Today, we will be starting a Victory Series in the Leadership fellowship and the Scripture for this series is in 1^st John chapter 5:4. It says:

 

“4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.”

                                                                                                            1^st John 5:4

 

 

Listen to Podcast: THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE PEOPLE OF GOD

 

 

It says, whatever is born of God overcomes the world.  And this is the victory that has overcome the world, our faith. For whatever is born of God overcomes, whatever is born of God is a victor, he has victory and as an inheritance, why, because that person or that thing is born of God. And he says this is the victory, this is how we access victory. This is the way to victory. And this is the victory that overcomes the world, our faith! And I pray that as we use our faith, as we connect to God with our faith in Him in this month of April, we will experience victory all the way in the name of Jesus.

 

Under the victory series we will be looking at The Establishment of God’s Own, how does God establish his own? How does God establish his people? How does God set aside his own people? How do we know that a people belong to God? How do we know a people have been set aside for God? And this is an issue in the church. We have a mixed multitude in the church. Many people are playing religion, many people are known by their pastors, they are known by their leaders but they are not known by God. Many people have come into the four walls of a place of worship and they think that qualifies them as God’s own, because you come into my house and greet me, or because you come into my house to greet someone in my house, does not make you my child. Because you come to pay me a visit, does not give you the right to be called my own.

 

And that’s why Jesus said, I know my sheep. I know my own and they know me. The voice of a stranger, they will not hear. They hear and hearken to my voice because they knowme and I know them. So, God knows those that are His. That’s why the Bible says that, see God cannot be mocked, whatsoever a man sows that he will reap. And we are going to be looking at that under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, the establishment of God’s own.

 

What are the things that establish us as God’s people? We are going to start by looking at that same 1^stJohn chapter 5 and I will start by reading from verse 1 to 8, then I will move quickly to verse 9, and I will read that, then go to 18 and 19.

 

“1 Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him. ² By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. ³ For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. ⁴ For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. ⁵ Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? ⁶ This is He who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not only by water, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth. ⁷ For there are three that bear witnessin heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one. ⁸ And there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one.⁹ If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for this is the witness of God which He has testified of His Son.¹⁰ He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son. ¹¹ And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. ¹² He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. ¹³ These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God”.

1^st John 5:1-13

 

Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ, is born of God and everyone who loves him, who begat also loves him who is begotten of him. Please follow through. By this we know that we love the children of God when we love God and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome, for whatever is born of God overcomes the world and this is the victory that overcomes the world, our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? Do you see the repetition? It all starts with Jesus. Whoever believes! That’s why he says, this is the victory that overcomes the world, our faith. Our faith is the foundation. That’s why the Bible says, if the foundation be destroyed. Whatcan the righteous do? The foundation is our faith. We have no victory without faith. And he said in verse 5, who is he that overcomes the world, who is he that is victorious? Who is hethat is triumphant? Who is he that is an overcomer? But he who believes, who has faith, that Jesus is the son of God.

 

Verse 6, this is He who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ, not only by water but by water and blood. It is the spirit who bears witnessbecause the spirit is truth. Verse 7,for there are three that bears witness in heaven, the Father, the Word and the Holy Spirit.And this three are one, they bear witness in heaven. Verse 8, And there are three that bear witness on earth, the Spirit, the water and the blood and these three agree as one. If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater, for this is the witness of God whichhe hastestified of hisSon.He who believes in the Son of God has a witness in himself, he who does not believe God has made him a liar. Because he has not believed the testimony that God has testified of his Son and this is the testimony that God has given us eternallife and this life is in his Son.He who has the Son, has life. He who does not have the Son of God, does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know, that you may have eternal life and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God. Now I am going to move to Verse 18 and 19,

 

^“18 We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keepshimself, and the wicked one does not touch him. ¹⁹ We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.”

1^st John 5:18-19

 

We know that whoever is born of God does not sin but he who has been born of God keeps himself and the wicked one does not touch him. Verse 19, we know that weare of God, we know that we are God’s own, we know that we are of God and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one. May the Lord bless the reading of his word in Jesus name.                                                                                                                                          

We are going to start from that verse 19, He said we know, how do we know? We know, we are confident in this truth that we are of God. We are God’s own. We know but the whole world lies under the sway, under the deception, under the rulership of the wicked one? Who is the wicked one? The devil! In this world, whether you like it or not, you cannot sit on the fence, you are either God’s own or you are under the sway of the wicked one. You are either God’s own or you are under the sway, the deception and the rulership of the devil. There is no middle ground, there is no free moral agent in spiritual things. You are either God’s own, you belong to God or you are under the rulership of the devil.

 

He said, we know, how do we know? What gives us this confidence? That’s why we will be looking at three witnesses on earth that establishes our faith, that establishes and substantiates our faith that we are God’s own. And they are the same instrument of our victory on the earth. We will be looking at three witnesses on earth that establishes and substantiates our faith and at the same time they are the three instruments of our victory on the earth and in verse 8 of that 1^st John chapter 5, it said there are three that bear witness on the earth, the spirit, the water, and the blood. And we will be looking at this three individually. And it said this three agree as one. They come into agreement in an individual and establish that individual as God’s own. The three agrees in an individual and gives that individual victory on the earth.

