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But 1 John 5 verse 10 says, He that believeth on the Son of God hath to witness in himself. He that believeth not God hath made him a liar, because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. You see, in order for you to be saved, you must believe the record that God gave of his Son. The title for the sermon this morning is The Record That God Gave. What is the record that God gave? We'll touch upon that in a moment. But you'll notice that in this chapter, the term record gets brought up a few times, or to bear record gets brought up. Also, to bear witness. Or to testify. Testify is not in this chapter. But to testify, or to bear record, or to give witness of, is talking about the same thing. You're testifying of something that is true. And so let's start there in verse number 1. Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone that loveth him, that begatth loveth him also that is begotten of him. Let's touch upon the first part of that verse very quickly. It's just once again confirming how we are saved. How do we become children of God? How are we born of God? Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. Salvation, once again, is believing. Believing on Jesus Christ. Believing on what he's done. Believing on the record, ultimately, is what we're going to see in a moment. But once again, John is just reinforcing. He's done that over and over in the book of John. Once again, salvation is believing. When someone says to you, yes, you've got to believe, but there is no but. It's your faith and faith alone that saves. There is no but. No, no, no. Salvation is one of the finished work of Christ. And then it says, the second part of it, and everyone that loveth him, so everyone that loves God, that begatth loveth him also that is begotten of him. So who is begotten of God? You might say, well, of course, Jesus Christ is the begotten Son of God. Yes, of course, we love Jesus Christ. But if we look at the reference again, just, you know, what I love about going chapter by chapter, verse by verse, is that you're really keeping verses in context. And if you remember on Wednesday, we went through 1 John 4, there was a huge emphasis on loving who? Loving the brethren. Loving our brothers and sisters in the Lord. And of course, all of us that are saved have been begotten by God because we've been born of God, we've come, we've been brought forth, the Holy Spirit gave us spiritual birth, the moment that we trusted Christ, we've been born again. And once again, it's just confirming the fact that someone that is saved will have within them the love of God to love the brethren, brothers and sisters in the Lord. Okay? So, this is such an important aspect. Like, God truly wants us to love one another. Okay? God has loved us. You know, whichever sinner that has been saved by grace here, God loved you enough to send His Son to die for you, then who am I to not love you? Like, if God loved you to die for you, who am I to say, well, that person does not deserve love? No, truly, someone that is saved, it is right, it is a proper thing. God expects us to love our brethren. Now, let's keep going there, verse number 2. By this we know that we love the children of God, so once again, the children of God, that's all of us here, when we love God and keep His commandments. You notice that all these things come together, loving God, loving the children of God, but not forgetting, doing His commandments. Remember, one thing Jesus Christ says, if you love me, keep my commandments. You can't say, I love God, if you're not keeping His commandments. If you're walking in darkness, if you're walking in sin, if you have no desire to follow after the steps of Jesus Christ, you can't say to me, I love God. No, all these aspects must come together, alright? I mean, remember when the question gets asked of Jesus, the greatest commandment, what was the greatest commandment of all? To love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our might. But then what was the second commandment? To love our neighbours as ourselves. And then Christ says that all of the laws, all of the prophets, hang on these two commandments, loving God and loving our neighbour. And so of course, all the commandments, if we were to love God supremely, and we love our neighbour and our brethren supremely, then we will naturally, automatically keep the commandments because we don't want to offend, we don't want to trespass against our neighbours. Verse number three, for this is the love of God. Look, this is just plain. For this is the love of God. What is the love of God, Pastor Kevin? That we keep His commandments. Isn't that clear? Oh, Lord, one day I hope I can keep your commandments. Until then, I love you, Lord. No, no, no. The love of God. You want the right love, you have to keep His commandments. In fact, you'll find in your Christian maturity, as you grow, as your life reflects a greater holiness, you do more works of righteousness, you walk by His commandments more so than ever, you'll find your love for God will increase. There is a direct correlation between those two things, okay? Keeping His commandments. This is the love of God. And His commandments are not grievous. What are some reasons why people don't like the laws of God, don't like the Bible, alright? What are some ideas that are out there, they think, well, there's just too many rules, it's just too difficult, you know, to live godly, you know, I feel like I'm in a prison if I'm just keeping the laws of God. And so the idea out there is that there's a negative connotation with keeping the commandments, you know, you won't be able to live the open and free life that you want, but God says if you keep His commandments, they're not grievous. Grievous means suffering, pain or sorrow. You see, when you don't keep the commandments of God, you're