Explore the Bible Lesson Preview June 28, 2015 Is This of God? Background: 1 John 4:1-6; 2 John; 3 John Lesson: 1 John 4:1-6

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1 Explore the Bible Lesson Preview June 28, 2015 Is This of God? Background: 1 John 4:1-6; 2 John; 3 John Lesson: 1 John 4:1-6 Motivation: John warns believers not to accept all teaching that claims to be of God at face value. We have a responsibility to test the soundness of doctrine. Ultimately, sound doctrine will be reflected in Christians who love as Christ loved through the power of the Holy Spirit. Examination: I. Be Discerning Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to determine if they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. (4:1) A. Don t be naïve do not believe every spirit Spirits manifest themselves in false prophets or preachers. Just because a preacher has a T.V. or radio show, publishes books or has a large congregation doesn t make him right. Unfortunately, many Christians think that if something is published it is sound doctrine. (Eph. 4:11-16; 1 Tim. 4:1) B. Don t be gullible test the spirits to determine if they are from God A believer has the right to question the soundness of doctrine. Underlying this right is the assumption that one is knowledgeable of sound doctrine. Such knowledge comes through disciplined personal study, regular church attendance, and participation in a small group Bible study. C. Don t be fooled many false prophets have gone out Just because a person calls himself a prophet of God doesn t make him/her one! John emphasized that the false prophet is no an occasional phenomenon; in fact, many 1 / 10

2 have gone out. II. Test the Message This is how you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit who confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God. But every spirit who does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist; you have heard that he is coming, and he is already in the world now. (4:2-3) A. Confession confesses The teacher must go on record with his/her beliefs, not teach in secret. B. Confirmation Jesus Jesus means savior and is linked to His purpose of redemption. Jesus was not just a philosophical ideal or a vanishing spirit but rather a real historical person. C. Coronation Christ Christ is the Greek word for messiah or anointed one. To call Jesus Christ means to accept Him as the fulfillment of the 333 Old Testament prophecies that looked forward to His coming. D. Commission has come At His birth, Jesus was called Immanuel, God with us. To believe that God has come to earth is to believe that He has a plan that involves us. E. Conviction in the flesh The incarnation of Jesus Christ is one of the most powerful ideas ever shared with humanity. That Jesus came in the flesh has implication for (1) His virgin birth, (b) His High Priesthood, (c) His sinless sacrifice, (d) His right to be our example, and His bodily resurrection. Cultic teachers will always run afoul of this teaching. They will humanize, marginalize and minimize Jesus but they will fail to deify Him! F. Connection is from God Any teacher who has the correct doctrine on the purpose, person and pursuit of Jesus Christ should generally be received as from God. As was detailed in the June 21 st lesson, cult groups invariably fail at this precise point. 2 / 10

3 III. Observe the Audience You are from God, little children, and you have conquered them, because the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. They are from the world. Therefore what they say is from the world, and the world listens to them. We are form God. Anyone who knows God listens to us; anyone who is not from God does not listen to us. Form this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of deception. (4:4-6) A. The Believer s Victory The One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world (4) This is one of the precious promises that Christians have been given. No matter how bleak the circumstances seem, Christ will triumph. (1 Cor 10:13) Satan has no ultimate power to bring us down (Phil 4:13). Whatever travail, trial, or test we come up against, we can be assured that Christ s plan will triumph (Rom 8:28; 1 Cor. 15:57; 1 John 5:4; Rev. 15:2). B. The Believer s Understanding (5) 1. The false teacher s allegiance They are from the world Christians are strictly commanded to Love not the world neither the things that are in the world (2:15) To say that the false teachers are of the world speaks to their origins, loyalty and mindset. They see things according to the world s perspective rather than God s, thus their love for money and the flesh. (2 Pet. 2:3; John 17:14-17). 2. The false teacher s acceptance Therefore, what they say is from the world False teachers cleverly blend the world s philosophy with God s and from that blend derive their popularity. They tell people what they want to hear. (Col. 2:8) 3. The false teacher s audience and the world listens to them Correct doctrine is not determined by popular vote. A full auditorium and a bestselling book are not necessarily indicators of sound teaching. (2 Tim 4:3-4) 3 / 10

