26. 1 John 4:1-3: Test The Spirits

1 John chapter 4 verses 1 to 3.

Hear now the inspired word of God. Beloved, do not believe every spirit but test the spirit to see whether they are from God because 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, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.

Let's pray. Father, once again as we look into your infallible word, your word which is inspired by the

Holy Spirit, we ask that you would churn up our hearts, that Father, that we would be ready to receive what you have to say to us.

And in understanding it, we pray that you would help us to apply it to our lives, and that we would become more like our

Savior, Jesus Christ. It's in his name we pray. Amen. Please be seated.

In 1964, the Supreme Court handed down a decision concerning the reliability of information for obtaining search warrants.

The police had used a confidential source as probable cause to obtain a search warrant, and the defense argued that the source was not reliable, and therefore the search was unconstitutional.

In their decision, the court established a two -pronged test for reliability. First, the source must have firsthand relevant knowledge that a crime, in fact, had been committed.

And second, facts must be submitted to show that the source is, in fact, reliable.

Now, just some 20 years later, the Supreme Court abandoned that two -pronged test and established a new criteria, and the principle of the new criteria was called a totality of circumstances.

In other words, looking at all the circumstances, would a reasonable person conclude that evidence of a crime was located at that location, and that the police had reliable information?

The details of those decisions are not important for us this morning. The point is, the court tries to keep unreliable or false information from affecting the criminal justice system, because unreliable information can sway a jury one way or another and actually affect the outcome of the trial.

And we've seen it happen both ways. We've seen innocent men convicted, and we've seen guilty people going free based upon false testimony.

And both of these are serious miscarriages of justice. But as serious as those situations are, how much more serious the effects of false testimony in the spiritual realm?

Where not just a jail term, but eternity is held in the balance.

Look at verse 1 of the chapter where it's beginning, Chapter 4, First John. Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone into the world.

This is an extremely important warning from the apostle.

He's telling the church, be cautious. Don't believe everything you hear.

My father used to tell me when I was a boy, he says, don't believe anything you hear and only half of what you see. Not quite biblical, but a pretty good advice.

But the admonition from John is clear. Test the spirits.

And so we're going to examine the necessity and the reasons for testing. And how do you test the spirits?

But first, it's important to set this warning in its proper context. Remember, John is writing in this letter.

He's writing this letter within 40 years of the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ.

The church is still young and very immature. The revelation of scripture was nearing completion, but had not yet been codified into one book as we have the

Bible today. So a new revelation was not uncommon under apostolic authority.

And so there was a need for caution because the possibility of ever coming into the church was was quite high.

And in the present case, we find that it had already occurred.

Remember John's words in chapter two of this very epistle. He says, children, verse 18, children, it is the last hour.

And just as you have heard, the Antichrist is coming. Even now, many Antichrists have appeared.

From this, we know that it is the last hour. And then he gives those words.

They went out from us because they were not really of us. For if they had been of us, they would have remained with us.

But they went out so that it would be shown, it would be demonstrated that they are not of us.

One of the things we know about the early church is that the errors gravitated to the extremes.

And it was usually along the lines of putting importance on either doctrine or on the other side experience, truth or emotions.

And that is clearly seen in the New Testament epistles. The church in Corinth was profoundly experiential.

In fact, they were so experiential, they were getting drunk while celebrating the Lord's Supper. And their meetings were practically free for all with uncontrolled misuse of the gifts of the spirit.

So much so that Paul has to write a reprimand. But all things must be done decently and in orderly.

That's addressed to the church. Then on the other side, Paul also wrote warnings to the

Galatians. Who were returning to the law and suppressing the role of grace. Remember his warning to them in Galatians 1 verse 6.

I am amazed, says Paul, that you are so quickly deserting him who called you by the grace of Christ for a different gospel.

Which is really not another. Only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.

And even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed.

And then for emphasis, he repeats that same warning over again. So we see that extremes of either side, either radical experience or a strict adherence to the law, was rearing its head in the early church.

