Authentic Christianity Part 4 1 John 4
We’ve been is a study of 1 John.
1 John is written to a little congregation that is going through a real tough
time.
There was a teacher named Cerinthus who was using Gnostic philosophy to
interpret Christianity.
There was enough folks in the congregation who thought that this was the
wrong way to go that Cerinthus left the group taking a few members
with him.
Cerinthus started his own church and things seemed to be going well for him
He was gathering a large following.
The folks loyal to the original message they had received from John were
starting to wonder if they might be in the wrong.
So John writes to assure these people that they are indeed following the teachings of the Apostles.
John suggests three tests that separate authentic Christianity from the
counterfeits.
Those tests are the moral test,
Whose bottom line is that authentic Christianity is
demonstrated by obedience to God’s commands,
by living a holy life.
Then there is the social test,
Authentic Christianity couples right belief with right action,
And the right action is self-sacrificial love.
Especially for your brothers and sisters in Christ.
Finally there is the dogma test,
Authentic Christianity requires right belief.
The right belief is Jesus is God incarnate,
Fully God and fully human,
fully both at the same time.
In chapter 3 John elaborated on the moral test and the social test.
The beginning of Chapter 4 he addresses the dogma test and then starts to
Connect them together all to assure us that we are living out authentic
Christianity.
Today at the end of our session you will be able to leave here knowing if you are
living out authentic Christianity or have been beguiled into living out some
counterfeit faith.
To achieve that goal I want you to do wrestle with the scripture.
We will read the text and then I’ll ask you a question and I want you to work
in groups and come up with an answer.
Feel free to talk, move around, ask questions and share you
observations.
John has given the folks he is writing to the dogma test because
Cerinthus taught the Christ spirit was an aeon.
The Christ spirit descended upon the man Jesus at his baptism,
Used Jesus to teach of God,
And then the Christ spirit departed from the man Jesus at
his crucifixion.
Cerinthus denied the incarnation.
But John tells his readers,
No matter how popular the message,
If it denies either Jesus’ eternal deity or historical humanity, its wrong. (Stott, p. 155)
Another piece of information that I think will be helpful to you is to remember
what John means by anti-Christ.
Back in Chapter 2 John speaks of many anti-Christ’s having gone out
into the world.
His use of the word anti means counterfeit or competing.
Now here in Chapter 4 John is going to give us more clarification into the dogma
test, the test of right belief,
and he’s going to slip in another test to help assure us of our faith.
Let’s get into the letter:
Here’s the question:
What would a person inspired by an anti-Christ spirit teach?
1 John 4:1-6 (MSG)
1 My dear friends, don't believe everything you hear. Carefully weigh and examine what people tell you. Not everyone who talks about God comes from God. There are a lot of lying preachers loose in the world.
2 Here's how you test for the genuine Spirit of God. Everyone who confesses openly his faith in Jesus Christ—the Son of God, who came as an actual flesh-and-blood person—comes from God and belongs to God. 3 And everyone who refuses to confess faith in Jesus has nothing in common with God. This is the spirit of
antichrist that you heard was coming. Well, here it is, sooner than we thought!
4 My dear children, you come from God and belong to God. You have already won a big victory over those false teachers, for the Spirit in you is far stronger than anything in the world. 5 These people belong to the Christ-denying world. They talk the world's language and the world eats it up. 6 But we come from God and belong to God. Anyone who knows God understands us and listens. The person who has nothing to do with God will, of course, not listen to us. This is another test for telling the Spirit of Truth from the spirit of deception.
What would a person inspired by an anti-christ spirit teach?
From the context we know that a person inspired by an anti-christ spirit will
teach that:
Jesus is not Immanuel, God with us,
Jesus is not God come as a human,
Jesus is not fully God and fully human,
Do you know why this is so important to the Christian faith that Jesus be
both fully Divine and fully human, fully both at the same time?
It’s important because only God could atone for the sins of his creation and
only a human could represent humanity.
1 Corinthians 15:22 (NIV)
For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.
If disobedience brought estrangement,
Obedience brought reconciliation.
Only God could atone for his creations disobedience.
This problem still exists today.
Mormons and Jehovah Witness as a group have a different
understanding of the nature of Jesus.
The Unification Church, sometimes referred to as Moonies,
Christian Science, The Family or Children of God,
Unitarians all claim to be Christian but don’t hold
to Jesus being God incarnate.
And there are plenty more:
The Way International, The International Churches of Christ,
The Church, United Christian Evangelical Association.
Questions?
Then there are a bunch of counterfeit messages that are being taught today as the gospel truth.
These would be preachers and teachers and groups that believe that
Jesus is God incarnate but they promote ideas and beliefs that
are not in harmony with that belief.
For example I am convinced that the prosperity teachings are counterfeit.
