Greater is He Who is in Us!
I John 4:1-6
Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.
4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 5 They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit[a] of truth and the spirit of falsehood.
- Different Spirits
- Spirit means breath, breath means life
Pneuma=breath
God is the Creator:
Genesis 2: 7 Then the Lord God formed a man[c] from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
Genesis 2: 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”
Genesis 3: 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”
4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman.
- Different sources of life
People refer to alcohol as “spirits”
Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft (To obey is better than sacrifice). The word for witchcraft is pharmachea in Greek. One can seek to manipulate reality through the use of drugs or through the use of demonic spirits.
Spirit of the age.
Spirit of God:
Galatians 5: 16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever[c] you want.
- Test the spirits
You can test spirits by living a certain way and then measuring how well life is going or not. Sometimes this will be helpful. But, how can we measure what a good life is or not?
God is our Creator. Therefore we are His creation. He has the right to want His creation to be the way that He wants it to be. Therefore, God is the judge of all of His creation. God is the judge of you and God is the judge of me.
Canon means measuring rod. We measure all of life according to God’s Word.
- God’s Children Overcome Killing Spirits v.4
- Because God’s Spirit lives in them
We can trust the Holy Spirit to energize ourselves and we can change!
Work out your salvation with fear and trembling.
It is God who is at work within you
To will
And to do His good pleasure!
- Because God is greater than the world
Do not give up yourself to addiction! Fight!!
Why would we have to struggle with things in our lives over and over?
Romans 7: 15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.[c] For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.
This is not an excuse, it is an explanation. Sanctification is a process.
Ephesians 6: Armor of God: Stand firm therefore! Don’t quit.
- Listen to Apostolic teaching v.6
“Whoever knows God listens to us.” Historical context here in John.
We are transformed as we have our thinking about our lives changed.
We learn to define our lives according to Biblical standards!
III. What Do We Follow Today for Life?
- Do not love the world
Pleasure
Possessions
Pride
- Love God
Believe, love obey.
If you love me you will keep my commands. My commands are not burdensome. (Because they produce life.)
If you love God, you will believe what He says. This means you will obey what He says! Believe, love and obey. These are the three issues in the Book of I John. If someone or something seeks to draw you away from following Jesus, then that is of the spirit of ant-Christ. “Many anti-Christs have gone out into the world.”
- Love what God loves
Love neighbor: Serve neighbor, Give to neighbor, Forgive neighbor etc.
I John 4: 7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
Love yourself. Believe that God is able to give you life specifically. Say the same things about yourself that God says about you.
- You are made in His image and likeness.
- Psalms 139: 13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful, I know that full well. - You are Gods special treasure!
Exodus 19: 5 Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine,
- You are created by God to do works that He has prepared right now for you, before you get to them! Eph 2:10
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