Born of God for Victory | 1 John 5:4-5

let's turn over to 1st John chapter 5 once again there we go 1st

John chapter 5 I'm going to read from verse 1 to get a context of the passage here 1st

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

Christ has been born of God and everyone who loves the one who gives new birth loves also the one who has been born of him by this we know that we love the children of God when we love

God and keep his commandments for this is the love of God that we keep his commandments and his commandments are not burdensome for everything that has been born of God overcomes the world and this is the overcoming that has overcome the world our faith who is the one who overcomes the world but he who believes that Jesus is the

Son of God this is God's Word amen so the focus for today's message will be primarily on verse 4 a little bit of verse 5 but primarily verse 4 and these verses especially those those verses 4 and 5 are very powerful gospel indicatives they indicate for us what

God has done for us and what he continues to do for us that we have overcome we overcome the world and our faith has overcome the world because those who believe that Jesus is the

Son of God overcome the world and that faith is also a gift of God as a result of being born of God and that's partly what the sermon title indicates for us today victorious yeah

I think I I was thinking of revising it to actually say born of the victorious

God born of the victorious God but there's a lot of there's a lot of victory here victory overcoming conquering very emphatic in this passage and so we're gonna really draw that out seek to draw that out now we we've been seeing how in the previous messages how

God's commandments are not burdensome for believers because of God's love right

God's redemptive restorative regenerative reformative or renovated love and also also verse 4 also tells us because everything that has been born of God overcomes the world overcomes the world amen so it's because of God's love but also that love of God that makes us born again overcomes the world so it's

God's love so in other words not only are God's commandments not burdensome because of God's love for us but also because of his power

God's regenerative power that makes us born -again believers and empowers us not just to love him in our neighbor which is what verse 3 talked about right this is what it means to love

God to keep his commandments love God and neighbor etc but also to overcome the world as well to overcome the world and that word overcome can be translated in in different ways victory conquest conquer overcome and the

Greek word is actually the word Nika or Nikkei which like the company Nike that's where it comes from the

Greek word for victory and so I wanted to focus on something here beginning in verse 4 you'll notice at the beginning of verse 4 it says everything everything that because everything that has been born of God overcomes the world now why why the word everything instead of everyone why why why is the phrase that way everything in Greek is the word pan like pandemic we don't need to go there today but you know panoramic like seeing everything a panoramic view see all -encompassing view as opposed to everyone which is pass typically pass and so here we actually find another parallelism which is very common both in the

Old and the New Testaments right a parallelism is where something is state the same basic thing is stated but in a different slightly different way and verse 4 is a parallel to verse 1 in this chapter as we can see here if we read again in verse 1 you'll find that it says everyone everyone who believes that Jesus is the

Christ has been born of God right everyone who believes and that phrase everyone who believes as pass hope he still on this the same phrase from John 3 16 right so that all those believing in him shall not perish but have everlasting life it's the same phrase possibly stone and it doesn't mean whosoever like the

King James render renders it it means all the believing one specifically so that those believing in him shall not perish but have everlasting life likewise those who believe that Jesus is the

Christ have been born of God already and likewise in verse 4 we see that it says for or because everything that has been born of God overcomes the world so it's a it's a parallelism there that also adds on that extra qualifier that extra information those who believe or have been born of God overcome the world now as well that's a cause for rejoicing and celebrating amen we are recipients of God's love grace and power and that power changes us for for his glory for the better and so this brings us back to the source of our faith right the source of our faith is

God's regenerating Holy Spirit and means of grace such that everyone who believes that Jesus is the

Christ has been born of God already you don't believe in order to be born again this is what you often hear people say but that's backwards you don't believe in order to become born again you become born again by God in order to believe right we have to get the order correct the order of salvation so likewise everything that has been born of God already and he who believes that Jesus is the

