Opening illustration: I read this past week of a couple (let’s call them Carl and Clara) whose twenty-five year marriage was a good one. Not the most idyllic, but good. They now had three grown children who loved them dearly. They were also blessed with sufficient financial security to allow them room to dream about a lakeside retirement home. They began looking. A widower we’ll call Ben was selling his place. They liked it a lot and returned home to talk and plan. Months passed. Last fall, right out of the blue, Clara told Carl she wanted a divorce. He went numb. After all these years, why? And how could she deceive him...how could she have been nursing such a scheme while they were looking at a retirement home? She said she hadn’t been. Actually, this was a recent decision now that she had found another man. Who? Clara admitted it was Ben, the owner of the lake house, whom she inadvertently ran into several weeks after they had discussed the sale. They’d begun seeing each other. Since they were now ‘in love,’ there was no turning back. Not even the kids, who hated the idea, could dissuade their mother. On the day she was to leave, Carl walked through the kitchen toward the garage. Realizing she would be gone when he returned, he hesitated, ‘Well, hon, I guess this is the last time …’ His voice dissolved as he broke into sobs. She felt uneasy, hurriedly got her things together, and drove north to join Ben. Less than two weeks after she moved in with Ben, her new lover, he was seized with a heart attack. He lingered a few hours ... and then died. Almost makes us think of the poor choice Abraham and Sarah made with Hagar in Genesis 16.
Let us turn to 1 Corinthians 12 to check out the gift of the spirit of discernment.
Introduction: After sin, the second biggest issue that most people in the body of Christ face is right discernment. Apparently discernment is a Biblical expectation. It is wrong to simply assume that everything that seems to be supernatural is truly the work of the Holy Spirit. What does 1 Corinthians 14: 29 and 1 John 4: 1 says? In reality this may be authentic work of the Holy Spirit; human emotion or personality; the work of deceiving spirits. How may we know whether a particular event is the genuine work of the Holy Spirit?
Do you ever pray for discernment? People tend to pray for things that they feel are useful at the moment and fruitful for today and tomorrow. But discernment, you say? Just exactly what is it and why should I be including it in my prayers? Discernment is the ability to examine the situation, apply a good dose of experience, stand back and get a perspective on the recipe, and take the appropriate action at the appointed time. It’s what most people would call “good judgment.”
What is the process of discernment? (4 key Biblical tests)
1. Does it give glory to Jesus Christ in the present and in the future?
• John 14: 26
• John 16: 13 – 14
If you ever wanted to know how it was that the New Testament came to be written, your answer is right here. The disciples didn’t walk around Galilee with little note pads waiting for Jesus to say something so that they could take notes and then negotiate a publishing contract. They had absolutely no intention of writing anything. They never expected Jesus to leave. But later - much later for some of them - the necessity arose to preserve the things that had happened so that those of a new generation could know about them. That was when they began to write. However, I think that by extension we can see a valid application of the text. The reason the Holy Spirit would put these things into the minds of the apostles was because He wanted to put them into our minds. It is the Spirit who puts the words into Scripture, and it is the Spirit who helps us recall what we have read when we need it.
This is not a promise to the church at large. This is a promise to these eleven men, which benefits the church at large. The text literally says, “He will guide you into all the truth.” There is a particular body of truth that Jesus has in mind. This is not a promise to guide people generally in their exploration of physics and horticulture or atomic energy. The truth is the truth about God’s Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. That is the truth with which the Holy Spirit concerns Himself. But, God’s Spirit doesn’t only show us the future in a prophetic sense … He tells us what is to come in a practical sense. He guides us in our decision making. God’s Spirit gives us guidance when it comes to practical matters. In Acts 15, the Spirit brought peace to a troubled church as they had to adjust their style of ministry to reach a new group of people. The Spirit also helps us in the selection of a college, choosing a job, finding a mate, and making investments. But we must have ears to hear. Moreover, we must first obey His revealed will before He reveals His explicit truth.