guaranteed grief, pain and sorrow. By keeping His commandments, you're protecting yourself, you're keeping yourself safe, God is showing you how to live a blessed and happy life by keeping His commandments. I mean, think of the idea of, you know, we all drive, right? We all drive on the streets and we've got road rules and sometimes we all complain, right? Oh, why is it 50 here? We can perfectly drive 80 kilometers an hour right here. This commandment is grievous, this 50 kilometer sign, right? Whatever it is, right? Sometimes we have this idea about the rules. Honestly, if you're just familiar with driving in Australia, then you're not going to understand this, but if you're ever driven in South America or in some Asian countries, then you understand that the road rules are not grievous. In Australia, the road rules are not grievous. They keep us safe. They keep us protected. It minimizes the accidents that take place, okay? But if you say, you know, I'd rather be in a place where there are no road rules, man, that's why you go to these places and they've got cars that are just dented and scratched and there are major accidents. I've driven in Chile and I'm scared, brave man. There are lanes, but there's no point of the lanes. It doesn't matter if you just see a gap. You just take that gap. It doesn't matter. Indicators aren't used, right? There are no rules. What this is teaching us, just like the road rules, they're there to keep us safe. They're there to keep order. God's commandments are there to keep us safe. It's not there to keep us imprisoned. This is such a hard Christian life to live. No, God's given us his commandments so we can be blessed, so we can be protected in this life because it is a wicked, dangerous life, this world. This world is very dangerous, very wicked and can cause a lot of suffering. Verse number four. For whosoever is born of God. Now, this verse, verse number four and verse number five is really important. I really want you to absorb this in your mind because some people teach this incorrectly. For whosoever, sorry, for whatsoever is born of God. Hey, have you been born of God? Have you been born again? Have you trusted Christ as your saviour? So this is you. For whatsoever is born of God, over cometh the world. You've already overcome this world, okay? Now, the reason I say this is important because a lot of people say in order to overcome the world, that's you keeping the commandments. No, no, no, no. That's not overcoming the world, okay? In fact, the definition of overcoming the world is given right here. It says, and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. So what is it that overcomes the world? What is it that has given us victory in this world? Our faith, okay? Our faith. Now, let's keep going there. Verse number five. Who is he that overcometh the world? Who is he? If I look around here, who here has overcome the world? It says here, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God. If you have believed on Jesus, guess what? Your faith has helped, has caused you to overcome the world. You have victory over the world because you believed on Jesus. So what does it mean to be an overcomer? It means that we're saved. We're saved from sin. We're saved from hell. It means that we will have, well, we have now eternal life, and we will spend eternity with God forever. That's what it means to overcome the world. It means we've put our faith on Jesus Christ. It's our faith that has caused us to overcome the world. Now, this is important because if we backtrack a little bit, come back with me to chapter number two in 1 John chapter two, verse number 13. 1 John chapter two and verse number 13, the Bible reads, I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him, that is, from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, look at this, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the father. So the young men here have overcome the wicked one. Who's the wicked one? Satan. How do we overcome Satan? Satan is known as the father of lies, isn't he? How do we overcome his lies? How do we overcome his false teaching, false doctrines? How do we overcome the temptations that he throws our way? Even our faith. The moment you trusted Christ, you've come to understand the truth. You've overcome the lies of Satan. You've overcome the false doctrines. You've overcome the false gospels even that are out there, and you've put your faith on Christ. I've overcome the wicked one. I've overcome the world. Let's look at 1 John 4 now. 1 John 4, verse number 1. Just a reminder, remember these things just build off each other in this book. 1 John 4, verse number 1. Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God. Now notice the next words. Because many false prophets are gone out into the world. There are false prophets. So it's not just the wicked one, the devil. Of course, he causes havoc, but then the devil has his false prophets. And we saw in chapter number 3, talking about the children of the devil. Children of the wicked one. Well, these false prophets very much are, just like Satan is the father of lies, these false prophets, what are they doing? They're lying. They're speaking falsehoods. That's why they're called false prophets. And then it continues in verse number 2. Hereby know ye the spirit of God. Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God. And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come, even now already is it in the world. So you've got the false prophets, and you've got the spirit of antichrist, the false doctrines that are in the world. But then it says in verse number 4, Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them. We have overcome them. Because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. So we have overcome the false prophets. We have overcome their lies. Thank God that he's given us his spirit, and his Bible, and through his word, and through our faith in Christ Jesus, we are victorious over this world. And look, we are soldiers of the Lord Jesus Christ. We must put on the whole armor of God. It's still a battlefield. But as I've preached in the past, and others have said, we're not fighting for victory. We're fighting from victory. We're already victorious. We're already reigning champions. Okay, and we're going through life with that in mind, that we are victorious in Jesus Christ. Back to 1 John chapter 5. Back to 1 John chapter 5. Again, I just want to read this part to you. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus Christ is the Son of God? So, you are an overcomer if you've trusted Christ, if you're saved. Now the reason this is important, and this is why I'm going through John, 1 John 2, John 3, and Ultimate Revelation, all the books that John has written, is so, again, I've heard a lot of bad teaching. I've heard a lot of things that just, that people teach strange things. Just, they do. And look, again, I'm not like this perfect man, and every word that comes out of his mouth is always going to be exactly perfect. That's not necessarily the case. But what I encourage you, you know, when you want to understand the scriptures, have a very narrow view. You're trying to understand a verse? Stick in that chapter. You want to expand a little bit more? Go around the chapters that are around it. Go, you know, look at the whole book that that author has written. You want to understand a little bit more? Look at some other books that same author has written. And if you still don't really have an answer, fine, look at the rest of the Bible. Because the whole Bible is the word of God. But I always encourage people, start with a narrow perspective, and then work your way out as you try to understand things. Now, keep your finger there and come with me to Revelation chapter 2. Again, the book of Revelation is written by John. Okay? The book of Revelation is written by John. So then, at the beginning of the book of Revelation, we have John who writes to seven churches in Asia Minor, in Turkey. All right? The seven churches in the book of Revelation. And we're not going to, obviously, read every aspect of these churches, and when we get through Revelation, I'll cover that in greater depth. But I want you to notice what Jesus Christ says to his churches in Revelation chapter 2 verse number 7, Revelation 2, 7, the Bible reads, He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches, to him that overcometh. What is that talking about? To him that overcometh. Is that talking about the Christians that are the most holy and the most righteous? Is this saying the Christians that have done the most righteous works for the name of Christ, is that the one that has overcome? To him that overcometh. John said the one that overcomes is the one that has his faith in Jesus Christ. The one that is saved. And so if you are saved, this is about you. To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life which is in the midst of the paradise of God. Drop down to verse number 11. He that have an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death. Reverend, what is the second death? Anyone? The second death? The lake of fire. Hell. Hell and the lake of fire. Specifically the lake of fire. You will not be hurt. It's not saying here you won't be thrown into the lake of fire. Not even a flame of hell fire will touch you. You won't be hurt at all by the second death. The reason why that's important is that there is a teaching out there, even in the Baptist world, independent Baptist world, that say if you don't live holy enough during the millennium, anyone heard this, during the millennium reign of Christ, the unfaithful Christians are going to be thrown into the hell fire. And then at the end of the thousand years they come out. It's like purgatory for a thousand years or something. There's a teaching like that. Because first of all that person is not even saved. That teaches these things. Secondly, they've understood overcoming the world to be something about your works. How well are you living for Christ Jesus? The one that overcomes is the one that is saved. The moment that you're saved, even if you're just the most horrible example of a Christian, you will not be hurt by the second death. Because all of your sins have already been paid for in full by Christ Jesus. There's nothing more that you need to pay. Drop down to verse number 17. Here that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. To him that overcometh, again you that are saved because of your faith, will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth, saving, here that receiveth it. So you're going to receive a new name. That new name is going to be written on an old white stone. That's why I wanted to sing that hymn, brother Matthew. I have a new name written down in glory, and it's mine. It's not in our hymnals. It's not in our hymnals. But anyway, if some of you guys know that song, we sing about that new name written down in glory, we're talking about this name that is given to us on a white stone. Let's drop down to verse number 26. Now this one's a little bit different. Pay attention to how it's worded. Revelation 2 26. And he that overcometh, yep, that's me, I'm saved by faith, and then it says this though. And keepeth my works unto the end. So is overcoming keeping the works? No. He that overcometh and keepeth my works to the end. So now we're talking about not only someone that is saved, you know, by doing the works and being faithful to the Lord, how are you going to be rewarded in time to come? It says there, to him will I give power over the nations. See, when Christ comes to rule for that thousand years, he's going to rule with us. We're going to rule and reign with Christ. And the more works that you've done for him, the greater your