And we see the apostles giving strong warnings, calling him anathema.

And that's human nature, isn't it? We see this even in the old covenant during the life of Christ.

Remember, Christ lived during the old covenant period. Even during the life of Christ.

Remember his encounter with the woman, Samaritan woman. We read it this morning in John chapter 4.

That providential encounter is significant for us. There is so much to be learned in that.

Jesus gives important information concerning worship. And of all people to this immoral woman sitting by the well drawing water.

And some of it is germane to our text for this morning. Because during that conversation, it becomes apparent that Jesus is no ordinary man.

In fact, I love the way he puts it. I perceive you're a prophet. You think?

And that causes her to make some statements that are really a question.

In verse 20 of John 4, she says, our fathers worshipped in this mountain. And you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.

Basically, she's saying, which is right? And in verse 21,

Jesus gives her a little bit more information than she asked for. Jesus said to her, woman, believe me.

An hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the father. You worship what you do not know.

We worship what we know for salvation is from the Jews. Now, just let's pause there for a minute.

Jesus tells her flat out that their worship, the worship of the Samaritans was not doctrinally sound.

He says they are worshipping in ignorance. But we know not only from scripture, but from extant sources, they were enthusiastic.

They had quite some interesting worship services. Very experiential.

On the other hand, the Jews knew the truth. In fact, they had been entrusted with the very oracles of God.

But their worship had become dead. And lifeless. So we see the extremes.

On one hand, you had enthusiastic heretics. And on the other hand, you had dead orthodoxy.

And Jesus shows her that neither of those is correct. And he tells her what true biblical worship should look like in verse 23.

But an hour is coming and now is when the true worshippers will worship the father in spirit.

And that's a small s. Spirit and truth. For such people, the father seeks to be his worshippers.

Biblical worship must be in truth. That is, it must be doctrinally sound. But it also must be enthusiastic.

There should be feelings and emotions. In other words, experiential. Both must be present, but in the right balance to be acceptable worship.

Enthusiasm is to be guided by the truth of God's word. I picked three hymns this morning.

Very specifically to accompany this sermon. Because I believe that they are all excellent examples of a biblical balance of music to be used in worship.

Each one is somewhat emotional. Although not in the same way.

Each one, though, is very biblically sound. The words are scripturally true.

And it is the truth of the words of those hymns. Coupled with the appropriate music that moves the soul.

Look at the first hymn we sang. To God be the glory. I want to get up and I want to march when

I hear that. Because it's a rousing song. It's lifting our hearts to praise and give

God the glory. Putting him at the centerpiece. It's arousing. I mean, you can't help but be excited almost.

When you finish singing that hymn. It inspires the soul to praise

God based upon the truth. To God be the glory. Great things he has done.

Here's a sermon. Here's a string of sermons. The great things of God.

And the music assists the truth to accomplish the purpose. So you see that biblical balance of truth and enthusiasm.

The second tune that we sang. It is well with my soul. And how sweet and awful is the place.

I can't get through those without getting a tear coming to my eye. Or a little catch in my throat.

Because they are so moving. But it's the truth.

How sweet and awful is the truth. Why was I a guest when thousands make a wretched choice.

Why, oh God, why you chose me. Emotion.

And experience. Guided by truth. And doctrine. There's your biblical balance.

True worshippers worship in spirit. And truth. So let's continue.

A little brief history. The New Testament. Canon is completed.

The church now has the full Bible. So the problem of within the church of worship and doctrine.

There should be no more. We have the whole Bible. No more problems in the church.

If only that were true. Because not too long after that we have a period called the

Middle Ages. Sometimes called the Dark Ages. Which is almost defined by excesses of the church.

The gospel message is almost lost. Almost. And along come two men.

Martin Luther and John Calvin. And they see the excesses and they stand on solar script

Torah. And they strive to bring true worship once again. They stood against the organized church.

In protest against the excesses of both sides. And we see in the

Protestant Reformation that the same issues are in dispute. Truth.

