All right, let's be turning to
1 John, chapter 5. 1 John, chapter 5. This morning
I want to look at a verse, a simple verse, which, though it's simple,
we need the grace of God to hear it and to understand. It's 1
John 5, verse 11. And this is the record that God
hath given to us, eternal life, and this life is in His Son. This verse is speaking to us
of eternal life given to us in the Lord Jesus Christ. I want to declare five blessed
things from this verse. I was into numbering this week,
apparently. Five blessed things. First, that life is given by
God. Given by God. Second, that this
life is given to us. Third, what God gives us is eternal
life. And fourth, that this life is
given to us in Jesus Christ. And fifth, this is the record. This is the record that God has
given to us. So, let's look at this. The first
thing that we understand from our text is that God's salvation
is full and free. God has given this. He has given. Salvation is the
gift of God. Salvation is the gift of God. And what He gives is full salvation. It lacks nothing. It doesn't
need or require your hand to be put to it to make it effectual
or to finish it or complete it or to make it more perfect or
better for you. It is full and complete and finished. God's gift of salvation is full
and free. It's free, meaning we cannot
purchase it. We cannot purchase it with our
works. We cannot trade for it. There's nothing we have that
interests God. We cannot bargain with God. I've met several people in my
life that claimed everyone can be bargained or negotiated with. No, God cannot be negotiated
with. we men of dust and with lips
of clay cannot negotiate or bargain or get God to do anything for
us. And that's good news when you
think about it because You that are ignorant, like me, you that
are poor and bankrupt sinners, who have no righteousness, who
cannot speak well, who cannot negotiate or bargain with anyone,
let alone God, this is good news because God freely, fully gives
salvation to his child. He gives salvation freely. Let me give you another scripture,
and you can turn there because we're going to just say a few
things from this. Romans 6. We're seeing that God
gives salvation. It's a gift. Let's see it in
Romans 6, verse 23. It's a fairly well-known scripture. Romans 6, 23. Here we're told that the wages
of sin is death. The wages of sin is death, but
the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. He's saying eternal life is a
gift. Eternal life is a gift. And that's
what I want to emphasize to you. Eternal life is a gift given
to whom he will by God. And when you read a scripture
like Romans 6.23, notice how the Spirit uses contrasts. He shows us contrasting things
between death and life. He shows us the contrast between
wages and a gift. He shows us what we are and who
God is. He shows us contrasts here. In both texts, God tells us that
he gives to us eternal life. God's gift is eternal life. Romans 6.23 shows us that what
we have earned, what we've garnered with our works, what God owes
to us by our works is death. It's death. And this verse further
emphasizes the mercy and grace of God for sinners. Mercy being
the withholding of something I deserve, some punishment I
deserve. Grace being the giving of something
that I have not earned or deserved. God is merciful and gracious
to his people, for the wages of sin is death, but the gift
of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. This is
good news for sinners. God is telling sinners that eternal
life, salvation, and inheritance, and eternal inheritance with
God is a gift. It's a gift. He does not accept
our works. He does not receive our righteousnesses. God's not impressed with the
things that you and I do in our flesh. He cannot be bought by
the wicked will worshiper who thinks that he can just turn
things around and do a few good things and bring it before God
and God will be satisfied. God's not satisfied with the
works of wicked man. What you and I can give him,
he already owns it. There's no dominion that he isn't
already the Lord and sovereign of. There's no place that we
can go that God doesn't already know and already own and have
the rule and the authority over it. And there's nothing that
we can give to him that he hasn't first already given to us. And
so we have nothing to bargain with God. And so he's not impressed
with the self-righteous. He doesn't, there's nothing that
we can do that impresses God and that God looks at and says,
that's true righteousness there. There's nothing we can do. And
this is something that we all must hear and understand that
none of us is righteous or good before God. When that man came
to our Lord and said, good teacher, and Christ said, there's none
good but God. There's none good but God. That's
good for us to take to heart. We speak of one another as being
good, and we love one another, and we're thankful for the gifts
and the works that others do in our midst, but truly, only
God alone is good. God is good, and he teaches that
in our hearts, to know that he alone is good, and I'm not righteous,
God is righteous. He tells us and teaches us in
his scriptures that we all come forth dead in trespasses and
sins. We're dead in trespasses and
sins. We need God to give us life because we can't bring it
forth in ourselves. We need Him to give us life.
