Introduction: One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is the discerning
of spirits. 1 Corinthians 12:10. Why would God give this gift?
Apparently, because not all spirits are good. Jesus warns in Matthew
24:24 that false Christs and false prophets will perform miracles
with the goal of deceiving Christians. This means that we are to be
alert to those who falsely claim the power of the Holy Spirit. At the
same time, Jesus warns us of the extreme danger of attributing to
Satan the works of the Holy Spirit. Matthew 12:32. Let’s dive into
our study of what the Bible teaches about how discernment can
safeguard rival in the church!
- Caution Discerners!
- Read Matthew 12:22-23. Jesus performs a great miracle,
what are the people asking? (Read John 7:41-42 and Isaiah
35:4-5. The people knew Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah
would perform this kind of miracle. They believed the
Messiah would come from the line of King David, therefore
they are asking, “Is this the promised Messiah?”) - Read Matthew 12:24. What is the opinion of the religious
leaders about Jesus’ miracle-working? (They say Jesus’
miracles come from the wrong spirit, they come from
Satan.) - Read Matthew 12:25-26. What is Jesus’ logical argument
against the opinion of the religious leaders? (Satan
cannot drive out Satan. If he did, Satan’s kingdom would
collapse.) - Read Matthew 12:27-29. What logical argument is Jesus’
making about tying up a strong man? (Jesus is driving out
demons. How is it possible to drive out demons unless you
first tie up the head of demons – Satan?) - Read Matthew 12:30. What does this teach us about
discerning spirits? (We look at the big picture. Is this
person advancing the Kingdom of God?) - Read Matthew 12:31-32. What terrible warning are we given
about calling the work of the Holy Spirit Satanic? (It is
the sin which cannot be forgiven!) - Would you prefer to be given a less dangerous gift
than the discerning of spirits? - The Holy Spirit is just one part of the Trinity, why
is blasphemy against the Spirit worse than blasphemy
against Jesus? ( John 16:7-8 tells us that the Holy
Spirit convicts us of sin. If we cannot discern the
Holy Spirit from demonic power, we are in big trouble
when it comes to understanding sin.) - Read Matthew 12:9-13. Recall this occurred before the
Pharisees alleged that Jesus performed miracles by the
power of Satan. What role does the Sabbath play in the
Pharisee’s opinion of Jesus’ miracle?(Likely the Pharisees
thought Jesus’ miracle came from Satan because of their
theological differences on the Sabbath.) - What lesson does that suggest to Sabbath-keepers?
(This is another caution.) - The Discernment Test
- Read Mark 9:38-40. By what spirit was this man driving out
demons? (The Holy Spirit.) - How do we know? (Jesus gave His stamp of approval to
his work.) - What test did Jesus use to discern spirits, and what
test did John use to discern spirits? (John’s test
was “Is he one of us?” Jesus’ test was “In whose name
did he perform the miracle?”) - How would you state John’s test in today’s
terms? (Is he a member of our church?) - Look again at Mark 9:39-40. What should we conclude
if someone does a miracle in Jesus’ name? (Jesus’
approval is very broad. This is the same logic as He
used in saying that Satan cannot drive out Satan:
miracle-workers are on one side or the other.) - Read Isaiah 8:19-20. Mediums and spiritists are obviously
the wrong spirits. What test is applied here to discern
that? (Consulting the dead is an obvious clue. The broader
test is whether the spirit speaks in accord with the
Bible.) - Read John 16:12-15. What does this say about how the
Holy Spirit will speak? (He will only speak in accord
with the other Members of the Trinity. We can test
the spirit speaking to us by asking whether the
message is in accord with the Bible generally.) - Does this square with Jesus’ statements that miracle
workers are on one side or the other? (This is where
the Pharisees and the Sabbath healing are important.
The test is not whether a fellow Christian agrees
with us on all points of doctrine. The test is
whether the miracle-worker is promoting Jesus or not.
