Sermon Text: 1 John 1:1 – 2:2
The Incarnation of the Word of Life
1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.
2 The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us.
3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.
4 We write this to make our joy complete.
Light and Darkness, Sin and Forgiveness
5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.
6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth.
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.
1 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.
2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
Morning Message
Let me start this morning by restating something that I have shared with many of you. I was asked one time by my pastor, “Who is your favorite bible character?” He was surprised at my answer. Most people would pick some famous bible hero, but for me it’s the apostle John. I don’t know exactly why that is, but for some reason I am drawn to his way of thinking. For me, John’s writings make more sense. First he is very focused on the truth, and his thinking seems very black and white. Secondly, his writings are what you would call circular. He entertains a subject for a few lines, discusses another topic, then circles back to the first subject, stressing again the themes of love, light, knowledge, life, and Jesus Christ. This is what I love about his writing, and it makes perfect sense to me, everything comes back to Jesus. I do not believe in sermons that leave out Jesus the Christ. Whatever the topic is, it must circle back to the only topic that makes a difference for eternal life.
The other very strong belief that I think I share with John is that we should keep it simple. I have never been one who thinks that I need to stand up here and try to impress you with whatever knowledge I have. Anything that I do know has been given to me by God. I have no ability apart from the grace of God and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. John called on the believers of his day to return to a simple, intimate, day-by-day, moment-by-moment walk with Jesus. He says that in verse seven of our reading today, “If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another.” In other words, just walk with Jesus all day long. In John’s day as well as today, the tendency is to get involved with the complexities of church responsibilities, Bible-reading programs, spiritual gifts inventories, and books that offer seven keys to this and ten steps to that. Unfortunately, too much attention to these good things may prevent us from focusing on what really matters: Jesus Christ.
Today we are going to focus on not giving up our joy. Now I don’t want to take credit for someone else’s work. These points come right out of my David Jeremiah study Bible. They come straight from our scripture reading for today. John wrote that his readers would have abundant joy in their walk with God. In this passage, he warns about three things that will keep Christians from experiencing the full benefits of their birthright in Christ.
We forfeit our joy when we…
1. Deny the power of sin (read 1:5-7). We often claim one thing by our words but are condemned by our lives. Thankfully, walking in fellowship with Christ results in being continually cleansed from sin. When we are cleansed from the guilt and stain of sin, we have fullness of joy in the Lord. You want the short version? You can’t walk with God and live in sin; it will make you miserable.
We forfeit our joy when we…
2. Deny the presence of sin (read 1:8, 9). The cure for sinfulness is not denying our sin but relying on the faithfulness of God to forgive us on the basis of Christ’s death on the cross. To confess our sin and remain in fellowship with God is the way to maintain the joy of our salvation. Short version: Don’t be too proud to admit to God that you were wrong and you messed up; you will be spiritually unhappy.
We forfeit our joy when we…
3. Deny the practice of sin (read 1:10-2:2). The person who denies that they have, in fact, sinned, is quick to label their actions as anything but sin. Unfortunately, to take such a stance costs both the joy of forgiveness and restoration with the Father. Short version: You can make all of the excuses you want, God is not fooled, and the guilt will make you miserable.
If you lose your joy in the Christian life, examine these three statements. Chances are you will find the reason your joy has been short-circuited. Then simply reconnect with the source of all joy, and your spirit will be restored.
In Christ’s Love and Peace
Pastor Bob
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