Son of God in verse 5 right overcomes the world so you see how verses 4 and 5 actually kind of collaborate with verse 1 it's a parallel every he who believed same phrase there as well it's the hope he still on it's a singular instead of the plural he who believes that Jesus is the

Son of God you believe that Jesus is the Christ you believe that Jesus is the Son of God you are you have been born of God by God and you have you overcome the world now however there is a difference here that we need to account for everything in verse 4 as opposed to everyone in verse 1 is a more general and abstract all encompassing reference it's a little more all -encompassing such that the emphasis is not so much on the individual overcomer right it's not so much on the individual overcomer but rather on the entire collective whole everything because and and the emphasis is also on God and on his sovereign power to regenerate us and enable us therefore to overcome because we have been born of him right so so in other words another way to phrase this would be in verse 4 because all because all that has been born of God which is passive on our part overcomes the world overcomes the world which is active on our part

God's Spirit and grace empowers us to overcome the world actively in this life amen this is really awesome promises gospel indicatives they indicate what

God is doing for us already and has done for us right by his grace love and power now turn with me back to the

Gospel of John in chapter 1 and we'll see a very important correlation here in the

Gospel of John chapter 1 in the Apostle John's other writing here his gospel will start in verse 12 the

Apostle John through the God breathed words of the

Holy Spirit has referred many times before as we've seen in this letter to being born of God being born of him and dwelt by him and all those things and here likewise in the

Gospel of John chapter 1 verse 12 we see that God God's Word says but as many as received him received

Christ that is the true light the Son to them he he gave the right to become children of God God the

Father even to those who believe in his name who were born they were born not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God the

Father alone amen but of God alone and therefore like the last soul of the

Reformation says to God alone be the glory amen God alone gets the glory for all the good in our lives that he has done in our lives we can't take any credit for any any of it and so to God alone be the glory so then both faith and love and our other overcoming are all begotten of God they are all sourced by the source is all

God it all belongs to him and comes from him not only our faith in the faith like verse 4 says this is the overcoming that overcomes the world our faith so not only our faith in the faith of God and his word but our true love is also born of God and comes from God who himself is love like we saw in the previous chapter right as well as our overcoming of the world so God provides everything for us and beyond everything we could imagine he supplies us richly beyond all we could ever even dream of solely deo gloria amen to God alone be the glory and that being said so that being said this this has a very important consequence as to why we believe and teach and practice certain things in in the church this is partly why we as Baptists not as opposed to Presbyterians who baptize infants of believers as Baptist Baptists we seek to baptize only true believers who have been born of God who have evidenced being born of God right who demonstrate fruit in their life and their faith that they have been born of God of the victorious

God already right because that is exactly what baptism itself signifies and represents baptism represents death to sin and a new born -again spirit -filled life in Christ Jesus right

Romans 6 all throughout the Bible New Testament that's what baptism points to it represents that reality in the believers life so then we cannot and should not baptize those who do not evidence the new birth or being born of God it doesn't make sense to baptize somebody that doesn't reveal themselves to be born of God right that's the whole point of baptism baptism doesn't save you like many believe the

Roman Catholic Church teaches that baptism back wipes the stain of original sin no it doesn't baptism is a means of God's grace but that grace is only operative through faith it only works through faith if you don't have faith then baptism is of no use to you right so we have to understand and if you only have faith if you have been born of God already that's what first John has been telling us repeatedly right so we have to be consistent in our walk as believers and in the church to reflect these realities biblically according to God and his word and I want to the the

Baptist larger catechism that we read from earlier has very helpful question and answers for help to help us understand this subject of baptism question 152 says what is baptism and baptism baptism is an ordinance of positive and sovereign institution of the

New Testament ordained and appointed by Jesus Christ to be continued in this church to the end of the world for believers okay for believers baptism is a sign that points to a present reality in the believer of our union and fellowship with Christ one of the remission of sins and death to sin to right through his blood his redemptive blood of regeneration by his spirit ah there you go three first John that's what first John tells us of adoption of a of our adoption as sons and daughters of God that's for and resurrection from death and to everlasting life amen and of giving up into God through Jesus Christ to live and walk in newness of life to now love

