Well in the passage that Brother Jim read in 1 John 4 and the whole book of 1 John has a lot to say about the love of brethren. And that's what I want to talk about this morning in evidences of the new birth. Now this is again coming basically from John chapter 3 where Christ told Nicodemus you must be born again or you cannot see or enter the kingdom of God. The new birth, which comes by the power of God, not by the power, the works, or the will of men. He sends his spirit, God sends the Holy Spirit from the Lord Jesus Christ to bring sinners under the gospel, and he gives them life from the dead. Because by nature, we don't have that life. We have physical life, but we don't have spiritual life. And so in the new birth, he imparts spiritual life, a new spirit, as one put it in the Old Testament, a new heart, mind, affections, and will. And that new birth can only be seen and known by its evidences. And that's what I've been talking about. We talked about first the evidence of a revealed knowledge of God, and faith in Christ, the gospel, which is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth, for therein is the righteousness of God revealed. From faith to faith, as it is written, the just shall live by faith, looking to Christ, resting in Christ for all righteousness. And the righteousness of God there is the merit, the value, the worth of what Christ himself accomplished on behalf of his people, what the God-man, God manifest in the flesh, that's who Jesus Christ is, and what he accomplished in his obedience unto death as the surety of his people, the substitute of his people, the redeemer of his people, shedding his blood. You mentioned it there in 1 John 4.10, he's the propitiation, the sin-bearing sacrifice who brought satisfaction to the justice of He paid the debt in full. And as a result, because of his death, he was buried and he arose again the third day and established because of his righteousness that resurrection life that he gives to every one of his people in the new birth. And we know it because God reveals himself. He teaches us. of how he can be just to justify the ungodly, how he saves sinners according to his glory, his justice, his mercy, his grace, his love, and brings us to faith in Christ. And then secondly, repentance of dead works and idolatry. This is when he changes our hearts, he changes our minds. From idolatry to serve the living God. to turn from ourselves, even our best selves. And that's what people don't understand about repentance on the whole today. We know we have to turn away from our worst selves, in our view. But God in Christ, when we're born again, we turn away from the best that we can do. The best self. Because at my best, I'm altogether vanity. At my best, I cannot attain the perfection of righteousness that can only be found in Christ. So I have to repent of that. Even what I called the good things, I now see in comparison to Christ, those things are evil. And I turn from even my religion. Salvation is not by works. So I have to turn from my works to His work, to His person and to His work. And that's what God brings us to. If you're born again, that's what you'll do. God brings you to that. And then thirdly, He establishes within the hearts of His people the motive, the holy motive of grace and gratitude and love. He gives us a reason to serve Him. a reason to obey Him, not by legal threats of punishment or mercenary promises of earned reward, but out of love and grace and gratitude to serve in newness of life. And then today I want to talk about a fourth evidence, and that's love of the brethren in faith. Listen to these words. He says in verse 13 of 1 John 4, Hereby know we that we dwell in Him and He in us. This is how I know that I dwell in Christ. I want to be found in Him. You remember Paul said that in Philippians 3? That I be found in Him. Not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ. So I, hereby know we that we dwell in Him and He dwells in us. How does Christ dwell within his people? By his spirit and by his word in the new birth. Because he had given us of his spirit, you see. And verse 14, and we have seen and do testify that the father sent the son to be the savior of the world. That's his God's children all over this world. And this is what he's talking about. Go back to verse seven. Beloved, let us love one another. Love is of God. Love is not of man. Now this love that he's talking about is not of man. It's of God. And everyone that loveth is born of God and knoweth God. That's plain, isn't it? Look back at chapter three. Look at verse 13. He says in verse 13 of chapter three, marvel not my brethren if the world hate you. We know that we have passed from death unto life. We know we've been born again. Because, here's the evidence, we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. Pretty plain, isn't it? The Bible has a lot to say about brotherly love. Let me just read you some scripture. This is John 13 and verse 34, the Lord speaking to his disciples. And he said, a new commandment I give unto you that you love one another as I have loved you that you also love one another. Now, why is that a new commandment? Hasn't God always commanded us to love brethren, even in the Old Testament? Yes, but it's new in this sense. When we're born again, this is a love that we never had before. It's, as old guy said, it's brand spanking new to us when God sheds this abroad in our hearts. And he says in verse 