Not that I did choose thee, Lord. Todd's Road Grace Church would
like to invite you to listen to a sermon by our pastor, Todd
Niver. We are located at 4137 Todd's
Road, two miles outside of Manowar Boulevard. Sunday services are
at 1030 a.m. and 6 p.m. Bible study is at
945 a.m. Wednesday services are at 7 p.m. Nursery is provided for all services.
For more information, visit our website at toddsroadgracechurch.com.
Now here's our pastor, Todd Nivers. Our text for this morning is
found in 1 John 3, verse 6. I've entitled this message, Believers
Do Not Sin. Believers Do Not Sin. In 1 John 3, verse 6, we read, Whosoever abideth in him sinneth
not." Did you hear that? Whosoever abideth in him sinneth
not. It doesn't merely say, whoever
abides in him, his sins are forgiven, or his sins are not charged to
him. That verse of Scripture says,
literally, that person who abides in Christ doesn't sin. Whosoever sinneth hath not seen
him, neither known him. Believers do not sin. Now, my conscience tells me that
I am a sinner. As a matter of fact, in 1 John
1, verse 8, we read, if we say that we have no sin, we deceive
ourselves, and the truth is not in us. There's no time when I
can say, I have no sin. Verse 10 says, if we say we've
not sinned, then we make him a liar, and his word is not in
us. That means regarding any action,
this sermon I'm preaching, the prayer I pray, the reading of
the Scripture I do, the witnessing I do, maybe the good works that
I may do for the glory of Christ regarding everything that I do,
if I say I have no sin in that, I call God a liar because He
says I do. Now, I want you to think about
that. In my experience, in my experience, being honest, oh,
may God give me grace to be honest, I'm a sinner. That means I sin. I cannot keep from sinning. All I do is sin. I can't look
down my nose at anybody. If God left me to myself, I would
be as bad as the devil. I really believe that. I know
that's true about myself. And I know it's true about you
also, whether you know it or not. In my experience. I'm a sinner. And yet this passage
of Scripture tells us that whoever abides in the Lord Jesus Christ
sinneth not. In abiding in Him, in my person,
I do not sin. Now, what is meant by sin? Well,
in the context of this passage of Scripture, two verses up,
it says in 1 John 3, verse 4, whosoever committed sin transgresseth
also the law, for sin is the transgression of the law. Now, that person who abides in
him never transgresses the law. That means he's never lied, he's
never committed adultery, not even in his heart. He's never
coveted. He's never stolen. He's loved
God with all of his heart and his neighbor as himself. He's
respected all forms of authority. He's honored his mother and his
father. He's never sinned. That person
who abides in Christ has never broken God's law. This person
is described in Psalm 119, verses 1 through 3. Listen to this. This is a description of every
believer. Blessed are the undefiled in
the way who walk in the law of the Lord. Blessed are they that
keep His testimonies and that seek Him with their whole heart.
They also do no iniquity. They walk in His Now, my conscience tells me that
all I do is sin, and yet the Word of God tells me that in
abiding in Christ, I do not sin. Let me go on reading in this
passage of Scripture. Verse 6 says, Whosoever abideth in him sinneth
not, whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.
Little children, let no man deceive you. He that doeth righteousness
is righteous, even as he is righteous. He that commits sin is of the
devil. For the devil sinneth from the
beginning. For this purpose the Son of God
was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin." Sin doesn't
mean he doesn't practice sin. No, it doesn't mean he doesn't
practice sin. It means he does not sin. He doesn't commit a
sin. For his sin, the sin of God,
the Holy Spirit, remains in him, and he cannot sin. He lacks the
ability to sin because he's born of God, born of the Spirit. Can that which is born of God
sin? Absolutely not. Now, I realize that this is talking
about the new nature in a believer that does not sin, but it's not
only talking about the new nature that does not sin, it means that
person does not sin. Now, here's how. Look back in
1 John 3, let's read verses 4 and 5 together. Whosoever committeth
sin transgresseth also the law, for sin is the transgression
of the law, and you know that He was manifested to take away
our sin. That's why He came, that's why
He was manifested, to take away our sin. He came for this purpose,
to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. Did He do it? My
dear friend, When He said, it is finished, all of the sins
of everybody He was representing were taken away. They were removed
from them. And then it says, in Him is no
sin. If I'm in Him, I have no sin. Whosoever abideth in Him sinneth
not. Now, the first thing I'd like
to attempt to talk about in trying to understand what this passage
of Scripture is saying is what is meant by this phrase, in Christ? Whosoever abideth in him sinneth
not. Now, this is the biggest thing
in the Bible. And every time I attempt to speak
of it, I feel a measure of frustration and a measure of failure. Why
do I say that? Well, let me try to talk about
this thing of being in Christ. Colossians 2, verses 9 and 10
says, In him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. In the Lord Jesus Christ, all
the fullness of God, the fullness of power, the fullness of wisdom,
the fullness of sovereignty, the fullness of grace, the fullness
of justice, all the fullness of all that God is, dwells in
the Lord Jesus Christ. You see, according to Colossians
1.16, it pleased the Father that in Him, should all fullness dwell."
