Pastor Jay continues the series on War of the World – A Training Manual for “My Little Children”, with this week’s sermon “Check Your Sources” from 1 John 4:4-6. [powerpress] 1 John 4:4-6 (ESV)
Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
To know truth from error we need to know our sources.
- You need to know that you are from God.
- You have and will overcome false doctrinal spirits.
- You know that He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
- You need to know that they are from the world.
- They speak from the world.
- The world listens to them.
- You need to know that the apostles were from God.
- Whoever knows God listen to the words of the apostles.
- Whoever is not from God does not listen to the words of the apostles.
Parent Connection Questions:
- What is a source and how important is it for determining truth?
- How does being a child of God give you confidence about knowing what is true?
- In what specific way (within the context of our passage) is the one in us greater than the one in the world?
- What is it like when the "world" will not listen to us? How should we deal with that?
- What does John mean when he says "we" in v. 6? Why is John so self-assured in this?