Sermon manuscript, preached in 2023-08-30 at CEC English Congregation
Why don’t we start with that prayer?
Father, we invite you to come today to speak to us through your Holy Spirit. Speak to each one of us. Let us see the power of Jesus who transformed life. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Do you remember your wedding day? The flowers, the guests, the wedding dress, the song, the joy, the friendship. I see some wives nagging their husbands. You know, you enjoy each other. A wedding is a joyful event. However, oftentimes we discover that the joy of the wedding day does not last.
After the wedding day, the marriage starts. Life kicks in sooner or later, and the couple gets into some disagreement or argument. And did that happen to you? Do you used to enjoy your marriage and now you have lost the joy in marriage? Do you used to enjoy church and serving at church, but now you are just serving because of obligation?
Have you lost your joy in serving the Lord? Do you enjoy your career? Maybe you did in the past, but now you are just dragging your feet to Zoom calls. This is just a job. You have lost your joy at work? So my question for us today is what do you do when you run out of joy in life? What do you do when you run out of joy in life?
That’s the question of today. And my text is John. Gospel of John, chapter 2, verses 1 to 11. Verse 1 to 11. John, chapter 2, 1 to 11. So I have three points today. One is the problem. The problem of the text. Second is the solution that’s presented to us by the text. Third is the application. What does it mean to you?
Okay? So number one, the problem. What is the problem? The problem is the wine ran out. That’s the problem. Let’s look at verse one with me. On the third day, there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus was invited to the wedding. with his disciples. Well, on the third day, why on the third day?
If you look a few verses down in verse 19, Jesus answered the question. “Destroy the temple and in three days I will raise it up.” I believe John was alluding to the resurrection. This is the third day.
And the wedding is held in Cana. A wedding is a joyful time. Everybody loves weddings. Everybody is happy. The bride and the groom enjoyed the celebration with their family and friends. They feasted for not one day, not two days, but seven days. They enjoy the food together. Now, the disciples were with Jesus, you know, Jesus in chapter one, we were told the disciples saw Jesus, Jesus called them and they followed him.
So Jesus is going to use what will happen later in this text to teach the disciples something about himself. My question to you today is, what are some joyful moments in your life? When you graduated from college? When you get your first job? The first few years of your marriage? When you first become a disciple of Christ? When you start to serve in the church? What is your most joyful moment in life? We all have some joyful moments in life. However, we live in a fallen world. Our joy does not last. All of us experience seasons of life where we lose the joy in our life.
Let’s look at the text with me in verse 3. When the vine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” No wine. The wine ran out. Wine is essential in weddings in Israel because wine to the Jewish mind means joy. In Psalms 104 verse 15, it says that wine gladdened the hearts and oil made his face shine.
Wine means joy in Israel. The text says the wine ran out, and the mother of Jesus went to tell Jesus they had no wine. Mary did not just tell Jesus a fact, she expected Jesus to do something. It is like the wife is saying to the husband, we ran out of spaghetti sauce. What does your wife mean? Go get some spaghetti sauce.
It’s like the Chinese wife is saying, we, our rice bin is empty. Go get some rice. So, Mary, the mother of Jesus is saying, rice, I mean wine, wine ran out. They have no wine. So, in Israel, the bridegroom is responsible to provide wine to the wedding. When wines rain out, it is an embarrassment to the couple.
B wine represents joy, so Mary may as well say, there is no joy. That’s no wine. That’s no joy. No wine, no joy. How about you? Maybe the Spirit is speaking to you today. Maybe you ran out of your spiritual wine in your marriage. You used to enjoy each other. But now you have lost the joy in your marriage.
Maybe you have run out of spiritual wine in your ministry at church. Maybe You know, you used to enjoy serving the Lord, but now you just have no more joy when you serve God’s people. You are just doing it as an obligation. Maybe you ran out of spiritual wine at work. You used to enjoy work, but now you hate your job.
