A Time for Unbelieving
A Time for Unbelieving
1 John 4:1: Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
· Christianity puts a lot of emphasis on “believing.” We should not believe myths and legends, but believe in facts.
· Faith is not trying to believe something is true… when you know it is not, it is believing something that is true.
· We are called to believe the things that are true, but we are called to be “unbelievers” when things are not true.
· There are times when unbelief is the right thing.
· John tells us that we are not to believe every spirit without testing that spirit because many are there to deceive you.
· Therefore behind every “false prophet” or “false teacher” is an evil spirit.
· If you are going to live this Christian life…
· You cannot believe truth without rejecting the lies.
· You cannot love righteousness unless you are ready to hate sin… not sinners.
· You cannot follow good unless you are ready to reject evil…otherwise you will fail.
1 John 4:2-3: By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.
· The Holy Spirit, also called the Spirit of Truth-- is our built-in truth detector. He is always leading us to the “true Christ” and His love for us.
· It is no accident that this warning comes right after John telling us about God’s love because lying spirits also talk about love.
· Every cult and every spirit knows that deep down inside of us we’re all looking to be loved.
· Therefore, when they come talking about “love” many think they must be from God. Let’s go back to the beginning:
Genesis 3:1: Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”
· The very first thing the deceiver does is to make Eve question the word of God. It is no different today.
· Every cult has their own “scriptures and prophets.”
· Many deceiving spirits try to make us question our Bibles as the authentic word of God—has God really said this?
· If he can get you to question God’s word you will be easily deceived.
· And if God has forbidden you to eat the fruit of a tree, how can He be a God of love? That’s what he implies.
Genesis 3:2-3: And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’
· God did not say, “You shall not touch it,” He said “You shall not eat it.” Eve got this from another source. It was second hand info from Adam.
· She did not know God’s word for herself, therefore she was easily deceived…she was gullible. We must know the word for ourselves!
Genesis 3:4: Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
· You can become like God-- you can be a god.
· “You will enter into a wonderful new life and you will discover what you were made for. As your friend, I advise you not hold back, take the fruit and eat it now! It’ll be great!”
· Does this sound familiar? This is similar to what cults use today. And this is what their false prophets say!
1 John 4:1: Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
· Every encounter we have with another human is also a spiritual encounter. This is a fundamental understanding.
· If you are at the grocery store checking out, you may not choose to test the spirit of the clerk behind the register.
· But if someone comes talking to you about spiritual things, or values, especially if they are talking about love… you should test that spirit.
· In John’s day, the people believed in “spirits.”
· They were more aware of invisible realities. There were many “teachers” going about doing signs and wonders and “prophesying” the future.
· John says; do not believe these spirits until you have “tested” them.
· Don’t be a sucker. Don’t believe everyone who comes along.
· And just as the Holy Spirit speaks through men… evil spirits also will speak through men. And it is nearly always about religious things or values, and will bring “love” into their deceptions.
· They want to cheat us of our inheritance through our salvation by deceiving us through false doctrine!!!
· It is very important for us to understand that the Holy Spirit of Truth testifies to Jesus as being the only Way.
· He testifies that Jesus is “the Jesus” in the word of God. The false teachers always offer us a “counterfeit Jesus.”
· He does not testify to a counterfeit Jesus that is portrayed in the cult religions. That Jesus cannot save you!
· If we are going to follow Jesus we must believe this truth about His true identity.
Ø John 4:25-26: The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will tell us all things.” Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.
Ø Mark 4:61-62: But He kept silent and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked Him, saying to Him, “Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” Jesus said, “I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.”
1 John 4:2-3: By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God.
· The test comes in two ways;
Ø First, is the historical record that God, Himself, appeared as a man in the flesh in the person of Jesus Christ.
· Jesus is His “human name.” He was not called Jesus before His incarnation as a babe in Bethlehem and grew up in Nazareth. Jesus is “the Messiah” predicted in the Old Testament the Son of God who was to come in the flesh.
