Faith & Love Begotten of God | 1 John 5:1-2

ThornCrown Covenant Baptist Church

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Okay, welcome once again beloved to this Beautiful Lord's Day. Let's turn over back to 1st.

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John chapter 5 1st. John chapter 5 Verses 1 & 2 1st.

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John chapter 5 verse 1 says

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Everyone who believes That Jesus is the Christ Has been born of God and everyone who loves the one who gives new birth

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Loves also the one who has been born of him By this we know that we love the children of God when we love

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God and do his commandments This is God's Word. Amen so This this is this is such a a packed verse full of good stuff in here that I'm gonna may remain in verse 1 for most of this sermon and Going a little bit to verse 2, but there's still a lot left in verse 1 that I don't want to I don't want us to leave out so Last Lord's Day Or actually the one before that I finished up 1st.

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John chapter 4 and The Other love chapter and we began 1st.

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John chapter 5 verse 1 last Lord's Day and we're seeing how the the theme of love of God's love and our love continues over to this chapter and So a lot of the same similar recurring things sometimes apply to more specific context or scenarios is being being expounded here for us and This especially

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As we go over to verse 2 verses 2 and 3 the themes of love the chain of love the glue of love that that that lies between God man and obedience our obedience to God in his commandments, so Last week

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I covered the fact that verse 1 Said it says everyone who believes that Jesus is the

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Christ has been born of God and we we saw the nature of faith the nature of belief is

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It has two fundamental basic ingredients to it knowledge and assent knowledge and assent right to understand a proposition or Propositions and to accept them as true and in this case

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The proposition to believe is that Jesus is the

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Christ that Jesus is the Christ and to rightly understand and accept him as the divinely appointed and prophesied

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Messiah the Old Testament Messiah and Savior according to the scriptures

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Right and one thing that I as I was studying for this message is this kind of hit me

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When I was reviewing all of this material that when when Christ quotes

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Isaiah 61 from the gospel of Luke chapter 4 I Realized that Isaiah 61 the first verse is there is actually a summary of Christ threefold office of prophet priest and King I was that was fascinating to see how

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That passage Summarizes all three of Christ's offices

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His prophetic teaching role because he was anointed to preach the good news The he is the announcer and the preacher of the gospel as well as his priestly role

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Which I covered both of those last Sunday as a fulfiller and fulfillment of the gospel itself

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He is the Lamb of God. He is the the living and the dying agent of the gospel

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Itself and also his kingly role because his kingly role is as the one who proclaims and both proclaims and brings the day of vengeance of our

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God the day of vengeance of our God and Isaiah 61 verse 2 and That's the verse right before Jesus stops.

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Jesus stops reading right before that verse Because his his coming his

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Adventist King has not yet happened it will in the future so That's a that that was a brief warm -up warm -up and recap for us now today

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I really want us to put on our theological thinking caps on Put them on firmly and buckle up your seatbelts because this is going to be a deep dive into a number of different things

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That verse 1 continues to draw out for us that I will really want to dig into for us today so recall how verse 1 has a

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Parallelism, right? There's a parallelism in verse 1 of chapter 5 in 1st

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John everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God of God the

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Father and Everyone who loves The one who gives new birth

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Loves also the one who has been born of him So there's a lot of parallels in that verse in verse 1

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That we're going to dig into some more today as well now.

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I Appreciate how Gordon Clark's commentary very nicely puts this

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Regarding this verse. He says a Person dead in sin cannot believe cannot believe

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Faith is a gift of God and it is the first activity that God causes in the new life of the believer

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This verse distinctly says that everyone who believes has already already perfect tense

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Been born again past tense Before he believed he was born again.

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He had been born again so that's Extremely important to bear in mind in this verse.

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It's very plain very clear for us and You know some people get confused about that they try to Define or add more to faith and say well faith faith can't be that simple

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It can't just be understanding and accepting something is true well, the Bible teaches very clearly that it is that simple, but the reason it's impossible for man to believe the truth of the gospel is because man has fallen in sin man is a sinner and Rejects and suppresses the truth and unrighteousness

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The carnal mind is against God at enmity with God. So if you are an enemy of God if you're at odds with God You cannot

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Believe the truth of the gospel you are unable to do so and that's why

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The Bible is so clear about us having been born again first We come to believe because we have been born again already

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Amen, so now, of course, we first need to define our terms

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Once again, we need to know what scripture is talking about in these verses

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Especially when it talks about being born of God, what does that mean? What does it mean to be born of God?

