Well, that was just sweet, that
song. Her mama and her boys. That's sweet. Well, Gary preached
the whole Bible. So I'm going to preach from the
table of contents. Thank you for having me. I know
I speak for the other preachers who privilege to preach for you
this week. It's always a pleasure to be
among this people to see faces I've seen for forty six years
now. Some of them have gone on to
glory and I don't have to wait a while to see them again. But I was
thinking they're in eternity. I'm not with them. They're not
with me, but I'm with them. Because I'm seated in heavenly
places in Jesus Christ right now. I don't fully understand
that, but I certainly like the sound of it. What Gary said, take it to heart. That's as clear
as it's ever gonna be. That's as clear as it's ever
gonna be. 1 John chapter three. These are the words of the apostle
John. And I think they are words that
are spoken in utter amazement and glory of a wondrous truth. And that wondrous truth is that
God sees things one way, and we see things another way. His ways are not our ways, nor
are His thoughts our thoughts. The secret things of God belong
to him, but he has revealed some secret things to us. The mystery
of the gospel was secret and hid from the ages, has revealed
it to us in these last days. And John is, I think, almost
beside himself, as many of the apostles got, even under the
inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes they'd say, well, just
glory to God. Glory to God! Praise be, dominion
done to Him! And John says this, Behold, stop
for a minute, pay attention to what he is saying, Behold, what
manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we, and
that is where the emphasis should be, that we, of all people, should
be called the sons of God. Therefore the world knoweth us
not, because it knew him not. And the world doesn't know us
and can never know us. But we know each other. I was
sitting on the porch with Ethan the other day at Jim's house.
We're separated by 50 years, by half a century. And yet we
were able to talk about something that both of us have experienced
that the world hasn't for the most part. We both served our
country for a number of years. And that mind of the military
man, and that time we spent in the company of men like that,
we can talk about that, but civilians will never know what we're talking
about. And when you gather here in this place, or in a restaurant,
or at home, You talk about things that the world will never understand.
You have communion and fellowship and understanding. The world
will never know. The natural man receiveth not the things
of the spirit, their foolishness to him, neither can he know them
or discern them, because they are spiritually discerned. But
the spiritual man discerneth all things, yet he is discerned
of none. We're the children of God, he
said. sons of God. Behold, what kind of love is
this? Well, he goes on to express what
kind of love it is in these first 10 verses when he says, Beloved,
now are we the sons of God? And it does not yet appear what
we shall be. We know that when he shall appear,
we shall be like him because we'll see him as he is. So we
got to be as he is to see him as he is. but it also says in
the fourth chapter in the seventeenth verse that as He is, so are we
in the world. And every man that hath this
hope purifieth himself, even he is pure, just as our brother
just read a while ago. Then he says this, Whoso commiteth
sin transgresseth also the law, for sin is the transgression
of the law. We can all take that to heart,
can't we? then he says and you know that
he was manifested to take away our sins and in him is no sin that's the difference between
the two views right there whosoever transgresses the law also or for sin is a transgression
law whosoever committed sin transgresseth the law For sin is the transgression
of the law. We can understand that. The thing
I find in scripture and find in my life is this truth, God
doesn't remember my sins anymore. Because of the perfect work of
the Lord Jesus Christ on Calvary's tree. And I never forget my sins. I never forget them. If that
song in Revelation 5 is indeed a song of heaven, it's a remembrance
of our sins. Worthy is the lamb that was slain.
Why? Because of our sin. It has redeemed
us out of every kindred, nation, tongue, and people. Kindred,
nation, tongue, and people. And made us kings and priests
unto our God. But after he says, he who commit
a sin is a transgressor of the law. He says, and ye know. that Jesus Christ was manifested,
that word apocalypto revel revealed. Jesus Christ was revealed, openly
displayed to take away our sin, and in Him is no sin. We re transgressors
of the law. Our brother said everything of
faith is sin, and you know though we walk by faith, we don t always
walk in faith. And we do take credit for things
we shouldn't take credit for, and it's really sin we're taking
credit for. God said He was manifest to take that away. That word
there, take away, is aero, means to bear up under a burden, to
hold it on the shoulders and take it away. That's our Lord
Jesus Christ, when our sin was laid upon Him, bore that burden
on in His body on a tree, and He carried our sins away. the
sacrifice of Himself. So we have our view of ourselves,
we re transgressors, God s view of us, our sins are taken away.
Whoso abideth in Him sinneth not. Wait a minute, we abide
in Jesus Christ, we re in Him, we re in Him from the foundation
of the world. That s what Paul says in Ephesians
chapter 1. He has blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in Christ, according as He has chosen us in Him, before
the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without
blame before Him in love, having predestined us to the adoption
of children by Jesus Christ unto Himself, to the praise of the
glory of His grace, wherein we are accepted in the Beloved."
