Title: The Nature of God and His People Scripture: I Jn. 1:5-10
Type: Expository Series Where: GNBC 6-9-24
Intro: Thomas Aquinas called theology the “queen of sciences.” But the study of theology—the study of God—was gradually sidelined and now finds no place in the contemporary curriculum. Alexander Pope captured the spirit of our modern age: “Know then thyself, presume not God to scan; The proper study of Mankind is Man.” I disagree with Mr. Pope. Focusing first on “Man” gets you into trouble. Very fashionable today for people of all ages to have identity crisis. Leaving family or spouse, rejecting friends, changing orientation, jettisoning one’s faith, quitting job, staying in school, or dropping out – all are ok as long as contribute to task of “finding” yourself. My observation is that it’s not what it’s cracked up to be, “looking for yourself” led to a descent down the rabbit hole, into a terrifyingly confused “Wonderland” filled with smiling Cheshire cats, Mad Hatters, and insane queens shouting “off with your head!” I would contend that knowing God is what makes sense of life. Missing God leads to disaster. In his classic book Knowing God, J.I. Packer writes: “The world becomes a strange, mad, painful place, and life in it a disappointing and unpleasant business for those who do not know about God. Disregard the study of God and you sentence yourself to stumble and blunder through life blindfolded as it were with no sense of direction and no understanding of what surrounds you. This way you can waste your life and lose your soul.” (Adapted from Stephen Eyre article 9-2-13, Lewis Institute) One of the most glorious adventures we can embark upon in this life is to learn to know the nature of God and our responsibility in light of His nature.
Prop: In I Jn. 1:5-10 we’ll realize the nature of God and man’s resultant responsibility.
BG: 1. I Jn. written by beloved disciple. Now an old man. Late 1st century.
2. This section today examines the nature of God and the means by which man has fellowship with Him.
Prop: Let’s look at I Jn. 1:5-10 today to notice the nature of God and man’s resultant responsibility.
I. To Have Fellowship With God We Must Understand His Nature. V. 5
A. John Beautifully Describes the Nature of God in one verse.
1. To Have Fellowship with God we Must Start with His Authoritative Self Revelation.
a. As I said last week, God had to reveal His nature and character to us because fallen man is spiritually dead and cannot now God apart from God awakening him/her and revealing Self to man through special revelation. Notice that John is not sharing with us his speculations on what God may be like. He doesn’t throw out an idea and suggest that his readers discuss what they think about it. Rather, John says, “We heard this straight from Jesus and we announce it to you.” This was an authoritative pronouncement from Jesus through the apostles to the readers. To have fellowship with God, we must start with His authoritative revelation in His Word.
b. Illust: In light (Pun intended!) of a lot of modern preaching, John doesn’t address the felt needs of his audience. He doesn’t tell readers that they should follow what he says so as to enjoy a wonderful family life or personal success. In fact, after reading the first 4 verses, you would almost think that John would say: “Do you know that God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life!” However, he doesn’t! Rather, he brings us directly to the throne of God and describes His gloriously holy nature: “God is light…!”
2. Examples
a. Illust: “Martyn Lloyd-Jones makes this point (Fellowship With God [Crossway Books], p. 100), that we must always start with God. He argues that our main problem is our self-centeredness, and so we come to the Christian faith looking to have our needs met. I’m not happy; can God make me happy? I’m looking for something that I don’t have; can God give it to me? How can Christianity help me with my problems and needs? But to approach the Christian faith in that manner is to cater to our main problem, which is self! He says (p. 101), “The first answer of the gospel can always, in effect, be put in this way: ‘Forget yourself and contemplate God.’” He adds (p. 102), “The way to be delivered from self-centeredness is to stand in the presence of God.” (Steven Cole, Lesson 4)
b. Let me help us to forget about ourselves and contemplate the Person of God in light of His being “Light”! In Gen. 1:1-3 the earth is formless and void and covered in darkness and God speaks forth light into the beginning of His creation! (v.3) Light emanated from the very WOG and friend it still does today! Are you walking in darkness? Read His Word! In the Psalms light was often a metaphor for life and salvation in God (Ps. 36:9), He is described as light in Ps. 27:1 (The Lord is my light and my salvation…) In Jn. 1:9 the author describes God as the True light which enlightens every man… Jesus said in Jn. 8:12 “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Christ brings spiritual illumination! There is an ethical use of the idea of light used in connection with God in Jn. 12:35& Eph. 5:8ff.
B. The Ethical Nature of God. (Let’s explore this concept of the ethical nature of God.)
1. John is making an ethical assertion about the Nature of God in this verse. John is saying here that God is the source of holiness, righteousness, goodness and truth. Conversely, in Him there is nothing that is unholy, unrighteous, evil, or false. He revealed Himself in the age of preparation prior to Christ’s coming and He when He did come in the fullness of time the character Christ evidenced was this in absolute perfection.