How did Jesus respond to his mother? Well, Let’s read the text in verse four. “And Jesus said to her, women, “What does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servant, do whatever he tells you.” While woman doesn’t sound respectful in our ear, in Greek it’s better, it’s more like saying, ma’am, what does it have to do with me?
You know but it’s not normal though, for a son to call his mom woman. Why didn’t Jesus call her mother, mother? Instead, she called her woman, because Jesus was entering into the beginning of his public ministry. What matters to Jesus is not that Mary is his mother. What matters to Jesus is Mary believed that Jesus is the son of God.
And, and Jesus said, “What does it have to do with me?” Jesus mildly rebuked Mary. Jesus is saying, why do you get me involved? My hour has not yet come. What does he mean by my hour? Remember, this is a word that is used by John in the gospel. That tells us this is the hour of Christ being crucified and resurrection.
That is the hour of the crucifixion and resurrection. In John 13:11, it says the hour has come to depart out of this world to the Father. In chapter 17:1, it says, “The Lord says, Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you.” Well, Mary was thinking about wine, but Jesus was thinking about the cross.
Mary is thinking about the wine, and Jesus is thinking about the cross. How many times do we only think about our problems? We seldom think about the cross in our life. How are the problems in our lives related to the cross of Christ? So, the problem of the text is, that the wine ran out. What is the solution? The solution, that’s my point number two.
Point number one, wine ran out, no joy. What is the solution? Jesus transformed the water into wine. Jesus transformed water into wine. Let’s read the text in verse six. Now, there are six stones jarred there for the Jewish riots of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, Fill the jars with water and then fill them up to the brim.
And he said to them, now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast. So they took it. Six stone jars of water. The text says each one holds about 20 to 30 gallons. How many gallons are there, those who are good in math? It’s about 120 to 180 gallons. 120 to 180 gallons, you know, you think about a gallon of milk.
That’s a lot of water, right? A lot of water. And this water is used for Jewish rites of purification. The Jews used this water to wash their hands before and after their meals. The water represents the old order of Jewish law and tradition. Jesus is going to change that. He’s going to transform that and replace it with something better.
Let’s look at verses seven and eight with me. The servants were obedient to Christ. Christ told them \ two commands in the text. He says two things. First, fill the jar with water. Second, take it to the master of the feast. What did the servant do in the text? The servant didn’t say anything. They just obeyed.
They filled the water into the jar, and then they took it to the feast or the master of the feast. They simply do the work in obedience to Christ without complaint. Christ commanded and the servants obeyed. Well, you are the servant, a servant of Christ. Is that your attitude in serving the Lord? Or do you serve him at church and complain at home?
Or do you just do the work and obey him?
Now let’s look at verse 9. “When the master of the feast tasted the water, now became wine, and did not know where it came from. Though the servants who had drawn the water knew, the master of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, Everyone serves the good wine first. And when people have drunk freely, then they’ll poor wine. But you kept the good wine until now.”
Well this master went to the bridegroom because it is the responsibility of the bridegroom to provide wine.
Now the master did not know what Jesus did, which is to change the water, and transformed the water into wine. Therefore, he went to the bridegroom. No one knows what happened. Only the disciples knew. Only Mary knew, and Jesus, and the servants. Now, although the bridegroom failed to provide sufficient wine, Jesus provided, because Jesus is the better bride bridegroom. 120 gallons of wine. That’s a lot of wine. That is a good wedding gift for the couples, don’t you think? That’s a lot of wine. Then he said, why do you keep the wine until now, the good wine? Now Jesus did not only provide wine, the key is He provided good wine.
That wine in Cana that day is probably the most aromatic, the best wine that ever existed on the planet Earth. Jesus is the better bridegroom.
My sisters in Christ, maybe your husband failed to provide to your emotional needs. When your husband failed you. When you are disappointed, come to Jesus. Jesus is the better husband. When your husband disappoints you, trust in Jesus, because your deepest needs can only be met by Jesus.
