Identification of False Spirits
Book of 1 John
Chapter 4 Verse 1-6
What is our spirit?
Our spirit is that part of us that is not flesh and bones!
The words of Jesus:
Luk 24:39 Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle
me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me
have.
What is the soul? It
is our soul that controls the power of our spirit!
Pro 25:28 He that
hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down,
and without walls.
Pro 16:32 He that
is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his
spirit than he that taketh a city.
This is why the Lord
saves our soul and fills us with His Spirit!
Php_1:19 For I know
that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the
supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,
In our bodies of
flesh it is the spirit that can be said to be the breath of life!
Gen 6:17 And,
behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to
destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven;
and every thing that is in the earth shall die.
This is why our own
spirit must be replaced with the Holy Spirit who has the breath of
eternal life!
Tit 3:3 For we
ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving
divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and
hating one another.
Tit 3:4 But after
that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,
Tit 3:5 Not by
works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy
he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy
Ghost;
Tit 3:6 Which he
shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;
Tit 3:7 That being
justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope
of eternal life.
Having said all
these things to get us started.
What are the traits
of the Holy Spirit?
Gal 5:22 But the
fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness,
goodness, faith,
Gal 5:23 Meekness,
temperance: against such there is no law.
Gal 5:24 And they
that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and
lusts.
Gal 5:25 If we live
in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Eph 5:8 For ye were
sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as
children of light:
Eph 5:9 (For the
fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)
Eph 5:10 Proving
what is acceptable unto the Lord.
What are the fruits
of our old spirit?
Gal 5:19 Now the
works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery,
fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
Gal 5:20 Idolatry,
witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions,
heresies,
Gal 5:21 Envyings,
murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell
you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do
such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
Eph 5:2 And walk in
love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an
offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.
Eph 5:3 But
fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once
named among you, as becometh saints;
Eph 5:4 Neither
filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not
convenient: but rather giving of thanks.
Eph 5:5 For this ye
know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who
is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of
God.
Eph 5:6 Let no man
deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the
wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.
Eph 5:7 Be not ye
therefore partakers with them.
We know that John
has been teaching us about false teachers, apostasy, and false
doctrine, and we must understand who and what we are and why!
It is in our own
actions that we can determine if we truly love God!
It is in the actions
of others that we can tell if they love God!
It is in our own
truthful confession of the Lord, that we can know the "Spirit of
Truth"!
1Jn_4:6 We are of
God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth
not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.
Joh_14:17 Even the
Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him
not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you,
and shall be in you.
When we study the
Scriptures, we will understand how the different spirits can
influence our life:
On the Good side:
1) Spirit of God
2) Spirit of wisdom
3) Spirit of the
Lord
4) Spirit of
knowledge
5) Spirit of
understanding
6) Spirit of counsel
of His might
7) Spirit of
humility
8) Spirit of
heaviness
9) Spirit of Grace
10)Spirit of truth.
11)Spirit 0f
holiness
12 Spirit of life
13)Spirit of
meekness
14)Spirit of faith
15)Spirit of your
mind (that has been renewed)
16)Spirit of the
fear of the Lord
17)Spirit of glory
18)Spirit of life
19)Spirit of
prophecy
On the bad side:
1) Spirit of
jealousy
2) Spirit of the
ruler
3) Spirit of
judgment
4) Spirit of burning
4) Spirit of
whoredoms
5) Spirit of the
unclean devil
6) Spirit of
infirmity
7) Spirit of
divination
8) Spirit of slumber
9) Spirit of the
world
10)Spirit of fear
11)Spirit of the
Antichrist
12)Spirit of error
It is very important
that we understand the spirit, because all of our functions are under
the control of our spirit!
Ecc_3:21 Who
knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the
beast that goeth downward to the earth?
*****1Jn 4:1
Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they
are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
What is wrong with
the modern-day church? The Church is not trying the spirits!
It is easy to say,
"I'm a Christian" but the reality of that is, "whose
rules do you follow"?
If those behind the
pulpits do not speak according to the Word of God, then they are not
of God. It’s just that simple!
If those who are
teaching do not teach the actual Word of God, then they are not of
God. It’s just that simple!
In the Word of God
we are commanded not to sit in judgment of others so, instead of
being judgmental then all we must do is look at the facts.
To try the spirit is
to put to the test the principles they follow!
