Sermon Text: Hebrews 12:5-6, I Peter 1:6-8

Many of you here today have noticed, as I have noticed, that when we are born into a family we are going to manifest or develop certain characteristics and certain traits of that particular family. As a matter of fact, it is very interesting when a new baby is born, people will look at the baby and say "The baby looks like the mother" or "The baby has the father's nose." But folks, that nose is real small. How they can see the father's nose in this little tiny nose sitting on this little 7-pound baby, I don't have clue. "Or, look at that, the baby has the mother's ears." I look at the mother's ears and the mother has large ears. I look at this little baby and the baby has little ears. And I'm thinking, "How can they see that?" What are they saying? They are saying that the child is going to take on certain traits or certain features as far as the parents are concerned.

We come to the Word of God and it's interesting to see what we read. With that simple illustration in mind, we look at what John is saying in his first epistle. You'll see certain words jump out in the fourth chapter. But if you would go back into the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth chapters, you will be amazed to see the number of times that little phrases jump out in this little epistle such as "born of God" or "born of Him." If you'll look there you'll see that again and again.

What God is showing us here is that He wants you and He wants me to know very certainly that the new birth is absolutely mandatory for one to know that heaven is their eternal home. God is showing us that the new birth or faith in Jesus Christ is the one and only way an individual will be saved. The Biblical term "born again" was coined by Jimmy Carter back in 1975-1976 when he was seeking the presidency of the United States. All of a sudden, every reporter in the United States started using the term "born again" because Jimmy Carter said "I am a born again Christian."

What God is saying here in His Word is simply that we will not enter into His heaven unless we have been born again, unless we have experienced the new birth. Please take your Bibles and turn to John chapter 3 and remember that meeting Jesus had with Nicodemus. Look at verse number 3 in chapter number 3. Notice what Jesus said to Nicodemus, this ruler of the Jews, this Rabbi.

(John 3:3) Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

You cannot enter the kingdom of God unless you have been born again. Here we see John stressing the fact that there must be a spiritual birth if an individual is going to spend eternity in heaven.

In the first epistle of John, not the gospel of John that we were just looking at, you see him showing us what born again people should be like. What kind of characteristics, what kind of traits, what kind of features are they going to take on once they accept or receive Jesus Christ as Saviour? We could easily call these things that he is mentioning here, birth marks, if you like. What he is saying is that when you and I receive Jesus Christ as Saviour, there is going to be evidence of what has taken place in our lives, if we have truly experienced the new birth, if we have genuinely accepted Jesus Christ as Saviour.

What I want us to do this morning is look into this passage of Scripture and I want us to notice what the Bible says some of these birth marks or traits are. I want you to honestly look into your own heart and life and sort of do some internal inspection or do some self-examination. Ask yourself honestly, "Are these evidences of the new birth in my life? Are they manifesting themselves in my life?" What the Scripture says is if you and I do possess them, then we have scriptural support. You don't have to go through life wondering or questioning whether or not you are a Christian. We don't have to do that because we can go to the Word of God and we can say, "Here is the evidence that basically shows me, teaches me, and confirms within my heart and life that I have received Christ as my personal Saviour."

Now what are some of those birth marks that would be found in the "true" child of God, the genuinely converted individual to faith in Christ? Well, if you'll look at chapter 5 and verse 1, you'll see an interesting statement being made there. The Scripture says:

(I John 5:1) Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.

Let's notice what that is basically saying this morning. Let's put that down into some simple terms and simple language that we all will be able to understand. What the Scripture is saying there is that the true child of God is one who believes on and has put his or her whole trust in Jesus Christ as his or her personal Saviour. It's a belief. It's placing of one's trust in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ. In the gospel of John in chapter 1 and verses 12-13, there are two verses of scripture there that I'm convinced needs to be memorized by thousands, hundreds of thousands, if not millions of believers. Verse 12 makes a key statement.

