Tonight, we consider again the text that we began last week from 1 John chapter 3. Before we turn to 1 John chapter 3, I ask that you turn with me to the Gospel of John chapter 8. John chapter 8, as we read there, verses 31 through 46. And then we will turn over to 1 John 3. John 8, beginning at verse 31, as we hear now the Word of God. To the Jews who had believed Him, Jesus said, If you hold to My teaching, you are really My disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. They answered him, We are Abraham's descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we should be set free? Jesus replied, I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. I know you are Abraham's descendants, yet you are ready to kill me because you have no room for my word. I am telling you what I have seen in the Father's presence and you do what you have heard and you do what you have heard from your father. Abraham is our father, they answered. If you were Abraham's children, said Jesus, then you would do the things Abraham did. As it is, you are determined to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. You are doing the things your own father does. We are not illegitimate children, they protested. The only father we have is God Himself. Jesus said to them, If God were your father, you would love Me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on My own, but He sent Me. Why is My language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. Yet, because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don't you believe me? He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God. In 1 John 3, as you recall again, the text that we began last Sunday evening, verses 7-10 of chapter 3, but once again I would like to read the context beginning at chapter 2, verse 29, through chapter 3, verse 10. chapter 2, verse 29. If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of Him. How great is the love the Father has lavished on us that we should be called children of God. And that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him. Dear friends, now we are children of God. And what we will be has not yet been made known, but we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself just as he is pure everyone who sins breaks the law in fact sin is lawlessness but you know that he appears that he might take away our sins and in him is no sin no one who lives in him keeps on sinning no one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him dear children do not let anyone lead you astray he who does what is right is righteous just as he is righteous he who does what is sinful is of the devil because the devil has been sinning from the beginning the reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work no one who is born of God will continue to sin because God's seed remains in him he cannot go on sinning because he has been born of God this is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God, nor is anyone who does not love his brother. Dear people of God, last week we began to consider this text with the theme, the incompatibility of faith and a life of sin. In other words, true faith and a life or a lifestyle of sin don't mix. They cannot go together. There's nothing similar about them. They are incompatible. Now, as we think back over our study of 1 John, we know that John is not teaching us something new here. This is not something new that he is now placing before us. This same idea is presented throughout this letter. From the very beginning, John makes the contrast clear between light and dark, the truth and the lie, between love and hate, and between obedience and disobedience. You see, John will have us know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the distinction is clear between faith and a life of sin. And as we considered last time with this text, John teaches that this incompatibility is realized by Christ. And again, what we mean is not only was Jesus a demonstration of this incompatibility as He walked this earth, but because of His accomplished work, He earned new life for God's people and He secured their eternal separation from the dominion of Satan, sin, and evil. He made that incompatibility real for each and every believer, each and every child of God. Verse 8 includes this phrase, the reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work. That's what we considered last week. And remember, the foundation of Satan's work is the lie. He is the father of lies. And the devil's lie included that lie about God Himself. God doesn't really love you, Eve, because He's holding back from you that one tree keeping you from being all that you can be. And of course, then that lie led to the second lie which dealt with God's will. Surely, God must be mistaken when He says don't eat of that one tree. Just think of what you'll gain by enjoying that fruit. And of course, then there was the devil's lie about the consequences of sin and disobedience. You won't die. You'll be like God. And because of Satan's lie and man's sin, the wicked world is under Satan's dominion and is therefore miserable, unhappy, sinful, perverted, alienated from God, and under God's wrath, headed for eternal punishment in hell. Sin and its result in the world is the devil's work. And Jesus Christ came to destroy that work and to undo Satan's lie, the same lie that the wicked world continues to embrace even today. Our Lord came to reveal the truth and to expose the lie. And He did that. He began to do that, as we said last week, by His very coming. Taking on the human flesh and blood nature of man. That alone began to undo the lie of Satan that said, God doesn't love you. That was a demonstration of the love of God for His people. But also, He destroyed the work of the devil and undid the devil's lie through His teaching ministry, through His miracles, and ultimately His cross. He suffered the punishment