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Title: Simple and Profound
As we continue into week two of our study in I John, I want to remind us of a few things that we touched on last week in beginning this first book. Remember that John’s language is not technical, but rather straight-forward, and extremely profound.
Also, remember that John, unlike Paul, does not always argue his logic from point to point, but rather takes rather simple truths and states them implicitly upon his listeners.
John also points to personal experience much more that Paul does, and appeals to the fact that he walked with Christ during the three plus years of His ministry.
Historically, we must also remember that John’s writings, this book included, were written about 60 years after Christ was crucified, whereas when Paul wrote Romans around 57 A.D. it was only about 25 years after Christ’s death and resurrection. The point is that John’s perspective is going to be bit different because more than twice the time has passed, and he’s not only had a chance to look back upon his time in Christ’s ministry, but also the first half-century of the New Testament Church, and how that has grown, and fought to keep the doctrine pure.
I. John’s testimony is first-hand
(Read v. 5)
The first thing that John again reminds his readers is that this message he has to share is a simple transfer of information, from the source (Jesus) to his disciples (John and the twelve), and now from the disciple to the second generation of disciples.
John’s appeal is not to observe the natural world around him and make truth statements about the character and nature of God as Paul often does. His appeal is not the vast array of Old Testament prophecies and how the life and ministry of Christ fulfilled those things like the author of Hebrews does.
His appeal is much less technical, much less philosophical, but no less powerful. John, in essence does argue for their belief, he asks for their faith. He says, “Look I ate with Christ. I sat at his feet. He washed my feat. If you have any faith in me as a person, listen to my testimony, and then you can decide if I’m lying.”
2. John’s first lesson is a subtle refutation
So what, then, is the very first thing that John wants to make clear? Much like his Gospel; that “God is light, and in Him is no darkness as all.”
Rather simple, yet rather profound.
The essence and nature of God, the same God incarnate that washed John’s feet, is without a speck of darkness, without a speck of sin.
So here we see the first subtle refutation of John. Here he is speaking rather directly against a very popular misconception of Christ in the first century, most notably spurred on by Gnosticism. Gnostics taught that all matter was evil, therefore, Christ could not be both fully man and fully God, because the portion of Christ that was fully man, was matter, therefore, some part of God would be evil.
Yet John goes to great lengths in verses 1-5, which we studied last week, to show that Christ was indeed flesh, that John’s life experiences prove that, AND that Christ was indeed fully divine, the Son of God, the second part of the Trinity.
And the very next thing he teaches, the VERY next thing is that there is absolutely no darkness in Christ.
So by simply stating two things, John has punched two heresies in the mouth:
1. “Jesus was indeed flesh” (disproves Doecetism)
2. “Jesus was without sin” (disproves Gnosticism)
Again, John’s language is not as technical as Paul’s, but it is no less powerful.
3. The Examining Table
(Read v. 6)
Anyone here like going for an annual physical?
Why not? (Take answers)
Then why do you go? (Take Answers)
Much in the same way, John immediately builds on his momentum and states rather directly that we can’t “walk in darkness” and have “fellowship with Him.” These two things cannot co-exist.
So let’s define what it really means to “walk in darkness.”
What is the simplest way to define “walking in darkness”? (Take answers…I warn you, this will be harder than you think it is.)
A: To be aware of an unrepentant sin, and remain unrepentant.
The key is two-fold:
1. You must be aware of you sin, either by self-observation, the Spirit’s breaking you, or the observation of an outside party. (Usually all three are involved.) I can be involved in a sin I am unrepentant of, but only because I don’t realize I’m sinning. (Friend named “Katie” that I called “Kathryn” and it drove her nuts, she asked me to stop, and I just kept teasing her with it, then she told me why, and I immediately stopped.)
2. You must be unrepentant of that sin, and chose to remain so. Let’s be crystal clear this morning: We all have sin that we are aware of, that we fight against, but we don’t always win that battle. Perhaps its fighting an addiction, and sometimes we fall. Perhaps its holding our temper in check, and sometimes we explode. This is not “walking in darkness” this is our flesh waring against our spirit. If we were “walking in darkness” we wouldn’t be fighting against the sin, we’d just be committing it.
Now, here’s the key: Every non-believer is currently “walking in darkness”. So are many believers.
This is not as simple as saying, “Oh, what John is saying is that those that are saved are having fellowship with God, and those that are lost are walking in darkness.” Remember WHO John is writing to: a group of believers, that HE knows personally.
Notice also that John does not say in verse 6, “If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not know the truth.” No. John says what? “We do not practice the truth.”
You can know the truth and not practice it. We all know that, another name for that is sin. So study the language of John carefully, this is full physical to keep our spiritual lives healthy before a MOST HOLY GOD.
4. No Blood=No Mercy
(Read v. 7)
I was driving down the road not to long ago and saw a bumper sticker that read: “Give blood. Play Rugby.” (If Daisey were here, she’d say “Amen”)
The idea, of course, is that the natural expectation when you do something as violent as Rugby, is that you will have to literally give your blood to play. Why, because it’s that violent of a game.
I think, that we, as believers, take the idea of the blood of Christ far too easily. I don’t think we process what it means to spill blood for something.
Look back a couple of books with me to Hebrews 9:22
“And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.”
Now, with regard to the Law, what do we commonly say about Christ, that he came to…..(fulfill it).
Okay, and here we see clearly two things:
1. God’s Law mandates that almost all things are purified with blood.
2. Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission.
Right now, in my personal devotions, I’m working my way through Leviticus, and much of that book focuses on the observance and uber-strict rules surrounding the Priest and how they make a sacrifice to the Lord. Something occurred to me as I was preparing this message.
God never tells anyone to just “bring the blood” to the altar. Instead, the animal is brought to the altar, the animal is sacrificed, the blood is spilt, and then it is sprinkled on the altar and offered.
God will not give life, unless life is taken.
God will not give us eternal life, unless Christ’s life was taken.
God will not remiss our sin, unless Christ’s blood is shed on our behalf.
As John puts it in verse 7, it is “the blood of Jesus Christ that cleanses us from all sin.”
Don’t let the simplicity of John’s words make them any less impactful. Christ was led to the altar of the Most High. In Leviticus, the High Priest sheds the blood of the animal, sprinkles the blood, and makes the offering.
In the New Testament, Christ is the High Priest, and makes an offering to the Most High of Himself. He shed’s his own blood, he kills himself, he sprinkles His Own blood, that your sin, ALL YOUR SIN, is cleansed under his blood.
Don’t enter this Christmas season with any other notion of holiness than this one.