(John 1:12) But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
(John 1:13) Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

What is the Scripture saying there? The Scripture is saying, beloved, that the true child of God is one who believes on and has put his or her whole trust in Jesus Christ as his or her personal Saviour. This is clearly what the Bible is teaching. You cannot mistake what is being said there when you take that first verse of I John chapter 5 and then compare it with that first chapter of the gospel of John and put that 12th and 13th verse up against it, it's very basic and elementary what is being taught, that there is no other Saviour but Jesus Christ, the Son of God. That is critical in the day and age in which we find ourselves living. It's absolutely critical when you stop and recognize so many "isms" and so many "scisms" that are making their way into our society and into our "religious community." It is frightening to see what is taking place. But we ought not to be alarmed by it when we come to the 4th chapter of I John and we see what the Scripture is teaching.

Let's go on and see another thought here that we want to look at for a few moments because I don't want to keep you here forever today. But I do want to cover at least five of these evidences that we will see here in the Scripture. When you look at what is being said in I John 2:29, you will see a second thought that I believe is so critical to this discussion or message that we are having today because verse 29 says this:

(I John 2:29) If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.

Now the "him" is making reference to the Lord Jesus. Now, if you know that He is righteous, then "ye" know that every one that is then born of Him is going to be doing righteously, is what he is saying. So, this mentality that well, you know, I've prayed and I've asked Jesus to come into my heart and into my life to be my Saviour, but it doesn't matter how I live. Oh, wait a minute. That's not what the Bible is saying. If the Bible is saying here that he is righteousness, is righteousness a style of living? I think you have to be honest and say that it is! Just as unrighteousness would be a style of living. So, it does make a difference, is what the Scripture is teaching here.

Here is the second truth you always want to remember. The true child of God is one who will want to do what is right in God's sight. The true child of God is one who is going to want to do that which they should do in God's sight.

In my senior Bible class, that I teach in our Christian high school when I am in town, one of the discussions we have in that class is on the word "character." My definition of Christian character is very basic, simple, and elementary and here it is. "Doing right when no one else is looking." That's Christian character. "Now wait a minute! You mean when I do right when someone else IS looking, that's not Christian character?" Well, I'm not saying that's not a part of Christian character, but your character is going to be tested when you have no one looking and you have to make a decision what is right and what is wrong.

When you understand what is being taught here in I John 2:29, that is when Christian character, beloved, is going to be manifested in doing right because no one's looking. Now what is my rational there when I make that statement? Is it really that no one's looking? No, because who is looking? God's looking. That's so critical that we understand that and that we not forget that it is God who is the omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent One, Who is very mindful and very aware of what is going on.

So, God is righteous and He says those who are saved are going to be made righteous. Why? Because they are going to take on His traits. They are going to take on His characteristics. That's what He is saying. So, it does matter and does make a difference in how we act and how we respond. You have heard me say this many many times, "Like father, like son." You've heard me say this many times, "The apples don't fall too far from the tree." What are we saying? We are simply saying that when one receives Jesus Christ as Saviour, they are going to take on those traits. They are going to take on those characteristics just like we take on the characteristics of our natural parents in a physical manner. As a matter of fact, one of the men of our church was just telling me yesterday that he is going to have some physical testing done this week. The doctors are concerned that because his father has had some medical problems, that these problems are going to be in his life. They want to get a jump start on this thing, so they may be able to catch it quicker than what they would if he doesn't have this testing.

Medical science has told us that it is through the genes that a lot of the maladies that we have in life come from our parents or grandparents. For example, the condition of the individual's heart or cancer. Whenever someone has a history of cancer in their family, medical science becomes concerned about that. That's what we are talking about here, only in a spiritual sense. So, this mindset that once we receive Jesus Christ as Saviour, we are not going to take on any of those characteristics or traits or teachings of the Word of God in our lives as a Christian, beloved, does not wash with the Scripture. It simply doesn't make any sense.

Someone has well said, "Children exhibit parents' character because they posses their parents' nature." That is a well stated event. This does not mean our lives will be perfect. But it does mean our lives are going to be lived in harmony with our heavenly Father and the teachings of His word. There is all kind of illustrations that you could look at that would show you that truth.