for it, and He paid the price for the sin that earned us eternal death. And He earned eternal life in the presence of the Heavenly Father for all of God's children. Remember, the work of the devil is sin resulting in death, but the work of Christ is to save resulting in life for His people. And that then brings us back to that question that we asked in the first part of the sermon last week, to whom do you belong? To whom do you belong? You see, it's either God for the sake of Christ Jesus, or it's Satan. It can't be both. There's no sitting on the fence. And as well, there's no third option. Apart from the Lord Jesus Christ and His saving sacrifice and His perfect righteousness, one can only belong to the devil. But our Lord has redeemed and purchased the elect of God by the price of His precious blood. But you see, beloved, it only stands to reason then that this incompatibility of faith, that is, those who belong to God, and a life of sin, those who belong to the devil, it only stands to reason that this incompatibility is then proven in practice. Proven by conduct. Proven by our life. You see, belonging to someone can be known. It is evident. It is public. It is visible. It can be seen and it can be heard. You see, beloved, there are hypocrites. Those who claim to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and even try to make it look like they believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, but they really don't. But there is no such thing as a closet Christian. See, John says that we can know these things to whom one belongs. And he makes it clear that these things can be known through practice. Boys and girls, that means that it can be known to whom you belong by how you live. Notice again verse 29 of chapter 2. If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of Him. And then verse 10 of chapter 3. This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are. Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God, nor is anyone who does not love his brother. Congregation, the kind of life a person practices will be consistent and compatible with the nature of the one to whom that person belongs. When two things share the same nature, they act alike. There is a sameness about them. There is a life connection between them. Of course, we know this to be true in the animal world. With any species of animal, all of the animals of that species, for the most part, share the same characteristics. The same eating habits. The same living habits. The same self-preservation habits. And of course, there may be minor differences when it comes to subspecies, but for the most part, all monkeys are the same. And the same is true with cats and dogs and elephants and ants and spiders. And I trust you get the point. And we can say the same thing about human beings. People. Those who share the human nature are alike. And that we walk and we talk and we think and we reason as well as many other things. And we're so compatible that two people can share the same heart or the same vital organs with transplants. We can share the same blood. We can even get more specific and consider the compatibility of those within the same ethnic group or from the same country, those who speak the same dialect and follow the same cultural ideals. And even more specific than that, we can talk about families. Children often have the same characteristics as their parents when it comes to mannerisms and speech and facial features and even habits. Likes and dislikes. And what we are saying here is that a child partakes of the nature of his or her parents. And John is saying that the same thing is true with regard to those who belong to God and those who belong to the devil. Those who belong to God belong to Him, we know, because they have been purchased by Christ. 1 Peter 1, verses 18 and 19 says, For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. And those whom Christ purchased then also received the gift of new life. They are regenerated. They are born again. How? Again, Peter says, For you have been born again not of perishable seed, but of imperishable through the living and enduring Word of God. The Holy Spirit of God applies the truth of the living Word of God to the heart of the believer. And that new life in the believer begins as a seed which John says remains in him. That seed cannot die because it is imperishable, because it is the seed of God Himself. The renewing and the regenerating grace of God is permanent. Boys and girls, your mom might write your name on your jacket or on your lunchbox with a permanent marker. And that way if it's lost and someone else finds it, your name is in it. And if they want to keep it, they can't get your name out of it. It's stuck there for good. They have to wear your jacket or use your lunchbox with your name written on it. The ink cannot be washed away. The Holy Spirit's seed of new life is that permanent marker. It is permanent for the child of God. No one can steal that seed. No one can wash that seed down the drain. That seed takes deep root in the believer's heart and life and it grows and it will reach full bloom. As God's Word promises that He who began a good work in you will complete it. He will be faithful to complete it. That seed, beloved, restores the image of God in the saved sinner. That seed points to life and the truth that God lives in His own by His seed. And that seed is nourished by the Holy Spirit through the light and the truth of the Word of God. And because of that seed in the believer, that seed of new life, the believer enjoys conversion. And as that seed is nourished by the Holy Spirit and as it grows, the child of God more and more desires and enjoys the things of God and more and more hates and runs from that which God hates. We considered that this morning with true conversion. But you see, those who do not belong to God also have a particular nature. Those who do