We don't have this life that Christ gives and we don't have
the power to give ourselves life. Our good works in the flesh are
works of death. They're works of death. Those
that were doing works that they thought were good, Paul tells
us they're wicked works. Wicked works. Those good works
that we think are good and bring to God and say, look what I've
done, Lord. He tells us those are wicked works. They're not
impressing God. The things that people do that
they think and say are their good works with God, the scriptures
teach us they're death. They're death. because your trust
and confidence is in your works, not in Christ and who he is and
what he's accomplished. You're coming to God boldly because
of something you've done recently that's good, rather than coming
to God boldly in the blood of Christ, trusting and resting
only in him alone. And so what the Lord is teaching
us is that in Adam, in the garden, We died in Adam. When Adam rebelled
against God, we all were in Adam's loins. He's our federal head,
and he's our seminal head. We're born of his seed, which
is corrupt and defiled. And that's why we come forth
sinners, spiritually dead. And that's why our works are
works of death in this flesh. We can't please God in the flesh. Isn't that what Paul wrote in
Romans 8? They that are in the flesh cannot please God. And the carnal man is enmity
against God. The carnal man doesn't like this.
He doesn't want to hear that his works are death. He doesn't
want to hear that his works don't measure up to the perfection
of God and the righteousness of God. It angers him, and it
frustrates him, and he doesn't want to hear it. But God is faithful
to declare this for our good, so that we would be humbled,
and we would say, Lord, well then, how then can I be just? Who do you save? Who can be saved?
If I'm wicked, if I'm a sinner, if my works are not good, how
then can a sinner be saved? And God is happy to tell you
through this gospel word and to bless it to the hearts of
his people. So we come forth in Adam, dead
in trespasses and sins, and this is the first death. We're already
dead in trespasses and sins. Born of Adam, this is the first
death so that all we produce are works of death. Works that
are not fruitful. Works of death, that's what he
said there in Romans 7 verse 4. Verse 4, Wherefore, my brethren,
ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ, that
ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from
the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God. Verse 5,
For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins which were
by the law did work on our members to bring forth fruit unto death. unto death. That's what we bring
forth in this flesh by the law, by our religion, by our self-righteousness. We bring forth fruit unto death.
We need the grace of God. That's why he's telling us this.
That's why he's showing us this, that I can't save myself. And in fact, he says the wages
of sin is death. Wages is what you earn for your
job, for your labors. When you go to work and you put
in a hard day's work, you get paid for that. Those are wages. And the Lord tells us your wages
for your sin, for your works in the flesh, is death. It's
death. And what he's talking about there
in that death is eternal death. That's what we inherit by our
works in Adam. Eternal death. And the scriptures
call that the second death. The second death. Turn over to
Revelation 21 verse 8. Just so you see this. The Lord
makes a distinction. We come forth spiritually dead.
That's the first death. And the wages of our works, the
wages of our sin, is the second death, spiritual death. Revelation
21, verse 8. Verse 8, but the fearful, those
that are worried about what others think, those that don't want
to be put out of the synagogue, those that don't want to be excluded
from their friends and others, And so they don't confess Christ
to others. But the fearful and unbelieving,
and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers,
and idolaters, and all liars. Every time we confess and say,
my works are good, and that God receives me for what I've done,
we're liars. And we're calling God a liar.