The children in our ministry here love to sing that song about Zacchaeus. As a matter of fact, I was going to sing it with them this morning but we had so many songs to sing with them. I had the opportunity to lead the singing in the opening assembly in our Sunday School because Pastor Clear is gone. Years ago I used to do that and I just have a great time with the kids. I just love it. There were so many songs I wanted to sing this morning with them because I don't get in there too often to do it any more, but the song about Zacchaeus didn't get in there. We sing that little song in our church with our children:

Zacchaeus was a wee little man and a wee little man was he.
He climbed up in a sycamore tree for the Lord he wanted to see.
And as the Lord passed that way, He looked up into the tree
And He said, Zacchaeus, you come down for I'm going to your house today.

You know, we sing about Zacchaeus, but when you look at the Scripture and see the story of Zacchaeus in Luke 19, you see what began to take place in Zacchaeus' life. When he came face to face with the Lord Jesus Christ, it's very interesting to see what happened. When Jesus looked up in that tree and said, "Zacchaeus, come down for I'm going to your house today", the Bible says, he made haste and came down and received Him joyfully. And when they saw it, speaking of the people who were there, they murmured saying that He had gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner! But look at the eighth verse in Luke 19. What does it say?

(Luke 19:8) And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.

What am I saying? I am saying that when Jesus Christ came face to face with Zacchaeus, there were some changes that began to take place in that man's life immediately! Do you think that the characteristics of a sinner would be to do what Zacchaeus says he is going to do in Luke 19:8? The one who is living in unrighteousness, the one who loves that mammon? No! But Zacchaeus made a conscious decision to receive Jesus Christ into his heart and life and the Scripture, beloved, gives us evidence that immediately some changes began to take place in his life.

Now Zacchaeus was not sinlessly perfected. But there is no doubt that he began to take on those characteristics, traits, and teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ, because the true child of God is one who will want to do what is right in God's sight. The Bible is very clear on that and there is all kind of illustrations in addition to Zacchaeus. We could consider the Phillipian jailer in Acts 16. When you study the background of what a jailer's life was like in that time period, you see what began to take place in his life after he received the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no doubt what the Scripture is teaching you and me; that the true child of God is one who will want to do what's right in God's sight.

Notice the third thought I want you to put down. Look at I John 3:9.

(I John 3:9) Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

Now let me help you with a word that is very confusing. When you read that "whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin", the word "commit" that you see there is actually a Greek word which translates "practice" better in our language of today. That is not teaching that you and I will never commit a sin, because we all know that we still have that sin nature. Thank God that when we accept Christ as Saviour we get a new nature, but the old nature did not remove itself. There is now literally a war that goes on between the old nature and the new nature.

We have the illustration of the old Indian chief who got saved up here in northern Minnesota many years ago. A missionary came through who witnessed and gave the Gospel to a number of them living there in one of the communities and this old Indian chief got saved. About six months later when the missionary came back through to visit that same group of folk living there in that community, he came across the old Indian chief who had accepted Christ and asked him how his Christian life was going. The old Indian chief said, "Well, missionary, there is a black dog and a white dog within me now and they are going at it every single day." The missionary responded, "Well, which one is winning chief?" The old Indian chief said, "The one I feed the most." Amen.

God help you and me as children of God to feed that spiritual nature that we received when we received Jesus Christ as Saviour. That's exactly what is being taught here in I John 3:9, because the true child of God, beloved, is one who does not habitually practice sin! That is not saying we are not going to sin. It's saying we will not habitually practice sin. We are not going to continuously just dwell and revel in that sin, because when one knows Jesus Christ as Saviour, according to that verse of Scripture, their conscience will sting them when they sin. Their conscience will sting them.

Look at the fourth thought I want to give you from the fourth chapter. In verse seven is the next truth I want us to see.

(I John 4:7) Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.

What the Scripture is teaching us in the seventh verse is very basic and very elementary. The Scripture says the true child of God loves the brethren. That's what he is talking about. Let us love one another! The true child of God loves the brethren.

