Alive & Pure | June 7, 2026 | Pastor Caleb King - Divine Savior Church-North Collin County

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Transcript89 lines

[00:04]
A
God's word for our consideration this morning comes from first John chapters one and two. We bow our heads to pray.
[00:14]
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O Lord, may the words of my mouth and the meditation of all of our hearts be pleasing in your sight.
[00:19]
A
For you alone are our rock and our redeemer. Amen. In the name of Jesus, my dear brothers and sisters in Christ, if you've ever gone out to eat, you might have sat near the bar, if there was one. And if you have, you might observe the bartender for a few moments. You might notice the bartender grab a glass, and before he uses it, he
[00:45]
B
holds it up to the light.
[00:47]
A
He does that because the glass looks perfectly fine when it's sitting there on the counter. But when you hold it up to
[00:55]
B
the light, you can see how truly
[00:57]
A
clean or not clean the glass actually is.
[01:02]
B
And so that light, as it's held up to the light, reveals really every little imperfection that is on that glass
[01:09]
A
that can't be seen as the glass is sitting there on the bar.
[01:12]
B
And if another waiter or another bartender
[01:14]
A
or somebody like that walks behind the bar to grab a glass and go
[01:17]
B
and use it, the bartender might say, hey, is that clean?
[01:21]
A
And they'll say, well, yeah, look, it's perfectly clean. You'll grab it and hold it up to the light. And maybe it's not so clean after all. Those glasses are a lot like the Christian life that John describes. In the words that are in front of us this morning, John says this.
[01:42]
B
This is the message that we have
[01:43]
A
heard from him, heard from Jesus when
[01:46]
B
we walked with Jesus, when we talked with Jesus, when we were living with Jesus on this earth, and now declare to you, God is light. In him, there's no darkness at all. That's who God is. God is light. And light has nothing to do with the darkness. They are complete opposites of each other.
[02:05]
A
What about you?
[02:08]
B
John says if we claim to have fellowship with him, with God, and yet
[02:13]
A
walk in the darkness, we lie and
[02:16]
B
do not live out 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, purifies us from all sin. Pretty straightforward thinking, isn't it? God is light. And so if we claim to have fellowship with God, that means we don't walk in the darkness.
[02:39]
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And.
[02:39]
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And if we walk in the darkness, then we prove ourselves to be liars and the truth has been pushed out from inside of us. But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, well, then we have fellowship with each other. And it's all because the blood of Jesus purifies us from all sin. In other words, there's a connection between
[03:04]
A
what we say and what we do.
[03:08]
B
And you and I can say that we have fellowship with God because of the blood of Jesus, God's Son, who purifies us from all sin. But then that claim should show itself in behavior that is in harmony and
[03:24]
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in agreement with what we say.
[03:27]
B
Saying drunkenness is a sin. So therefore I refuse to get drunk
[03:33]
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and only drink responsibly.
[03:37]
B
Saying gossiping is a sin, and so therefore I refuse to play the name
[03:45]
A
calling game behind anyone's back, no matter
[03:47]
B
who it might be. Saying that forgiveness is full and free and has been accomplished by Christ on the cross for all people. So therefore I refuse to hold the grudge against somebody and instead fully and freely forgive as Jesus has fully and freely forgiven me. Me. And those words which are backed up then by actions are motivated by Jesus who shed his blood on the cross to purify us from all of our darkness that's within us and to make us people who have actions that back up their words to prove their words
[04:30]
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are true and not a lie. Many people speak very, very strongly about God and about God's place in their life.
[04:44]
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Many people speak glowingly about their Christian life of faith. A lot like that waiter who goes
[04:52]
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to grab the glass and walks away
[04:54]
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with it saying, yeah, it's perfectly clean.
[04:57]
A
But then their words, their thoughts and their actions betray them. What about you? Your thoughts and your words and your actions show what's going on inside of your heart. And Jesus doesn't just want your mouth and your words. He wants your thoughts, he wants your actions.
[05:18]
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He wants your very heart. And before you say, well, yeah, I am one of those people that walks in the light. I'm one who walks with Jesus. I'm one who says the right thing and then does the right thing. Well, before you do that, grab the glass and just go off on your merry way with the glass in your hand.
[05:35]
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Hear what God's word says.
[05:38]
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If we claim to be without sin,
[05:42]
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we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
[05:46]
B
If we claim that we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.
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Does that change your answer?
[06:01]
B
If we claim that we are without
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sin, we have deceived ourselves.
[06:04]
B
That means we have lied to ourselves