Now, you see, that's a big subject, isn't it? In the Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 1.18 says, all
the promises of God in him are yea. And amen. They're unconditional. They're
sure to come to pass. That means if I'm in the Lord
Jesus Christ, any promise He makes to me is not, well, I'll
do this if you do that. No, I'll do this and you shall
do that, because if I'm in Christ, all God's promises are yay. Not
yes and no. Not maybe. Not if this takes
place, it will be. If this doesn't, it won't be.
No. They're all yay and they're all amen. So be it. All of God's
love is in the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul said, I'm persuaded that
nothing shall separate us from the love of God which is in Christ
Jesus our Lord. God's love is not outside of
Christ. Outside of Christ, there's nothing but His holy hatred and
wrath against sin. Somebody says, God loves everybody. No, He doesn't. He loves those
in Christ. Outside of Christ, there's nothing
but His justice. He said, Jacob hath thou loved
that Esau hath thou hated. Somebody says, didn't God love
everybody? Well, I know He didn't love Esau. Psalm 55 says, Thou
hatest all workers of iniquity. God's love, God's mercy, God's
favor, all that God has for the sinner is in the Lord Jesus Christ. Colossians chapter 2, verse 3
says, In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. All of God's purpose is in Christ. And notice I didn't say all of
God's purpose is, but all of God's purpose, His one single
purpose, is in the Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 3.11 says,
according to the eternal purpose, which He purposed in Christ Jesus
our Lord. And all of God's spiritual blessings
are in Christ. Ephesians 1, 3 says, "'Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed
us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ
Jesus.'" Now, if I'm in Christ, that means I have every blessing,
every spiritual blessing, Every blessing period that God has
to give. And everything that God sends
by way is a blessing. If it's sickness, it's a blessing.
If it's prosperity, it's a blessing. If it's failure, it's a blessing.
If it's success, it's a blessing. No matter what it is, it's a
blessing in Christ Jesus our Lord. Thanks be unto God who
always causes us to triumph in Christ. Every blessing God has
to give is in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, is it any wonder
that Paul said in Philippians chapter 3, verse 9, Oh, that
I may win Christ and be found in Him? When God comes looking
for me, there's only one place I want to be found, and that
is in Christ, in the Lord Jesus Christ, to say that when God
sees me, all He sees is Christ. Now, this thing of being in Christ,
what all does it mean? Remember, whosoever abideth in
him sinneth not. Well, there's a couple of scriptures
that help me to understand this concept of being in Christ. We
begin to see in Hebrews chapter 7, verse 9, the writer to the
Hebrews says, And as I may so say, Levi also, who received
tithes, paid tithes in Abraham. Now, Levi wasn't born yet when
Abraham paid tithes in Genesis chapter 14. He wasn't born yet. He didn't have any existence.
Abraham was his grandfather. But this passage of Scripture
says that Levi actually paid those tithes when Abraham paid
them. For he was yet in the lands of
his father when Melchizedek met him. Now, when Abraham paid tithes,
Levi also paid them. When Jesus Christ obeyed the
law, I also obeyed the law. Whatever He did, I did, if I'm
in Him. Here's another scriptural example.
Romans chapter 5, verse 12 says, By one man's sin in the world,
and death by sin, so that death passed upon all men, in that
I sinned. When Adam sinned, when Adam rebelled
against God, I rebelled also." It's not simply that his sin
was laid to my charge, though it was that it was laid to my
charge because I was guilty of it. When he sinned, I sinned
because I'm united to him. Whatever he does, I do. Now,
that sort of means to be in the Lord Jesus Christ. Whatever he
does, I do. So, what is this thing of abiding
in Christ? Whosoever abideth in him. sinneth not." Now, this thing
of abiding in Christ is active. It's not passive. It's staying
in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, this word abide is translated
by six other words in the New Testament. It's translated continue. Whoever continues in Christ.
