Shiloh Bible Church
1 John 3:4-6
Big Problems
Introduction
A little matter can be a big problem. Take blood clots, for example. We don’t even like to hear the term—because they’re dangerous.
A blood clot forms when blood cells and fibrin strands clump together. Now, most blood clots dissolve on their own. But there are situations in which they can cause medical problems. Blood clots become dangerous when they block the flow of blood through an artery or vein. When a blood clot blocks blood flow to an artery in the heart or the brain, a heart attack or stroke may result.
It’s amazing how a little blood clot can be such a big problem. But the same is true of sin. Sin—even a little sin—in the life of a believer is a big problem. And the Apostle John tells us in his first epistle why this is so. Please turn with me in your Bibles this morning to the book of 1 John chapter 3. In 1 John 3, John gives us three reasons why a little sin is a big problem. First of all, John says that when you sin …
1. YOU DISOBEY THE LAW OF GOD
John puts it in these terms in 1 John 3:4: “Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness.”
And that’s what sin is—sin is breaking God’s law. We’re living in a day when many people do not believe in God’s law. They don’t believe that God has commanded man to act in certain ways. They don’t believe in moral absolutes. They don’t think that there is such a thing as right and wrong. Rather, they believe that everyone creates their own truth and that we should live by whatever moral code that we are personally comfortable with. And that when we act badly, it is not an offense or affront to God. But that’s not how God sees it.
Someone wrote:
• Man calls it an accident; God calls it an abomination
• Man calls it a blunder; God calls it blindness
• Man calls it a defect; God calls it a disease
• Man calls it a chance; God calls it a choice
• Man calls it an error; God calls it enmity
• Man calls it a fascination; God calls it a fatality
• Man calls it infirmity; God calls it iniquity
• Man calls it a trifle; God calls it a tragedy
• Man calls it a mistake; God calls it madness
• Man calls it a weakness; God calls it wickedness
• Man calls it liberty; God calls it lawlessness
“Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness.” God has revealed Himself to man in the Bible. The Bible is the Word of God. And the Word of God contains propositional truth. In the Bible we discover the laws of God—rules to govern the life and behavior of man. And when we violate these standards that God has given, the Bible calls that sin.
There is a small tree which grows in Southeast Asia known as the Judas-tree. From its branches grow gorgeous blossoms. These blossoms look like scarlet sunbeams. The brilliant beauty of the crimson flowers attracts thousands of tiny insects. Wild bees also try to draw honey from their exquisitely shaped cups. But every insect that comes to rest on the edge of its blossom is overcome. It is overcome by a fatal drug which the flower-juice contains. And the insect drops dead upon the ground below. So, when you walk around a Judas-tree, you often see the soft grass littered with dead and dying insects. The Judas-tree reminds us of sin. Sin may look bright, pleasant, and attractive to our eyes. It may appear harmless to indulge in it. But lurking behind the pleasure of sin is a fatal poison. And sin is a poison—a wickedness that acts as a drug to take away your motivation to live for God.
So, a little sin in the life of a believer is a big problem. When you sin, you disobey the law of God. Not only that, but John also says that when you sin …
2. YOU DISREGARD THE PERSON AND WORK OF THE SAVIOR
He tells us this in verse 5: “But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin.”
Christian author C. Neil Strait wrote: “Sin does not serve well as a gardener of the soul. It landscapes the contour of the soul until all that is beautiful has been made ugly; until all that is high is made low; until all that is promising is wasted. Then life is like the desert—parched and barren. It is drained of purpose. It is bleached of happiness. Sin, then, is not wise, but wasteful. It is not a gate, but only a grave.”
He is right—sin is not a gate, but only a grave. The Bible tells us “The wages of sin is death.” But Jesus Christ came to earth in order to deal with the sin problem of man. Look at what John says again in verse 5: “But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin.”
Here John reveals to us—in very concise terms—the person and work of Jesus Christ. John tells us that Jesus was sinless. He never disobeyed God’s law. He never sinned—not once. Jesus was the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. And as such, He was able to offer Himself up as a perfect sacrifice for our sins.
In chapter 7 of Hebrews, the writer describes Jesus as our high priest. He states: “Such a high priest meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.”
Jesus Christ’s death on the cross took care of our sins once and for all. Jesus’ death dealt with the penalty, power, and presence of sin. In the past, Jesus’ death took away the penalty of sin. When Jesus died on the cross, He died in our place as our substitute for our sins. As I mentioned a moment ago, the wages of sin is death. Because of our sin, we will be spiritually separated from God forever in torment in the lake of fire. But Jesus took our sin upon Himself, paying the penalty for our sin. And if we accept His sacrifice for our sins, God forgives us—He won’t hold our sins against us. So, Christ’s death dealt with the penalty for our sins. His death also takes care of the power of sin. He not only frees us from sin’s penalty, but in the present He also frees us from sin’s power. As we yield to Him and obey Him, He gives us victory over our sins. We have been delivered from the penalty of sin, we are being delivered from the power of sin, and in the future we will be delivered from the presence of sin. One day, after Jesus rules and reigns on the earth for 1,000 years, He will destroy sin so that there will no longer be even the presence of sin among us.