And we're saying, I don't believe the Son. I don't believe your
salvation in Christ alone. I can do this. I can bring forth
something good. We're liars, then, trusting in
our own works. they shall have their part in
the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second
death. And so by our works, our Lord
is telling us, men earn that second death. They earn eternal
death. In Adam, we come forth dead in
trespasses and sins, we labor and work in sin, and we earn
eternal death, eternal spiritual death. And so the Lord is telling
us this truth about our sin to make us hear the word of God,
to humble us, to shut our mouths from boasting and to say, Lord,
then save me. Open my ear, Lord. Help me to
hear what you say to the churches. Help me to hear by your grace
and your spirit that I may know how it is that you are merciful
and gracious and forgiving to sinners. Because Lord, I don't
know. I'm trying to do what's good. I'm trying to please you. And you're telling me here that
my works in the flesh, all I'm earning are the wages of sin,
which is death. which is death. And so it's for
our good that God may be gracious to us. Now Christ alone obtained eternal
redemption for his church. And God fully and freely gives
the gift of eternal life to those whom he's redeemed by the blood
of Christ. He does this. If you would have
life, Look to the Lord Jesus Christ. Stop looking to what
you're doing or not doing. Look to the Lord Jesus Christ,
the servant whom the Father has sent to save His people from
their sins. He tells you, look to Christ,
look to my servant whom I've sent. I've sent him to obtain
eternal redemption. And Paul says of Christ, thanks
be to God for his unspeakable gift. This is the gift. All right,
now second. The second thing we see from
our text is that God hath given to us, to us. That word us is an important
word. All God's people. are a chosen
people. They are chosen of God. Chosen by the Father, given to
the Son, Jesus Christ, and they are chosen of God to be their
bride. Sorry, to be the bride of the
Lord Jesus Christ. To be His beautiful bride. And our salvation, the bride
of Christ, her salvation is conditioned on Christ alone. God doesn't
rest the condition of you being the bride of Christ on anything
you do or don't do. It rests entirely upon the Lord
Jesus Christ. That's good news. Good news for
sinners who have nothing. If the Lord left one part of
my salvation on me, on something I did, I would be eternally lost
forever. and be a partaker of that second
death. And so God put no condition on
the believer. He rested all her salvation,
the Church of God, He rests all her salvation on Jesus Christ
alone. That's why He is a good hope,
a sure hope, a perfect hope for the sinner. Because nothing depends
on you or I. It all depends on Him. on the Lord Jesus Christ. And
so God has elected a people by His sovereign choice unto salvation. Let's look at a few verses here.
Let's first go to Ephesians chapter 1. We're looking at the us. Ephesians chapter 1. Ephesians 1 verse 4-6 And notice
this word us which Paul repeats in it, According as he hath chosen
us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should
be holy and without blame before him in love, having predestinated
us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according
to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of
his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved."
Who's God talking to? He's talking to us. Look at verse
1. Paul tells you who he's writing
to. Paul an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God to
the saints which are at Ephesus and to the faithful in Christ
Jesus. This word that declares what
God has done for us is written to the church. the saints, those
in whom God manifests His salvation, manifests His power, manifests
His glory, manifests Christ in, He does it in His Church, whom
He chose before the foundation of the world. They are not known
until He manifests it in them. and they believe they confess
I'm nothing Lord you're all you've done everything Lord and they
come in Christ he reveals he manifests that faith in them
drop down in Ephesians 1 to verse 9 having made known unto us the
mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure, which he
hath purposed in himself. In other words, God doesn't look
outside of himself. He doesn't look to see what is
this person gonna do in that situation? Are they gonna do
the right thing or the wrong thing? God didn't look outside
of himself to see what you or I would do. He chooses perfectly
entirely within himself. Verse 11, drop down to verse
11, in whom also we have obtained an inheritance being predestinated
according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after
the counsel of his own will. So the spirit says to us, what
God does is according to his own counsel. It's according to
his own will, his own good pleasure. That's who He chose. He doesn't
look outside of Himself. He chooses within. He chooses
Himself according as it pleases Him, whom He will. Let's look at another one. Let's
go to 2 Thessalonians 2. 2 Thessalonians 2. A little further
back in your Bible. 2 Thessalonians 2, verses 13
and 14. But we are bound to give thanks
always to God for you. We don't thank you for believing,
we thank God for your believing. We thank God for giving faith
to you. Brethren, beloved of the Lord,
because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation, as opposed
to all the others in the city who are not gathered together,
who aren't here hearing the word. He says, God chose you. You wanted
