If you would, turn to 1 John,
chapter five. 1 John, chapter five. I'll read
the first three verses. Maybe four verses, maybe five,
maybe, never mind. 1 John, chapter five, verse one. Whosoever believeth that Jesus
is the Christ is born of God. And everyone that loveth him
that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. By this we know that we love
the children of God. when we love God and keep his
commandments. For this is the love of God,
that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not
grievous. I'm gonna stop right there, I've
got to. Here John, In this epistle, pretty
much comes full circle back to the cornerstone that he started
with. That which was from the beginning. That which we have
seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and our hands
have handled of the word of life. Life. Here's the whole matter. Whosoever
believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. Now you understand, that's not
talking about the faith that's the gift of God. We know that
comes from God. It's his gift. It's a noun, not
a verb. This is the verb part. If you
believe, here it is, it's because you are born of God. Even your believing is not of
yourself. Because I can tell you this for
a certain fact. Believing God is not the act
of the natural man. And believing that Jesus is the
Christ is not the act of a natural man. The scriptures are plain. Now it does say whosoever believes. And that's exactly what it means.
Because whosoever don't believe doesn't fit this category. How
can I say that? Well Jesus Christ said it and
John wrote it in the Gospel of John, chapter three. Let me get to the right one. John three and verse 16. For God so loved the world that
he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him
should not perish, but have everlasting life. If you believe, you already
have everlasting life. Four, verse 17, God sent not
his son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world
through him might be saved. Here's verse 18 he that believeth
on him is not condemned But But he that believeth not is condemned
already Whosoever believeth is a great and powerful statement,
but don't forget about whosoever doesn't believe See there's lots of people and
you'll see it everywhere want to want to write and quote John
3.16, they don't wanna write and quote John 3.18. Because it's not a natural act
for someone to truly believe that Jesus is the Christ. but he that believeth not is
condemned already because he hath not believed in the name
of the only begotten Son of God. I kind of get the impression
sometimes, and maybe I'm incorrect, but I don't think so, that there
are some people who think the epistle of John, the epistles
of John, are talking about different things
than the gospel of John. And he's not. He's not changing
a word of the gospel. What he's got in his epistle
is the gospel. That which we have seen from
the beginning. That which we heard. That which we've touched
and handled of the word of life. He's still talking about Jesus
Christ all through this book. And when you get to the book
of the revelation, it's not any different because it's the revelation
of Jesus Christ. They wanna separate all these
things, and you can't separate them. Because the word of God
is the word of God. And Jesus Christ is the word
of God. And this is the word of God, his words. It's his story. From beginning to end, those
that love God I love, the way this is put, and everyone that
loveth him that begat, loveth him also that is begotten of
him. Those that believe Christ are
born of God. And those that are born of God
love him, love Jesus Christ. And they love their brethren. They love his brethren. They
love the other children of God that are also, what? Born of
God. Those who truly believe are those
who are truly born of God. And those that are truly born
of God love Jesus Christ. He is our salvation. And more importantly than that,
he is our Lord. And this is not a filthy despot. You understand, this is not a
dictator. He's the Lord of glory. Our Lord Jesus Christ is glorious. Now, his word goes, no matter
what. But our submission to him is
not out of fear, but out of love. You understand, I don't want
my will. Usually. Okay? When I think about it, I don't
want it ever. But sometimes I don't think about it and I act on it.
But here's the thing, when I think about it and when I think about
him, I want his will in my life, in this world, and in your life. We love the son of God and we
want every blessing he will give us. And I want you to have every
blessing he will give you. And he has promised us a multitude
of blessings. And he gives them in his own
good time. John knows this knowing Christ
is vital he writes it over and over and Here's the point he
puts here if you're born of God you do believe that Jesus is
the Christ God manifests in the flesh the Lord of hosts the Lord
of glory the Lord of salvation Salvation is of the Lord, and
he is our salvation. And I gotta repeat it, because
the opposite is still true. Whosoever doesn't believe Jesus
Christ is not born of God. And if you want, I'll add this
word, yet. I'm not taking away any hope
from anyone. I will put that word in it, yet. because there
are elect now who don't believe yet. Now if they are elect, they
will believe. If they are elect, they will
come. If they are elect, they will
love God and they will love his brethren. They may not love him
now. I was in that place. I was right
there. Paul was consenting under the
death of Stephen. And he regretted that. He confessed to it. But now, I love the brethren. I love God. I love Jesus Christ,
and I love the Holy Spirit. And I'm here to tell you today,
that is all his work, and it stems from this, that I was born
of God. There's hope for sinners. There's
always hope for sinners. John starts it out in 1 John,
talking about it. If you know you sin and you know
your sins, you're not far from the kingdom of God. That's the problem. Later on
we'll get into that. The whole world lieth in what?
