1 John - Growing In Our Fellowship

I'm going to come and read those now, thanks.

The first reading is in John chapter 8, which is on page 1074 of the Church Bibles.

John 8 · chapter mention

So John chapter 8, starting in verse 42.

John 8 · chapter mention

Jesus said to them,

If God were your father, you would love me, for I came from God and now I'm here.

I have not come on my own, but he sent me.

Why is my language not clear to you?

Because you are unable to hear what I say.

You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire.

He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him.

When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

Yet because I tell you the truth, you do not believe me.

Can any of you prove me guilty of sin?

If I am telling the truth, why don't you believe me?

He who belongs to God hears what God says.

The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.

The next reading is in 1 John chapter 3, which is on 1, 2, 2, 6 of the church Bibles there.

1 John 3 · chapter mention

1 John chapter 3, starting in verse 4.

1 John 3 · chapter mention

Everyone who sins breaks the law.

In fact, sin is lawlessness.

But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins.

And in him is no sin.

No one who lives in him keeps on sinning.

No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.

Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray.

He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.

He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning.

The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work.

No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him.

He cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.

This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are.

Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God, nor is anyone who does not love his brother.

Thanks very much, Kirsty.

So please keep your Bibles open there in 1 John as we continue in our studies of this letter.

And as you are doing that, also there are pens, pencils and notes as well.

If you would like to take notes, just put up your hand and you can grab a pencil and some notes there as well.

Let me hear in 1 John.

Hello?

Hello?

Yes.

Thanks very much, Noreen.

Well, let's pray and let's ask for God's help as we look at this.

Father, we recognize there are many, many voices that speak into our lives.

But ultimately, we want to hear your voice.

We want to hear your words spoken to us.

So as we look at your word together, your word which is written here before us,

preserved for us so that we may know you and understand you,

we pray that you would speak by your spirit into our lives

to help us grow in our fellowship with you.

Teach us the right attitude and the right approach that we should have

as we seek to walk with you.

Father, help us to hear you.

And may your words change us.

We pray this for a closer walk with you, we pray.

In Jesus' name. Amen.

Amen.

Well, I want to start this morning by giving you some very helpful advice.

Don't worry about declaring your full income to the taxman.

Nobody does that.

Go and celebrate with your mates.

Have a few drinks.

Getting drunk once in a while can't be harmful.

Leave work early on Fridays.

It's not a big problem.

Even your boss does that.

No need to be completely honest.

A little white lie can't hurt anyone.

Have a look at that X-rated video.

It's just natural.

Everybody does.

Forget the speed limit.

If you don't, you're just going to be late.

Join in the gossip about your work colleague.

They only say the same things about you.

You see, I think we all just need to relax a little bit.

Don't take our behaviour so seriously.

It's really not such a big deal.

What harm is there in a few little sins?

After all, none of us are perfect, are we?

Have a look at verse 7.

Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray.

You see, there are those who do try to undermine the seriousness of sin.

We met the same warning back in chapter 2.

Do you remember what it says?

Chapter 2, verse 26.

He says the same thing.

I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray.

In chapter 2, people were saying,

it doesn't matter what you believe.

You can believe what you like about Jesus.

It really doesn't matter.

Now in chapter 3, they are saying,

it doesn't matter how you behave.

What harm is there in a few little sins?

After all, nobody is perfect.

But the point is, sin is serious.

Look at chapter 3, verse 4.

Everyone who sins breaks the law.

In fact, if you are somebody here this morning,

and you claim to have fellowship with God,

there's actually no room for any sin in our life.

Look at verse 6.

No one who lives in him keeps on sinning.

Or look at verse 9.

No one who is born of God will continue to sin.

Is that you?

You see, sin is serious.

It breaks and damages our fellowship with God.

It robs us of that deep relational joy

that we have with the Father and with the Son.

And that's why he is so clear in saying, verse 7,

Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray.

Don't let anyone say to you,

behaviour doesn't matter.

In fact, if we are to grow in our fellowship with God,

we've got to have two things in place.

We have to have a right attitude to sin,

and we are to have a right approach to sin.

So let's have a look at these together.

