I'm reading from 1st John chapter
5 in God's Word, the book of 1st John chapter 5 and I read
verse 1 which says, Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ
is born of God. Whosoever believeth. Scriptures
uses the word whosoever many times and I am so glad. Whosoever means not just men
but women, not just Jews but Gentiles. It means whosoever,
old, young, rich, poor, Jew, Gentile, male, female, whosoever
believeth. Whosoever believeth. It does
not say whosoever doeth great things, whosoever worketh, but
rather whosoever believeth. that Jesus is the Christ, is
born of God. In Acts chapter 8 is the story
of a preacher, a deacon named Philip who the Lord sent to preach
to one man, an Ethiopian. It was an Ethiopian eunuch who
was traveling in his chariot leaving Jerusalem, going back
home a long way. And the Lord sent a preacher
to this man because that's how the Lord saves. How shall they
hear without a preacher and how shall they preach except they
be sent, 1 Corinthians said. Well, Philip was sent by God
to preach to this Ethiopian, and he preached to him from Isaiah
53. He preached, Jesus is the Christ,
the Christ. And after the Ethiopian heard
Philip preach Christ to him from God's Word, they were traveling
along in that chariot, and they came across a little body of
water. Philip had told the man that
whosoever believeth Jesus is the Christ must confess him in
believer's baptism. Well, they came across a body
of water, and the Ethiopian said, here's water. What doth hinder
me from being baptized? In other words, he's saying,
can I, a black man from Ethiopia, not an Orthodox Jew, could I
be a disciple of Jesus Christ? Can I confess Him in baptism
and be a member of His church? Philip said, If thou believest
with all thine heart, thou can. And the eunuch said, I believe
that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And so Philip said, Stop
the chariot. And they both went down into
the water and he was baptized. Whosoever believeth that Jesus
is the Christ, is born of God. Now, whosoever believe it, What
is it to believe? Well, that's faith is what it
is. Believing on the Lord Jesus Christ is faith. Now, faith is
a miracle of God. Faith is a gift of God. Faith is not an act of the human
will, but an act of God's will, of God who worketh all things
after the counsel of His will. Salvation is not an offer from
God. but an act of God upon a human
being, in a human being, a gift of God. Faith is the gift of
God. It says that in Ephesians 2,
verse 8. It says that by grace are you
saved through faith. and that is not of yourselves,
it is the gift of God. In Ephesians 1.19 it says, the
greatness of His power to us who believe is according to the
working of His mighty power. This act of believing, this heartfelt
faith in the Lord Jesus Christ isn't something we drum up, something
we decide to do, but it's something that God gave us, gave his people. We emphasize this point always
because it is true, because it is an act of God, a miracle of
God, an amazing grace of God, and to God be the glory. Everyone
whosoever believes Christ was chosen by God, elect according
to the foreknowledge of God, chosen to salvation, through
sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth." 2 Thessalonians
2 verse 13. Yea, whosoever believeth that
Jesus is the Christ is born of God. In the Gospel of John chapter
1, it says this concerning those who are born of God. It says
that whosoever, he that receiveth John chapter 1, it says, as many
as received Him, that is Christ, to them gave He power, or that
is, the right, the privilege, to become the sons of God, even
to them that believe on His name, which were born. There's no period
at the end of that. Them that receive Him, them that
believe on His name, were born, not of blood, not of the will
of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God, whosoever
believeth is born of God. God Almighty, God the Father
of some, not all, but some, yea, many, God beget them. God sired them. God gave birth
to them. God adopted them. But God gave
birth to them by His incorruptible seed, the Word of God, which
liveth and abideth forever. This is a supernatural miraculous
thing that happens in a human being who is dead and trespasses
in sin. This is the word of life, the
incorruptible seed, and God gives new life, that is, spiritual
life. He gives a spiritual birth, life
to them, a new life, spiritual life, a spiritual heart to love
God, to love the truth, to love Christ, to love holiness, yea,
be holy, a new man, a new creature created in Christ Jesus unto
good works. God gives spiritual eyes to see
the unseen, to see afar off, to see eternity, to see hidden
things, things that are hidden from the wise and prudent, but
to those who are given this new life, they're revealed to them.