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A
and bought into a lie in our own hearts.
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B
If we claim that we are without sin, then we're actually calling God a
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A
liar and his truth is pushed right out from our hearts. Maybe you haven't totally publicly went and trampled all over God's law and God's will out in the open, but how many of us have said forgiveness is full and free for all people because of what Christ has done on the cross. But that person who has sinned against me, that person who has hurt me, the person who has stolen from me,
[06:45]
B
they need justice and they need it
[06:47]
A
now to the fullest extent. How many of us have said, well, gossiping is wrong and I will take
[06:57]
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people's words and their actions in the
[06:59]
A
kindest possible way and uphold their reputation. But then once that conversation turns towards the, I don't know, the political figure or the person in the world that you don't really like all that much, and all of a sudden the insults and the derogatory terms begin to fly out of your mouth, through your fingers onto the Internet. Excusing the sins of others or excusing the sins of your own, but condemning the sins of other people. Do you see how we make God out to be a liar when we claim that we are without sin? It's denying what God clearly and plainly reveals in his word.
[07:42]
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It's taking what God says is a sin and saying, well yeah, I'm okay, I'm not sinning, I'm alright. And that means that what I'm doing is not a sin, even though God says it is. But there's even a more dangerous step
[07:58]
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saying that, well, admitting I sin but having no desire to fight against it, saying, lord, forgive me, with the full intention of returning back to that sin later. To walk into worship on a Sunday morning and to confess the words of the confession of sins with a heart that's completely unmoved. Just as if you're walking into God's
[08:24]
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house to say, pardon me God, please do pardon me, but I'll be returning
[08:29]
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to that sin again. I'm gonna do it again and again. And furthermore, every single time that I
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see you, I'm going to insult you to your face because I'm proving that I the truth is not in me
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and that you're a liar in my life. And oh, by the way, can you still forgive me anyways? God's light shines into the deepest corners of our heart. It exposes every single time that we claim to walk in the light but are really walking in the darkness.
[08:59]
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And John is calling us to repent, to confess this morning, to stop imagining and pretending as if our sins do not exist, to stop defending them, to stop excusing them to instead hold, hold your glass up to the light. As an honest believer in Jesus that confesses that so often we have deceived ourselves and the truth is not in me. But that's incredibly important, Christians, a heart that is damaged in sin, a conscience that is damaged in sin does not naturally walk towards Jesus and confess it. A heart and a conscience that is damaged in sin runs in the opposite direction of Jesus. And that's why this is incredibly important to know. Because it's not the outrageousness of your sin that pushes the heavenly light out of your heart, it's your attitude towards it. That's why the Lord pleads with you this morning to confess your sin, to bring it to light. Your sin is not so dark that the blood of Jesus cannot cleanse it. So when you think in those moments when you have seen yourself walking in the darkness and you think, Jesus couldn't possibly love me, Jesus must have washed his hands with me a long, long time ago.
[10:19]
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John encourages you to listen to the loving and compassionate invitation of Jesus this morning.
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To confess it, to repent, to bring it to light,
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and then to hear the compassionate voice of your Savior say these.
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If you confess your sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. It's Jesus call to repent that moves the sinner to confess. Because the sinner hears the compassionate voice of Jesus speak, turns around and sees a Savior whose hands are pierced with nails, whose arms are wide open, on whose hands are graven your sins, on whose heart is written your name. That Savior who has already gone to the cross to pay for your sins for full and free, is the one who invites you to confess them because he has already forgiven them. The beautiful promise of the cleansing blood of Jesus which purifies us from all sins. That's the answer to an honest believer's confession, that their life often doesn't line up with what they say. But each one is forgiven. The promise of forgiveness stands. It must stand. Because he is faithful and he is just and he is righteous to forgive. Yes, even for the sinner who is here this morning whose sins have been exposed by God's light. They are forgiven. They are paid for. Because that's who Jesus is. He's the Savior who has already taken your sins to the cross and paid for them in full. Full, so that you would be forgiven. And he holds out now personal forgiveness for that sin because his blood, God's Son, purifies you from all sin, all sin. All unrighteousness. Not just the small ones, not just the biggest ones. Yes, that one. Even that one. Especially that one that's on your mind right now. He has already paid for it. Because that's what the cleansing blood of Jesus does. It cleanses us of all sin. Not after you have done something to make it right.
