Who Is Your Father

The Bible, this morning, is John chapter 8. John chapter number 8. Last time, by the way I went off today in case anyone was wondering, I left my belt. I don't have a belt today. Is that alright? Alright, John chapter 8. I never realized that until I was sitting down and I looked and I forgot my belt.

John chapter 8. We left off last time in verse number 36. If the Son therefore shall make you free, you shall be free indeed. And so we're going to pick up in verse 37 and continue on down here through verse number 44.

But I'd like to start off with a little bit of review. And I've been kind of hooked on this nature thing for a while. I'm amazed at how much nature teaches us biblical principle.

Paul even used nature a number of times. He said, does not nature itself teach you? And God has made the world in such a way as to teach all kinds of spiritual principles. There's day and night.

There is seeds. There is sun. There's so many principles in nature.

And God designed, even marriage, God designed these things to teach us spiritual lessons. And we ought to understand salvation very clearly by looking at nature. And I want to say, and I said this last time, that the principle for life is this.

You have a seed. Everything starts out with a seed. God is programmed in the seed, a DNA.

That leads to the nature of the plant. As I shared last week, an apple tree is an apple tree because of what's in the seed. Matter of fact, every spring you get these little seeds.

And when you buy them, they tell you that this is a radish seed or this is a corn seed. And inside that little seed is a nature. And when you put that seed in the ground, out comes the nature.

The tree is an apple tree because of what's in the seed. The nature comes out, and from that nature comes fruits. Or we could say it this way, works.

All of nature works this way. It starts with a seed. Out of the seed comes a nature.

And out of that nature comes fruits. And so everywhere you go, everywhere you go, there is this principle. A seed leads to a nature, and a nature leads to fruits.

And so what we've been looking at here in John chapter 8 is the seed was Adam. Adam was a fallen man. He is the father of all.

Adam and Eve, that's the seed. Adam's seed, the man who carries the seed. Adam's seed led to man being fallen.

That's his nature. We're all born into this world into sin. We are fallen creatures because of Adam.

His seed, passed down through his children, through his children's children, left us in a fallen condition. And because we are fallen creatures, we sin. And that's why we've been looking at the fact that we are servants of sin because of nature.

And therefore we do works that are sinful. And it is just the principle of life. However, last time we looked at the need for a new nature, and that new nature comes through another seed.

Does anyone remember what seed that is? Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth forever. And who is the Word of God, by the way? The Word became flesh and dwelt amongst us. And so the Lord Jesus Christ is that seed.

And that seed produces a new nature. If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation. We talked about that last time.

A new nature, that is absolutely necessary. And that new nature produces good fruits. And those fruits are mentioned in the Bible in many different places, the fruits of the Spirit.

Good fruits come out of a nature. That's why Jesus said you must be born again. Amen.

You must be born again because you were born into sin, and therefore you must be born again. And so I used this illustration last time. An apple seed will produce an apple tree.

That's the nature of the tree. And that apple tree, therefore, will have apples on it. The fact that a tree has apples does not make it an apple tree.

The seed is what makes the tree what it is. The apples are simply a testimony to the tree of what it is. Good works are a testimony of your nature.

And so that's why the Bible says when you see good works, then you see a tree or a Christian that has good nature. Now, there's many things we could talk about here, but this is important for all of us when we talk about true salvation. What has to happen to the seed before the seed can bring forth life? What's that? The seed must die.

Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone. You know, you and I as human beings, we must come to the place in our life where we say, I'm done with me. Amen? It's called in the Bible repentance.

And unless we come to that place, this seed is not going to produce life. That's why when you come to Jesus and you receive the Gospel, the Word of God, that God is commanding you to repent, buried in the likeness of His death, raised in the likeness of His resurrection. Many people are like that seed.

If I took a seed, a corn seed, and it has potential for life and fruit and all this good stuff, and I set that seed on the top of this pulpit right here, I can come back in ten years, and that seed will be the same seed I set it there ten years ago. You know why? Because the seed, even though it has potential for a miracle, inside of it, that seed needs to be buried in the ground and die and rot in order for life and fruit to come out of it. That's all over creation.

