We began this study a couple of weeks ago as we were beginning here to look in this wonderful passage of scriptures. John is writing here for us, these that he's writing to, particularly to God's children, I believe is who he's writing to. That's who he declares, my little children, he calls them. Little born ones is the word there in the Greek. And we were looking last week, we looked at the first four verses here of 1 John 1 as John tells his purpose for writing this letter. His first purpose, he said, was of course that we would be in fellowship together. As we are in fellowship together, as we are in fellowship with Christ Jesus our Lord. That we have that oneness there in Him. And it's because of Him that we have fellowship. It's because of Him that we are able to have that kind of love, one for another, that is given to us. And so John says, he's writing these things, would be in fellowship with our Lord and with one another. And then secondly, he says that our joy may be full. That's what he says there in verse 4. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full. Here in the remainder of the passage we'll be looking at this morning, he describes here in the negative and in the positive how we can have that fellowship with our Father. and have this very joy that he's talking about here in verse number four, the fulfillment of his very purposes that he's declaring here in these first four verses, that we'd be in fellowship one with another, we'd be in fellowship with our Lord, and that we would be full of his joy. He gives us the fulfillment of that purpose in these next verses here, verses five down through verse number 10. He answers here for us. the problem of fellowship with God. It's a hurdle that every believer has come to and realized in and of himself, it is much too high for him to ever jump over. And so John gives us the answer to this. Verse five, he says this then, This then is the message which we have heard of him and declare unto you that God is light and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not the truth. 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 we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves. 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 that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar. and his word is not in us. Let's go to the Lord in a word of prayer before we continue on this morning. Our Father in heaven, we thank you again for this day. Father, we thank you for your great grace. We thank you for allowing each one to make it here safely this morning. Father, we're thankful for your presence with us this day. We pray that you'd make yourself known to us as we've gathered together, as we spend this time in study of your word and worship of your name. We're thankful for these songs that have been sang this morning, for the prayers that lifted up, the Sunday school lessons that have went forth. Father, we thank you so much for this. for the food that was prepared for this evening's meal. Father, we're just so thankful for your blessings and watch care over us. We're so thankful that you've blessed us, Father, with blessings upon blessings upon blessings. Father, help us to have fellowship with you, that we would walk with you, that it would be the desire of our hearts to be found faithful to your word, to be found faithful to your direction in our lives. Father, we realize we need your abiding in us. We need your strength. Father, that we need your watch care, that we need your every provision to give us that ability to walk in you, strengthen our faith, Encourage us in your strength. Help us, Father, that we would be faithful fellowshippers in your grace. And Father, may you fill us with your joy. For we realize that's truly the only place that joy can come from is from you. And so, Father, we pray that you would fill us with your joy, that we might rejoice all the more every day because of the wonder of your blessings upon us, the wonder of your love for us. Father, help us to praise your name this day. Help me to proclaim your word. Bless each soul, Father, that our hearts and our minds would be turned toward you this day as we look to your word this hour, for we ask these things in Jesus' name and for his sake. Amen. This then, John begins here verse number five, this then is the message which we have heard of him and declare unto you. This then, that phrase right there takes us back to what he said his purposes were. His purpose is that we would be in fellowship with God, that we'd be in fellowship one with another. Those that believe the truth of these very things that John is bringing here, that that joy that is in Christ Jesus alone, that we'd be full of that joy. John said, for this reason, this then is why I'm telling you these things. This then is the message, he says. This is what you need to hear. This will be the fulfillment of these things that I desire to see in you. The reason I am writing this letter to you, that you'd be in fellowship and that you would be full of His joy, this then is the answer to His purposes. And it is a message. It's not a list, nor is it a task. It's a message. It's a message that describes the nature and character of our God. God is light, he says, and in him is no darkness at all. God is light. And in him is no darkness at all. In James chapter number one, in verse number 17, James accounts that same reality of our Lord. I have found it's hard to turn the Bible with one hand. James chapter one, verse 17. Every good gift And every perfect gift is from above. And cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." Whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. He's all light. He's all light. There's no darkness in Him at all. He doesn't even cast a shadow, James says. He's all light. In Him is no darkness at all. This is because God is holy. Absolutely holy. Absolutely righteous. Absolutely just. Absolutely perfect. There is no sin in Him at all. There's no darkness at all that can be laid at His feet. He is absolute light, holy, undefiled, separate from sinners as is described of our Lord. He is the God of light. And this reality of who God is, the fact that He is light and in Him is no darkness at all, that exacerbates our problem of having fellowship with Him. For the reality is, without Christ, none of us is light. Without Christ, none of us is holy. And so, except to agree, how can they walk together, as Amos 3 