Length: 6 minutes

It’s true, when we know Jesus, miracles happen. When we believe Him, God’s glory manifests. When we learn Him, we find rest for our souls. The problem is, these things can’t happen if the “Jesus” we know is the wrong one. 

It’s good advice to tell someone, “Keep your eyes on Jesus and don’t stop! You’re going to see all the right fruit in your life!” The thing is, a lot of people are hearing a version of Jesus that is not the true one. There’s only one Jesus in reality, but there are many different versions that people preach.

2 Corinthians 11:4 (NKJV) For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it!

It’s important to be careful about saying, “Just keep your eyes on Jesus and it will all turn out great.” You need to know who you’re speaking to. If that person has a wrong idea about Jesus, you may have just encouraged them to keep their eyes on the version of Jesus that they’ve heard… and that version may be the wrong one. 

There’s nothing wrong with saying “Keep your eyes on Jesus” but for many people, we need to explain a little further who Jesus is. For instance, you may want to clarify, “Keep your eyes on what Jesus did for you at the cross, not what you do for Him.” That points people in the right direction. Or even better, point them to what Jesus did for their specific situation. If they are sick, tell them “Focus on how Jesus broke His body for you, so that by His wounds, you could be healed.” You see? That clarifies things, so they don’t go on focusing on the wrong version of Jesus. Understandably, you can’t do this every time, but it’s good to keep in mind.

Don’t Continue In The Wrong Version

None of the good fruit God promises is going to manifest in our lives if we’re hearing the wrong version of Jesus. 

For instance, when people deal with guilt or are weary of trying, you could tell them to “Continue in the knowledge of Jesus,” but it could be that very false “knowledge of Jesus” that made them guilty and weary to begin with! So, to them, you’re just encouraging more of the same. They need a change. They need to know the true Jesus, who did all the work for us!

The only time “continuing in your knowledge” is helpful is when you have the true seed of God’s word. Continuance in that word, concerning the true Jesus, will certainly bear fruit!

Luke 8:15 (NKJV) But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience [or continuance].

When you have the true seed of God’s word, then continuance in that seed will bear fruit! But if what you think you have is not actually a seed of God’s word, but is a false portrayal of Jesus, then that won’t produce anything different than what it’s producing right now. 

• You could believe a version of Jesus that requires you to serve Him, rather than His grace serving through you (1 Corinthians 15:10). You could meditate on that version of “Jesus” but it’s never going to produce rest for your soul. In fact, that version of “Jesus” is what’s producing your stress.

• You could believe a version of Jesus that provided an afterlife but didn’t provide resurrection for the dead and life everlasting for our physical bodies. That’s not going to rid you of the fear of death, as if proper (Hebrews 2:14; 2 Timothy 1:10). That version of “Jesus” is producing your fear.

• You could believe a version of Jesus that forgives your sins repeatedly, day after day, rather than having cleansed you once for all time. That is not going to rid you of the consciousness of sins. That version of “Jesus” is causing you to drift between guilt and relief, back-and-forth (Hebrews 10:2). 

Sometimes, when people aren’t seeing fruit in their life, it’s because they need to continue in the good word that they’ve received. But a lot of times, people don’t have the right seed to begin with. They don’t have the right version of Jesus in their head to begin with. They’re struggling emotionally, they’re going through problems, trying to keep their head above water. All the while, they’re trying to grow in the version of Jesus they’ve been taught. And it’s the very version of Jesus they’ve been taught that’s robbing them of the fruit in the first place (Colossians 2:8). It’s not growth and continuance they need. It’s a change of mind. It’s a reversal of the wrong things they’ve heard about Jesus all their life. Continuance won’t help here. Change is needed here. 

How To Know The Right Jesus

There’s a lot we could say about this, but the Bible gives a simple rule: Anyone that teaches Jesus having come in the flesh is of God. Anyone who is not confessing that is not of God (1 John 4:2-3).

Think about it for one second. Why did Jesus need to take on flesh and become human? 

Did Jesus need flesh to be an example? No, God had already set forth an impossible example with the 10 Commandments. Jesus didn’t need flesh to do that. 

Did Jesus need flesh to just fix “spiritual” problems? No, if Jesus was only fixing “spiritual,” intangible problems, why would He need a physical body to bear those problems.

The truth is, Jesus took on real, human flesh, to serve us, by taking real, human problems in that flesh. He had to become a man to take the problems that mankind face. Granted, those problems stemmed from the spiritual realm, with the devil, in the garden, but humans face physical, tangible problems in their body and mind. So, Jesus took a flesh to bear those things for us – taking sin in His flesh and all the problems that come from it.

This is why John says, “Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God.” He’s talking about what Jesus did at the cross (see Hebrews 10:5). Jesus needed a body to serve us! Jesus needed a body to take away our problems! Anyone who preaches what Jesus did for you at the cross, instead of what you do for Him, is of God. The only thing required is for us to believe what He did!

If you’re going to continue in the knowledge of Jesus, let it be that version of Jesus. Let it be the true version of Jesus. Not everybody needs to continue in what they know. Sometimes, we need a change. Sometimes, we need to trade the Jesus we’ve heard for the Jesus who really came.

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