4 C. The Believer s Knowledge From this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of deception (6) A further resource is the Moody Press pamphlet The Spirit of Truth and the Spirit of Error. (Revised) by Keith L. Brooks and Irvine Robertson. IV. 2 John A. Know the Truth (1-3) the truth that remains in us and will be with us forever. (2) Tr uth This word appears five times in the thirteen verses. Christians are all who have come to know the truth (1) From our study of 1 John, we know that the author waged a full-scale offensive against false teaching. His best weapon was the truth. B. Obey the Truth (4-7) 1. Encouragement I was very glad to find some of your children walking in the truth (4) Notice that John found only some walking in truth; however, he doesn t condemn the sinners but rather encourages the saints. 2. Exhortation that we love one another (5) a. Plea So now I urge you This is an emotional issue with John! b. Past not as if I were writing a new command John discussed this thoroughly in his first epistle. 4 / 10

5 c. Priority one we have had from the beginning Love was a message of first priority. 3. Explanation And this is love, that we walk according to His commands. (6) Jesus said If you love me, keep My commandments (John 14:15). In 1 John 5:3 we read that His commandments are not a burden. Love is not defined in emotional terms but in terms of obedience. How do we know that God loves us? But God commended (demonstrates, gives proof) His love toward us, in that while we were sinners, Christ died for us (Rom. 5:8). 4. Error a. Many deceivers False teaching is not isolated. b. have gone out into the world False teachers are directed; they have an agenda. c. They do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh In his first epistle, John wrote every spirit who does not confess Jesus is not from God (4:3) As we studied in 1 John, the prevalent heresy of the day, Gnosticism, taught that the incarnation was false and that Jesus only appeared to be human or that He was human for only a part of His ministry. (Heb. 2:12-18) C. Beware of Deceivers (8-11) 1. Watch Watch yourselves so that you don t lose what we have worked for, but that you may receive a full reward. (8) (Haggai 1:5-6; Isa 55; Rev 3) 5 / 10

6 a. Alert watch yourselves b. Apprehensive so that you don t lose This does not speak of losing one s salvation. As we taught earlier, the doctrine of security of the believer is at the heart of John s first epistle. John would never refer to salvation as those things we worked for. Instead, John is referring to the ministry, the church, the fellowship and the very foundational doctrine that draws Believers together. c. Appreciated that you may receive a full reward In Revelation 2:10 John writes Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. In addition to eternal life, rewards are promised for faithfulness. (Heb 6:10; 1 Cor 15:58; Gen 15:1; Rev 22:12) 2. Weigh Anyone who does not remain does not have God. The one who remains in that teaching this one has both the Father and the Son. (9) This is a classic on the one hand but on the other hand. Teachers can be weighed in the balance on the basis of their doctrine of Christ. (Rom. 8:9) If anyone doesn t have the Spirit of Christ He doesn t belong to Him. 3. Warning For the one who says welcome to him shares in his evil works (11) Greet in the New Testament sense goes far beyond saying hello. It involves getting to know the person deeply and extending care and support toward them. Twenty-four times the New Testament commands us to greet other Christians. Here is an instance of warning against involvement with false teachers. V. 3 John A. A Bad Teacher Both of John s later epistles may be connected to our lesson passage, 1 John 4:1-6. In the second epistle, John provided practical application for his warnings against false teaching. In third John, the Apostle commends tow teachers, Gaius and Demetrius but condemns Diotrephes: 6 / 10