tells us? If we're not in agreement, if we're not the same, in that sense is what is in reference here, if God is light, if there is no darkness in Him at all, how is it then that we that are all dark, how is it that we can have fellowship with Him? But John said this is his purpose. His purpose is that we have that fellowship. How is it that we can have fellowship with him then when we do not have light in and of ourselves? And this is that great chasm that must be spanned, that no man in and of himself is able to span. between himself who is unholy and God who is perfectly holy. Which is why Job laments that reality. Go with me back over here to Job chapter number nine. Job chapter number nine. You probably have it already read by the time I get there. That's the reason I'm not telling you the verse. Just start reading at verse one if you need to. Verse number 33. Job chapter 9, verse number 33. Neither is there any daysman betwixt us that might lay his hand upon us both. Job was lamenting this fact that he had no audience, he thought, with God. He didn't see a way to be able to talk with Him and said, oh, if there was just a daismen, if there was somebody, if there was an advocate for me that could touch God and touch me, that could span that gap between me and God because I can't get to Him. Oh, if there was somebody that could span that great chasm. Job's cry was for one to span that gap for him. Isaiah 55, verse number eight. Isaiah 55 and verse number eight. for my thoughts are not your thoughts. Neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. How is it possible then for sinful man to walk with God, to have fellowship Man's sin is total darkness. God is all light. In whom there is no darkness at all, he dispels the darkness. Darkness cannot stay in his presence. This light that we read of here in 1 John speaks of God's glory and it speaks of His holiness. If this then is God, what hope has sinful man? Paul would write there in Romans 3 and verse 10, Romans 3 and verse number 10, as it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one. He says in verse 23, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Man is in absolute rebellion against God in his sin. In Romans chapter eight, he says in verse number seven, because the carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So how can man? How can that situation be rectified? How can it be that man could have fellowship with God? Man have attempted this reality, John tells us, in three different ways. And two of them are wrong. And this is what he gives us here in this message. Verse six is that first method. If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not the truth. First method. that man uses to try to have fellowship with God. The first method that man uses to try to be able to rectify this situation for himself is to bring God down to his level. To make God what he is not in order to somehow figure himself as man, figure himself a way to have fellowship with God. If we say, John says, if we say, there are a whole lot of people that claim fellowship with God in our culture, especially today, that don't have fellowship with Him at all. They've been told to do this, this, or that. They've got a list that they have performed and they are basing their duty, they are basing their working of that list of things to do. That's what they put their faith in. That's what their hope is in. That because they have done these things, God is going to accept them. And John gets pretty blunt here. He calls them liars. If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not the truth. He gets pretty blunt. It gets pretty blunt. No, if you're walking in darkness, you're not one of his. If you claim fellowship with God and continue in the darkness of sin, you're a liar. And sadly, that lying is not so much to God, not so much, because he knows. Oftentimes not so much to other people, but rather it's a lie to themselves. Lying to themselves. Holding on to what they have done. Giving themselves excuse for their sin. If we're going to walk with God, then we must walk in his light. We must walk in his life. We cannot bring God down to our level. We must exalt him in his glory. And it is by that very reality For us as the children of God, for those that are truly been born again, this is one of those ways in which we know we belong to Him. And it's such a blessing to have it. Because as John will go on to say, we've got the problem we're all gonna see in. We're all gonna have a little darkness in us. But we're not to be walking in that darkness, as he goes on to tell us there. But because that darkness is there, because that darkness creeps in, because that darkness is a reality in our old depraved flesh, what that wondrous grace is that God gives to us as His children, is that the more we exalt Him, The more we lift up the light of our Lord, the more we exalt His holiness and see Him as He is, the more wretched we find ourselves in our sin. The more we hate it, we'll not want to walk in it. We'll not want it to be a part of us. We'll desire the holiness of God. We'll desire to be right before Him. We're not going to be looking for ways to skirt by. We're not going to be looking for ways to give ourselves excuse to continue in our darkness. But rather, as we grow more in Him, as we see Him more and more in His holiness, we hate that darkness in ourselves more and more and more. That's the wondrous, wondrous grace of our God. But the closer we come to Him, the more we desire to be like Him. Not to bring Him down to our level. But He would bring us up to His. That we would be able to fellowship with Him. We cannot bring Him down. We cannot make Him less. He says that in verse 7, 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. When we walk in His light and in His Word, we have fellowship one with another, in Christ Jesus our Lord, And it is the blood of Christ that keeps on cleansing us. Why does we need it to keep on cleansing? Because we keep on sinning. We fail Him. We come short. Every day. Every day. And so we need that continual cleansing of our Lord. It keeps on. cleansing us. We have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ his son cleanseth us and it cleanses us from all sin. All sin. I love that song I used to sing to these kids. He's still working on me. He's still working on me. As long as I'm in this flesh, as long as I live this life, he's still working on me. There's