“How do I know that I am being obedient to the commands and demands of Jesus? What does that look like?”

This week we are looking at a section of a letter that is recorded for us in the New Testament of the Bible, called the book of 1 John. Yesterday, in 1 John 2:3-5, we discovered a timeless truth when it comes to connecting in true community in that our obedience to God results in true community with God and others as we grow in our love for God and others.  We discovered the timeless reality that the person who has a genuine and authentic relationship with God will persist in obeying the commands and demands of Jesus.

However, the person who claims to have close community with God while living a life that is in disobedience to the commands and demands of Jesus is lying to themselves and others. And the person who claims to have close community with God while living a life that is in disobedience to the commands and demands of Jesus is misleading themselves in way that leads them astray from God and reveals that reality that the truth of God that was communicated to us by Jesus is not in them. By contrast, the person who claims to have close community with God and lives a life that persists in pursuing a life of obedience to the commands and demands of Jesus will experience a growing love for Jesus and others that will grow to perfection and maturity.

Now a natural question that could arise here is “How do I know that I am being obedient to the commands and demands of Jesus? What does that look like?”

If that question is running through your mind, I just want to let you know that you are asking a great question. And as John continues this next section of his letter, we see John provide the answer to that question. So let's discover the answer to that question together, beginning in the second half of verse 5-6:

By this we know that we are in Him: ⁶ the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.

Now to fully understand what John is communicating here, we first need to understand what John means when he uses the phrase “abide in Him”. The word abide literally means to not leave a certain realm or sphere. So when John uses the phrase “abides in Him”, this is the idea of remaining in connection with God as one is mystically and spiritually united in Christ as a follower of Jesus.

You see, when God the Father looks at us as followers of Jesus, He does not simply see us. Instead, He sees us in Christ. Right now, in a mystical and spiritual way, God the Father sees you as a follower of Jesus, in Christ, in Heaven. As a result of God's activity through Jesus that results in my relationship with Jesus, God see me in Christ. As followers of Jesus we are part of the church, which is the body of Christ here on earth. But even now, we are mystically and spiritually a part of the body of Christ in Heaven.

And as followers of Jesus we remain connected to God as we live in obedience to the message and teaching of Jesus as a result of being mystically and spiritually connected with Jesus. John’s point is that we know that we are mystically and spiritually connected with Jesus by whether or not we live a life that looks like Jesus. John’s point is that that the person who remains connected with God as they are mystically and spiritually united with Jesus will demonstrate a persistent obedience to the teachings of Jesus and a life that is being transformed from a life marked by selfishness and rebellion to a life marked by Christ-likeness and selfless love.

John’s point is that the person who claims to remain connected to God is to be under obligation to conduct their day to day life in a way that looks like Jesus as they strive to persist in obeying the commands and demands of Jesus. We see John reinforce this reality with what he writes next. So let’s look together at what John writes nest in verse 7-8:

 Beloved, I am not writing a new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning; the old commandment is the word which you have heard. ⁸ On the other hand, I am writing a new commandment to you, which is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true Light is already shining.

Here we see John use a term of endearment to remind the members of the church of Ephesus how he felt about them as he reminded them about what he had previously communicated to them. You see, John wanted the members of the church at Ephesus to clearly understand that he was not making new demands upon them in the form of a new command. John was not calling the members of the church to obey something new.

Instead John was reminding the members of the church that they had an obligation to follow the message and teaching of Jesus that they had learned from the beginning. When John refers to the beginning here, he is referring to the first time that the members of the church had heard the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel. This is John’s way of saying that he is not imposing a new command or demand on the readers of this letter, but only reminding them and pointing them to what they have known and heard from the very beginning of their new life as followers of Jesus.

However, on the other hand, as John point out in verse 8, this command was new in the sense that it was true “in Him and in you”. But what does that even mean? John’s point here is that the commands and demands of Jesus find its true expression through the life of Jesus and through the life of followers of Jesus as they remain connected to God as they are mystically and spiritually united with Jesus. In other words, what it looks like to live a life of obedience to the commands and demands of Jesus is revealed by the life of Jesus and the life of followers of Jesus as they faithfully live in obedience to the commands of Jesus in close connection with Jesus.

John then explained that the reason that this is the case is due to the fact that “the darkness is passing away and the true Light is already shining”. As we discovered earlier in this series, darkness refers to a moral and spiritual darkness caused by those that are hostile to God and place themselves in opposition to God. When John uses the phrase passing away, this phrase literally means to go out of existence. John’s point is that the moral and spiritual darkness that is caused by those who stand in opposition to God and His kingdom is being brought to a place of extinction.

This is the case because, as John points out, the true light is already shining. When John uses the word light, he is painting an image of the nature of God that illumines the souls of humanity. As we talked about earlier in this series, John uses this imagery to reveal the reality that there is a Creator God who is light and who is without flaw or fault and there is creation that was covered in darkness as a result of the selfishness and rebellion of humanity.

John here is painting a word picture of the world as in the darkness of night, but the first rays of the dawning of the sun have begun to rise. This word picture of the sunrise in the morning is designed to remind the readers of his letter throughout history that the light and the love of the kingdom of Heaven have begun to break through the darkness of a world that had been covered in selfishness and rebellion through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus and the life of followers of Jesus who persist in living a life of obedience to the message and teaching of Jesus. 

