Are You Listening?

Ryan Perz

1 John • Sermon • Submitted 4 years ago

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John invites us to look at God, the light, and listen to his word, which exposes our hearts and gives assurance

Notes

Transcript

Intro: I’ve heard it said before that one of the biggest problems we are dealing with as a human race is a failure to be good listeners.

I’ve heard “the experts” say that people need to do more listening to each other. If people would truly be good listeners, then somehow problems and divisions will be solved.

There may be wisdom in that.

--E.G. Jas 1:19 quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger

But is listening to other people our biggest problem? Is the world in such a mess just because we fail to listen to other human beings?

**I would say that the inability to listen is our greatest problem: but it’s a failure of listening to God.

It’s rare to find the person whose main desire is to listen to God.

This letter is written in a sermonic way. May have been intended to be passed around multiple churches.

—Now if we were to break this “sermon” down into points—I think it would divide into two—both hinge on who God’s character

God is Light (1:5)

God is Love (4:8)

**It’s important that God’s character be the foundation of this sermon-letter;

God’s character needs to be at the base of all our thinking.

“If our view of God is distorted, everything else is bound to be out of joint” (David Jackman)

God is Light—his character is good, pure, true…It also communicates that God illuminates, and brings warmth, comfort, and life to his Creation.

Light also reveals

The older I get and the the worse my eyesight is, the more I need light to see well.

In order to see things truly and purely, I need light.

It is God’s nature to reveal himself—he is not a God whose hiding—he reveals himself by His Spirit through the Word and by his Son.

Light describes God’s flawless holiness

1 Timothy 6:16 ESV

who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.

Apply: Once we get our view of God right, we are in a good place to listen

Sermons are intended to listened to

—A sermon is to listen not to the preachers opinions, or his jokes…but listen to God through His Word.

Sermons should also target different types of listeners.

The biggest mistake I made as an younger preacher—I probably had a “one size fits all approach”

—Jesus and the apostles did not use a “one-size fits all” approach

E.G.

—Jesus and Parable of the Soils (Mt 13)—4 types of soils represent different listeners based on heart receptivity.

Or,

1 Thessalonians 5:14 ESV

And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.

This passage is built on multiple if/then clauses

Yet they essentially target 3 different types of listeners

May God use this to expose what kind of listener we really are

Those who make light of their walk (v6)

Character is only known by action.

Walk is a rich metaphor used to describe a persons lifestyle.

I noted a few messages back that walk also is a picture of constant movement in a certain direction.

**The one thing notable about a true Christins is not just doctrine affirmed, be the transformed lifestyle .

Back when I worked with youth ministry there was a kid I had a soft spot for. He came from a broken family, was kind of a loner, and semi rebellious.

After he finished high school he went into the military. When I him next, he was a changed. Stood with confidence. You could tell he lived with and new purpose and under a new authority.

Apply: Knowing Jesus means that there is a transformation take place. Not sinless perfection—but a real transformation.

Years ago Christian bumper stickers were in vogue

There are some classics that may not always have the best theology

“God is my co-pilot”

“My boss is a Jewish carpenter” “Warning: In case of rapture, care will be unmanned”

But one that I always felt uneasy with:

“Christians aren’t perfect, just forgiven”

—True, Christians aren’t perfect. Christians are forgiven

But the word “just”—it seems to be anti-transformational

It could lead people to say that have a relationship with Jesus…but lack a transformed life.

Apply: Jesus doesn’t just forgive…he transforms. The one who Is Light calls out of the darkness.

Would you say your life has been transformed? Is your lifestyle marked by walking with God each day?

“Walking in the light means living each day with God who is light…Christians who live in God’s light do not find it difficult to walk together in fellowship”

(David Jackman)

Those who make light of their sin (8,10)

The first kind of listener does not take their character seriously; this one does not take confession seriously.

