Sunday Livestream || Test the Spirits || 1 John 4:1-6

Jul 05, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Test Drive Teachings Before You Park Them in Your Heart

John’s warning isn’t about skepticism but stewardship. Just as a test drive reveals a car’s true condition, examining teachings against Scripture exposes their source. Every idea about God must be held up to the light of Christ’s full divinity and humanity. Truth isn’t fragile—it withstands scrutiny. The world peddles half-truths, but disciples dig deeper. What we believe about Jesus isn’t a minor detail; it’s the foundation. [01:03:40]

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God.”
(1 John 4:1-2, ESV)

Reflection: What teaching have you recently encountered that you accepted without testing? How would examining its view of Jesus’ divinity and humanity change your response?

Day 2: The Unseen War Behind Every Word You Hear

Messages aren’t neutral. Each teaching carries spiritual DNA—either life from God or death from antichrist spirits. False prophets blend charisma with compromise, dressing lies in religious language. But truth isn’t measured by crowds or confidence. Like a farmer checking roots, disciples must trace teachings to their source. The spirit behind error fears the light of Scripture. [01:10:49]

“They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.”
(1 John 4:5-6, ESV)

Reflection: When have you been tempted to equate a teaching’s popularity with its truthfulness? How does 1 John 4:5-6 reframe your discernment?

Day 3: Your Bible Isn’t Just a Book—It’s a Litmus Test

The Bereans didn’t applaud Paul’s preaching—they audited it. Scripture was their gold standard, not eloquence or reputation. Apostles wrote under the Spirit’s inspiration, making the Bible the ultimate filter. Every podcast, book, or sermon must dissolve into this solution: does it align with God’s revealed Word? Truth isn’t reinvented; it’s rediscovered. [01:30:20]

“Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.”
(Acts 17:11, ESV)

Reflection: Which current teaching have you neglected to “Bereanize”? What step will you take today to test it against Scripture?

Day 4: The Spirit in You Outshines the Lies Around You

Fear of deception shrinks when we remember Who dwells within. The Holy Spirit isn’t a passive resident—He actively illuminates truth and repels error. Just as antibodies attack invaders, the Spirit in believers rejects teachings that deny Christ’s nature. Our security isn’t in our intellect, but in His indwelling power. [01:35:14]

“Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”
(1 John 4:4, ESV)

Reflection: When have you sensed the Spirit’s “alarm” about a teaching? How does His presence in you change your approach to spiritual discernment?

Day 5: Beware of New Teachings Bearing Old Deceptions

Satan repackages ancient lies as progressive truth. Denials of Christ’s divinity wear modern labels but carry the same antichrist spirit. From podcasts to pulpits, error often enters through the back door of “fresh revelation.” Yet the apostles’ teaching remains the plumb line—what was false in John’s day still fails the test. [01:27:56]

“Knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”
(2 Peter 1:20-21, ESV)

Reflection: What “new” teaching have you encountered that actually contradicts Scripture’s timeless truths? How will you respond with both courage and grace?

Sermon Summary

John lays a simple slogan on the table: test it before you believe it. The command lands straight from 1 John 4: beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits because many false prophets have gone out into the world. The text draws a line between two sorts of teachers and teachings that rise from two different sources. Some are from God. Some are not. The repeated phrase from God drives the point home. The issue is not just content, but source. Behind the message stands a spirit.

The Spirit of God marks out true teachers. The confession is clear: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God. That Christological confession signals the Holy Spirit’s work in the messenger and in the message. John ties this to the larger apostolic claim in verse 6. We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us. The apostolic word becomes the plumb line for discernment.

The spirit of the antichrist marks out false teachers. They went out from the church, but they were not of the church. They deny the apostolic truth about Jesus, and they speak a message the world loves. That is why the crowd grows. Their source is the world and the spirit of deception. Paul calls it the doctrine of demons. John calls the church to stop being gullible. Do not believe every spirit. Test the spirits.

Two tests hang like guardrails. First, the Christological test. Does the teacher confess Jesus Christ come in the flesh, fully God and fully man, the only way of salvation, the Son with the Father and the Spirit? If the confession bends or blurs who Jesus is, it is not from God. Second, the canonical test. Does the teaching arise from and agree completely with the apostolic Scriptures? Since the Spirit carried men along to write the Bible, Scripture is the Spirit’s own voice. The church must be like the Bereans, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things are so, even when the messenger is famous.

