1 John 4:1-6

1. Why did John write the letter?

a. We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

b. John, one of the leaders of the church were worried about the people of the church, so they wrote this letter.

i. John the apostle, not John the Baptizer It could be a letter to the church today.

2. Readers being deceived by false teachers – antichrists

i. Children, it is the last hour. And as you have heard, “Antichrist is coming,” even now many antichrists have come. We know from this that it is the last hour.

3:23 Now this is His command: that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another as He commanded us.

· Command… not an option, if we are followers, disciples.

· We. v. 21 Batsandzekako

3:24 The one who keeps His commands remains in Him, and He in him. And the way we know that He remains in us is from the Spirit He has given us.

· He = Jesus

· We = Batsandzekako in Jesus => What does that mean?

· He = Jesus in Us => What does that mean?

· How can we know? He (Jesus) has given us the Spirit (Holy Spirit)

4:1 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to determine if they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

· Batsandzekako => Don’t believe every spirit

o Many spirits

· Test spirits

o Why? Many false prophets! Antichrists!

· How can we know the true Spirit – and false spirits? Test? How to test?

4:2 This is how you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit who confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God.

· They confess Jesus came in flesh is God

· Some religions say Jesus is was not flesh – Deists, Humanists

· Some religions say that Jesus was not God – Muslim, LDS

· Some people say Jesus, but they don’t teach what Jesus and the Apostles did

4:3 But every spirit who does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist; you have heard that he is coming, and he is already in the world now.

· Does not confess… What does that mean?

· Not just words, but life! A duck?

· Fruit of the Spirit – love peace patience kindness understanding

· Other Spirits – arguments, divination, power, sex, money, envy – but not to follow Christ

4:4 You are from God, little children, and you have conquered them, because the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

· Should we be afraid of these spirits?

· No! Because the one in us is stronger than the one in the world.

· Who is in the world? Satan, false Christs

· Who is in us? Holy Spirit, Jesus

4:5 They are from the world. Therefore what they say is from the world, and the world listens to them.

· Who are from the world?

o False prophets, false teachers, false Christs

· Why do people follow them?

o Power in this world? Why? Because they are from this world!

o Feels like home… Answers they want… Easy answers from God…

o Fasting for a car

4:6 We are from God. Anyone who knows God listens to us; anyone who is not from God does not listen to us. From this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of deception.

· Who is Us/We in this verse?

o The Apostles

· How can we listen to the apostles today?

o Follow the Bible

· Who listens to the apostles?

o Those who follow the Bible

· Who are the antichrists?

o Those who don’t follow the Bible

· Can we trust the apostles?

o Yes, the know the Spirit of truth and deception

So…

Children, it is the last hour. And as you have heard, “Antichrist is coming,” even now many antichrists have come…

We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

Follow God – the Apostles – the Bible

Know the true Spirit – No fear for false spirit.