“Prosperity Doctrine,” “Health and Wealth,” “Name It and Claim It,” or “Blab It and Grab It”
God wants you to be rich (and/or healthy),
but He can not bless you unless you first send money
(also known as a “seed-faith offering“).
I am concerned about some elements within the Emergent Church
movement that teach that there can be no absolute truth.
So what’s a Christian to do when they hear of all these teachings?
Verse 1:
Carefully weigh and examine what people tell you.
“True faith examines its object before placing confidence in it.” (Stott, p 152)
“We need to preserve the biblical balance,
Avoiding on the one hand the extreme superstition which believes
everything and gets caught up in the latest religious wow fad,
and the other extreme which is suspicious of everything.”
(Stott, p153)
Questions?
Did you catch the other test John slips in to the mix?
It’s in verse 6
1 John 4:6 (MSG)
But we come from God and belong to God. Anyone who knows God understands us and listens. The person who has nothing to do with God will, of course, not listen to us. This is another test for telling the Spirit of Truth from the spirit of deception.
Now if any individual says to you-- if you don’t listen to me,
If you don’t believe what I believe, the way I believe it,
If you don’t live out your faith following my rules,
You’re not living authentic Christianity--
That is a red flag of warning slapping you in the face.
But look at what John says—he uses the word US,
If anyone doesn’t pay attention to US, there’s a problem.
Whose the US?
Any ideas? Anyone?
I’ve got two suggestions.
The first is that the US refers to the teachings of the original
Apostles.
The second is the US refers to the Holy Spirit.
When Pneuma speaks his people recognize His voice.
Recall “God’s seed that remains in you” from Chapter 3:9.
John is saying “The Spirit who is in you, enables you to
discern His own voice speaking through us.”
(Stott p. 158)
Questions?
Again John returns to the social test, but he’s going to tie it to the dogma test.
He already told us that a lifestyle of love assures us that we are practicing
Authentic Christianity.
Now he is going to give us three reasons for us to be lovers.
The first reason believers are lovers is found in verse 7-8.
So here’s your question:
Why are we commanded to live a lifestyle of love?
1 John 4:7-8 (MSG)
7 My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. 8 The person who refuses to love doesn't know the first thing about God, because God is love—so you can't know him if you don't love.
Why are we commanded to live a lifestyle of love?
…for love is of God
…for God is love
God is both the origin and source of love,
If you are rightly related to God then this love naturally flows
through you.
The second reason believers are called to be lovers is found in verses 9-11
Why are we commanded to live a lifestyle of love?
1 John 4:9-11 (MSG)
9 This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. 10 This is the kind of love we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they've done to our relationship with God. 11 My dear, dear friends, if God loved us like this, we certainly ought to love each other.
Why are we commanded to live a lifestyle of love?
…God has loved us in Jesus
…we give away what we have received
“The coming of Christ is a concrete historical revelation of God’s love.
Love is self-sacrifice, the seeking of another’s positive good at one’s
own cost” (Stott, p. 162)
Jesus gave us an example that as His disciples we must
follow.
Believers live a lifestyle of love because we have been loved.
The third reason that believers are called to be lovers is in verses 12
1 John 4:12 (MSG)
No one has seen God, ever. But if we love one another, God dwells deeply within us, and his love becomes complete in us—perfect love!
Why are we commanded to live a lifestyle of love?
…perfect love, reproduced in us and through us.
When we love we glorify God.
Recall that the word glory means a physical manifestation of
the presence of God.
When we love, it opens a window for others to see
God.
“The unseen God, who was once revealed in His Son, is now revealed
in His people if and when we love one another.” (Stott, p. 164)
Three reasons we are called to live a lifestyle of love
First, we love because God is love and His spiritual DNA is in us,
Second, we love because God loves us, it is our new nature,
Third, we love because it reveals God’s presence to others.
Questions?
In the remaining verses of Chapter 4 John connects the dogma test with the social
test.
John tells us our right belief has resulted in power to live right.
Living a lifestyle of love confirms that we have believed correctly.
Here’s your question,
How is it possible that you can both believe right and live right?
1 John 4:13-16 (MSG)
13 This is how we know we're living steadily and deeply in him, and he in us: He's given us life from his life, from his very own Spirit. 14 Also, we've seen for ourselves and continue to state openly that the Father sent his Son as Savior of the world. 15 Everyone who confesses that Jesus is God's Son participates continuously in an intimate relationship with God. 16 We know it so well, we've embraced it heart and soul, this love that comes from God. God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us.
How is it possible that you can both believe right and live right?
…the Holy Spirit
…God’s grace. Grace is the unmerited gift of the desire to be and the
power to do.
Prevenient Grace calls us to a right relationship with God.
