1 John 1:1-2:2

Well, good evening. Please do turn back to that passage in 1 John that was read to us earlier.

1 John chapter 1.

1 John 1 · chapter mention

Tonight we're going to be in verse 5 onwards.

! But I do want to begin just by reading those first four verses again, John's prologue to his letter.

So let's bow our heads and ask for God's help, and then I'll read verses 1 to 4.

Our Heavenly Father, we thank you for this letter of 1 John that you have caused to be written for our good.

And now we pray that you would give us ears to hear your word tonight,

and that you would use it to feed our hearts and to bless us for our eternal good.

We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

So 1 John 1 verse 1.

1 John 1:1

1 John 1 verse 1.

1 John 1:1

1 John 1 verse 1.

1 John 1:1

But John also makes clear in those first four verses that that fellowship with Jesus and through him with God

is only possible through the message of the apostles, those first disciples.

A lot like John, handpicked by Jesus to be his witnesses,

and then empowered by his Spirit to proclaim his saving work.

but that of course begs the question

what is the message of the apostles

by which we can enjoy fellowship with God

and it's that question that John goes on to answer

in these verses I want to focus on this evening

beginning at verse 5

this is the message

we have heard from him

and proclaim to you

that God is light

and in him is no darkness at all

and we can sum up what follows under three headings

three foundational truths

to grasp and hold firmly to

if we are to enjoy genuine fellowship with God

and we've read the first already

number one God is light

God is light

and in him is no darkness at all

so John begins that verse

by reminding us of his unique apostolic authority

that is this is the message we have heard from him

and proclaim to you

and as what he's teaching us

isn't something he or any other human thinker

has dreamt up

but what he heard and received from Jesus

and that message begins

just like our universe

with God

and light

only here God doesn't just create the light

he is

the light

light speaks of God's goodness

of how like the sun

he constantly pours forth life and energy and blessing

on his creatures

light speaks of God's truth

how like the sun

he's the source of all light and knowledge

in the words of C.S. Lewis

I believe in God as I believe in the sun

not only because I see it

but because by it

I see everything else

but above all light speaks of God's absolute moral purity

God is light

and in him

is no darkness at all

just as darkness cannot survive

exposure to the light of the sun

so evil

cannot survive exposure

to the holiness of God

he is perfect

perfect in goodness

perfect in justice

perfect in love

and faithfulness

and wisdom and power

and that truth is the starting point

of any fellowship

that we might enjoy

with God

God is light

in fact John makes two great statements

about God in this letter

here

God is light

then chapter 4

God is love

but notice the order

John starts

not with the truth

of God's love

as we might do today

but with God's holiness

now ultimately

because God

isn't double minded

he's not made up of parts

his love and holiness

are really the same thing

just different facets

different ways of looking

at the same diamond

that is God himself

but the Bible speaks

of God's different attributes

to help our limited minds

to a fuller

more accurate understanding

of his being and character

and the fact that John

starts with God's holiness

is significant

what it means is that

we won't begin to grasp

what is meant by God's love

until we've grasped

what is meant by his holiness

we won't sing and mean

amazing grace

how sweet the sound

that saved a wretch like me

until first we've sung

and meant

holy, holy, holy

Lord God almighty

and whatever

spiritual experiences

we claim

we won't have true

genuine fellowship

with God

until we've faced up

to his absolute

moral purity

the perfection of one

whose eyes are too pure

to look on evil

and who cannot

tolerate wrong

think of Isaiah

when he saw the Lord

in the temple

woe is me

for I am a man

of unclean lips

and I live among

a people

of unclean lips

and my eyes have seen

the King

the Lord almighty

or think of

Simon Peter

on the deck

of his fishing boat

after that miraculous catch

go away from me Lord

for I'm a sinful man

or think of John himself

and his vision

of the glorified Jesus

in the book of Revelation

when I saw him

I fell at his feet

as though dead

God is light

before coming to church

before opening our Bibles

before we pray

before we head into another week

here is where we begin

with the blazing purity

and goodness of God

no fellowship

with sin

apart from that

but as Isaiah

Peter and John

all experienced

meditating on God's holiness

will immediately drive us

to a second

realisation

the second foundation

of true fellowship

with God

namely that we are

sinners

verse 5

this is the message

we've heard from him

and proclaimed to you

that God is light

and in him

is no darkness at all

if we say

we have fellowship

with him

while we walk

in darkness

we lie

and do not practice

the truth

but if we walk

in the light

as he is in the light

