Please open your Bibles with me to the book of First John, chapter four. First John, chapter four.

In verse one, the Apostle John writes, beloved, and that's a term for believers, brethren in Christ, brothers and sisters, beloved, Beloved of God, beloved of each other. And here's what he says, listen to it. He says, believe not every spirit. That's just a way of saying don't believe everything you hear. Sometimes we can say don't believe everything you see. But believe not every spirit, but try or test the spirits, whether they are of God, because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

Now the title of the message is Trying the Spirits or Testing the Spirits. You can go either way. And this is really a very simple message. It may sound complicated because basically it's a command of God for us to do something we don't really like to do. And that's to test the spirits.

Well, who are the spirits? Well, he tells you. Prophets. Preachers. That's what he's talking about. Test the spirits. What he's talking about is men or even women. Now, in the Bible, women are not supposed to be leading in the ministry of the church, but that beside. When a man or woman gets up before a group or even speaks to an individual and claims to be speaking the truth by the Spirit of God, That's who he's talking about. He's talking about me. Test the spirits. And it's sort of like every time I get up to preach or to teach or witness, I'm on trial. It really is. And who is to put me on trial? You are. You're to test me, okay?

Years ago, a man came down from North Georgia, and he had just left a church up there because the man was not preaching truth. And he got two or three of the men of the church to go to the pastor's study to talk to the pastor about it. And he said when he went in and they all sat down, the pastor put his feet up on the desk and said, now I want to know one thing, am I on trial? And the man didn't say this, but I would have said, well, sure you are. The Bible says you're on trial.

Now that may sound like a hard truth. It may sound like something that's mean, unkind, or negative. I guess that's the way people would put it today, you know, if they wanted to cast off, well, that's just negative, you know. Well, there's a lot of positives to the ministry, I'm gonna tell you, but there's some negatives too. Because what you have to understand is that what you're hearing today, and whenever you listen to any spirit preacher who claims to be speaking by the Spirit of God, they should be if they're not dealing with life and death issues. This is life and death. How do I know that? Because the Bible says it.

Now you wouldn't dare go to a doctor to get and put your physical well-being in his hands if you knew he was a quack. Would you? Because you love your physical well-being, you love this life. But what I'm talking about has to do with eternity. Now think about that. So really what I'm doing is much more important than what the doctors do.

But listen to what he says. Let me just give you a read over here. And there's basically three issues here. Number one, here's the command to test and the reason. Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits. That's a command. It's just as much a command as if he were to say love one another. That's a positive, sometimes. It's always a positive. But test the spirits, whether they are of God. I wanna know the man who's preaching to me is of God or not, telling me the truth or not. And the reason is because many false prophets, a prophet is not just somebody who foretells the future. A prophet was somebody who spoke the word of God. And there are many false prophets are gone out into the world. And my soul, we're living in a day of a bunch of them.

Now the second thing you have is the standard of testing. If you're gonna test somebody, you gotta have the right standard. A lot of people use the wrong standard. It has to do with how they look, maybe how they dress, how they act, how they speak, can they hold my attention? The devil can hold your attention now, you know that, don't you? Are they funny? Whatever. Those are the wrong standards.

Look at verse two, he says, hereby know ye the Spirit of God. Now here's how I know the Spirit of God. He says, every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God. Verse three, 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 you have heard that it should come, and even now already is it in the world.

Now basically, and I'll go over this for you. You know what the right standard of testing here is? Doctrine. And it's what we call the doctrine of Christ. Now he mentions one aspect of that doctrine that was prevalent in his day for false preachers to deny, and that's the incarnation of Christ, the sinless humanity of Christ, and I'll tell you about that, but that's not the only doctrine. And so there it is, and then verses four through six, here's the result. He says, you are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world.

Now who is he that is in you? It's Christ by the word and by his spirit. They are of the world, these false preachers and those who follow them. Therefore speak they of the world and the world heareth them. Agrees with them. 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. Now there's the result. Okay? So you've got the command, you've got the standard of judgment, the measurement, and you've got the result right there. Pretty simple.

Let's go back to the command. The command and reason for this testing. First of all, this kind of testing is not negative. And I've often told people this, I said, when you listen to a man preach, listen critically. Now by that I do not mean listen with the purpose in mind of finding something wrong, don't do that. Don't listen just to find something wrong. But what I mean by that is listen and make sure that what he or she is saying is consistent with the right measurement, which is the word of God. Are they preaching God's word or are they preaching man's word? Are they preaching that which comes from heaven from God or are they preaching that which comes from the world? That's it.

