The True And The False

Introduction Over these few weeks we are taking a look at chapter 4. This evening we come to verses 4-6, which continue the theme with which the chapter opens. Verse 1:

Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

What are these false prophets teaching? Chapter 2 verse 22:

It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ ... he denies the Father and the Son.

What is it that lies behind these false prophets? Verse 3:

This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.

And who is it that lies behind the spirit of the antichrist? It is the devil. Chapter 3 verse 8:

He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning.

Under the respectable surface of our lives there is a war on. Christ is at war with the powers of evil gathered around their commander the devil. We are the battleground. But we are also engaged in the conflict. We need to be sure that we are on the side of Christ. We need to know our enemy - his strengths and weaknesses, his strategies and tactics. We need to understand the progress of the war, and the way our commander requires us to fight. We need to stay in close touch with our commander and obey him. If we do these things, we will be secure in the protection that Christ gives, even if the battles rage fiercely around us. If we neglect to do these things, then we make ourselves very vulnerable to the enemy. He is strong and he is subtle. The Bible says:

Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. (1Peter 5.8)

He is like a roaring lion in his ferocity. But not in the noise he makes. He prefers stealth. He doesn't generally draw attention to himself. He goes in disguise. Again, the Bible says:

Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. (2 Corinthians 11.14)

About a generation ago now, the world was shocked by the story of Patty Hirst. She was the heiress of the Hirst publishing empire, the daughter of wealthy and powerful parents, a young woman of great privilege. But her life was turned upside down. She was kidnapped by a terrorist group. For a long time no-one knew where she was, even whether she was alive or dead. It was big news. But the story took an amazing twist, and filled the papers, when news of what had happened to her began to come through. The same terrorist group that had kidnapped Patty Hirst carried out a robbery. Their crime was caught on security cameras. And it became clear that one of the gang was Patty Hirst herself, caught on film wielding a gun on behalf of those who had kidnapped her. She had changed sides. Those who had been her enemies, kidnapping her and threatening her life, had become her commanders. She willingly obeyed them, and fought on their side. People could hardly bring themselves to believe that it was true. Why should someone with such privilege turn her back on it all and take the side of her enemies? But it was true. It was years before she emerged and began painfully to put her life together again. Every Christian is a kidnap target for the devil. But of course, unlike Patty Hirst, the threat is not of physical kidnapping but of spiritual kidnapping. The devil's all-consuming purpose is to drag us away from Christ. And then, having got us away, he intends to turn us so that we take his side and begin to fight his battles, just as Patty Hirst began to think that perhaps those terrorists had a point after all, and took up arms alongside them. If we are going to neutralise this threat of spiritual kidnapping in our lives, then we need to be spiritually astute. We need to be wise to the devil's schemes, and know how to avoid his traps. It is that wisdom that John is giving us in this letter. He helps us to answer three questions which provide the key to spiritual security. First, HOW EXACTLY DOES THE DEVIL TRY TO KIDNAP GOD'S CHILDREN? Secondly HOW HAS GOD COUNTERED THE DEVIL'S SCHEMES? And thirdly, HOW DO GOD'S CHILDREN AVOID DANGER? Those questions are the basis of my three headings. So my first heading is this: First, HOW THE DEVIL TRIES TO KIDNAP GOD'S CHILDREN? Verse 5:

They [that is the false prophets who, wittingly or unwittingly, are the agents of Satan] are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them.

Now taking that verse in the context of 1 John as a whole, there are five aspects of the devil's methods that I would like to draw out. First, the devil communicates through people. He does that because it is the most effective method of deceiving us. This is a pretty unpalatable truth. We have to face it, but we mustn't misunderstand it. Undoubtedly there are some people who have made a conscious decision to oppose Christ. Such people will use every argument they can muster to belittle him, and deny outright that he is the Lord and Saviour of the world. They are the Lord Haw-Haws of spiritual warfare. In the spiritual war, some are consciously treacherous in that way. But there are many who slide into Satan's camp unawares. They would vehemently deny any claim that they were feeding the devil's propaganda into the ears of unsuspecting Christians. But because of their denial of the truth about him and their rejection of his Word, that is in reality what is going on. None of us is immune from being manipulated in this way at times. When Peter began to reject Jesus' teaching that he must be killed, and to rebuke Jesus for saying it, he was unwittingly allowing the devil to use him as his mouthpiece. Jesus' response made that clear: "Get behind me, Satan!" he said. "You do not have in mind the things of God but the things of men" (Mark 8.33). The devil does not try and kidnap us by speaking through evil smelling green slime, or disembodied voices. He speaks through people. Ordinary human beings. Why? Because most of the time it never occurs to people that they are listening to the voice of Satan. That is how he deceives us. Secondly, the devil appeals to our worldly side.