we have fellowship

with one another

and the blood

of Jesus his son

cleanses us

from all sin

you know it's like

when you put on

a white t-shirt

or what in the gloom

of your bedroom

you think is a white t-shirt

and then head out

into the sunshine

and realise that

your white t-shirt

isn't white anymore

it's mainly grey

with a little bit

of stale yellow

under the arms

and some spots of orange

from last week's bolognese

that's what it's like

for a sinner

to come into the pure light

of God's holiness

to see God

for who he is

light

is to see us

for who we are

sinners

but of course

that's uncomfortable

so our natural instinct

is to try

and cover up

sin

and in this section

John highlights

three ways

that we might

do that

the first is there

in verse 6

and we could call this

the claim

sin doesn't matter

verse 6

if we say

we have fellowship

with him

while we walk

in the darkness

we lie

and do not

practice the truth

seems there were

those in John's day

divorcing spirituality

fellowship with God

from morality

obedience to God

yes I sin

but my sin

doesn't matter

doesn't impact

my relationship

with God

maybe they thought

that God

is only concerned

with spiritual things

so it doesn't matter

how I live

in everyday life

how I treat my spouse

what I do

with my body

or maybe they thought

well God will

forgive me anyway

so I can carry on

in this sin

today we see it

in that big category

of people

who describe themselves

as spiritual

but not religious

people who want

the apparent benefits

of spirituality

feeling grounded

open minded

peace filled

but don't want

to change

how they live

we see it too

in those churches

whose primary goal

in worship

is to create

a spiritual high

rather than

to be challenged

and changed

by God's word

but if we're honest

we see it in ourselves

and the way we

rope off certain areas

of our lives

from the searching

light of God's holiness

and kid ourselves

that as long as

we're in church

on Sunday

or youth group

on Thursday

as long as we've

read our Bible

and prayed in the morning

we can leave

on one side

the hard

painful work

of daily confession

and repentance

searching our hearts

for unresolved

resentments

unrepented desires

searching our lives

for unyielded habits

and unsurrendered

relationships

well listen to John

or rather the Holy Spirit

speaking through John

as he gives his verdict

on sin doesn't matter

verse 5

this is the message

we've heard from him

and proclaimed to you

that God is light

and in him is no

darkness at all

if we say we have

fellowship with him

while we walk

in darkness

we lie

and do not

practice

the truth

literally that last phrase

is we do not

do

the truth

in other words

the good news

of Jesus

is not something

simply to be believed

in our heads

or even rejoiced at

in our hearts

but something to be done

with our hands

in our lives

lived out

and if we do

the truth

if we bring

our sin

into the searching

light of God's holiness

face up to it

rather than

hiding it

well John has a wonderful

promise for us

verse 7

but if we walk

in the light

as he is in the light

we have fellowship

with one another

and the blood

of Jesus his son

cleanses us

from all sin

more of that

a bit later

for now though

let's move on

to a second way

in which we try

to cover up sin

the claim

that sin

isn't me

verse 8

if we say

we have no sin

we deceive ourselves

and the truth

is not in us

so I don't think

this person

is saying

they never sin

and we'll meet

that claim

in verse 10

this person

is saying

something along

the lines of

yes I sin

but sin

isn't really

me

it's something

I occasionally

fall into

but it's not

who I am

deep down

I don't have

sin

a kind of

sin problem

it's a denial

of what the Bible

calls the sinful

nature

the fact that

each of us

is born

with a heart

that naturally

turns away

from God

and that even

after we become

Christians

that sinful

nature remains

until we die

today we meet

this claim

in the moral

optimism

of secular

humanism

the belief

that humans

are basically

good at heart

and all the world's

problems

stem from

people's

circumstances

bad parenting

poor education

the unequal

distribution of

wealth

sort those things

out and everyone

will be kind

and happy

we see it too

in the church

and the so-called

therapeutic gospel

that's all about

affirming people

making them feel

good about

themselves

rather than

calling out sin

and demanding

repentance

and if we're

honest

again we do it

ourselves

don't we

I lose my

temper with my

children

and then blame

it on the fact

that I'm tired

or stressed

or ill

rather than

recognising that

out of the

overflow

of the heart

the mouth

speaks

or I'm caught

in a lie

or I commit

some very

public sin

and I see it

as a temporary

blip

something I've

fallen into

rather than the

outwork of who

I am

deep down

a sinful

selfish man

with a sinful

selfish heart

if we say

we have no

sin

we deceive

ourselves

and the truth

is not in

us

sin doesn't

matter

sin isn't

me

but the third

lie about sin

is the most

blatant of all

sin

isn't sin

verse 10

if we say

we have not

sinned

we make him

a liar

and his word

is not in

us

so this