God and neighbor and to keep his commandments and not find them burdensome anymore but a joy and a blessing in our lives even see this is interesting because even the

Presbyterian Westminster larger catechism which teaches that they they in Methodist similarly

Lutherans they also teach that we should baptize the infants of believers but we're gonna see that why that's not consistent there there's the same question in the

Westminster larger catechism question 165 says this this is the modern the modern

English study version what is baptism baptism is a sacrament of the New Testament in which

Christ has ordained the washing with water in the name of the Father Son and Holy Spirit to be a sign and seal of engrafting into himself of remission of sins by his blood and regeneration by his spirit okay of adoption and resurrection to everlasting life and by which the parties baptized are solemnly admitted into the visible church and enter into an open profess and profess engagement to be holy and only the

Lord's so there's not much difference there right between what we hold to as how we define baptism and how they define it however they the next question they teach that that the infants of believers should also be baptized but is that consistent and again how is that consistent when we were only supposed to baptize those who evidence the grace of God working in their life have you been regenerated because that's what it represents they even admit that it's supposed to mean that you have been regenerated by God and therefore you are baptized accordingly so it's not pointing to some future thing it's pointing to a present reality and so we can baptize children some of my own children are baptized they're 9 10 years old they were fairly young but not all of them or indiscriminately merely because they are the children of at least one believing parents that's what the

Presbyterians teach they must demonstrate the evidence of faith and of God's birth new birth regeneration right and because those who are baptized are also now entitled to receive the other means of grace which is the

Lord's Supper the Lord's Supper right so as a means of grace at work in their lives but this means that they have to be able to examine themselves and their need for a

Savior who now sanctifies them right and this is the problem this is another inconsistency with those who teach infant baptism because they don't allow children to partake of the

Lord's Supper even though they're baptized into the visible church so how are you a member of the visible church and you can't partake of the means of grace that God has given to his church including the

Lord's Supper right because it requires you to examine yourself that is why we believe it is what the

Bible consistently teaches to baptize believers who have demonstrated the new birth in their lives so faith in Jesus Christ and that's why in our

Baptist Catechism question went to 155 says who should be baptized the answer is those who actually profess repentance towards God faith in and obedience to our

Lord Jesus Christ they are the only proper subjects of this ordinance the infants of believing parents are not to be baptized because there is neither command nor example in the

Holy Scriptures nor necessary consequence from the scriptures to baptize them to baptize them right the scriptures are clear when we are seeking to consistently understand them in light of the whole counsel of God right including 1st

John chapter 5 those who are born of God so are those who are born of God therefore believe and those who believe should be baptized right repent and be baptized as a result of believing and being born again not as a future thing that you are expecting to happen so did not and then the next question in question 157 did not baptism come to replace circumcision and thus should be administered as it was in the

Old Testament because in the Old Testament they would circumcise the males the male children when on their eighth day after being born the answer is here and so they correlate because in Colossians it says that you know circumcision is there's a correlation to from circumcision to baptism and that's how

Presbyterians also say therefore we should baptize infants but baptism does not replace circumcision but rather regeneration by the

Spirit because that's what baptism represents it doesn't it doesn't point to circumcision so much as regeneration or the circumcision made without hands also referred to as spiritual circumcision and it replaces physical circumcision as the seal the sign and the seal of the covenant of grace the new covenant baptism is also mentioned with faith with faith as the means the instrumental means right not as a meritorious cause or means but instrumental means by which we are in Christ and complete in him thus we should not administer baptism according to the rules of administration for circumcision it is according to the new covenant and what it's pointing to and what the new covenant explains baptism points to right which is largely what even the

