1 John chapter 5. This text begins with a special
word, a grand and glorious word, whosoever, whosoever. Charles Spurgeon said, whosoever
is a very, very wide, wide word. There's no national distinction
here. Jew or Gentile, whosoever. There's no sexual distinction,
male or female, whosoever. There's no social distinction,
rich or poor, learned or ignorant, bond or free. There's no age
distinction, young or old, whosoever. Whosoever believeth that Jesus
of Nazareth is the Christ, is born of God. There are three special things
I want you to see in that opening statement. Whosoever believeth
that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. First of all, this believing
is not merely religious form. That's taking place in so many
areas today, just the form. I often pray, and our men pray
too, Lord, deliver us from the form, the letter of the law. This is not just the form of
religion. This is not just the custom or
tradition in which men, most men are born and bred. We usually
follow the religion of our parents, most people do. But this believing
here, whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ, this is
a hard experience. This is a persuasion, a hard
experience. It's characterized by words like
this. They've received him. They've eaten his flesh and drunk
his blood. They've trusted him. They've
looked to him. They've found rest in him. I read the story of an army chaplain
who was visiting one of the field hospitals, and they have Protestant
chaplains and Jewish chaplains and Catholic chaplains, and each
chaplain is ordered by headquarters to minister to his own particular
denomination and leave the others alone. There's no proselyting
in the armed forces. And this chaplain was going down
through the men in the hospital ward ministering to those of
his denomination. And he came to a young man and
he said, and what persuasion are you? And the young man replied, I
am persuaded that neither death nor life no angels, no principalities,
no powers, no things present, no things to come, nor height,
nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate me
from the love of God, which is in Christ my Lord." That, sir,
is my persuasion. I like that. That's my persuasion.
My creed is Christ. My hope is Christ. And this whosoever
believeth This is not here because you have to be, here because
you ought to be. It's here because you want to
be. Believeth. Believes what? Secondly, whosoever
believeth that Jesus is the Christ. That word Christ signifies anointed
of God. It includes such titles as wonderful. Jesus is wonderful. Counselor. Jesus is counselor. The mighty
God. Jesus is the mighty God. The
everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace and the government is
on His shoulders. Whosoever believes that Jesus
is the Christ, the Son of God and the Son of Man. That prophet
like Moses, that priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.
That King of kings and Lord of lords, that messenger of the
covenant, whosoever believeth that he's the Christ. Thirdly,
he is born of God. You see, such faith is far beyond
the reach of the human mind. Such understanding is far beyond
the reach of the human mind. Can you, by searching, find out
God? It's higher than the heavens, it's deeper than hell. What can
you know? Such riches, too wonderful for the human mind. They're born
of God. He was in the world, the world
didn't know him. He came into the Jew, and the Jew rejected
him. But as many as received him, to them gave he the power
to become the sons of God, and they were born. Not of fleshly blood, natural
generation, not of the will of the flesh, not of the will of
men, but they were born of God. Whosoever believeth that Jesus
is the Christ is born of God. Because such faith and such knowledge
is beyond the reach of the human mind. The natural man receiveth
not the things of God. Flesh and blood, our Lord said
to Peter, didn't reveal that to you. But, my Father, such
understanding is the gift of God. We know that the Son of
Man, look at verse 20 in this same chapter, 5th chapter of
1 John, verse 20, we know that the Son of God has come and has
given us an understanding, that we may know Him that is true,
and we're in Him that is true. Even in His Son, Jesus Christ,
this is the true God, this is eternal life. Such knowledge
is the result of regeneration and being taught of God. Our
Lord said to the religious Pharisees, these men so zealous for the
traditions of their fathers, so energetic in the searching
of the Scriptures, He said, no man can come to me except my
Father which sent me drawing. It's written in the prophets,
they shall be taught of God. He that hath learned of the Father
cometh unto me. And I'll raise him up at the
last day. Oh my, whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born
of God. He's not born of God because
he believes. He believes because he's born
of God. That's how he believes and why
he believes. He's born of God. And everyone that loveth him
that begat loveth him also that's begotten of him. Everyone who
loves the Father loves the Son. It won't do. for the religious
people of this world to claim to believe God and not believe
Christ. No man knoweth the Father but
the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal it. He that honoreth
the Son, him the Father honoreth. He that honoreth not the Son
knoweth not the Father nor the Son. But everybody believes in God.
