All right, 1 John chapter 5 tonight, and my subject is the assurance
of Christ, encouraging those who believe the gospel to find in him peace, joy, and
rest. This epistle of John is an epistle
of assurance. In fact, about nine times the
apostle John speaks very emphatically that we know that we're saved,
we know we're children of God. Let me just read you something. You listen to me and let me just
quote these verses. 1 John 2 verse 5. Whoso keepeth God's word, in
him verily is the word of God perfected. Hereby know we that
we are in Christ. Hereby know we we're in Christ. 1 John 2 verse 21. I have not
written unto you because you do not know the truth. I have
written unto you because you know the truth, and no lie is
of the truth. You know the truth. First John
3.14, we know, John says, that we have passed from death unto
life. We know we have passed from death
unto life because we love the brethren. He that loveth not
his brother abides in death. 1 John 3, 19. And hereby we know
that we are of the truth and shall assure our hearts before
Christ. We know. Hereby we know we are
of the truth and assure our hearts. We have assurance, blessed assurance. that we are before Him. 1 John 3, 24, and hereby we know
that He abides in us. I know He abides in me. You do
too. How? By the Spirit that He's
given to us. That's how we know. If any man
have not the Spirit of Christ, he's none of this. We know we're
in Christ. His Spirit dwells in us. 1 John
4.2, Hereby know we the Spirit of truth. We know the Spirit
of truth. Every spirit that confesseth
that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God. 1 John 4.6,
We are of God. We are of God. He that heareth
us, he that knoweth God, heareth us. We are of God. He that knows
God, hears us. He that's not of God, hears not
us. Hereby know we the spirit of
truth and the spirit of error. He that is of God, hears God. 1 John 4, 13. Hereby know we
that we dwell in God and God dwells in us. because God has
given to us his Spirit. Hereby we know that we dwell
in God and God dwells in us because God has given us his Spirit.
And 1 John 5 verse 2, by this, by this, know we that we love
the children of God when we love God and keep his commandments. Nine times. John said, we have
blessed assurance. We're in Christ. Christ dwells
in us. We know that. We know that. And
that's the way my message starts out today in 1 John 5 verse 1. 1 John 5 verse 1. 1 John 5 verse 1 says this, Whosoever
believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. Now, my friends,
every life begins with a birth. Whether it be a man or a beast,
each creature that God has created, whether it be a natural life
or a spiritual life, every life begins with a birth. That which
is born of the flesh is flesh. And it can be nothing but flesh,
but it's life. And that which is born of the
Spirit of God, born of God, is spirit and will always live. The Lord Jesus Christ said, Whosoever
liveth and believeth in me will never die. So everybody, by birth,
everybody enters into life. By a birth we enter into natural
life. which lives and dies. And by
a new birth, we enter into the kingdom of God. We enter into
spiritual life by birth. So everyone who comes into life
is born, has to be born. Our Lord Jesus said, Verily I
say unto you, Except a man be born of the water and of the
Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. Millions of people that come
into the world all the time, who have natural life, and that's
all. And then there's some born of
God, who so believe it that Jesus is the Christ, is born of God,
and they enter into the kingdom of God, and into life everlasting. But the natural flesh, and the spiritual life, flesh
to life, and the natural life, the spiritual life and the fleshly
life. They have some things in common. There's some ways in
which they're similar. If you turn to Psalm 139, David
says this in Psalm 139, here's the two life, the natural life
and spiritual life. Both are created by God. Both
the natural life is of God and the spiritual life is of God.
And David describes both of them here in Psalm 139 verse 13. Psalm 139 verse 13. Thou hast possessed my reins.
Thou has covered me in my mother's womb. That's true of everybody.
I will praise thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made."
That's true of everybody. See, any natural life is a miracle,
and best of your heart, a spiritual life is a great miracle, but
it's still a miracle. And he said that, I'm fearfully
and wonderfully made, marvelous at our works, and that my soul
knoweth right well. That's the natural life. My substance
was not hid from thee when I was made in secret. and curiously
wrought in the lowest parts of the earth, in my mother's womb.
So that's natural life. But now what's this next verse?