[12:58]
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Not after you have atoned for it on your own.
[13:01]
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Christ has already atoned for it in your place. You are spotless. Spotless in the blood of Christ. You hold up your glass to the light that was once filthy, and you see it now, clean as it's ever been. Because it's purified in the blood of Christ. Clean even when God's light shines on it.
[13:22]
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Especially when God's light shines on it,
[13:25]
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because it's the blood of Christ that has purified it. And that alone is what motivates the child of God to live in the light, to walk in the light, to run in the light and run away from all darkness. It's the fact that Christ Jesus is faithful and righteous to forgive.
[13:48]
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And here's why John writes all of this.
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He says, my dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. The reason that John writes all of this is so that you will not sin. So that you will be so disgusted with sin, so abhorred by what sin does in your life and with your relationship with God, that you run in the opposite direction from sin as a child of the light.
[14:21]
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That's why John writes these words. So that you and I will not sin. And you know what that means, right? So that without sin means perfection.
[14:34]
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Living perfectly.
[14:37]
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That's why John writes these words. You're smart. You know that living a perfectly sinless life on this earth is not possible with the sinful nature that clings to you. So did John really mean what he said? Of course he did. Yes. The fact that you will fail does
[15:03]
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not change what John says. John doesn't say, you know what?
[15:09]
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You're gonna fail and you're gonna fall. So don't really worry about it all that much. It's really not all that big of a deal.
[15:15]
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No, he just got done talking about what happens when sin happens in our lives and what it does between us and our relationship with God. And that when we sin willingly, it pushes the truth in God's word right out of our hearts. John says, I write this to you so that you will not sin. A sinful world does not change the sin standard that God gives a child of the light to live
[15:44]
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in. The light of God's word. Let me say that again more clearly.
[15:51]
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A sinful world does not change the standard that God gives a child of the light to live in the light. The standard of a child of the light is sinless perfection striving for sinless perfection. Because that's the standard of a child of the light who lives in the light.
[16:20]
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And that's why John writes these words. But he has more to say.
[16:26]
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But if anybody does sin, when your
[16:30]
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sinful nature rears its ugly head and you fall into sin and you walk brokenhearted in confession to the Lord for what you have done, we have an advocate with the Father, a legal defender.
[16:45]
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And you know who it is.
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It's Jesus Christ, the righteous one. The one who is righteous to forgive.
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Because his perfect life has been given to you as a gift. Because you and I have our sins placed on Jesus and He pays for them all at the cross and gives us his righteousness in return. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for the sins of the whole world. And that means that you can be absolutely certain that your sins are forgiven. Because if Jesus paid for the entire world's sins, then he has certainly paid for yours.
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And so when you fall, and when you fall into that sin and God is angry over sin, as God is
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just,
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Jesus steps in and he says, I was perfect, sinless, righteous, faithful in their place. And he turns to you and he says, my blood purifies you still. You're my child. You are forgiven. Walk in the light. Christians continue to walk in the light. And when you sin, bring it to light. Because sins confessed are sins removed.
[18:22]
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Not because your repentance or your confession earns forgiveness, not because you do anything
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to make it right. But because to the brokenhearted sinner belongs the forgiveness that Christ has already won on the cross and gives fully and freely to you. Because he is the atoning sacrifice of for your sins.
[18:45]
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He is faithful, he is just, and
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he will forgive you your sins and purify you from all unrighteousness. That blood washes away darkness and gives way to light. And held up to the light, you are spotless, spotless in Christ, in His blood that purifies you from all sin. Amen.

