The Source of Christian Joy

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Today's scripture reading is from 1 John, chapter 2, verses 1 to 14, as printed in the liturgy.

1 John 2:1–14

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin.

But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.

Whoever says, I know him, but does not keep his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

But whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected.

By this we may know that we are in him.

Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment,

but an old commandment that you had from the beginning.

The old commandment is the word that you have heard.

At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you,

which is true in him and in you,

because the darkness is passing away,

and the true light is already shining.

Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness.

Whoever loves his brother abides in the light,

and in him there is no cause for stumbling.

But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness,

and walks in the darkness,

and does not know where he is going,

because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

I am writing to you, little children,

because your sins are forgiven for his name's sake.

I am writing to you, fathers,

because you know him who is from the beginning.

I am writing to you, young men,

because you have overcome the evil one.

I write to you, children,

because you know the Father.

I write to you, fathers,

because you know him who is from the beginning.

I write to you, young men,

because you are strong,

and the word of God abides in you,

and you have overcome the evil one.

This is the word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Well, thank you for that scripture reading, Catherine.

Good morning, Christ Church.

My name is Andrew, one of the pastors here,

and we're glad to be worshiping with you together

this last Sunday of Easter,

this Ascension Sunday.

So before we get into God's word,

will you join me in prayer?

Lord God, we come before you

looking to hear from you

a fresh word

about how to live in this broken world.

God, we come before you

lamenting the wickedness

that we continue to witness

this 27th school shooting

just this year in this country, God.

And you know that this is not

the way things were meant to be.

We know this is not the way

things were meant to be,

so we come before you

and ask that you would show up,

that you would make a difference,

make a change.

And would you start with us, God?

Would you start with us

as we listen to what you have to say,

as we consider our responsibility,

our complicity with the darkness

that we witness all around us?

Would you bring us to repentance, God?

And as we repent,

would we come to know

the beautiful grace

that you love to show us in Christ?

And would we be messengers of that grace

in this world that sorely needs it,

that sorely needs your transformation

and healing, God?

We pray for the families

who've lost so much this week

and then the weeks before as well, God.

We thank you that you're the God

of all comfort,

you're the God of hope,

and you're the God of transformation.

Lord, make us a people

who are about all that you are

because that's what the world needs.

So would you,

even as we come before you

with heavy hearts,

impress upon us

the importance of following you

and listening to you

and walking in your way

because every other way is death, Lord.

And we want to live

in your life, light, and love.

Hear our prayers

in the name of Jesus.

Amen.

Amen.

Good morning, Christ Church.

Again, I'm Andrew,

and it's good to worship with you

on this last Sunday of Easter.

You know, I was really proud of myself

this past Monday.

I usually don't start my sermon

until like Wednesday or Thursday,

but I was really proud of myself

because this Monday, Monday night,

I had my introduction done,

I had my three points,

we were ready to go.

Eric had his songs lined up,

they were very celebratory,

celebratory,

and we were going to celebrate

this last Sunday of Easter,

this Ascension Sunday.

We were going to continue our series

in 1 John.

I knew exactly what I was going

to talk to us about.

And then Tuesday happened, right?

These tragic events on Tuesday.

22 people, right,

made in the image of God,

killed.

19 children,

third and fourth graders,

two elementary school teachers.

My sister's an elementary school teacher,

and of course,

the shooter himself,

deeply troubled.

And after the events of Tuesday,

you know,

I just couldn't read this text

the same way.

And I knew I couldn't preach

this text the same way.

And we scrapped the songs

that we were going to sing

because we couldn't sing the song,

we couldn't sing,

oh, for a thousand tongues

to sing my great Redeemer's praise,

not because he's not praiseworthy,

but just because

that's not the moment.

This is not the moment for that.

So I'm coming before you,

having scrapped my sermon,

started over on Wednesday,

because I just couldn't read the text

in the same way.

And you know,

this text that Catherine read for us

is a text about knowing God,

and it's about knowing

that we know God.

And we're definitely going to

touch upon that today,

and especially as we go on

in this letter,

because that's a huge theme

in the letter of 1 John.

