1 John 2 {New International Version}

¹My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. ²He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.

Like a doting mother, John explicitly states his purpose in writing to the early Christians who were confronted with heresies and false teachings concerning the Lord Jesus: His deity and humanity.

In the 2 verses before us, John tells those early believers and us, too in Word for the World three important considerations:1. Do not sin.

What is sin that John tells us: do not sin!? It means being disobedient to God or refusal to submit to His Word; being insubordinate. These definitions bespeak of the seriousness of sin and the serious consequences it brings to a person’s life. More especially, how God views sin: big or small. Accordingly, that is how we ought to regard sin, too: with much seriousness and respect for how God regards it.

• It insults the suffering of Christ;
• It sugests that we have the nature of satan rather than God;
• It can jeopardise our assurance of salvation
• It can put us beyond the reach of hope

2. In case you sin, don’t despair. We have Jesus as our Advocate
Indeed the finished work of Christ on the Cross is enough: He is the propitiation for our sins–removing God’s wrath against sinners by His death. By this, Jesus justifiably pleads continually on our behalf before God the Father in heaven. Because of this, we are not to despair but be eternally hopeful.

3. Jesus is enough–share Him with the world.
As recipients of God’s profuse love and forgiveness, we ought not hoard them but be inspired to share these with others throughout the world.

It’s so wonderful to get hold of and experience God’s love in Jesus Christ: so reasuring that in His hate for sin, He even provides for us that we may escape His wrath and the penalty of our sins. So wonderful that God Himself took great pains sending His only Son to suffer the indignity of becoming human and die on the Cross–to make us realise and express our need for Jesus. Let’s not squander it but be ever expressive of our need for Him.

When God’s people cease to respond to God’s call to authenticity to be real: the church turns into a mere social club. In fact, many followers of Christ today have given up on the Christian church because of the lack of authenticity, as one person told me, “I find more honesty in one Alcoholic’s Anonymous meeting than in an entire year going to church.”

So-called Christians have the audacity to refer to themselves Christians yet persist in their sinful lifestyle. I mean loose talkers and gossips, divisive people or those who come to church and yet are not really in church, disobedient and disrespectful to parents, irresponsible fathers and mothers.

Throughout church history you can see various low points in the church when authenticity has waned. Every time it resulted in spiritual destruction to the work of God in our world. Authenticity with each other—being real in our relationship in the context of the church is absolutely essential to our spiritual journey. If being part of the Christian community is merely putting on a good front, pretending to be something we’re not, then we might as well sleep in and not bother about being in church at all!

1 John 1.8-2.2 {New International Version}
⁸If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. ⁹If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.

1 John 2
¹My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. ²He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.

In the passage before us today, the apostle John gives us a series of (four) “if” statements (vv 8-10; v 2.1) to reveal God’s call to authenticity.

1. We all struggle with sin v. 1
John tells us to claim have no sin and that we are no longer sinning: that our inner lives no longer have that propensity to sin, claiming that our battle with sin is no longer raging is self deceiving. You can find evidence of this sort of thinking today. Our culture’s view of human nature is that people are basically good, that rebellion and sinfulness springs from bad parenting and oppressive social structures. instead of confessing our sins, we say, “Let us confess our problem with human relational adjustment dynamics, and especially our feebleness in networking” (Christianity Today “Natural Born Sinners 1994).

2. confession brings cleansing v.9
When I became a Christian I discovered the reality of this verse, and ever since has been my steady companion. The word “confess” means “to admit and acknowledge,” literally to “say the same thing.” Confession isn’t just admitting that we’re sinners, but it’s specifically naming our sins to God, what in the 12 step movement they call a searching and fearless moral inventory. We confess by naming our sins, by calling them by name before God: acknowledging, admitting and owning. When we do so, God promises to:
1. forgive us of our sin–according to His nature & character: faithful and just.
2. purify us from all unrighteousness

3. God knows our past v.10
The claim in v. 10 is to have never actually disobeyed God or have broken his laws. Perhaps, no one may say or actually claim this with their words. Yet we see it happen all the time when people forget where they came from: after we start living our lives for Jesus Christ, we no longer like to think about the things we did and the kind of life we lived before coming to Christ. “I’m a new creation,” we say, “so I need to press on to the future and forget what’s behind me.” This mentality leads us to project an image of perfection, an illusion that our lives are perfect, that we’ve never struggled, and that image actually works against God’s work in the lives of non-Christians. John tells us here that if we deny the sinfulness of our past, we’re not just deceiving ourselves, but we’re actually making God a liar. This is because the Bible is filled with statements that indicate every human being has sinned.”