The first is, we've got to have a right attitude to sin.

Now under this, we've got three small headings.

Here's the first one.

What sin is.

Verse 4.

Everyone who sins breaks the law.

In fact, sin is lawlessness.

So sin is not just about breaking the law of the land.

It's not just about breaking the speed limit.

It's not just about breaking the law of God.

He says it's lawlessness.

That means it's not so much an action we do,

but it's an attitude that we have.

It's not so much an action we do,

but an attitude we have.

Lawlessness means open rebellion

and opposition to God and his ways.

In other words, it's an attitude of our hearts.

Maybe you've seen them for real,

or maybe it's just been on the television.

But when you see an iceberg floating in the sea,

you only get to see about one third of the actual iceberg.

The other two thirds are lurking, unseen, below the water.

And that's a little bit like our sin.

So the wrong things we do and say and think

are just what we see on the surface.

They're just the tip of the iceberg.

But they reflect something much bigger and greater

that lies beneath.

Sin is an attitude deep down in our hearts

that is opposed to God.

So instead of God making the rules,

I become the rule maker.

Instead of listening to what God wants,

I in turn decide what God wants.

Sin is an attitude of the heart.

And if sin is in opposition to God,

then we can't at the same time enjoy fellowship with God.

If we're flirting with sin and messing with sin,

then enjoying God at the same time is incompatible.

You can't have both.

You can't have a life of sin

and at the same time enjoy God.

That's what sin is.

And that's why it's serious.

But thankfully God has done something about it

so that we can enjoy him.

Number two, what Jesus has done.

Look at verse five.

But you know that he, that Jesus appeared,

so that he might take away our sins.

So here's the primary reason

why Jesus came as the God-man.

He didn't come to make people well.

He didn't come to make people better.

That's not the primary reason.

And the primary reason Jesus came

was to deal with the problem of our sin.

Look at verse five.

He came to take away our sins.

Literally, that means he removes the consequences

of our sin from us.

He pays the penalty for us.

And to help us understand that,

we've got a good little picture of it

in chapter two, verse two.

Just have a look back there at chapter two, verse two.

This helps us to understand what it means

that he takes away our sins.

Verse two of chapter two.

He, that is Jesus,

is the atoning sacrifice for our sins.

And not only for ours,

but also for the sins of the whole world.

Now we're going to get very technical here.

Okay?

You've probably got a little letter

beside one of the words there

at the end of chapter two.

And if you look at the bottom of the page,

you'll see a little note

where it's got two.

So you're following me

at the bottom of the page of your Bible.

You've got another little note

beside verse two.

And here's what it says.

So here's a different way of reading that verse.

And it says this.

He, that's Jesus,

is the one who turns aside God's wrath,

taking away our sins.

So do you see what's happening

when Jesus dies?

The wrath of God is turned away from us,

and it is turned towards Jesus.

The judgment that was placed on us

has now been removed

and it has been taken away by Jesus

and it falls on Jesus.

But how can Jesus take away my sin and your sin?

What qualifies him to do that?

Well, go back to chapter three, verse five.

It tells us,

you know that he appeared

so that he might take away our sins

and in him is no sin.

Jesus was perfectly pure.

He was faultless in his words and deeds.

Morally, he did not fail.

He never got things wrong.

And being sinless,

he did something spectacular for us.

He takes my sin from me

and he puts it on himself.

And he puts himself where we deserve to be

and he is treated as we deserve to be.

So Jesus pays the penalty

for our lawlessness.

And he did this so that we could be

in right fellowship with God.

The sin has been taken away

so that we can live in right relationship with God.

That's to have a right attitude towards sin.

Sin is an attitude of the heart.

It's deep down.

It needs to be dealt with.

And Jesus has dealt with it.

Now, I know we know these things.

But they serve as a foundation

for what follows next.

How we should live.

Because if we understand what sin is

and if we understand what Jesus has done,

then it shapes my attitude towards sin.

Have a look at verse 6.

No one who lives in him

keeps on sinning.

Now, I don't know about you,

but that is one of the most troubling verses

in the Bible.

