We'll praise the Lord if you take your Bibles and turn with me to first John chapter number five first John chapter number five we have come to the last chapter of this precious book that we've been preaching through I believe we started it in the month of March and We have made it to the last chapter of here in chapter number five and I will be reading this morning verses one through five. If you can and are able please stand as we read the word of God together. First John chapter number five verse 1 says whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God and everyone that loveth him that begot loveth him also that is begotten of him but this we know that we love the children of God when we love God and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments, and his commandments are not grievous. For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world. And this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our fate. Who is he that overcometh the world? But he that believeth that jesus is the son of god I want to speak to you this morning on the fault the birthmarks of the believer the birthmarks of the believer and you may be seated And may the holy spirit be our teacher this morning We have noted before that John is preeminently the apostle of love. For John speaks more of brotherly love and our love for God and God's love for man than anyone else in the scripture. Matter of fact, it was John who wrote in the gospel of John in chapter 13 by this shall all men Know yet that ye are my disciples if ye have love to one another And it was also the Apostle John who wrote and John chapter 3 verse 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 And it was the Apostle John who wrote in 1st John chapter 4. He said that God is Love God is love now. It would be very easy to think that John did not care about anything else other than love that he did not care about man's doctrines or that he did not care about man's deeds, but just as long as a man loves God and loves his brother, that is all that matters, but that is not the case of John whatsoever. And we do know that there are those who are saying the very same thing today or teaching the very same thing today, that it does not matter what you believe about the Bible, it does not matter what you believe about the Lord Jesus Christ or salvation, Their motto is this, let's not fuss or fight about anything, let's just love one another. That's their motto today. But let me tell you something, that assumes that you cannot fight for something Or be against someone in love. But you can. You absolutely can. Suppose a man is delirious with a fever and you're seeing him and you see him walking toward a railroad track and you see a train that is hurtling very fast toward him. Now listen, what would be the loving thing to do? The loving thing to do would be to go to him and fight him if necessary in order that it might save his life. And today there are those of us who believe that we must fight for the fundamentals of the faith, though we believe we can speak the truth in love as the scripture tells us. Now John was not a lover only. He was a fighter. Listen, he was just as concerned about a man's spiritual birth and belief, and he was just as concerned about a man's spiritual birth as he was about a man's love. You see, if a man is not a true believer, if he's never been born again, then listen, he has not experienced the new birth. And if he has not experienced a new birth, he cannot live right. And he certainly will not die right. So John was concerned that a man truly be born again. And if you have truly been born again, there are gonna be some birthmarks on your life. Now we know that every family, every family has certain definitive physical characteristics. You know that some people are in a particular family because of the size of their ears or the size of their nose. Some families have the characteristics of red hair, some curly hair. Now just as there are birthmarks of a particular physical family, there are also birthmarks of a man who is in God's spiritual family. This passage of scripture this morning teaches us that there are four birthmarks of a born-again child of God Four ways to know that you are a child of the King Here's the first one. I want you to notice with me this morning. The first one is this the birthmark of conviction the birthmark of conviction A true believer has the unshakable conviction that Jesus is the Christ. He is the Christ. And did you notice how John puts it? He said, Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ. The Christ is born of God. Listen, my dear friends, notice first of all the Christian's profession. The Christian's profession. The true Christian believes that the human Jesus of the New Testament is, my dear friends, the prophesied Messiah of the Old Testament. He believes that Jesus is the Christ, not a Christ, but the Christ. The word Christ comes from the Hebrew word Messiah, which means the anointed one or the chosen one. And the true Christian believes that Jesus Christ is not an anointed one, that he is not an anointed one among many. but that he is the anointed one, the one and only Messiah. And you see, beloved, listen, our conviction ought to be as Peter's conviction and Peter's confession. When the Lord