Sermon: Recognizing the Intents of the Heart

#1697
Martin G. Collins
Given 11-Mar-23; 69 minutes

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Can you read the "writing on the wall?" I am not talking specifically about the writing on the wall that Daniel was God-inspired to interpret. I am referring to the general principle that the writing on the wall in our contemporary vernacular means "the truth is in plain sight."

Do you recognize official statistics that conflict with known facts? Are you able to predict the consequences of sinful lifestyles? Do you have a discerning heart that allows you to rightly evaluate and judge people and things? Are you able to properly value people? Do you recognize the intents of the heart?

Most people cannot discern the times or distinguish between right and wrong in the world. Their knowledge may excel in areas of science and business and engineering, but most evaluate and judge things by what they see and hear through unreliable sources, such as mainstream media or hearsay. So most people lack wisdom and discernment in this world.

Obtaining wisdom is usually not a once-a-week hobby. It is the daily discipline of a lifetime but in this age of microwave ovens, fast foods, abbreviations, and instant messaging, many people are not learning the practice of investing time and energy and digging deep into why things are the way they are.

The terms wisdom and discernment are easily confused and believed to be interchangeable. However, there is a clear distinction between the terms. The New World Dictionary of American English defines wisdom this way: "The quality of being wise; power of judging rightly, and following the soundest course of action based on knowledge, experience, understanding; good judgment." Now, The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines wisdom a little bit differently as, "Ability to discern inner qualities and relationships; insight, good sense, judgment." So there are overlapping qualities of both wisdom and discernment.

Simply stated, wisdom is the proper application of knowledge. It is the right use of knowledge. Proverbs 4:7 says, "Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding." That is not a request by God, that is a commandment, in one sense, through the author.

There is both a connection and a distinction between wisdom and discernment. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language defines discern as, "to perceive with the eyes, detect, or distinguish," and then a second definition, "to recognize or understand as being distinct or different."

Discernment is the ability to judge well regarding people and things. People who have discernment are considered wise and knowledgeable. Sadly, people without discernment are considered foolish, and those who do not listen to advice and do not consider the result of their actions lack discernment. Deuteronomy 32, verses 28-29 is speaking of ancient Israel at their low point, so to speak.

Deuteronomy 32:28-29 "For they are a nation void of counsel, nor is there any understanding in them. Oh, that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end!"

So we should teach our children and our grandchildren to consider the end. That is something that we told our children and grandchildren, and went over and over with them and made them repeat it back to us. And I believe that is something that Sue's parents, John and Evelyn, told their children. And it it does fit in with what it says here in Deuteronomy: "Consider their latter end." So we should teach our children and grandchildren to consider the end, to consider the consequences of what they are about to do, and that will help them immensely.

Now, people who are self-confident, quick-tempered, and lawbreakers are considered simpletons by definition. They are deficient in judgment, good sense, or intelligence. In a word, fools. They are of limited and feeble intelligence and considered foolish or silly. Now, let us see what the Scriptures have to say.

Proverbs 14:15-18 The simple believes every word, but the prudent considers well his steps. A wise man fears and departs from evil, but a fool rages and is self-confident. A quick-tempered man acts foolishly, and a man of wicked intentions is hated. The simple inherit folly, but the prudent are crowned with knowledge.

The term "the simple" mentioned in verses 15 and 18 is from a Hebrew word that means simple, foolish, easily enticed, seduced, gullible, or inexperienced.

Those who claim to know God but do not discern the urgency of the times are hypocrites, just as they were in Jesus Christ's day by not recognizing Him. Luke records that Jesus associated hypocrisy with a lack of discernment.

Luke 12:54-56 Then He also said to the multitudes, "Whenever you see a cloud rising out of the west, immediately you say, 'A shower is coming'; and so it is. And when you see the south wind blow, you say, 'There will be hot weather'; and there is. Hypocrites! You can discern the face of the sky and the earth, but how is it you do not discern this time?"

The Greek word for discern there in verse 56 means, "to test, to prove, to scrutinize so as to make a right decision." Just as many did not discern the times during Jesus Christ's day, so in the latter days many will not discern and will reject the truth to follow deceivers (apparently many that have been associated with the church).

I Timothy 4:1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in the latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons.