Wickedness. And guess what? They're laying
there because they're comfortable there. I used to have a guy I worked
with one time, he said, I'm not afraid of work, I can lie down
right next to it and go to sleep. That's what the world does with
wickedness. whosoever believeth that Jesus
is the Christ is born of God. What's that mean? He's a new
creature. The old creature's still there.
The old nature's still there, but he's a new creature. Verse two says this, by this
we know that we love the children of God when we love God and keep
his commandments. John keeps pushing on that. You
know why? Because he's supposed to. If you're born of God, you're
gonna keep his commandments. He's the source. Jesus Christ
is the source. This Jesus, who is the Christ,
and Lord, and sovereign over the whole universe, is the source
for all of our righteousness. Even the ones we do. Said it
a week or two ago, maybe last week, I'll say it again this
week. He works in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. And if he doesn't work in you
both to will and to do of his good pleasure, you're not gonna
do it. We're that corrupt still. We're
that corrupt. Understand the flesh lusted against
the spirit. They don't get along They never
have they never will Because this flesh is gonna have to go
bye-bye This mortals gonna put on immortality this corruptions
gonna put on in corruption this flesh is not forever We have
eternal life But our eternal life is not in this flesh Thank
God it's not in this flesh. Mine keeps wearing out. Forget my mind. We'll know sometime
to do that too. We know that we love the children
of God when we love God and keep his commandments. And the only
way it's possible to keep his commandments is to be born of
God. No other way. No other way. What's
it mean to be born of God? Well, guess what? John three
again. Excuse me. Verse three. Jesus
speaking to Nicodemus. Can't go through it without saying
this. Jesus answered and said unto him, verily, verily, I say
unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom
of God. And that's born from above. Nicodemus
saith unto him, how can a man be born when he is old? Can he
enter in the second time into his mother's womb and be born?
Jesus answered, verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man
be born of water and of the spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom
of God. It cannot be done. John chapter
one, put it this way. He came unto
his own, and his own received him not, but as many as received
him, to them gave he the power to become the sons of God, even
to them which believe on his name. If you believe, what? Whosoever believeth that Jesus
is the Christ is born of God. Even to those that believe on
his name, which were born. Then he goes into the negatives.
Not of blood, nor of the will of flesh, nor of the will of
man, but born of God. Whosoever that believeth that
Jesus is the Christ is born of God. How can a dead alien sinner believe
the Son of God? That's a trick question, he can't. John chapter five and verse 29
is one of those this is's of John. Jesus answered and said
unto them, this is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom
he has sent. Sorry, that was John six and
verse 29. John 5 and verse 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, but is passed from death unto life. Whosoever believeth that Jesus
is the Christ is born of God. Now how do you pass from death
unto life? These already, if you believe, you've already passed.
So how does it come that you have passed? Verse 25, verily,
verily, I say unto you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the
dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that
hear shall live. How do you pass from death unto
life? He speaks to you. The Son of God speaks life to
every one of his sheep. And whosoever believeth that
Jesus is the Christ is born of God. And you love him and you love
the brethren. That's his commandments that
we keep. By this we love the children
of God because we are born of God. We believe Jesus is the Christ
and we know, we know that we love the children of God when
we love God and keep his commandments. Now, like I said, People want
to throw a lot of things in there when they see that word commandment.
So I wrote some of them down. Somebody asked you, what about
being baptized? Well, if you believe Christ,
you'll be baptized. Why? Because he said to. He said
to. If you need another reason, you
don't believe Christ. Because trust me, how many times
does God have to say something? Well, the answer is one. If he
says it once, it's true, no matter if he never repeats it again.