Jesus asked, whom do you say that I am? Peter said, thou art the Christ. Thou art the Christ, the son of the living God. And so that's the Christian's profession. But notice, secondly, also the Christian's possession. The Christian's possession. It's very important to understand what the Bible means generally and what John here means particularly in the use of the word belief. The word does not refer to just a mere intellectual assent to a fact. Now listen, there are multitudes and multitudes of people around the world. There are multitudes of people living in our community. who believe that the Lord Jesus Christ lived and died and rose again from the dead. But listen, they believe that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, but they have never truly been born again. You see, when John uses that word believe, it's a word by what we mean by the word receive. Receive this statement in first John chapter 5 and verse 1 is Explained in the gospel of John chapter 1 and verse 12 Where it says but as many as received him to them gave he power to become the sons of God Listen you you have not truly believed in Christ until you have received him as your Lord and your Savior and I love the question that was asked by the Philippian jailer, what must I do to be saved? Listen, if you were to ask this morning a Muslim that question, he would reply, repeat these words, there is no God but Allah and Muhammad is his prophet. Pray five times a day, give alms to beggars, keep the fast, read the Quran and make a pilgrimage to Mecca. If you were to ask the Buddhist that question, he would reply, forget that you have a body. Become indifferent to pleasure and pain and you may attain to nirvana, the state of extinguished flame. Yet when the jailer asked the question, the answer he was given was, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. Now notice he didn't say believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. No, that's just a intellectual. But he said believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. That is putting your hope and faith in what Jesus Christ did for you at Calvary. You see, friend, listen, there are many, for many the difference between heaven and hell could be something as simple as a small preposition. Many people believe in Jesus. Very few believe on Jesus to be the Lord and their Savior. So the question is this morning, are you saved? Have you been born again? Listen, it's not enough just to profess Christ. You have to possess Christ. So we see the Christian's profession, we see the Christian's possession, but then also notice the Christian's position. The Christian's position. Do you see how John puts it? He says that phrase, born of God, born of God, a child of God. And John uses this word, this phrase seven times, born of God. It's amazing that we can be born of God, that we can be a child of the King. You know, isn't physical birth an amazing thing? Listen, I've seen and witnessed the birth of my four children. And listen, each time I see those things, listen, it is an amazing thing. It's amazing. How the Lord takes the seed of the man and the egg of a woman, both of which cannot be seen without the aid of a microscope, and joins those two together, and what happens? Life begins. Life is formed. It's an amazing thing. But my dear friend, the spiritual birth is also an amazing thing. how the Lord takes the seed of the Word. He takes the seed of the Word and the egg of the will of man and joins them together by the power of the Spirit. And what happens? A child of God comes forth. Now think about this. We don't come forth as ordinary citizens. We come forth as children of the King. Children of the King. I like the way John puts it in 1 John chapter three in verse one, or verse two rather, he said, beloved, now are we the sons of God. Not that we're going to be, not that we could be, but the moment of faith and repentance, my dear friends, now are you the sons of God. So listen to me. You might be here this morning and you're absolutely despondent. You might be absolutely discouraged, feeling sorry for yourself. But listen, think about the great dignity that God has bestowed upon you that you are a child of the King. You are God's child. You can say to yourself this morning, wonders of wonder, I'm a child of the King. So the first birthmark is what? The birthmark of conviction. The birthmark of conviction. Here's the second one, the birthmark of compassion. The birthmark of compassion. Five times in these three verses, John uses this word love. It's almost as if he cannot get away from it. He keeps coming back to the fact that a child of God is going to be marked by what? Love. The child of God is going to be marked by love. John says that, first of all, that God's children love the Father. God's children love the Father. Look again in verse Verse one again, whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God and everyone that loveth him, Christ, that begot, loveth him also that is begotten of him. And so we see, beloved, that, listen, is it not normal? It is self-evident that a child will love his father. A child will love his father. And remember what John said in chapter four, we love him, why? Because he first loved us. Amen? You see, the more we come to know God, the more