And as John continues his letter, we see John focus on another claim that those who had left the church and were attempting to get others to leave the church were making. We will look at that claim Friday…

Our obedience to God results in true community with God and others as we grow in our love for God and others...

At the church where I serve we are in the middle of a sermon series entitled Connect. During this series, we are looking at a letter that is recorded for us in the New Testament of the Bible, called the book of 1 John. During this series, we are discovering the components that make for true connection and community. During this series, we are discovering the landmines and roadblocks that keep us from true connection and community. And as we go through this series, our hope and our prayer is that God would move by the power of the Holy Spirit in our heads, hearts, and hands, in a way that moves us to the place where we can experience the connection and community with God and one another that we were created and designed to experience.  

We launched into this series by looking at the opening section of the book of 1 John, where we discovered discover the timeless truth that we experience true community with others as we experience true community with God. Last week, we looked at 1 John 1:8-2:2, where we discovered that we experience true community with God and others as we confess our selfishness and rebellion to God and others.

This week I would like for us to pick up where we left off last week. And as we jump into the next section of this letter that has been preserved and recorded for us in the New Testament of the Bible, called the book of John, we will see John reveal for us another timeless truth when it comes to how we can experience the connection and community with God and one another that we were created and designed to experience. So let’s jump into the next section of this letter together, beginning in 1 John 2:3-5a:

By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. ⁴ The one who says, "I have come to know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; ⁵ but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected.

John begins this section of his letter by addressing an issue that had arisen as a result of some people who had left the church at Ephesus and were trying to influence others to leave the church at Ephesus. You see, there were some people who had attended the church at one time, but had left the church, who were claiming that you could have close connection with God while living their day to day lives in a way that is marked by moral and spiritual darkness as a result of selfishness and rebellion against God. There were some people who had attend the church at one time, but had left the church, who were proclaiming that they were not guilty of selfishly rebelling against God and others. 

After addressing these first two claims in the opening two sections of his letter, John focuses on a third claim that those who had left the church and were attempting to get others to leave the church were making. And that claim was that one could have close connection with God while living a life that was in disobedience to the commands and demands of God. John proclaimed to the readers of his letter that we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments.

Now when John uses the word know here, this word conveys the sense of having a past experience that has ongoing and continuing results. John is talking about a person who has entered into a relationship with God that is an ongoing reality in their lives.

John is answering the question “How do I know that I have a genuine and authentic relationship with God?” In addition, when John uses the word keep here, this word literally means to persist in obedience. The point that John wanted to drive home to the readers of his letter throughout history is that the person who has a genuine and authentic relationship with God will persist in obeying the commands and demands of Jesus that were contained in the message and teaching of Jesus.

John then contrasted his claim that the person who has a genuine and authentic relationship with God will persist in obeying the commands and demands of Jesus with the claims of those who left the church at Ephesus. First, John states that the person who claimed that one could have close connection with God while living a life that was in disobedience to the commands and demands of Jesus was a liar.

That person was a liar because Jesus Himself made it abundantly clear that the person who was in close connection with Him would keep His commands. We see this reality in a section of an account of Jesus life in the Bible called the gospel of John. Here is what Jesus Himself said about this issue of obedience in John 15:10:

"If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love.

You see, Jesus made it unmistakably clear that a close connection with Him results from a life of obedience to Him. However, the person who lives a life in disobedience to the commands and demands of Jesus will not have a close connection and relationship with Jesus. And to say otherwise is a big, fat lie. Second, John states that, for the person who claimed that one could have close connection with God while living a life that was in disobedience to the commands and demands of Jesus, the truth is not in him.

As we discovered earlier in this series, when John refers to the truth here, he is referring to the message and teaching of Jesus that forms the content of the Christian faith. So if John was communicating this statement in the language that we use in our culture today, this statement would sound something like this: If we say that we can have close connection with God while living a life that is in disobedience to the commands and demands of Jesus, we are misleading ourselves in way that leads us astray from God and reveals that reality that the truth of God that was communicated to us by Jesus is not in us.

However, for the person who persists in obeying the commands and demands of Jesus, John states that in him the love of God has truly been perfected. What is so interesting in that the word perfected, in the language that this letter was originally written in, literally means to overcome or replace an imperfect state by one that is perfect and free from objection. This word conveys the sense of something that happens to us that has an ongoing result in our lives. With this phrase, John is revealing for us the reality that obedience to the commands and demands of Jesus results in our love for Jesus growing to perfection.

And it is here, in this section of this letter, that we discover a timeless truth when it comes to connecting in true community. And that timeless truth is this: Our obedience to God results in true community with God and others as we grow in our love for God and others.  The timeless reality is that the person who has a genuine and authentic relationship with God will persist in obeying the commands and demands of Jesus.

However, the person who claims to have close community with God while living a life that is in disobedience to the commands and demands of Jesus is lying to themselves and others. And the person who claims to have close community with God while living a life that is in disobedience to the commands and demands of Jesus is misleading themselves in way that leads them astray from God and reveals that reality that the truth of God that was communicated to us by Jesus is not in them. The person who claims to have close community with God and lives a life that persists in pursuing a life of obedience to the commands and demands of Jesus will experience a growing love for Jesus and others that will grow to perfection and maturity.

