By The Rev. Dr. Paul A. Leggett
Sunday, May 31, 2009 · Pentecost
Sermon Text: I John 2:1-11
Sermon Theme
John is writing to Christians in a time of confusion and adversity, a time very similar to our own. The realities of the church in Ephesus, to whom John writes, are summarized in the Book of Revelation, which details the struggles of Ephesus and its neighboring churches. These included idolatry, sexual misconduct, spiritual indifference and, most seriously, a lack of love. John addresses all these issues in this passage. John identifies three crucial errors in the church which are still with us today. Each of the three errors is a violation of the gospel in one form or another. John lifts up the goal for all of us of a life lived in the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus promised this to his followers (John 16:7-13). We need to depend on this same promise today.
Sermon Outline
- Way. John knows both the weakness of the believers to whom he is writing as well as the temptations that surround them. He proceeds to identify one of the errors in the church. There were apparently people in the congregation who claimed to know God but did not obey him. Obedience for John is twofold. First, it means obeying God’s commandments. Second, it means obeying his word, the gospel. John doesn’t expect us to be completely free from sin (see John 1:8-10). He does however expect us to submit to Jesus Christ in every area of life. This means living continually in his forgiveness. Without committing ourselves to obeying Jesus we easily fall prey to the cares and concerns of the world around us.
- Walk. One of the key themes of the Gospel of John is abiding in Jesus Christ. If the first group’s error was having a knowledge of the gospel without an adequate understanding of obedience, the second group apparently focused on a personal, purely spiritual encounter with Jesus without walking as he walked. A spiritual life without a corresponding emphasis on missions and caring for others is not really abiding in Jesus. Jesus reached out to the lonely and rejected to offer them God’s love and forgiveness. This is the example we need to follow if we are to “walk just as he walked.”
- Welcome. The ultimate demonstration of the gospel is the love we are to have for each other. Jesus said, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). Today is Pentecost Sunday, when we remember the Holy Spirit coming upon the early disciples. An essential sign of the Spirit’s presence is our love for one another (John 14:15-17). This is not love in the various human senses of friendship, family or romance. This love welcomes the sinner. To welcome is to receive another person with dignity. Jesus welcomes the disciples, Mary and Martha, and even his own mother from the cross. The third error John focuses on, then, is a lack of love, disregarding or rejecting a brother or sister in Christ (this is what John calls “hate.”). To live in the light of Jesus is to welcome one another in his name. Anything less is living in the darkness.
Questions for Us
- Why do you think it is so often the case that we end up living a partial gospel? Why is it so easy for us to know and yet not obey, to claim to abide in Christ and yet not live out his mission?
- John’s readers were faced with major obstacles in their attempt to walk with Christ. What are some of the obstacles we face and why do we find them so difficult?
- Why do we find it hard to love one another as Christ loved us? What are some of the ways we disregard or reject (“hate”) each other?
