I've entitled the message, What
the New Birth Does. What the New Birth Does. One of the great mysteries of
the gospel is being born of God. What's more mysterious than that?
That I've been birthed by God, that I've been given life, that
I was not born into this world with. What the new birth does. Now, the new birth, or being
born of God, is called in scripture, being begotten of God. Of His own will begat He us.
with the word of truth. As many as received him, to them
gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them which believed
on his name, which were born, not of blood, not of the will
of the flesh, not of the will of man, but of God, being born
again, being born from above, being
born of the spirit. It's called in the scripture,
a new creature, a new creation, the new man, the hidden man of
the heart, which is not corruptible. Being born of incorruptible seed
by the word of God, being partakers of the divine nature. Christ in you. The spirit that lusts against
the flesh. Christ liveth in me. This is
the new heart that God said he would give. The clean heart David
asked God to create in him. The spirit he puts within us. I believe this is the pure heart
the Lord is speaking of when he says, blessed are the pure
in heart for they shall see God. This is the work of grace in
us being born of God. This is what regeneration is.
Now God is one God in three different persons. God the Father, God
the Son, God the Holy Spirit. In salvation, God the Father
chose who would be saved. God the Son redeemed those people
that God chose and put away their sins. And God the Holy Spirit
births those people into the kingdom of God. They're born
again. Now is election necessary for
your salvation? Yeah. Is redemption necessary
for your salvation? Yeah. Is being born from above
being born again necessary for your salvation? Yes. This is what Paul referred to
when he said, We are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto
good works, which God had before ordained that we should walk
in them. Now in this passage of scripture
in first John, I read the six different things that John says
he, which is born of God does. Now I'm interested in this, aren't
you? What does the new birth do? And he names six things. He that doeth righteousness is
born of God. And this is interesting and this
is important. In the original, it says he that
doeth the righteousness. The definite article is used. He that doeth the righteousness
is born of God. He that's born of God does not
commit sin. Everyone that loveth is born
of God. Whoso believeth that Jesus is
the Christ is born of God. He that's born of God overcomes
the world and he that's born of God keepeth himself. Let's take these one at a time
and I feel like I've understood this first one more clearly than
I have in the past. Verse 29, chapter 2, if you know
that he is righteous. You know that everyone that doeth
righteousness is born of him. Now, when we hear that, the first
thing that we think is what many translations say, he that practices
righteousness is born of God. And we think someone who is born
of God, it will be seen in the life they live, their conduct, the things they
do. Now, the things we do are very
important. We want to honor and glorify
our Redeemer by our life. by our conduct, by our attitude,
by our spirit. We want to do that. How we live
matters. You know, every day I pray for
myself that the Lord would cause me to be poor in spirit. I ask the Lord to make me to
mourn. I asked the Lord to make me meek
before him. I asked the Lord to cause me
to hunger and thirst after his righteousness. I asked the Lord
to give me this pure heart that will see God. I asked the Lord
to make me to be merciful. I asked the Lord to cause me
to be a peacemaker. I ask the Lord that I might be
privileged by His grace to be persecuted for righteousness.
I ask this to the Lord. That's the Beatitudes. That's
what a believer is. And I want to glorify the Lord
like that. I ask the Lord every day to fill
me with the fruit of the Spirit. I ask the Lord to fill me with
love, with joy, with peace, with longsuffering, goodness, with
gentleness, with faith, meekness, with temperance. Every believer wants to honor
the Lord in their life. If you were born of God, you
want to do that. That being said. That is not
what is being taught in verse John chapter two, verse 29. If
you're born of God, your works will bear it out. Look what it says, if you know
that he is righteous. Do you know that? I mean, is
that something you're sure of? He is righteous. Righteous father. That's what
the Lord called him. Oh, righteous father. The world
has not known me, but I've known me. You know that God, the son
is righteous. Uh, John called him first John
chapter two, verse one, Jesus Christ, the righteous. Don't
you love that? Jesus Christ, the righteous God, the Holy spirit. I have no doubt that he is speaking
specifically of God the Son when he says, if you know that he
is righteous, you know that don't you? Now, do you know no natural
man knows that? Every natural man is ignorant
of God's righteousness. Remember that Romans chapter
2? They being ignorant of God's righteousness. Now they have
their concepts of righteousness but it's only the believer that
knows that God is righteous. God the Father, God the Son,
God the Holy Spirit, specifically God the Son. John called him
in the first of this chapter, Jesus Christ the righteous. If you know he is righteous, you know that everyone that doeth
righteousness in the original The definite article is there.
