Children of God - The Gospel Doesn't Force Change, It Brings Change - PS. James Muarry

Hey guys, Pastor James Murray here and I want to welcome you to the Abide Sydney podcast. This whole podcast is designed to help you on the journey of discipleship and our mission is to make disciples of the people of Sydney. But maybe not from Sydney, we hope this blesses you, so sit back, relax and enjoy this podcast. [Music] One John chapter three, we're in part seven of our Children of God series, one John chapter three in verse four. If you've got your bubbles, let's read this along together. He says this, "Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness, sin is lawlessness." You know that he appeared in order to take away sins and in him there is no sin. No one who abides, do you love that name? I love that. Yeah. No one who abides in him keeps on sinning. No one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him, little children. Let no one deceive you, whoever practices righteousness is righteous as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, interesting. Confronting words there for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning for God's seed abides in him and he cannot keep on sinning because he's been born of God. By this it is evident who are children of God and who are children of the devil. Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God nor is the one who does not love his brother. This is God's Word. We're going to speak on this part 7, around this idea of children of change, children of change. Now while we have established through this series that we through Christ our children of God, we're actually meant to be people who are changing. We are children who are changing to become more and more like Christ. How many people this morning recognize their need for change? Yep. Yep. You recognize that? Good. Glad you put your hand up if you didn't put your hand up. Yeah. Okay. Put your hand up for the person next to you who didn't put their hand up. No. Okay. We all know our need for change. We do. And in fact, it is a beautiful thing to arrive at to establish. Yeah. We need change. However, sometimes one of the most defeating things is to know your need for change but not know how to. Like I know it. And in fact, maybe people in this room and you have been on the journey of attempting change but it feels like I'm not ever getting traction. I'm never really truly changing. But I want to submit to you this thought. Ready? Here's the big thought from the text we're going to read here today and I'm going to chuck it up on screen. Here's the big thought. Ready? The gospel doesn't force change. It brings it. So the message that we are preaching here, the message of the kingdom, the gospel, is not about you better change. It's actually you will change. In fact, in other words, you put there instead of bring it, could be it produces change. The gospel produces changes. So I'm hoping that by the end of our time here this morning, you'll be like sighing like a breath of relief. I'm like, man, thank you Jesus because I am so tired of trying to change me. I need something beyond me. Okay, so this is what John is going to help us with today through the scriptures. So you ready? Let's commit these moments to God. So God, we thank you for today. Thank you God that you love us the way we are but you also love us so much that you won't leave us the way we are. You are doing a work in us, a transformative work. So right now we acknowledge our need for change. We come with that posture of humility of heart that we are incapable of really producing long-term change. We have moments. We have glimmers of it but to deeply truly change, we know we need something beyond us. So we thank you that through the Holy Spirit, through your Word, we are people who are going from glory to glory and strength to strength. That we are people who are being renewed. We are being made new and we hold onto that promise today but I pray that through your Word it would become more and more evident. There's the reality of that beautiful truth. So we ask right now would you come Holy Spirit? Do it only you can do. In Jesus' name, amen, amen, amen, amen. As you grab your seat to the person next to you say, "Yeah, I think you need some change. I think you need some." All right? Just a little bit, maybe a lot a bit. In 2014, my wife, Alan and I, moved back from the United States of America after being there for three years, helping and serving as a part of a church over there in San Diego. It was a great season of our lives. But we came back because we felt like a burden to plant a church. Like we're coming back to Australia to plant a church. We'd never planted a church before and if God didn't tell you to do it, don't do it, right? But we felt it. We felt this burden. God is asking us to do this and so we moved to the southern parts of Sydney to start this church community. Now, we had been away for three years. We still had friends in the northern parts of Sydney but no one knew in the southern parts and so I jumped on Facebook. Is anyone still on Facebook? Yeah, okay. Facebook marketplace about all I know now but we jumped on Facebook and I put a message out