1 John chapter 5, it says here in verse 1, that whosoever, whomever, Jew,
Gentile, bond or free, male or female, rich or poor, old or
young, whosoever believeth, it's a heart
faith, God-given faith, continuing faith. Whosoever sincerely, genuinely
believes in his heart that Jesus is the Christ, that person is
born of God. Now, every life begins with a
birth. Every life begins with a birth,
natural or spiritual. In the natural realm, That which
is born of the flesh is flesh. That's the way life begins. We're
born. We're conceived, carried in the
womb, and born. Life begins. It's so spiritually. We're conceived. The dead sinner
is awakened. God gives life. And we're born. Born of the Spirit. Born of the
Word of God. born again. Birth is the way we enter this
world, and by birth is the way we enter God's world, God's kingdom. And there are several ways in
which this natural birth and the spiritual birth are similar.
In the natural birth, life is created where there was no life. There was no life. And life was created. A new child
that's never lived before was born. And that's true when God
saves a sinner. New life. He doesn't patch us
up, reform us, our old nature, fleshly nature. There's a new
man created in Christ Jesus. In the natural birth, life is
communicated from another, like father, like son, same life. It's a like, L-I-K-E, like life,
L-I-F-E. Every child here born of a human
father is a human, a sinner. In Adam, we died when man sinned,
death passed upon all men. We're born sinners. born flesh,
born rebels, born dying, human life. When God begets a sinner
like life, it's the nature of God that never dies. He that
is born of God will never die. He that is born of God sinneth
not. The new man, the new nature created
in holiness and righteousness in Christ Jesus is sinless. The
old man born of the flesh is without any degree of holiness. The new man born of God is without
any degree of sin. In both births, life is brought
forth complete in all its parts. When a baby's born, that's the
way to live. Every part is there. Every ear,
eye, hand, finger, foot, leg, organ. Even in infancy, it's
all there. Everything. Never grow anything
new that it didn't have when it was born. In the new birth,
everything's there for the kingdom of God. He has made us in Christ
sufficient, fully qualified with love and life and truth and holiness
to walk into heaven. That's the reason Almighty God
can take a man just seconds, minutes, like the thief on the
cross. after he's born again, sees Christ, life is given, taken
to glory. And he'll be just as much a son
accepted in love as the Apostle Paul, who walked with God, like
Abraham, who walked with God 50, 60 years. And no degrees
in glory. We're born into the kingdom of
God, fully qualified to live forever. And in both births,
a character is communicated. Unfortunately, in the natural
birth, we're not going to be any different from our fathers.
We're not going to improve on them at all. We might invent
some new toys, but we'll use them to rebel against God. That's
the way we're born. That's the character. We think
wrong, we walk wrong, we talk wrong, we see wrong, we imagine
wrong, we even dream wrong. But there's a character communicated
when God gives life to a sinner. It's a holy character. If any
man be in Christ, he's a new creature. There may be natural
men who are honest. But all natural men aren't honest. But a man who's born of God is
honest. And all who are born of God are
honest. That's his character. He's a man of integrity and honesty
and truth and holiness. And there's certain things given
us here now in this chapter that identify those people. The first
one is verse 1. Whosoever believeth that Jesus
is the Christ is born of God. Everyone born of God believes
that Jesus is the Christ. He doesn't have any doubt about
it. Fully persuaded. I am persuaded, Father, sir,
that He's able to keep that which I've committed unto Him. I know
whom I have believed, and I'm persuaded. And then secondly,
those that are born of God, everyone that loveth Him, That begat,
that's the Father, His only begotten Son. If you love the Father,
you love the Son who's begotten of Him. And if you love the Lord
Jesus Christ, you love His people. That's true, everyone. Verse
2, "...by this we know that we love the children of God, when
we love God and keep His commandments." We love His children, we love
His commandments, we love His Word. You can't love God and
not love His Word. You can't love God and not love
His law. His law is a reflection of His
character, of His person. He's the way He is. And then
verse 3 says, this is the love of God that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not
grievous. These people who are born of God, they believe the
Lord Jesus Christ is the Christ. They love God. people, they love
His commandments, they love His Word. And His Word and His commandments
are not grievous. They're not distasteful. His
way of life to us is not disagreeable. Oh, we do struggle with the old
man. That's true in the old nature. There's a conflict there between
the flesh and the spirit. But I'll tell you whose side
we're on. His side. God's side. The old life is grievous. The old way is grievous. There's
nothing that upsets a believer like sin, found in himself and
about him. Sin is grievous, but God's law
is not grievous. God's way is not grievous. Sin
is disagreeable, but God's way is not disagreeable. We long
to be like Him. We long to be without sin. This
is the love of God. We keep His commandments and
His commandments, His way, His law. That's not grievous. That's
not disagreeable. That's not a way that we don't
like. That's the way we love. Somebody asked Spurgeon one time,
he said, I know that when God asked Solomon what he wanted, He was
asking what he wanted on this earth. But he asked, if God would
ask you what you wanted, what would you say? He said, I want
perfect holiness. That's impossible on this earth.