So, professing Christians will not discern the times that they are evil. That should concern us because we want to make sure that we are discerning the times.

Now, how hard is it to learn essential human discernment? We can cultivate some discernment through our own efforts, but we must choose to develop it. Like musical ability, essential discernment can be taught, learned, practiced, and developed.

Please turn over to Job 34, verse 1. Job's young friend Elihu, whose speeches with their strong emphasis on God's sovereignty, understood that we must choose justice which must be achieved with wisdom and discernment.

Job 34:1-4 Elihu further answered and said: "Hear my words, you wise men; give ear to me, you who have knowledge. For the ear tests words as the palate tastes food. Let us choose justice for ourselves; let us know among ourselves what is good."

While looking for the meaning of life, Solomon wrote in the book of Ecclesiastes how he searched to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven, just as Elihu recommended to those men.

Ecclesiastes 1:13 [Solomon writes] I set my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under heaven, this burdensome task [so it is hard work, very hard work] God has given to the sons of man, by which they may be exercised [or you could say practiced].

Now, Solomon cultivated discernment because of the wisdom God gave him. His wisdom was so great, he kept peace between Israel and the surrounding nations, making him the only Old Testament ruler whose reign was filled with peace and prosperity.

Using our human discernment requires much more than hearing words. Most of the time we get at least a general idea of what people are saying enough to maintain a conversation. But to understand at any depth, productive listening is required—active, intense listening. Jesus said, speaking to the Pharisees and the other Jews in John 8,

John 8:43-47 "Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. But because I tell you the truth, you do not believe Me. Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell you tell the truth, why do you not believe Me? He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."

And this is the reason why the world cannot understand spiritual discernment. They can get some surface things and they can learn the abilities on the surface but not to any depth.

Please turn over to II Thessalonians 2, verse 9. A common problem with discerning truth is that people would rather tell lies than speak the truth and they would rather hear lies than recognize the truth.

II Thessalonians 2:9-12 [Paul says] The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, and that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Wow, is that the banner of the world today.

This lie is supernatural in character and irresistible to rebellious humanity. Strong delusion is another way of referring to the lie and the deceit. They have refused to love the truth so they will be completely defenseless against the false claims of the lawless one and his perversions of God's truth. This believing the lie is basically believing Satan's counterfeit of God's truth. Satan's lies cause many rebellious human beings to live their own lives as a lie, which we are seeing more and more in the world, if we even watch the news anymore, among the politicians and the leaders and whoever you pick in human in the civilization now. It seems that you just cannot believe anyone anymore so we need discernment more than we ever have before.

The revulsion and confusion we sense in the presence of an evil person is one that is communicated to us by their speech, body language, and action. Every time we feel revulsion or confusion when near someone does not necessarily mean that the person is evil, but they may be influenced by an evil spirit. We just do not know, but we do know that all of society is at least generally influenced by that evil spirit. We can just see it in the fruit that is produced by this world.

Now, there may be other factors involved of which we are unaware, personality clashes, physical and mental illness, different cultural background, and idiosyncrasies. But I am not talking about that as much as I am warning us that we have to be discerning in everything because of the amount of lies that are flowing. There is a lot we can discern even in the average person as we observe his speech, body language, and action.

So developing discernment often requires understanding the meaning of words and listening to the words a person chooses. Word choice discloses several things including a person's reasoning ability, his prejudices, that is, his use of derogatory words, and desire to impress. For example, in the inappropriate use of large words. The words give clues to whether a person is primarily intellectual or emotional. And people with precise minds use precise language and often sensitive people use poetic words. I am talking in generalities here. But you can learn by observing some of these things in people.

Please turn over to Luke 9. (It seems that Luke is the book of the day between the sermonette and here.) The use of words and accents also gives us a glimpse into someone's background. And even though Colossians 4:14 tells us that Luke was a physician, we can discern from the medical terms he used in the third gospel that he was associated with health and medical professionals of the day. For example, in Luke 9 he uses the Greek medical terms for convulsions.

Luke 9:38-39 Suddenly a man from the multitude cried out, saying, "Teacher, I implore You, look on my son, for he is my only child. And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out; it convulses him so that he foams at the mouth; and it departs from him with great difficulty, bruising him."

Luke 9:42 And as he was still coming, the demon threw him down and convulsed him. Then Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the child, and gave him back to his father.