If we make the test too narrow, we may find that we
are blaspheming the Holy Spirit!) - Assume you saw a man smoking a large cigar and he told you
that he had been healed by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Would his smoking be relevant to the issue of what power
healed him? (No! The relevant question is whether he is
promoting Jesus, not the minor theological issue of
smoking. How many people who fail to exercise, eat
unhealthy food, are overweight, or fail to take their
medicine pray for healing? The relevant question is
whether the person promotes Jesus. A God who only healed
those who perfectly followed the health laws would only
forgive those who perfectly followed the moral laws.) - Spiritual Discernment and Excitement
- Read Acts 2:1-3. Those of you who know this story, what
was the purpose of this Pentecost experience to the early
Christian Church? (It is the kick-off of the revival
movement just after Jesus returned to heaven.) - Why is the kick-off like this? (This gets the
attention of the people.) - Read Acts 2:5-8 and Acts 2:12. What actually happened
because of the sound, fire and tongues? (“A crowd came
together.” A crowd who wanted to know more. A crowd who
was asking questions.) - What should we think about a revival that has
exciting things happen? (It is consistent with the
first great Christian revival.) - Read Acts 2:13. What spirit did this group think was
behind all of the sound, fire and tongues? (Wine! A spirit
of drunkenness.) - Read Acts 2:15-16. What test does Peter suggest should be
applied to the issue of which spirit is behind this event?
(He uses logic – it is too early to be drunk. More
important, he turns to the Bible and cites the prophecy of
Joel.) - Read Acts 2:18-19. What does Joel predict will happen when
the Spirit of God is poured out in the last days? (Signs
and wonders. Smoke, fire and blood.) - If we are living in the last days, and our revivals
do not involve signs and wonders, what should we
conclude? - Read 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12. What will Satan orchestrate
in the last days? (Counterfeit miracles, signs and
wonders.) - What does this teach us about signs and wonders?
(Signs and wonders are not the test. Both the true
and the false use signs and wonders.) - What test can we find in these verses? (The point of
Satan’s revival is to disbelieve the truth and to
delight in wickedness.) - Why does the Bible refer to “counterfeit” miracles,
signs and wonders? (This shows the true work of God
also has miracles, signs and wonders.)
- Look again at 2 Thessalonians 2:10-11. How difficult is it
to apply the proper discernment test? What does this say
about the people who are deceived? (They want to be
deceived. They delight in wickedness.) - Read Matthew 24:23-24. How difficult is the test here?
(Jesus says it is a powerful deception.) - Read Matthew 24:26-27. How difficult does the test seem to
be to you? (Comparing a world-wide event to local claims
seems easy.) - Notice something. Recall that earlier we concluded
that a broad test – does the person promote Jesus –
was the proper test. Here, we have a test that is
much more narrow. What does this teach us? (We need
to know our Bibles to really understand what promotes
Jesus and what does not.) - Friend, will you pray for the ability to discern spirits?
Will you pray that the Holy Spirit will power your revival
efforts?
- Caution Discerners!
- Read Matthew 12:22-23. Jesus performs a great miracle,
what are the people asking? (Read John 7:41-42 and Isaiah
35:4-5. The people knew Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah
would perform this kind of miracle. They believed the
Messiah would come from the line of King David, therefore
they are asking, “Is this the promised Messiah?”) - Read Matthew 12:24. What is the opinion of the religious
leaders about Jesus’ miracle-working? (They say Jesus’
miracles come from the wrong spirit, they come from
Satan.) - Read Matthew 12:25-26. What is Jesus’ logical argument
against the opinion of the religious leaders? (Satan
cannot drive out Satan. If he did, Satan’s kingdom would
collapse.) - Read Matthew 12:27-29. What logical argument is Jesus’
making about tying up a strong man? (Jesus is driving out
demons. How is it possible to drive out demons unless you
first tie up the head of demons – Satan?) - Read Matthew 12:30. What does this teach us about
discerning spirits? (We look at the big picture. Is this
person advancing the Kingdom of God?) - Read Matthew 12:31-32. What terrible warning are we given
about calling the work of the Holy Spirit Satanic? (It is
the sin which cannot be forgiven!) - Would you prefer to be given a less dangerous gift
than the discerning of spirits? - The Holy Spirit is just one part of the Trinity, why
is blasphemy against the Spirit worse than blasphemy
against Jesus? ( John 16:7-8 tells us that the Holy
Spirit convicts us of sin. If we cannot discern the
Holy Spirit from demonic power, we are in big trouble
when it comes to understanding sin.) - Read Matthew 12:9-13. Recall this occurred before the
Pharisees alleged that Jesus performed miracles by the
power of Satan. What role does the Sabbath play in the
Pharisee’s opinion of Jesus’ miracle?(Likely the Pharisees
thought Jesus’ miracle came from Satan because of their
theological differences on the Sabbath.) - What lesson does that suggest to Sabbath-keepers?
