Test the Spirits
Notes
Transcript
Good morning and welcome to CCC. I want to apologize for my voice. Coach Daniels and I took 40 boys and 10 girls to Logan Rogersville yesterday for middle school wrestling conference tournament. On top of fighting this stuff going around for the past couple of weeks add a day of yelling, not in a bad way but just so the wrestlers can hear, and my voice is shot. I sound horrible but I don’t feel like I sound. Please bear with me today.
Hard to believe but we are two weeks from Christmas. I want to thank everyone who came Wednesday night to decorate the Church for the Christmas season. It looks wonderful!
As we move into this busy time of year just want to remind you to keep your mind and thoughts and traditions and devotion to Jesus. We can get so caught up in presents and trying to impress family and going all out for worldly things that we miss the reason Jesus.
Lets Pray
START OBS
We are ready for I John 4 and this morning we will look at the first 6 verses. God through John spent the first 3 chapters talking about Jesus as the Word and Life, and how to walk in the light. Explaining Christ as our advocate, the commandment, not loving the world, warning about anti-christs. Giving us our identity…Children of God and just last week Love each other.
Now he moves into the fact as Christians we are to test…by scripture and scripture alone…everything
You must believe God’s truth
I have several study bibles with commentary. I use those Bibles. I read the commentary.
I have two huge books each a couple thousand pages of commentary on every verse in the Bible. I have a set of books given to me by my Grandpa Smith that are commentary on the scriptures book by book. When Grandpa gave me this set he said…some of this you will agree with and some of it you won’t let scripture guide you.
That is what I try my best to do…allow scripture to form my opinions and thoughts and sermons each week
This morning we will dive into these 6 verse and try to glean through the Holy Spirit what God has for us and what truths we must understand....learn…and apply to our lives.
1 John 4:1–6
1 John 4:1–6
__________________________________
__________________________________
“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. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 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. 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. They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. 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.”
1. Don’t believe everything you hear vs 1
1. Don’t believe everything you hear vs 1
__________________________________
__________________________________
As a Christian you die to yourself…your flesh…you no longer regard yourself in the physical because you are a spiritual being
That also carries over to others. Now this is not meaning you don’t feed yourself or care for yourself because you are physical but everything you do or say or think or believe deals with the fact that you are different....a new creation in Christ....born again.....you are a spiritual being living in a physical body until Jesus returns or you get promoted to heaven. You still meet physical needs of others but how you look at them must change
2 Corinthians 5:16–17
2 Corinthians 5:16–17
__________________________________
__________________________________
“From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
What does that mean?
When you accept Christ…confess with your mouth....believe in your heart
Repent and make Jesus your true Lord and Savior you are reborn
The old flesh....the physical dies and the new Spiritual is born
Babes in Christ. Needing milk not meat
Sadly some never grow out of being baby Christians
They never leave the milk to enjoy the meat.
Mainly because they don’t understand truths like what we just read in Corinthians
We regard no one according to the flesh
Saved means new creation
That means everyone is saved or lost
If they are lost they are physical....living in the flesh and doomed to hell
That is our only true care or regard....Where do they stand with Jesus?!?!?!?!?!
Because that is our new outlook....our new creation…then we understand not everyone claiming to be saved is truly saved
we understand not everyone preaching is on God’s team
Wolves in sheeps clothing
Dont believe what you hear just because it sounds good or right
Many false prophets are in the world. Many
Some of you listen to them and believe them and take their word as gospel truth but are being led astray.
I read a lot
I used to hate to read but now I read a lot
I do not read “secular” books I used air quotes on secular because other than the Bible all books are secular
I read only “Christian” books again air quotes on Christian just because it is labeled christian doesn’t make it christian
God has spoken to me through many of the books that I read
He has also told me to put some down....stop reading them because I had an uneasy feeling and tried to find their points in scripture and could not find them....they were wrong and not built on scripture so they are useless to me
Test the spirits
As Christians....spiritual beings…we understand everything is spiritual
What does that mean?
It means everything is either from God or from satan
You will know by their fruits where it is from
God gives us a fail proof test
Scripture..does it match and agree with scripture
Jesus…where do they stand with Jesus
Many believe in Jesus…believe He lived but regard Him as a teacher or prophet not fully God and fully man
Run from that teaching it is from satan not God
This is so important to understand church
2. False prophets lead you astray vs 2
2. False prophets lead you astray vs 2
__________________________________
__________________________________
Matthew 24:11
Matthew 24:11
__________________________________
__________________________________
“And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray.”
