Birthmarks of the Family of God — Al Whittinghill

Well, I'm personally honored and blessed to have the privilege of sharing with you. I've been in fear and trembling all week long, because I know that in this room there is so much at stake for so many of you, and there are families that will feel the impact of these days.

There are employers, there are employees, there are relatives, there are children whose lives depend upon how you respond to what you hear. So I've been in fear and trembling because I don't want to just bring a little message from myself.

I'm praying God will speak to all of our hearts. I appreciate Ian asking what do we want the Lord to do in our own life, because I want him to work in my life through you guys being here. You know, when Queen Elizabeth II was to be crowned, she sent out invitations to people that were chosen to attend her coronations.

And she sent them out to Parliament people and to people that were in the government with her, and she also sent them out to representatives of the common people. And at the bottom of each invitation, after it invited them nice and politely to this coronation were these words, all excuses ceasing.

You see, it's a little different when nobility invites you to something. It was an invitation, but in a very subtle but polite way, it was also a command. When royalty issues an invitation, there's a lot different than if like somebody here asked you over to eat.

The King’s Invitation and Human Accountability

So when the Lord Jesus Christ calls, we must respond. And the scriptures teach us clearly that all excuses ceasing. And really, when the king invites you, it's not just a mistake, it's high treason to tell him no.

And so many of you, I believe this weekend, will be called by him. You come from a lot of different backgrounds, a lot of different places, but when he speaks from his throne to us, we're accountable to answer, every one of us.

And you know, there's a lot of things that could make us say, I have an excuse. Maybe it's fear, fear of the unknown. Maybe you're afraid he'll send you to Africa or something, and that wouldn't be so bad if God goes before and follows you up with goodness and mercy and puts the clouds of mercy over you and beneath you, the everlasting arms, it wouldn't be so bad, would it?

But you're afraid of the unknown, or maybe you're guilty. You said, I've blown it too much. And you're here saying, well, what are they going to tell me or self-pity? There's nobody as pathetic as me.

Pride. I don't need that crutch. Ignorance. Maybe you won't really understand what's going on. All those things seem like they're valid excuses, don't they? And they may be to men, but I'll tell you something.

They're not to God. They're illegitimate. Well, the church of the Lord has a lot on the line in our days. If you've been out of the country recently, you know what's being said about our country overseas and what's going on.

And in the church especially, the church overseas is concerned for the church in America, because you see, our terminology has been stolen by the world and the cults. They talk about the new birth. They talk about being sanctified.

They talk about being filled with the Spirit. It's possible to fool almost everybody except for God. Our words have become empty. When you say, I've been born again, you can mean a lot of different things.

I've met people that have been born again twice, they tell me, several times. So it's been great. I wonder what it was. But you see, the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ has been presented on the banqueting table of this world.

A big materialistic world, and we've polished it, we've changed it, we've refined it, and we've even seasoned it with the world's seasoning. And consequently, because of that, a lot of people that still love the world come.

And the new wine has been watered down with a utilitarian Christ that has said to people, you come to me and get everything you've ever wanted and have everything you've ever needed, and I'll make you happy, wealthy, and wise.

And it's almost like a means to our own end. That's the Christ that's being preached in many, many places. Well, who could question the fact that religion is on the rise in our country? You look around and the Gallup poll says that 51 of the people in our country claim to be born again.

And 41 of the population attends church every week, every week somewhere, 60 have membership in Protestant or Catholic churches. We build more splendid buildings and we try new ways to draw people, and despite all that, there's an emptiness kind of around.

We live in a day when it's become popular, you see, to be religious. It shows you're thoughtful. It shows you have kind of an interest in the deeper things. It shows that you are serious-minded, you're committed to certain important things, and we know pretty much what's expected of Christians, you know?

We know pretty much how to wear our clothes and where to go and how to talk, and so we study and we organize and we educate and we train and we dedicate, but something's missing in a lot of places. Well, there are a lot of talkers and very few walkers.

We've had 25 years in our country of the most expensive evangelism in all the history of the world. But yet, despite all that, in our country, there's a worm in the apple. Something is really wrong. And you talk to the Christian leaders that have been across the board and they'll tell you incredible statistics like they believe that quite a number, I wouldn't even say because it's so different statistics, but usually it's over 50 that are sitting in the pews they believe are not truly born again, truly, biblically born again.