And then in Luke 18 he uses the Greek medical term belone (in its transliteration) for a surgeon's needle. You are very familiar with this scripture.

Luke 18:25 "For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle [of a surgeon's needle] than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

Why the emphasis there? Why the word that Luke used? Well, a surgeon's needle is a lot smaller, the eye of it, than a normal needle. So it is even harder than it appears just on the surface there for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God.

So people who have a public vocabulary different from their private ones sometimes let a private word slip into their public expression and that opens a window into the person's thought process. Luke's use of medical terms reveals something of his training and perspective. The discernment requires noticing a person's selection of words. A spin may be put on the description of other people or events. We see the flagrant manipulation of words when watching, reading, and listening to the very biased news media today. Discernment also requires hearing what they do not say.

On another note, those who use diplomatic language ordinarily want to avoid offending others, which may mean that he is not giving the whole story. So we try to learn by listening why the person says what he says and why he says it currently and in this way.

It is almost an overwhelming exercise to try to learn discernment because there is so much involved in it. But some of it can come naturally, especially if we are reading our Bibles and studying, and link with God and have His Holy Spirit.

Tone and pace can expose true attitudes as well. Tone is generally driven by underlying emotions. If the tone is judgmental, we become suspicious of self-righteousness or cynicism. A negative tone generally indicates pessimism about the issue. On the other hand, interpreting laughter is enlightening and where everyone is honest and open and free, so is the laughter. If it is just stilted, sarcastic, and devious, there is conflict behind the tone.

Turn over to Genesis 18, verse 9. Notice Abraham's wife Sarah's attitude when she heard the Lord say she was going to have a son at her old age.

Genesis 18:9-15 Then they [that is, the Lord with the angels] said to him [Abraham], "Where is Sarah your wife?" So he said, "Here, in the tent." And He said, "I will certainly return to you according to the time of life, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son." (Sarah was listening in the tent door which was behind him.) Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age; and Sarah had passed the age of childbearing. Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, "After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my Lord being old also?" And the Lord said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh [Remember, He did not hear that because she laughed within.], saying, 'Shall I surely bear as child, since I am old?' Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son." But Sarah denied it, saying, "I did not laugh," for she was afraid. And He said, "No, but you did laugh!"

That sends the shivers up our spine, does it not? I feel somewhat almost sorry for Sarah at that point, because I am sure the power of those words, even if they were said gently, went through her.

Sarah's relationship with God lacked honesty and trust and faith at that moment, which is revealed in her fearful lying response to God's promise.

Those who clearly speak in controlled tones also raise a question as to why. For example, on a witness stand often you see people trying to control their voices. Is it because they are right or because they are afraid of being found out? Well, only someone with experience could tell. The tone of the witness' reply can make him seem truthful or lying.

Many judges have learned to discern between truth and lies in the courtroom. I do not know if you have ever seen the show, "Judge Judy." I think we have all seen the commercials for it over the years from way back. I do not even know how long it has been off the air. But I saw one or two and I was amazed at what she could sense or discern in the people. Sometimes it was really obvious that they were just flat out lying.

But anyway, judges do learn to discern, at least on that level.

Pace is also affected by emotion. Generally, an excited or nervous person speaks rapidly and the pitch rises. Talking excessively is always questionable and generally is born of a desire to impress, intimidate, or ingratiate. Talking too loudly can be a control factor.

Ecclesiastes 10:12-14 The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious, but the lips of a fool shall swallow him up. The words of his mouth begin with foolishness, and the end of his talk is raving madness. A fool also multiplies words. No man knows what is to be; who can tell him what will be after him?

Sometimes it is helpful to interpret interruptions. These vary from rude to respectful. An interrupting person may suggest that he believes that what he wants to say is more important than what is being said. On the other hand, it could be a subtle attempt to change the subject to protect someone or to add a different line of thought to the original one. Occasionally it just shows enthusiastic agreement that cannot be withheld. So who knows? It depends. So we cannot always judge the heart, can we? We have to err, so to speak, on the positive side.

Listening is an important aspect of discernment. We cannot discern a matter very easily, if at all, while we are talking. Observing body language is also very important. It is common knowledge that people not only talk with their mouths but also speak with their bodies. Reading body language has been oversimplified by charlatans. Seminars and books on the subject that defines specific body movements generically and apply them universally is often dishonest.