Summary6 min read

Podcast Summary: "Alive & Pure" | Divine Savior Church-North Collin County

Host: Pastor Caleb King
Date: June 9, 2026
Scripture Focus: 1 John 1–2

Episode Overview

In this sermon episode of Divine Savior Church’s weekly message series, Pastor Caleb King explores what it means to be "alive and pure" in Christ. Drawing from 1 John chapters 1 and 2, the message centers on the themes of light and darkness, the reality of sin, the call to authentic confession, and the assurance of Christ’s cleansing forgiveness. With practical metaphors and pastoral encouragement, Pastor Caleb challenges listeners to examine both their actions and hearts in light of God’s truth, while offering deep comfort in Jesus’ perfect, atoning sacrifice.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Light Test: Metaphor and Spiritual Application

Bartender Metaphor (00:18–01:11):
Pastor Caleb opens with the image of a bartender examining a glass up to the light to check its cleanliness, likening it to the examination of our Christian life in the light of God’s holiness and truth.
- “When you hold it up to the light, you can see how truly clean or not clean the glass actually is.” (00:54, Pastor Caleb)
- The metaphor reveals that imperfection is invisible in the dark but displayed in the light.
Spiritual Parallel (01:11–02:15):
God is light and in Him there is no darkness. To claim fellowship with God while walking in darkness is self-deception.

2. Walking in Light vs. Walking in Darkness

Consistency Between Word and Deed (02:15–03:27):
Pastor Caleb stresses that genuine faith results in behavior consistent with our beliefs.
- “There’s a connection between what we say and what we do.” (03:03, Pastor Caleb)
- Examples: Refusing drunkenness and gossip, refusing to hold grudges—all as evidence of “walking in the light.”
  - “Those words, which are backed up then by actions, are motivated by Jesus who shed his blood on the cross to purify us from all of our darkness.” (03:44, Pastor Caleb)

3. The Danger of Self-Deception and Excusing Sin

Confession vs. Concealment (05:35–06:47):
Claiming to be without sin means “we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” (05:42)
- Self-righteousness or self-excuse puts us at odds with God’s revealed truth.
- The message addresses partial confession and the danger of hardened hearts.
Heart Examination (06:47–09:08):
We often rationalize sins or make exceptions for ourselves and those we prefer, betraying the reality of our hearts.
- “Your thoughts and your words and your actions show what’s going on inside of your heart. And Jesus doesn’t just want your mouth and your words. He wants your thoughts, he wants your actions. He wants your very heart.” (04:56–05:18, Pastor Caleb)
- Even the attitude of “intending to return to sin” after confession is spiritual self-deception.

4. The Purpose and Power of Confession

God’s Light Exposes and Cleanses (08:40–10:19):
- True confession is motivated by the trust that “your sin is not so dark that the blood of Jesus cannot cleanse it.” (09:27)
  - “It’s not the outrageousness of your sin that pushes the heavenly light out of your heart, it’s your attitude towards it.” (09:08, Pastor Caleb)
The Promise of Forgiveness (10:25–12:58):
- “If you confess your sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (10:38, Pastor Caleb, quoting 1 John 1:9)
- Jesus’ atoning work is for even the darkest corners of our hearts, and forgiveness is full, free, and present.
- “You hold up your glass to the light that was once filthy, and you see it now, clean as it’s ever been.” (13:00, Pastor Caleb)

5. Motivation for Holiness and the Call to Perfection

Walking in the Light as Children of the Light (13:25–16:19):
The call to holiness is rooted in Christ’s cleansing, not legalism or self-atonement.
- “A sinful world does not change the standard that God gives a child of the light to live in the light. The standard…is sinless perfection—striving for sinless perfection.” (15:50, Pastor Caleb)
- While perfection is humanly impossible, the command remains as an ideal, showing dependence on grace.

