Exposed By Light.

Steve Gentry

[0:00] Good morning again village. You can go ahead and have a seat. My name is Nate [0:02] I’m one of the pastors here and once again, we are so glad to have you [0:06] Worshipping with us this morning, you know two weeks ago at Easter [0:09] We had such an awesome time of worship together probably one of the most special worship times [0:13] We’ve had in the three and a half years that we’ve been village church in a public way [0:18] There are seven baptism stories of life change how Jesus had really impacted and changes changed people’s lives in just a few minutes

[0:25] I’ll see we’ll be up here to continue our study in first John [0:28] I don’t know about you, but I’m really looking forward to that after what we started last week [0:32] I can’t wait to dig back in there [0:33] But this morning we wanted to just take a few minutes [0:36] Because of Easter because of what happened here to just talk a little bit about why we do some of the things that we do [0:42] At Village Church on Sunday morning

[0:44] And what I don’t want to happen after a week like two weeks ago on Easter [0:48] What I don’t want to happen is that we come in here and we say wow [0:51] Isn’t it amazing what God’s doing at Village Church is isn’t that great for Village Church that people’s lives are being changed what I [0:57] Want us to understand is that you are a village church [1:00] Okay, and all these lives being changed happen because of the way that you have been a part of this church community [1:05] So I want us to talk a little bit about that because I want you to have the joy of seeing lives changed in Jesus

[1:11] Just like we talked about in first John last week because here’s here’s the deal [1:15] Baptisms and stories of life’s changed through Jesus. They don’t just happen all right three and a half years ago [1:20] We didn’t just get together put a podium up have Steve talk for an hour [1:23] Have James come sing a few songs and people were just coming down the aisle to be saved and tell about how their life [1:28] Was going to be changed it doesn’t work like that [1:30] There are so many stories along the way to get people to that point where their hearts are being impacted by the gospel

[1:35] So many different ways that you have been a part of this church community to get people to that point where their lives are [1:41] Being changed and I want to celebrate that a little bit this morning a lot of important things happen on Sunday morning [1:48] Now church is not just a service we talk about that all the time [1:50] We talk about how we have to live on Monday what we talk about on Sunday [1:53] We talk about community groups in here almost every week to the point where you guys are sick or hearing about that [1:58] But Sunday morning matters all right in our culture Sunday morning is where people come a lot of times when they want to find out

[2:04] About God Sunday morning is a lot of times the first introduction people have to our church community [2:09] And so what we do on Sunday morning matters [2:12] And it takes all kinds of people to create an environment where the gospel is going to be proclaimed to our community [2:18] To even get to the point where people are being baptized and talking about their life being changed [2:22] And so I just want to talk just for one quick minute about that this morning [2:26] I mean it starts with people being invited here first of all to a place where they come and hear the gospel preached each and

[2:31] Every week, but there are so many people that make what we do here happen from guys out in the parking lot set and signs [2:36] Up at 6 a.m. [2:37] Parkers who are making you feel welcome as you come in so you know this is a place where you’re gonna be welcome to hear [2:42] the gospel village kids workers who each and every week teach your kids about Jesus and give people a [2:48] Comfort that they can come in and their kids will be good for an hour while they come in and hear the word preached [2:52] We got welcome ers ushers all throughout this campus who are making people feel welcome so they can come in here

[2:58] What can be a very uncomfortable message 30 minutes before you got here all throughout this campus there are people [3:04] Praying for you praying for what’s gonna happen in here each and every week [3:07] So a lot of people take part in proclaiming the gospel [3:11] And it’s not all just what’s preached from the stage and in the musicians that practice although they play a huge part, too [3:17] And so what you’ll find is in these stories we heard two weeks ago at Easter [3:21] You know these seven stories of people whose lives have been changed all along the way if people had not been

[3:26] Faithfully serving and all these different roles a lot of those stories don’t happen don’t happen at all [3:31] So I want you to hear this morning what we do here [3:33] Matters for eternity and those of you who are part of village and serving week in and week out [3:37] Thank you, and let’s be joyful together with what Jesus is doing because you guys were all a part of that [3:42] But the other reason why I wanted to say this this morning is some of you are still sitting on the sidelines [3:47] Some of you it’s not that it’s just that you’re kind of new you know you only been here a few weeks

[3:51] Maybe you just started coming since we moved to the new building [3:53] What we want you to hear is we want this to be for you, too [3:57] We want you to join us in what we’re doing [3:58] We want you to find the joy that we find in seeing other people find Jesus [4:04] And so we want to invite you this morning in a very specific way be a part of what we’re doing [4:09] Step up and volunteer somewhere. I know it can be a little out our comfortable comfort zone

[4:14] We’re not sure exactly what we’re gonna do, but I promise you you’re gonna find joy there [4:18] You’re gonna find joy just like we talked about last week because you’re gonna find joy and seeing other people find joy in Jesus [4:24] So take that step this week be a part of what God is doing here [4:28] There is room on the net for all of you [4:29] And that’s what we want you to hear this morning in your connect card you can fill out [4:33] You know how to get involved will get you information there