But that's what I want. That's the kind of life I'd rather
live. A perfectly holy, spotless life. Wouldn't you? We will someday. But then that's not gravious.
And then fourthly, whosoever is born of God, these people
overcome the world. They believe Jesus is the Christ.
They love God and love God's children and love God's Word.
They love God's law. They love it. Adore it. Find it so precious and agreeable. And they overcome the world.
Now what does that mean, preacher? Well, let me give you a little
help. We grow up in this world. We're citizens in this world.
Our Lord prayed for His people and He said, Father, I pray not
that you take them out of the world, but you keep them from
the evil one. As you sent me, I send them forth
into the world that they might be witnesses and lights and testimonies,
preachers of the gospel. But don't take them out of the
world. We're in this world. We're in here for the full run. We go to school. We grow up in
this world. We play games. We make friends.
We live in houses like everybody else. We train for jobs like
everybody else. We have to go to work, make a
living like everybody else. We marry, fall in love and marry
and raise a family. We eat. We sleep. We pay taxes. We drive cars. We live in neighborhoods. And it behooves us to get along
as best we can with the religious folks and the pagans, whoever
they are. Get along with them. We can't
live apart from living with people. No man can live alone. We're
not an island. So what does this mean we've
overcome the world? Well, I'll tell you what it means.
Even though we live in this world, even though we rub shoulders
with the people of this world, even though we go to the schools
and universities and colleges and work in the factories and
plants and stores and whatever, the philosophy of this world
is not our philosophy. The beliefs of this world are
not our beliefs. The principles of this world
are not our principles. not our belief, not our faith,
and not our principles, and is of no interest and no value to
us. Secondly, the approval of this
world is meaningless to us. A lot of people live for the
approval of their peers, the approval of the leaders. They
like to talk about important people that they know. The only
person that's really important to you and me is our beloved
mothers and fathers and brothers and sisters and family. Those
are the people who love God, who are important. Those people
are important. And their leaders, the approval
of the leaders of this world and the people of this world,
we've overcome that. We've stepped beyond that bondage of being
always careful to seek the approval of this world. Don't want it.
Woe unto you if all men speak well of you. That's what Scripture
says. And thirdly, materialism and
prosperity of this world. Whatever God sends to us, we
look upon it as means that God has provided to meet our need
and help us meet the need of others. That's all it is. Money
is just paper. And all the other things, materialism,
it's just God and the prosperity of this world, these things are
just means that God has given us to supply our needs and meet
our needs and help us be a blessing to other people. Paul said, I
know how to abound. I like to abound. I'm comfortable
when I abound. But I don't have to abound. I
know how to be a base and just be just as comfortable as I was
abounding. Because the materialism doesn't
matter. I've lived both ways and most of you have. Lived both
ways. I've eaten cornbread and sweet
milk for supper. That's all we had for supper
was cornbread and sweet milk. And it was good. And I could
do it again. You could too. And yet I've eaten
T-bone steaks that cost $18. And that good too. But it just doesn't matter. That's what I mean by overcoming
the world. You're not bondage to that trash. Popularity and philosophy and
approval and materialism and the relationships and friendships
of this world. I love them. I love friends.
I love my family. I love the fellowships and relationships. But I tell you, those that are
not in Christ are temporary. It doesn't matter how close they
are to us. If they're not in Christ, when
we turn them loose, they're gone forever. But the relationships
in Christ are forever. So these others, I've got to
hold them with an awful loose hand, because don't make God
break your hand to take it out. Let her go. But those that are
in Christ, we never let go. We have them forever. So that's
the reason we've overcome this, and the glory and recognition
of the world are meaningless. Our desire is to glorify Him.
Now, who is this? Verse 5, who is this that overcomes
the world? Who are these people you're talking
about? He that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God. That's
who He is. everybody here in this building
and hearing this message whenever they'll hear it. Who is He to
whom the world's philosophy, approval, materialism, prosperity,
friendship, and glory is meaningless, overcome by faith? It's that
person who really, truly, honestly, sincerely believes that Jesus
Christ is the Son of God. And if I have all things in Him,
I don't need anything. That's what it means to have
all things in Christ. It means I don't need anything.
It means the world can't add anything to me, or take anything
from me. That's worth having. That I'm
as high as I can climb. I'm a son of God. I'm as high
as you can be. I'm a son of God. You're a son
of God. I'm as high as you can get. The world can't promote
me. I'm as high as I can get. The
world can't add anything to me. I'm accepted and beloved. I have
all things in Christ. All things are yours, he said.
