Confessing Our Sin, Pleading Our Case, and the Joy of Fellowship                                    I John 1:5-2:2

Dan Brooks, Pastor                                                                                            Sunday Service, February 13

Monday>Thoughtfully read I John 1:1-2:2. This will review the previous sermon reference as well as the passage for this week.

Introduction:

Jerry Bridges wisely and poignantly writes “the idea of fellowship as a term for Christian social activity utterly empties the word of its New Testament meaning.”[1]

John Stott:  “We cannot be content with . . . a church life whose principle of cohesion is a superficial social camaraderie instead of a spiritual fellowship with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.”[2]  And I added, “And with His people.”

Ø  Fellowship originates in a shared relationship with Christ.

·         Christ is the subject of our message.

·         Christ is the substance of our fellowship.

Ø  Fellowship culminates in full joy.

·         We prize our share in Christ more than we prize our share in our ethnic background, our hobbies and interests, or even our vocation.

·         We commit ourselves to one another because of our share in Christ.

·         This is why a church picnic, a hospital visit, a phone call, a Caregivers morning, or a Shepherding Group and not just church attendance are so important to you.

To build on our understanding of fellowship, turn again to 1 John, p. 899 in your pew Bible.  (Read 1 John 1:1-2:2.)

We’re constantly in search of joy.  We spend our time, our money, our energy pursuing that sense of happiness and fulfillment.  We live in the delusion that complete joy can be found in earthly experiences, in larger houses, in perfect families, in lucrative careers, in long years of ministry.

John says plainly that complete joy is found in true Christian fellowship.  Again, I want to know why?

Tuesday>Consider I John 1:5-7 and the passages mentioned in today’s portion of the sermon notes.

I.      The Complete Joy of Christian Fellowship is consistent with the perfect Character of God.

A.      God is light (1:5).

1.       Light: mystery,

a.       Light reveals.

b.       John 3:19 (ESV) And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil.

c.        John 8:12 (ESV) Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

d.       Christ as the Light, reveals in you and me all that is evil, everything that is of the darkness.

2.       in Him is no darkness at all:

a.       In the Greek texts, there is a double negative that emphasizes in the strongest terms possible that in God there is no darkness whatsoever.

b.       No trace of evil; not the faintest shadow of sin.

B.      God lives in the light (1:7a).

1.       He is in the light.

a.       This is the sphere of His existence.

b.       And He doesn’t change, doesn’t move in and out of this sphere of perfect goodness, holiness.

2.       Point: This is not good news for us.

Questions: Is there something in your life you love more than Jesus Christ? In other words, are there actions, places, etc. where you do not want Jesus Christ to be involved? Can you praise God today that sending the Light into world allowed you to be confronted about your evil deeds?

Wednesday>Give careful attention to I John 1:6-10 and the other references for today. The questions are included in the notes.

II.      The Complete Joy of Christian Fellowship exists only in the Sphere of Truth.

A.      Believers confess the truth of their inherent sinfulness (1:6ff).

1.       Ἐὰν εἴπωμεν . . . (1:6)

a.       First objection:  If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth (1:6)

1)       “Sure we’re sinning, but it doesn’t affect our walk with God.”

2)       Κοινωνίαν and ἐν τῳ̂ σκότει περιπατω̂μεν are mutually exclusive!

b.       The Light of Truth:

1)       We speak falsely!

2)       We do not act in accordance with the truth!

2.       ἐὰν εἴπωμεν . . . (1:8)

a.       Second objection: “Sin doesn’t exist.”

b.       The Light of Truth: sin does exist in us.

1)       we deceive ourselves

2)       the truth is not in us.

3.       ἐὰν εἴπωμεν . . . (1:10)

a.       Third objection:  “Sin may exist, but in practice we have not sinned.”

1)       do wrong, to act or intend contrary to the will and law of God[3]

b.       We make him a liar

c.        His word is not in us.

d.       Truth:  Sin actively exists in us.

1)       We sin against each other in word.

2)       We sin against each other in action.