And if you want to have a living, fruitful, prosperous, dynamic Christian life, you're going to have to die. Amen? You're going to have to die. That seed, except it fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone.

It will sit here for years and years and years. I think I told you a story a year or two ago of they were going through some archaeological find or some Egyptian tomb, and they found this pot, and inside of it was pea seeds that dated back some four or five thousand years ago. They were seeds.

They put them in the ground and they grew. So the seed, you know the Word of God? The Word of God has incredible power and potential. The Bible says the Word of God is quick and powerful.

Thy Word gives life. Thy Word brings forth fruit. However, the Word of God is like that seed on top of this pulpit.

Unless you die and you surrender your will to the Lord Jesus, and as David said here this morning when Isaiah saw the Lord, he said, woe is me, I'm done. Right? And that's when the Lord quickened him and brought him to life, and that's where the Lord sent him. Well, the fruit does not determine your nature.

Your nature determines the fruit. Does everybody understand that? It's what you are that determines your fruit. You don't say, well, the apple tree doesn't say, I'm going to somehow make apples so I can be an apple tree.

In the same way we don't say, I'm going to do good work so I can be a Christian. It don't work that way. The apple tree says, I am an apple tree by nature, therefore watch my fruits come out.

A Christian says, I am a Christian by nature, being born of the Spirit, watch the fruits come out. And as I shared last time, if you look at an apple tree year after year after year, and there's no apples on it, you start to wonder, you start to scratch your head, is this by nature an apple tree? And so as you look at life and you see that there's no fruit in the Christian experience or the profession, then you have to ask the question, is there something real there? Good works do not make you a new creation, but those who are a new creation will produce good works. Our new nature does not come to us by works, it comes to us by the seed.

The seed. The Bible says we're born again not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible by the Word of God which abideth forever. So let's just make sure we understand all that.

And where does the seed, here's where we're going to go this week, where does the seed come from? Remember I shared this last time. The seed comes from the Father. It's always Abraham's seed.

It's always Jacob's seed. It's always Adam's seed. It's the Father's seed.

The men physically carry the seed to bring life to a child. And so we're talking about the Father. So as we go down through this, we're going to see more about the Father.

And in this chapter we've been addressing who is your Father? Who is your Father? And the Jews are struggling with this idea of who their Father is. And Jesus is telling them who His Father is. And they're back and forth here in John chapter 8. But I want to bring out something today, and we'll talk about Abraham.

And Abraham's seed, and Jesus addresses that. So let's have a word of prayer, and then we'll jump in here to John chapter 8 and look at these words. Heavenly Father, we thank You for the wisdom that we find in the Word of God, and I pray that that wisdom would bring forth fruit.

May there be someone here this morning that the Word of God could bring forth salvation and true life, that they would be born again by the incorruptible Word of God. And Lord, those of us who are children of God, may the Word of God quicken us and encourage us and edify us in the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ. Bless our time here this morning.

May You walk amongst us, Lord, and may You talk to us and teach us and make application to each one of our hearts. We pray in Jesus' name, amen. All right, we're going to talk here a little bit to start off with about a father or who is our father.

The Jews especially are concerned about this, and I want to just give you a little overview here. Go back to verse number 33. The Jews answered him, We be Abraham's seed, or we are Abraham's children.

Abraham is our father. Look down to verse 37. I know that you are Abraham's seed, or I know that you are Abraham's children.

Verse 38, I speak that which I have seen with my father, and you do that which you have seen with your father. Again, we're talking about fathers. The Jews have a father.

Jesus has a father. Verse number 39, They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saying to them, If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham.

Verse 41, You do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication. We have one father, even God.

And Jesus said unto them, If God were your father, you would love me. And so this back and forth about who is your father, who has brought forth a nature in you, and then Jesus really blasts them here in verse 44, speaks plainly to them, You are of your father the devil, and the lust of your father you will do. And so this idea of who fathered you.