Now a natural question that could arise here is “How do I know that I am being obedient to the commands and demands of Jesus? What does that look like?” If that question is running through your mind, I just want to let you know that you are asking a great question.

And as John continues this next section of his letter, we see John provide the answer to that question. Tomorrow we will begin to answer that question…

We experience true community with God and others as we confess our selfishness and rebellion to God and others...

This week we have been looking at a section of this letter that has been preserved and recorded for us in the New Testament of the Bible, called the book of John. In 1 John 1:8-10, we see John  make three if/then statements surrounding the connection between our response to our selfishness and rebellion and our connection with God. First, in verse 8, John proclaimed that we deceive ourselves when we proclaim that we are not guilty of selfishly rebelling against God.

Then in verse 9, John revealed that when we admit and proclaim that truth about our selfishness and rebellion against God and others to God and others, God actively chooses not to remember our selfishness and rebellion and removes the spiritual and moral consequences of our selfishness and rebellion. In addition, John explained that when we admit and proclaim that truth about our selfishness and rebellion against God and others to God and others, God will cleanse and purify in a moral and spiritual sense from our selfishness and rebellion that causes us to not be right with God.

In verse 10, John explained that we cannot claim to be walking in close connection with Jesus and deny that we are guilty of selfishness and rebellion in our life.  After making these three if/then statements surrounding the connection between our response to our selfishness and rebellion and our connection with God, John then reveals the reason behind these statements, and his letter in 1 John 2:1-2. Let’s look at it together:

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; ² and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.

Now when John uses the phrase “little children” this was a term of endearment that John used to describe the members of the church at Ephesus. You see, John cared deeply for the members of the church and desired their spiritual good and growth. And because of that reality, John explained to the members of the church at Ephesus that he was writing the letter to them so that they may not sin. In other words, John’s goal behind his letter was that the church at Ephesus would live their lives in such a way that they did not engage in acts of omission and commission against God and others that flow from a selfish love that placed one above God and others in a way that rebelled against God and others.

However, if anyone was guilty of selfishly and rebelliously doing things that they should not do, or not doing things that they should do that hurt God and others, John wanted the readers of his letter throughout history to clearly understand that we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. When John uses the word advocate here, this word was used to refer to one who appears on another’s behalf. And that advocate, John explained, is Jesus Christ, the righteous. In other words, Jesus Christ, who is totally just and totally right, appears on our behalf before God the Father to advocate for us when we act in selfishness and rebellion against God and others.

John wanted to readers of his letter to clearly understand that when we selfishly and rebelliously do things that they should not do, or not do things that they should do that hurt God and others, that Jesus would speak up on our behalf as their advocate who alone can be the One True Advocate for the selfishness and rebellion that separates us from God.

John then reveals the reason why Jesus alone can speak up on our behalf as our One True Advocate for the selfishness and rebellion that separates us from God in verse 2: “and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.” Now when John uses the word propitiation here, this is a church mumbo jumbo talk words that refers to satisfying God’s right response to selfishness and rebellion in a way that removes the selfishness and rebellion. The word propitiation simply means that God’s right and just response to our selfish rebellion and sin was satisfied through Jesus death on the cross.

In addition, Jesus death on the cross, in our place, for our selfishness and rebellion removes the guilt that comes as a result of our selfishness and rebellion. You see, Jesus death on the cross provides us salvation because Jesus death alone satisfies God’s justice and removes humanities guilt that results from selfishness, sin, and rebellion.

And as John points out, Jesus death on the cross was not only to satisfy God’s right and just response to the selfishness and rebellion of those who choose to believe, trust, and follow Jesus as Lord and Leader. Jesus death on the cross was sufficient to satisfy God’s right and just response to the selfishness and rebellion of all humanity throughout all human history. You see, Jesus death on the cross, in our place, for our selfishness and rebellion provides the opportunity for all humanity to be forgiven of their selfishness and rebellion and experience the relationship with God that they were created for.

And because of that reality, Jesus and Jesus alone can speak up on our behalf before God the Father as the One True Advocate for the selfishness and rebellion that separates us from God. And it is here, in this opening section of this letter, that we discover a timeless truth when it comes to connecting in true community. And that timeless truth is this: We experience true community with God and others as we confess our selfishness and rebellion to God and others.  

We experience true community with God and others as we confess our selfishness and rebellion to God and others because we deceive ourselves when we proclaim that we are not guilty of selfishly rebelling against God and others.  We deceive ourselves because humanity throughout history has been prone to self deception when it comes to our selfishness and rebellion.

We experience true community with God and others as we confess our selfishness and rebellion to God and others because when we say we have no sin in our life, we reveal that reality that that the truth of God is not in our life. We reveal the reality that the truth of God is not in our life because Jesus and the message and teaching of Jesus contained in the letters that make up the Bible make it abundantly clear that we have committed sin in our life.

We experience true community with God and others as we confess our selfishness and rebellion to God and others because when we admit and proclaim that truth about our selfishness and rebellion against God and others to God and others, God actively chooses not to remember our selfishness and rebellion and removes the spiritual and moral consequences of our selfishness and rebellion. When we admit and proclaim that truth about our selfishness and rebellion against God and others to God and others God removes the residue of our rebellion that causes us to not be right with God and that breaks our connection with God so that we can experience a growing and deepening connection with God.