3)       We sin against each other in thought.

4.       Point:  But if we deny this, we’re not walking in the light.  Now how is this such a vital part of true Christian fellowship?

a.       Is part of fellowship rehearsing our many and atrocious sins?

b.       Should we have a time at our mid-week prayer meeting and in our Shepherding Groups where we just lay out every sordid detail?

5.       Confess:

a.       to acknowledge a fact publicly, often in reference to previous bad behavior—‘to admit.’[4]

b.       Phil 2:11 “every tongue confess[es] that Jesus Christ is Lord” means simply to acknowledge a fact publicly, and in this instance there is no implication of previous bad behavior.”[5]

6.       Confess our sins:

a.       Sins:  to act, speak, or think in a way contrary to the will and law of God.

b.       Point:  God is calling me to acknowledge openly before Him that I have acted, spoken, or thought in such a way as to violate His will and law.

1)       “Lord God, my sexual activity outside of marriage is a violation of your will and law.”

2)       “Lord God, my false claims on last years’ tax return have violated your will and law.”

3)       “Lord God, the harsh words I have spoken to my spouse or family this week are violations of your will and law.”

4)       “Lord God, the passive neglect of my God-given responsibilities as husband or wife or child or employee is a violation of your will and law.”

5)       “I have sinned.”

c.        Why must we do this before we can have fellowship one with another?

1)       Because unless we are confessing our inherent sinfulness, we are not walking in the light.

2)       And unless we are walking in the light, we cannot and will not have fellowship with God or this body of believers!

Thursday>Review I John 1:9-2:2 and the other references for today. Again today, the questions are already in the notes.

B.      Believers rest in the truth of Christ’s inherent righteousness (1:9).

1.       God remedies our sinfulness through forgiveness.

a.       He is faithful . . . to forgive

1)       Faithful:  trustworthy, dependable, reliable

2)       Forgive: to pardon, to cancel a debt

b.       You can count on this wonderful God to forgive.

c.        God’s goodness is seen in His justice.

1)       He is just to forgive

2)       He acts with justice; His behavior is proper.

3)       Why? Because we’re not really that bad and after all we didn’t really mean to hurt Him as deeply as we did? No.

4)       For the sake of Jesus Christ and the sacrifice He made on the Cross, God is able to forgive us our sins.

5)       “The cross is, in fact, the only moral ground on which He can forgive sin at all, for there the blood of Jesus His Son was shed that He might be ‘the propitiation’ for our sins (2:2).”[6]

6)       God for Christ’s sake forgives you (Eph 4:32).

2.       God remedies our sinfulness through cleansing.

a.       He cleanses:

1)       καθαρίσῃ: [3S, Aor Act Subj] cleansing

2)       Hebrews 9:14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, (καθαριει̂  [3S, Fut Act Ind] or purge) purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.

3)       And what does this powerful blood cleanse?

b.       Us!

1)       We’re the objects of cleansing.

2)       We’re the objects of care and attention!

3)       We’re the recipients of all the benefits of this catharsis!

c.        From all unrighteousness:

1)       All manner of wrongdoing.

3.       God forgives and cleanses through our Righteous Advocate (2:1-2).

a.       Advocate: παράκλητον, one called alongside to help.

1)       In a legal setting, it is a lawyer who pleads another’s case before the judge.

2)       Here Jesus Christ is called our Advocate.

3)       And note that our Advocate is also called “the righteous.”

b.       The Righteous:  the same term translated “just” in 1:9.

1)       Jesus Christ is the One who seeks justice for us.

2)       How does He plead our case?

c.        The Propitiation:

1)       Jesus Christ is also the appeasement or turning away of God’s wrath against sinners.

2)       God’s wrath is turned away by means of Christ’s blood-shedding and death on the cross.

3)       Jesus Christ is not only the One pleading our case, but He is our plea.

d.       Point:  When we walk in the light of God’s truth, we see the awfulness of our sin.

