Tonight, we return to our consideration of 1st John, beginning of the last chapter, chapter 5, considering verses 1 through 5 together of 1st John, chapter 5. And I ask that you turn with me also to Hebrews, chapter 11, as we read that chapter along with our text this evening. Hebrews 11, beginning at verse 1, as we give our attention to the Word of God. Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. By faith, Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith, he was commended as a righteous man when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith, he still speaks, even though he is dead. By faith, Enoch was taken from this life so that he did not experience death. He could not be found because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. And without faith, it is impossible to please God because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him. By faith, Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith, he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. By faith, Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith, he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country. He lived in tents as did Isaac and Jacob who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations whose architect and builder is God. By faith Abraham, even though he was past age and Sarah herself was barren, was unable to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise. And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore. All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised. They only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country, a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them. By faith, Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice His one and only son, even though God had said to him, it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned. Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from the dead. By faith, Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future. By faith, Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph's sons and worshipped as he leaned on the top of his staff. By faith, Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions about his bones. By faith, Moses' parents hid him for three months after he was born because they saw he was no ordinary child and they were not afraid of the king's edict. By faith, Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt because he was looking ahead to his reward. By faith he left Egypt not fearing the king's anger. He persevered because he saw him who is invisible. By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel. By faith, the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land, but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned. By faith, the walls of Jericho fell after the people had marched around them for seven days. By faith, the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient. And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised, who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword, whose weakness was turned to strength, and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released so that they might gain a better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging while still others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned. They were sawed in two. They were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted, and mistreated. The world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains and in caves and holes in the ground. These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect. And turning over to our text, 1 John 5, verses 1-5. Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. And everyone who loves the Father loves His child as well. This is how we know that we love the children of God by loving God and carrying out His commands. This is love for God to obey His commands and His commands are not burdensome for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. Beloved of the Lord Jesus Christ, throughout this letter, John gives what we might call the birthmarks of the believer. Now we're, of course, familiar with birthmarks. Birthmarks come in different shapes and sizes and even in different colors. Birthmarks are located in different parts of the body. Our birthmarks are often as individual as we are and even sometimes, in some cases, they identify us. I'm sure that none of you have ever noticed my birthmark. It's not very conspicuous. It's a small round reddish mark just below and behind my left ear. Kind of out in the open. But again, birthmarks are identifying marks. And the identifying marks of the believer that John speaks about in this letter include that they practice righteousness, chapter 2, verse 29. That they do not practice sin, chapter 3, verse 9. They love other Christians, chapter 4, verse 7. They keep themselves from Satan, chapter 5, verse 18. But there is another birthmark in the text for tonight which we could say is the foundation really from which these others that we have mentioned come forth and that is that believers enjoy the victory of faith. Now as we read, Hebrews 11, verse 1 defines faith. Now, faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. And it goes on to describe from those heroes of faith things that describes their faith in things that had not even yet happened. Faith in the promises of God. And as well, Lord's Day 7, High Library Catechism, Lord's Day 7, question and answer 21 defines faith. What is true faith? True faith is not only a knowledge and conviction that everything God reveals in His Word is true, It is also a deep-rooted assurance created in me by the Holy Spirit through the Gospel that out of sheer grace earned for us by Christ, not only others, but I too have had my sins forgiven, have been made forever right with God, and have been granted salvation. Beautiful definitions of faith. And of course, as we read, Hebrews 11 also includes what the church has traditionally called The Heroes of Faith and gives a sort of a commentary on many Old Testament saints and the gift of faith that they enjoyed and how they used that faith. Now, boys and girls, the world thinks of heroes as those who might, let's say, put their life on the line in order to save someone else. Or a hero might be anyone who does something great that in some way helps someone else. Of course, in the cartoons, you have your superheroes like Superman and Spider-Man and Batman or the rescue heroes or many others. But in other words, to the world, the characteristics that describe heroes are things like strength and intelligence and speed