Maybe you think about CEC. It’s lacking in so many ways. The leaders are not really providing for the church. You complained. We have so many problems. Our jar is empty. Come to Jesus. He is the better bridegroom. He is the bridegroom of the church. This is His church.
Men and women will eventually fail to provide. But Jesus never fails. Jesus never fails. Ask Jesus to fill your empty jar. When you trust in Jesus, He will fill your emptiness with His abundance. When you trust in Jesus, He will turn your tasteless, tasteless, joyless, life into sweet, abundant life. Come to Jesus.
He is your real husband. Come to Jesus. So, what do you do when you run out of joy in life? That’s our question for today. That’s how we started the message. What do you do when you run out of joy in life? That’s my third point. The answer of that question is the third point. That’s the application of my sermon for today.
When you ran out of joy in life, believe in the transforming power of Jesus. When you ran out of joy in life, believe in the transforming power of Jesus. Let’s read the text with me. Verse 11. “This, is the first of his signs. Jesus did in canon in Galilee and manifested his glory and his disciples believed in him.”
After this, he went down to Capernaum with his mother and his brothers and his disciples and they stayed there for a few days. You see, John uses a special word in the Gospel of John. He uses, he used sign. Sign refers to the miracles that were performed by Jesus, but it conveys deeper meaning. The miracle is the transformation of water into wine, but the deeper meaning is Jesus has the power to transform life.
Jesus does not only have the power to transform physical things. He has the power to transform spiritual things. Why did Jesus do this miracle? When Mary asked him, he wasn’t really just thinking about the water and the wine.
He wasn’t really thinking about obeying his mother. He called her woman. Jesus, all the time, was thinking about his Heavenly Father. He said, My hour has not come. He was born with a laser focus on the cross. That’s his hour. Why did he perform this sign, this miracle? To manifest his glory. So that his disciples can know his nature.
Read the text. That’s what the text says in verse 11. “Jesus did at Canaan in Galilee, and manifested His glory. And His disciples believed in him.”
The transforming power of Jesus displayed his glory. Glory is one of the main themes in the Gospel of John. The Word become flesh and dwell among us and we have seen his glory. Glory as the only Son of God from the Father, full of grace and truth. The disciple believed in him. Their faith grew because they’ve seen Christ’s glory.
Jesus is the mighty creator. He turns water into wine through the agricultural process. He simply did this process immediately that day. This first sign is a transformation sign. It points to the kind of transformation ministry our Lord would have.
He would transform physical composites of water. He could also transform the spiritual composites of humans.
In 2 Corinthians says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away, behold, the new has come. Jesus transformed the Jewish purification of water into the wine of a new creation. The old has passed away, the new has come. Therefore, what do you do when you run out of joy in life?
Believe in the transforming power of Jesus. Jesus is still doing miracles today. He’s still changing water into wine today. Jesus transformed life. Jesus changes life. He continues to do that in your life today. The purification water only cleansed the outside of a person, but Jesus would transform us from the inside out.
The power of Jesus to transform water into wine is amazing, but the power to transform Rebellious sinners like us is astonishing. It is staggering.
I don’t know if there are any unbelievers here. I assume no, but in case there is, without Christ, your life is like tasteless water. You need Christ. You need Jesus. Believe in Jesus as your Savior and He will transform your life from tasteless water into sweet wine.
Now, most of us are Christians, believers. What does it mean to you? Believe in the transforming power of Jesus. Do you enjoy work? Do you want to enjoy work more? Believe in the transforming power of Jesus. Ask Jesus to transform you from the inside out. Ask Jesus for the power to love your co-workers. Ask Jesus to reveal the purpose of your work life. He doesn’t just send you to this workplace for 40 hours of useless time. God has a purpose for you. Ask him to transform your work, transform you, so that others can see Christ in your work.