Paul, Cephas, Peter, James, John, the Bible, Christ, world, eternity
is mine. I'm an heir of God. You can't
give me anything. I don't need anything. See what
I mean? We'll use this world, but we're
not going to let it abuse us or abuse it. Put it where it
belongs. Put it where it belongs. Use it. Be willing to... All right, here he describes
the object of our faith, verse 6. This is He. This is He. This is the one that we believe
is the Son of God. This is He. All right, verse
6, He came by water and blood. Even Jesus Christ, not by water
only, but by water and blood. And it's the Spirit that beareth
witness, because the Spirit is truth, and the Holy Spirit in
the Word is the one that tells us who He is, who came by water
and blood. Now, back in the Old Testament,
The Old Testament Levitical law, you constantly run into water
and blood, water and blood, water and blood. Moses sprinkled all
things with water and blood. In the tabernacle service, it
was water and blood. By pure water, men were washed
so they could come before God clean and pure. Before the high
priest came into the Holy of Holies. He washed his clothes,
he washed his feet, he washed his body. And when he came across
the courtyard before he entered into the temple, tabernacle,
he washed his feet again. Pure water. That laborer always
had pure water by which they were washed as sanctification. And Christ Jesus, our Lord, came
into this world to sanctify us and give us a righteousness,
a cleanliness, a holiness. that we might come before God.
And then by the blood, the blood was shed to make expiation for
sin, so men could come before God, not only sanctified, but
reconciled, justified. And when Christ died on the cross,
they pierced His side, and forthwith came blood and water. Let the blood and water from
thy rib and side be of sin the double cure. Save from wrath,
make me pure. That's throughout the Old Testament.
It's always the baptisms, the water, always the blood. The
water sanctifies, cleanses, the blood reconciles and justifies. And this is He, the Holy Spirit
bears witness, that came by water and blood, and when He died on
that cross, The Father spoke it loud and clear. That soldier,
why he did that, he found in his own mind to do that. But
he grabbed a spear and ran it into the side of our Lord, and
pulled that spear out. Out came water and blood from
his side. All right, verse 7. This witness,
I've told you nine times it's used, and there are three that
bear witness, a record in heaven. The Father of who He is, this
is He. The Father, the Word, and the
Holy Ghost, these three are one. The Father says, this is my beloved
Son in whom I am well pleased. The Son says to the woman at
the well, I that speak to thee, I am he. The Holy Spirit in Matthew
chapter 3, when Christ was baptized, descended out of heaven and came
upon him. He received the Spirit. The Spirit
of God says, you know, the Lord said to John the Baptist, upon
whom you see the Spirit descending, this is He. And that's what we're
saying here. This is He. The Holy Spirit bears
witness by the Word, the water and the blood, all the way through.
This is He. The Father says, this is my Son.
The Son says, I'm He. The Holy Spirit didn't come upon
anybody else in that manner but Jesus Christ. Verse 8. And there are three that bear
witness in the earth, the Spirit, the water, and the blood. These
three agree in one. Who is that preacher? The Spirit,
the water, and the blood. Some people say, and it may be
true, this is the Holy Spirit who empowers men to preach the
gospel. The Holy Spirit, Christ said,
when He has come, He will take the things of mine and show them
to you through the Word. And they say that the water there
is baptism administered. Everyone who believes is baptized. And the blood there is the Lord's
table. The Holy Spirit, baptism, the
Lord's table all bear witness that this is He. But others say
that this water here is the Word of God. The Holy Spirit through
preachers, bearing witness with our spirit, the Word of God,
the water, and the blood He shed on Calvary. He actually came
to this earth, here on this earth, outside the city walls of Jerusalem,
and His blood fell upon the ground. And that's the witness, who He
is. Now, verse 9, if we receive the
witness of men, and we do, I know that we are very pessimistic
about a lot of things that a lot of people tell us. But the very
fact that you came here at 10.15 this morning signifies that you
received the witness of men. We said we'd meet at 10.15. You
believed us. You believed us. You received
the witness of men. There's just so many illustrations
of how we receive the witness of men that there's no use even
bringing them up. But we do. We receive the words. People tell us something, we
believe it. Well, look at verse 9. The witness of God is greater. The witness of God is greater.
How much more if you believe me, when I tell you, I tell you
David's pledge is going to be here tonight, the Lord willing. Well, you'll come fully expecting
to hear him preach, because you... I'm not lying, he'll be here.
