Again our text is 1st John chapter 5 verses 1 through 5. This is the Word of God. Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God. And everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. By this we know that we love the children of God. when we love God and obey His commandments. For this is the love of God that we keep His commandments, and His commandments are not burdensome. For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world, and this is the victory that has overcome the world, our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? This is God's word. Several years ago, a friend of ours planted a loquat tree in our yard. It was just a little baby tree, but it took root and it grew up strong. And several years later, it began to bear fruit, good fruit. We Christians, we need to have an assurance of our faith because we are assailed by our enemies on every side. And how do we know that we have salvation? It's by our spiritual fruit. The apostle wrote this letter in a substantial way to warn of the false prophets and the teachers. But he also wrote to reassure the church, to support it, to let them know that they have the true gospel and also ways by which they may know that they have salvation. And in this case, when we look at chapter five, verse 13, we see sort of a theme verse where it says that these things have I written to you that you may know that you have eternal life. And what we have here in our passage here, verses one through five, are three ways to know. It's good to know. John wrote in the letter, how do you know that you know him? How do you know that you have the spirit? It is by this you know. So follow with me on the main proposition of the text. Christians have an assurance that they are born of God in three ways. Christians have an assurance that they are born of God in three ways. First, Christians have an assurance that they are born of God because they believe in Christ. Second, Christians have an assurance that they are born of God because they love God and his children. And third, Christians have an assurance that they are born of God because they keep his commandments. We have three evidences here, or maybe three tests. We have a doctrine, we have a social and obedience tests. But first, Christians have an assurance that they are born of God because they believe in Christ. Now it's helpful, it's useful, it's pertinent that we understand that the Bible has revealed that Jesus, he is the only Redeemer and Savior. And we are made partakers of that salvation through faith alone. And that in itself is a gift of God. It's by God's grace to the glory of God alone. This is the five solas. which separated the Reformation men from the Roman church. It's scripture alone, Christ alone, faith alone, grace alone, and to the glory of God alone. It's important to understand this because there are those who think that, there are those who are trying to attack us. They're those because they're pushing back against antinomianism, a sort of looseness, a sort of lawlessness. They do it because they're seeing people who are just not obeying the laws. So what do they do? They put an undue emphasis, an over-unbalanced emphasis on the commandments, on the obedience. They'll even use this passage in John, saying that if you're born of God, you're not going to sin. We have these in our world, in the Reformed. We have those in the evangelical world. I'm not saying they're doing it purposefully. I'm just saying they have an overemphasis and I have the quotes to prove it. But what I'm trying to say to you tonight, I want to set the record straight that these five verses here, they are the fruit, not the root. These are going to give us the consequences, not the cause. They are the evidences, not the ground. I want to make it straight. It's Jesus Christ who is the ground. So when we look at this verse, verse one here, everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God. We see believe it's in the present tense. It's right now. happening at this time. And then when we look further on the other part of the clause, has been born of God, that's in the perfect tense. That is a completed action in the past. It is done, it's accomplished, it is finished. What I'm trying to say is your regeneration, you being born from above, that's gonna proceed you believing. Many probably do not remember when they were physically born. I actually know someone very well who has told me they remember when they were born, when they came out of the womb. I'm thinking to myself that is it possible that maybe it was a dream? Maybe it's possible that you had an impression and you're just ascribing it to your birth. Regardless, it doesn't really matter. You know that you've been born into this world because you're here right now. You're living, you're breathing. And that's how it is also with your spiritual rebirth. Maybe you think it's possible you know the time that you were spiritually born, but that doesn't matter. John does not say, by this you know. that you're born, born again from above, because you remember the time that you were born from above. He doesn't say that. He says, by this you know, because you believe that Jesus is the Christ, right now. Because if you didn't believe, you could not be born again. Because what does it say in the scriptures? It says that before you're born, your heart is desperately wicked and deceitful above all things. Paul says that you are dead in your trespasses and sins. He also says that there's none righteous, no, not one. There's none that understands. There's none that seeks after God. You're not gonna seek after God. You have no desire to seek after God. So if you believe right now that Jesus is the Christ, it is by this that you know. You believe he is the son of God, he is anointed above all, above all the prophets and the priests and the kings, and he has been equipped to come into this world for our salvation. How do you know you're born of God? Because you believe that Jesus, he is the Messiah. That's how you know. We've considered that Christians have an assurance that they have been born of God because they believe in Christ. Now let's consider, Christians have an assurance that they are born of God because they love God and his children. Christians have an assurance that they've been born of God because they love God and his children. Let me first take a quick glance at this, a cursory reading. You may think that the one who loves God is going to love the one who's begotten of God, so you think it's the Christ, Jesus. And that's true. You will love the Christ. But I think the ESV does a really good job here. It says, whoever has been born of God, meaning the children of God. And that's supported by the verse before when it says in verse 21 of chapter four, whoever loves God must also love his brother. And it's also supported in the very next verse, verse two. By this, we know that we love the children of God. Now that's only natural. One who has been born of God is going to have the image of God in him being constantly conformed to the God of love. So God sheds his love on his children. The one who's born of God is going to do the same. We see this also in the natural world. We see one could be a pagan, could be a heathen. If he loves and respects someone, he's going to do the same to their children. And we also know that one who reveres and honors his own earthly father, he's going to do the same to his offspring, his own brothers and sisters. Because in this world, the family is the closest thing we have in this natural world, flesh and blood. Every once in a while, I'll type in YouTube and I'll get a suggestion. And I'll click on the clip. As on family reunions, I'll see maybe a son