For example, it has been said that when a person crosses his arms in a conversation he is being defensive, but that is not necessarily true. Maybe the room is cold or crossed arms is a normal stance for that person when contemplating or thinking that the subject is intriguing.

So as humans, we can develop a certain amount of discernment on our own. However, true spiritual discernment is another matter, which comes with wisdom from above through God's Spirit and His inspired written Word. Everyone can have a measure of discernment, but it is also a spiritual gift that God gives to His children. In the Bible, people will discern matters through their own cultivated powers or in an inspired spiritual manner.

The things I said about the discerning and about different people and their different characteristics, I was speaking in general terms. There are exceptions to so many things that I just could not cover.

The spiritual discipline of discernment, like all spiritual disciplines, is meant to bring us closer to God and to glorify Him as we gain more wisdom and discernment. Spiritual discerning compares things in life to God's standard of righteousness to see if it matches His will. God's Word is the foundation of understanding and wisdom, which in turn produces spiritual discernment.

Deuteronomy 4:1-2 "Now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the judgments which I teach you to observe, that you may live, and go in and possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers is giving you. You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take anything from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you."

The thought just struck me, and that is how the Catholic Church has gotten rid of the graven images commandment. And they have split the last commandment for covetousness into two different ones. And I was not sure of that. I thought that for decades and I looked it up myself, and sure enough, that was the way it was. You look up Catholic Ten Commandments and it will be that way. So they have changed that directly against Scripture.

Deuteronomy 4:4-6 "But you who held fast to the Lord your God are alive today, every one of you. Surely I have taught you statutes and judgments, just as the Lord my God commanded me, that you should act according to them in the land which you go to possess. Therefore be careful to observe them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes, and say, 'Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.'"

Or you could say this nation is a great discerning people. And that is what God had intended for Israel to be; not to be foolish. We increase the ability of our children to discern by teaching them God's statutes, His judgments, and laws so our children can live righteously. Otherwise they will be susceptible to deception.

Here are a couple of Proverbs. Proverbs 15:21: "Folly is joy to him who is destitute of discernment [the King James version has wisdom], but a man of understanding walks uprightly." Proverbs 28:7: "Whoever keeps the law is a discerning son, but a companion of gluttons shames his father."

So the Word of God contains the wisdom needed to rightly discern the thoughts and intents of the mind.

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even the division of the soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

God's Word is inspired, it is alive, it is dynamic. It is full of wonderful wisdom that we need.

According to Vine's Expository Dictionary of the New Testament Words, the Greek word for discern in verse 2 is kritikos, which means "that which relates to judging, fit for or skilled in judging." And this is the origin of the English word critical. For example, if you are going to closely investigate and examine something, you do a critical analysis of it, you critique it. That is where that same word is used there for discern in verse 12 of Hebrews 4, a discerning judge discriminates and passes judgment on the thoughts and feelings.

Jesus Christ is our example in everything and He is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. So we must learn to discern the thoughts and motives of others as He rightly discerns so we are not gullible of deception. I am not saying that we are to judge that has condemned somebody else, but we are certainly supposed to evaluate and judge whether something is sin or not, or whether it is even going to be beneficial to us. Jesus said,

John 2:23-25 Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did. But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man.

So Jesus discerned among people of who were really, truly following Him for the right reason or not.

Now, Jesus had already begun performing miraculous works at that time and these signs attracted the attention of the crowd and brought many to a stage of belief parallel to but not equal to the disciples. They humanly reasoned that since Jesus possessed such power, He must have the favor of God. Jesus was not satisfied with the superficial faith, even though it may have been genuine in a human sense. He was leery of those who professed belief only based on His miracles. Remember, the children of Israel went through one of the greatest miracles of all time going through the Red Sea. And then after that, how many rebelled or went right back to idol worship?

Jesus discerns human nature and knows that human belief changes. This principle of spiritual discernment is basic to Christ dealing with all unconverted people in His ministry. Jesus used spiritual discernment based on the wisdom from above which is produced by through God's Spirit to evaluate whether someone was truly loyal.