We experience true community with God and others as we confess our selfishness and rebellion to God and others because the person who claims that they are not guilty of selfishly and rebelliously doing things that we should not do, or not doing things that we should do that hurt God and others makes God a liar. We cannot claim to be walking in close connection with Jesus and deny that we are guilty of selfishness and rebellion in our life. 

We experience true community with God and others as we confess our selfishness and rebellion to God and others because Jesus Christ, who is totally just and totally right, appears on our behalf before God the Father to advocate for us when we act in selfishness and rebellion against God and others. Jesus death on the cross, in our place, for our selfishness and rebellion provides the opportunity for all humanity to be forgiven of their selfishness and rebellion and experience the relationship with God that they were created for. And because of that reality, Jesus and Jesus alone can speak up on our behalf before God the Father as the One True Advocate for the selfishness and rebellion that separates us from God.

So here is a question to consider: Are you deceiving yourself into thinking and believing that you are not guilty of selfishly rebelling against God and others? Are you attempting to claim to be walking in close connection with Jesus but denying that you are guilty of selfishness and rebellion in your life? Is the residue of your selfishness and rebellion against God and others damaging the connection and community you are experiencing with Jesus and others?

Or are you admitting and proclaiming the truth about your selfishness and rebellion against God and others to God and others who have been impacted by your selfishness and rebellion? Are you admitting and proclaiming the truth about your selfishness and rebellion against God and others so that Jesus can speak up on our behalf before God the Father in a way that draws you into true community with God and others? 

Because, as we have discovered, we experience true community with God and others as we confess our selfishness and rebellion to God and others…

The connection between our willingness to confess and forgiveness...

This week we are looking at a section of a letter that has been preserved and recorded for us in the New Testament of the Bible, called the book of John. Tuesday, John made the first of three if/then statements surrounding the connection between our response to our selfishness and rebellion and our connection with God.

We looked on as John revealed the timeless reality that humanity throughout history has been prone to self-deception when it comes to our selfishness and rebellion. In addition, John explained that when we say we have no sin in our life, we reveal that reality that that the truth of God is not in our life. We reveal the reality that the truth of God is not in our life because Jesus and the message and teaching of Jesus contained in the letters that make up the Bible make it abundantly clear that we have committed sin in our life.

Jesus and the letters that make up the Bible make it abundantly clear that every human being is guilty of selfishly and rebelliously doing things that we should not do, or not doing things that we should do that hurt God and others. To say otherwise is to reject the core message of Christianity. John’s point is that to deny that we have selfishly rebelled against God is to deny the truth of the message and teaching of Jesus.  Today we see John make the second of his three if/then statements in verse 9:

 ⁹ If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Here we see John make a stark contrast between a person who denies that they are guilty of selfishness and rebellion against God and a person who admits that they are guilty of selfishness and rebellion against God. When John uses the word confess here, it is important to remember that this word literally means to concede that something is factual or true. To truly confess is to admit and proclaim the truth that one has selfishly and rebelliously done something that they should not have done, or have not done something that they should have done, that hurt God and others.

John then explained that for the person who admits and proclaims the truth about their selfishness and rebellion against God and others to God and others, “He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” When John refers to God as being faithful here, he is reminding the readers of his letter throughout history that we can have full confidence in God because God is worthy of trust.

When John refers to God as righteous, this word is a big fancy church mumbo jumbo talk word that simply means that God is right and just. And because God is right and just and worthy of trust, John explained that when we admit and proclaim that truth about our selfishness and rebellion against God and others to God and others, He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Now when John uses the word forgive here, a great definition of forgiveness is that to forgive is to give up one’s right to be right. Forgiveness is not stating that one has not been wronged. Instead, forgiveness is recognizing that one has been wronged and then choosing to give up one’s right to be right. In addition, forgiving is not the same as forgetting. God does not forget our selfishness and rebellion when we ask for forgiveness. God is not a senile old man up in Heaven going “What did Dave do, I can’t remember?” It is way better than that. Forgiveness is God actively choosing not to remember our selfishness and rebellion.

John’s point is that when we admit and proclaim that truth about our selfishness and rebellion against God and others to God and others, God actively chooses not to remember our selfishness and rebellion and removes the spiritual and moral consequences of our selfishness and rebellion. Notice that I did not say that God removes all the consequences from our selfishness and rebellion. There is a difference between forgiveness and consequences. John’s point is that while we may experience material, physical and relational consequences on a horizontal level from our selfishness and rebellion, God removes the spiritual and moral consequences of our selfishness and rebellion as we admit and proclaim our selfishness and rebellion to God and others.

Now right about now you are wondering “why does Dave keep talking about confessing your sin to God and others? Can’t I just confess my sin to God? And if I am supposed to confess my sin to God and others, who are the others? And how many others?” If I have just described what is running through your mind, I just want to let you know that you are asking a great question.

And here would be my response: When it comes to who and how many people we confess our selfishness and rebellion to, we are to confess our selfishness and rebellion to God and to all who are directly impacted by our selfishness and rebellion. For example, if I act in selfishness and rebellion toward my wife Julie, I am to admit and proclaim my selfishness and rebellion to God and to Julie. If I act in selfishness and rebellion in a way that impacts my entire family, I am to admit and proclaim my selfishness and rebellion to God and appropriately to my family. In my role as a pastor, if I were to commit selfishness and rebellion that impacted the church in my role as pastor, I am to admit and proclaim my selfishness and rebellion to God and appropriately to the church family.