there, hey, we're starting a church, does anyone want to come and help us do it? And so that's how we started our church. Opened up our living room, our rented red brick house in the southern parts of Sydney, and thus begun the journey of our church plants. So we go really in the infant stages of it. I felt like I'm at heart an evangelist. I love seeing people come to Christ. Someone else, I love when God transforms a life and a life is redeemed and restored and so I love seeing people come to Christ and I was reading Galatians when I was in San Diego and this catch cry came up and it was this catch cry strictly inclusive, strictly inclusive. And the reason why, because when you read Galatians, what they were doing, the people who were against the church in Galatia, they were trying to, the Judais as they were called, they were trying to make Jesus and the gospel exclusive. In other words, only certain people can have it, in fact, most likely only Jewish people can have it. It's not for everyone, but Paul says, no, no, it's for everyone, this gospel. And that's where I got the statement, strictly inclusive. And so we use that in the early stages of our church, we're like, we're a strictly inclusive church. And we'd say things like this, we are what we call a strictly inclusive church, we are not a country club for the morally elite, we're a hospital of hope for humanity, we'd say stuff like that. People are like, yeah, this is so good. And he's the thing, people started coming, and it was amazing, the first couple of years like we were growing quite rapidly, people were coming, I remember a guy rocking up to church, seeing the banner, which was in this community hall we were hiring that said strictly inclusive, and he just got out of prison. And he comes up to me, he's like, hey, I'm like, hey man, watch your stories, like I just got out of prison. I'm like, really? Ah, I've been in prison while it's coming, no, I didn't, I actually said I was in detention in '06, that's exactly as close as I got, and he didn't laugh, but I said, yeah, come on in and he came to Christ, and there's so many stories like that, but as the church started to go along this journey of growth, something caught my attention, and it actually caught me by surprise, in fact, it was quite confronting, and it was this, there was a lot of people coming and joining our church, but very few people were changing, very few people were changing. It's where people who were like, man, yeah, I love the community, I love being welcomed here, but transformation wasn't happening in their lives, and it became so obvious to me that something was missing in this, and while the motive of the message to be strictly inclusive, man, it's a beautiful thing, it was a half truth, it was part of it, because how many people know that, yes, the gospel is inclusive, but it's also exclusive, it's both ant. In other words, everyone can come to Christ, but Jesus says, the only way you can get to God is through me, the only way the Father is through the sun, so there is a level of exclusivity there, on top of that, he doesn't come along and said, hey, follow me and discover yourself, that's what this is about, he doesn't, he says, follow me and deny yourself, in other words, there is some surrender at work in this journey of following me, you will not remain the same, in fact, we realize we were producing attendees who felt included, rather than disciples who were being transformed, attendees who were being included, rather than disciples who were being transformed, and this is the thing, we realize this very quickly, this is not what the gospel does, listen, we're not here as a body to just get more and more attendees, so we're here to make the disciples of the people of Sydney, and the discipleship isn't about, well, now I attend the church, no, it's a journey of change, it's of transformation, and it's the posture, it begins with recognizing our need for change, that is this posture of humility, Jesus, I cannot do this without you, and I make a horrible God of my own life, I cannot do this on my own, I come in humility, that's what repentance is, I'm coming recognizing my knee. change, but it's also recognizing his ability to change us. And so here at our church, we're not here to just get attendees. We want transform lives or disciples. Now, there's typically two types of people when I say stuff like that in a room like this. Person number one, you're a person who's like, "Ah, I don't really need to change. I don't want to change." And this message is for you. And then this second type of person, and they think they can't change. And this message is also for you. Because what we're going to learn today from the Apostle John is that change isn't a forced expectation of the gospel. It's a spirit and truth-fueled byproduct of the gospel. Can I say that again? What we're going to learn is that change isn't a forced expectation. Jesus is not going, "You better change." No, not at all. It's far more liberating in that. Why? Because it's a spirit and truth-fueled byproduct of the gospel. When we truly receive what Jesus is doing, guess what's going to happen? You're going to change. Okay, so when we truly receive Jesus' work on our