“Test the Spirits”

1 John 4:1-6

August 12, 2007

Carl Palmer

Pastor-Teacher

 

 

 

 

Do not believe every spirit, but test them.

 

 1 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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How do we “test the spirits”?

 

 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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 “You have overcome…”

 

 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.

 

 

 

 

 

“They” and “We”

 

 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.

 

 

 

 

By God’s grace–we believe what is true and “do not believe” what is false.

 

 

 

By God’s grace–we are confident “Jesus Christ has come in the flesh.”

 

 

 

By God’s grace – we “overcome” by the Holy Spirit in us, and we “listen” to God’s truth to grow strong in the Gospel.

 

 

 

 

 

Going deeper with the Word…

 

1. How do you “test” what messages are truly “from God” in your life?

 

2. What are some of the deceptions you have “overcome”” in your life?

 

3. What other good things do we have because “the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world”?

 

4. (Looking ahead…) Why do you think John writes “No one has ever seen God” in 1 John 4:12?