4. Jesus is enough vv 1-2
How often have we used the excuse: “We’re but humans”, “Sapagka’t kami’y tao lamang.” However a worthy aim is not to sin and it is possible; and can be done! How? John refers to Jesus Christ: as the very provision for our sins–who speaks to the Father in our defense with His death as His own defense. His death on the cross is sufficient to cover any and every sin, even “the sins of the whole world.”

In other words, there’s nothing to be afraid of by being open and honest with each other: being authentic and real– because: we all struggle with sin; confession is God’s provision to bring us cleansing; He knows our past–that Christ’s death would be sufficient even for any sin.

For many of us who came from the tropics, the winter season is not only an escape from the hot and humid weather we have been accustomed to, but a most welcome change which provides us with a variety of experiences. What with the peculiar chill and cold and clothes that go with it; likewise the events and activities which are fun-filled uniquely akin to wintertime.

Yet, wintertime also gives us that somber feeling–of being alone and isolated. The coldness creeps into our circumstances: from the summery life filled with bright colors we suddenly find dark clouds and foreboding feelings of sadness; the once warm and high-spirited feelings with people we used to laugh and share special kinship, turning to deadness and now lost. Of course, the downward spiral further brings us discouragement and stress–even to depression.

How do we get out of this spiral being controlled by our immediate circumstances? Paul tells us that the remedy is to lift our perspective and focus on the divine perspective so that our circumstances don’t get the worst of us and we keep in step with the Lord and fulfill His purpose for our lives. In the first half of chapter 3 (verses 1-13) of Ephesians the Apostle Paul gathers three points to keep a divine perspective and encourage the Ephesian believers—Gentiles that they were. As followers of the Lord Jesus, every one of us needs this divine perspective.

1. Having a divine perspective means trusting the sovereignty of God in our circumstances.

Ephesians 3.1 The Amplified Bible
For this reason [because I preached that you are thus built up together], I, Paul, [am] the prisoner of Jesus the Christ for the sake and on behalf of you Gentiles—

Since you have acknowledge your need for Christ and received Him as your Saviour and Lord, is He truly the Sovereign Lord that rules your life–for which you are a prisoner of? Or are there still pockets of rebellion and unyielded “rulers” you are still a prisoner of: smoking, drinking, gambling, pornography, gossip, haughty spirit, loose tongue, uncontrolled emotions, etc.

2. Having a divine perspective means to live with the big picture in view.

Ephesians 3.2-6 The Amplified Bible
Assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace (His unmerited favor) that was entrusted to me [to dispense to you] for your benefit, [And] that the mystery (secret) was made known to me and I was allowed to comprehend it by direct revelation, as I already briefly wrote you. When you read this you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ. [This mystery] was never disclosed to human beings in past generations as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles (consecrated messengers) and prophets by the [Holy] Spirit. [It is this:] that the Gentiles are now to be fellow heirs [with the Jews], members of the same body and joint partakers [sharing] in the same divine promise in Christ through [their acceptance of] the glad tidings (the Gospel).

Do you recognise that God has a plan which He carries out through eternity and you and I are a vital part of it? As Paul is saying that He has become a special “manager” or “steward” of God’s plan of grace, so are we–in accordance with what we are endowed with, namely, the unique resources, callings, spiritual gifts, skills, talents, knowledge and opportunities God gives in accordance with His master plan to re-create a new people to Himself.

And He is fulfilling this through our lives–as the Church! This goes back to the Abrahamic covenant in Gen 12.3 where God promised Abraham, “all the people of the earth will be blessed through you.” Rejoice: through Christ, we are made one in Christ that we also have become the children of promise such that the people of the world will be (ought to be) blessed through us! Do you see this big picture? You’re in it.