behalf and welcome the transforming power of the Holy Spirit, we become children who are changed. Children of God who are change in. Why? It brings it. All right, so here's what we get to the context of what we've just read. John is preaching to a community of people and he's writing it in response to a doctrine that has crept into the church by these guys called the Nostics. The Nostics believe this. They believe that physical matter, the human body, was evil. Just purely evil, there is no good in it and there's no point in it. They believe just only in the spiritual side. So if you come to God, yet your spirit's going to get sent right with God, but they would say things like this, your body and what you do with it doesn't matter anymore. So it doesn't really matter. You can just live whatever way you want because your spirit's good and that's what's ultimately matters most, but your body who cares. So live whatever way you want. Don't even, don't even worry so much about what Jesus says, about what to do with your body or what the scripture say. Just live like you do you, Babu, and it's all good. And John says that's actually not the case. In fact, how many people know that the Apostle Paul would say this, that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. And what we do with our bodies, what we do with our lives, what we do with our conduct and our behavior matters. It matters. And John is saying, in fact, it doesn't just matter, it's actually what happens when you truly embrace the gospel. Like you will change. If it is truly doing its work within your heart. So a couple of things we're going to come from around the scripture today, a couple of thoughts. Number one, what John does is he actually addresses this idea of the dissecting of sin, the dissecting of sin. He says, "Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness." Everyone say lawlessness. Yeah, interesting word. And he says this, sin is lawlessness. Interesting. How many people in high school maybe year seven or year eight, you had a science class and you had to dissect like a frog. Anyone do that, dissect a frog or something? They don't do it anymore. I don't know, they dissect tofu now or something weird. I don't know, but it's like, but you would get a frog and then you dissect it. Why? Because you want to see the anatomy of the frog. What's really going on below the surface or the skin? And what John does here is John, he takes sin and he starts to dissect it. Let's look at really, let's move beyond the skin of sin, if you will, and let's get to the heart of it. And he actually says this, I use chat WBT again for this image because I just love using it. Is anyone? Okay, tough crowd. So I, I, this image, ready to check this up on the image. What John is trying to say here is that there is the skin of sin, but underneath the skin, it all has the same heart. All has the same motive, ready? The skin of sin is what, doing wrong. Would you agree with that? Yeah, sins is doing wrong things. According, you know, based off scripture, what scripture say, it gets that, but the heart of sin is willfully rejecting the rule and reign of God. So what John is saying here is that the sins we commit on the surface, they actually all share the same motive. It's willfully rejecting the rule and the reign of God. Do you want a few examples? Of course you do. Here we go. Let's look at greed. The, the skin of greed is what? I just want more, but really the heart is, I don't trust God to provide. So there's a deeper, there's a sin beneath the sin. Let's look at lust. The skin of lust is, I looked where I should it, but the heart is, no, my desires rule me not God. Pride. Pride skin is what? I want recognition, but the heart of it is what? I want the glory instead of God. Sexual sin, let's go there. The skin of it? Well, I crossed a boundary, but the heart of it is, no, I'll decide what's right for me. You see the deeper meaning here, last but not least, envy. Envy skin is what? I want what they have, but the heart of it is I don't believe God has given me enough. So there's always, and what John is saying here is there is a sin beneath the sin. In fact, John says it like this, sin is not merely failure to conform to God's law, it's an active rebellion against his authority. That's the heart of it. It's active rebellion against his authority. So what John is saying is this, at the heart of all sins is a distrust of God. That is the heart of all yours and my sin. Yeah. It's ultimately, I don't trust God. The skin of it, men, don't be deceived. There is a deeper thing. In fact, you could put it this way. Sin is the human heart looking at God and saying, I know what you said about sexuality, but I will decide. I know what you said about money, but I will decide. I know what you said about forgiveness, but I will decide. I know what you said about truth, but I will decide. I know what you said about loving my enemy, but I will decide. In other words, sin is me saying God, I am at the depth of it. At the heart of it is God, I reject your rule and reign, your ways. That is the heart of sin. And John says, it's lawlessness. So when we sin, we are outlaws, so to speak, of the kingdom of heaven. We're