Sermon Title:

Trying the Spirits by the Book

Key Passage:

1 John 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.” (1 John 4:1)

Series:

The Ministry of the Holy Ghost

Topic:

Testing Spiritual Claims by the Written Word of God

Book:

1 John

Speaker:

Paul Tackett

Suggested Sermon Text:

1 John 4:1–6; Deuteronomy 13:1–4; Isaiah 8:20; Matthew 7:15–20; John 16:13–14; Acts 17:10–12; 1 Corinthians 2:12–16; 1 Corinthians 12:3; 2 Corinthians 11:3–4, 13–15; Galatians 1:6–9; 1 Thessalonians 5:21; 2 Timothy 2:15; 2 Timothy 3:16–17

Short Sermon Description:

First John 4:1 commands believers not to accept every spiritual claim merely because it appears supernatural, sincere, religious, emotional, or impressive. “Believe not every spirit” is followed immediately by “try the spirits,” establishing that biblical faith is never blind credulity. This sermon explains why false prophets and counterfeit spiritual influences make testing necessary, how Jesus Christ and sound doctrine provide essential tests, why miracles and experiences cannot replace Scripture, and how the written word of God gives the believer an objective standard for distinguishing “the spirit of truth” from “the spirit of error.” It also shows that true discernment does not consist of chasing signs, trusting feelings, or becoming suspicious of everything spiritual; rather, it comes from knowing, believing, comparing, and rightly dividing the Scriptures. The VerseQuest sermon standard calls for this treatment to remain KJV-only, rightly divided, doctrinally clear, practical, and sermon-ready.

TRYING THE SPIRITS BY THE BOOK

Introduction

The Bible never tells a Christian to believe something merely because somebody attaches the word “spiritual” to it. In fact, 1 John 4:1 opens with exactly the opposite command: “Beloved, believe not every spirit.” That single statement ought to demolish the modern idea that anything supernatural must be divine, anything emotional must be spiritual, anything impressive must be anointed, or anything spoken in God’s name must have come from God. Scripture does not tell the believer to open his mind indiscriminately to every spiritual claim. It tells him to test what he hears.

The reason is given immediately: “because many false prophets are gone out into the world.” Notice the word many. Deception is not presented as a rare religious accident. False teachers, false prophets, false apostles, false Christs, false gospels, seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils appear repeatedly throughout Scripture. The devil does not accomplish all his work by persuading men to become atheists. Some of his most effective work is religious. Paul warned that Satan himself “is transformed into an angel of light” and that his ministers can likewise appear as “ministers of righteousness” (2 Corinthians 11:14–15). Darkness wearing darkness is easy to recognize. Darkness dressed like light requires discernment.

That is why God did not leave His people with feelings as their final court of appeal. Feelings change. Personal experiences differ. Religious personalities can deceive. Signs can be counterfeited. Crowds can be wrong. Tradition can be wrong. Sincerity can be wrong. But the word of God remains the fixed standard. Isaiah said, “To the law and to the testimony” (Isaiah 8:20). Paul said, “Prove all things” (1 Thessalonians 5:21). The Bereans searched the Scriptures daily to determine whether the things preached to them were so (Acts 17:11). Biblical discernment does not ask first whether something is exciting, popular, supernatural, or emotionally powerful. It asks one question before all others: What saith the Scripture?

I. GOD COMMANDS THE BELIEVER NOT TO BELIEVE EVERY SPIRIT

Key Text: 1 John 4:1

Supporting Texts: Proverbs 14:15; 1 Thessalonians 5:21; Matthew 24:4–5; 2 Corinthians 11:3–4

John begins with a prohibition: “believe not every spirit.” That statement proves there are spiritual influences a believer must refuse. The Bible does not commend gullibility. Proverbs says, “The simple believeth every word: but the prudent man looketh well to his going” (Proverbs 14:15). A Christian who accepts every preacher, prophecy, vision, dream, testimony, religious manifestation, supposed revelation, or spiritual experience without examination is not demonstrating stronger faith. He is ignoring a direct biblical command.

