Sermon Tone Analysis

DISCERNMENT: Seeing the Supernatural Behind the Natural

THE PRIORITY OF DISCERNMENT

I. WHAT IS THE GIFT OF DISCERNMENT?

The Holy Spirit gives the gift of discernment to enable certain Christians to clearly recognize and distinguish between the influence of God, Satan, the world, and the flesh in a given situation.

The church needs those with this gift to warn believers in times of danger or keep them from being led astray by false teaching.”

A. The Power to Distinguish (Gift)

B. The Ability to Distinguish (SKILL)

IT IS THE POWER / ABILITY TO SEE THE SUPERNATURAL BEHIND THE NATURAL

· TO SEE WHAT IT REALLY AT WORK IN A PERSON (THEIR LIFE AND THEIR TEACHING)

· The Greek word for the gift of discernment is Diakrisis.

The word describes being able to distinguish, discern, judge, or appraise a person, statement, situation, or environment.

ONE MAN WROTE:

“But there is more to discernment.

True discernment means not only distinguishing the right from the wrong; it means distinguishing the primary from the secondary, the essential from the indifferent, the permanent from the transient, the good and the better from the best.”

II.

WHY IS IT NECESSARY?

A. To Discern False Morality In the Church

B. To Discern False Activity In the Church

C. To Discern False Teachers In the Church

ALL OF THESE ARE FROM WITHIN THE CHURCH (PROFESSING CHRISTIANS – YOUTUBE, ETC) THUS DISCERNMENT IS NECESSARY

III.

HOW DO WE CULTIVATE DISCERNMENT?

A. The Anointing of the Holy Spirit

B. Saturating Your Mind With the Word of God

a. Discernment…is LEARNING…from the Word

the only discernment we possess is that which we receive in union with Christ, by the Spirit, through God’s Word.

Discernment is learning to “think God’s thoughts after him,” practically and spiritually; it means having a sense of how things look in God’s eyes, and seeing them in some measure “uncovered and laid bare.”

3. The Ongoing Experience and Acknowledgement of the Grace of God In My Life

4. Ask For It!

The Gifts of the Holy Spirit are unique skills and abilities given by the Holy Spirit to faithful followers of Christ to serve God for the common benefit of his people, the church.

REMEMBER, THE GIFTS ARE FOR THE GOOD OF THE BODY AND FOR THE EDUFICATION

A. To Protect Body from Deception

B. To Bring Healing to the Body When Sin Happens

1 TIM 4 1

COL 2 8

1 JOHN 4 1

ROMANS 12 2

HEB 5 14

PHIL 1 9

Finally, discernment serves as a catalyst to spiritual development: “The mocker seeds wisdom and finds none, but knowledge comes easily to the discerning” (Prov.

14:6).

Why?

Because the discerning Christian goes to the heart of the matter.

He knows something about everything, namely that all things have their common fountain in God.

Increase in knowledge therefore does not lead to increased frustration, but to a deeper recognition of the harmony of all God’s words and words.

COUNSELORS

PASTORS