Presbyterian question explain we agree on that so we should be consistent in light of that teaching now hopefully that helps us to understand these differences are important we don't necessarily say that Presbyterians are a false church because of this but they are not consistent with what scripture teaches and we need to be consistent in all of our doctrine and life amen so now back to going back to 1st

John in chapter 5 we see we see that it reads in in verse 4 for everything that has been born of God overcomes the world this is the overcoming that has overcome the world our faith now you see a reference here we need to what is this world that the

Apostle is referring to here what is this world that we believing conquerors overcome the word world as I've preached on before a number of times because the

Apostle has used the word world many times in his letter but he doesn't always refer to the same thing he doesn't always mean the same thing right remember we first have to define the key terms at a minimum we have to define the key words the key terms otherwise you cannot make proper sense of the passage we have to define the terms and understand them correctly and John uses the word world in several different senses in his

God -breathed writings in the Gospel of John in in the his letter for God so loved the world right that's referring to believers only but the whole world lieth in wickedness that's referring to something else that's referring to unbelievers and in this sense what is it pointing to then we need the context right you may have heard the principle called context is

King context is King and that is yes and amen context is vitally important to interpret the scriptures correctly we cannot ignore the context and rip things out of context because that becomes is a

Jesus that becomes reading something into the text that's not there twisting it around we need to get from the text extract from the text what it means and from the context that's exegesis right so that is the proper way to interpret

Scripture and so everything that has been born of God overcomes the world conquers the world and this is the overcoming that has overcome the world our faith who is the one who overcomes the world but he who believes that Jesus is the

Son of God so conquering the world here conquering it as in beating it right winning against it it's a battle so the word world here is not referring to something positive or good it the context is showing us that it's referring to the evil world right the evil world the society and influence of sinful unbelievers and their sins right a good example of that and there are many in our society social media right social media is a breeding is a cesspool of wickedness not saying that it's all bad and stuff but you you have to if you're be honest there is a lot of harm and wickedness that comes from social media and that's on purpose the entertainment you know

Disney perverting children and homosexuality and stuff that's supposed to be for children causing little ones to stumble that is the world that's the world that this is referring to the temptations of the world worldliness right and term turn to the previous chapter with me first John 4 in verse 4 we're gonna see a correlated passage here where the

Apostle similarly uses the same word caught the cosmos world so in first John chapter 4 verse 4

God's word says you are from God little children believers in Christ and have overcome them who overcome antichrists okay because greater is he who is he

God amen who is in you believers then he who is in the world well who is in the world the devil right the prince of the power of the air the devil who rules in the sons of disobedience the world right they are they the

Antichrist are from the world they are not from God they're from the what again opposites contrast they are not from God they are front they claim to be from God but they are actually from the world of the devil and of unbelievers therefore they speak as from the world you know like Pilgrim's Progress you see the worldliness and all the worldly characters

Vanity Fair that's the world and they speak as from the world from a worldly mindset in other words an ungodly mindset and the world hears them well which world the world of unbelievers of the sons of disobedience that Ephesians 2 also refers to right we but we believers on the other hand are from God the one who knows

God hears us the Apostles their teeth the teaching of Christ the one who is not from God does not hear us but is instead deceived by the deceiving spirits of Antichrist and the

Antichrist from this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error the spirit of God and the spirit of the world the spirit of air right so this is very black and white contrast here that the

Apostle is that is showing us by virtue of the word world and this is very important but but because of our great and sovereign

God and Savior who loves us regenerates us in dwells us sanctifies us preserves us keeps us to the end and will glorify us perfect us we will therefore overcome this world now amen that's a gospel promise beloved that's guaranteed by God you will not fall away you if you truly belong to God you will not you will never fall away amen for I the

Apostle Paul am confident of this very thing that he who began a good work in you believers who who is he who capital