This becomes especially important because deception frequently resembles truth closely enough to appear believable. Paul warned the Corinthians about “another Jesus,” “another spirit,” and “another gospel” (2 Corinthians 11:4). Those expressions are terrifying precisely because the counterfeits imitate the genuine article. Nobody produces counterfeit three-dollar bills because there is no genuine three-dollar bill to imitate. Counterfeiting works by resembling something valuable. Religious deception succeeds the same way.

The believer therefore must reject the idea that questioning a spiritual claim is somehow resisting God. God Himself commands the test. If something truly came from God, biblical examination cannot injure it. Truth has nothing to fear from the Book that God inspired. The spirit that demands unquestioning acceptance while discouraging biblical examination has already given the Christian a reason for suspicion.

Main Truth: God commands believers to test spiritual claims because biblical faith is not gullibility and truth never fears examination by Scripture.

II. FALSE PROPHETS MAKE SPIRITUAL TESTING NECESSARY

Key Text: 1 John 4:1

Supporting Texts: Matthew 7:15; Matthew 24:24; Acts 20:29–30; 2 Peter 2:1; 1 Timothy 4:1

John explains why the test is required: “because many false prophets are gone out into the world.” False prophecy is not merely a theoretical possibility. It is an established biblical reality. Jesus warned of false prophets “which come to you in sheep’s clothing” (Matthew 7:15). Paul warned the Ephesian elders that grievous wolves would enter among them and that men would arise “speaking perverse things” (Acts 20:30). Peter warned of false teachers who would privately bring in “damnable heresies” (2 Peter 2:1).

The danger increases because false prophets do not normally advertise themselves as false. Wolves wear sheep’s clothing. Error borrows biblical vocabulary. Deception often quotes Scripture, speaks of Jesus, talks about God, uses Christian terminology, and promises spiritual enlightenment. The issue is therefore not whether somebody uses religious language. The serpent used God’s words in Genesis 3 while twisting their meaning. Satan quoted Scripture to Jesus Christ in Matthew 4 while attempting to tempt Him into disobedience. A Bible quotation by itself is not proof that the speaker is handling the Bible correctly.

Paul also warned that “in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils” (1 Timothy 4:1). Notice how the verse connects spirits with doctrine. Spiritual warfare is not merely about frightening manifestations or strange experiences. One of the great battlegrounds is doctrine. If a spirit can persuade a man to believe a lie about Christ, salvation, Scripture, grace, or the gospel, it has accomplished something more dangerous than merely frightening him.

Main Truth: False prophets and seducing spirits make discernment necessary because spiritual deception often arrives wearing religious clothing and teaching corrupt doctrine.

III. THE FIRST GREAT TEST CENTERS UPON JESUS CHRIST

Key Text: 1 John 4:2–3

Supporting Texts: John 1:1, 14; 1 Corinthians 12:3; Colossians 2:8–9; 2 John 7–9

John gives a doctrinal test immediately: “Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God” (1 John 4:2). Then he states the negative: “And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God” (1 John 4:3). Biblical discernment therefore begins with doctrine concerning Jesus Christ. A movement may speak constantly about spirituality, love, miracles, angels, prophecy, healing, worship, mystical experience, or social transformation, but if it corrupts the identity of Jesus Christ, the corruption reaches the foundation.

The confession that Christ “is come in the flesh” carries enormous doctrinal weight. The eternal Word “was made flesh” (John 1:14). Jesus Christ is not merely a spiritual teacher, elevated moral example, created being, enlightened prophet, or religious revolutionary. Colossians 2:9 says, “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.” The Christ of Scripture must not be reduced to the Christ of somebody’s private imagination.

The test also prevents Christians from accepting every use of the name “Jesus” as proof of orthodoxy. Paul explicitly warned of “another Jesus” (2 Corinthians 11:4). The question is not simply whether a religious group speaks the name. Which Jesus? The Jesus Christ revealed in Scripture, or a reconstructed Jesus altered to fit human philosophy? The Jesus Christ who died for our sins, was buried, rose again, and is Lord, or a religious mascot attached to another message? Genuine spiritual discernment insists upon the biblical Christ.