They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. (v 5)

The "world" in this letter does not mean the created order. It means mankind in rebellion against God. That is the camp from which the devil's agents speak. And what makes us so vulnerable is this: even as Christians, we still have the world in our hearts. The front line of the conflict between Christ and the world runs right through our hearts. Our sinful, rebellious nature no longer has pride of place. It is no longer at the centre of our being where the Holy Spirit dwells. But it is still there. The world still has that magnetic attraction for us. And the devil exploits it ruthlessly. He appeals to our worldly side, to attract us, like the skilled fisherman who knows just what kind of bait will appeal most to the fish he is trying to catch. Thirdly, the devil is persistent. The false prophets, the agents of Satan, who were around in John's day were neither a new nor a temporary phenomenon. The history of God's people is littered with the trail of destruction that they have caused from the earliest days to the life of Jesus and beyond. As those who live between the first and second comings of Christ, we live in the last days. And Jesus said about these times:

For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and miracles to deceive the elect - if that were possible. So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time. (Mark 13.22)

It is one of the first principles of propaganda that however big the lie, if you say it loud enough and long enough, then people begin to believe it. Their sense of truth gets worn down by constant, persistent barrage. So that is how the devil works. He is wanting to wear us down. Fourthly, the devil surrounds us. Not only are the devil's agents always around, but there are always lots of them. Verse 1:

many false prophets have gone out into the world.

It is not only persistence that is effective with lying propaganda, but also quantity. This is the peer pressure effect. If enough people start saying the Bible is not worth reading; that it is a fabrication; that Jesus was just a radical rabbi with not a thought of being the Son of God; that he cannot have risen from the dead because the dead stay dead; that Biblical morality is actually immoral because it is intolerant and out of date - if enough people keep saying these things then plenty of people will cave in under the pressure from their peers and say to themselves "I must be wrong. They sound so reasonable. I must shift my ground and go and join them." They collapse under the pressure from all the surrounding voices. It is an effective tactic. The fifth method that the devil uses in his attempts to kidnap God's children is the basic one that underlies the rest.He lies. That is the heart of his method of entrapment. However plausible what he says may be, however attractively it is packaged, however long he keeps it up and however widespread its dissemination, it remains a lie. Promises he makes will not be kept. What he claims are facts are not facts. What he claims are benefits actually turn out to be costs. Everything that he does is based on lies. Plausible, attractive, persistent, lies. Jesus said of him:

He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. (John 8.44)

The more clearly we understand him and his methods, the better able we will be to withstand him. But we cannot defeat him with our own arsenal. We will find ourselves victorious against him only when we rely on Christ. He is our champion, and we need to shelter behind him. Which brings me to my second heading: Secondly, HOW GOD HAS COUNTERED THE DEVIL'S SCHEMES Faced with the power of Satan's subtle onslaught, we may begin to feel that we are bound to be overwhelmed and find ourselves captive to him. And it is right that we do not underestimate him. But the news from the front line is good for the people of God. Though the warfare continues, there is one fighting for them who is invincible. And that, of course, is Christ. Through his Son God has countered the devil's schemes in at least five ways. First, God has broken the devil's power. Chapter 3 verse 8:

The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work.

Where was the devil's work destroyed? At the cross. As Jesus approached his execution he said:

"Now is the time for judgement on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself." (John 12.31)

But if the devil remains so active and hostile in the way that we have been considering, why is it that John can say that his work has been destroyed? The reason is that at the cross the devil detonated what he thought was his secret weapon which would win the war for him. He thought that he could destroy the Son of God once for all. But far from destroying God's plan, the death of Christ fulfilled his purpose so that sinners could be set free from the devil's grasp. The devil has already used up his greatest weapon and it has been turned against him. He is on the retreat. His final defeat and utter destruction is assured. He is being pushed further and further back as the kingdom of Christ extends from heart to heart and to the ends of the earth. The devil's power has been broken. Secondly, God has broadcast the truth. Lies that go unchallenged are hard to resist. But in Christ God has shouted the truth from the rooftops. Anyone with ears to hear can hear it. You don't need a subscription to BSkyB. You don't need to be in the right part of the country to get Channel 5. The good news of Jesus is free and it is for everyone. "In these last days [God] has spoken to us by his Son" says Hebrews 1.2. And right at the start of his letter, John says of himself as one of the apostles: "The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it " And he confirms that what the apostles teach is the Word of God here in verse 6:

We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us.