The Jews are saying, We were not born out of fornication. We have one father, even God. Let's talk about who fathered you, and especially the Jews here, who fathered them.

Look down to verse 37. We left off in verse 36. I'd like to consider verse 37 on down to verse 44 here this morning.

Verse 37, I know that you are Abraham's seed, but you seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you. Remember what happened to Stephen? Verse 38, I speak that which I have seen with my father, and you do that which you have seen with your father. They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father.

And Jesus said unto them, If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham, but now you seek to kill me. A man that hath told you the truth which I have heard of God, this did not Abraham. Now there's two things here that the Lord is trying to communicate.

He's talking here about Abraham's seed, and He also mentions the fact that they are seeking to kill Him. He is combining their father or their nature with their animosity to kill Him. And notice here in this passage there seems to be a contradiction.

Maybe some of you will read this and say now wait a second, I'm confused. I'll explain that here in just a minute. But look at verse 37.

I know that you're Abraham's seed. Jesus is acknowledging they are Abraham's seed. But now look over to verse 39.

They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. But Jesus said unto them, if you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham. So here in one sense He acknowledges that they're Abraham's children, but in another sense He says if you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham.

Now what is this contradiction? Actually it's not a contradiction, and I'll show you why that is. Abraham has two seeds. Abraham has two children.

Abraham had children born to two different mothers. And you all remember the story I think that Abraham had a child named Ishmael. He was born to Hagar.

He also had a child named Isaac which was born to Sarah. So hold your finger there and let's go back. I'd like to go back to the book of Galatians.

Galatians 4 starting in verse 21. Try to follow along here. This is an interesting subject.

And there's a lot of ways we could go, but we'll try to keep it limited. Abraham has two seeds. Starting in verse 21 it says this.

Chapter 4 of Galatians. Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law? For it is written that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, that's Hagar, the other by a free woman, that's Rebekah. I'm sorry, Sarah.

Sarah, right. But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh, but he of the free woman was by promise. And so you have these two sons.

And we're going to talk about, Paul's going to talk about a little later on here what they represent. But Ishmael is born of Hagar. He is born of the flesh.

Isaac is born of Sarah and Sarah is born of the spirit or Sarah is, excuse me, Isaac is born of the spirit or he's born by promise. Ishmael represents salvation by works. Ishmael represents self-effort.

You know the story. God had promised Abraham a son. And remember the stars? He showed him the stars.

He said your children will be as the stars and Abraham was excited that God had made a promise that he would be a father of many nations. Well, time went by and years went by and all of a sudden now Abraham and Sarah are well past childbearing age and they're thinking that the promise of God is not going to be in effect. He's failed them.

And so they get together and they concoct an idea. And Sarah and Abraham decide that Abraham would go in unto Hagar and in their own ideas and effort, they are going to produce a son. And so Ishmael represents the works of the law, the works of man's hands, man's ideas, man's efforts.

It was Abraham and Sarah who had this idea and they went ahead and tried to do it. Ishmael was born out of that. Isaac though was born out of faith.

Isaac was born by trusting in the promises of God. If you look down to verse 28 here in chapter 4, it says, Now we brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. Isaac is about the promise.

God promised to Abraham and Sarah, I am going to give you a son. God expected Abraham to trust Him in spite of how difficult it looked. God expected Abraham to trust Him.

Abraham lost faith in the promise and began to try to do it in his own strength. And that's where Hagar and Ishmael came in. And it was a mistake.

And we look back on it and we see it's a mistake. But I think sometimes we make the same mistake. And we'll see that here in a little bit in how we view things.

But Isaac was the son of promise. And I don't want to belabor the point here, but just go back to Galatians 3. And just look at all the words promise here. Let me just run down through a couple of these.

Galatians 3.14 says that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. Verse 17, In this I say that the covenant that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law which was 430 years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect. Verse 18, For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise, but God gave it to Abraham by promise.

And there's a number of different verses here. I won't read them all. They talk about God gave to Abraham a son by promise.