But he does have a tendency to repeat himself, and so do his
apostles. And the writers of this book,
why? Because we need repetition. Because we forget. What about being baptized by
the Holy Ghost? Okay, first thing about that
is people who usually ask about that, They don't know anything about
the word of life. And they don't know anything about the Christ
that John's preaching, that John preached. The second thing is,
if you believe Jesus Christ, you are born of God and the Holy
Spirit is in you. He abides in you. You are of
God, little children. You are born of God. Ooh, what
about falling? Well, you'll fall. You'll fall. And you shall not
be utterly cast down. Because the Lord upholdeth his
own with his own hands. We're in Christ's hands. We're
in God's hands, Christ's hands. And no man's gonna pluck them
out of my Father's hands. What about sin and sins? He forgives our sins. And all
our unrighteousnesses. That's being born of God Because
without God without the father the son and the spirit It is
impossible to believe him It's impossible to believe God Paul
wrote it in Ephesians 1 and 19 and he wrote and what is the
exceeding greatness of his power to us word who believe according
to the working of his mighty power. Just the fact that you believe
takes the power of God. It just boggles the mind sometimes. See, not only does he give us
faith, but we believe by his power. We don't believe on our
own. Anything we do on our own is
bad, is wrong, usually sin. If not,
it's unrighteousness. But we believe God because we
are born of God. I just love that. Verse 13, he says, these things
have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son
of God, that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that
ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. Verse 14. This is the confidence
that we have what in him in him That if we ask anything according
to his will he heareth us and if we know that He hear us whatsoever. We ask we know that we have the
petitions that we desired of him There are people who will arrest
that to their own destruction. Because they think that they
can ask for anything they want. You understand? And it says,
in the confidence that we have in him, that if we ask anything
according to his will, that's the part the world leaves out.
That's the part the religious world leaves out when they're
talking about this. James says a lot of times you
don't get what you ask for. Why? Well the problem's with
you. He says you ask amiss. Why? That you might consume it in
your own lust. So what's the world, the religious
world around us asking for? Money. Health. A big house. Two Mercedes Benzes. Can't just have one, you gotta
have two. Well, if it's according to the
will of the Son of God, you'll get it. And if it's not, you
won't. But I do like the way this statement
is written. These things I've written unto
you that believe in the name of the Son of God That ye may
know that ye have eternal life and that ye may believe on the
Son of God You believe you know you believe
you know and you know that you know I Love that John is is giving
some assurance here that To those who believe Jesus Christ, you're
born of God. To those who know some of the
things of God, you'll never know them all. We see through a glass darkly,
but we see, but we see. Don't think down about it. because
you don't see some things. Don't think bad about it because
you may not see other things. But thank God you see because
the world does not see at all. And when the light in them that
they have is darkness, how great is that darkness? They don't know what light is.
You understand, they read that and think they're supposed to
be rich. Have you not read any of this
book? Have you seen how the Apostle Paul ends up and everybody ends
up dead except John and he died in exile on the Isle of Patmos?
Just a little bit of history, I'll tell you. And if you look
through the church history, you'll see people that were burned at
the stake for what? Preaching this message right
here. Why? To who? To people who would not
have it. To people who named the name
of Jesus, but didn't believe the Lord Jesus Christ. I just get overwhelmed. sometimes Because when I start to think What a blessing it is to know
God And then you look around I Mean, you know, we're we're
from two different counties And what? 40 50 miles apart some
of us Together this a handful here and we're surrounded by churches
that are full to the brim and overflowing. And what's the difference? We
preach Christ and him crucified and they don't. That's the main
difference. It doesn't matter whether they're
preaching free will or whether they're preaching health and
prosperity. The only thing that matters is
that whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of
God. That's where it starts for us,
for the believer. Yes, I know it started in eternity
past, before the world ever was. Jesus Christ was a lamb slain
from before the foundation of the world. The angels fell and
he left them alone. But he took upon him, what? The seed of Abraham. Why? To call out a people for
his name's sake. To glorify himself. And it's
really hard to think sometimes when you're sitting here, guess
what folks? You're glorifying God by believing
his son. What a great statement that is.
What a great truth that is because this is a truth. I'm not bragging
on you. I know why you're here. You're
here because you're born of God. We don't take any credit for
anything good. Unfortunately, I have to bear
the credit, the blame for my sin and my sins. But just the thought that sometimes our
words can be lifted, our voices can be lifted in praise to God
is a blessing we do not deserve. And we don't deserve it. It's
by His grace. Whosoever believeth that Jesus
is the Christ is born of God and everyone that loveth him
loveth him That is begotten of him Believe Jesus Christ love Jesus
Christ and love the brethren That's what Jesus Christ taught
while he was on this earth. It's recorded in the Gospel of
John also. He's just condensing it and putting
it right here. Why? Be assured, if you believe Christ,
that you know God. This Christ, the Christ that John preached,
the only begotten Son of God. God manifests in the flesh. The Redeemer, the Lord of hosts
is his name. If you believe him, you're born
of God. Our Heavenly Father, we're thankful
again for this time, this place. Thank you, Lord. for your grace,
your love, your mercy, by which without no man will be saved.
Be with Walter as he comes to preach your gospel. Give him
the words we need to hear and open our hearts to understand
your will, your way, your truth, your gospel. In Christ's name
we pray, amen.