A habit of devout fellowship with God is the spring of all our life, and the strength of it.
+ That should be the goal of our Christian walk
+ And that was our stated reason for starting this series from 1 John
+ [1:3] = Horizontal AND vertical fellowship
+ Both = How to have it = And how to maintain it
In Ch.1 John established that we have fellowship with the Father through the Son
+ And we demonstrate the reality of that fellowship = To the world
+ And our self (assurance) = By living a holy life
+ In Ch.2 & 3 = We enlarged on the idea of the assurance of our fellowship
+ By obeying God’s commands = Namely, loving our God by loving our brothers
+ And by way of comparison and contrast = By not loving the world
And God has been repeating and emphasizing these themes so much that now He seems to
anticipate the natural question which might arise = "Who is my brother?"
+ Now we would NOT be asking this in sense of the lawyer in Luke 10 = His motivation = [25]
+ But Christ points him to the Shema /shaw-mah’/
+ Further = Legitimate way to obtain eternal life = [28] "This do, and thou shalt live"
+ HOWEVER...What does man always seem to want to do = [29] = "...Good Samaritan..."
No, that’s not where we’re coming from
+ First = Our view point is as one already possessing eternal life = "Beloved" & [4a]
+ But also because if we are going to demonstrate our love to God by obeying His command
+ And His greatest commandment involves loving our brother
+ Then we’d better be able to know who are brother is
+ And how to spot those that aren’t our brother
+ And that’s precisely the concern God has in mind
+ "Who is my brother?" = How will I know who I should love?
+ Let’s see how God responds
1 John 4:1= Beloved, believe not every spirit,
+ Judaism especially associated the Spirit of God with prophecy
+ But acknowledged the existence other false prophets inspired by false gods
+ Then = Mystics of various stripes = Jewish & pagan = Claiming special revelation from God
+ We should be able to identify with that concept in 21st-C America
+ Now = Many who name, name of Christ = Claim to be a God-sent pastor / teacher / evangelist
+ They will profess to speak with the authority of "Thus saith the Lord"
+ They will desire to influence others in Spiritual matters
+ The need for discernment was acute then = It is no less so now
And so God says = 4:1 = but try the spirits
+ "dokimazo" /dok-im-ad’-zo/ them = Examine them
+ Let the pastors / elders / mature believers give them a test
4:1 = whether they are of God:
+ If they are, fine = You approve them = Allow them to speak in the church = Bible study = Etc.
+ If they aren’t = You take a play out of John’s 2nd epistle = 2 John 1:7, 10-11
+ Why? = 4:1 = because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
It’s a fairly simple concept = True men of God will be led by the indwelling Holy Spirit
+ And by the Scriptures He inspired = Not so with false teachers = And this is not a new problem
+ => Jer => The rebellion of Korah in Moses day = Jer. 2:5, 9 = 2 Cor. 11:13-14
+ And God tells us that the appearance of false prophets / apostles / teachers will only plague the church worse & worse in the last days = 1 Tim. 4:1-2 = 2 Tim. 4:3-4
+ How much more urgent is it in our day than John’s to be able to discern Truth from fiction, and true teachers from false? = This is how much more urgent = 2 Pet. 2:1-3
And so how vital is it to be led by the Holy Spirit?
+ Only He can with absolute certainty and absolute clarity recognize a seducing spirit
+ But how will we know? = Again, according to the Scriptures He inspired = He tells us = [4:2]
+ Early in 20th-C leaders from every "stripe" of Christianity came together = Problem
+ "Higher criticism" = German rationalism = 19th-C = Great seeds of doubt concerning Bible
+ Began to see this in the fruits of Darwin & evolution = Westcott & Hort & revised Greek text
+ (Really, the "invented" greek text...but...)
+ And so these great men of God and the Word ~ Dr. James Orr, United Free Ch, Scotland ~ Dr. James Gray, Dean, Moody ~ Dr. A.C. Gaebelein, noted NT scholar ~ Dr. B.B. Warfield, Princeton Theo.Sem. ~ Dr. R. A. Torrey, Dean, BIOLA
+ Came together = Drew up a list of "fundamentals" = Things all Christians believed = In 1917 published them as "The Fundamentals"
+ Today = Speak of "Fundamentals" = 5 major doctrinal headings = [a] Inspiration / infallibility of Scripture [b] Deity of Christ [c] substitutionary atonement [d] resurrection of Christ [e] 2nd coming of Christ
+ Might be other things we could add to the list = But these were considered absolutely essential
+ ie: To be a "Christian" = Must subscribe to these basic Biblical doctrines = "fundamentals"
Really you can boil those 5 down to 2 questions
+ What do you think of the Bible? = What do you think of Jesus of Nazareth?
+ Every single cult you can name will attack each of these
+ And so it’s really no coincidence that God says here = [4:2]
+ Historically = Even in John’s day = Some groups have always attacked the doctrine of Christ
+ Some = Docetists / Gnostics = Jesus had a "divine nature" but not a human nature
+ Some = Arians = Jesus had human nature (nat. son of Joseph and Mary) = NOT a divine nature
+ Today = D/G, New Age, Eastern mystical religions, Christian Scientists = Arians, JW’s
+ But the Bible = The ultimate arbitor of these disputes = Is clear in making this claim = Jesus
was both fully God = And fully human = Matt. 1 / Christmas story
So that’s why God says here = [4:2b - 4:3a]
+ Every spirit = that which is in the man
+ That confesses = Acknowledge / Agree / Give thanks
+ JESUS = Jehovah our Saviour
+ CHRIST = Annointed One, Messiah = God’s promised prophet, priest and king
+ That man and that spirit is of God = Comes from = Belongs to = Flows back to glorify Him
+ Doesn’t confess that? = NOT OF GOD = It’s really that simple
+ If He wasn’t perfect man, He never could have died
+ If He wasn’t the Divine God of Heaven, His never could have died for our sins
4:3 = and this is that [spirit] of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
CONCLUSION
How Sure...How certain...How serious...How sad
+ Not sad for us = [4:4a] = Praise the Lord for that = And here’s why = [4:4b]
+ But sad for those outside of Christ = [4:5]
INVITATION
Beloved here’s how this section ends = [4:6] = It’s a good review of this message
+ 4:6 = We are of God: = TO BE THANKFUL
+ 4:6 = he that knoweth God heareth us; = TO RECOGNIZE A BROTHER
+ AND REMEMBER TO LOVE THEM AS A BROTHER IN CHRIST
+ 4:6 = he that is not of God heareth not us. = TO DISCERN THOSE LOST IN ERROR
+ AND TO TRY TO LOVE THEM TO THE TRUTH IN CHRIST
+ 4:6 = Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. = TO ATTEMPT TO BE CONTINUALLY YIELDED TO THE HOLY GHOST = HUMBLE = TEACHABLE
SOURCES OF NOTES USED: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge ~ Dr. Henry Morris, Defenders SB notes ~
Craig Keener, IVB Bible Background Comm [NT, 1 John 4:1-6] ~ Ryrie, Basic Theology [pp.251-3]
goodnewsmag.org/mazazine/6novdec/nd01renew.html
