Truth or Consequence

Father’s Day

Ephesians 6:4 ESV

4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

We need to engage in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

It is called TRUTH.

We need to value truth again.

Engage Life with a Discerning Faith.

1 John 4:1 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.

Christian faith is not spiritual gullibility.

Three ways of discernment:

Observe a person’s doctrine.

Observe a person’s conduct (actions).

The gift of spiritual discernment.

Important: False prophets and teachers exist—they claim to speak for God but are actually speaking by demonic influences.

The the age of “tolerance” discernment can be viewed as being judgmental.

John 7:24 ESV

24 Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”

Engage in the Power of Biblical Confession.

1 John 4:2–3 ESV

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.

Engage in the Reality of Who You Are in Christ.

1 John 4:4–6 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. 5 They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. 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.

Conclusion

Psalm 48:14 ESV

14 that this is God, our God forever and ever. He will guide us forever.