authority will be over the nations. But again, that salvation overcometh, but I want to show you the works are separate to that, and does the works. And the more works that you do, the greater your reward will be, the greater your position will be in the time of Christ's millennial reign. Chapter number three now. Chapter number three, verse number five. He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment. Notice the next words. And I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. Your name will never be blotted out of the book of life if you've overcome the world, if you've put your faith and trust in Jesus. Eternal security. You know, something I just want to touch upon very quickly, I can prove this another day, but you'll never see anywhere in the Bible that names are written down in the book of life, only that names are taken out of the book of life. Okay? What is this teaching? This is teaching us that Christ died for all. Everybody has a name in the book of life to begin with, but if you die without believing on Jesus Christ, your name is then taken out or blotted out of the book of life. And there are other things. Revelation takes the mark of the beast. It says their part is taken out of the book of life as well. Okay? But that's what it is. The book of life expresses the openness of salvation. And the moment you've believed on Christ, God promises you that your name will never be taken out of that book of life. Eternal security. Chapter number three, verse number 12. He that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out, and I will write upon him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God, and I will write upon him my new name. So Jesus Christ says he's going to make you a pillar in the temple of God. He's going to give you the Father's name written upon you. His own name is going to be written upon you. The name of new Jerusalem is written upon you. You are definitely a child that belongs in this eternal kingdom of God. And then verse number 21, Revelation 3.21. This blows me away. I almost can't read this without shedding a tear, honestly. Verse number 21. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, to sit down with my Father in his throne. And we know that Christ is sitting on the right hand of the Father. Everyone that has overcome, everyone that is saved, Christ says, you're going to have the honor of sitting on my throne right there with me. Man, that's just, I don't know. I can't even understand. I can't even comprehend. Because I just feel like, man, we're there to serve Christ, and Christ says, you know what? You're going to be elevated right next to me, right on my throne. I just, I can't even process that information without getting emotional. What an honor. What an honor. And there is one more in the book of Revelation. Come with me to Revelation 21. Revelation 21, verse number 7. Revelation 21, verse number 7. He that overcometh shall inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. We're going to inherit all things. Everything that belongs to God, everything that God the Father will give to his Son, or has given to his Son, brethren, is given to us. Everything. You know, inheritance is different from reward. Let's just not confuse those two things. But everything that is given to Christ, God says, I'm going to give it to you because you're my son as well. You've overcome. I mean, look, we talk about being saved, yeah, my sins are forgiven, going to heaven. Man, we can't fully understand just how wonderful heaven's going to be. We're not going to fully understand just how great, you know, the inheritance and our rewards will be if we walk in faithfulness with Jesus Christ. It's amazing. It's amazing. So the reason I wanted to read those passages to you, you go back and say, someone's telling you, oh, to overcome, that depends on how well you live in your Christian life. No, no, no. You got it all wrong. Go back to 1 John 5, very clearly, it's already been defined for us. Overcoming the world is our faith on Christ Jesus. Okay? So come back to 1 John 5, verse number 6, let's continue. 1 John 5 and verse number 6. 1 John 5, verse number 6. This is He. So this is the one that we're believing on. This is the one that we've put our faith on and we've overcome the world by. This is He that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ. Now, you go, what does that mean, to come by water and blood? Again, this is why we go John, then 1 John, and we had a look at 1 John 4, born of God, okay, that's been born again, what was the first birth? Born of water, okay? So when we talk about Jesus Christ coming by water and blood, Jesus Christ was born into this world and by blood, because it says there, and not by water only, but by water and blood. So Christ not only was born, but He also came in the flesh. This is why 1 John keeps reinforcing, you know, about Christ coming in the flesh. So this is saying, look, this is He who came. You know, the Word was manifest in the flesh. Christ came, God came in the flesh, not by water only, but by water and by blood. And then it says, and it is the Spirit that beareth witness, even the Spirit is truth. Sorry, because the Spirit is truth. So the Holy Spirit has borne witness to us, yes, that Christ came, yes, that by believing in Christ we have eternal life, and that Spirit is truth. So you see the Spirit bears witness. The Spirit testifies or bears record of what Christ has done for us. You know, when we go out and, you know, great, you know, the SWAP app, praise God, you know, the technology that we can use, praise God. But the greatest tool that we can use when we go soul winning is the Holy Spirit of God, okay? That gives us the wisdom, gives us the power, gives us the ability, and when someone receives Christ, there's a work within them and brings them to life, born again, revives that dead spirit that they once