A lot of people have suggested in our day redefining Christianity, making it relevant. What we really need is to make men relevant to the gospel rather than making the gospel relevant to men. And what the world needs is not a new definition of Christianity, but in your life and mine through the church, a new demonstration of it.

So once again, people begin to really see what it means to be a Christian. But I believe that all of this has happened without our thinking about it. Truly, George Burwer, the fellow that Jim Rogers was secretary for for a few years traveling around the world, he calls it spiritual schizophrenia.

We try to compartmentalize our lives, the contradiction between what we think we know and what's reality. We we separate the spiritual world from the business world or the church from the state or something like that.

And we separate our Bible beliefs from our daily living. And consequently, there's no reality in our life. It's it's impossible to do this and be a real Christian, absolutely impossible. Once an unconverted person becomes convinced that they are converted, once they become convinced that they're a Christian, I believe they're the hardest possible person in all the world to reach with the real gospel.

They sit in the pew and they say, Lord, speak to them. And they've never heard themselves. Well, there's a lot of controversy among the different denominations and the different groups, the wasms and the isms about how to become a Christian.

And this is really unfortunate, I believe. I believe we should be down the line on what it means to become a Christian. But I want to approach it not from trying to say who's right and who's wrong and how to become a Christian.

Birthmarks of Those Who Truly Belong to God

What I want to do tonight is talk about in this brief session together, what's from the other side, what the Bible says is indisputably clear about what those who are Christians will be. There are certain infallible birthmarks for every person that is in the family of God.

And this the Bible leaves absolutely no controversy at all as to what those who truly become Christians will be like. You can argue all you want about how to become a Christian. And then after it's all said and done, you may be different.

But the Bible is so clear about what it means to be a Christian. And I believe that there are a lot of people who profess Christianity, perhaps even in this room. Some certainly there are. Every men's conference, there are those who come along who profess they know the Lord, but they have no real life experience and with the Lord.

We need to examine these fruits of what it really means to be alive this weekend. We're going to look at key issues about what it means to be a man of God in your local church and in your world. And tonight is the beginning of that.

First, before you become a man in the local church, you've got to make sure you're in the local church because you can't really be a Christian apart from that. I talked to a man not long ago and he said, I'm a Christian.

We were talking. I'm a Christian. And I said, oh, what do you base that statement? He says the way I feel. And I said, well, what about this in the scriptures? He says, oh, I don't believe that. And I just said, well, you've just committed spiritual suicide.

Because, you see, we have no basis at all for anything at all to call ourselves Christians, except for the Bible. You know, we were talking on the way down here, someone saying to someone else, oh, you go to hell or something like that.

One of the best things to say to them is, oh, I didn't know you believe in the Bible. Oh, that's just great. And Jolson Ryder, the satellite, I don't believe the Bible. Well, where'd you learn about hell?

It is just great. It really puts the tongue in the right place. You see, the question is, brothers, is not what happened to you when you were nine years old or when you were being burped on your grandmother's knee or what happened when you wept some tears in one moment of weakness and shook the preacher's hand when you vented your new car and was heartbroken or something in the past years ago when your mother died or you had looked through a stained glass window and saw kind of a light gleaming and you knew that was God speaking to you.

That doesn't even matter about the past. The question tonight is, is what is your life like right now? Not yesteryear, but today. You see, today is the day of salvation and it's got to be real today. And so we're going to look at that for just a little bit.

God's given us infallible proofs and scriptures got to be our measuring rod. So we're going to look at a whole lot of them. You won't be able to keep up with me more than likely, but I would jot them all down and check them out yourself later.

I'll read them to you as we go through. These marks will be in the life of every single believer that's real in one degree or another. They may be a little like birthmarks, but they'll be there. They may be small, but they will be there.

See, I believe that the normal Christian life has become so abnormal in our day that we call it the deeper life. If the subnormal ever got normal, then the abnormal would be normal. But you see, the thing is that we're so subnormal that the normal scares us to pieces and we call them fanatic.