Many false prophets or teachers will lead many astray.
There are churches that have thousands of members and reach millions around the world led by satan an demons
They are false prophets leading many....thousands astray
How? They lack substance
They lack scripture
They use a little scripture....usually used incorrectly and depend upon the show and emotions and the flesh not the Holy Spirit
Look at how this happens
2 Peter 2:2–3
2 Peter 2:2–3
__________________________________
__________________________________
“And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.”
Many will follow their sensuality....follow their flesh.....their emotions…their own beliefs…their hearts
There is a reason it looks and feels like a show....loud music…lights…smoke…trendy clothing....you name it....they do that because it appeals to your flesh
There is a reason that as long as I am here we will not do that here......now I want you to be moved during worship but not by us or atmosphere or lights or whatever but by the Holy Spirit as you truly worship Jesus!
If a church embraces sin RUN!
If a church defines love as acceptance and tolerance and inclusion RUN!
Yes all are welcome
We love everyone but we refuse to condone or enable their sin
Sin is sin and leads to death. Period end of story
Greed. Most mega churches…not all but many are in it for the money not the ministry
To make money they will say or do whatever they need to say or do to keep you there and keep you giving
They care about your bank account not your soul
Their false words are designed to move you to give and support them
TEST THE SPIRITS!
Antichrists are here vs 3
Antichrists are here vs 3
__________________________________
__________________________________
Those who deny christ are the spirit of the antichrist
Spiritual warfare
Looking to lead you astray to kill steal and destroy
that is their ultimate goal
Again you know them because they deny Christ
The only way to identify is scripture and testing all you hear against scripture
That is another reason I make and encourage you to take the notes sheet each and every Sunday
Test me
Test my words
If you find something doesn’t match please come to me
My intention is always to accurately discern and teach the truth....if I miss please talk to me about it.
So now what?
We test
we search scriptures but how do we defeat false prophets and evil spirits
You don’t
Jesus did
Jesus is greater than evil vs 4
Jesus is greater than evil vs 4
__________________________________
__________________________________
You as children of God have already overcome evil
Jesus is greater than the world and Jesus is in you Christian!
Stand on the truth
Stand on the scriptures
Pastor that is great and all but how do I truly do that in my life?
Great question
satan has not changed his tactics…remember there is no new temptation
Scripture shows you what do look for and expect from the enemy....if you know what to look for and expect you know how to overcome
The first thing to look for and expect is
1. Distort and deny God’s Word
1. Distort and deny God’s Word
__________________________________
__________________________________
satan started from the beginning doing this
Genesis 3:1–5
Genesis 3:1–5
__________________________________
__________________________________
“Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.””
Crafty
The enemy is crafty
The bible also says when he speaks he speaks lies because lying is his native tongue
Crafty liar looking to kill steal and destroy
That is our enemy
here in Genesis satan twists scripture…look at the end of vs 1 ..Did God actually say You shall not eat of any tree in the garden....
Twisted God’s Word
Let’s look at what God said
Genesis 2:16–17
Genesis 2:16–17
__________________________________
__________________________________
“And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.””
Did God really say.....satan and his demons and antichrists and the world still ask you that question today and today many fall for it…fall into sin just like Eve
Eve bought it hook line and sinker
God didnt say you shall not eat of any tree He said eat of every tree except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the middle of the garden.
Eve did not stand on God’s Word…but it gets worse
Not only did satan twist scripture and Eve fell for it by not standing on scripture but Eve then twisted scripture herself
vs 3 “but God said “you shall not eat of the fruit of the tree in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it lest you die.”
Eve added to scripture....touching is not in there we just read it.
satan twisted scripture…Eve instead of standing on scripture also twisted scripture now satan attacks Eve’s pride and ego
vs 5 in Genesis 3 “God knows if you eat your eyes will be open” What satan is saying to Eve is God knows if you eat you become like Him and He is jealous and selfish…how dare He tell you that
Today satan and demons and the world do the same thing
How dare God expect that of you?