Because I read that and I go,

yes, I'm a Christian,

but then it says,

no one who lives in him keeps on sinning.

And my problem is I keep on sinning.

Or am I the only one?

So what is it?

It seems a bit of a contradiction

to what was read earlier a few weeks ago.

Have a look at chapter 1, verse 8.

Chapter 1, verse 8.

As a reminder of what we read,

chapter 1, verse 8 says,

If we claim to be without sin,

we deceive ourselves

and the truth is not in us.

Or look at verse 10.

If we claim we have not sinned,

we make him out to be a liar

and his word has no place in our lives.

So, you know, we're only fooling ourselves

if we say we never sin.

We're living a lie.

So what does it mean

when it says in chapter 3, verse 6,

no one who lives in him

keeps on sinning?

What is it?

Do we keep sinning?

Or are we not meant to sin?

Well, here's what I think it is.

I think it means

we now have a new attitude to sin.

Rather than tolerate sin,

we hate sin.

If Jesus has paid the penalty of my sin,

then I too am going to take sin seriously.

It means

if sin is in opposition to God,

then I will deal quickly

with the sin in my life

so that I enjoy my fellowship with God.

So rather than living in opposition to God,

I am now longing and aching

and have a desire for communion with God.

It doesn't mean I'm never going to sin again.

However, it does mean

I will not keep sinning

with a carefree,

it doesn't matter kind of attitude.

So instead of making excuses

and pretending we don't sin

or pretending that sin isn't serious

and that my behaviour doesn't matter,

I will take that seriously

and I will long to see

change and transformation

in my life.

That's what's at the heart of verse 6.

No one who lives in him

keeps on sinning.

We have a desire to change

and be transformed.

Now,

if you're someone here this morning

who says,

oh yeah,

I have fellowship with God,

I'm a child of God,

but

you keep on sinning

with this carefree attitude of,

well what does it matter

if I do something wrong?

It really doesn't matter.

If that's the way you think,

look at the rest of verse 6.

No one who continues to sin

has either seen him

or know him.

In other words,

it's a false claim.

You can't tolerate sin

and at the same time

enjoy fellowship with God.

It means you've never seen him

or known him.

In other words,

you can't be a child of God.

You can't be trying to live

the Christian life

and at the same time

messing about

and flirting with sin

as if it doesn't matter.

So,

let me ask us the question,

what is our attitude

to sin?

Which brings us

to the next big heading,

the right approach to sin.

And here we see

the same kind of pattern

repeated.

We've got the same three headings

in this section.

But they all tell us

something different.

First,

what sin is.

Look at verse 8.

He who does

what is sinful

is of the devil.

Now that's really strong language,

isn't it?

Is that really true?

Does that really mean

that when I sin,

I'm of the devil?

Well,

in the Gospel of John,

we have the same idea.

And I think it helps

explain it to us

a little bit better.

Have a look back.

We read it

at the beginning.

John chapter 8

John 8:44

verse 44.

John chapter 8

John 8:44

verse 44.

And here Jesus

has been talking

to the religious leaders

who are all

in opposition

to Jesus

and they're wanting

to kill Jesus.

They want to get rid of him.

They're opposed to him.

And look how Jesus

describes them.

Look at the language

he uses.

Verse 44

of John chapter 8.

John 8 · chapter mention

Look what he says.

You belong

to your father,

the devil.

And you want

to carry out

your father's desire.

He was a murderer

from the beginning,

not holding

to the truth,

for there is no truth

in him.

When he lies,

he speaks

his native language,

for he is a liar

and the father

of lies.

Strong language,

but true.

You see,

again,

it's telling us

that sin isn't just

an action

or a thought.

It's so much

deeper than

just getting

a few things wrong.

Sin reflects

our true identity

and it says

when we're living

a sinful life,

we belong

to our father,

the devil.

Go back to

1 John chapter 3,

1 John 3:8

verse 8.

That's why he says,

1 John 3,

1 John 3:8

verse 8,

he who does

what is sinful

is of the devil.

Because the devil

has been sinning

from the beginning.

Just as sin

is at the very nature

of the devil,

so sin is

our true nature.

So can we begin

to see how

tolerating sin

is completely

incompatible

with enjoying

God.

