I hope you will follow along
with me in your Bible this morning as I attempt to take a good,
honest look at God's Word. If you are not following along,
I urge you to write and get this tape. 1 John 5, verse 19 reads this way,
We know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness. The Apostle John, writing a letter
to someone, says, We know that we are of God, and the whole
world lieth in wickedness. Now, people, the vast majority
of God's Word is written to God's people. The epistles, for instance,
in the New Testament, are addressed to and written to believers. One of the most common deceptions
which preachers practice today is applying all of God's Word
to all people without exception. And that's why there's so much
misunderstanding and confusion concerning God's Word. If you
will take an honest look at every epistle and look at the beginning
of each one, you will find who it is written to and who it applies
to, who those promises are speaking to. Romans 1-7, all in Rome,
beloved of God, called to be saints. 1 Corinthians 1-2, under
the church of God at Corinth, sanctified in Christ, called
to be saints. 2 Corinthians 1, under the church
of God. Galatians 1, under the churches
of Galatia. Ephesians 1, under the saints
and the faithful. Philippians 1, to all saints
in Christ Jesus. And on and on I could go. Now,
these are addressed to the early church, to all believers. And
of course, everything that applies to the church then applies to
the church now. And throughout the epistles,
you will find words like our, us, we, them, they. A very simple English grammar
lesson will tell you who the writer is speaking to and who
he's speaking of. There is a very clear distinction
throughout God's Word which God makes between his people and
the world. Let me repeat that, a very clear
distinction throughout God's Word which God himself makes
between his people and the world. There is a striking verse back
in Exodus 11 we speak into the children of Israel, and he
says in verse 7, Exodus 11, verse 7, he said, that you may know
how the Lord doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel. And so it is throughout God's
Word. Here in 1 John chapter 4, 1 John
chapter 4, he says in verse 4, ye are of God, little children.
And I've overcome them because greater is he that is in you
than he that is in the world." I've heard so many preachers,
and I've seen bumper stickers, and I've seen this applied to
everyone. It doesn't speak to everyone,
people. It's not speaking to every human
being. John is talking to believers
here. He says in verse 1, Beloved,
Beloved, he's making an A very clear distinction here between
believers and the world. Verse 5, they are of the world,
therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. We
are of God. So a very clear distinction.
In John 17, the Gospel of John, chapter 17, is that chapter of
our Lord's wonderful high priestly prayer, Christ the one true great
high priest of his people prays in John 17 to the Father, and
like the high priest of old who prayed for the Jews, for the
Israelites, the Lord Jesus Christ, our great high priest, is praying
for his people, spiritual Israel, true Israel. John 17, the Lord
himself makes this distinction between his people and the world
very clear. Listen to it, John 17, 6. He
says, I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest
me out of the world. Verse 9, I pray for them. I pray not for the world. but for them which thou hast
given me, for they are thine." Verse 14, "...I have given them
thy word, and the world hath hated them, because they are
not of the world, even as I am not of the world." Verse 16,
"...they are not of the world." even as I am not of the world."
He said it again. Verse 20, he said, "...neither
pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe
on me through their word." And so he makes a clear distinction
between his chosen ones, his people, and the world. He's speaking
of the apostles, and he said in verse 20, not for them only
alone, but them also which shall believe on me through their word. The believers throughout the
world, believers throughout time who shall believe. Believers. And he distinguishes them from
the world. And so John, the apostle in chapter
5 of 1 John, verse 19, says, We are of God and the whole world,
life in wickedness. Now, throughout his epistle,
throughout John's epistle, he makes it clear to whom he is
speaking. In 1 John 2, he says in verse
13, I write unto you fathers, because you have known him that
is from the beginning. I write unto you young men, because
you have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you little
children, because you know the Father." He's talking about mature
believers. He's talking about those who
haven't been believers too long. He's talking about little babes
in Christ very clearly. His spiritual children. John,
these weren't his physical children, but spiritual children. And he
calls them that throughout this epistle. In verse 25 of the same
chapter, he says, This is the promise that he hath promised
us, even eternal life, his people. 1 John 3, verse 1 and 2, Behold
what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we
should be called the sons of God, therefore the world knoweth
us not." Do you see the distinction? Anyone who takes an honest look
at this can clearly see the distinction between us, that is, God's people,
the beloved His chosen, and the world. Can you see that? 1 John 3, 2 says, Beloved, now
are we the sons of God. Now are we the sons of God. Chapter,
verse 13 of chapter 3. 1 John 3, 13, he says, Marvel
not, my brethren, if the world hate you." So do
you see the distinction? He makes it very clear that there
is a distinction. Well then, turn with me to John
chapter 3. John chapter 3. Why does the
Lord Jesus Christ say in John 3 verse 16, God so loved the
world? Do you want to know the truth?