Illustration: Our call to from the Middle-East to the USA as missionaries. Not a call to return to India. How did we discern the call?
If you want the Holy Spirit to guide you in all truth, you have to listen. You have to obey when you’re prompted to turn from wrong behavior. You have to follow through when you’re “moved” to talk to someone about Christ. You have to move forward when you sense a need to visit someone. You have to obey when you sense God’s call to serve in a certain capacity. You have to respond when you feel overwhelmed by a mountainous task.
The Holy Spirit’s primary job description is to glorify Jesus. When you hear a lot of talk about the Holy Spirit or the Holy Ghost, you can be sure that there is a foul spirit. The Holy Spirit doesn’t attract attention to Himself; instead, He points people to Jesus. When the Spirit is moving mightily in revival and in various ministries, Jesus is the center of attention. Our goal must be the same. Like the Holy Spirit and John the Baptizer, we must decrease and Jesus must increase (John 3: 30). Our personal lives and ministries must not be about our glory and our accolades; we must point people to Christ.
2. Is it consistent with the intentions and character of God revealed in scripture?
• John 2: 22
• 2 Timothy 3: 14 – 17
But if it was just that they were impressed by miracles and power and so forth because of these signs, it would be one thing but Jesus on His part says in verses 24 and 25, “But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man.” He had a unique insight into human nature. He understood then that all belief in Him was superficial if it didn’t have the idea of the need for forgiveness and the conviction of Him as the mediator of that forgiveness. You could believe about Him but entrusting one’s self to Him as the One who provides great forgiveness and newness of life is the key issue.
The point here is this. I see Jesus who knows us very, very well and there are many who straddle the fence. They want His works but not His word. The issue is always going to be one of the entrusting of one’s self to Him rather than merely being impressed by what He has done. In that sense, we have to approach Him on His terms and not on our own. He does not come just to meet our idea of our needs but He comes to meet our desperate need before God.
The Bible is a sure guide to eternal life. The prophets and apostles did not speak from themselves, but delivered what they received of God, 2 Peter 1: 21. It is profitable for all purposes of the Christian life. It is of use to all, for all need to be taught, corrected, and reproved. There is something in the Scriptures suitable for every case. We best oppose error by promoting a solid knowledge of the word of truth; and the greatest kindness we can do to children, is to make them early to know the Bible.
Illustration: A Chinese boy who wanted to learn about jade went to study with a talented old teacher. This gentle man put a piece of the precious stone into his hand and told him to hold it tight. Then he began to talk of philosophy, men, women, the sun and almost everything under it. After an hour he took back the stone and sent the boy home. The procedure was repeated for several weeks. The boy became frustrated. When would he be told about the jade? He was too polite, however, to question the wisdom of his venerable teacher. Then one day, when the old man put a stone into his hands, the boy cried out instinctively, ‘That’s not jade!’“
Exactly, if you have been visiting scripture continually, you’ll be able to discern whether an event, intention, character or choice lines up with it or not and evidently reveals God’s character or not.
3. Do other people who are filled with the Holy Spirit (in the body of Christ) have a confirming witness?
• 1 Corinthians 14: 29
It may be that the apostle here refers to those who had the gift of discerning spirits, and that he meant to say that they were to determine by what spirit the prophets who spoke were actuated. It was possible that those who claimed to be prophets might err, and it was the duty of all to examine whether that which was uttered was in accordance with truth. And if this was a duty then, it is a duty now; if it was proper even when the teachers claimed to be under divine inspiration, it is much more the duty of the people now. No minister of religion has a right to demand that all that he speaks shall be regarded as truth, unless he can give good reasons for it: no man is to be debarred from the right of canvassing freely, and comparing with the Bible, and with sound reason, all that the minister of the gospel advances. No minister who has just views of his office, and a proper acquaintance with the truth, and confidence in it, would desire to prohibit the people from the most full and free examination of all that he utters. It may be added, that the Scripture everywhere encourages the most full and free examination of all doctrines that are advanced; and that true faith advances just in proportion as this spirit of candid, and earnest, and prayerful examination prevails among a people.