Discernment is an act of wisdom or detection marked by an insight into a person's character or by an event that comes through insight that goes beyond the facts given. It requires analysis. It requires, in our case, prayer if it is something that we have time to stop and pray about.

The search for wisdom, understanding, and discernment should be more diligent than the search for precious material things. To attain wisdom requires constant seeking and searching, and then meditating on what we find.

We must ask for a discerning heart. The thirst for discernment is universal. The righteous and unrighteous alike have a perceived need for insight, but it is very limited unless made available through God's Spirit.

Today, worldly people turn to friends, therapists, consultants, and mediums, but God's people must look to Him for spiritual discernment. One of the clearest examples of discernment is Solomon. Rather than grabbing for riches or fame or power, Solomon asked God for a discerning heart, for a wise heart. Notice the links between understanding and judging, and discerning and judging. Judging is a big issue here.

I Kings 3:7 "Now, O Lord my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but I am a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in."

I Kings 3:9 "Therefore give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?"

So Solomon rightly judged the people already as being special, unique, important, and worthy of honor.

The purpose of understanding and discernment is for making righteous judgments. Solomon's request was granted and he became renowned throughout the world for his great wisdom and discernment with which to administer judgment, not only to Israel, but to the whole world, whoever came to him.

We are going to continue on in chapter 3 of I Kings. We are going to read verses 16 through 28. And you will recognize the story right off.

I Kings 3:16-28 Now two women who were harlots came to the king, and stood before him. And one woman said, "O my lord, this woman and I dwell in the same house; and I gave birth while she was in the house. Then it happened the third day after I had given birth, that this woman also gave birth. And we were together; no one was with us in the house except the two of us in the house. And this woman's son died in the night, because she lay on him. So she arose in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while your maidservant slept, and laid him in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom. And when I arose in the morning to nurse my son, there he was, dead. But when I had examined him in the morning, indeed, he was not my son whom I had borne." Then the other woman said, "No! But the living one is my son, and the dead one is your son." And the first woman said, "No! But the dead one is your son, and the living one is my son." Thus they spoke before the king.

And the king said, "The one says, 'This is my son, who lives, and your son is the dead one'; and the other says, 'No! But your son is the dead one, and my son is the living one.'" Then the king said, "Bring me a sword." So they brought a sword before the king. And the king said, "Divide the living child in two, and give half to one, and half to the other." Then the woman whose son was living spoke to the king, for she yearned with compassion for her son; and she said, "O my lord, give her the the living child, and by no means kill him!" But the other said, "Let him be neither mine nor yours, but divide him." So the king answered and said, "Give the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him; she is the mother." And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had rendered; and they feared the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in Him to administer justice.

That is quite a story. And I wonder if a person had come to us like that for a decision without us knowing what had happened here in Scripture, how we would have ruled. Would we have been confused? We would not have been able to raise a sword. But I just wonder, you know, how would we evaluate, how would we discern the moment. We have small matters that we have to discern that are not as important, but they come on a constant basis.

The bulk of the book of Proverbs is assigned to Solomon, dedicated to his son for attaining wisdom and discipline, for understanding words of insight or for discernment. Solomon's proverbs are given to us so that we may have wisdom and discernment, so that we may discern between good and evil, so that we will be wise judges.

Proverbs 1:1-7 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel: To know wisdom and instruction, to perceive the words of understanding, to receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, judgment, and equity; to give prudence to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion—a wise man will hear and increase learning, and a man of understanding will attain wise counsel, to understand a proverb and an enigma, the words of the wise and their riddles. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

And there is the key, the fear of the Lord and all that other proper fear, which is reverence and right fear of God, obeying Him, submitting to Him. That is how we get discernment and wisdom. Because once we are in that state of mind of being teachable, then we can see His own words in the Scriptures and He will inspire us in our need, especially as we ask in the right way. Verse 7 tells us the core issue of true discernment: the fear, reverence, and obedience of God. We learn a great deal from the wisdom of God through King Solomon's writings.

Proverbs 2:1-11 My son, if you receive my words, and treasure my commands within you, so that you incline your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding; yes, if you cry out for discernment [So there has to be some type of emotion and some type of excitement about wanting to be able to discern], and lift up your voice for understanding, if you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom, from His mouth come knowledge and understanding; He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly; He guards the paths of justice, and preserves the way of His saints. Then you will understand righteousness and justice, equity and every good path. When wisdom enters your heart, and knowledge is pleasant to your soul, discretion will preserve you; understanding will keep you.