Turn there with me. Would you turn there with me?
Years ago, there was an evangelist from Winston-Salem, North Carolina,
in the early 1950s in this country. An evangelist named Ralph Barnard
traveled the Southeast United States, and God used that man
to reveal the truth, the living and true God and Jesus Christ,
the true Christ, to many people. The Lord used that man greatly.
One time, what he said in a meeting in Kentucky, he resounded all
throughout the southeast United States and out west. But he held
a meeting in northeastern Kentucky one time, and every member of
nearly every church in that community was there in a park in the middle
of town. And that man stood up in the
midst of that tent meeting, and he uttered these words, which
will never be forgotten by those who heard them. He said the two
biggest lies ever been told, two of the biggest lies that
have ever been told. Number one, God loves everyone. And number two, Christ died for
everyone. He said they're both lies. Neither
one of them are so. Now, perhaps your jaw has hit
the floor like it did of people back then. Well, God's Word does
not contradict itself. God's Word does not contradict
itself. It is not confusing. It is not
contradictory. The problem lies with our understanding. Well, it is deeper than that.
It lies with our rebellious willful ignorance. Peter said they're
willingly ignorant. Listen as I read several verses
of Scripture to you, okay? And it's all God's Word. Old
Testament, New Testament, it's God's Word. God hasn't changed.
Same God, Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Malachi 3.6, God said, I am the Lord, I change not. Same God in the New Testament
as the Old. He hasn't changed. Psalm 5 verse
5 says, The foolish shall not stand in thy sight. Thou hatest
all workers of iniquity. Psalm 7 verse 11 says, God is
angry with the wicked every day. Angry. Not love, but angry. Psalm 11 verse 5, The Lord trieth
the righteous, but the wicked in him that loveth violence,
his soul hate it. Proverbs 6, verse 16, and for
the sake of time, I can't read all of this to you, but in Proverbs
6, verse 16 says, These six things doth the Lord hate. It goes on
down to verse 19 and says, He that soweth discord among the
brethren. Not talking about sins, but sinners. I've heard say that. People say that God loves the
sinner but hates his sin. It doesn't say that here. It
says people, persons that God hates. Are you reading it with
me? Are you listening? Malachi 1,
and this is quoted in Romans 9 also, it said, Jacob have I
loved, but Esau have I hated. And here in John chapter 3, Verse
36, the Lord Himself says, "...he that believeth on the Son hath
everlasting life. He that believeth not the Son
shall not see light, but the wrath of God abideth on him."
Not the love of God, but the wrath of God. Well, I hear some
false prophets say, well, God just loved Esau less than Jacob. Is that true? Well, that's ridiculous. God can't love one less than
another. His love is perfect. Well, does
God stop loving some people then? God loves everyone without exception
and loves them, and then they just are so bad He can't save
them, so He stops loving them, and then He sends them to hell.
Is that true? No, God can't stop loving. His
love is forever. His love is eternal. His love,
the Scripture says, never faileth. So our whole problem lies in
our ignorance of the word world. John 3.16, God so loved the world. Who is the Lord talking to here?
Verse 1, it says, Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. The Jews
hated the Gentiles. The Jews were Zionists. They
believed God loved, chose one race of beings, Jews. Jews and
the world. It was the Jews and the world,
Jews and Gentile dogs, they made that distinction. And so he says
to Nicodemus after saying so very many things, God so loved
the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth
in him should not perish but have everlasting life. God sent
not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the
world through him might be saved. Mankind as a species. God loves
mankind as a species, but doesn't love every person in the species. Mankind as a species, but not
every man. God has a chosen people, Scripture
says, out of every tribe, kindred, nation, people, and tongue. Yes, the world. Here's the problem. It's with man's understanding
of all of this. None are worth loving. No human
beings deserve the love of God. Romans 3, 9, he says, we before
prove both Jew and Gentile all under sin, none righteous, no,
not one. What's the answer? Where's the
difference? Why does God make a difference?
It's God's sovereign electing love that makes the difference.
God's love is undeserved. God's love is saving love, eternal
love, and God's love is for His people. Well, did you take a
look at that with me, an honest look? I hope you did. Get the
tape. Write and get the tape. And perhaps
we'll deal even further with this chapter in the near future. Until next Sunday, good day.