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Right and in the Reformed confessions and catechisms

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You see that they often explain regeneration and The new birth all of which are essentially synonymous with being born of God born again the new birth regeneration

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They just they explain this doctrine under another doctrine called effectual calling effectual calling

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Which God does right in regeneration we something happens to us.

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We are Regenerated we are born again but the effectual calling is

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God's effectual calling on us and in us and Which results in our regeneration right our new birth?

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But it's so but it's not the same thing that's often gets confused but it's they are not the same thing The effectual calling is one thing which produces regeneration in us.

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Okay now Why is this because many are called many are called externally through God's Word and preaching of the gospel, but few are

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Effectually called and chosen. Amen. That's what Christ said told us in his in the gospel of Matthew now, what is effectual calling according to the

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Reformed confessions the larger the Baptist Catechism question 34 explains it this way

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Effectual calling is the work of God's Spirit. It's the work of God in his spirit whereby convincing us of our sin and misery

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Enlightening our minds in the knowledge of Christ. Remember what faith is right knowledge and Agreeing with the truth knowledge of Christ and renewing our wills renewing our wills our choices

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He does persuade and enable us God enables us through the new birth to embrace

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Jesus Christ there you see acceptance right you see accepting us true embracing

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Jesus Christ freely offered to Freely offered to us in the gospel

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There you see exactly what we've been dealing with all these past few weeks

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That is the effectual call and now and that is also Regeneration notice the words used in that question and answer the words new renewed

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Enlightened enlightening right? There's this newness of life that we now receive by virtue of God rebirthing us spiritually now

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Regeneration the new birth is so to say it another way is when

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God places his spirit in us and Consequently Grants us enables us like the catechism question says the get to believe and gives us the gifts of repentance

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Which is a change of mind That's the enlightening. We were in darkness, and then he enlightens us to the truth

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Along with a new Betty Patel That's a word that first John the

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Apostle John frequently uses to describe the new life that we have as believers born again a new

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Betty Patel a new Walk a new moral nature not a new nature because we're still human, right?

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We're still human. We're not like those That one sect that the

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Plymouth brethren that basically says we're new. We're a new person No, that's not the case.

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We're still Ourselves, we are still human, but we have a renewed moral nature a new disposition and inclination of holy convictions and affections which are our deepest convictions

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Biblically understood and behaviors It's a new lifestyle of holy habits holy habits and desires

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To believe God and follow him Right to believe God and follow him in his word to follow the shepherd as God's sheep now

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Previously we were wolves and goats and the other group But now we are God's sheep and the sheep know the voice of their shepherd and Follow him and to love him his law and gospel his word and his chosen people, right?

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This is a major Issue topic that the Apostle deals with in this passage.

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We don't just love God and Not our neighbor. We love God and God's people now because of our renewed nature.

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We are born again now And if you want to get a little more into this Issue of regeneration the doctrine of regeneration you can go back and listen to the sermon that I preached in July July 14th called know your enemy the flesh examined and That's from the series on knowing your enemy now

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That being established We have a definition now to work with Note again the phrase

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Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born has been born of God Has been born of God the

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Father, right? So here We see again grammatically

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Has been born of God is in the perfect meaning completed. It's a completed action

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Passive indicative Indicative and it's passive It's indicative.

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That's very important It is past tense it is all the believer has already been born again born of God and This beloved points us to a very awesome gospel promise and indicative

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It's not a law imperative, it's not a command But rather it is done.

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It is what God has done for us Everyone who believes has been born again born of God himself this is a completed action

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That was completed by God himself Because we are born of him born of God born of him it says it twice there beloved, right?

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born of God Not us born of God So our

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Heavenly Father Gives us the gift of faith by first begetting us

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Right. That's another way. You can translate the word born of him Begotten of him that's like the sermon title faith and love begotten begotten of God and and and so The first begetting us.

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He first begets us by his spirit by his spirit and his means of grace so in other words faith

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Presupposes and Requires the new birth you cannot believe unless and until God has rebirthed you

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You cannot That's what the Bible clearly teaches everywhere Now Again, this verse is very clear.

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It's not a hard verse to understand, right? It doesn't take a genius to figure this verse out.

