Testing Spirits
Please stand with me as we go over our current memory Scripture:
Titus 3:3-5
“At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.
“But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.”
And our memory Scripture “refresher” verse is:
1 Corinthians 10:13 (ISV)
“The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. But when you are tempted, He will show you a way out so that you can endure.”
Today we will be reading from 1 John 4:1-6
Pastor Karenlee and I enjoy watching TV courtroom dramas.
Probably two that we watch the most are Matlock and Law And Order if they are available.
So, what do these TV courtroom dramas have to do with anything found in 1 John 4:1-6?
Well, I’m glad you asked!
In the courtroom there is an attempt to get to the truth so that a right judgment can be made based on the truth.
When the first attorney questions a witness it is called the Direct Examination, then the opposing attorney Cross Examines the witness. Following that the first attorney may ask for permission to engage in a Re-Direct Examination which may be followed by a Re-Cross Examination.
Why? The purpose of all of that is to get to the truth.
With that in mind let’s go ahead and read 1 John 4:1-6
(Prayer for help)
We are in a time of spiritual and political turmoil.
Both sides claim that the other side is spewing “fake news”.
Many times in a trial a witness will be extremely convincing on the stand. And yet, when they are cross examined their story falls apart.
Both sides may sound true until they are cross examined by the opposing side.
1 Joh4:1 says,
“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.”
OK. Before we go any further I want to make this clear.
THIS IS NOT ABOUT POLITICS.
This IS about discerning what we can believe from any source that presents itself as a source of truth.
If you were to catch me in a lie of any sort would you believe what I would say in the future? Probably not.
Suppose I were to tell you that I believed that gambling is a waste of resources that God has provided for you to live on and to be used for His kingdom and His glory. (Which I DO believe …) And then, suppose you come into a gas station and you see me buying $20 of lotto tickets.
Wouldn’t you start thinking differently about anything I would tell you in the future? I would hope you would.
1 Joh4:1 says,
“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.”
Have you ever thought about that when watching the news?
It’s just the news. How can it be tested to see whether it is from God or not???
How can we do that? Well, first we need to know what God’s Word says about anything. We need an intimate knowledge of God’s Word and His character which is revealed in the Bible. The combination of this along with the indwelling Holy Spirit will produce something called “spiritual discernment.”
How do we know what God’s word says about something? We read it! That’s how! And, we ask the Holy Spirit to help us understand what it says.
The Bible which comes directly from God is the only source of spiritual truth in the universe.
So, let’s say we want to watch the news in order to know what is going on in our town, our state, our nation and the world.
Can we believe what they say?
Can we believe what we are being told?
What do they say when the subject of abortion comes up?
Can what the person says be tested to see if it is in alignment with the Spirit of God and the Word of God?
Do they refer to abortion as a “women’s health issue” or a “woman’s right”, or, do they refer to it as a “sanctity of life issue”?
There is a world of difference between the two.
Do they label it as pro-choice?
Do they always refer to the pro-life position as anti-abortion?
Is abortion in alignment with the Spirit of God?
What does God say?
Deuteronomy 19:1-7 (Cities of refuge for those who accidently take a life.)
Proverbs 6:17 says that Yahweh, the LORD hates those with, “hands that shed innocent blood.”
Isaiah 59:1-3a, 7a
“Surely the arm of [Yahweh] the LORD is not too short to save, nor His ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear. For your hands are stained with blood, your fingers with guilt. Your … feet rush into sin; (you) are swift to shed innocent blood.”
So, if you are listening to a news source and they refer to the shedding of innocent blood as “a woman’s choice” or as a “women’s health issue”, you know that it is a direct contradiction of what the Lord God Almighty says. And, when that happens will you be able to recognize that PLEASANT WORDS ARE BEING USED TO PORTRAY SOMETHING THAT IS EVIL?
And, when you realize what is happening will you continue to believe what they say about other subjects?
Now, here’s the thing, you always need to listen carefully to the way things are phrased. I mean, “women’s health” sounds great doesn’t it? We all want women to be healthy, right? But, in reality that is not what they mean at all.
So, assuming that we get our news from a source that uses nice sounding words to convey something that God deplores, should we continue to believe what they say about other subjects?
Perhaps we should listen more closely and compare what is said more diligently with the Word of God.
What about homosexuality? What does your news source say about that? Do they defend the modern notion of celebrating aberrant sexual practices in all of its modern forms?
Which do they cover more carefully, the LGBTQ parades or the National Day of Prayer gatherings? Which do they shun?
Are their hearts in alignment with the ways of sin or the ways of righteousness?
