SERMON MANUSCRIPT
Recently we’ve been hearing a lot about disinformation, the strategy of spreading deliberately deceptive information to create confusion, foster distrust, and to stifle action. And while certainly the internet, and social media in particular, has eased its use and lengthened its reach, the tactic of disinformation is far from new.
The Nazi’s used a newspaper called The Attack to service propaganda and influence the public into supporting their regime.
In 1844, anti-Catholic newspapers in Philadelphia published stories that falsely accused Irishmen of robbing schools and stealing Bibles, which provoked riots and attacks on Catholic churches.
The invention of the printing press in the 15th-century lead to mass distribution of materials, regardless of their source. Gossip disguised as “news” became the norm by the 1780s, and opinion columns pushed content designed to manipulate public opinion.
Roman Emperor Augustus Octavian built a campaign of disinformation in 63BC to support his victory over Marc Antony during the War of the Roman Republic.
And long before that, a talking serpent told an innocent woman that God had lied to her, that she surely would not die if she rebelled against him. And we’re still battling that fake news, aren’t we?
In fact, it’s that type of disinformation we’re going to talk about today. The Bible calls it false teaching, and it’s an effective strategy that keeps many from coming to Christ and stops Christians from enjoying Christ.
God wants those who belong to him to experience intimacy with him. That’s what of 1 John is about. That’s why, in its opening chapters, believers are called to pursue holiness, obedience, and love, not because that’s how we’re saved but because that’s how we draw near to Christ once we’re saved.
We’re told to avoid worldliness and sin, not because if we don’t we prove we aren’t his children but because such rebellion kills intimacy with our heavenly Father.
And it’s why, as we’ll see today, we need to guard ourselves against false teaching, not because these lies can steal our salvation but because they stifle our enjoyment of that salvation.
Verse 24 is a hinge on which John turns from one topic to another. John had been presenting love as evidence of intimacy. [3:16, 23–24a] How can I tell if you’re close to Christ? By how you sacrificially love other believers. Love verifies intimacy.
But so does the work of the Holy Spirit. And that’s where this hinge turns. [3:24b] How can I tell if I’m close to Christ? By the work of God’s Spirit in my life—sin-killing, fruit-growing, thought-lifting, self-denying, Christ-magnifying work. The evidence that God abides in a person is the manifestation of his Spirit in and through that person.
But there’s a danger here because God’s Spirit is not the only spirit out there! There are also deceiving spirits masquerading as the Holy Spirit confusing and tricking God’s people, pulling them away from intimacy with God. It’s spiritual fake news; it’s counterfeit closeness.
This is one of the reasons why faith-healers gain traction, why charming charlatans grow a following, and why those claiming to receive revelation from God draw crowds. Because it seems the Holy Spirit is at work, verifying their ministry and maturity. We see a megachurch, a global mission, a gifted individual, and we assume that the Lord is involved! I mean, look at it! How could someone with that much hype be wrong? They even talk about Jesus.
It’s into this confusion that John issues one command that echoes through the centuries and lands in our laps today as well: test the teaching! [4:1] Yes, the Holy Spirit shows intimacy with God, but not all spirits are holy. And there are many. [Bees]
This is the strategy of our enemy. Many false prophets swarm believers, overwhelming, scaring, confusing, and disorienting us to the truth, that which is our life-giving connection to he that is the Truth.
So, John gives one command: test the teaching! Make sure what you’re seeing is God’s Spirit at work. Whether you’re reading a book, listening to a sermon, or chatting with a friend, don’t take anything for granted because abiding in Christ is at stake. Do not believe every spirit! Don’t fall for satanic disinformation. Test the teaching!
And, before his readers can respond with the obvious question of how?, John tells them. In what follows, he provides four reminders, things to keep in mind as we discern truth from error, light from darkness, Christ from antichrist, real news from fake.
First, remember who we worship and why. In other words, remember Jesus Christ. [4:2-3] Jesus is the dividing line! Just as he asked his disciples in the first century, so he asks his disciples today: Who do you say that I am? It all comes down to our confession of Christ.
In 1:9 we were told to confess our sins, to agree with God that what we’ve done is wrong. We’re submitting ourselves to his ruling.
So, to confess Jesus is to agree with God about who Jesus is. It’s to submit our mental, emotional, moral, and cultural faculties to what he has said is so: that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God prophesied in the OT. That he is the Word made flesh, the perfect image of the invisible God. That he was before all things, created all things, sustains all things, and is over all things. That he died for our sins according to the Scriptures and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures. That he is the Son of Man, the Davidic king, the coming judge. That he is truly God and truly human. We confess it all.
One defence against the onslaught of false teaching in this world is to remember who we worship and why we worship him and then test the teaching against what God has said is true.