And there's a lesson for us in that. Salvation. And this is what we're talking about.

Salvation is based upon a promise. And that promise is one that God gave to us. That my son, the Lord Jesus Christ, came to this earth.

He died for your sins. He was buried and he was resurrected the third day. Your trust and your faith in that promise that God will save you through the gospel is what saves your soul.

Salvation is all about faith and the promise of God. And you know, when Paul explained salvation in Romans chapter 4, he went to Abraham. And he said, just like Abraham.

You know, Abraham in Romans 4, he went out and God showed him the stars. God said to him, your children are going to be as the stars of the sky. And Abraham believed the promise of God.

And when Abraham believed the promise of God, Abraham was saved. He was made righteous by believing what God had promised. Well, as Abraham goes on, his faith in the promise begins to falter.

And so he decides that in his own effort, he's going to produce a son. And that brings forth Ishmael. Ishmael was not a child born by promise.

Ishmael was a child born by the works of Abraham's own hands, his own desires, his own works. So salvation is based upon the promise of God. 1 John 2.25 says this, and this is the promise that he has promised us, even eternal life.

So eternal life is something that we need to hold to like Abraham God promised. God promised. You know, sometimes we like Abraham say, well, I don't know.

I'm kind of doubting God's promise. I better get to work and do something to merit it. That's the same mistake Abraham made.

We need to hold fast to that which was promised. Let me ask you to turn one more place here, and then we'll go back to John. Go back to Hebrews chapter six.

Try to follow along here. Hebrews chapter six is a warning to those who are turning back from the promises of God for salvation. In Hebrews chapter six, I want to start reading in verse 11.

After giving this warning not to fall away, in verse 11 he says, and we desire that every one of you do show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end, that you be not slothful. Verse 12 of chapter six, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises. Verse 13, for when God made promise to Abraham because he could swear by no greater, he swore by himself saying, surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee.

And so after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. Abraham patiently endured. He made some mistakes along the way, but he patiently endured.

He hoped in the promise of God. Verse 17, wherein God willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath that by two immutable things in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope that is set before us. In other words, God has given us a promise, and our salvation depends upon us holding fast to his promise.

He has promised us eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. He has not promised you eternal life through the works of your own hand, but he has promised life through what Jesus Christ has done, and you and I need to hold fast to that promise. The Bible says here there are two unchangeable, immutable things in which God cannot lie.

You know what those two things are? It says he swore with an oath. Here's what happened. God said, Abraham, I'm going to bless you with children.

Your children are going to be as the stars in the sky. You know, when Abraham heard that, his heart said, I believe you, Lord. You know, when God says something, that's enough.

That's all that's necessary. Isn't that right? If God says and promises you something, that's all that's necessary. You don't need anything more.

But God said, Abraham, I'm going to even go farther than the veracity of my word, which is impossible for me to lie. That ought to be enough for you. But Abraham, I'm going to take another step, and I'm going to swear to you with an oath.

Boy, when God swears on top of his word with an oath, that thing is as sure as sure can be, which I want to affirm to every one of you here this morning. God has presented a way of salvation to you through Jesus Christ's death, burial, and resurrection. Your faith in his promise is what's going to save your soul.

Your faith in his promise is what's going to keep your soul saved until the day that he redeems you and takes you with him to heaven. Your works have nothing to do with it. Now, your works evidence the faith that is in you.

They're an evidence to it. But your salvation depends upon your faith in the Gospel. And that's important.

We ought not to be directed away from that. Go back to Galatians again. I want to finish something up here in Galatians 4. He goes on here after talking about these two sons in verse 22.

He says in verse 23 of Galatians 4, But he who was of the bondwoman was born out of the flesh, but he of the free woman was by promise. Which things are an allegory? For these are the two covenants, the one from Mount Sinai which genders to bondage, which is Agar. That's the law of the Old Testament.

For this Agar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and enters to Jerusalem, which now is, and is in bondage with her children. But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. Now there are two covenants here.