[4:35] Or I’d love to talk to you today at the next step table afterwards [4:39] And I’d love to plug you in right here, and what God is doing at Village Church right now [4:43] Steve’s gonna come up and continue our series in first John so you can go ahead and turn to first John [4:48] All right [4:51] First John chapter 1 is where we left off last week [4:55] We will still be there this week, and we’re gonna head a little bit in to chapter 2 as well

[5:01] It’s so true that for every story that we heard [5:05] Just a few weeks ago on Easter that there were probably 10 or 15 people [5:09] Involved in each and every one of them coming to know our Lord [5:14] in first John chapter 1 last week we saw that [5:18] What John had seen through Jesus Christ what he had seen him do had changed his life drastically [5:24] And it came to an understanding that he was to live with fellowship with God and that having fellowship with God is

[5:30] participating with God in his mission and God’s mission is to take [5:35] Himself give it to others bring them in to worship him and live lives just passionately pursuing [5:41] Other people finding the same joy that we find in God it begs the question though [5:47] Is is what are we giving to other people? [5:50] How do we ourselves go into fellowship with God and that’s kind of where he goes in the next few verses of this text [5:57] Now let’s go ahead and read John excuse me first John 1

[6:01] I’m only gonna read through verse 7 from verse 5 [6:04] This is the message we have heard from him and proclaimed to you that God is light [6:11] And in him is no darkness at all if we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness we lie [6:18] And do not practice the truth [6:20] But if we walk in the light as he is in the light [6:24] We have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus his son

[6:30] Cleanses us from all sin pray with me [6:33] father [6:35] Thank you so much for your gospel. I [6:41] I want to take part in [6:43] your pursuit of bringing people to faith in your son Jesus and [6:49] Giving people fellowship with you for eternity

[6:53] Lord it’s my prayer this morning that if anyone came in here today [6:58] Not knowing you not having a relationship with you that they would not leave here in that condition [7:04] But rather they would come into a relationship with you through faith in your son Jesus [7:10] And that all of us would leave here rejoicing and knowing that we have worshipped you [7:17] It’s the precious name of Jesus. I pray [7:20] Amen

[7:22] There was an English theologian by the name of John Bunyan [7:26] John Bunyan wrote one of the most best-selling books of all time called Pilgrim’s Progress and [7:33] John was a preacher in England and he would constantly preach the grace of God [7:39] Constantly preach about the forgiveness of God [7:41] Constantly just talk over and over and over again about what the grace of God is how powerful the grace of God is [7:48] And so he was confronted by a few people from the Church of England and he was told if you continue to preach on grace

[7:56] People are going to begin to live and do whatever they want to [8:03] and [8:03] John retorted and he looked at him and he said you don’t understand if people [8:06] Understand the grace of God they will do whatever he wants them to do [8:14] so really this morning my [8:17] Purpose what I want us to deal with is what is that grace of God?

[8:23] What is it that commands our destiny? [8:26] What is it that we have when we have fellowship with God and how do we get that fellowship with God? [8:32] You know, what is it gonna do with our lives? [8:36] And [8:36] Where he goes right there is he begins to kind of unpack and he talks about the message that we heard from him [8:42] And we proclaim also to you. So what he’s doing is he’s continuing in the same train of thought

[8:47] He’s continuing the same wavelength saying this is what we heard from Jesus [8:52] This is what he was saying to us and now we are reporting it to you [8:59] So it’s not something that John’s coming up with not something he’s forming in his own philosophy [9:03] Instead John is just reporting what he’s heard from Jesus [9:07] And then he continues and he says that God is light and in him is no darkness at all [9:14] So what we have there is this huge statement about who God is that God is defined?

[9:22] by just light [9:23] No darkness whatsoever [9:26] So right there he’s saying that there is no dark in God [9:30] There is no cosmic battle within him that darkness may overcome him [9:35] It’s not some Star Wars force like reality that you know [9:39] There’s a force out there and you can go over to the dark side you can come over to the good side

[9:42] But it’s all the same force no that is not God God is completely light [9:48] There is no yin to God’s yang all right God is light there is no possibility [9:56] That darkness will ever overcome him he is completely defined [10:02] by light [10:04] God is a being of complete [10:08] sinless

[10:09] perfection [10:11] So when you are dealing with God you are looking at the one in the universe who is completely [10:19] light [10:20] And so what he’s telling us in these first few verses first this morning is that God does not tolerate sin [10:26] but acts to expose sin and [10:30] change lives

[10:31] Notice that after he talks about who God is he moves on to talking about us [10:39] God is light there is no darkness and then verse 6. He says if we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness [10:47] We lie and the truth is not in us

[10:52] So there seems to be this [10:55] Idea oftentimes that we can kind of have two fellowships in our lives that we can chase after [11:03] sin as well as [11:06] Have fellowship with God [11:08] And so what John’s doing here is completely getting rid of that idea saying no you can’t follow two gods [11:14] You can’t have two and you gotta understand well who we’re dealing with here in John John spent over three years

[11:20] Following Jesus so who he’s talking about here is Jesus Christ [11:25] We’re dealing with a guy that walked for over three years with someone the only person in all of history who didn’t sin [11:34] The only person in all of history to ever be perfect and so John spent his time spent his life [11:41] Walking with the one the eternal God who spoke the world into existence [11:46] exhibit right in front of him as the archetype from whom all [11:51] People should be like in God’s eyes

