1 John 4:1-6
Notes
Transcript
Good morning everyone, I heard a word from the Lord this morning. He spoke to me in an audible voice and gave me a clear new direction for our church. He told me that we are to sever ourselves from the rest of the churches. That we are going to focus inwardly over the next five years. He said that we are not going to be moving the gospel out into our community, but instead focusing strengthening our flock. He said we are going to do this by intense prayer meetings where the spirit will move us to be generous givers so that we can create financial power to store up for these last days. By severing the cord from the lost and from other churches He will strengthen us by blessing us with health, and financial security. It’s like the parable of the talents from Matthew 25. We are to take what we have and bury it and he will give us more. I know it seems different and different is scary but Jesus said in Matthew 8 “why are you so fearful? you of little faith.”
Church, I have one more word for you this morning. None of what I just said is true. But this is the type of thing that are happening in the church world wide and even right here in our own communities.
The problem with my word from the Lord is it directly contradicts what is written in God’s Holy scriptures. Voddie Baucham said there is a reason our bible are bound in leather. Because we have the completed cannon of scripture. God has revealed everything we need to know through his written word. If we were going to constantly be receiving new revelation it would be bound in 3 ring binder.
There is a big problem inside the church as a whole and it is not lack of faith. It’s bible illiteracy. If we have seats filled with people who have clean crisp pages in their bibles they won’t pick up on the meat of the lie because it’s covered in the skin of Jesus.
God would never tell us to sever from other churches that contradicts his word that says we are many but one body.
For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.
For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
For the body does not consist of one member but of many.
God would never tell us that we are to stop moving the Gospel outward and focus inward that contradicts his written word in the great commission.
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Notice how I wrapped up my new revelation up in a bow of a couple scriptures to help comfort you? The only problem with that is I’ve taken them completely out of context. But if your not studying your bibles you wouldn’t even notice.
I did all this because there is a very serious problem that the church is and always has been facing and John warns us of this again in today’s passages.
But before we read them join me as we open in prayer.
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.
By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,
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.
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.
They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them.
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.
Calling out and identifying false teachers is neither fun nor popular. It is, however, both biblical and necessary. They are often more dangerous and more plentiful than many Christians realize.
A sad reality in our day is that calling out of false doctrines and false teachers is looked at as divisive or unloving. It’s gotten to the point where it’s made out to be heretical to call out actual heresy’s. We have to have an alliance to the truth.
Folks we have a dangerous responsibility.
Paul Washer put it this way.
Preaching is dangerous for both the preacher and the hearer. It is dangerous for the preacher because a great stewardship has been laid upon him, and with privilege comes great responsibility. He will be held accountable for every word, and his ministry will be examined and made manifest before the very judgment seat of Christ. Woe to us if we do not preach the gospel, and even greater woe if we preach it in error. Preaching is also dangerous for the hearer. A preacher's authority does not come merely from his calling or anointing, but he has authority only to the degree that he correctly interprets and clearly proclaims the truths of Scriptures. When this happens, the hearer is privileged with a message from God and is bound to respond appropriately. In summary, the preacher will give an account for what he has said, and the hearer will give an account for what he has heard.
It’s also a job that the bibles commands us as pastors to do.
He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.
The apostle John makes that clear in 1 John 4:1–6. In words similar to those he penned earlier in chapter 2, the last living apostle draws a contrast between true prophets and false prophets, the true Christ and antichrists, and that which is of the Spirit of God and that which is of the spirits of this world. Six times he will use the phrase “from God” and six times he will use the phrase “the world.” Amazingly, those who are of “the world” and not “from God” have worked their way into the churches.
Again we are reminded that our greatest dangers are not from the outside but from within. Therefore we must “test the spirits” because they are not all from God. John provides a fourfold test we must take. This exam is more important than any you will ever take in any school. Its results are of eternal significance.
Are You Following False Prophets?
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.
John again begins with a word of affection and love: “Beloved” . He deeply cares for these brothers and sisters in Christ and he is very much aware that danger is lurking about, possibly within. John wants them to be aware of the fact that not every spiritual teacher is a credible teacher. There are spiritual deceivers and liars out there, and they work hard to earn our trust, our allegiance. So John says, “Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to determine if they are from God.” Both “believe” and “test” are commands that are calling for continuous action and vigilance.
What is this word test? “test” carries the idea of putting something to rigorous examination to discover its genuineness.
This is a church-wide community responsibility. We are all to be doctrine detectives, theological investigators!
Our goal is to determine if these prophets are from God or if their origin is to be found in another source, in a different kind of spirit.
A prophet in this context is anyone claiming to speak on behalf of God. Anyone saying I heard from God. Anyone saying I received new revelation. Anyone saying thus says the Lord and not directly quoting scripture but bringing their own message.
John’s point is straightforward: Behind every prophet, every proclamation, there is an energizing spirit. Their message will inform us as to the origin and source of their message. They are not all from God.
Watch! Listen! Test! You guys a healthy dose of “spiritual skepticism” is warranted. In fact, it is essential for the health and well-being of the Christian community.
