Spending Time With the Best
1 John 1:5-10
In 1991, Ryan, our son, age 6 at the time, played Challenger Baseball, a modified version of the game for disabled children. At the end of the season, each child received an official Challenger baseball for his or her participation.
We asked Ryan what he wanted to do with his; put it in a frame or case, or just play with it. He said he wanted to give it to his hero, Nolan Ryan, who was, at that time, a Texas Ranger baseball player.
Ryan wrote Nolan and we sent the letter to Nolan Ryan, General Delivery, Alvin Texas 77511, supposing it was near his home. Not long after that, we received an invitation to meet Nolan Ryan and free tickets to the Ranger game. We got to meet the legend himself. In my opinion, we met the best.
Ryan handed Nolan a gift bag, and inside was a Ryan White autographed Challenger baseball. I am thinking that through the years, many people have asked Nolan Ryan for autographed baseballs, caps, gloves, shirts and anything else they could think of.
I am also thinking that he has received few autographed Challenger baseballs.
That afternoon, we spent a little less than an hour with the legend, the best. Then we watched the Ranger game from prime seats.
I was a softball player at the time. My time with Nolan Ryan didn't make me a better softball player. Ryan's time with Nolan didn't make him a better Challenger baseball player. We have photos and memories, but that's about it. Nolan would not even recognize us if we met again, and may not remember the meeting. He may not have kept the one "Ryan White" autographed baseball in the world.
But when we meet with God, things are much different. In Him is light, and that light chases away darkness. We are changed and continue to be changed as we fellowship with Him.
1Jn 1:5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. (The nature of God:)
The nature of God is established: Light, no darkness. Good, no evil. It does not say that God is well lit and there is no darkness. God is defined as light itself.
We understand that this passage is speaking of good and evil. That will become more apparent as we continue. That means anything you can't grasp that a good god would do but our God does or did, those are things you just do not understand. No evil intent, wrong idea, bad mood, mean-hearted or selfish motive or action can be attributed to God. Emphatically, there is no darkness in Him at all. He is the very definition of good and righteousness.
How in the world can we fellowship with a God who is purely perfect?
1Jn 1:6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. (The first result of fellowship with God)
We cannot have fellowship with Him and continue to walk in darkness.
The profession of every religion is to have a connection with the god of the religion. Every religion practices is to become like the god of its choice or modeling his or her character. Every religion teaches that one can have some level of fellowship with their god.
This is also true with Christianity. The result of fellowship of God is a changed character. However, to say you have a fellowship and connection with God and to not model His attributes and character indicates a lie in our values and dishonesty in our practices.
1Jn 1:7 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 cleanses us from all sin.
Walking in the light is having fellowship with God through Jesus Christ and His shed blood. The second result is fellowship with one another.
What are the sources of broken fellowship in a Church community?
There is a horizontal implication to Christianity and fellowship with God. If, in fact, God is light and association with Him drives away darkness...and...If, in fact, we seek fellowship with Him that models His character....and...If, in fact, His light purges us as we fellowship with Him....Then, we would certainly get along better than any other people in the world. Fellowship with each other would be natural and automatic.
This fellowship is based upon the most important commonality in our lives; forgiveness of our sins. The basis of forgiveness: The blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin.
If Christians don't get along, our testimony is that we lie about being forgiven. We lie about fellowshipping with a God that allows no darkness. See, we cannot be forgiven and brought into fellowship with a God in whom is no darkness if we are unforgiving. Something is amiss if we are unforgiving. What is amiss is, based upon this passage and all others about forgiveness, our relationship TO the Father.
I did not say our relationship WITH the Father, but TO the Father. In Luke 15, the problem was not the sons' relationship with the father, but his relationship to the father. He was still the son of the father but he was in a distant land.
In God's presence is no darkness, and unforgiveness in a completely forgiven soul cannot remain. Not with His light which shelters no darkness.
Our fellowship is based, not upon our forgiving each other, but upon His blood that cleanses unforgiveness within us. If we walk in the light, forgiving others is not an issue. If we walk in Him, the light, forgiveness of each other is not even a battle. It falls under the blood, and to say we walk in the light but hold unforgiveness is to walk far enough away from Christ to keep our unforgiveness in the darkness.
This doesn't speak well of me when I struggle with forgiveness. That is why this isn't Bro. Tim saying this: "If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth."
James 3:14 says, "But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth."
"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 cleanses us from all sin."
This is not teaching sinless perfection, but does continue to emphasize progressive sanctification. That means, when you are saved, you are not going to live a perfect life. But as a saved person, you are going to continue to move toward that light of God. This is also covered in the rest of the chapter.
1Jn 1:8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
There will always be something else to work on in my life as long as I am in this world. The same is true with you. This is called progressive sanctification. I am not an Apostle Paul, but he even said he had a distance to go.
Php 3:12-16 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. 16 Only let us hold true to what we have attained.
