“The Great Divide”
September 18, 2011
I John 3:1-10
1 See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 3 All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.
4 Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. 5 But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. 6 No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.
7 Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. 8 The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. 9 No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. 10 This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister.”
Last Monday morning, just after I got up, my brother-in-law, Rob, came over to do a little work on the house. As I often do, when he comes over, I made him breakfast. As I was cooking the eggs and turkey bacon (I’m cooking more healthy now) Rob asked what was wrong with my voice. It had a deep melodious tone to it. I laughingly told him “this is what I would sound like if I were a professional singer.” Our worship team practiced Friday afternoon, practiced again Friday night before we sang at Celebrate Recovery that night, practiced Saturday afternoon, practiced Sunday morning, sang for the Worship service, then sang for an hour at the park Sunday Afternoon. My voice wasn’t sore - but it did have a very noticeable tonal quality to it. Unfortunately, it didn’t last!
I had a great time at the park. The worship team sounded GREAT! Chuck, who is one of the leaders of CR, said last year they had about 50 people – this year they had over 200 come by. It was great. I was so proud of you guys in your Abundant Life shirts. I think we were the predominate Church there. Although we are few in number – we are strong in spirit and in zeal. I applaud you guys for that.
One thing concerned me, tho. I left in the middle of the day to take Bob and Sandy home, and I heard my Baptist friend, Bill, put you on the spot. He asked everyone who was a sinner to raise his hand. Those who didn’t raise their hands he called liars.
That was unwise and divisive. It was unwise because it was a misquote of Scripture. He was referring to the Word in 1 John 1 that says,
“8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.”
Unfortunately Bill left out verse 9 that says,
“9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
If Bill would have said, “All who have ever sinned – raise your hands,” I would have been the first to raise my hand. Because I have sinned and fallen far short of God’s will. But He didn’t say that. He said, “If you are a sinner – raise your hand.” I am not a sinner. I WAS a sinner – but I am not one now. I am a child of God CLEANSED BY His grace and blood. That same chapter in 1 John says,
“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.”
So if God, through Jesus’ blood, purifies you from sin – are you a sinner? NO! You WERE a sinner – past tense. If you confess and repented of your sins – they are gone. You are no longer a sinner. You are a saint. You are no longer engaged in sin. You are a child of God – not a child of the devil.
If anyone asks me if I am a sinner – I vehemently tell them NO! I WAS a sinner. But I repented. I turned from my sin. Now I am a child of God.
So let’s talk about sin a little bit. I entitled this sermon “The Great Divide” for a couple of reasons. First of all, because our concept of sin causes a great division in Christendom. We divide ourselves in either the Arminius (or Wesleyan Camp) or the Calvinist Camp. I want to be in the BIBLE believing Camp – but both sides claim to be Bible believers and use the Bible to back up their theories. So we lean to one side or the other – often changing the Bible to fit their theology.
Usually, the division among Churches and Christians is more intellectual than spiritual. If you put Calvin’s life up next to John Wesley’s life – you would probably not see much difference. Calvin simply believed that if you were one of God’s chosen ones you would express it by a holy walk. Wesley believed it was up to us to choose to follow God. Calvin believed in irresistible grace. Wesley believed in free will. They also differed on their definition of sin – and that is, probably, the greatest point that divides us.
CALVIN: “Sin is a deviation from the perfect will of God.”
WESLEY: “Sin is a willful rebellion against a known law of God.”
If I believed Calvin’s definition – that sin was having a will different from God, I too, would say ‘we all sin every day in word, thought, and deed.’ I would have to – because we all fall short – we all differ from God all day every day. But if you believe that’s the definition of sin - you better be prepared to say Jesus is a sinner, too. Because He said, “…not as I will, but as you will.” Matthew 26:39
Do you see that Jesus had a will that clearly different from the Father’s? If sin is defined as having a will different that the Fathers- then you must admit that Jesus sinned. But Jesus did not sin. We know that because the Bible tells us so. He did not sin because even though He had a will different from the Father’s will – He did not do HIS will. He surrender to the Father’s will and obeyed. In other words, He did not willful rebel against God’s known will and do His own.
I think having a will is not only NOT sin – I think it is desired of God. Remember the heroic gentile woman I talked about last week? Look at it again.
“The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said.