or daughter doing a surprise visit during the holidays, like Christmas. Or I'll see maybe a military man or woman just make an unexpected knock on the door. And we see families hugging and kissing and crying. It must be true because it's many views, many likes. We just know this is true. But perhaps maybe there'll be some who will say, maybe I don't think that's true. I've seen families who are devoid of love. I've seen ones that are kind of absent of affection. But that's not the way it should be. That's abnormal. It's irregular. We know it shouldn't be this way, and that's why we call them dysfunctional families. But a family as it should be, it's going to be wound up so tightly in love, like a ball of yarn. Apostle Paul, he calls a household God, a family. In Ephesians 3 when he says, the whole family under heaven and earth is named. We understand that this is just natural outgrowth. Who that's born of God is going to love God and his children. I mean, you can't have one without the other. Of course, a pagan, he may love a children of God, maybe one, two, or three, but can you love the whole universal church without exception? No, you can only do that if you have the supernatural work of the spirit within you. And if you love God and you love the whole church, That's how you know that you are born of God, born from above. We have considered Christians have an assurance that they are born of God because they believe in Christ. We have considered Christians have an assurance that they are born of God because they love God and his children. Now, let's take a look at the last point here. Christians have an assurance that they are born of God because they keep his commandments. They have assurance that they are born of God because they keep his commandments. Now John, his logic is not inconsistent with the Old Testament covenant obligations. Because back in that dispensation, it was an adherence to a moral law as found in the Ten Commandments. Jesus was talking to a lawyer in Luke 10, and he asked them, what is the law? How does it read? And he says that you, the lawyer says, you shall love the law with all the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your strength, with all your soul, and with all your might and your neighbor as yourself. And Jesus said, you answered rightly, correctly. In the Apostle Paul, he concurs, he agrees, and he says in Romans, which actually says that the moral law is perpetual, it goes on even to our time now, he says to owe no man anything but to love one another. For he who loves one another, he's fulfilled the law. Are you seeing what's going on here? Do you understand here that when you're keeping the commandments, you're loving God and the people, you're actually believing in Christ? This is all interrelated. It's all connected. So love, it's not just some emotional sentiment. It's not just getting along well with others. It is living rightly with people according to the word of God. So what we have is we have those who believe in Jesus, those who love God and his people, they're keeping his commands. This is objective, verifiable evidence. And it's by this that we know that we are born of God. But there's one more thing here. It says here that his commandments, they're not burdensome. On verse three, Now maybe there's some objection there because it does seem like we are way down sometimes and it's tiresome. I mean, I don't want to keep the Sabbath today. Football season has already started. I don't feel very loving. That person, do you see him? He cut me off on my way to church. And someone may even say that, doesn't it say in Acts 15, Peter says that we don't want to put a burden on them, which not even our fathers or we were able to bear. Yes, it is burdensome, but understand this is not the fault of the law. The law is good and holy. What we must understand is, though, yes, we have the spirit of God in us, we have not been ultimately glorified yet. So we're going to have corruption that remains and indwelling sin. And it's going to be fighting with each other. It's a constant, violent war within you. The flesh lusts against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh. And these are contrary, one to the other, so that you cannot do the things that you want. And we're also going against the world. When I speak about the world, I'm speaking about how John speaks about it. At the end of chapter 5, when he says that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. It's the world that's impeding us. It's saying that these things are impossible. It's saying you can't do this. But what does John say? If we look at verse 4, he says that everyone who's been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world our faith. So understand that we are armed. We are empowered by his grace. The Holy Spirit is in us. And what does it say in chapter 4 the greater is he the Holy Spirit that's in us than he that's in the world. So we have the Holy Spirit and we have victory. Anything is possible. It's a glorious possibility. Now Jesus, he says in Matthew, to take my yoke upon you and learn of me, learning of the moral law. And he says, he's meek and lowly in heart, but you will find rest for your souls. My yoke is easy and my burden is light. So you've been liberated. You've been freed by Jesus. No longer is the law saying, do this, don't do that. No longer are you feeling just a weight of condemnation on you. Now, instead, you take delight in the law. The law is a joy. And as the time goes on, you begin to understand what David was saying all along in Psalm 19, in that Psalm we had sung earlier. Oh, how I love the law. It is a meditation to my heart. The words, they're sweet to my mouth, sweeter than honey to my taste. Understand that it is Christ who died for you to take you out from this present evil world. Christ is in you, the hope of glory. And this life that you live here now, this temporary world, Christ, you live by the faith in Christ. Perhaps there are some of you who are sitting here in the pews and you're thinking that, I have doubts. You're thinking, I don't feel very loving, that I can't love. Perhaps you may be mulling over saying that, I really can't keep these commandments. But I want you to understand there is a difference between I can't keep these commandments and I can't keep this commandment, so I'm not going to try to keep them at all. Because there's a difference between those who desire to keep his commandments. They want to do the things that are pleasing to their father, but they know they do it not to their satisfaction and imperfectly. I do want to encourage you because I feel that way. But I do also want to encourage you to take our eyes off ourselves and put our eyes on Christ because he is the one who has done the heavy lifting. He's the one that's done actually all the lifting. Understand that Christ, He is the ground. He has done it all. Remember the solas. It's scripture alone, it's Christ alone, faith alone, it's grace alone, and it's to the glory of God alone. Our loquat tree has weathered a lot of storms. Especially a few years ago when we had that ice storm in Austin. And there were ice water crystals weighing down all the branches. If you remember, the trees were cracking day and night. We were all thawed out. We looked at our tree and some branches were dead. We had to lop some off. but it was still alive. We nurtured it. It didn't bear fruit for a few summers, but only very recently it began to bear fruit once again, good fruit, because it was rooted to the ground on such a firm foundation. We've considered tonight that Christians have an assurance that they were born of God in three ways. Glory to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Let's pray.