But today,

I'm going to take it

in a slightly different direction.

And you know,

in seminary,

I'd probably get an F

for how I'm about to handle this text.

And I don't want to encourage us

to just read the Bible

however we want, right?

However it just

makes us feel good,

or makes it feel relevant to us.

I want us to read the Bible

as it calls us to read it.

But I also believe

that the Scriptures

are infinitely rich,

and full of applications

that are worthy

of pausing to explore,

even in some of the

minor details.

All right,

so with that big caveat,

I want to start

by drawing our attention

to verse 1,

where it says,

my little children.

My little children.

I could not read that this week

in the same way anymore.

My little children.

Now when we read that

in verse 1,

what do you sense?

You hear the tenderness, right?

You hear the affection,

a glimpse of the heart

behind the writing

of 1 John.

There's this sense

of a fatherly

or a motherly

responsibility

that the apostles have

extending beyond

their own biological children.

They see themselves

as parents that long

for all the people

under their care

to thrive.

And while this was probably

written in a church context

where the writer felt

parental responsibility

for this particular

community of faith

comprised of all kinds

of people,

not just children,

people of all ages

calling them children though,

I still think it's fair

to draw a particular

point of application

and it's this.

God's people

ought to be marked

by a concern

for children

who aren't our own.

God's people

ought to be marked

by a concern

for children

who are not our own.

That's important to us

here at Christ Church.

That's why we've committed

12 grand

to Harbor House this year

to serve the children

of Oakland.

We're trying to serve them

meals at their summer camp

this summer.

This is why we love

to partner with

Foster the City

and we have families

in this church

supporting foster families

in the Bay Area.

This is why

Christ Church

loves to,

we've given thousands

of dollars,

committed lots of time

to shopping

and organizing

and praying for

and listening to

other families

trying to help them

stay out of the foster system

through our

care portal ministry.

This is why many of us,

what,

we support

Compassion International.

We give

and we support children,

right?

Even one of our elders,

Karen Weslowski,

is on the board

of Compassion International.

This is about,

this is what we're about here.

We love children

but guess what,

Christ Church,

our work is not done.

Our work is not done.

On Tuesday's events

have made it clear

that there's still

far more to do

for the children

of our society.

And I think

we all intuitively

felt that this past week

when we heard

the tragic news,

right?

Oh God,

no,

not the children,

not our children.

See,

we,

the children of God,

we must care

about the children

of our society

who are not our own.

both the overlooked children

inside the womb

and the rest

of the children

outside of the womb.

These children outside

of the womb

for whom firearms,

not car accidents,

not COVID,

not illnesses,

but guns

are the leading

cause of death

in this country.

It is ridiculous.

It is unacceptable.

And we have got

to care about this.

And we have got

to care in prayer

as people on our knees

saying,

God,

we are helpless

and apart from you

we can do

no good thing.

So help us

because we

and our world

are in a hopeless

downward spiral.

We must care

in prayer.

We must also care

in action,

Christ Church.

Not just folding

our hands in prayer,

but extending

our hands

in care.

Loving our neighbors

in the name of Jesus

and in his sacrificial manner.

Giving our time,

our talent,

and our treasures.

Investing in the children

of our society.

Raising our voices

in their silence.

Stewarding our influence

for their good.

Building and modeling

strong families

and inviting those

with no families

into our own.

We must take

civic responsibility.

We must take

our civic responsibility

so seriously.

We must study

the intricacies

of public policy

and make informed votes.

Not so easily swayed

by the simplistic

tribalistic partisanship

that is tearing

our nation apart.

And we must also

not vote out of

mere self-preservation

or self-protection,

but for the greater good

of our communities.

And then on a personal level,

we also need to keep

our eyes out

for those amongst us.

Those who are

on the margins.

Those who are

at risk

and unsupported.

Possibly hurting more

than we can see

on the surface.

We must pursue people

with compassion

and curiosity

and interest.

The ministry

of just being a friend.

