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God Is Life: The Spirit Of The Life
1 John 3:24-4-6
Vision Statement: God Is Life
Purpose Statement: Live, Learn, and Listen to the Spirit
God is Life! What an incredible statement.
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I am reminded of this every time I preach a funeral or memorial
service.
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As I meet with families I hear over and over again – “We
should get together more often!”
FRIENDS –
I am reminded that God is a God of life. Death cannot keep us away
from the life we find in our God through Jesus Christ.
This morning we are introduced to the third theme found in our study
of 1 John – God Is Life.
1 John 5:12 – “He has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son
of God does not have life.”
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God gives physical life to all – He is the Creator of life
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God gives spiritual new life to all who come to Him through
Jesus Christ (confess and believe)
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God gives His Spirit to those who are His children – indwelt by
the Spirit of God
Through the Spirit we are able to live, learn, and listen to the
things of God – as we walk in the light (1st theme) of
His love (2nd theme).
The Spirit life calls for each of us to make:
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Discernments to recognize and comprehend mentally – the work of
the Spirit
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Discriminations to make a clear distinction about the work of
the Spirit
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Decisions to reach a conclusion to follow the work of the
Spirit.
SPIRIT LIFE OF LIVING
– 3:24
John calls for each of us who have been born of God to live by the
Spirit of God.
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The Bible, however, makes it clear that to live by the Spirit is
not automatic – but a choice!
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Though God has placed His Spirit within each of His children –
it is up to you and I as the children of God to seek the filling
of the Spirit, so as to be led by the Spirit
Characteristics of a Carnal Christian – 1 Cor. 3:1-3
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Quenches the leading of the Spirit
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Grieves the Spirit by disobedience
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Lack of Joy
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Doubts salvation
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Influenced by worldly pleasures: prays little
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Little desire to read God’s Word
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Lack of Purpose
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Serves in own power
Characteristics of a Spirit-filled Christian – 1 Cor. 2:15
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Led by the Spirit
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Obeys the Spirit
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Stable and Joyful
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Confident in Salvation
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Lives separated from the world
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Effective prayer life
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Meditates on the Word of God
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Purpose for living
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Serves in the power of God
FRIENDS –
As children of God we tune our minds and hearts to the discernment
of the Spirit, so as to do and know the way of God.
A. Living to Do
God’s Spirit comes o empower us to keep and to do God’s Word
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The Spirit bears witness that we are abiding in Christ when we
keep the commandments of God
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Matthew 7:24 – “Therefore whoever
hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will like him to a
wise man who builds his house on the rock.”
FRIENDS –
To reject doing God’s Word is an unwise move on our part
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Matthew 7:26 – “But everyone who
hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like
a foolish man who has built his house on sand.”
A life of not doing God’s will will always result in a shifting
experience of being conformed to the patterns of this world.
B. Living To Know – 24b
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The abiding presence of Christ reveals itself through obedience
James 4:17 – “Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do
it, to him it is sin.”
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The abiding presence of Christ makes known the Spirit that
dwells within us as believers
Romans 8:9 – “But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if
indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have
the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.”
FRIENDS -
The Spirit-filled life produces obedience – The flesh life produces
disobedience
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Galatians 5:16-17 – “I say
then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of
the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit and the Spirit
against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so
that you do not do the things of the flesh.”
SPIRIT LIFE OF LEARNING
– 4:1-4
In John’s day services for bringing forth the Word and direction for
the church were different than what we tend to experience today.
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It was common for men to show up claiming themselves to be a
prophet (voice of God)
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However, not all were true voices for or from God
John, who was attempting to live and speak the truth of God
(remember, the New testament was still being written) gives by
inspiration of God a means of testing the varying spirits who spoke
among them.
TODAY –
We have a tendency to think that there is no need for such a test or
examination of truthfulness – since we hold the written Word of God
in our hands.
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However, “many believers remain biblically illiterate and
spiritually gullible” (Wylie Coy).
FRIENDS -
We need to continue to practice testing the spirits who speak to
persuade us
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The Spirit life calls for believers (children of God) to make
discriminations (to make clear distinctions) between things of
this world and the things of God.
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If our lives are tuned to think little of the Word of God, we
are more likely to be led astray by false teaching.
The apostle Paul encourages us in the Book of Ephesians to learn to
grow in Christ so that:
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We should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried
about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in
the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting (Eph.4:14)
A. Learning To Test
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Remember that the test is not humanly devised – but we are to
rely upon the Holy Spirit of God
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Assumptions are not a part of walking in the Spirit
John 14:26 – “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will
send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your
remembrance all things that I said to you.”
What do you test:
To see if they confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh or
not
Purpose of the test:
To see whether those who speak have their source from God.
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One source will be revealed – either God or the Antichrist
(Satan)
B. Learning To Trust – 4:4
From testing John takes us to who we are going to trust.
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The world – the circle of darkness
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God – The circle of Light
John 16:33 – “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may
have peace. In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good
cheer, I have overcome the world.”
FRIENDS -
Overcomers trust in the greater ability of God to prevail over the
onslaught of Satan, the world and its belief system.
SPIRIT LIFE OF LISTENING
– 4:5-6
From discernment to live by the Spirit, and discrimination to learn
of the Spirit – John takes us into the realm of decision:
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To reach a conclusion
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To listen to and follow the Spirit’s leading
Listening skills seem to be at an all time low!
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Steven Covey author of “7 Habits For Highly Effective
People” says we listen to respond, rather than listening
to understand.
How true that is!
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The next time you are in a conversation pay attention to how you
are listening
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If you are you waiting to interject your thoughts then you
aren’t listening to understand.
DO WE LISTEN TO THE SPIRIT ANYMORE?
The Psalmist reminds us to “be still and know that I am God.”
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We need to listen to understand and be understood
A. Listening To Understand – 4:5
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Listening to the spirits means more than merely hearing them
speak
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The Spirit leads us to listen so that we understand who is
behind their message.
FRIENDS – Not everyone who speaks in the name of Jesus promotes
the Jesus John writes about
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The motto here: “Don’t believe
everything you hear!”
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The Spirit inspires both teaching and understanding of the
truth
B. Listening To Be Understood – 4:6
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John assures us of our standing
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We cannot know God through worldly measures – spirit of
error
FRIENDS – I know God through revelation of the Spirit of God –
the Spirit of Truth
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Spirit of Truth dwells in you – John 14:17
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Spirit of Truth testifies of Christ to you – John 15:26
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Spirit of Truth guides you in all truth – John 16:13
We
must listen carefully so as to make a positive responsible
decision to the things of the Spirit.
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