Doctrine versus experience. And tradition. And this is played over and over again throughout the history of the church.

We see it again with the Puritans and the Anglican church. But thank

God for the church in America. We've got it all together. After all we have numerous translations of the

Bible. We all have readily access to it. I'm embarrassed to tell you how many different Bibles I have in my study.

So these issues must be gone. Now of course when I say that my tongue is firmly planted in my cheek.

Because we have seen the extremes to the max in the church in America today.

We've seen churches abandoning clear Biblical teaching. Based upon nothing more than sentiment and emotions.

We have churches posting a rainbow for a sign. And I don't mean to remind us of Noah.

Churches ordaining women because Paul misspoke from the culture of his day.

And I could go on but you know the current situation in the church as well. So the admonition of John is as crucial today in our church in America.

As it was for that first century church. Look again at verse 1. Beloved do not believe every spirit but test the spirits to see whether they are from God.

Because many false prophets have gone into the world. Which brings us to the next point.

The necessity to test the spirits. What is in this? Why should we test the spirits?

First and foremost it's a command of Scripture. That should end it right then and there.

And John tells us in both negative statement followed by a positive statement.

In an imperative sort of way. It's not a suggestion. And look how he puts it.

First don't believe every spirit. Now that should go without saying.

But you want to know something? In my experience both in law enforcement and as a pastor.

People are gullible. And Satan is shrewd. And the lie can be wrapped and presented in such a way that it sounds reasonable and even logic.

Do you have any idea how many people fall prey to scams every year? Just in America. According to the

Kiplinger report. People lost more than 10 billion dollars to scams in 2023.

10 billion. That's with a B. People have lost their savings.

And even their homes to scam artists. So again how much more devastating and consequential.

To fall prey to false doctrine. And counterfeit religion. But the warning is.

Not just concerning false doctrine. We're told to test the spirits. But even a theology that is out of balance.

So the first part of John's admonition is don't believe every spirit. The second part is the positive command.

But test the spirits. In other words. John is saying do your due diligence.

To make sure that the spirit is from God. And that is crystal clear from the command of scripture.

Which brings us to the second reason for testing the spirits. Right in the text. Because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

This is not a warning of saying.

Oh be careful because this might happen. It's not a theoretical warning. It's a warning about a reality.

It was a reality in the first century. And it is a reality in our age as well. There are already false prophets in the world says

John. And these false prophets come in the power of evil spirits. They're deceptive.

They're enticing. And they are seductive. And it's the danger that Jesus warned about in the days before the destruction of the temple.

In Matthew 24 11. He says many false prophets will arise and will mislead many.

And John says that is happening now. The danger of deception is real and powerful.

Listen again to the words of Jesus. He said see to it that no one misleads you. For many will come in my name saying

I am the Christ. And will mislead many. In other words this is just again not a theoretical issue.

It's something that is real and happening. And then John goes one step further. He says the spirit of Antichrist which was also prophesied is present in the world.

So test the spirits. Why? Because they are not all from God. Third reason for the command to test the spirits.

And this one is specifically for us because we have now 2 ,000 years of church history to learn from.

That's why we spent a little bit of time demonstrating the words of Solomon. Remember the words of Solomon?

There is nothing new under the sun. The same issues, the same heresies that appeared in the early church are still with us in the church in America today.

Albeit with some different nuances, little tweaks here and there. But they still remain and still seduce many people into their error.

And most of these errors would vanish if churches would test the spirits.

So we should test the spirits because of the testimony of church history. You know this is so obvious.

I mean it's even included in our hymnology. Another great hymn of the church.

The church is one foundation written in the middle of the 19th century. Look at how

Samuel Wesley describes the church. Though with a scornful wonder, men see her sore oppressed.

By schisms rent asunder, by heresies distressed. Included in our hymnology.

Pretty distressing. But Wesley knew that wasn't the end of the story. And I love the way he finishes off.