outlaws. We're like, no, I'm not. I'm going to build my own little kingdom and do things my own way. I will decide what's best for me. Isn't that interesting? From the very beginning, what is the enemy of the human condition being trying to do to humanity? From the very beginning, he comes to Eve in the garden, he says, take this fruit. You decide. You become God. No, you don't need his rule and reign. You come under your own rule and rent. You become just like him and he's been deceiving people ever since. Why? Because the heart of sin is exactly, it says about the devil. What does it say? It says he's been sinning from the beginning. And from the beginning, his number and goal is reject God's rule and reign. You decide. You choose. You make your mind up for you. You do your own way, not God's way. And here's the thing, this is tragic because John says, this lawless way of living, guess what it's doing? It's destroying you. To live outside of God's kingdom, rule and reign is not to live in more freedom. It's to live in more captivity. You're actually a slave to sin when you choose to come out from under God's rule and reign. And you don't, it gives off the persona like you're in charge, but really you're not. No, you're, no, you just, this seems like this, but it's deceptive. It's trying to tell you, man, you're in charge, but underneath it's controlling you. It's ruling you because we all are ruled by something, whether it's God or our sins. And when we sin, we, listen to me, we aren't breaking God, we're breaking us. The only thing that breaks of the Lord when we sin is his heart. He is grieved by our sin. Why? Because it is destroying our sin, is rejecting God's way and choosing ours. And while it grieves God's heart, it destroys our lives. Then anyone wonder why Jesus was so against sin? Because it's destructive. And ultimately, the heart of it is to reject God. So John says, that's the sin, beneath the sin. And you all, we must all recognize that. But then, how many people want some good news this morning? Here we go. We must recognize now the verses that go on from there, the aggressive kingdom work of Jesus. Says to some verse five, you know that he appeared in order to take away sins. And in him, there is no sin. Verse eight, the reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. Oh, I love this. I couldn't wait to get this point. This is so cool. Now, it's coming up soon. Christmas. Like, just get ready. We're blinking. Oh my gosh. Christmas is happening. Anyone feel like that this year? Like it's rapidly going. Okay. When you think of Christmas, many people, that beautiful moment where God came, put on flesh, the baby, you know, the baby Jesus, you know what I mean? Like that. Not going to go there. But when that happened, most people have this idea like this. This is how many people see the Christmas narrative, or they only keep it at this. And it's much like this, just like the Nativity scene, and little baby Jesus are there, and the shepherds are there, and the angels are there, and the wise men, and that's not, that's right. That did happen. But when you think of that, it kind of, to me, it minimizes just how profound and impacting Jesus' arrival was. Because. Since really studying what does the kingdom of heaven mean, what did Jesus mean when he's saying, hey, like repent for the kingdom of heaven is near? Or what did he mean when he said, pray, you know, you'll be done on earth as it is in heaven, like your kingdom come? What did he mean? He was saying, guys, when I came, when Jesus came, he came to bring about this kingdom invasion into what the devil was trying to destroy and rule. And so when you think of Christmas, this Christmas, think less like that and think more like this. Yeah, that's how I see it. Now, I'm like, Jesus, come on, William Wallace, Braveheart, one of the best rom-coms that came out joking. Okay, very gory movie, but this is what we must picture that when Jesus came, this was an invasion. And he's coming with the kingdom of light. In fact, he came to do many things, but John says this was his mission, ready? To take away your sins. That's why he came. Do you realize that sin is weighty? It crushes us. In fact, the best image I could give you for what sin really, what it feels like would be more like this. That sin is a weight on the human condition. And when you live a life and sin, it weighs you down. Now, imagine with me for a second, if when a child was born immediately, a heavy weight was put on their back. And as they grew up, they knew nothing but that heavy weight. And it wasn't until the day that that heavy weight was removed that they finally went, oh my gosh, I've been living under that. And that's exactly what happens at the point of salvation. So for many people, you didn't realize you were even living under the weight of sin until salvation came and Jesus took away your sins. And when he took away your sins, anyone else in the room, you're like, oh my gosh, I was carrying that. I was weighed down by that shame and that guilt and the sins that I've committed. And Jesus came, no, I'm taking that away, to which I wanna say this, for us as believers, we must not look at the world and go, I can't believe you're doing