H he God amen he God who began a good work in you believers will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ and to his return he will perfect it that's a promise beloved that's a gospel guarantee and promise amen you know and I've this this brings me to a this reminded me of certain encounters that I've had with some some younger guys you know some younger guys have approached me in the past and they think they know it all you know they think they know it all and they they can be very arrogant and condescending at times but they reveal themselves to be untaught and unstable because they say very foolish things they think they know what they're talking about but they really don't and they're you know this one guy he called me up and you know he starts telling me how he wants to start his own church that God led him to you know

God they sound very they sound pious they try to sound pious and yeah you know we're praying and God is showing me that I want to you know we start a church and and then he's telling me how he thinks the word world he was trying to correct me and showing me that the word world always means everybody everybody everyone that's what the word world always means and it's like well what you can't even make sense of any letter of John if that's what you think that doesn't make any sense you're caught that's causing the scriptures to contradict themselves okay does

God redeem unbelievers no he doesn't does God is God at enmity with the world he who makes himself a friend with the world makes himself what an enemy of God so how are you an enemy of God and a believer and saved but then

John 3 says he loved the world such that those who believe in him shall not perish you're no longer enemies of God but friends of God through Christ right so this is just utter nonsense utter nonsense and these young guys you know and it's older guys to older guys got real they can be real foolish to the foolishness is not age discriminatory right you can be a an old fool but oftentimes you the young guys that you know they tend to be

I think they think they they can be a little arrogant and condescending that way and you know the so this is a mess because if you pick up any decent

Greek lexicon or dictionary and look up the word world it will give you at least at the very least eight different definitions of the word sometimes definitions with additional nuances and sub definitions okay so many of which are mutually exclusive and polar opposite meanings

I got just it's obvious right so and then you know he told either guy told me wanted to start a church and stuff it's like man

I start talking to him about well who ordained you who recognized you you can't ordain yourself or you just so you just said oh yeah

I'm called by God to start a church no that's not how it works and he had no concept of this these guys often have no concept of what it is to be in a church in a true church you're supposed to be recognized by the church of having the gifts of preaching and teaching and being qualified for eldership in the ministry in the in the church you can't just ordain yourself that's not how it works so there's a lot of that foolishness going around and a lot of men and women sadly which is even worse but men who think they're called by God to do the work and to start a church when they have no qualifications whatsoever to do it because they don't even understand how to interpret the

Bible even fundamentally basic words like the word world and this is sadly what many cults and heretics tend to do they oversimplify key terms and they force a single meaning into every single passage of that uses the word and and failing to account for the context right because the context often qualifies the terms and specifically gives a meaning that is not the same as in other places context is king and this fails to account for context and the whole counsel of God and which results in unsound doctrine untaught doctrine that leads many to distort and twist the scriptures to their own description destruction just like Peter warns against it leads to false teaching heresy and even false

Gospels there's a lot of there's a lot of that going around sadly people who are untaught and unstable but still think that they know better and refuse to submit themselves to a faithful church that can and should correct them so rather than submit themselves to a church to grow and and humble themselves they don't they just want to go off and do their own thing because they think they know it already and that's not how

God works God works through his church he works through his church he doesn't just give you something and not confirm it through the church the local church the true church and we all need correction at times every single one of us needs correction you are not perfect I am

NOT perfect we all still sin and we all still need correction we need correction from God we need correction from his word and we need correction from our fellow brothers and sisters and our elders and elders also need correction

I'm no exception to that and I'm supposed to model that for you all as well when

I'm wrong I need to correct myself and fess up repent that's what we're all called to do right and every one of us needs a true friend that is willing to confront and correct you just as Nathan the

Prophet confronted David's adultery we all need that and this is one of the primary okay listen carefully public service announcement this is one of the primary functions of the

Church of God of the true Church of God right the functions of the true church the primary ones is to reprove rebuke and exhort with great patience and instruction 2nd

Timothy 4 to every one of those verbs involves correction reprove rebuke correct exhort so if a church is not correcting it's not rebuking it's not with refuting those who contradict false teaching it's not exhorting rebuking then it's probably not a true church to begin with because that's one of the primary functions amen and like I said that includes me as well