 

And we will start by looking at the Spirit. What was God saying about the Spirit? How does the Spirit give us victory? How does the Spirit witness on the earth that we are God’s own? I want us to see John chapter 3, we are going to be looking at various Scriptures, because what the Holy Spirit wants to do is help us understand so that they don’t call for altar call and you are thinking ‘Hey! Am I God’s own? Should I go out or should I not go out? Am I sure I am God’s own?’ This is what establishes us. John chapter 3 and we will read verse 5;

 

^“5 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”

John 3:5

 

Jesus answered, most assuredly I say to you unless one is born of waterand the Spirit, if you look at your Bible you will see that the Spirit there is capital letter ‘S’, talking about the personality of the Holy Spirit. He says, most assuredly, this is the statement of Jesus, without any doubt, I am giving you full assurance with this statement. I say to you, unless, this is thecondition, unless you are born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom ofGod. You cannot be God’s own if you have not been born of water and of the Spirit. Unless you are born of water and of the Spirit, you are not God’s own. It’s not only being born of water that makes you God’s own, you must be born of the water and of the Spirit. You must be born of the water and of the Spirit.

 

And that’s why when John the Baptist was baptizing Jesus, And he said concerning him, and he said, see, I John I only baptize with water, but one is coming after me, one whose sandal I can’t even dare to just put my feet in it. He said, He is coming to baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. So, Jesus attesting to this makes us to understand that for us to belong to the kingdom of God, see the kingdom of God is not for slaves. The kingdom of God is not for everyone. The kingdom of God is for the children of God and God’s children are not accidental children, they are children that are born and they are established by Him and there is a system God has put in place that establishes his children. There is a system that God has put in place that puts a mark on each individual that is a child of God and you will see from that John chapter 3verse 5, that Jesus said, the water and the Spirit, is a pre-qualification, it’s a qualification for you to enter, for you to access, for you to belong to the Kingdom of God. I want us to also see another Scripture, 2^nd Corinthians 1, so that we understand how the Spirit establishes us. 2^nd Corinthians 1, let me read from verse 21

 

^“21 Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, ²² who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.”

2^nd Corinthians 1: 21-22

 

He who establishes us with you in Christ and have anointed us is God, did you see that? He who establishes us with you in Christ and have anointed us is God, who also   has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our heart as a guarantee, did we see that? The Spirit is givento us as a guarantee, he has sealed us by his Spirit. By this we know that we are children of God. As many that are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.You can’t say you are God’s own without his Spirit being a guarantee. You say, I have accepted Jesus, what is it about his Spirit? The Spirit is the guarantee that you are God’s own. The Spirit establishes you in God. Ephesians chapter 1, and we will read verse 13, talking about the same thing.

 

^“13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise”

Ephesians 1:13

 

In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed.  You were sealed. Did you see it in your Bible? You were sealed, with what? The Holy Spirit of promise! You were sealed. Child of God, you are sealed with the Holy Spirit, it’s a guarantee. It’s a mark that you belong to God. Without the Spirit, there is no guarantee. Without the Spirit, there is no seal upon your life. So, when we are talking about the place of the Holy Spirit, He is not just a Spirit, He is the personality that guarantees and seals your sonship in the kingdom. I want us to also see that Ephesians chapter 4 verse 30,

 

^“30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”

Ephesians 4: 30

 

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God by whomyou were sealed for the day of redemption. By whom you were sealed, the Holy Spirit seals you. He is your guarantee.I am reading all these Scriptures so that you will see that the same thing God is saying, the Holy Spirit is a seal. He establishes you. He is a seal upon your life. He is the mark of God in your life. When the Spirit of God is seen in you, God knows you are His. In the Spiritual realm, we are not identified by this body, every human being you see on the earth is for an agenda. That’s why the Bible says see, don’t be ignorant. As children of God, don’t be ignorant of the devices of the  devil. The devil is using human beings to carry out his agenda, the same way God is using human beings. So in the spirit realm, every human being is like, what do they call this thing they use in playing chess? Is like a pawn, that is used by two kingdoms, two players. So, you know your players by the colour. Somebody has white players, another has black.

 

It looks like a game but that game simplifies what happens in the spiritual realm. Every human being carries a spirit and if you are not carrying the Spirit of God, you are automatically under the sway of the wicked one. So, the wicked one can use you as a pawn in his own kingdom but when you belong to God, when the Holy Spirit is upon your life, when the seal of God is upon your life, automatically the presence of God, the agenda of God is what overwhelms you.

 

So that’s who we are. We are sealed. The seal upon our lives, the seal of God is the Holy Spirit. I don’t know how you have been seeing the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit is the seal of God upon your life. He said do not grieve the Holy Spirit, lest you lose your seal because once you lose your seal, you become available for the devil.

 

^“3 saying, “Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.”

Revelations 7: 3

 

Until we have sealed the servants of God on their foreheads, and I saw something interesting in Revelations 9 verse 4,

 

^“4 They were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.”