6. Assurance in Christ Our Advocate

Jesus as Advocate and Atoning Sacrifice (16:25–17:43):
- When we sin, “we have an advocate with the Father… Jesus Christ, the righteous one.” (16:45–16:53)
- Christ’s finished work on the cross is the basis for certainty in forgiveness—for both us and the whole world.
  - “You can be absolutely certain that your sins are forgiven. Because if Jesus paid for the entire world’s sins, then he has certainly paid for yours.” (17:31, Pastor Caleb)
Continued Call to Walk in the Light (17:43–18:49):
Confession is encouraged not to earn forgiveness, but to receive anew what Christ has already accomplished.
- “To the brokenhearted sinner belongs the forgiveness that Christ has already won on the cross and gives fully and freely to you.” (18:27, Pastor Caleb)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Consistency:
“There’s a connection between what we say and what we do.” (03:03, Pastor Caleb)
On Self-Deception:
“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” (05:42, Pastor Caleb, quoting 1 John)
On Irony in Confession:
“Lord, forgive me, with the full intention of returning back to that sin later.” (07:58, Pastor Caleb)
On Attitude vs. Sin Magnitude:
“It’s not the outrageousness of your sin that pushes the heavenly light out of your heart, it’s your attitude towards it.” (09:08, Pastor Caleb)
On The Nature of Forgiveness:
“If you confess your sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (10:38, Pastor Caleb, quoting 1 John 1:9)
On Complete Cleansing:
“Spotless in the blood of Christ. You hold up your glass to the light that was once filthy, and you see it now, clean as it’s ever been.” (13:00, Pastor Caleb)
On Christ as Advocate:
“When you sin, bring it to light. Because sins confessed are sins removed.” (17:43, Pastor Caleb)

Important Timestamps

Opening Metaphor—The Bartender and the Glass: 00:18–01:14
Explanation of Fellowship, Light & Darkness: 01:41–03:08
Application to Christian Life: 03:27–04:56
Challenge of Self-Deception: 05:35–07:42
Repentance & Attitude toward Sin: 07:58–09:08
Invitation to Confession & Promises of God: 10:25–12:58
What Purity Looks Like in Christ: 13:00–13:25
Purpose of John’s Writing—Standard of Holiness: 13:52–16:19
Christ as Advocate and Atoning Sacrifice: 16:25–17:43
Final Assurance & Motivation to Walk in Light: 17:43–18:49

Summary

This episode calls believers to honest self-examination in the bright light of God’s Word—challenging every listener to move beyond verbal claims to a congruent life of action, confession, and humility. Pastor Caleb insists, “Spotless in the blood of Christ... you see [your glass] now, clean as it’s ever been,” rooting our peace and purity not in our own perfection, but in the completed work of Jesus. The call to strive for holiness remains, but always within the shelter of Christ’s advocacy and atonement, “because sins confessed are sins removed.”

For more inspirational messages and spiritual guidance, tune in weekly to Divine Savior Church-North Collin County with Pastor Caleb King.