[11:54] And so we’re not dealing with someone that thinks he’s better. We’re not dealing with someone that thinks he’s good [12:00] We’re dealing with someone that has seen good and [12:04] knows who he is in light of [12:07] that good I [12:10] Know if you’ve ever gotten up in the morning and gotten up in the middle of the night and walked around [12:14] stumbled around your house in the dark and just bumped into everything but

[12:18] Thankfully there’s an app for that now and and I can get up in the middle of the night and just grab my iPhone and turn [12:24] On the flashlight app and oh hey, no darkness not dealing with that anymore [12:28] I can finally find my way to the bathroom find my way into the kitchen when I’m hungry [12:33] I can just do whatever I want because I’ve got a light to lead me [12:38] The reality that John’s talking about this morning is is that in God in [12:44] Who he is and what he exists under

[12:49] That wherever he goes whatever path it is that God inhabits [12:57] There’s no darkness [12:59] Because God’s light shines around him [13:03] completely [13:04] overcoming it in [13:06] John chapter 1 verse 5 speaking of Jesus John says this he says the light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it

[13:15] if you ever [13:17] Shone a flashlight or turned a light in a room and witness the cosmic struggle between darkness pushing back against the light until finally [13:25] Light overcomes that darkness. No, you don’t watch that do you? No, you just turn a light on its light [13:30] The darkness doesn’t fight back. You don’t see this barrier where all of a sudden it’s dark and it’s just pushing [13:36] It’s pushing no you turn a light on it’s light [13:39] You can see

[13:42] And that’s what John is talking about here [13:44] He’s saying that God in who he is wherever he goes there is no darkness because if God is light

[13:53] The darkness just flees the darkness is eradicated [13:57] And so when we talk about the reality of who God is [14:01] This is a metaphor that’s used over 73 times in the New Testament to describe who God is [14:08] That God as light is sinless in his very being [14:14] There is no struggle with God. He is not having an identity crisis ever. He just is light

[14:24] Therefore to be with God is to be in light [14:31] You don’t bring darkness into the presence of God just like you don’t bring darkness in the middle of a light [14:39] The light just gets rid of the darkness so when God comes in if you are with God then you are living [14:46] Completely in light and so what John is saying there in verse number six is that you cannot

[14:55] Bring sin into God’s presence [14:58] Won’t exist there you were either in the light or you were in darkness [15:02] There is no middle ground to deal with revelation chapter 21 says it this way [15:09] That even in heaven at the end there’s a city that God [15:12] Just exists in that is no need of the Sun or the moon to shine in it [15:18] For the glory of God gives it light and its lamp is

[15:21] The lamb and then verse 24 tells us that by its light the nations walk and the kings on the earth will bring their [15:28] glory into it [15:30] That God’s existence his sinless perfection his [15:34] authoritative light is so powerful that in the end it will be the light by which all [15:42] the nations see [15:43] And there’s not even going to be a need for the Sun there will be no need for the moon there will be no need for

[15:49] anything because his light is [15:53] So powerful [15:55] Therefore in God there is no fellowship with sin [16:00] To be with God’s to be in his light [16:03] And John is talking about the fellowship with God that gives eternal life and joy that we talked about last week [16:08] When he talked about that the light that was among them that gave them eternal life speaking of Jesus Christ

[16:14] He’s speaking of Jesus that came to give them this type of light [16:18] So John is giving this deep contrast here between what it means to know God and what it means to not know God [16:26] that if you are [16:28] Fellowship ing with God if you are participating with him and [16:33] You also claim to be dwelling in sin then you are believing a lie [16:37] That’s what he means when he says that the truth is not in you at the end of verse 6 there

[16:44] If you find joy in sin and desire in your life to run the path of darkness rather than God then you do not have [16:51] fellowship with God [16:53] That is simply what he is saying there [16:56] There’s an idea that you can have an eternal security in your salvation while running headlong into a life of sin [17:03] With your life, and that is quite simply a lie [17:09] In God there is no darkness

[17:14] So what we oftentimes do is we try to explain a reality that is taking place in our lives [17:19] Where we are running down the path of our own making which by definition here is a path of complete [17:27] Darkness and we’re saying that God is coming right along with us [17:32] While we are living in sin while we are living in darkness and what he’s saying here is by very nature [17:39] That is impossible because of who God is [17:44] God does not inhabit a path of sin therefore if you are running headlong

[17:53] Into a life of sin what he is saying is you are not taking God on that trip [18:00] You’re alone in your darkness

[18:04] It’s a harsh reality [18:06] It’s a harsh statement that he’s giving us there and what he’s saying is is that to know God requires a [18:13] changed life [18:15] Walking with God then draws you out of darkness and the light of God [18:21] Changes your life you follow God you know God your desires are for God it [18:28] changes everything

[18:31] So quite often what we’re found in in our lives

[18:36] Is an attempt it’s foolish and [18:40] It is an attempt to follow two masters it is an attempt to explain away [18:49] Our sin to convince ourselves that while we are living less than lives while we are living for [18:56] False gods while we are following a path that is completely contradictory to the path that we know God has laid out for us

