I would invite you to turn to Deuteronomy chapter 13. There are two passages from Deuteronomy that could be connected with our text in 1 John chapter 4. This is one of those texts, Deuteronomy 13, and we'll read just verses 1 through 6. Let us stand for the reading of God's word. Deuteronomy chapter 13, the opening six verses. If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes to pass of which he spoke to you saying, let us go after other gods, which you have not known, and let us serve them, You shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams. For the Lord your God is testing you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice. You shall serve him and hold fast to him. But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has spoken in order to turn you away from the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of bondage, to entice you from the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. So you shall put away the evil from your midst. If your brother, the son of your mother, your son or your daughter, the wife of your bosom, or your friend who is as your own soul, secretly entices you saying, let us go and serve other gods which you have not known, neither you nor your fathers. Our New Testament reading comes from 1 John chapter three. We'll start with verse 24 and read through chapter four and verse six. 1 John 3, starting with verse 24, through chapter 4 and verse 6. Now he who keeps his commandments abides in him, and he in him. And by this we know that he abides in us by the spirit whom he has given us, 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. By this you know the spirit of God. Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, 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. You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are of the world. Therefore, they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. We are of God. He who knows God hears us. He who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. Amen. You may be seated. There's a story. that's told about a woman who came to acquire great wealth and social prominence. And so she wanted to have a book written about her family, celebrating her position, celebrating her heritage. And she found an author to write a story of her and her family. And the author discovered that she had a grandfather who was a murderer. and he was executed at the famous prison in New York, Sing Sing. And the woman was not excited to hear this, and she wanted this book about her family, but she didn't want the truth about this one grandfather to be clearly told, so she asked the author to cover over the details. And when the book appeared, this is how the author shared the story of her grandfather. One of her grandfathers occupied the chair of applied electricity in one of America's best known institutions. He was very much attached to his position and he literally died in the harness. Now we might laugh at such attempted deception, but we take seriously how Satan has used deception as one of his key weapons from the very beginning, and we recognize that the battle for truth is not something that started during the days of the apostles. It was something that God warned his people about in the Old Testament scriptures we read from Deuteronomy 13, and there are numerous other passages warning God's people of old to be careful, to not just believe anybody who came by. Now, Satan, we might say, uses another strategy along with deception, and that is he doesn't stop spreading the same lie. He keeps pushing deception so that people will eventually grow weary and stop fighting, and we think even in our own age. Look at how much attitudes have changed on key issues, whether it's related to the family, basic morality, in just the last 10 to 20 years. Satan has been successful. Why? Because many, we can say, have given up. And so as we read 1 John, the command, test the spirits, whether they are of God, we have to learn to be discerning. That's, we might say, the first challenge. But the second challenge is we do not quit. in the time of battle. We are not to be naive. We are to test the spirits, and we must persevere in battle. So we'll look at 1 John chapter 4, 1 through 6. This is our main text for today. We'll look at this in two parts, but let's first again kind of determine where we are in this text. It's been two weeks since we were in 1 John. according to the outline that we have been following. 1 John 3 starting with verse 9, 1 John 3 starting with verse 9 through chapter 4 verse 6 is the central section of 1 John. This can be considered then the central portion of the book. We know there is repetition in 1 John, so some of these themes have been seen before, and they will again be seen afterward. As we looked at 1 John 3, 9 through 18, I emphasized verse 16. This is how we know love. By this we know love. because he laid down his life for us. When we think of love, we must always think of Christ. Otherwise we fall into the world's definition of love, sentiment or softness. Love is not just duty, it's not just coldness, it is sacrifice, it is the strength that our Lord demonstrated. Then as we looked at verses 19 through 24, Of chapter 3, I emphasize how love is the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Love is not our natural inclination. We do not love naturally. But rather, true love is the work of the Holy Spirit. We will not always feel like loving as we should. And so again, we must be looking to Christ. And as John emphasized, there should be the evidence of love in the believer's life. Look for love. in your life, but of course that's not where we ultimately rest. Yes, love should be evident, but we rest in God and his provision of grace. That's where we find full assurance, not in our own obedience. Now as we move to chapter four, verses one through six, we can say shift to another theme. It's not the first time that we've seen this theme in John. And then we'll see next week, Lord willing, starting in verse seven, John will return again to the subject of love. So again, you have this repetition. Let's look again at the end of chapter three. Now he who keeps his commandments abides in him and he in him, and by this we know that he abides in us by the spirit whom he has given us. So through the spirit's work, We have assurance, we have assurance of what? Our union and communion with God. And we can say this, the reference to