had, and now they're born of God. So Christ, verse number six is just reinforcing the fact Christ came in the flesh, you know, God came in the flesh. And then it says in verse number seven, and by the way, modern Bible versions have removed verse number seven, well not completely, but let's read verse number seven, it says, for there are three that bear record in heaven. And if you've got a modern Bible, that's all you've got. That's all you've got. There are three that testify, something like that, okay? No, no, no, praise God for the King James Bible. There are, it's such a powerful verse on the nature of God. Why would you remove such a precious verse? Remember what we read in the book of Revelation, if someone removes from their part, removes from the words of God, then their part will also be removed from the book of life. There are three that bear record in heaven. So there are three that bear record, there are three that testify, there are three that give witness, okay? The Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and these three are one. For everyone, we worship one God in three persons. The Father, the Word, we know the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. Which is Jesus and the Holy Ghost, and these three are one. Now keep your finger there, and come with me to John chapter five. Come with me to John chapter five, and verse number 31. I just want to touch upon why the doctrine of the trinity is super important. Okay? One reason I don't fellowship any longer with this church that sent and ordained me, is because I started playing with a different doctrine, contrary to Trinitarian doctrine. Oneness or modalism, which teaches that God is not three persons, they teach that God is one person. And that, let's pretend as an illustration that I'm God, I'm one person. So let's say that the triune aspect works like this. You know, Kevin, you're a father, yes I am. You're a son, because you've got parents, yes I am. And you're a husband, because you're married. And so you're one person, but you're father, son, and husband, and pastor, and whatever else you want to add to it, right? And so they'll teach that, you're one person, but you just have different roles, or different responsibilities. That's a false doctrine. Like, that is, I'll explain to you the danger of this. It may not seem like a dangerous teaching, but it's extremely dangerous. Look at John chapter five and verse number 31. These are the words of Jesus, John chapter five, verse number 31. Before we read it, so modalism or oneness doctrine teaches that Jesus is the Father, Jesus is the Son, and Jesus is the Holy Spirit. So one person with three roles. You say, what's the problem with that, pastor? Look at the words of Jesus. In John chapter five, verse number 31. He says, Jesus Christ says, if I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true. Jesus Christ says, if it's just my witness, my witness is not true. You may recall in the Old Testament, when someone was to be, you know, judged before a court of law, how many witnesses did you require? Two or three witnesses. Remember that? The mouth of two and three witnesses let every word be established. Christ says, if it's just me, it's not true. Well, but you're God, Jesus. Imagine if Jesus is Father, Son, Holy Ghost, or I am Husband, Son, and Father. It's one person. How can you believe God? You cannot believe God if it's just one witness. But if God is three persons, where you have two and three witnesses, now you know the witness is true. Okay? You're still there in John chapter five, verse number thirty-one. Sorry, look at verse number thirty-two. Christ says, there is another that beareth witness of me, and I know that the witness which he witnesses of me is true. Ye sent unto John, and he bare witness unto the truth. He says, I've got another witness, John the Baptist. Remember, John the Baptist spoke of me. Drop down to verse number thirty-six. But I have greater witness than that of John, for the works which the Father have given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father have sent me. He goes, I have another witness. My works, the miracles that I'm doing, that also bears witness of me. Drop down to verse number thirty-six. Verse number thirty-seven. And the Father himself, which have sent me, have borne witness of me. Ye have never heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape. He goes, my Father also bears witness of me. I mean, Jesus Christ had two or three witnesses. He's got more than two or three witnesses. And then in verse number thirty-seven, he says, and the Father himself, I already read that, sorry. Look at verse number thirty-nine. Verse number thirty-nine. Search the Scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life, and they are they which testify of me. What else testifies of Jesus? What else bears record? What else gives witness of Jesus? The Scriptures. The very Scriptures you have in your hand this morning. Bear witness, bear record of Jesus Christ. Of what he's done for you. Look, we haven't gone John the Baptist. Right? We've got plenty of Baptists. We haven't got John the Baptist walking around. You know, you're not going to hear the voice of the Father. This is my, this is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased at the baptism. Okay? You're not going to see, you know, miracles necessarily in this life as far as supernatural miracles goes. Okay, we haven't seen Jesus Christ walk and do those works. But one great witness that you have in your hands is the Holy Scripture. The Scriptures testify of Jesus. And you have the Holy Ghost living within you. Praise God. I want you to think about that. When you go soul winning, if you're just giving witness of yourself, it's not enough. You need the Holy Spirit. You need the Scriptures. Two or three witnesses as you go along three witnesses as you go out and preach the gospel to the lost. Back to 1 John 5, 1 John 5, verse number 8. 