2. Illust: Qumran was the site where for about 200 years, Jewish monks, known as Essenes, copied and made commentaries on the Scriptures. Qumran became well known in 1947 when nearly 1900 years after ceasing to exist, a shepherd boy named Mohammed al-Theeb, found what would become know as the Dead Sea Scrolls. The Qumran Community wrote extensively that men were either ruled by “The Prince of Light” or the “Angel of Darkness”. There was an ethical implication based on how they lived and who controlled their lives. No difference today!
C. God is the Exact Opposite of Darkness – “and in Him there is no darkness AT ALL”
1. The “darkness” – skotia – from skotos which symbolized sin itself. Skotia, symbolized the consequences of sin. We have the consequences of sin because of sin. We sin because we are sinners. We grope darkness thinking we are in the light all the while needing the Light.
2. As
a. Illust: Fall of 1992, deer hunting w/ my friend Paul Taylor near Ridgeway, SC. We could stay in stands until ½ hr after sunset. Pushed it a little longer. When I finally decided to get down a buck jumped and crashed thru the brush. I dropped my flashlight and it broke when hit the ground. There I was in thick SC woods (Not like Iowa,), no flashlight, no compass, no cell phones then, no knowledge of where my friend’s stand was. But I knew there was a road we had come in on about a mile away. That was a lonely, scary hike thru woods. At one point tripped over barbed wire fence. And realized I had stumbled upon a tiny cabin and a still. I was even more scared now and when got back up took off running thru woods. Scary place.. spiders, lizards, snakes, feral hogs, mountain lions, moonshiners! After nearly ½ hr came to a road. Stayed back a layer in the woods until saw set of headlights of a small pickup coming down the road!! Headlights instantly dispelled my fear, hopelessness, and loneliness. There was my friend, Paul, looking for me!
b. Light dispels darkness. Instantly. Darkness and light cannot “coexist” as the bumper stickers proclaim.
C. Applic: Friend, if you are here today, lost, lonely, scared, enveloped in the darkness of sin and it’s consequences, turn to Jesus Christ Who is the Light!
II. 3 Antithetical Tests of True Spiritual Life and Fellowship with God. Vv.6-10
A. 1st Claim: To Fellowship w/ God when One’s Life is Characterized By Unrighteousness vv. 6-7
1. This False Claim is to Follow Christ while Practicing Heinous Sin.
a. Now, notice, because John will do the same in each of these three Antithetical tests. He will begin with the phrase: “if we say” and then introduce a false claim. Then, he will follow that up with the antidote to that false claim. Here in this the first of the three tests in this section of I John, the Apostle starts with the test that essentially states that one cannot identify as a Christian and live in unrighteousness. Illust: I appreciate that in our community so many people celebrate Noahic Covenant Awareness Month (Gen. 9:13) (😊)You see for millennia the rainbow was God’s symbol of covenant between Himself and every living creature that was a promise of hope. But no, that’s not really what people in IC celebrate. Many who would call selves Christians and go to church.
b. Illust: This is a huge issue in our area. Neither churches nor campus ministries can waffle and go soft on this issue. The Bible is abundantly clear I Cor. 6:9-10 “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, shall inherit the kingdom of God.” Just last week largest single day denominational loss of membership in the history of Christianity. Barely made the news. The Cote d’Ivoire Methodist Church in protest to the American UMC’s acceptance and promotion of LGBTQ membership, marriage, and ordination, pulled ALL 1.2 MILLION members out of the UMC’s umbrella. Why? The plain reading of the Bible is you cannot practice what God calls unrighteous behavior and still make a valid profession of faith in the God Who decries that behavior.
2. John was putting his readers on the defense against false teachers as well as false professions. I think it is most likely the case that false teachers (Gnostics, etc.) actually encouraged (like hyper-grace preachers today) to sin more boldly so as to demonstrate God’s grace more clearly. False! However, it is also true, and we in the conservative church must be reminded, that orthodoxy of doctrine is no substitute for righteousness of life!
3. What is the 2-Full Antidote John Gives for this False Claim of Fellowship w/God?
a. Walk in the Light: When come to Christ the WOG shines light on our sin and need. Once in Christ, His light shows us where and how to walk! If walk in the light won’t go down the path of darkness.
b. The Blood of Christ Cleanses: Illust: Tide detergent slogan: “If It’s Got to Be Clean, It’s Got to Be Tide”. But friend an entire train tanker of Tide can’t change the condition of stain of sin on my soul. But praise God, one fraction of droplet of the precious blood of Christ that fell from the Cross of Calvary can correct the condition of the most vile of offenders! A few minutes ago I stopped at I Cor. 6:10. Pretty bad news. Can I tell you I have some really Good News!? V.11 says “And such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit of our God.”