this salvation. And here's what his purpose for
his chosen. It's to manifest salvation in
them. It's through sanctification of the spirit and belief of the
truth so that God sent, not only did Christ justify you and obtain
your eternal forgiveness, but he sent his spirit to seek you
out when you were dead in trespasses and sins and doing dead works
and his spirit came and separated you unto this salvation. He sanctified
you and brought you unto the sound of the gospel and blessed
it to your heart, opened your ear, caused you to hear it, caused
you to see your need of salvation, caused you to see the sufficiency
of Christ. gave you faith to believe what
he's done to believe him to trust him and belief of the truth where
unto verse 14 he called you by our gospel to the obtaining of
the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ with so many who despise and
reject Christ God has a people that he will not lose He draws
them to Himself, to the Son, blesses them. He chose them,
called them, and blesses them in Christ. Even so, then, at
this present time, also there is a remnant according to the
election of grace, He says. According to the election of
grace. And so election goes hand in hand with salvation by the
full free gift of God. It's all by grace. And he loses
none whom he chose. He loses none whom Christ redeemed. He blesses them and brings them
into salvation. And so to rest salvation upon
something that you or I do, To make it dependent upon you or
I is to make man the reason that God saves them. And God is clear
in his word that it's all according to grace. It's all given in Christ. According to his good pleasure,
he gives the salvation to whom he will. He chose a people, and
in their appointed hour of grace, they shall hear and believe that
word of God. Third, God hath given to us eternal
life. Now here's something most glorious
and sweet to understand. I know this seems familiar, but
just keep your ear tuned in. This is a beautiful thing that
our Lord has done, that He that has the Son has eternal life
already begun in Him right now. You that have the Son and believe
on Christ, you have eternal life, that life of Christ in you right
now. Right now, this is the glory
of Christ, and it begins here. Right now, it's enjoyed by us
here, by faith, even now. Now, there's two ways that we
enjoy this communion with our God. First, by faith here, that
looks and believes God by faith, and then we shall be with him
and see him by sight. We shall see him by sight in
glory hereafter. So first, let's look at the life
we now have in Christ by faith. Let's see this in 2 Peter chapter
1 verses 3 and 4. In fact, I'll read verse 1. where Simon Peter, a servant
and an apostle of Jesus Christ, he's writing to them that have
obtained like precious faith with us, with the apostles, through
the righteousness of God and our Savior, Jesus Christ. He's
writing to you that believe. that have obtained, been given
this gift of faith to believe Christ. That's who he's writing
to. Now verse three, according as his divine power hath given
unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness. Does faith pertain unto life
and godliness? It sure does, and he's given
it. God gives faith to whom he will
through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory
and virtue, whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious
promises that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature
right now, having escaped the corruption that is in the world
through lust. He's done this and given you
this life right now so that you're partakers and have escaped the
lust that's in the world, having been delivered from it into life
with Christ. And Christ himself gives us a
comforting word on this also. He said in John 5, 24, verily,
verily, I say unto you, he that heareth my word and believeth
on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into
condemnation, listen, but is passed from death unto life. Right now, you that have the
Son have already passed from death unto life. You have life
in the Lord Jesus Christ right now. Right now, you enjoy this
life by the faith which He's given to you. through his spirit. Now, I want you to know this
means that the child of God can never spiritually die. You never
spiritually die. You never are separated from
God. Look over at John 11. John chapter
11, verse 25 and 26. Our Lord speaking to Martha after
her brother Lazarus' death. John 11 25 Jesus said unto her,
I am the resurrection and the life. He that believeth in me,
though he were dead, Yet shall he live. And so he's right here
speaking of our first death in Adam and our first resurrection
by the Spirit when he gives you faith. That's the first resurrection. And when we're made partakers
of the second resurrection, that second death has no power on
us. We're delivered from it. And whosoever liveth and believeth
in me, meaning right now, shall never die. That's Christ's words. He says you shall never die. Believest thou this? Do you believe
the word of Christ? He says, you that believe me,
you've already passed from death unto life and you shall never
die. And what he's saying there is
the life of Jesus Christ has already begun in the soul of
them that believe him. He's regenerated you by his spirit. He's given you a new birth. When
we came forth of Adam, we came forth spiritually dead in trespasses
and sins. We are born again by the seed
of Christ. That spiritual seed, that new
man which cannot sin. He does not sin. All he can do
is believe, believe, believe the Lord our God. Trust Him.