and power and maybe even kindness. But true heroes, as the Bible teaches, are those who have faith. But not just any old kind of faith. True faith. Only true faith enjoys the greatest victory of all, as John teaches. And that's because true faith has a particular origin. It is an active faith. It is faith that has power. And it also has a unique object. Those are the four details that we want to consider together tonight as we study this text. Verse 1 begins, Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. faith's origin is none other than God Himself. We know that the world says just have faith. That's all you've got to do. Just have faith. Have faith in yourself that you can do whatever you set your mind to. Have faith in circumstances that everything will turn out well for you. Or have faith in people that they will come through for you. Just have faith. But you see, beloved, true faith involves having a relationship with God. In fact, an intimate relationship. That of being born of God. Being born of God. Now that phrase rightly includes the idea of receiving new life, going from death to life, which is exactly what the Bible teaches, doesn't it? By nature, lost in sin, all people are dead spiritually. And that means, boys and girls, that by ourselves, all by ourselves, we cannot believe in God. All by ourselves, we will not see our sin. We will not be sorry for our sin. We will not confess our sin. We will not look to Jesus for salvation. We will not love God or our neighbor. Yet through His Holy Spirit, as we considered with Ezekiel in the Valley of Dry Bones a few weeks ago, Through His Holy Spirit, God gives new life to those who were dead. And with that new life, He gives that wonderful gift of faith, which is that instrument by which the believer not only understands his sin and shame, but also that instrument by which he believes that Jesus is the Christ. And that instrument by which he receives all of the benefits earned by Christ. See, many people claim to be Christians. Many people. But what is it that makes one a true Christian? A true believer? What is it? Very simply, it's rebirth. Being born again by the power of the Holy Spirit of God. You see, faith's origin is not found in us. It's not found in what we have done. Just because I live a good life. Just because I go to church. For just because I do not do certain things does not mean I am a true believer. Having true faith depends completely upon something that has been done to me. New birth. And there is only One who could give me that new birth. And that's God Himself. But the beauty of that is that just as children receive certain characteristics and traits from their parents, children of God also receive something of Him. God gives His own Holy Spirit to live in the believer to take up residence in your heart and in my heart. And we are given a new nature, a spiritual nature that hates sin and the things of Satan and a nature that loves righteousness and the things of God. Peter points to this in 2 Peter 1, verses 3 and 4. His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. Beloved, being a Christian doesn't depend on being born in a certain country or into a particular family or even first of all being a part of a specific denomination or federation of churches. It depends alone on being born of God. And those who are born of God are different than those who are not born of God. And they are conscious. They are conscious of that difference. And beloved, we are to rejoice that we are different than the world. And that difference is seen. And it is to be seen then in faith's activity. True faith, you see, is not a stagnant, do-nothing or good-for-nothing faith, but true faith is active. It bears fruit. Listen again to the first three verses. Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. And everyone who loves the Father loves His child as well. This is how we know that we love the children of God, by loving God and carrying out His commands. This is love for God to obey His commands. True faith, as we have said before, includes believing. But not simply believing anything, but believing, as John says, that Jesus is the Christ. This is essential to the Christian faith. This necessarily comes along with new birth. Believing that Jesus is the Christ. If you don't believe this, you are not a Christian. We must believe that the God-man Jesus who left His throne in glory to humble Himself all the way to death on the cross, we must believe that He is the Christ. We must believe that He is the Messiah foretold by the prophets long before He came. We must believe that He is the one anointed of God by God to be our chief prophet, our only high priest, and our eternal King. We must believe that He has accomplished salvation for each and every one of God's chosen children. And we must believe that salvation is found only in Him. And we must confess that we belong body and soul in life and in death only to this Jesus who is the Christ. And beloved, one who is born of God doesn't look anywhere else for salvation than to Jesus Christ. He doesn't look to the gimmicks of this world. to the self-helps that are out there that looks only to this Jesus Christ. And that one also lives under the rule of the Lord Jesus Christ and lives to please the Lord Jesus Christ. Faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ is a mark of the truth that one who was once a child of disobedience is now a child of God by His grace. But true faith then not only embraces Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, but it also actively loves God. Actively loves God. A good question for us to ask ourselves. Do I actively love God? Again, one who has been born of God and consciously enjoys new life in the Spirit can't help but to love the One who gave him that new life, who rescued him from the miry clay and set his feet upon the solid rock of Jesus. those who recognize that they deserve nothing but to suffer eternally in hell yet they have been rescued because God sent His only begotten Son they realize that there is no greater love than that and they can't help but to love the one who loved them so and that love for God, beloved is demonstrated by obedience to God's commands that's how we actively love God by obedience to God's commands. The first part of verse 3, this is love for God to obey His commands. Now that's not a new theme, of course, in John 2, verse 3. There John says, we know that we have come to know Him if we obey His commands. And we know, of course, that even in our human relationships, when you love someone, you desire to do that which pleases