In addition, John explained that when we admit and proclaim that truth about our selfishness and rebellion against God and others to God and others, God will cleanse us from all unrighteousness. John’s point is that when we admit and proclaim that truth about our selfishness and rebellion against God and others to God and others, God will cleanse and purify in a moral and spiritual sense from our selfishness and rebellion that causes us to not be right with God.

When we admit and proclaim that truth about our selfishness and rebellion against God and others to God and others God removes the residue of our rebellion that causes us to not be right with God and that breaks our connection with God so that we can experience a growing and deepening connection with God. While we cannot lose our rescue from our rebellion that we have received from Jesus, the residue of our selfishness and rebellion against God and others damages the connection and community we can experience with Jesus and others.

And because of that reality, John urged the readers of his letter throughout history to we admit and proclaim that truth about our selfishness and rebellion against God and others to God and others. We see John make the second of his three if/then statements in verse 10:

If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.

Here we see John circle back to the person who claims that they are not guilty of selfishly and rebelliously doing things that we should not do, or not doing things that we should do that hurt God and others. And in circling back, John reveals two additional stark realities about such a person.

First, John explained that the person who claims that they are not guilty of selfishly and rebelliously doing things that they should not do, or not doing things that they should do that hurt God and others makes God a liar. That person makes God a liar because God has clearly maintained throughout human history and in the letters that are recorded for us in the Bible that humanity is guilty of selfishly and rebelliously doing things that we should not do, or not doing things that we should do that hurt God and others.

Second, John explained that the person who claims that they are not guilty of selfishly and rebelliously doing things that they should not do, or not doing things that they should do that hurt God and others does not have His word in them. In other words, when we say we have no sin in our life, we reveal that reality that the message and teaching of Jesus is not in our life in a way that is impacting our life.

We reveal the reality that the message and teaching of Jesus is not in our life in a way that is impacting our life because the message and teaching of Jesus was abundantly clear that we have committed sin in our life. John’s point is that we cannot claim to be walking in close connection with Jesus and deny that we are guilty of selfishness and rebellion in our life.  After making these three if/then statements surrounding the connection between our response to our selfishness and rebellion and our connection with God, John then reveals the reason behind these statements, and his letter.

Tomorrow we will discover those reasons together…

Are you prone to self deception?

At the church where I serve, we recently launched a brand new sermon series entitled Connect. During this series, we are looking at a letter that is recorded for us in the New Testament of the Bible, called the book of 1 John. During this series, we are going to discover the components that make for true connection and community. During this series, we are going to discover the landmines and roadblocks that keep us from true connection and community. And as we go through this series, our hope and our prayer is that God would move by the power of the Holy Spirit in our heads, hearts, and hands, in a way that moves us to the place where we can experience the connection and community with God and one another that we were created and designed to experience.  

Last week, we looked at the opening section of the book of 1 John, where we discovered the timeless truth that we experience true community with others as we experience true community with God. We talked about the reality that there is no true community with God which is not expressed in community with other followers of Jesus.

We experience true community and connection with God and others when we strive to conduct our life in the light of that nature and character of God that was revealed and explained through the life of Jesus and through the message and teaching of Jesus. We experience true community with God and others as we live in community with others who are connected to God and who embrace and engage in the kingdom mission that was give by Jesus.

However, when we are conducting our day to day life in the moral and spiritual darkness that comes from selfishness and rebellion we retreat into the darkness and put on a façade to those around us so that we are not exposed by the light of true community with God and others. And it is that façade that keeps us from experiencing close community with others. And it is that façade that keeps us in the darkness of our selfishness and rebellion that keeps us from experiencing true community with God.

Now this week, I would like for us to pick up where we left off last week. And as we jump into the next section of this letter that has been preserved and recorded for us in the New Testament of the Bible, called the book of John, we will see John continue to address how  conducting our day to day life in the moral and spiritual darkness that comes from selfishness and rebellion keeps us from experiencing true community with God and others. So let’s jump into the next section of this letter together, beginning in 1 John 1:8:

If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.

John begins this section of his letter by making three if/then statements surrounding the connection between our response to our selfishness and rebellion and our connection with God. First, in verse 8, John proclaims that “If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.” As we talked about last week, when John refers to sin, he is referring to acts of omission and commission against God and others that flow from a selfish love that places one above God and others and acts in rebellion against God and others.

When John talks about deceiving ourselves, this phrase conveys that sense of misleading oneself in a way that results in one going astray from something. And that something, John explains is the truth. When John refers to the truth here, he is referring to the message and teaching of Jesus that forms the content of the Christian faith.

So if John was communicating this statement in the language that we use in our culture today, this statement would sound something like this: If we say that we are not guilty of selfishly and rebelliously doing things that we should not do, or not doing things that we should do that hurt God and others, we are misleading ourselves in way that leads us astray from God and reveals that reality that the truth of God that was communicated to us by Jesus is not in us. John’s point is that we deceive ourselves when we proclaim that we are not guilty of selfishly rebelling against God.

Now notice what John does not say. Notice that John does not say that we deceive others when we say that we have no sin. The only person we deceive is ourselves when we say that we have no sin.