Revelations 9:4

 

Why was the seal of God mentioned over and over again? He said they were commanded not to harm, and this is it, as children of God, so many things are happening in our world, the spiritual controls the physical, understand it and see what’s being said in the spiritual realm, and they were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing or any tree but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. So, those that don’t have the seal of God, those that don’t have the Holy Spirit, they are easy prey. So the instrument of our victory is the seal of God, the Holy Spirit. What establishes and substantiates our faith on earth, that establishes us as God’s own, is the Holy Spirit.

 

Number two, the water, the Word of God. In that John chapter 3verse 5, we read before, Jesus said most assuredly I say unto you, except a man is born of waterand the Spirit, the water is the Word of God. And I want us to see Ephesians, Ephesians chapter 5 and we will read 26 to 27,

 

^“26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, ²⁷ that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.”

Ephesians 5: 26-27

 

The Word of God, the water sanctifies and cleanses us and it establishes us as God’s own. Because in that 27, He said but she should be holy, that is the number one attribute of God, God is holy. So, when the water of the Word washes us, we become like God. He establishes us, We are established as God’s own by the Word. John chapter 4 verse 10;

 

^“10 Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”

John 4: 10

 

 He would have given you living water. As children of God, we must possess the living water because that water is what establishes us, you must have the Word of God in you. You cannot say you are God’s own and you don’t have the Word of God in you. The Word of God must be living in you because He said out of your belly shall flow rivers of living water. The Word of God must be flowing in you, that is what establishes you as God’s own. You can’t say you are God’s own and you don’t have the Word. You must have the Word.

 

^“6 And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts.”

Revelations 21: 6

 

 So, when we come to Jesus believing in him, he gives us of thefountain of living water. He fills us with His Word. So, we now have the word, and He said we can now dispense the word. It is evidence that we belong to Him. He said if you love God, you will obey His commandments. You will have His commandments. You will hold it in your heart. That’s how you know you belong to God, by His Word.

 

^“22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”

Hebrews 10: 22

 

“The water of the word”. So, the Word washes us and cleanses us, that we become holy, we become God’s own. And we have the Word inside of us and it flows to other people. This establishes us, and when the Bible was talking about the full armor of God, He said hold the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. It’s an instrument that establishes your victory. The Word establishes your victory

 

And number three, the blood of Jesus Christ. The third instrument of our victory on the earth, and the third witness on the earth that establishes us as God’s own is the blood of Jesus Christ.

 

^“22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, ²³ to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, ²⁴ to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.”

Hebrews 12: 22-24

 

The blood of Jesus establishes our victory by speaking for us. It establishes us. John chapter 6 verse 53; I want us to see what Jesus himself said,

 

^“53 Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.”

John 6:53

 

You have no life in you unless you are a partaker of the blood of Jesus. Unless you come in by the blood, you are not established, your victory is not guaranteed, unless you come in by the blood. This is Jesus Himself saying, most assuredly, I love when He starts with most assuredly, nothing else! This is a full assurance. Unless you eat the flesh of the son of man and drink His blood, be a partaker of the blood of Jesus, you have no life in you. And what establishes as God’s own is that life, eternal life which is in Christ Jesus. So, unless we become partakers of that blood, we don’t have his life in us. We are not God’s own. We are reading all these Scriptures so that we understand that this is established in the Scriptures, this is what God is saying to us. You can’t say you belong to God if this three does not agree in your life

 

^“7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace”

Ephesians 1:7

 

In Him we have redemption, through his blood, we are redeemed by the blood. So, we come in by the blood. You know, now we are taking it upwards, from down up, we come in by the blood of Jesus. We are washed by the Word. Then we receive the Spirit. The blood of Jesus redeems us to God, we come to God via the blood of Jesus Christ, we are now washed by the water of the Word, we are cleansed and we are made holy, then the seal of God, the Spirit of God comes upon our lives, this is how we are established. This is how the three agree in one and this is what witness on the earth that we are God’s own because God used the blood of Jesus to set the record straight on the earth that we belong to him. When the devil comes accusing us, when the devil comes and says, this people are not worth it, why are you wasting your time on them, we come by the blood of Jesus. What He sees is the blood. That’s why the Bible says, we are God’s own righteousness. We are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus.

 

When He sees us, He sees the blood, He sees that we are redeemed by the blood and we are washed by the Word and we are sealed by his Spirit. This is what establishes us. So, all the host of heaven and all the spiritual beings, whether in the kingdom of light or the kingdom of darkness, they see, they identify that we are God’s own. So, this is what assures us of our victory, so no matter what you are going through, you must check yourself, have I come in by the blood, am I washed by the Word, is the seal of the Spirit of God, is it upon my life? Once this is settled, you are victorious because the Bible says for whatever is born of God overcomes the world and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith, our faith in the blood, our faith in the Word and our faith in the spirit of God.

 

Thanks for the gift of your time, I am Lara Gboyega Adedeji!

Feel free to share your thoughts or testimony in the comment box below. I promise to respond to them as soon as possible!