I need correction and I needed lots of correction to get to where I am today and I ain't done yet amen ain't none of us done yet with correction

I'm still a work in progress beloved amen so are all of us in the in the faith we all need in speaking of which

I need to correct something now that I stated before so in it

I need to correct and clarify and expand on something that I previously stated speaking of God and being born of God the

Father for everything that has been born of God God the Father right overcomes the world and this is the overcoming that has overcome the world our faith who is the one that overcomes the world but he who believes that Jesus is the

Son of God right and this is this brings me to what

I stated before in previous sermons on 1st John I asserted an interpretive principle that needs some like I said correction and clarification what

I said was that whenever the word God is used in the Bible without any other qualification or reference to a specific person of the

Godhead okay such as our great God and Savior Jesus Christ so God there refers to Jesus Christ obviously right

Titus 213 but it when it doesn't specifically refer to anybody it usually refers to God the

Father that's what I said now that's what I need to correct because however we need to account more carefully for what both the

Old and especially New Testament say about Christ in the

Old Testament okay this is very important turn with me beloved to Exodus chapter 12 in verse 50 and I this came up in 1st

John as well because John often refers to God without necessarily referring or pointing to a specific person of the

Godhead is that the Father the Son of the Holy Ghost and it could be one of the three we need to make sure we understand the context because the context will reveal that to us and so turn in and the book of Exodus the second book of the

Old Testament Exodus 12 verse 50 but God's Word says in Exodus 1250 so all the sons of Israel did as Yahweh had commanded

Moses and Aaron notice Yahweh thus they did and on that same day

Yahweh brought the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their host

Yahweh okay now let's turn to Jude 5

Jude Jude 5 in the New Testament the one of the last books of the

Bible second to last book of the Bible and that's interesting the second book of the

Bible and the second to last book of the Bible I'm not gonna make any more of that than it is but like some folks but the letter of Jude this is a fascinating passage

Jude 5 Jude 5

I want I want you to see this with your own eyes with me beloved Jude 5 now I the

Apostle Jude want to remind you though you know all things that who that Jesus having one saved the people out of the land of Egypt subsequently destroyed those who did not believe

Wow okay so Jude 5 here boldly declares and proclaims who was the one that delivered saved a people out of the land of Egypt it was

Jesus himself it was Jesus Christ Yahweh God Jesus Christ who brought brought delivered the the

Israelites out of Egypt Wow and there is no reference specifically to Christ there it just says

Yahweh right that's why I needed to make this correction because there's times when

Yahweh or God is used and it is referring to Christ primarily primarily

Jesus having one saved the people out of Egypt also destroyed those who did not believe when did that happen beloved when did

God destroy those who did not believe in Exodus so now

I know depending on the translation you have we use the New American Standard Bible and the legacy standard

Bible which says Jesus but there is an alternate rendering or there are some manuscripts use the word

Lord or goody also instead Lord instead of Christ so it's more generic but there's very strong textual support and manuscript support for Christ for Jesus such that Yahweh specifically refers to Christ in this

Old Testament passage amazing stuff but wait not just that remember the second part not only was it

Christ specifically referred to as the one who saved the people out of the land of Egypt Christ is also the one who subsequently destroyed those who did not believe right let's turn to Hebrews chapter 3

Hebrews chapter 3 verse 14 this is powerful stuff from God's Word now

Hebrews chapter 3 verse 14 God's Word says for we who is we we believers have become partakers of Christ if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end while it is said today if you hear his voice do not harden your hearts as when they provoked me me

God for who provoked him when they had heard indeed did not all those who came out of Egypt led by Moses and with whom he was angry for 40 years was it not those who sinned whose corpses fell in the wilderness right in the