You see, we are prone to self deception when it comes to our selfishness and rebellion. While it is easy to see the selfishness and rebellion of others, we often deceive ourselves when it comes to our own selfishness and rebellion. And if you do not think that is that case, just say to those who are closest to you that you are not guilty of selfishness and rebellion and then watch how they respond. The timeless reality is that humanity throughout history has been prone to self deception when it comes to our selfishness and rebellion.

In addition, John explained that when we say we have no sin in our life, we reveal that reality that that the truth of God is not in our life. We reveal the reality that the truth of God is not in our life because Jesus and the message and teaching of Jesus contained in the letters that make up the Bible make it abundantly clear that we have committed sin in our life. Jesus and the letters that make up the Bible make it abundantly clear that every human being is guilty of selfishly and rebelliously doing things that we should not do, or not doing things that we should do that hurt God and others. To say otherwise is to reject the core message of Christianity.

John’s point is that to deny that we have selfishly rebelled against God is to deny the truth of the message and teaching of Jesus.  Thursday, we will see John make the second of his three if/then statements…

We experience true community with others as we experience true community with God...

This week we have been looking at the opening section of a letter that is recorded for us in the New Testament of the Bible, called the book of 1 John. So far this week, we have looked on as John is revealed the reality that Jesus Christ is God in a bod, who is life and is the source of eternal life with God. As the Word of Life, Jesus Christ is the personified expression of God who is life. Jesus, in His very nature and essence is life and is the source of eternal life.

We looked on as John basically say “and I just want y’all to know that Jesus and His message of eternal life was revealed to us. We have seen Him and have heard His message and want to declare publicly the truth of what we witnessed. We want to publicly declare the truth that Jesus Christ is God who was with God the Father and who revealed to us the reality that He is the source of the transcendent life with God and has begun to usher in the kingdom of God here on earth by entering into humanity.

We looked on as John invited the readers of this letter into close community with himself and the other early leaders of God’s new movement in history called the church as they engaged in the kingdom mission that they had been given by Jesus and experienced communion and connection with God the Father and Jesus. We talked about the reality that John recognized that he and early followers of Jesus were not only rescued from something; John and early followers of Jesus recognized that  they were rescued for something.

John and early followers of Jesus recognized that they were rescued not simply to get together after worshipping God to have a social club marked by good food and conversation with other Christians. John and early followers of Jesus recognized that they were rescued to experience close community with other followers of Jesus who are connected to Jesus and who are committed to the common mission that they had been given by Jesus to tell those who were far from Jesus about Jesus.

In addition, John and other early leaders of God’s new movement in history called the church were experiencing joy and gladness as people who were far from Jesus were rescued by Jesus as they shared Jesus with others. And because of that reality, John wanted to bring to completion and fulfillment the joy and gladness that they were already experiencing by inviting others to join in close community with other followers of Jesus who are connected to Jesus and who are committed to the common mission that they had been given by Jesus to tell those who were far from Jesus about Jesus. After providing the readers of this letter the reason behind the letter, today we will see John transition to begin to proclaim the message from Jesus that would be the message of his letter in 1 John 1:5:

 ⁵This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.

John begins to disclose the message and teaching of Jesus that he and the other early leaders of God’s new movement in history called the church heard by stating that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. But what does that mean? Throughout his letters, John repeatedly used imagery as a means by which to communicate truth that otherwise would be much more difficult for us to wrap our minds around. As we will see in the next verse, light here is used by John to make a stark contrast to darkness.

When John uses the word light, he is painting an image of the nature of God that illumines the souls of humanity. By contrast, when John uses the word darkness, he is painting an image of a moral and spiritual darkness.

John’s point here is that there is a Creator God who is light and who is without flaw or fault and there is creation that was covered in darkness as a result of the selfishness and rebellion of humanity. After painting this word picture to describe the nature and character of God, we see John unpack the implications of this reality when it comes to experiencing connection and community with God and others in verse 6-7:

 ⁶ If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; ⁷ but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.

Here we see John use two if/then statements to unpack the implications that the nature and character of God have on the connection and community that humanity can experience with God and one another.  First, in verse 6, John states that “If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth”. Now when John uses the word truth here, this word refers to the truth of the message and teaching of Jesus that forms the basis of Christianity.

John’s point is that the person who claims to experience close community with God and with other followers of Jesus who are connected to God and who are committed to the common mission that they had been given by Jesus, but conduct their day to day lives in such a way that is marked by moral and spiritual darkness, they are telling a falsehood, they are lying. John’s point is that the person who claims to experience close community with God and with other followers of Jesus who are connected to God and who are committed to the common mission that they had been given by Jesus, but conduct their day to day lives in such a way that is marked by moral and spiritual darkness, they are not carrying out the obligation to live according to the truth of the message and teaching of Jesus in their day to day lives.

By contrast, as John points out in verse 7, “but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.” When John uses the phrase, walk in the light, this phrase refers to conducting one’s day to day life in the light of the nature of God that illuminates the heart and souls of humanity.

John’s point is that if a person conducts their day to day life in such a way that they are exposed to the light of the nature of God that illuminates the heart and soul of humanity as Jesus did while here on earth, they will experience two things. First, those who conduct their day to day life in such a way that they are exposed to the light of the nature of God that illuminates the heart and soul of humanity as Jesus did while here on earth will experience close community with other followers of Jesus who are connected to God and who are committed to the common mission that they had been given by Jesus.