Loading summary

Transcript89 lines

[00:04]
A
God's word for our consideration this morning comes from first John chapters one and two. We bow our heads to pray.
[00:14]
B
O Lord, may the words of my mouth and the meditation of all of our hearts be pleasing in your sight.
[00:19]
A
For you alone are our rock and our redeemer. Amen. In the name of Jesus, my dear brothers and sisters in Christ, if you've ever gone out to eat, you might have sat near the bar, if there was one. And if you have, you might observe the bartender for a few moments. You might notice the bartender grab a glass, and before he uses it, he
[00:45]
B
holds it up to the light.
[00:47]
A
He does that because the glass looks perfectly fine when it's sitting there on the counter. But when you hold it up to
[00:55]
B
the light, you can see how truly
[00:57]
A
clean or not clean the glass actually is.
[01:02]
B
And so that light, as it's held up to the light, reveals really every little imperfection that is on that glass
[01:09]
A
that can't be seen as the glass is sitting there on the bar.
[01:12]
B
And if another waiter or another bartender
[01:14]
A
or somebody like that walks behind the bar to grab a glass and go
[01:17]
B
and use it, the bartender might say, hey, is that clean?
[01:21]
A
And they'll say, well, yeah, look, it's perfectly clean. You'll grab it and hold it up to the light. And maybe it's not so clean after all. Those glasses are a lot like the Christian life that John describes. In the words that are in front of us this morning, John says this.
[01:42]
B
This is the message that we have
[01:43]
A
heard from him, heard from Jesus when
[01:46]
B
we walked with Jesus, when we talked with Jesus, when we were living with Jesus on this earth, and now declare to you, God is light. In him, there's no darkness at all. That's who God is. God is light. And light has nothing to do with the darkness. They are complete opposites of each other.
[02:05]
A
What about you?
[02:08]
B
John says if we claim to have fellowship with him, with God, and yet
[02:13]
A
walk in the darkness, we lie and
[02:16]
B
do not live out 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, purifies us from all sin. Pretty straightforward thinking, isn't it? God is light. And so if we claim to have fellowship with God, that means we don't walk in the darkness.
[02:39]
A
And.
[02:39]
B
And if we walk in the darkness, then we prove ourselves to be liars and the truth has been pushed out from inside of us. But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, well, then we have fellowship with each other. And it's all because the blood of Jesus purifies us from all sin. In other words, there's a connection between
[03:04]
A
what we say and what we do.
[03:08]
B
And you and I can say that we have fellowship with God because of the blood of Jesus, God's Son, who purifies us from all sin. But then that claim should show itself in behavior that is in harmony and
[03:24]
A
in agreement with what we say.
[03:27]
B
Saying drunkenness is a sin. So therefore I refuse to get drunk
[03:33]
A
and only drink responsibly.
[03:37]
B
Saying gossiping is a sin, and so therefore I refuse to play the name
[03:45]
A
calling game behind anyone's back, no matter
[03:47]
B
who it might be. Saying that forgiveness is full and free and has been accomplished by Christ on the cross for all people. So therefore I refuse to hold the grudge against somebody and instead fully and freely forgive as Jesus has fully and freely forgiven me. Me. And those words which are backed up then by actions are motivated by Jesus who shed his blood on the cross to purify us from all of our darkness that's within us and to make us people who have actions that back up their words to prove their words
[04:30]
A
are true and not a lie. Many people speak very, very strongly about God and about God's place in their life.
[04:44]
B
Many people speak glowingly about their Christian life of faith. A lot like that waiter who goes
[04:52]
A
to grab the glass and walks away
[04:54]
B
with it saying, yeah, it's perfectly clean.
[04:57]
A
But then their words, their thoughts and their actions betray them. What about you? Your thoughts and your words and your actions show what's going on inside of your heart. And Jesus doesn't just want your mouth and your words. He wants your thoughts, he wants your actions.
[05:18]
B
He wants your very heart. And before you say, well, yeah, I am one of those people that walks in the light. I'm one who walks with Jesus. I'm one who says the right thing and then does the right thing. Well, before you do that, grab the glass and just go off on your merry way with the glass in your hand.
[05:35]
A
Hear what God's word says.
[05:38]
B
If we claim to be without sin,
[05:42]
A
we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
[05:46]
B
If we claim that we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.
[05:56]
A
Does that change your answer?
[06:01]
B
If we claim that we are without
