The Universe Breaker

Albert Einstein arrives at a party, introduces himself to the first person he sees, and asks, “What is your IQ?” to which the man answers, “241.”

“That is wonderful!” responds Einstein. “We will talk about the mysteries of the universe.”

Next Einstein introduces himself to a woman and asks, “What is your IQ?”

The lady answers, “144.”

“Excellent. We can discuss politics and current events. We will have much to talk about.”

Einstein goes to another person and asks, “What is your IQ?”

The man answers, “51.”

Einstein responds, “How about them Cowboys?”

Today we are going to talk about big things like the universe, but you don’t have to have an IQ of 241. I believe the Bible can take big concepts and makes them more understandable. It’s the source of all truth.

The oldest living apostle of Christ was John. He saw generations come to to Christ. He saw people who were once living whole heartedly for Jesus start to cool off in their faith. In fact, even in the early church there were teachers who weren’t teaching the truth of the Gospel.

There were some people who thought the Gospel was too simple. They polluted it with Gnosticism. Gnostics believed that everything physical and material was bad and it could never be good. Only spiritual things could be good and perfect. The so called Christian gnostics didn’t believe that Jesus was fully God and fully human because if he was even part human then he couldn’t be perfect and atone for the sin of a fallen world. They thought he was a spirit.

Here’s a major problem with this way of thinking: they believed that because the fallen man was incapable of doing anything good then they had a license to live however they wanted! This is false teaching. It’s dangerous. God DOES want us to live a life set apart from the world. People should be able to see that we have been changed by Christ.

John saw this teaching as very dangerous to the church. His epistle was written as a warning. John wanted Christians to know the truth. The foundation of the gospel was different than the worldly ideology.

Now, 1 John can seem difficult. He holds no punches. In fact, when I was younger I didn’t like to read this epistle because it made me question whether or not I was saved!

Listen to this verse without context:

1 John 1:6 NLT

6 So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth.

If you read that verse alone it can be pretty scary and convicting. I remember reading it and thinking:

Well, I do love God, but I keep on messing up, am I not saved?

It’s so important for me that you KNOW you are saved and on the path that will eventually lead you to eternity in a wonderful place called heaven! Everyone should know the truth about salvation because so much hangs on the line. You don’t want to guess when it comes to your eternal life.

John wrote the words we are going to read today to give HOPE, PEACE, and UNDERSTANDING.

John wants Christian believers to know that when we tell God about our sins, God will forgive us and take them away (1.9).

The true test of faith is love for each other (3.11–24). Because God is love, his people must be like him (4.1–21). For a complete victory over sin, we must not only love others, but we must believe that Jesus, the Son of God, is truly Christ, and that his death for us was real (5.1–12).

Let’s start where John starts, with Jesus.

Jesus is a Universe Breaker

Jesus breaks the universe.

I guess what I mean is that He defies human understanding.

Science is catching up to the Bible. The Bible is not catching up to science. When you hear scientist talk about what they “know” you have to realize that they are talking about their theories that are CONSTANTLY being proven wrong.

Here’s a quick example:

Video

She’s talking about the James Webb Space Telescope. It’s a space telescope currently conducting infrared astronomy. As the largest telescope in space, it is equipped with high-resolution and high-sensitivity instruments, allowing it to view objects too old, distant, or faint for the Hubble Space Telescope. It was launched Christmas day 2021 it traveled 1 million miles from earth and is now sending us the best images we’ve ever had from space.

What’s cool to me about the telescope is that it’s breaking what science has “proven”. In her words, it some of the images are defying 99% of what they thought they knew. Basically, science is starting back at ground zero of what they know!

It’s hilarious. And it’s the kind of thinking that John was trying to deal with all the way back when he wrote the words to believers of the early church. His words still stand today, way before science had the ability to send a telescope 1 million miles from earth and take pictures! They are trying to find the beginning of everything. But the Bible tells about the beginning of all things.

What does it say?

Three times the Bible speaks about the beginning.

The first is in Genesis:

Genesis 1:1 CEV

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Genesis tells us about the beginning of the universe, not the beginning of God, but the beginning of the universe.

I wonder what God did before he created the universe. Remember, God has existed before the universe. Was He creating other things? We don’t know.

The second is in another writing from the Apostle John:

John 1:1–4 CEV

1 In the beginning was the one who is called the Word. The Word was with God and was truly God. 2 From the very beginning the Word was with God. 3 And with this Word, God created all things. Nothing was made without the Word. Everything that was created 4 received its life from him, and his life gave light to everyone.

In the beginning WAS - means past tense. It was BEFORE creation. The word always existed. This is something that we can’t fully comprehend because of our finite minds.

The third mention of the beginning is in our scripture today:

1 John 1:1 CEV

1 The Word that gives life was from the beginning, and this is the one our message is about. Our ears have heard, our own eyes have seen, and our hands touched this Word.

What does this mean? Jesus, the Word, has always existed. He breaks what science knows to be true!