No, they don't. The only people who believe God
are those who believe Christ, because God is unknown outside
of Christ. The true God, the God of the
Bible, is unknown outside of Christ. Verse 2, and by this, we know that we love the children
of God when we love God and keep His commandments. See, these
next verses reveal some things about these people who are born
of God. this whosoever. Some things about them. First
of all, verse 1 says that they're born of God. They're born of
God. It says that they believe Jesus
is the Christ. It says they love the Father
and they love the Son. And verse 2 says that they love
the children of God. They love the people of God.
Look over at 1 John 4, verse 7. Right across the page there,
1 John 4, 7, "...Beloved, let us love one another, for love
is of God. And everyone that loveth is born
of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not
God." God is love. So, these people believe Jesus
is the Christ, they're born of God, they love the Father, and
they love the children of God, and they love God, and they love
His commandments. They love His Word. They love
his truth. I love thy law, David wrote. I love thy law, Paul wrote. Verse 3, find his will and his word and
his way and his commandments not grievous, they find it a
delight. Listen, for whosoever is born
of God overcomes, for this is the love of God, verse 3, that
we keep his commandments and his commandments, they're not
grievous. They're not an unhappy rule of
life. They're a delight and a joy.
They love His commandments, they love His Word, they delight in
His Word, they delight in His law. It's a joy. It's not the
way of religion they love, it's the way of God they love. Now
look at verse 4. And these people who are born
of God... Now, listen carefully to this.
Whosoever is born of God, those who believe Jesus is the Christ,
who love God, who love His people, who love His Son, who love His
Word, They overcome the world. They overcome the world. And
this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who
is he that overcometh the world? What does this mean? Overcome
the world. Let me see if I can help you
with this. Now, we're born into the world
like everybody else. We who are chosen of God from
all eternity. Redeemed by Christ, redeemed
by His blood, called by His Spirit. We're born into this world just
like everybody else. Born in the hospital, brought
to our homes. We grow up in this world just
like people who are not sheep, people who are not believers,
people who do not know God, who are not born of God. We grow
up, we live in houses, we go to school just like they do. We go to school with them. We
study the same books they study. We sit on the same teachers.
We play on the same playground. We play the same games. We grow
up and go through school and graduate from high school and
go to college just like they do. We train for a job to make
a living. We've got to work in this world,
got to make a living. We've got to eat. We marry like
they do. We build our homes, we work,
we pay taxes, we drive cars, we live in neighborhoods. We
have neighbors and people who live around us with whom we associate. No man's an island. No man lives
to himself. What does this mean? We're not
of the world. Turn to John 17, and we overcome the world. What's
this talking about? Turn to John 17. Our Lord prays
for his people over here. John 17. He prays in verse 13. Listen to it. John 17, 13. And now, come I to thee. His disciples are around him
here. These disciples. These fishermen. These sheep. These people he loves. They're
peculiar and particular and special to him. They're around him here.
He's praying, Father, I come to thee. And these things I speak
in this world to these men, that they might have my joy fulfilled
in them. I have given them thy word, and
the world hath hated them." Why did the world hate them? Because
of the word he gave them, because of the gospel he gave them, because
of the truth he gave them, because of their relationship with Christ.
Because they're not of the world, even as I'm not of the world.
They're God's sheep. They're chosen in Him. They're
redeemed by Him. They're peculiar people, special
people, holy nation, a royal priesthood. They're redeemed
people. They're not of the world, even
as I'm not of the world. Now, verse 15. I pray not you should
take them out of the world, but keep them from the evil one.
Keep them from the evil one, from the spirit. of evil, from
the way of evil, from the powers of evil. They're in this world.
But they're not of the world even as I'm not of the world.
Now, what does this mean here? Well, here's what it means. Here's
what our Lord's saying, and turn to I Corinthians chapter 7. Here's
another scripture on this. I Corinthians 7, overcome the
world. They're not of the world as I'm
not of the world. But they've overcome the world.
In 1 Corinthians 7, look at verse 29. But this I say, brethren, the
time is short. It remaineth that both they that
are wives be as though they had none, and they that weep as though
they wept not. And they that rejoice, they do
rejoice, but as though they rejoice not. And they that buy, they
do buy and sell as though they possess not. They do have oats
and land and farms as though they possess not. And they that
use this world, that's us, but not abusing it. You use it,
it doesn't use you. You control it, it doesn't control
you. They use this world, but not
abusing it, for the fashion of this world passeth away. Now,
here's what overcoming the world is. First of all, we have overcome
the world in that we have no interest in the philosophy of
this world. Our faith and our interest are
different. Our way of life is different.
