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Overcoming False Spirits: Discerning and Rejecting Deception

Learn how to test and discern false spirits, and distance yourself from falsehood by staying united with Christ. Discover the distinctive differences between true and false prophets to strengthen your walk in the light and overcome darkness.

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Overcoming False Spirits: Discerning and Rejecting Deception

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  1. Overcoming false spirits!1 John 4:1– 6 4:4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 1 John 4:4 (NIV84)

  2. Because the spirit of falsehood is so dangerous, we Christians must learn how to discern falsehood and must distance ourselves from it by keeping ourselves united with Christ.

  3. Evidence that we are children of God will be the content or substance of our conversations that overflows from our love relationship with Christ.

  4. John’s Prologue: “We proclaim a message that you might have fellowship with us.”

  5. John had been an eye witness to the reality that Jesus Christ is the Son of God the Creator.

  6. 1 John I. Making distinctions so the truth can be clearly grasped. (1:5–4:6) A. The distinction between darkness and light. (God is Light) (1:5–2:17)B. The distinction between the Christian and the world, (God is Righteous) (2:18–4:6)

  7. Our text (1 John 4:1-6) serves as a culminationof all John’s attention to the distinctive differencesbetween the light and the darkness.

  8. The accumulation of all of these distinctions must be considered as the foundation to clearly identify true and false prophets and strengthen our walk in the lightso as to overcome the darkness.

  9. 1 John 4:1-3 The leadershipof two distinctly different communities, different at their core.1 John 4:4-6The distinctive bondof these two different communities, different at their core.

  10. We are either … in the community of Christ or in the community of the antichrist.

  11. The leadership of these communities 1 John 4:1-3(NIV84)4:1 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 4:2 This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 4:3 but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.

  12. The bond of these communities 1 John 4:4-6(NIV84)4:4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 4:5They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. 4:6We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.

  13. A very passionate warning!!! Some will try to persuade you to abandon your trust in Jesus.

  14. 1 John 4:1(NIV84)4:1Dearfriends, donot believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. If we don’t test each spirit to discern their origin, we will find ourselves listening to false prophets.

  15. 1 John 4:2(NIV84)4:2 This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,

  16. 1 John 4:3(NIV84)4:3 but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. From where does a particular teaching originate?

  17. “Stop now listening to these false teachers because you will be placing your trust in a lie and the cost of following after a lie will be unspeakably costly and painful.”

  18. “Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay.”

  19. The purveyors of sin love to exploit vulnerability in your armor.

  20. How does John tell us to test the spirits?Test the teaching of the teacher or prophet Test the life and behaviorof that teacher or prophet.

  21. A false teacher or a false prophet has walked in the darkness rejecting the invitations from God’s Spiritto confess his rebellion and repent.

  22. The distinguishing marks of the children of the devil The distinguishing marks of the children of God Identify either a false teacher or an authentic teacher of God

  23. 1 John 1:5-7(NIV84)1:5 This is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all. 1:6If we claim to have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin. Does the teacher walk in the light or does he walk in the darkness?

  24. 1 John 1:8-9(NIV84)1:8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. Does he claim to be without sin by denying that he has a sin nature?

  25. 1 John 1:10-2:2 (NIV84)1:10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make Him (God) out to be a liar and His word has no place in our lives. 2:1 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have One* who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2:2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. *(an Advocate, Counselor, or Attorney) Does the teacher claim to have not sinned and thus is without the need of an Advocate?

  26. 1 John 2:3-6(NIV84)2:3 We know that we have come to know Him if we obey His commands. 2:4 The man who says, “I know Him,” but does not do what He commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 2:5 But if anyone obeys His word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in Him: 2:6 Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did. Does his walk match his “God” talk?

  27. 1 John 2:9-11(NIV84)2:9 Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. 2:10 Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. 2:11 But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him. Do his relationships verify he is walking in the light?

  28. 1 John 2:22-23(NIV84)2:22 Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist—he denies the Father and the Son. 2:23 No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also. Does he deny or acknowledge that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God the Father?

  29. 1 John 2:24-28(NIV84)2:24 See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. 2:25 And this is what He promised us—even eternal life. 2:26 I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. 2:27 As for you, the anointing you received from Him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as His anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in Him. 2:28 And now, dear children, continue in Him, so that when He appears we may be confident and unashamed before Him at His coming.

  30. Does the message of Christ and the Spirit of Christ remain and live in that person?

  31. 1 John 3:7-10(NIV84)3:7 Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as He is righteous. 3:8 He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. 3:9 No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. 3:10 This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.

  32. Is your teacher righteous and is he born of God?

  33. 1 John 4:1-3(NIV84)4:1 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 4:2 This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 4:3 but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.

  34. How do we recognize the Spirit of God in our teachers? 1. He is a self-acknowledged sinner who has been and continues to be forgiven. 2. He is a messenger of hope because he proclaims Jesus Christ as the only sinless, Son of God.

  35. How do we recognize the Spirit of God in our teachers? 3. He is a messenger of truth, confirmed by the testimony of the Holy Spirit within each person. 4. His life, his walk and his witness align with his biblical messages.

  36. How do we recognize the Spirit of God in our teachers? 5. His love for Christ keeps being made evident in his love for his brothers and sisters in Christ.

  37. 1 John 4:4(NIV84)4:4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. What binds together the communitythat is from God?… that is from the world?

  38. We are born into the victory that Christ has won for us.

  39. Your worldview either comes from God or it comes from the world system.

  40. 1 John 4:5-6(NIV84)4:5They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. 4:6We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.

  41. When we talk with people within our own community, we hear and understand them. But, when we talk with people from the other community, they don’t hear us.

  42. We need the Spirit of God to do His work of bringing light into the darknessand bringing sight where there is blindness so that the message of the gospel of Jesus Christcan bring conviction and stir repentance in the people of the godless world.

  43. Apply vigilance in discerning a false prophet! Apply this same vigilance to our prayers for those who are presently caught in the web of godless thinking and believing!

  44. www.christnow.com www.christnow.com www.christnow.com

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