1)       “Lord, my sexual sin is heinous!  The pornography I view, the Christless entertainment I watch, the sexually profane humor I hear is wretched.  Is there help for me?”

2)       “O God, my self-righteous, judgmental, critical spirit is awful!  Is there any forgiveness for me?”

3)       “Lord, my anger is wretched! My lack of self-control, the bitterness on my tongue, the hostility in my heart!  Could you cleanse this heart?”

4)       “Lord God, my past is as dark and black with sin as any person ever dared imagine!  Is there any help for me?”

e.        And like a Mighty Champion once veiled by our hopelessness and sinfulness, the glorious defense is revealed by the light of God’s truth: “We have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the Righteous!”

Friday>Meditate in I John 2:1-2.

III.      Conclusion:

A.      The corporate worship this morning has been empty and meaningless, without joy for some of you this morning.  Why?

1.       You carried a boatload of sin into this place.

2.       You’re not walking in the light; you’re hiding in the darkness.

3.       You’re not confessing your sins; you’re covering them.

B.      Point:  We’re not here this morning because of our perfections.  We’re here this morning because we are inherently sinful people and we’ve found an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous.  We didn’t come here to work off our sin debt by our singing or by our offerings or by our pretty clothing or our sweet smiles.

1.       We came this morning because we know we’ll die without Jesus and the blood-soaked Cross!

2.       So bring your sin!  Bring all of it, ugly as it is and lay it down!  Lay it down with all its accompanying grief and sorrow!  Lay it down with all its bondage and fear!  Lay it down at the feet of Jesus as you confess, “O Christ, I am a sinner who needs forgiveness and cleansing!”

3.       And then rest your weary heart in the goodness of God as seen in His faithfulness and justice to forgive, and as seen in the greatness of Christ to advocate your cause!

4.       That, my friends, is the stuff of great dinner conversation.  What God does for us through Christ is far richer material than what the Boston Red Sox or New England Patriots have accomplished this year.

5.       Far richer than what Phil Mickelson is doing.

6.       Far richer than the good deals you found at the outlets or at Dillard’s or Banks or Big Lots.

7.       Far richer than the sites or sounds you experienced outside the borders of the U.S. or within the sanctuary of our National Parks or quietness of our treasured museums.

8.       Your identity as a once-upon-a-time-sinner, but now a blood-cleansed saint is a far better identity than the name of your company or school or neighborhood.

9.       Until we make the forgiveness of our sins through the Advocacy of Jesus Christ central to who we are, what we do and what we speak of, we will not know the complete joy of Christian fellowship.

10.    So let’s cease from the superficial social camaraderie that talks only about that surface stuff.  And let us be people who humbly confess that we are sinners and passionately glory in our Advocate, Jesus Christ, the Righteous.

Questions: How are you planning to follow through with the “Application” section given below? Who are you meeting, calling, or emailing to rejoice in your Advocate?

IV.      Application:

A.      This week, find another believer and glory in our Advocate.

1.       Talk together

2.       Instant message one another

3.       Text message one another

4.       Sing together

B.      Make Christ and His work for you the central topic of conversation.

1.       “Can you believe what 1 John 1-2 really means?”

2.       “Can you believe that as bad as our sin is and as guilty as we are, we have the promise of forgiveness, cleansing, and advocacy?!”

Saturday>Take some time to reread the passage and praise God for providing Jesus Christ as the Advocate and Argument for family and friends to be forgiven.

Sunday>Consider the joy of confessing sin and finding forgiveness as you read Psalm 51.

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[1]Bridges, Jerry, The Crisis of Caring: Recovering the Meaning of True Fellowship, P&R Publishing, 16.

[2]Stott, John, The Epistles of John, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries, 64.

[3]Swanson, J. (1997). Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains : Greek (New Testament) (electronic ed.) (GGK279). Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

[4]Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996, c1989). Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament : Based on semantic domains (electronic ed. of the 2nd edition.) (Vol. 1, Page 419). New York: United Bible societies.

[5]Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A.

[6]Stott, 78.