[06:02]
A
sin, we have deceived ourselves.
[06:04]
B
That means we have lied to ourselves
[06:06]
A
and bought into a lie in our own hearts.
[06:08]
B
If we claim that we are without sin, then we're actually calling God a
[06:13]
A
liar and his truth is pushed right out from our hearts. Maybe you haven't totally publicly went and trampled all over God's law and God's will out in the open, but how many of us have said forgiveness is full and free for all people because of what Christ has done on the cross. But that person who has sinned against me, that person who has hurt me, the person who has stolen from me,
[06:45]
B
they need justice and they need it
[06:47]
A
now to the fullest extent. How many of us have said, well, gossiping is wrong and I will take
[06:57]
B
people's words and their actions in the
[06:59]
A
kindest possible way and uphold their reputation. But then once that conversation turns towards the, I don't know, the political figure or the person in the world that you don't really like all that much, and all of a sudden the insults and the derogatory terms begin to fly out of your mouth, through your fingers onto the Internet. Excusing the sins of others or excusing the sins of your own, but condemning the sins of other people. Do you see how we make God out to be a liar when we claim that we are without sin? It's denying what God clearly and plainly reveals in his word.
[07:42]
B
It's taking what God says is a sin and saying, well yeah, I'm okay, I'm not sinning, I'm alright. And that means that what I'm doing is not a sin, even though God says it is. But there's even a more dangerous step
[07:58]
A
saying that, well, admitting I sin but having no desire to fight against it, saying, lord, forgive me, with the full intention of returning back to that sin later. To walk into worship on a Sunday morning and to confess the words of the confession of sins with a heart that's completely unmoved. Just as if you're walking into God's
[08:24]
B
house to say, pardon me God, please do pardon me, but I'll be returning
[08:29]
A
to that sin again. I'm gonna do it again and again. And furthermore, every single time that I
[08:33]
B
see you, I'm going to insult you to your face because I'm proving that I the truth is not in me
[08:40]
A
and that you're a liar in my life. And oh, by the way, can you still forgive me anyways? God's light shines into the deepest corners of our heart. It exposes every single time that we claim to walk in the light but are really walking in the darkness.
[08:59]
B
And John is calling us to repent, to confess this morning, to stop imagining and pretending as if our sins do not exist, to stop defending them, to stop excusing them to instead hold, hold your glass up to the light. As an honest believer in Jesus that confesses that so often we have deceived ourselves and the truth is not in me. But that's incredibly important, Christians, a heart that is damaged in sin, a conscience that is damaged in sin does not naturally walk towards Jesus and confess it. A heart and a conscience that is damaged in sin runs in the opposite direction of Jesus. And that's why this is incredibly important to know. Because it's not the outrageousness of your sin that pushes the heavenly light out of your heart, it's your attitude towards it. That's why the Lord pleads with you this morning to confess your sin, to bring it to light. Your sin is not so dark that the blood of Jesus cannot cleanse it. So when you think in those moments when you have seen yourself walking in the darkness and you think, Jesus couldn't possibly love me, Jesus must have washed his hands with me a long, long time ago.
[10:19]
A
John encourages you to listen to the loving and compassionate invitation of Jesus this morning.
[10:26]
B
To confess it, to repent, to bring it to light,
[10:32]
A
and then to hear the compassionate voice of your Savior say these.
[10:39]
B
If you confess your sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. It's Jesus call to repent that moves the sinner to confess. Because the sinner hears the compassionate voice of Jesus speak, turns around and sees a Savior whose hands are pierced with nails, whose arms are wide open, on whose hands are graven your sins, on whose heart is written your name. That Savior who has already gone to the cross to pay for your sins for full and free, is the one who invites you to confess them because he has already forgiven them. The beautiful promise of the cleansing blood of Jesus which purifies us from all sins. That's the answer to an honest believer's confession, that their life often doesn't line up with what they say. But each one is forgiven. The promise of forgiveness stands. It must stand. Because he is faithful and he is just and he is righteous to forgive. Yes, even for the sinner who is here this morning whose sins have been exposed by God's light. They are forgiven. They are paid for. Because that's who Jesus is. He's the Savior who has already taken your sins to the cross and paid for them in full. Full, so that you would be forgiven. And he holds out now personal forgiveness for that sin because his blood, God's Son, purifies you from all sin, all sin. All unrighteousness. Not just the small ones, not just the biggest ones. Yes, that one. Even that one. Especially that one that's on your mind right now. He has already paid for it. Because that's what the cleansing blood of Jesus does. It cleanses us of all sin. Not after you have done something to make it right.
