Sermons
The Spirit of God and The Spirit of the Antichrist
Series: Studies in First John7Studies In First John
The Spirit of God and The Spirit of the Antichrist
1 Jn. 4:1-5:4
Introduction:
1. John closed chapter 3 by saying, “We keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.”
2. He said, “This is the commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another…. The one who keeps His commandments, abides in Him and He in him. We know this by the Spirit whom He has given us.”
3. Four things stand out here. Belief, love, keeping His commandments and receiving the Spirit. While belief, love, and keeping His commandments are critical, John uses the Spirit to launch into a discussion about testing the spirits.
4. False prophets, deceitful spirits, are out there and believers must be careful. But who are they and how can we determine the spirit of truth and the spirit of error?
Discussion:
I. There is a battle going on between the Spirit of God and the spirit of the antichrist. John assures victory to the faithful (4:2; cf. 5:2) but cautions us not to believe every spirit.
A. The contrast.
1. The Spirit of God is associated with true prophets, but the spirit of the antichrist
is associated with false prophets.
2. The Spirit of God confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh, but the
spirit of the antichrist does not.
3. The spirit of the antichrist is from the world and the world listens to them. We
are from God and he who knows God listens to us (cf. 1:2).
4. The Spirit of God is equivalent to the spirit of truth, but the spirit of the antichrist
is equivalent to the spirit of error.
5. The Spirit of God in us is greater than the spirit that is in the world and thus our
victory is sure.
B. But why the warning? Some religious traditions teach the impossibility of falling
away. What is problematic about false prophets? They deceive to destroy.
Hatred, murder and death are the result (cf. 3:11ff.)
1. Jesus warned against false prophets (Matt. 7:13-27).
a. Theirs is the way of destruction (Matt. 7:13).
b. Their fruit is bad and the tree cut down (Matt. 7:15).
c. To hear their words results in collapse (Lk. 6:46-49).
2. Peter reiterated the same kind of things (2 Pet. 2:1-3).
a. They introduce destructive heresies.
b. They bring destruction on themselves.
c. In their greed they exploit with false words.
d. Judgment and destruction are theirs.
C. Those who confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh are from God (4:2).
Cf. Heb. 2:14-18.
1. But this is probably not to be taken as merely a verbal statement (3:18 cf.
Matt. 7:21-23; Lk. 6:46).
2. Mere verbal confession with the mouth is not necessarily evidence of belief in
the heart.
3. Faith, love, deeds are reflections of the heart.
II. The love of God in us is transformative (4:7-14).
A. God loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins (10).
1. This defines who He is.
2. To know God is to know this. This ultimate act of self-revelation is
inherent in what God has done through Jesus Christ in satisfying the
demand of death for our sins. The cross is the unveiling of God’s heart.
3. When this love does its work in our hearts we come to love.
B. We are born of God and come to live through Him.
C. And so, we love one another. True apprehension of who God is leads to change
in how we live and behave. See Matt. 5:43-48.
III. The love of God through us . . . (4:15-5:4).
A. Brings assurance/confidence in the day of judgment (17-18).
1. Love that is perfected/complete casts out fear.
2. Fear of judgment anticipates punishment, but perfected love casts out fear.
3. Realizing what God has done for us removes fear from our hearts.
B. Loving our brother confirms the love of God in us (4:19-5:2a).
C. Keeping His commandments confirms the love of God in us (5:2b-3). See Lk.
10:25-37.
1. Sin is not a reflection of the love of God in us. The robbers were hostile. The
priest and the Levite indifferent. The Samaritan reflected the love of God.
He had the life of God, loved the Lord, loved his neighbor, felt compassion,
and showed mercy.
2. Sin is not a reflection of a true confession and acknowledgement of Jesus
come in the flesh (cf. 5:2).
D. Faith (on the other hand) reflects our being born of God (5:2), as does love,
and keeping the commandments (2:4; 2 Jn. 6; Jn. 14:15, 21).
1. Keeping the commandments is not burdensome. It would be if keeping the
commandments were the means of justification.
2. But faith/trusting in God is the means of my justification.
3. Faith in Christ having come in the flesh is the means of victory.
4. We have an anointing in the word of God (2:20) that empowers us to
victory (Eph. 2:10ff).
Conclusion:
1. The thrust of what John is saying is that what God has done through Jesus Christ reveals His love for us. That love transforms hearts. Confessing Jesus as the Son of God means that we know the Lord, we know His love for us. We are transformed by it so that we love others.
2. This love manifests itself in deeds of mercy and kindness and becomes evidence of the eternal life that is within us.
3. Oh yes, some people in the world may manifest kindness on occasion, but don’t be caught up by that and think that they necessarily have eternal life. Deeds of kindness do not make up for sins. It is those transformed by the love of God that are forgiven (forgiveness is the difference), and then love motivates the deeds of kindness (Titus 3:1-8a).
4. What about you? Have you been transformed by the love of God? Do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God? Are you willing to be forgiven, and then to act in the way appropriate to being a child of God?