In much the same way, when the stakes are down and we find ourselves at the very ebb of our situation: unemployment or downsizing has hit. finances gone, cupboard empty–kids are hungry, they need to go to school: fees are due and materials need to bought, bills are mounting: car payments and electricity, gas, water. Do you see the big picture that something bigger is going on; something happening that we are a part of?

3. Having a divine perspective means remembering that we are here for a reason and that reason is not about me!

Ephesians 3.7-11 The Amplified Bible
Of this [Gospel] I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s free grace (undeserved favor) which was bestowed on me by the exercise (the working in all its effectiveness) of His power. To me, though I am the very least of all the saints (God’s consecrated people), this grace (favor, privilege) was granted and graciously entrusted: to proclaim to the Gentiles the unending (boundless, fathomless, incalculable, and exhaustless) riches of Christ [wealth which no human being could have searched out], Also to enlighten all men and make plain to them what is the plan [regarding the Gentiles and providing for the salvation of all men] of the mystery kept hidden through the ages and concealed until now in [the mind of] God Who created all things by Christ Jesus. [The purpose is] that through the church the complicated, many-sided wisdom of God in all its infinite variety and innumerable aspects might now be made known to the angelic rulers and authorities (principalities and powers) in the heavenly sphere. This is in accordance with the terms of the eternal and timeless purpose which He has realized and carried into effect in [the person of] Christ Jesus our Lord,

We are not here in this world to achieve our personal fulfillment in life–not about our sense of satisfaction nor pursuit of our own happiness. Paradoxically, Jesus said it well that to have life, we need to lose it; to receive, we need to give. Which means that happiness, fulfillment, etc, can only come to me when I abandon the pursuit of those things totally and pursue the greatest, which is the glory of God!

Problems, failures and discouragements confront us. As much as we need to recognise their realities, we should not be consumed by these. Instead we need to focus on the much greater purpose to bring glory to God for our existence beyond simply overcoming these problems to obtain happiness.

Together as the Church, we don’t exist for ourselves. While we preach the Gospel and reach out to people, the supreme purpose is to glorify God by using us–“the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places” (verse 10 TLB).

To trust the sovereignty of God; to live with the big picture in view; and to recognise that life is not all about me takes a deep constancy in our relationship with Jesus. In Him we gain divine perspective to tame the circumstances of our life. And He invites us: to be with Him and be changed by His loving presence–not ruled by our circumstances but by Him.

There is indeed a Word for the World song. Although the song is named for our organisation, it sings the mandate of every Christian—bringing God’s Word to the world.

Our Vision
We see Spirit-filled men and women preaching the Word and planting churches in the key cities of the Philippines and the world.

Our Mission
To give Glory to God by Worshipping Him and fulfilling the Great Commission of Jesus Christ, by Making Disciples of men and women, Teaching them to obey God’s Word, Meeting and Encouraging the Believers, Equipping them for their ministry in the church and sending them to all the world to preach the good news to all creation.

Aren’t you amazed at how quickly God moves so that we can apply the lessons we learn from our study of His Word? Think back to last week. Right after the final prayer, you and I were confronted with challenges. Challenges which were opportunities for us to display who Christ is in us and who we are in Him. We are His champions. God’s very handiwork to display Him.

In the following days, we would have engaged in telephone conversations, text messages and e-mail exchanges, and personal encounters that would have been a mix of encouraging and disheartening. These, of course, are characteristic of our regard for one another. I express this to remind you of who we are and that we are continually being transformed in Christ–which when the topic of personal rightness or regard for one another is discussed, we fail miserably.

We need to appreciate the way the Apostle Paul repeatedly brings to our attention who Christ is in us and who we are and continually become in Him. From his introductory chapter to chapter 2 especially the passage before us today: individually and collectively as a Christ-believing congregation and church! Notice how the Apostle Paul lengthily and enthusiastically declares and weaves these truths for us:

• 1.3-14 Spiritual blessings in Christ with the Trinity working: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit
• 1.15-19 Praising God and praying for the (Ephesian) believers
• 1.18-23 Our confidence in Christ’s finished and continuing work.

