In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the price that was paid for our salvation and the privilege we have as children of God. He highlights the grace of God that allowed us to be loved and brought into the family of God, despite our past disobedience and rebellion. The preacher acknowledges the ease with which we can sin and the regret we feel for our past lives without Christ. He expresses gratitude for the immeasurable love of God and the power we now have over sin as children of God. The sermon also emphasizes the importance of loving others and not magnifying their faults, just as God loved us unconditionally. The preacher references 1 John, particularly focusing on the theme of God being light and the darkness being associated with evil. The sermon concludes by encouraging the audience to embrace the incarnation of Christ and the opportunity to have a personal relationship with Him.

I'd like for us to turn again to 1 John, chapter... And what John... I've been told, you know, those seats up front cost a little more, and people are willing to pay for it, to be close to the action. So, if these are the best seats in the house, someone has said these seats cost more if those seats are the best. Those are the cheap seats back there. And strange that everybody gravitates toward the back. Not everybody. This morning, if you felt as I did, looking at this subject of 1 John and how he deals with the Incarnation, a man that had had the experience of seeing eye to eye with the Son of God, he had heard Him speak, he had touched Him. I had a call to my attention this morning. Someone had this in their Bible, and I'm still not sure how many times, but you may have noticed how many times to know is mentioned in the book of 1 John. To know. And the Apostle Paul, in writing to the Church at Philippi, says that, I want to know Him. I want to know Him in the power of His resurrection. I want to know Him in the fellowship of His suffering. I want to know Him in that I'll be conformed unto His death. When you think about the subject as we were looking at it this morning and the emphasis that was placed upon forgiveness, something else came to mind. You know, being forgiven does not remove our moral obligation to obey the Word of God. I think the way the 6th chapter of Romans starts out, and Paul says, God forbid that I would ever take lightly the thought of sinning because of God's grace and mercy. And I don't think many of us would ever have a thought like this, that when you look at that 9th verse of the 1st chapter, some might say, well, it seems like that's a license to just go out and sin. Oh, no. If that is the way someone looks at it, it's been misapplied, I can assure you of that. The promise is not given for that. That misapplies the promise that has been given, that He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. As I've been looking at this book of 1 John, the Lord Jesus Christ certainly is presented as that one sacrifice for sin, that one sacrifice for sin. So strongly supports what He said when He said, I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no man comes unto the Father but by me. Just over and over you are introduced to that thought in 1 John. Tonight we're going to discover He is our Advocate. I believe it was Campbell Morgan, one of those great preachers of a past day, made the comment, that is one statement in scripture that I love dearly in the depth of my heart, that there's somebody at the right hand of God that intercedes on my behalf. Thank God tonight He's there for us, beloved. Every believer in the Lord Jesus Christ is an advocate at the right hand of God on our behalf. And certainly He provides for us a perfect example. John emphasizes that so much in the Gospel of John. But tonight I'd like for us to think further as we look at 2 John, the second chapter of 1 John, at what He has to say concerning things, I believe, that should excite us with the awareness that I'm a child of God, I'm in the family of God, I'm not my own, I was purchased with a price, and He has done so much for me. How could I do less than give Him my very best because of His great love and the sacrifice that He made to save my soul? Let's read the first 14 verses of 1 John 2. "'My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And he is a propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. And hereby we do know that we know him if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth the word in him verily is the love of God perfected. Hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith, he abideth in him or himself, also so to walk, even as he walked. Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning. Again a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you, because the darkness is past, and a true light now shineth. He that saith he is in the light and hateth his brother is in darkness, even until now. He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, walketh in darkness, knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes. I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake. I write unto you, fathers, because you have known him, that is, from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because you have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because you have known the Father. I have written unto you, fathers, because you have known him, that is, from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and you have overcome the wicked one. And shall we just look to the Lord again in a word of prayer? Our Father in Heaven, as we bow in thy presence tonight, we can rejoice in our souls because we know we have a Savior, a Savior that you provided. Lord, it has been upon our hearts and minds today and so many times in which our thoughts turn to a remembrance of what a wonderful Savior you provided for us. We that were so desperate, we