Turn with me to 1 John chapter
2, if you would. 1 John chapter 2. We'll spend the majority of our
time in chapter 3, but this is where we'll start. Let me say by way of introduction
that I never want to become cliche when I talk about my sin or me
being a sinner. The word sin should never become
just an overused phrase or an expression that we don't give
much thought to. We should never flippantly use
the word sinner as a stereotype or a typecast or description
of ourselves without seriously considering how God deals with
the sin. People say things like, and I
have in the past, but people say things like, I'm just a sinner
and sin is what I do. Well, That's making light of
sin. The soul that sins shall surely
die, God says. That's how serious sin is. The
wages of sin is death. If a man goes out to meet God
without a substitute for sin, eternal condemnation awaits them. This is no light matter. All sin is against God. David
said that in Psalm 51 verse four, against thee and thee only have
I sinned and done this evil in thy sight. Our sin should never
become something that we just lackadaisically half-heartedly
consider because sin is out to destroy us and destroy us eternally. Then
you add and consider the fact that God hates sin. God hates
sin because all of it's against Him. It's against His authority
and it's against His right to be God. Mankind, represented
by Adam as their federal head, chose his own will over the one
who formed him out of the dust of the ground and breathed into
him the breath of life. It wasn't any like matter. God
said, in the day you eat thereof, this fruit that I forbid you
to eat of, you shall surely die. God gave him one commandment.
Men talk about keeping the 10 commandments. Man can't keep
one. Adam couldn't, and he was created
perfect in the image of God. He's the only man that truly
had a free will, and you see where our free will will get
us. Adam chose his own will over
the will of the one who provided everything for him. God made
everything, made all these trees, fruit, made every provision,
put him in the garden and said, you can only, don't partake of
the one, that's my tree. That's my fruit. And this is
why God hates sin. It's nothing short of disobedience
against the one who created us, provides for us and sustains
us. We were created for the purpose
of loving and worshiping and honoring and obeying God, our
creator in all things. God gave Adam a helpmate, a woman
to love, one to cherish, one to share this wonderful existence
with. She was deceived and disobeyed
God. You know the story well. The
serpent said, did God tell you not to eat of every tree of the
garden? And the woman said, well, we
can eat of every tree but one. If we eat of that one that's
in the midst of the garden, we shall die. And the serpent said,
you shall not surely die. In other words, God's holding
you back. He knows that if you eat of that fruit, your eyes
will be opened and you shall see that you're the same as he
is. And she believed that lie. He
said, you'll be wise, you shall be as God, you shall know good
and evil. And the scripture says, and the
woman saw, that always makes for trouble. She walked by sight and not by
faith. She doubted what God had said. She didn't believe what God had
told her and the man. And the scripture says, the woman
saw that the tree was good for food. and that it was pleasant
to the eyes, a tree to be desired, to make one wise. That's how
we get in trouble. Now let me read here, John chapter
two, verse 15. Read along with me. First John chapter two, verse
15. John says, love not the world,
neither the things that are in the world. If any man loved the
world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is
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 passeth away, and the lust thereof."
All this is gonna burn. It's gonna be destroyed. And
then he says this, but he that doeth the will of God abideth
forever. What did the woman do? She took
of the fruit thereof and did eat and gave it to her husband
with her and he did eat. Man, we can't blame it on the
woman. Can't blame it on the woman. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians
11 that the serpent beguiled, that word means he deceived,
he seduced Eve through his subtlety, that word means trickery, through
his craftiness, and he corrupted her. But not Adam. No, Adam sinned
with his eyes wide open. Adam chose Eve over God. Adam bowed to Eve's will and
not God's. Adam had a free will and he lost
hours. And everything changed in just
a microsecond. Everything God said came to pass. God said, in the day that you
eat thereof, you're gonna die. And sin caused them to die. And the first thing they saw,
they were naked. Sin caused them to hide from
God. Sin caused them to make their
own covering. Sin caused them to blame everyone
but themselves. Adam said, the woman you gave
me, she gave me to eat. Eve said, the serpent that you
put in the garden beguiled me, and because of that, I did eat.