seems

is the

complete denial

of sin

as a category

we see it

today

in the way

our world

tells us

that it's

psychologically

damaging

to think

of yourself

as a sinner

rather than

seeing my

heart as

fundamentally

flawed

and deceptive

I'm told

follow your

heart

be who you

want to be

live how you

want to live

do what you

want to do

you do you

which if you

think about it

is the very

essence of sin

only now we're

told it's right

and good

and healthy

but it's not

just the world

that no longer

calls sin

sin

large parts

of the church

are busy

affirming

and celebrating

lifestyles

sexual orientations

that the Bible

clearly condemns

as sinful

and destructive

even parts

of the evangelical

church

no longer

treat the

desire for

sin as

itself

a sin

that needs

to be

confessed

and turned

away from

and we do

it ourselves

too

don't we

every day

we cover up

our sin

by telling

ourselves

it's not

sin

I'm not

angry

we shout

at our

spouse

I didn't

mean that

when caught

in a lie

I was only

joking

when we said

something

unkind

well look

at John's

final verdict

it's the most

damning of

all

verse 10

if we say

we have

not sinned

we make

him

God

a liar

and his

word is

not in

us

notice the

progression

from lying

to others

verse 6

to deceiving

ourselves

verse 8

to making

God out

to be a

liar

in verse

10

when we

redefine

sin

whether it's

church leaders

declaring

sinful

lifestyles

permissible

or you

and me

telling ourselves

that what we

just did

wasn't actually

sin

we are in

effect declaring

that God

whose word

is crystal

clear

on what

is right

and what

is wrong

we're declaring

him to be

a liar

which is

surely an

even greater

sin than

the one

we're trying

to cover

up

but the

greatest

tragedy

is that

such

denial

of sin

robs us

of the

joy

and peace

and blessing

that can

be ours

when we

own up

and confess

our sin

to God

which brings

us to the

third ingredient

of the

apostolic

gospel

the third

essential

foundation

of genuine

fellowship

with God

there is

a saviour

there is

a saviour

so each

of the

claims that

John

refutes

is followed

by a

glorious

promise of

forgiveness

for those

who come

clean

verse 7

if we walk

in the light

as he is in

the light

the blood

of Jesus

his son

purifies us

from all

sin

it's a picture

of being

washed

completely

clean

that grubby

t-shirt

of our

sinful

heart

now

spotless

and white

through

Jesus'

death

for sins

or verse

9

if we

confess

our sins

he's

faithful

and just

to forgive

us our

sins

and to

cleanse

us from

all

unrighteousness

so that

picture of

washing

and cleansing

is out of the

picture of a

debt being

forgiven

or cancelled

we no

longer owe

anything to

God

for our

sin

other than

our gratitude

to Jesus

for paying

it all

and then

chapter 2

verse 1

my dear

children

I am writing

these things

to you

so that

you may

not sin

that is

God's

free forgiveness

there's not an

excuse to

go on

sinning

but a reason

to stop

but

John continues

if anybody

does sin

as John

knows what

we will

we have an

advocate

with the

Father

Jesus

Christ

the

righteous

he is

the

propitiation

for our

sins

and not

only for

ours

only

but also

for the

sins of

the whole

world

and it's

his last

promise

that I want

to home

in on

the promise

of an

advocate

because it

undergirds

and explains

the previous

two

John uses

three titles

for Jesus

in these

verses

that together

proclaim his

glorious

our only

and sufficient

saviour from

sin

so first

this title

of advocate

or we might

say defence

lawyer

the scene

is a

courtroom

we're in

the dock

and by rights

we should be

condemned

but then up

steps are

our defence

lawyer

and we

can't believe

our eyes

it's the

finest

barrister

in the

land

God's

own

son

rising

to speak

on our

behalf

should be

Satan

standing up

to accuse

us

that's how

he's pictured

in the

Old Testament

as the

accuser

of God's

people

but by

dying

and rising

again

Jesus

has cast

Satan

out of the

courtroom

and instead

he now

stands

to plead

our case

and notice

to whom

it is

that Jesus

speaks

verse 1

we have

an advocate

with the

father

or literally

towards

the father

it's the

same phrase

used in

back in

verse 2

of chapter 1

of the

son being

eternally

with or

towards

the father

again

in John's

prologue

as well

to his

gospel

John 1

18

no one

who's ever

seen God

but God

the only

begotten son

who is

towards

the father

speaks of

God's

eternal

relation

the son's

eternal

relation

to God

our advocate

is the one

person

more than

any other

that the

father

loves to

hear

and to

answer

and that

name father

reminds us

that the

message of

the apostle

is not

of a

hostile

God

reluctantly

persuaded

by his

loving son

to forgive

us

but of a

God who

so loved

the world

that he

is the

one who

took the

initiative

to send

his son

to save

us

everything

in this

court

is stacked

in our

favour

the judge

is our

father

the advocate

is our

saviour

but what

case does

Jesus our

advocate

plead

for there's

nothing in

us that

deserves

forgiveness

well spot

Jesus'