that were so totally lost and so confused in a world that we found no peace, no joy, and you enlightened these darkened minds and hearts of ours and brought us to the Lord Jesus Christ, so thankful for that convicting work of the Spirit of God, so thankful that he so kindly dealt with us, so thankful that our hearts were turned toward thee, Lord. We thank thee for this day and for every thought that we've had of our blessed Savior, every heart that was opened up in praise and worship ascribed to the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, we thank thee and praise thee for him, our Lord and Savior. It is in his name that we look for a blessing tonight. May what we've read in thy word, every thought that is shared, every thought that the Spirit of God brings to our mind concerning him, that like Paul of old, oh, Lord, I want to know him more intimately than I've ever known him before. It's in the precious and worthy name of the Lord Jesus we ask this. Amen. You know, that term, my little children, that address by someone like John, believers are looked upon as being children of God. I've always liked that. I'm a child of God. I've been born again into the family of God. It took a spiritual birth to bring me into the family of God, and thank God for it. I loved my mother. She died early in my life, but I really loved her. I thought she was wonderful. She was. I've heard her say often, That's my child. That's my child. It was just two of us. That's my child. Those are my children. And the Lord looks upon you and me, and we're his children. We're his children. He loved us. Oh, he has a vital interest in every one of us. To have paid the price that was paid for our salvation, to bring us into this privileged place, he had to love us. It took the grace of God, considering what some of us were like. Disobedient, rebellious. We're God's children. Thank God tonight we're in the family of God. Brutal children. I'm writing unto you that you sin not. I think that would be a warning to someone that thinks they do not sin anymore. The inference certainly is there that we do sin. I pointed out this morning because it's so clear in my own mind just how easy it is to sin. Have you ever wanted to hit yourself on the head because of an evil thought that came into your mind? What in the world are you thinking about that for? What in the world ever generated that thought in your mind when we're told that we're to have the mind of Christ? Oh, I want to be like him. I want to have pure thoughts. You have to be careful what we're thinking about. We're to devote our minds to thoughts that will generate things that are for the glory of God. Keep the mind pure. Keep it cleansed of all the defiling things that can come into a person's mind. That's why we want young people to get saved while they're still young before they ever get out into this world and experience what's in this world. All they've got to do is ask someone, What was it like sowing those wild oats? What was it like being out into the world and living that life with no restraint? You look back upon it and it's the darkest days in your history as a human being. You hate every one of them. Hate every day that you ever lived without trusting Him once you found Him as your Lord and Savior. Thank God that is a part of this experience of being delivered. I really appreciate what You've done for me, Lord. You turned this life, this wretched life of mine, dead in trespasses and sin, You turned it around, brought some real meaning into my life, focused my attention upon something that has been such a blessing to me I could never express. All that You've done for me, it's like the immeasurable love of God. Oh, how wonderful it is to be saved and have your sins forgiven and to have power over sin that at one time you had no power over. Wonderful to be a child of God. If we didn't, how would we ever handle sin that comes into our lives? Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world. To have the Word of God stored away in our hearts and minds and have it ready when that temptation comes. I know that it was impossible for our Lord to be tempted, but Satan tried. That was a dumb thing for him to do, wasn't it? To try to tempt the Son of God. You know, we think of Satan as being super intelligent and all of that. That was a dumb thing to do. Try to tempt the Lord Jesus Christ. He tried. Our Lord turned him around. And how many times have we used that little formula that he used? It is written. It is written. And he defeated Satan so decisively. Brother and sister, saturate your mind, your heart and soul with the Word of God. You are a child of God. Weigh carefully and count it dear and precious. Every word of God, put it in your heart, your mind and your soul. Have it ready. And if he comes to you and he tries to tempt you, it is written. I remember it is written. That would be a tremendous way to prepare ourselves for that moment in time where sin will present itself, that ugly thing that we hate. But we are told as children of God that we have something very special going for us. We have an advocate with the Father. I don't know how much time we could spend on this, but I remember one time in a discussion in which this thought was presented. We must have spent a lot of time. I'm not exaggerating. I think at least an hour. And so much thought was generated in the hearts and the souls of those men in that Bible study that we just kept going at it. How much we valued having someone at the right hand of God to intercede on our behalf. You ask that man that's going down to the courthouse and he's under an indictment for something. Somebody said he did, and he's being tried. Sometimes if a fellow can't afford it, they'll appoint him a court-appointed attorney, an advocate, somebody to plead his case. Many people think that only lawyers that can't find a case somewhere else are the ones