1 John 5 and verse number 8. Now, verse number 8 probably is the most what's the word? Cryptic? Maybe verse in the book of 1 John. In fact, my whole Christian life people have wondered what this verse represents. And you know what? I don't have a full answer for you. Sorry to disappoint. Sorry to disappoint. But let's just read it and then we'll go from there. Verse number 8. And there are three that bear witness in earth. The spirit and the water and the blood. And these three agree in one. Alright. Now let me tell you what I believe the primary application or the primary understanding of this verse is. I believe you can't separate it from verse number 9. Which says then, if we receive the witness of men the witness of God is greater. So what is the witness of God? We saw earlier in verse number 7, for there are three that bear record in heaven. So what is the witness on earth? I'm assuming there, verse number 9, if we receive the witness of men. So I believe basically what we're looking at there is a witness of men. And of course, I already kind of talked about the fact that we are to be witnesses. We are to preach the gospel to the lost. And so my primary understanding of this verse is that I also, just like Christ if you look at verse number 8 there are three that bear record in heaven, sorry, in earth. The spirit, yes I have the born against spirit, I've been born of God. The water, yes I've been born and of blood, yes I'm flesh. I can be used as a witness to preach of Christ. That's what I believe the primary meaning of that is. Because we saw earlier that when Christ came He came by water and by blood. Let's talk about Him being manifest in the flesh. Now there can be another view of that, where the witness of men is witnessing of the spirit, the water and the blood, and not so much talking about the water and the blood as far as man goes, but witnessing of the fact that Christ came by water and by blood. Again, the spirit is the one that moves or the spirit, you know, you must be born against the spirit so the same concept there, but instead of our water and blood being that which bears witness that we are being used to witness of the one who became water and blood, the one that became flesh, Jesus Christ. That's another way that you can understand that passage. Another way that you can understand this passage if you keep your finger there and come with me to John 19 John 19 I know brother Matthew has this opinion brother Matthew back there, and he preached on this recently and I don't disagree with his sermon actually but this is another way that you can understand this, John 19 verse number 30 So this is, we're going back to when Christ was crucified on the cross Okay Now again, we're looking at the witness of men we're looking at this witness in earth which was the spirit, the water and the blood those three elements Now if you look at John 19 verse 30 John 19 verse 30 It says when Jesus therefore had received the vinegar he said it is finished and he bowed his head and gave up the ghost and we know that in the Bible ghost and spirit can be used interchangeably. So we have there the spirit leaving the body of Christ drop down to verse number 34 but one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side and forthwith came there out blood and water. So now we have three elements that have departed from our Lord, his spirit water and blood and you go with that I don't know but look at verse number 35 Remember John also wrote the book of John and he says this in verse number 35 and he that saw it bare record or testified or witnessed of this right bare record talking about himself and his record is true he goes what I'm telling you guys is true I've seen this happen myself okay and he knoweth that he sayeth true that ye might believe I saw this with my own eyes I'm writing this down so you can believe that Christ died you know that his spirit left that water and blood left his body he was dead he died you say so which of those three you know one thing I'll teach you to have peace in the Christian realm if it's not a contradiction it means those things are not mutually exclusive there are many times many scriptures that can be understood in different ways but they're just not contradictive like if I got behind this pulpit and said you know what guys salvation by faith alone then next preach comes up oh actually salvation by works well that's a contradiction you can't believe both it's one or the other but here's the thing all those three positions that I gave you I don't know which is the one exactly one of that speaking about specifically I give you my opinion okay which was me as a man being used to preach and witness of Christ but at the end of the day they all fit they're all in fact they're all true they're all true and that's all I care about all I care about is the truth I don't care about winning a specific argument about a cryptic verse that many Christians have sort of wondered what is that specifically about just something for you guys to think about you know sometimes I hear Christians on a back and forth no it's this no it's that and I'm like it's probably both because we've got the truth of God's word but God's word is very deep there are multiple layers there are multiple applications as long as it's true it's good right and obviously we can prove all those things in different ways you know with different scriptures anyway let's go back to 1 John 5 and verse number 10 1 John 5 and verse number 10 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself so this is basically saying if you're saved you know it you have the witness in yourself okay I sometimes you know look do people doubt sometimes yes people have doubt sometimes but those doubts are primarily when someone's newly saved and they're still trying to just tighten