And so, let me, and you know this was a problem back in the Old Testament. Let me show you this. Look back at Isaiah chapter eight. Every preacher, every prophet, and every true preacher, and every true prophet in every generation has had this problem. False preachers standing against them. Jeremiah had it. He was a lone prophet standing against hundreds of false prophets. Jeremiah told him the truth. You who don't know Christ, you who don't have his righteousness, Imputed to you you who are not washed in his blood you who do not proclaim the gospel you're doomed That's what he told him You're at war with God, and you're gonna lose

And you know what the message of the false prophets was peace peace Settle down Jeremiah. He's just a blowhard He's the prophet of doom he didn't have anything good to say about us I Peace, peace, when there was no peace.

Well, look here in Isaiah. In Isaiah 8 verse 19, listen to this. And when they shall say unto you, seek unto them that have familiar spirits. Now, a familiar spirit in the Old Testament is a lying spirit. It's kind of like in the New Testament, those who have itching ears. Those who have itching ears, that doesn't mean they have fleas. It means they want to hear certain things and they'll find them a preacher to tell them what will scratch that itch whether it's a lie or not. Do you have itching ears? I want to hear the gospel.

So he says, seek unto them that have familiar spirits and unto wizards, that peep, that means that chant. Talking about mystics. That kind of thing. And that mutter, they say words that have no meaning, that's what it is. Should not a people seek unto their God for the living to the dead? Look at verse 20 now, here's the key. To the law and to the testimony, if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. What word? The word of God. whatever scriptures they had back then and whatever the true prophets of God said and what they wrote. That's what it's all about.

When people are looking for a church, what are they looking for? Activities, dinners, trips, whatever. All kinds of things, singing, How many people are looking for a place where the word of God is preached without compromise? Where the gospel is preached? You say, but I've got no friends there. Well, make friends. But I would go where the gospel is preached whether I had a friend there or not. I'm honest with you. I'm not going to sit under the preaching of a lie.

Now, how am I going to know the difference? Only by the Bible. Oh, but people have different interpretations of the Bible. Well, let's put that to the test. Let's read some verses, see what their interpretation is and what the reality is. It's not hard to do. You know, there are rules of interpreting the scripture. It's not just you read a verse and say, well, this is what it means to me. Who cares what it means to you? What does it mean? That's what I want to know. What did the writer, what did the spirit have in mind? There are rules, I wrote a book about it. Rightly dividing the word. And even false preachers will agree with those rules except maybe for one. But it means something. Beloved, believe not every... Oh, it don't mean that. Yes, it does. It's not that complicated.

Listen with a critical ear, making sure that what I'm telling you is in the word of God and not just something that I've made up or not just something that is found in the catechism of my denomination. Some people take one individual verse and build a whole denomination on it. There's a denomination that says you gotta be baptized to be saved. That's not true. That's not salvation by grace. That's salvation by water. And they take a couple of verses out of their context to prove that. I went to a funeral one time and I preached it, and when I came out, a man sat down and said, he said, well, I believe Mark 16, 15. I said, well, I believe it too, but not like you. He that believeth and is baptized. Baptism is a confession of salvation by grace that has already took place. And if you believe that baptism washes away your sins, then you've got a whole plethora of scriptures to deny. So understand that salvation is by grace, unearned, undeserved, based upon the blood and the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ alone. It's all in Him. It's not by our works.

Or by grace are you saved through faith, and that's not of yourselves. Is that hard to, oh yeah, well you gotta muster up faith. No, it's not of yourselves. It's the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. And we could go on and on and on.

So what I wanna know, according to this commandment, is when I sit down and listen to a man or a woman, I don't listen to women preach, but I listen to a man preach, Am I hearing the truth? Is he consistent with the word of God? Now I may not like how he says it. I may not like the tone of his voice. I may not like what he wears. But is he telling me the truth? He may be dressed like John the Baptist. May not like what he eats. I'm not going to sit down and have a meal with John the Baptist. I'm not going to eat wild Locust and all that. What does he preach?

All right, now what is the standard of judgment? It's the doctrine, true doctrine of Christ. Now here, look at these verses. Verse two, hereby know ye the Spirit of God. Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God. And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is that spirit of Antichrist, wherever you have heard that it should come, and even now already is it in the world.

Now, the standard of testing is the gospel. And it's also called the doctrine of Christ. And John's not just picking out one particular doctrine, the humanity of Christ, the sinless humanity of Christ, and saying, now this is the only doctrine they can deny. No, he's just using this because it was prevalent in his day that there was a group who claimed to be Christian, who claimed to believe in Christ, who were denying the human nature of Christ. And the reason they denied it is because they had a wrong view of sin. Their view of sin is that sin was inherent in the human body, the flesh, the physical body. And therefore, Christ being sinless, he couldn't have one of those. He couldn't have a physical body. So they denied his human nature.