A Changed Life as the First Birthmark

Well, the first characteristic of a truly Christian life, a man who's been born in the kingdom of God, is number one, a changed life, a changed life. Now, that doesn't fully mean that that's the only characteristic because you can join the army.

It'll change your life, but it won't get you to heaven. But certainly that'll be part of it. Second Corinthians, chapter five, verse 17 is the scripture. You all know that probably by heart. But it says, if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature or creation.

Behold, old things pass away. All things become new. Old things are gone. And behold, it's a miracle. Everything becomes new. So a changed life or newness, a real Christian life has that infallible mark of newness.

There's a newness in the life. And what this means is there's an inward revolution in your life. There's something that's changed and God's given a new nature. You see, not just a new name called Christian, but a new life, not just facts that I believe.

No, no, but a person whom I have received a new life, not just not just a new beginning, but a totally new life past. Everything is new. It's his spirit living in me. So coming to Christ is not just a ladder to bliss.

It's not just a fire escape from hell. It's not just a life preserver for my problems. It is a relationship newness. Well, that's the first characteristic. And it says in the scriptures, if any man have not the spirit of Christ, he is none of God's newness.

You see, it'll be a change because Jesus has come. All things will become new. Now, suppose I told you tonight that I have the spirit of Adolf Hitler. How would you perceive that? What would you think that would mean?

I am filled with the spirit of Adolf Hitler. Well, you probably wouldn't want to be in my small group with me. But but you see, then what does it mean to you when I say that that I have the spirit of Christ?

Exactly the same principle is to be interpreted when we look at the scriptures. It means that his spirit is in me. What kind of spirit is God's spirit? Holy. He's holy. So it's a life transformed by God's presence.

Look at First Corinthians, Chapter six. We're talking about newness. There are a lot of people that say that you can come right into the kingdom and just continue right on as you were just believing some new facts.

But it says in First Corinthians, Chapter six, verse nine, it says, No, you not the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Do not be deceived. Now, there are a bunch of scriptures that say that over in Ephesians four and over in first John three, it says repeatedly, don't be deceived.

The reason God says that to us is because there are a lot of people around us telling us the other thing that pats you on the back and just believe some facts and you don't have to have a changed life.

Well, it says here, don't be deceived. Neither fornicators nor idolaters nor adulterers nor effeminate. And the word means homosexual, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves or covetous or drunkards or revilers or extortioners.

None of these shall inherit the kingdom of God. Brothers, there's no hope for us except for the next verse. And such were some of you. But you are washed and now you are sanctified and you're justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the spirit of God.

So what we're talking about is this a life transformed by God's spirit. Has your life been transformed? I'm not talking about saying, are you perfect? I'm simply saying that you cannot claim to be a Christian if all you can point to is good works and a morality or a dedication or your own sincerity.

You walked an aisle and you admitted you were a sinner years ago. But if you can't point today to the fact that my life changed from a meeting with God, then you're missing one of the birthmarks and you need to seriously consider what's going on in your life.

An Obedient Life and the Evidence of Saving Faith

Well, the second infallible birthmark of the kingdom of God is an obedient life. Now, I didn't mean to scare you off from turning to the scriptures with me entirely. Last time I said turn, you said, oh, well, I think I just jot it down.

Turn to some of them with me, at least the first John, chapter two, a the first of all, we said a a changed life or newness. And now we see an obedient life. And in first John, chapter two, beginning in verse three, we see the word of the Holy Spirit saying, and this is how or hereby we do perceive or know that we have come to know him.

And hereby do we know that we know him if we are keeping his commandments. It's the present tense. If we are today keeping his commandments, whoever says I know him and is not keeping his commandments as a liar and the truth is not in him, the truth is a person.

Remember, not just some facts. I am the way, the truth and the life. But whoever is keeping his word in this one for sure is the love of God perfected. And this is how we know that we are in him. You see, all true saving faith is evidenced by love for Jesus.

Would you agree with that? All true saving faith is evidenced by love for Jesus. And to know God is to love him. You know why? Because he's just lovable. Once you know him, I mean, you can't help but love him.

And Jesus Christ said in John, chapter 14, love was evidenced by obedience, not by feelings. It's obedience is the effect of a life of love. Some people are missing this infallible mark. A scripture you can jot down, Titus chapter one, verse 16.

