1 John 4.1-6 Test the Spirits

Cults are very dangerous. We all remember some of the famous cults. Like those who followed Jim Jones to Jonestown where in 1978 918 people lost their lives in a terrible tragedy. WE remember the branch Davidians and David Koresh in 1993 where 76 members of the cult lost their lives after a standoff with federal agents. These tragedies all come because someone followed and anti christ a strong charasmatic leader who claimed to have divine authority and kept his people in isolation, perverted the scripture manipulated people and abused them, each ended in a tragic way. Today I want to bring up probably the most ridiculous of these the Heaven’s Gate Cult.

Heaven’s Gate

In 1972Marshall Applewhite (Do) and Nettles (Ti) a couple who met in Houston Texas start running around the country on a spiritual mission

They claimed to be the two witnesses of Revelation. They twisted the Scriptures

They believed that earth was a garden planted by extraterrestrial beings from the next level. And that they had to ascend to their cosmic gardeners the TELAH. They believed that Satan became evil when he got “Too big for his britches” that’s a quote and that wanted to run his own show so he created his own world and now there is a galactic war between the Lucefarians and TELAH’s who want you to join there side in a galactic battle between the two.

By the way Jesus was a good plant and Satan was an evil plant. And you have the choice to either ascend to the next level join the Lucefarians or become fertalizer when the alien gardeners come back to till the earth again. In the hail bopp comet of course. Some how this led to March 26, 1997 when 39 cult members would be found dead in San Diego CA

They were all covered in purple shrouds laid out on beds wereing black nike running shoes. They had their bags packed neatly made beds had matching uniforms that said Heaven’s gate away team. Each had a $5 bill and a pile of quarters in their pocket.

How sad but these people fit the message of 1 John 4 and that the world can fall into

They believed the body was a shell a pod and it was to be left behind the spirit was the thing that was going to ascend to heaven in heaven’s gate.

I remember when this and the branch davidians happened. I thought to myself I don’t want anyone else to fall into that trap.

We think this kind of thing is crazy but it is not going away.

Today their are groups like Muslims, Hindus, Jehovah’s Witness, Mormons, Scientologist, groups that worship aliens and AI that are out their that would like to creep into the church and deceive you. You may think that this is something wild and who could believe in these things. Some really smart people have believed some wild things. I have stated this before: Here are the the conversations I have with people. I want Bible questions I want people saved but I hear and this is fine I want to have these conversations. #1 PRAY FOR MY phyical need. #2 Pray for my how do I deal with my prodigal child. #3 You won’t believe what I heard Pastor.

My Son believes in aliens, he doesn’t believe in God and all he wants to talk about is aliens,

I saw on the internet about the book of Enoch.

I heard that AI is going to take over and we are going to become its slaves.

I saw a ghost in my back bed room,

Is Donald Trump, Jesus or the devil?’

My point is that in a small country church this is what is on people’s mind and your family is probably talking about these things, so we need to look at these false messages that sound good. Do you know that heaven’s gate, if you read some of the teachings of Marshall Applewhite, which I did on apologetics index website. Most of his teaching was the Bible Twisted. Do you know there have been people who have left this church to go join a cult, a twisted version of Biblical teaching.

Test the Spirits.

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

John has spent a lot of time in his book telling us that we need to have the Holy Spirit inside of us guiding us away from false teachings and living in the world, so what happens when lies come into the church. What happens when the Jehovah’s witness arrives at your door or the Muslim starts talking to you at work or you see highly ranking members of the US military claiming that they have non human live captured from down UFOs. How do you test these things? 1 John says to test these things.

We test things all the time

SPECTROSCOPY SPECK TROS SCOPY - is a great way to test elements to see what their atomic signature is. It is like God’s fingerprint at the atomic level if I wanted to know if something was Oxygen or Helium, you couldn’t know by looking at it in a jar, but if you used line spectroscopy each one gives a unique color pattern when heated electrons become excited and are directed through a prism each element has a unique color pattern distinguishing them from each other. It is a great way to test what elements are it is why we call Helium Helium because it was first discovered using line spectroscopy on the sun during a solar eclipse. It is a test to determine what element you are looking at.

A few years ago someone broke into our church. They left some finger prints on the window in the kitchen, that helped the police track down the person responsible. We all know and this one baffles me, but DNA is a great test that can reveal the truth by testing people. It has solved many crimes, identified peoples ancestry and is fundamental to making you look the way that you do. All these are tests that can be run to distinguish the truth. God gives us better tests that help us avoid the lies of the devil.

Test all things.

1 Thessalonians 5:20–22 Do not despise prophecies. Test all things; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.

The Bible doesn’t say that we should close our ear to all truth, as a matter of fact we should not despise it. We need to test it. If I told you that you should stay away from everything wild and supernatural I would say stay away from the gospels the book of Acts and Revelation. That isn’t the point those have many great stories of the God creator of the universe, What the Bible says is to test all things. TEST what I say in church. Test what David Jeremiah says, Test what you hear on the internet. I have been listening to some people on a podcast and said NO NO NO!!!! I took what they were saying and compared it to the Bible, I will give you an example. People all over the internet Christians are falling in love with the wild teaching of the book of Enoch. My brother took that book read it and compared it to the Scripture and his advice is be careful. A lot of the teachings coming out of that book come from a dangerous portion that in it the author who I am sure isn’t Enoch is claiming to be the Messiah. You have to be careful.

False Prophets look good on the outside.

Matthew 7:15 Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.