35 of John 13, he says, by this shall all men know that you are my disciples if you have love one to another. Now, did you hear that? He says, by this shall all men know that you're my disciples, you're followers of Christ, you're believers in Christ, if you have love one to another. Now does that mean that as I live my life, that the unbelieving world, he said all men there, that the unbelieving world, is he talking about brethren there or is he talking about the world? Well listen to me. Does that mean as I go through my life, that the unbelieving world will look at my life and say, now there goes a real Christian. He loves his brothers. He's a real believer. I admire his love. Is that what that means? Well, if you look at 1 John 3, listen to this. 1 John 3 in verse one, since we're right there close, you can read this. Now listen to this. Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God. Therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Now there was nobody who ever walked on this earth who was more loving than our Lord. in every way. Love incarnate, the perfection of love, and the world didn't recognize it. And he says here, the world knoweth us not. You know the unbelieving world doesn't even know what a Christian is. They think they do, but they don't. And then you consider other passages of scripture where the Lord said, To his disciples, John chapter 15 verse 18, he said, marvel not if the world hate you. It hated me before it hated you. He said in John chapter three, the passage that I based all these messages on, I'm going back to when he says, this is the condemnation that light is coming to the world and men love darkness and hated the light because their deeds were evil. Think about that. Is he saying that the unbelieving world will recognize Christian love? And the answer is no, no. God's people will recognize it. And in a sense, the unbelieving world will sometimes recognize that we're together in this love. I think about it this way. You remember when the disciples were brought to court before the Sanhedrin and Peter began to speak the same gospel that Christ, the Lord spoke, They didn't recognize that as love, the Sanhedrin, the judges, the unbelieving, legalistic Jewish judge, they didn't recognize that as love, but you know what they did recognize? They said, you've been with that Jesus of Nazareth. We can tell from your talk. You're a follower of Christ. Now that was Peter's love. They didn't recognize it that way, so don't get the idea. You know, this thing about love, listen, this is 1 John 3, look down at verse 23. It says, and this is his commandment, that we should believe on the name of his son, Jesus Christ, and love one another as he gave his commandment. Love and faith, faith and love come together. Over in 1 John chapter 5 and verse 1, it says, whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. That's an evidence we've already talked about. Faith in Christ. If you believe in Christ, you've been born again. You're a miracle of God's grace. You're a new creation in Christ. And he says, and everyone that loveth him that begat, who's the one who begat? That's Christ, that's God. He begat us. So everyone that loveth him that begat also, loveth him also that is begotten of him. That's our brethren. So he's talking about brotherly love as an evidence of being born again. Now, if I have this brotherly love, I've been born again. If I don't have it, I haven't been born again. That's simple, isn't it? The problem is this though. Most people don't understand either the origin or the nature of this love. First of all, the source of this love is not us. It is grounded in God's love for his people in Christ. That's right there in our text, 1 John 4 and verse 10. Look at it again. Herein is love, not that we love God. In other words, the origin and the source and the nature of this love is not to be measured by man. Somebody says, well, I know he's a loving person. Well, he may be in certain ways, but is he in this way? Well, here in his love, not that we love God, but that he loved us. This is God's unconditional love towards his people in Christ and sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins. We're gonna read it in a couple of weeks here concerning John 3, 16. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. That's talking about his people. God's chosen people all over this world, Jew and Gentile. It's not talking about everybody without exception. And I'll prove that to you by scripture. God proved his love toward his eternal love. He told Jeremiah, I've loved you with an everlasting love. There never was a time he didn't love his people. But his love is founded and grounded upon his justice satisfied in Christ. Without Christ, there is no love from God. Understand that. Those who live and die in unbelief are not objects of God's love. And they're not objects of God's unfulfilled desire, God wanting to save them, but he wouldn't let them. So we're not the source or the cause of this. Look at verse 19 of 1 John 4. We love him because he first loved us. So what am I saying? Well, this love is not natural to us. This is a love that nobody by nature has. Now, there are different kinds of love. Jim mentioned that. Unregenerate people can love, but not this way. Unregenerate people can love themselves. They can love their families. Unbelieving husbands can love their wives. Unbelieving wives can love their husbands. Unbelievers can love their country. Love their fellow man. Unbelievers can give their lives for a just cause, martyrdom. 