truth (Mark 1:14)
    • Faith always comes first, then good works follow, then we do works “in keeping” with this saving repentance and faith (Mt 3:8, Acts 26:20)
    • Obedience does not follow faith, because believing is the first act of obedience, even though our belief is not our good work—it is the work of God (John 6:29)

    I. There is no difference between believing “in the name of His Son Jesus Christ,” or believing in Christ, or believing Christ, or believing the words of Christ

    II. Do not be misled when people say that true faith is not believing things about Christ, but believing Christ Himself

    III. Take Abraham as a prime example of faith, true faith

    IV. Union with Christ

    • 1 John 3:24 teaches us a universal union with Christ, but also a particular union with Him—a personal one, through faith—by His Spirit, His anointing
    • "The New Testament does indeed teach a mutual indwelling of Christ and the believer. There is a very real sense in which minds interpenetrate. In I Corinthians 2:16 Paul asserts that 'we have the mind of Christ.' Christ dwells in us and we in him by our thinking and believing his doctrines. As John says in his Gospel 8:51, 'He who maintains my doctrine shall not see death, ever.'”[1]

    We meet on Sundays for worship at 10:00am:

    • ThornCrown Covenant Baptist Church
      4712 Montana Ave
      El Paso, Texas 79903

    Contact us at:

    • web: ThornCrownCovenant.Church
      call/text: (915) 843-8088
      email: ThornCrownCovenantBChurch@gmail.com

    Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com

    [1] Gordon H. Clark, First John: A Commentary, Trinity Paper, No. 2, 2nd ed. (The Trinity Foundation, 1992), p. 120

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  • The Law of Love & the Gospel of Faith | 1 John 3:22-23
    May 18 2025

    Lord's Day: May 18, 2025 Preacher: Carlos Montijo Series: First John Topic: Law & Gospel Distinction Scripture: 1 John 3:22–23; Matthew 23:23; Psalm 37:1–9; Romans 8:32; Mark 1:14–15; Matthew 3:8; Acts 26:20; Hebrews 11:6

    22and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight. 23And this is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He gave a commandment to us. 1 John 3:22–23

    I. If God gives us whatever we ask for according to 1 John 3:22, then why do we not always get what we ask for?

    • It is not pious to obey one command (e.g., prayer) at the expense/neglect of another (e.g., study)—it is immature and sinful to neglect the whole counsel of God, or to have lopsided/imbalanced priorities and applications

    II. What does Jesus say about balance?

    • He rebuked the false, imbalanced piety of the scribes and Pharisees, Matthew 23:23: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the Law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.”
    • Just as you cannot love aright without sound doctrine (the “weightier provision of the Law”—because we are commanded to first and foremost understand and believe the truth), so likewise, you cannot pray aright without the truth of sound doctrine
    • Prayer is an outworking (orthopraxy) of our doctrine (orthodoxy)

    III. We must not pray for sinful things, nor with selfish/perverse motives

    • James 4:1-12
    • Prayer is relational, how we relate with God

    IV. To pray rightly, in a manner that pleases God, you need knowledge, faith, humility, persistence, patience.

    • We worship and bow before God in prayer, to petition Him for help, grace, mercy, forgiveness, strength, support, provision, deliverance, blessings, good things
    • Psalm 37:1–9
    • God has given us everything already through our heavenly inheritance and union with Christ (Romans 8:32)

    V. What does it mean to “keep His commandments”?

    We meet on Sundays for worship at 10:00am:

    • ThornCrown Covenant Baptist Church
      4712 Montana Ave
      El Paso, Texas 79903

    Contact us at:

    • web: ThornCrownCovenant.Church
      call/text: (915) 843-8088
      email: ThornCrownCovenantBChurch@gmail.com

    Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com

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