It's everybody else's fault but ours, isn't it? That's what sin
does. And sin does the same today to
men and women. This is why God hates sin. We ought to hate it too. This sin was against God and
Him alone, and so is ours. God is angry with the wicked
every day. This is no light matter. Well,
I sin because I'm a sinner. Yep, that's true. Sin's what
you are. And your sin is a result of being
what you are. But it's no white matter. It'll
wind you up in hell. And God is justified when He
speaks against us. That's what David said. My sin's
against Him and Him only. And He's justified when He speaks
against me. God is clear of any wrongdoing
when He judges us for our sin that's against Him. Our sin has
been with us since the day we were born. We were shaped in
iniquity and in sin did our mother conceive us. And that can go
all the way back to Eve, the mother of Cain and Abel and all
that followed after that. David said, we're estranged. from the womb, that's a strong
word. You know what it means? It means profaned. We're profaned,
we're alienated, we're made hostile, having our affections destroyed,
and we are so from the womb. And we go astray as soon as we're
born, speaking lies. Did you do that? How many times
have you parents seen and heard that? See them do it. And they'll lie about it. We
come forth from the womb speaking lies. And God calls us wicked. And that's what we are. Because of sin, we're wicked,
we're immoral, we're wrong, morally bankrupt, bad. Corrupt, black-hearted, ungodly,
unholy, unrighteous. Our sin has made us everything
that God hates. And we now fulfill the desires
of the flesh and of the mind, and we are by nature the children
of wrath, even as others. And being dead, we can't see
it. Man can't see it. Man, I tell you, I'm not perfect,
but he'll also in the same breath say, but I'm not all that bad.
No, you're bad. As the song says, bad to the
bone. You're bad to the bone. And we
don't see it, not unless God gives us life and not unless
God reveals it to us. Sin's not something that we just
flippantly consider. It's an evil out to destroy us
and God hates it. And if you go out to meet God
in your sin, you're gonna see how much He hates it. John wrote,
if we say we have fellowship with God and we walk in darkness,
we lie and do not the truth. And he continued and he said,
if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth
is not in us. And if we say that we've not
sinned, we make him, God, a liar and his word is not in us. So
don't say you're not a sinner, you're condemning yourself, you're
deceiving yourself if you do. All of us, every single one of
us, have sinned and come short of the glory of God. That's what
God said. That's why we can't be flipping
and just cliche about our sin. We've got to make it an urgent
priority to get rid of it. It's got to go. Well, how are
we gonna do that? Well, there's only one way we
can. There's only one way sin can be dealt with, and that is
in and by and through a substitute, a perfect substitute. It's gotta
be a substitute that God will accept, and it's gotta be perfect
to be accepted so that there's only one man that ever lived
that fits that bill, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. That's
why the most important question of all scripture is what think
ye of Christ? What do you think of Him? What
do you think of God's Son, who is God the Son, when it comes
to putting away your sin? But God, who is rich in mercy
for His great love wherewith He loved us, us not being the
world, those that God chose before the foundation world, even when
we were dead in sins, He's quickened us together with Christ By grace
are you saved, and He's raised us up together and made us sit
together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. There's no salvation
apart from Him. There's no reconciliation between
the sinner and God apart from the Lord Jesus Christ. That's
what I want you to see this morning. This is an urgent, critical thing,
sin and how it's to be put away. That's what I'm talking to you
about this morning. Sinners becoming sons. Isn't that an amazing thing? Sinners becoming sons. And the
first thing that God reveals to sinners who become sons is
their need. Those that are well have no need. Those that are well don't go
to a doctor, do they? Who goes to the doctor? Those
who need a doctor, those that are sick. Those that are well have no need
of Christ, who is the one thing needful. And if God shows a sinner
their need, they'll see that they need the Lord Jesus Christ. He's the one thing needful. in
order for them to live. You know, what is the one thing
needful for someone that's dead? Life. They need life. Nothing else is gonna benefit
one who's dead. You can tell them to come to
the front of the church and join the church and all this stuff,
but they can't because they're dead. If they can take the first step,
the rest of the steps isn't any problem. It's taking the first
one when you're dead. You can't take the first step.