It's translated dwell. Whoever dwells in Christ, that's
where they live. It's translated endure. That means you remain
in Christ and you don't leave. It's translated remain. It's
translated, stand, whosoever stands in Christ sins not. It's
translated, tarry, whoever tarries at Christ. You don't need to
tarry at a place where you don't want to leave. You just stay there. Whoever
tarries at Christ sinneth not. So, in abiding in Christ, in
dwelling in Christ, in enduring in Christ, in remaining in Christ,
in standing in Christ, in tarrying in Christ, I don't sin. Now, abiding in Christ, listen
real carefully. Abiding in Christ is a conscious desire to not
be anywhere else under any circumstance. I simply want to be found in
Him. There's no other place I want
to be. And when you abide in Christ,
you determine in your heart that you don't want to be anywhere
else because there's no place that's better than simply being
found in Christ. Now, just a few minutes ago,
I walked into this room. You're in a room right now. Now,
try to suppose that in the room you're in, everything you desire
is right there. You have comfort. You have security. You have well-being. You have
pleasure. You have safety. You have good
food and great friends. You have a great encouraging
atmosphere. You have complete satisfaction. You're in a place of perfect
beauty. You're in a place with no sin.
You're in a place with no rendezvous. You're in a place of absolute
justice and yet pure mercy, a place where all of your highest goals
are realized. You're in a room where all you
could possibly want is right there. And if you knew outside
of that room, none of those things were there. Outside of this room
is nothing but God's wrath, God's anger, God's punishment of sin. Nothing but trouble and toil
and heartache. But inside of this room, nothing
but good. You would not want to leave this
room. You consciously would desire
to never be anywhere else. You just want to stay in this
room. You don't want to go anywhere
else. Now, all of God's blessing is in Christ, and in this place,
in Christ, you never want to leave. You remain there. You
endure there. You tarry there. You do not want
to leave. Truly, you have no other place
to go. I think of what our Lord said
to his disciples after he saw the 5,000 leave him. He looked
at the 12, and he said, Do you want to go away? Do you want
to get outside of this? Peter said, Lord, To whom shall
we go? Thou hast the words of eternal
life, and we believe and are sure that Thou art that Christ,
the Son of the living God. We don't want to go anywhere
else. Now, this passage of Scripture, 1 John 3, verse 6 says, Whosoever
abides in Him sinneth not, because in Him is no sin. You are looking
at a real man who sinneth not. Therefore, I have no sin. This is what the Bible calls
justification. It means when God looks at me,
he looks at someone who has never sinned, someone who is never
guilty, because in Christ, I sin not. My sin has been taken away,
and in Christ, I do not sin. Now, let me read you this verse
of Scripture. I want to give some other Scriptures regarding
this thing of abiding in the Lord Jesus Christ. And remember
this great blessing. Whosoever abideth in Him sinneth
not. 1 John 2, verse 28 says, And
now, little children, abide in Him. There's that word again. Abide in Him. Remain in Him.
Stay in Him. Don't go outside of Him. Have
a conscious desire to be found nowhere else. Now, little children,
abide in Him. But when He shall appear, We
may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming. Now, in Him, abiding in Him,
when He appears, when He shall come with trumpet sound, when
He appears that second time, I can have confidence. Now, the
only way you can truly have confidence is when you have no sin. In abiding
in Him, I have no sin, therefore I have nothing to fear. When
He returns and looks upon me, He sees one without sin. Remember, in Him is no sin. If I'm in Him, I have no sin. He put it away. You see, my sin
became Christ's. That's why He died. He was gifted.
God's wrath came upon Him, and He put away that sin. And His
righteousness is literally mine, and I have no sin. 1 John 4, verse 17 says, "...hear
Him, as I have made perfect, that we may have boldness in
the day of judgment, because as He is." Is He without sin? Oh, you bet your life on it,
He's without sin. As He is, so are we in this world. So, 1 John 2, 28, Now little
children, abide in Him, that when He shall appear, ye may
have confidence, and not be ashamed before Him that is coming. And
you know why I will not be ashamed before Him that is coming? Because
I have nothing to be ashamed of. I have no sin. In abiding in the Lord Jesus
Christ, I literally have no In 1 John 2, verse 27, we read that
the anointing which you have received of Him abideth in And you do not that any man teach
you, but it's the same anointing. This is what every believer has.
The anointing of the Holy Spirit teaches you with all things and
is truth and is no lie. And even as it hath taught you,
you shall abide in Him. You see, when you have the anointing
of the Holy Spirit, this is the one desire of your heart, O that
I may win Christ and be found in Him. Now, that's the work
of the Holy Spirit. And you know that you will constantly
be tempted to go outside of Christ. Up in verse 26, it says, These
things have I written unto you concerning men that seduce you.