we come to understand what God has done for us in Christ, and the easier it is to love him. I like this song that Bill Gaither wrote many years ago. It goes something like this. The longer I serve Him, the sweeter He grows. The more that I love Him, more love He bestows. Each day is like heaven, my heart overflows. The longer I serve Him, The sweeter he grows. Amen? Now listen, to the scientists, they may see God as just the great creator. The the philosopher may see God as just as the great knower the lawyer may see God as just a great judge the the The doctor may see God as just a little as a great healer But a true believer will see God as a loving father as a loving father Now listen there may be some here this morning. I due to certain family situations, you may have to do in this life without the love of a mother. You may have to endure this life without the love of a father, but my dear friend, if you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you have a Heavenly Father that loves you much more than what an earthly father or mother could ever love you. Listen your Heavenly Father loves you with an unconditional love. He loves you with an everlasting love Jeremiah said yay. He appeared when I was old with an everlasting love Listen, do you love the Lord? Do you love him? Do you openly confess your heart's admiration for him? Do you express your appreciation to him for his grace in your life? I? Listen John says that God's children love the father and then John says that God's children Love not only the father, but they love the family. They love the family Look how John puts it Again in verse 1 the last part and everyone that loveth him that begot Loved him also that is begotten of him Now we've heard the old saying where it says something like this, to love me is to love my children. Well, the idea here is similar. Love God, love his child. You love his only begotten. You see, to love me is to love my children. And if you do not love them, you cannot say that you love me. To love the father is to love his child. the Lord Jesus. Now the question is, how does love conduct itself toward those in the family? Well, I like the way Paul put it. Paul says, and whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it. You see, there is an understanding, there is a concern, there is an interest on the part of all God's children for every member of the family. elaborates on this a great deal in the great love chapter 1st Corinthians chapter 13 where he says love suffereth long and is kind love envieth not love vaunteth not itself it is not puffed up now John has absolutely covered an incredible amount of ground on this vital subject of love. The Apostle is concerned, why? About our internal, personal, interpersonal relationships. But the bottom line is this, beloved, listen to me. Our love for each other is a tell-tale sign of the reality of our faith in Jesus Christ. The birthmark of compassion. Do you love the Father? Do you love your family, those who are born of God? So the birthmark of compassion, the birthmark of conviction. Here's a third one, the birthmark of commitment. The birthmark of commitment. You see, love is just not in words. Love is in works, right? Love is just not in saying, but it is in doing. I could tell my wife and my children that I love them till I'm blue in the face. But if I never show forth those words, it is all in vain. You can tell whether or not you love the Lord, how? By one test, here it is. Do you obey him? Do you obey him? And of course, you can recall the words, the convicting and challenging words of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ when he said, if you love me, Keep my commandments. So when it comes to love, talk is cheap, isn't it? Talk is cheap. Intentions are absolutely worthless. But it is actions that count. Did you notice how John puts it in this passage? the third verse he says for this is the love of God that we keep his commandments that we keep his commandments that word keep in verse 3 is the Greek word that means to attend carefully to attend carefully to obey diligently and my dear friend me tell you something this morning obedience is is no laughing matter to the Lord. Obedience is no laughing matter with God. Listen, we ought to know how seriously our Lord takes this thing of obedience. Listen, it is the bottom line of your faith in Him and love for Him. And all you have to do is recall the story in 1 Samuel chapter 15 where Saul was told by the Lord to go and smite Amalek. He was told to annihilate the entire city. He was not to take any captives. He was not to take any spoils. Well, Saul obeyed a certain part of that command. He did annihilate the city. But he took with him out of that city the best of the sheep and the oxen and the cattle and all the livestock. And as he was approaching the city, after battle, Samuel the prophet came out to meet him and said, hey, Saul, where did you get these sheep? Saul, where did you get these livestock? And Saul said, well, I thought it'd be a good idea to spare them that I might be able to sacrifice them unto the Lord. And then of course Samuel said, he said, wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the Lord? How could you not obey the voice of the Lord? And then Samuel said this, he said, to obey