Are You Born of God? (1 John 2:28-3:10)

2 Corinthians 5:17

great anticipation

great expectation

BUT what does that look like?

not purple

don’t look different in the mirror

Are You Born of God?

how can you know if you are born of God?

asked another way

how do you know that you are saved?

many come up with their own criteria to know born of God that are not in Scripture

church attendance (I’m here)

saved (past decision)

baptism

church membership

while those born of God should be doing these things

they are not the evidence of being born of God according to the Word of God

let us not find our assurance in our own thinking

let’s look to God’s Word to find our assurance

hint: Jesus’ 1st and 2nd comings will make a difference in your life

Are you ready for Jesus’ second coming?

contrast Jesus first coming and second coming

1st—humble and lowly Jesus riding on the colt of a donkey

2nd—mighty and powerful Jesus riding a white stallion settling all accounts

can return any moment!

are you ready???

you can be ready!

how can you know you are ready?

being born of God makes you ready for Jesus’ second coming

2:28-29 pew Bible # 1211

the only way to be ready is to abide in Jesus

abide—command (present active imperative)

initial (trust @ salvation) & ongoing (continual trust)

John 3:16 ““For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes (the one believing/trusting) in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

anyone can say they abide in Jesus so…

how can you know if you are abiding in Jesus?

everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him (2:29b)

born of him

being born of him is quite different than natural human birth

it can only be effected by God Himself through His Spirit

hence spiritual birth = born of God

yet it happens in conjunction with our faith in Jesus

logical conclusion for those born of God

know God is righteous thus desire to be righteous

righteousness

not only refraining from doing bad

righteousness means “the act of doing what God requires”

doing the things God wants you to do and not only refraining from what He doesn’t want you to do

are you actively doing what is right in God’s eyes?

a person’s righteous is evidence…not cause or condition…of new birth

righteousness is the principal mark of regeneration

obedience, not knowledge

when you read the Word of God (abide in Christ), does your abiding lead to obedience?

evidence of abiding in Christ

is that your life is different…righteous living

otherwise when Jesus returns

you will shrink in shame if you don’t

John only gives 2 responses at Jesus’ return (2:28b)

confidence (boldness in Paul’s writings) or shrink in shame

confidence not in

church attendance, walking aisle, praying prayer, being baptized, or even sincerity in past decision

if we continue in Him,

we can be confident before Him

if we continue to abide in Jesus,

we can be bold/confident when He returns

Philippians 2:9–11

all will bow

some bow with joy

Lion King

Rafiki: after Simba returns to take over the kingdom from Scar

“The king has returned”

retribution is coming

the King of Kings is here to settle all accounts

satisfaction that we are with Him (on His side)

you bow in honor of the One who died for you

totally worth abiding in Jesus

others bow in shame

oh wow! He truly is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords

but it’s too late

are you ready for Jesus to return at any moment?

if you are born of God…

3:1-3

as God’s child

you should be amazed at God’s love towards you,

3:1

what kind (ESV)

how great (NASB)

what great love (CSB)

origin of word meant ‘of what country’

as if the Father’s love is so unearthly, so foreign to this world

that John wonders from what country it may come

if you are a child of God,

have you ever considered God’s love towards you?

a.m.a.z.e.d.???

Romans 3:10 “None is righteous, no, not one;”

Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

I didn’t need the Bible to tell me that truth

I know my heart

I know my rebellion

Romans 5:8 “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Jesus died for me

I should pay the full price for my sin in hell

that is what I deserve

BUT GOD made me His child when I trusted Jesus

I will never get over that

I don’t know why He loves me

except

Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so

how about you, do you know God’s love for you?

not only are you a child of God through Christ, you…

are guaranteed to be like Jesus at His second coming,

when he appears we shall be like him (3:2)

what does this mean?

good looks???

remember Jesus was not most handsome man (Is 53:2)

nothing inherently godly in beauty or handsomeness

1 Cor 15

mortal —> immortal

perishable —> imperishable

focus here???

ethical purity (sinless)

HUGE—our numero 1 issue is SIN and Jesus makes us pure from sin at His 2nd coming

but this truth doesn’t mean we only wait in anticipation to be purified

and thus should have a desire to be pure like Him now

3:3

the hope of being like Christ in the future

expresses itself in an effort to purify oneself to be like Him in the present

Jesus’ return is not only to warm our heart

but motivate us to holiness…TODAY

since Jesus is pure

when we see Him we will be like Him in his purity

but the process of purification doesn’t wait until He returns

breaks through today

only the blood of Jesus can cleanse you from the stain and guilt of sin

but we have a part to play in purifying ourselves from its power

Dairy Mart in Broaddus (Friday)