But Jesus Christ is life. He said so Himself. He said,
I'm the way, the truth, and the life. He's the way to life. He's the truth of how life is
given. He is Himself life. And no man comes to the Father
but by Him. You know, that's a big exception
there. No man can come to the Father,
but by Him. That narrows it down, doesn't
it? Pretty slim, pretty slim. That's why He's the one thing
that's needed. Now, look over a page of chapter
three, 1 John chapter three. I got some good news for you
this morning. I can't wait to tell you about
it. This is good, good news for sinners. Sinners becoming sons. In verse one here of 1 John 3,
the first part of the verse, we read, Behold, what manner
of love the Father hath bestowed upon us. Not the world again. but he's bestowed it upon us,
those to whom John is writing this letter to. He says that
we should be called what? The sons of God. I preached from
this text earlier this year and told you then how that some of
the words in the original text were left out of the authorized
King James Version. Even though I wouldn't recommend
the revised version or any other version over the King James version,
but the revised version on this particular verse adds two Greek
words that ought not to have been left out of the King James.
And those two Greek words are interpreted into three English
words, and they are, and we are. Behold what manner of love the
Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the
sons of God, and we are." We are what? The sons of God. You might ask, isn't everyone
a son of God? No. John is talking about the
us. He's talking about those whom
the Father loves. The Father has bestowed upon
certain men and women called us in this verse. They're called
them and other portions of the scripture. But this is a manner
of love beyond compare making sinners into sons. Why are they
called the sons of God? Because they are. They are the
sons of God. And that's what makes it so amazing. Now, I want you to listen to
me closely. If you're trusting in the Lord
Jesus Christ as the only substitute for sin, the only one who can
put your sin away, you're not only called perfect, holy, righteous,
and just, but you are perfectly, you're perfect and holy, righteous,
and just. Do you believe that? That means that you've been given
life. That means that your sin's been
put away. That means that you really are
the sons of God. And the Greek word for sons in
this verse is a word called technon, and it comes from a Greek word
which means Timoria. for whatever that's worth. But
the word actually means child, whether daughter or son. So this
goes for you believing women also. Sons means child. Daughter, son, doesn't matter,
means a child. I love all my children the same.
I have three boys and two girls. Doesn't matter that they're a
boy or a girl. They're my children and I love them. So, we'll get
that out of the way. This is significant because being
a child of God comes by the virtue of adoption. It comes by a new
birth. It comes by a new creation. It's not owing to the merits
or the worth of men. It's owing to the free, rich,
and sovereign grace of God. As many as you know, I've been
adopted twice. So I know something about adoption.
My parents, Leo and Sally Edmondson, chose to adopt me before I was
born. I've told you this story. I had
no say, I had no choice, no will in the matter. I wasn't born
yet. They made the arrangements, they signed the papers, they
paid the price. What'd I do? Nothing. Absolutely
nothing. I was just a recipient of their
love, mercy, and grace. My Heavenly Father also chose
to adopt me before I was ever born. He determined that my mother
and father would adopt me naturally, but more importantly, He determined
to adopt me and give me to Christ spiritually. He foreknew me. He predetermined to make me His.
He gave me Christ, to Christ to redeem me. And in the fullness
of time, He called me. He called me by His grace. He gave spiritual life to me,
because I was dead. He justified me by His grace.
Christ justly kept the law in my place. And Christ justly satisfied
God's holy and strict justice in my stead and redeemed me by
the shedding of His blood. And one day I am gonna be glorified. How do I know that? Well, it's
the final link in the chain of God's grace. My redemption is
all linked together from beginning to end. For whom He, God, our
Heavenly Father, did foreknow." There's the first link. He also
did predestinate. That's the second link. He predetermined
to be conformed to the image of His Son. That those that He
foreknew and predestinated might be the firstborn among many brethren.
being conformed to the son who is the firstborn of many brethren.
And moreover, whom he did predestinate, them he also called." There's
the next link. And whom he called, them he justified.