the Holy Spirit at the end of chapter three now contrasts as John starts chapter four, where the command is, do not believe every spirit. There are now deceiving spirits. We also observe chapter four begins with the word beloved. John uses that word five times in this short letter, and it speaks of his care, of his concern for the congregation. It also, when we see that word, sometimes it signals there is a shift in the focus of discussion. So it, we can say, serves several purposes. So John is shifting his focus. In chapter 3, John has spoken of true faith, of true believing unto salvation. Now the call is, do not believe every spirit. And we do observe this. Christians can be naive. Christians can be naive. We can be gullible. We're called to be loving. Now, it's not love that makes us gullible. It's not love that makes us naive, but the devil can exploit that. And you see many examples of this. Now we also consider the background in which John is writing. We believe that John's original readers may have been in the city of Ephesus. And you consider Paul's ministry in the book of Acts in the city of Ephesus. That was a city filled with all sorts of demonic practices. Listen to Robert Yarbrough, who comments on some of the background of these commands. He writes this, Greco-Roman religion of the time trafficked heavily in secret or privileged knowledge of sacred mysteries. There was proliferation of personal dream revelations, oracles, and their interpretation, magic, and astrology. In addition, there were numerous exclusive groups offering initiates higher knowledge for their personal well-being and salvation. So John's commands have a special application, we can say, in that first century, and they remain so today. Yes, times have changed, but people are still fascinated by secrets. People are still fascinated by this supposed knowledge that some claim they have and are willing to share with you if you'll only listen or maybe even more pay a price. John, we see in verse one uses the word, the common word spirit, pneuma. It's used of the Holy Spirit, but it can be used of demons. the devil. So people might claim they are speaking truth and the warning is not just against these mystery cults, that's part of the context, but John is warning The believers there may be in Ephesus about those who claim they are speaking by the Holy Spirit. This is revelation they say has come from God. This is not just worldly wisdom, this is God's wisdom they are claiming. And so John's command is this, do not believe every spirit, test the spirits. Test the spirits whether they are of God. And then verse one explains that. Many false prophets have gone out into the world, so they are in the world, but these false prophets are threatening congregations. They're threatening believers. So they've gone out into the world, that is, they've embraced the teachings and ideas of the world, but the threat is against the people of God. Now I don't have any statistics to share with you, but consider, even in our own nation or around the world, how many professed Christians follow what could be called demonic teachings or practices. It's rather astounding when you think of it. Now maybe when we see a passage like this, we say, well, this doesn't really apply to me. We follow good doctrine. We have good confessions. We're not beholden to false teaching, false prophets. Now, John is not saying every Christian is deceived. John is not saying every Christian is just about to fall into error. That's not the command. The command is watchfulness. The command is, be aware that there is always danger. And if you think you're not in danger, that's exactly where Satan wants you to be. So don't be naive. Test and persevere. Now, in verse 2, and later in verse 6, John gives, we might say, two doctrinal tests. These are two ways of testing whether someone is giving true teaching, whether they are spreading truth or whether they are spreading error. The first is in verse 2. Notice the expression, by this you know. We know that John speaks a lot about love, but 1 John is also about knowing. How do we know things? You see that phrase many, many times. By this you know, or by this we know that he abides in us. So it's repeated a number of times. Now verse two, by this you know the spirit of God. This is not the only test of truth. This is not the only way of examining whether someone is a true teacher or a false teacher, but we can say this is a central truth. It's not the only test, but it's a central test. And the test of truth that we see in verse 2 is the proper confession, we might say, of God's plan of salvation in the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God come in human flesh. That's a central test of orthodoxy. Now, you see the word flesh. In verse two, sometimes the word flesh is used, we might say, in a negative way. It speaks of how human nature has been affected by sin. Flesh can speak of sinful desires or the source of those sinful desires. But here, it simply means Jesus Christ took on a fully human nature. And the grammar emphasizes that Jesus did not just make an appearance, that this was temporary. The grammar emphasizes what took place in Nazareth over 2,000 years ago is still a present reality. And I'm speaking, of course, of the incarnation. where Mary, a virgin, came to be with child by the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus came in the flesh. He has come and he remains still the God-man. Now think of John dealing with those who denied this truth. John could say, I was with Jesus. I was with Jesus for basically his whole life. We don't know when John and Jesus first met, but since they were likely first cousins, it's probably the case that John knew Jesus for his entire life. Certainly he was a disciple with him for over three years. John could say, I know this, as we see in the opening verses of 1 John. John emphasizes he heard Jesus, he saw Jesus, he looked upon Jesus, he felt Jesus. But now we remember John is writing maybe 40 years later. Maybe this is about 40 years after the Ascension. And so it is not a surprise to see Satan attacking this central doctrine of the faith, attacking the truth of the incarnation. In verse 3, John says, those who deny this true doctrine are in league with the Antichrist. They have the spirit of Antichrist. And John notes, warning already has been given about this. This is not the first time that John's readers have heard