Second, those who conduct their day to day life in such a way that they are exposed to the light of the nature of God that illuminates the heart and soul of humanity as Jesus did while here on earth will have the blood of Jesus cleanse them from all sin. Now when John refers to the blood of Jesus, he is referring to Jesus death on the cross, in humanities place, for the selfishness and rebellion of humanity. When John uses the word cleanses, this word means to cleanse and purify something in a moral sense.  In addition, when John uses the word sin here, this word refers to acts of omission and commission against God and others that flow from our selfish love that places us above God and others and in rebellion against God and others.

John’s point here is that followers of Jesus experience close community with one another as they strive to live a life in the light of God’s nature and character that has been expressed by the personified Word of Life, Jesus Christ in His message and teaching. And John’s point here is that followers of Jesus experience close community with God as they strive to live a life in the light of God’s nature and character that has been expressed by the personified Word of Life, Jesus Christ, whose death on the cross cleanses and purifies them from the moral darkness of selfishness and rebellion that separated them from God. John here is revealing for us the timeless reality that there is no real community with God which is not expressed in community with other followers of Jesus.

And it is here, in this opening section of this letter, that we discover a timeless truth when it comes to connecting in true community. And that timeless truth is this: We experience true community with others as we experience true community with God. Just as it was for followers of Jesus in John’s day; just as it has been for followers of Jesus throughout history; we experience true community with others as we experience true community with God.

We experience true community with others as we experience close community with God by living our lives in the light of the message and teaching of Jesus, who came to explain God and provide us an opportunity to experience life in relationship with God through His life, death, and resurrection. And we experience true community with God as we experience close community with other followers of Jesus who are connected to God and who are committed to the common mission that they had been given by Jesus.

However, we will be unable to experience the true community with others if we choose to conduct our day to day lives in such a way that is marked by moral and spiritual darkness as a result of selfishness and rebellion against God. And we will be unable to experience true community with God if we choose to conduct our day to day lives in such a way that is marked by moral and spiritual darkness as a result of selfishness and rebellion against God. You see, there is no real community with God which is not expressed in community with other followers of Jesus.

Now maybe a natural objection or question has been raised in your mind. And if we were to have a conversation in the courtyard coffeehouse, that question or objection would sound like this: “Why can’t I experience true community with others without true community with God? And why can’t I experience true community with God without true community with others?”

If that question is running through your mind, I just want to let you know that you are asking a great question. And my response to that question would be this: notice what Jesus Himself said about this issue in a section of John’s account of Jesus life in John 3:19-21:

"This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. "For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. "But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God."

You see, how can we experience true community with God and others if we are conducting our day to day life in the moral and spiritual darkness that comes from selfishness and rebellion? If we are living our lives in the darkness of selfishness and rebellion, do we want to come out into the light of close community to have what we are doing exposed for all to see? If we enter into the light of close community with God and close community with others, we are exposed, aren’t we?

So we retreat into the darkness and put on a façade to those around us so that we are not exposed. And it is that façade that keeps us from experiencing close community with others. And it is that façade that keeps us in the darkness of our selfishness and rebellion that keeps us from experiencing true community with God. Because, as John reveals for us, there is no real community with God which is not expressed in community with other followers of Jesus. And the timeless reality is that we experience true community with others as we experience true community with God.

So here is a question to consider: Are you experiencing true community with others? Are you experiencing true community with God? How are you going to respond to the offer that Jesus provides for you to experience forgiveness and true community with God and others through His life, death, and resurrection, by believing, trusting, and following Jesus as Lord and Leader. 

Because, as we have discovered, we experience true community with others as we experience true community with God...

An invitation to community and connection...

This week we are looking at the opening section of a letter that is recorded for us in the New Testament of the Bible, called the book of 1 John. Yesterday we met the author of this letter and the original readers of this letter. The letter of 1 John was written by a man named John, who was one of Jesus closest followers.  However, John was not only one of Jesus closest followers; John was the person who had perhaps the closest relationship with Jesus while He was on earth. John is referred to as the disciple Jesus loved. John was Jesus best friend.

And as one of Jesus closest followers, John was one of the Apostles who were foundational leaders in God’s new movement in history called the church. As part of God’s new movement called the church, a church was planted by the Apostle Paul in the city of Ephesus, which is located in modern day Turkey. This church plant was then led by a man named Timothy. And in the New Testament of the Bible, we have two letters that were written by Paul to Timothy and the church at Ephesus, which we know as 1 and 2 Timothy. In these letters, Paul warned Timothy about the threat of false teachers.

Eventually, John succeeded Timothy to become the Senior Pastor at the church at Ephesus. However, the threat of false teachers remained. And because of the threat of these false teachers and the threat that they presented to the church and its community and connection to Jesus and one another, John sat down to write, by the leading and empowerment of the Holy Spirit, this letter that has been preserved and recorded for us in our Bibles today. With that background in mind, let’s jump into this letter together, beginning in 1 John 1:1:

What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life—

Now to fully understand what John is communicating here, we first need to understand what John means when he uses the phrase the Word of Life. We see John use a very similar phrase in an account of Jesus life that he also wrote, which we know as the gospel of John. Here is how John began his account of Jesus life in John 1:1:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

When John refers to beginning here, he is referring to the origin of all creation.  In other words, before there was a beginning, there was the Word. Before there was space and time, there was the Word. Before anything existed, the Word existed. You see, we think of eternity as eternity in the future. However, eternity also exists as eternity past. John’s point here is that the Word always existed. The Word is outside of space and time and is thus not constrained by space and time. The Word looks at space and time like I look at this stand.