a day that he's gonna finish. There's a day he's gonna finish. There's a day he's gonna be done. And we'll be made in that perfect righteousness of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, in his presence, no longer bound by this flesh. If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another in the blood of Jesus Christ, his son, cleanseth us. As we walk in that light of God, what happens is we begin to see all of our darkness. we begin to see all of the dirt on ourselves. It shines up when we are in his light. And we are able to see it then. Darkness filth. As a child of God goes along, he can see that spot of darkness or that spot of dirt that rubs on us from time to time, from day to day. from moment to moment sometimes. And it is the blood of Jesus ready to cleanse, to wash, to make us clean. It cleanses us from all our sin. Some claim that his blood is not sufficient to pay for our sins. or that his blood only pays part and we have to pay the rest. You'll never be able to pay it. You'll never be able to pay even the least of it. Jesus paid for every single sin. Every single one of our sins he paid for. Past, present, future, they're all done. It's paid for in him. If there's one left to you, you will never pay it. And if you've got one left in you that is not paid, you'll lift your eyes in hell. That's not how God works salvation. In God's grace, in His salvation, He's paid them all. He's paid for them all. Oh, the blood of Christ is absolutely sufficient. He's washed every sin from His people. Every sin is paid for in Him. There's nothing else. that we are looking to. There's nothing else that we are working out. Christ Jesus has done it all. We are simply believing Him. Believing Him. Trusting in His finished work. The second method we find in verse number eight. Man tries to bring himself up to God's level here in verse number 8. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. The second method that man does in bringing himself up to God is he denies that he has sin at all. He does so by giving himself excuse. We find that over in Romans chapter 1 and 2, there's Paul talking about that reality of sin in chapter 1, 2, and 3, about that reality of sin in mankind. A man looks to others and gives himself excuse for his sin. Or he says he excuses or else accuses one another. They look and they see that, well, yeah, that was probably not a good thing for me to do, but I'm better than that guy. I'm better than my neighbor. And so they look to the things around them. and give themselves excuse and deny that they have any sin at all. There are others that know sin. They know what the Scripture says concerning sin. They know what is declared of it, but, well, you know, that's just too harsh. God would call that sin. You know, it was just a mistake. I just messed up and it was only momentary and it's no longer there and I'm not doing it anymore. That was just a slip up is all that was. It's a man grades sin. We're not careful. We all do that. We all do that. are those that claim they received the second blessing, that they have total sanctification now, and therefore they no longer sin. We are sanctified in Christ Jesus, but he's still working in us. He's still working in us, you see. They claim they no longer sin, So they have to grade their sin, diminish sin to accidents or mistakes. When they commit one, they just say, well, I made a mistake. Most of these folks, by the way, that believe they must, that they have grades on sin also believe that they must keep their salvation. They can lose it and get it again and lose it and get it again. Others have graded sin and claimed big sins. Big sins are the ones that might send you to hell. Murder, stealing, that kind of thing. That might send you to hell, but little things like lying, adultery, cussing. God understands those things. He looks over those. Those are little things. And so they grade those things, what could be real bad and those things not too bad. Or somewhere in the spectrum, you know. Again, those that make such claims are not deceiving God. They're not really fooling their fellow man. They're lying to themselves. We deceive ourselves. And the truth, John says, is not in us. Then how can the truth be in one who deceives himself? Since we cannot bring God down to our level, We cannot raise ourselves up to Him. What is it then that man can do? Verse nine, 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 that we have not sinned, we make him a liar and his word is not in us. How is it that we can have that fellowship? We confess our sins. That word confess is a verb that means that we say the exact same thing that God says about our sins. In other words, we come to him as sinners in need of his mercy. Lord, I am a sinner, I am undone. I need you. That's what that confession is talking about there in verse number nine. God calls it sin. We are to see it as sin and call it sin. And we hate that sin just as God hates that sin. Now we cannot do that. We cannot do that except that nature of God, that nature of light be born in us. He's the one that gives that to us. He's the one that gives us that desire. And so this morning, if you can call out to him in your sin and ask for his forgiveness, if you can call out to him this day, seeking his grace, it is because he has put that in you. It is because He has given you that faith that you don't have it in yourself. It's only in Christ. So if we confess our sins, no matter how dark, how bad, how dirty, He is faithful and just. faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. This is made possible by that agent in verse number seven, the blood of Jesus Christ, his son cleanseth us from all sin. That agent, by the way, is made possible by the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. He shed his blood, he gave himself to forgive us of our sins. And so John goes on to say there in verse 10, if we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar. and his word is not in us. Don't call God a liar. If you say there is another way, his word is not in you. And if his word is not, then his spirit is not, then you are lost in your sins. You need his grace, you need his mercy. Believe on the Lord Jesus today. Turn to Him. Take the water of life freely. And by His grace, walk in fellowship with God, with the God of light. And may His joy fill you this day. Let's all stand. Brother Jonathan, would you bring us a song?