He gives spiritual ears to hear His voice. Christ said, My sheep
hear My voice. To hear the Word of God, not
audibly, but in the heart. Spiritual ears to hear His voice. A new heart, a spiritual heart,
to love what they once hated, to believe what the world rejects. Yea, yes, whosoever believe it,
that Jesus is born of God, a miracle from above. Believeth what? Whosoever believeth what? Not
what, but rather who. Whosoever believeth that Jesus
is the Christ. Whosoever believeth. That man
that walked this planet 2,000 years ago, born in Bethlehem.
Yes, an infant. A child is born. But we believe
that that child is the eternal Son of God who ever lives, who
had no beginning. Whosoever believeth that that
man-child born in Bethlehem and grew up in Nazareth and lived
in Galilee and died outside of Jerusalem on a Roman cross is
the Christ, The Son of the Living God, that person is born of God. That person is born of God. Now,
what does it mean to believe that Jesus is the Christ? What does that mean? What is
it to believe that He is the Christ? Well, the word Christ,
the name Christ, the title means anointed one. The one anointed
by God, chosen by God, ordained by God to be the Messiah. the one that Christ was prophesied
of from of old, from the beginning, all the way back to Genesis.
In the beginning, God prophesied of the woman's seed. That's the
Christ, the Messiah, the promised one, the one written of throughout
Scripture, the one who was to come. The Old Testament, you
see, is a book of prophecy, the testimony of Jesus is the spirit
of that prophecy, meaning that all the prophets bear witness
of the Christ who was to come. The Old Testament says, all the
Old Testament from Genesis to Malachi says someone is coming. Who's that? The Christ. The Christ
of God. The Gospels say He's here. He's
here. And then the epistles and the
revelations say He's coming again. The Christ. the one who was to
come prophesied in the Old Testament to save his people, to be their
prophet, priest, king, lord, ruler, savior. Whosoever believes
that Jesus is the Christ believes that Jesus Christ is that prophet
of whom Moses wrote. Our Lord appeared to a woman
at a well one time who was religious but lost like so many are. And
she said, well, when the Christ comes, he'll tell us all things.
The prophet of whom Moses spoke, he'll tell us all things. And
Christ opened her blind eyes, opened her deaf ears, gave her
a new heart at that moment by revealing himself to her as that
prophet. He said, I that speak unto thee
am. I am. I am that. I am. I am that prophet. We don't
need any more prophets, people. There are no more prophets. Those
who say they are are liars. Jesus Christ is the last prophet. He is that prophet of whom the
prophets wrote. And He has told us all we need
to know. He has revealed all things to
us. He is that priest. We don't need a priest. Oh, how
I wish the millions of Roman Catholics who confessed their
sins to these men who called themselves priests would How
I wish that God would reveal Himself to them that Jesus Christ
is the priest, the great high priest. We don't need any other
priest. He is the great high priest to
whom we confess our sin. Those men who are, may I say
it? Yes, they're liars who call themselves
priests. They cannot put away sin. They
cannot put away their own sin, but Jesus Christ is that great
high priest to whom we confess our sin, and He puts them away.
He goes to the Father. The Father always hears Him,
and He puts away our sin. He forgives our sin. Jesus Christ
is King. King of King, Lord of Lord. He
is to believe that Jesus is the Christ is to believe that he's
the sovereign ruler, savior, redeemer, the only mediator between
God and men, the man Christ Jesus. He's the surety of an everlasting
covenant. He's the substitute. He's the
law giver, law keeper. He is our wisdom, righteousness,
sanctification, and redemption to believe that Jesus is the
Christ is to believe that Jesus Christ is God that manifests
in the flesh. Yes. God. There are many who
don't believe that. Jehovah Witnesses don't believe
that. Mormons don't believe that, that
that man named Jesus is none other than God manifest in the
flesh. Let me read something to you
from Isaiah 25 verse 9. It says, He shall be said in
that day, Lo, this is our God, we have waited for Him, and He
will save us. This is the Lord, that is Jehovah. We have waited for Him, we will
be glad and rejoice in His salvation. Who is Isaiah prophesying of? Who is he talking about? Jesus
Christ. is God Almighty. God was manifest
in the flesh, to mystery to most, but revealed unto all his people
to whom God has begotten or given new birth. Whosoever believeth
that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. Amen.