That is quite a promise and that is quite a guarantee; and it is absolute.

Wisdom and discernment are something to be sought after and we must be enthusiastic for it. An effort must be expended for us to become wise. To have discernment we must get wisdom; and getting wisdom involves openness, retention, hearing (with the ear), applying (with the heart), requesting, and diligent searching. It requires hard work. We do not cruise into God's Kingdom. We hike into it and run into it figuratively speaking.

Solomon saw the true conclusion of the whole duty of man.

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man's all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.

By fearing God and keeping His commandments we develop God-given spiritual discernment.

Please turn over to I Corinthians 2, verse 10. God's Spirit empowers us to develop spiritual discernment. And without the Holy Spirit, the natural man cannot discern spiritual matters.

I Corinthians 2:10-14 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. [verse 14 is the focus of this passage for the purpose of this sermon] But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

The English word discerned in verse 14 is from the Greek word anakrino. It means "to distinguish or separate out and to investigate by looking throughout objects or facts." It means "to examine, to scrutinize, or question." It means "to hold a preliminary judicial examination preceding the trial proper." This first examination implies more to follow and is often present in the non-legal uses of the word.

Paul is speaking of the unconverted person here in chapter 2, verse 11, who is governed by his own human reasoning. He does not receive understanding or truth through the Holy Spirit and he considers God's truth to be foolishness. Now Barne's Notes has something interesting to say about this.

The Corinthians entertained an excessive fondness for human learning and wisdom. They loved philosophical disquisition and oratorical display and may therefore have been impatient of the "unenticing words" of Paul. To correct their mistake and taste, the apostle asserts and proves the utter insufficiency of human wisdom, either to discover spiritual things or to appreciate them when discovered.

So someone who without the Spirit of God cannot discern the spirit of the law because it can only be truly discerned with the help of the Holy Spirit.

The verb anakrino translated "to discern" in verse 14, is the same verb translated judges and judged in verse 15. The idea in each case is to make intelligent spiritual decisions following the examination.

I Corinthians 2:15 But he who is spiritual judges [or discerns] all things, yet he himself is rightly judged [or discerned] by no one.

The person who is guided by the Spirit draws wise conclusions about all things, that is, about all kinds of spiritual things. But such a spiritual man is not subject to spiritual judgments by any man who does not have the Spirit of God. Nobody outside of the church can judge you spiritually.

I Corinthians 2:16 For "who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?" But we have the mind of Christ.

So we are not subject to other people's judgment in spiritual things.

The quotation in the form of a question rhetorically casts doubt on non-believers knowing God's wisdom. But the statement gives reassurance that we do know it and that sets us apart. Someone with God's Spirit is not subject to spiritual judgment by someone who does not have the Spirit of God dwelling in Him.

The true Christian's feelings, principles, views, hopes, fears, and joys cannot be fully understood and appreciated by any worldly person. The unconverted person does not comprehend the principles that motivate the converted and He does not have the same goals and joys.

But the faithful Christian is influenced and motivated by God. And we have the indwelling of His Spirit. We have the mind of Christ and we sympathize with Christ. We have His feelings, desires, purposes, and plans, and we try to live by His will.

Please turn over to Acts 13. The "discerning of spirits" is a gift given by God through His Spirit that enables a person to judge whether one who prophesies or performs miracles does so by the power of the Spirit or by a false spirit. It refers to the spiritual power searching into the secrets of the heart of knowing what a person's purposes, views, and feelings are. It also relates to the power of determining by what spirit a person speaks who pretends to be inspired, whether he is an impostor or not. And it also refers to the power of seeing whether a man is sincere or not in his claim to being a Christian. "By their fruit you will know them." (You are very familiar with that scripture which has been mentioned more than once.)

Now, the apostles had this power, which became apparent from the case of Ananias and Saphira recorded in Acts 5:1-10. They lied about giving God all the proceeds from selling their property but held back a portion for themselves. Peter discerned this and that they would die for their deception.

Another example is a discernment through the Holy Spirit is that of Elymas in Acts 13.