How can we tell if
we really love God? We can tell by the Spirit of the preachers and
Teachers we are following!
The "beloved",
God's children, will not follow those who are not true believers
themselves!
Jesus put it this
way:
Joh 10:14 I am the
good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.
The false teacher
will present a way that seems like the truth but by seeing if they
live by the true Word themselves, you will see the difference!
We can hear those
things that say, "God did this and God did that", but we
better hear that God is Jesus Christ!
We had better hear
about the Triune God! God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy
Spirit!
A false teacher may
seem to preach all the right things without living as if he knows the
truth.
They will use
Science to teach us the things of nature.
They will teach that
the laws of Science are based on facts and are absolutely uniform.
They will teach that
the human race is elevated above all animals but in accordance to the
laws of nature.
They will twist all
these things around until all of a sudden you realize they have
rejected a Divine Creator, so they are liars!
They will teach that
the kingdoms of the world are necessary to maintain order and
suppress violence, and repel wars but none of these things can work
without the Church and the Holy Spirit, so again they are liars!
They are the great
philosophers, and writers, and thinkers, who speak of great things,
many in the mega churches of today, but if you read their works you
will see that they speak many things against true Christianity. Very
seldom do they teach their thoughts on Jesus Christ because they are
all liars!
The religionist will
teach great respect for Christianity, but they will be in opposition
to Christian principles.
Well known, so
called godly men, will say great prayers without mentioning Jesus
Christ for fear they might offend someone.
If they are offended
at the name of Christ, then they are antichrist. It’s just that
simple!
America was once
known as a Christian nation, but look what is going on in our
streets, in our societies, in our politics and in our Churches, which
tell an entirely different story!
Just how does God
feel about that false preacher and that false teacher?
Deu 13:1 If there
arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a
sign or a wonder,
Deu 13:2 And the
sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying,
Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us
serve them;
Deu 13:3 Thou shalt
not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of
dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love
the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
Deu 13:4 Ye shall
walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his
commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave
unto him.
Deu 13:5 And that
prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he
hath spoken to turn you away from the LORD your God, which brought
you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of
bondage, to thrust thee out of the way which the LORD thy God
commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away from the
midst of thee.
Has God changed for
this stance He took a few thousand years ago? No, He never changes!
Jesus said these
people were coming and believe me they are here!
Mat 24:4 And Jesus
answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
Mat 24:5 For many
shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
So how are we to
know them?
*****1Jn 4:2 Hereby
know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus
Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
Jesus Christ is the
Messiah! Plant that in your memory!
So many are looking
for some messiah and some great movement of God and it has already
started!
Not quite 2000 years
ago there was a babe born of a virgin in Bethlehem just as the Old
Testament Scriptures had declared!
Isa 7:14 Therefore
the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall
conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
His name was Jesus
and this name was given to Him by the Holy Spirit, who is also God.
The name Jesus means Savior!
Luk_1:31 And,
behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and
shalt call his name JESUS.
Luk_2:21 And when
eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his
name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before he was
conceived in the womb.
You see it is what
you believe about Jesus Christ that makes you a Christian or not a
Christian. There is no other measurement!
You cannot just
believe in Him you must believe on Him!
The Bible says Jesus
fed 5000 with two small fishes and five small loaves of bread, you
had better believe it!
Mat 14:19 And he
commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five
loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and
brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the
multitude.
Mat 14:20 And they
did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that
remained twelve baskets full.
Mat 14:21 And they
that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and
children.
Jesus said Jonah was
swallowed by a whale and three days later, he was spit out to preach
in Nineveh, you had better believe it or you are calling Jesus a
liar.
Mat_12:39 But he
answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation
seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the
sign of the prophet Jonas:
Mat_12:40 For as
Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall
the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the
earth.
The Bible says Jesus
died for my sins. I truly believe that this is true! You had better
believe that He died for your sins because this is also the truth!
Rev_1:5 And from
Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of
the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that
loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
Jesus said he would
rise from the grave in three days to prove He is God. I believe this
is true!
Mat 27:63 Saying,
Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive,
After three days I will rise again.
Mat 27:64 Command
therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest
his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the
people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse
than the first.
Jesus said He is God
and you had better believe this is true, because it is!
Jesus said there are
no other gods and I believe this is true because it is!
You do not belong to
God unless you are a home for the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit
will never live in a house of sin!