After a lengthy and enthusiastic declaration of the benefits endowed and changes that have occured in you and me, not that we worked for them, but simply as believers of Jesus Christ, Paul turns our attention to:

• 2.1-3 Our past: Who we were (without Christ)
• 2.4-6 Our present: What God did: made us alive; raised us up; seated us with Him in heavenly places
• 2.4-7 Why God did so: rich in mercy; great love; gracious and kind
• 2.8-9 How God did so: grace through faith; not of yourselves or works we may boast
• 2.10 God’s purpose: display His workmanship

Which brings us to the passage at hand 2.11-22 in which Paul brings us another perspective: that of being a Gentile.

Notice the descriptions he made where we as Gentiles stood:

• 2.12a Without Christ: separate from Christ
• 2.12b Without a home: excluded from Israel
• 2.12c Without the Covenants
• 2.12d Without Hope
• 2.12e Without God

Then Paul proceeds to bring us (Gentile) believers the difference Christ made:

• 2.13 Brought those far away near
• 2.14 Brought peace: unity and harmony to the divided (Jews/Gentiles reconciliation).

This has brought changes to God’s household. Consider now the peace “that has broken down every wall” has brought us:

• 2.18 A common access to God
• 2.19a A common citizenship
• 2.19b A common family
• 2.20-22 A common faith

I’d like you to savour the final verses (19-22) of Ephesians chapter 2 from Eugene Peterson’s The Message translation, Paul tells us:

“That’s plain enough, isn’t it? You’re no longer wandering exiles. This kingdom of faith is now your home country. You’re no longer strangers or outsiders. You belong here, with as much right to the name Christian as anyone. God is building a home. He’s using us all—irrespective of how we got here—in what he is building. He used the apostles and prophets for the foundation. Now he’s using you, fitting you in brick by brick, stone by stone, with Christ Jesus as the chief cornerstone that holds all the parts together. We see it taking shape day after day—a holy temple built by God, all of us built into it, a temple in which God is quite at home.”

In building practices, “the chief cornerstone” is carefully placed because the entire building was lined with it. Christ as the “Chief Cornerstone” therefore sets the direction and forms the basis of the whole family of God. The apostles and prophets, needed to be correctly aligned with Christ. And so must we! All other believers are built on the Foundation–measuring their lives with Christ–not what what others pose.

James Montgomery Boice’s commentary on this particular passage (vv 11-22) sums it very appropriately:

“If you are in Christ, then in God’s sight you are one with every other believer–whether Jew of Gentile, male or female, bond or free–regardless of any distinction whatever. Therefore, you must act like that. You may not see eye to eye with every other Christian on anything. No one expects you to. But you must not break with them! And you must realise that regardless of your differences of opinion, the unity that you have with them is greater than the unity you will ever have with anyone else in the world, even if the unbeliever is of the same class, race, nationality, sex (or whatever) as you are.”

Your duty is to live in harmony with these brothers and sisters in Christ, and to let the world know that you are members of one spiritual family. That in itself should be a large portion of your witness.”

I do hope we realise that the peace that our Lord Jesus obtained for us has opened up a new and glorious spiritual reality. But since we can’t see it or touch it, we may miss opportunities to take full advantage of it.

“…there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” —Proverbs 18:24

Friendship can be confusing. Those who say they are your friends may not be at all. Those who you do not think are friends can be a true friend and just not express it.

Friends are those who you can share your deepest feelings with and then you find those feelings are being shared with everyone. To entrust yourself to someone as friend is a risk. They may be true friends and may be not. I have never really known what the test of friendship is. We all have had friends who turned against us. We have had friends that we did not know were friends. I suppose that is the human side of our relationships we simply have to deal with.

I have often heard this verse from Proverbs used to speak of the friendship we can have with Jesus. I like that. When in our search for someone that we could call a friend and open up our hearts to them we may come up empty handed. However, Jesus can be a friend if we desire Him to be. He can be trusted. He’ll always be there. He’ll tell us when we are right and when we are wrong. A friend does that. He does understand our frustrations when no one else does. He shares our griefs. He enjoys our happiness.

If you need a true friend, you might want to try Jesus. He is just a prayer away. You can be sure that His love for you will never be shaken. He’ll be a true friend. There seems to be so few today, so maybe you should try Him. He will not fail you.