Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction:

We live in a society that loves to deny absolute truth and in turn makes truth subjective—relativism—truth is relative.

And subjective truth is the foundation to today’s Postmodernism.

Postmodernism gives each person the right to determine their own truth.

And everyone’s determination of what is true is true for them.

And no one has a corner on the market of truth; therefore, what is true for me may not be true for you.

But both truths are equally valid.

You can see this throughout our society you see for example those who speak about homosexual marriage or so-called.

“Christian Postmodernists” say things like this:

“According to my religion, my belief, I personally think homosexual marriage is wrong so I'm for traditional marriage.

But don't misunderstand me, I have no foundation to tell you to agree.

You may be for homosexual marriage and that's good for you--that’s your truth--that's your reality and I have no right to tell you what is wrong for you.

But personally, my truth this: I'm for traditional marriage.”

And so both views are equally valid truths in the eyes of many despite the fact that they contradict each other.

Since truth is then not objective, it is just as subjective as a preference for a flavor of icecream, and that is the “truth” of many.

Your truth might different from mine but today that is okay since they are both equally valid.

This line of reasoning spills into all areas of life.

For example, the topic of abortion: you'll hear politicians say things like: “Personally, according to my religion, I'm against abortion.

But no that's not what our country believes, that's not true for our country; and therefore, I won't try to change this prevailing view, I will simply respect the popular view as being valid.

I will not change it even though according to my religion I think I'm against abortion.”

Well, what are they really saying?

When they say things like this “according to their religion” they say as soft as possible it is murder!

It is brutal murder of the most helpless and innocent citizens of this country.

They say, “But that is only my opinion of truth and when I represent you before the law and murder, I won't enforce my view of ruthless murder upon you because your view of it is equally valid as my view and I shall never offend you lest I be accused of intolerance.”

There's no objective truth, it simply up to the individual to construct truth to live by.

And everyone has to agree that any truth is equally valid--no matter the inconsistencies, the absurdities, or the contradictions.

And the greatest sin, according to the postmodernists, is intolerance.

They do not define tolerance/intolerance the way that it was originally defined.

Traditionally tolerance to endure something.

It's to suffer long because of something.

Is to say it is wrong.

And then still suffer with it and under it.

But tolerance in today's terms and you could look this up on Google and it will give you definitions like this: tolerance is defined as a permissive attitude.

And so we are told by this society to have a permissive attitude toward sin.

The world says “You say you're so righteous.

That's fine if that's what you hold to--those truths of the Bible--in that law, but don't push that on me! you need to have permissive attitude towards my sin.”

Or another way that they define tolerance is: to have an undogmatic viewpoint.

You might have heard someone say “Well it's fine if you believe the Bible, but you cannot be dogmatic about it with me.”

And it is true that you are to be tolerant of those who are not dogmatic about the truths of scripture and to those who reject the word of God.

BUT as a Christian, we must define tolerance as it ought to be defined.

We don't go around spitting on people and kicking them and killing them.

But what we do as authentic Christians is we say what is wrong.

And we declare it!

And then we may suffer because of it.

But we do not have this permissive attitude or “undogmatic viewpoint” about sinful things.

So then, you cannot tolerate sin in the sense of the world speaks of toleration.

You do not tolerate sin in the sense that you're not open minded about it, you're not interested in affirming it, and you ought not be undogmatic about.

But we do not have this permissive attitude or “undogmatic viewpoint” about sinful things.

If you are righteous, that means you're set squarely against sin.

You speak against it you don't want it in your own life, you put it to death without mercy.

You rebuke others!

You desire that they turn away from it.

Much Like Noah.

Remember that Noah the days before the flood he was called “a preacher of righteousness.”

He did not say to the heathens, “my truth is that a flood is coming and I need to get the ark, won't you join me if it doesn’t offend you?” No! to sum him up, he essentially said this is the truth: you will die by the wrath of YHWH and then he preached righteousness to that generation and then one last invitation to come.

Transition:

This morning’s passage is an emotional radical dichotomy which flies in the face of relativistic postmodernism and shames the so-called “Christian Postmodernists.”

John has a word against these people:

Scripture Reading:

John now defined sin in absolute terms, presenting negatively the same truth he just expressed positively in the last few verses (3:1–3).

This text clearly presents the goal that all believers long for, a total deliverance from sin.

Through Christ’s power we have the potential for sinless living.

But not everybody in the church has this goal in mind.

This is John’s challenge to us today from his first epistle: Where do you stand?

Where do you stand?

Transition:

This challenge from this passage is repeated and really sectioned into three parts: a warning, a declaration, and a self examination.

And these will be our 2 points this morning: challenge number one vv 4-6.

And challenge number 2 verses 7-10.

and so first challenge is:

he warns us, he makes a declaration, then causes us to examine ourselves and the second challenge is John doing the same thing: he warns us, he makes a declaration, then causes us to examine ourselves again.

I. Challenge #1 (vv.

4-6)

Lawless against what law?

God’s Holy Law, not man's law that conflicts with God’s Holy Law--it is not sinful to break those laws.

Remember in , the apostles before the Sanhedrin:

it is not sin to disobey man’s laws that are clearly against our Creator

John is saying when it comes to sin it is defined in regard to YHWH’s Law--It is a breach to YHWH’s Law

Since being born of God demands self-purification, then a life of sin, or a continual lack of purity, demonstrates that one cannot really be God’s child.

Sin cannot coexist with the new nature derived from the new birth.

Those who keep on sinning are active rebels against God.

There is a difference between committing a sin and continuing to sin.

Even the most faithful believers commit sins, but they do not choose to commit it.

A believer who commits a sin repents, confesses, and finds forgiveness is a healthy Christian.

Those who choose to continue to sin will not repent of what they are doing.

Therefore, they will not confess and never receive forgiveness.

They live in opposition to God, no matter what religious claims they make.

This is the warning — don’t continue in sin!

Now for the declaration:

3:5 Besides the fact that sin is rebellion against God, another reason that Christians should not sin is because Jesus came to take away their sins.

In other words, to know of such a sacrifice and then to keep on sinning depreciates that sacrifice.

The reason Jesus came to earth was to take away people’s sins.

This could only happen because there is no sin in him, so he could provide a suitable sacrifice.

Under the Old Testament sacrifice system, Jews offered a lamb without blemish as a sacrifice for sin.

Jesus is “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” ().

Because Jesus lived a perfect life and sacrificed himself for sin, people can be completely forgiven (2:2).

Only he could bridge the gap between the sinless God and sinful people.

Jesus died on the cross in our place, taking all our wrongdoing upon himself, saving us from the ultimate consequences of our sin—eternal judgment.

Because Jesus still lives and still has no sin in him, it follows that he is totally opposed to sin.

It also follows, then, that those who claim to be his people must be totally opposed to sin.

Besides the fact that sin is rebellion against God, another reason that believers should not sin is because Jesus came to take away their sins.