Recognizing the Spirit

Anybody who rejects Jesus is not relating to the true God of the Bible. Dr. Tony Evans talks about what it takes to see evidence that greater is He that is in you. Belief in Jesus is not only essential for heaven, belief in Jesus is essential for earth. Celebrating 40 years of faithfulness, this is The Alternative with Dr. Tony Evans. Author, speaker, senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, Texas, and president of the Urban Alternative. God's Spirit is alive and active in our world today. Dr. Evans says whether or not you recognize what he's doing may depend on how closely you identify with him.

Let's listen as he explains. A few days ago I wanted to get a bag of potato chips. It said for these many coins I could have a bag of potato chips. I put some coins in the vending machine only to discover I got a quarter of a bag of potato chips and three quarters of a bag of air. I was deceived. They said it was a bag. They called it a bag.

I paid for a bag, but what I got was much less than what I bargained for. Deception is a major concern for the Christian because whether you are operating in the truth will have a lot to say about whether you are experiencing fellowship with the Savior. You see, God is truth. Therefore, he can only fellowship with truth. Satan is a liar. He is the father of lies. He wants to perpetrate a lie in order to disconnect you from the truth because if he disconnects you from the truth, he disconnects you from fellowship with himself.

A deception. I thought I would talk to you today from 1 John chapter 4, the first six verses. Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God because there are many false prophets that have gone out into the world. John the Apostle says that spirits must be tested to validate their authenticity. He connects spirits with false prophets, those who declare to speak on behalf of God, to speak on behalf of the truth, and he says they are legion. Many of them have gone out into the world, so he does say don't believe everything you hear.

You've got to put it to the test. The reason why it's important is because your fellowship with God depends on it, not your salvation. Your salvation is secure if you're saved, but he's talking about something much deeper because the book of 1 John concerns itself with spiritual intimacy. One of the reasons why our intimacy is compromised and God often seems a long way away is that we are functioning in deception and not in the truth, and because God is truth and the devil is a liar, when you are functioning in a lie, you're functioning out of fellowship with God, which is why in verse 6 he says we are from God. He who knows God listens to us. That is the knowledge, the experiential knowledge of God, not just the informational knowledge of God, comes because you are listening, he says, to the truth. The issue here that John wants to address relative to our fellowship with God is the issue of truth and error.

Every spiritual conclusion that anybody reaches, whether in Hollywood or whether in somebody's homestead, must be put to the test. By this you know, verse 2 says, the Spirit of God. See, he introduces us to the Holy Spirit because it is the Holy Spirit's job to make sure we are in the truth. That is, it is the role of the Holy Spirit to give us discernment so that we know this is right and that ain't right.

This is true, this is not true. This discerning role of the Holy Spirit is called in chapter 2 of 1 John, the anointing. The anointing is like your burglar alarm at home when it goes off, you know somebody has come in. When the smoke detector goes off, you know something is awry. When a metal detector at an airport goes off, it sounds a beeping sound, an alarm that must be checked out.

A house alarm goes off, you check it out, smoke alarm goes off, check it out, a metal detector goes off, it is checked out because something awry could be there. Every true Christian has the Holy Spirit. And if you are seeking to live in the truth, the Holy Spirit alarms the soul. But this needs to be checked out. This is the anointing that he speaks of, this discerning, this alarm system that God has given us, this satellite system, if you will, to deal with false prophets, spiritual decoys.

I've never done it, but I hear duck hunters use decoys that move around like the real thing in order to deceive. The problem today is that many Christians are living under deception. And while we could spend extra time talking about a particular movie, that's just the big screen version. You see, one of the things about the anointing that John makes clear, when you and I understand who Jesus Christ is, he says that you have no need for any man to teach you. What he's saying there is you do not have to go outside of God to get the truth. You don't have to depend on human viewpoint when it comes to spiritual matters or matters that have spiritual repercussions. Once you link the spiritual aspect of a thing to a conversation or a decision, you do not have to go to a non-Christian world viewpoint to get your answers. Many people are running all over the place to find the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, but you have the anointing.

You already have that capacity. So I raise the question, doesn't it? What is the acid test that the Spirit of God uses to give us the capacity to discern whether something is true or not, fact or fiction, right or wrong, good or bad, up or down? He tells us in verse two, by this you know the Spirit of God, every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God. The author of the book of Hebrews says that Jesus Christ is the image of the invisible God. He is the firstborn of all creation.

In other words, you know whether something is connected with the truth or whether it is connected with the belief that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh. If Jesus is God, then I got to treat him like I treat God. In fact, I can even relate to God now better because I see God with hands and feet and ears and a nose and lips.