You deserve more or better
You know you best so do you
Follow your heart and ignore everything else
Stand on scripture and follow Jesus!
False teaching is no different
False teaching and false teachers the spirit of the antichrist are no different
they follow satan’s pattern
Why?
2 Corinthians 11:13–14
2 Corinthians 11:13–14
__________________________________
__________________________________
“For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.”
Because satan is the source of false teaching
False teachers belong to satan not Jesus
They work very hard to disguise themselves as holy and of God but they are not
If you don’t know scripture you will fall for satans tricks
You will be led astray and rejected by Jesus in heaven because you never knew Him
Church
Brothers and sisters in Christ
Friends
You must make Jesus your Lord and Savior
Not in word but in deed
God must be #1
God must totally consume your life and priorities
It is hard for modern Christians who have grown up in a free society to understand being under Lordship
I love history and do miss teaching it
There was a time where lordship was common. Let’s have a quick history lesson to help us understand making Jesus Lord
In this system if someone was Lord you are bound to them....completely under them…totally consumed with them and their wants and their desires and decrees
In this time the king and lords owned everything....the peasants..,…you and me…lived on their land....took care of their animals…grew their crops…made them money and in turn they provided you with a place to live....good to eat.....and protection from enemies
Your survival depended upon your lord
God owns everything
Lord of all and if you have accepted Jesus
Jesus is now your Lord.
You must be consumed with Jesus
Jesus must be the focus of all you do because of His great love for you and His forgiveness freely offered by His willingness to die on the cross in your place so you and I don’t have to go to hell, which is what we deserve because of our sin
He must be Lord of your life…not in words but over everything you do or say or think
You must be consumed with Jesus!!!!!
Finally,
How do you test the Spirits?
How do you test the Spirits?
__________________________________
__________________________________
Search the scriptures and apply them through the Holy Spirit
Acts 17:10–12
Acts 17:10–12
__________________________________
__________________________________
“The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. Many of them therefore believed, with not a few Greek women of high standing as well as men.”
The Bereans searched the scriptures…they tested the spirits…Even Paul
Look at what God says here
1. Received the word with eagerness
1. Received the word with eagerness
__________________________________
__________________________________
Where do you receive the word......here…Sunday am…Monday Pm…Wednesday Pm…Friday afternoon
Eagerness.....making excuses to hear the Word
How many of you got up this morning with eagerness to come to church to hear God’s Word?
It should be all of you.....long to hear God’s Word proclaimed
Long to be together to worship Jesus
Long to be in a place you can serve others
Received the Word with eagerness
2. Examining the scriptures daily
2. Examining the scriptures daily
__________________________________
__________________________________
Eager to hear and examined the scriptures daily to prove what they hear!
Examining is much more than reading.....your doctor examines you....they are looking to see if things are good or do they need to dig deeper
You are to examine the word daily looking to make sure what you hear is good
This is not a 10 minute read and check the box and move on
This is digging into scripture.....really looking for God and His meaning through the Holy Spirit
Really looking at how that applies to your life....how you should change or respond because of God’s truth.
That is looking at the scriptures used on Sunday when you eagerly heard the Word and examining them to make sure what you heard was accurate.
You must do this with everything you hear.....sermons on the radio or internet.....people you follow on youtube or other social media....here from this pulpit or any of the teachings that happen throughout the week.
Examine the scriptures
You must realize that you have nothing to do with salvation
Jesus did it all
Because of that great gift you have a responsibility to love and keep His commandments
You have a responsibility to be eager to hear the Word
You have a responsibility to search…examine the Word to ensure it is good word
You have a responsibility to test the spirits and then overcome them through Jesus
In just two weeks we celebrate the birth of Jesus…at least that is my prayer that we celebrate the birth of Jesus not bow down to the god of materialism.
If you are a Christian here today you are spiritual and everything you do or say or think must be from God’s perspective.
If you are not a Christian here today you are doomed to hell when you die because of your sin
God sent His son Jesus to be born of a virgin....live fully God but fully man…live a perfect life so He could die a perfect death to pay for your sins and the sins of the whole world
Jesus freely offers that gift of forgiveness and salvation to you right here today.
If the Holy Spirit is leading you to Jesus this morning come we will walk through scriptures together and you can leave here a child of God.
STOP OBS
Invitation
ADVERTISEMENT