1 Corinthians chapter 13, though I give my body to be burned, but have not charity. That's love, this love, it's for nothing. People have given their lives in the cause of false religion because they love their God, but their God is an idol. which is in essence themselves. So there are all kinds of different love. And we want to promote love of humanity, love of people. We're to love our neighbor as ourselves. That's what the scripture says. But this love, well, let me read you that 1 Corinthians passage in chapter 13. Let me read this. Unbelievers can be charitable. Look at where it's in first Corinthians 13 3 and though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor and though I give my body to be burned and have not charity a profit of me nothing. Now we as the people of God we're to be charitable we're to be giving We're to help when others are in need, but that's not what we're called to do as a church. Our call is not to open up soup kitchens and clothing drives. Our call is to preach the gospel. That's what we're called to do. But this love that we're talking about, that evidences the new birth, is something that man by nature does not have in any degree, in any way. It's this love that comes from God and is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. Listen to Romans chapter five and verse five, when he says, hope maketh not ashamed because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given to us. This love is listed as part of the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5.22, the works of the Spirit, the fruit of the Spirit. The Spirit sheds this love abroad in the hearts of God's people by the revelation of the gospel truth in Christ. And this is love in Christ alone. There's no love from God to sinners, I wanna emphasize this, apart from Christ as revealed in the gospel. Think about it. I think about that passage in John 5 when Christ was confronting the Pharisees concerning their misconceptions. of the word of God and they would not receive him. They would not believe in him. They would not submit to him as the Lord, their righteousness. And he told him in John chapter five and verse 42, he says, I know you that you have not the love of God in you. Now we could say that he is omniscient and he knows the hearts of everybody. But the reason he told them they have not the love of God in them is because they didn't believe God's word. This love here is love that loves the truth and believes God. You can't separate this kind of love from believing and loving God's truth. Look over at 1 John 1. 1 John is a book that establishes the foundations of fellowship. And that love of the brethren is a fellowship. We're in the same family, in other words. Now, that doesn't mean we're always gonna get along, sad to say. It doesn't mean we're always gonna like the same things in the world. It doesn't mean that we're always gonna act right. But it means we're in the same spiritual family. And we recognize that family because we love the truth of God. We walk in the light together. Now listen to this in verse five of 1 John 1. This then is the message that we heard of him. What's the message? It's the gospel. How God saved sinners. Are you my brother? Are you my sister? Well, if you are, we believe the same gospel. The same salvation. By God's grace, through the blood of Christ, His righteousness alone, we don't differ there. We believe that God saves us by his grace, keeps us by his grace, and will bring us to glory by his grace, not conditioned on us. If you believe otherwise, you're not my brother or sister, or you give no evidence at this point. And he says this is the message that we declare unto you, that we've heard of him and declare unto you, God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, And that's where our fellowship is grounded. It's in fellowship with the Father and the Son. And walk in darkness, we lie and do not the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another. And the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanses us from all sin. What cleanses you from sin? If it's anything but the blood of Christ, you and I are not walking in fellowship. You understand that? You say, well, I prayed three hours last night and I just feel clean now. Well, I could pray all day and it's not gonna make me feel any cleaner. What can wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. That's our fellowship, you see. And I love that truth. And I'll go even further than that. Whatever this book says about God, that's what we love. It says that God is sovereign. I love that, how about you? You don't like that? You're not in my family. And I'm not bragging about that. How does one get into God's family? By his grace, based on his righteousness alone. Who are my brethren? Christ said, those who do the will of my Father. Well, what is the will of his Father? That they believe on him whom the Father has sent. rest in Him. How are you made righteous in God's sight? One of our folks was telling me about talking to a preacher who was talking about being made more righteous by his works. Well, I hate that truth because it's not truth. The Bible says this, if righteousness come by your works, by the law, then Christ died in vain. How could I have fellowship with an individual who believes he's made righteous by his works? When the Bible