Exodus wilderness in numbers 14 32 to 38 Deuteronomy 1 psalm 106 in several other places and to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest but to those who were disobedient so we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief okay so connecting the dots here now right the analogy of Scripture interpreting

Scripture with Scripture Jude 5 just told us that Jesus subsequently destroyed those who did not believe what does

Hebrews 3 say about that God here he was displeased for those who disobeyed because of their unbelief and he destroyed them it's talking about Christ and similarly now beloved turn with me to numbers 21 numbers 21 verse 5 the fourth book of the

Old Testament of the Torah now this is very fascinating how the scriptures tile this together because in many cases the passage may primarily point to a specific person of the

Godhead in other cases it also refers to all of them like creation God the

Father God the Son God the Spirit they all were involved in the act of creation because the God had never does and anything independently of of each other they're all one

God and so in numbers 21 verse 5 we read and the people the

Israelites spoke against God and against Moses why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness for there is no food and no water and we load this miserable food so Yahweh Yahweh sent fiery serpents among the people and they bit the people so many people of Israel died they perished right that's part of what this is referring to the other passages are referring to as well then the people came to Moses and said we have sinned because we have spoken against Yahweh and against you pray to Yahweh that he removed the serpents from us and Moses prayed for the people then

Yahweh said to Moses make a fiery serpent and set it on a standard and it will be that everyone who is bitten and looks at it will live and Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on the standard and after it happened that if a serpent bit any man when he looked at the serpent the bronze serpent he lived all right amen let's turn now to 1st

Corinthians chapter 10 verse 9 I know what happened back and forth here but I hope you appreciate why because this is really important to understand beloved to understand the scriptures bit correctly 1st

Corinthians chapter 10 verse 9 so in this passage get get a hold of this beloved in this passage 1st

Corinthians 10 9 the Apostle Paul exhorts us to say nor let us he says nor let us put

Christ to the test as some of them did and were destroyed by the what the serpents so who destroyed them with serpents

Yahweh namely Christ amen

Wow Yahweh specifically refers to Christ once again but wait beloved there's more let's go back to the

Gospel of John chapter 3 Gospel of John chapter 3 verse 14 John chapter 3 verse 14 in John's Gospel in verse 14

Jesus said and as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness even so must a son of man be lifted up so that whoever believes in him will have eternal life amen what does that mean what is this telling us what is

Jesus telling us what is the Word of God telling us Christ is Christ is both

Yahweh who destroyed the people with fiery serpents and the anti -type fulfillment of the fiery bronze serpent that gives us now eternal life that's that the healed the ones who were bitten who were bit the bronze serpent

Christ is that bronze serpent that anti type that now gives us eternal life because we believe in him amen so Christ is both of them

Yahweh and the antitypical serpent the bronze serpent that heals us and makes us causes us to be born again and live amen

Wow praise God for that it's all it's all

Christ there now we need to balance ourselves right because does this mean that every that every appearance or manifestation of God in the

Old Testament was that of Christ specifically or primarily because this leads me to another public service announcement some there's some that falsely claim because they're ignorant of this or they don't understand or they've misrepresented they claim that Protestants hardly ever see

Christ in the Old Testament but this is false love this is not true the reality but and then at the same time they over sometimes they over apply or oversee

Christ when it's not necessarily the primary person that the Bible is pointing to of the

Godhead we have to context context is key here all that New Testament context so we can never like I said we can never separate the divine persons of the

Trinity they are inseparable they are all one God one will one God but in some cases a specific divine person is emphasized more so or more specifically referred to and it is not necessarily always

Christ okay we need to rely on the Old Testament in light of the

New Testament to correctly interpret the activity and appearances of God and who the particular divine person is primarily referred to in the specific in a given passage right so in some passages the

Spirit of God is more specifically referred to such as when Moses said to Yahweh then the

Egyptians will hear of it by your power you brought up this people from their midst and they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land they have heard that you all