Because you know,

it's not just

the murdered children

that came to my mind

as I read

this opening verse

and contemplated

the tenderness

of this

my little children.

I also thought about

the shooter himself.

Salvador Ramos, right?

And I wondered

who, if anyone,

ever spoke

to him so tenderly

and with such affection.

Whoever took ownership

of him

as their beloved child.

Yes, there are

a ton of complex,

multi-layered

and interrelated

dimensions

to this tragedy,

but I couldn't help

notice the profile

of this shooter

who seemed

not to have much

of a fatherly presence

in his life.

Whose family

has a background

of trauma

and brokenness

and drug use

and felony.

And it just made me wonder,

you know,

like,

whoever spoke tenderly

to him?

Whoever called him

their own?

Whoever wrote him

love letters,

affectionate letters,

longing for him

to thrive,

running to him

in order that he

might not sin?

Verse 1,

my little children,

I am writing

these things

to you

so that you

may not sin.

See, this thing

that we do

when we open up

the scriptures,

when we open up

these letters,

this letter here

in 1 John,

this opening up

of God's word

when we preach it,

when we encourage you

to dig into

these Bible plans

that we have,

you know,

I'm not saying

that reading the Bible

is some magic button

that's gonna get rid

of sin altogether,

but could it be

that when we open up

these scriptures,

when we look at a letter

like 1 John,

could it be that

the stakes

are higher

than we realize

when we open up

God's word

and it calls us

away from sin?

Could it be

that this repeated

message we hear

over and over

and over again

from the Bible

to not sin,

this super basic

message, right?

Could it be

that that might

actually be

the voice of God

trying to get

our attention?

Yeah, okay,

pastor, I know,

I know I'm not

supposed to sin,

but do we

really know?

Do we really

realize the stakes

of sin?

No, even for myself,

I normally

am not stirred

by a verse

like this

because it just

seems so cliche,

right?

So cliche,

oh, of the Bible

telling me not to sin?

Shocking, right?

But then Tuesday

happened,

and I was like,

maybe that we

should not sin

isn't so basic,

isn't so common

sense after all.

Like thinking

about this shooter,

contemplating the

reality of my

own potential

for egregious

sin,

that is in me

as well.

It made me think,

what if this is

exactly what we

need to hear?

And often,

my little children,

I am writing

these things to you

so that you

may not sin.

Like what if

what we needed

was someone

lovingly calling

us their own

children and

tenderly persuading

us to not sin?

Maybe that's

exactly what we

need after all,

right?

Yeah, we all know

the Ten Commandments,

we all know,

everyone knows,

thou shalt not

murder.

Who needs to

be told that,

right?

Well, apparently,

we, our society,

still very much

needs that message.

See, Tuesday's

tragic events

should open up

our eyes to see

that a line like

this,

I am writing

these things to

you so that you

may not sin.

It isn't about

just modifying

some religious

behavior.

It isn't about

restrictions on

your pleasure,

fun, and freedom.

This is life and

death stuff.

Yes, some sin

is more heinous

than other sin.

And not all sin

leads to immediate

death, but all sin

does lead to

eventual death

in one way

or another.

So we need to

remember.

We need to remember

even as we think,

we already know,

okay, okay, okay,

I know I'm not

supposed to sin.

We need to sober up

and remember that

these things aren't

written to just get

us to be better

rule followers.

Goody two-shoes,

these things are

written because

the way of sin

is the way of

death.

The way of sin

is the way of

death.

And the reality

is that there is

sin in each and

every one of us.

Yeah, sure, there is

definitely a lot of

blame and fault that

we can identify and

cry out against

outside of us.

Yes, I'm going to

admit that.

We should hold

people and

institutions accountable.

And we can talk

about how better

gun control or

red flag laws or

law enforcement or

healthy thriving

families.

We can talk about

responsible parenthood

and poverty relief

and mental health

services or even

just friendship and

kindness on the

playground, right?

We can talk about

all the millions of

factors that could

have led and

contributed to a

far less tragic day

this past Tuesday

in Uvalde.

