Presentation 07

Presentation 07

Presentation 07

IntroductionA group of cult members Texas barricaded themselves in a fortified farmhouse which when stormed by the FBI was set on fire. Within were a group of young people who followed a man who convinced them he spoke the truth. They obeyed their leader even to the point of violating their own conscience because they were convinced that he was a man of God. He claimed to be Jesus Christ. Deceptive claims have been made since the birth of the church and so John writes with this vigorous exhortation, 'test the spirits'.

The Power Of ErrorThe Texas incident raises important questions like: ‘how can people be so gullible?’ Several factors contribute to the overall answer. Emotionally vulnerable people will respond to anyone who shows what appears to be a genuine interest in them. Others are sucked in by appealing offers, 'Follow me and you will be guaranteed spiritual power'. Some are attracted by the spiritual intensity and zeal of the cult members. They think, 'compared with the church these people know where they are going and what they believe'. But most frequently people respond positively to unsound teaching because they are not themselves grounded in scripture.Presentation 07

The Power Of ErrorJohn had brought ch.3 to a close by reminding the believers that their assurance of belonging to God was something which was given by the Holy Spirit. Now those who had divided the church were equally keen to appeal to the witness of the Spirit in support of their false teaching and spurious claims.

John's response is ‘test the spirits.’ In other words John is speaking about the importance of spiritual discernment, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. Spiritual discernment is no less necessary today. Within parts of the church there are those who claim to speak directly as the very mouthpiece of God.

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The Power Of ErrorThey often introduce what they have to say with, 'Thus saith the Lord' or less formerly, 'brother I want you to know that I have a word from God for you'. There are those who claim they have the authority of God to direct others lives including decisions about work, or whom they should marry or where they should stay, because they say they are in direct communication with God.

Now any sensible Christian will want to assess these claims and determine whether they are genuine or bogus. We are neither called upon to be gullible nor to naively accept all that those who purport to speak for God have to say. Rather we are in John's words to ‘test the spirits’ to see if they are from God.

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Spiritual DiscernmentWhat is spiritual discernment and how does it operate? In the first place it involves recognising the way in which God's Spirit operates. His primary task is to glorify Christ. Those who claim to be God's spokesmen and to be ministering under the influence of the Spirit of God can be examined at this point.

In the specific situation which John was addressing this involved acknowledging that Jesus was both truly human and truly divine cf v2-3. John is not saying that the mere mouthing of a formulae is the way to test orthodoxy any more than it could be tested through simply repeating Paul's formulae in 1Cor.12.3...

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Spiritual DiscernmentPaul is saying here that no man, however plausible and impressive his spirituality may turn out to be yet ,who debases Jesus can be speaking by the Spirit of God. The role of the Spirit of God is to magnify Jesus. He is not magnified when his incarnation is denied, when the substitutionary nature of the atonement is ridiculed and when the need of his regenerating work in our hearts is considered unnecessary!

Where the church is torn into two. Or where a particular spiritual experience or spiritual gift is allowed to overshadow and displace Jesus. When this is being done we have good cause for concern.

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Spiritual DiscernmentA whole host of voices are saying ‘I am Christ’ or ‘I have the truth, follow me’. This is no surprise in the light of Jesus' own teaching Mk.13v3-6, 21-23. Paul wrote in 2 Thes. 2v3-11 warning his readers that false and evil spirits will seek to counterfeit the Spirit of God. It is important to be able to distinguish between the two.

The difference between the influence of God’s Spirit and other spirits is that the Spirit of God is gracious and his appeals are marked by a sweet reasonableness. Not like false, strident and demanding spirits that rely on brainwashing and terrorizing, in order to promote obedience and to keep its membership intact.Presentation 07

Spiritual DiscernmentWe test the spirits by measuring what we hear against the touchstone of the whole counsel of God. False teachers and cults often wrench scripture from its context.

Let me illustrate how this has worked in the past. The command is given to arm a particular 'religious community', as was the case in Texas, but some of its members have reservations. And so the words of Jesus are quoted out of context, "I have not come to bring peace but the sword". In actual fact this text has got nothing to do with the followers of Jesus arming themselves as the context makes clear. Jesus is reminding his followers that his teaching is so radical, that it challenges the world's values in such a way as to create division and persecution. Presentation 07

Spiritual DiscernmentJesus did not tell his followers to go looking for persecution or to go out of their way to create division- these things would be the inevitable outcome of following him and they were not to be surprised when they took place. Not only will we find the cults quoting scripture out of context they purposefully ignore vast tracks of scripture which do not fit into the religious ethos of the group. Staying for a moment with the idea of arming oneself for conflict, it is unlikely that the cult members would hear any sermons about 'the meek inheriting the earth', or of 'submitting oneself to the governing authorities', or of 'living peaceably with all men'! There is generally a dangerous selectivity in the use of God's word.