[19:06] Still got fellowship with God [19:09] Still doing great. I know I’m not obeying him. I know I’m not living for him [19:15] I know I’m not following him, but I’ve still got him right

[19:20] Let verse 6 be your God [19:23] Does verse 6 say [19:25] Says the truth is not in you

[19:30] There’s a sobering and weighty [19:34] reality [19:35] So what are we saying here are we saying that sinless

[19:40] Moralistic perfectionism is the only way by which we can know God [19:47] Well, let’s continue [19:49] Look at verse 7 and then we’re gonna go through verse 10

[19:54] Starting in verse 7, but if we walk in the light as he is in the light [19:58] We have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus his son cleanses us from all sin [20:03] If we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us if we confess our sins [20:10] He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness if we say we have not sinned [20:18] We make him a liar and his word is not in us

[20:24] So the second half of verse 7 through verse 10 is [20:28] Extremely important in understanding what it means to have fellowship with God in our lives [20:36] Second thing you need to understand from this entire passage this morning [20:38] Is that Jesus is the only hope of redemption from the darkness of sin? [20:44] That Jesus is the only hope of redemption from the darkness of sin if you read [20:49] verses 5 through 10 in light of saying I need to try harder I

[20:56] Need to be better I need to be more obedient and that’s the way in which I have fellowship with God [21:03] You’re missing it [21:06] What he’s saying is is that the light of God [21:10] Exposes our sin completely lays us out on the altar of God totally we have no part of us that we can hide from him [21:18] He is light and if we come into his presence, we are found to be a fraud [21:25] That’s the reality that you live in when you know that God is light

[21:30] And what he’s saying is is that in light of who God is

[21:35] We’re hopeless unless he does something [21:39] We’re condemned under his sin [21:41] But notice what he says in this passage in the second half of verse 7 that Jesus is the one that exposes [21:48] Sin the standard for fellowship with God is high [21:53] How good do you have to be as good as God [21:58] That’s a pretty high standard right? That’s pretty lofty

[22:03] Goal he’s the standard not another person [22:06] No matter how good you think you are the point here is that no one has light, but God no one knows [22:13] Perfection, but him through the life of God sin is exposed. It’s seen as ugly and [22:20] destructive as it is [22:23] You are a sinner that is what Jesus exposed to John [22:30] John had to watch Jesus obey the law

[22:35] Completely for three and a half years while he watched as a sinner while 12 guys watched him [22:43] Completely obey the father in every way they had to come to grips with the reality. We’re not as good as this guy

[22:53] And what is John’s reaction? You’re seeing it in this text [22:59] John leads us to the reality that the light will either attract or repel [23:06] There is no third alternative [23:10] Look at the stories of Scripture about Jesus. What do we see? [23:14] We do not see anyone ever take the middle ground with the Lord [23:18] We see Jesus with the woman caught in adultery who’s about to be stoned

[23:22] He writes everybody else’s sin in the dirt. They walk away rejecting Jesus. She [23:28] Completely runs to the light and he says go sin no more as far as we know [23:34] She came to the light everyone else was repelled. Look at the woman caught at the well with the issue of adultery [23:40] What is it? What happens? She sees the light of Jesus [23:43] She runs to the light so much so that she goes and grabs everyone she says and says come see the man who told me [23:50] Everything I’ve ever done

[23:52] She’s fully exposed for the sinner that she is yet attracted fully to the light of Jesus Christ [23:59] Look at the 12 disciples 11 of them so overcome by the light of God that all of them [24:06] Eventually give their lives over as martyrs to the gospel [24:10] except one [24:13] Judas

[24:15] rejects and [24:16] Is repelled by the light of God exposing his sin look at the religious leaders of that day completely repelled [24:24] By the light of God choosing instead to run their own path of darkness rather than the light of God [24:30] On and on and on down to the centurion while Jesus is on the cross [24:35] He looks to him and says surely this must be the son of God sees the light [24:41] Completely attracted the two thieves one on each side one looks to him and says

[24:46] Remember me when you walk into paradise and the other one looks to him and says [24:52] Blasphemous tone if you are God get us off this cross [24:56] You never see a middle ground with Jesus [25:00] Yet we often in our culture convince ourselves that we are allowed in spite of everything [25:07] History tells us to create a middle ground with Jesus where we think he’s a good teacher very moral [25:14] Maybe he’ll save me and take me to heaven, but I’ll live my life

[25:18] Apathetic towards him in kind of a middle state of sort of accepting him [25:23] But living life however I see fit taking fully on the pleasures of this world while in the reality [25:28] There was a rich young ruler that looks to Jesus and says I want to follow you [25:32] What do I need to do and Jesus has sell all your possessions and follow me and he walks away [25:37] Sad rejecting and repelled by the light of Jesus Christ that exposed every idol that he has ever had by the materials of this world [25:46] Friends there is no middle ground with Jesus when the light comes into your life you either

[25:54] Grasp it you either cling to it you either find your hope in it

[26:00] Or when you’re on that middle ground friend what you don’t understand is that you are completely [26:05] Rejecting the light of Jesus Christ choosing instead to believe that you can see a dim light while your darkness still remains [26:12] the gospel then demands [26:16] absolute honesty [26:17] If we desire to know God and find our life in him then we will have to be honest with ourselves and our sin [26:24] And what Jesus shows to John and the rest of the disciples is they cannot follow him and still believe that they’re good