is better than sacrifice. Do you understand that this morning? That obedience is better than anything else. The one thing that God wants from you more than anything else is your obedience. Listen, more than he wants your money, more than he needs your excuses or even your substitutes, listen, God wants your obedience. And the one thing that God despises more than anything else is rebellion. More than anything else, God despises rebellion. You see, you are never more like Christ than when you obey. And you are never more like Satan when you rebel. My dear friend, every commandment in this book Every commandment in this book, the command to remember the Lord's day, the command to be baptized after salvation, the command to be faithful in attendance to, the command to be holy in Christ's light, the command to be filled with the Spirit, and the command to adhere to God's order. As frivolous as it may sound to you, as out of date it may sound to you, my dear friend, let me say it, obedience. serious business with God. Serious business. For God's commandments do not call for debate, they do not call for discussion, they call for obedience. So we're to obey with diligence but notice also we are to obey with duty. Or excuse me, we're to obey with with delight. Obey with delight. For his commands, John says, are not grievous. They're not burdensome. The word there means heavy. It's the picture of a heavy load on your back. God's commandments should not be a duty. They ought to be a delight for the child of God. Listen to me, we are not slaves obeying a master. We are children obeying a father. And the more you love the Lord, the more you will delight in his commandments and the less heavy they will seem. Oh, listen, do you love the Lord? Some of you parents have teenage boys. In a few years, I'm going to be in that category. So y'all go ahead and begin praying for your pastor, even right now. Amen? But you know, there are times when they grumble and gripe over certain chores, maybe taking out the trash or doing something like that. Now, not our youth here at Barrow, but the youth of other churches, they gripe and complain. But as soon as they begin to love a certain girl, what happens? Things change. And the first thing they want to do when they want to borrow the car, the first thing they will do is take out the trash. And they might even wash the dishes without being told. But listen, what makes the difference? Love. Love makes the difference. There are some husbands that used to open the door of their car for their wife when they first got married. But that typically doesn't last very long, does it? Someone has said that when a man opens a car door for his wife, one of two things are new, the car or his wife. But you see, when you love the Lord, Do what you do for him out of love out of love his commandments will not be burdensome No, listen, they will be a blessing They will be a blessing keep your spot there in first John chapter 5, but turn with me to Hebrews chapter 6 and verse 10 Hebrews chapter 6 and verse 10 just back a few pages. I Love this verse As we think about our love for the Father and obedience, Hebrews chapter 6 and verse 10 tells us this, it says, for God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of what? Labor of love, which ye have showed toward his name and that ye have ministered to the saints and do minister. Listen, why do you teach Sunday school? Why do you sing in the choir? Why do you do the things that you do in the church and outside the church? Listen, if it is not out of love, it is the wrong motive. It ought to be your love for Him that motivates you to serve Him and to obey Him. I recall Laban. Laban made Jacob serve him seven years for the right to marry Rachel. But the Bible tells us this in Genesis 29 verse 20, tells us this, and Jacob served seven years for Rachel. I love this part. It says, and they seemed unto him of just a few days for the love he had for her. Oh, my dear friend, the more you love Christ, the more you love God, the more you're going to obey him and the less grievous they will be to you. So we've seen this morning the birthmark of conviction, the birthmark of compassion, the birthmark of commitment, our obedience, and here's the fourth and final thing. The birthmark of conquest. The birthmark of conquest. Three times John uses the word, overcometh. He uses that word three times. Listen, to me that really lets me know that there is a real conflict going on, doesn't it? And the Bible says that Christians fight against three formidable foes. The world, the flesh, and the devil. And when John speaks about the world here, he is referring to the invisible spiritual system of evil. And sadly, too many believers have taken a look at the world and said something like this, well, I can't beat them, so I might as well join them. And so they begin to drink the world's booze. They begin to talk the world's language. They begin to watch the world's films. They begin to read the world's pornography. But John uses two different tenses of the word overcometh here. The first and the third time it is used in the present tense, it is a daily overcoming. The second time it is used in a tense that means something that took place in the past and it is settled once and for all. This is the victory