They look good on the outside but the inside is something all together different. John juxtaposes the wicked spirits with false prophets. He is saying that the lies of the enemy the things that will pull you away from the church are demonic at their core. I will tell you what. I don’t fear AI Aliens Sasquatch Ghosts or any of that, but I don’t play around with them either. My opinion is that all these things that Jehovah’s Witness and Muslims let into their faith is demonic. It is of the devil. It may look interesting but on the inside it isn’t good,

The Pastor’s job is to warn you about what’s on the inside.

Acts 20:28–32 Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears. “So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.

I feel that it is my job t keep your eyes fixed on Jesus. To every once and awhile warn you that the devil is out their and using his tricks to deceive you. He will be at it until the end. I need to warn you to test every smooth talker out there against the Spirit of God,

The message of false prophets could fool any of you.

Mark 13:22 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

The message of the antichrist could fool anyone. I warn you don’t be that person who learns all too well that pride goes before a fall. They say I won’t be tricked I won’t be fooled. The next thing you know the devil is taking them to the cleaners. You need the tools we learn today to help you.

TEST #1 is JESUS!

1 John 4:2 “By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God,”

Anything that comes from the Holy Spirit will say that Jesus is the one and only Son of God, born of a virgin lived a sinless life died on the cross and three days later rose from the dead. He is our God our Savior, and ONLY Hope of heaven. Anything that denies that is of the devil. That is why we have a statement of faith.

We believe in the deity of Jesus Christ from eternity past to eternity future, His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and His personal return in power. John 1:1, 14; 2:23; I Peter 3:18; I Timothy 3:15, 16; 2:5; Acts 1:11; Phil. 2:6-10; Isaiah 7:14;9:6

If that is what our church is teaching than you know that we are heading in the right direction.

Beware those who deny Jesus.

Jude 4 For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jude tells us what those men look like the lies of the devil, the murder of Abel by Cain, the false angels, the wicked Egyptians, Sodom and Gomorrah, Korah, and Balaam. They all gave false narratives and a demonic message that was opposed to God’s plan for Jesus to redeem us from the curse of sin. They were all destroyed to. One day all false teachers will be doomed.

Antichrist is just that anti-christ.

1 John 4:3 and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.

I don’t know who the antichrist will be but I know what his agenda will be to oppose the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ and His divinity by deception. Do you want to know my opinion I have talked about a lot of things this morning and I believe the antichrist will use a little bit of all them to decieve the world. I believe that he will mix a little bit of spirituality even through in the Bible from time to time but twisted and corrupted. He will use compromise to sin, and pressure to isolate people from God while using the supernatural to bolster his position. He will probably use a mixture of technology and mystical to gain people to his message. But it will all be opposed to Jesus you need to know JESUS now, Exactly what we said in our statement of faith and be concrete in that.

TEST #2 - The Holy Spirit

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

John’s entire converation started back in 1 John 3:24 “Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.” Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit and how do we know that we are listening to the Holy Spirit or the Devil. The Holy Spirit if you know Jesus! Lives in you and He is greater than the devil. If you know Jesus, you have someone who guards your heart the Holy Spirit He is their to help you through this life.

The Holy Spirit is our spiritual discernment.

John 16:11 of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

In John 16 Jesus promises us that he will leave us the Holy Spirit and that it is important that he go away so that the Holy Spirit will come and teach us all things of sin righteousness and judgment, Spiritual discernment is found in Jesus. I tell you what I am too easily convinced about a lot of things. One time I remember I was at Arby’s and I said I will have a regular roast beef sandwich after a basketball game. The guy behind the counter said hey the double is on special today I was like no I only need the single, he’s like you look hungry and it’s just a little more, it’s quite the deal. That was in 1997 when I weighed 150 pounds well..… He sold me. I believe the ONLY Reason I haven’t fallen into the lies of the devil is the discernment of the Holy Spirit. If there is one thing I refuse to compromise on it is MY JESUS and HIS WORD! That is a gift from my Savior.

The Holy Spirit is your guide.

John 16:13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.

I am not perfect at this but I am trying to ask the Holy Spirit for help more. I am saying to Him, I am about to pick up the Bible Help me. I am about to listen to a preacher on the internet help me. I am going to have a hard conversation help me. That is a good habit to get into. When I vote I ask the Holy Spirit to help me. I know I look at a voter guide, but I don’t care if they are Democrat or Republican, but I ask the Holy Spirit who is the right choice the one most in line with my Biblical values. I let him do the voting.

TEST #3 - The Scriptures

1 John 4:5–6 They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

The proof that a message is from God that you aren’t listening to the devil is that you need to know the scripture. Compare what you hear to God’s word. Don’t ask AI pick up the scripture and read it. Don’t take some guy on YOUTUBE or a smooth talker. Look at God’s word

The devil will try to twist the Bible.

2 Corinthians 4:2 But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.

What do the Branch Davidians Muslims Heaven’s Gate Jehovah’s Witness, Jonestown, and Mormons all have in common they twist the sciptures and that is what the devil wants to do Take a little bit of truth and TWIST!

God takes the purity of His word seriously.

Revelation 22:18–19 For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

There are a few verses in the Bible that SOBER you up we are going to look at one next week. But most of them are about being faithful to the truth, Don’t deny JESUS! Don’t play around with His Holy Spirit, the most troubling thing I ever heard as a Bible scholar is when people treat God the Son and the Spirit with disrespect the same could be said of the Scriptures. Don’t play around with them

Search the Scripture Daily.

Acts 17:10–11 Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.

I don’t always do this, but from time to time I probe. I asked someone in our church. We were talking about God prayer, spending time with God I said have you read the Bible recently. Well it had been awhile. I said read the Bible. At least a little bit. Read a psalm. A Gospel, but start reading it. If it is gather dust on your shelf you are opening yourself up to the lies of the devil.