Main Truth: One of the clearest tests of any spiritual claim is what it teaches and confesses concerning the biblical Jesus Christ.

IV. THE SPIRIT OF ANTICHRIST COUNTERFEITS RATHER THAN MERELY DENIES

Key Text: 1 John 4:3

Supporting Texts: 1 John 2:18, 22; 2 Thessalonians 2:7–10; 2 Corinthians 11:13–15; Matthew 24:24

John says that the spirit refusing the biblical confession concerning Christ “is that spirit of antichrist.” The word antichrist carries the idea not only of opposition but of counterfeit substitution. Satan’s method is not always to erase religion; frequently he replaces truth with something sufficiently similar to deceive people who never examine it closely.

Second Corinthians 11 describes “false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.” Paul then explains why this should not surprise us: “Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:13–14). Evil does not always arrive wearing horns and carrying a sign identifying itself. Sometimes it arrives with polished speech, religious vocabulary, impressive credentials, apparent spirituality, and a message close enough to biblical truth to escape superficial inspection.

Matthew 24 warns of false Christs and false prophets who would show “great signs and wonders.” Signs therefore cannot be the final test of truth. Something spectacular may be genuine, fraudulent, demonic, psychological, or misunderstood. Whatever its origin, the believer must never allow spectacle to overrule Scripture. If a manifestation contradicts God’s Book, the manifestation fails—not the Book.

Main Truth: The spirit of antichrist works through religious counterfeits, making biblical doctrine more reliable than appearance, personality, or supernatural spectacle.

V. EXPERIENCES, MIRACLES, AND FEELINGS MUST BE TESTED BY SCRIPTURE

Key Text: 1 John 4:1

Supporting Texts: Deuteronomy 13:1–4; Isaiah 8:20; Galatians 1:8; 1 Thessalonians 5:21; 2 Timothy 3:16–17

Deuteronomy 13 gives one of the strongest warnings in Scripture concerning supernatural signs. God tells Israel that if a prophet gives a sign or wonder and the sign actually occurs, yet that prophet leads them after other gods, they must not follow him. That passage destroys the argument that a supernatural event automatically proves divine approval. The doctrinal content must be tested even when the experience appears undeniable.

Paul applies the same principle to the gospel with astonishing force. “Though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:8). Notice the authority structure. Paul does not say that an angelic appearance would override revealed truth. He says revealed truth judges the angelic messenger. If an angel showed up glowing brighter than the sun and preached another gospel, the gospel already revealed would condemn the angel’s message.

That standard protects the believer from spiritual manipulation. “I saw it” is not final authority. “I felt it” is not final authority. “It happened to me” is not final authority. “Thousands witnessed it” is not final authority. “A famous preacher said it” is not final authority. “An angel told me” is not final authority. The Christian has something more stable than any of those claims: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God” (2 Timothy 3:16). Experiences must stand before Scripture; Scripture never stands before experiences.

Main Truth: No miracle, vision, feeling, testimony, or supernatural experience has authority to overturn what God has already revealed in Scripture.

VI. THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH AND THE SPIRIT OF ERROR ARE DISTINGUISHED BY THE WORD

Key Text: 1 John 4:5–6

Supporting Texts: John 16:13–14; John 17:17; Acts 17:11; 1 Corinthians 2:13; 2 Timothy 2:15

John eventually summarizes the contrast with two expressions: “the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error” (1 John 4:6). Those are the real categories. The issue is not merely whether something feels positive or negative, traditional or modern, emotional or unemotional. The question is truth versus error. Jesus prayed to the Father, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth” (John 17:17). God has therefore supplied an objective reference point outside our shifting emotions.

The Holy Ghost is repeatedly associated with truth. Jesus called Him “the Spirit of truth” and said, “he will guide you into all truth” (John 16:13). The same Spirit who guides into truth inspired the Scriptures through which truth is known. He does not lead a believer to despise doctrine, disregard the Bible, contradict revealed truth, or treat Scripture as something spiritually inferior to private revelation. The Holy Ghost does not compete with His own Book.

