Series: 1 John
Week: 16
Passage: 1 John 4:1-6
Title: How we Overcome the World
Focus: Brotherly Love
INTRODUCTION: So far in this epistle, John has given us five answers to questions that all Christians ask:
1. Question: What should be my relationship be with God?
• 1 John 1:6 “If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth.”
• WALK IN THE LIGHT!
2. Question: What should be my relationship be with Jesus?
• 1 John 2:4 “Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person.”
• LOVE GOD WITH ALL HEART SOUL MIND STRENGTH! (faith)
1. Question: What should be my relationship be with the things in the world?
• 1 John 2:15 “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them.”
• DON’T LOVE THE WORLD, LOVE GOD!
1. Question: What should be my relationship be sin?
• 1 John 3:4-5 “Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin.”
• SIN IS LAWLESSNESS, THAT DISPLEASES GOD!
1. Question: What should be my relationship be with my church family?
• 1 John 3:11 “We should love one another.”
• LOVE ONE ANOTHER!
Now a new question is asked of the believers. Question: What should be my relationship be with the spirits?
SCRIPTURE: “Dear friends, 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. 2 This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.
4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 5 They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.” 1 John 4:1-6
TITLE: How we overcome the World (1 John 4:1-6)
POINT 1: Test the Spirits (1 John 4:1)
o Explanation: John starts his answer by telling the people that they should “not believe every spirit” or everyone who claims to be from God. This to John would be foolishness. To believe anyone who says he or she is of God would do two things to the church:
1. Put us in a constant state of confusion
2. Misled people by teaching false doctrine (i.e. a state of confusion)
o John continues on in his statement by telling the people that they must “test the spirits” to see “whether they are of God”.
• “Test” Defined: To examine, prove scrutinize or to see whether a thing is genuine or not. same word Paul uses in speaking of the examination of candidates for deacons in 1 Tim 3:10, “10 And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless.”
• Believer Implications: We cannot simply accept what some teacher or preacher is saying, we must examine what is being taught through a biblical lens.
o Illustration: I heard (insert preacher) on the radio and he has millions of people listening to him so therefore he must be right in what he says.
o Earthly Examples: Christian Books and Bible Studies when elaborates for a while on a theme that is not tied to scripture.
o Biblical Examples: Those who study scripture as one communicates are highly celebrated in the Scriptures.
• The Berean Jews: “The Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” Acts 17:11
1. The Ephesians: “You have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false.” - Revelation 2:2
o Application: John said to test the spirits to see whether they are of God BECAUSE MANY false prophets have gone out into the World. Many people warned us of this in biblical times…
1. Jesus tells us to “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.” Matthew 7:15
2. Peter said “There were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them —bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping. 2 Peter 2:1-3
3. Paul states “Such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15 It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.2 Corinthians 11:13-15
• Examine Scripture when you are taught! We must “test the spirits!”
NEW QUESTION: What are the ways to test the spirits? (2 Tests)
TEST #1: Do They Confess Jesus Christ has Come? (1 John 4:2-3)
o Explanation: Remember the Gnostics (John’s adversaries to the church – 1 John Chapter 1) denied Jesus Christ actually came in the flesh.
o “I say this because many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist.” 2 John 7
o “Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.” 1 John 4:2-3
o Illustration: Many will say there is a God, but they will not believe in Jesus or know who Jesus is.
o Do you know who Jesus is?
o Do you know the role He leads in your life as opposed to God the Father?
o Are you teaching your children to speak the name of Jesus in what He has done for them vs. what God the Father does for them?
o Are we bold in sharing Jesus to others or do we only share about God the Father?
• Listen to your friends, family, co-workers as they chat…. Do they use the name Jesus or only God?
o Application: Doctrine (a set of beliefs) leads many astray because doctrine without Jesus is not doctrine it is opinion. It’s heresy (opposition to Christ) without God’s dwelling. What does not have Jesus (the light) in it is darkness and John says to hate the darkness. Many will claim to be filled with the same Holy Spirit but by there thoughts and actions one can see the disconnect from God!
o ASK YOURSELF: Has that which you heard claimed that Jesus Christ is God in the flesh? If the answer is no then that spirit is not from God.
TEST #2: Do they Listen to the Apostles Teaching on Jesus? (1 John 4:6)
o Explanation: Over three fourths of the New Testament is written by the Apostles (those that SAW Jesus in the flesh).
o John 1:1 “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life.”
o 1 John 4:6 tells the Christian “We (the Apostles) are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.”
• John, how we can distinguish between “the spirit of truth” and “the spirit of error”
1. Those who truly know God listen to the apostles teaching about Jesus as God (lines up with the New Testament teaching).
2. Those who are not of God will reject the teachings about Jesus (claim there are fallacies).
o Illustration: One of the biggest lies today, is that if I am going to have true joy in life, I need to satisfy my own self wants and needs by buying something, or taking time for myself. True joy comes from God alone and Him filling us.
o Application: Does the teaching you are listening to agree with what the apostles teach (4 reasons they should)? Jesus taught that to receive them (the Apostles) was to receive Him and God: “Whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.” John 13:20
1. The New Testament church continued with conviction in the apostles’ doctrine: “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” Acts 2:42
2. The Apostles words were commands of the Lord: “If anyone thinks they are a prophet or otherwise gifted by the Spirit, let them acknowledge that what I am writing to you is the Lord’s command.” 1 Corinthians 14:37
3. The apostles recognized other apostles’ writings to inspired scriptures: “Our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. 16 He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.” 2 Peter 3:15-16
• Follow the example of the first church in Jerusalem
• “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” Acts 2:42
CONCLUSION: The true comfort in the passage about testing the spirit comes in the middles of the selected passage. John says, “Dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them.”
If we take note of the apostles teaching we can overcome the false prophets and destroy the work of Satan. Brothers and sisters do not be surprised to see the world following after the false prophets (i.e exchanging truth for a lie).
DO NOT BE LIKE THEM!
False prophets will speak in a way as to appeal to the world and do things in the name of God that are the exact opposite. Dig into the scriptures, question what you are hearing by seeing if those messages are accepting Christ as God in the flesh and that the teaching of the Apostles is true. The Holy Spirit that is in us, is stronger and greater than Satan that is in the world. We overcome Satan, his agents, and his influence as we resist his temptations to doubt, deny, disregard, and disobey the Word of God. This is how we overcome the world!