I see God in the form of a man. And that is why Jesus is unique because what Jesus does is he brings God down to human terms so that you can understand God in a language and in a life that you can identify with. That the invisible God has become visible. Belief in Jesus is not only essential for heaven, belief in Jesus is essential for earth because it has to do with how much of God you experience. The test about the spiritual authenticity of a matter has to do with whether Jesus agrees or disagrees with it because that is the viewpoint of God. Why are more of us not hearing from the Spirit of God? Simply, we're operating in the deception of false prophets. People who speak spiritually but whose words do not agree with Christ. Therefore, canceling any interface by God.

Notice something. It is confessing openly, not necessarily denying. Pay close attention, he says, every spirit that confesses, that agrees with Christ, you don't have to come out and say, I hate Jesus. You just have to not confess it. You don't have to be mean about it.

You don't have to be hating. All you got to do is be quiet. Jesus put it this way in Matthew 10. If you deny me before men, I will deny you before my Father. If you do not confess Christ openly, you have by implication denied him. And to deny the Son is to lose fellowship with the Father.

So I want to throw you a big one right now. What I want to suggest to you is many of us are not hearing from the Father because we're too quiet about Jesus. Because he says, where the Spirit of God is, you see the confession of Christ. In fact, he told the church when he began the church in Acts chapter 1, he says, but when the Spirit of God comes upon you, you will be my witnesses.

You can always know a person who is in fellowship with the Father because he's willing to be identified with the Son. If Jesus is only a man and the primary record about Jesus is the Bible, then if Jesus is untrustworthy, the Bible is untrustworthy. So let me make this controversial statement. You can quote me on it.

I want to be inextricably clear. Anybody who rejects Jesus is not relating to the true God of the Bible. You didn't hear me. Anybody who rejects Jesus, Jesus said, does not know the Father. To consciously reject him is to reject any true connection with the Father. And to be embarrassed by him because you're concerned about offending, not because you're trying to offend, it's just he's offensive.

He goes on a little deeper. Every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. Now, he just said what I just said. Every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. Every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. How many spirits are we talking about?

Everyone, right? Every spirit, every proclamation of spiritual connection with God that rejects Jesus Christ and that refuses to confess him is not from God. I didn't say that. Well, I said it.

That's because I read it. This is the spirit of the Antichrist. He says it's a spirit, all right. It's a spirit anti, that means against Christ. So your refusal or my refusal to identify with Jesus Christ, to lead Jesus on the sidelines, to not want people to think that we are too committed to Jesus Christ, what we just did was turned our back on him. He calls it Antichrist. You have become Benedict Arnold.

You have joined the other camp. He says your test that the spirit of God uses to sound off the alarm about truth and error is what it does with Jesus Christ and anything that rejects him and that refuses to acknowledge him cannot be from God. He's writing to Christians. That's why he can say in verse 4, you're from God, little children, you're Christians, and have overcome them because greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world.

They are from the world, therefore they speak as from the world and the world listens to them. It becomes box office success. It becomes a major book deal.

But the people behind those books and movies have an agenda. Dr. Evans will come back to tell us about it in just a moment when he continues this message from his series, Life in the Spirit. It's an eight-lesson collection focusing on what happens when you not only have God near you but in you. You'll discover how to stay in constant contact with the Lord as he fills you, empowers you, transforms you, and perfects you. Few Christians really understand how to tap into the power, peace, and presence of God through the Spirit.

Others are downright afraid of having God get that close. Well, this series will clear up the common misconceptions that prevent people from letting the Lord change them from the inside out. And we have a special offer that lasts only through Monday. Just visit us right away at tonyevans.org, make a donation toward the ministry, and we'll say thanks by sending you the complete Life in the Spirit series on both CD and digital download. And as a special bonus, we'll include a copy of Tony's powerful book, The Fire That Ignites. In it, he explains how God's Holy Spirit enabled the disciples to become bold martyrs who changed the world and how that same power can transform you from a spiritual sleepwalker into a wide-awake witness able to make a real difference. Again, that's tonyevans.org. Or call our 24-hour resource request line at 1-800-800-3222.

I'll have that contact information for you again after part two of today's message and this. As a follower of Christ, you are created and called for greatness, now more than ever before. In his powerful sequel to the bestseller, Kingdom Man, Tony Evans' Kingdom Men Rising calls men to break free of apathetic faith, to take a stand, do more than just exist. You have been called to rise up and influence those around you. Discover how when you get Kingdom Men Rising and learn the art of intentional impact.

Available April 6th. A very important word. Verse 5 and 6. They are from the world, therefore they speak us from the world and the world listens to them, okay?