second title

in verse

one

we have an

advocate with

the father

Jesus Christ

the

righteous

this title

the righteous

or the

righteous

point

it goes

right back

to the

old

testament

it was

originally

used

of

God

himself

but it

summed

up to

what

God

required

of

his

people

he

is

righteous

so his

people

should be

righteous

but open

the old

testament

almost

anywhere

and it's

very clear

that God's

people

the

Israelites

were not

righteous

that like

us

they

spurned

and

disobeyed

the

God

who

made

them

and

called

them

so

God's

prophets

particularly

Isaiah

began to

speak of

another

righteous

one

a

coming

servant

who

would

obey

God

perfectly

by his

knowledge

says

Isaiah

53

my

righteous

servant

will

justify

many

which

explains

why the

apostles

emphasised

Jesus'

sinlessness

he

committed

no

sin

and

no

deceit

was

found

in

his

mouth

wrote

Peter

after

three

years

living

sharing

his

life

with

Jesus

or

here

it's

John

Jesus

Christ

the

righteous

from

Bethlehem

to

Calvary

from

cradle

to

cross

Jesus

obeyed

God

perfectly

summed

up

in

God's

verdict on

him

at

his

baptism

this

is

my

son

whom

I

love

with

him

I

am

well

pleased

as

Jesus

stands

in

the

heavenly

courtroom

as

our

advocate

it

is

not

our

good

record

that

he

pleads

for

we

have

none

but

his

own

perfect

righteousness

he

says to

the

father

in

effect

father

count

my

righteousness

as

theirs

treat

them

as if

they

were

me

Jesus

Christ

our

advocate

Jesus

Christ

the

righteous

one

final title

verse

two

he

is

the

propitiation

for

our

sins

so

we've

moved

now

from

the

courtroom

to

the

temple

or

tabernacle

and a

vast

queue

of

worship

as

each

leading

an

animal

a

goat

or

lamb

towards

the

priest

and

the

altar

one

by

one

they

lay

their

hands

on

the

head

of

the

animal

and

confess

their

sins

and

one

by

one

the

throat

of

each

animal

is

cut

and

out

flows

its

blood

was

the

propitiation

for

sins

the

turning

aside

of

God's

wrath

onto

that

animal

instead

of

the

sinner

you see

God is

angry

at

human

sin

not in

the sense

that you

and I

get angry

irrationally

flying off

the handle

but in

the sense

of being

personally

opposed

to

evil

and

justly

punishing

it

but in

his

love

for

sinners

God

has

provided

a

substitute

a

propitiation

his

own

son

to

bear

our

punishment

suffer

for

our

sin

endure

our

judgment

our

advocate

our

righteousness

our

propitiation

in

some

the

complete

saviour

who

lived

on

our

behalf

who

died

on

our

behalf

and

who

now

lives

forever

to

plead

on

our

behalf

look

again

at

those

earlier

promises

in

chapter

one

and in

particular

the

ifs

that

John

attaches

to

them

verse

seven

if

we

walk

in

the

light

as

he

is

in

the

light

the

blood

of

Jesus

his

son

purifies

us

from

all

sin

and

verse

nine

if

we

confess

our

sins

he

is

faithful

and

just

and

will

forgive

us

our

sins

and

purify

us

from

all

unrighteousness

if

we

walk

in

the

light

if

we

confess

our

sins

they're

talking

about

the

same

thing

to

walk

in

the

light

is

not

to

live

a

life

of

sinless

perfection

that's

impossible

for us

this side

of

death

rather

to

walk

in

the

light

is

to

come

to

God

in

all

his

holiness

and

with

all

our

sin

it's

to

stop

trying

to

cover

sin

up

by

pretending

it

doesn't

matter

or

pretending

it's

not

us

or

pretending

it's

not

sin

and

to

allow

the

searching

light

of

God's

purity

into

every

nook

and

cranny

of our

hearts

and

lives

it

is

to

pray

with

Psalm

139

search

me

God

and

know

my

heart

test

me

and

know

my

anxious

thoughts

see

if

there

is

any

offensive

way

in

me

and

lead

me

in

the

way

everlasting

and

it's

then

to

confess

those

sins

to

God

and

to

take

active

steps

with

his

help

to

turn

away

from

them

and

to

live

in

obedience

to

his

commands

now

for

some

of

that

might

even

be

for

the

very

first

time

to

put

our

trust

in

Jesus

as

the

only

saviour

from

sin

as a

friend

of

mine

puts

it

Jesus

is

only

ever

a

prayer

away

for

others

those

who

already

know

the

joy

and

privilege

of

fellowship

with

God

through

him

it's

about

the

disciplines

of

daily

confession

daily

repentance

and

daily

dependence

for

if we

say

we

have

no

sin

we

deceive

ourselves

and

the

truth

is

not

in

us

if

we

confess

our

sins

he

is

faithful

and

just

to

forgive

us

our

sins

and

cleanse

us

from

all

unrighteousness

let's

pray