the screws on certain doctrines certain ideas they're still trying to you know clear out cobwebs that they've heard in the past and sometimes something happens and you're like I don't know man am I even saved I can understand but if you've been saved for years decades and you come to me pass pass I have doubts well I doubt that you're saved because you need to have the Holy Spirit the Holy Spirit I mean if every how many people in the world 7 billion 7 billion 8 billion every single person on this planet 8 billion people and all of you in this church said to me pastor you're not saved I'm like I don't care what you have to say I know I'm saved I don't have to prove myself I don't need someone to give me the check of approval the Spirit bears witness of that I know I've believed on Christ I'm not going to heaven based on anything that I've done only what Christ has done and I have eternal life I know it if you don't believe me nuts to you but that's the truth because it's not about me it's about Christ I know he did it I know he paid it all I know it's a free gift I know it's eternal life and I've yep that's my Lord I want it thank you I've done that I've opened the gift I've received it's Holy Spirit you know I have this discussion quite often you know how do you know someone's saved if someone professes to me that they've trusted Christ and Christ alone not of works they know they have eternal life then that person's saved to me I know people can lie but that is what I need to witness someone that knows they've trusted in Christ they've overcome the world because of their faith that's all I need to know I don't need to know how messed up your life is I don't need to know how clean your life is because nobody's life is clean enough to get to heaven anyway it's your faith on Christ where are we reading from verse number 10 he that believeth on the son of God hath the witness in himself he that believeth not God hath made him a liar because he believeth not the record that God gave of his son you see if you don't believe the record that God gave of his son Jesus you make God a liar you're not saved you need to believe the record the witness the testimony that God gave of his son you say what is that record, what do I have to believe I love how simple verse number 11 is I love how simple it is and this is the record that God hath given to us eternal life and this life is in his son that's the record you believe that salvation is through the son of God you believe that you hath eternal life through his son then you believe the record what does that mean it means you have eternal life right now you see I used to believe the average Pentecostal out there charismatic was saved cause they would say the right things many times but then you ask them but what if you don't live right enough what if you you know commit sin and you live a sinful life oh no you lose your salvation is that what they're saying you lose your salvation it's by faith but if you don't maintain it by your works you lose it so do they believe the record that they have present tense eternal life if they believe you can lose it they don't believe the record cause they don't have eternal life it's temporary life no you believe the record it's eternal life I can never lose it that's why you can be so sure that you're saved like even if you mess up life severely and you're like man I will never recover from this my life is destroyed I've really messed up you can still say but I know I have eternal life praise god this is just a vapor I'm looking forward to eternity with god because I've trusted his son he's died for me I've put my faith on him that's why you can be so sure again cause you're basing it on Christ not on what you do but what Christ has done verse number 12 he that hath the son hath life and he that hath not the son of god hath not life these things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the son of god that ye may know know that ye have eternal life and that ye may believe on the name of the son of god remember that ye may know you have eternal life not that you may doubt it oh man I really messed up today that ye may know even if I mess up I know I have it this is why you know this is a great verse when you go door to door soul winning and you say you know are you sure if you die today are you sure you go to heaven or do you have some doubts and people say you'll never know nobody ever knows that's a great verse know that we may know god wants us to know and all you need to do is believe the record okay verse number 14 and this is the confidence sorry just one moment sorry oh yeah and this is the confidence that we have in him that if we ask anything according to his will he heareth us and if we know that he hear us whatsoever we ask we know that we have the petitions that we desire of him I know I'm saved I know I'm a child of god therefore I know my father will hear me when I pray that's awesome that's amazing just like I want to hear from my kids kids if you're going through difficulties hardships you've done something that you're embarrassed by maybe you're ashamed to tell mum and dad we want to know we want to hear what you have to say we want to help you in that time of difficulty same with any kids in this church I'm sure your parents the last thing they want is for you to hide those things they want to hear what you have to say and brethren that application then goes to us if we're children of god doesn't he want to hear what we have to say even if you're having a bad day I'm not going to tell god I'm having a bad day you know what tell god god I'm having a bad day maybe the last few hours you can make it a good day for me I'm struggling right now god wants to hear it and he will hear it because you're his child you know sometimes we say things and they're true we say we're nothing but dust we're nothing but sinners it's true but