Not only are there two sons, but there are two covenants. The Old Covenant and the New Covenant. The Old Covenant has a message to us.

Do this and live. This, do and live. Obey my commands and live.

You know what the problem with that one was? Nobody obeyed his commandments fully. So the Old Covenant could not save humanity. This, do and live.

You know what the New Covenant says? Believe and live. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. Hey, we can do that one, can't we? We can trust the promises of God and we can believe.

Now I'm just going to throw this out for you. This is a whole different subject. But there's two Jerusalems in the Bible.

One Jerusalem is the Jerusalem down here. The other Jerusalem is the Jerusalem that's coming down from heaven. There are two women in the book of Revelation.

One is that mystery Babylon, that harlot, the mother of harlots. And the other one is that bride of Christ that comes down from heaven. Do you know that Babylon the great, the mother of harlots, she is this great city that men build with the strength of their own hands.

By the way, you know what Babylon represents? The first mention of Babylon is the Tower of Babel. Man builds this great tower, right? To reach into heaven. Nothing about God in that tower.

It's all about man. And God comes and He does what? He knocks it down. And He scatters it.

Then the next mention of Babel is Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar stands up in Babylon and he says, This is great Babylon, which I have built with my own might for my own honor and glory. Guess what happens to him? He gets driven out to the pasture to eat grass like the beast for seven years.

Babylon is what man can do with his own strength, his own ideas, his own works. And I'll tell you what, that great Babylon in the book of Revelation, that mother of harlots, is man's effort to build a great city. But you know what? There's another city coming down from heaven.

And who built that one? Man didn't touch it. You know who built that one? The Lord built that one. And it's coming down from heaven.

I love this verse. Hebrews 11.10 says that Abraham looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is who? God. Abraham was looking for a city that God built that was coming down from heaven.

And that's what you ought to be looking for. But man is going to build his own city in the end. And the book of Revelation describes it.

It's all coming down though. But here's what I'd like to get to, and that's in Galatians 4. And one of the things that Jesus refers to back in John 8. If you look at Galatians 4.28, it says, Now we brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. But as then, he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the spirit, even so is it now.

Now you go back to the very beginning of the Bible, and you'll find this principle at work. Those who are born after the flesh, the Ishmael's, the unconverted, always are persecuting those that are born after the spirit. Persecution and hatred comes from those who are under the works of the law.

You know, it didn't take long in Genesis to see Cain and Abel at work, right? The first family. The Bible says in Hebrews that by faith, Abel offered unto God a better sacrifice. By faith.

Well, faith comes by hearing. Abel heard God speak. God said, boys, I want you to bring me an offering.

And that offering is a blood offering. It's a lamb. You bring a blood offering.

Abel believed God. He went to his... I don't know where he went. He wasn't a sheep.

Yeah, Abel was a sheep. He went and got one of his sheep, and he came to God with one of his sheep, and he offered it up, and God was pleased with him. Cain, he didn't want to bring a sheep.

He wanted to bring something of the works of his own hands. He went out to his garden. He was a tiller of the ground, and he brought some of his veggies, and some of his tomatoes, and he said, here God, here's an offering.

Will you find this acceptable? The works of my own hands. God said no. The Bible says he rejected Cain's offering, and Cain's countenance fell.

Cain was discouraged. Cain was frustrated because God didn't accept the works of his own hands. And you know what he did in his frustration? He's out in the field, and he sees Abel over there singing.

Beneath the cross of Jesus. He's singing Joy to the World. Maybe it was Christmas time.

He's rejoicing in the fact that he's accepted by God through the lamb that he's just offered, the blood of the lamb. He's at peace with God. He's happy, and here is Cain.

His countenance has fallen. He's frustrated, and Cain gets so angry at the joy that Abel has. He comes up.

I don't know what instrument he used. He kills him. His anger.

You know, that was the first family. It's been that way ever since. Those who are trying to find acceptance with God by their own works are angry at those who find acceptance with God by faith in the promise of God.

It's always been that way. And it will always be that way. As a matter of fact, Ishmael always was persecuting Isaac.