this and doing that. They didn't realize they're carrying the weight of sin. And so our message, we implore people, be reconciled to God, come back to God, let the sin be removed from your life. We don't judge you, no, we want you to experience this. And that's where we as a church, come on. We need to be the best at sharing the good news of gospel in the city, why? Because Jesus took away our sins and he can take away yours. And that is the message. That's what Jesus came to do. In fact, Matthew Henry says like this, Christ came not only to pardon sin, but to destroy its dominion. This is massive. Because not only did he take away your sins, watch this, verse 8 said he came to destroy the works of the devil. I feel like we make Jesus to meek and mild. He's like sash, blonde hair, blue eyes in the Middle East for some reason. Like meek and mild Jesus. No, yes, we must understand that yes, he was a person. Of course, he was gentle and kind, but beneath it was this kingdom, like help this kingdom ambition. I'm coming to destroy the works of the enemy. That's, watch how Jesus treated everything that was not of his kingdom. What did he do against empty religiosity? Violent against it. Braids, whips and flips, tables. I'm aggressive against empty religiosity. Against the demonic, what is he like? Get out. Be still, like oh my, oh, I love that Jesus. I'm gonna do that Jesus soon. He's gonna be like jacked or something. I don't know, but. But he came to destroy the works of the devil. What are some of the works of the devil? Ready, lies and deception. Condemnation that you've been carrying. Shame that you've been carrying. Division that he tries to split people up all the time. Fear and captivity, spiritual blindness, spiritual oppression, dark oppression. Jesus came to destroy those works. So catches, Jesus came to wage war on sin and the works of the devil. And when you become a Christian, you also join in that war. Hear me, we're in a war. And that's not against principalities. And that's against that person online, or that other people, it's not. It's actually against principalities and powers and we are on the winning side. And we're coming with the authority of Christ and Christ Himself, what? To destroy the works of the devil. Amen. Oh, we almost got like deep South Baptist for a second. Almost. Some people were waving rags, gone crazy. Now, John says, let's dissect sin. It's lawlessness. We must recognize that it's rejecting God's will and reign. Jesus came to free us from sin, to free us from, to come back under God's rule and reign. Joyfully, be welcome back. Let the prodigal son come back to the Father. But then the next, he then goes in in verses six to verses nine, he talks about the evidence of salvation. He says this, no one who abides in him keeps on sinning. No one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. Little children, let no one deceive you whoever practices righteousness is righteous as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is off the devil for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. Again, from the beginning, the devil has been rejecting God's will and reign. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning for God's seed abides in him and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. All right, that's a big one. John now speaks to the evidence of salvation. How do you know if you are saved? Now, there is this idea of an internal assurance. Like I just know, I had this, I'm totally persuaded and convinced that I am in relationship with the Father and I will be with him in eternity. Like there's that assurance, but John, he then goes to some external things. Not just internally, he says externally, there's a couple of things that are evidence that you are truly saved. Okay, let's do a little Q and A for a second. Not necessarily you're gonna answer anything, but let's go for a little, but overview of what we just read earlier. Ready? Let's chuck this up on the screen. Everyone who sins breaks the law. Would you agree? Yep, next one, we've already covered this. Sin is lawlessness, rejecting God's way. Would you agree? Yeah, scripture's pretty clear on that. Jesus appeared to, so that we might take away or he might take away our sins. Do you agree? Yeah, and then John gets to these verses. No one who lives in him keeps on sinning and we're like, yeah, oh, next one. No one who continues to sin has yet to sin him or know him. Like I write my responses. Anyone else, you're like, when I read that, you're like, oh shoot, you don't keep on sinning, and if you do keep on sinning, you don't really know him. That seems like a tension point for us. 