Acts 13:6-12 Now when they had gone through the island of Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew whose name was Bar-Jesus [As you know bar means son of in the Hebrew, so this is a guy claiming he is the son of Jesus], who was with the proconsul Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. This man called for Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. But the sorcerer (for so his name is translated] withstood them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him and said, "O, full of all deceit and of all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord? [I have a hard time imagining me saying something like that to somebody who maybe, I am sure, has a demon. But Paul was powerful and he had the authority and he laid it on.] And now, indeed, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time." And immediately a dark mist fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand. Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had been done, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord.

So obviously, whenever a Christian had the gift of prophecy and inspiration, and whenever people saw advantages to it, there would be many pretenders like Elymas, and there are today as well.

The gift of the discerning of spirits has been very important to the church down through the ages in that it has prevented the deception of false ministers against true members of the church of God. I say that in a general sense, of course. There have been some in the church who have been misled by false ministers.

I Corinthians 12:1-11 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant. You know that you were Gentiles [or you could say, you know that you were in the world], carried away to these dumb idols, however you were led. Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit. There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all.

But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all [that is, each church member, each converted person]: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the gift of the discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.

Some people have many of these things. Some people have some of these things. Some people have all these things. For example, everybody is capable of having discernment, or discerning of spirits. But the ministry and others are in more need of such things because of counseling with certain people with problems. So this is not each person gets one of these. You can have many or just a few, but you definitely want to ask for them.

The phrase discerning of spirits is translated from a Greek phrase meaning judicial estimation through judgment or separation. The Greek term which is rendered discerning means "a distinguishing or discriminating between things that are under consideration." (This is important to know for later in the sermon.) The one who possessed the gift of the discerning of spirits was able to make a distinction between the one who spoke by the Spirit of God and the one who was moved by a false spirit. So obviously, God also gives many members, if not all members, at least some of that gift.

The apostle Paul said that a person led by the Holy Spirit will be concerned for those things that strengthen the church. So if somebody is speaking against the church and undermining the ministry, I would be very leery of them.

I Corinthians 14:12 Even so you, since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, let it be for the edification of the church that you seek to excel.

I Corinthians 12:26 How is it then, brethren? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification [meaning everything we do here at services].

When we get together for fellowship, let everything be done to not tear down but to build up people.

This discerning of spirits is the discriminating between the operation of God's Spirit and that of the evil spirit or unaided human spirit claiming to speak the dictates of God's Spirit.

I John 4:1-6 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world. You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because you He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. We are of God. He who knows God hears us; and he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

A great portion of this gift seems to be given to those who perform the role of teachers and ministers in God's church. It is not exclusively that way, but it is certainly given to individuals like that who ask for it. It was especially important when John wrote this because there were so many false teachers trying to selfishly profit from this seemingly new popular religion of Christianity that there were just deceptions, after deceptions, after deceptions, even before the first century was even finished.

The idea of maturity regarding discernment is linked with perfection. And although certainly not identified with it, except in the case of Christ, maturity is seen in Hebrews 5 as the desirable development from spiritual childhood. The experienced Christian knows he needs strong spiritual meat to attain to this kind of maturity.

Hebrews 5:12-14 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe [talking about a spiritual babe]. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern [diakrisis] both good and evil.

Again, hard work, a lot of effort.

The Greek word for discern in verse 14, as I mentioned, is diakrisis. It means "a distinguishing, a clear discrimination, discerning, judging." Literally, it means "towards a discerning." This indicates that there is a process of learning prior to discernment.

Now the mature are defined as those who have their faculties trained by practice. There is a reference to habit in the Greek here. In fact, the words "by reason" could be translated by habit, which suggests the building up of experience through a continued process in the past and present. So spiritual maturity comes neither from isolated events nor from a great spiritual burst. It comes from steady application of spiritual discipline.

The Greek word for senses used here in verse 14 refers to special abilities of the mind that are used for understanding, discernment, and judgment of all people. We have insight into spiritual things because our minds are trained in understanding. The power to distinguish between good and evil has been sought ever since the time of Adam and Eve. But the ability to do so does not come easily, even for those with some knowledge of Christ. This gift and skill of spiritual discernment shows the difference between the mature and the immature.