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It's very clear and yet sadly Many Along with many other passages that are equally clear

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It contradicts Plainly contradicts many churches and many evangelists who say that you must first believe in Order to be born again

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They have it exactly backwards and yet the Bible teaches us so plainly.

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Why is that? Why do so many still continue to teach that?

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Well, you must believe in order to be born again and Then you know you can look at John chapter 3 how how

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God described you must be born again But you how you can't how do you birth yourself? You can't birth yourself being that's why the

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Bible uses that language because being born is passive on your part you're just born and The Bible described

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Jesus himself describes Regeneration as the wind the wind blows and it goes wherever it wishes and you don't know where it's gonna hit next

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The wind just and it affects whoever it affects Such as the spiritual regeneration regenerating power of God It's not in our control in other words and again

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If that wasn't clear enough, we can look at the second half of verse 1 in chapter 5 of 1st

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John it says also and Everyone who loves the one who what the one who what who gives?

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new birth To us gives it how beloved gives it freely as a gift because he gives it to us

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That's what it means to give it to us by his grace alone You don't earn a gift beloved a gift is freely given.

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That's what the Bible clearly distinguishes and defines as a gift right

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So those who the everyone who loves the one who gives that new birth to us

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Loves also the one who has been born of him So we love the others like us who have been born by God born of him

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It is black and white It is just so black and white now

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If you still aren't convinced then God help you, but I know we're pretty much on the same page here

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But turn with me over. Let's use the analogy of Scripture Let's look at the words of our Lord and Savior in John chapter 1 verse 12

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This this passage is one of the equally clear teachings in Scripture the gospel of John chapter 1 verse 12

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God speaks to us a powerful word in the words of our Lord and Savior Jesus the

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Christ who says but as many as Received him that's passive beloved

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To them he gave the right to become children of God Children of God because they are born of him

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Even to those who believe in his name Now note this key phrase

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Who were born? not of blood Not of ethnicity like the

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Jews many of the Jews thought it's not being a Jew doesn't make you born of God It's not of blood nor of the will of the flesh our human flesh nor of the will of man as If it wasn't clear enough, but of who?

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but of God period God is the sole agent in giving us that new birth and Giving us the right to become children of God because we were born not of our flesh

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Not of our human will but solely of God. That's the reformed doctrine

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Doctrines speaking of the ref you know Reformation month. This is Reformation month beloved. I forgot to announce that October 31st is coming

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Reformation days is coming and these are the doctrines that the Reformation helped to expound during its day

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That salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone God alone, and that's why he alone gets the glory

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Based on God's Word alone. This is what the Bible teaches black and white now

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That's where the word monergism comes from as opposed to synergism

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Monergism means that God alone works out our salvation

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Monos meaning one one person one subject and that's God as opposed to synergism which is what our minions believe and many who ought to free will and Of course, they also say that you must believe in order to be born again wrongly.

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So in plain contradiction to many scriptures like these God alone

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Makes us born again the Word of God It's amazing how the

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Word of God consistently teaches the same doctrines all throughout all throughout

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Scripture so regeneration, I Hope it's clear now is

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Passive on our end. It's it's passive. We are recipients of God's regenerating grace

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It is the result of God effectually calling us to and rebirthing us by his spirit and means

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We were whereby we receive we receive passively the free gracious gifts of regeneration the new birth and Repentance and faith.

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They're all described as gifts Ephesians 2 8 through 10 In Timothy or Titus, I forget which one it says if perhaps

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God grants them Repentance gives it to them another word for giving who gives a new birth beloved like first John 5 says

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The one who gives new birth is the begetter the one who is

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God God himself and so This along with the rest of our salvation is

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Accomplished by God himself and our union with Christ Which points to another doctrine known as the order of salvation that we'll cover shortly but before I go there recall when

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I read from the Our Baptist Confession of 1689 the chapter on saving faith chapter 14 section paragraph 2 where it says accepting

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Receiving and resting. These are all passive verbs note that on Christ alone for Justification sanctification and eternal life by virtue of the new covenant of grace

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By virtue of God's Spirit God's means and God's covenant of grace the new covenant beloved

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Amen so now this brings us to Another very important Doctrinal theme here

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Because we understand that the believer Believes the believer believes because he or she has been born of God already

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Prior to that first Before he or he or she believed in Jesus the

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Christ, right? Because faith is the result not the cause of regeneration of the new birth

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Faith is a gift of God and it is the first activity that God causes in the new life like Clark says

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First activity note that first first implies that there's other things right?

