Do you recall an experience of being tricked with clever words? I do. One such experience for me took place many years ago at Lake Schetak Boy Scout Camp in Southwestern Minnesota. I was there with a couple of other guys from my scout troop. One evening an adult leader at the camp that I had assumed I could trust made an absolute fool out of me.

Embarrassed, I learned what John begins to talk about in this fourth chapter of his letter, "Don't believe everything you hear." While I know of this warning I must admit that there are times since that experience in my early teens when I have not weighed and examined what people told me as carefully as I should. Perhaps, if you are honest you might make a similar confession.

I certainly agree with John's statement, "Not everyone who talks about God comes from God." The fellow who tricked me at scout camp long ago was not claiming to be speaking for God, but as an adult leader I thought I could trust him. However, there are many experiences of people being deceived by persons talking about God who do not necessarily speak the truth.

John, the beloved apostle who wrote this letter also wrote of the Holy Spirit in his Gospel. The Holy Spirit can assist us in examining what people say, to determine whether or not they are speaking truth.

For a few moments this morning I want us to consider some characteristics of the Holy Spirit that can help us discern the truth.

I. The Anointing Spirit

In the previous chapter John had mentioned the Holy Spirit by name, but he introduced us to the Holy One in the second chapter emphasizing the Spirit's anointing and teaching ministry. He said, "But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth." In John's gospel, chapters 14-17, John had written about the anointing of the Holy Spirit to guide us into the truth.

We need the Spirit's anointing so we are guided in the truth and so that we not believe everything we hear. This anointing Spirit is also the abiding spirit.

II. The Abiding Spirit

My friends, the Anointing Holy Spirit does not intend to come to us merely for a few heart warming experiences. I know persons who had been blessed with the anointing of the Holy Spirit, but then after some spiritual highs, they ignored the Holy Spirit for a time. The Holy Spirit wants to be the Abiding Spirit for us empowering us to know the truth, to act on the truth, and to love God and one another.

Recall what Jesus said when He comforted His people telling them of sending the Holy Spirit? "If you love Me, you will obey what I command you. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor, to be with you forever." John 14:15-16. To allow the Holy Spirit to be the abiding Spirit for us, we need to obey God's Word. That is what we can believe. Of course, as we abide in Christ John tells us that we will bear fruit. When Pastor Bob Dodge and I have done some teaching together, I remember him saying that we are not to judge, but we are to be fruit inspectors. How much fruit are we bearing? Are we abiding in Christ and allowing His Holy Spirit to abide in us?

III. The Attesting Spirit

Actually, the attribute of the Holy Spirit and the next one are the one primarily focused on in the passage this morning.

"My Dear friends, don't believe everything you hear. Carefully weigh and examine what people tell you. Not everyone who talks about God comes from God." Along with the anointing and abiding Spirit we need the Attesting Spirit to know what to believe. John goes on to give a test:

Here's how you test for the genuine Spirit of God. Everyone who confesses openly his faith in Jesus Christ - the Son of God, who came as an actual flesh-and-blood person - comes from God and belongs to God. And everyone who refuses to confess faith in Jesus has nothing in common with God. This is the spirit of the antichrist that you heard was coming. Well, here it is, sooner than we thought!

What about that test? Often people tell me that Christianity is hard to understand and they think they are no match to persons who may not be speaking the truth. I tell you what I have told people for many years. It is just what John is using for the truth test. Who is Jesus? Jesus Christ is the Son of God, who came as an actual flesh-and-blood person. He is the historical Jesus who was in the beginning with the Father and the Spirit, who came as the flesh and blood Son of God, physically died for our sins, and rose from the dead.

The Attesting Spirit would guard us against believing in a god other than this one, not matter how cleverly its proponents may use words. The Attesting Spirit would remind us that this untrue teaching about God is from the spirit of antichrist.

IV. The Authenticating Spirit

Our Anointing, Abiding, Attesting, Spirit is also the Authenticating Spirit. He bears witness to the person and work of Jesus Christ for us. This Jesus Christ is the real thing. This Holy Spirit is the real thing. He is actual, legitimate, genuine, authentic.

When I was in college our Intervarsity Christian Fellowship had a musical ministry which borrowed tune for the "Coca-Cola Song" to sing about Jesus as the REAL thing, instead of Coke. The Authenticating Spirit confirms our confession of Jesus Christ being the real, genuine, thing.

Conclusion

A few years ago Pastor Larry Lea wrote: "Not long ago, a man phoned me who was very upset. He was a Christian who had come from a restaurant where he had witnessed a man bowing his head in prayer before he began eating. Being very impressed that this man was bold enough to ask God's blessing on his meal so openly in such a nice restaurant, he had excused himself from his friends who were at the table with him, and he had gone over to the man to let him know how much his actions had encouraged him.

He got the shock of his life.

"I wasn't asking God to bless my food," the man said. "I was praying to Satan. And I was praying that Satan will destroy the top churches and ministries across this nation during the coming months."

"You're praying this all by yourself?" the Christian muttered, trying to be a little objective in order to ease some of the tension he felt in his spirit.

"Oh, no," the Satanist said. "There are thousands of us organized across the nation. We've agreed to pray diligently for this to happen until it does!"

The Christian was so shaken by what he'd heard that he could hardly tell the story without stuttering

My friends, I ask you. Does this frighten you? Does it call you to test the spirits? Does it encourage you to cling closely to the Lord?

Last week some people observed Halloween. While there are many that just see this as a fun harmless, holiday, remember that there are some who really do worship the evil one. It is a time which often focuses on deception. Don't believe everything you hear.

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