And finally, we're reading Galatians that Ishmael was to be cast out. Ishmael, the one who is born, a fallen man with fallen nature. Isaac is the one who was a child of promise.

Now, with that in mind, I want you to go back here to John 8 and see the connection here that Jesus makes in John 8. In John 8 verse 37 He says this, I know that you are Abraham's seed. In other words, I know that you're Abraham's seed on Ishmael's side in the flesh, but you seek to kill Me because My Word has no place in you. You and the Israelites and the Jews were trying to come to God and find acceptance on the basis of their works.

They were self-righteous. And because Jesus was a child of God, a son of promise, they killed Him. But now look at verse 39.

They answered and said unto Him, Abraham is our father. Jesus said unto them, If you were Abraham's children, but if you were Isaac, the son of promise, you would do the works of Abraham. If you had a new nature, if you were children of God, you would do the works of Abraham.

Good works. But now you seek to kill Me. A man hath told you the truth.

And so the Jews, the Jews because they were of Cain, of Ishmael, they were trying to please God by their own works. They were trying to find acceptance by their own works. They were under the old covenant philosophy.

And they were frustrated. Ishmael was frustrated at Isaac. Cain was frustrated at Abel.

And that frustration led them to persecute them. And Cain killed Abel. Ishmael would have probably killed Isaac if he had the opportunity.

By the way, who killed Jesus? These very same people who wanted Him to go to a cross. And even in that, He wasn't angry. He wasn't frustrated.

He said, Father, forgive them. You know why? Because He was right with His Father. Amen? And you and I can be right with God too through Jesus Christ.

And we can be at peace with one another. And even if our enemies persecute us, those who went to the stake and people burning them alive and cursing them, they can have peace and joy because their heart is right by faith in the Lord Jesus. So those who were under the law, the Jews, killed Jesus out of their own frustration.

Look with me. I'm sorry I'm asking you to look so many places, but let's go back to 1 John 3. 1 John, this is the same John who wrote the Gospel of John. He speaks about this very thing in 1 John 3. Verse 11.

1 John 3, verse 11. For this is the message that you heard from the beginning that we should love one another, not as Cain, who was of that wicked one and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil.

What did Cain do that was evil? Well, Cain brought the wrong offering. The wrong sacrifice. His own works were evil and his brother's righteous.

Why did Cain kill Abel? We're told right here, John mentions it. Because Cain came to God with his own works and God rejected him. Abel came with the blood of the Lamb and God received him.

The fact that Abel was received and Cain was rejected caused Cain to get angry and Cain killed his brother. You know, there's only two groups of people in the world. Those who come to God by works and those who come to God by faith.

And ultimately, those who come to God by works are going to persecute and even martyr those who come to God by faith in Jesus Christ. Look at verse 13. Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hates you.

Marvel not if you feel like an Abel before Cain. Marvel not if you feel like an Isaac before Ishmael. It's the principle of humanity.

Those who are accepted by faith are hated by those who are not accepted, who are trying to be accepted by their works. Verse 14. We know that we have passed from death unto life because we love the brethren.

Hey, here's a beautiful mark of a Christian, a real Christian. Here's the mark of new nature. And that is, you love your brother.

We know that we have passed from death unto life because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer.

And you know that no murderer has eternal life in him. And so this new nature, this new nature primarily at the focus of this new nature turns the heart away from hatred to love. Amen.

That's the essence of the new nature. Turn you away from a Cain heart to an Abel heart. From an Ishmael to an Isaac.

And I think one of the brothers mentioned here this morning, can you imagine? I mean, look at this man Saul. What an example. Here is Saul.

It says, breathing out, threatening and slaughter against the children of promise, the Abels and the Isaacs of the world, the church. And he is trying to compel them to blaspheme. He's putting them in prison.

He's angry, he says, with them. I mean, what have they done? They're just following Jesus. And he comes along the road to Damascus and all of a sudden he meets Jesus, as was mentioned here this morning.