Rules for today

do nothing that you would not like to be doing when Jesus comes

go to no place where you would not like to be found when Jesus comes

say nothing that you would not like to be saying when Jesus comes

Jesus’ second coming isn’t something we just look forward to

NT is clear that we desire to be part of the pure bride of Christ

child of God, where is there a lack of purity in your life?

considering Jesus’ second coming should get your attention

if Jesus were to return today,

would He find you abiding Jesus?

would you shrink in shame, or bow in honor?

how you will respond to Jesus’ second coming

all depends on how you have responded to His first coming

Have you been transformed by Jesus’ first coming?

being born of God transforms you through Jesus’ 1st coming

3:4-7

holy living is not only in anticipation of Jesus’ 2nd coming

but purpose of His 1st

secessionists (enemies of the gospel) tried to deceive (3:7)

tried selling the lie

you can be righteous without practicing righteousness

do what???

the demons believe and tremble (James 2:19)

does your knowledge of Jesus propel you to obedience?

sin is lawlessness (3:4)

lawlessness = rebellion against God

like rebellion of Satan

is it possible to be born of God and continually rebel against God?

NO!

you have not been born of God if you keep on sinning

Jesus came to take away sin

not promote it

sin is a serious matter

so serious that is why Jesus went to the cross

when we belittle sin

we belittle what Jesus did on the cross

if Jesus was sinless and came to die for sin

then those born of God cannot continue in sin (3:6)

if you continue in sin,

then you show you are not born of God

Christians sin (:0)

YET Christians do not persist in sin

actively engaged in spiritual war with sin

not resolved to be friends with sin

sin, confess, repent…repeat

1 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.”

maybe this sermon is what the Lord uses to get your attention

remember prodigal,

don’t persist in sin

are you eating slop with the pigs?

time to come home

God will accept you with open arms (Luke 15)

my prodigal testimony

HS never let me sin w/o great conviction

freeing to walk in truth

those who continue in sin are identified with…the devil

3:8-10

sin originated in the devil

and cannot be comfortable for those born of God

devil’s work = sinning from the beginning (3:8a)

Jesus’ work = destroy the works of the devil (3:8b)

those born of God may fall into sin

but will not walk in sin

those who are born of God are no longer slaves to sin

but slaves to righteousness (Rom 6)

sin cannot find a comfortable home in those born of God

one of the first steps to holiness (righteous living) is to recognize the sinfulness of sin

God’s seed abides in him (3:9a)

birth of God is a deep, radical, inward transformation

receive a new nature

receive the HS of God

thus strong internal pressure towards holiness (righteous living)

God’s abiding seed

emboldens John to affirm that children of God cannot keep on sinning (3:9b)

for someone to persist in sin and insist they are a child of God

indicates he/she has never been born of God

if Jesus’ 1st coming was to…

take away sins and to destroy the works of the devil

and by His 2nd coming

we shall see him and we shall be like him

THEN how can we possibly go on living in sin?

to do so would deny the purpose of both his appearings

sin is a big deal

it was why Jesus went to the cross

thus it is a big deal for every single child of God

with our new nature

and the HS of God living in us

may we not allow sin to find a comfortable home with us

in the end…

your life will indicate if you are a child of God or a child of the devil

not what your mouth claims

but what your life indicates

3:10

notice you will fall in 1 of 2 groups

not 3, not just 1

either child of God or child of the devil (no in-between)

evidence points to parentage

practicing sin—child of the devil

practicing righteousness—child of God

has this message rattled you?

John writes so to assure children of God

but you don’t feel assured or comforted

maybe God is doing a work in your life right this moment

how do you become a child of God?

John 1:12-13

divine side—born of God

human side—trusting the gospel of Jesus

prior slide

how do you know if you are a child of God?

have you trusted Jesus?

are you abiding in Him?

are you practicing righteousness?

what is your behavior like away from church?

Matthew 7:20 “you will recognize them by their fruits.”

Are You Born of God?

don’t answer by your standards

answer by God’s standards according to His Word

most important question ever

eternal ramifications