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There's others events that take place after and I would be remiss not to mention this to you beloved because this passage

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Points to and touches on a larger doctrinal theme known as the ordo salutis that's

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Latin for the order of salvation the order of salvation and this refers to both okay, both the temporal or the historical and the logical order of causes and effects and events in the application of our salvation as individuals, okay

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Because some events happen at the same time we're gonna see that some events

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Happen at the same time. So that's why we have to consider both that historical and Logical because even though they may happen at the same time one is often logically prior to the other

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One logically depends on the other so And I was kind of surprised because when

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I looked at certain definitions of this Some people said it that it's dealing with the historical causes others said that it's dealing with the logical causes

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But the reality is it deals with both okay, and and events in the application, okay, that's a very important word the application of our salvation as Individuals beginning with calling with God's calling and culminating ending so to speak

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In glorification the final stage of our salvation right and You know,

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I'm not I'm really not a fan of John frame, but I What he said here

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I found to be very very helpful So I'm going to read from one of John frames books here describing this put this process

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He says the events of the Ordo of the order of salvation occur in history right in the experience of the believers life election, however

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Election got God's choosing us happens when it happens before time

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Just like Ephesians says right before the foundation of the world before time

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God chose In Christ in God's timeless eternity right eternity past so to speak so Salvation has three main locations with regard to time.

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This is very helpful very important Number one is election

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Before time before the foundation of the world in eternity. That's God's choice choice of whom he would save Number two is the atonement

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Right the atonement which was a historical event of Christ's death on the cross

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That's another hit. That's a historical event Occurring at one time and place in history

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And I don't really like that phrase because really it was Christ's entire life and death

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That is that that culminates in his death in the atonement But it includes his entire life because his life of perfect life of righteousness is credited to us by faith

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We receive Christ's righteousness. That's why we are reckoned perfectly righteous because of his righteousness that he lived out on this earth so and number three

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Calling regeneration and so on Which occurs in every believers experience and it occurs at different times for each person

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So that's the specific application of salvation to the believer That's number three

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I thought was very very helpful to to see it all in the the panoramic picture of God's Word those three key events in the order of salvation

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But typically when you see the order salutis or the order salvation, it's talking about number three The calling regeneration and so on of the believers lives as individuals specifically

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So that being said now beloved turn with me to Romans chapter 8 verse 28. This is where we see one of the most clear

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Teachings of Scripture of this golden chain of redemption as it has been called in the history of the church the catena aurea in in Latin the golden chain of redemption and Don't worry about the

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Latin as well beloved and now you can look this up later in the notes as to the sermon notes but the reason

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I try to make a point of Highlighting the Latin phrases sometimes is because you're gonna run into them

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If you're looking up stuff online or reading other books and stuff like that you're gonna find you're gonna come across these verses because in the history of the church use

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Latin heavily and just one example Calvin's Institutes was written in Latin Luther wrote heavily in Latin many of the

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Reformers did and so It's something that we shouldn't be afraid of But simply seek to understand now

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Romans chapter 8 verse 28 beloved God's Word says and we know

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That for those who love God, there's that remember that phrase again, we're calling back to 4th 1st

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John All things work together for good for those who are what for those who are called

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Who are called? Claytoys call that's for like the

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Ecclesia church called out ones according to his purpose his purpose of election

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His choice because those whom he foreknew He foreknew

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He also predestined to become conformed to the image of his of his son.

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He chose them So that he would be the firstborn among many brothers so that Christ would be the firstborn among many brothers

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Who are born of God? Right and those whom he predestined those whom he chose he also called and those whom he called

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Effectually called that is he also Justified and those whom he justified he also glorified beloved that's the known as the golden chain of redemption and So When I was you know,

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I've preached on this Passage very important passage. It's a gospel passage of gospel indicative promise passage

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Many applications but in this specific context, I realized something when

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I was studying this that this passage here Actually highlights the beginning middle and end of the order of salvation

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Notice that it's very fascinating it highlights the beginning before time because he talks about election, right?