He gets a vision of Jesus Christ. And it immediately changes his entire life to now those people he hated and persecuted, what does he do now? He loves them. He loves them and he surrenders his life to try to win them and try to be a part of them.

And he turns away from his animosity and hatred toward those he was throwing in prison and now he loves them. There's no more better testimony that you're truly converted than that you love God's people. You love God's people.

You know, you ought to say there's no better place I'd rather be on Sunday morning than right here with God's people. That's my testimony. Jesus said, who is my mother and my brother? You say, should you not love your natural family? I think you should love everybody.

The Bible says we're to love all men. And by the way, if your heart has truly been turned away from animosity to love, you ought to love the world. I love my family, I love my parents, I love my brothers and sisters.

But I'll make this statement. It may shock some of you. I love you all more.

Jesus said, who is your mother and brother? They that do the will of My Father. These are My mother and My brother. You know why that is? Because you and I are going to be family forever.

Isn't that right? And so the heart ought to turn. And so when you move from the old man to the new man, things change from animosity to love. Let's go back to John again.

John 8. And that's one way, you know, in 1 John, and we won't go back there and read it, but in 1 John, there's basically three... I love these three here. There's three clear testimonies of true conversion. How do you know you're truly a child of God? Number one, you love the brethren.

That's your attitude toward the people of God. Number two, you keep His commandments. That's your attitude toward God.

And number three, you bear witness of the Gospel to the world. That's your attitude toward the lost. When God truly saves a man, He does three major works in them.

He turns their heart away from animosity, from God's people to love. He turns their heart into obedience toward God their Father, and He turns their heart in compassion toward the lost. I'll tell you what, you get someone who has those three happen to them, they're truly converted.

Amen. That was a good place for an amen there. But here, we're talking about animosity.

Look at John 8 again, verse 39. They answered and said unto Him, Abraham is our father. Jesus said unto them, if you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham.

If you're Isaac's children, Abraham gave birth to a son, and Isaac, by promise, you will have a new nature. And you'll do the works of Abraham. You'll have good fruits that come out of your nature.

Good works are by grace so you're saved through faith, and not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast, but we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works. Good fruit.

Verse 40, But now you seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth which I have heard of God. This did not Abraham. You do the deeds of your father.

You're born into sin. You're born through Adam. You are a sinful creature by nature, so you do the deeds of your father.

They said unto him, We be not born of fornication. We have one Father, even God. And Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, you would love Me.

There you go. If you're truly born of God, you would love Me. Any man love not our Lord Jesus Christ, let him be what? Anathema.

If you're truly born of God, you will love the Lord Jesus. Verse 42, Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, you would love Me. For I proceeded forth and come from God.

Neither came I of myself, but He sent Me. Why do you not understand My speech? Even because you cannot hear My word. Now here's where the Lord really levels them.

Verse 44, For you are of your father the devil, and the lust of your father you will do. He was a murderer from the beginning and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own, for he is a liar and the father of it.

Now there are two things the devil is known for. And that is murder and a liar. He is a murderer and a liar.

By the way, I don't know if you realize this, the devil is also a fallen creature. The devil chose to sin against God in the presence of God, and he lied to a third of the angels, and he led a third of the angels in rebellion against God. You'll read that in the book of Revelation.

And so the devil too is a fallen creature, is angry. And he's angry at those who are accepted, accepted by God. The Bible says the devil has come down into you having great wrath.

In the book of Revelation, his time is short, and he persecutes the children of promise. Isaac, he's a murderer, and he's a liar. His motivation is to murder God's children who live by faith, and to lie about them.

He is the father of it. He's the one who planted the first seeds of lie. Remember back in the garden? The first lie that was ever told? He said to Adam and Eve, if you eat this fruit, you shall not die.

That was a lie, wasn't it? He's the father of lies. And I believe, and I can't prove this in the Bible, but I believe back when he led a third of the angelic world astray, he lied to them. He lied to them.

And he's still lying today. He's a liar. He's the father of it.