But my substance was not hid from thee. Thine eyes did see
my substance, yet being unperfect, and in thy book all my members
were written, which in a continuous were fashioned, when as yet there
was none of them. The natural man is born. created by God, comes into the
world and dies. But the spiritual life is born
of God. And in his book all my members
were written when as yet there were none of them. That's right. Chosen in Christ before the foundation
of the world. Spiritual life, spiritual life.
So all life is born and all life comes from God. But that eternal
life by which we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ is spiritual,
the kingdom of God. So it's that way, it's similar
that way. Now here's a second way that
all life is similar in a way. When a person is born into the
world, a natural person, life is created. And it's a life that's
like the one that began it. For example, turn to Genesis
1 verse 24. Genesis 1 verse 24. Adam had a son, and he had a
son just like himself, just like himself. In Genesis chapter 21
verse 24, And God said, let the earth bring
forth the living creature of his kind. Cattle, creeping thing,
beast of the field, after its kind. And so God made the beast
of the field after his kind, and the cattle after its kind,
and every creeping thing after its kind, even man after its
kind. In other words, that which is
born of the flesh is flesh. It's born of the flesh. But when
a person is born again of the Heavenly Father, It's a spiritual
life, that which is born of God. That's the reason our Lord said
in John chapter 1, he said that everyone that believes is born
of God. Not of the will of the flesh,
not of the will of man, but born of God. Like life is created. And then thirdly, in both births, life is brought forth completely. A person born of the natural
life comes forth, he has a mind, he has a heart, he has lungs,
he has life. Natural life. And it's complete. Oh, he'll be a baby and he'll
grow and grow into manhood, but he's still got the whole life
is there. So when God creates a son, in the image of Christ, a spiritual
life, that's complete too. He has the mind of Christ, the
heart of Christ, that's right, the nature of Christ. In him dwelleth all the fullness
of the Godhead body, and we are complete in him. So that natural
life is complete in the flesh, that spiritual life born of God
is complete in Christ. He'll grow in grace and mature,
but he's complete. And then the fourth thing about
this life, and think about this now. In both births, natural birth
and the spiritual birth, there's a character created. There's a character. In the natural
man, I'll tell you what that character is, turn to Romans,
old Romans chapter 8, I'll tell you what that character is, in
Romans chapter 8, tells us what it is. In Romans chapter 8 verse
6, the carnal man, in Romans 8 verse 6, Father, to be carnal
in mind it is death, eternal death. But to be spiritually
minded is life and peace. Now, who creates that nature? When that man is born of a human
father and comes forth with life, comes forth like his father,
comes forth complete in a natural life, but he comes forth with
an evil mind and an evil heart. Born of his father. When God,
when God creates life in Christ. It's a new nature. If any man
be in Christ, he's a new creature. Old things are passed away and
all things become new. Read the rest of this verse.
Verse 7, Romans 8. Because the carnal mind is enmity
against God, but not the spiritual mind. If the carnal mind is not
subject to the law of God, neither can it be. So then they that
are in the flesh cannot place God. Never can. It's an evil nature. It's born
evil. It'll stay evil. It'll die evil.
But you are not in the flesh. Thank God for that. You're in
the spirit of a spiritual life, the life of God, born of God,
born of the Spirit of God, born of the Word, born of the water,
and born again. If so be that the Spirit of God
dwells in you, It's a new life. And that's what John, let's go
back to John chapter 1. Whosoever believeth that Jesus
is the Christ is born of God. He's born of God. Born of God. That's right. The Father loveth
the Son, and giveth all things into his hand. He that believeth
on the Son of God hath everlasting life, and shall not come into
condemnation, but is passed from death unto life. All right, look
at the next line. And the next line says, And every
one that loveth him that begat. Who is him that begat? Who is
him that begat? We're talking about spiritual
life now, we're talking about that person born of God. Who
begat him? God did. God is the begatter. God is the begatter, that's what
he said. Everyone that loveth him that begat, that loves the
Father. God has begotten us again unto
living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
And everyone that loves the one who begats, listen to the next
time, loveth him also this begotten of him." That's a sign, settled,
unchangeable truth. Whosoever, believe it, Jesus
is the Christ, is born of God. And if he's born of God, everyone
that loveth him that begat will also love him has begotten. Do you love Christ? That's right.
