The Spirit Of Anti-Christ Revealed.
1 John 4:1-6NASB
In his book The Gospel According to Starbucks, Leonard Sweet tells the story of Ed Faubert. Faubert is what you call a cupper—in layman’s terms, he’s a coffee-taster. His sensitive taste buds are actually certified by the state of New York.
So refined is Faubert’s sense of taste for coffee that even while blindfolded, he can take one sip of coffee and tell you “not just that it is from Guatemala, but from what state it comes, at what altitude it was grown, and on what mountain.”
That ability takes a keen heighten awareness of his senses.
My thought—There’s millions of so-called Christians with little discernment. When you love this world greater than eternity, you become gullible.
Don’t be fooled, The Spirit of Anti-Christ is the devil.
However, true-believers have the Word of God, the Holy Spirit, the favor of God, and Jesus Christ.
Hear me—Within every believer there’s more than enough power to overcome the evil in this world.
Not our text, but equally important is, 1 John 3:8NKJV He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.
* You see, Life without the life of Jesus becoming prominent and magnified, is a life that leads to rebellion.
Rebellion leads to justice. Rebellion is always corrected by the law. When the law finds you guilty, you become sentenced, or in-prisoned.
However, Hear this, Repenting always leads to Mercy, refreshing, and spiritual cleansing.
“Mercy is clothed with divine glory and stands by the throne of God.”
If Jesus— wasn’t filled with mercy, you wouldn’t be here.
Therefore, before I read this mornings text, I make a plea to the church of the living God—Choose mercy—Choose Jesus.
I want to take, 1 John 4:1-6, this morning, and break it down for you: Let’s look at verse 1.
1 John 4:1NASB 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.
1 John 4:1TM My dear friends, don’t believe everything you hear. Carefully weigh and examine what people tell you. Not everyone who talks about God comes from God. There are a lot of lying preachers loose in the world.
Throughout the NT, we’re commanded to test the spirits. Jesus said, there are “many false prophets” or “wolves in sheep’s clothing.”
I want to give you one more Scripture reference to 1 John 4:1. (However, there are many).
1 Thessalonians 5:20-21ESV Do not despise prophecies, 21 but test everything; hold fast what is good.
How do you test every spirit? The Bible alone is the Word of God; it alone is inspired and inerrant. Therefore, the way to test the spirits is to see if what is being taught is in-line with the clear teaching of Scripture.
In Acts 17:10-11, the Berean Jews were commended because, after they heard the teachings of Paul and Silas, they “examined the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” The Bereans were called “noble” for doing so.
1 John 4:2TPT Here’s the test for those with the genuine Spirit of God: they will confess Jesus as the Christ who has come in the flesh.
Is Jesus the focal point of your vocabulary? Do you study the scripture text after God’s word is spoken—Rather preached or taught?
John 1:14TM The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son, Generous inside and out, true from start to finish.
KJV—He’s filled with grace and mercy!
Jesus has to be the focal point of everything we do. If we know Jesus, we speak Jesus, we live and love Jesus more than anything!
Here’s some Facts—Jesus came into this world miraculously through a virgin birth. It was a miraculous conception. Jesus lived modestly pleasing his parents, but greater than that, He pleased His heavenly father. At age 30-33, He begin His earthly ministry. He spoke 100% truth no matter what. Signs and wonders were part of His ministry.
He died without any gall. Jesus rouse on the third day. After He arouse, He was seen by hundreds of believers. Act 1:11, While His disciples watched, Jesus ascended into the clouds. Angels spoken and told His disciples to get busy, and stop looking up.
1 John 4:3TPT Everyone who does not acknowledge that Jesus is from God has the spirit of antichrist, which you heard was coming and is already active in the world.
Throughout Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, Jesus spoke about the spirit of antichrist. In Matthew 24, the first thing Jesus mentions as He begins to talk about His second coming and the tribulation—was watch out for deception!
Listen to, Matthew 24:3-5ESV As he (Jesus) sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” 4 And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. 5 For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray.
One deception about the spirit of anti-Christ is, “Jesus wasn’t all man, and all God.”
Gnosticism was very prominent offering insight, enlightenment mixed with a promise of exceptional knowledge.
