River Valley Church Podcast Summary

Episode: Message | Check Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself
Speaker: Pastor Davey Collins
Date: August 10, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode, led by Pastor Davey Collins, centers on 1 John 4 and the importance of “checking yourself before you wreck yourself” in your spiritual journey. Pastor Davey dissects John’s grandfatherly advice about avoiding spiritual drift, discerning truth from falsehood, loving others authentically, and ensuring your confession aligns with your character. With clear practical steps, memorable stories, and candid reflections, Pastor Davey urges listeners to examine their spiritual feed, heart, and confession, rooted in the love and life of Jesus.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Context & Series Recap

• The message continues a series on the Epistles of John, focusing on practical Christian living and authentic spiritual formation.
• Pastor Davey celebrates recent youth accomplishments and community events, then recaps past weeks:
  • Week 1: True fellowship comes via confession, not perfection.
  • Week 2: Belief must be paired with abiding in Christ.
  • Week 3: Christians are called to righteousness, not habitual sin.

2. The Weight and Repetition of John’s Writing

• John, writing as a spiritual grandfather, intentionally repeats key truths so they deeply penetrate our hearts.
  • “As a parent, sometimes you might feel that way, that it’s like, am I a broken record? Am I saying the same things over and over and over again? ...But we’re gonna read actually all of First John, chapter four, 21 verses together.” (03:50)
• The use of “beloved” in the chapter shows John’s tender, parental tone.

3. Main Theme: "Check Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself"

• Borrowing the phrase from Ice Cube, Pastor Davey invites listeners to actively reflect on their spiritual lives to avoid subtle but dangerous drift.

Core Application Points

A. Check Your Feed (~18:30)

• Scripture: 1 John 4:1 - “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits…”
• Insight:
  • Not every spiritual-sounding message is biblically sound. False prophets may sound convincing but distort the truth about Jesus.
  • “Test the spirits” uses the analogy of testing gold for purity—examine ideas for alignment with biblical Christology.
• Modern Parallel:
  • The proliferation of voices on social media requires discernment. Lies and half-truths spread much faster than the actual gospel.
  • Quote: “We see self-help salesmen who promise transformation without repentance...social gospel activists who preach justice without Jesus, replacing the cross for a cause.” (18:05)
• Key Litmus Test:
  • Does the message exalt Jesus as both fully God and fully man—the incarnate Son of God?
  • “To confess Jesus rightly is not just to affirm a doctrine, but to declare allegiance. It’s a statement of worship and trust.” (23:45)
• Encouragement:
  • Lean on the indwelling Holy Spirit, who is greater than any worldly force (1 John 4:4).
  • “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” (25:43)

B. Check Your Heart (28:40)

• Scripture: 1 John 4:7-8 - “Let us love one another, for love is from God...God is love.”
• Insight:
  • Love is the vital sign of spiritual life; lack of love signals broken relationship with God.
• Spiritual EKG:
  • “Love...is a spiritual vital sign. It’s the EKG to our spiritual life. It’s proof to whether or not spiritually we are dead or alive is the way that we love others.” (28:50)
• Warning:
  • It’s easy to focus on spotting others’ errors and neglect the state of our own hearts and love.
  • “We can real quickly start to say, that's not true. That's not legit. Meanwhile, we are drifting away in our own love because we're so focused on pointing out what's wrong, that we're missing what's wrong in our own life.” (30:05)
• Analogy:
  • Imitation precedes participation—a lesson from coaching kids’ baseball. At first, actions feel forced or fake, but authentic love grows with practice.
  • “You’re going to sound like an echo before you sound like a megaphone, because you’re finding your voice. You’re learning. And we need to learn love.” (34:15)
• Mandate:
  • We do not have the freedom, as believers, to withhold love from others. Repeated commands in John highlight love’s importance.
  • “John uses ‘love’ 27 times in this chapter alone…Does it matter how we love? Does it matter how we talk about others? We need to check our heart.” (31:23)

C. Check Your Confession (36:10)

• Scripture: 1 John 4:15-16 - “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him...”
• Insight:
  • What we confess determines where we abide. Confession and character must align.
  • “You can’t fake a confession. That’s the whole point of testing every spirit. You can’t just fake a confession.” (36:48)
• Self-Deception:
  • Merely saying the right things or using Christian jargon doesn’t guarantee authentic faith if your heart is far from God.
  • “You might think that you can get away with saying all the right things in church...but your heart is drifting. Check your confession.” (37:30)
• Two-fold Confession:
  • In salvation, we’re called both to believe in our hearts and confess with our mouths (Romans 10:9).
  • “When our character doesn't align with our confession, correction is imperative.” (38:46)

Memorable Quotes & Notable Moments

• On Repetition and Consistency:
  • “I feel like it’s a broken record…But it’s consistent teaching and great teaching for us to live by.” (08:15)
• On Counterfeit Gospels:
  • “Self-help salesmen...progressive mystics who elevate intuition over incarnation...social gospel activists who preach justice without Jesus, replacing the cross for a cause.” (18:05)
• On Biblical Love:
  • “Our love is a spiritual vital sign...it’s proof to whether or not spiritually we are dead or alive.” (28:55)
• On Practicing Love:
  • “At first it feels…phony, but because we’re learning, then over time...there’s real participation. Things are changing in you.” (33:43)
• On Confession and Consistency:
  • “Your character must be congruent with your confession.” (37:22)
• Final Gospel Reminder:
  • “We love because he first loved us. He started it. He completed it. He chose us before we could ever choose him.” (41:04)
  • Romans 5:8: “God demonstrates his love for us in this. That while we were still in our sin, Jesus came and died for us.” (41:20)

Important Timestamps

• 00:00 – 02:00: Introduction, general counsel recap, youth achievements, men’s camping trip.
• 03:00 – 07:30: Series recap, consistency in John’s teaching.
• 08:00 – 14:00: Full reading of 1 John 4; discussion of John’s style and approach.
• 18:05: "Check Your Feed" — discerning spiritual truth in a noisy world.
• 28:40: "Check Your Heart" — love as the true mark of a believer.
• 36:10: "Check Your Confession" — authentic profession of faith and internal alignment.
• 41:04: Closing: The gospel, God’s initiating love, and call to self-examination.

Conclusion

Pastor Davey Collins concludes by challenging listeners to take “spiritual inventory”—to check what they consume, what motivates their hearts, and what they profess with their mouths. Rooted in the steadfast love of God and empowered by the Holy Spirit, believers are reminded to hold onto the truth of Christ, love genuinely, and ensure their lives and confessions point clearly to Jesus. This message vibrates with warmth, intentionality, and urgency, inviting everyone to “check yourself before you wreck yourself”—so you walk ever-closer with Christ, for your good and God’s glory.