these warnings, but John is saying what was discussed before is already being fulfilled. There's already a present fulfillment of these matters. Well, let's summarize these opening verses before we move on to verses four through six. John commands that we have a healthy skepticism. We can call it a healthy skepticism that we don't just simply believe everyone who claims, well, I am speaking truth. This is a message from God or the like. No, everything must be tested. And it is the word of God that provides the ultimate standard. Of course, we need the Holy Spirit. so that we properly apply the word of God and test the spirits. And we can say this, every generation of Christians is called to be alert. It's not just pastors, it's not just teachers, it's not just those in leadership. John is saying every Christian, every mother, every father, every child is to learn these things, to grow in these things. We are all to be watchful. Now John Calvin had some interesting insights as he thought about this passage in light of some of the challenges that he faced. And we consider the reformers, not only did they face the errors of Rome, all of the false teaching, all of the false traditions that were part of Rome, but they then also faced this radical spirit where everyone wanted to say, well, I will determine truth. So on one hand you have Rome, on the other hand you have these people that want to be the test for themselves, every man for himself. So John Calvin noted this, he said, if everyone has the right and the liberty to judge, nothing can be settled as certain. But on the contrary, the whole of religion will be uncertain. So Calvin wrote there's a two-fold testing that John speaks of here. There's a private and a public testing. The private is this, every believer does have to come to an understanding of God's truth. As Calvin says, for consciences will never find a safe and tranquil port otherwise than in God. Everyone has to come to an understanding of the truth. That is part of our duty individually. But there's a public part to this testing the Spirit. It's not simply just every man for himself, though we all have our own duties. There is also a need for godly and faithful men to come together, to come together in agreement in terms of the truth of God's word and of course guided by the Holy Spirit. And how does this happen? John Calvin wrote this, but as the old proverb is too true, so many heads, so many opinions. It is doubtless a singular work of God when he subdues our perverseness and makes us to think the same thing and to agree in a holy unity of faith. So yes, individually, we have to come to an assurance of God's truth, but corporately, we pray for the Spirit's work. Because it's not just every man for himself. We pray for the working of the Holy Spirit in individual churches and also in denominations, we can say. And we also consider this. In light of the danger God has promised, he will preserve his truth. In light of false teaching, God has promised, my word will always remain. And so as we think of this word of warning, we also should be thankful. We now can say this, for 2,000 years, we have witnessed this warning of John, for nearly 2,000 years, we've witnessed this warning of John being fulfilled. as the Lord has preserved His word, as the Lord has given a legacy even of faithful creeds and confessions that stand as testimonies to the truth of Scripture. One of the confessions that we can give thanks for is the Heidelberg Catechism. That has encouraged many believers in this nation and in Europe. I was reading a report of one of the believers in China who was being called to suffer, and one of the encouragements he was using was he had memorized probably vast portions of the Heidelberg Catechism. It spread to China and other parts of the world, encouraging Christians to be faithful in standing fast for truth. So we take the warning, test the spirits, whether they are of God, but we are thankful God has guarded his truth. And yes, there are many, many heresies that we also study in church history. We can say this, God has preserved his truth. He will continue to preserve his truth. We must be part of this battle. Well, second, then we turn, verses four through six, the victory that we have in Christ. These three verses then complete this section about the danger of false teaching. And in verse four, John gives reassurance to his first readers and to us. Let's look at verse four. First, he says, you are of God, little children. You are of God. little children. And this actually, verse two, or sorry, verse four, can be considered the central statement in verses two through six. Because of your belief in the Lord Jesus Christ, your acceptance of God's truth, your position before God is assured. Now it's easy to read that and move on, but consider how false teachers often work. False teachers often do what? They tell you, unless you accept my teaching, you're not truly of God. Unless you embrace my doctrine, you're not part of the true church. And so this word of encouragement, you are of God, is a very important word. We have to know our place, our position before God. Don't let false teachers persuade you of anything else. Second, John identifies his readers as little children. You are of God, little children, and yet you are also victors. You have overcome them. And the word translated as little children is used seven times in 1 John, and it's a to us even of how small and insignificant we are. In the face of danger, in the face of the power of the world, we are just little children. We have no strength, we have no special gifts, and yet there is this glorious victory. You have overcome them. And that's actually in the past tense. It's referring to a victory already won. How have they overcome them through true faith? In holding on to the truth, they have overcome them. Now, who is the them in verse 4? Who have they overcome, we should ask. And John doesn't make that explicit, but in the context, we could say it's the false teachers. It's the spirit of Antichrist, those in league with them. They have overcome them. That's a verb John has already used in 1 John, chapter 2, verse 13. You have overcome the wicked one. And we know maybe John learned this verb from Jesus, as Jesus used this verb seven times in Revelation, as you recall every Church in Revelation 2 and 3 is given a promise. Those who overcome are given a promise. That's the same verb that John