to 1 John 2, the end of 1 John 2, that's found in your pew Bibles on page 1022. 1 John 2, beginning at verse 28, let's give our attention to God's holy, inspired, and inerrant word. And now, little children, abide in him so that when he appears, we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming. If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him. See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God, and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know Him. Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared, but we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness. Sin is lawlessness. You know that he appeared in order to take away sins and in him there is no sin. No one who abides in him keeps on sinning. No one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil. For the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. By this, it is evident who are the children of God and who are the children of the devil. Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever. Human history has been marked by division. We've divided over religion, over class, over race, over nation. And division seems to only increase in our time today. We're confronted by this on a daily basis. But according to God's word, there is only one fundamental division in the human race. Either you are a child of God, or a child of the devil. This is what we just read at the end of our passage in verse 10. By this it is evident who are the children of God and who are the children of the devil. Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God. And so either you practice righteousness or you practice unrighteousness. Either you are of the kingdom of light or of the kingdom of darkness. And this fundamental division that exists within the human race, it goes all the way back to Genesis chapter three, verse 15. As a result of Adam's sin, all of mankind is plunged into this estate of sin and misery. And there is now perpetual enmity between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent, between God and the devil, between God's offspring and the devil's offspring. And all of human history after this point is the outworking of this story, of the struggle, of the enmity between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent. And the good news of the gospel is that Christ Jesus has come to bring victory in this struggle. He is the one, the one who is promised, the fulfillment of the promise, the one who crushes the head of the serpent, the one who defeats sin and death, the one who gives life to all who believe in him. And the good news of the gospel is that in Christ, There is now one new man. If you believe in Jesus Christ, worldly divisions now have no bearing on your identity as a child of God. Apostle Paul writes, in Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, but all are one in Christ Jesus. So the gospel of Jesus Christ means that all who believe in him are part of God's family. We are no longer children of wrath, but children of God. And until Christ returns in glory, God through his spirit is gathering his children, gathering those who were once children of wrath and making them children of God, gathering them, perfecting them, preparing them for eternal glory. And as we look together at these verses from 1 John, I want for you this evening to notice just two distinctions the apostle John makes. Two distinctions between the children of God and the children of the devil. Firstly, children of God differ in their nature. And secondly, children of God differ in their practice. So let's begin by seeing how children of God differ in their nature. The Apostle John wants us to see that to be a child of God is to have a new identity, to have a new heart, to have a new mind, to have a new will, a new nature. And we only receive this gift when we abide in Christ. This is the language we find in verse 28, abide in him. And to abide in Christ is really another way, a way that the Bible speaks about our union with Christ. Abiding in him is believing in him, resting upon him, receiving him by faith. and to abide in him is the only place of safety for our souls. It's what we were created for, to abide in him. And in the context of this passage, John wants us to know from the outset that it is only through abiding in him that we can then begin to walk in obedience. Jesus says in John chapter 15, abide in me and I in you as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. The only possibility of bearing fruit and keeping with repentance as Christians is by abiding in Christ who enables us to obey Well, children of God also differ in nature from the children of the devil because they are born of God. This is what the text says. This is what we see in verse 29. John says, if you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him. Parents, you know that sometimes our children reflect our behaviors, right? Sometimes even to our dismay and embarrassment. But this is what John is saying. Children of God, by virtue of their nature, reflect their Heavenly Father, reflect the character of God. If they're born again, if they have died and been raised with Christ, They reflect the goodness of God, the truth of God, the grace of God. And the very fact that we've been given a new nature, a different nature, that we are no longer children of wrath but children of God should astound us. It should overwhelm us with joy and thanksgiving. Look at verse one now of chapter three. See what kind of love the Father has given to us that we should be called children of God and so we are. Brothers and sisters, it is a miracle to be born of God, to be called a child of God and John wants us to see this. When he says what kind of love, he wants us to grasp the depths of God's love. The Greek here for what kind can also mean from what foreign country. And so what we see is that the kind of love that God displays is utterly foreign. It's from another country. Our sinful impulse. is to show no love towards those who hate us. And what John shows us is that the kind of love the father has is utterly foreign to this world. We struggle even at times to love those who love us. God's love is foreign. It's foreign to this world. He loves even those who once hated him. and he demonstrates his love by sending his son to die on the cross for them, to die for ruined sinners, to bear their guilt, their shame, their sin, their penalty. Now the second distinction that John makes between children of God and children of the devil is this. Not only do they differ in nature, but they differ in practice. And we're going to spend a little more time here. Look with me again at verse one of chapter three. The way of life for a child of God is unknown to the world. John says, the reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Now throughout the Bible, Christians are referred to as sojourners, exiles, aliens. Kids, when you think about aliens, okay, when you think about strange people landing in their UFOs from a different planet, And this is what John is getting at. Children of God are strangers to this world. We're from a different planet in the eyes of the world. But this is a good kind of different. It's not a negative thing. Because it's the difference that the gospel makes. When we believe in Jesus Christ that he has died for our sins, he makes us more like him. This is the reality of our sanctification. And we see this in verses two and three. And this is a precious promise for us. Because even if the world at times thinks that you're an alien, you will always be a child of God. You will always be a child of God. And nothing will separate you from his love or from your identity in him. Well, the next thing that we see is that God's children practice righteousness. And this is where they diverge from the children of the devil. Look with me at verses six and seven. No one who abides in him keeps on sinning. No one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous as he is righteous. Now when John says that no one who abides in him, no one who abides in Christ keeps on sinning, is he saying that we need to be perfect? That we can never sin again if we're to be children of God? Well, the answer is actually found by going back to chapter one, where John says, if we say we are without sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. Because when we take those two verses together, we see John is making a distinction. Christians will wrestle with indwelling sin, even after they come to Christ. This is part of sanctification, putting to death our sinful desires. But in chapter three here, John is saying that no one who abides in Christ can be characterized by sin. If you abide in Christ, your life cannot be marked by sin. It's simply impossible. You're a walking contradiction if you claim to be in Christ, but your life is characterized by pattern and habitual sin. Our Lord Jesus says as much in Matthew chapter seven. He says, by your fruits you will know them. He says that a good tree by definition will bear good fruit. That a bad tree by definition bears bad fruit. That a good tree cannot bear bad fruit. That a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. It's simply impossible. Now sometimes, as Reformed Christians, we get uncomfortable talking about bearing fruit, about good works. We get uncomfortable talking about the obedience of faith, about holiness. And this often comes from good intentions. We want to unequivocally affirm that we're saved by faith and not by good works. We want to affirm that it is Christ's obedience and his merits that guarantee our salvation. But sometimes when it comes to our obedience and our good works, we're afraid to speak biblically, to say anything at all. And the confessional reform position, and more importantly, what the scriptures tell us, is that God cares a lot about our bearing fruit in keeping with repentance. Case in point here in chapter three. And so yes, while we do affirm that our good works are not what saves us, John and the whole of the New Testament would have us know that saving faith is necessarily accompanied by obedience. And what's more, our obedience is genuinely pleasing to God. Sometimes Christians mistakenly think that even our righteous deeds are as filthy rags before God. And there's good reason to think this, right? The scriptures say in Isaiah chapter 64 verse six that all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. But what's in view here in this passage from Isaiah is is when God's people outwardly obey him, but inwardly are far from him in their hearts. And the verse right before, the verse about polluted garments, says that God meets him who joyfully works righteousness. And so while it is true that even sometimes in our best moments, It's true that even our best moments are often clouded by sin. But it is false to say that God is not genuinely pleased by our obedience. Just a few verses later in chapter three, verse 22, John says that whatever we ask, whatever we ask we receive from him because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. And perhaps what's even more astounding is that not only can we please our Heavenly Father, but He actually rewards us. He rewards our obedience. The Belgic Confession, a wonderful expression of the Reformed faith, says it this way, God rewards our good works, but it is through His grace that He crowns His gifts. In other words, God himself gives us both the grace to obey and the grace of his rewards. Obedience is God's grace at work in us from beginning to end. And even more gracious is the reality that God will bless his children with heavenly rewards according to our obedience. This is how Charles Hodge elaborates even further on this. The great American Presbyterian pastor and theologian said, the scriptures teach that the happiness or blessedness of believers in a future life will be greater or less in proportion to the service of Christ in this life. Those who love little, do little. And those who do little, enjoy less. Brothers and sisters, this is an incredible because God in his grace will reward us according to what God in his grace works in us. And this is a mystery we cannot yet begin to understand. All who are found in Christ in the end will experience eternal joy and happiness. But some of us will experience an even greater blessedness And the mystery of this is that even in heaven, we will not be envious of those who experience a greater blessedness. We will rejoice with them at the way in which God's grace worked in them. But here and now, this should compel us all the more to walk with God in obedience and holiness, living lives that are pleasing to Him, knowing that our Heavenly Father will one day crown us for the grace that He Himself works in us. And in the end, God's children will be marked by their practice of righteousness, and the children of the devil will be marked by their unrighteousness and hatred. Look at verse eight, which echoes verses four and five, by the way. Verse eight, whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. And we know elsewhere from scripture that children of the devil suffer not only from false practice, from unrighteousness, but they suffer from false doctrine, false beliefs. And it has always been this way. Remember what Jesus says in John chapter eight when he rebukes the Pharisees. He says this, you are of your father the devil and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character for he is a liar. and the father of lies. You see, the devil and his children not only live in flagrant disobedience, in unrighteousness and hatred, but their disobedience itself is informed by false beliefs, by lies. They live by lies. They twist and subvert the truth of God's word. So as we come to a close this evening, we would do well to remember that even though the devil and his children have sought to twist the truth of God's word and practice unrighteousness, Christ came to destroy the works of the devil. Verse eight, the reason the Son of God appeared was what, to destroy the works of the devil. And this is the language of the Exodus, the language of Exodus chapter 15 that we read earlier. Jesus is the greater Moses, the one who delivers his people and sets them free from the captive, sets the captive free from their sin. Jesus came to loose us from the power of sin. And just as the Lord came to deliver his son Israel, he comes to deliver us, the new Israel, the Israel of God, his children, his sons and daughters. And because of this great work, because of this salvation, this deliverance, We are those who will not shrink back when he appears. Look again at verse 28. When he appears, we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming. The children of the devil will shrink and cower in fear, but we who are children of God will approach His throne with boldness and confidence, not because of any merits or righteousness of our own, but because of Christ's righteousness that He clothes us with in His great love. And so together, let us live as children. Let us live in light of our identity as children of the living God, seeking to obey Him, seeking to delight in His will. Not because it saves us, but because genuinely the Lord is pleased to crown his children. And he delights in our righteousness and obedience in Christ Jesus. And let's pray together. Heavenly God and Father, we praise you for the gift of salvation that we have in Jesus Christ. We thank you that even though we were once children of wrath, you have delivered us from the domain of darkness and you have made us children of God. Help us to live in light of this reality. Help us to live as those who are dead to sin and alive to Jesus Christ. Help us to trust and obey and to be on guard against self-righteousness, for we know that even in our obedience, the devil seeks to tempt and to twist. But we pray that in our obedience...