Our friendship is different. Our philosophy is different.
Our thoughts are different. Our interest is different from
this world. Secondly, the approval or recognition
of this world is meaningless to a believer. The world is interested. The people of the world want
the approval of the world. We want the approval of God.
The people of this world want the recognition of the world.
They want the fame of the world, the popularity of the world.
God's people, to them, this is meaningless. We don't seek the
honor that comes from men. We work, we labor, we do a good
job as unto the Lord. But we're not building this furniture
to be bragged on by men. We're building this according
to the gift God gave us as if we were working for Him. We're
doing it for His glory. We study and we do the best we
can in our professions as a nurse, as a teacher, as a carpenter,
as a contractor, as a truck driver, whatever we do, we're doing the
best we can, not because we're seeking the approval of men,
the praise of men, the recognition of men, but we're seeking to
glorify our God. You've overcome. The recognition
of this world is meaningless. Men's honor doesn't mean anything.
God's honor is what's important. The recognition of men doesn't
mean anything. Materialism and prosperity. We use this word. We have a rug
on the floor here because it's comfortable. We have nice soft
seats. Why not? If we lived where we
couldn't have them, we'd be satisfied without them. But if you can
have them, why not have them? I know how to abound, I know
how to be a base, but materialism is immaterial. You see what I'm
trying to say? We've overcome that thirst and
desire to covetousness, to have, to obtain, to possess, to rise
above somebody else, to have more gifts than somebody else,
to get the recognition and the praise and the honor of this
world is meaningless to believe. They've overcome the world. I was holding a meeting out in
Rush, Kentucky one time, and took a trio along with me to
sing years ago. And the ladies that went with
me had on earrings. And they sang, and there was
a religious fellow there. After the service, he collared
me and the trio. He had a wad of brown mule, or
whatever they call, in his jaw. And he said, the Bible says,
love not the world, neither the things that in the world. Now,
if that don't mean earrings, what do it mean? Well, that's not what it means.
That's not what it means. Our Lord was in this world, and
he was a friend of sinners. And our Lord ate with them, feasted
with them, went to their weddings, but he was not of this world.
Its philosophy, its approval, its recognition, its honor, its
praise, its materialism, its prosperity, its glory, its fame,
its honor was meaningless to him. He ate just like everybody else,
and you will too. You're in this world. You're
citizens of this nation, and you pay taxes, and you vote,
and you do your best to have the best schools you can have,
and the best teachers you can have, and raise your children.
They play sports like other children, and run track, and play baseball
and football, and they go to the get-togethers of other children.
You can't move them out down to the Grand Canyon somewhere
and put them on a hillside. It won't make them godly. It
won't make them godly. Godliness is in the heart. And
godliness is the same when you're alone or when you're with somebody.
And godliness and truth and faith and the relationship with Christ
is the same when you're in this building here or when you're
on the job down there. It's the same. As far as you're concerned, this
world, when you're right here, right now, reading the Word,
singing these hymns, worshiping with believers, you're the same
fellow you are when you're surrounded by a bunch of reprobates. You're
the same fellow. See, the relationships of this
world, they're all temporary, except these in Christ. They're permanent. They're permanent. The houses the world's building
are going to come down. The one we're building here is
going to live forever. It's on the foundation. That's it. That's
what he's talking about. I'll show you a scripture that
will help you understand this a little better, Hebrews chapter
11. But do you see what he's saying?
These people who believe that Jesus is the Christ, turn to
Hebrews 11. They believe that Jesus is the Christ. They're
born of God. They love God. They love His Son. They love
His people. They love His Word. And His way
of life is not grievous. He said, my burden is, my yoke
is easy, my burden is light. Not grievous. But we've overcome
the world. We use it, but don't abuse it.
We walk through it, but we don't camp there. We're part of the
people of this world, but in a sense, we're not of them at
all. We're different. In Hebrews 11, it says here in
verse 24, By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused
to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to
suffer affliction with the people of God. than to enjoy the pleasures
of sin for a season." Now, here's the key. Why? Why did Moses leave
Egypt? Why did he leave the palace?
Why did he leave all these things with which he was surrounded?