'Cause I know what I did last week. Anyone else? Yes. Sin, not intentional, but sin is still a part of this condition, 'cause so is John saying that if you keep on sinning, that you're not saved, because again, scripture, interpret scripture, so don't get, some people have read that and they're like, that's it, I'm not saved. I'm not, 'cause I sin this week, and it's like, well, we'll hold on sec, 'cause one John chapter one and verse eight and nine, we covered this in the early stages of one John. He says, if we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us, if we confess our sins, he's faithful. So he acknowledges that we still have sin, so what does he mean by this? What does he mean? Well, the word sin is the Greek word homasia. Can you say that? Hamasia, yes, and that's the word he used. Whoever sins, Hamasia, is actually not of God. Now, the word homasia means this, miss the mark or target. So basically what John is saying, this is what sin is. The best way I can picture image this is like, archery and a target. Here's a picture of that, and he's saying, when we sin, what we should be doing is hitting a perfect bullseye, but we're missing the mark. That's what's in Hamasia is to miss that perfect bullseye, but also we must recognize that Jesus came along, and what did Jesus do? Led the perfect life. He hit the bullseye for us. So what John is trying to say here is this, he's not saying that you have to keep on hitting the perfect bullseye, he's actually saying two things. Ready, evidence of salvation? One, you will never have the same relationship with sin again because of salvation, because of Jesus. You will never have the same relationship with sin again, and you'll never have the desire to hit the bullseye. That is an evidence of salvation. So how many people know this week will go out, and we're wanting to live a life that reflects our faith and our fellowship of Christ, but we miss the mark, don't we? You'll go to work tomorrow, and whoops, whoops, whoops, in the traffic, whoops, you'll keep on, oh man, that definitely miss the mark. That is not wholly living, right? So he's not saying that you're now going to live this perfect life, he's actually saying that you just sin's going to be different for you now. Hey, so Hemi, when you sin this week, not intentionally, but when you sin, can I say this, when you sin and you feel convicted by that sin, repent, but also celebrate. Celebrate, why? 'Cause I don't have the same relationship with sin anymore. What once I used to do easily, not even care about it, now when I do it, I'm like, oh, that just feels wrong. Why? Because you're a new creation in Christ. But you've experienced and experiencing salvation in your life, but also you'll never have a desire. So when you sin it and you miss the mock, you're like, "No, come on, get back up and I'm going to keep faring." back at that life that God says I can now live through the power of His Spirit. I want to hit it, I have a desire to hit the bulls eye now and that's what John is saying. In fact, William Barca says it like this, John is not setting before us a terrifying perfectionism, but he is demanding a life which is ever on watch against sin, a life in which sin is not the normal accepted way, but the abnormal moment of defeat. Hear me, when you sin, when we sin, it's not normal now, it's abnormal and it's just a moment of defeat. You get back up, right? Get back up. And he's saying this, John is not saying that a man who abides in God cannot sin, but he is saying that the man who abides in God cannot continue to be a deliberate sinner. So it's like, man, I can't sin the same way anymore. I can't. But the next thing he goes on to say is this, you're long to pursue righteousness. He says, little children, let no one deceive you, whoever practices righteousness is righteous as he is righteous. And what does he mean by righteous? It's decayus is the Greek word righteous and it means godly conduct or behavior or holiness. So now, evidence of salvation is that I don't have the same relationship with sin, but on top of that, I want to live righteous. I want to. Now let's go there for a second. There are two types of righteousness, you must be aware of and it's these two, ready? It is it is passive righteousness and active righteousness. And this is important because if you don't understand the passive righteousness, you will go into workspace. I have to make myself like pleasing to the Lord. That's you couldn't do that. I couldn't do that. That's why we have this passive righteousness. What is that? Righteousness we receive from Christ by faith, not something we earn. God declares this righteous because of Christ. So catch this. Before God right now, you've accepted Christ. Guess what? In God's eyes, you'd hit the perfect target. Why? Because Jesus imputed his righteousness to you. He said, I live the perfect life and I'm going to take your sin and I'm going to give you my righteousness. That's a bad deal for him, great deal for us. And that's we must recognize that's passive. I just receive it. I have been made right with God. So for some of you, you still on this religious treadmill, empty religious treadmill, trying to make yourself right before the Lord. You can't do that. I have to I've been given that through Christ and I have been. It's been passively given to me. It's imputed to me. But then there is the other side of it, which is it's like active because if you just leave it passive alone, well, who cares what I do now? I have to live holy. I have to pursue the way of Jesus. I can just do whatever I want because well, I'm already righteous. And no, if grace has really transformed your life and salvation has really impacted your heart, guess what? You'll want to do this. Something make it's like