uses here. Now John makes several other points now in verses 5 and 6. In verse 5 he emphasizes false teachers are loved. by the world. False teachers are embraced by the world. They will get the attention. They will get the approval and the fame. And I think here of false teachers or compromisers who get their short 15 minutes of fame on national public radio or CNN does some piece and they are glorified. The world is happy to give attention to heretics for a short time. So that should not surprise us, that should not concern us that false teachers get the praise of this world. Then verse 6, there's a contrast given. We are of God. John writes in the first person plural. I don't think he's referring to the entire congregation. He says, you are of God in verse four, we are of God. I think John is speaking of his own authority, the authority of the apostles. They also have a legitimate authority and he who knows God then will hear the words and message of the apostles. There was a legitimate authority that the Apostles enjoyed, and those who listened to the Apostles were assured that they were in truth. Those who rejected the Apostles, and many did, were given no grounds of assurance. Now, this authority of the Apostles, we can say, is not church tradition today. This authority of the Apostles now is the completed Word of God. It's in the full Word of God that we have today. That is now the authority. We are of God. He who listens now, we can say, to us, that is the Word of God. Those have assurance. Those who reject that, they are identified then as being of the spirit of error. So this is how we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. It is a proper confession of the Lord Jesus Christ. Verse two, it is a recognition of the authority of God's word, the sufficiency and the authority of God's word. Now, I don't remember where I read this. It's been a number of years, or if it's even a fully accurate description. But some have suggested that one of the negative aspects of our culture today, a culture that's so dominated by entertainment, is that we think every problem can be solved quickly. We just need 30 to 60 minutes. And so we probably should all say this. We have shortened attention spans today. And Satan takes advantage of this. Satan is a defeated foe, but in his own blindness he still thinks he can have the victory, and Satan often works for a long-term strategy, whereas many Christians grow weary. We don't want to be part of a long-term battle, and Satan can exploit that. Again, I've referenced just how much things have changed in the last 10 or 20 years. Just look at the last five years. How many in the so-called conservative movement, maybe they were not professed Christians, but in some cases they were, and just in the last five years they've abandoned key areas. I mentioned several sermons ago the testimony of one of the early church leaders, Athanasius. Born at the end of the third century, born around 296, and he lived until the year 373. A fairly long life for that time. Maybe 75 or 77, some would say 75 to 77 years. So about 296 until 373. What happens during his life is the great battle with the heresy of Arianism. Arius and his followers who taught Jesus is just a created being. And there was an intense battle. Now, of course, you have Constantine during this time, but the Arians were able to take great positions of leadership in the empire. And Constantine gave some acceptance to them. They had a dominant place at times, and so Athanasius lived during a very difficult part, we might say, of church history. His enemies called him the Black Dwarf, and the expression that he is known for is contramundum, against the world. And because he held to the true belief of scripture concerning the nature and person of Christ, as it was then summarized in the Nicene Creed, Athanasius was exiled five times, by four different Roman emperors, all told he spent 17 years in exile. And again, he has a fairly important position. He was the bishop in one of the leading cities of that time, Alexandria, and yet 17 years he spends in exile, and the total length of time from the first exile to the final exile is about 30 years. This was not a short-term battle. A long-term battle. And in addition to these times of exile, six other times he had to flee the city of Alexandria for a shorter time, but there were those who were trying to murder him. So not only do the Roman emperors exile him, there are others who want him dead. So I mention this because standing for truth, testing the spirits, is not just a short-term battle. and there will always be a cost. for so doing, and we have to be willing to pay that price as we stand for truth. John Calvin wrote this, hard and fierce conflicts indeed await us, and some continually succeed others, but as by Christ's power we fight and are furnished with God's weapons, we even by fighting and striving become conquerors. As to the main subject of this passage, It is a great consolation that with whatever while Satan may assail us, we shall stand through the power of God. The assurance is this, he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. That's the place of assurance. You have no power nor strength in yourself. You say, how can I withstand the fight? The answer, he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. That's why you can stand and fight for truth. That's why you should not be naive. There is a battle, but we have the assurance of the presence of our great God with us. Let us pray. Father, we rejoice that you have called us and that you continue to remain with us. Our Lord promised that he would be with us until the end of the age, and so never are we alone. Never are we just having to fight in our own power. Strengthen everyone here who knows your truth, fathers and mothers. For our children, we pray. Lord, we know that your word increasingly will come under attack, even from within the so-called professing church in some cases. It will be ridiculed. It will be mocked. There will be a testing for those who stand and believe in your word. And we pray, oh Lord, give us strength so that we do not grow weary. Be with us, refresh us, even through this passage and through other passages, so that we will test the spirits, we will not be naive, and that we will hold fast. We pray all of this for your glory, praying for the advancement of your kingdom, even in these dark days. In Jesus' name we ask, amen.