Let’s look at another super cool scripture:

Micah 5:2 MEV

2 But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, although you are small among the tribes of Judah, from you will come forth for Me one who will be ruler over Israel. His origins are from of old, from ancient days.

This is referring to Jesus as the eternal Savior.. He was always there. Everything was made by Him. He existed outside of time. He transcends space. He is BIGGER than space.

Think about this:

Isaiah 40:12 NLT

12 Who else has held the oceans in his hand? Who has measured off the heavens with his fingers? Who else knows the weight of the earth or has weighed the mountains and hills on a scale?

The NKJV says that God has measured the heavens (space) with the span of His hand. All the universe could fit into the space between God’s thumb and pinkie.

NASA says that the farthest observable galaxy is 13.73 years old. Which means that if you could travel at light speed, 186,000 miles per second, it would take you almost 14 billion years to reach that galaxy!

But we don’t even know how big space really is! All we know is that God holds it in His hand. It’s beyond our comprehension.

Jesus created it all. He is infinite. He it beyond our comprehension. And yet, He entered time.

He came to this world that He created.

John 1:10 CEV

10 The Word was in the world, but no one knew him, though God had made the world with his Word.

Jesus became flesh. Why? So that we could have relationship with Him and the Father.

John is saying that he personally saw Jesus. The greek word he used tells us that he KNEW Jesus. So, after the resurrection, John was saying KNEW that Jesus was the one that existed before time. God Himself came to be part of humanity.

Listen to John’s words:

1 John 1:1–4 CEV

1 The Word that gives life was from the beginning, and this is the one our message is about. Our ears have heard, our own eyes have seen, and our hands touched this Word. 2 The one who gives life appeared! We saw it happen, and we are witnesses to what we have seen. Now we are telling you about this eternal life that was with the Father and appeared to us. 3 We are telling you what we have seen and heard, so that you may share in this life with us. And we share in it with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 We are writing to tell you these things, because this makes us truly happy.

The one who was from the beginning came to give US life and relationship with the Father. How amazing is this thought? Jesus didn’t have to come to us, but He did because He loves us! And John experienced Jesus in the flesh, he saw him crucified, and he saw him resurrected.

Why does John want us to know that he KNEW who Jesus really was?

Because of what he says in verse 3

1 John 1:3 CEV

3 We are telling you what we have seen and heard, so that you may share in this life with us. And we share in it with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.

So that “you may share in this life with us”. The word for share is also fellowship. In the original language it’s the word “koinonia”. He wants us to be spiritually connected with other believers and with Jesus Himself.

He wants us to be secure in our salvation.

When you come to Christ it can change everything! He wants to invade your heart and mind. It will change you. John says it will connect you to the very source of the creator of the universe!

Let Him change your life. Stop trusting in the philosophies of the world.

What else can we see here in the scripture.

John tells us that when we understand who Jesus is and we trust Him as the Lord and Savior then we are now supposed to live in the light.

What does it Mean to “Live in the Light”?

1 John 1:5–7 CEV

5 Jesus told us that God is light and doesn’t have any darkness in him. Now we are telling you. 6 If we say that we share in life with God and keep on living in the dark, we are lying and are not living by the truth. 7 But if we live in the light, as God does, we share in life with each other. And the blood of his Son Jesus washes all our sins away.

God is good. When John tells us that God is light he is telling us that God is perfect and nothing evil, bad or wrong comes from God. It’s impossible for darkness to come from God.

So, you might ask the question, if God is so good, and created this whole universe through Jesus, then why is there evil. Why does darkness exist?

Man’s rebellion from God has brought darkness into the world. Every person has experienced sin. We’ve all chosen to live in darkness.

How do we live in a dark world as believers?

1 John 1:6 CEV

6 If we say that we share in life with God and keep on living in the dark, we are lying and are not living by the truth.

What does it mean to walk in darkness? Most people assume, incorrectly, that walking in darkness means walking in sin. That’s NOT what John is saying.

In context, we can see what walking in darkness means.

Walking in the light = understanding that I am a sinner SAVED by GRACE.

Walking in the dark = denying my sinful condition while claiming to be in fellowship with God.

Christians are sinners because they mess up! We all know we aren’t perfect.

1 John 1:7 CEV

7 But if we live in the light, as God does, we share in life with each other. And the blood of his Son Jesus washes all our sins away.

When we are open to the fact that we are sinners saved by grace we can have fellowship with God. Walking in the light means that if we acknowledge our sinful nature and need for a Savior then we will be saved.

We get it wrong when we say that walking in the light means living in purity. If that were true then this verse wouldn’t make sense - it would read like this:

“If we live perfectly then the blood of Jesus will wash away our imperfection.”

That’s doesn’t make sense! Why would we need Jesus to wash away our impurities if we are already pure?

We AREN’T Pure.

All have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. We need the Lord to forgive us.

John says he will wash away our sin. In the greek the word for “wash” or “cleanse” is in the present tense. Which means that the washing is ongoing! As we walk in the light we are continually cleansed.