But even as we

seek to call out

injustice in this

world and even as

we seek to demand

that other people

and other

institutions change,

Michael Jackson had

it right.

We need to start

with the man in

the mirror.

Our pursuit of

justice, it needs

to always include

critical self-

examination and a

pursuit of justice

and righteousness in

our own hearts and

in our own lives

before our God.

It's true that we

don't even have

enough fingers.

We don't even have

enough fingers to

point at all that

went wrong, all the

things that went

wrong leading up to

all the shootings in

Buffalo and Laguna

Woods and Uvalde.

But at the very least,

let us not forget to

use each of our two

thumbs to consider

our responsibility,

our complicity in

all the darkness and

in all the tragedy in

this world.

Salvador Ramos' sin is

his sin for sure,

but it is our nation's

sin as well.

It is mine and it is

yours.

And no, maybe it

wasn't your mean,

bullying words that

put these specific

shooters on their

paths.

Maybe it wasn't your

prejudices that

influenced them.

Maybe it wasn't the

drugs that you enjoyed

in college that came

from the same source

as the source that got

Ramos' mother hooked.

But imagine what

kinds of toxic effects

our many instances of

unkindness and

prejudice and reckless

consumption may actually

have had that we just

have no idea about.

It's like dumping trash

and pollution into the

ocean, right?

We may never know the

full effects of our sin

and our selfishness and

our negligence on every

sea creature.

We might not see that

turtle that goes into

that plastic thing that

holds the cans, right?

We might never see the

turtle suffer from that.

We might never see the

rest of the world suffer

because we threw some

trash into the sea.

We may never know how

much our unkind words

have influenced our

children and how they've

harmed others on the

playground.

We may never know how

much we've perpetuated

toxic masculinity and

the objectification and

trafficking of human

bodies when we view

pornography.

But God's word tells us

that our sin is not

without effect.

Probably way more

devastating, probably way

more corrupting than we

could imagine.

Even if they have not

led to mass school

shootings, our sins, our

failure to live God's way

and to love our neighbors

has left our world

drastically, drastically

damaged.

And events like Tuesdays

have to sober us up to

this reality.

We cannot be cool with

sin.

We cannot be cool with

sin.

To quote the 17th century

Puritan theologian from

Oxford, John Owen, we

must be killing sin or sin

will be killing us.

Because that's what we're

witnessing happen in these

shootings.

Sin is killing us.

This exhortation to not

sin, this is not a

religious game.

This is an exhortation to

not participate in death.

This is an invitation to

life.

I mean, so serious is sin,

as it says in verse 2,

it demands propitiation.

It demands the satisfaction

of justice and the

appeasement of wrath

against all that

dishonors God and

destroys this world.

It is right to be furious

at the evil that happened

on Tuesday.

It is in alignment with

the heart of God whose

wrath burns against

injustice.

But guess what?

There is a wrath against

each of our sins too.

For all the havoc that

our sins have wreaked upon

this world that God made

and that God loves.

So as we go through this

letter, 1 John, for the

rest of the summer, please,

Christ Church, please hear

these words and take them

to heart.

My little children, I am

writing these things to you

so that you may not sin.

And if you're like me,

you're like, oh shoot,

well too late, right?

I already did.

I already do.

And I know I will again.

Well then hear the rest of

the verse in 1 and verse 1

and 2.

Because this is the gospel.

It says,

But if anyone does sin,

we have an advocate with

the Father, Jesus Christ,

the righteous.

He is the propitiation for

our sins and not for ours

only, but also for the sins

of the whole world.

And this is the good news

of redemption in Christ.

Like honestly, and I don't

mean to over-psychologize,

I admit I have no idea

what was going on in that

deranged mind of the

shooter in Texas.

But I do wonder, what if he

had known this?

After shooting his

grandmother in the face,

what if he had known that

even for him, even for a

sin so wicked as shooting

the grandmother who is

housing you in the face,

what if he had known that

there was still someone

willing to advocate for

him?

Someone willing to pay the

price of propitiation for

all the wrath he'd begun to

stir up against himself?