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calling pre foreknowing and Predestining that's before time and then it also talks about the middle event, which is

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Justification right that happens in the middle. That's not the first thing that happens to us either and Then it moves on to the end the perfected consummation of salvation being our glorification right beginning middle end

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It gives us a highlight of those three the beginning middle and end of salvation the order of salvation so It's not an exhaustive list

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It's a it's it's a beginning middle end now the fuller list a more basic general order and Fuller list with respect to the order of salvation as it is applied to the believer right remember like John frames third category

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Specifically when it's applied to the believer and you can look at look you can look at the look this up later

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I want to mention this for completeness so that you can see how it relates to the bigger picture Number one is the external call

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The external call is the preaching of the gospel generally speaking Which the is the power of God unto what beloved

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Salvation according to Romans 6 1 16. It's God's means of salvation and power of salvation

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Which leads to the internal or effectual call? internal or effectual call

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Which leads to? regeneration right regeneration and then

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Repentance Repentance as a change of mind and faith

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Repentance and faith depending how they're defined Because something in the reform system

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Repentance follows faith because it is described as the ongoing work of conformity to God's law but biblically speaking

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That's the fruit of repentance Repentance Fundamentally metanoia is the

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Greek means a change of mind So then comes repentance and faith, but those happen at the same time.

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Those are two of the examples that happen there It's called coterminously. They happen at the same time because it's a change of mind from not believing to then believing the gospel

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Same same time now. That's why they're also described as conversion

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Conversion as repentance and faith so there's regeneration then repentance then fit and faith and then and from that follows justification right then follows

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Justification because we are justified by the instrumental means or cause of faith.

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That's sola fide beloved that's the Reformation doctrine of salvation by faith grace alone through faith alone and from faith then follows

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From justification then follows adoption and I'll come back to adoption.

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It's interesting adoption is an interesting one because adoption Legally speaking in a sense requires us to be justified

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To be adopted. We must first be justified that's why it's listed here sometimes after justification and Then follows sanctification right sanctification the ongoing growth in grace in the believers life after we have been justified and then perseverance

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Perseverance of the Saints we persevere to the end unto glorification Which is the last step of our salvation, right?

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and so this is very helpful very important for us to know because it gives us a big picture of the timeline of our salvation

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We we were saved we are being saved. We will be saved All of those tenses are used in the

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Bible and they're all pointing to different events in our salvation in our redemption

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Based on this order or do solutus this order of salvation Now I mentioned adoption here because it was interesting.

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I was thinking through this sometimes adoption is listed after regeneration Because when we are regenerated we are born of God Born as children of God.

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So some say that's why it follows regeneration logically But I also can see how it also follows

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Justification because to be considered Adoption is a legal status and to be legally adopted as sons.

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We have to be justified So there's there's a sense in which there's those are those are true

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And again, a lot of these don't happen like in time they happen at the same time. We have to remember that It's logically ordered as well.

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Not just historically or temporally ordered so now

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This all brings us beloved to the fruit of our faith

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Right. We saw the nature of our faith last week now. We now we just Focused on the source of our faith

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Which is God himself? through The new birth being born of him and now the fruit of our faith the fruit of our faith

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Turn with me back now to 1st John chapter 5 in verse 1. We'll reread it to get the full context the full picture again so 1st

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John chapter 5 verse 1 says again everyone who believes that Jesus is the

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Christ has been born of God and Everyone who loves the one who gives new birth?

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Loves also the one who has been born of him by this we know

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That we love the children of God When we love God and do his commandments, so now you're seeing a transition of okay now

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Believers will will evidence certain things they will display certain behavior certain actions certain beliefs and a lifestyle that this is describing for us, right and so the that's the parallelism parallelism that this is pointing to so now we're going to focus on the second parallel of Everyone who loves the one who gives new birth loves.

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Also the one who has been born of him and so We see that both faith and love are begotten of God Both faith and love it's it's not like oh, yeah

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God gives us the the new birth in faith But then we have to pick ourselves up by our bootstraps and and and get to work in love

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No, that's not what the Bible says Both faith and love are begotten of God not only faith

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But our true love is also born of God and comes from God Who is love?

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Amen first John chapter 4 verses 8 and 16 Now turn back with me to the previous chapter the other love chapter in verse 7 beloved.