My tennis shoes need constant cleaning.

Here’s an example. As you are living your life, you make a mistake, the Holy Spirit convicts you, and you say “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that, I’ll repent and move on”. The blood of Christ keeps cleansing us as we simply understand we are going to mess up.

Look at verse 8

1 John 1:8 CEV

8 If we say that we have not sinned, we are fooling ourselves, and the truth isn’t in our hearts.

If you deny our sinful nature - “I’m a good person” - then you are deceived.

Here’s a question you may have asked yourself: “If I’m really saved, why do I mess up? Why do I sin?”

Did you expect that when you gave your life to the Lord that you would be perfect from that day on?

See, Jesus saves us, cleanses us, adopts us, and seals us until the day of redemption. But He doesn’t remove our sinful nature. It’s still there. We will battle that nature our entire lives.

That doesn’t mean we don’t have the victory over habitual sin. We can overcome and walk in victory. But we can’t walk in sinless perfection. There’s a difference between victory and sinless perfection.

People can doubt their salvation when they mess up. The devil wants you to doubt your salvation. Where you doubt what Jesus did and exalt what you’ve done! It’s torment to believe the lie that you can live perfectly. Your struggle with sin will lifelong struggle. It’s part of our nature.

Here’s the point, you will struggle, but you don’t have to give in! You can fight against the fiery darts of the enemy.

When you put on the full armor of God you put on FAITH. Faith that Christ has giving you the victory over sin. Here’s the good news - probably one of the greatest verses in the Bible

1 John 1:9 NLT

9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

Walking in the light means that we confess our sins to God.

God is faithful. He will NEVER let you down. He promises that when we humble our hearts he will forgive us.

Also, that verse says He’s just. God is just and He can’t let sin go without a punishment.

Think about our legal system. If someone commits a crime and it was proven that he broke the law, Justice requires a penalty.

If the judge says, it’s ok, you’re forgiven and let’s the person go then that wouldn’t be just. Justice requires a payment.

The same is true for us and our confession to God. It requires a punishment.

Does God punish you? NO! He punishes Jesus.

God gives us forgiveness because perfect Jesus took our punishment.

It was enough. So when you mess up, even if it’s 100 times a day, the Lord was enough to pay for your sinfulness.

ALL wickedness. You might say, You don’t know what I’ve done. I don’t care!

God cleanses ALL sin. All means all.

How can your universe change today?

Understand that Jesus is only one who can help you because He is God in the flesh. He existed before time began and He came to the earth as a man to redeem you! What an incredible thought! John said He saw it with his own eyes. He knew Christ was God in the flesh. He told the people of his time to trust in that truth.

Our universe is changed when we understand and acknowledge our need for a Savior because we are sinners. We are saved when we walk in the light of that truth. Jesus is our only hope for cleansing of our sin. We trust in him to give us victories over sin, but we know that our purity is still like filthy rags. We need His washing each and every day.

Here’s the last thing I want to share with you today:

Don’t Trust Your Feelings

Here’s the last verse of chapter 1

1 John 1:10 CEV

10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make God a liar, and his message isn’t in our hearts.

There’s something that happens in a Christian’s life. We can get to feeling pretty good about our walk with the Lord. Maybe after a while you see that your life really has changed. You don’t do the things you did before you were saved.

Drinking, smoking, fighting, or stealing. The ten commandments aren’t so hard to keep when you are more mature in your walk with Jesus.

But here’s the deal - We’re still sinful. You’ll end up saying something or doing something that is sinful. No person can be perfect.

The problem I’ve seen is that when a believer messes up they end up giving up because they trust their feelings instead of their faith.

Our culture is so big on how we feel. Feelings shouldn’t trump the Word of God.

Knowing something in your mind is different than knowing it in your heart.

When you mess up the enemy would love for you to withdraw and break fellowship with God.

When we mess up when need to do what the Word tells us to do:

1 John 1:9 CEV

9 But if we confess our sins to God, he can always be trusted to forgive us and take our sins away.

This is a PROMISE. You can ask God for His forgiveness and never ACCEPT it in your life.

I’ve heard people say, “I just can’t forgive myself”. Well, you’re NOT the Judge! God is and His word PROMISES that Christ was enough to save the worst sinner whose ever lived.

Romans 5:1 CEV

1 By faith we have been made acceptable to God. And now, because of our Lord Jesus Christ, we live at peace with God.

Faith NOT Feelings.

Stand on this promise:

Romans 8:1 NLT

1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.

It doesn’t say there’s no condemnation for those who don’t sin! It says it’s for those who belong to Jesus!

What does it mean to be in Christ? You TRUST Him in the finished work of the Cross.

It’s faith. Faith extinguishes the dart of the enemy.

The enemy says, You’re scum. You’re not saved. You’re the worst. You’ll never be good enough. You’ve messed up too many times.

What are you going to do when he attacks? God wants you to take up the shield of Faith.

Jesus was punished for me and I KNOW He has forgiven me!

Today is the day to change your universe!