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Those who believe in the Son of God have the testimony in their hearts
Walter Brubacker
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0:00 1:08:14
Walter Brubacker

Those who believe in the Son of God have the testimony in their hearts

Walter Brubacker · 1:08:14

Walter Brubacker teaches that true belief in the Son of God is evidenced by the testimony in our hearts, leading to obedience, love, and fellowship with God and others.
This sermon emphasizes the importance of abiding in God's love, following Jesus, and understanding the victory over the works of the devil through Christ. It encourages believers to love one another, obey God's commandments, and trust in the protection and guidance provided by God. The message highlights the significance of believing in Jesus as the Son of God, walking in the light, and living out God's love in truth and action.

Full Transcript

Greetings in the name of Jesus. I'm glad to be here this morning and a blessing to see all of you and especially that we can come together with with this goal of honoring our King, walking in the light and following, following Jesus as he leads. Last evening, the brother-in-law I talked about has died, so his page is closed, his book is closed, I should say, and I said my brother-in-law that I talked about earlier different times has died yesterday evening and it's like eight weeks ago. He didn't know that he was anything wrong with him. He's a little bit older than me but not much and so they went to the doctor at that time and I said it won't be long and it wasn't really long. It's kind of a little, it feels a little different. Anyways, we're still with the living and we can make choices today that that will make a big difference in the future. Brother Adly brought out how we listen, how we hear and yeah, and how we obey. If y'all want to stand for prayer and pray. Heavenly Father, we come before you. You have all things in your hand and the power to forgive whom you will. To save whom you will. We thank you for your mercy and your kindness to all mankind and how mankind has hurt you and rejected you after you longed for them and in so many ways have have stretched out your hand to us and we thank you for what you have done. Be with us today. Be with us into eternity. In Jesus name, amen. That's a lesson today. If I can call it such, I'm going to read a few of Jesus' words out of Matthew 5 starting at 3. We know them by heart, but have we heard? Have we listened? Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful for they will receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad for your reward is great in heaven for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who went before you. I think without these, I've mentioned it before I guess, but without these I don't think we can start the journey to eternity or eternal life. It takes this for us to be able to grasp anything else that God's going to speak to us. And when he came, when Jesus came, was he not, was he not lowly, humbled himself, emptied himself, even though I was just looking at some of these wordings, how God, just looking at the words in the Bible, and does anybody know what Emmanuel means? Amen. God is with us. This is, this was the vision that Joseph had that persuaded him to take Mary as his wife, even though she was with child. Um, I thought that's what it, so God with us, isn't that a, isn't that a mystery? He often referred to himself as the son of man. In the search I did, he's, he referred to himself as the son of man, um, 87 times. And the son of God, he called himself that, I shouldn't say he called himself, you find those words, um, um, 56 times in the search I did. This is, this is the mystery, I think, that stands between God and man, some of the mystery in how he can, how he's able to do this for, for his, for us, for all mankind. He didn't humble himself just for any cause. One place it says his, his hard, I think, not sure exact wording, but his heart yearns for the souls that he has given us. We're all over the world, not just ours, but all over the world. He's, his heart yearns for us. He's jealous for us. He desires that we hear, that we listen. I feel like John wrote a lot about this, and he gives very, he gives us things to listen for, and things to hear. Beginning, 1 John 1, we declare to you what from the beginning, that from the beginning what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, and what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life. This life was revealed, and we have seen it and testified to it, and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father, and was revealed to us. We declare to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us, and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete. The things he, they saw, the things they heard, and the things they touched, was actually flesh. He humbled himself, and came from heaven, and became flesh. And this is what he's talking about. When he talks, this is what we've seen and heard, but he also talks about the eternal. This is the message we have heard from him, that proclaim to you that God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, while we are walking in darkness, we lie, and do not do what is true. But if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another. Darkness can't very easily walk together. They have the rules, and laws, and regulations, and still there's fights, and killings, and murderings. This is darkness. But if we if we walk in the light of Jesus, we can have fellowship with one another. And the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is he who is faithful, and just, will forgive us our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. Little children, I am writing these things to you, so that you may not sin. If anyone does sin, we have an advocate from the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous. And he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. Now by this, we may be sure that we know him, if we obey his commandments. By now by this, we may be sure that we know him, if we obey his commandments. Whoever says, I have come to know him, and does not obey his commandments, is a liar, and in such a person, the truth does not exist. I think Jesus gave us plenty of commandments, more than we are going to obtain to perfection, until we die. And when we fall, can we confess, and be reconciled, or have, but if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous. But when we become proud, is when problems really, really escalate, and we no longer, our perception, our hearing is gone, our perception is gone. Whoever says, I