But you see, Christ did have a human nature. The Bible says that he is God, manifest, in the flesh. Yet His flesh was sinless. Now there is sin in our flesh but that doesn't mean our human body. The flesh means the nature of sin that we inherited from Adam. We fell in Adam. Listen, sin is not a physical thing. It's not a germ. It's not in the blood. Sin is from the heart. You remember what Christ taught his disciples? It's not what goes in you that defiles you, it's what comes out of the what? The heart. It's in the thoughts, it's in the desires. It's in ignorance. Depravity.

Christ was made sin, not by any transference of some substance into him. He was made sin in a legal way as the debt, sin debt of the people of God was imputed to him, charged to him. Turn over to Hebrews chapter two. And he had to be made sin in order to save us from our sins. And look at verse 14. of Hebrews chapter 2. It says, for as much then as the children, now that's the children of God, that's the elect, whom God chose and justified in Christ, whom Christ died for and who will be born again by the Spirit, for as much then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He, Christ, also himself, likewise took part of the same. He had a human body, flesh and blood, yet he was without sin. There were no sinful thoughts in his mind or in his heart. He was the perfect God-man, without spot, without blemish.

And it says, he had to take part of the same, that through death, he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is the devil. Now the devil doesn't have power to give life or to kill, but his power of death was to accuse. Remember how he accused Job? But in Christ, the devil who charges us, the charges don't stick. Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It's God that justified, it's Christ that died.

But the reason that Christ had to have a human body and soul without sin is because he had to die. for his people. God cannot die, but this person who is God did die, and that's attributed to his humanity. And it says in verse 15 of Hebrews 2, and delivered them who through fear of death were all their life subject to bondage. And that bondage was legalism. Trying to save ourselves from death by our works, that's bondage, and it won't work.

And verse 16 says, for verily he took not on him the nature of angels, but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Who's the seed of Abraham? That's the elect of God, believers. How do I know that God chose me? How do I know that I'm justified? How do I know that I'm sanctified and born again? How do I know that Christ died for me? I believe I've had the gift of faith. I've been given a new heart to look to Christ and him alone for all salvation. Not to look to myself, not to look to you, not to look to the church or the baptistry. I look to Christ. Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever. The author and finisher of my faith. God forbid that I should glory or boast save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. That's his person and his word.

So look at verse 17. Wherefore in all things it behooved him. That word behooved is the Greek word for debt. He took on a debt. What debt did he have laid to his account? The sin debt of his people given to him before the foundation of the world. So it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. And for that he himself hath suffered being tempted he is able to succor or to comfort them that are tempted.

Do you know that Christ, in His humanity, suffered all the weaknesses and infirmities of the flesh that we suffer, except He did it without sin. He cried. He hurt. He hungered. He thirsted. All of that. Sinless infirmity. But that's Christ.

Now there's a whole denomination that claims to be Christian, claims to worship him who denies his humanity. There's a whole denomination that denies his deity. False. Antichrist. That's what it is. So what John is talking about here is the doctrine of Christ. Look back with me. Look over at 2 John. Now John wrote three epistles. He was the human instrument to write the Gospel of John and to write the Book of Revelation, but also the human instrument to write these three short epistles, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John. And in 1st John, he establishes the parameters of fellowship. We're of God, they're of the world. In 2 John, he shows the standard that binds our fellowship together. And he says it's the doctrine of Christ. Look at verse 9 of 2 John. Whosoever transgresseth and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ hath not God. You see that? He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son."

Now what is the doctrine of Christ? It's the doctrine of His person, who He is, God, man, God manifest in the flesh. It's the doctrine of what He accomplished in His death on the, obedience unto death on the cross to save His people from their sins. And what the Bible teaches is that He met every condition met every regulation to ensure the salvation of all for whom he lived and died, was buried and arose again the third day. It's called the righteousness of God in the gospel. It's all of Christ. It's salvation conditioned on Christ, who is God manifest in the flesh, who met those conditions 100%. He got an A plus on that test. who did not fail so that there'll be none in hell for whom Christ died. That's the doctrine of Christ. That's the righteousness of God. That's his blood that covers all our sins. That's his righteousness that justifies us before God.

And so it says in verse nine, he that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the father and the son. There's your test. Paul said in Galatians 1, if they come preaching any other gospel than that which we've preached, let them be anathema, cursed of God. That's what it's all about. In Romans 16, he says, mark them that cause division among you, contrary to the doctrine which we have preached, and avoid them. Truth. The truth shall set you free. Not a lie. The Holy Spirit is the spirit of truth. God saves his people under the preaching of the truth, not a lie.