Yet saints their watch are keeping. Their cry goes up how long. And soon the night of weeping will be the morn of song.

And the music again in that hymn very appropriate to convey the message in spirit and in truth.

So we can see this is a clear command of scripture. Test the spirits.

Don't just believe anything. It's because a guy's got a string of degrees after his name or pastor in front of it.

Don't believe them. Test the scriptures. So I'm going to take just a couple of minutes and answer this question.

Why don't some churches simply obey the scripture? Why don't they just test the spirits?

I'll give you a couple of reasons. First, some people are just lazy. That's just the reality of it.

And they have no desire to study the word. They simply are concerned with doing, quote, churchy things.

And have no inclination to study doctrine. They consider themselves to be good people and are comfortable just living in the status quo.

And when you try to point out the need for truth, they simply dismiss you and have no desire even to engage in discussion.

Unfortunately, there's little you can do to change their attitude. Just pray that God opens their heart. Second, there are those we can simply call anti -theological.

If you mention doctrine, it's like you mentioned a dirty word. And they will tell you that doctrine is not necessarily all we need is

Jesus. After all, they say doctrine is divisive. These are people who elevate experience and emotion as the standard and the measure for all of truth.

It's not what the scripture says that's important, but how they feel about a certain subject. And if the scripture says something that makes them feel uncomfortable, well, we just won't read those portions of scripture.

Third, there are those who just over -spiritualize everything. Those who believe if you are just sincere and honest with yourself, that's enough.

It doesn't matter if you're right. It's not a matter of truth. It doesn't matter what you believe in as long as you just have faith and believe in something.

In all of these views, you can see the extremes of their positions. The great tendency of our age is to elevate experience over truth and doctrine.

And the fallacy is that belief in Jesus is not sufficient. Did you hear what

I just said? Belief in Jesus is not sufficient. You must believe in the

Jesus of the Bible. That's sufficiency. And to know him, you must study the word of God.

Paul said it's best in that very simple verse, 2 Timothy 2 .15, Study to show yourself approved unto

God as a workman who needs not be to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

And as soon as you do that, guess what? You become a theologian. Because you're engaging in theology.

One last test, one last reason why people don't test the spirits.

They say this is a warning strictly for pastors and theologians. In other words, it's not my job.

It's yours, pastor. But the text belies that position. John addresses this admonition to the beloved.

I love that address. You know what it means to be beloved by Jesus Christ?

That's the entire church body. Who John also calls my dear little children.

Now there may be a greater responsibility for pastors, elders, and theologians. But the mandate is for all.

Paul admonishes the whole church in Corinth for being immature. Not just the leadership.

The writer of Hebrews does the same. He castigates his listeners. They should be teachers, he says, and they're not.

We're all responsible for our own sanctification. And part of that is knowing who

Christ is and rejecting false doctrine. Which leads to our third and crucial point.

How do you test the spirits? First, let's address a prominent error that is widespread in churches today.

And that is that the manifestation of one certain gift of the spirit is evidence of salvation.

That's simply not a test given in scripture. In fact, in 1 Corinthians 12, Paul addresses the abuse of the gifts and he says this very plainly.

He says, all are not apostles, are they? All are not prophets, are they?

All are not teachers, are they? All are not workers of miracles, are they? All do not have gifts of healing, do they?

All do not speak with tongues, do they? All do not interpret, do they?

It's clear that the Holy Spirit gives gifts as he wills. And it is always for the common good of the church, not for individual gratification.

Speaking other languages cannot possibly be a test for salvation, since Paul says, not all believers had that gift.

But he doesn't just leave us there. It's almost like, aw, shucks, Paul. How does he finish?

But, he says, earnestly desire the greater gifts, and I show you still a more excellent way.

Ah, here's it, we should be desiring the greater gifts.

And what are those gifts? Faith, hope, and love. And as we've seen already in our study of this epistle, there are some tests for salvation.