(This is another caution.) - The Discernment Test
- Read Mark 9:38-40. By what spirit was this man driving out
demons? (The Holy Spirit.) - How do we know? (Jesus gave His stamp of approval to
his work.) - What test did Jesus use to discern spirits, and what
test did John use to discern spirits? (John’s test
was “Is he one of us?” Jesus’ test was “In whose name
did he perform the miracle?”) - How would you state John’s test in today’s
terms? (Is he a member of our church?) - Look again at Mark 9:39-40. What should we conclude
if someone does a miracle in Jesus’ name? (Jesus’
approval is very broad. This is the same logic as He
used in saying that Satan cannot drive out Satan:
miracle-workers are on one side or the other.) - Read Isaiah 8:19-20. Mediums and spiritists are obviously
the wrong spirits. What test is applied here to discern
that? (Consulting the dead is an obvious clue. The broader
test is whether the spirit speaks in accord with the
Bible.) - Read John 16:12-15. What does this say about how the
Holy Spirit will speak? (He will only speak in accord
with the other Members of the Trinity. We can test
the spirit speaking to us by asking whether the
message is in accord with the Bible generally.) - Does this square with Jesus’ statements that miracle
workers are on one side or the other? (This is where
the Pharisees and the Sabbath healing are important.
The test is not whether a fellow Christian agrees
with us on all points of doctrine. The test is
whether the miracle-worker is promoting Jesus or not.
If we make the test too narrow, we may find that we
are blaspheming the Holy Spirit!) - Assume you saw a man smoking a large cigar and he told you
that he had been healed by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Would his smoking be relevant to the issue of what power
healed him? (No! The relevant question is whether he is
promoting Jesus, not the minor theological issue of
smoking. How many people who fail to exercise, eat
unhealthy food, are overweight, or fail to take their
medicine pray for healing? The relevant question is
whether the person promotes Jesus. A God who only healed
those who perfectly followed the health laws would only
forgive those who perfectly followed the moral laws.) - Spiritual Discernment and Excitement
- Read Acts 2:1-3. Those of you who know this story, what
was the purpose of this Pentecost experience to the early
Christian Church? (It is the kick-off of the revival
movement just after Jesus returned to heaven.) - Why is the kick-off like this? (This gets the
attention of the people.) - Read Acts 2:5-8 and Acts 2:12. What actually happened
because of the sound, fire and tongues? (“A crowd came
together.” A crowd who wanted to know more. A crowd who
was asking questions.) - What should we think about a revival that has
exciting things happen? (It is consistent with the
first great Christian revival.) - Read Acts 2:13. What spirit did this group think was
behind all of the sound, fire and tongues? (Wine! A spirit
of drunkenness.) - Read Acts 2:15-16. What test does Peter suggest should be
applied to the issue of which spirit is behind this event?
(He uses logic – it is too early to be drunk. More
important, he turns to the Bible and cites the prophecy of
Joel.) - Read Acts 2:18-19. What does Joel predict will happen when
the Spirit of God is poured out in the last days? (Signs
and wonders. Smoke, fire and blood.) - If we are living in the last days, and our revivals
do not involve signs and wonders, what should we
conclude? - Read 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12. What will Satan orchestrate
in the last days? (Counterfeit miracles, signs and
wonders.) - What does this teach us about signs and wonders?
(Signs and wonders are not the test. Both the true
and the false use signs and wonders.) - What test can we find in these verses? (The point of
Satan’s revival is to disbelieve the truth and to
delight in wickedness.) - Why does the Bible refer to “counterfeit” miracles,
signs and wonders? (This shows the true work of God
also has miracles, signs and wonders.)
- Look again at 2 Thessalonians 2:10-11. How difficult is it
to apply the proper discernment test? What does this say
about the people who are deceived? (They want to be
deceived. They delight in wickedness.) - Read Matthew 24:23-24. How difficult is the test here?
(Jesus says it is a powerful deception.) - Read Matthew 24:26-27. How difficult does the test seem to
be to you? (Comparing a world-wide event to local claims
seems easy.) - Notice something. Recall that earlier we concluded
that a broad test – does the person promote Jesus –
was the proper test. Here, we have a test that is
much more narrow. What does this teach us? (We need
to know our Bibles to really understand what promotes
Jesus and what does not.) - Friend, will you pray for the ability to discern spirits?
Will you pray that the Holy Spirit will power your revival
efforts?
- Next week: Reformation: The Outgrowth of Revival.