Demonstrations of power, charisma, skill, wit, credentials, success, popularity all mean nothing if they aren’t accompanied by an accurate confession of Christ. [Ex 7:8–12a, 20, 22a; Acts 13:6–12; Matt 24:24]
There are many deceptions outside the church. Mormonism teaches that Jesus was conceived by Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother. Islam rejects Jesus’s divinity. Hinduism may accept Jesus as a God but certainly not the only way to God. Buddhism understands Jesus to be enlightened but not much more than that. Jehovah’s Witnesses hold that Jesus was created and is lesser than the Father. Atheism believes Jesus may have lived but that he’s severely over-hyped. Agnosticism doesn’t know what to believe. And secularism will believe whatever is convenient at the time.
But there are also deceptions inside the church, teachers who are sloppy and careless with their language about Christ. We’re to be careful when we hear teaching like that. Test the teaching. Would God’s Spirit speak that way about God’s Son? With inaccuracy, irreverence, flippancy, or familiarity? We must remember who we worship and why.
Second, remember from whom we have power. Verse 4 calls out the believers. [4:4] Don’t be duped by these minions of confusion. Remember that you belong to the all-knowing, all-powerful God of the universe who has placed his Spirit in you.
Faced with so many competing claims about the Bible, about Jesus, about salvation, it can be tempting to curl up in a defensive ball. We don’t know what to believe. There are so many truth claims out there, I mean, who am I to say someone is wrong? Look at all their degrees. They’re so articulate. That post got so many likes and shares. They seem genuine. How can I compete?
Remember, we belong to God and God lives in us. He is the God of truth. It honours him when we fight for truth, when we seek truth, when we defend truth. Remember from whom we have power.
Third, remember from where the lies come. [4:5] This is the same world about which the Lord Jesus warned his disciples. [John 15:19] The world system—that which is in rebellion against God—conceives, births, and raises these false prophets, filling their minds and mouths with its deceptive teaching.
And since they sound like the world, the people of the world love them, applaud, promote, and protect them because they’re giving them permission to do what they’re rebellious hearts want to do. This is what Paul predicted would happen. [2 Tim 4:3–4]
This is the power of false teaching. It gives the people what they want. It’s the parent who lets the child dictate the menu. It’s the teacher who allows those enrolled to write the syllabus. You think the kids or students are going to complain? No, they love it even though it’s the worst thing for them.
The false prophets teach what people want to hear and, whether they’re aware of it or not, all people apart from Christ want to hear that Christ isn’t who he claimed to be because, if he is, he’s Lord and judge. It’s no wonder they love when the worldly prophets speak worldly things to their worldly ears. “Tell us that we’re the boss of our lives. Tell us that Jesus was just a man. Tell us that he didn’t jump out of that grave. Tell us we’re not accountable to him. Tell us he doesn’t see all. Tell us anything other than the truth.”
There are so many lies out there, and some seem semi-acceptable. Maybe just a taste. Maybe it’s not that big of a deal to soften. Maybe it will bring us credibility with the world and we can win the world. John says, remember from where the lies come: a world that hates God.
Fourth, remember to whom we should listen. So, we don’t want to listen to the false prophets. To whom then shall we turn? [4:6]
The apostles, John included, have come from God, not the world. Listen to them, their teaching, their assertions, their information. While false teaching tells the world what we want to hear the apostolic teaching tells the world what we need to hear.
We need to hear of our sin, to hear that, left to ourselves we are not okay but under divine wrath. We need to be told that God so loved the world that he sent his Son to die in the world and for the world, to pay the penalty for all sin. We need to hear that by humbling ourselves and placing our faith in Jesus Christ we have eternal life. The world needs to hear that it’s by no other name under heaven by which anyone can be saved. The world needs to hear that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and the no-one comes to the Father except through him.
It’s the teaching of the apostles, inspired by the Holy Spirit and preserved by him in this book, that gives us all we need for life and godliness. If we want to grow in our knowledge, enjoyment, and intimacy with our God and our Saviour, we have to remember to whom we should listen.
Disinformation is a real thing in the Christian life. It’s powerful, pervasive, and perennial. It cannot steal our salvation but it certainly can stifle our enjoyment of and usefulness to Christ. So, John comes along and tells us strongly, test the teaching. All of it.
Test the teaching by remembering who we worship and why we worship him. Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in his wonderful face, and the things of earth (including its lies) will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace.
Test the teaching by remembering from whom we have power and to whom we belong. Do not be timid, brothers and sisters. Contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints. Rely on the Spirit of truth that lives in you and that is jealous for the glory of Christ.
Test the teaching by remembering from where the lies come, a world that is set against its Creator. Just as I wouldn’t ask an enemy to be a character reference, I’m not going to ask the world to teach me about following Jesus.
Finally, test the teaching by remembering to whom we should be listening: the apostles who came from God, spoke for God by God, words that reflect God and draw us close to God.
Josiah has served the Oakridge Bible Chapel family as one of its elders and one of its pastoral staff members since September 2018, before which he ministered as an associate pastor to a local congregation in the Canadian prairies. Josiah's desire is to be used by God to help equip the church for ministry, both while gathered (edification) and while scattered (evangelization). He is married to Patricia, and together they have five children—Jonah, Henry, Nathaniel, Josephine, and Benjamin.