that are selected to do that. Certainly you don't get that lawyer that when you hear what he charges by the case or by the hour or whatever it is, you know you couldn't afford him. But the man that can is going to get the best justice he can buy. You know what I mean by that. I'm going to get the best justice that money can buy. And you're going to have to have a high-priced lawyer to get that for you. He knows all the ins and outs. He knows the whole thing. We have someone at the right hand of God that does not have to be experienced in all those things that are a part of what we've just been talking about. Because he is God. The God-man is at the right end of the throne of God, and he is there to intercede on our behalf. I'm telling you, you haven't got enough resources to afford him. God, by his grace, had to provide him for you. You couldn't afford him, the Lord Jesus Christ. He's not up for hire. What he does, he does out of love for his dear children, his blood-bought children are so precious and so dear in his sight. He's there for you and me. And it cost him a lot to be there for you and me. But we got the best. I think that statement that was attributed to that notable preacher of long ago when he said this one sentence is worth everything in this world to me. Can't think of anything in this world I value any more than having the Son of God intercede on my behalf at the throne of God. That's something to be valued very highly and thank God for. He is the propitiation for our sins. I can remember, this seems kind of humorous, but I think in pronouncing this word so often I've heard people say, someone would say, proposition for propitiation. And they had to be corrected, and that's not the way you pronounce that word because that word has the meaning of sacrifice or mercy seat. He has propitiated for us. He has that sacrifice for our sins, has presented himself before God. And that's what he did, the Lamb of God that could take away the sin of the world. He is the propitiation for our sins and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. You know, that person that dies outside of being in Christ, he could never claim before the throne of God. I didn't have a chance. You didn't do it for me. You know, those that sometimes hold so strongly to the sovereignty of God and the fact that he elects certain people and other people never have a chance. It's already cut and dried. Surely God is sovereign and he is omniscient and he knows every person that will ever be saved. But aren't you thankful that the invitation comes and says, Come unto me, all of you. Whosoever will, let him come to me. Aren't you thankful that's there? And it does mean that God laid upon him the iniquity of us all. It does mean that he paid the price to redeem every poor sinner that's in this world. No one could say, He didn't love me. He didn't care for me. I wasn't included. Oh, yes, you were. You were upon his heart. He died upon the cross. A poor thief cried out, Oh, Lord, when you come into your kingdom, remember me. That one cry for a man that in just a few moments would have passed out into eternity. And he was with Christ. He was a part of the kingdom of God. Oh, he has propitiated for us before the throne of God He has paid the penalty that God required for sin. It had to be dealt with. Our Lord dealt with it. And he satisfied the throne of God. The righteousness of God has been secured for everyone that has put their trust in him. It says, But also for the sins of the whole world. You know, he didn't die just for Jews. Sometimes orthodox Judaism thinks that the Messiah that's coming, he would just be their Messiah. He would just be their Redeemer. He would just be their Savior. But it includes whosoever will. All races of mankind are from the face of the earth. There's no color distinction. There's nothing, nothing that one could claim as being something that withheld the grace and the mercy of God. That atoning blood that he shed upon the cross, it can avail for the vilest. Thank God it is availed for me. Here in that 3rd verse, And hereby we do know that we know him if we keep his commandments. We know it by experience. Experientially, if you know, because there's been such an inner witness in your soul. The Spirit of God bears witness with our witness that we belong to him. We're indwelt by the Spirit of God. If any man has not the Spirit of God, he's none of his. We know him if we keep his commandments. I think of a passage in which our Lord makes this statement, If you love me, keep my commandments. If you love me, keep my commandments. If you do love me, you will keep my commandments. The two go together. Obedience to the divine command tells you just how much you love the Lord. Some people say, Oh, I love the Lord. You do? You keep his commandments? Do you do what he asked you to do? I remember that there are some that sometimes use the excuse that they don't include themselves and bring themselves under the full authority of God's Word, and yet they profess strong love for the Lord. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar. This language is so strong. I know him. Do you keep his commandments? No. That's a lie, then. The truth is not in him. I am the way, the truth, and the life. Why hasn't that truth permeated that soul? Why hasn't the Spirit of God made you one that is under conviction of not obeying what he asked you to do? His own mother says, Whatever he asked you to do, do it. His own mother said that. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also to walk, even as he walked. You know, most of us, the first time we read that, we say, It's out of my reach. It's out of my reach. I can't walk the way he walked. We're talking about a divine person, one that could not sin, and he walked through this world that we live in for some 30 years. I'm not capable of doing that. But sometimes there are just statements in Scripture that shock us. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. With the power of God resident in us, it makes it possible for us to walk the way he walked. Our manner of life, the way we walk, the way we live, it's all possible because we know him. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also to walk, even as he walked. Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is a word which ye have heard from the beginning. Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and you, because the darkness is past and the true light now shineth. You know, that wonderful love of God that has been spread abroad in our hearts by the Spirit of God is something to appreciate, something to thank God for. I've heard people say, I never loved anybody in my life. I don't know how to love anybody. I never found anybody. The way you talk about love and a love that will give sacrificially of itself for another person. I'm not capable of that. No, none of us are. Really. But what God can do, what he can generate in our souls when the Spirit of God that indwells us spreads abroad in our hearts, our minds and souls, the love of God. Man, aren't you overwhelmed with a sense of the love of God and its greatness and how it was bestowed to bring salvation to you and to help you to live your life now to his glory and honor. Our Lord says, if you want to hear a new commandment, I've got one. I want each one of you to love each other the same way I loved you. Do you think that's possible? For you to love your brother and sister in Christ the same way he loved you? Do you think that's possible? I don't believe he would have said it if it wasn't true. I want you to love each other the same way I loved you. Don't trivialize what Jesus Christ, the Son of God, said. Believe me. What he said is possible. Oh, yes. I'm expected to love you and you're expected to love me the same way he loved us. And, oh, brother, oh, sister, how he loved us. How he loved us. Would you do for a poor sinner and think of the vilest person you can think of, would you love that person and do what Jesus Christ did for poor sinners upon the cross? Would you do that for another person? We're not talking about the best person in the world. We're talking about sometimes what we see in each other that we don't like. And isn't it terrible that we magnify what we don't like about a person? Just can't seem to find anything good in them. We magnify those things. We focus on those things. My Lord didn't do that. My Lord didn't do that. Oh, how he loved you and me as unlovable as we are. God commended his love toward us in that while we were yet poor sinners, Christ died for us. Darkness is past and the true light now shineth. You know, in this first chapter when we were reading that God indeed, God is light. There's no darkness in God. When you think about darkness, you think about an area in which there's no spiritual light. And evil takes place in the darkness. They tell me that some of those blighted areas where there's so much crime that it's been proven by statistics. Put up streets. Light up the whole place. Cuts down on crime 50%. Fifty percent just by putting up lights. Satan, who controls the realm of the kingdom of darkness. Oh, how he loves darkness. How he likes to blind the minds of those who will not believe. Put them in darkness. They can't see anything. He doesn't want them to see God. He doesn't want them to realize that they are loved. He doesn't want them to know what Jesus Christ, the Son of God, did upon the cross to save their souls. He doesn't want them to know that. In darkness, in darkness. How sad that is. He that saith he is in the light and hateth his brothers in darkness. Think a believer is capable of hating his brother and sister in Christ? I've heard people say in their own family, I hate my own brother. I hate my sister. I've heard those remarks like that. What in the world are you saying? Is it possible for a born-again believer, one enlightened from heaven with the Spirit of God indwelling in, to hate his brother, his spiritual brother or sister? That's a sad thing to even think about. Hating somebody. Do you know when you are hating somebody, you aren't doing nothing but poisoning your own system? And it will kill you. It will kill you if you go around hating people all the time. And God knows it. He knows how it poisons. He that loveth his brother abideth in the light. Man, do you want light to walk in? Do you want to walk through this earthly pathway and be sure where that next step will be? Directed of God? There is not an occasion of stumbling in Him. You are not going to fall down. You are not going to make a horrible mess out of your life if you do the will of God and walk in the light. But he that hateth his brothers in darkness, God knows that, and you know it, and I know it. Any man or woman that says, I hate them, I hate them. I don't read about one thing in the world in this book that says we should hate, but sin. Hate sin. God hates it. Someone says, I hate everything God hates, and God hates sin. We hate sin. To hate someone is a sin. Love is that evidence of the working of the Spirit of God in your heart and soul. He walketh in darkness and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes. Oh, hatred is darkness. Isn't that horrible? Hating people. I have heard people speak of another race of people. I hate them! What do you hate them for? Just another mortal human being that is struggling through life. Needs to be saved by the grace of God, and you say you hate them just because they have a different nationality, a different color or something. God have mercy upon anybody that feels that way. Some people are very revengeful, and they do things because of what I have just mentioned. They don't like certain people. We are supposed to purge out from ourselves all of these things, the anger, the malice, and