The problem is we’ve been fed this mindset of what Voddie Baucham call the 11th commandment. Thou shalt be nice. And this comes in by taking scriptures out of context. Scriptures like Judge not, lest you be judged. But we are to judge, we are to judge rightly. How are we to test the spirits? We are judging them to see if the align with the written word of God.
And note, these false prophets are everywhere: John says “many … have gone out into the world.” They are demonically inspired missionaries on satanic assignment. They are not simply guilty of theological error; they are guilty of theological heresy!
Even if they are just guilty of theological error and have good intentions there is a pretty well known quote about good intentions anyone know it?
False prophets are not new to John’s readers. They have been around for a very long time.
“If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder,
and the sign or wonder that he tells you comes to pass, and if he says, ‘Let us go after other gods,’ which you have not known, ‘and let us serve them,’
you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams. For the Lord your God is testing you, to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and hold fast to him.
But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has taught rebellion against the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you out of the house of slavery, to make you leave the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.
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But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.’
And if you say in your heart, ‘How may we know the word that the Lord has not spoken?’—
when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You need not be afraid of him.
We must use discernment in all things. Charles Spurgeon defined discernment best I think.
Discernment is not knowing the difference between right and wrong. It is knowing the difference between right and almost right.” — Charles Spurgeon
There is a tendency with most people to ascribe any unusual phenomenon to God. Such a lack of discernment opens the door for false teaching and provides an opportunity for demonic activity to invade the church. Remember: spiritual or religious activity is not necessarily godly activity! Watch and wait. Look and listen. Evaluate the message and the messenger by the Word of God.
You cannot say, “I was never warned.” Jesus warned us
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.
And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray.
And then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it.
For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect.
But be on guard; I have told you all things beforehand.
Paul warned us
Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.
I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock;
and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them.
Peter warned us
But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.
And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed.
And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.
Jude warned us
Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, To those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ:
May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.
Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.
For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.
This Idea that Jude mentions of contending for the faith is a word that was meant for wrestlers that engaged in hand to hand combat. He is saying fight for truth, fight for the truth of the gospel. Where there is truth, error will be lurking in the background. Be on the lookout.
Are You Confessing the True Jesus?
By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,
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.
Once again John makes it plain that Christianity is rooted and grounded in “the Christological question”: What do you believe about Jesus? If He is just another enlightened religious teacher, He is permitted and tolerated as one opinion, one option, among many. If, however, He is the very incarnation of God, then the gospel and only the gospel is true and He is the only viable option for salvation amid the multitude of imposters.
Testing the spirits of verse 1 is greatly aided by asking “the Jesus question” of verses 2 and 3. “This is how you know,” recognize, come to understand, “the Spirit of God” and those who bear His gospel message. Verse 2 puts the issue in a positive light and verse 3 in the negative.
What confession bears witness to the presence of the Spirit of God? It is this: “Jesus Christ has come in the flesh [He is the incarnation of God].”It is on this truth that authentic Christianity stands or falls—that there was a true, genuine, and permanent wedding of deity and humanity in the person of Jesus Christ, God’s only Son.
In John’s day he was battling people denying the humanity of Jesus. That’s not so much the case in our day. We face people denying the deity of Jesus. They may call him God but then follow that up with one day we will be little god’s like him. Thus diminishing his deity.
The Spirit of God always honors Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Jesus said in John 16:14 concerning the Spirit, “He will glorify Me, because He will take from what is Mine and declare it to you.” If there is no glorifying of Jesus as God incarnate then there is no Spirit of God present.
Amazingly, even demons got it right and recognized the deity of Jesus while He walked on earth, though they certainly did not worship Him for it.
Tragically, demons have a better theology than do some professing Christians, pastors, teachers, and theologians.
Verse 3 is the antithesis of verse 2. Those who deny the truth of the incarnation of the Son of God (1) are not of God and (2) are of the antichrist. When it comes to what people believe about Jesus, the early church was plagued much like the twenty-first century. Already there were people who refused to believe the truth about God sending His Son as the Savior of the world in the person of Jesus.
“Antichrist” here means “against Christ”. John says you heard he was coming (and he is), and he (through his devilish spirits) is now already in the world. He was active in John’s day, he is active in our day, and he will remain active until the day that Jesus comes again.
Are You Trusting in the Greater Spirit?
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.
There is this concept that is called “a divine irony” for those who believe in and follow after Jesus.
It says the opposition of Satan—the world system that daily assaults us, false teachers that seek to seduce us, faulty worldviews that attempt to confuse us, and our own sinfulness that yearns to enslave us—is divinely ordained to fail.
Why? Because of the glorious truth of verse 4: “The One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” We have a Champion, a Victor, a source of power that all of these enemies from hell cannot overcome.
How did we obtain this victory? The Greater Spirit, the Holy Spirit, is in you, and He is greater than he who is in the world.
Is the world strong? Yes, but our God is infinitely stronger!