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We're gonna see a key Verse here a key verse that fills in the the dots for us connects the dots for us first John chapter 4 verse 7

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Verse 1 here should look awfully familiar to this verse when we read it

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God's Word says beloved Beloved of God let us love one another

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For love is from who is from God himself and note note note these phrases be carefully and everyone who loves everyone who loves has been what has been born of God and Knows God Amen Did you catch that beloved it's the same exact phrases the same exact phrases

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Everyone who loves God has been born of God Just as everyone who believes that Jesus is the

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Christ has been born of God so likewise everyone who loves

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God and man has been born of God of him and Knows God Because we know that he is the

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Christ that his son Jesus is the Christ Same phrases both applied to faith and love repeated for emphasis and now in different context that the

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Apostle is systematizing these doctrines for us and applying them to different scenarios and Connecting the the bigger picture so then

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God divinely intercedes and Regenerates us prior to our belief in him with which produces ongoing results

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Ongoing fruit Namely in this passage love right love for God and for our brothers

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Who have also been born of him? Amen Amen, so this is the clear teaching of these passages now

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Because now notice again, this is described as the natural and necessary outcome of Everyone who believes that Jesus is the

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Christ It's the necessary natural outcome It is another gospel indicative it's a gospel promise

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Because it's indicating What happens to us and it will happen it's guaranteed

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To us by God through his spirit and means this will happen

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This will happen because everyone who loves

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The one who gives new birth remember he gives it to us Loves also the one who has been born of him.

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That's not a command. It's indicate. It's describing us as Believers who have been born of him

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We love also the ones the rest of those us the church you all us who have also been born of him and By this we all know that we love the children of God who have been spiritually reborn

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When we love God and do or keep his commandments That's descriptive beloved.

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It's indicative Rejoice let us rejoice in that that's a promise from God Now that's not to say that we do it perfectly

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Obviously not because again 1st John says he who says he has no sin is a

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Liar and does not have God the truth of God. So we have to keep this in balance and proper perspective it's not that we do it perfectly, but it's that it will happen and We will produce fruit

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That is described here love for God and for man and for our fellow brothers and sisters who have been born likewise of God now

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That being You know That's the that's the main point here.

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The believer will grow in His or her love for God and for other believers for those who also have been born of him

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Because it's not our work Fundamentally, it's God's work in us and is

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God not Omnipotent beloved is God not all -powerful. Is he not capable of Causing us to love and to obey him like Ezekiel 36 promises

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He will give us a new heart and cause us to obey and walk in his statutes. Amen This is

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God's promise and this is God's power and we need to take confidence and rest in God's Promises and power to fulfill these things in us

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So That Is an awesome promise

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Now that being said I want us to pay attention very carefully to something else here another important lesson from this chapter take note of the

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Universals in this passage. Okay, the universals in this passage. What do

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I mean by that by universal? Universal means it's categorical. It is always the same in Every circumstance that is what universal means

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It is always true No ifs ands or buts about it

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Note that because because what does the verse say? Let go back with me in verse 1.

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What does the passage say? everyone Not just some who believe everyone who believes

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Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God no exceptions. There's no exceptions to that Because everyone who believes has already been born of God You're not some special exception.

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And if you teach contrary to that it is False and it is contrary to God's Word Everyone beloved and likewise the second part

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Everyone who loves the one who gives new birth Loves also the one who has been born of him

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So in other words, not only does everyone who believes that Jesus is the

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Christ Has been born again But we will all bear the same fruit

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We will all demonstrate love Not just for God, but the one who has been born of him

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Those of us the rest of us believers us believers

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That is universal No exceptions beloved Generally speaking

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Okay now and notice too verse 2 by this we and Really, it means we all

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No exceptions. It's we all all believers know that we love the children of God When we love and do or keep his commandments

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That's the fundamental core of this it's universal You notice how first John repeatedly does this those who walk in light and those who walk in darkness

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Heavily contrasted you're either here or you're there one or the other right no exceptions

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And that's what John is similarly describing here These are universals

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So this leads us to an axiom now a very important theological axiom This verse teaches us these passages these verses teach us that God saves every believer in The same basic way everyone in the same basic way now we all get saved at different times and Have different conversion stories some of us get saved earlier in life some of us get saved later in life

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But God nevertheless saves every believer the same essential way God is a

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God of order He is a God of consistency truth and order He doesn't he doesn't play around with this stuff.