There's the next one. And whom he justified, them he
also glorified. So once again, God knew me before
I was born. God determined to make me just
like Christ. I can't help but to smile when
I say that. Me? Oh, if you know me, you know
that's a miracle of grace. You can ask my wife. In the realm
of time, He called me by His grace. He gave me life and He
justified me in Christ. He declared me righteous in my
substitute. And one day very soon, it won't
be long, It won't be long for any of us, even you young folks,
you're gonna be amazed how quick this life goes by. One day, very soon, He's gonna
glorify me. You know what glorified means?
It means to be conformed to Christ's image. It means to be just like
Him. In, by, and through the Lord
Jesus Christ, I am a sinner who's made a son 1 John 3, verse two, look at it. Beloved, now are we the sons
of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we know
that when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall
see him as he is. Now, if we're looking to Christ
as our justification, then we are right now, the sons, children
of God, right now. Not one day when we all get to
heaven. When we all get to heaven, what a day of rejoicing that'll
be. No, a day of rejoicing right
now. It'll be then too, but right now, we're the sons, the children
of God. It does not yet appear what we
shall be. Sin still so clouds our, are
seeing these things by faith, what God's truly made us, but
our sin doesn't change what we already are. It just makes it
harder to see. And that's why we cannot look within. Stop looking within. Why do we
do that? That's why we got to look to
Christ alone. We don't find any hope or encouragement
when we look within. We know what we are. When we
look within, our sin tells us, well, you wouldn't do these things
if you were saved. Our sin tries to convince us
that the that only one who's lost would do and think and say
the things that we do. But that's the beautiful thing
about our salvation. And I don't know why people have
such a problem with this. Our salvation is not based upon
what we do, what we think, or what we say. It's based upon
the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ and the righteousness
that he provides for. And again, People are gonna say,
oh, you're giving folks a license to sin. We don't need a license. We do it quite well, don't we? And we're either saved by grace
or we're saved by works. If we're saved by God's grace,
then it's no more works. And if we're saved by works,
then it cannot be by grace. It's one or the other. Now, which
is it? Well, the Bible says, for by grace are you saved through
faith. And that's not of yourselves.
It's a gift of God. It's not of works. It can't be
any plainer than that. It's not of works. It's not a
making a decision. It's not a walking in and out.
It's not getting in the water. It's not putting your name on
a membership. It's not of works. It's by God's
grace. It's God's gift to it. Now, if
you want to argue about that, you're going to have to argue
with God because he's the one that said it. We are His workmanship, not our
own workmanship. We're created where? In Christ
Jesus unto good works, which God hath ordained or prepared
for us that we should walk in them. We're not saved by the
works that we do. We're created in Christ unto
good works, meaning that our good works prove our salvation. Christ is our salvation and our
works prove it. My, we're motivated by the love,
our love for the one that loved us and gave himself for us. We
don't want to be displeasing to him. We want to obey him. For we hadn't obtained salvation
by works. The scripture says, but the election
hath obtained it. That simply means that God chose
us to obtain mercy, grace, and life, and righteousness in Christ.