Justifying Grace establishes a right relationship with God.
Sanctifying Grace matures a right relationship with God.
…“The deity of Christ, God’s love for us and our love for God and
man cannot be separated.” (Stott, p, 165)
“Without the Holy Spirit our minds are dark and our hearts cold.
Only the Holy Spirit can enlighten our minds to believe in Jesus
and warm our heart to love God and each other.
So believing and loving are evidence that His
Spirit is at work with us.” (Stott, p. 168)
The only way you can believe right is by God the Holy Spirit revealing truth
to you;
the only way you can live right is by God the Holy Spirit
empowering you to do so.
Questions?
Last Question for the day:
What should cause a person to closely examine their beliefs and the way
they are living out their faith?
What are the warning signs that you may not be in a right
relationship with God?
1 John 4:17-21 (MSG)
17 This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we're free of worry on Judgment Day—our standing in the world is identical with Christ's. 18 There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love.
19 We, though, are going to love—love and be loved. First we were loved, now we love. He loved us first. 20 If anyone boasts, "I love God," and goes right on hating his brother or sister, thinking nothing of it, he is a liar. If he won't love the person he can see, how can he love the God he can't see? 21 The command we have from Christ is blunt: Loving God includes loving people. You've got to love both.
What should cause a person to closely examine their beliefs and the way
they are living out their faith?
What’s the warning signs that you may not be in a right relationship with
God?
… fear
… hate
… “Our holiness, faith and love can prove the truth of our claim to
know, posses and love God.” (Stott, p. 170)
… “Every claim to love God is a delusion if it is not accompanied by unselfish and practical love for our brothers and sisters.” (Stott, p. 171)
If I am living in fear and living with hatred,
then I may need to go to God and find out why,
I need a change of heart, that only he can give,
Because fear and hate are inconsistent with authentic Christianity.
Questions?
Let’s wrap it up
What you should leave here today with
is a clear understanding of what authentic Christianity is all about.
Authentic Christianity is about both right belief and right action.
You should be able to determine if you are living it.
The presence of fear or hate as a continual attitude or disposition
towards life, towards others, may indicate you have to explore
your relationship with God in more depth.
And the big secret,
Right belief and right action,
Comes from the empowering of the Holy Spirit,
All you have to do is want to live this way,
And then get in step with the Spirit.
What follows are changes that are organic and natural in
keeping with the love of God that is going to grow within you.
Questions?
Let’s pray
Authentic Christianity Part 4 1 John 4
1 John 4:1-6 (MSG)
1 My dear friends, don't believe everything you hear. Carefully weigh and examine what people tell you. Not everyone who talks about God comes from God. There are a lot of lying preachers loose in the world.
2 Here's how you test for the genuine Spirit of God. Everyone who confesses openly his faith in Jesus Christ—the Son of God, who came as an actual flesh-and-blood person—comes from God and belongs to God. 3 And everyone who refuses to confess faith in Jesus has nothing in common with God. This is the spirit of
antichrist that you heard was coming. Well, here it is, sooner than we thought!
4 My dear children, you come from God and belong to God. You have already won a big victory over those false teachers, for the Spirit in you is far stronger than anything in the world. 5 These people belong to the Christ-denying world. They talk the world's language and the world eats it up. 6 But we come from God and belong to God. Anyone who knows God understands us and listens. The person who has nothing to do with God will, of course, not listen to us. This is another test for telling the Spirit of Truth from the spirit of deception.
What would a person inspired by an anti-Christ spirit teach?
Do you know why this is so important to the Christian faith that Jesus be both fully Divine and fully
human, fully both at the same time?
1 Corinthians 15:22 (NIV)
For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.
If disobedience brought estrangement, obedience brought reconciliation. Only God could atone
for his creations disobedience.
So what’s a Christian to do when they hear of all these teachings?
Carefully weigh and examine what people tell you.
“True faith examines its object before placing confidence in it.” (Stott, p 152)
Did you catch the other test John slips in to the mix?
1 John 4:6 (MSG)
But we come from God and belong to God. Anyone who knows God understands us and listens. The person who has nothing to do with God will, of course, not listen to us. This is another test for telling the Spirit of Truth from the spirit of deception.
Whose the “US”?
Three reasons for Christians to be lovers.
1 John 4:7-8 (MSG)
7 My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. 8 The person who refuses to love doesn't know the first thing about God, because God is love—so you can't know him if you don't love.
Why are we commanded to live a lifestyle of love?
1 John 4:9-11 (MSG)
9 This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. 10 This is the kind of love we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they've done to our relationship with God. 11 My dear, dear friends, if God loved us like this, we certainly ought to love each other.
Why are we commanded to live a lifestyle of love?
1 John 4:12 (MSG)
No one has seen God, ever. But if we love one another, God dwells deeply within us, and his love becomes complete in us—perfect love!