[12:58]
A
Not after you have atoned for it on your own.
[13:01]
B
Christ has already atoned for it in your place. You are spotless. Spotless in the blood of Christ. You hold up your glass to the light that was once filthy, and you see it now, clean as it's ever been. Because it's purified in the blood of Christ. Clean even when God's light shines on it.
[13:22]
A
Especially when God's light shines on it,
[13:25]
B
because it's the blood of Christ that has purified it. And that alone is what motivates the child of God to live in the light, to walk in the light, to run in the light and run away from all darkness. It's the fact that Christ Jesus is faithful and righteous to forgive.
[13:48]
A
And here's why John writes all of this.
[13:53]
B
He says, my dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. The reason that John writes all of this is so that you will not sin. So that you will be so disgusted with sin, so abhorred by what sin does in your life and with your relationship with God, that you run in the opposite direction from sin as a child of the light.
[14:21]
A
That's why John writes these words. So that you and I will not sin. And you know what that means, right? So that without sin means perfection.
[14:34]
B
Living perfectly.
[14:37]
A
That's why John writes these words. You're smart. You know that living a perfectly sinless life on this earth is not possible with the sinful nature that clings to you. So did John really mean what he said? Of course he did. Yes. The fact that you will fail does
[15:03]
B
not change what John says. John doesn't say, you know what?
[15:09]
A
You're gonna fail and you're gonna fall. So don't really worry about it all that much. It's really not all that big of a deal.
[15:15]
B
No, he just got done talking about what happens when sin happens in our lives and what it does between us and our relationship with God. And that when we sin willingly, it pushes the truth in God's word right out of our hearts. John says, I write this to you so that you will not sin. A sinful world does not change the sin standard that God gives a child of the light to live
[15:44]
A
in. The light of God's word. Let me say that again more clearly.
[15:51]
B
A sinful world does not change the standard that God gives a child of the light to live in the light. The standard of a child of the light is sinless perfection striving for sinless perfection. Because that's the standard of a child of the light who lives in the light.
[16:20]
A
And that's why John writes these words. But he has more to say.
[16:26]
B
But if anybody does sin, when your
[16:30]
A
sinful nature rears its ugly head and you fall into sin and you walk brokenhearted in confession to the Lord for what you have done, we have an advocate with the Father, a legal defender.
[16:45]
B
And you know who it is.
[16:49]
A
It's Jesus Christ, the righteous one. The one who is righteous to forgive.
[16:54]
B
Because his perfect life has been given to you as a gift. Because you and I have our sins placed on Jesus and He pays for them all at the cross and gives us his righteousness in return. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for the sins of the whole world. And that means that you can be absolutely certain that your sins are forgiven. Because if Jesus paid for the entire world's sins, then he has certainly paid for yours.
[17:31]
A
And so when you fall, and when you fall into that sin and God is angry over sin, as God is
[17:40]
B
just,
[17:43]
A
Jesus steps in and he says, I was perfect, sinless, righteous, faithful in their place. And he turns to you and he says, my blood purifies you still. You're my child. You are forgiven. Walk in the light. Christians continue to walk in the light. And when you sin, bring it to light. Because sins confessed are sins removed.
[18:22]
B
Not because your repentance or your confession earns forgiveness, not because you do anything
[18:28]
A
to make it right. But because to the brokenhearted sinner belongs the forgiveness that Christ has already won on the cross and gives fully and freely to you. Because he is the atoning sacrifice of for your sins.
[18:45]
B
He is faithful, he is just, and
[18:50]
A
he will forgive you your sins and purify you from all unrighteousness. That blood washes away darkness and gives way to light. And held up to the light, you are spotless, spotless in Christ, in His blood that purifies you from all sin. Amen.