We were in Christ! when he died on Calvary's tree.
We were in Christ before the foundation of the world when
he was a lamb slain before the foundation of the world. We were
in Christ when he was buried. We were in Christ when he was
whipped. We were in Christ when he rose from the grave, and we
were in Christ when he ascended to heavenly places on high. In
Christ. In Christ. We abide in him, but
whosoever abideth in him sinneth not. That must be God talking. That must be God talking. We
confess our sins. We confess our sins. But that's
for us really. It's not for God. He don't remember
our sins. Our sins have been put away.
The language he uses is behind his back. Where is that when
all things are before him? Behind his back at the bottom
of the sea. As far as the east is from the west, he separated
our sin from us. That's the language of scripture
concerning our sin. But he also says in this very
book, whoso abideth in him sinneth not. Whosoever sinneth not, whoever
sinneth hath not seen him. But it says over here in the
first chapter of this book, He says, if we say we have no sin,
we deceive ourselves. And the truth is not in us. If
we confess our sins, He's faithfully just to forgive our sins and
cleanse us of all unrighteousness. We confess our sins for us, because
we know we're sinners. God doesn't remember our sins.
We confess our sins because we know we're sinners. But God is
just to forgive us. Why? Because we confess. knew. Why does He forgive us? Because
He's just. How is He just to forgive us?
He's just because Jesus Christ's sacrifice justified us freely
and made it possible for God to be just and justify them that
believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. We're sinners, we're sinners
and God says if you abide in Christ you don't sin. What a
thing What a thing. Whosoever abideth in him sinneth
not. Little children, let no man deceive you. He that doeth
righteousness is righteous, even as he's righteous. So that cannot
apply to me. I don't do anything righteous,
and yet God says I do. By faith, you just said it, by
faith. by faith. God gave us faith and
that accounts to righteousness. Abraham believed God and it was
accounted to him for righteousness. When did he believe God? He always
believed God when he came out of the Heraclides, didn't he?
Took his family and left. Boy, that's a man of faith. Doesn't
say when he came out of the Heraclides that God accounted that for righteousness.
He offered up his son Isaac. An act of faith, no doubt about
it. took that boy up and put him on an altar that was going
to stab him in the heart and kill him. God provided him a
ram, a lamb as his substitute. When he offered up Isaac, he
doesn't say that God accounted it for righteousness. When did
he do it? One night, accounted in the 15th
chapter of Genesis, God took him out and said, look at the
stars. He said, boy, there's a lot of
them. He said, so shall that seed be. Like the sands of the
sea and the stars of the sky, so shall thy seed be. And he
said, Abraham believed God concerning the seed. And there is where
it says, and his faith was accounted for righteousness. What is Abraham's
seed? Galatians 3 said, Abraham's seed
is Jesus Christ. When you believe God, a lot of
people believe God. You don't believe it? Listen
to them. They talk about it. God helped me this. God did that
for me. God sent this. God sent that. A lot of people
believe things about God. But faith comes through Jesus
Christ, through belief in the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Whoso abideth in him, sin not.
Little children, let no man deceive you. He that doeth righteousness
is righteous. even as he is righteous, and
that's the way it's put, even as he is righteousness. Why do
the children of God do righteousness? Because they're righteous. That's
where it flows from. They don't become righteous because
they do righteousness, they do righteousness because they are
righteous. Now we don't look at any of our acts and say they're
righteous. But God looks at all of them and says they're righteous. He looks at all of them and says
they're righteous. Then he says, He that committeth sins of the
devil. Of the devil. Do you realize
that everything that ain't of faith is demon possession? Our
Lord was pretty straight on that. He told the very best men in
the world, the Pharisees, the fellows, He said, except your
righteousness exceed that of the Pharisees, you shall in no
case enter heaven. The best of the best. And he
said to those Pharisees, you are of your father, the devil.
He was a liar from the beginning and a murderer and you're just
like him. We think demon possession is writing pentagrams on the
side of walls. Those are demon failures. Those are devil's failures. The devil's successes are in
the pulpits of this land, in the pews of churches with Bibles
in their hands, singing hymns and trusting in their own merit
for salvation. they are demon-possessed. They
are demon-possessed, and that is what he says. He has committed
sin. He is of the devil. He is of the devil. For the devil
sinneth from the beginning, but for this purpose the Son of God
was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. That is how God sees it. That
is how God sees it. Then he says this wondrous thing
in verse 9, and I'm not preaching along today because I know you're
hungry. I know you're hungry. I could
say what my dad would say to me, you're old enough where your
wants won't hurt you, but I won't say that. Verse 9 says, whosoever is born
of God doth not sin. How can that be? That's how God sees it. And how
God sees it is how it is. We know we're sinners. We know
we are. We're reminded of it every time
we have a thought that comes across our brain. We know that
everything outside of faith is sin and so much of what we do
is sin. Paul wrote Romans 7 and made
it very clear that when he would do good, he doesn't do it. And when he wants to do what's
right, it doesn't happen. He said, there's a principle
in me, a living, vital law, he called it, in me that when I
would do good, evil is present with me. And thinking about that
as a child of God, one born of God, one who was confronted on
the road to Damascus, one who was called to see the just one
and to preach his name forever. He said, Oh, wretched man that
I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death? And then
he gave us the single motto that tells the truth about our life
as a child of God. Therefore, with my mind, with
my heart and my strongest desire, I serve the law of God, the word
of God. I serve it. I want to do that.
