SERMON GM14-031
SERIES: The Christian Life Viewed as Sonship
SETTING: North Kelso Baptist Church
SERVICE: Sunday AM
SUBTITLE: The Test of Sonship (Part
10)
SCRIPTURE: 1 John 4:4-6
SUBJ: Discernment
SUMMARY: The children of God must practice spiritual
discernment
SCHEME: that Christians develop the disciple of discernment in order to
distinguish between truth and error
_____________________________________________________________
Our theme is: Genuine Christians test the
Spirits
Proposition: The Christian life is a life
that demands constant discernment
Interrogatory Sentence: Why should genuine believers
live a life of constant discernment?
Transitional Sentence: John identifies three reasons why genuine Sonship must be a life of
constant discernment. John makes it clear that discernment is essential for the
children of God.
CHRISTIAN LIVING IN
A WORLD OF CHAOS
The
Christian Life is Viewed as Son-ship
The Test of
Sonship
1 John 4:4-6 *
(Part 10)
INTRODUCTION
A. The Benefit
of Confidence
The American painter, John Sargent, once
painted a panel of roses that was
highly praised by critics. It was a small picture, but it approached perfection. Although offered a high
price for it on many occasions, Sargent
refused to sell it. He considered it his best work and was very proud of it. Whenever he was deeply
discouraged and doubtful of his abilities
as an artist, he would look at it and remind himself, "I painted that." Then his confidence and
ability would come back to him.
Bits & Pieces, September 19, 1991, p. 9.
B. The Desire
for Discernment
It is like that for us today. Because
Christianity is a life of faith and lived by
faith, confidence in who and what we believe in is of the utmost importance. We need a reminder now and
then from God when we have those days
of doubt and fear to have our confidence restored.
C.
Today’s Text
Our passage continues to outline for
us the necessity of exercising discernment.
It is too easy to be deceived by the crafty evil spirits and/or false teachers. This deception can be devastating in many
cases.
[But
before we jump into our text, let’s take a minute and…]
REVIEW
We are currently examining the second major division in John’s letter.
We are looking at…
2A THE CHRISTIAN LIFE VIEWED AS SONSHIP (2:29-4:6)
The Christian life is a life whereby we are considered to be children of God.
In order to prove his point, John maintains
that there are a series of tests which
prove one’s claim.
[The
first test John gave was that…]
1B Sonship demands the practice of
righteousness
John made it clear that a
genuine child of God habitually or consistently makes it a practice to do
works that are both motivated by and in-line with the
divine nature that was imparted to the believer at the moment
of salvation.
[The
second test John gave was that… ]
2B Sonship Demands
the practice of love (2:29-3:10a)
John made it clear that a
genuine child of God habitually or consistently makes it a practice to
love fellow believers in Christ
with a selfless and sacrificial love that is motivated by the love of God for us.
[The
Third test John gave was that…]
3B Sonship Demands the practice of discernment
(4:1-6)
John now makes it clear that a genuine child of God
habitually or consistently makes it a practice to
utilize discernment when it
comes to preachers, teachers, or prophets that purport to bring truth
and to speak for God.
[We
have determined that…]
Our theme is: Genuine Christians test the Spirits
Proposition: The Christian life is a life
that demands constant discernment
Interrogatory Sentence: Why should genuine believers live a life of
constant discernment?
Transitional Sentence: John
identifies three reasons why genuine Sonship must be a life of constant
discernment. John makes it clear that discernment is essential for the children
of God.
[Two
weeks we saw that the first reason
for believers to live a life of constant discernment was found in…]
1C The
Command given for discernment (4:1)
The first thing we see in this passage is that under
the inspiration of the HS, John gives a
command for his readers
to obey or to submit to.
Why do we practice discernment?
First of all, we are commanded to be discerning. We cannot
do anything less than
to be discerning.
[Last week, we saw that the second reason for believers to live a
life of constant discernment is found in…]
2C The Contrast
governed by discernment (4:2-3)
With no fan-fare, introduction, or explanation John quickly states the fundamental test that is to be used in determining the true identity of
preachers, teachers, or prophets.
John contrasted the true teachers from God with
the false teachers by what they believed and taught about Jesus Christ.
[So,
now, let’s move to our...]
TRUTH FOR TODAY
[The third
reason for believers to live a life of constant discernment was found in…]
3C The Confidence
generated by discernment (4:4-6)
Therefore
do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need
of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what
is promised.
John wants
to build up his readers confidence.
In verse 1 John made it clear that his readers were
to test any and all teachers or
prophets who claimed to be speaking for God. None were to be
exempt – all were to be
tested.
In verses 2-3 John
established the criteria for testing anyone who claimed to be a teacher or
prophet from God. That
test was did these who claimed to speak for God acknowledge that Jesus was God in
the flesh.
Now, John is going
to show his readers that by this test they will be able to discern
the source or the origin of these teachers whom John says are
false teachers.
John is providing
the means for his readers to gain and maintain absolute confidence
in the ability to discern true teachers from God and false teachers
from the anti-christ.