Might this truth about Christ

as advocate and propitiation,

might it have freed him from

feeling like he might as well

just go all the way, give

himself completely to the way

of death and visit Robb

Elementary School?

See, I'm not up here trying

to convince you of a

religion.

I'm not trying to modify

behavior up here.

I'm not here to just share a

mythological feel-good story.

This is real-life stuff.

This is divinely inspired

truth that has the power to

transform and change the

world and to save lives both

now and into eternity.

All right.

I hope I've made clear the

seriousness of sin and the

glory of God's grace in Jesus

Christ.

And I hope you can see that

if this is all true, then it

is of the utmost importance

that we know this God, that we

know this Jesus person as our

advocate and as our propitiation,

that there's nothing more

important than knowing Jesus in

this personal way, nothing more

important than being, as it says

in verse 5, in him.

There's nothing more important

than being united with Jesus.

And you know, 1 John is written

to help people discern whether

they really did know Jesus,

whether they really did belong

to him.

It was written to help people

know whether or not they really

had an advocate, whether or not

they really had propitiation for

their sins.

It was written to show them what

it looks like to know God.

See, one thing that you need to

know about this letter, 1 John, is

that it's written to a Christian

community that's seen some

attrition.

In chapter 2, verse 19, the letter

refers to some people who it says,

went out from us, but they were

not of us.

For if they had been of us, they

would have continued with us, but

they went out that it might become

plain that they all are not of us.

So what 1 John is, is a letter to

those who have remained but are sad

and hurt and confused because of all

the losses they've seen in their

community.

Especially because those who left

were saying and teaching and

believing things quite different from

what these readers were taught from

the beginning.

Those who had left believed different

things about who Jesus was.

Those who had left believed different

things about what was sin and

darkness and about what was

righteousness and light.

And so you can imagine all the seeds

of confusion and distraction and

doubt sown among this church.

So a big theme in this letter, 1 John,

the purpose of this letter, as we'll

see throughout, is what does it look

like to really know God?

How do I know that I am in a right

and proper relationship with Him?

How do I know that Jesus is actually

advocating for me and that His blood

is the propitiation for my sins too?

1 John wants to make clear how we can

know that we know God.

And here's the answer in verse 3.

And by this we know that we have come

to know Him, drum roll, if we keep

His commandments.

If we keep His commandments.

We know Him if we keep His commandments.

If we do not sin.

Verse 4.

Whoever says, I know Him, but does not

keep His commandments, is a liar.

And the truth is not in him.

But whoever keeps His word, in Him

truly the love of God is perfected.

By this we may know that we are in Him.

Whoever says he abides in Him ought to

walk in the same way in which He walked.

We know that we know God when we walk

in His way, when we obey His commandments.

Now there are two things I want to say

about that though.

First, we need to be clear what this is

not saying.

This is not saying that you need to

obey God perfectly in order to have

a real relationship with Him.

This is not saying that obedience is

the grounds for union with God.

No.

Obedience to God's commandments, keeping

His word, and walking in the same way

as Jesus are not what establish our

relationship with God.

They are evidences of our relationship

with God.

They are not the cause but the effects

that demonstrate we actually know Him.

So he's not saying obey so that you

can have a relationship with God.

He's saying obey because you already

have a relationship with God.

Look at verses 12 to 14.

He says,

I'm writing to you not to sin because

your sins have been forgiven.

Because you already know God, the

Father who is from the beginning.

Because God's word is already in you

and in Christ and by His Spirit you've

already overcome the evil and the

victory is already yours.

He's already said it is finished.

We do not earn a relationship with God

through obedience.

We live out our relationship with God

through obedience.

Alright, but now the second thing I want

to say is that while the grounds of

our union with God is faith alone.

A genuine faith is never alone.

A genuine faith is always accompanied

by the pursuit of obedience.

For how can we say we know God in a

personal and intimate way as the maker

and sustainer and redeemer of the world

and not walk in His way and have no

desire to submit to Him?

How can we say we know Jesus and abide in

Him and admire Him as the way and the

truth and life and yet not walk in His

way of life?

