Sermon Tone Analysis

Fake News?

"Don't believe everything" is good advice, especially in our world today, we receive so much information and news.

How trustworthy is the news source and reporting?

Should we regard every person who claims to be a reporter as reliable and authoritative?

Hopefully, you know that not all voices of authority can be trusted, and some caution is always a good idea when listening to the reporters, whether in print or video.

The church of John’s day had to be reminded that they needed to be cautious with those that came to their fellowship claiming spiritual authority.

Let’s look at how John equips the believers to evaluate what they heard from others.

Don’t Believe Everything

Some people are ready and willing to mislead you for their benefit.

But John’s command occurs within a specific context.

So let’s examine the situation.

In John’s day, people met together for “church” in groups of twenty to thirty people, in houses for worship and fellowship.

There were many of these “house” churches in the Roman Empire as new people came to Christ through the preaching of the gospel.

The majority of the New Testament is made up of letters that guide these churches.

John, like Paul, would often send messengers with letters to guide and encourage them.

But there were also others who visited these churches who acted as traveling teachers or speakers who hoped to gain an audience of eager listeners.

Some spoke the truth, and others had destructive teaching.

John commands them to listen carefully and take time to evaluate their message and conduct.

John directs the “beloved” those who are believers to test.

Notice that he does not lay this responsibility only on the elders, deacons, and leadership.

All believers ought to be allowed to ask basic questions about God’s truth and conclude that something is “off”.

Every believer has the right and responsibility to test what they hear from a person who is in a position of spiritual authority.

We should not blindly accept the message of all people who claim to be a pastor, teachers, or other spiritual position.

Those who have spiritual teaching responsibilities have a higher judgment.

James 3:1

The goal of testing the teacher is not to prove that they don’t know everything, for no one can be such an expert on all things.

The goal of the test is to determine if they are teaching false doctrine.

John warns that false prophets will come to their setting sooner or later.

So they need to be ready to test their message.

The Test: Jesus

John has compared being in the world and being in Christ and concludes that you cannot be in the middle.

Your actions and beliefs will prove which side you are on.

And this applies to the “spirits”.

What are we to make of this term?

From the context, we can conclude that it refers to a person and their message that is inspired by a spirit.

A person’s message has a spiritual source.

In the Old Testament, a prophet spoke a message from the Holy Spirit.

A false prophet spoke from another source not associated with God.

Believers are to evaluate what they “confess”.

This is not a confession of sins as in 1 John 1:9, but a way that describes what they publicly proclaim.

This is the test, namely, what they teach about Jesus.

Let’s consider the following concepts from John’s test questions.

Who are we to test?

• Those with official positions, appointed by groups or self-appointed.

• Those who present themselves with spiritual direction, authority, or leadership.

• Those who claim to speak for God.

What are we to test?

Faithfulness to the Gospel and the identity of Jesus Christ according to scripture.

• Is Jesus human and divine?

• Is Jesus the only solution for the sin and separation for all people?

• Is Jesus recognized as Lord?

Is Jesus just a man, or only some spirit being?

If he is more than a human, what is he?

Is Jesus the Creator?

Did he exist before time or was He created?

If he is both human and God, how is this possible?

If we answer the first question by affirming that Jesus is uniquely God and human through the incarnation then we move to testing whether He is God’s solution for humanity.

The incarnation shows us that God is all powerful to save us by sending us Jesus to represent us as sinners and provide the only solution.

God makes a covenant with himself for us that He upholds by himself, so we can only conclude that we are saved by God apart from anything we can do.

If one is not able to answer these with a confident and emphatic YES.

We need to be careful and ask more questions.

Testing Today

John encourages the believers to stand in the truth and use it to verify the multiple sources of spiritual authority they may encounter.

This may seem overwhelming to think that people intentionally want to deceive or unintentionally mislead because of false teaching.

How do we address this in our modern setting?

Let’s compare how things have changed.

Today, most believers in America gather in larger official settings and buildings.

We have greater access to Bibles resources.

But false prophets and spirits still exist, so we still need to test the spirits.

New versions of old false ideas will continually arrive at our doorstep.

While it is true that we are to test the spirit, we ought to be careful not to become a type of interrogating community suspicious of every person that comes into the doors.

It is good to talk about the Bible and discuss fundamental truths.

You may help another person who has a foundation in the Bible grow deeper.

Consider the example of Priscilla and Aquila in Acts 18:24-28, who helped Apollos grow in his understanding of the gospel.

And later, Apollos became a powerful speaker, “showing by the Scriptures that the Christ was Jesus.

If we encounter another person that seems a bit “off,” may we be used by God to help explain the things of God “more accurately”.

Remember, this is not a personal attack but an evaluation of truth.

We may conclude that if a spiritual leader, teacher, pastor, or movement has an orthodox statement of faith, all is good.

Following Christ and being faithful to scriptures is more than just agreeing to some list of items or creeds.

Should we not evaluate our methods and emphasis?

Quite often, the method we choose to use can affect the message.

Let’s look at some areas that need a re-evaluation.

Modern Concerns

Christian Music?

Music - I grew up listening to Gospel Music.

My favorite artist

Lyrics:

I tell them Jesus was (Wounded)

For my transgressions (Transgressions)

And He was bruised (Bruised)

For my inequities (Inequities)

They've got to know that it's the truth That Jesus (He was sent from the Father) Jesus (He's a great Messiah) Jesus (He's bread for the hungry) Jesus (He's water for the thirsty) Jesus (He's hope for the hopeless) Jesus (He arose from the dead) Jesus (Just like He said) Every knee shall bow Every tongue confess That Jesus is Lord That Jesus is Lord

Lyrics

For those who don't know just what to do

Here's the Bible of love for you

Let it be a blessing every day

Every step of the way

You don't have to be in fear of rejection

Know that it's only God's direction

No matter the religion or your faith