He had it made. I'll tell you why. Verse 26,
esteeming even the reproach of Christ, greater riches than the
treasures of Egypt. We've got something better. Why
should the world, why should I seek the honor of the world
when I've got something better, the honor of God? Why should
I care for the materialism of this world when I have an inheritance
reserved eternal in heaven that fate is not over? Why should
I care what men think? My name's written in the book
of life. God loves me. Why should I care about the companionship
of the world when I have you? People who really love, people
who really care, who really pray for you, who are really concerned
for you. The people that come by here,
Martha, and beg for food, if they were in a church family,
they wouldn't have to do that. If they were part, none of them,
I've never run into one in 40 some odd years and you haven't
either. Come here baking that don't have anything. And we help
them, my soul. We help them. We help them, Martha
helps them generously. You don't know how. Every time
we give to the Ramey Home or the Hackey Step Home or the social
services, we don't put it in Ashland Independent with a pastor
presenting a check to somebody to get his picture in the paper
like these clubs do. It's done secretly like God told
us to. Thousands of dollars, literally
thousands, go for food and pay utility bills and buy medicine
for people and send them to the doctor. This goes on all the
time here. But not one has ever come here
that belongs to a congregation and a church family, because
if they did, that pastor and that church family would take
care of them. We've overcome this world. We've
got a relationship in Christ. And verse 6, look back at verse
6 of my text, 1 John 5. This is He that came by water
and blood. Now verse 5, I've got to read
that again, read verse 6 with it. Who is He that's overcome
this world? Who is the fellow that's got
the victory over the philosophy and the materialism and the greed? and the prosperity and the recognition
and the glory and the fame of this world. Who is it? It's the
man who believes that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. It's a person. That's right. You see, this life of God which
is born in us, this greater riches and honor and glory and greater
importance and all the things of the world is not owing to
our faith. itself, or owing to us. It's
owing to a relationship we have with Him. That's what makes a
difference. It's that relationship with Christ. You see, when a woman's husband
dies, she's free to marry another, and the old husband's dead. Paul
used this illustration in the Scripture. And the old way of
life is dead, and we're married to another. Married to another. The old way of life is dead.
It's in the grave. It's put away. And we're married
to Christ. And we love Him, and we enjoy His company. He's our
Lord, and He's our God. He's our life. And the world is dead. I'm crucified
with Christ. The world is crucified unto me,
and I unto the world. I'm going to live here, and I'm
going to work here, and I'm going to be nice to the people here.
I'm going to try to bear a good witness for the Lord. But this place is not that important
anymore, is it? It's just where you have to be.
And you use it, but don't abuse it. Johnson, this is what this
means here. This is what it means. And I wish our young people could
understand this. I wish there's some way I could
get you to understand. When you know Christ and love
Christ, it doesn't keep you from being a father, it makes you
a better father. It doesn't keep you from being a husband or wife,
it just makes you a better husband or wife. It doesn't keep you
from being an athlete, it makes you a better athlete. That's
right. You have a purpose. You stay
away from drugs and homosexuality and drink and things like this,
it makes you a better athlete. It doesn't keep you from being
a boss, makes you a better boss. It doesn't keep you from being
promoted on your job and being a foreman, makes you a better
foreman. Isn't this right? This is the truth. This is overcoming
the world. It doesn't keep you from being
a servant, makes you a better servant. It doesn't keep you
from being a neighbor and kind even to your neighbors who don't
know your God. Or maybe you're married to a
woman or man who doesn't know God, but you're not going to
leave them. Maybe your conversation will
convert them, be the means God uses to convert them. You see what I'm saying? It doesn't
keep you from being friendly with people, it makes you a better
friend. It makes you a better friend. He does. He. This is He. This is He I'm talking
about. This is He. And all these witnesses
about Him. This is He who came by water
and blood. Even Jesus, not by water only, but by water and
blood. It's the Spirit that beareth witness because the Spirit is
truth. What's this talking about? You know, they pierced His side
and out came water and blood. These are witnesses of who He
is. This water and blood that flowed from His side. Let the
water and the blood from Thy side which flowed be of sin,
the double cure, save from wrath and make me pure. You see, in
the Old Testament, under the Levitical law, all the types
and ceremonies, you run into water and blood, water and blood,
water and blood. Let me show you that. Hebrews
9. You've got to see this. Hebrews
9, verse 19. Hebrews 9, 19. Hebrews 9, 19,
when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people, according