Do you want to receive joy in your marriage? Believe in the transforming power of Jesus. Wake up early in the morning and spend time with Jesus. You want to enjoy have a more joyful married life? Spend time with Jesus. The closer you are to Jesus, the more joy you have in your marriage.
Do you want to restore your joy in ministry? Believe in the transforming power of Jesus. Learn to see Christ’s glory at church, in CEC. Instead of focusing on the weakness of our brothers and sisters, the lack of the church, learn to see the glory of Christ through the transforming life in this church, in our church. Try to see the goodness of Christ. He is in the business of transforming life. Even today in CEC, in the English congregation, in the Chinese congregation, in the youth meetings, in the children’s meetings, Christ is the bridegroom of the church.
We can learn to see His glory in our church. Seeing the glory of Christ, which changes your life, is the key to transforming your Christian life. You see, without seeing the glory of Jesus, you’ll be just trying to live a good Christian life with your own strength, you’ll be complaining.
When you see the glory of Jesus, that is what drives you to serve him in CEC and beyond. So what do you do when you run out of joy in life? I repeat it like six times already. What do you do when you run out of joy in life? Believe in the transforming power of Jesus. Imagine how your life will be transformed when you believe that Jesus is truly in the business of transforming life.
He’s still doing that today. He’s doing that in your marriage, in your work, in your ministry. He’s in the business of transforming life.
Just imagine your life, and how you would change when you truly believed that. Our Lord is like the best transformer. He transforms life. So, do you remember your wedding day? Yes, I do.
Your wedding day is just a picture of the real wedding day that’s coming one day. Now I know some of you are single, and you never had a wedding day, but you will. One day, the bridegroom is coming back for his church. He’s coming back. The church is lacking in so many ways today, but one day it will be perfect because the bridegroom is in the business of transforming life.
Believe that. Let’s pray.
Lord Jesus, thank you. Thank you that we once lived a tasteless life. You came into our life. Our life used to be like empty jars, and you came and you filled us with your abundance. Lord Jesus, thank you that you are still in the business of transforming life. Lord, we want to be obedient servants like those in Canaan.
We want to just obey you without complaining. But we can’t do it ourselves without seeing your glory. So, Lord, will you help us? Will you help us to transform our lives? Will you help us to see your glory in the lives of our brothers and sisters in CEC? Will you help us as a church to look to you as our bridegroom?
Thank you, Lord Jesus. Thank you. In Jesus Christ’s name, we pray. Amen. Let’s stand. We’ll close our time now.
Plowshares and Pruning Hooks: Rethinking the Language of Biblical Prophecy and Apocalyptic was written by Brent Sandy, a professor and chair of the department of religious studies at Grace College in Winona Lake, Indiana when the book was published by InterVarsity Press in 2002. The book aims to examine how biblical prophecy and apocalyptic genre work. In this paper, I will summarize the book’s content, give its overall thesis, strengths, weaknesses, and most thought-provoking points, and share how this book has impacted my thinking about the apocalyptic genre in the Old Testament.
Summary Content and Overall Thesis of the Book
The book is organized into seven chapters with the intent to answer seven questions about biblical prophecy. First, what makes prophecy powerful? The answer is that prophecy uses metaphors to let the readers experience God, heaven, and the future in full colors. Second, what makes prophecy problematic? The answer is that 21st-century readers do not understand how metaphors work in biblical literature. Third, how does the language of prophecy work? The answer is that metaphor is the language of prophecy and functions to create memorable images in the readers’ minds and to speak to their hearts. Fourth, how does the language of destruction and blessing work? The answer is that it uses metaphors and hyperboles to convey God’s holiness and, therefore, cannot be understood if we look only at the surface meaning of the words. Fifth, how does the language of apocalyptic work? The answer is apocalyptic is not primarily prediction but prosecution. In other words, the function of prophecy is more important than the content of the prophecy. Sixth, how have prophecies been fulfilled? The answer is that prophecies fulfillments have been generally translucent, not transparent. In other words, knowing the details of a prophecy before it is fulfilled is impossible. And finally, how will prophecies be fulfilled? The answer is that God only wants us to see the big picture, not to understand every detail of future events.
