We haven't had one for a while, but I do love watching a royal wedding. When you have a royal wedding, usually you have one member of the royal family marrying somebody else who is also rich and famous—possibly a member of a royal family of another country, or just somebody with substantially good upbringing.
Part of the reason why it's fun to watch a royal wedding is that it is not about you. You are watching how the other half live, and you are watching a ceremony that you know would never be yours. But there's something magical about it.
For that, just occasionally though, you have fairy tales—fairy tales, traditional stories that are told—in which part of the appeal of the fairy tale is that somebody utterly ordinary gets to marry into royalty.
It is the same with celebrities and their weddings. Again, celebrities tend to marry other people who are rich and famous, although just occasionally the story gets told of a very ordinary person finding love with someone famous. And part of the charm when you have that is again the dangling thought of: could this actually be you? Could it be that you, the reader of this story, the watcher of this film, could have that experience of being romantically lifted into circles within which you do not ordinarily move?
But then just think a little further and ask—would you actually want that? Would you want the fame and the scrutiny? Would you want the press following you everywhere, your every move photographed and analysed?
And then there's the etiquette, you see. If you marry into the royal family, you've got to learn how they do things around here. There's just that frightening thought of: I'm going to have to work out which fork I am supposed to use to eat my soup!
Do you actually want to live in that world?
How about with God? What would it look like to have a relationship with the one who said the words, Let there be light?
I think our all-age teaching slot this morning was a brilliant introduction to this sermon. What would it actually look like to know and enjoy and live with that God? Would you want to do that? Would it... would it work if you did?
Well, what we're going to look at this morning is the kind of God who invites us to know him—and then two things that are needed from us if a relationship like that is ever to work.
But let's start by being absolutely clear: God does invite us to know him. He wants to be known. He wants to be loved. He wants to be enjoyed.
So, this is from last week's passage, verse three: Our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. God wants us to know him. He wants us to know him as Father. And in order for that to happen, he's made himself known through the person of his Son, Jesus Christ.
But what kind of God is it that John, in this letter, is saying wants us to know him as well?
God is light
Verse five: This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light.
Let's just notice a few little details about that verse. We heard from him—that is Jesus. So John did not make this up. John got this from Jesus. So, for example:
- John 3:19 – This is the verdict: light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.
- John 8:12 – Jesus says, I am the light of the world.
John got this from Jesus—that God is light.
Next little thing to notice is that God is light. Light. God is light.
Let me introduce you to one quality of God that you may not have considered before—that is, God's simplicity. Okay, I doubt you regularly think about God's simplicity, but it is a wonderful quality that God has. It says you can't chop him up into bits. The opposite of simple is compound. You can't break God—bits of God—off and still have anything intact. God has no optional qualities. Everything God is is essential for him.
If God were to be God but just not loving, he wouldn't just be the same God but with a few edges shaved off—he wouldn't be who he is. You take away his love—it's not him anymore. God has no optional qualities. He is what he has.
So, if God is truthful, God has truth—true. That means he is truth. He is truthfulness. God isn't just faithful; he is faithfulness. God doesn't just never change; God is himself unchanging. God is every quality that he has—it's all essential to him.
Now that's a wonderful, wonderful set of ideas that we could talk about for a whole sermon if we wanted to—but just to make this point: the Bible only very rarely says that in so many words. You have to kind of piece that together to work that out. But in the letter of 1 John, you actually get two times where this becomes clear:
- God is love—doesn't just have love, doesn't just show love—is love (Chapter 4:8; Chapter 4:16)
- And then the one that we get here, Chapter 1:5: God is light.
So it's not just that God has light—he's bright light, he shines. It's not just that God made light. It is that God is light. Who he is in himself is light.
That's another detail to notice. Another one to notice is: what does it mean for him to be light?
The Bible uses language of light and dark quite a lot, but always the context makes clear what is meant by this picture language of light and dark. And here, it is clear from the verses that follow that this refers to God's blazing moral purity.
So what we are seeing in this little simple sentence—God is light—is that who God is in himself, as revealed by Jesus, is the God of total, blinding, dazzling purity and truth.
God is light.
Now let's talk for a little moment about space tourism.
I don't know where you're going for your summer holidays. Maybe you're going somewhere on the European continent. Maybe you're going to Grimsby. Maybe you're going to the—I don't know where you're going—Portugal? Anyone going to space for their holidays? (I thought we had a volunteer there!) No?
Can you? There's a bit of a waiting list. But let me tell you how it works: for $450,000, you can have a 90-minute flight—that is the same length as this service—in Earth low orbit. (They get to high orbit... I don't know what the difference is between low orbit and high orbit, but low orbit for 90 minutes costs you $450,000.)