B. 2nd Claim: Claiming to Have No Sin. Vv. 8-9
1. Individuals Who Make this Claim Have Deceived Themselves.
a. Illust: Occasionally watch Ray Comfort videos witnessing. Usually asks people if they are good or evil and if die would go to heaven or hell and why. Nearly universally, people say they are good. Then, using the 10 Commandments, he asks them if they have ever: Idols, false gods, Name in vain, dishonored parents, stolen, lied, coveted. Now what type of person do you think you are and what are chances of going to heaven? In our lost condition we are self deceived. The moral law of God shows us our need for a Savior!
b. Now notice, this claim, in the context of John’s writing, is not made about non-Christian, outside of the church. Rather, he is writing to the church and correcting problems going on within the church. These gnostic teachers were apparently teaching and that through a higher spiritual plane one could arrive at a place beyond “good and evil”, reaching a spiritual plane where moral principles are no longer relevant or important. To this John says they are self-deceived!
2. What is the Antidote John Gives for this False Claim of Fellowship w/God? V.9
a. The antidote is confession. We confess our sin. To confess means to agree with God that our sin is sin. It means to accept responsibility for it and to turn from it. Our society will never see revival until individuals own up to their own sin. Everyone today is a victim or made to feel a victim and it is sending them to hell. Victims don’t see a need to ask forgiveness. Illust: If you are walking down the street minding own business and get mugged, don’t apologize to the robber for being an easy mark. Rather, he or she should apologize in court to you, right before they are sentenced. We somehow today think we are innocent of all charges brough by the bench of heaven.
b. The Active Agent of the Antidote is Christ – Christ’s character assures the efficacy and extent of the antidote: John reminds his readers that the reason we have assurance of forgiveness is the character of Christ – faithful and righteous. It’s important that Christ is faithful but it is equally important that He is righteous. What is the result: Forgiveness and cleansing are somewhat overlapping, except that forgiveness relates to the guilt of sin being pardoned, whereas cleansing points to the defilement of sin being removed. The forgiven person does not need to fear God’s judgment. The cleansed person is free to draw near to God in worship, because the defilement of sin has been taken away. A person walking in the light does not deny his sin or try to cover it up. He does not blame others for it or make excuses about it. Rather, he confesses it.
C. 3rd Claim: Claiming to Have Never Sinned. V.10
1. At first glance this appears to be the same claim as in v. 8, however there is a subtle distinction here. As a culture we have moved away from sin and guilt terminology. Individuals are no longer sinners, rather, they are sick. They no longer commit sins but rather have sicknesses, failures, or diseases are the excise for their troubles and failures. When we rationalize about what we have already done, it is as if we are calling God "the devil." The Greek text should probably be translated, "If we say that we have not sinned, we make him [God] to be the liar, and the truth is not in us." To deny our sin is to turn heaven into hell and hell into heaven. We need to be honest with God about Who He is and who we were.
2. What is the Antidote John Gives for this False Claim of Fellowship w/God? Allow His Word to dwell in you! Illust: Jn. 8 Jesus is speaking to group of Jews who claim their right standing with God because they are Abraham’s offspring. In v. 37, Jesus responds, “I know that you are Abraham’s offspring, yet you seek to kill Me because my word has no place in you.” When we disagree with the Bible’s assessment about our fallen condition and God’s only provision for salvation, the Lord Jesus Christ, there is no antidote for our condition. When we allow it to speak to us and guide us into repentance and fellowship with God, we walk in the truth and in the light.
Conclusion: 18th century, an abbot was disciplining two monks for some infraction of the rules. He imposed on them the rule of silence. They tried to figure out some way to fill the long hours. Finally one monk gathered 28 flat stones from the courtyard. Put numbers on to devise a game. By using gestures, the men agreed on certain rules, but the most difficult part was keeping silent when one of them scored a victory. Then they remembered that they were permitted to say aloud the prayer, “Dixit Dominus Domino Meo.” By using the one word of this Latin expression meaning “Lord,” the winner was able to signal victory by yelling, “Domino!” Monks gave the impression that they were praying, but really, they were playing. Thus the game of dominoes was born (From “Our Daily Bread” [8/77]). It’s easy to put on a religious veneer by claiming that you have fellowship with God, when really, you’re walking in the darkness and deceiving yourself. John doesn’t want us to play spiritual dominoes. He wants us to experience genuine fellowship with the holy God by walking in the light, as He Himself is in the light. (Steven Cole Lesson)