I've got a desire shift. In fact, the Old Testament says this prophecy of us post salvation is that we had this once heart of stone and but now we've been given a heart of flesh. Like my heart is never responsive to God in his ways, not hardened or cut off to his ways. And you must recognize we must participate in that this active righteousness and allow God as we obey His word to keep on helping us to live righteous lives. And this is really important because there's so much bad PR with Christianity out there right now. And I would submit you part of it is because people have received the passive righteousness of Christ and neglected the active. Oh, I'm saying I'm going to heaven one day, whatever that means. And it's like, but you actually don't have any desire to want to live righteous. But that's an evidence of salvation. He says, again, we read that earlier. He says, children, don't let anyone deceive you. Like this is important whoever practices righteousness is righteous as he is. You're becoming more like him to which John he helps us even more with this because he says, hey, before you freak out and think, oh my gosh, this week I'm going to live righteous. He's saying, well, no one born of God makes a practice of sinning for God's seed abides in him and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. What does he mean by that? Jesus doesn't come along and say, hey, here's my word. Live it. Have a great week. Peace be still. Like he doesn't do that. He says, here's my word. And here's my spirit. And I'm going to put the and John says, there's this seed that's been put in you. And what does he mean by seed? It's too fault. We know that Jesus talked about the seed of the word of God falling on good soil, right? So the word is the seed, guess what it also is the seed? The spirit. So it's spirit and truth and that spirit and truth as I read God's word and then I partner with the person, the Holy Spirit, guess what I'm happening? I'm being transformed. I'm becoming a more righteous person. So catch this. If you were to get an orange seed and plan it in your backyard tonight and you were to wake up tomorrow morning and be really upset that you didn't have an orange tree, how many people think that would be ridiculous? Of course it would be. It takes time for this seed to grow and then the same way an orange seed turns into an orange tree. What does God's seed turn into? Holiness. Godliness. And as you keep on, well, it's an interesting Paul writes. He says, I sowed the seed, a polished watered it, God brought the increase. As if to say, this is journey of transformation that's slow and gradual. So before you freak out and say, men, am I supposed to be righteous by the end of the week? No. But you are being renewed. You are becoming more righteous as what you trust in His word and you trust in the spirit. Amen? And all of this is evidence of salvation. Blastment, at least point number four, the ultimate outworking of salvation. Verse 10, "By this it is evident who a children of God and who are children of their devil. Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love His brother." Interesting. He uses this word. Did you notice those two words all throughout these few verses that John used a few times? And one of them was abide. Did you notice that? So it's going to remain in Christ. There's keep on trusting coming under His rule and reign. But the other word he uses a lot is practice, practice. And the idea of practicing, or the word practice, means a pattern of activity to improve a school. So when he says practice righteousness, what does he mean? Work on it. Work on it. Anyone play golf here? Yeah, a couple of golf players. Some people don't want to admit it. Bad round this week. Okay, so I played golf for a little while, had a little season when I was into it. And I really wanted to get good at it because one, I was sick of losing golf balls. And two, it was just humiliating to play with people. I would go to the range once a week. And what do I do? I practice. And slowly but surely I was progressing in that skill set. And in the same way, John was saying, "Hey, practice righteousness." Practice it. In other words, make it a habit to wake up daily and say, "God, I'm going to work on the skill by your help through the Holy Spirit of becoming more godly today." I'm going to work at it. I'm actually going to work at righteousness. And he says this, "Children of God and children of the devil have different practices." You want to know them? Ready? Children of God, you practice righteous. In other words, the pattern of your life is about God shaping your conduct. God, keep shaping me. Keep transforming me. That's what children of God do. But also, you love people. The pattern of your life is growing. God is growing. It's bad spelling in there. God is growing your love for other people. That's what children of God, they practice and these things start happening more and more in their life. However, children of the devil, ready? They practice unrighteousness. And the pattern of your life is living contrary to God's way. Like I'm just constantly rejecting His rule and reign. The next thing, you don't love people. The pattern of your life is loving