Do you manifest in your daily life and to other people, faith, hope, and love? The second erroneous test is a demonstration of miracles or supernatural phenomena.

It's not uncommon to hear claims of supernatural healings taking place all over the world. We see this prominently on late night televangelist programs.

And I'm not encouraging you to stay up to watch them. Some claim that this proves the manifestation of this gift of miracles and healing.

No, we must test the spirits. In most cases, these men who have made such claims are proven to be charlatans.

The supposed healings are nothing more than staged Hollywood tricks. And even if some can't be proven to be tricks, we ought to test them.

Because the Lord told us that false prophets would come doing miracles and great wonders. So these supposed men of God must be tested biblically.

There are a number of other supposed tests that are put forward to ratify these popular ministries.

Someone said, well, look how enthusiastic he is. Look how sincere he is. Look at the success he's having.

But none of those are biblical tests. What are the tests for the presence of the

Holy Spirit? And this is the important part. If your mind is starting to want to snap back, now.

First and foremost, the test is by the Word of God. 1

John 4, 2, John says, by this you know the Spirit of God. Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God.

This goes right to the heart of the epistle. John has been refuting the Gnostic teaching that God could never be flesh.

Therefore, Jesus could not be both God and man. You should be able to see the grave error and consequences of anything of that nature.

That means, if that's true, that means the gospel is false.

Because the Spirit is testifying against himself. And that means one of them is false.

And that's the result. As soon as you say the doctrine is unnecessary. Second way to test the

Spirit is that it presents a balanced perspective.

In other words, when the Spirit is present, it is both doctrinal and experiential.

If someone says we don't need doctrine, all we need is Jesus. Just ask them very simply, which

Jesus? For there are many false Jesuses put forward in the world. And the real

Jesus can only be found in the Word of God. So there is the beginning of your doctrine.

On the other side, doctrine must be experimental. What you believe must impact the way you live.

And James says it best. And this is right on point. James 2 verse 14. What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but has no works?

Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to him, go in peace, be warm, be filled, and you do not give him what is necessary of the body, what use is that?

Even so, faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. So the test of faith avoids the extremes and finds the doctrine that is lived out in the world.

That is real and genuine faith. And then the last point is simply this test.

If the Holy Spirit is present, Christ is being glorified. The ministry of the

Holy Spirit is not to exalt himself. It's not to bring attention to the person upon whom he has bestowed the gifts.

His mission is to see to it that Jesus Christ is exalted. And that too exemplifies the balance between doctrine and experience.

That is what happened on the day of Pentecost. This is a perfect example. The Holy Spirit comes upon the church in a mighty way.

The men begin preaching the gospel in a way that everyone could understand, regardless of their native tongue.

Now notice that Peter, when he, in his explanation of what's happening, immediately points not to the gift, but to Christ.

He says, men of Israel, listen to these words. Jesus, the

Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs, which

God performed through him in your midst. Just as you yourselves know, this man, delivered over by the predetermined plan for knowledge of God, you nailed to the cross by the hands of godless men and put him to death.

But God raised him up again. The ministry of the

Holy Spirit always points to Christ. The Holy Spirit draws the elect to Christ, regenerates their heart that they might believe, and then seals them until the great and glorious day of the

Lord. So, Supreme Court has several functions in our legal system.

One of them is to ensure that our court system is meeting out justice. And they have the last word on that subject.

We have been given the task as the Church of Jesus Christ to live out the gospel in spirit and in truth.

And to do that, we must test the spirits to see if they are from God or if they are false.

And that can only be done if we study the scriptures and get to know what

God requires of us and then live it out daily in our lives. So, I close with just these simple words from the first verse.

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God.

Because many false prophets have gone out into the world. If you're here today and you don't know

Jesus Christ, that doesn't include you, understand this.

Eternity is in the balance. And the Bible has all the answers for life and godliness.

And the warning to beware of false teachers is for you as well. Don't believe something just because someone says it's true.

There's only one way to eternal life. Jesus said, I am the way and the truth and the life.