August 31, 2025 IVP Sunday
How to be Forensic:
To be led by the Holy Spirit. To become a detective. Follow the clues. Murder mystery you suspect different people. That suspicion is NOT forensic. It means you are not biased. You are objective with the clues. In the airport there was a sniffer dog. That dog does not look at your skin color, dress, or any other bias.
The key that makes you forensic with discernment. It is a sense that something is wrong.
Acts 16:16 woman with spirit of divination. She claimed that Paul was a servant of God for many days. She is soothsayer. Made her handlers rich. Accuracy is not a factor as to whether it is God or not. Soothsayers can be accurate. After many days Paul said to the spirit to come out. Discernment doesn’t always work immediately. You need to take your time. Prophet is not a patient man but a discerning man that uses patience.
1.To judge
- Critical
- To estimate accurately
- To see behind the curtain
- To know the difference
When people leave a church like ours they usually come back. They discern incorrectly.
1 Kings 3:1
5 Branches of discernment. Wisdom is discernment. An offshoot of Wisdom.
- Wisdom
- The Word of God
- Discerning of Spirits (gift) That gift needs wisdom to use it properly. Not only a demon but you can discern non demonic spirits. Attitudes that have a spirit type in people.When disciples saw that Samaria rejected Jesus they wanted to call down fire. But they didn’t know the types of spirits they had. Manipulated by a Spirit but not possessed. When Peter said don’t go to cross, HE said get behind me Satan. David got in trouble trying to number his followers. Peter spirit of anger to cut off the ear of Malcus. Cultivate a desire for this gift. Quietness calms the flesh. Galations 5:19 Spirits behind flesh but not possessed.
- Hebrews 5:14 Strong meat for full age to discern. Maturing and training can give you discernment. Opposite of good is not bad but evil. LIve backwards is evil.
- i Cor 2:14 Things of God are spiritually discerned. Knowing what’s in the book before you read it. If you are carnal man you can’t discern. Must be spiritual. Born again. Your old man was crucified. You became a new man which is a Spiritual man. You need to feed your Spirit the new information. There are levels in the spirit where top level is heavenly man. Lowest level born again is same as carnal. You need to gain information to become spiritual.
Questions: What does annointing mean. The question is wrong about spirits and annointing. Saul in OT was annointed but troubled by an evil spirit. With the annoiniting comes the seal of the HS.
2 Cor 1:22 He seals us (covering, hedge, protected). Saul was annointed but not sealed.
diference between discerning and suspicious. Having a peace about something doesn’t guarantee it’s correct. There is an opposite for every decision. If peace would be enough you wouldn’t need discernment. Discernment starts with suspision It’s the trigger but not the gun.
Discerment when under the gun for something. Isaih 11:2 Quick understanding in the fear of the Lord. When the HS has access to your mind you can quickly determine via understanding.
When to speak out our discernment or to keep quiet. Common sense is not discernment because it is common.
You only need discernment when you are making decisions. So, it’s like all the time.
How do we know when to keep silent or speak out from discernment. If they are at a higher rank you don’t need to do anything. If they are under you, then you have responsiibility to know when to deal with that behaviour.
Matt 18:14 don’t perish. Go and tell him his fault alone. If he hears you are brothers again. If not, then take one or two with you. And then if not tell the church. If not the church, then release to his heathen way.
Proverbs is great for this. It is situationaly. Relationships is proverbs. Life Ecclesiatites. If who you are and growth Mat, Mark Luke, John,. For persecution Acts. for a tough church I and 2 Corinthians.