[So,
there are at least three (3) elements given by John to his readers that will
help them develop their confidence in the truth.]
[The
first element we see that will build their confidence is…]
1D The
Source of Origin (4-5)
umeis ek
tou qeou este, tekna, kai nenikhkate autou
“You are from God, little
children, and have overcome them…”
John is telling his readers
that a prophet or any teacher’s spiritual source
can be identified by determining who listens to the prophet
or the teacher.
John makes
this very clear in verse 6. We will get o that verse
shortly. If you look at this passage carefully you will see:
·
Those who are from God (4) and those who know God (6)
·
The World (5) and those who are not from God (6)
You also
see that there are two groups of teachers:
·
Teachers who are from the world (5)
·
Teachers who are from God (6)
First
thing we need to note is that John begins this section with what
we call a double emphatic personal pronoun.
In
essence, John begins with “as for you.” The Greek word for “you” is the
first word in verse four, not “little children.”
What did John want to
accomplish with the use of this pronoun?
This
choice of pronoun and its placement is used to place John’s
readers in strong contrast to those who false teachers who are
under the influence of the anti-Christ.
Along with
this phrase, remember John calls his readers little
children six times. We have noted that this word is a term of
endearment. But more importantly it is a term that stresses
the fact of birth.
In other words, it demonstrates the reader’s source
of origin, they are from God.
This is
designed to build their confidence.
[So,
first John stresses their source of origin is from God; and then secondly, he
states commends them.]
“…and
have overcome them…”
Who are the “them?” The
false prophets or false teachers that have
been plaguing them with false doctrine.
John’s use
of the present tense verb shows that his readers had
previously gained victory over these false teachers and were
victorious when John wrote this letter.
What does this phrase mean, “they
have overcome them?”
It does
not mean that John’s readers, these believers
who belonged to the churches John was responsible for, had actually
physically did battle with these false teachers and had
driven them out of
the area. But, something did happen that these false
teachers had left the churches, (2:19).
John is
saying that they had been “victorious” in the sense that they
rejected the false teaching and continued to belief what John
and the other apostles had taught them.
John is
talking about a doctrinal victory not a physical victory.
oti
meizwn estin o en umin h o en tw kosmw
“…because greater is he who
is in you tan he who is in the world.”
Our word because explains
why John’s readers were able to overcome or gain
victory over these false teachers. John shows his readers, and us, that the
conflict is between God “He who is in you” and
the spirit of the antichrist “him who is in the world.”
The battle
is between God and Satan. God dwells in each believer by
the HS is at war with Satan who is in this earth now through his
minions.
[Look
at what John says about their origin…]
autoi ek
tou kosmou eisin
“They are from the world…”
The word “they” is also a
double emphatic pronoun and it is
used to indicates the false teachers.
John is actually detailing or describing the character of these
false teachers. They originate from the world, therefore they are
worldly in thought,
philosophy, doctrine, and etc.
You have
to understand this term “world.” John is not saying these
teachers are bad or have bad character because they were born in
this world, grew
up in it and live in it.
It is not
like John is saying Arizona, Illinois, Washington is evil.
He is
emphasizing that in the ethical sense the reference infers all of the
evil that permeates the thought process, the philosophy, the
activities, the attitudes, the value systems that
comprise evil.
dia touto
ek tou kosmou lalousin kai o kosmos au twn
akouei
“…therefore they speak as
from the world, and the world listens to them.”
Because these false teachers
are from the world the world listens to them.
This is
important – these teachers and the false teachers of today reflect the
attitude and philosophies of the evil world in
their teachings.
The
world is full of lust, envy, materialism, selfishness, and much more.
So, this
is why the overwhelming majority of false teachers are caught
up in pride, sexual immorality, and money.
False teachers
will teach what the world teaches.
The world will
listen to them. The majority of people in these churches are not
Christians. They are
world lings and they are worldly.
The reason they follow people
like Kenneth Copeland, Creflo
Dollar, or Fred K Price, or Paul Crouch or any of them is
because they are just as evil, they are just as greedy and
lustful and envious as
the false teachers.
So, we see the first element given by John to
build the confidence of his readers and we identified that element as the source of their origin.
These false teachers have originated from the
world. And not just from Ephesus or Collose but they originated from the evil,
sinful, sphere of the antichrist.
Our theme is: Genuine Christians test the Spirits
This
is a good reminder for us all that the Christian life is a life that demands
constant discernment.
[Let’s
now look at the second element that John has given to his readers to bolster
their confidence and that is…]
2D The
Sign of Operation (6a)
hmeis ek
tou qeou esmen o ginwskwn ton qeon akouei hmwn, os ouk estin ek tou qeou ouk akouei hmwn
“We are from God; he who
knows God listens to us; he who is not
from God does not listen to us.”