not live by the truth of God live according to the lie. And they share the nature of the father of lies, the devil himself. And their nature includes that they are, as Paul says in Ephesians 2, verse 3, objects of wrath. And those who belong to the devil not only share his sin nature, but they also share his position before God. And Jesus tells us what that is when He says in John 16, verse 11, the prince of this world now stands condemned. Those who belong to the devil and share in his nature are included in the devil's work which Jesus came to destroy. But then those who share the natures of those to whom they belong also give evidence of their belonging by their practice. Their practice is consistent with the nature they enjoy. Beloved, just as God and the devil are exact opposite, so is the conduct or practice of life of those who belong to God in comparison to those who belong to the devil. Listen to what John says about those who belong to God. The second part of verse 7 and verse 9. He who does what is right is righteous just as he is righteous. And then verse 9, No one who is born of God will continue to sin because God's seed remains in him. He cannot go on sinning because he has been born of God. But notice, this isn't the first time John speaks like this. We can go back through this entire letter beginning at verse 7 of chapter 1. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son purifies us from all sin. And then verses 5 and 6 of chapter 2, But if anyone obeys His Word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in Him. Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus walked. And then verse 10, Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. And then verse 20, But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. Again, verse 29, If you know that He is righteous, You know that everyone who does what is right has been born of Him. And then chapter 3, verses 2 and 3, Dear friends, now we are children of God and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. Everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself just as He is pure. You see, all of this is the truth of those who belong to God. But there's more. In John 8, Jesus says that those who know God as Father love Jesus because He is the Son of God. They see the connection. And as well, they know the truth that sets them free. And He says in verse 47 of chapter 8, he who belongs to God hears what God says. Beloved, there is to be a blessed harmony in the child of God between who He is, what He is, and what He does. The child of God is indeed a child of God because he has been purchased by Christ. But that child also enjoys new birth with God's seed abiding and remaining in Him. But then also that new life of the child of God practices a life that is consistent and compatible with His Heavenly Father. And it is God's revealed will that determines the believer's pattern of life. It is God's revealed will, as we consider this morning, that is the pleasure, the delight of a child of God. God's will is holy, righteous, and good. And therefore, when believers obey the will and the commands of God, they demonstrate that which is holy, righteous, and good, and therefore give evidence that they belong to God. You see, beloved, it is not sin that identifies you as being born of God. It's not sin that makes that identification. But as chapter 2, verse 29 says again, it is doing what is right that tells others that you are born of God. Think about this for a moment. It's not sin that identifies you as a Christian. But it is doing what is right. And therefore, we are to consider the sin that we continue to commit. What about that sin? You see, that means that when we as Christians sin, we actually cover up our identity before the world and we cast shame upon the name Christian and upon the One to whom we belong. And given that truth then, may we all be conscious as we live from day to day that we don't cloud the line. That we don't muddy the waters. That as we live from day to day, our conduct would advertise and promote our Savior instead of turning others away from Christ. One who is born of God will walk as Jesus walked and purify Himself just as God is pure because God's seed of new birth includes a mind which is illumined to see the ugliness and the evil of sin. And a heart which molds him to hate sin. And a will that fights against the force of sinful deeds. And a spirit of humility and repentance for sin that is committed. Beloved, one who is born of God's grace practices God's law of love. Love for God above all and His neighbor as Himself. You see, this is the result of Christ's work of destroying the devil's work in the believer. There's no room for both. But again, this stands in direct opposition to the one who is not born of God, but instead belongs to the devil. Notice what John says about that one in verses 8 and 10 of the text. He who does what is sinful is of the devil because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work. And then verse 10, This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are. Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God, nor is anyone who does not love his brother. And again, just like those born of God, this is not the first time John has spoken like this. Verses 6, 8, and 10 of chapter 1. If we claim to have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. Verse 8, if we claim to be without sin, We deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. Verse 10, if we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives. Verse 4 of chapter 2, The man who says, I know him, but does not do what he commands, is a liar. And the truth is not in him. Verse 9, anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. Verse 11, but whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. He does not know where He is going because the darkness has blinded Him. Verse 15, Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. Verses 22 and 23, Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the Antichrist. He denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also. And then chapter 3, the second part of verse 6. No one who continues to sin has either seen Him or known Him. And as well, again, in John chapter 8, Jesus said to those whom He knew wanted to kill Him, He told them that they belonged to their father, the devil, and that they wanted to carry out their father's desire who was a murderer from the beginning. And in that chapter, Jesus also makes it clear that those who belong to Satan, they do not hear what God says. They ignore His commands. They are disobedient to Him because they do not belong to God. Scripture is clear as John teaches us in this epistle that true faith is incompatible with a life of sin. To say it another way, those who belong to God are incompatible with those who belong to the devil. And that's why Paul commands in 2 Corinthians 6, do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? And Paul's point is that the answer to all of these questions is nothing. They have nothing in common. Those born of God love God and their neighbor. Those born of Satan hate God and their neighbor. Those born of God know and they believe the truth. Those born of Satan know and they believe the lie. Those born of God obey God's commands. Those born of Satan disobey the commands of God. Those born of God walk in the light and they practice righteousness while those born of Satan walk in the darkness and they practice sin. Those born of God desire the things of God while those born of Satan, as John says in chapter 2, desire the things of this world. Those born of God love righteousness and they love those who practice it. Those born of Satan hate righteousness and they hate those who practice it. Those born of God enjoy salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord. And those born of Satan are defeated and will be completely destroyed because Jesus Christ is victorious and has destroyed the devil's work. Is the picture clear? I trust that it is. Do we understand, beloved, why we are to come out from among those who belong to the devil and be separate, as Paul says? It's because there is no compatibility. There can be no compromise with sin and evil of any kind. As I heard once on the radio, and maybe I've said this to you before, there was a comment, if you were on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you? I'll pray that there would be. Yes, beloved, we still sin as believers. But even then, there is a difference between the sin of the believer and the sin of the unbeliever. Not to make us haughty and arrogant and so forth. Yes, my sin, you see, is still against God and against His holiness. My sin is still offensive to Him. My sin still deserves eternal punishment. But the believer's sin is also offensive to himself. And by the working of the Holy Spirit, he is sorry for his own sin. He hates his own sin. He confesses it, repents of it, and he receives forgiveness for his sin for the sake of Christ. And again, all of this is by God's grace and it is through the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit. The unbeliever, on the other hand, sins consciously, willingly, happily. And he doesn't care what God thinks. While the one born of the devil sins deliberately and without conscience, the one born of God, in the face of temptation, exercises his conscience. And with Joseph in Genesis 39, he says, How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God? How incompatible is faith and a life of sin? As incompatible as heaven and hell. What will be missing from hell? The grace and the eternal glory of the presence of God. What will be missing from heaven? Satan, sin, sorrow, and eternal death. What will be present in hell? The eternal wrath of God and the eternal torment of punishment for sin. What will be present in heaven? God Himself. And the Lamb who sits on His throne, who will live with His redeemed people, and who will be the light for His people. To whom do you belong? To whom do you belong? See, if you must answer that question and say, well, I don't belong to God, then your comfort is that there is still hope. You are called to repent of your sins and look to the Lord Jesus Christ in Him alone. For there is salvation only in Him. There is new life. And oh, what glory for those to whom God says through Isaiah, I have redeemed you. You belong to Me. You are Mine. And Paul says, if God is for us, who can be against us? You see, it's not what my hands have done that has brought me from death to life and made me incompatible with a life of sin. Jesus Christ has made that real for me. And may the practice of my new life in Christ include this confession. I bless the Christ of God. I rest on love divine. And with unfaltering lip and heart, I call this Savior mine. Beloved, there can be no compromise between faith and a life of sin. And may our desire be to practice a life of faith which points to and draws attention to the Heavenly Father who loves us, to the only begotten Son who redeems us, And to God, the Holy Spirit, who cleanses us from all unrighteousness. Amen. Shall we pray? Father, again in Jesus' name and in His name alone, we bow before Your throne of grace. And we thank You for Your Word, which we have considered tonight. And we pray, Father, that Your Holy Spirit would be busy and active. that that Word might be applied to our heart and life, that we might be filled to greater heights of joy in the Lord, the joy of our salvation, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Father, may each and every one of us be mindful of our lives and how we live. And indeed, may our lives be lives of thanksgiving and praise to the Most High God. To Your name be the glory and the honor and the praise forever and ever. Amen. Thank you.