Gnosticism believes that God is superior, and any other form of God, was inferior—Just a ghost or spirit.
They held their own thoughts about Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
According to, 1 John 4:2-3, We know the spirit of antichrist by what we profess. Also we know by what we listen and submit to.
Do we listen, and submit to Jesus?
The spirit of antichrist comes with many bells and whistle's. Remember, Flesh can only produces flesh.
1 John 4:4, is a real confidence builder. Verse 4, places everything in perspective when it comes to the true believer in Jesus—They live, talk, and breath Jesus, He’s the greater One!
1 John 4:4NASB You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.
Remember this, Everything is inferior to the name of Jesus!
1 John 4:4AMP Little children (believers, dear ones), you are of God and you belong to Him and have [already] overcome them [the agents of the antichrist]; because He who is in you is greater than he (Satan) who is in the world [of sinful mankind].
In, 1 John 4:4, John uses the word ‘world’
(Gr. kosmos) more than any other New Testament writer—104 times, to convey the concept of this world system, or world order.
Hear this out loud—Jesus is greater than all world systems, and its order!
1 John 4:5TPT They belong to this world and they articulate the spirit of this world, and the world listens to them.
One could describe it as, “the culture of the world.”
In the Book, The Unsaved Christian, Pastor Dean Inserra writes, Being a self-identified Christian for cultural reasons, rather than the good news of the gospel, is common place in America, especially in the Bible belt.
The false teachers spake of the world according to its maxims and tastes, so as not to offend carnal men. The world approved them, they made rapid progress, the world will love its own, and its own will love it.
Again, verse 5, the world listens to them.
Satan, is the god of this world. The culture of this world. 2 Corinthians 4:3-4TPT Even if our gospel message is veiled, it is only veiled to those who are perishing, 4 for their minds have been blinded by the god of this age, leaving— them in unbelief. Their blindness keeps them from seeing the dayspring light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the divine image of God.
This ‘One’ (Jesus), whom the Scriptures state in Colossians 1:15-16NASB He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation: 16 for by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, or dominions, or rulers, or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.
“Listen, ‘If Jesus isn’t the biggest deal in your world, in your life, You are mislead, and in Jeopardy.’ This is serious business!” P.H
In Matthew 7:21-23, I want to read these words of Jesus in our modern context. I believe His example would translate to our era like this:
Didn't we say grace before dinner? Didn’t we vote our values? Didn't we believe prayer should be allowed in school? Didn't we go to church? Didn’t we believe in God? Didn’t we get misty eyes when we heard God bless America song at a baseball game? Didn't we give money to the church? Didn’t we treat women with respect? Didn't we own Bibles? Didn’t we get the baby dedicated to the Lord, Didn’t we want America to return to its Christian roots? Didn’t we stay married and faithful?
Cultural Christianity admires Jesus, but doesn't really think He’s needed. He’s needed only to take the wheel in a moment of crisis.
The Jesus of Cultural Christianity is a type of historical imaginary friend with some magic powers for good luck. The god of Cultural Christianity is the big man upstairs, and whether or not He is holy and people have sinned against Him is irrelevant.
The term self-righteous often comes with superiority or rigid legalism.
Say—Only Jesus. Jesus supersedes everything. These petitioners Jesus spoke of, loved to say, didn't we? When they should have been saying—didn't He?
In Matthew 7:21-23, there is only one—Didn’t—that Jesus answered with, and from His own words, it was that—He didn't know them.
And now this mornings last verse—Listen closely to the victory of Jesus in, 1 John 4:6NASB We are from God. The one who knows God listens to us; the one who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
Notice verse 6b…The one who knows God listen to God.
In closing, I believe God’s love should produce a powerful resolute within—Again, 1 John 4:6, expresses to every reader that God’s love was revealed in you, so you may love and reveal Him to others.
Q&A: Does your daily walk reveal Jesus unto others through your actions, and demeanor?
I challenge you to:
Take God’s word serious as you read, or hear it read.
Take notes.
Study and do what you hear preached.
The best way to combat anything you’re going through is Thankfulness. Being thankful. (Jenny S.)
Benediction.