them. Boys and girls, Often you desire to do that which pleases your moms and your dads. And those who love God desire to please Him. And beloved, He is pleased as He has obeyed. The saints of the Old Testament, those heroes of faith, demonstrated their love and faith for God as they tried to be obedient to Him. And they tried to do this both in good times and in bad times, but no matter what the times, they received great joy in their obedience because they had faith that with God, the best was yet to come. Now notice, John isn't selective here saying that only some of God's commands are to be obeyed. This is all-inclusive. Love for God is to obey His commands. All of them. But John does include, in a particular way, the second great commandment. love for others, and especially love for our brothers and sisters in Christ. And again, this too is not a new theme. The theme of love for fellow Christians was introduced in chapter 3. It continued all throughout chapter 4. John says in chapter 3, verse 14, We know that we have passed from death to life because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death. And then chapter 4, verses 7 and 8, Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God because God is love. And then verses 19-21, We love because He first loved us. If anyone says, I love God, yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command, whoever loves God must also love his brother. And then now in chapter 5, verse 1, after giving a definition to one who is born of God, namely that that one believes that Jesus is the Christ, then John now says that one who is born of God will love all others who are born of God. Congregation, who is your brother or sister in Christ? A question probably that many have struggled with. Who is your brother or sister in Christ? Is he or she limited to those who are gathered here around you tonight? Or does it extend beyond that? Who is it? Anyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ. With all that this means, as we've already discussed. Again, defining one who is my brother in Christ is not done based on one's skin color or ancestry or affluence or good life or church membership or attendance or school or occupation. But does that one believe on the Lord Jesus Christ alone for salvation? Of course, there are evidences of having faith like lifestyle and being a member of a true church. But notice that John also teaches that as a believer, my love for God, complete with obedience to His commands, will be proof of my love for God's children. Verse 2, this is how we know that we love the children of God, by loving God and carrying out His command. Now earlier, John had said that our love for our brothers in Christ was proof of our love for God. And now he says the opposite. He's not contradicting himself here, but it runs both ways. Love for God and love for God's children cannot be separated. The two go together. To claim to love one, but hate the other is to lie and to be without the truth. And beloved, our love for fellow believers is not based on anything about them, first of all, or what they have done, but that love. That love is based on the truth that they too, just like me, they too have received God's grace in their lives and God has also made them His children. The believer's godly love recognizes the family resemblance in fellow believers and acknowledges that we share the very same birthmark. Being born again of incorruptible seed, as Peter says. And therefore, our love for fellow believers is to be genuine, godly love. And it can be only when our love for God is real and true. One commentator said in response to John seeming to contradict himself, he says, if love to men proves the truth of our love to God, love to God proves the worth of our love to man. And I believe that we are to take that to mean that as we look at each other as Christians, if you know beyond a doubt that your brother or sister truly loves the Lord, then you can be assured that that godly love that that one expresses towards you is the real thing. It's the genuine article. It is love that is born of God. True faith finds its origin in God. It actively believes in the Lord Jesus Christ and actively loves God and obeys His commands and it demonstrates true godly love for fellow believers. But the victory of faith also includes the fact of faith's power. Notice again verses 3 and 4. This is love for God, to obey His commands. And His commands are not burdensome. For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Faith's power. Now there's so much that we could say in order to describe the world. We've considered this before in this epistle. But as we've considered before, John is talking about the world that is opposed to God. He's talking about the world that relishes sin, including the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes, and the boasting of what he has and does, as John said in chapter 2, verse 16. The first question and answer of the Westminster Shorter Catechism reminds us that man's chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. But the world is everything that tries to keep us from doing just that. The world is opposed to God in every way, in thought, in word, in action, and the world strives to turn the Christian away from God through persecution, through ridicule, insult, ungodly laws, as well as through temptation, and even at times through friendship. And the world especially attacks the laws of God. It opposes God's command by setting itself up in the place of God, making man the measure of all things, and not God. The world lives only for today and not for eternity. The world says there are many gods. You are God. I am God, a tree is God, whatever you want, it is God. The world says that indeed the Sabbath was made for man, but to do with what he wants for himself. As well, society tries to dictate how parents are to raise their children, which does nothing more than strip children of the honor that they owe to their parents. The world embraces and makes comedy out of adultery and homosexuality and lying. Beloved, be careful what you watch on TV. Be very, very careful. Our society embraces living together out of marriage or same-sex marriages, murder of unborn children. The world of advertising does its best to promote discontentment and coveting in our lives in order to tempt us to spend foolishly. The world plays on the sin that remains in me against my renewed will, tempting me, like Paul, to do the things that I don't want to do, like be selfish and be self-centered and jealous and envious and hard-hearted and unkind instead of