If you cannot
believe that Jesus is the Messiah that has come and will come again
one day, then you cannot be filled with God, the Holy Spirit!
The only way for you
to believe a lie is that you must reject the truth and every "word"
about the Lord Jesus Christ is true. In fact every "word"
is so true the Apostle John said He could be known as "the
Word"!
1Jn_5:7 For there
are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the
Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
Every spirit that
confesses all these things are true are the children of God!
All those that
reject the truth of Jesus do not belong to God!!!!!!!
*****1Jn 4:3 And
every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the
flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof
ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the
world.
We live in a world
full of counterfeits!
There is no
Christianity without there also be hypocrites.
There is no gold
without there also be tin.
There is not wheat
without there also be tares.
There is no truth
without there also be lies.
There is no Christ
without there also be Antichrist!
We must understand
that we cannot bow down to everything that resembles God!
This is the exact
way the Antichrist will take over this world. He will appear to be
the Messiah!
This will be in
appearance only. If his spirit is tested, he will easily be seen as
an impostor.
We already know the
truth of the Messiah. He came in the flesh born of the virgin Mary.
We already know the
circumstances of the return of the Messiah, our Savior. He will meet
His Church in the clouds.
Any other
counterfeit that does not measure up is exactly that, a counterfeit
of the Antichrist.
Those that confess
things other than these are also antichrist! Counterfeit Christians.
Hypocrites!
There are many
spirits in the world and most all of them are spirits who deny the
truth of Jesus Christ!
The false teacher
will not commit to Jesus Christ the Savior.
The false teacher
will not commit to Jesus Christ the Messiah.
The false teacher
will not commit to Jesus Christ, come down from Heaven, taking on the
flesh of man, dyeing a sinners death, rising from that death as God
and returning to His throne in Heaven, to give us time to believe or
to not believe His wonderful plan of salvation for all mankind!
When the false
teacher denies Jesus Christ, they have denied God and are bound for
Hell!
The false teacher
will destroy the truth of salvation when they are given the
opportunity to do so!
The false teacher
will destroy the hope of a lost and dyeing world if they are listened
to.
All those who
declare they are made of God but remain in sin are the disciples of
false teachers.
The proof remains,
are we trying to be like Jesus Christ and know that He is the God of
Heaven come down in the flesh to save those who believe Him?
What did Jesus say?
Mat 10:32 Whosoever
therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before
my Father which is in heaven.
Mat 10:33 But
whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my
Father which is in heaven.
Mat 10:34 Think not
that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but
a sword.
Jesus came to
separate the Christian from the Counterfeits!
We know for sure
these false teachers are in the world and America is already feeling
the damage from the works of their lyes.
These antichrists
are raising up with a loud voice because it is almost time for the
Antichrist to come out from his darkness into the light of man.
Remember our study
of 2 Peter.
2Pe 2:1 But there
were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be
false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable
heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon
themselves swift destruction.
2Pe 2:2 And many
shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of
truth shall be evil spoken of.
There has never been
a time in all history that these things have been more truer than
they are now!
All the conditions
are in place for the man of sin to step out onto the scene but there
is another truth also.
2Pe 2:9 The Lord
knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve
the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:
The Lord our Savior
is far more powerful than any Antichrist.
All those He has
given victory will remain in that victory!
How is this
possible?
*****1Jn 4:4 Ye are
of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is
he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
All these things
teach us the answers to our own questions! When we ask, do we belong
to God? Then the answer lies in Jesus Christ.
Does Jesus have a
home in our heart? Do we believe all the things of Jesus Christ? Do
we trust our Savior?
Have we been born
again into the family of God?
When we can answer
these questions with Jesus, then we know we are in the family of God
because we know the truth!
Joh 14:16 And I
will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that
he may abide with you for ever;
Joh 14:17 Even the
Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him
not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you,
and shall be in you.
Joh 14:18 I will
not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
These are the very
words of our Savior.
When we know these
things then we can overcome all the teachings of false teachers and
false preachers!
You see the Holy
Spirit cannot fail, when you cling to Jesus Christ!
Rom 8:34 Who is he
that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen
again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh
intercession for us.
Rom 8:35 Who shall
separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress,
or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
Rom 8:36 As it is
written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are
accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
Rom 8:37 Nay, in
all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved
us.
You see the Holy
Spirit (Holy Ghost) is much more powerful than the Devil!