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Spiritual DiscernmentThere are some in the church today who sadly argue that what some leader says must be true because their teaching is accompanied my remarkable miracles. Now this can seem a very persuasive argument until we remember that the magicians of Egypt were able to imitate some of the miraculous signs which God performed through Moses [Ex.7v22, 8v7].

Or think again of Acts 8v11 where we are told that Simon the sorcerer that he amazed people for a long time with his magic. These 'signs' are to be tested.

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Spiritual DiscernmentThis is particularly true of spoken prophecy which claims to be the word of God and this is the burden of John's concern. Of course this issue was also faced by God's O.T. people. In Deut. 18 the people of God were told that if a prophet promised something in God's name which did not come to pass then he is a false prophet. But the idea of promise and fulfilment was not in itself to be taken as necessarily authenticating a prophet as Deut. 13 makes clear. The principle test applied in Deut. 13 is the content of the speakers message. Does the message encourage the people of God to worship and obey him or does it lead into idolatry?

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Spiritual DiscernmentThe content of the prophet's message is infinitely more important that the supernatural signs which he can offer to support it. The test is not whether it feels right or looks good but whether or not it is true. Do not believe things merely because a Bible teacher says them but rather because they are found in God's word. Paul commended the Bereans in Acts 17v11 because they searched the scriptures to verify his message.

Not only do we have to test the spirits which claim to speak through others but those which speak within our own hearts. Christians have sometimes been deceived into thinking that they have been led by God especially in matters of divine guidance.Presentation 07

Spiritual DiscernmentOne hears of Christians saying, 'I felt led to do such and such'. Sometimes this may involve doing something which is clearly unlawful. Sometimes it involves truly bizarre behaviour like the Christian who was convinced he had a very real intimation from God to lie on the floor and to say, 'Stand on me God has called me to be a doormat'.

This kind of behaviour brings the gospel into disrepute. Those involved are quite sincere in the belief that God has told them to do certain things. But where they have clearly fallen down was in their failure to test the spirits and ask, 'Is this really the voice of God which is speaking to me?'

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The Believer’s SecurityAgain we see something of the pastoral sensitivity of John. He doesn't want the people of God to be frightened that somehow or other they'll be deceived by false teachers and drawn away. He reminds them that they have already overcome those who have falsely represented themselves as the followers of God by not listening to them. This is of course the mark of the child of God as Jesus himself made quite clear in John10v1-5...

Although there is the need of the people of God to be on their guard and to be discerning there is no need for them to panic for they will not ultimately be deceived.

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John tells his readers that they overcame their false teachers [v4] by seeing through their deception and keeping themselves from its fateful consequences. How? The ground and source of the victory is the indwelling of God in the believer.

This is a truth about himself that every Christian needs to recognise and learn to appropriate daily. ‘Think what Spirit dwells within you,’ is what the hymn-writer encourages. This is the answer not only to the danger of false teaching, but to every temptation faced by the believer, every weakness of which he might be aware, every adverse circumstance of environment or heredity he faces.

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The Believer’s Security

Over against the worst that would be true of us by nature, stands a great incontrovertible fact- we are indwelt by One who is greater than everything and everyone that can be against us. As we marvel at the amazing transformation effected by the Spirit in our lives, then that ought to make a great difference in combating false and evil spirits.

These false spirits belong to the world of created spirit gone wrong [Satan is a fallen angel], whereas the Christian belongs to the eternal Spirit of God. It would be an awful impertinence to minimise the practical difference that makes in discerning evil and dealing with those who plausibly intrude alien elements into our belief and practice.Presentation 07

The Believer’s Security

The distinction between true and false is further developed in v5. Those who are not under the influence of God's good Spirit belong to another world... The Christian experiences this within his own family - non Christian relatives seem more distant than believing strangers. For this reason some family gatherings can be excruciatingly painful compared to the sweet fellowship which is enjoyed in the fellowship of God's people. When we are in the company of those in whose heart the Spirit of Jesus dwells we are able to talk freely about the things of the God. There is no embarrassment but a glad and free communion. We belong to another world.

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The Believer’s Security

John not only reminds us of the Spirit's help in distinguishing between truth and error but of the normative nature of apostolic teaching. The ‘we’ in v6 refers to the apostles as Christ's anointed servants. This is a deeply significant statement for us today who have apostolic teaching enshrined in the scriptures. It means that the touchstone of truth and error is the Bible. Those therefore who receive it are of God and those who do not aren't. But more is implied. There is a relationship between the message and the hearer. If a man is fascinated and captivated by a message or preaching which is not true to the apostolic pattern, he demonstrates that he is not of God.

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The Believer’s Security

ConclusionTruth and error belong to two different worlds and it is for this reason that John writes to the church and says ‘test the spirits’, 'ensure that all that you allow to influence and shape your life is what it purports to be. Don't be taken in by sincerity and zeal and plausibility. Don't accept things at face value. Use the discernment which God has given you in order that you may be influenced only by that which is good for you.

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