Listen to what it says. People profess they know God, but in their works they deny him being abominable and disobedient. And to every good work, a stranger. You see, people say they know God, but they're disobedient.

And God says their works deny him. In Hebrews five, it talks about that Jesus is the author of eternal salvation to those who are obeying him. I won't give you the references. I'll just quote several of these things because I've got a lot of them.

Everyone that does righteousness is born of God. And this is God's kind of righteousness, not just good deeds. Everyone who does works produced by the Holy Spirit is born of God. It's an obedient life.

Well, anyone may I say this, anyone who is not seeking to live an obedient life out of love for Jesus has no biblical assurance of salvation. Anyone who is not seeking to live an obedient life out of love for Jesus, I mean, you may fail and you may fall.

But if you're not seeking to live an obedient life out of love for Jesus, you have no real grounds for biblical assurance. You see, my sense of security as a Christian is bound up. My feeling of security is dependent upon my daily commitment to obedience.

And if you vacillate from that fixed mind to obey the Lord, then you will lack assurance even if you are saved. Obedience, that desire for it, is the groundwork for all assurance. James 1 .22, become doers of the word and not hearers only deceiving your own selves.

So many people sit in their churches and they understand sermons and they think because they do that they have the truth. But you don't have the truth until the truth is in you. And so an obedient life is a birthmark that accompanies every true Christian's life.

A Guided Life Led by the Holy Spirit

It's not a hoping I would obey, not a wishing I would obey and thinking I should obey. It's a life that is turned to him and obedient. You won't be perfect in that, but you'll want to be. Well, the third characteristic is a guided life.

First, a changed life. Second, an obedient life. But third, a guided life. And the scripture under that third characteristic is Romans chapter eight. In verse 14, Romans chapter 8, 14 says,. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

The ones who are led by the Spirit of God. You see, this means by an inward relationship with the Holy Spirit, I'm dependent on the living Christ to shepherd me. You know, that verse in Psalm 23 says the Lord is shepherding me.

Not just the Lord is my shepherd, the Lord is shepherding me. He's in the process of leading and guiding my life. And if you are a lamb, you consult the shepherd. If you're in the lamb's book of life and if you're part of his flock, then he is leading you.

The birthright of every Christian and the inner sense is that I hear his voice. My sheep hear my voice and we are guided by that voice. He leads us to the word. He leads us to prayer. He leads us to good pasture.

He leads us to the cross if we are his sheep. And so we don't really mean being guided by just being educated, being able to principle your way through things or being guided by being refined, but guided by a living person, a relationship, not a formula, but a relationship with a living God.

So letting God be himself in you and guide you is your life guided. Can you say you've really experienced the guidance of God? I don't think there's any joy so great as to really know when you put your foot down, God said, put it there.

And when you put it down, you know he's going to give you his blessings on it. Well, that's the third characteristic. And it's a guided life. And if that's not in your life and you know for a fact tonight you're a Christian, then you're missing your birthright.

Holiness as the Fourth Birthmark

You have a privilege of being guided by a living person. Well, the fourth infallible birthmark of the kingdom of God, birthmarks that you can recognize on his children, fourthly, is a holy life, a holy life, or let's just say reverence, reverence.

The scripture is Hebrews, chapter 12, verse 14. It says there to follow peace and it means to follow with all your might, follow peace with all men and holiness, without which no man will see God. That verse said without holiness in my life, I'll never see God.

Do you know what holiness is? It's not carrying a big black Bible like this, and it's not being able to say praise the Lord. Holiness is because of the presence of the holy one. It's a life separated not only from sin, but to him.

And it's the to him that makes us holy. It's a progressive victory. If you turn to First John, chapter three, we need to look at that together. First John, chapter three, beginning in verse two. First John, chapter three, verse two.

Talking about holiness. Beloved, now we are the sons of God. It does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him. For we shall see him as he is. You see, we are those who are Christians in a state of imputed perfection.

And it's not talking about sinless perfection. It's talking about how God sees us. And it says that every man that has this hope in himself that he's going to be changed is in the process of purifying himself in the same way that Jesus is pure.