That's why nobody in this church is going. Maybe one day you'll be able to pay and go to the Moon for your holiday—or, if you've got a couple of years, go to Mars.
Let me tell you what they will never offer you as a space tourist: a return trip to the Sun.
Now the Sun—there's a reason why you will not be going to the Sun. That is because, as soon as you got remotely close enough for you to be able to go back and say, "I have been to the Sun," the Sun, with its heat, would consume any spacecraft that got close—close enough to investigate that—and anybody on board.
Now here's the fun thing about the Sun: if you look at it—(don't do that, by the way)—if you look at it, it looks like just a nice bright yellow circle. And actually, you know you shouldn't look at it, but with the correct equipment, you can actually study it in more detail. The equipment basically filters it and dims it down so you can actually see what's going on behind just all of that brightness.
And when you do that, what you discover is there are things like solar flares, which cause the Northern Lights. And there are sunspots, which are little dark patches that appear darker than the rest. And there's actually a lot of texture and interest on the face of the Sun.
But here's the thing with God: it doesn't matter what filters you put between you and God—no matter how much you manage to turn down the brightness dials, looking for the point where you can see some detail—at no point is any part of him less than utter, utter brightness. There are no sunspots. No bits that are slightly darker than the rest of him. All of him is light, and only light.
So, chapter—verse 5 again: This is the message we’ve heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. None.
This is the God that Jesus's disciples saw and heard and touched. This is the God who wants to have a relationship with us. And this is the God who invites us to have fellowship with him.
How can such a thing even be possible? And the answer is: there are two things we would need to do, if this is ever to work.
1. Walk in the light
Number one: we need to walk in the light. That is to say, do not believe the lie that your sin does not matter.
Verse six: If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth.
So often you hear Christians mistaking God's grace—that he treats us in ways we don't deserve—with cheap grace, and it sounds like this: “God and me, we are just fine,” when in reality there are major choices being made about the direction of life—to live in a direction that you know is not what God would want.
Walking in the light is all about the direction your life is going in. As we'll see in a moment, it's not about perfection—it's about the direction of travel, because the God who is light also shines his light so that we don't need to walk in the darkness.
He shines his light in a number of ways. One is through the gospel story. So if you did the course that we called A Better Story, either just before or after Easter, you'll have heard us talk there about the four stages of the history of humankind: how God made us good, but through our sin we have become broken. But in the person of the Lord Jesus, he wants to restore us again until finally we reach a perfect new world. And that storyline gives light to illuminate your path so that you can live your life in the light of the fact that this is the way reality is built.
Then there's the fact that through the pages of the Bible—the word of God written—God speaks in great detail. Your word, says the psalmist, is a lamp for my feet and a light to my path. So in the Bible we have specific commands from God. He tells us about himself. He reveals his character. He tells us the things he loves. He tells us the things he hates, so that we can build our lives around the things that are dear to his heart.
So the question John's asking is: is your life one of walking in that light, or do you wish that someone would turn off some of that light so that you can get on with however you would like to live under the cover of darkness?
So here's John 3:19 again: This is the verdict: light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.
You know how it is in the morning: you're fast asleep and someone in the room you're in decides they need to see what they're doing and turn the main light on. And your reaction is just to go, “Would someone please turn that light off?” And that's how people treat Jesus.
Now, John says if we walk in the light, then two things will follow.
We have fellowship with one another
The first is that we will have fellowship with one another.
Verse 7: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another.
This is a little bit of a surprise, I think, because he's just said if you walk in the dark, then you don't have fellowship with God. So we would expect him to turn it around and say, “But if you walk in the light, you do have fellowship with God,” which is true—you do. But something else is true: we have fellowship with one another.
Now, this tells us that part of what it means to walk in the light is to have relationships with other Christians. The person who wants nothing to do with the people of God—wants no real fellowship, no real relationship—they're living in a mushroom farm. They're choosing to stay in the dark.
This also tells us that the light of Jesus is what makes it possible for us to have fellowship with other people. Relationships with Christians can be difficult. We can fall out with each other. We can rub each other the wrong way. All kinds of things can go wrong. But living in Jesus—living in his light—makes it possible for us to have fellowship with them, with us, with each other. Or turn it around: if Christians are falling out with each other, then some of the problem is to do with the relationship that some of those people have with Jesus. If you want to fix our relationships with our fellow Christians, with our church family, then work on your relationship with him. Walk in the light.
We are purified from all sin
The second thing that happens if we walk in the light is: we are purified from all sin.
