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Sermons from 1
John |
IF WE ..." |
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Other sermons from 1 John
Sharing The Word Of Life (1:1-3) This series of sermons is presently being preached and will be added to as available
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In
verses 6-10 there is a repetition of the words “If we.” We find this
phrase five times in these verses. The little word “if” is a
conditional particle. The word is most often translated “if” in the
Bible, but on other occasions it is translated “whosoever” or
“whatsoever.” An example is Matthew 20:4, “And said unto them; Go
ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And
they went their way.” The word “whatsoever” is the same as
“if” in text from 1 John. Also
we read in Matthew
In
each case we find that which is conditional. In Matthew 20:4 the condition
is “whatsoever is right.” In Matthew The conditions we find in 1 John 1:6-10 are, “if we say (Vs. 6, 8, 10), “if we walk” (Vs. 7), and “if we confess” (Vs. 9). Let’s examine these conditions and build our study around the phrase of “if we” in 1 John 1:6-10. First, we see: 1. THE CLAIMS THAT ARE REJECTED First, lets look at the phrase “if we say.” We find this phrase in verse six, "If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth;" verse eight, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us;" and verse ten, "If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us." John is giving us a case of someone saying something or making certain claims. In each verse we find that what it is being spoken, or the claim that is being made, concerns the subject of sin in a person’s life. In each case we see that the claim that is being made is false, untrue, and therefore rejected. Notice the claims that are being made. In the first we see: A) A Refusing To Acknowledge The Consequence Of Sin We read in verse 6, “If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth” In this case we have someone making the claim they are living in sin (walking in darkness), yet making the claim they are in fellowship with God. What is John’s (and God’s) answer to such a claim? We are liars! The word “lie” is a strong one which means, “We utter an untruth.” To make such a claim is not doing the truth or acknowledging the truth. It is as Sam Gordon says in his book on 1 John, "You might just as well live in a coal pit and claim that you're developing a sun tan" ("Living in the Light"). If we are walking in darkness, we ARE NOT walking in the light. We are walking in sin. We are not walking with the Saviour. If we are not right in our life we are not right with our Lord. To make such a claim is to fail to acknowledge that sin breaks our fellowship with God. We can excuse our sin, ignore our sin, rationalize our sin, but this is a case where two and two do not make four. There can be no fellowship with God if there is sin in our life or we are walking in darkness. It is a claim that is rejected. In the second we see a: B) Refusing To Accept The Condition Of Sin We read in verse 8, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” This is a case where one denies that they even have a sin problem. This person is refusing to accept they are a sinner by nature. It is like this person is saying, “Me guilty of sin? I’m not even a sinner.” I read about this fellow who came up to a preacher after a service and said, “I can’t swallow this thing about being a sinner.” The preacher replied, “You don’t need to swallow it. It’s already in you.” The Bible teaches us that we not only sin, but we were born with a sinful nature. To put it another way, the reason we sin is because we are sinners. We are not sinners because we steal. We steal because we are sinners. We are not sinners because we lie. We lie because we are sinners.
The
Bible is very clear, “For all have
sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans If we deny that we are sinners, John tells us that we are only deceiving ourselves. The word “deceive,” speaks of “erring, wandering or straying from the truth.” One is only pulling the wool over their eyes if they make such a claim. Once again, it is a claim that is rejected. In the third we see a: C) Refusing To Admit The Committing Of Sin We read in verse 10, “If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” In this case, one is not denying they are a sinner by nature, but making the claim that they have not committed sin. In the first claim, one was guilty to lying to themselves. In the second, one was guilty of deceiving themselves. But in this third claim, John states that one is guilty of something even worse. He tells us that such a claim is calling God a liar. What has God said? He has stated time and time again that we are sinners and that we sin. To make the claim that we do not sin or have no sin is to claim that what God has said is false. To lie to ourselves in one thing. To even deceive ourselves is another. But to call God a liar is by far more serious. Yet, if we make such a claim that is what we are doing. As with the two previous claims, this claim is rejected as well. We do have a sin problem. It is a problem that manifests itself each day in our life. It cannot be denied. Instead, we must understand our sin problem and learn how to handle it and what to do with it. Secondly, notice with me: 2. THE CONDUCT THAT IS REQUIRED In verse 7 we find the words, “If we walk.” In response to the claim made in verse 6 that one is in fellowship with God while walking in darkness, John says, “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” If one is walking in darkness they cannot be in fellowship with God. The flip side is that there is a certain walk that is required in order to have fellowship and be in fellowship with God. What kind of walk is required? First, we see that it is: A) A Walk In The Light John tells us that “He is in the light.” We saw in verse five that “God is light.” There is no darkness or even shadow in the person and nature of God. He is holy and dwells in holiness. In order for us to have fellowship with God, Who is light, and in the light, we must walk in light as well. We cannot walk in darkness and have fellowship with God. We must walk in holiness. Notice that John describes this walk in light as a continual walk. The tense of the words is, “But if we keep on and continually walk in the light.” If there is to be fellowship with God it is more than a Sunday thing. It is a Monday through Sunday matter. Secondly, he describes it as a clean walk. He speaks of how the “blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth from all sin.” Our lives have to be kept clean if there is to be fellowship with God. It is a walk in the light. Furthermore, we see that it is: B) A Walk With The Lord The result of walking in the light is, “we have fellowship one with another.” God has fellowship with us and we have fellowship with Him. What does this fellowship do for us?
For
one thing it puts us on speaking
terms with God. The word “fellowship” on other occasions is
translated “communicate.” An example is Hebrews For another thing, this fellowship puts us on serving terms with God. The basic meaning of the word describes a “partnership.” To be in fellowship with God put us in cooperation with what God is doing and where He is going. It puts us in place we are partners in what God is up to. Thirdly, we see: 3. THE CLEANSING THAT IS RECEIVED If we are sinners and have a sin problem, and if we must be clean in order to have fellowship with God, then what do we do with our sins and how do we deal with our sins. We read in verse 9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” If any page of our Bible ought to be worn on the edges it is the page on which this verse is found. It is a verse that should be used daily. It gives us the way we stay clean before God and maintain unbroken fellowship with God. In this verse we see: A) The Confrontation Of Sin The word, “confess” simply means, “to agree with,” or “to say the same thing.” With Whom are we to agree with? With Whom are we saying the same thing? God of course! This suggests to me that God confronts the sin that is in our life. He that is Light, turns the light on our sin. He shows us what is wrong. He reveals what our sin is. He confronts our sin. There is also: B) The Confession Of Sin Once we have had our sin identified and exposed by God, then the proper step is to agree with God and say, “Lord, you are right. I have sinned. This is a sin in my life.” We confess our sins to God. Then when we confess our sins, we experience: C) The Cleansing Of Sin If we will confess our sin then we have the great promise that He that is faithful and just will “forgive” our sin and “cleanse” us of our sin. The word “forgive” simply means, “to send away” or “to remove.” The word “cleanse” means, “to purify.” God purifies of our sin and removes the sin so that it no longer stands as a barrier between us and Him. From what sin will God forgive? It is “all unrighteousness.” The word “unrighteousness” speaks of moral failures in our life. The promise is that God will forgive of all moral failure. |