Everyone that doeth the righteousness. That's the same righteousness
that David spoke of when he said in Psalm 71, 16, I've made mention
of thy righteousness, even thine only. You remember how the Lord
said to John the Baptist, thus it becometh us to fulfill, to
perform, to complete, to do all righteousness. Everything the
Lord did, he did as an us. We read in Hebrews 11, four,
by faith, able, offered unto God, more excellent sacrifice
than Cain by the which he obtained witness. This is God's witness
of him that he was righteous. God testify of his gifts. Second Corinthians five, 10,
listen to this scripture. We must all appear before the
judgment seat of Christ that everyone may receive the things
done in the body. According to that he has done,
whether it be good or bad. It's one or the other. It's not
a mixture of the two. Revelation 19, we read of the
church being clothed with fine linen, clean and white. And that
fine linen is the righteousness of the saints. Now the righteousness
of Jesus Christ is the righteousness of the saints. It's not simply
Christ's righteousness imputed to the saints. It is the righteousness
of the saints. Now this gives us some idea of
what the imputation of righteousness means. Even as David describeth the
blessedness of the man unto whom God imputeth righteousness without
works. The imputation of righteousness
is not God viewing you guilty, And then changing it. And now
your view before the law of God is not guilty. That is not what
is meant by the imputation of righteousness. If God ever sees
you as guilty, he didn't stop seeing you as guilty. He said,
these are his words. I will by no means clear the
guilty and he won't. If he ever sees you as guilty.
You know what's that scripture in Proverbs 17, 15, he that justifies
the wicked and he that condemns the just, they're both alike
an abomination to the Lord. If the Lord ever sees me or you
as guilty, we stay that way. He will not clear a guilty man.
It would be wrong of a judge in an earthly court to clear
a guilty man. I'll by no means clear the guilty. You see, this righteousness,
The only righteousness, as he is righteous, is not simply my
legal standing. Listen to this statement real
carefully. God only imputes righteousness where righteousness already is. He doesn't look at you as guilty
and then say, well, I'm gonna make you righteous. He only imputes
righteousness where righteousness already is. Justification means
I have never sinned. Now that's what it means if God
has justified me. It means everything done in my
body is the doing of the righteousness. All the things done by Christ
I have done And this describes all who believe they do the righteousness. Look in first John chapter three,
verse seven. Little children, let no man deceive
you. He that doeth righteousness.
Now, once again, the definite articles there, he that doeth
the righteousness. What is the righteousness? It's
the righteousness of Jesus Christ. And when he did righteousness,
I did righteousness. And that's what this is a reference
to. He that doeth right, I do righteousness. Listen, I've got a history that
has nothing but perfect obedience and perfect righteousness. God
sees that and he imputes righteousness to me. He only imputes what's
really there. He that doeth righteousness is
righteous even as he is righteous. Now, all of these people that
do the righteousness, they've been born of God without exception. Now, I repeat, we care very much
about our lives, and somebody who's indifferent about their
conduct and their lives, I don't even take them seriously as being
a believer. But this is not talking about
us doing righteous, living real good, and that proves we're born
of God. It doesn't mean that at all.
Okay, 1 John chapter 3 verse 9, whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin. Does it really say that? Yes. Whosoever is born of God doth
not commit sin. Let's go on reading. For his seed, the seed of God,
The new birth, being born again, not of corruptible seed, but
of incorruptible by the word of God, which liveth and abideth
forever. His seed abides in him and he cannot sin. He lacks the ability to sin.
Why? Because he's born of God. Can God sin? Now you can answer
that easily. Can God sin? Absolutely not. You know why he cannot lie? Because
he cannot sin. There are some things God cannot
do. He cannot act contrary to his nature. He cannot act contrary
to any of his attributes. He cannot sin. I've heard people
talk about the Lord Jesus when he walked upon this earth, as
if he could have sinned. Where's the virtue in his obedience
and his resisting of temptation if he couldn't have sinned? He couldn't sin. He could not sin. That person that's born of God.
Can God give birth to that which is sinful? No. His birth is the holy seed,
the new nature, the new man. He cannot sin. He's unable to
sin because he's born of God. Now somebody's thinking about
this. What about the fact that I still sin? That's big talk. But what about
the fact that I still sin? Well, you're sinning with the
nature you were born with. It's still there. And you won't
get rid of it till you die. It's still there. Paul speaks in Romans 7 of, I
find then a law that when I would do good, evil is present with
me, to will is present with me. But how to perform that which
is good, I find not. Now every believer has two natures. The old man and the new man. That's what the scripture says. The new man is called a new creation.