In addition, when John uses the word, word, this word, in the language that the letter was originally written in, was used to describe the expression of something. In this case, John is referring to the expression of God. You see, it is in the very nature of God to reveal Himself to His creation. By using this phrase, John is revealing for us the reality that the Word is God’s ultimate way of disclosing Himself to humanity.

What is so interesting is that in the letters that John wrote that are recorded for us in the Bible, when the word with is used next to a person, this word conveys a personal and intimate relationship between two people. So when John states that the Word was with God, he is revealing that the Word lived, as a person, in a personal and close relationship with God.  John tells us that not only was the Word with God, the Word was in very nature God.

And it is here that we see one of the strongest evidences for what is referred to in church mumbo jumbo talk as the Trinity. You see, the Word wasn’t God taking on a new name in the New Testament, as the Word was with God in relationship with God. God the Father and the Word, along with the Holy Spirit, are three distinct persons who are Divine in their nature and essence. In addition, the members of the Trinity are inseparably related. In other words, you cannot remove either God, the Word, or the Holy Spirit, without misrepresenting who God is.

  

Now when John uses the word life in 1 John 1:1, this word was used to describe to the transcendent life that one would experience for all eternity with God. So when John refers to the Word of Life, he is referring to Jesus Christ and the message and teaching of Jesus Christ.

John is revealing for us the reality that Jesus Christ is God in a bod, who is life and is the source of eternal life with God. As the Word of Life, Jesus Christ is the personified expression of God who is life. Jesus, in His very nature and essence is life and is the source of eternal life.

So with that in mind, if John was communicating verse 1 in the language we use in our culture today, it would sound something like this: “Hey y’all, Jesus, God in a bod, who has always existed, I, along with the rest of the disciples, have heard His message and teaching; I, along with the other disciples, saw God in a bod with my own eyes; I, along with the other disciples, perceived that Jesus was God in a bod and was impressed with all that He did; I, along with the other disciples, actually touched God in a bod.” And as John continues, we see John take a tangent to back up this statement in verse 2:

 and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us—

Here we see John basically say “and I just want y’all to know that Jesus and His message of eternal life was revealed to us. We have seen Him and have heard His message and want to declare publicly the truth of what we witnessed. We want to publicly declare the truth that Jesus Christ is God who was with God the Father and who revealed to us the reality that He is the source of the transcendent life with God and has begun to usher in the kingdom of God here on earth by entering into humanity. After taking this tangent, John then returned to his original thought and begins to provide the reason behind his letter in verse 3:

 what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. ⁴ These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete.

John explained to the readers of his letter throughout history that what he and the rest of the disciples saw and heard from Jesus and His message and teaching was what they wanted to make known publicly. And the reason why they wanted to make Jesus and His message and teaching known publicly was so that the readers of this letter throughout history may have fellowship with us.

 However, to fully understand what John desired the readers of his letter to experience, we first need to understand what the word fellowship means. You see, this word fellowship is a word that has lost its original meaning over time. Unfortunately, this word has become a church mumbo jumbo talk word that means there is a potluck lunch after the church service.  If you grew up in church and heard the word fellowship, it usually meant that we were going to the church potluck, or out to lunch, or over to someone’s house to hang out over a meal for social time.

However, when John uses the word fellowship, this word had an entirely different meaning. This word fellowship, in the language that this letter was originally written in, was used to describe a close association and partnership involving a sharing in common activities or mission. This word conveyed the idea of a close common connection in close community with others that was the result of a mutual commitment to a common purpose or mission.

So when John uses this word here, he was calling the readers of this letter, and followers of Jesus throughout history, to experience close community with other followers of Jesus who are connected to Jesus and who are committed to the common mission that they had been given by Jesus. That is why John states “and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.”

John is inviting the readers of this letter into close community with himself and the other early leaders of God’s new movement in history called the church as they engaged in the kingdom mission that they had been given by Jesus and experienced communion and connection with God the Father and Jesus. You see, John recognized that he and early followers of Jesus were not only rescued from something; John and early followers of Jesus recognized that  they were rescued for something.

John and early followers of Jesus recognized that they were rescued not simply to get together after worshiping God to have a social club marked by good food and conversation with other Christians. John and early followers of Jesus recognized that they were rescued to experience close community with other followers of Jesus who are connected to Jesus and who are committed to the common mission that they had been given by Jesus to tell those who were far from Jesus about Jesus.

John then provided a second reason why he wanted to make Jesus and His message and teaching known publicly in verse 4. You see, John and other early leaders of God’s new movement in history called the church were experiencing joy and gladness as people who were far from Jesus were rescued by Jesus as they shared Jesus with others.

And because of that reality, John wanted to bring to completion and fulfillment the joy and gladness that they were already experiencing by inviting others to join in close community with other followers of Jesus who are connected to Jesus and who are committed to the common mission that they had been given by Jesus to tell those who were far from Jesus about Jesus.

After providing the readers of this letter the reason behind the letter, we see John transition to begin to proclaim the message from Jesus that would be the message of his letter in verse 5.

We will look at that message on Friday...