Don't you want to do that? Oh boy, I want to do that. But with my flesh, I serve the law
of sin and death. That's our life. That's our life. But according to God, whosoever
is born of God doth not commit Sin, why? Because his sin, Christ,
remaineth in him and he cannot sin. That's how God sees you. Think about yourself. Think about
what you are. Think about the thoughts that
went through your head last night before you went to bed. Think
about what's in your heart most of the time. Think about who
you're really interested in most of the time of your life. Yourself! Myself! We know that's true! But God says we CANNOT SIN in
His eyes, because we're born of God. In this is the children of God
are manifest, and the children of the devil. Whosoever doeth
not righteousness is not of God, Neither he that loveth not his
brother. Cannot see. How does God see
us? He sees us in Jesus Christ as
absolutely spotless. without one wrinkle, without
one blemish, without one thing because of the shed blood of
Jesus Christ, His accomplishment, His death accomplished at Jerusalem
was of such great value, such inestimable worth, that when
He died, God was entirely and completely satiated for sin. He was propitiated and satisfied
for sin. He was satisfied in his law and
his justice. And he looks at every one of
his children and there ain't nothing but a smile on his face
for. Religion would have God standing around the corner waiting
to thump you on a noggin. But He ain't doing that. He embraces
you fully as His Son. Behold, what manner of love is
this, that we should be called the sons of God? What a thing,
knowing what we are, that we should be called the sons of
God. How do we see ourselves? What's the truth about our condition?
Naturally, we're just wretches and sinners What's the truth
about our situation spiritually? Ain't nothing wrong with us.
We're right with God. Think about that. Are there any
examples of that in Scripture? I'm going to give you one and
then I'm going to quit and we can go eat some fried chicken. Which is very pleasing to your
pastor. Because that boy loves fried
chicken. Exodus chapter 2, we give you
an example of how God sees a sinner as opposed to how it is naturally. Moses, Exodus chapter 2 verse
11, And it came to pass in those days when Moses was grown, he
went out with his brethren and looked on their burdens, He spied
an Egyptian smiting a Hebrew, one of his brethren, and he looked
this way. Now, this Catholic is a scribe
now. He sees this guy down there beating
on him, and he looks this way and looks that way. Why is he
doing that? To see if anybody is watching.
He looks this way and that way. When he saw that there was no
man, he killed that Egyptian and buried him in the dirt. Hit
him in the sand. That's what really happened now.
And when he went out the second day, behold, two men of the Hebrews
strove together. Now there's a fight going on
between his brethren. And he said to them that did
the wrong, wherefore smitest thou thy fellow? And he said,
they said, who made you a prince over us? and a judge over us. Intendest thou to kill me as
thou didst the Egyptians? Whoops! Somebody knows! I guess I wasn't looking, I should
have looked back. Underline that, feared is known
Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses, but
Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh and dwelt in the land of Midian,
and he sat down by a well. He was afraid, he feared if he
was found out, he'd be killed. Now that's just how it happened,
isn't it? That's the record. Let's look
how God records it in Hebrews chapter 11, same incident. In Hebrews chapter 11, this is
the same account. Remember what happened? Looking
this way and that way. He was afraid he'd kill that
guy, put him in the dirt, didn't want anybody to know what was
found out about it. He ran, fled for his life. How does God record
it? Verse 24, by faith. What? By faith, Moses, when he was
come to years refused to be called the son of Pharaoh s daughter. Does that sound like what happened? Choosing rather to suffer affliction
with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for
a season. Esteeming the reproach of Christ
greater riches than the treasures of Egypt for he had respect unto
the recompense of the reward by faith he forsook Egypt not
fearing what did we just read while ago fearing not fearing
the wrath of the king for he endured as seeing him who is
invisible God sees things His way, and
God's right on this. I didn't know Moses' heart, but
everything he said about Moses is true. Let's hear it one more
time. Whosoever is born of God doth
not commit sin, for his seed remaineth in him, and he cannot
sin, because he is born of God. You know what? That'll do when
the world's on fire. That'll float your boat. That'll
trip your trigger. Let's have some chicken.