1 John 3:4-10: Putting to Death What Jesus Came to Destroy

Introduction

Ryan Trahan - 50 states in 50 days… Driving by the ABNB they stayed at in Ponchatoula. Getting Joyride candy… A camera and an idea and YouTube, now he’s worth millions… Because people can’t stop watching. No special effects, big budgets, etc…

I have an idea… visiting the worst hotel in each state… Staci doesn’t like it.

Nobody wants the worst… You want the best. If you went on vacation this summer, you didn’t say to your spouse, “Let’s go to the worst place possible and stay in the worst hotel.”

However, every day, people are on a path to the worst possible destination: eternal separation from God. Consistently choosing a life that is in rebellion against the will of God will put you on a path to what is the absolute worst.

The path to eternal separation from God is an easy path to take because there’s an enemy who makes that path look so appealing.

Are you on the path to separation from God or the path to life with God forever? How you deal with the sin in your life says a lot about the path that you are on.

More decisive question: If sin is destructive, and if sin puts me on a path to eternal separation from God, how do I put it to death in my life? Let’s not ignore the struggle this morning because your response to your sin in your life may actually reveal that you are on the path that leads to destruction.

We’re revisiting a subject that John in some ways already talked about in 1 John :5-2:2. In this letter, John likes to revisit things he’s already talked about. He comes back to his point and essentially says, “I have more to say about that…”

Two ways decisively deal with sin in your life.

Stop settling for being broken.

John reminded his readers that the end is near, and as we approach the end, we should long for the appearance of Christ. For those who belong to Christ, when He appears, we will be like Him - sinless - because sin will finally be done away with.

However, a warning for those who remain in sin. When Christ returns, for those who have not turned from their sins, there will be judgment. For those who refuse to turn from their sins, it will be evident that they are children of the devil, not children of God (vs. 10).

John giving a clear warning: children of God do not commit sin (vs. 4). Or, ESV - do not make a practice of sinning. John NOT saying that believers in Jesus never sin (Remember 1 John 1:9-2:2). John is saying that believers do not embrace a lifestyle of sin because by the very nature of being a follower of Jesus, something inside of us has changed.

John wants to make sure we’re clear: a life where you consistently love the world and give in to every craving the world offers and say no to the life that God offers is lawlessness.

Sin = harmatia. Carries the connotation of “missing the mark.” Sin is falling short of God’s standard. We know none of us hit the bulls eye every time (Romans 3:23). That’s why we need a Savior (Romans 3:24).

However, when thinking about missing the mark as sin, it’s not simply that you’re not good at hitting the target. It’s that you intentionally choose to miss the target. That’s lawlessness. It’s knowing God’s standard, and instead of aiming for it, you aim elsewhere.

vs. 5 - Jesus was revealed to take away sins, and there is no sin in Him. John already talked about the second coming (vs. 2). Now, John is talking about Jesus’ first coming. Jesus came 2000 years ago to take away.

God knows that you miss the mark. God knows that people are given to lawlessness, so He sent His Son to do what we could not do - to live a substitutionary life. He lived the life we could not live, and died the death we deserve to take away sin.

What does it mean that Jesus takes away sin? He takes away the penalty of sin. For followers of Jesus, we do not fear eternal judgment because was judged in our place. He takes away the power of sin. You are no longer enslaved to sin. Yes, you can still be influenced, but you are no longer under sin’s control. You are under the control of the Spirit. You can actually put sin to death by the power of the Spirit. He will take away the presence of sin. At His second coming, Jesus will once and for all rid the world of sin. It will be no more. Jesus has come to take away sin.

Note: Jesus has come to take away sin. Do you see sin being taken away in your life? Not, are you sinless, but are you sinning less? Stop settling for being broken. Yes, we’re all broken people. Yes, we all struggle with sin. But, Jesus didn’t die so we might stay broken. He died to take away our sin - to make us new - to empower us to overcome.

Have you settled for sin? Is your attitude towards your sin, “This is just the way that I am. I’ll never be able to overcome.” If so, you don’t understand the power of the cross.

vs. 6 - remains = abide. John loves to use this word (John 15). To abide = to make your home in. If you make your home in Jesus, you will not sin. Sin in this verse is present tense OR continuous action. Again, John writing about a lifestyle of continuous, habitual sin without any regard to the will of God. And everyone who does sin - or walks in a habitual lifestyle of sin does not know God.

Remember there’s a difference between struggling with sin and embracing sin as a lifestyle. We all struggle with sin, but Christians who struggle with sin go to war against it.

However, if you are satisfied with being broken, a warning. Genuine followers of Jesus long for restoration, not brokenness. How do you know if you have settled for brokenness?

You minimize sin. (You simply choose to not see it the same way God sees it.)