Why are we commanded to live a lifestyle of love?
1 John 4:13-16 (MSG)
13 This is how we know we're living steadily and deeply in him, and he in us: He's given us life from his life, from his very own Spirit. 14 Also, we've seen for ourselves and continue to state openly that the Father sent his Son as Savior of the world. 15 Everyone who confesses that Jesus is God's Son participates continuously in an intimate relationship with God. 16 We know it so well, we've embraced it heart and soul, this love that comes from God. God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us.
How is it possible that you can both believe right and live right?
1 John 4:17-21 (MSG)
17 This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we're free of worry on Judgment Day—our standing in the world is identical with Christ's. 18 There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love.
19 We, though, are going to love—love and be loved. First we were loved, now we love. He loved us first. 20 If anyone boasts, "I love God," and goes right on hating his brother or sister, thinking nothing of it, he is a liar. If he won't love the person he can see, how can he love the God he can't see? 21 The command we have from Christ is blunt: Loving God includes loving people. You've got to love both.
What should cause a person to closely examine their beliefs and the way they are living out their faith?
What are the warning signs that you may not be in a right relationship with God?
Authentic Christianity Part 4 1 John 4
1 John 4:1-6 (MSG)
1 My dear friends, don't believe everything you hear. Carefully weigh and examine what people tell you. Not everyone who talks about God comes from God. There are a lot of lying preachers loose in the world.
2 Here's how you test for the genuine Spirit of God. Everyone who confesses openly his faith in Jesus Christ—the Son of God, who came as an actual flesh-and-blood person—comes from God and belongs to God. 3 And everyone who refuses to confess faith in Jesus has nothing in common with God. This is the spirit of
antichrist that you heard was coming. Well, here it is, sooner than we thought!
4 My dear children, you come from God and belong to God. You have already won a big victory over those false teachers, for the Spirit in you is far stronger than anything in the world. 5 These people belong to the Christ-denying world. They talk the world's language and the world eats it up. 6 But we come from God and belong to God. Anyone who knows God understands us and listens. The person who has nothing to do with God will, of course, not listen to us. This is another test for telling the Spirit of Truth from the spirit of deception.
What would a person inspired by an anti-Christ spirit teach?
Do you know why this is so important to the Christian faith that Jesus be both fully Divine and fully
human, fully both at the same time?
1 Corinthians 15:22 (NIV)
For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.
If disobedience brought _______________, obedience brought _______________. Only God
could _______________, for His creations disobedience.
So what’s a Christian to do when they hear of all these teachings?
_____________ _____________ and _____________ what people tell you.
“True faith _____________ its object before placing _____________ in it.” (Stott, p 152)
Did you catch the other test John slips in to the mix?
1 John 4:6 (MSG)
But we come from God and belong to God. Anyone who knows God understands us and listens. The person who has nothing to do with God will, of course, not listen to us. This is another test for telling the Spirit of Truth from the spirit of deception.
Whose the “US”?
Three reasons for Christians to be lovers.
1 John 4:7-8 (MSG)
7 My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. 8 The person who refuses to love doesn't know the first thing about God, because God is love—so you can't know him if you don't love.
Why are we commanded to live a lifestyle of love?
1 John 4:9-11 (MSG)
9 This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. 10 This is the kind of love we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they've done to our relationship with God. 11 My dear, dear friends, if God loved us like this, we certainly ought to love each other.
Why are we commanded to live a lifestyle of love?
1 John 4:12 (MSG)
No one has seen God, ever. But if we love one another, God dwells deeply within us, and his love becomes complete in us—perfect love!
Why are we commanded to live a lifestyle of love?
1 John 4:13-16 (MSG)
13 This is how we know we're living steadily and deeply in him, and he in us: He's given us life from his life, from his very own Spirit. 14 Also, we've seen for ourselves and continue to state openly that the Father sent his Son as Savior of the world. 15 Everyone who confesses that Jesus is God's Son participates continuously in an intimate relationship with God. 16 We know it so well, we've embraced it heart and soul, this love that comes from God. God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us.
How is it possible that you can both believe right and live right?
1 John 4:17-21 (MSG)
17 This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we're free of worry on Judgment Day—our standing in the world is identical with Christ's. 18 There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love.
19 We, though, are going to love—love and be loved. First we were loved, now we love. He loved us first. 20 If anyone boasts, "I love God," and goes right on hating his brother or sister, thinking nothing of it, he is a liar. If he won't love the person he can see, how can he love the God he can't see? 21 The command we have from Christ is blunt: Loving God includes loving people. You've got to love both.
What should cause a person to closely examine their beliefs and the way they are living out their faith?
What are the warning signs that you may not be in a right relationship with God?