Sin is not just

a misdemeanor,

it is actually

a reflection

of our true

identity.

It is of the devil.

Now how are we

going to deal

with that?

Because I don't

like reading that

about myself.

Well thankfully

God has done

something

about this

sin problem.

Look what

Jesus has done.

Look at the rest

of verse 8.

We'll read

verse 8 again.

He who does

what is sinful

is of the devil

because the devil

has been sinning

from the beginning.

The reason

the Son of God,

that's Jesus,

appeared

was to destroy

the devil's work.

So again

we've got this

primary reason

that Jesus

came into the

world

was to destroy,

to break

the power

and the hold

the devil has

over us.

Because the devil's

work is to

seduce us

so that we are

people who oppose

God and rebel

against God.

That's what he's

been doing from

the beginning.

That's what he did

in the Garden of Eden.

He is convincing

us that living

in the kingdom

of darkness

is a much better

place to live

than walking

in the light.

So Jesus came

to destroy

his work.

He came to

break the power

of sin

and its hold

over us.

So through his

death on the cross

he has rescued us

from the way

in which we walk

in darkness.

He takes us

from that kingdom

and brings us

into a kingdom

of light.

God.

And because of

what Jesus

has done

that means

we are no

longer children

of the devil

we are children

of God.

So have a look

at chapter 3

verse 1

what we looked

at last week.

Because of what

Jesus has done

how great

is the love

the Father

has lavished

on us

that we should

be called

children

of God.

And if that

hasn't sunk in

and we don't

believe it

look at the rest

of it.

And that is

what we are.

Because Jesus

has destroyed

the work of the

devil.

Because of our

faith in him

we are no

longer belonging

to our father

the devil.

We now have

God as our

father.

We've been

released from

one family

and we've been

transferred into

the family of

God.

Jesus came

to break

the power

of sin.

He's destroyed

the work

of the devil

so that we

can enjoy

fellowship

with God.

This is what

he has done

for us.

Now again

I know

you know

this.

And in some

ways this is

foundational

and we're

rehearsing

so much

of what we

know to be

true.

But unless

we've got

this foundation

right

we're not

going to have

the right

approach

to our

sin.

Because this

all affects

how we

should live.

Look at

verse 9.

Verse 9

No one

who is born

of God

will continue

to sin.

Again it's

almost the

same as what

we have in

verse 6.

It sounds

like that

contradiction.

but we

already know

have a look

at chapter

1 verse 9

that God

has provided

a way for

us to be

restored when

we do

sin.

So when we

do mess up

and we do

fail

look at

chapter 1

verse 9

if we

confess our

sins

he is

faithful and

just and

he will

forgive us

our sins

and purify

us from

all unrighteousness.

So it

can't be

saying that

you're meant

to be

perfect and

never get

anything wrong

again.

So what

does it

mean when

it says

in verse 9

no one

who is

born of

God will

continue to

sin?

Well again

I think it's

that we now

have a new

approach to

sin.

Rather than

tolerate sin

we hate

sin.

If Jesus

has destroyed

the work

of the devil

then that

means I

will take

sin

seriously.

it means

I will

no longer

put up

with the

behaviours

in my

life

that

destroy

and

damage

my

relationship

with

God.

I will

no longer

put up

with the

behaviours

in my

life

that

damage

and

destroy

my

relationship

with

God.

Instead

I will

fight

the sin

that seeks

to wreak

havoc.

And how

are we

going to

fight it?

Well let's

read verse

9 again.

No one

who is

born of

God

will

continue

to

sin

and

here's

the

reason

because

God's

seed

remains

in

him.

Now let's

explain what

that means.

When a

child is

born

they

carry

with

them

something

of the

DNA

of their

father.

They

carry

something

of the

father's

seed.

That

can't

be

changed.

It

can't

be

tampered

with.

So as

the

child

grows

day

by

day

they

begin

to

look

like

physically

and

sound

like

their

biological

father.

They

inherit

something

of their

father's

seed.

Now

that's

the

same

idea

that we

have

here

in this

verse.