Our salvation was based upon His love, and mercy, and grace,
because God determined to give it to us in Him. God loved Jacob
and hated Esau. before they were ever born. Scripture
says before they ever did any good or evil. And this is why,
that the purpose of God, according to election might stand, not
of works, but of Him, God, they call it. And those who believe
this are right now the children of God, right now. Right now, being now justified
by His blood, we shall in the day of judgment be saved from
wrath through Him, Romans 5, 9. But now, being made free from
sin and become servants to God, we have our fruit unto holiness
and the end, everlasting life, Romans 6, 22. But now we are
delivered from the law that being dead, wherein we were held, that
we should serve in newness of spirit and not in the oldness
of the letter, Romans 7 says. There is therefore now no condemnation
to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walked not after the flesh,
but after the spirit, Romans 8 1. When? Right now. But now in Christ Jesus, ye who
were sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ,
Ephesians 2.13. Now, this very minute, this very
second, therefore you are no more strangers and foreigners,
but fellow citizens with the saints and of the household of
God. Because of Christ, we are right now the sons of God, the
children of God. I'm not talking about what we
used to be either. I'm talking about what we are
right now. For ye were sometimes darkness,
but now are you light in the Lord. Walk as children of light. And you that were sometime alienated
and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath He reconciled
in the body of His flesh through death to present you holy and
unblameable and unreprovable in God's sight. I was alienated
in my wicked works, but now I'm reconciled in the body of the
Lord Jesus Christ. Christ has presented me to his
father, holy, unblameable, unreprovable in God's sight. Not when we all get to heaven,
right now. I can't look within, there ain't
no hope there. Don't look within. Don't look
within. I must look to Christ. I've been
reconciled in the body of His flesh. I am right now holy and
unblameable and unreprovable. Where? In God's sight. That's
all that matters. He's the righteous judge. Who shall condemn me? Has Christ
died? who shall charge any of God's
elect. It's God that justifies. It's
Christ that died. And John says, it doesn't yet
appear what we shall be, but we know this much. And according
to verse two, when Christ shall appear, when he returns, we shall
be what? Just like him. We'll be like
Him in body, fashioned unto His glorious body. Our present mortal
bodies, our present corruptible flesh will become immortal and
incorruptible. You know what that means? It
means that we'll be free from all imperfections. We'll be free from all sorrows,
free from all afflictions, free from death. We'll have a perfect
knowledge of all things divine. Now I want you to listen to me
closely again. When we see Christ, we'll be
just like Him. And we'll have all these things
that we don't presently have. But let me tell you quickly what
we do have, and I'll finish. Let me tell you what we presently
have. Let me tell you what we have right now. We have within
us a new creation. We're a new creature in Christ.
Old things have passed away. All things have become new. All
the sin that we've committed, all the sin that we are committing,
all the sin that we will commit, passed away, gone. Boy, that's
a pretty special gift, isn't it? We have a new creation within.
If any man be in Christ, he's a new creature. Within us is
a divine nature that really loves God. We don't profess to love
God, we actually do. Let me ask you, did you wake
up this morning and think to yourself, I have to go to church
today? I have to go to church this morning. Or did you wake up and say, I
get to go to church this morning? That's the difference I'm talking
about. Did you get up this morning with
the attitude? Well, it's Sunday morning. You know, it's New Year's
Day, or New Year's Eve day, and church wasn't canceled, and I
have to go to church. Or did you wake up and say, I'm
so glad Brother David didn't cancel service today, I'm so
excited, because it's such a privilege that I get to go and hear the
gospel, the good news for sinners like me, who have been made sons
and who are just like Christ. That's what I'm talking about. Oh, friends, to a son, a child
of God, worship's not a duty. It's a joy. It's a pleasure. It's a privilege. It's a fruit
of God's grace. The true son, the true daughter,
the true child of God says, I'd like to do that will, oh God.
They know that Christ's yoke is easy and his burden is light.
If you've ever seen someone put a yoke on a team of oxen, they
don't like it. They don't. It's not their nature to like
it. But the yoke of Christ, it's easy and it's burden is light. His commandments are delight. God's sons delight in the law
of God after the inward man. Their new nature loves the word
of God. Their new nature loves the presence
of God. Their new nature loves the promises
of God. Tell me again, tell me one more
time. How God loved sinners and died
for them? Their new nature delights in
these things. Do you delight in the Word of
God? I know people who have trouble sleeping, so they read God's
Word so they can fall asleep. But the sons of God, those given
new natures, those conformed to the image of the Lord Jesus
Christ, they read the Word of God because they love the Word
of God. It's in studying the word of God that God's son, God's
children, know that every trial, every trouble, every sorrow in
this life is ordained by their heavenly father. And it's gonna
result in their good. It's our benefit to love this
word and study it. We find out these amazing things. I never knew that. I never knew
that. God is working all things together
for my good. Those that love the Lord are
called according to His purpose. Yes, everything, all things,
not just some things, all of them. They know in reading this word
that we're gonna have tribulation in this life. It's with much
tribulation that we enter into the kingdom of God. But we're
cheerful for that tribulation because our Lord, the one whom
we're being conformed to, has overcome the world. That's what
he said. I've overcome the world. These
tribulations that God sends are part of the means that God is
using to conform us. And it's those tribulations that
teach us patience. And it's the trying of our faith
that works patience. And we must let patience have
its perfect work that we may be perfect, complete, and entire,
perfectly sound, wanting nothing. I have a dear friend that the
Lord has blessed materially, hard worker, and he doesn't care. much about any of it, really.