This old man of flesh only doesn't believe. All he is is opposed
to the things of God. But that new man in you, He believes. He rests in Christ. He confesses
Christ. He boasts in Christ. He trusts
Christ always, always, because he lives by the Spirit and the
seed of Christ. And so this life begins right
now by faith. And second, the second part of
this is that our Lord tells us what shall be hereafter. As soon
as the life, this life here of faith ends, when we close our
eyes to sleep, The wicked, when they close their eyes, they die.
But the believer really doesn't die. I mean, we say that in our
language here that they've died, but all they do is sleep. All they do is sleep. And those
justified by Christ through his death and resurrection, when
they close their eyes and sleep, immediately open their eyes to
behold the face of their God and Savior. They see their God
and Savior. Their faith immediately becomes
sight. This is the eternal life because
of the life which Christ has given to us. That's our life
for you that believe Christ right now. We have this right now.
And this is why Paul said, I can do all things through Christ
which strengtheneth me. I have his life in me. And by
faith, looking to him, yeah, things are impossible for me,
but with him, all things are possible. There's nothing he
can't do. That's why we, We pray and ask
the Lord, Lord, please give us a building. We know that with
us, it's impossible, but with you, all things are possible.
You can do this, Lord. You can call your people and
save them and deliver your child out of darkness whenever it pleases
you. and you can draw them in and
cause them to hear the gospel and be delivered from death. We have this life right now. You shall never lie in darkness.
The body lies there in the grave because it's not redeemed yet.
It will be raised when Christ comes, but the soul immediately
goes to the Lord. Paul said to be absent from the
body and to be present with the Lord. So you never die. You won't be separated from the
Lord. You'll be in His presence immediately. Fourth, God hath
given to us eternal life and this life is in His Son. We only receive this life through
Jesus Christ. We don't come to God any way
we please and what suits our fancy and what we think God wants. God tells us exactly what He
wants His child to do. Come to Him. in the Lord Jesus
Christ, believing Him. To come any other way is to call
God a liar and to reject that chief cornerstone that the Father
sent, that the Father prizes and says, this, I'll build my
church on this man, this stone. This is my son, hear him. Upon
him, the temple is raised up, the building is built, the church
of God is raised up on Christ. He's the chief cornerstone that
the Jews rejected. that you that believe, look to
him and glory in him. Men tried to come and find this
life through various wicked and corrupt means. When I was a little
boy, I remember watching a lot of movies and they always were
about finding the fountain of youth. I don't know if you remember
that, but they were always about finding the fountain of youth
because people thought they could go and either dip themselves
in it or drink a cup of the water and it would roll back the years.
Those would be 20 years old or something. I don't know how they
could control that, but some kind of nonsense like that, or
people set out on expeditions trying to find the Garden of
Eden, so that they might happen upon the Tree of Life and be
able to take that fruit and live forever. Or today they try to
find it with technology and science. They try to find it with various
religions. They try to gain eternal life
by good works, or by their righteousness, or keeping the law of Moses.
Everything they do, man will do any and everything but believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ. Man will do anything but rest
in Christ, the salvation of God. And our Lord tells us those are
wicked works. Apart from Christ alone, there
is no life. John said it plainly in 1 John
5, 12. He that hath the Son hath life. He that hath not the Son
of God hath not life. life. It's that simple, that
simple. And finally, our Lord says, this
is the record. This is the record that God hath
given. This is our God's testimony that
there is no other name given under heaven, given among men
whereby we must be saved. That name, the one name is the
Lord Jesus Christ, the son of God, whom the father sent to
save his people from their sins. The Father testified to us that
Jesus of Nazareth is Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the promised
seed that should come and redeem his people and reconcile us to
holy God, to restore that which was lost in Adam. He came and
by his faithful death, he paid the price as the surety of God's
people. He paid the whole debt, the wages
of sin that we owed, Christ paid them in full. He died our death. He took our place as our substitute
to satisfy holy God and to deliver us from the hands of justice. God hath made Christ to be sin
for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness
of God in him. And our Lord has raised, the
Father has raised the Son up from the dead never to seek corruption.
because in him is eternal life. And this is the message, this
is the witness that God has given to the church. This is the witness
of the spirit in you, this is the witness of the scriptures,
this is the witness of the church who declares this gospel that
through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins.