God

as it

were

has

implanted

his

seed

in

us

so

that

we

become

more

like

him

and

we

live

like

him.

As

his

children

we

now

have

something

of the

very

nature

of

God

within

us

so

that

we

now

view

sin

the

same

way

as

he

do.

We

hate

sin

and

we

fight

against

sin.

And

the

reason

why

we

can

fight

it

is

because

we

have

his

seed.

He

has

given

us

the

power

of

his

Holy

Spirit

within

us

so

that

we

can

live

the

life

that

he

has

called

us

to.

Just

as

Jesus

broke

the

power

of

sin

in

our

lives

so

the

spirit

in

us

is

that

ongoing

power

to

fight

sin.

So

the

reason

we

do

not

continue

with

this

carefree

it

doesn't

matter

approach

is

because

we

have

something

of

the

very

nature

of

God

we

are

his

children

and

so

we

begin

to

grow

like

him.

Now

let

me

ask

this

if

we

have

this

it

doesn't

matter

approach

to

sin

if

you're

looking

at

some

of

your

behaviours

and

I

look

at

some

of

my

behaviours

the

things

I

do

and

I

go

you

know

what

it

really

doesn't

matter

and

brush it

under

the

carpet

and

let's

not

deal

with

it

it's

okay

if

that

is

our

approach

then

you

can't

be

in

fellowship

with

God

look

look

look at

look at

the

rest

of

verse

9

well

we'll

read

all

of

verse

9

no

one

who

is

born

of

God

will

continue

to

sin

because

God's

seed

remains

in

him

he

cannot

go

on

sinning

because

he

has

been

born

of

God

if

you

are

a

child

of

God

you

will

have

a

hatred

for

sin

and

you'll

want

to

deal

with

it

so

what

is

our

approach

to

sin

you

see

sin

is

serious

it

damages

and

destroys

our

fellowship

with

God

so

we

must

have

a

right

attitude

and

we

must

have

a

right

approach

towards

sin

in

fact

look

at

verse

10

this

is

how

we

know

who

the

children

of

God

are

and

who

the

children

of

the

devil

are

anyone

who

does

not

do

what

is

right

is

not

a

child

of

God

nor

is

anyone

who

does

not

love

his

brother

our

behaviour

matters

there is

no such

thing

as a

little

sin

there is

no such

thing

as a

white

lie

how we

live

what we

say

and what

we do

is of

great

importance

because

it

tells

us

what

kind

of

child

I

am

now

if my

attitude

to sin

is

I

want

to

resist

it

if

my

approach

to

sin

is

I

want

to

fight

it

then

you're

a

child

of

God

we

can

have

great

confidence

that we

are

growing

in our

fellowship

with

God

but

if you

tolerate

sin

if

you

are

indifferent

to

sin

then

you

are

not

a

child

of

God

you

are

still

walking

in

darkness

this

is

not

a

call

to

say

you

are

perfect

or

somehow

to

be

perfect

it

is

saying

have

a

right

attitude

to

sin

have

a

right

approach

to

sin

because

those

who

are

children

of

God

will

continue

to

grow

in

their

fellowship

with

him

let's

take

a

moment

in

the

quietness

to

reflect

on

what

we've

just

heard

heard

got

that we so often fail and fall.

We do get things wrong.

We say things we should not say.

And we think things

that we dare not want anybody else to know.

So, Father, we come afresh.

We confess our sins,

knowing that you are just and faithful

and will forgive us

and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Thank you that Jesus has come

to take away our sin.

Thank you that he has come

to destroy the work of the devil

so that we can live in right relationship with you.

Please help us

to have a right attitude

to our ongoing sin problem.

Help us to have a right approach

to the sin that we see in our lives.

And may you, by the power of your Holy Spirit,

help us to fight it every day

and to run quickly to Jesus

in whom we enjoy

our deep relationship with you.

we thank you for all that you have done for us.

In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.

We're going to sing together

a great song

which says,

and this is the song

and this is the song

that we can sing

if we are in right relationship

with God.

I once was lost

in darkest nights

thought I knew the way

the sin that promised joy in life

had led me

to the grave.

And then it goes on

to say

that's

that's

that's