Cling to him, rest in him, believe on him. Who is this that begat? It's the Father, born of God. Who is this that's begotten of
him? It's the Son, born again. Everyone who loves the one who
begats, loves the one that's begotten. If any man love not
our Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema. The Lord's coming. All right, verse 2. By this we know that we love
the children of God when we love God and keep his commandments. This new birth, this knowledge
of the Father, this new nature, We know that we love God, we
love the Son, we love the Spirit of God, we love the children
of God, we love the way of God, and the word of God, and the
gospel of God, and the mercies of God. And John tells us in
chapter 5 verse 20, Hereby know we that the Son of God hath come,
and hath given us an understanding, a nature, that we may know him
that is true. And we're in him that is true.
Even in his son, Jesus Christ. And this is life eternal. Verse 3. And this is the love
of God that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not
grievous. This is the evidence of that life and love of God
that we keep his commandments. We keep his word. His commandments
His love, His precepts, His ordinance, His worship, they're not disagreeable
to us. They're not grievous to us. They're not burdensome to us. We love the Word of God. We delight
in the laws of God. It's the way of the transgressor
that's high. It's not the way of the believer.
The ways of the Lord are the ways of peace and joy and holiness
and we delight to do his will. Turn to John, Galatians. Turn to Galatians chapter 5.
Galatians chapter 5. Listen to this. Here is the fruit of the Spirit
of God. In Galatians chapter 5 verse
22. But the fruit of the Spirit is
love, and joy, and peace, and long-suffering, and gentleness,
and goodness, and faith. It's meekness, temperance. Against such there is no love. And they that are Christ, those
that believe on him, those that love him, they have crucified
the flesh with the affections and the lust. If we live in the
Spirit, Let us also walk in the Spirit, and let us not be desirous
of vain glory, provoking one another or ending one another.
The commandments of our Lord are not grievous. Let peace and
joy and everlasting life. All right, verse 4, 1 John 5,
verse 4. Let's summarize just a moment.
Whosoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. And everyone that loves the Father,
the one who begat, also loves him that's begotten of him. And
whosoever loves God, and loves God's Son, loves God's Word,
and loves God's law, and loves God's commandments, loves his
way, delights in the ways of the Lord. Now, verse 4, and whosoever
is born of God overcomes the world. Overcomes the world. What does this mean? We live
in the world. We're citizens of the world.
What does it mean to overcome the world? That's what it says
here, whosoever is born of God overcometh the world. Well, let
me help you a little bit. Consider that we live a life
in this world. We're born into this natural
world. And we grow up here as children. And we go to school, like all
other children go to school. Belong to God and those who don't
belong to God. Jacob ever loved, Esau ever hated, but those boys
grew up together. Jacob and Esau grew up together. We can name our own families
that have grown up together and gone different ways entirely.
But we were children together. We went to school, we played
the games. We lived in houses together. sat at the same breakfast
table, ate the same food, went to the same school, went different
ways. We lived in the city, we got
a job. We married, we raised a family. We eat, we drink, we
sleep, we drive automobiles. We live in a world, a world.
And some like it. and some delight in it, and some
doubt on it, and some despise it. And we try to get along together
and live in peace with all men. But God's made a difference,
just like he did among the Israelites and the Egyptians. God made a difference. God made
an awesome difference. are some difference. God made
a difference between me and some of my dear relatives. They hate what I love and love
what I hate. They hate my God and hate my gospel. I love the
gospel. I love God. God made a difference. We believe his word. We love
his holiness. We love his truth. We love his
commandments. We love the things of God. And
we despise the evil. that's moving about us, don't
we? Let's read the scripture. Turn to 1 John 2. 1 John 2. In 1 John 2 verse 15,
listen to it. Love not the world. What is that? The world's system, the world's
philosophy, the world's intellect, the world's attitude and spirit
and pride and arrogance. Love not the world, neither the
things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the
love of God is not in him. For all that's in this world,
the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life,
is not of God, it's of the world. And the world passeth away, and
the lust thereof, therefore, because he that doeth the will
of God abideth forever. Turn to John 15. Listen to Christ
here. John chapter 15. John chapter 15 verse 19. Listen to this. John 15 verse
19. Verse 18. John 15 verse 18. Now the world hates you. You
know it hated me before it hated you. Why do we love Christ? He shed
abroad His love in our hearts. That's the reason we love Him.