have come to know him, and does not obey his commandments, is a liar, and in such a person, the truth does not exist. But whoever obeys his word, truly, in this person, the love of God has reached perfection. But whoever obeys his word, truly, this is Jesus' words, truly in this person, the love of God has reached perfection. I guess I'm kind of impressed with this, reach perfection. So we step by step, we obey, and we have reached a perfection. By this, we may be sure that we are in him. I guess this is still a continuation. By this, we may be sure that we are in him. Whoever says, I abide in him, ought to walk just as he walked. Beloved, I'm writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment, that you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard. Yet, I am writing you a new commandment that is true to him, and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining. Whoever says, I'm in the light, while hating a brother or sister, is still in darkness. Whoever loves a brother or sister lives in the light, and in such a person, there is no cause for stumbling. Jesus has given some real clear teaching on that as well. This would almost bring out that if we have love for the brethren, brothers and sisters, there will not even be a cause for stumbling. It's not the rock Jesus talks about, if you build on. But whoever hates another believer is in darkness, and walks in the darkness, and does not know the way to go, because the darkness has brought on blindness. This is this blindness I talked about earlier. I didn't realize this verse was in here. And Jesus said, how great is that darkness. I'm writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven on account of his name. I'm writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I'm writing to you, young people, because you have conquered the evil one. I write to you, children, because you know the father. I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young people, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one. Do not love the world or the things in the world. The love of God is not in those who love the world. I had not intended to go into any, not much at least. There would be many things I could say, and sometime will, but I'm not planning to do that today. But we all have some perception of the world in us that would so gladly have control in us. But we cannot have that and the father both at the same time. For all that is in the world, and the desires of the flesh, and the desire of the eyes, and the pride in riches comes not from the father, but from the world. And the world and its desires are passing away, and those who do the will of God live forever. That's how frivolous, even our own life is just, all the ministers used to say, like on a, like a vapor, I guess it's scripture, but, or like on a twine, a little, little tiny little string just breaks and it's gone. I've observed this in animals. Their life goes from them and it's gone. It doesn't come back. It's gone forever. God can resurrect us and will resurrect us someday. But the world, all these things are just, just passing. Children, it is the last hour as you have heard that Antichrist is coming so that, so now many Antichrists have come. From this, we know that it is the last hour. I guess I just had to marvel a little. John was a disciple of Jesus and he said, there's many Antichrists coming. So, and now many Antichrists have come. From this, we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they did not belong to us. For they had, had they belonged to us, they would have remained with us. But by going out, they make it plain that none of them belongs to us. But you have been anointed by the Holy One and all of you have knowledge. I write not, I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it. And you know that no lie comes from the truth. Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is Christ? This is the Antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. No one denies the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father. And everyone who confesses the Son has the Father also. The Father and the Son, they have a connection that's very tight. If we confess Christ, we're also going to have the Father. Let what you hear from the beginning, let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you will abide in the Son and in the Father. And this is what He has promised us, eternal life. Write these things, I write these things to you concerning those who would deceive you. As for you, the anointed, that you receive from Him abides in you. And now, and so you do not need anyone to teach you. But as His anointing teaches you about all things and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has been taught you, abide in Him. One thing I like to think about Jesus is all the way from Adam, like this pointing to Jesus, pointing to Jesus, pointing to Jesus. And after Jesus, again, the disciples pointing to Jesus. And we, in the very last day, we point to Jesus. This is what I believe about the apostles. They were pointing to Christ. But as His anointing teaches you all things and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, abide in Him. In another place it says, walk as you have received the Lord Jesus Christ, walking Him in the same way, by faith, trusting Him. We don't get on some four-lane highway after a while, and we can forget about everything, just be going down the road. As we received Him, we need to walk in Him. And now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He is revealed, we may have confidence not to be put to shame before Him at His coming. If you know that He is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who does right has been born of Him. If you know that He is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who does right has been born of Him. Have we heard what is right? Is it complicated to understand what Christ wants of us? What He taught us to do? I'm sure at times there's a lack of understanding, but I think more often we'd have to confess that we just might not want to. See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God. And that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him. So we can't be friends with the world because the world doesn't know Him. So they don't know us either. They don't know why we do things the way we do. They have a better way. The governments are always trying to indoctrinate children from pretty anywhere in the world. Whatever that's worth. The love we are God's children now. What we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this. So I think John is also leaving a mystery. We don't even know what we will be. I