[26:31] They must see themselves for the sinners that they actually are they must see their sin [26:37] Three different times in this text we see the phrase if we say in [26:42] Verse 6 it says if we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness in [26:47] Verse 8 it says if we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves in verse 10 [26:52] It says if we have excuse me if we say we have not sinned [26:56] We make him a liar and the first one that we’ve already dealt with what we see there is that you cannot follow God and

[27:04] Sin at the same time this is not repentance [27:07] John is writing about turning away from darkness and facing the light of God and Jesus [27:12] The second denial though is a problem that most of us deal with more than any other the second one is [27:19] That we kind of think things are going really well with our lives [27:22] We’re comfortable. We’re living a life [27:26] Kind of leisure we feel like as long as everything feels good in my life as long as I feel comfortable as long as I feel

[27:33] Like things are going. Okay. Well clearly I’m okay with God [27:38] That is not the truth what it is is the wisdom of darkness [27:42] It’s not how comfortable you are in wasting your life apart from God and his standard you are still [27:49] lost in darkness [27:51] God’s standard is not how good you feel about yourself God’s standard is how do you measure up to how good he is [28:00] You need to be honest about your sin, but the third one

[28:03] The third one is one that we deal with nonetheless. It is the denial that you have even sinned [28:10] This will rear its head and a refusal to admit that you are even wrong you ever struggle to admit that you’re wrong [28:17] You ever had any conversations with your spouse like that where you are 100% sure and you are 100% caught [28:24] You were wrong. They were right, but you will still fight

[28:31] To not admit that you’re wrong [28:34] Even though you’re fully aware in your pride that you were wrong

[28:40] Friends oftentimes we do this with God we try to find an excuse for our sins [28:47] Well because of the circumstances. I mean I had no other choice or [28:53] We compare ourselves with another person well. Yeah, maybe I did that but look at what they did that’s far worse [29:00] Rather than confess that we have sin we will look for six ways to Sunday to try to figure a way out of [29:10] Simply humiliating our pride to the point where we will look to God and say you are holy and I am not

[29:21] You know God never has to do that [29:24] That’s the difference between God and us [29:27] In all of eternity God has never seen a point where he looked to anyone and said I was wrong [29:34] Because God has never been wrong [29:37] My friends we have all been very wrong very very many times [29:43] And so our only hope in life

[29:47] Is to find the one who’s eternally right and that is who God is

[29:56] So where’s the hope I [29:59] Mean we are a lost people who are in sin and in desperate need of the light in our lives [30:05] But we are overcome by darkness the hope is in verse 9 [30:11] Verse 9 we read if we confess our sins [30:14] He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all

[30:22] Unrighteousness it’s interesting that word for forgive is found in the New Testament [30:30] 143 times [30:31] That tends to lead me to believe that forgiveness is a pretty important theme in the New Testament [30:37] They mentioned it quite a few times [30:40] So I’m beginning to think that maybe there’s something there that we need to grasp onto [30:44] Maybe there’s something there that we can find hope in maybe there’s something there that may have the potential and the reality

[30:52] to change our lives [30:55] But here’s how that works [30:57] When I was a young man I was raised in the church and when I was in high school I [31:01] Really found first John 1 9 and it was like the greatest verse I’d ever seen in my life [31:06] I was like so I can do a lot of wrong and then all I need to do is confess it to God and I’m forgiven [31:14] What a deal

[31:16] so I would go about [31:18] sinning as much as possible and [31:21] Confessing as much as I could remember me and God were great [31:24] We were on really good terms at that point because I had a great deal working out for me [31:29] but the problem with that is [31:32] Everything that’s around verse 9 that I have to really unpack in my life

[31:38] And that is that the weight of sin is great and I cannot [31:43] Continue down that path and hope to still be with God [31:48] But I also have another reality in my life and that is that I can never be as obedient as I need to be [31:57] If you look into the law of the Old Testament, I do not measure up [32:03] If I set out to do better [32:06] If I set out to try harder to be as good as God is

[32:13] Pretty soon. I’m falling flat on my face and failing almost immediately normally [32:18] Maybe you’re better than me. I don’t know [32:20] But I still find no hope [32:24] So if it’s not just about confessing [32:27] It’s actually about me living a righteous life. What do I do? I understand that Jesus is [32:35] The one who cleanses sin the second half of verse 7 again

[32:39] In the second half of verse 7 [32:41] We see a very interesting phrase that if we have fellowship with one another between us and God it is the blood of [32:47] Jesus his son that cleanses us from all sin [32:51] What we see in that phrase is two things first that Jesus is [32:57] obedient [32:58] When we read the phrase, it’s the blood of Jesus

[33:02] It’s like wouldn’t the world do we bring that kind of macabre reality in for when we’re talking about fellowship with God? [33:07] Because what we’re seeing in that phrase is the absolute [33:11] obedience of [33:12] Jesus to the will of God the Father [33:15] He sums up the gospel in that one sentence if we were to have fellowship with God it can only come through [33:22] The cleansing work of what Jesus has already done for us

[33:29] Note something very interesting from the fall of man from the beginning of Genesis [33:33] What happens to Adam and Eve when they sin well God immediately informs them that they’re going to die [33:39] All right throughout scripture we see one great huge reality and that is that the wages of sin is death [33:47] It’s one thing that history shows us that each and every one of us have in common with everybody else that has ever lived [33:53] It’s this you are going to die [33:56] You may be tomorrow

[33:58] It may be 50 years from now [33:59] But each and every one of us are headed towards death and that is because sin exists inside of us [34:06] That’s the wage of sin [34:09] But when we look at the blood of Jesus cleansing us that gives us the reality that [34:16] Jesus died and we look to the cross and we see that Jesus died on the cross and we see in [34:22] Light of the gospel that Jesus supposedly died for my sin. Well, how could he do that?