you've been saved and you're a child of god you're part of the royal family you're going to inherit all things you're very special you know we're not talking out of arrogance we're talking out of boldness that we're children of god and that he loves us and that he hears us and that he helps us in life verse number 16 if any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death he shall ask and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death alright basically our brethren are going to sin you're going to find our brother son and son have sinned against the lord we should pray for them we should go and ask lord lord can you help them can you bring them to repentance can you you know whatever chastise them lovingly for their prophet lord you know can you come alongside them lord maybe can you open doors where I can come and be a support and a help to that brother who's struggling with sin that's all proper and good but then the next part of verse number 16 says there is a sin unto death I do not say that he shall pray for it there are some sins where people get involved in that you should not pray for their good don't pray for your brother or sister sins unto death I say what is those sins unto death first of all we're talking about brother or sister here we know they got eternal life even if they commit sins unto death they're not going to lose their salvation they're not going to be hurt by the second death we saw that earlier but there are some sins that are worthy of death in the bible I mean all sins are harmful all sins are criminal behaviour and God outlines in his word in the Old Testament which are the commandments and we're to keep his commandments certain sins that are unto death you know cold blooded first degree murder is a sin unto death committing adultery on your spouse is a sin unto death alright, kidnapping sin unto death I mean there's various I'm not going to go through the whole list today but there are some sins that are just so grievous where John is saying to us there is a sin unto death I do not say that he shall pray for it he goes look I'm not telling you to pray for that you know first of all if we had a righteous government they would put these people to death that's not our job we're not vigilantes and look if someone has committed that sin unto death you're welcome to church the government's not going to punish you God's going to hold that government accountable for their inaction God's going to chastise you in life you're going to go through hardships that you would not have faced if you didn't commit those sins but at the end of the day you're a child of God just like any sin you confess it before the Lord ask for his forgiveness he'll forgive you and you get on with it and you are welcome to church so just saying here let's say a brother out there goes out and commits cold blooded murder I'm not going to pray Lord can you just bless brother so and so can you just comfort him and guide him no no I'm not going to pray for that but all other sins that are not unto death I'll be praying Lord can you please guide, support, encourage brother so and so or sister so and so verse number 17 all unrighteousness is sin all unrighteousness is sin and there is a sin not unto death we know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not then we have that confirmation again we know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not, you go pastor I sin what part of you is born of God the new man the spirit, born of the spirit when your flesh sins the spirit the spirit, the new man that which is born of God does not sin it never sins it is righteous it is born of God okay, it is clothed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ this is why we still sin to this day your body is going to go to the grave but your spirit and your soul will go to heaven with the Lord because it is without sin the new man the spirit, that which is born of God it says but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself and that wicked one toucheth him not so the devil has no power over the new man the devil when he tempts you he is tempting your flesh but the devil has no power over the new man which is born of God verse number 19 and we know that we are of God and the whole world lies in wickedness and we know that the Son of God is come and have given us an understanding that we may know him that is true and we are in him that is true I love that, we know Christ but we're in Christ how can we lose our salvation if we're in Christ it's impossible how many ways that God expresses eternal life to us we're in Christ Jesus I love that I'll just read again that we may know him that is true and we are in him that is true even in his son Jesus Christ I love the next phrase as well this is the true God and eternal life Brethren, who is the true God? Jesus Christ, his son Jesus Christ even though we believe one God in three persons Jesus Christ is the true God the Father is the true God the Spirit is the true God Jesus is not a lesser God or something like that or God be or little G God Jesus Christ is God we're in him we're in God this is the true God and eternal life and then lastly verse number 21 little children keep yourselves from idols amen idols by and large are false gods so if we're in Christ Jesus this temple belongs to God the last reminder there is stay faithful to God don't go seeking what other religions teach don't start wondering what about these other faiths and these other religions and these other books, maybe I'll read the book of Enoch maybe I'll start reading the book of Mormon maybe I'll start King James Bible, I'll turn it aside from that I'll start reading the NIV Reverend, just stay faithful to God you are in him he's given you everlasting life you've believed the testimony you've believed the record that God gave of his son and you've overcome the world alright, let's pray