Now, people will dance around that in a lot of ways. They'll say, well, you know, somebody could say a lot of truth and mess up here and all that. Well, it depends. Think about it. Let me show you one more verse here. I won't have you turn to it. I say that, and usually I do. But look at John chapter 16. Here's what the Spirit of God does in the new birth. John chapter 16. Now Christ is talking to his disciples about his going away. And where is he going? Well, he's going to the cross. And eventually, he's going to die, go to the grave, but he's not going to stay there. He's going to be risen from the grave, and then he's going to ascend unto the Father, where he will ever live as he is living now at the right hand of the Father, making intercession for the people for whom he died, being their mediator, our intercessor, and controlling all things to bring them to a saving knowledge of the truth. And how does he do that? He sends his spirit to bring them under the truth, the gospel. And here's what he does. Look at verse 7, John 16. He says, nevertheless, I tell you the truth, it is expedient or necessary for you that I go away. For if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you.

Now the Comforter he's talking about here is the advocate who is the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is the third person of the Trinity who applies the life of Christ to each and every one of God's people in time, in the new birth. But if Christ doesn't go away, if he doesn't go to the cross and die and establish the ground of salvation and justification, There'll be no life for the Spirit to give. So he says, it's necessary for you that I go away, that I go to the cross, that I die and be buried and raised again the third day and ascend unto the Father, else the Comforter will not come unto you. There'll be no life. Well, we know that's not gonna happen. We know he's going away, he's going to die, he's going to be buried, he's going to be raised from the dead, he's going to ascend unto the Father.

Because he'd already given multitudes of people life by the Spirit in the Old Testament. And that can't be reversed. And he has a number of people, the elect of God, the sheep, he's gonna give life in the future. And if you know Christ, you're one of those. Because he said in John 6, 37, all that the Father giveth me shall come to me. And him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.

So he said, if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you, but if I depart, I'll send him to you. And look at verse eight, when he has come, he will reprove. Now that word reprove means convict or convince. He will convince the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment.

Now the world there doesn't mean every person in the world that has ever been born or ever will be born. That's not what the word world means. The world means his people, his sheep, all over this world. He has a people out of every tribe, kindred, tongue, and nation, and he's gonna call them out of the world and into the fold. He's gonna convince them of three things, verse nine, of sin, because they believe not on me.

He's gonna bring his people to confess as they are convinced that without faith in Christ, I am nothing but sin and deserve death and hell and condemnation. That's what he's gonna convince us of. Without Christ, the true Christ, who's revealed in the doctrine of Christ, without him, without his blood, the blood of the God man, the righteousness of the God man. It's all sin. You see, I need him. And I need his blood to wash away my sins, all of them. I can't wash them away. The baptistry won't do it. Tears of remorse won't do it. Only the blood of the God man.

I need his righteousness, the righteousness of God. My good works won't do it. My best efforts at morality won't save me, won't justify me. It's only Him. And that's the second thing, verse 10. Of righteousness, because I go to my Father and you see me no more. He's going to the Father. Where is He going away? To the cross, to the grave, raised out of the grave, and then to the Father. Why? Because in his obedience unto death, he brought forth a perfect righteousness to enable God to be both a just God and a savior.

You can't do that. I can't do that. I can determine to be the best person I could ever be for the rest of my life. and I still cannot accomplish righteousness, because righteousness in the Bible is the perfection of the law that can only be found in Christ. Christ is my righteousness. How do I know that? Because I have been given a new heart in the new birth, the gift of faith, looking unto Him, the gift of repentance, turning away from thinking, that I could ever do anything to earn or deserve God's favor. That's what repentance is.

And then verse 11, of judgment because the prince of this world is judged. Now that's the devil who is the accuser of the brethren. I won't turn there, but there's a beautiful passage in Revelation 12. that shows the devil rising up as the accuser of the brethren. And what does he accuse us of? Well, look at him, he's a sinner. He's not perfect. And that passage in Revelation 12 says this, they turned him back by the blood of the lamb. That's what stops the devil. When the devil attacks, you can hold up 10,000 crosses. You can splash holy water everywhere. Won't do any good. But my friend, if you plead the blood of the lamb, he's gone. Because he can bring no accusation. It won't stick.

Yes, I'm a sinner, but my sins are not charged to me. They're not accounted to me. They were charged to Christ, and He died for them. He satisfied the justice of God. Well, let me finish right here. Back here in 1 John 4.

Now, here's the result. This is how we know. He says, you are of God, verse 4, little children have overcome them, because greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world. Christ is greater than Satan. He's greater than all false preachers. They are of the world, therefore speak they of the world. They talk about salvation by works, salvation conditioned on sinners and all of that. The world hears that, they love that.

But we're of God. He that knoweth God, heareth us. We speak grace. Salvation by grace. Grace at the beginning, grace in the middle, grace in the end. And he that is not of God, heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. Test the spirits. And do so rightly. Don't be mean. We don't have to be mean to put them to the test. And we don't want to be proud I know something you don't know. If I know it, it's because it's been revealed to me by the Spirit of God. And that's it. That's the only way I do know it. That's the only way any of us will know it. It's by Him.