He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”
“Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”
Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.” Matthew 15:25-28
Do you see that this woman, not only had a will different than Jesus’ stated will – but she even DISAGREED with Him. And it was alright. In fact, it was more than all right. Jesus commended her for it. Folks, it is okay to have a will different from God’s. It is when our will differs from God’s will and we choose our will over God’s will - that it becomes sin. The bible says,
“Sin is lawlessness” 1 John 3:4
“If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.” James 4:17
“…everything that does not come from faith is sin.” Romans 14:23
This is how the Bible defines sin. “Lawlessness”; “Knowing to do good and willfully not doing it”; “not acting on faith.”
Remember faith is, when God reveals His will to you, and you believe, trust and act. Not acting on faith is sin. John says sin is lawlessness. You have the law – and you choose to not do it. You choose to be a spiritual outlaw. That is sin. Bottom line – sin is when you are enemies with God. The old King James Bible had a interesting word we seldom use. It was enmity. It mean you were enemies with someone. That spirit of strive and hate was ‘enmity’. Listen.
“the carnal mind is enmity against God” Romans 8:7
“Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” James 4:4
“For He (Jesus) Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity… so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.” Expressions 2:14-16
God does not want us to be enemies with Him. He does not want us to sin. He wants to be our friend. He wants a loving relationship with us.
Let’s take a look at the process of sin. The Bible says,
“each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” James 1:14-15
We have desires that are evil – we are enticed by them – we give in to these desires – and THEN it becomes sin. And the finial result of sin is death – or separation from God. Notice that our desires are not sin. It is only when we give into them that they become sin. The Bible says,
“For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other …” Galatians 5:17
“So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me.” Romans 7:21
I don’t know about you – but I am not a sinner. I am striving with everything with in me to walk in obedience and holiness. There is a human fallen nature that I must contend with daily. My spirit desires what is contrary to the flesh and my fallen flesh desires what is contrary to my spirit. But I don’t have to sin – and I am not! Am I perfect – certainly not. I am struggling to become more Christlike. I am struggling to be more mature. I am “pressing on to perfection” but although my actions are not there – my heart is perfect. My heart is as perfect as God’s. God desires with all His heart to be perfect – and IS! I desire with all my heart to be perfect – but am NOT! That’s why I need a Savior and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. That’s why God’s Word says,
“Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Matthew 5:48
We can’t be as perfect as God in our actions – but we can be perfect as God in our heart and our intent. We can love like God can. Let me give you some real quick facts about sin. First of all, Sin divides. It not only divides US– but it separates us from God.
“But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.” Isaiah 59:2
“Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior.” Colossians 1:21
“So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken.” Genesis 3:23
Sin separates us from God. Sin separates us from good. Sin will always hurt you. I do NOT want to be a sinner. I want to be an obedient Child of God.
Secondly, We all have sinned. The Bible says,
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” Romans 3:23
“We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way” Isaiah 53:6
Sometimes we holiness people are accused of thinking we are perfect or that we never make mistakes or sin. Nothing is further from the truth. We KNOW we were sinners from birth and have willingly lived in rebellion with God – but we have come to a place where we HATE our sin and repented of it.
Thirdly, Jesus is the remedy for sin. The Bible says,
“But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.”
Colossians 3: 22-23
We read earlier that the wages of sin is death. Let’s take that Scripture in context.
“But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith.” Romans 3:21-25
We have all sinned and fallen short of God’s glory - but we have all been justified freely by his grace – through Jesus’ death on the cross. We become one with Jesus through the shedding of His blood – which we receive by faith.
The good news is that we can be saved FROM our sin – not IN our sin. This is good news – because we have all sinned. But –
Fourthly, we are saved to sin no more, as the old song goes. Listen to God speaking through His Word.
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering.” Romans 8:1-3
“You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness.” Romans 8:9-10
“Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister.” 1 John 3:7-10
“My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin…” I John 2:1
God does not want us to sin. God does not want us to be sinners. A sinner is an enemy of God. We all once were enemies with Him – but Jesus died to provide the remedy for sin. Now we are to walk in holiness and without willful sin. May God give us the grace that it may be so in our lives.
But if we DO sin – we have an Advocate; we have a Lawyer – defending us. His name is Jesus. All who come to Him – He will not turn away. If there is sin in your heart today- turn from it. Stop sinning. Confess it – and Jesus will wash your sins away and make you pure as snow. God says,
“Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the LORD, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool. If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the good of the land; But if you refuse and rebel, You shall be devoured by the sword” Isaiah 1:18-19
Let’s use our heads. Let’s reason this out. If you have sinned – pray a prayer like this”
“Dear Jesus, I have sinner. I have rebelled against you. I knew what you wanted me to do and I didn’t do it. I know you didn’t want me to do that thing- and I did it anyway. Please forgive me. With your help – I will live for You.