Now the Spirit of God who united us with

Christ in the first place and who

continues to dwell within us, He is too

powerful and He is too loving to allow

for such dissonance.

And I know that this talk about

obedience, right, it might seem like so

dutiful, right, and so unromantic, so

far from how we understand love.

But I want to challenge us to think about

it.

Because if you think about it, there is no

such thing as real love apart from

covenantal commitment and submission.

There's no such thing as real love apart

from covenantal commitment and submission.

Think about marriage.

If I say that I know and I love my wife

and that I'm invested in my union with

her, does that mean I should have no

duty or obligation to consider what she

desires and asks of me?

No, in fact, it is because I love her that

even when she asks me to clean the

toilets and change the diapers, in a

truly loving relationship, fulfilling my

duty to her and doing things I don't want

to do is beautifully transformed into

delight.

And that's the thing that grows love.

And I think Jesus Himself understood this

and He wanted this for us when He said,

If you love me, you will obey my commandments.

That's what Jesus said.

If you love me, you will obey my commandments.

So 1 John is unambiguous.

If we know and love God, we will obey God.

If we are united with Jesus, we will walk in

His way and we will keep His word.

And thus God's love, which brought us to

Himself in the first place, God's love will

continue to work itself out in us unto the

perfection of all that we were meant to be.

And this is good news.

This is good news because this is the very

process by which God is making us people of

love, people who walk in life, light, and love.

And this brings me to verses 7 through 11.

God wants us to be people of love.

1 John makes explicit what the way of Jesus

is and what the ultimate command is that

evidences our relationship with God.

Verse 7.

Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment,

but an old commandment that you had from the

beginning.

The old commandment is the word that you have

heard.

At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am

writing to you, which is true in him and in you

because the darkness is passing away and the true

light is already shining.

Whoever says he is in the light and hates his

brother is still in darkness.

Whoever loves his brother abides in the light,

and in him there is no cause for stumbling.

But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness

and walks in the darkness and does not know where he

is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

How do we know we know God?

What does it look like to walk in the light?

What is the command we must obey that demonstrates our

union with Christ?

Well, it's the old command we've known from the

beginning that we must love our neighbors as

ourselves.

An old command and a new command, finally fulfilled and

freshly mandated in Christ, who is the light of the

world, who came into our darkened dwelling to love his

neighbors, even us.

Not simply through charity or random acts of kindness or in

some kind of fleeting romantic way, but with his whole

life poured out for us unto death on a cross to be our

advocate and to be our propitiation.

See, in Jesus, this old and crusty and hard to obey command of

loving our neighbors as ourselves, it becomes fresh and it

becomes new and it becomes inspiring for us to obey.

First John will later say, we love because he first loved us.

We love because he first loved us.

So Christ Church, the question for us is, will we?

Will we love?

Will we love or will we walk in darkness, blind and having no

real idea where we are going, stumbling around to our own

destruction and the destruction of others?

Do we believe that we've been loved first by a God who so loved the

world that he gave us his only son?

Do we believe in a heavenly father who voluntarily opted to identify

with a pain and an anguish, not unlike those 22 grieving families in

Uvalde, a God who did so in order to redeem this world?

And if we believe that he loved us at this great a cost, well then how

then can we do anything but love him and our neighbors?

And what effect might that have on this broken world?

Christ Church, how will we love this week?

How will we love this week and so prove to be Christ's disciples?

How will we love this week and thus bear witness to the power of God's love for us

and for our world?

May we see his love perfected in us and in every object of the love we pour out

in his precious name.

Will you pray with me?

Amen.

Lord God, we want to be these people of love that you called us to be.

We find it hard though because mostly we just love ourselves.

So would you place before us, would you cause us to behold the love of Christ?

The one who loved us, who gave himself for us, the one who showed us the greatest act of love.

And would that change us?

Would that change and transform us in such a way that changes and transforms the world around us,

this world that is so devoid of love?

Start with us, Lord.

Start with us gazing upon the Savior.

And transform us into the people of life, light, and love that you want us to be.

For your glory and for the good of our world, we pray.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.