Yahweh are in the midst of this people for you all Yahweh are seen eye to eye while your class cloud stands over them and you go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night that's numbers 14 13 through 14 you

Yahweh are in the midst of this people okay but which person is this specifically pointing to turn with me beloved to the book of Isaiah chapter 63 verse 10 in Isaiah chapter 63 verse 10 we'll close out here with this passage in the in the in the book of the prophet

Isaiah the fifth gospel as it's also been called rightly so chapter 63 verse 10

God's Word says but they the Israelites rebelled and grieved his

Holy Spirit his Holy Spirit take note of that therefore he turned himself to become their enemy he fought against them then his people remembered the ancient days of Moses where is he who brought them up out of the sea with the shepherds of his flock where is he who put his

Holy Spirit where in the midst of them right what it numbers 14 say

Yahweh was in the midst of them he the Holy Spirit was in the midst of them who caused his glorious arm to go at the right hand of Moses who split the waters before them to make for himself an everlasting name who held them through the depths like the horse in the wilderness they did not stumble as the cattle with which go down into the valley the spirit of Yahweh gave them rest so you led your people by your spirit by that cloud and pillar of fire to make for yourself a glorious name amen right so sometimes the

Old Testament also further sheds light on what is referring what person primarily

Yahweh refers to there you go beloved context and the whole counsel of God helps us to determine these things and rightly understand

God's Word God is God he has all three persons and they are never separate of each other but sometimes there's an emphasis on one person specifically making a specific point now the

Protestant document known as a Chicago statement on biblical hermeneutics very helpfully sums this matter up article 3 says this we affirm that the person and work of Jesus Christ are the central focus of the entire

Bible amen that is what we believe as Protestants Christ is a central work of the entire

Bible Old and New Testaments his work and his person we deny that any method of interpretation which rejects or obscures the

Christ centeredness of Scripture is correct okay so don't let people deceive you and saying that well you know you

Protestants you don't really look you don't really see Christ in the Old Testament no we do we absolutely do but we do so in proper context because sometimes it's referring primarily to a distinct or a different person of the

Godhead we need to understand that in light of the whole counsel of God amen amen beloved that really

I it's important that I made that correction for us and so that we understand we don't misunderstand the

Bible when God or Yahweh is used right and so but in all these things beloved to sum it up Romans chapter 8 37 to 39 we overwhelmingly conquer through him who loved us for I am convinced that neither death nor life nor angels nor rulers nor things present nor things to come nor powers nor height nor death nor any other created thing nor the world itself will be able to separate us from the love of God himself amen which is in the one and only

Christ Jesus our Lord and God's people said amen let's bow our heads in a word of prayer our heavenly

Lord and Father we thank you so much for your precious truths these gems from your word your

Holy Word Father we ask that you make this word come alive in us father to help us to understand it rightly according to your principles and your your principles and doctrines for how to understand your word correctly in light of the old and new covenants and testaments that you have given to your church as a means to test and discern all things in all teachings so that we know what is of the spirit of truth and of the spirit of error we thank you father for making us born again by your spirit all of your work by your grace alone your power alone and not ours you have enabled us and empowered us to believe consequently in your word and in your gospel which saves us which is your power unto our salvation by virtue of Christ his person and work your son your precious eternal son that saves us from your holy righteous wrath and we as we seek to understand these things in the triune your triune work father and how the persons in the

Godhead in who you are as God Lord and how we properly seek to distinguish and understand those things according to what your word tells us and your prophets and apostles have spoken from ancient times we thank you

Lord for these things and we ask this in Jesus mighty precious name amen thank you for listening to the sermons of thorn crown covenant baptist church where the bible alone and the bible in its entirety has applied to all of faith and life we strive to be biblical reformed historic confessional loving discerning christians who evangelize stand firm in and earnestly contend for the christian faith 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 reformanda radio and thorn crown podcast please contact us at thorn crown ministries calm and may the mercy peace and love of our triune