think this is why Jesus came in the flesh, because we understand flesh. We can comprehend it. But then when it goes, what happens to us after this time? Who knows? Is anybody sure? Can you tell me for sure? How it's going to be after this time? John would have said, what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this. When He is revealed, we will be like Him. For we will see Him as He is. And all who have this hope in Him purify themselves just as He is pure. These strong encouragements. Even with just this hope that we can be like Him, we will be like Him. Causes us to purify ourselves just as He is pure. Everyone who commits sin is guilty of lawlessness. Sin is lawlessness. You know that He was revealed to take away sins. And in Him, there is no sin. In Him, there is no sin. No one who abides in Him sins. No one who sins has either seen Him or known Him. These are very strong words. I guess I would have to say without repentance they're true. But because we can repent, we can humble ourselves. Thankfully, I think all of us have experienced the humility of humiliation, I should say, of ending up sinning in some way. And we have to say we're sorry and we ask forgiveness and we make things right. Little children, let no one deceive you. Everyone who does what is right is righteous, just as He is righteous. Everyone who commits sin is a child of the devil. For the devil has sinned against you. He's been sinning from the beginning. The Son of God was revealed for this purpose to destroy the works of the devil. Isn't that a great consolation? Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil. The Son of God was revealed for this purpose to destroy the works of the devil. That's part of the plan. Those who have been born of God do not sin because God see the bites in them. They cannot sin because they have been born of God. I have no explanation for how that all balances out with the ones that say that if you say you have no sin, then you're a liar. I'm sure there's a way that this all blends. The children of God and the children of the devil are revealed in this way. All who do not do what is right, all who do not do what is right are not from God, nor are those who do not love their brothers and sisters. For this is the message you have heard from the beginning that we should love one another. We must not be like Cain who was from the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother's righteous. So why do we have bad thoughts about people? Why do we consider? Why do we consider? Why do we get? Jesus said, if we hate somebody, we're already, or if we're angry with somebody, we're already committed murder. Is it not because that other person is righteous and we are, because his own deeds were evil and his brother's righteous. He couldn't take that. God came and warned him, told him, this is a problem. And he couldn't take it. The answer to his problem was to get rid of evil. And so he did. Do not do what is right. Do not be astonished, brothers and sisters, that the world hates you. We know that we have passed from death to life because we love one another. Whoever does not love abides in death. All who hate a brother or sister are murderers. And you know that murderers do not enter, do not have eternal life abiding in them. We know love by this, that we know love by this, that he laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for one another. Do we have any thoughts what that might look like? Yeah, those are good. But I think this, am I wrong that this might be amongst the brothers and sisters? How do we lay down our lives for the brothers and sisters? What would that look like? Even helping one another does not make everybody exactly the same. Don't let opinions divide you. Keep your heart with all diligence when it comes to opinions. So we give up, right? You don't give up. You let other people have their own opinions. You don't get offended if their opinion is different than yours. I guess it relates to humility, just being humble. People disagreeing with your opinion. I think a lot of people make the mistake that you get offended at opinions and they divide over opinions. That's true. I would add to brother Tao's too and say just like we have a tendency as human beings to want to show our rightness and to prove to someone else that they're wrong. What if we just had to make a conscious decision all the time? It doesn't matter how right I am. It doesn't matter that I think someone else is wrong. If we can't put that to rest, then are we really willing to lay down our lives for brotherhood? It takes a conscious decision. And I see what Robert is getting at in verse 17, I think. How does God's love abide in anyone who has the world's goods and sees your brother or sister need and yet refuses help? He's probably not saying that. If it's a scriptural fact, that's different. If it's just an opinion of what that scripture is saying, I think it's different. There's no private interpretation. You can't just say this is what it is if it's not that. But if it's very clear in the scripture and it's scriptural, then that's different. That's not an opinion. The opinion is just this is what I think it's saying. That's your opinion. Verse 18. Little children let us love, not in word or in speech, but in truth and action. So these things that Jesus did for us have to be coming out of us somehow. I think they will. They can't be otherwise. I think there might be a brother that likes to drink a soda pop every day, but in my opinion, we should deny ourselves from that soda pop. You know what I mean? We can't drink a burger and drink a drink. Um, I think that's a good opinion for a brother that might like to eat a chocolate bar. Man, you can't stop the lettuce, you know. I need that chocolate bar. And I can't. But then I'll eat a chocolate bar. I think the opinion is like that. Hey, I apologize again. I wasn't trying to disagree. I know you believe that, but I realized there was many divisions in Christian belief. Yeah. And by this we will know that we are from the truth and will assure our hearts before him. Whenever our hearts condemn us for God is greater than our hearts and he knows everything. Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have boldness before God and we receive from him whatever we ask because we obey his commandments and do what pleases him. We know that Jesus did not please himself. He did whatever the father told him. And in the end, he, uh, in the end, he, he just obeyed the father's will. And this is what all these scriptures are for us, that we be like him. And this is his commandment that we should believe in the name of his son, Jesus Christ. And love one another just as he has commanded us. And this is a commandment. And this is his commandment that we should believe in the name of his son, Jesus Christ. And love one another just as he has commanded us. All who obey his commandments, abide in him and he abides in them. By this we know that he abides in us by the spirit that he has given us. So would we all confess that we have been given a spirit that longs and desires that this flesh be denied and long and desire to, although it doesn't matter that we have, we get beaten or persecuted. And there I read in, uh, in Matthew that blessed or we're blessed if men persecute us. And it's, um, just as he has commanded us. So we've been given, we've been given something that we should take consolation and we should cherish, we should uphold this desire to do right. Because by all appearance, it doesn't appear to me like most people in this world have that desire. I don't know what to say about it. They desire good things. They desire some of the things we may have. But they're not willing to deny themselves for it. So we need to, we need to keep precious the spirit that he has given us. And by this we know that he has, he abides in us by the spirit that he has given us. Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits and see whether they are from God. For many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the spirit of God. Every spirit that confesses that Jesus has come in the flesh is from God. And every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, of which you have heard that from the beginning, that is coming and now is already in the world. Little children, you are from God and have conquered them. For you, for the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. They are from the world, therefore what they say is from the world. And the world listens to them. We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us. And whoever is not from God does not listen to us. I'm sure John had many teachings other than what we read here. But are we in agreement, John? Whoever knows God listens to us and whoever is not from God does not listen to us. From this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. Beloved, let us love one another because love is from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. God's love was revealed among us in this way. God sent his only son into the world so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we love God, but he loved us and sent his son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. There's a real reason that we should love God and if we love God, we love one another. We respect one another. We care for one another. We help one another. We pray for one another. Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God lives in us and his love is perfected in us. So we haven't seen God and we say we love him. This is a real challenge. I think he's saying no one has ever seen God. And Jesus put the challenge on when he said that if we love those, if we say we love those, if we say we love God, that we cannot see and we'll not love the brother that we can see. I forget what it says after that, but the love of God is not in us. No one has ever seen God, but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in him and he in us because he has given us his spirit and we have seen and do testify that the father has sent his son as the savior of the world. God abides in those who confess that Jesus is the son of God and they abide in God. God abides in those who confess that Jesus is the son of God and they abide in God. So we have known and believe the love that God has sent for us. God is love and those who abide in love abide in God and God abides in them. So we know that God abides in them. Is this not a mysterious? Well, who here can say he knows how God abides in him and explain it? We know the spirit comes here, we know he teaches us and he draws us and he helps us, he guides us and leads us, but how does that happen? How do we abide in him and God abides in us? Love has been perfected among us in this, that we may have boldness on the day of judgment because as he is, so are we in this world. Because as he is, so are we in this world. So Jesus had already ascended and they were still in the earth. Maybe I don't understand that right. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love. We love because he first loved us. Those who say, I thought Jesus had said this quote and maybe he did, but those who say, I love God and hate his brothers or sisters are liars. For those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen cannot love God, whom they have seen cannot love God, whom they have not seen. I love God, those who say I love God and hate their brothers and sisters are liars. For those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen cannot love God, whom they have not seen. The commandment we have from him is this, those who love God must love their brothers and sisters. So when somebody walks in the light, I think we have better be aware of judgment ourselves if we attract such a one. Everyone who believes that Jesus is to Christ has been born of God. And everyone who loves the parent loves the child. By this we know that we love the children of God when we love God and obey his commandments. Now he's back intertwining this like, we know we love the children of God because we love God and obey his commandments again. Earlier it said that if we love, we know that we love God if we love his children. For the love of God is this, that we obey his commandments and his commandments are not burdensome. For whoever's born of God conquers the world. And this is the victor that conquers the world, our faith. Who is it that conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the son of God? Who is it that conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the son of God? This is the one who came by water and blood. Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ. This is the one who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ, not with the water only, but with water and blood. And the spirit is the one that testifies for the spirit is the truth. There are three that testify, the spirit, the water, and the blood. And these three agree. If we receive human testimony, the testimony of God is greater. I think we often, I'm not knocking this, I don't know that it's wrong, but we often talk amongst ourselves and we try to figure things out. But here it says the testimony of God is greater. What is that? Is it not the whole Bible? Is it not what Jesus has brought to us? This testimony is the greatest. I would hope our conversations and our discussions could be like a stepping stone to one more step closer to being in this true light that he talks about in here and to be of God and abide in God. And the spirit is the one that testifies And these three agree. If we receive human testimony, the testimony of God is greater for this is the testimony of God that he has testified to his son. Those who believe in the son of God have the testimony in their hearts. Those who do not believe in God have made him a liar by not believing in the testimony that God has given concerning His Son. This is the testimony God gave us eternal life. And this is the testimony God gave us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. Whoever has the Son has life. Whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. This is repeated so often and often that I'm going to have to point it out that believing in the Son of God, it's either or. If we do not believe in the Son of God, we have no life. It doesn't seem to me like there's a middle road here. Pretty much on this testimony, it's been all through John here. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. As much emphasis has been put on the Son of God in these chapters, maybe we need to sharpen up. This is the boldness that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have obtained the request made of Him. If you see your brother or sister committing what is not a mortal sin, you will ask and God will give life to such a one. To those whose sin is not mortal, there is a sin that is mortal. I do not say that you should pray about that. All wrongdoing is sin, but there is a sin that is not mortal. We know that those who are born of God do not sin, but those who are born of God protect them. But the one who is born of God protects them, and the evil one does not touch them. We know that we are God's children and that the whole world lies under the power of the evil one. And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true. And we are in Him who is true in His Son, Jesus Christ. We are in Him who is true in His Son, Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Feel free to share. Correct? Thank you, brother. I appreciated that. I didn't have a whole lot to share, but one thing really stood out to me. You said it and it just gave me so much hope and so much courage to just consider it. I think I want to write it on a piece of paper and put it by my front door. But it was where you had mentioned that Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil. Yeah, that's it. And that's so encouraging. Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil. Satan messed it all up and Jesus came to save us and destroy what Satan had thought he was going to get away with, but he did not get away with it. He's destroyed it then and he's continuing to destroy it. In each and every one of our lives on a day-to-day basis, he wants to destroy the works of the devil. It's so hopeful, you know, just in the time. This slaughtering history that we live in right now, it can be so discouraging if you just look at it in a, you know, just, I think there's a word, it's called myopic, when you can't see past the tip of your nose. If you just look at it with that myopic eye frame, I'm not sure how to say that, but it's just so discouraging. But if you look at it with the big picture that Jesus has destroyed the works of the devil, he is victorious. It's really encouraging. I think I appreciated that. Thank you. Thanks for the reading of 1 John, Brother Walter. As a family, we like to go through that, and I think every time we go through it, especially my wife and I, we take new correction and new hope from what John says in that book, that epistle. And my wife just pointed something out to me at the end that those who are born of God, he protects. Which, it's easy to get discouraged. I think Brother Taylor just said that. In the face of some of the difficulties that are thrown at us right now, and probably throughout time, I imagine, for all Christians. Just to be reminded that although suffering will come, and even death, and things like this, that we are, as Jesus says, we're supposed to be blessed by these things. These things are a blessing, rather, and that we should rejoice in that. But these things may come, but God will protect us. And I don't think, obviously that doesn't mean he's going to protect our life. Or he's going to protect our liberty in our nation states that we currently reside in. But that he protects that thing which is his, which is his people, his commandments in us, our walk. And I just, there was one, we're reading through a book, and probably many of you have read about Gladys Aylward. And it's just, it's been interesting to read her story. She just knew she had a home in China. She just had to go there. And she just set her sights on that. She just walked all the way, or not walked all the way, but went to China. And despite all the difficulties she faced, she arrived there. And, well, I would hope she did the Lord's work there. But yeah, just in one of the parts of the book that we're actually reading, she just says, like, God will protect me. And she just, you know, as a woman by herself, she just believed that, I believe, and we need to believe that. Rise up, all men of God, Have not willed lesser things, Give heart and soul and mind and strength To serve the King of kings. Rise up, all men of God, This kingdom carry strong, Bring in the day of brotherhood And end the night of wrong. Rise up, all men of God, The church for you the flame, Her strength on equal to hers, Rise up and make her great. Lift high the cross of Christ, Dread where his feet have trod, As brothers of the Son of Man, Rise up, all men of God. My sheep know my voice, And without doubt I say, They follow wherever I go. My sheep know my voice, And come at my call. My stranger's voice do they not know, My sheep know my voice, And in my day, They lie in my bosom, And know what I say. They love me because I have made them my children, And they follow my call, For my sheep love my voice. My sheep know my voice, And the pastures of green, Where I lead them so often to be. My sheep know my voice, And the old sparkling stream, Where beside it still waters I keep. My sheep know my voice, And in my day, They lie in my bosom, And know what I say. They love me because I have made them my children, And they follow my call. My sheep know my voice, My sheep know my voice, And the valley of death, Through which I shall even someday, But no danger nor harm Can touch one of them, For I will lead them always. My sheep know my voice, And in my day, They lie in my bosom, And know what I say. They love me because I have made them my children, And they follow my call. For my sheep know my voice.