Spiritual discernment is the gift given by God by way of His Spirit, which enables us to rightly judge between good and evil. It is the comparing of things in life to God's standard of righteousness to see if it matches or contradicts His requirements so that we can rightly apply the knowledge we acquire during our lifetime in a wise and righteous way. Notice the apostle Paul's heartfelt comment to the Philippians. He reveals the importance of discernment.

Philippians 1:9-10 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment [or as the King James Version writes, judgment], that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ.

In verse 9, all discernment literally means "the power of discerning." Paul prayed that their love would be applied with proper judgment, that their love would be used in proportion to the relative value of things. He hoped they would not only try to apply their love emotionally, but also use their intelligence knowledgeably so they could produce spiritual fruit that would benefit others and show love by their action.

The New World Dictionary of American English defines discern this way. (I am trying to give you different definitions from different sources to give you an idea of the broadness of this subject.) "To separate (a thing) mentally from another or others; recognize as separate or different."

So let us look at the most vital kind of discernment.

I Corinthians 11:27-29 Therefore whoever eats this bread and drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.

It is interesting that, again, we see discernment and judgment connected. In many Bible translations of verse 29, the word "Lord's" has been added to the text assuming that the apostle Paul refers to Christ's human body. But in the Greek text, the end of the verse simply reads, "not discerning the body." So since Paul wrote using overlapping ideas and parallel concepts, the words "the body" can refer to different, somewhat related things.

For the symbol of Jesus Christ's crucified body to be meaningful, we must distinguish between the unleavened bread eaten on Passover and ordinary daily bread. The phrase "the Lord's body" can refer to the tortured physical body of Jesus Christ. Therefore, we must conscientiously acknowledge our sins which made Christ's agonizing sacrifice necessary. His sacrifice must be recognized as distinct and set apart from all other sacrifices.

Also "the body" can refer to the spiritual body of believers, the church. We become a part of the spiritual body of believers who are also in Christ and have the Father and Son dwelling in us when we partake of the bread that symbolizes His body.

Regarding "not discerning the Lord's body" in verse 29, the Greek word for discerning is diakrino, which means "to make a separation or a distinction," "to differentiate," or "to decide." God makes a distinction or discernment regarding His people according to whether they are converted having His Spirit indwelling them regardless of their race or ethnicity.

If we make a distinction or discernment concerning the Lord's spiritual body—the church—we are distinguishing the significance and value of our fellow believers from the rest of humanity. This is a significant responsibility in partaking of the Passover in a worthy manner. Rather than making distinctions about people within the body, we must highly value, appreciate, and respect all individual members of the body of Christ and as a complete body. And we must consider all believers, that is, all the saints for whom Jesus Christ died, as worthy of honor.

(Now, if you would like a more detailed explanation of this, please read David Grabbe's three-part series titled, "What Does Discerning the Lord's Body Mean?" from which I have paraphrased a summary here.)

The cost alone of what the Father and the Son were willing to pay for us, the unique value of the blood of the perfect and sinless Son of God, compels us to fulfill our obligation of absolute conviction to our God. The parallel concept is: we recognize and appreciate the value of Christ's sacrifice by the value we place on each member of God's church and the church itself. If we despise parts of His body, we are in opposition to Christ, which means that His sacrifice will not be a blessing for us, but a possible curse. This may bring judgment on us personally. Therefore, His stripes may not heal us. Obviously, not every illness or death is the result of improperly discerning the Lord's body.

Now, in Greek, judgment in verse 29 does not mean condemnation. In the long run, this type of God's judgment is a blessing keeping us from condemnation.

I Corinthians 11:32 But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.

It is impossible to appreciate the value of the shed blood of Jesus Christ our Savior at Passover while devaluing parts of His spiritual body during the entire year. When observing the Passover, we must remember that, just as we are in communion, that is, fellowship, with Jesus Christ through symbolically eating and drinking His sacrifice, we are also in communion (friendship) with His spiritual body of the church. Paul reminds us in Romans 12:5, "So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.

Our Savior Jesus Christ has placed a high value on each one of us, which He has demonstrated by His free will offering of Himself as the ultimate sacrifice for the remission of our sins. We are indebted to Him and have the responsibility to highly value all the members of His Body. But most of all, we must exceedingly value our God and Father and our Savior Jesus Christ and what They have done for us in valuing us so much.

May God help you to recognize "the intents of the heart!"

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