I remember several years ago I was preaching in a church in Indiana. The pastor had asked me to come down and preach with another pastor from the state of Kentucky by the name of Dr. Tom Wallace. Dr. Wallace was pastoring a Baptist church in Louisville, Kentucky. This pastor from Indianapolis, Indiana had asked me to come down and join Dr. Wallace in preaching in a soul-winning conference. I noticed the first night I was there that there were two sections, just like here, except they did not have the wing sides like we have. But I noticed that there were folks sitting on this side and some other folks sitting on that side and it was very apparent that the folks sitting on the two sides did not talk to one another. I did not say anything on that Monday night, but on Tuesday night my Irish curiosity got the best of me because the same folks were sitting on the two opposite sides of the church. After the service the folks were fellowshipping with each other, but these two crowds were not talking to each other. What happened was that they had had a business meeting not too long ago in their church and there was a divided opinion. The thing became so divisive that they literally were going to church worshipping God and they were not talking with each other. This pastor wanted Tom Wallace and Ed Johnson to come and hold a soul-winning conference. Do you think we had any decisions in that meeting? Only two. Both from guys sitting on the left. I don't know if there was any significance to that or not. Two decisions? Two airplane tickets and two motel rooms. Incredible! Listen! If God's people can't get along with each other, this world is in trouble. Amen! One of the greatest strengths that this ministry has, by the grace of God, is that we love each other. Though we might have our disagreements and though we might have our times when we don't agree, we still love each other. That is absolutely critical to a ministry to be what God wants it to be.

Another situation is from a church in Milwaukee. The assistant pastor got in a fight in the parking lot with one of the deacons! I'm talking about a fist fight. That's a great testimony for a child of God! Beloved, let us love one another. Why? Because love is of who? God. Love is of God! That is absolutely critical that we not lose sight of this fact, that the true child of God loves the brethren. The born again child of God, beloved, will love all the other members of God's family regardless of financial status, economic status, education, age, color, or whatever it may be. Thank God for the hundreds of little bus kids we have here today. Thank God for every one of them. Except for the grace of God, that could be you or me. They certainly did not choose the station in life they are living in. If God's people cannot reach out to them, who in heaven will? Would you read this seventh verse in I John 4, because we have absolute Biblical truth that God loves them? Because ...

(John 3:16) ... God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
(Romans 5:8) But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
(I John 4:7) Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.

I wish we had more time but we need to move on to that last thought because I want you to see I John 5:4.

(I John 5:4) For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

Faith IS the victory that overcomes the world. But what is John really saying there under the inspiration of the Spirit of God? He is saying that the true child of God overcomes the world. That is what he is saying. You can't get anything else out of it. The true Christian will not be in harmony or sympathy with the world. Now we must remember, as I said in my Bible class this morning, we are in the world but we are not of the world. We must not forget that we are the salt of the earth. We are the light of the world, but the Scripture is very clear here as we read in this fourth verse. The world is not going to have a part of our life on a regular basis, is basically what it is teaching us. That's not saying you are not going to have that moment or incident where the devil wins a victory in your life. Because that's who wins when you go into the world. As we said previously, when that happens there will be a sting in the conscience for the true born again child of God.

When you consider I John 5:4 you'll see what this Scripture is teaching. This Scripture is teaching in light of another great principle taught by the Lord Jesus Christ in John 16:33. And that needs to be practiced and heard more in the day and age in which we live than any other time in the history of man. Notice this verse as we close the message today. The Scripture says that Jesus said:

(John 16:33) These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

See, we get this erroneous idea that in the world there is all kind of pleasure, all kind of happiness, and all kind of joy. There is none of that in the world. The Scripture is very clear. There is none of that, none whatsoever. We are absolutely foolish to believe that the world in which we find ourselves living, that we are to be that salt in, that world we are to be that light of, is going to bring us joy, peace, and happiness. The Scripture is teaching that the world is never going to do that.