Paul said he could not live in the light without desiring to "press on towards the goal". He also said, "If you think you are mature, you best have this same attitude." And he reminded us to not let what we have learned and achieved slip back.
There is something in my life, and in your life, that needs more light. There is sin. What do we do?
1Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
This scripture is used often by itself as a lesson reference, but works best when it fits into the context of the verses around it. Since we are drawing closer to the light, and the closer we get to the light the more sin is exposed, then what do we do when sin in our lives is revealed to us?
Confess, forsake and walk in faith. Let's break it down.
Proverbs 28:13 - Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.
How does man typically deal with revealed sin? We conceal it (cover it). Deny it. Rationalize it or excuse it. Minimize it. Find someone else to blame. Some embrace it and own it in the wrong way (That's just little ole me. Ain't I adorable?). Some ignore it. Some live in defeat.
Many use another techniques. They simply refuse to look inside. Doing so also means refusing to draw near to the light: stunted in their spiritual growth (1 Cor. 3:1-3). Yet, in Him is no darkness at all.
Proverbs 28:13 says there are two polar reactions to sins. Concealing it in some way and fessing up to it. The second way adds forsaking to confession. None of this thumping someone on the head, saying "I'm sorry" and thumping them on the head again.
In 1 John 1:9 uses the word "confess" or the Greek "homologeo". Homo meaning self or same, logeo meaning knowledge, thus, to know thoroughly for yourself. A simple definition would be to completely acknowledge the sin.
This is more than saying "Yeah, that is sin, but it isn't too bad. Everybody has some sin." The knowledge part of it (logos) indicates to fully understand the gravity of the sin. The prodigal son said: "I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants."' Luke 15:18-19.
None of this, "I was young and foolish, but I am a different person now." No denial, rationalization, blame (well, you live with my brother for a while as a younger brother and see if you would run away or not), minimization, etc... He seemed to understand the full depth of his sin.
That is evidence that in his repentance, he drew close enough to the light to get a good look at what sin looked like. and He immediately left to go home, forsaking the transgressions.
"I am not worthy to be called your son anymore." That is confessing and forsaking.
Ill. Preceding the Civil War, a pastor in a northern state preached eight weeks on the sin of being a southerner. He got a raise, attendance grew, the church thrived and he became a legend. The problem was, there were no southerners, slave owners or southern rebels in his services. But there were plenty of "Amens".
We often love preaching that is to "them". That type of preaching can almost bring a revival. But that type of preaching does not bring about confession and repentance.
I pray for repentance for our Church. It is not a message of disrespect, because....
1Jn 1:10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
Brother Tim, this says "if we say we have not sinned in the past." Yes, it does. I totally agree. Tie this into the truth of verse 8. "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." Together, they say that no one living in this life can in the past or in the present say they are perfected yet.
"We make him a liar." Romans 3:4 - "...Let God be true though every one were a liar..." We cannot make God a liar in the common sense. The Greek indicates that we attempt to paste "Liar" to His reputation. But God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. This clearly means that if we say we have not sinned (10) and have no sin (8), we are a false witness lying against the truth.
So in review: To worship a perfect God should improve our lives as we walk in the light.
To worship a perfect God should improve our fellowship as we walk in forgiveness..
To worship a perfect God should cause us to look inside as we walk in honesty.
These are evidence of salvation and evidence of a growing spiritual life. Spending time with the best will improve our lives, improve our fellowship and help us deal with those inside issues that we find difficult to face.
Ill. At his father's funeral, American Carl Lewis placed his 100-meter gold medal from the 1984 Olympics in his father's hands. "Don't worry," he told his surprised mother. "I'll get another one."
A year later, in the 100-meter final at the 1988 games, Lewis was competing against Canadian world-record-holder Ben Johnson. Halfway through the race Johnson was five feet in front. Lewis was convinced he could catch him. But at 80 meters, he was still five feet behind. It's over, Dad, Lewis thought. As Johnson crossed the finish, he stared back at Lewis and thrust his right arm in the air, index finger extended. Lewis was exasperated. He had noticed Johnson's bulging muscles and yellow-tinged eyes, both indications of steroid use. "I didn't have the medal, but I could still give to my father by acting with class and dignity," Lewis said later. He realized that the greatest tribute was not to replace the metal he gave his dad, but model the character his dad demonstrated through life.
He shook Johnson's hand and left the track. But then came the announcement that Johnson had tested positive for anabolic steroids. He was stripped of his medal. The gold went to Lewis, a replacement for the medal he had given his father.
In this life, the greatest accomplishments are not what we achieve before each others' eyes, but how we model our heavenly Father. In Him is no darkness at all.
A forgiven people who realize the depths of which we have been forgiven cannot help but forgiving each other. Finally, spending time in fellowship with our wonderful, holy and loving God should reveal in us those areas God is working on and we should easily admit to and forsake them as sin.