Sermon Outline

  1. I. The Call to Humility and Obedience
    • Blessed are the poor in spirit and those who hunger for righteousness
    • Jesus humbled Himself to bring salvation
    • Obedience to God's commandments as evidence of knowing Him
  2. II. Fellowship with God and One Another
    • Walking in the light enables true fellowship
    • Confession and forgiveness cleanse from sin
    • Love for brothers and sisters as a mark of abiding in the light
  3. III. The Reality of Sin and the Advocate
    • Acknowledging sin prevents self-deception
    • Jesus as the advocate and atoning sacrifice
    • Repentance restores fellowship with God
  4. IV. Living as Children of God
    • Rejecting the world and its desires
    • Overcoming the evil one by abiding in Christ
    • Loving one another as a testimony of new birth

Key Quotes

“Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” — Walter Brubacker
“If we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another.” — Walter Brubacker
“The Son of God was revealed for this purpose to destroy the works of the devil.” — Walter Brubacker

Application Points

  • Examine your heart to ensure your faith in Jesus leads to obedience and love.
  • Confess your sins regularly to maintain fellowship with God and others.
  • Reject worldly desires and focus on living as a child of God through love and humility.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does it mean to have the testimony in our hearts?
It means that true belief in Jesus is internalized, resulting in obedience to His commandments and a transformed life.
How can we be sure we know God?
By obeying His commandments and walking in the light, demonstrating love for others as Jesus taught.
What role does confession play in the Christian life?
Confession acknowledges our sin and allows God to forgive and cleanse us, restoring fellowship with Him.
Why is love for fellow believers emphasized?
Because love is the evidence of abiding in God’s light and is essential for true fellowship and eternal life.
How should Christians view the world and its desires?
Christians are called to not love the world or its desires, as they are passing away and opposed to the will of God.

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