The reason they hate him, they don't love Christ, they're not
born of God. Now if you love the world, the
world will love its own. But because you're not of the
world, I chose you out of the world, therefore the world will
hate you. That's just the way it is. That's the way it is. And now the next verse is chapter
17, and this gives us a little insight into what we mean by
overcoming the world. Listen to this. John 17 verse
14, the Lord Jesus speaking here now, he says in John 17 verse
14, I have given them thy word, and the world hath hated them.
Why? Because they are not of the world. They are not of the the spirit
of the world, the attitude of the world, the philosophy of
the world, the evil of the world, they're not of the world, they
live in this world, they work in this world, they have jobs
in this world, they have people they care for in this world,
but they're not of the world. Who's he talking about? We're not of this world even
as Christ is not of this world. Our Lord was in this world. He
walked in this world, He lived in this world, he died in this
world. But he said, I'm not of the world even as they're not.
And I pray not you should take them out of the world. God's
going to leave us here. But that you should keep them
from the evil one. That's what I pray. I pray it
by God's grace and mercy and the love of Christ. and the mercy
of God, and the truth of God, and the word of God, and the
teaching of the Holy Spirit, that God will keep you, keep
you from this world, keep you from the evil of this world,
subdue you, and crucify your flesh, and put down those things. Because they're not of the world,
even as I'm not of the world. All right, turn to 1 John again.
Let's go back to our text. There. They overcome the world. How do we overcome the world?
1 John 5, verse 4. But whosoever is born of God
overcometh the world. Watch this now. And this is the
victory that overcometh the world. Our faith. Our love for Christ,
that's how the victory, this is the victory that overcomes the world. It's
our faith in Christ Jesus. Look back over at 1 John 4 verse
4. 1 John 4 verse 4, you are of
God little children, you have overcome the world, you've overcome
them. Why? Because greater is he that's
in you than he that's in the world. That's the difference. That's the difference. You have overcome the world because
greater is he that's in you, dwells in you, lives in you,
motivates you. Greater than he that motivates
the world, lives in the world. John Gill said this, this is
for the comfort of those who believe. This is for the comfort
of those who know Christ. Here is the comfort, greater
is he that's in you than he that's in the world. God is mightier
than Satan. God is mightier than the man
of sin. God is able to keep you and preserve
his children. God dwells in their hearts by
faith. and will persevere, will preserve
us from corruption because God is stronger than the strong man
that comes upon you. God is stronger. Greater is he
that's in you than he's in the world. It's not my strength,
it's his. Christ our Lord is able to keep
us from falling. He said He's able to keep us
from falling, and able to present you faultless before His presence,
with exceeding joy, being confident in this very thing, that He that
hath begun a good work in you shall perfect it. You can overcome the world, and
this is the victory that overcomes the world, our faith. Alright. Verse 5, I've got to give you
the second part of this now. But now who is he that overcometh
the world? Is it me? Is it you? Well, it says it's he that believeth
that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. But my friend, it's
not your trust and your strength and your power, it's Christ in
you. That's the hope of God. Christ
is made unto us, wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption.