He's thankful for it, but in Christ, he's complete. In Christ,
he's perfectly sound, and he wants nothing, because in Christ,
he's got everything. That's what I'm talking about.
Fade, fade each earthly joy. These things, to a child of God
who has their eyes and heart on Christ, these things lose
their luster, the things of this world do, because we know they're
all gonna rust and corrupt and pass, burn up. They're all gonna
burn up. How much money my friend has
in the bank doesn't matter. How big a house he has, no concern
to him. He has the one thing needful,
and that's all that he cares about. How do I know that? How
do I know that's really what's in his heart? Because he's trying
to give his stuff away every chance he gets. It don't mean
anything to you if you want to give it away. You need this worse
than I do. Here you go. And let me tell
you something else, I'm gonna throw this in for free, okay?
These harlings who promise you health and wealth and prosperity,
two cars and two garages, they don't know anything about the
grace of God and His dealings with His children. Don't know
a thing about it. God our Father does all things
well, and God our Father does all things for His children's
good. If you know how to give good
gifts to your children, and you do, I know you do. Chris and
Amy, I see how good you are to Molly and Will, and I know how
good Amanda and Derek are to my grandchildren. Glenn, you
and Jerry, I've seen it over the years. I know what you do
for your children and your grandchildren. And I know that all that all
of you do is because you've seen that your
heavenly Father gives good things to you. And sometimes these good
things that God gives us, they're well disguised. They don't seem
good, but they are. He moves in mysterious ways His
wonders to perform, but it's all for our eternal good, every
bit of it. We learn to be content in whatsoever
state we're in, whatever comes our way, we know that God sent
it for our good and for His glory. So we rejoice in it. Oh, it's
grievous, it hurts sometimes. Chastening has never been a joyous
thing. I remember, did your mom used
to spank you or your dad and say, I'm doing this because I
love you? I'm doing this for your good.
Sure don't feel like it. That's why Paul, who was in prison,
now listen, he was in prison. He said, I reckon that the sufferings
of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the
glory which shall be revealed in us. And it's not. Scripture
says to think on good things. Think on this. This is a good
thing. When our Lord Jesus comes to take us to the place that
he's prepared for us, when he appears, We're gonna be just
like him. Now you think on that. You go
into this new year thinking on that, okay? He's not like the
world describes him. He's not a pleading beggar. He's
not an incapable Lord. He's not an insufficient savior. This is what the Lord said about
his return. I'll give it to you and I'll
quit. For as lightning cometh out of the east and shineth even
into the west, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man
be. Luke 21, 25. And there shall be signs in the
sun and in the moon and in the stars and upon the earth. distress
of nations with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring, men's
hearts failing them for fear and for looking after those things
which are coming on the earth, for the powers of heaven shall
be shaken. And then shall they see the Son
of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when
these things begin to come to pass, then look up and lift up
your heads for your redemption draweth nigh. That's talking
to those that trust in Him. So Christ once offered to bear
the sins of many and unto them that look for Him shall He appear
the second time without sin unto salvation. I'm looking to Him
because I'm gonna be just like Him. And that means no sin, no
more sin, no more pain, no more death, no more heartbreak, no
more tears, no more sin. It's the cause of all those things.
Behold, he cometh with clouds, and every eye shall see him.
And they also which pierced him in all kindreds of the earth
shall wail because of him. Even so, amen. But friends, some sinners are
gonna rejoice. Because they've been made sons.
And they've been made daughters. And they've been made children
of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. And when He comes,
when these sons see Him as He is, they're going to be just
like Him. I like saying that. Don't you
like hearing that? They're going to be just like
Him. And may God be pleased to make
it so for His glory. are good and for Christ's sake.