[34:28] Here’s the reality [34:29] Jesus died sinless [34:32] Seems fairly seems really unfair [34:34] So it’s really unfair to me that Jesus would die because Jesus did not sin so if Jesus did not sin [34:43] Whose wage was he paying? [34:47] If Jesus had ever sinned in his life

[34:51] Then his death on the cross would not have changed anything [34:55] Why because he would have been dying for his own sin. He would have been paying his own wage [35:01] I am going to die someday. I don’t know when you’re hoping that you outlive me. That’s okay [35:09] I’m hoping I outlive everybody too. I mean everybody I want to last. All right, this is endurance race [35:14] I’m gonna wing it by the way [35:16] You’re like he’s bad. He’s not gonna make it

[35:20] Whatever I will defy medicine, I don’t know [35:25] But here’s the reality [35:28] Jesus went to the cross not paying the penalty for his own sin [35:32] Because he was completely sinless his death could be applied as paying the penalty [35:41] for the sin of others [35:43] That is the beautiful reality of what Jesus’s obedience

[35:49] Accomplishes for each and every one of us that he pays the penalty for us all [35:56] But secondly, he doesn’t just give us his obedience [35:59] He gives us his forgiveness in verse 7 when it says he cleanses us from all sin. What we’re seeing is that word [36:07] Forgiveness is very important when it’s seen with the cleansing [36:10] The reason that it cleanses is that it is not the type of forgiveness that you and I are accustomed to [36:17] Because here’s what we do. I forgive you

[36:20] But I’ll walk on remembering what you’ve done to me the rest of my life and I’ll never trust you again [36:26] That’s the type of forgiveness that you and I are accustomed to we have kind of trampled on the meaning of the word forgiveness [36:32] Therefore when we read the word forgiveness in Scripture [36:35] We kind of think he sweeps our sin under the rug [36:38] But maybe he can’t use us ever again because our sin was too great [36:41] That is not the meaning of this term here the meaning of that term forgiveness in the scripture is always

[36:48] to take away [36:50] Completely or to divorce from someone [36:55] So what Jesus does in forgiving us of our sin in cleansing us from our sin [37:01] He completely takes it out of our lives as if we have never sinned ever [37:08] That is the power of the forgiveness of God [37:13] So what must we do?

[37:17] God calls each and every one of us to be honest [37:22] That’s what he means when he says if we confess our sin [37:27] What John is saying here is that God through Jesus shined a light on each and every one of us [37:34] And we are now fully exposed [37:37] For the sinners that we are [37:41] Because I can’t use anyone else as a standard because no one other than Jesus has ever been

[37:49] Sinless he and he alone is as good as God because he is God and

[37:58] In light of that my sin is exposed my standards are shattered. I am a sinner I [38:06] Have disobeyed God [38:08] So when we see that term confess [38:11] We must not take it as light as taking it before a cosmic Genie just to sweep our sin under the rug [38:18] No, when we see that term what we’re seeing is a brutal honesty of who I am in light of [38:26] who God is

[38:29] The gravity of our sin is great [38:33] And he calls us to give it over to him because he does not look to us and say be better [38:39] Try harder. He looks to us and says you are a sinner you are incapable [38:44] I will do it for you and then I will forgive you completely [38:51] He gives us fellowship with God by unrelenting and unlimited forgiveness of sins [38:59] Confess and be forgiven

[39:04] finally this morning [39:05] The gospel is the source of life [39:10] throughout all of the Christian life [39:14] Wanted to get into chapter 2 because I think it connects completely [39:17] To the end of chapter 1 because here’s what we often do we get that forgiveness, and then it’s like okay [39:23] Well, that’s Christianity 101

[39:26] Okay, so the goal then is to move on to Christianity 201 301 401 and become more and more [39:34] Religious more and more holy and that forgiveness stuff is way back there because I’m getting better. I’m so good now [39:41] I’m like a priest I wear the collar and everything because I’m so holy because I’ve gotten so religious [39:47] I’m gonna move past the gospel that is a lie [39:51] And if you believe it then the truth will not be in you [39:55] You will never in your life move past the desperate need for the forgiveness of

[40:03] God that is only available in Jesus you will never move past it because Jesus and Jesus alone is [40:10] Greater than our sin our fight [40:13] Against sin and becoming more holy is hopeless apart from a radical dependence on Jesus [40:20] And here’s why I say that look in chapter 2 [40:24] starting in verse 1 [40:26] John says my little children. I am writing these things to you

