“Greater is He”
By
Bishop Melvin L. Maughmer, Jr.
OPENING: - Often when we look around at the condition of the world and especially the condition of the church in the world today, we can be discouraged after trying to defend the Word of God and hold up a standard of Holiness causing us to feel as though we are fighting a losing battle. It often seems as we are losing to false teachers, ideologies, traditions of men, and opinions because we see they seem to be experiencing a level of unprecedented success while others who are acting justly, who love mercy and are walking humbly are struggling to survive both naturally and spiritually.
The Bible says in Hosea 4:6 “My people are destroyed for the lack of knowledge”. I believe the people are destroyed for the lack of knowledge because a lot of the ones that are supposed to be delivering the unadulterated Word of God are often rejecting the truth for popularity, prosperity, and personal agendas. Therefore, the people sitting in the pews are victims because of the arrogance and misconduct of the pulpits. Now let me also make it clear that I am not saying all preachers, pastors, bishops, apostles, and evangelist are doing this there are many who are indeed preaching the unadulterated Word of God, they are holding up a standard of Holiness, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, taking care of the orphan and widow and making disciples according to the Word of God, but there are some bad apples in the barrel and unless we remove them or at least make people aware of the rottenness they are spreading before they themselves become rotten.
Although sometimes it may seem like a losing battle, we must understand that Greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world.
PRAYER: -
SCRIPTURE: - 1John 4:1-4 “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world”.
1 John 4:4 “Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world”. That scripture is often used as a motivational verse for everyday living. People will quote that verse when dealing with a demanding and unreasonable boss, an unfaithful spouse or so-called friend, when dealing with obstacles in their life and to encourage people that they can make it and all of that is o.k. and true.
What many people fail to understand is the purpose behind that scripture and not understanding the purpose is a lack of knowledge which will ultimately lead to destruction. This verse in its context has nothing to do with dealing with unreasonable bosses, unfaithful spouses, double-crossing friends, nor is it just a motivational verse to help someone overcome an obstacle of life.
Sadly, many false prophets, preachers and teachers themselves use this very verse to support their false doctrines, promote the own agendas and ideologies, and to propagate such things like the prosperity gospel or hold tithing as a prerequisite of salvation while they sit back and build up their personal bank accounts and watch as souls are lost and on their way to a Hells damnation sitting in the pews of the church listening to water downed sermons and chasing after fairytale dreams of prosperity, mansions, and fancy cars because greater is he that is in you then he that is in the world.
1 John 4:4 has become another marketable catchphrase. People wear it on T-shirts, have it on cups or hats but they fail to understand the context of the scripture.
John is trying to assure the people that their salvation is sure, they don’t have to be swayed by the false doctrines and the traditions of men and the false teachings of Gnosticism that are spreading through the early church. He is encouraging them that they can overcome the false prophets that are going around spreading damnable doctrines and lies.
Gnostics believed that truth comes from personally applied knowledge and experience. They believe that human beings contain a piece of God within themselves, which has fallen from the immaterial world into the bodies of humans. Some Gnostics believe that the God was not only evil but Satan himself. They believe instead of trusting in the unadulterated Word of God that a person needed new and special revelation to understand the hidden meanings of scripture. These false teachers would sometimes claim that they had visions or new prophecies not found in scripture and that they had divine authority to impose these revelations upon the church. So, the people were confused because they were hearing something that sounded good, that seemed to be true, and they believed that it was indeed coming from God. Sounds a lot like the false teachings of many today that run around teaching lies like since Jesus isn’t here in the flesh and I am then that is talking about me, God gave me a special revelation and told me to preach my experiences because that is more relevant for today than the Bible, or God told me that the people need a new gospel because what was good for grandma isn’t good for today’s generation.
So, John is letting them know that they can overcome these charlatans, heretics, false teachers because greater is He that is in them than he that is in the world.
Many false teachings, doctrines, traditions, and ideologies are found in today’s churches that promote the same kind of Gnostic principles. Whenever a pastor, bishop, apostle, evangelist, teacher, or prophet is more concerned about the condition of the offerings, the ecclesiastical dress, the robes, staffs, and all the superfluous fluff than the condition of the souls of the people, they are a false prophet that is destroying the people by not feeding them the true knowledge of the word of God.