Verse seven: 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, which tells us that walking in the light is not the same thing as being sinless. It's not the same thing as perfection. And that's where we're going next.
So where are we going? Let's just recap where we are. God is a God who is light, and yet he wants to know us. And if that's ever to work, the first thing you need to do is to walk in the light.
2. Confess your sins
But here's the second thing that you need to do if that's to work: that is, to confess your sins. That is to say, do not believe the lie that your sin does not exist.
So here is verse eight: If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
Here's verse ten: If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.
Those two sentences aren't quite the same as each other. Verse eight says it is a lie to say that your nature is not sinful. Verse ten says it is a lie to say that your actions are not sinful. In fact, it's worse than that. It's not just that you are lying—it's that you are calling God a liar.
Now, let's just pause for a moment and ask the question: how might you do this? Because I think these two verses are so easy to read over and go, “Yeah, right, I would never do that.”
You see, I've been a Christian long enough to know that the right answer is, “I am still a sinner.” So if someone says—if I said to you, “Put your hands up if you think that you are sinless,” none of you would put your hand up, because you know that that's the wrong answer.
So: claiming to be without sin, claiming we have not sinned—yeah, that's lovely. I'm sure there are people somewhere out there that do that. But we don't do it.
So let's just think for a moment: how would we actually do this? And I can think of two ways we might.
One is by renaming our sins. We will do—I will do—anything other than admit that I have sinned. So: I don't get angry, I express my frustration. I don't lie, I protect other people's feelings and I'm economical with the truth. People these days don't commit adultery—they “play away from home.” And I'm not envious—I am ambitious to use my God-given talents. We rename our sins.
And the second way I think we easily do this is that we think we have reached our destination. We say, “I was sinful, yeah, but I've become a Christian now and I've reached the point of maturity as a Christian where I'm kind of beyond it. God's Spirit gives me mastery over the things that used to ensnare me. I have achieved complete surrender and I'm kind of there. Not perfect, but kind of mostly, pretty much got it.”
And John says: if you rename your sins, if you say you have arrived, it's a lie.
Instead, confess your sins.
And verse nine comes between verse eight and verse ten: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
Not just confess your sins, plural. Not just confess your sin in general. Confess your sins—specific sins.
So every Sunday, as part of our service, we pray a prayer—which we did early this morning—which is called a Prayer of General Confession. Now just think about that for a moment. You're glad about that, aren't you? Because that prayer does not cover the sin that you committed at 9:30 last Thursday morning. But actually, I'm not sure you would want all of us to be reading aloud the details of the sin that you committed at 9:30 last Thursday morning.
So it's good to keep it general when we are all praying together. And because there are always going to be sins that we can't remember, it's good to bring those into the light and say, “Please forgive all of it.” That's a good and healthy thing to do. And it kind of has to be kept general.
When it comes to your own prayer life: be specific. Be precise. Think back over the things you've prayed over the last week. How many times within your prayers this last week have you included something like, “9:30 yesterday morning, I did this really specific... please forgive me”? Be specific.
To what effect? What happens when you ask God for forgiveness?
It could be a really frightening thing to think about doing, couldn't it? You're aware of stuff you've done that God is not pleased with. You feel the weight of it. But to actually voice it to God and ask—that feels frightening. It feels risky.
If you make a mistake at home, with a friend, long-standing friend, at work, with your boss—you've got a decision to make: will I cover it up, or will I confess it?
Kids know the answer to that question, don't they? Always cover it up, and they're never as good at covering it up as they think they are. So we parents always can spot the signs. But if you're faced with that little dilemma, it really helps to know the outcome. If I confess to my boss that I messed that up last week, will they forgive me or will they fire me? You need to know the difference, because if you know the outcome, it makes it much easier to do it.
So what happens when we confess our sins to God? What does He do? And John says you will experience three things when you confess your sins, and they are all wonderful things.
(i) You will experience God’s character
You will experience, number one, God's character. So verse 9: If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just. Now, I said that God has no optional qualities, no accidental attributes — everything is essential to Him. So God is faithful and just. That is, He is faithfulness and He is justice. And you will experience both when you confess your sins.
God is faithful. God has promised to forgive His people. So here is Psalm 103, verses 7 to 12:
He made known His ways to Moses, His deeds to the people of Israel.
The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.
He will not always accuse, nor will He harbour His anger forever.
He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the Earth, so great is His love for those who fear Him.
As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.
God promises to forgive His people, and He is faithfulness itself. He's also just. God ensures that good gets rewarded and wrong gets punished. The trouble is, those two qualities of God pull in opposite directions.
When it comes to other people who do really, really bad things, you want God to be a God of justice. Criminals should be punished for their sins. People who hurt you should get it to come back on themselves in some way.