Blockbuster books, blockbuster movies. The world listens to them because they got to get rid of Jesus. They got to get rid of this God side and just make him a man who's a liar, which means the Bible is a liar, which means the church is a liar, which means that we should give the benediction and go home. But John wants you to know something and I want you to know something too. He says because of the world's belief system, the world listens to them. He says, but we, referring to the apostles, are from God and he who knows God listens to us. He who does not know God does not listen to us. He says, here's how you know the spirit of truth from the spirit of error.

Watch this now, watch this now. He says, it's all about who you're listening to. We have a choice. You know why so many of us are messed up? It's who we're listening to. We can boil down a whole bunch of stuff because of who we're listening to. He says, if you listen to the world and the world is antichrist, then you become antichrist with it. That raises a question.

I want to allude to this. Why should we listen to the apostles? Why shouldn't we go to the Gospel of Thomas or the Gospel of Judas and these writings that have been hidden?

Why? Why should we go to the Bible? Why is the Bible the place we should go to? Flip back one page to John chapter one. Let me read the first four verses.

Don't have time to develop it, but let me just read a couple of things to you. What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands concerning the word of life. And the life was manifested and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was what the Father manifested to us. What we have seen and heard, we proclaim to you also so that you may have fellowship with us. And indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ. These things we write so that our joy may be made complete. John said, look, look, the reason you should listen to us is we're not telling you something somebody told us.

Said, we're not giving you secondhand information. He says the life was manifested. That means made visible. We saw it. He said, and we heard it.

And all we're doing is passing on to you what we saw and heard. First Corinthians 15 verse six puts it this way. When Jesus rose from the dead, He says He showed Himself publicly to 500 brother.

Now, let me ask you just a logical question. If 500 people saw you, okay? Now, you could have a fool in the bunch.

Maybe you could have three fools or eight fools or 12 fools, but if 500 people saw the same thing, and you disagree with them, then probably you the fool if 500 people saw it. Let me show you one closing scripture. I love this. Second Peter chapter one, just wanna read this to you and we'll bring it to a close. Verse 13, I consider it right as long as I am in this earthly dwelling, as long as I'm alive, to stir you up by way of reminder, knowing that the laying aside of my earthly dwelling, my debt is imminent. I'm getting ready to die. As also our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me, Jesus had predicted His death, and I also will be diligent that at any time after my departure, my death, you will be able to call these things to mind.

I'm getting ready to leave you, but I wanna leave you something to remember. For we did not follow cleverly devised stories. When we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We didn't make this stuff up, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. Peter's saying, I was there. He said, I'm getting ready to die first.

On my dying bed, I don't have to lie to you. I was there. For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to Him by the majestic glory. This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased. And we ourselves heard this utterance made from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. Peter recalls his experience on the Mount of Transfiguration. Peter said, look, this is not a fable. I ain't make this up.

I ain't come up with no spot stuff here and there. We were there. And we stood on the Mount of Transfiguration and we saw heaven open.

We heard the glorious voice of God come down and say, this is my beloved Son in whom I'm well pleased. Follow this last phrase. Hear ye Him. Give Him your attention.

Pay Him your undivided attention. Listen to me. When you, if you want to see greater is He that's in you than he that's in the world, stop denying association with Christ. Because the Spirit of Christ will only manifest itself where it knows the confession of Christ is not being denied. Stop being, as Paul says, ashamed of the gospel.

Stop being afraid of rejection by the world if you're going to be accepted by the Father. If you've never made that association with Christ, if you've never asked Him to forgive your sins and come into your life, then log on to TonyEvans.org and click on the link that says Jesus. There, Tony will tell you all about what it means to be a Christian and walk you through everything you need to know to start your brand new life today. Again, that's at TonyEvans.org. And that's also the place to go to get a copy of The Message You Heard Today. It's part of Tony's current series, Life in the Spirit. As I mentioned earlier, it's available right now along with his corresponding book about God's Holy Spirit, The Fire That Ignites. We'll send them both to you as our thank you gift when you make a donation toward keeping this broadcast coming your way each day. This double offer is only available through Monday, so be sure to visit us right away at TonyEvans.org to make the arrangements. Or call us at 1-800-800-3222 and let one of our friendly team members assist with your request.

Again, that's 1-800-800-3222. Many religions focus on human improvement, making people better. But Christianity is about human transformation, making people brand new from the inside out. On Monday, Dr. Evans will explore that process as he talks about what it means to be perfected in the Spirit. I hope you'll join us. The alternative with Dr. Tony Evans is brought to you by The Urban Alternative and is celebrating 40 years of faithfulness thanks to the generous contributions of listeners like you. .