1 John sees sin as a serious problem. The noun occurs 17x and the verb form 10x...in the rather short letter.

Both vs 8 & 10 say similar things but two different ways

—If we say he have no sin: we are self-deceived (v8)

**It makes sense that one person can deceive another—but to know we are deceiving ourselves.

Jeremiah 17:9 ESV

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?

Deceived: that’s a category that all non-Christians fit into.

—If we say we have no sin: it offends the character of God and devalues his Word (10)

Apply: This kind of listener is an unbeliever. The first was “religious hypocrite” —this one has not faith, not place for God’s Word—their denial of sin contradicts God’s Word.

One of the first signs of God’s work of grace in our heart is bring us out of making light of our sin

John 16:8 ESV

And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:

People have been self-deceived about their sin for a long time.

There is a story of a man once who told a well known preacher that he did not have sin, and did not really have a sin struggle.

So he invited the man over for dinner. At the end of dinner, Spurgeon took a glass of water and threw it in the mans face

The man responded in an obvious burst of anger—which Spurgeon replied

“Ah you see, the old man within you is not dead. He had simply fainted and could be revived with a glass of water”

All it takes to remind us of how quick we are to sin is to get a glass of water thrown into our face.

Those who make much of Jesus (7,9)

The goal of all discipleship can be boiled down to this: make much of Jesus

Making much of Jesus is marked by a few things

—Conduct (7): If we walk in the light. Again, the life of a disciple is a transformed life.

There are good consequences: the first being fellowship.

Apply: Do we ever think how casually accepting and allowing sin kills fellowship? Sometimes we are deceived to think that sin is just a personal thing. It will only effect me. Maybe my relationship with God will be sour for a season...

But here we see that a casual attitude toward sin kills fellowship

—Confession (9a): When Jesus taught his disciples to pray, he included a prayer of confession

*concealing sin is a dead-end road.

Proverbs 28:13 ESV

Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.

Now for many years I saw this teaching me as an individual. SO in my personal prayer life I need to confess my sins: anger in traffic, lustful thought, impatience with my family--

But it seems more fitting in a church context that it talking about public confession; even going to another brother or sister and confessing to them.

The few times we see confession mentioned in the NT, it’s usually in the context of public

E.G>

James 5:16 ESV

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

A life that makes much of Jesus is willing to humble itself enough to confess…even if it involves going to another person, or even more egregious sin, publically

—Cleansing (9b):

The present tense speaks of a continual action

Twice our attention is drawn to the cross-work of Jesus (7 & 9)

When we put our hope in the cross of Jesus the outcome is a cleansing and purification from sins.

It’s a comprehensive cleansing

Both times is reminds us of how effective it is: cleanses from all sin; cleanses from all unrighteousness.

Now I believe in verbal-plenary inspiration. In other words, every word of Scripture is there for a very intentional and important reason.

In the text there is a very small word…yet carries massive weight to it—all (v7 & 9)

It’s our firm belief in the all that leads us to true assurance.

The ground of assurance is that if we come to Jesus ,humbly confess our sins…his blood cleanses us from all sin.

Big sins—Sins that deeply wound others and our own consciences; sins that can bring massive shame and even life-altering consequences: covered and cleansed

Habitual sins—ones that we really hate, but growth is still a slow process: covered and cleansed

Respectable sins— sins of what Jerry Bridges calls “respectable” Ones that somehow the Christian community turns a blind eye toward.

They are still serious enough the Jesus had to shed his blood for them.

Even these require the cover and cleansing of Jesus.

The cover and cleansing of Jesus is our only hope of assurance.

Apply: I know from experience both with myself and my own soul, and in trying to help others—that many Christians can struggle with assurance.

We can get into a rut of navel-gazing; or worse, comparing ourselves with other believes we thing are on the gospel-A team.

None of that causes us to make much of Christ; what causes us to make much of Christ is the faith that believes and rests in the promise of 1 Jn 1:9

Apply: Are you resting in this promise today? All sins (past, present, future) are covered by the blood?