Through Jesus Christ alone is preached and declared the forgiveness
of sins. If any man receives him, he has
life. God reveals who His children
are by giving them faith. And those that believe Him have
life. You've passed from death and entered into life right now,
believing on Christ. And those who reject Christ,
He says they're condemned already because you have not believed
on the one whom the Father has sent, the Lord Jesus Christ. I pray that you hear His voice,
that you hear what the Spirit says to the churches. that He
turns your heart from trusting in dead things that cannot save,
and shows you the blessedness of Christ, shows you the sufficiency
of Christ, and washes you in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Call upon His name. He's merciful
and forgiving to all who ask Him, to all who seek Him, because
that's what He works in the heart of His child. He gives it to
you. He gives it to you freely. It's his gift of salvation. Believe
him, trust him. And you that believe him and
trust him, you have everlasting life. Amen. All right, let's pray. Our gracious
Lord, we thank you for your grace. We thank you, Lord, for your
word. Lord, without your Spirit, we cannot hear it. Without your
grace, it is of no profit to us. Lord, have mercy upon us. Be gracious to us. Give us your
Spirit, Lord, we ask, to look to Christ, to believe on him.
to rest in what He has done for us and who He is. Lord, we know
that He is Your Son, that He is the Son of God, the Eternal
Son of God, who came in the flesh and laid down His life to redeem
His people, to deliver them from their sins. Lord, may we be included
in that number. Lord, deliver us from death.
that we may enter into life in the Lord Jesus Christ even now. Have mercy upon us. Be gracious
to us. Lord, may we have this gift that
you freely give to all your people. Lord, we ask it. We have nothing
of ourselves to give to you. It's in Christ and Christ alone.
that this salvation is found. Lord, let us be found in him
and washed in his blood. Lord, we thank you for these
people whom you've gathered in together to hear this word. Lord,
we pray that your spirit be upon each of us, that we would bring
forth fruit, some 30, some 60, some 100 fold, according as it
pleases you to the glory, the praise and honor of your holy
and blessed name. We thank you for This work for
this body here, we rejoice in what you've done for us and how
you've settled us in the Lord Jesus Christ. Turning us from
dead works, turning us from looking at our sin, turning us from looking
at things that trouble the flesh, to behold the comfort that you
give to your people in the Lord Jesus Christ. Lord, you know
the sicknesses, the troubles, the sorrows, the struggles that
we all have. Minister your grace and peace
to the hearts of your people and help us to love one another.
It's in the Lord Jesus Christ we pray this, amen. All right,
brother. Let's all stand and sing a closing
hymn. 514. Marching to Zion. 514. We that love the Lord and let
our joys be known Join in a song with sweet accord Join in a song
with sweet accord And thus surround the throne And thus surround
the throne We're marching to Zion, beautiful, beautiful Zion. We're marching upward to Zion,
the beautiful city of God. But those refuse to sing who
never knew our God. But children of the Heavenly
King May speak their joys abroad We're marching to Zion, beautiful,
beautiful Zion. We're marching upward to Zion,
the beautiful city of God. The hill of Zion yields a thousand
sacred streets Before we reach the heavenly fields Before we
reach the heavenly fields Or walk the golden streets Or walk
the golden streets We're marching to Zion, beautiful, beautiful
Zion. We're marching upward to Zion,
the beautiful city of God. And let our songs abound, And
every tear be dried. We're marching through Emmanuel's
ground, We're marching through Emmanuel's ground, To fairer
worlds on high, To fairer worlds on high. We're marching to Zion,
a beautiful, beautiful Zion. We're marching upward to Zion,
the beautiful city of God. Thank you.