And in what way do they seduce you? They seek to make you find
your assurance, your acceptance, somewhere outside of simply being
in Him. Now, if you find some comfort
that you're saved because of your prayer life, or because
of your Bible reading, or because of your attempt at good works,
or because of your sincerity, or because of your free will,
the devil's taken you outside of Christ. You've been seduced.
You never were truly in Him in the first place. You will continually,
I will continually have temptations to be seduced from leaving Christ. But look at what 1 John 2 verse
19 says. They went out from us, but they
were not of us. For if they had been of us, they
would no doubt have continued with us. But they went out that
they might be made manifest, that they were not all of us,
that you have an option from the Holy One, and you know all
things. And that one who has this option
abides in the Lord Jesus Christ, and they will not look anywhere
else. They consciously abide and remain
in Him. Now, we read in 1 John 3, verse
24, that that one who abides in Christ, listen to this, and
he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth, or abides, it's the
same word, in him, and he in him. That person who keeps the
commandments of the Lord Jesus Christ is the one who actually
abides in Christ. Now, what is meant by keeping
the commandments of Christ? Well, not left to speculate.
John tells us exactly what he means. He says it in verse 23,
and this is His commandment, that we should believe on the
name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and never another as He gave
His commandment. Now, it's not enough to be able
to memorize that or quote it. You have to keep it. And I'm
keeping that commandment. I'm believing that the name of
His Son is my inference into glory. I'm saved for Christ's
sake, for His name's sake, because of who He is. And by His grace,
I do love His people. I love everybody who loves Him. And in doing that, I keep His
commandments. Now, in John chapter 15, We read
that that one who abides in him bears much fruit. In John 15,
beginning in verse 1, we read, I am the true vine, and my Father
is the husbandman. Every branch in me that bears
not fruit, he takes away. And every branch that bears fruit,
he purchases it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now you
cling to the word which I have spoken unto you, abide in me.
And I am you, as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself except it
abide in the vine, no more can you except you abide in me. I
am the vine, you are the branches, he that abideth in me." And I
in him the same bringeth forth much fruit. For without me you
can do nothing." That one who abides in the Lord Jesus Christ
bears the fruit of God the Holy Spirit. Love, joy, peace, long-suffering,
gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. They
bear the fruit of God the Holy Spirit in abiding in the Lord
Jesus Christ. And we also read in John chapter
15, beginning in verse 6, if a man abides not in me, He's
cast forth as a branch and is withered. And men gather them
and cast them into the fire and they're burned. If you abide
in me and my words abide in you, you shall ask what you will and
it shall be done unto you. In abiding in the Lord Jesus
Christ, we have the very ear of God. Just as Christ presents
my prayer and it's heard of God, in abiding in Christ, I'm heard
as if I were Christ. Better than that, I'm in Christ
and I'm heard because I abide in Him. What a blessing to abide
in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, I want to conclude with
an if and an ought. First, an if. In verse 7, our
Lord said, If you abide in Me. Now, if you don't, you won't
have any of these blessings. If you abide in Me. That's a condition that must
be met if you abide in me. Now, when God passes the land
of Egypt, and the blood was put over the door, and you were in
a house with the blood over the door when he was passing through
judgment, would you want to get outside of that house? I sure
would. I wouldn't just simply be in
that house. Now, what if somebody went outside of the house? What
would have happened? They would have been destroyed.
Safety was only found in that house, if you abide in me, and
my words abide in you. Safety was only in the house.
So, there's a big if. You know, there's a lot of folks
who sing the beginning of Christ, but they don't continue. If you
abide, if you remain, if you don't leave. And secondly, an
ought. We read in 1 John 2, verse 6,
he that sayeth he abideth in him ought himself also to walk
even as he walked. How did he walk? In humility,
in faithfulness, in obedience, in meekness, in holiness. And every believer ought to walk
just like Him. If we say we abide in Him, we
ought also to walk even as He walked. And you take that as
far as you can in every respect. And if, if you abide in Him,
if you don't, we won't have any of God's blessings. And if we
do, we ought to walk even as He walked. Now, whosoever abideth
in him sinneth not. You're looking at a man right
now speaking to you who sinneth not, because in Christ there
is no sin. My sin became his. He put it
away. He blotted it out. It is no more. And I made, and every believer
has made, the very righteousness of God in him. And we have this
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