Discernment & The Doctrine of Christ | 1 John 4:1-3

Scripture

• 1 John 4:1–3

About this sermon

Introduction: The church of our time is facing an urgent discernment crisis. Strong winds of spiritual distortion are blowing, and instability throughout the evangelical landscape is regularly on display. The faith as it has been passed down to us, not only via the Scriptures, but via the teachers of Scripture, is under heavy attack. The mindset of the moment that says everything evolves and improves, has now taken hold in the realm of theology. The world stands ready to instruct the church. What does the world believe in? The world is not necessarily against faith. It celebrates a kind of faith. It celebrates a kind of faith that is not convinced that the CONTENT of your faith really matters — must be correct. In fact, many are not convinced that it CAN be correct. MOST are not convinced that anyone can be certain about TRUTH. TRUTH (as postmodernism understands it) IS NOT SOMETHING OBJECTIVE, IT’S DETERMINED PERSON BY PERSON. There is not THE truth, there is YOUR truth. So, WHAT you believe is not as important as it is that you BELIEVE what you believe. “Whatever you believe — good for you!” And when that mindset reaches its logical end, that kind of faith in personal feelings can extend even to the denial of objective reality (transgenderism). Whatever you believe, if you believe it passionately enough, it should be respected, and you should be celebrated. And, as I said, the church feels the pressure of this. I would love to be able to say this mindset, that truth is found in the realm of our feelings or that it is individually determined, has only affected that which does not call itself Christianity. But that would not be true. Some of the worst mysticism, some of the worst examples of FAITH IN FAITH, some of the worst examples of a SELF-STYLED faith, will come from the mouths or the pens of people who call themselves Christians. In his book entitled “Reckless Faith” John MacArthur wrote, “Reckless faith seeks spiritual truth apart from scripture – and that is the very point at which it becomes reckless… Spiritual truth is meant to be rationally contemplated, examined logically, studied, analyzed, and employed as the only reliable basis for making wise judgments. That process is precisely what Scripture calls discernment.” If ever there was a time when the church needed discernment, it is now. What we have in our verses today is an appeal for just that. And what we learn is that discernment belongs to a genuine faith. A Christian is someone who has the willingness to be discerning and the ABILITY to be discerning. • THE CALL FOR DISCERNMENT (vs.1) The first thing we note is that what is being called for is a responsibility entrusted to GOD’S PEOPLE. John, as he does throughout this epistle, refers to God’s people as beloved. They are beloved of God. They are loved by the aged apostle. They are the people of God, the children of God. YOU CANNOT BE A CHILD OF GOD AND NOT BE CONFRONTED WITH THE NEED FOR DISCERNMENT. FAITHFUL SHEPHERDS WILL BE CONCERNED THAT YOU BE PROTECTED FROM ERROR. FAITHFUL CHRISTIANS WILL EMBRACE THEIR RESPONSIBILITY TO PRACTICE DISCERNMENT. You have both types of concern on display in our verses. A concern from a shepherd for the church, and the kind of concern that the church is to have for truth. JOHN IS CONCERNED ENOUGH ABOUT THE CHURCH TO GIVE THIS WARNING. THE CHURCH IS TO BE CONCERNED ENOUGH ABOUT THE TRUTH THAT IT HEEDS IT. There are three things on display in this one call for discernment. • WHAT WE MUST NOT DO This is an imperative. We are not to believe every spirit. As A.T. Robertson pointed out, this is a call for something to stop. “STOP BELIEVING EVERY SPIRIT.” We must not be a spiritually gullible people. We must not be those who fall prey to spiritual fads and gimmicks and the errors that characterize the moment. And if that has been our pattern, then we must take heed to these commands and change that pattern.

Topics

• Bible Study
• Wisdom
• Jesus Christ