to the law, he took the blood of calves and goats with water,
and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled the book and all
the people, water and blood. And you run into that all through
the Old Testament. You see, the pure water, watch
it now, listen to me, the pure water with which the priest was
washed, and all who came before God, and the labor of pure water
in which he washed his hands and feet before he went in the
tabernacle." That's a picture of washing the filth away, the
filth away, so men can come clean before God. And then the blood,
the expiation of the blood, the atonement of the blood is so
men can come before God justified. The water sanctifies, the blood
justifies. And when they pierced the side
of our Lord, fulfilling the Scripture, out came water, because in Him
we have our purity, sanctification, our holiness, and in Him we have
our justification and reconciliation. And this, it says, verse 6, the
last line, and the Spirit bears witness. The Spirit is truth. That's the Word of God. So there's
three witnesses, let every mouth be established by two or three
witnesses, every word be established by the mouth of two or three
witnesses, the water, the blood, and the word. And then it says
there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, the Son,
and the Holy Ghost, and these three agree in one. I don't have
an explanation for the Trinity. As in most mysteries of the Word
of God, I receive the Trinity by faith. And I wait, someday,
I see through a glass dimly, I preach in part, I know in part,
but some of these days I'll know like I've been known, and then
you and I, I won't have to teach you, you'll know too about the
Trinity. But I'm not going to deny what's so obvious in the
Word of God, Father, Son, Holy Spirit. At the baptism of Christ,
the Father spake. This is my son." And the son
stood in the water with John, and the Holy Spirit descended
upon him in the form of a dove. And our Lord said to the disciples,
I will pray the Father, and the Father will send you a comforter. That's the Trinity. Explain it.
I can't do it. Nobody else can. But I'm not
going to be a fool and deny the Trinity because I can't explain
it. There's more things I can't explain than I can. I'm like
that fellow that God, the Lord made him see. I know one thing,
I'm blind now, I see, and he did it, and he did it on purpose,
and he did it all, and he did it for me, and I didn't help
him do it. I know that. And then it says here in verse
8, "...and the three that bear witness in the earth, the Spirit,
the water, and the blood." Some people say that's baptism by
water and the Lord's table in the gospel. That's all right.
They do bear witness. But I believe it's the Word of
God, the blood of Christ who was shed on the cross, and the
Holy Spirit. Now, verse 9, "...if we receive
the witness of men, the witness of God is greater If four or five of you men came
down this morning and told me something, said, preacher, we're
telling you the truth, I'd believe you. Well, look at the witnesses
here, all of the prophets and scriptures, the Old Testament
illustrations, types and shadows, the water, the blood, the Father,
the Son, the Holy Spirit, all these witnesses. If I believe
you, why wouldn't I believe him? Much more. You got any answer to this besides
what it says? Most preachers today are not
using the Scripture. I see them on television. They're
not using the Word of God. They're not going verse by verse
in the Word of God. They're just bouncing here and
there and picking up text to prove what they're trying to
get across to people to promote a cause. We're promoting one
cause, and that's Christ. I want every eye on him, and
every ear toward him, and every heart loving him, and every person
following him. And that's what this book is,
to him give all the prophets witness. These things are written,
verse 13, unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God,
that you may know you have eternal life, and that you may believe
on the name of his Son. If somebody came by your house
this afternoon and said, I want to buy your house. Could you
prove it's yours? How would you prove it? Call
your wife? No. How would you prove it? Say,
I just feel like it's mine. Well, I've been living here a
long time. I've been living in that person's a long time, but
it's not mine. How would you prove that house
is yours? I'll tell you how you'd prove it. You'd go get the deed. You'd hand him the deed and say,
it's written. It's written. And you ask me how I know Jesus
is the Christ? I'd go get the deed. It's written.
How do I know that I have a hope in him? It's written. He that
believeth on the Son of God hath life. That's what that says.
These things are written. that you might believe on the
Son of God, and that you might know you have eternal life."
Do I know I have eternal life? Well, I know God's not a liar.
And God said, He that believeth on the Son hath life, and bless
your heart, I believe Him. Not like I want to, not like
I ought to, but I believe Him. I don't believe anything else.
I don't believe I'm saved because I'm a Baptist or because I'm
a preacher or because I'm this, that, or the other. I believe
I'm saved because Christ died on the cross for my sin. That's
all. It's written. It's written. You don't need
any more proof than that. His Word. His Word. He'll never go back on His Word.
He's promised.