7 1. Proud who loves to have First Place among them (9) Diotrephes means nurtured by love and may have come from a wealthy aristocratic Greek family. Perhaps that was the source of his position in the church (it certainly was not based on his Godly example!) Power was linked to pride. (Prov. 16:18) 2. Rebellious does not receive us (9) Pride always leads to insubordination. Paul commanded Submitting to one another in the fear of God (Eph 5:21). It is a Christian duty to recognize authority and submit to it. The alternative is discord and strife. 3. Slanderous slandering us with malicious words (10) Explore the Bible Commentary, (Winter, 2000), p. 121: The first thing John accused Diotrephes of was unjustly accusing us with wicked words. The verb translated accusing literally means to talk nonsense. John emphasized the unfounded accusations and gossip Diotrephes had spoken against him and others. The implication is that Diotrephes knew that what he was saying was not true. He could find no legitimate reasons to criticize John and resorted to lying about him. Satan, who fell because of pride, is the father of lies. Those who follow him use the same tactics. Christians must be very careful not to accept the accusations about others without proof. We must consider the source and motivation of the accuser. 4. Rude refuses to welcome the brothers (10) This was a grave offense in the ancient world, so much more so among Christians. Christians are to be known for our love for one another (John 13:34-35). Rudeness and discourtesy is an offense to God. 5. Controlling stops those who want to do so and expels them from the church (10) By this point, we re all wondering who died and put this guy in charge? Explore the Bible Commentary, (Winter, 2000) pp : Those involved in the work of the church are not surprised at the situation John addressed. Prideful men and women have been the source of much confusion and disruption of fellowship in the local church. When prideful individuals assume positions of leadership, the unity and ministry of the church surely will suffer. Most of the splits in local churches have not occurred because of disputes about doctrine but because of pride and sinful attitudes. For this reason churches must be very careful about whom they select for leaders. People must not be elected to serve as leaders solely on the basis of money, personality, or family connections. Only those who have the hearts of servants, who put Christ first, are qualified to be leaders in the local church. Satan uses two basic strategies to oppose God s work. One way is to work from outside the church through unbelievers. The second strategy is 7 / 10

8 far more insidious and effective. Satan seeks to disrupt the local church from within through proud and self-seeking persons. Churches must be careful to choose only leaders who have God s work on their hearts and leaders who serve, not for themselves, but for God s glory alone. B. Good Teacher (11-14) John s closing exhortation do not imitate what is evil, but what is good was directed at Gaius. Perhaps he feared that this gracious, hospitable Christian would be influence by Diotrephes as well. He commends Demetrius, perhaps the bearer of the letter. If so, an immediate application of the letter would be to provide a place for Demetrius to stay. Beyond Gaius, the letter is an exhortation to all of us to support with our resources those most involved in spreading the gospel. Stewardship means that all we have belongs to God; our responsibility is to use our resources for His service. (Ps. 37:4-5; Ps. 50:10-15, 23; Heb. 13:15-16) Application: 1. Genuine faith in Christ results in love, obedience, perseverance and evidences of the Spirit s indwelling. 2. False faith falters from first to finish. 3. Denying the incarnation of God in Jesus Christ is a proof of false teaching. Leader Pack Item 4: Timeline: 1, 2, 3 John; Revelation; Item 6: Poster: We Know in 1 John Biblical Illustrator, p. 19: Cain: the First Unrepentant Sinner 8 / 10

9 Notes: **You may access David s Lesson Preview in MP3 format and notes at: lestudy.org Dates: 6/3,10,17,24 - SPF Summer Nights Bible Studies, HUB AMP & WIRED; 6/4,11,18 & 25 MetroLIVE; 6/8,15,22,29 &7/13 - HUB Nights; 6/14-7/13 Pastor Gregg on Sabbatical; 6/14 SPF B-day Bash; 6/14 Matthew Hoskinson speaking; 6/15-19 Camp Intersect; 6/16-21 NYC Choir & Mission Trip; 6/21 SPF Father s Day Luncheon; 6/21 Lee Strobel speaking; 6/24-27 Student Leadership U 101; 6/27 Men: Serve; 6/28 Thom Rainer speaker; 6/29-7/2 VBS & VBX; 7/2, 9, 16, 23 & 30 MetroLIVE 7:13 pm; 7/3 Independence Day offices closed; 7/5 Nabeel Qureshi speaker; 7/5-9 Houston 1:8 and Houston Project thru 10 th ; 7/8 HUB Summer Wed. night; 7/12 Doug Bischoff speaking; 9 / 10

10 7/12 Lord s Supper; 7/13-17 Student Leadership U. 10 / 10