So because Satan is a fallen being, and humanity is fallen, both Satan and humanity are murderers and liars at heart. And so the Bible says, John goes on in 1 John, and he says in 1 John 3, he says, if any brother hates his brother, he's a murderer. And you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

So whenever you see hatred, and murder, and anger, and lie, and slander, and accusation, you can be assured that it's coming out of a source that's not good. Because it's coming from the father of lies. He is a murderer.

He abode not in the truth. And he's a father of lies. I'd like you to turn with me to one more passage here in Colossians.

Just ask yourself this question here this morning, whether or not you have a new nature. You know, I'm wanting all of us to be down here, born again, given a new nature, and having good fruits. Here in Colossians 3, we're going to talk a little bit about the old man.

This is the fallen man, the fallen nature, and the fruits he produces. And then the new man. And some of the fruits that he produces.

Look at chapter 3 of Colossians 5. Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth. Fornication. That's the old man.

Sexual immorality. Uncleanness. That's the old man.

Inordinate affection. Things like homosexuality. Things like aborting babies.

Affections. Perverted affections. Evil concupiscence and covetousness which is idolatry.

For which things sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience. Those who are by nature sinners, into which you also walked sometime when you lived in them. But now, now that you're a new creation in Christ, you put on a new nature, but now also put off all these.

Anger. And wrath. And malice.

And blasphemy. Filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another seeing that you have put off the old man with his deed.

That was your father back then. And you've put on the new man which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision or uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bond or free, but Christ is all and in all. Verse 12.

Look what the new man is. Put on therefore as the elect of God, holy and beloved, vows of mercy. Kindness.

Now this is a description of the new man. Humbleness of mind. Meekness.

Longsuffering. All these, by the way, are characteristics of who God is. Forbearing one another and forgiving one another.

Does this sound like Cain? Does this sound like Ishmael? No, it doesn't. Forbearing one another, forgiving one another. If any man have a quarrel against any, even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

And above all these things, put on charity, which is the bond of peace, and let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you are called in one body, and be thankful. And so you have this new man. Put off the old nature and put on the new nature.

And so if you're born again, you have a new nature. And that new nature ought to love the brotherhood. That new nature ought to love the Lord's commandments and keep them.

That new nature ought to have a heart for the lost. I think of the Apostle Paul. Here's a guy who wanted to kill God's people.

He later on said in the book of Romans, he said, my heart has continual sorrow. I could wish that I would be accursed from Christ for my brethren. What a heart of love.

And that was not something that he mustered up. It's something that was given to him when he met Jesus and he got a new nature. And so let's put on bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering, forbearing, forgiving.

If you have a quarrel here this morning against any, just as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. Amen? I mean, did Christ forgive you of everything? Then why don't you forgive your brother of everything? It says, as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things, put on charity.

These are the attributes of a new man. And so, is God your Father? Do you have a new nature? If not, there is a seed, a seed that you can believe on this morning, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And you can move from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light.

We learned a few weeks ago that if you don't do anything and you die in your fallen nature, you're going to descend into hell. If you don't have a new nature, you'll never ascend. All the religious works in the world cannot help you.

You must be born again. You have to have a new nature. I feel like just saying, I'm free from the blood of all men.

I've tried to teach you this for a long time. And if you stand before God and you say, oh, I thought I was a pretty good guy. I never murdered anyone.

I never committed adultery. I never did many of these things. God, you should let me into heaven.

And the Lord is going to say, no, I cannot, because you're a sinful creature. You have a sinful nature. You need to depart from Me.

You needed a new nature. And I sent My Son to die on the cross for you to believe the Gospel that I could give you a new nature and give you eternal life. You didn't believe Me.

You made Me a liar. So if you're here this morning and you don't have a new nature, praise God, that can change today. The Bible says today is the day of salvation.

You don't have to be a slave of sin anymore. You can be free to love God's people, to love God's commandments, and to love the lost and go out and seek them. Let's close this morning with prayer.

Heavenly Father, we thank You for the Word of God. Lord, we acknowledge that we have an enemy who is a murderer and a liar.