Sermon Notes
Introduction
The apostle explained that the Holy Spirit leads the believer to believe in Christ and to love one another. Such is made possible by the Holy Spirit’s work. Those who are in the light fellowship with the Father, Son, and Spirit (1 Jn 3:23-24). John proceeds to warn believers to exercise spiritual discernment. They should test the spirits, because there are many false prophets. Believers can take comfort in knowing that they are from God and have overcome the false teachings of these teachers. The Spirit who dwells in the believer is greater than the one who is in the world. False teachers speak from a worldly perspective and are accepted by the world, but those who are from God listen to the apostolic message. This is how believers can distinguish between the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
1. Test Every Teaching
The apostle instructed the readers to “test every spirit.” Some translations say, “test every teaching.” It comes from the following verses, where John wrote about listening to them. Another way to put it is “test every wind.” Or, “test everything.” Why test? Because not everything, not every spirit, or teaching is from God.
1 John 4:1-3: Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.
2. Overcome Deception
John encouraged those who remained in the apostles’ doctrine, that Jesus Christ is both human and divine. While the others who fell for the false teachers left the fellowship, those who remained must take courage. Because they continued to believe in the right doctrine, John said that they were victorious. The reason is that the Holy Spirit, who is greater than the world.
1 John 4:4: Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
3. Spirit of Truth
The early form of Gnosticism accepts that the flesh is sinful. It is normal, but John refutes this. In Christ, it is not right to love the world, which is the desires of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and pride of life. Those who listened to the false teachers were of the world, and they were not from God.
1 John 4:5-6: They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
John 16:13-14: When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
Application
- We must test every form of preaching, podcast, sermon, discussion, book, article, or any other medium. Everything that does not align with who Christ is and his teachings as revealed in God’s word should be rejected.
- The Holy Spirit, who is greater than all, makes us overcome false teaching. He leads us to understand the Holy Scriptures, and He does not contradict the teachings of Jesus Christ, for they are of one essence.
- Those who belong to God will listen to those who teach the Word of God accurately. All of us who believe in the gospel as revealed in Scripture must proclaim the gospel. We are confident that the Holy Spirit will do His work in salvation.
Study Guide
- Why should we test every spirit? What does that mean?
- John mentioned that the greater One who lives in every believer. Explain what he means.
- How can one discern between the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error?