The overall thesis of this book is that biblical prophecy and apocalyptic passages are not meant to give microscopic details of future events but intend to give a telescopic picture of future events.[1] Therefore, the intent of biblical prophecy and apocalyptic passages is not primarily prediction but prosecution and persuasion.[2] Sandy’s thesis challenged the traditional hermeneutic of many commentators, especially those from the dispensation camp, who believe prophecy should be interpreted literary based on the surface meaning of the Scriptures unless that is clear evidence not to do so.[3]
Strengths
This is a very well-written book. First, Sandy extensively researched how prophesy works and presented compelling arguments with lots of supporting materials. For example, in chapter five, he provided clear historical background on Alexander’s victory over the Persian empire; explained the distinction between prophecy and apocalyptic; provided the functions of apocalyptic; gave ten reasons that the original readers of Daniel 8 could not have gotten the details of the conquest; gave six questions to help readers understand how apocalyptic work; and ended with another extensive research on Revelation 12-13 to support his point.
Second, Sandy did a fine job of demonstrating how prophecy works and making it accessible to non-seminary trained readers. His presentation is clear, logical, and easy to follow. He provided lots of concrete examples in each chapter to illustrate his points. The 26 figures (diagrams) that are spread throughout the book are beneficial for his readers. He did not use Hebrew in the book, making it accessible to those without biblical language training.
Weaknesses
The book has a few weaknesses. First, the emphasis that prophecies are mainly metaphorical languages and thus the surface meaning of the Scripture is not its actual meaning could lead to misinterpretation of Scripture. This is a real danger, especially since it is not always easy to identify whether a passage is a metaphor. Although Sandy did include twelve criteria to identify metaphors, it is not still an easy task.[4] For example, is Isa 65:25 a metaphor? I think the book would be stronger if Sandy had spent some pages discussing the danger of interpreting Scriptures as metaphors when they are not.
Second, the author emphasized the importance of prophecy’s function at the expense of the importance of the content of the prophecy. Sandy is influenced by the speech act theory that communication often is performative.[5] He wrote that prophetic language is emotionally charged and designed to influence our beliefs. He believes the function of the prophecy does not always correspond with the dictionary definition of the words. [6] Again, this book would be stronger if Sandy would spend time discussing the danger of overemphasizing the function of a prophecy when the authorial intent is for readers to know the passage’s content.
Finally, the genre of apocalyptic, if abused, could cause us to misinterpret the Scripture. For example, Sandy interpreted the 144,000 in Revelation 7 as saints, meaning Christians, I presumed, while the Scripture says they are from every tribe of the sons of Israel (Rev 7:4).[7] Readers need to have discernment not to let the genre of apocalyptic become the dominant interpretative lens for an entire book in the Bible to a point where the clear surface meaning of a passage is misinterpreted.
Most Thought-Provoking Points
The most thought-provoking points are first, Sandy claimed biblical prophecies are intended to reveal big pictures, meaning to give panorama views of the future; therefore, it is not suitable to be studied for details of future events. Second, Sandy urged that if his conclusions on the language of prophecy and apocalyptic are correct, “all systems of eschatology are subject to reconsideration.”[8] This big claim particularly impacts those who believe in dispensationalism because dispensationalism is built on a literal interpretation of the Scripture, including the prophetic books and passages.
How This Book Has Impacted My Thinking about the Apocalyptic Genre in the Old Testament
This book expanded my tool set on interpreting the apocalyptic genre in the Old Testament. This book has convinced me of the need to think about the function of an apocalyptic passage in addition to the content of the passage. It helps me consider the possibility that God did not intend me to understand every detail of an apocalyptic passage. It is a very liberating idea because I have been shying away from preaching apocalyptic passages or books in the Old Testament. With a better understanding of how metaphor works after reading this book, I will pay more attention to the emotion conveyed by the passage and spend more energy looking for the overarching theme of a passage instead of spending all my energy on the details of the content. This book has made me a better student and teacher of the apocalyptic genre in the Old Testament.
