1 John 4:1-6

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Notes

Transcript

Observations:

v. 1, Not all spirits are to be trusted; spirits are associated with prophets, likely connection to new teachings or general spiritual teachings

v. 2-3, Only way to know if a spirit (teaching?) is to be trusted is to look at how they confess Christ. All spirits of God profess in the confirmation of Christ’s identity as presented throughout the New Testament; spirits that do not are of the antichrist.

This enemy was rumored about and is already there in the time of John’s writing

v. 4-6, John’s audience are surely Christians, his warnings contextualized to a Christian audience

Intro:

Recap on last week

After his black and white contrast between the children of God and the children of Satan, John builds off of his last statement concerning our love for our fellow Christian, reiterating our need to obey this command, citing the first murderer of human history as his example. To disobey this command to love is to be branded a murderer and fated with the judgment of the world, death.

Contrasting the hate of Cain, John cites the love of Christ and implores his audience to the obligation of reflecting such a love in their own lives. Christ’s love is a love of action enveloped in truth. By this perseverance to reflect Christ, we can have confidence of our place before God no matter how much our hearts may sling condemnation at us, for such confidence is grounded not in ourselves, but in the truth of God who knows everything about us.

In his conclusion to this section, John makes it a point that obedience produces confidence and such confidence does not hinder our prayers and petitions before the throne of God. To believe in the name of Christ and love our fellow Christians is pleasing to God and ensures to us that we do truly abide in Him and what is more, if we abide in Him, we are promised that He abides in us, God dwelling in His temple.

Read 1 John 4:1-6

Head- What does it mean?

(10-15 min.)

v. 1

v. 1, Not all spirits are to be trusted; spirits are associated with prophets, likely connection to new teachings or general spiritual teachings

“The religions of antiquity commonly claimed to have spirit-possessed men, but John warns that not everyone who claims to speak under inspiration is to be regarded as truly inspired. Believers must not accept every claim to inspiration, but test the spirits. That the false prophets had gone out may well mean that they had been church members but had left the church (2:9)”

Summary:

The Christian Church will have oppositions that will seek to beguile believers from sound doctrine and teaching.

v. 2-3

More exactly he ‘acknowledges Jesus as Christ come in the flesh’; the human Jesus is nothing less than the divine Christ. In the flesh underlines the reality of the incarnation; it is not simply that Jesus took human nature, but flesh (cf. Jn. 1:14; 2 Jn. 7). The spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has so come is from God. This is not a human discovery but something God reveals. (Mt 16:17)

But there is such a thing as a spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus, i.e. a spirit that does not acknowledge ‘that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh’ (2); to deny the incarnation is to deny Jesus. The spirit that refuses this confession is not from God. In fact it is the spirit of the antichrist. John has already said that there are many antichrists (2:18) and has given something of a definition: ‘he denies the Father and the Son’ (2:22). The thought here is similar: the essential point about the antichrist is his refusal to acknowledge that Jesus is the Christ, ‘come in the flesh’ (2). John’s readers appear to have understood the antichrist’s coming as future, but John sees it as a present reality; his even now, his already, and his in the world combine to emphasize the present.

Summary:

The method to discerning whether or not a spiritual teaching is from God or the antichrists is “what do they say about Christ.” The call for diligence regarding discernment is immediate and necessary, for the greatest opposition to the Christian message is out and about already.

v. 4-6,

v. 4-6, John’s audience are surely Christians, his warnings contextualized to a Christian audience

Christians have no need to fear, for the One dwelling within them is greater than the devil lurking in the world.

v. 5 has world appear three times, four consecutive times with v. 4 included.

Our opponents are clearly associated with the world

They are from it

They speak from

its viewpoint

As the world has its own hearers, so Christians have theirs as well. Anyone who is from God will listen to God’s message

Summary:

God’s people have nothing to fear, for the Rock on which we are planted upon is greater than the enemy out in the world. God’s people are distinguished from the world; we belong to God’s kingdom and should speak from a paradigm (God’s Word) that reflects this truth.

Heart- Do I buy it?

(20-30 min)

Is there anything in this passage that is challenging you?

What does testing spirits look like for you sailors?

Does your life reflect a person of the world or of the Kingdom?

Bubble illustration?

Hands- So What? How then should I live?

(10-15 min)

Walk with God: What does Kingdom living look like personally in your walk with God?

Keep Christ first: What does Kingdom living look like personally when we keep Christ first?

Keep sin out of your life: What does Kingdom living look like personally when you are keeping sin out of your life?

Personally, my mind goes immediately to the question of what are my Spiritual Warfare strategies? What am I actively doing to wage war on my indwelling sin. How am I applying the Spiritual Warfare tactics passed down to me from my Lord (love your enemies)