That means the fact that, you know, you're going to stand before God is the incentive for you to make your life clean so that when you stand before him, you won't be ashamed. And this is looking down in verse six, then whoever is abiding in him does not sin.

That's the present tense does not keep on sinning. And whoever keeps on sinning has never seen him and neither has come to know him. That's what the verbs really mean in that sense. They have never really seen him and they have never come to know him.

Little children, let no man deceive you. He that doeth righteousness and is a present participle, the one who keeps on doing righteousness is of God. He is righteous even as the Lord is righteous. See, it's it's a life that's set apart and like the life of Christ.

You see, that's a high standard. Jesus said it was a high standard, not by us performing, but by us participating in who he is. Now, let's read verse nine, whosoever is born of God does not present tense commit sin for God's seed remains in that person and that person cannot go on in sin.

Why? Because he's born of God. That word for seed is the word sperm. God's life beginning issue is in us and his very life has come. And you might say his holy chromosomes have been joined in the inner man to us.

And we bear that likeness that we cannot go on acting independently from God and living our way by the very nature of the fact that his life there. You know, my son was born and I can try to now put him back in embryonic fluid and say, well, live there.

You've been there before. He can't do it because he's alive. It's a contradiction to live the other way. And so it says here, if you're a Christian, then you cannot get away with sin. In fact, in Hebrews 12, it says that every son whom God receives, he chastens.

And if you are without a spanking, then you're illegitimate. You see, an illegitimate means you have another father. You may be in the group, but God is not your father. If God is your father and his seed is in you, when you step out of line, he will apply the rod to you.

He will do it in faithfulness and in love. And if he doesn't, it's because he doesn't spank the neighbor's kids any more than you do. You shoo him away and say, go back to your daddy. And guess what God does?

He may jolt you a little bit, but he will not spank you the same way he'll spank a child of his own. I met a woman not long ago who insisted that she was a Christian. She'd been the matron and all this in the church and that, but she was living in adultery and she'd been living in adultery for years.

Well, I'm going to tell you something. She can she can show me her baptismal certificate and everything else and as much as she wants. But biblically, she is contradicted, impossible. I go so far as to say, I believe it's totally impossible for there to be such a thing as a homosexual Christian.

You might as well have a hospital tended by robbers or, you know, nice murderers or something like that. The two are contradictory. And according to the word of God, Jesus said in John 8, 12, I am the light of the world.

He that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. The path of those who are justified is like a shining light. It grows brighter and brighter under the coming day. A Christian does not commit sin as a habit.

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves. We're not talking about sinless perfection. We're not talking about perfect of life. We're talking about wanting to be in a setting apart of all your faculties to him.

It says in another scripture, jot this one down. Second Timothy two nine. Second Timothy two nine talking about those who say they're gods but are not. It says, nevertheless, excuse me, two nineteen. Second Timothy two nineteen.

Nevertheless, the foundation of God stands sure. Having this seal, God seals it. It can never be broken. The Lord knows the ones that are his. Let everyone that names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.

Depart from iniquity, lawlessness. The same man walks in the fear of God. What does it mean? It means that a Christian, by very nature of the fact that God's Holy Spirit has come to live in him, cannot anymore have a flippant attitude towards sin.

There will be a certain brokenness about evil and he'll hate sin that he sees in his own life. It'll break him to bits as God chastens him. And I'll tell you something, friends. If this characteristic isn't in you, you should hear the warning bell tonight.

Love for the Family of God

If this characteristic is not in you, you need to take alarm. God's children aren't perfect on Earth, but they want to be. They want to be. Well, the fifth characteristic is this, a life of relationship.

A Christian who's been born into God's family is born into a family. And in First John, back in First John, chapter three, verse 14, we read so clearly what will be the case about a true Christian experience.

First John 3, 14. Listen to this one. We know that we have passed, and it means once and for all, from death unto life because we love the brethren. He that does not love his brother abides in death. It's saying this is how you can tell if you really are alive.

The fact will be that you will have a supernatural love from God for family members. And you know something? I believe this, the church will not be boring. Well, some churches may be, but a biblical based church where the Lord is welcome will not be boring.

In fact, you'll look forward to it every week. It'll be the best place on Earth. You'd rather be with Christians than anywhere else on Earth. There'll be a love for the family. By this shall all men know that you're my disciples.