One that was not there before God put it there. The old man
and the new man. That which is born of the flesh
and that which is born of the spirit. I think of what our Lord
said when he came to the disciples sleeping and he said, the spirit
indeed is what? Willing, willing to will is present
with me, but the flesh is weak, powerless. Now, what is the issue here? Well, it's what the Bible teaches.
And to deny two separate natures says two things. Number one, it's a denial of
what regeneration is in the first place, a new creation, something
that was not there before. Number two, it's a denial of
the doctrine of total depravity. You see, total depravity says
that everything about me is sinful, and a denial of the true nature
says God, by His grace, does something to the old man and
makes him different. No, the old man is just gonna
be put to death one of these days, gone. The new man is the
act of God in the new birth, giving a new man a new creature
that was not there before. First John chapter 4, verse 7, Beloved, let us love one another,
for love is of God, and everyone that loveth is born of God, and
knoweth God. is the love between a husband
and a wife, and aren't we thankful for that? There's the love the
parents have for their children. Aren't we thankful for that love?
There's the love of siblings. There's the love of friends.
There are friends who love each other so much they'd die for
one another. There's a love for your country where the people,
you'd die for them. You'd go to war, you'd die for
the principles that are upheld in that country. That's a real
love. And thank God for those kinds of loves. But you can have
all those loves and not have the love he's speaking of here.
He says, everyone that loveth is born of God and knoweth God. Now what this is talking about
is a love for God himself. Yes, it includes a love for His
people and a love for men, but first of all, it's a love for
God Himself. Remember the scripture, Romans 8, 28, we know that all
things work together for good to them that what? Love God. To them who are thee called according
to His purpose. Do you love the God who is sovereign? Do you? Do you love the God who is holy? Do you love the God who is absolutely
just absolute justice? Do you love the God who's love?
Do you love the God who's all powerful? Do you love the God
of the scriptures? Do you love his word? Do you
love how he saves by Christ? Do you love that he gets all
the glory and salvation? Do you love God? Do you love
him as he's revealed in his word? Do you love his immutability,
the fact that he never changes? Do you love his independence,
how he really has no needs outside of himself? Every attribute of
God revealed in the word you love. And you are grieved. in your heart because you love
Him when you hear anyone say anything that's contrary to who
He is. Why? Because you love Him. That's
why now there's some people that they can be okay with error because
they don't really love Him. If you love Him, you are grieved
with anything that's contrary to Him. Look in 1 John chapter
5 verse 1, the latter part of the verse, Whosoever believeth
that Jesus is the Christ is born of God and everyone that love
with him that begat love with him also that's begotten of him.
Anybody that loves God, you love anybody that he has birthed into
his kingdom and given this nature that loves God, that believes
the gospel, that has repentance toward God who perseveres looking
to Christ only you love that person. The reason you love that
person is they love the same one you love. Now I said this
recently. If Lynn would say to me that
she loved somebody as well as she did me, I'd be upset. If she said she loved somebody
better than me, I'd be real upset. But if she says she loves God
more than me, I'm happy. I want it to be that way. I wouldn't
want it to be any other way. If she loves Christ better than
she loves me, Don't want it to be any other way. And the believer
has a love toward men that a natural man can't really enter into.
You see, I want men to have what I have. Christ. His salvation. His grace. Knowing him. I want me. I want
men if you never if I didn't love somebody I wouldn't want
him to have what I have but if I love him I want him to have
what I have and an unbeliever really can't enter into that
Everyone that loveth this love is born of God without exception
chapter 5 verse 1 Whosoever believeth that Jesus
is the Christ is born of God. Write her down. It's already
written. You don't have to. Whosoever
believeth that Jesus is the Christ Do you know for sure that you're
saved without any doubt whatsoever? You know for sure. As soon as I ask you that, if
you're honest, you'll say, well, I hope I am. But there are times
where you wonder, could I think things like that? Could I do
things like that? Should never think that way, but we do. It's
called the flesh. I believe helped out my unbelief. The unbelief
is always there. You ask a believer if he's sure
he's saved, he might not be sure, but you ask a believer if he's
sure that Jesus is the Christ. Yes. Yes. I believe that Jesus
is the Christ. I believe he's God's prophet,
the word of God, like no other prophet. He never said, I love
this. He never said thus saith the
Lord. He said, I say to you. Oh, what a priest! He's not like
those Old Testament priests who were sinful in and of themselves
and they would bring the blood of an animal that could never
take away sin. He's the one who's holy, harmless,
undefiled, and he brings his own blood into the Father's presence
and the Father's satisfied with what he did. He's a king like
no other king, every other king, whatever authority they have
is what he gave them. They have no power at all. I love what the Lord said to
