Moving Toward Spiritual Discernment-3

MOVING TOWARD SPIRITUAL DISCERNMENT-III—1John 3:10--4:21

Attention:

‘The Pen-less Pen’-Light?

Our Franklin County school system gave one of it’s 3rd grade teachers what she supposed was a ‘pen-light.’ However, she soon discovered that the pen-light was only a light, for which she had no real need. One day in Sunday School class the teacher began rifling thru her pocketbook looking for an ink pen/She found the old ‘light’ that the School had given her, & stated that if anybody wanted it they were welcome to it. My wife said she would take it.

As the class continued, my wife began messing with her new ‘gift’ & discovered that the light had a removable sleeve which could be placed over the light on the one end, revealing an ink pen at the opposite end from the light!

The teacher had investigated the light very thoroughly on her own when she had first received it, but had never known it was actually a pen-light! She did not know what she had & was willing to give it away.

The teacher needed to be more ‘discerning!’

If you are a Christian, you are equipped to be, & are expected to be, ‘spiritually discerning’ in all your endeavors.

God’s people are always in training toward spiritual discernment. Some of us have a ‘good way to go’ in that regard, while others are miles ahead of the curve.

One of the outcomes of the Church gathering together, is for the purpose of being encouraged & strengthened in it’s Movement Toward Spiritual Discernment.

This being Mother’s Day, you mommas know that your children(as well as your whole family) will find their strength in the Lord when together they move toward spiritual discernment.

The apostle John sheds light on this need for Spiritual Discernment in the Church.

Today as in previous millennia, Spiritual Discernment is a necessity in the Church.

•How is Spiritual Discernment in the Church achieved/accomplished?

--OR--

•What must be recognized in moving ourselves & the church & toward spiritual discernment.

15 things we must recognize when moving toward spiritual discernment.

‘Recognition’ implies not only head knowledge, but heart knowledge which drives a person to performance or action.

In the past few weeks we’ve found that:

Moving(yourself & the Church) toward spiritual discernment recognizes...

1. OPPOSING SIDES(3:10)

•Children of God & Children of the Devil.

2. The FOUNDATIONAL MESSAGE(3:11)

•Love One Another.

3—Moving(yourself & the Church) toward spiritual discernment recognizes...

IMPASSIONED BELIEF(3:12-13)

Explanation/Argumentation:(3:12-13)Destructive/Removal

3:12—“not as Cain who was of the wicked one & murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil & his brother’s righteous.”

The Holy Spirit thru John now gives us a negative example of the infamy associated with NOT loving one another.

John’s example is “Cain” whose history is found in Gen. 4:1-11(:8)

Gen. 4:1-11—“Now Adam knew Eve his wife, & she conceived & bore Cain, & said, “I have acquired a man from the LORD.” Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the LORD. Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock & of their fat. And the LORD respected Abel & his offering, but He did not respect Cain & his offering. And Cain was very angry, & his countenance fell. So the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.” Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; & it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother & killed him. Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” And He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground. So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.”

“And why did he murder him?”...

What was Cain’s motive in killing his own brother?...

•Ironically it was due to jealousy over Abel’s relationship with God(Gen. 4:3-5)! All of his seething churning disappointment & grudge-keeping ‘naturally’ led Cain to kill.

“Because his works were evil...”

•All of his “works”—all that Cain produced—were sourced from & borne from “evil”, which “works” Cain allowed to run amok in his heart & thereby control his thought processes & his actions. Murder is a “work”/product of “evil.”