Illustration: Discernment and confirmation of matured believers in the Body of Christ for my stepping into ministry and then pursuing it full-time.
4. Is there confirmation in objectively verifiable events or facts?
• Deuteronomy 18: 21 – 22
• Isaiah 55: 10 – 11
The Israelites were to watch out for false prophets. These false prophets would speak presumptuously, as though God were speaking through them. They would seek to “bring God near,” but it would not be the true God with whom they were “in touch.” How was Israel to discern between “the Prophet” and these false prophets? If the “prophet” spoke “in the name of other gods” (verse 20), it was obvious that he was a false prophet. No further test was required. But what of the “prophet” who spoke presumptuously “in the name of the LORD” (verse 22)? Such a prophet is to be tested by his own words. If what he speaks in the name of the Lord comes to pass, He is a true prophet. It is my opinion that we will gravitate toward one and move away from the other. There are those who, in the name of drawing near to God, seem to be lacking in holy fear. They speak irreverently of Him, and act irreverently in His presence. But there is the opposite danger as well. There are those who so emphasize the fear of God that they tend to live at a distance from God. They seem to lack a deep sense of the presence and the power of God in their lives. I believe that within the faith there are groups inclined toward “nearness” who are lacking in fear, and there are other groups who are properly “fearful” but who are distant (from an intimacy with God and with others). You may wonder and try to figure out “who is who.” What I wish to leave with you is the biblical truth that we should “draw near” “with fear.” Let us not cling to one and shun the other. Let us seek to live in intimate relationship with Him - but in a way that reverences Him. If we do so, we shall not need any go-between, other than our Lord Himself. Live the faith rather than be a hypocrite.
There is an entire existence of which we have no knowledge; there is an eternal plan that we can hardly grasp, and there is a divine nature that our infinite minds cannot comprehend. We are always trying to limit God with our categories and our understanding. Just when we think we have figured God out or have determined how God should act, He does something far more marvelous. We are so slow to learn that the only thing we can do is trust what He says and praise what He does. The rest of this passage will anticipate such trust and praise.
The explanation draws on God’s thoughts and ways as they have been revealed, to say that the Word of the LORD is effectual (verses 10, 11). At the center of this section is the affirmation that God’s Word does not return to Him empty or void. This affirms that what He says will be accomplished because His Word is the expression of His powerful will. No Word from God is vain, untrustworthy, or given to deceive; nothing God plans to do can be interrupted or set aside by humans. His Word will prosper (selah, “achieve its purpose”). Verse 10 provides an earthy simile using the rain that comes down, waters the earth to produce the fruit, and returns to heaven having fulfilled its purpose. So is the Word of God. Not a Word from God will be wasted or ineffective.
If Christians actually believed this, how different they would be living! Naturally, as with Israel, we would pray more earnestly for that which He has promised, and we would act more confidently, trusting in Him to do His work through us. Skepticism, pessimism, resignation, unbelief - these would be “taken captive” (in the words of Paul) and banished from our minds, as God’s ways and thoughts become our ways and thoughts. The bottom line is: Get into God’s Word and live it out by faith.
Illustration: Articulate some of the events during our ministry and post ministry in the Middle-East.
Application: Discernment in Scripture is the skill that enables us to differentiate. It is the ability to see issues clearly. We desperately need to cultivate this spiritual skill that will enable us to know right from wrong. We must be prepared to distinguish light from darkness, truth from error, best from better, righteousness from unrighteousness, purity from defilement, principles from pragmatics and Philosophy from God’s truth. For the God’s Word tell us that when we know the truth, the truth will set us free. That alone is found in Jesus Christ … will we pursue to have an intimate relationship with Him even so for drawing assistance from the Holy Spirit for all our discernment in daily life. God bless you!