yourself more than others. And John gets pretty confronting. He's saying, "Guys, if your pattern of your life looks like this, you're not a child of God." In fact, you're a child of the devil. That's pretty confronting, isn't it? You know the word devil, you know what it means? Devil is not his name. It's a description of what he does. It's slanderer. He's the slanderer. And children of the slanderer, I guess, what they want to do. They don't want to slander the God of our lives, want to slander the scriptures. They want to live opposite to that. But also, they want to live for themselves. Not only they hate people, they just live for themselves. He says, "That's a pattern of the children of the slanderer." And the next one, but he says, "But children of God, guess what they're doing?" Like, "Daily God, keep shaving my conduct. I want to be more and more like you." But also, I'm growing in love. In fact, Bishop B.F. Westcott, he said, "Like this, life reveals the children of God." So children of the devil versus children of God, you don't recognize that from one occasion. Life reveals that. Life, as you go through life, you look at the practices, the patterns of someone's life. And you're like, "Honorsack, that doesn't reflect God at all." Which is sad. Because I bet many people in church, and the sad truth is, I think I've met more churchans than Christians. That's what I mean. They come to church, and this is a good part of their life. But are they truly Christians? Are they truly in relationship with God and salvation [BLANK_AUDIO] that work in them and sadly I met people that's not, artists like church community, but I don't necessarily love the Lord and let him do his work within me. And John lets that be confronted because he's saying, guys, if you really are trusting in the Lord to rule and reign of your life and letting his saving work go to work in you, guess what's going to happen? The gospel, it's not going to force you to change, it's going to actually bring it, it's going to bring it. It's good. I don't know about you, but that is such a sigh of relief, wow, I hear my thinking, I got to change me in my own strength. But these scriptures would say, I know, changes are inevitable as you start to trust in his transforming work, the work that we see in the gospel. Amen? Amen. So today I want to leave you with a couple of questions, let's send to our feet and questions for reflection and then we're going to have a moment of prayer and I do want to carve out a little bit of time for prayer here as we close as well, fill out the Holy Spirit that wants to minister to some people here today. But question number one, where in my life am I most tempted to say to God, I know what you say, but I'll decide for myself, where are you saying God, I reject your rule and reign in my life? And that's a good question to ask because that means if I'm not living under his rule and reign, then I'm living under my own. And that's not life and abundance, in fact, it's ultimately life that leads to destruction. Next one, how is my relationship with sin changed since following Jesus? It's a good reflective question, how is my relationship with sin changed? It's a great evidence. If I fit one at heart to sin or to put up with those sins, it's a good evidence. But if it hasn't, okay, have I truly let His saving work do a work? In me, next one, where can I see God's spirit and truth actually changing my character and conduct? Like are you seeing change or you're noticing change? Maybe if you're not, it's because you're trying to produce your own righteousness, trying to make myself right still, you're going into what I would call empty religion, just do better try harder, no, that's not how we change. We need to trust Him. Last but not least, what area of righteousness do I need to intentionally practice this week? So look at God's character, look at what you see in the scriptures, what is God like and practice that? God is patient. God is kind. It says that about love, that's who God is, God is love, right? I'm going to practice that this week, but not on my own, Holy Spirit help me with that, because I want to be more and more godly. Amen? Amen. We're going to finish with a prayer together, I'll read it first and then we'll pray it together and then we'll allow some space for prayer as well. Here's the prayer. Father, I thank You that You love me so much that You sent Jesus to take away my sins and make a way for me to be a child of God. Thank You, Holy Spirit, that You are in me and are transforming me, help me as I practice righteousness in Jesus' name. Amen. So can we pray this together, out loud, all across this room? Come on, let's be in community praying and asking God to do this work in us this week. Ready? Thank You, Holy Spirit, that You are in me and are transforming me. Help me as I practice righteousness in Jesus' name. Well, we hope this podcast has inspired you on your journey of discipleship to Jesus. If you want to know more about our church, just go to abide.cidney. We'd love to get to know you. If not, you're from another place, hey, why don't you share this with someone else and hopefully it helps them as they continue to follow Jesus. Have a great week. [Music]