Then the text refuses to leave Christians afraid. Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. The indwelling Spirit gives love for the truth, spiritual discernment, and protection from apostasy on the foundation of the gospel. In a world flooded with voices, the Spirit illumines the Word, and the Word unmasks the lie. Do not believe every teaching. Test it before believing it.

Key Takeaways

1. Two streams, two unseen sources The church meets both truth and error, and each stream carries a spirit behind it. The Spirit of God stands behind apostolic confession, while the spirit of antichrist fuels worldly messages that draw crowds. Discernment starts by asking not only what is said, but who is empowering it. The source explains both the sound and the audience. [78:02]
2. Start with Christological confession test A faithful teacher openly confesses Jesus Christ come in the flesh, fully God and fully man, the only Savior. Every denial or downgrade of His person or work exposes a different spirit at work. This first filter is mercifully simple and unfailingly sharp. When Jesus is blurred, the light has already gone out. [82:57]
3. Measure everything by Scripture Apostolic Scripture is the Spirit’s yardstick, so truth must arise from and agree completely with the Bible. Authority never rests in the messenger, only in the Word the Spirit breathed out. Even the most persuasive voice must be examined like the Bereans examined Paul. Scripture frees the church from novelty and guards it with clarity. [88:50]
4. Rest in the stronger Spirit The command to test comes with a promise of help. The indwelling Spirit grants spiritual understanding, a love for the truth, and ballast against apostasy on core gospel truths. Fear gives way to alert confidence because the One within outmatches the deceiver without. Greater is He who is in the believer. [95:14]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[62:44] - Try it before you buy it
[63:40] - Test it before you believe it
[64:42] - Reading 1 John 4:1-6
[66:45] - Lead, feed, protect
[67:42] - Why the church must test
[69:13] - From God repeated
[74:33] - Many false prophets gone out
[76:38] - Listening to the apostles
[78:25] - Why the world loves error
[82:57] - Test 1: confessing Jesus Christ
[87:56] - Test 2: agree with Scripture
[93:51] - Be like the Bereans
[95:14] - Greater is He in you
[98:25] - Final charge: test and trust

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
1 John 4:1-6 (ESV)
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

Observation questions

What specific command does John give believers in 1 John 4:1, and what reason does he provide for it?
According to verses 2-3, what is the key confession that distinguishes a teaching “from God” from one that is not?
What contrast does John make in verse 5 between the world’s response to false teachers and believers’ response to apostolic teaching?

Interpretation questions

Why does John emphasize the source of a teaching (e.g., “from God” or “from the world”) rather than just its content? How does this affect how we evaluate truth claims?
In verse 4, John says believers “have overcome” false teachers because “He who is in you is greater.” What does this imply about the role of the Holy Spirit in discernment?
How does the phrase “whoever knows God listens to us” (v. 6) connect apostolic teaching to the authority of Scripture today?

Application questions

When you encounter a new teaching (e.g., a podcast, book, or conversation), what practical steps could you take to apply the “Christological test” from 1 John 4:2-3? [01:22:57]
How might you adjust your habits of consuming content (social media, books, sermons) to prioritize testing teachings against Scripture, like the Bereans in Acts 17:11? [01:33:51]
Are there areas where you’ve assumed a teaching was trustworthy because it sounded “Christian” or was popular, without examining its source or alignment with Scripture? What could you do differently?
In what situations do you feel most vulnerable to being swayed by teachings that downplay Jesus’ divinity or humanity? How could you lean on the Holy Spirit’s guidance in those moments? [01:35:14]
How does the truth that “greater is He who is in you” (v. 4) reshape fear or anxiety about being deceived? What daily practices help you rest in this promise?

Sermon Clips

73s

#TestAgainstScripture

“If it doesn't arise if it doesn't arise from the word of God and agree completely with the word of God, then it didn't come from the apostles. Don't trust it because the spirit behind it, not God. By this, we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. Christians, we are exposed to two sorts of teachers and teachings daily that have two different sources behind them. Some are from God, some are not. John's message to the church then was one of pastoral care, wanting to spiritually protect those Christians. That that is my heart for you, to spiritually protect you. And and it sounds kinda funny for a pastor to say, check every sermon you ever hear hear preached, mine included. If any pastor is too proud to say that, they shouldn't be in the pulpit in the first place. The authority doesn't rest in me, it rests in the word of God. So test it.”