everything else that will poison and defile you as a human being. He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. He that hateth his brother is in darkness and walketh in darkness and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes. God forbid that we were blinded by the God of this world. I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for His name's sake. Little children. Oh, I love the ministry that is going on for little children. I think about the AWANA program. I think about Sunday school. I think about the ministry that Brian is engaged in and the expansion that we've heard about tonight that he's going to have a class on Sunday morning for these young people. After all, little children have sins too. I've got a little great-granddaughter about this high. She's a thinker. And let me tell you, you know those little rascals will lie to you, tell a lie. I know her mom and daddy didn't teach her, and I know I didn't teach her to lie. But they'll lie. Little children. They learn to sin so early. They have a nature within them. And they tell lies and they do things that they shouldn't do. Every little child needs the Lord Jesus Christ. And that's something when you see all those little children. I see them here in Bible school. I see them in one, and I say every one of them is a candidate for God's salvation. I thought about those hundreds that went up to mountaintop youth camp and we were praying. Hook and I were praying every day. Don't let one of them come off that mountain without trusting Christ. I want them all to get saved. Early. And you know and I know that there are those that even while that child is still in its mother's womb, they're praying, praying, O Lord, this child that I'm about to bring into the world, O let that child find Christ as its Savior. Little children. They need to be washed in the blood of the Lamb. No one's born saved. You've got to be born again. That's a spiritual birth. And the Lord Jesus, talking to that man that had a little difficulty with that, He said, You must, Nicodemus, you must be born again. Little children need to be born again. He says, I write unto you, fathers, because you have known Him, that is, from the beginning. Certainly those of us that are older, those established saints, if you want to put it that way, supposed to know something. We're supposed to know something. We're better informed. We've been here longer. We've had more opportunities. We should have a deeper knowledge of the Lord and His dealings with us. And John says, I write unto you, fathers, because you have known Him from the beginning. Man, that makes you think, doesn't it? What have I done? I've been saved over 50 years. Some of you have maybe been saved longer than that. I know we have had people in the meeting that have been saved since childhood. How much have we grown in grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ? He said, Man, you've been saved long enough. If you've been reading your Bible, you ought to be perfect by now. I guarantee if you follow me, you're going to find out I'm not perfect. But I'll tell you one thing I know. I'm forgiven. I know that. And I read that on the back of a car. I'm not perfect, but I'm forgiven. But we should be growing in grace and knowledge. You, fathers, because you have known Him, that is, from the beginning. And those that have been saved and those that have been reading the Word of God, they should have a deeper knowledge of their Lord. They should have been given real earnest attention to His Word and practicing the Word of God. But that's the problem. We read it. We know it. Do you do it? Do you practice it? It loses all of its meaning if you don't practice it. That's so important. And then he talks about, I write unto you young men, because you have overcome the wicked one. You know, the flower of youth. Being young, strong, right in the bloom of life. And he says, these young men, you know, victories sometimes are won by young men. They do special things when they're in the full bloom of life. For a believer, as we grow from one stage, from the baby stage into old age, let's be sure that we don't waste any part of our lives, but the most productive part of your life sometimes is in the middle of your life. So the Apostle Paul and others would encourage those like Timothy, oh, to be strong in the Lord. To be reminded that we are to put on the whole armor of God. That we might be able to stand against the evil one that's in the world. You know, the Spirit of God has issued a call to every one of us before it's forever too late. You better get down to business with God. The God that loves you. The God that saved your soul, whether you are young or old. God means business with you and me. Our God is not a frivolous God. He's not a God that delves into the area of darkness. He leads us in the pathway of righteousness for His namesake. He keeps us in the light. He wants us to stay in the light. He wants us to walk and be strong for Him. Because I'll remind you again, this is the only opportunity that you'll ever have to win souls for Jesus Christ and to be a witness for God in a godless world. It's the only opportunity you'll ever have to do that. We dare not pass it up. Let the full joy of the Lord fill our souls. Let us be aware that He is a sin-hating God. If we're going to hate anything, hate sin. Love your brothers and sisters and love the Lord Jesus Christ and do what He tells you to do. Our Heavenly Father, thank Thee again for Your loving mercy and goodness to us. We do ask Your blessing upon every person in this room, every family represented here, young and old alike, Lord. Speak to our hearts today and may the Spirit of God have full control, be filled with the Spirit of God. Let Him guide and control us in every word, every thought, and every deed. In the name and for the glory and honor of the Lord Jesus, we ask this. Amen.