Greater is He who is in you

Brethren, First John, chapter 4. Let's focus on verse 4. The verse that we just declared to each other. "Little children," that is you, "you are of God and you have overcome them because he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world."

“Little children, you are of God and you have overcome them because he who is in you is greater…” Greater is He who is in you, then who he is in the World. "Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world."

My brother, you have no idea what has risen up against you and your desire to follow Christ. He has no idea what has risen to persecute him and to stop his project of growing in the Lord in its tracks. But unfortunately, many of us also have no idea what is welling up within you – what God has poured out, is on you. And today we're going to explore a little bit about this today.

Notice, verse 4, if one reads it out of context, it is incomplete. If you read it out of its context, unless you don't read it in its context, it creates more questions than answers.

For example, what or who have I defeated? If we don't read more this doesn't say it. "You have beaten him." To what? Whom? Who is this that is supposed to be inside of me? And this one who is in the world, what is he? Who is it? Furthermore, which world? What are we talking about?

And, to understand this, my brothers, we are going to let the Holy Spirit break this down and open up its context. But before that, take a good look at this first verse. What is the Lord saying to you when you read this statement? “Brothers – little children, you are from God.”

Brothers, first of all – and this is basically the theme that will run through all this reflection. The universe is divided – believe it or not. Right now there are many things that perhaps divide the human being. But as we get closer and closer to the day of the Lord, it becomes clearer that the most important division and in one day will be the only division that matters. The only difference that matters. It will be between those who identify as children of God and those who do not.

And, what does the Lord mean by this: "you are of God." Brethren, if we only stopped on this verse, we could stop here. How beautiful it is! You are from God. Meditating on this this afternoon, the Lord was showing me things. His Spirit spoke to me in a way that I have never read this verse this way. The wealth that springs from that. The fact that you and I – you who have placed your hope in the Lord and trust in the Lord as your Savior and your Lord, are of Him. “You are of Him.”

Now what does that mean? First of all, the first thing that comes to mind is this: if I am of God, we are one – perhaps, His property. Well, one aspect of the fact that “I am of God” is that you are His property. The Lord looks at you, as his belonging.

Now, in the ancient world they were talking about, perhaps, slaves. And in that yes, Paul wrote over and over again, “I am a slave of Jesus Christ. I am your servant.” And he wasn't ashamed to say it. But rather, the Lord sees you as a jewel. As your property. And if you are his property, the Lord knows how to defend his property.

And if you are his property, you are his property. The Lord will defend what is His. Well, if you belong to God, 1) we are his property; if I am of God, we are born of Him. Just as I am of Carlos Acevedo and Ester, my parents. Or when in our Latino tradition, someone gets married, a woman gets married and says yes, I am now “from Acevedo.” Or “of…so and so” and they adopt the name of their husband.

The Lord is here saying, you know what? You are not merely a slave. And this practice was in the ancient world. One could – an owner – could adopt his slave. And he was no longer his slave, he was no longer his servant. He was already the heir in that home. He had all the rights as if he were from the home, as if he were a natural child.

Knows? That law continues now. The law of adoption, even in the United States in the 21st century, is precisely that law. Did you know? The son or daughter, the girl, the child that you adopt inherits all rights legally as if they were your son or daughter. Today, in Boston, in the 21st century. And what the Lord says is, you know? You are mine. The Lord has adopted you and now you are of the house.

You have the freedom to enter and approach the table of the Lord. Where others may stop, you can enter and chat with your father freely. Because you are of Him. "You are of God." We are part of your team, your community, your army, your plan. In other words, if "you are of God" we are instruments in God's hands.

You are a tool that the Lord has at his disposal to execute his plan, execute his authority on earth. You belong to Him. And at the right moment He uses you to further the interests of the Kingdom of God, because you belong to Him. And above all, my brothers, "you belong to God." If we are His, we are loved by Him. You are His.

To many of us - of all concepts, all you can say - I am from God, that's the most difficult for many of us to lead. May God love you. Not only that you are his property. Not only that He is willing to use you to further the interests of the Kingdom; not only that he has made you heir of his promises and part of his Royal House, but above all he thinks of you. He watches over you. He has created mansions for you. His longing is to be close to you.

And there is no way to explain this theologically. The only way to explain heaven and Jesus' sacrifice and his coming glory is to simply say, well, why does he do it? Because he loves us. Because he loves us.