The church is the Bride of Christ; However, when the church, those that make up the body of Christ are subjected to those who seek to manipulate and use her for their own profit and prosperity; that church ceases to be a bride and becomes a prostitute. When they deny the sufficiency of the Bible as the completely revealed word of God and try to change scripture to fit current situations. When they are always in continual need of new prophecies, new experiences, new techniques and new requirements to reach God then they are false. When they try to bring in some new gospel they are of the anti-Christ and not of God regardless of their so-call anointing, title, position, status in the world, or the color of the robe they have.
This is what John was trying to instill in the people how they are victorious over these things.
In verse 1 he says, “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world”.
He is letting them and us know don’t believe everything you hear, don’t be so quick to run from conference to conference from this meeting to that meeting because Bishop or Prophet so-n-so is going to be there, and you want a word from God. You need to search the scriptures and study for yourself and listen to what God is telling you. Understand you can’t eat at everybody’s table.
Jesus said that many impostors would come in His name Matthew 24:5 says, “For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many”. Many people are being deceived and destroyed by false teachers, preachers, and so-called anointed men and women of God rather in the pulpit on through tainted and false gospel performers.
It is easy for someone to claim that they have received a word from the Lord or was told something by the Spirit, but you better try the spirit. Make sure that they are giving you the unadulterated word of God and not some junk, some corrupt filth that tickles your ears and boost your ego but causes you to end up in hell. My wife and I many years ago listen to a so-called prophet that had a word from God for us and it cost us several hundred dollars 24 years later that word still hasn’t come true. You better try the spirits.
I said you can’t eat at everyone’s table, Years ago, before I really understood that I would have a negative reaction to chitterlings I ate some from a lady that had cooked them. They looked good and the even tasted good, but they were not thoroughly cleaned and after I ate it, I became very sick and ended up in the emergency room WHY because I went to somebody else’s table and ate what wasn’t good for me because I wanted some chitterlings.
Just as those chitterlings made me so sick that I ended up in the E.R. False teachers, Phony prophets, Damnable doctrines, Hypocritic heretics and Carnivorous charlatans will cause you to become spiritual sick and if you are not careful you will die.
1 John 4:2-3 says. “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 does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already”.
John is saying to try the spirit to see if it is the holy Spirit or whether it is from the antichrist. The trying or the testing of the spirits is to see how it will react to the unadulterated true and accurate Word of God.
Understand as the children of God, we cannot just accept what is coming across the from people at face value, but to thoroughly and reasonably examine the testimony of anyone who claims to speak by the Spirit of God. Whether pastor, preacher, evangelist, teacher, bishop, prophet, apostle or the person down the street, every word they speak must be verified and validated by the Word of God.
There are many people, ministries, churches, and doctrines that claim to preach Jesus, but fail to make Jesus their total focus. They say things like Jesus wants you to be happy and be a millionaire. They will tell you to turn to your neighbor and tell them you are sitting next to a millionaire. They will preach that if you want to be truly blessed you need to bring your W2 in so we can make sure that you are paying enough tithes. They are more concerned with pomp and superfluous fluff than souls being saved.
Understand any teaching that does not make Jesus the focus of its teaching, preaching, doctrine and theology then it is anti-Christ.
So many times, it can feel like defending the Unadulterated Word of God, fighting against false teachers, false doctrines, and heretics is a losing battle in a world. However, we can be encouraged knowing that we are victorious because verse 4 says, “Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world”.
Because Greater is He we are victorious over all these false doctrines, teachers, heretics.
Because Greater is He we are more than conquerors.
Because Greater is He we can be overcomers
Because Greater is He we have joy unspeakable full of glory.
Because Greater is He we have peace that passeth all understanding.
Because Greater is He we can stand and having done all Stand.
Because Greater is He we don’t have to fall to the tricks of the enemy.
Because Greater is He we don’t have to be deceived.
Because we understand this, because Greater is He than any storm that may come.
Greater is He than sickness, grief, heartache, and death.
Greater is He that is you than he that is in the world.
Bishop Melvin L. Maughmer, Jr.