Christ is not my trust, is not my confidence, it's not yourself
or your person, it's only in Christ who is the Son of God. And the victory of faith is not
owing to our faith itself, but it's owing to the object of our
faith. That's what it is. It's not owing
to the faith. It's owing to him who is the
object of our faith. He has overcome. Who is he that
overcometh the world? It's he that believeth that Jesus
Christ is the Son of God. And look at verse 6. And this
is he that came by water and blood, even Christ. That's who he is. He came to
my heart and to your heart. He came with the word of God,
he came with the gospel of grace, he came with the mercy of God,
and he came and created us new creatures in Christ Jesus. He
came by water and blood, and it's the Spirit that bears witness
because it's the Spirit of truth. You see, my friends, overcoming
faith is seeing the Son of God in his glory, in the suitableness
of his office, in the power of his person, in the grace and
redemption of his righteousness, and it's being drawn by the Father
to Christ, it is to trust him, it's to believe him for life,
righteousness, and salvation. Who is he that overcometh the
world? It's he that believeth that Jesus is the Christ. But
I'll tell you, it's not your faith, it's his. It's His grace. But I tell you, where you find
faith, you'll find the gift of God. Where faith is present,
it's the gift of God, not His works. Where you find faith,
you find the mark of sonship. Beloved, now are we the sons
of God. It does not appear what we shall
be, but when He shall appear, we'll be like Him. Where you
find faith, you find the works of faith. Because faith without
works is dead. Where do you find faith? You
find the witness of the Spirit. What is this witness of the Spirit?
Look here, let me show you this and I'll quit. In verse 7, verse
6-13, the word witness is used 9 times. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7,
8, 9 times, you use the witness, the record. This is the witness of God. The
witness of God is magnificent, beyond all comparison. The witness of God. Let's talk
about this witness of God. Verse 7. There are three by record
in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost. My soul,
who's our witness? The Father, the Son, and the
Holy Ghost? There are three written by record
in the earth. The Spirit of God, the testimony
of God, the water, the word of God, and the blood of Christ.
Do you receive those three? They are three in one. And if
we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater.
And this is the witness of God that he has testified of his
Son. That's our assurance. That's our assurance. He has said, I'll never leave
you nor forsake you, so you can boldly say, the Lord is my helper,
and I'll not fear what man will do. He said that by his Father,
his Son, and his Spirit. By the water, by the word, and
by the Spirit. By every testimony of every believer
of all time, the witness is out there. Christ is the Savior. And I know,
like I started this message, I know that we can pass from
death unto life by the witness. Now here's a witness I want you
to look at and then I'll close. Verse 10, he that believeth on
the Son hath the witness in himself. Oh, could you, would you listen
to me for just two or three minutes? I've been talking about the witness
of the Word, the witness of the Spirit, the witness of the Father,
the witness of the Son, the witness of all the great prophets and
preachers and all these witnesses of God's grace and mercy and
Christ's power to save and willingness to save and blood and righteousness,
all these witnesses. But wait a minute! I've got a
witness here. He that believeth on the Son
of God hath the witness in himself. Can you illustrate that? Yes,
sir. There was a young man that was
a selfish and proud young man, and he said to his loving father,
I don't want to live with you anymore. I want you to divide
your money, your inheritance, and give it to me, and I'm leaving
here." And he did. He left. He's gone. I don't know
how long. A long time. He's gone. Gone. Wasted his substance, filthy,
living, righteous living, evil. Lost everything. Lost everything. broke, hungry, weary, sinful,
evil. And he's sitting there on a hog-pin
rail. And a man came by and said, Your
father doesn't love you. He said, No, I don't suppose
he does. Your father disinherited you and disowned you and he doesn't
care anything about you. You're not his son anymore! And I expect he thought it was
right. But somehow the Spirit of God turned that young man toward home. And he came over
that hill that day, and the scripture said his father, that loving
father, never had forsook him or disowned him or disinherited
him. He saw him. He saw his son and he went running
through his arms around him, said, kissed him on the cheek,
hugged him, said, this is my son, he was dead and now he's
alive. Bring the ring, put it on his
finger, bring the shoes, put them on his feet, bring the fatted
calf and make a feast. My son's alive. standing there
with the robe and with the ring and with the hard father's arm
around him and his wet kiss still on his cheek. And this fella
came by and said, your father doesn't love you. Your father's
disowned you and disinherited you. He said about a week ago
I would have believed that too. But I know better now. My father
does love me. I have the witness in myself. I don't need you to tell me.
I'm glad you do. But I don't need you to tell
me. His spirit bears witness with our spirit that I'm the
son of God. And don't deny it either. Unless
you don't love him. But we do. And all of his mercies
and blessings are magnificent. He that believeth on the Son
hath the witness in himself.