You ignore sin. (Don’t look inward - just pretend like you don’t have a problem.)

You manage sin. (You fix the surface, but don’t deal with the heart. You go just far enough but not too far. You look but you don’t touch, you think but you don’t act, you gossip, but you don’t outright blast someone - So, on the surface, you look like you have your act together.)

You excuse sin. (This is the way God made me, the devil made me do it, if you knew how I was treated, etc.)

You know sin is wrong, but you refuse to decisively deal with it. If you find yourself settling for brokenness, may be an indicator that you have not experienced new life in Christ - that you are on the path to destruction.

Start crucifying sin by the power of the Spirit.

vs. 7 - Those who belong to Christ are becoming like Christ - do the right thing. Again, not perfect, but present tense - continually striving to live a life that honors the Lord.

vs. 8 - To stay in a lifestyle of sin is to show who you really belong to - the enemy (John 8:44 - Jesus says this of the Pharisees). Satan has sinned from the beginning - in the Garden of Eden he showed who he is and deceived Adam and Eve. He has not stopped sinning. He has always been opposed to God. He’s not going to change.

Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil - OR, to render him powerless. There are two competing kingdoms: the kingdom of God and the kingdom of this world. The kingdom of this world will not overcome the kingdom of God.

How did Jesus destroy the works of the devil?

1. His appearance (vs. 8). At the return of Christ, Satan will once and for all be thrown in the lake of fire. However, at Jesus’ first coming, He decisively defeated Satan. Satan cannot remove from you what God has done for you. If you are in Christ, Satan cannot accuse you or enslave you to his kingdom. It’s done. Jesus is the Promised Seed of Genesis 3:15.

2. The new birth (vs. 9). God has done something in you. Followers of Jesus are given new life (John 3, 2 Cor. 5:17). Because of new life, followers of Jesus do not continue in sin. Or, we do not embrace a lifestyle of continual, habitual sin. Again, John not saying that we are sinless, but that we can’t continue in the old way of life because God has put His seed within us. Divine life has been implanted in the believer when he is born again - the Holy Spirit is within you to teach you, convict you, and empower you to live the new life. Born again people do not run back to sin but crucify sin.

Your willingness to crucify sin in your life by the power of the Spirit is the evidence that you are a child of God and not a child of Satan. Notice that John again points out that your obedience to the command to love others is evidence of your faith in Jesus. John combining two themes in vs. 10 - love and righteous. Children of God live righteous lives that are evidenced in the way that you love others.

You really can crucify sin. While you will never be sinless, you can put sin to death. What you struggle with today, you don’t have to struggle with for the rest of your life. E.g., you might struggle with porn, but you don’t have to be entrapped by that sin for the next 20 years. You can find freedom from it because you have been born again and God’s Spirit is within you. How do you overcome?

Recognize sin as the enemy. As appealing as sin is, and as much as it might give you temporary happiness, it is in no way your friend. You run to sin because it comforts you. How often do you turn to your favorite sin when you are stressed rather than turning to God? How often do you try to find comfort in something that is actually destroying your soul?

Don’t just deal with the external without dealing with the internal. Crucifying sin isn’t just stopping bad habits. It’s not just stopping drinking or cussing or being so materialistic. It’s possible to stop the outward expression of sin without dealing with what’s causing the sin. For example, if gossip is the sin you need to crucify, what causes you to gossip? Insecurity about who you are in Christ? Pride? Bitterness? Lack of love? If addiction is the sin, what’s the hear issue? Lack of trust that God is enough? Idolatry? Looking to something other than Christ to satisfy? What about lust? Is the root issue selfishness - you want what you want instead of what God wants? Or, is the root issue a worship issue - you worship pleasure rather than God? Is the root issue discontentment? You don’t believe that God can satisfy your soul?

Crucifying sin requires change of thinking, change of heart, and a change actions. We often fail to crucify sin because we’re not willing to go deep enough to unearth the root causes of our sin.

Ask the Spirit to help you replace sinful habits with righteous habits. Ephesians 4 - We grow in Christ by putting off the old and putting on the new. God doesn’t want you to just get rid of sin. He also wants you to put on righteousness. What are the righteous habits that need to replace the sinful habits? Generosity? Gospel sharing? Daily confession and repentance? Communion with God? Practicing gratitude? Serving others?

People who have been born again live as if they are born again. Have you been born again? Some of us in this room need to be born again. You are born again when you believe that Jesus came to take away your sins by living life you could not live, dying the death you deserve, and rising again from the dead. You are born again when you repent of your sins and turn to Him by faith. This morning, there is new life awaiting those in this room who have never trusted Jesus.

For those of us who are followers of Jesus, let us live our lives in a way that is consistent with what we claim. What sins in your life need to be crucified?