Conclusion
In this paper, I have summarized the book’s content and thesis. I mentioned that the book’s strengths are its extensive research with convincing arguments and accessible presentation. Its weaknesses are missing warnings on the miscategorization of passages as metaphors, emphasizing the function of a prophecy could lead to the danger of neglecting its content and potential abuse of the apocalyptic genre. Its most thought-provoking points are that biblical prophecy is not suitable for details analysis; it is only meant to give a big-picture view, and if he is correct, all systems of eschatology are subject to reconsideration. Finally, I shared that this book has given me valuable tools to understand and teach apocalyptic passages.
Bibliography
Johnson, Elliott. “Book Review on Plowshares and Pruninghooks: Rethinking the Language of Biblical Prophecy and Apocalyptic Literature by Brent Sandy.” Bibliotheca Sacra 162 (2005).
Sandy, D. Brent. Plowshares & Pruning Hooks: Rethinking the Language of Biblical Prophecy and Apocalyptic. Downers Grove, Ill: InterVarsity Press, 2002.
[3] Johnson, “Book Review on Plowshares and Pruninghooks: Rethinking the Language of Biblical Prophecy and Apocalyptic Literature by Brent Sandy,” 119.
I like to tell you a story about a little girl named Priscilla. Priscilla’s father that loves her very much, and she loved her father too. Growing up, she enjoyed sweet fellowship with her father. She especially enjoyed their fellowship when they walked a beautiful garden near their house on every Saturday morning. She eventually grew up to be a successful businesswoman. She worked very hard to advance her career. But she seldom had the time to call her father. The father calls her frequently and longs for his daughter to visit him, but Priscilla had other priorities and seldom returns his calls. They have not walked the garden for a long time. They are not as close as before. She is losing her fellowship with her father.
(Needs)
How about you? Are you so busy with studies and ministry that you have neglected to fellowship with God, your heavenly Father? Maybe you are not as close to your heavenly Father as before. Maybe you are feeling lonely or empty deep inside you. These may be signs that you are losing your fellowship with God. It is a sad thing to gain your ThM but lose your fellowship with God. What do you need to know about God to renew your fellowship with Him? What do you need to change if you want to renew your fellowship with God?
(Subject)
My subject today is “How do we renew our fellowship with God?”. Again, my subject today is “How to renew our fellowship with God?” Our text for today is 1 John 1:5-10. In 1 John 1:5-10, God tells us there are three things we to need to do to renew our fellowship with God.
(Background)
1 John was written by Joh at his old age to his spiritual children so that they can have fellowship with John and with God the Father and with His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Please look with me at 1 John 1:3, “that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.”
(Body)
(Transition)
How do we renew our fellowship with God?
(Main Point 1)
First, we must know God is light.
(Explain)
Please look at 1:5 with me, “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.” Why must we know God is light to have fellowship with God? Because John singled this out of all God’s characters when discussing fellowship with God. This is very obvious that John 1:5-10 is about fellowship with God, for John mentioned fellowship twice in verse 3 and again twice in verses 6-7, which we will discuss later.
What is the meaning that God is light? It means God is holy. Please look at the second part of verse 5 with me. “in God there is no darkness at all.” Light represents moral purity. The light-darkness theme is one of John’s signatures in his gospel and his epistles. Later in 2:20, he wrote that God is “the Holy One”. God’s moral purity forms the basis of His relationship with us. No darkness “at all” means God is absolutely pure. Holiness is the only character of God that is repeated three times in a roll in Scripture. In Rev 4:8, John wrote that in heaven, the four living creatures worship God by singing, “Holy, holy, holy, the Lord God Almighty.”