Are false prophets wise? Yes, but our God is infinitely wiser!
Is Satan powerful? Yes, but our God is infinitely more powerful!
And this One who is infinitely stronger, wiser, and greater now and forever “is in you”!
By repenting and a true and faithful confession of Jesus as Messiah, I declare that I am God’s. In response, God gives Himself to me through His Spirit and takes up residence in me and in each and every one who sincerely calls Jesus “Lord.” Amazingly, the God who can live anywhere desires to live inside of you and me! I now move forward in a life of loving, sacrificial service, just as my suffering-servant Savior did.
I can live confidently, blessed with supernaturally given assurance that I am His and that I fight a battle in which victory is mine for the taking.
John Piper applies this truth beautifully in a twofold manner:
1. Do not take credit for your listening ear or your confessing heart or your correct view of Christ. Give credit to the Spirit who is in you, and give God the glory.
2. When you are threatened by any deception of the evil one—any temptation, or discouragement, or anxiety, or cowardice—remind yourself that “he who is in you is greater than he that is in the world.” Almighty God abides within you. Trust him.
Are You Listening to the Right Teachers?
They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them.
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.
John brings this section to a close with words that are simple and, at first blush, can sound rather arrogant. However, a closer look will reveal he is directing us to the exact place we should go and the teachers to whom we should listen.
John draws a contrast between those of the world—the evil, organized system controlled by Satan (v. 5)—and those who are from God (v. 6). Those who are from the Devil’s domain speak out of that worldview and with that spirit’s inspiration.
Some of the things from that evil world view are health, wealth and prosperity. The things of this world are and easy sell for those thirsty for those things.
It’s such a sad situation because being sick or unhealthy sucks. Nobody enjoy’s that, so a gospel message filled with help is an easy sell. But sickness is a sad reality of living in a world that’s not operating the way it was designed.
Nobody enjoys struggling to live financially. So a gospel promoting wealth is an easy sell.
Nobody likes to live in hardships or feelings of failure, so a gospel promising prosperity is an easy sell.
The problem is they are selling temporary relief and leaving people with eternal problems.
The bible tells us we are gonna struggle. We are going to fail. We are going to be persecuted. Those things don’t sound good if you’re looking to live your best life now.
But the bible also tells us
He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
See the true gospel offers eternal solutions for these temporary problem when we set our sights on eternal things and not the things of this world.
False teachers speak satanic sermons. They deliver demonic discourses, and those who belong to that worldview listen to and embrace their teachings. Therefore, we should never be surprised when the lost think like lost people and live like lost people. This is true even for those who once claimed to believe in and follow Christ. Those enslaved to the world cannot help but listen to those who speak their own language.
Verse 6 paints a different picture. Those who know God through confessing Jesus as the incarnate Christ and Savior listen to those who were with Him, who were commissioned by Him. They stay with the apostles teachings found in the closed cannon of God’s written word and refuse to move away from this true and trustworthy source even one inch!
In John 8:47 Jesus says, “The one who is from God listens to God’s words.” This is a helpful commentary on the meaning of this verse. There is no “Jesus-plus” or “Bible-plus” theology for those who truly know God. And there is no “Jesus-minus” or “Bible-minus” theology either. This is how you can without question tell the difference between “the Spirit of truth and the spirit of deception.”
Now that raises a very important and very practical question: How can we listen to the apostles when they have been dead for almost 2,000 years? I love the answer of Thabiti Anyabwile:
Through a certain kind of preaching. The preaching that takes the apostles’ words, explains their words, and applies their words is the kind of preaching that enables us to listen to them today. We call this expositional preaching because it exposes what the apostles have written and the meaning and application of their words. When you listen to the word of God expositionally preached, you are listening to the apostles, and ultimately you are listening to God himself.
False prophets and those who listen to their teachings hang around the truth for a while, but they don’t stay. They wander away. Again and again, their error comes back to what they think and believe about Jesus.
The Bible says He is God, but they wander away and deny His eternal deity.
The Bible says He is sinless, but they wander away and say He sinned or at least committed error.
The Bible says He did miracles, but they wander away and say these are myths and fables.
The Bible says He is the only Savior, but they wander away and say He is only a savior.
The Bible says He died on the cross for our sins, but they wander away and deny penal substitution, calling it cosmic child abuse.
The Bible says He rose bodily from the dead, but they wander away and say the disciples imagined that He did.
The Bible says He ascended into heaven as Lord, but they wander away and say this is just another myth.
The Bible says He is coming again, but they wander away and say it’s pop-Christian fiction.
And finally, the Bible says He will judge us all, but they wander away and say God is love and eventually all will be saved. In the end, they say, “Love Wins.”
But the truth is a battle is indeed raging for the hearts, the minds, and the souls of men and women. Be a good soldier of Christ and the cross, of that which is true and that which is right. Test the spirits, confess Christ as Lord, trust the Holy Spirit who is within, and stay latched to the Word. Here is your strength. Here is your safety. Here is your salvation.
Let’s pray.