The Holy Spirit will
assist us in every purpose that is opposed by the Devil!
The Holy Spirit has
more freedom to touch the hearts and the minds of man than the Devil
can ever have!
There is nothing and
no one, who has the power of the Holy Spirit, but He as God will
never force His ways upon us!
We can only have
access to His power by Jesus Christ!
We have only one
thing we are to do, and this is, we must play by God's rules!
Jesus said:
Joh_14:15 If ye
love me, keep my commandments.
Joh_15:10 If ye
keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept
my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.
The reason we are on
the winning side is because we have a Mighty Savior!
The Antichrist is no
stronger than just a thought in the Mind of Christ Jesus, and he can
be tossed into the Burning Lake of Fire by the smallest Angel in
Heaven at any time God so chooses!
Joh 12:31 Now is
the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be
cast out.
Our enemy has never
been those who are lost. Our enemy has always been the Devil and his
spiritual followers! His demons.
Eph 6:12 For we
wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities,
against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world,
against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Those who follow the
Devil are those who have fallen into the lyes of the Devil's world!
*****1Jn 4:5 They
are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world
heareth them.
You want to see the
greatest test of false teachers? Look at those who follow them and
see how they live!
And then see how the
world responds to them.
Remember the world
hates Jesus Christ and those who love Him.
If there is anything
Satan is wise about, he is wise with the wisdom of those who are in
Hell.
It is the wisdom of
evil that is passed to those principalities, to those powers, to
those rulers of darkness (Satan's demons, fallen angels), to those
with spiritual wickedness in high places.
These are the voices
we hear when we listen to the false news. These are the voices we
hear from the United Nations. These are the voices we hear from all
those who oppose Christianity. These are the voices we hear that
oppose Israel. These are the voices we hear of all those who oppose
the Church!
Luk 16:8 And the
lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for
the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the
children of light.
These are the voices
the world is listening to and these voices are drowning out the voice
of the Church!
Jesus will return to
do what the Church has not been able to do!
Rev 12:9 And the
great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and
Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the
earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Rev 12:10 And I
heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and
strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ:
for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them
before our God day and night.
The Bible says Satan
will keep them happy with things that affect their senses!
Mic 2:11 If a man
walking in the spirit and falsehood do lie, saying, I will prophesy
unto thee of wine and of strong drink; he shall even be the prophet
of this people.
This is the sort of
stuff that the world loves to hear!
Luk_17:28 Likewise
also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they
bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;
These are not to be
the ways of the children of God!
*****1Jn 4:6 We are
of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth
not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.
After becoming a
child of God, the greatest advantage we have over those who reject
God is the fact that we can speak directly to God Himself.
God ears are always
open to hear His children!
God listens, God
convicts, God leads us to do right. God will lead us away from those
who choose wrong!
You see whenever we
are in doubt, we can converse with God through prayer. We can
converse with the Holy Spirit in the Word of God and it can be said
we can converse with Jesus Christ through the red lettered words but
understanding the Holy Spirit gave us all the Word of God.
You can see that we
can know the truth and it is the truth that makes us free from the
falseness of Satan.
Those that trust
Satan are losers because Satan is a loser!
Those that trust the
world are losers because the world follows Satan.
Those that trust
nature are losers because God is Spiritual, and the natural world
will perish.
Those who follow the
spirit of error cannot speak or cannot be heard by the only One who
can save them!
Those who trust
anything, but God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit
will never even get a smell of Heaven, but they will see plenty of
ever-burning fire!
We should be able to
look around at the people around us and see if they follow the spirit
of truth or if they follow the spirit of error.
This is the thing
that breaks my heart every day when I see some of my grandchildren
following the spirit of error!
Joh 7:16 Jesus
answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent
me.
Joh 7:17 If any man
will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of
God, or whether I speak of myself.
Joh 7:18 He that
speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his
glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in
him.
While Jesus walked
upon this earth, even as God in the flesh, He said "even I
follow all the Word of God"!
It is not hard to
know the truth it may be hard to do the truth but by Jesus Christ
even this is possible!
1Co 2:11 For what
man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in
him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
1Co 2:12 Now we
have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is
of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of
God.
1Co 2:13 Which
things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth,
but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with
spiritual.
The truth comes by
Jesus Christ who then seals us with the Holy Spirit!
There is only one
Holy Spirit!
Amen
Let's Pray!