(Illustration)
Let me illustration this. I brought my family to visit the McDonald Observatory in West Texas recently. The Observatory has one of the largest telescopes in the US. We joined its Sun viewing program, where an expert showed us live views of the Sun through a telescope. The Sun is so bright that if you look at it with your bare eyes, you will go blind. They had to put in special filters in the telescope to look at the Sun. I know that the Sun is bright, but the experience expanded my knowledge and understanding of the brightness of the Sun. However, I found out that even the Sun has dark spots due to different in temperature on the surface of the Sun. The sun, God is bright, God is light, He is Holy. But unlike the sun, God has not dark spots, in Him is no darkness at all!
(Application)
You can only enjoy fellowship with God to the extent of your knowledge of His holiness. He is light, He is holy, and in Him is no darkness at all!
Next time when you sing the song, “Holy, Holy, Holy,” do not just sing it. You need to know that God is light, He is Holy, and in Him is no darkness at all! You need to see with your spiritual eyes that God is light, He is Holy, and in Him is no darkness at all! You need to meditate that God is light, He is Holy, and in Him is no darkness at all! You need to grasp that God is light, He is Holy, and in Him is no darkness at all! I suggest you take time in your devotion to meditate on the holiness of God. He is light, He is holy, and in Him is no darkness at all!
(Transition)
How do we renew our fellowship with God? First, we must know God is light. But fellowship with God is not only about our mind; it is also about our will and our actions. How do we renew our fellowship with God?
(Main Point 2)
We must walk in the light because God is in the light.
(Explain)
Please see look verses 6-7 with me, “If we say we have fellowship with Him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practise 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.”
What is the meaning of walking in the light? Walking in the light means walking with God. How do I know that? Look at verse 7 with me. “If we walk in the light, as He is in the light.” God is in the light; when we walk in the light, we are walking with God. What does it mean to walk with God? It means living a life in obedience to the word of God. Fellowship with God is not only in our devotion, although that is important. Fellowship with God, who is light, is a lifestyle of walking in holiness with God, who is holy, who is in the light.
What would happen if we do not walk in the light and say that we have fellowship with God? We become liars, and we do not practice the truth.
What would happen if we walked in the light? When we walked in the light, two things will happen. First, we have fellowship with one another. Some commentators think it means fellowship with God; some think it means fellowship with other believers. I think John could mean both. When we walk in the light, we will have fellowship with God, but we will also have fellowship with other Christians as a result of us living according to God’s word.
Second, the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. Walking in the light does not mean we live a sinless life. Walking in the light means we sincerely practice God’s word, although we still will fall short of the perfect holiness of God, or else there is no sin to cleanse. This verse shows us that the blood of Jesus does not only work to make us righteous in our justification; it also works to make us holy in our sanctification. We thank God for the blood of His Son! Because nothing can wash away our sin, but the blood of Jesus! “What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus; What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.” The text emphasized the blood of “Jesus His Son” to highlight God’s love for us! The theme of love is another of John’s signatures in his writings. The blood of Jesus is a reference to the death of our Lord Jesus Christ. God loves us so much that He sent His begotten Son to die for us!
(Illustration)
Let me illustrate this. Last Summer, I brought my family to hike the Rocky Mountains. One day, we were hiking the Chasm Lake trail, one of the more challenging but beautiful trails in the entire park. Its peak is at 9400 feet elevation! We told my son he must walk with us. We told him we must walk in the daylight because it would be dangerous to walk at night. At one point, my son did not obey my words; we were separated. We could not have fellowship when we were not walking together. We were so worried about his safety. Thank God we finally found him, and we walked together again. (Explain the illustration) In the same manner, to renew our fellowship with God the Father, we must walk with God by walking in the light as God is in the light.