demonstrating love for God above all in my neighbor as myself. The world finds God's commands restrictive and to be burdensome or heavy in the sense of having no freedom. Those who reject the Lord Jesus Christ find that God's commands are an obstacle to one's lifestyle and God's commands are a constant source of irritation to them. And the world works to make God's commands a burden for God's children, to make them difficult to perform, to make the alternative look pleasant and easier and just as fine. The world makes it difficult for us to heed the command of our God through Paul to come out from among them and be separate. but those who are born of God and enjoy saving faith in Him enjoy victory over the world of sin. Along with that gift of faith, those who are born again are transformed by the renewing of their minds and they are given a new attitude over against the law of God. Christians are given a new will that has been thwarted and molded and shaped after God's will and therefore they delight in keeping God's commands. Why? Because by the grace of God, His children see that the law of God reflects the very holiness of God. And that His law is perfect. That it is good. And that it is for our good. And everything that is against His law is meant to harm us by faith. Believers' eyes are lifted to Christ and His righteousness. and we are brought to see a different and a higher standard than the world. And as we hear and are reminded of the law of God from week to week and even during the week with God's law written on our hearts, we see, we see by the illumination of the Holy Spirit who opens our eyes, we see that God's commands protect us and they keep us from falling prey to the standard of the world which would destroy us. By faith, God's people are lifted high above the world to receive the victory that is ours only in Christ Jesus. The world despises Christ. It says that He is not the only way, or He's not the way at all. But faith, true faith, rejects the world and its lie. And it embraces Christ and the truth. Faith is one of those precious weapons of that spiritual warfare, a part of that complete armor of God. It is that shield that extinguishes the fiery arrows of the devil, his arrows of temptation. And beloved, why can John say with confidence that faith is the victory that has overcome the world? Very simply because of faith's object. Now we don't have to spend much time on this because John has driven this point home over and over again throughout this epistle and even in our text up to this point. But verse 5 says, Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. Jesus Christ is faith's object, the only object true faith can have. And what must we believe? In verse 5 again, John says that Jesus is the Son of God. In verse 1, John says that Jesus is the Christ. In chapter 4, verse 2, John says that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh. And then in chapter 4, verse 14, John also says that Jesus is the Son of God. Beloved, true faith is being sure that the eternal life which we cannot see, that that eternal life has been earned for us by Christ alone, and that our hope for that eternal life is a living hope that is today real and one day God's people will enjoy the complete reality of it. True faith is that I believe that Jesus Christ is both God and man who came to this earth and lived a perfectly righteous life proving that God's commands are not burdensome but that they are a delight. And that He paid the penalty for my sins so that hell is not in my eternal future. But heaven in His presence is my eternal future because He has removed my sin and He has freely given to me His righteousness that one day I might be where He is. Why is faith in Jesus Christ the victory that has overcome the world? Because Jesus said, take heart, I have overcome the world. And Paul says it beautifully in Romans chapter 8 that in all the things that would try to separate us from the love of God, we are more than conquerors. We overwhelmingly conqueror through Him who loved us. And beloved, that victory shall never be overturned because nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Congregation, God draws His children closer to Himself through His Word. His Word which challenges us and calls us to examine ourselves. Are you born of God? Do you have the birthmarks of a child of God? Do you love God and all those who believe on Him? What is your relationship to His commands? Are they burdensome to you? Do you feel restricted by them? Do you resent God's law when you hear it read? Do you try to do whatever you can to find a way to get around God's commands and justify doing so? Do you compromise with the world? If that describes you tonight, then you must be reminded that true freedom is found only within the boundary of God's commands. That's safety. That's true security. That's the ultimate protection. Apart from that, there's only being in bondage, slavery to sin. Those who turn to the Lord Jesus Christ in repentance and faith are guaranteed Christ's victory over Satan, sin, death, and hell. They enjoy a place in God's family. They delight in the rules of the Father's house. And they see with the eye of faith, they see the eternal glory that awaits all those who long for the return of Christ in all His glory. For those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, we enjoy the riches of the King of kings and the Lord of lords. Riches that includes power that cannot be overcome. A victory that will never be overturned. Salvation that is eternal. And a home in the very presence of God. Beloved, there is no greater victory. Amen. Shall we pray? Father, we thank You for that precious gift of faith. We thank You for the salvation which is ours in Jesus Christ alone because of His work and His righteousness. We thank You for the gift of faith, that instrument through which we believe in Jesus Christ and receive all of the benefits earned by Him for us. We pray, Lord, that You would continue to strengthen our faith, as well that each and every day of this life You would make us more faithful servants of the Most High God, that indeed we might not only enjoy the victory of faith and all that that means, that we would share the good news of that victory with those with whom we have contact. Father, be pleased to use us as your people in some small way to share the gospel message with another and to even be used by you to bring another to the Lord Jesus Christ. We thank you for your blessings. Continue to lead us and guide us throughout our whole life long. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.