Brother, you are of Christ. "You are of God because greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world." Brothers, and the Lord – says this Word, which the Lord marks. How do we know? Declares the apostle John in chapter 5. "How is it that we know that we are loved?" By the Holy Spirit.

By the Holy Spirit and by the fact that you are already His property. By the fact that He adopted you. By the fact that he appropriated you to his inheritance, he has sanctified us. Already our bodies become temples of the Holy Spirit and God himself through the Holy Spirit dwells within you. Dwells within you.

Well, Pastor, if that's the case – yes, all of that means being a child of God. And know it, my brother, adopt it, open your heart to all that reality. And the fact that the Holy Spirit dwells within you, then who is in the world? If all of that is what the Lord is doing on our behalf, then what is this fact? Who is this guy that is in the world? And with what have we overcome it?

Well, many of us already have the answer to that. Satan, right? The devil. But know that. And speaking of Satan, as the Word declares, we are not speaking of a being that we can understand in the same way that we can understand any other person or any other energy that you have met or raised in your life.

Because? He is spirit. And why does that matter to us? Why do we care about that spirit? The Word declares – we know this verse, Esphios 6:12, “for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities. Against powers. Against the rulers of the darkness of this century.”

Are you hearing strategy words? This is not an anomaly. There is order, plan, strategy in the world of Satan. It is a kingdom. So said the Lord. There is a purpose behind this. There is an order behind it, there are ranks behind it, declares the word. Against spiritual hosts of wickedness, in the celestial regions. And if they are hosts of wickedness, at least we know this about it; they are not discernible. They are not discernible through the tools we have in the flesh.

They are not discernible, my brothers, by your five senses. More frightening, they are not even discernible through your intuition, through your common sense – your common sense. Even through his thoughts. Rather, those spirits – and that's what's interesting – Satan, and the fallen angels who serve him, operate through our senses.

The channel they use to influence us is our flesh. The very ones you depend on to know and rule, and walk in your reality – your eyes, your ears, your ability to feel. His experiences, his thoughts, his ability to analyze. Even the ability to get up in the morning, look outside and say it's daytime, because I see sun. It's night because it's dark – none of that helps you when we're talking about fighting this being.

Rather, they have learned to use and communicate their influence, through the very things on which we depend to define our authority. Now do you understand who you were fighting against? Now do you understand why when you serve the Lord, many times, things that should make sense don't?

Do you now understand why some of the things that should be working in your favor often seem to be working against you? Now they understand why you know that you are with the Lord - the Holy Spirit is within you - you know that God loves you, you belong to Him, you know it, you have declared it, but the closer you get to the Lord, the more you feel – and I am going to use this word – like an alien.

Do you know what that word means? Not of this world. Convicted. If that's what an alien is, you were looking at an alien. We are not, and the closer you get to the Lord, the weirder – the weirder you are going to feel. The rarer your reality is going to feel. Weirder, even within you, it will feel. He's not even going to feel comfortable with himself. That is not a sign of spiritual poverty, that is a sign that the Holy Spirit is growing within you, detaching you from the world. Growing inside of you

You are children of God – you are. Then what? How do we fight?

Now let's see the context. Verse 1: “Beloved, do not believe every spirit.” You see, we cannot believe in every spirit, now do you understand why? We can't trust every spirit, we can't relieve every spirit. And what does it mean there? Not every influence – you can't trust that – not every opportunity, not every thought….

Not all emotion yet. Brethren, don't get carried away. How many times have you not heard the Pastor say this? Don't get carried away by your emotions. Don't get carried away by your thinking patterns. Don't get carried away yet by golden opportunities that open up in front of you.

“…test the spirits to see if they are from God; because many prophets have gone out into the world.” Brethren, the Lord – the Holy Spirit that is within you – you may not be able to discern, because we are not equipped to discern in our flesh, these spirits. But the Holy Spirit sees him from afar, the Holy Spirit sees him from afar. The Holy Spirit that is within you, and gives you the ability to test these spirits.

And how are these spirits tested? Follow the word, “By this you know the Spirit of God:…” Here comes the golden rule. “By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God: and every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ…” Sorry, “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 antichrist."

What is this saying here? All, all, all of this is about Jesus. It's all about Jesus. Brothers, Christ marked what divides the universe. It is Christ who marks and defines our universe, not its reality. But the lordship of Christ and his word. And, my brothers, the more and more this world – and brothers, if it has become difficult for it to mention the name of Christ… if our culture has reached the point where we cannot even use the word Christmas for Christmas, because it is a direct reference to Jesus Christ, and that's offensive, welcome to the 21st century and the spirit of the… what's the word? Antichrist.