That is why Acts 17 commends the Bereans for searching “the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” They were listening to an apostle, yet they checked what they heard against Scripture. If apostolic preaching was examined biblically, no modern preacher should expect exemption. The faithful preacher does not fear an open Bible in the pew. He wants it there.

Main Truth: The difference between the spirit of truth and the spirit of error is determined by God’s truth, not by human feeling, reputation, or religious enthusiasm.

VII. THE BELIEVER MUST BECOME SKILLED AT TRYING EVERYTHING BY THE BOOK

Key Text: 1 Thessalonians 5:21

Supporting Texts: 2 Timothy 2:15; Hebrews 5:13–14; Psalm 119:104–105; Philippians 1:9–10; Acts 17:11

Paul gives a concise command: “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21). Notice both halves. Biblical discernment does not reject everything automatically. Neither does it accept everything automatically. It proves, examines, tests, and then holds fast to what survives the test. The discerning believer is neither gullible nor cynical. He is biblical.

Hebrews describes mature believers as those “who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (Hebrews 5:14). Discernment improves through use. The Christian who reads Scripture casually once a week will be easier to deceive than the Christian who lives in the Book. Counterfeit money is recognized most effectively by knowing genuine currency well. In the same manner, biblical error becomes easier to recognize when a believer becomes thoroughly familiar with biblical truth.

Right division also matters. Second Timothy 2:15 commands the workman to be “rightly dividing the word of truth.” A verse taken from the Bible can still be mishandled doctrinally. Somebody can quote what God told Noah, Moses, Israel, the Twelve, or people in the Tribulation and then misapply it to the Church. Every verse is true, but not every command is addressed doctrinally to every person in every dispensation. Trying the spirits by the Book therefore requires more than owning a Bible. It requires studying it carefully enough to know what God said, to whom He said it, under what circumstances He said it, and how it fits the whole revelation.

Main Truth: Mature spiritual discernment develops as believers continually study, compare, rightly divide, and apply the written word of God.

Conclusion

First John 4:1 gives the believer two commands that belong together: “believe not every spirit” and “try the spirits.” God does not command blind suspicion, but neither does He permit blind acceptance. The spiritual world contains truth and counterfeit, the Spirit of God and seducing spirits, sound doctrine and doctrines of devils, genuine preaching and false prophecy. The Christian therefore has a responsibility to examine spiritual claims rather than merely react to them emotionally.

The Bible provides the tests. What does the claim teach concerning Jesus Christ? Does it agree with the doctrine God has revealed? Does it contradict the gospel? Does it require us to abandon plain Scripture in favor of private experience? Does it elevate a sign, miracle, prophet, preacher, institution, or personal revelation above the words of God? Does it survive comparison with the rest of Scripture rightly divided? The believer who asks those questions is not quenching the Spirit. He is obeying the Spirit-inspired command to “prove all things.”

The safest Christian is not the Christian who claims to possess some secret mystical ability to sense error in the atmosphere. The safest Christian is the one whose mind has been saturated with the King James Bible. He knows the Book well enough that false doctrine has difficulty hiding. He knows the true Christ well enough that another Jesus looks wrong. He knows the true gospel well enough that another gospel sounds strange. He knows the Spirit of truth through the words the Spirit gave. When the counterfeit walks through the door, the Book exposes it.

Final Call

If you are unsaved, the greatest spiritual deception would be to think that religion can save you. You may believe in angels, miracles, prophecy, spiritual gifts, supernatural experiences, church traditions, or even the existence of God and still die lost. The gospel that saves is that “Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3–4). Your salvation does not rest in mystical experience, church membership, baptism, sacraments, religious works, or spiritual manifestations. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31).

If you are saved, stop surrendering your judgment to personalities, experiences, movements, trends, dreams, visions, videos, testimonies, and claims of supernatural power. Open the Book. Read the Book. Study the Book. Compare everything with the Book. Rightly divide the Book. Believe what God said even when every impressive voice around you says something different. God never told you to follow the loudest spirit in the room. He told you to try the spirits.

Closing Verse:

“To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” (Isaiah 8:20)

Closing Statement:

The safest way to try the spirits is not to chase the supernatural—it is to know the Book so well that every counterfeit has to stand in its light.