He's down in Danville, he's counting ten, unless something happens,
you know, but he'll be here. So you can count on it. Now,
if you believe me, shouldn't you believe God? Shouldn't you believe God? The
witness of God is greater, and this is the witness of God which
is testified of His Son. The whole Bible bears witness
of Christ. Christ is the seed of woman. Serpent lifted up, the Passover
lamb, priest forever, back Melchizedek. All right, look at verse 10.
He that believeth on the Son of God, He has the witness in
Himself. He has a blessing. I can tell
you what we have. We have the Spirit of God in
us right now, bearing witness with our spirits that we're sons
of God. I believe Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. I know
I believe that. You do too. I have the witness
in myself. This Word thrills me. As I study
this Word and teach it and preach it to you, it confirms me. in the faith. It gives me comfort.
As I read this, I say, I'm glad I believe that, don't you? I'm
glad God shows, I'm glad I'm not in this, caught up in this
world religion, this foolishness that's going on. I'm glad I believe
this. I'm glad Christ is my Savior.
He shed His love abroad in our hearts. He given us peace, joy,
rest, life. We find, he that believeth on
the Son of God hath the witness in himself. That witness is he
loves this Word, he delights in this Word, he's comforted
by this Word, he finds rest in these promises, he doesn't doubt
it. But he that believeth not, look at the next line, he that
doesn't believe that Jesus is the Christ, It's not man he doesn't believe,
it's God he doesn't believe. He's made God alive. Somebody
might say, well, Brother Mayhem, nobody here would say this, but
someone out there on my side, I just don't believe what you're
saying. Well, it's not me you don't believe. He's saying it,
I'm not saying it. I'm just reading. It's not me
they don't believe, it's God they don't believe. He that believeth
not hath made God a liar." Isn't that made me a liar? I'm only
a liar if God's a liar, because I'm reading what God says. Now,
if I'm lying, God's lying here, because I'm just telling you
what God says, and God can't lie. It's God that he's offending.
He believes not the record God gave of his Son. It's the Son
he's neglecting. Let's put this where it's supposed
to be. I don't believe like they do
at 13th Street. I don't believe like that preacher
preaches. What you're saying is you don't believe God. Because
we're just reading the Word. Calling God a liar. You're blaspheming
God. You neglect Him, the Son. He
that believeth on the Son hath the witness in himself. He that
believeth not God hath made God a liar, because he doesn't believe
the record God gave of His Son. Well, what is it? Verse 11, here
it is, here's the record, here's the witness, what we've been
talking about nine times here now. That God hath given, free
grace, given, not sold, loaned, given to us eternal life. The life of God. And brethren,
this life is in His Son. If words mean anything, not in
the pool, not in the altar, not even in the Bible, not in the
law, not in the church, in His Son. That's as clear as it is. And verse 12, He that hath the
Son of God by faith, believes the Christ, Jesus is the Christ,
he hath life. He that hath not the Son of God
hath not life. There's no question there. There's
no argument. This is what the Lord says throughout
this whole book. He that believeth on the Son
of God hath everlasting life. He that believeth not on the
Son of God hath not life, but the wrath of God abideth on him. No question or doubt about what
this is saying. Here's the question. Do we believe
it? Do we believe the record? And
listen, that's all we've got to believe is the record. Can't depend on feelings. Can't
depend on psychics. You can't get a message out of
the air. The only report and record that we have is the Word. And these things, verse 13, have
I written. And all the men who wrote the
Word used by God is written for one purpose. It's written to
you that believe on the Son of God that you may know you have
life. You believe on the Son of God,
then you have life. And this is promised. This is
written. Somebody comes to see you, you folks, They're sitting
in your home and somebody knocks on the door and he says, I represent
the U.S. government. And there's a rumor
around that this is not your house. You have any proof? Honey, where's the deed? Well,
it's right in there in the cabinet where I put it. You get the deed,
you come and hand the man the deed. He reads it and says, thank
you. You ask me do I have eternal
life? Here's my deed. It's right here in the Word.
I can read it right here. These things are written that I might
know and everybody else might know. You that believe on the
Son of God, you have eternal life and that you might just
keep on believing on Him. Just keep on believing on Him.
Based on this. Now if you go off of this, if
you go off somewhere and try to get some assurance by looking
at that, that experience you had back down there, you're going
to have trouble. Or if you try to find some feeling,
or if you get to following some religious outfit, they tell you,
you've got to do this, and you've got to run up and down the aisle
and act like a fool, and throw songbooks. If you start looking
at that sort of thing, Pick up the deed. When I can read my
title clear to mansions in the sky, I'll bid farewell to every
fear and wipe my weeping eyes. Let's sing that, Mike. 497. I can read my title clear to
mansions in the sky. It's true because He said it,
and I believe the record God has given of His Son. Don't you?
Oh, sure you do. Nothing else to believe. To whom
shall we go? He has the words of eternal life.
And I believe and I'm sure He's the Son of God.