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It's It's it's ironclad promise and it's the same

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Because God is the same yesterday today and forever amen and He saves us the same essential way and Produces the same kind of fruit in all of us.

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It is his work Because we will all show love For our brothers and sisters who have likewise been born of him by his grace

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It is his work though. It is his work Which brings us now to the gospel of John turn with me over beloved to the gospel of John chapter 3 verse 21

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This this passage just hit me with a new A perspective based on this study on this passage be on 1st

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John because It's it connects. It's the analogy of Scripture here coming together the gospel of John chapter 3 and God's amazing

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Powerful word says to us But he who practices the truth comes to the light

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That's capital L comes to Christ the light So that his deeds may be manifested as having been done by who beloved by God Amen Wow, that just Wow that blew me away

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Have that it may be manifested that his deeds Have been done by God Because God prepared the good works beforehand

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So that we would fulfill them like Ephesians 2 8 2 says so It is his work beloved

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Our deeds our good works are done in truth and love

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That are done in truth and love are done in union with in union with God and Christ the light and By his love

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His grace his power his spirit and his means

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The the the legacy standard Bible renders is very very strongly. I think typically in other translations.

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It says The his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God in God that the preposition

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There is n the Greek word n But by God, I mean you could really both really could be applied there

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Not it's not that God does them for us or does them directly, but he does them. He accomplishes them through us

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Because it's all him. It's all his work That's why we don't get it. We don't get any credit beloved

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It's glory to God alone. The other Reformation pillar the sola glory to God alone

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Let him who boasts boast in the Lord beloved. Amen, so That's the amazing truth truths of these verses these passages

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We love beloved why because he first Loved us because he first Loved us like 1st

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John chapter 4 19 gloriously announces to us beloved and I hope this message was a blessing to you all and Take courage and take heart in this stuff that these are such powerful truths we need to make sure that we understand them and live them out and confidence and then the truth of God's promises and power and also

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I'll just clarify quickly here When I say in universals, you know

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This is generally true in most circumstances even though obviously there are certain exceptions that take place because For example with infants who die in infancy

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They don't have the opportunity to live out their faith So those are certain exceptions there and they don't really demonstrate evidence of their faith because they're in the womb.

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You can't even see them Right, so there are exceptions there and there are exceptions in also deathbed conversions

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Which often don't have time to demonstrate their their faith but those are exceptions and that's not to say if they had

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Continued to live they would Show this fruit because we all do because that's what

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God promises We all would That's the glory a

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Gospel indicative and promise of these passages beloved. It's God's work. It is

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God's promise in God's work so let us rejoice in that beloved as we close out now in a word of prayer before God's throne of grace our precious

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Lord and Heavenly Father We thank you so much Lord for being our all and in all

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Our our source of faith father you who make us born again and And the the fruit of our faith

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Lord that you you give us this fruit You prepared these good works in this fruit beforehand that have been

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Prepared and accomplished by you through us father. We thank you so much for that privilege Lord Give us that confidence.

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Give us that assurance father as we continue to Dive into your word in the doctrines of assurance as well and how we can take courage and take heart and Not lose

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Hope but to take courage to believe in you and to believe in your son

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Christ Jesus the Messiah Father we thank you for everything that you've done for us and continue to do for us and will do for us father

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Help us to deeply Meditate on your word and these these passages these truths these doctrines which ground us they ground our faith

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They ground our walk our peripatel Lord our lifestyle Help us to confuse this father in our lives to conform us to the image of your son as you have promised us in your word

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Lord help us to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior. We thank you so much Lord because we know

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We know that you will and that you have it is done and it's just a matter of time

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That you will continue to unfold your glorious plan of redemption and and salvation in us

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From here from from your calling and your choosing all the way on to our glorification and beyond We thank you father and we ask this in the precious name of Jesus the

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Christ himself, amen Thank you for listening to the sermons of thorn crown

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Covenant Baptist Church Where the Bible alone and the Bible in its entirety has applied to all of faith and life.

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We strive to be biblical reformed historic confessional loving discerning

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Christians who evangelize Stand firm in and earnestly contend for the Christian faith

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If you're looking for a church in the El Paso, Texas area or for more information about our church Sermons and ministries such as Semper Ephraim on the radio and thorn crown network podcast

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Please contact us at thorn crown ministries .com and may the mercy peace and love of our triune