Text: 1 John 4:1-6
1. Everything spiritual is not from the Holy Spirit.
There are no neutral spirits. There is the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood, which is also the spirit of the antichrist. We are admonished to test the spirits.
What is the test? Verses 2-3
The “spirit of the antichrist” refers to any influence or teaching that denies the true nature of Jesus Christ, particularly His incarnation as God in the flesh.
Tarot Card Readings, Palm Readings, seances, talking boards like Ouija boards and the like. These are not things to play around with.
Demons haven’t gone anywhere. They may not be operating as overtly as in the ancient world, but they haven’t emigrated to another planet.
The battle is for our trust. In what or in whom will you put your trust?
2 Corinthians 11:14-15 14…Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15 It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness.
If he cannot lure people into the exotic, He will distort the familiar.
Galatians 1:6-9 (NIV) 6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 which is really no gospel at all… 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! 9 As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!
2. The One who is with us is also in us.
Jesus died to make this supernatural union with us possible.
Hebrews 13:6 I will never leave you nor forsake you.
His internal presence makes all the difference. And His is job is to reveal Christ to us, His truth, His values, His joy, our experience of Him.
John 14:16-17 and John 15:26
The One who is in You. We have been given something greater than God’s promise to be with us. We have Him in us.
The evil one mischaracterizes the Christian life in the minds of those who are yet to believe as boring. The twist here is the Christian life is not about the life of a Christian it’s not about the life of a Christian, it’s about the life in a Christian. A life within that can turn everything into an adventure, even the boring things. The Christian life is an inside out adventure as much as it is outside in.
3. The One who is in us is greater than the one who is against us.
This is why a Christian cannot be demon possessed. We can certainly be influenced and deceived but there is only one resident in you and that is the Holy Spirit.
The One who is in You is greater than the One who is in the world.
2 Thessalonians 3:3 But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.
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