[40:31] So that you may not sin [40:33] We see that [40:36] We’re in trouble [40:37] Because here’s he’s setting quite a standard there [40:40] He’s like the gospel comes into your life so that you won’t sin my problem is is I remember yesterday when I sinned

[40:49] So did the gospel fail? [40:51] No [40:52] Keep reading in verse the end of verse 1. I love this part

[40:57] but if [40:58] anyone does [41:01] Sin [41:03] Oh the greatness and depth of the riches of God’s glory

[41:08] I’m [41:09] living in that phrase [41:12] I’m thankful [41:13] For that phrase I find hope in that phrase because in that phrase is the [41:22] Reality that I can never hope to move to a point where I am self-sufficient

[41:30] Note what he finishes it with [41:34] He says but if anyone does sin we have an advocate with the Father [41:40] Jesus Christ the righteous [41:43] He is the [41:45] Perpetuation for our sins and not ours only but also for the sins of the whole world [41:53] Do not ever ever

[41:59] Move past the gospel in your Christian life [42:04] Because as soon as you do it has ceased to be [42:09] the Christian life in times of great obedience [42:14] We glory in the power of the gospel that produces that obedience and in times of great [42:21] Disobedience we cling to the hope of the gospel as we continually confess our sin and [42:28] Constantly strive for a life of repentance and turning from that sin

[42:35] The problem with many of us in the sins that we have in our lives that we feel we can hide and we feel we can [42:42] Keep from being exposed is that they have produced a self-centered [42:47] Lie of self-sufficiency in you that you can be good enough

[42:53] But the grace of God tells us that only Jesus is greater than our sin

[42:59] Here’s the reality that that text gives us we do not only need the grace of God

[43:07] To be forgiven [43:10] When we have first become a Christian [43:13] But when the Christians sins [43:16] We must continually run to that grace for more and more forgiveness [43:23] When the Christian sins we run to God rather than away from God [43:30] That is a vast difference between Christianity and the lie of religion

[43:38] When you are not following Jesus [43:40] And you run headlong into sin you will deal with guilt and shame and the baggage of sin on your own [43:51] But as a follower of Jesus Christ the reality of what we do with sin is we still live [43:59] Exposed in our sin so we live [44:02] Continuously running back to the same gospel that redeemed us in the first place [44:07] Because to grow in God is to grow in the gospel

[44:13] Your struggles with sin are gospel struggles [44:18] Faith then is a constant dependent trust in the righteous work of Jesus and Jesus alone

[44:29] Look at 2nd Corinthians chapter 7 verse 10 [44:33] That text we read for godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret [44:40] Whereas worldly grief produces death

[44:45] There’s two ways to grieve your sin and how most people that want to follow Jesus how you deal with your sin is [44:53] You look and you start to fight that sin you start to combat that sin you hear a sermon you read a text in the scripture [45:00] Maybe a different book and you see the sin that’s in your life and you’re like I’m gonna do better I’m gonna try harder [45:07] I’m gonna obey more and whether it be a couple of hours a couple of days a week usually at best [45:14] What you usually find is that your effort is not good enough [45:19] You just fall back into the same sinful routines that you were struggling with in the first place

[45:24] Because we have not been called to fight our sin [45:30] We have been called to love and depend and cling to Jesus [45:37] Do not fight your sin fight for Jesus [45:44] There’s a huge difference there [45:46] You’ve been called to have a passion a desire and a pursuit for the name glory fame and love of Jesus Christ [45:56] So when we are fighting for that when we are fighting to love him

[46:00] We are fighting for the love of the one who’s already fighting against your sin [46:07] When you fight your sin you are joining in a battle that is not yours and one that will surely kill you

[46:15] In Puritan theologian John Owen says be killing sin or your sin will be killing you [46:21] What he is talking about there is a passionate trust in the finished work of the gospel [46:27] You want your sin to die because it is an obstacle between you and Jesus [46:32] Rather than managing your sin you desire to kill it [46:36] The struggle is that sin keeps you from the life that you want and that is available in Jesus [46:44] That is the struggle. It’s not just against sin. It is for Jesus

[46:49] That is what you are fighting for [46:52] When you’re fighting against sin your best bet is [46:57] Moralism your best bet is obedience [47:00] When you fight for Jesus [47:04] Your best bet is a relationship with the God of the universe [47:10] Because Jesus has already promised to cleanse you of your sin. He’s already promised to forgive you of your sin

[47:19] But when you fight your idol, you are still facing your idol [47:24] You’re still looking at your idol [47:27] You’re still looking in that thing that is a barrier between the relationship that you have with God [47:33] And so he calls you to stop looking at darkness and turn around [47:39] And look to the light of the Son of God and then the Son of God has promised to fully [47:45] Expose every sin in your life fully expose everything that is keeping you from him

[47:50] And then he and he alone has the power and the light and the glory [47:55] To eradicate the sin that you’re struggling with your problem is not a sin problem [48:01] It is a trust problem. You are called to trust Jesus with your sin

[48:08] And while you’re still clinging to it

[48:12] You’re not trusting in him

[48:16] It’s about trust rather than mere effort [48:21] Look at verse 2 as we finish this morning