59s

#TestTheSpirits

“We're being confronted by the doctrines of God and the doctrines of demons. So what are we to do? Response is required. Confrontation is happening. Decision has to be made. Action needs to be taken. John says, beloved, you Christians don't believe every spirit. Test the spirits to see whether they're from God because many false prophets have gone into the world. So when you leave here in a few minutes, you return to the alleged Christian literature you are reading, you return to watching those teachers you love so much on YouTube and listening to their podcasts, when you return to that conversation with that professing Christian who's trying to teach you something you've never heard before, God's message to you is this, don't believe every teacher or teaching. Rather test it.”

67s

#BewareFalseTeachers

“John's warning the church. He's saying, beware. Don't believe every teaching because false prophets are out in the world. They're peddling antichrist teachings and behind them in their erroneous message is the spirit of antichrist. Same is true today. Many false teachers have gone out into the world. They're teaching error trying to deceive. These false preachers, prophets are in your pulpits. There are some professing Christians who are camping out in one of our pews. They are authors of alleged Christian literature, and they are influencers claiming to be Christians on your YouTube channels. The devil and his demons are working overtime in the world today through every means possible to deliver their teachings, deceive people, and lead them into destruction. So heed the warning of this passage.”

53s

#ChristologicalCheck

“What John said all those years ago is true today. Many false prophets are in the world. Behind all these teachers and teachings is the spirit of antichrist, and their goal is to deceive us and lead us astray from Christ. Don't believe every teacher or teaching that you hear. Test the teachings. See whether they're from God. The easy test is a Christological one. What do they teach about Jesus? And it's not just his human nature and his divine nature. Do they deny any teachings that we have in the word of God about Jesus? Do they deny that he's the only way of salvation? Do they deny the Trinity? He is God the Son.”

61s

#KnowTheSource

“And watch this. Once again, John not only points to the erroneous teaching, but he points to the source that's behind it. Every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of antichrist. Verse five, they are from the world, therefore they speak from the world, the world listens to them. We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us. Whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. How many of you in your translations in verse six, the spirit of truth, the word spirit is capitalized? Yeah. It's pointing us again to source. He wants us to see the source behind this. In this case, he's emphasizing the source behind false teachers, false prophets. He's saying they're not from God, they're from the world. They speak a worldly message and the world listens to them.”

58s

#LeadFeedProtect

“As I was preparing this message, I was reminded as a pastor, I have three primary duties to God's church. They are to spiritually lead the church, spiritually feed the church, and spiritually protect God's church. And I like this text because it actually helps me carry out all three duties. It helps me spiritually lead you through spiritually feeding you God's word so that I can spiritually protect you from the ungodliness in this world. This morning through the verses we just read, John reminds us that we need spiritual protection, and he also equips us with the means of spiritual protection. Actually, he gives us two ways to test something before we believe it.”

74s

#ConfrontAndRespond

“Let's begin though with the why. Why does the local church need spiritual protection? John tells us here in these verses because Christians are being exposed to two sorts of teachers and teachings that have two sources, two different sources behind them. So we're throughout your life, you're going to be exposed to two sorts of teachers and teachings that have two different sources behind them. And the first one is this, you're going to be confronted by teachers who teach truth or teach truths that are from God's word. And I use the word confronted. I know it's often understood as negative, but I chose to use the word because to be confronted means to be faced with something directly that requires a response by us. In this case, we Christians are regularly faced with teachers and teachings that call for a response. A response of belief or a response of rejection. John wants to help us have the right response.”

47s

#TestDriveYourFaith

“A show of hands, how many in here have ever bought a car? Alright. A few of us. Good job. Good job. What is the one thing pretty much everyone does before they buy a car? Yeah. They test drive it. And we even have a slogan in our day, you know, try it before you buy it. Right? I mean, that's kinda everyone just knows that. Well, this morning, I wanna teach you a new slogan, a slogan I suggest that you remember, and this slogan comes from the word of God. So you ready for it? Test it before you believe it. Test it before you believe it.”

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