that overcometh the world. It took place in the past. And so John speaks of, he speaks about the initial victory. The initial victory. A victory that has been achieved once and for all. And you say, Brother Wade, when did that happen? It happened on the first Good Friday and that first Easter Sunday, amen? That is where the victory was attained. That is where the triumph was achieved. And that is where the battle was fought and won in a magnificent display of His sovereign power. Christ did it. Christ did it all. All that He set out to do. Listen, He skillfully accomplished when He crushed the opposing forces of darkness, as Colossians chapter 2 and verse 15 tells us. My dear friend, listen, the great news is the victory. The victory is already ours in Christ. Already ours in Christ Jesus. And the hard part comes when we seek to live in the light. Seek to live in the light of it day by day. And so that's why John speaks about not only the initial victory, But then he speaks of the continual victory. The continual victory. For in the present tense, these words speak of continual conquest. You say, well, Brother Wade, how do we get the victory? How do we get the victory? Well, John says in, I believe, verse four. This is the victory that overcometh the world, Even our fighting? No. This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. I love that song. Faith is the victory. It goes right with our text this morning. Faith is the victory. And several times in the book of Hebrews in chapter 11, you'll see that phrase by faith. Turn to your Bible and turn to Hebrews chapter 11. I want you to see this. As the writer of Hebrews begins to name all of these great heroes of our faith and what we call the hall of faith chapter, Hebrews chapter 11, notice by faith. By faith, in verse 4, by faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice. Verse 5, by faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death. Verse 7, by faith Noah being warned of God of things not seen as yet. Verse 8, by faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for inheritance, obeyed and he went out not knowing whether he went. And then verse 9, by faith he sojourned in the land of promise. Listen, they were not living a life of defeat. No, they were living a life of victory. How and why? Because of their faith. And John says, you Christians, You do not have to walk around defeated because Jesus Christ has made you victors He has soundly trounced every enemy And you share in his victory as Romans chapter 8 and verse 37 tells us we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. Amen. We're more than conquerors through him that loved us. We are overcomers and my dear friends, it is by faith we claim his victory. I like the word that says, oh, help me Lord to realize that you are all in all. That I am more than conqueror in great things and in small. no need have I but you have met upon the cruel tree all precious dying risen Lord you are my victory my different how was it going through these birthmarks of salvation birthmarks of the believer could you say this morning that that you're born again, and that these characteristics, these birthmarks are marked upon your lifestyle. They're marked upon you and people may see you they see these things in your life and they know Because of these things that you are a child of the king. Oh, I pray that these birthmarks are your part of your nature For you are a partaker if you've been born again of his divine nature Let's pray together father Lord, I thank you, Lord, for your word and, Lord, just allowing us to come together, Lord, and learn more about what your word has to say. And Father, I pray for those, Lord, who are here and who do not have that sustained faith, who do not have that compassionate love and that obedience that should be manifest in their life. Father, I pray that you would awaken anybody who is living under a self-delusion about their true spiritual condition. And Father, bring them to the foot of the cross that they might embrace the sacrifice of Christ on their behalf. Those who are here, Father, I pray that they they're here Lord and they're not overcomers or my by your grace would you awaken their heart to that and the reality that that they may rush to cry out as the publican prayed in the temple in the temple Oh God be merciful to me a sinner for Christ's sake or that they might become one of us who have overcome. Father, I pray that the Holy Spirit would speak to souls today. Father, that these birthmarks would give us assurance of those who have been saved. And Lord, to those who are not, may it be because of your spirit opening up their heart to their true spiritual condition that they've never been born again. Father, I pray that you would do this. I pray that you bless the remainder of this day. Father, we love you. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. Let's stand quietly and reverently, every head bowed and every eye closed. As the Holy Spirit begins to speak, there's an opportunity for you to come respond to the preaching of His Word. You know that you've been born again. Oh, listen, as there are those praying and responding to this message, how about you today? If you need me, if you need me to pray with you over anything, I'd be glad to do that.