What does he say? That you have love one for another. This is my commandment, that you love one another. What does it mean to love each other? It means being willing to be vulnerable. You'll want to know each other.

I'll tell you already. It's been sweet just to be together. A bunch of guys just opened up. There'll be a love for the family and a desire to be with Christians. First John 4, 20. If a man says, I love God and hates his brother.

First John 4, 20. If he says this, he's a liar. For he that loveth not his brother whom he has seen. How can he love God whom he has not seen? So in First John 5, 1. Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God.

And everyone that loves him that begat or gave birth. Loves the one also that is begotten by him. Do you love the church of Jesus? Do you love the church of the Lord Jesus? Because if you don't, it shows that something is really wrong.

Zeal for God and Hunger for His Word

And you're missing some valuable proof that you're in the family of God. Well, a sixth characteristic is of a new birth. And without any doubt in the scriptures, the sixth characteristic is a desiring life.

And you can just paraphrase that as zeal. Zeal, a life of zeal, a life of desire. And our scripture would be Colossians, chapter three, verses one, two and three. Let me read them. Colossians, chapter three, one, two and three zeal.

If you then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above. Where Christ sits on the right hand of God, set, determinedly fixed your affections, your desires on things above, not on things on the earth.

For you are dead and your life is hidden with Christ in God. What does it mean? There's a spiritual mindedness. It doesn't mean that your mind will be perfect. We'll talk about that tomorrow. But it does mean that the general inclination of your thoughts and your desires will be hunger.

God will put in you a hunger in your heart for the things of the kingdom. If you're risen truly and you're in the life of the Holy Spirit, there will be by nature of the presence of Christ in your life, a desire for the word of God, a desire for the things that involve worship, a desire for intimate fellowship with him.

And that marks you as his. It's not what you do for him that marks you as his. It's that desire to know him and to love him and to be in his presence and to fellowship with him. If you might just describe this as eternity conscience, you become aware of a whole other realm and you want that and you're willing to sacrifice to live in that and know that it's true.

And and is the Lord Jesus lives in your heart. You know something? He'll come out of your mouth. He'll come out of your mouth. I believe the tongue goes all the way down like this and has its roots right in the heart, right down there.

And just like my dog, when you when I come home, she wags her tail and that means that on the inside she's happy. So your tongue is the same way. It's like a dog's tail and it shows what's in your heart.

And if there's something down there that's gross, then it'll come out in grossness. It'll slip out. Freud used to say that whatever is in your and he was right on this one, whatever is in your heart slips out.

We find out what's in a man's heart. You can learn a lot about people from their humor. Let's say some snide cut. I say, oh, just kidding. Oh, but they weren't necessarily. They clothe it under humor.

Many times you see a desiring life, setting affections on things above. The word will be alive. It'll be delightful. You will hunger for the word. Are you hungry for the word of God tonight? I believe that, brother.

Got one. Praise the Lord. Got to. Amen. Brother, you see, but to a lost man, church will be drudgery. He can't stand to sit past 12 o 'clock or 1030 at night. He can't stand it. I'm just protecting myself.

Just protecting myself. Oh, like like newborn babies desire intensely the sincere milk of God's word. First Peter two to as newborn babies desire the sincere milk of the word. I remember after I got saved, you know, I'd taken Bible in college and it'd been interesting.

I'd really enjoyed it. In fact, I like the fragrance of the man's pipe who taught me that it was really good course in college. But I remember it wasn't really that which drew me into it. You know, but after I got saved and I come home after a hard day of business and and I've been really out beating the bushes.

I was in sales and and I come home and, you know, all of a sudden after supper, I just had this overwhelming desire to read my mail. That is my mail from God, my love letter. And I'd sit down and before I knew it, four hours had passed and I couldn't even stand to go to bed because I said, oh, this is good.

You know, before he'd been like reading somebody else's mail. You know, nothing's worse than finding a love letter written to some other person yet. You know, but when it's to you, it's a little better.

And there's a hunger and a thirst because there's a desiring life. You desire to be with that one. Well, to a lost person, the Bible is dull and they just can't quite understand it. And there's always looking for a new version or a perversion to understand it better.