[48:27] He is the propitiation for our sins and [48:33] Not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world [48:39] It’s an interesting term that we see there propitiation [48:43] It’s not a word that we’re probably very familiar with rarely am I having conversations with my wife talking about propitiation [48:52] Just didn’t come up on our first date. I don’t know why

[48:56] But it’s a very important phrase where scriptures are concerned [49:00] It’s very simple. Actually what it means is is a way through [49:05] It means a way through and [49:08] Jesus is our propitiation because here’s the reality of where we are in life [49:13] Apart from him. We are under the wrath of God [49:17] We are headed straight forward to the eternal wrath of God for our

[49:25] Sin against him. There’s a weighty reality [49:29] But when we talk about Jesus as our advocate in verse 1 Jesus is our propitiation [49:35] There in verse 2 what we’re talking about is the reality that Jesus came and was obedient for us [49:41] Jesus came and he was faithful for us [49:44] Jesus came and he was righteous for us and Jesus is the only way to go from [49:52] Being under God’s wrath to being under God’s favor

[49:58] He is our propitiation from wrath over in to a path of God’s [50:05] light favor [50:08] To where we can walk unhindered [50:11] By our sin and full head-on into the life of Jesus Christ [50:18] Love the way that he finishes verse 2 [50:23] How powerful is the forgiveness of God? How powerful is the grace of God against our sin?

[50:31] John writes in assuring tone

[50:35] It is not just strong enough for your sin [50:40] But it is strong enough for the sin of the whole world

[50:46] How powerful is the grace and forgiveness of God that’s available for us in Jesus on [50:53] That cross on his God-sized shoulders

[50:59] He took the weight of not just my sin but your sin [51:05] But not just your sin the person next to you sin [51:08] Not just the person next to you sin but the people in the neighborhood next door their sin [51:13] And then the next neighborhood and then the next neighborhood and then the next neighborhood [51:16] And then overseas and then continue on and on to everyone that will ever live [51:22] Everyone that has ever lived every sin that I’ve done in the past

[51:26] Every sin that I commit in the present and every sin that I will ever commit in the future [51:30] God has put all of the sins of the entire world onto his Son and he has said be cleansed

[51:41] Jesus has accomplished what we could not [51:45] The forgiveness of the sins of the whole world

[51:51] So realize that the next time you are so struggling with your sin [51:55] And you believe the lie that you need to keep that from God

[52:01] Understand it’s exposed already in his light [52:05] Your only hope is to be honest [52:07] Your only hope is to admit it to him [52:10] And your only hope is to trust fully in the light of God [52:15] You are not religious enough

[52:20] Religion is the lie that I have to continue to struggle with my sin [52:24] Jesus is the hope that I simply need to walk with him

[52:31] As the band comes up this morning I want us to reflect just for a moment [52:35] On what it is that we’re dealing with here [52:37] What it is that our hope is in this morning [52:41] The reality that you’re in one of two camps this morning and I fully believe this

[52:47] Maybe this morning I’ve been talking about the reality of the forgiveness of God over our sin [52:52] And you’re sitting there and you’re struggling under the weight of sin [52:56] You’re struggling under the weight of your guilt [53:00] All you know is to try harder [53:03] All you know is to be better

[53:09] The gospel says your effort’s not enough [53:13] But Jesus’s is [53:16] If you’re in here this morning and you don’t know Jesus, you don’t know forgiveness

[53:22] Today is the day [53:25] Trust him with your sins today [53:29] You’re either there or I think you’re the other category [53:33] You’re someone that’s following Jesus [53:37] You’re someone that’s trying [53:40] But there’s sin in your life that you refuse to deal with

[53:44] There’s sin in your life that you think is in the closet at home [53:47] You think it’s sitting under a pile of clothes and you think you’ve hidden it [53:51] You think nobody knows so it’s going to be okay [53:54] I just don’t need to struggle with it [53:56] I can just forget about it move on and I’ll come back

[54:01] Guys there’s no fellowship between darkness and light

[54:07] If that’s you this morning which I believe it’s every one of us

[54:12] Whatever that sin is that’s in your mind [54:15] Whatever that guilt is that you’re carrying [54:18] Whatever that baggage is that you have this morning [54:21] That sin is causing in your life [54:23] Whatever it is that you’re struggling to believe that you can be forgiven of this morning

[54:30] Just a moment [54:32] There’s six places in this room [54:33] The cup and the bread [54:37] We saw in verse seven that the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses everyone [54:41] That’s what this cup represents [54:44] It’s the blood that was shed for you to eradicate your sin

[54:47] Not just kind of suppress it divorce you from it completely [54:51] Take it away take the guilt take the shame put it on Jesus [54:55] He wants it he gladly came for the joy that was set before him [54:59] He wants your sin

[55:02] The bread represents his broken body which was broken for you for your sin

[55:08] Friends he’s taken it already you just need to trust him [55:12] And the thing that is holding you back from the pursuit of God

[55:18] Is that you’re not trusting that he can fully redeem you

[55:25] He will every time [55:29] I find a lot of hope in that phrase but if anyone does sin [55:34] He has an advocate in Jesus

[55:38] That’s where I am and that’s where you are [55:41] But when you’re ready come and bring him your sin