The truth is plain. It is here in the Bible. It is the truth about the Son of God who has come to save the world from Satan's power and set us free from sin. Thirdly, God has countered the devil's schemes by giving to us his Spirit. Verse 4:

You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them [that is, the false teachers], because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

Remember: God has broken Satan's power. And God by his Spirit dwells in his people. The same power that turned Satan's greatest weapon back against him to destroy him is at work within us. It is there for us to call on. All we have to do is to turn to him for help in the struggle, and we will find him there by our side. Satan is no match for the Spirit of God. This is not a question of evenly balanced hand to hand combat. The power of the Spirit is infinitely greater than that of Satan. There is no competition. Fourthly, God has unmasked the devil's disguise and opened our eyes to see him. We know the devil tries to hide himself as an angel of light. We no longer need to be taken unawares. We know what he is up to. God has shown it to us. For those with eyes to see, his disguise has been stripped away. Then fifthly, God has equipped us with a lie detector. That lie detector is the Word of God. Verse 6 again:

We [that is John and that other apostles] are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.

How do we listen to the apostles today? The pages of the New Testament are the record of their teaching. They are God's lie detector. We can measure what anybody teaches up against the Bible. If it agrees, then it is true. If it does not agree, then it is false teaching. As simple as that. The Bible is the benchmark of truth. So God has fought for us victoriously through the death and the resurrection of Jesus. He is fighting for us in our lives today by the power of his invincible Spirit. He has trained us, equipped us, and armed us to fight with him. What, then should the children of God be doing in this continuing conflict? That brings us to my third and final heading: Thirdly, HOW GOD'S CHILDREN AVOID DANGER Here are four characteristics that we should be cultivating in response to all that God has done. First, confidence. Not self-confidence. Christ-confidence. We are on the winning side. The devil is mortally wounded. "Take up the shield of faith , with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one" says John's fellow apostle, Paul. "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you" says James. "Resist him" says Peter. The apostles speak with one voice. We need not be intimidated by the attempts of the devil to bully us. We can be confident in Christ's victory. Secondly, attention. Tune in to the Truth. God is broadcasting the truth but if we don't tune in we leave ourselves dangerously vulnerable. We neglect the Bible at our peril. Listen to it. Read it. Study it. Meditate on it. Make tuning in to the Word a lifetime habit. We need the radio of God's Word switched on all the time. When you are constantly hearing the truth, lies are easy to detect. Thirdly, alertness. Don't lower your guard. "The devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour" and he will continue to do so until Christ returns. The threat is constant. He will not let up in his attempts to kidnap us and turn us round so that we work for him, as Patty Hirst was turned by those terrorists. Constantly apply the lie-detector test to what you hear from others, and to all that he whispers in your ear. Stay alert. Then finally, direction. Know where you are headed. Keep the end in view. Chapter 2 verse 28:

And now, dear children, continue in [Christ], so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming.

One of the main reasons that we listen to the false prophets and to the devil's lies is that he offers us short term benefits whilst disguising the long term costs of being on his side. Do not be deceived. The devil's bargain makes us the loser. Do not let him lead you astray. That is the burden of this letter. John sees the danger. He sees the subtlety of the devil's schemes. You have overcome the evil one through faith in Christ, he says. The Word of God lives in you. Do not love the rebellious world. "Do not let anyone lead you astray" (3.7). Don't be mislead on to a different track that will take you away from Christ. Eternal life is to found in him and nowhere else. Do not go back to your old ways. "The one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world." Conclusion Patty Hirst may have been physically and psychologically vulnerable to being kidnapped by terrorists and turned by them for their purposes. As children of God we need have no such vulnerability. We can be confident, because God has unmasked Satan and broken his power. God has given us his Spirit. He has given us his Word to use as a lie detector. We need to be attentive to that Word. And we must be alert to the devil's schemes. It is Satan's purpose to deceive us and entrap us by attracting us to the ungodly world, and pressurising us, and wearing us down. And we must make sure that our sense of direction is good. We need to take the long view, never forgetting our eternal destination. Then with confidence in God, attention to his Word, alertness to the devil's schemes, and clear direction we will not be mislead. We will not be overcome by the evil one. Because the one who is in us is greater than the one who is in the world.