When we find them to be in alignment with the ways of darkness shouldn’t we be suspicious of the bias that carries into everything else they say? Shouldn’t we be more influenced by the Bible and knowing His character than we are by the world?
Sometimes we listen to their testimony (and that is what it is) without ever challenging it.
Don’t we need to invite the Lord to cross examine their testimony with the Word of Truth?
What about when we here the preaching (testimony) of a preacher on the TV or Radio?
What if you turned on the TV and heard a famous preacher say, “God’s reason for creating Adam was His desire to reproduce Himself. I mean a reproduction of Himself, and in the Garden of Eden He did just that. [Adam] was not a little like God. He was not almost like God. He was not subordinate to God even. ... Adam was as much like God as you could get, just the same as Jesus. ... Adam, in the Garden of Eden, was God manifested in the flesh. God spoke Adam into existence in authority with words. These words struck Adam’s body in the face. His body and God’s were exactly the same size … somewhere around 6’-2”, 6’-3”, that weighs somewhere in the neighborhood of a couple of hundred pounds, little better, [and] has a [hand] span of nine inches across.”
REALLY??? ADAM WAS GOD IN THE FLESH?
ADAM WAS NOT SUBORDINATE TO GOD?
In Genesis 3:16 it says,
“[Yahweh] the LORD, God COMMANDED the man, ‘You are free to eat from any tree in the garden, but you must not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.’”
Would you be able to know immediately that such talk is pure nonsense? That there is NOTHING in the Bible that could be used to support such a thing?
Kenneth Copeland says it’s true. God Holy Word says it is a lie.
Joel Osteen says,
“Alright just repeat after me. I am strong. I am healthy. I am confident. I am secure. I am talented. I am creative. I am disciplined. I am focused. I am valuable. I am beautiful. I am blessed. I am excited about my future. I am victorious. Alright how about amen?”
James, the half brother of Jesus says,
James 1:2-4
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
James 4:6b-10
“God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble. Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and He will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.”
Joel Osteen’s testimony says, “exalt yourself”!
God’s testimony says, “humble yourself”.
But, here is the greatest testimony of all.
The greatest trial took place 2000 years ago in Jerusalem
The first group of witnesses were for the prosecution …
The Jewish High Priest, the Chief Priests, the Teachers of the Law, the Pharisees, the Saducees and many false witnesses,
What did they say? “Jesus deserves death. He claims to be the Son of God, the Messiah!”
The second witnesses were also for the prosecution…
The Jewish rulers and a mob …
They took Jesus to the Roman ruler and forced him to condemn Jesus to death in order to avoid a riot.
The first witnesses for the prosecution are then brought back …
They are relentless. Even while Jesus is hanging on the cross they say …
Matthew 27:42
“He saved others … but He can’t save Himself! He’s the king of Israel! Let Him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in Him.”
It seems hopeless, doesn’t it? All of these witnesses proclaiming Jesus to be a heretic, worthy of death!
But … we haven’t heard from the witnesses for the defense.
Isn’t it too late for a defense? Jesus is near death on the cross …
The first witness for the defense is called …
God the Father is now testifying on behalf of God the Son who is hanging on a cross …
Luke 23:44-45a
“It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, for the sun stopped shining.”
This was God the Father using His creation to witness on behalf of His Son and against the prosecution.
This was NOT an eclipse. An eclipse lasts only a short time and is only complete in one small area of the world. In addition to that, the Passover is held at a time of the full moon, when the moon is on the opposite side of the earth from the sun.
No, this was the very hand of God!
So, what else???
At the very moment that Jesus the Son of God died it says …
There was an earthquake that is so violent that, “The earth shook and the rocks split …” Matthew 27:51b
And … Matthew 27:51a
“At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.”
Now the second witness for the defense is called. He is a Roman Centurion!
Matthew 27:54
“When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, ‘Surely He was the Son of God!’”
The first witness, God the Father, is recalled three days later:
Luke 24:1-8
“On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, ‘Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; He has risen! Remember how He told you, while He was still with you in Galilee: “The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.”’ Then they remembered His words.”
That is some powerful testimony! Amen? Amen!
Do you believe it?
Do you know the testimony of God and His Holy Word found in the Bible?
Do you know it well enough to tell spiritual error when you hear it?
Here is a GREAT TRUTH from the Word of God,
Luke 19:10 NIV
“[Jesus] the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
I love the way the ICB says it,
“[Jesus] the Son of Man came to find lost people and save them.”
Hallelujah!
Possible invitation …
Final comments …
Communion …
Benediction …