What we need to remember is that it is through faith in Christ that we will know peace, joy, happiness, success, and victory. Therefore, we cannot accept the world's standards. We cannot engage in the world's pursuits. We cannot copy the world's habits. That is contrary to the Scripture. We cannot speak the world's language. God forbids it. Just like we cannot rely on the world's wisdom. We must have God's wisdom because the world's wisdom is a faulty wisdom. The world's wisdom is built upon a faulty failing philosophy, that man one day can develop his intellectual genius to the extent that he can actually elevate himself to become a God. And that is exactly what humanism teaches today. If you don't believe that, read the Humanistic Manifestos. There are two of them you can read. That is exactly what they teach. That is a faulty philosophy. The individual who embraces that is building their house upon the sand. It is just like the little boys and girls sing, it's the foolish man who builds his house upon the sand. It's the wise man who built his house upon the rock and I remind you that Jesus said, "I am the rock", not the world. God in heaven help us to see that truth.

So, from the message this morning, ask yourself, "Do I possess those five evidences in my life?" Do you say, "I put my whole faith and trust in Christ. I basically want to do right. Now I don't always do right, but I basically want to do what's right." The third question is "Do I practice sin? Do I sin and know I'm sinning and could care less about it?" The fourth question is "Do I love the brethren?" The fifth question is "Am I overcoming the world in my life? Or is the world overcoming me?" Only you can answer those questions for your life. I cannot answer that for you and you cannot answer that for me.

You say, "Well, pastor, I see some of them in my life." Then at one time in your life did you see all of them? See, what sometimes happens is that we get our eyes off the Lord and we get our focus more on the world or on our circumstances, which usually indicates that we are not spending as much time in the Bible. We used to read the Bible more than we read it now and we used to spend more time in prayer than we do now. We used to have a family altar with all of the children gathered around and we would take that daily time in the Word of God, but we don't do that now because we're just too busy. We're running here and there and we're going here and there, until we hardly have time to eat, sleep, and breathe. See, what's happening is that the world is taking you over. You cannot let the world do that as a Christian. You dictate to the world what you will do. Don't let the world dictate to you what you will do. That is a faulty philosophy when you let the world dictate to you. You are an overcomer. That's what the Scripture teaches.

(I John 5:4) For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

What does that do? It takes us right back where we started. Have you by faith received Jesus Christ into your heart and life to be our Saviour?

Possibly your need here this morning is that you need to start growing once again as a Christian. You've stopped growing. You need to start growing again. Maybe your need is that you need to follow the Lord in baptism. Maybe your need is that you need to join a Bible-preaching church. I'm not saying First Baptist Church of Rosemount but I am saying you need to join a Bible-preaching church. Join a church, beloved, where they open this Book on a regular basis and they teach you from this Book. We don't need any more newspaper articles. We don't need any more magazine reports in churches. We need to hear from God in our churches today. Get your family into a Bible-preaching church. It's critical. If it's not this one then find one. Get yourself in a Bible-preaching church where you see these five traits, principles, or birth marks being preached and being practiced by the grace of God. I trust this morning that every one of us will be honest with ourselves and we'd be obedient to the leadership of the Spirit of God. Maybe some need to come this morning and say before the Lord, "Lord, I have really failed." You need to claim I John 1:9.

(I John 1:9) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

You need to start out your life afresh and anew as you surrender your life afresh and anew to where the world is no longer going to dictate what you do. It's going to be God through the principles and the teachings of the Word of God that dictate what you do. You let God have His will and His way in your heart and life this morning and you will not go wrong. The Scripture assures us of that truth.

Thank you so much this morning for your close attention. I am greatly appreciative of it. Usually when you preach this kind of message, there's going to be some disruptions and though we pray and ask God to quiet hearts, and though we pray and ask God to quicken minds and open hearts and lives, we know we have an adversary. But thanks be to God for the close attention that has been given to the message. Now you let the Spirit of God have His will and way in your heart and life as we stand in just a moment and we have our hymn of invitation. We're going to have the ladies play a couple of stanzas of "Softly and Tenderly."

Softly and tenderly, Jesus is calling, calling for you and for me,
See on the portals He's watching and waiting,
Waiting for you and for me.

Come home, come home,
Ye who are weary, come home.

As the Spirit of God speaks to your heart today and you need to come, I trust that you would.

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