5.10.49 10.30.2022 1 John 4.1-6 Practices to Protect

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Entice: I have loved preaching from the Johannine literature this year. John tends to be somewhat more oblique than his peers. He hints, alludes, and cajoles, before he commands. For some believers, the virtues John teaches can become exposed flanks when we are not informed, balanced, and clear. The virtue, the fruit of the Spirit, which is front and center for John, is love. Some people think that such a focus on love would make John a softie.

Not so much.

John may repeatedly call upon us to love the brothers, but he also calls antichrists what they are and reminds us that love goes hand in glove with understanding. At times, John seems to zig-zag between reminding us to love and encouraging us to be vigilant. He clearly thinks both are possible and desirable.

Engage: Do you know how to tell the difference between someone who is trying to deepen and encourage your faith and someone who is trying to delude and distract you? I hope you are learning from these balanced lessons from 1 John. When we listen to John we are much better equipped to love as we should and to be wary of those who would lead the Church astray.    

Expand: A key to 1 John is that the "outsiders" who John opposes used to be "insiders." Theologians would call them heretics. Yet they still wanted to have influence over those remaining within the body. They wanted to delude those who remained, to remove them from the flock. It is those who abandon the faith for something less than what is Biblical that John calls antichrists...and their favorite area of error is the very heart of our faith:

the incarnation.

Excite: We must understand accurately and articulate clearly who Jesus is. That is why John wrote as he did and repeats himself so often.

This is important.

It was important in generation one, and even more important now. We don’t always comprehend that our world remains overwhelmingly religious. We don’t think of it that way because we think of religion and Christian as synonyms. Which they are not. Most “secular" philosophies are spiritual and religious by nature. Any ultimate affection is religious. Everything from communism to a favorite sporting team can qualify as religious. Some with a semi-religious outlook get infected with the if-onlies. "If only" they say "you would compromise on the nature and person of Jesus!" They think that if we accept Jesus as merely a great teacher and exemplary human being that we can just "all get along." The result of such thinking is not Biblical, and it is not Christianity. The center of Christianity, what makes it distinctive is,

...that Jesus Christ has come IN THE FLESH.

Explore:

Responsible discipleship is vigilant.

Explain: John teaches us that vigilance requires two commitments.

Body of Sermon: The first Commitment is that vigilance requires

1. Discernment

1 John 4:1–3 ESV

1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.

Discernment means evaluating, weighing, considering, and questioning what we are taught, to ensure that we hear God talking and not charlatans.

So, discernment means

1.1 Distinguishing truth from error.

1.2 Confessing the incarnate Savior.

Discernment is intellectual. It considers every thought and weighs it according to the clear teaching of scripture. Discernment, then, is spiritual and confessional.

And then John reminds us that discernment is behavioral,  requiring us to be

1.3 Resilient and observant.

1 John 4:3 ESV

3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.

We keep learning, understanding and confessing Jesus to be our incarnate savior whatever the consequences. This is true discernment.

Next, vigilance requires

2. Determination.

2.1 We can be determined because of who we are

1 John 4:4 (ESV)

4 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

2.2 We will be determined when we listen to God

1 John 4:5 ESV

5 They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them.

2.3 We grow more determined as we distinguish truth from error.

1 John 4:6 ESV

6 We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

Shut Down:

Christianity is very specific.

The Bible is clear about our biggest problem (sin).

The Bible is also clear about the solution (salvation in Christ, received through faith).

John is transparent about the risks we face.

Delusion,

confusion,

and

desertion.

John alternates commands to love with instruction in doctrine and encouragement to be constantly watchful. For much of the 2,000 years of Christian History this has been the ongoing purpose of guys like me at times like this. Encourage. Focus. Teach. John did not apologize, and I won't either. We must balance these competing aspects of Christian living while we are growing into the likeness of Christ and bearing the fruit of the Spirit.

Discipleship means practicing the practices which protect the flock and every individual. When I invite you to accept Christ, to become a part of the Church, to be saved and sanctified; that is what I am inviting you to be a part of. All of you, all for Jesus. As He gave all of Himself for us. The incarnate Lord teaching us to know what we should, act as He requires, love as He demonstrates with discernment and determination. That’s what He asks 10.30.2022.