Pilate when Pilate said, don't you know I have power to crucify
you and I have power to release you? He said, you could have
no power at all over me, except it be given thee from above. Everything that you do that you
suppose it's by your power, it's what God appointed for you and
caused for you to do. His power is inherent power. He's God's king. And you're relying
on him as God's word to you. You're relying on him as the
priest to represent you. You're relying on him as the
king whose will must be done and he will save you. Who so
believeth that Jesus is the Christ. is born of God. Okay. Verse four, chapter five. Whatsoever is born of God over
cometh the world. And we're not left to speculate
as to what he means by that. This is the victory that overcometh
the world. Even our faith. Who is he that
overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is
the Son of God. He that is born of God overcomes
the world. Now look back in first John chapter
two, verse 15. Love not the world, neither the things that are in
the world. If any man love the world, the
love of the Father is not in him. For all that's in the world,
the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of
life is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world
passes away in the lust thereof, but he that doeth the will of
God abideth forever. Now what is this thing of overcoming
the world? Does it mean that through grace, I have less trouble
than I used to with the lust of the flesh. And I'm gradually
moving away from that and becoming better. One of these days I'll
be perfect. Does it mean I no longer have
any concern about the lust of the eyes, what men see, what
men think? And I have no concern. just growing past that. It doesn't
give me the trouble it used to. And the pride of life. Why? I'm
becoming less proud. I'm becoming more humble. I certainly
am not having the problem with pride. I once did. Y'all know
that ain't so. What is the victory that overcomes
the world? Even our faith. Who so believe it that Jesus
is the son of God overcomes the world. Do you believe that Jesus
Christ is the son of God and you overcome the world. Last verse 18 of this chapter,
first John chapter five, we know Do you? We know that whosoever is born
of God, sinneth not. Well, we've already covered that.
He can't sin. He's born of God. And I think
it's interesting how all the, uh, uh, about every other different
translation says, uh, he doesn't practice sin. He doesn't practice
sin. Well, that's not what it says.
It says he doesn't sin period. He that is born of God sinneth
not, but he that's begotten of God keepeth himself and that
wicked one toucheth him not. He that's begotten of God keepeth
himself. He watches over himself. He's
suspicious of himself. He guards himself. You know what
that looks like? Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name. I want to be a worshiper of the
Father. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done. Not my will, thy
will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give me this day my
daily bread. Give me what I need. I'm totally
dependent upon you. Give me what I need. Forgive me of my sins. I'm a
sinner and I need forgiven. And forgive me of my sins. And
not only do I want to be a forgiven sinner, I want to be a forgiving
sinner. Forgive me of my sins as I forgive those that are indebted
to me. And lead me not into temptation.
Let me not be tried. I know enough about my weakness
and sinfulness. If I'm faced with a temptation,
I know what's going to happen. So don't let me be tempted. Lead
me not into temptation. This is watching yourself, isn't
it? This is guarding yourself. Keep me from evil. Keep me from
this evil. Keep me, I'm my greatest enemy.
Deliver me from the wicked one. Deliver me from this wicked world.
Keep me from evil. For thine is the kingdom. Thine
is the power. Thine is the glory forever. Now that is watching yourself,
that is seen in this prayer. This tells us what a believer
is, just in the simplicity of this prayer. Now there is such
a thing as being born of God. He that doeth the righteousness
is born of God. He that's born of God doth not
commit sin. He can't see him. The seed of
God remains in him. He's born of God. Everyone that loveth is born
of God. Whoso believeth that Jesus is
the Christ is born of God. He that's born of God overcomes
the world. And this is the victory that
overcomes the world, even our faith. And he that's born of
God keepeth himself, and the wicked one toucheth him not.
Now you know why? There's nothing there for him
to work with. That new nature, Satan doesn't know infallibly
whether you and I are one of the elect, if he did, He wouldn't, he'd know there's
no use. But he doesn't know infallibly
whether you and I are the elect and he'll do everything he can
to keep us from looking to Christ. But he can't touch that which
is born of God. Remember when the Lord said,
the prince of this world has come has found nothing in me,
nothing to work with. Now in your flesh, he's got plenty
to work with, doesn't he? But in this new man, born of
God, he has nothing to work with. And that one who's born of God
keeps himself. May the Lord make every one of
us born of God. Let's pray. Lord, we ask in Christ's name
that we might be doers of the righteousness, that we might be righteous, that
we might do the righteousness even as he is righteous. Lord, we ask that we might have
that nature that does not commit sin. We ask that you would cause
us to love. We ask that we might believe
that thy son is the Christ. We ask that we might overcome
the world and we ask that you would give us the grace being
born of you to keep ourselves. Bless this message for Christ's
sake. In his name we pray. Amen.