Title [Distinguish the Spirits]
2014. 8. 17 Sunday morning sermon
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Bible: 1 John 4:1-6
Title: Discern the Spirits
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1 John 4:1-6 ‘1. Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but discern whether the spirits are of God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. He who knows God listens to us, and he who is not of God does not listen to us; by this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of delusion.' - Amen.
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The period in verse 1 that many false prophets have come out into the world is the age of the Apostle John. Until now, 2,000 years have passed, numerous heresies have emerged and are still active today. You must live a life of faith while discerning spirits. I would like to share a sermon on the topic of <Distinguish the spirits>.
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1. The world of the spirit rules the world of the flesh
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When God created man, he designed it with clay and breathed life into his nose, and he became a living being (Genesis 2:7). Therefore, we can know that the body is governed by the spirit. For example, when punishing Nebuchadnezzar,
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Daniel 4:16 ‘…they will change their hearts…and receive the heart of the beast, and they will spend seven times.’ Daniel 4:33 ‘…Nebuchadnezzar… they were driven out by men and ate grass like cattle…’
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False prophets do not speak of themselves, but are spoken by a false spirit.
1 Kings 22:23 “Now the Lord has put a lying spirit into the mouths of all these prophets of the king…” (1 Kings 22:22)
Even in the Old Testament, many false prophets deceived the people.
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Jeremiah 14:14 “I did not send them…they prophesy to you with false revelations, with divination, with vanity, and with the lies of their own hearts” (Jeremiah 23:14,25,27:14,29:9)
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More importantly, hearing a false message kills the spirit.
Jeremiah 9:8 “Their tongue is a deadly arrow, speaking lies.”
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If you hear a sermon that goes beyond the truth and follow heresy, you will perish (Revelation 22:15).
John 8:44 ‘.. He was a murderer from the beginning ..’
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Even in the 90's when the text was written, false Christs (1 John 2:22, Acts 5:36, 2 Peter 2:1) had already appeared. Jesus prophesied of the end times
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Matthew 24:24 “False Christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders, so that, if possible, they will deceive the elect.”
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In Revelation 13: in the last days, it is prophesied that the Antichrist will receive the heart of a dragon, a beast that has fallen from heaven, and will rule the world and persecute the saints, and that his false prophet will also show great miracles with false messages and deceive the saints (2 Cor. 11:14). But the antichrist and the false prophet will be caught and thrown alive into the lake of fire of brimstone when Jesus returns (Revelation 19:20).
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James 3:14 “..Thou shalt not lie against the truth”
1 Timothy 4:1 “But ..in the latter days some will turn from the faith and follow the teachings of deceiving spirits and demons.”
1 Corinthians 2:12 “We have not received the spirit of the world, but the spirit that is from God…”
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2. The standard of discernment is the Bible
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Each person's experience of discerning spiritually may be different, but the Bible has objectivity that can be viewed and judged together. The Bible is a special revelation written by the Holy Spirit (2 Timothy 3:16, 2 Peter 1:20-21). Therefore, if you look closely, it gives you the wisdom to discern.
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John 15:19 He said, "...the world hates you because I have chosen you out of the world." This can be understood as the difference between the world's intellectual view and the knowledge of the Bible. The sense of our being is now saying that what we think as God's people has changed.
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1 John 4:6 “We are of God, and he who knows God listens to us, and he who is not of God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of delusion.”
Because of this, God's precepts and commandments became the rules of life.
1 John 2:4 “He who says, I know him, and does not keep his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”
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No matter how strange and mysterious it may sound, it is necessary to check whether it is based on the Bible. However, lay people are not very professional and they risk just hearing anything. However, it is your responsibility not to read the Bible.
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You should read and learn the Bible. Above all, we must read the Bible carefully and wash our hearts with repentance for discernment of spirits. Only then will our spiritual eyes be enlightened and we will gain spiritual discernment (Revelation 3:18). I pray that we will be able to triumph with the truth we have received according to spirit.