What's more, brothers, that word antichrist is much easier than you may think. It is frankly what is heard, antichrist is everything that rises against or opposes the lordship and the law of Jesus.

Brothers, it is not by chance that we exalt the name of Jesus right now. It is not by chance that we stopped to bless his name and adore and glorify him – that, my brother, is spiritual warfare. Because the Lord Jesus divides… you know? In the book of Revelation, when you read the name – that word, antichrist, many times you will read it with a capital “a”. And there he refers to a person who will be, in the eschatology of many, and I believe so, will be revealed to humanity as the incarnation of this entire antichrist system.

But, antichrist as it is written here in First John, chapter 4, with a small “a”, speaks of a system. He talks about a culture, he talks about everything that rises up to oppose the reign of Jesus and his government on earth. Including the art, including the economy, including the academy, including the judicial and legislative institutions. Everything the enemy can infiltrate.

And, brethren, there are Christians in every one of those places. Alright. And they are there like lights in the midst of darkness. But, the antichrist system – the system that has risen up against Jesus, that has been there for centuries. The enemy has been trying, knowing that his days are few, from the moment Jesus emerged victorious from the grave he has fought, brother, to separate you from the only truth that can set you free.

And that truth boils down to this sentence: Jesus Christ is Lord.

Jesus Christ is Lord and everything that stands against that simple truth, what do you think? Do you want to identify the spirits? declare it. And what you declare, what do you think, Jesus Christ is Lord? Do you obey? And we have good news, brothers, the more you fall under the reign of Jesus, the more authority you have against every antichrist system.

Against every system that has risen to confuse him. Against the system that has risen to impoverish him. Against the system that has risen to torment him. Against the system that has risen to weaken it. The system that has risen to enslave you.

Against that system, your only defense – and the only defense you need – is Jesus Christ dwelling within you, through his spirit. That's all you need. That's all you need. You are invincible.

Let's stand up, my brothers. Enrique, I suggest, “Jesus, Lord of Creation.” Amen.

Being in the form of God, he emptied himself.

He took the likeness of man,

and being pure and spotless among us he lived.

And likewise he humbled himself by taking the form of a servant

until his life surrender and end on a cross.

But God highly exalted him and magnified his name

so that before his authority every knee should bow

and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord.

Jesus, Lord of Creation,

being in the form of God, he emptied himself.

And He took the likeness of man

and being pure and spotless among us he lived.

And likewise he humbled himself by taking the form of a servant

until his life surrender and end on a cross.

But God highly exalted him and magnified his name

so that before his authority every knee should bow

and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord.

But God highly exalted him and magnified his name

so that before his authority every knee should bow

and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord.

The Lord, Hallelujah! You are Lord. The Lord, the Lord. You are Lord, yes, Lord. Lord, you are Lord. The Lord, the Lord. Hallelujah!

Hallelujah! Hallelujah to you, God!

My brothers, pray with me. Pray with me, my brothers, presenting your hearts and your – brother, you will know your fight and you already know what you are fighting against. But know, my brothers, greater is he who is in you. Greater is he who is in you. You are not alone, greater is he who is in you. Amen.

Glory to God. And, my brothers, with the offering accompany me here for a moment. I want us to continue giving offerings in a moment, but we are going to pray at this moment. OK. Well, let's freeze – freeze for just a second and let's… Amen.

Father, we come before you and we have declared what your word declares. That You dwell in us and love us. Lord, believe in the Lion of Judah Congregation and in each being, each people that is listening to this message. Father, in these last days, raise up a prophetic people. Raise a prophetic people, a people accustomed to walking in your truth.

A town that lifts up Jesus, even when the whole world turns its back on it. And a town that knows how to test the spirits. Who knows how to defend himself in spiritual warfare. Who waits and will know that one day we will see all of this system and everything that rises up against Jesus Christ, surrendering before Him.

Our culture surrendering before Him. Our economy surrendering before Him. Every system on this Earth, every stronghold will fall before Him. Father, and every created being, not only the born but the created, the made by the hands of man will declare with one voice: Jesus Christ is Lord.

Jesus Christ is Lord. And until that day cover your people. Accompany your people. Bless your people. Lord, give victory to your people. That his victory is your victory. May the victory that You give them is Your exalted name. Be Your name exalted, forever, in Jesus name.