says that if that's what you believe, you're saying that my Lord and Savior, who is my righteousness, died in vain. Well, we don't know everything yet. We know what God's taught us in His Word. Well, you don't have to be so strict. Don't we? What does God's Word say? You cannot love Christ without loving His truth. God chose a people before the foundation of the world and gave them to Christ. I love that truth. That's election. I love election. Don't you? The Bible tells me to give diligence to make my calling and election sure. I've had people call themselves Christians look at me and say, well, I'm not gonna worship a God like that. I said, I know you don't. The one you worship is an idol. If you think I'm being too hard, show me from the scriptures. That's what I say. Christ died for his people and everyone for whom he died shall be saved. I love that. You know why I love it? Because I know if that weren't true, we'd all be damned. I love it. What does it say in 2 Thessalonians 2 about those who deceived? It says, because they love not the truth. This is love that is founded upon truth. And it's the specific love to our brethren in the faith. We are to love our brethren and love not the world. And we cannot rightly claim to love God and not love our brethren, but love the world. You can't do it. And look back at 1 John 4. This love requires godly judgment. Now what is godly judgment? It's not judgment from my own ideas or thoughts or standards. Godly judgment is judgment based on God's testimony in his word. And here's what he says, look at verse one. Beloved, believe not every spirit. Don't believe everything you hear. Don't believe every preacher you hear. But try, that means to test. the spirits. I'm to put him to the test. Now, what is the measure? Well, I don't like his clothes, or I don't like his manner of speaking. I don't like the way he wears his hair. No, no, it's the word of God. To the law and to the testimony, if they speak not according to this word, there's no light in them. Isn't that right? He says, because many false prophets are gone out into the world. How are you gonna test them and find them to either be true preachers of Christ or false prophets? He says in verse two, hereby I know you the Spirit of God, every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God. And that's not just his humanity, that's included. Here comes a preacher, he says, well, I believe in Christ, he's the son of God, but he's not God. He's not in our fellowship. Or he's not man. Most scholars say this was spoken of concerning the Gnostics, who believed that any physical material was evil, and so they would say, well, Christ couldn't have been a human, because that's evil. Christ was every bit human without sin. He's God-man. And in the gospel of his glorious work, What did he accomplish on the cross? We agree with that, don't we? What the Bible says about what Christ accomplished, all that the Father giveth me shall come to me, and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. This is the will of him that sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but raise it up again at the last day. You believe that? I do. The ground of my justification, what is it? It's the imputed righteousness of Christ. That's what the Bible teaches. We're in agreement, see? That's our fellowship. Look over at 2 John, listen to this, talking about judgment. This love requires us to use godly judgment. And most people in Christianity today, or what's known as Christianity, they'd say any judgment is unloving. Most people have that attitude. I had a fellow that was emailing me from Africa. claiming to believe what we believe. And I started a correspondence with him. And he wanted to come here. He was coming to the United States. He wanted to come to Albany. Well, I didn't know that individual well enough, but I know that if anybody comes here from Africa, they're going to be expected to be supported. And so I started asking him some pointed questions about what he believed. Because I know there are many deceivers that have gone out through the world. Test the spirit. And one of the things I asked him, I said, well, what other churches in the United States support you? And man, you should have seen it. All the hodgepodge of different denominations, different beliefs, different gospels. And so I knew what I was getting. So I wrote him, I said, look, you're welcome to come to Albany and sit here and hear the gospel, but we cannot support your ministry. And here's what he wrote back. He said, how can you be so judgmental? And I wrote him back and I said, because the word of God commands me to be. You understand? This love, look at 2 John verse 9. He says, whosoever transgresseth and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. What is the doctrine of Christ? It's these doctrines of the gospel that I've been talking to you about. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. Now a person can claim to believe the doctrine of Christ, but not abide in those things. And he says in verse 10, listen, if there come any unto you and bring not this doctrine, Receive him not into your house. Now, I don't believe he's talking about our individual homes there. I mean, we'll have unbelievers in to do different things. What he's talking about is the church. You don't receive them into your fellowship. Brother, sister, neither bid him Godspeed. Don't promote that ministry. For he that biddeth him Godspeed is a partaker, a fellowshiper. That's what that is, of his evil deeds. You see that? He's talking about having religious fellowship. This love requires godly judgment. Who are our brethren? This is what he says over there in 1 John 3. We know we've passed from death unto life because we love the brethren. Well, who are my brethren? I've got to show you this. Look at Luke 14. I want you to see something here. Luke 14. And look down at verse 26. Now this is interesting. This is where we've got to interpret scripture with scripture. Keep it in its context. In verse 25 of Luke 14, it says, there went great multitudes with him, following the Lord. And he turned and he said unto them, verse 26, if any man come to me and hate not his father and his mother, and his wife, and his children, and his brethren and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple." Now, how you gonna look at that? Wait a minute, preachers will tell you, well, no, wait a minute, that couldn't mean hate, that means love less. Well, that's not what the word means. Is he telling me to hate my mother, my father, my children? Well, listen to me very carefully here, and I think I can help you with that. The answer is, is that we're never to express any kind of sinful hatred towards anybody. And especially our mothers and our fathers and our earthly family, we're to love our neighbor as ourselves. So what does he mean, hate? Well, what he's talking about is the same thing as God's hatred for those to whom sin is imputed. It is a rejection based upon a just ground. And here's what he said, I'm to love my father, but now is if my father doesn't believe this gospel, I'm to reject him as being part of my fellowship. my spiritual family. I cannot speak peace even to my father, my earthly father, if he doesn't believe in Christ. My mother, my children. I have earthly relatives who don't believe this gospel, and I love them, but I reject them as far as this fellowship, this love of the brethren. Does that make sense to you? Because that's what it means. The Lord is not commanding us to express any sinful hatred towards anybody. We're to love our neighbors ourself, but even that love will not tell a lie and speak peace where there is no peace. You know why preachers speak peace when there is no peace? Because that's what gets the numbers in, that's what gets the money in, that's what gets everybody, that soothes the itching ears. This love will not compromise for the sake of unity or peace. That's what he's saying. So love your mothers and your fathers and your children. Do everything you can for them. Help them in any way you can. But if they're not believers, if they don't believe this gospel, this love requires that you side with us against them. That's what he's talking about. This love that brings us together and keeps us together in the truth. This love expresses itself. Let me close with this. Look back at 1 John 3. He says in verse 14, we know that we've passed from death into life because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. We're together in this gospel. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer. And you know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. Hereby perceive we the love of God because he laid down his life for us. That's the ultimate expression of love, laying down your life for a brother or sister in Christ. And we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren, we ought to. I know he'd take the grace of God, now wouldn't it? But whoso hath this world's good and seeth his brother have need and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? A brother or sister who's in need, what are we to do? We're to help them. We're to take care of those needs. We're a spiritual family, you see. And he says, he says, my little children, let us not love inward. Let's not just say it. Neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth. This love expresses itself in compassion, helping when help is needed. I had a couple one time come here years ago, They left because they were mad because we didn't help them in their need. And I told the lady, I said, well, there's a problem with it. She said, what? And I said, I didn't know you were in need. I had no idea. They didn't look like they were in need. But if they needed something, you've got to tell somebody. I know it's a matter of pride, you know. But it's not going to come to us by osmosis. If you need something, if you're really need, Now don't let it be because you're just too lazy to work. Because the Bible says then if you don't work, you don't eat. Isn't that right? This is not welfare. But if a brother or sister's in need, really in need, we're to help them. We're to side with them in the gospel. This love expresses itself in worship and obedience. I'm gonna talk more about that next week. Fighting the warfare, seeking to be like Christ. This love is perfected in us, but not yet perfect coming through us. Over there in 1 John 4, he said, God's love is made perfect in us. What that means is that when God brings a sinner to faith in Christ and repentance of dead works, to shed abroad that love within his heart, That love has reached its goal. The salvation of one of His sheep, it's complete, it's perfected, it's completed, it's finished. God's not finished with us yet, and He never will be, but His love is complete to bring us into the family of God, and He keeps us there by His grace. All right.