When it comes to you and the things that you've done wrong, you want God to be faithful to His promise to forgive. We want a God who punishes other bad people but forgives you.
And John says when you confess your sins, you will know faithfulness and justice together. And that is because when you confess your sins, God brings you to the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ — the cross at which your sin was transferred to Him so that God can punish your sin in full on His shoulders, and you are forgiven.
You will experience God's character — He is faithful and just.
(ii) You will experience God’s forgiveness
Second thing you will experience is God's forgiveness.
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves, the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
So God's forgiveness flows out of His character. Now, I'd love us just to enjoy this together for a moment — the wonder of this.
Most of us think we have done things that God cannot forgive, or that if He can forgive them, they're gone, but they kind of leave their mark on us. It's a bit like graffiti on a wall. You can't wash it off. Or, if you get a specialist contractor — the kind the council might use — they've got specialist kit and chemicals and whatever, and they kind of can wash it off, but you could always see it was there. It leaves its mark.
Well, this tells us that God doesn't just forgive — He purifies. The stain is gone. You're not stained or contaminated by it any more. You're clean.
And it tells us this is not just the least serious things that God can forgive. Just linger with me for a moment on that phrase: all unrighteousness. So if you have one picture — that sin you think God cannot forgive — then ask the question, is that included in the phrase “all unrighteousness”? Because if it is, and if you confess it, God will forgive it.
Confess your sins. You'll experience God's character. You'll experience God's forgiveness.
(iii) You’ll experience your advocate
And number three: you'll experience your advocate.
Verse 1: My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. Sin is inevitable, but that doesn't mean we're going to be defeated. The aim is that we walk in the light — so you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father — Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.
Now, in those days, an advocate would probably be a friend. So it is legal language — you've ended up in court. Your advocate would be a friend who can speak up on your behalf and provide a kind of character witness for you.
But these days, we have professional advocates — barristers — and probably they're helpful to think about to try and picture the reality of what John is saying here.
So just imagine for a moment that at 5:00 in the morning there's a knock on your door and you're arrested. But as the charges are read out, you're discovering that you're being arrested for 10 counts of murder, preparing acts of terror, defrauding the public purse, three counts of driving without insurance, causing death by dangerous driving, and, for some reason, handling a salmon in suspicious circumstances. Yes, really — that is a criminal offence under the Salmon Act of 1986. I do not know how many convictions for that particular offence there have ever been.
What do you need if you had that experience at 5:00 one morning? What you need is a really good lawyer who can represent you to the jury, to convince them you didn't do any of them — you are not guilty.
Now, here's the thing: as Christians, we have the very best barrister — Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. His reputation within the legal system of heaven is just impeccable. And He represents you before the Father.
And what does He say? Does He say, “This person did not do the things of which they are accused”? No.
Verse 2: Jesus Christ, the Righteous One — He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins. He says, “This person did all the things of which they are accused. But he and I swap places. I've paid for every one of their sins and their crimes when I died on the cross. I do not just speak on their behalf — I am living proof that he is no longer guilty of any of it.”
You will experience God's character, God's forgiveness, and your advocate.
Conclusion
So the fairy tale is real. The fairy tale of being offered a relationship that is far above your station is real. God, who did not just create light — He is light — wants a relationship with you. He wants a real relationship. He wants fellowship with sinners like you and me.
Now, if you're here this morning as someone who is not yet a Christian, who's still looking into all of this — just to remind you of something that was there last week, in verse 4: This is the path to complete joy. We write this to make our joy complete.
All you have to do is confess your sins and ask to be placed in the light. And the beauty of it is — it's free. Because Jesus has paid in full. Completely free of charge to have this.
Last month there was one day when one ice cream shop in Scarborough decided they were going to give anybody who turned up a single scoop for free. What happened? The staff could barely cope. Coach loads of kids turned up for a free ice cream — 52 people, why not — battering the doors at the shop down on the offer of a single scoop of free ice cream, on the wettest and coldest day of the year.
What we have on offer for free is forgiveness of sin — all of it — and being placed in the light, on the path to complete joy.
If people knew that was what was on offer, they would be battering our doors down, saying, “Tell me! How can I have this? This is free. I want it.”
Well, it is free. And you can have it. Confess your sins and ask to be placed in the light.
But for those of us who are Christians — and I guess that's most of us — let's not pretend we've reached a point of perfection. We haven't. Let's not do all we can to avoid saying that we sin. Instead, let's choose to live in the light. Let's enjoy fellowship with one another. Let's bring our sin into the open and confess it — bring it to a place where God can forgive it, cleanse us, and change us.