Jesus “appeared so that he might take away our sins.” Through His one sacrifice on Calvary’s cross, He took away the penalty of your sin in the past, the power of your sin in the present, and the presence of your sin in the future.
So, when you sin as a believer, you are disregarding the person and work of the Savior. He didn’t die so you could sin to your heart’s content. He died so that you would be delivered from the power of sin right now—that we might clean lives before Him now.
Last Sunday morning Brian DuMond shared with us an opportunity he has in October to go to Ukraine to teach at the Zaporozhye Bible College. I had the privilege of going over there twice to teach. Once in 2001 with Scott Naus and then last summer by myself. Zaporozhye is a city of 1 million people. And one of the surprising things that you notice is how clean the city is. You don’t see any bottles or cans or papers or junk on the ground. The place is kept clean. Every morning as we walked to the college from our apartment, we would see people outside—especially elderly ladies—sweeping a section of the sidewalk in front of their apartment building. I was told that this was a carryover from Communist days where everyone was assigned a particular area to keep clean. That was one of their duties as comrades. And the place was kept clean.
How about you? Do you keep your place clean? I’m not referring to your physical house, but to your spiritual home. The absolutely pure Savior lives within you. And He wants you to keep your life pure and clean for Him. That means sweeping out sinful speech—lying and gossip and profanity. That means sweeping out sinful behavior—such as sexual immorality.
Proverbs 28:13 says, “He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.” 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
It’s imperative that you keep your life clean. Because a little sin is a big problem. When you sin, you not only disobey the law of God, disregard the person and work of the Savior, but also …
3. YOU DISRUPT YOUR FELLOWSHIP WITH CHRIST
John writes this in verse 6: “No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.” Let me read this verse again slowly. And think about what John is saying. “No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.”
Now, what is John saying here? Some Bible teachers believe that this verse teaches that if a Christian keeps committing sin, then he will lose his salvation. Other Bible teachers think this verse means that if a person keeps committing sin, then that proves he was never a Christian to begin with. But is that what John teaches? Is that what this verse is saying? No, I don’t think so.
Remember what John said in 1:8? Turn back there for a moment and let’s look at that verse. In 1:8 John states, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” So, John tells us that Christians do commit sin. John isn’t advocating it or condoning it or excusing it. He is just stating reality—Christians do sin.
Well, then what does he mean in 3:6? I think the key to understanding this verse is found in the word “lives.” “No one who lives in him keeps on sinning.” That word “lives” is the Greek word "meno"—to abide or remain. Now, we’ve seen this word repeatedly in our study of 1 John. It’s a term that denotes fellowship—not relationship. It’s a term used to describe our communion with Christ and our walk with Him as believers. In his commentary on 1 John, J. Dwight Pentecost explains it this way: “The one who is sinning is not experiencing the fullness of the life of Christ. John is not inferring that the one who sins has not been born again, or that he has lost his salvation. Rather he affirms that when one sins he has left fellowship with God.” I think Pentecost is right. I believe that is the point John is making.
As a believer, you cannot commit sin and at the same time expect to enjoy a rich, deep, personal, intimate fellowship with Jesus Christ. Sin and fellowship are incompatible. It’s like George Bush asking Osama bin Laden to be his running-mate. It won’t work. Sin and fellowship are incompatible. The two mix like oil and water. So, when you sin, you don’t lose your salvation. But you do disrupt your fellowship with Christ. A little sin is a big problem.
Conclusion
Calvin Coolidge was the 30th president of the United States. He was born in Plymouth, Vermont, on July 4, 1872. And he served as President from 1923-1929. Both his dry wit and brevity with words became legendary. His wife, Grace, told of the time when a young woman was sitting next to Coolidge at a dinner party. The woman told Coolidge that she had bet a friend that she could get at least three words of conversation from him. Without looking at her he quietly retorted, “You lose.”
Well, one Sunday afternoon Coolidge returned home from attending church. His wife wasn’t able to accompany him that day, but she was interested in finding out what the minister said. And so she asked him, “What did the pastor talk about today?” In his characteristically brief response, Coolidge simply said, “Sin.” Well, she wanted to know more than that. So she pressed her husband to elaborate further. But being a man of few words, Coolidge just replied, “He’s against it!”
And that should be our stance as well. When it comes to sin, we should be against it. Why? Because a little sin is a big problem. When you sin, you disobey the law of God, you disregard the person and work of the Savior, and you disrupt your fellowship with Christ.
Let’s pray.