(Application)
Are you walking in the light or walking in the darkness? If you say you are having fellowship with God but are walking in darkness, you are a liar. Do you practice what you teach and preach? Are you so busy with studies and ministry that you ignore loving your family and friends? I suggest you slow down, examine your current lifestyle, and ask the Lord what you can change so that you walk with God again. Maybe you need to call your parents more. Maybe you need to be more patience to difficult people in your life. Maybe you need to trust God more. Maybe you need to keep your body holy for God. Maybe you need to you need to stop watching the movies or youtube videos that are corrupting your mind and heart.
(Transition)
How do we renew our fellowship with God? We must know that God is light, we must walk in the light because God is in the light. Does that mean you need to be a sinless, perfect Christian in order to have fellowship with God? (pause) No. In fact, walking in the light will make us more aware of our sins. Therefore,
(Main Point 3)
We must confess our sins as we walk in the light (1:8-10)
(Explain)
Please look at verses 8-10. “ If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”
Walking in the light will reveal our sin. The more we walk with God, the more we see our sins, not because we sin more, but because we are closer to the God who is holy. What would happen if we did not confess our sin? If we did not confess our sin, we will not lose our salvation, but we will lose our fellowship with God. Verse 8 says if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth of God is not shaping our thoughts, attitudes, and actions. Verse 10 says if we say we have not sinned, we made God a liar, and God’s word is not in us.
What will happen if we confess our sins? God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. The word sins is plural. It means we need to confess a particular sin, not just sin in general. Some Christians think they do not need to confess their sins. It is not biblical. Jesus also taught us to ask God for forgiveness in the Lord’s prayer. God is faithful means God will keep His promises. We can count on Him! God is just means God demands justice for our sins, and justice has been paid by the blood of Jesus His Son! What does all unrighteousness mean? All unrighteousness means all unrighteousness!
(Illustration)
Let me illustrate this. There is a super washing machine that is free. You don’t need to put in money in it. It is free. It can wash away the worst stain. But you need to put your dirty cloth in it. In the same manner, you do not need to pay for the forgiveness of your sins, because Jesus has paid it all. But you need to confess your sins. There is no sin that is deeper than the forgiveness of God. I like the song, Jesus has paid it all, do you? “Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe; Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.”
(Application)
When was the list time you confessed your sins to God? Last week? Last month? Last year? How frequently do you confess your sins? Daily? Weekly? Monthly? Yearly? Or never? Maybe you have slowly become arrogant as you learned more in seminary, confess your sin. God will forgive you and cleanse you from all unrighteousness! Maybe you have neglected your family when pursuing your ministry, confess your sin. God will forgive you and cleanse you from all unrighteousness! Maybe you have walked in the darkness, confess your sin. God will forgive you and cleanse you from all unrighteousness!
God the Father is saying, “My child, confess your sins to me, I will forgive the wrong you had done. Any wrong you have done. Because my Son, has paid it all! My Son, has died for you. My Son had shed His blood for you! My child, confess your sins to me.”
How do you actually confess your sins? One suggestion is you can incorporate confession into your daily routine, so you can do it daily. You can add a short confession time to your daily devotion. If you have neglected your daily devotional time with God, God is telling you today, you need to come to Him again. You need to walk with Him again. Ask the Lord to show you is there any thing you have done that have sinned against Him and ask for His forgiveness.
(Conclusion)
(Close Opening Image)
One Saturday morning, Priscilla finally took the time to call her dad. She said, “Dad, I am sorry I have not returned your calls. Will you forgive me?” “Of course, my child,” her father replied. “Why don’t you come over for a brunch?” Priscilla drives across town to spend time with her dad on that bright Saturday morning. Her dad cooked a delicious brunch for her. After brunch, they walked together in the beautiful garden near his house, just like before. She had a wonderful time of fellowship with her dad. She had renewed her fellowship with her father.
(HP)
How do we renew our fellowship with God? To renew our fellowship with God, we must know God is light, we must walk in the light as God is in the light, and we must confess our sins as we walk in the light.
