Audio Messages:
Pastor Wade Burleson

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My Favorite Christmas Sermons
For This Purpose Christ

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I John 3:7-10 (KJV)

7. Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.
8. He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
9. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
10. In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.

This passage has caused confusion for many Christians over the centuries. Before you can understand the true meaning of Christmas, you must understand this wonderful text.

1. John is NOT teaching that Christians never sin.
   "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us" (I John 1:8).
2. John IS teaching that Christians won't continue in sin.
   This is the tense of the verb and is picked up by the NIV in verse 9, "No one who is born of God will continue to sin . . . he cannot go on sinning" (I John 1:9).
3. This is the purpose for which Christ came . . .
   "Christ came to destroy the works of the devil" (v.8). The work of the devil is to keep you living in opposition to Christ's commandments. Our standard for living as believers is not the law of Moses, or the law of the church, but the law of Christ. "Whosoever commits sin transgresses the law: for sin is the transgression of the law" (I John 3:4). Christ came into your heart to make you a lover of His law!

1. Christ's commands are written in this letter . . .
   How would Christ have me live? We are not left to ourselves to answer this question.
   1. Christ commands us to love our brother . . . (Read I John 2:7-10).
      Do you harbor bitterness, resentment, anger, jealousy, or envy toward another? Christ has come to destroy the work of the devil in your life. He will root it out.
   2. Christ commands us to not love the world . . . (Read I John 2:15-16).
      The lust of the eyes (materialism), the lust of the flesh (sensualism), the pride of life (egotism) is what defines the world in which we live. Christ destroys it.
   3. Christ commands us to love Him . . . (Read I John 5:1-2).
2. Christ's commands are written on our hearts . . .
   This is the theme of the letter of I John. By nature we are in bondage to the devil and his desires for our life. We are prone to hatred, we love the world, and we hate God.
   1. When Christ comes into your life He changes your desires . . .
      "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit (continue in) sin" (I John 3:9).
      1. It is a process . . . "for his seed remains in him" (I John 3:9).
         The analogy is primarily of a child growing in a mother's womb, but it is also fitting of a seed turning into a tree. It does not happen overnight.
      2. It is often painful . . . "marvel not if the world hates you" (I John 3:13).
      3. But in the end it is always pleasing . . . Christ insures that this will happen.
         "His commandments are not grievous" (I John 5:3).
   2. When Christ comes into your life He accomplishes His purpose . . .
      "Christ came to destroy the works of the devil" (I John 3:8). He will succeed.
3. Christ's commands are written in heaven . . .
   What is the purpose of John in writing this letter? "My little children, these things write I unto you that ye sin not" (I John 2:1). "In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil; whoever does not righteousness is not of God" (3:10). Those who do not love Christ will be ashamed when they stand before Him (2:28).