· This Jesus of Nazareth is identical with the promised Messiah.
Ø Matthew 16:16-17: Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.
· This is plain language, isn’t it? This is the ultimate truth and must never be compromised. This is the one truth that is fundamental to the Christian faith.
· He appeared as a man in the flesh, humbled Himself, and was obedient unto the death of the cross.
Ø Second, the test must also not only include that He was God come in the flesh, but he must confess it. Confessing is not just admitting this truth, biblical confession is committing your life to this truth. Is He your Lord, or are you still Lord of your life?
· It means to trust this fact and trust this Person and live by Him.
· Professing is different; it is a simple admission without commitment. Some people “profess” Christ as Lord and Savior, but are not committed to it in the way they live. Even demons profess Christ!
Ø James 2:19: You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!
· The gospel accounts tell us that there are demons that “profess” the deity of Jesus Christ;
Ø Mark 1:23-25: Now there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, saying, “Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!” But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet, and come out of him!”
· Jesus would not allow the lying spirits to speak. Why?
· He took control of them and cast them out. They “admitted or professed” that Jesus was the Messiah but they never “confessed it.”
· They did not trust Him… they did not commit themselves to Him.
· Throughout history there have been religious leaders, popes, priests, Catholics, and Protestants that have professed Jesus as the Messiah and His humanity, but did not commit to Him with their lives.
John 10:1-3,7: Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.”
· Jesus says, There is no other door, it’s Christ and Christ alone. He is the Christ of the Bible. There is no other Christ! They are all counterfeits! And there is no salvation in them!
· The Christ of the “liberal church” is different from the Christ of the Bible. They say that the virgin birth, the miracles, and His death and resurrection are not important facts—its about social justice and good works!
· They don’t teach and preach the word—they are detached from the word—because its obsolete for the days in which we live, and that was for a different time. “We gotta keep up with the culture.” It’s a dead faith!
· The Christ of the Mormons, the Jehovah Witnesses, the Christian Scientists, the Seventh Day Adventists, and every other cult is a counterfeit…and their “counterfeit Christ” cannot save you!
· The Christ of the Mormons was just an ordinary man-- who became a “god.” They believe that that Mormons become “gods” too. Does this sound familiar? Their prophet was Joseph Smith. They have their own book, the Book of Mormon.
· Christian Science says something similar; the “Spirit of Christ” is the Eternal One and He came upon “Jesus the man” at His baptism until His crucifixion, and the only thing that is of value to us is His teaching while under the Spirit of Christ. Their prophet is Mary Baker Eddy, and their writings are the Christian Science Monitor.
· Jehovah witnesses say Jesus was an archangel, brother of Satan. They do not believe in the Trinity. Their prophet is Charles Taze Russel, and their beliefs are in the writings of their Watchtower Society publications.
· The Seventh Day Adventists are followers of their prophet, Ellen G. White. They believe that salvation is through “Sabbath keeping.” They are modern day “Pharisees.” They focus on the writings of Ellen White.
· These are the “spirit of error,” they are antichrist spirits. These are deceiving spirits—but it will get a lot worse!
Matthew 24:9-11: “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. 10 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. 11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved.
· Jesus tells us that in these last days that “many false prophets” will rise up and “many will be deceived.” This would include many that have considered themselves believers.
· There will come many who will be “professors” and not “confessors.”
· John says that we will know these false prophets because they will profess Christ, but they will not follow Him, and have not committed themselves to Him. The Jesus of the Bible is not their Lord.
· I do not want to listen to any voice that professes to talk about spiritual things but does not confess that The Eternal Word of God became a man in the flesh, AND does not through His life demonstrate that he lives by that principle.
· Test the spirits. The gospel, the good news, depends on this fact; that God became a man of flesh in the person of Jesus Christ, and now it through this life that has become available to us by which we live and move and have our being.
· The Spirit testifies to this.
· God helps us to become unbelievers as well as believers.