The
story is told of Franklin Roosevelt, who often endured long receiving lines at
the White House. He complained that no one really paid any attention to what
was said. One day, during a reception, he decided to try an experiment. To each
person who passed down the line and shook his hand, he murmured, "I
murdered my grandmother this morning." The guests responded with phrases
like, "Marvelous! Keep up the good work. We are proud of you. God bless
you, sir." It was not till the end of the line, while greeting the
ambassador from Bolivia, that his words were actually heard. Nonplussed, the
ambassador leaned over and whispered, "I'm sure she had it coming."
Who
actually listens? Who are they listening to? John makes a very emphatic point.
Once more the pronoun we is
first and it is emphatic. It set
the apostolic teachers in direct contrast with the false teachers. It
was used to convey
force. John used it to make sure there was no
doubt. We, the apostles are from God – the false
teachers are not.
Therefore,
since John and the other apostles are from God anyone who knows
God, has a relationship with God, or claims to be
a child of God,
or claims Sonship will listen to the apostles and
not to the false teachers.
Once again
John is emphasizing that the Christian is viewed as a life
of Sonship, we are sons or children of God.
The
opposite is true! If you are not born of God or from
God, if you are not a child of God or a son of God then you will not listen
to the apostle John or the other apostles.
A child of
the antichrist or a child of this worldly system will not
listen to the truth.
So,
a sign of who is a child of God and who is not is who they are listening to. If
they listen to the apostles teaching it is a sign they are from God and if they
refuse to listen to the teaching of the apostles then that is a sign that they
are not children of God.
For
the record, the concept of listen in this letter entails more than just the
physical act of listening. Listening leads to obeying and doing.
The
second element given by John is a sign of who is who, or who belongs to who.
Our theme is: Genuine Christians test the Spirits
This
is a good reminder for us all that the Christian life is a life that demands
constant discernment.
The
third and final element given by John to build up his reader’s confidence is
seen in…
3D The
Summary of Opinion (6b)
ek toutou
giwskomen to pneuma ths alhqeias kai to pneuma t hs planhs
“By this we know the spirit
of truth and the spirit of error.”
What would happen if a few mistakes or
errors crept into various things
in our life that we take for granted:
No phone
service for 15 minutes each day
1.7
million pieces of first class mail lost each day.
35,000
newborn babies dropped by doctors or nurses each year
200,000
people getting the wrong drug prescriptions each year
Unsafe
drinking water three days a year.
Three
misspelled words on the average page of type.
2 million
people would die from food poisoning each year.
Error or mistakes can range from inconvenient to
fatal.
John makes a concluding
summary of the importance of listening and
the critical test of listening.
Determining
who is a spirit of God and a spirit of the antichrist is
determined by watching and observing who listens to a
person’s message.
If
the people of God are listening, the message and speaker
are from God and if the world or world lings are listening to the
message and the speaker
then they are not from God but from the spirit
of the antichrist.
There are
only two spirits – truth or error.
Any
teacher’s doctrine can be identified by analyzing what kind
of people listen to him.
The first
and most important test of what he is teaching centers on what he
believes about the incarnate Christ. Did Jesus come as
God in the flesh?
Is this test and information
relevant to us today?
Liberal Theology – all of the various forms
of liberal theology historically have denied the full deity of Jesus Christ.
They may not deny his humanity by they deny his deity.
Neo-orthodoxy – they disagree on the
facts and nature of the incarnation. Some teach Jesus was divine in the sense
of morally or religiously. Some see the incarnation as representing nothing
more than essential manhood.
So
it is relevant today that we understand what John is saying. John’s test is
still relevant to evaluate what people are teaching
Cults – As we saw last week most
if not all deny the divinity of Jesus
So,
this third element then is a summary of John’s teaching in this entire section.
Basically,
John is said to his readers and he is saying to us stop listening with gullibility
to every teacher, preacher, prophet, author, or spokesman that comes along.
Make it a practice to test what these people are saying. We must be cautious
and careful because so many false teachers and prophets have gone out into the
world.
You
can have confidence because the HS who lives in you is greater than any spirit
that comes from the antichrist. The false prophets have their origin in the
world and you have your origin in God.
Our theme is: Genuine Christians test the Spirits
This
is to be a good reminder to each one of us that the Christian life is a life
that demands constant discernment.
[What do you say we wrap this up? So, in…]
CONCLUSION
“If we
have no desire to be discerning, we won't be discerning. If we are driven by a
yearning to be happy, healthy, affluent, prosperous, comfortable, and
self-satisfied, we will never be discerning people. If our feelings determine
what we believe, we cannot be discerning. If we subjugate our minds to some
earthly ecclesiastical authority and blindly believe what we are told, we
undermine discernment. Unless we are willing to examine all things carefully,
we cannot hope to have any defense against reckless faith.”
Exhortation: I
exhort you to exercise spiritual discernment with every ounce of your energy
and with no limits test every person who claims to speak for God and determine
from scripture whether they are from God or the antichrist since so many false
prophets and teachers are in the world today.
Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 14:20 (ESV)
“Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in
evil, but in your thinking be mature.”
Let’s
pray! J
1 comment:
WOW Gregg you certainly know how to put a sermon over, If I lived nearer you would be at your church.
Post a Comment