— and of course when this is speaking

not about his actual biological children,

but when this is speaking to Christians,

you know many believed that John was an aged, old apostle

and certainly a title like this would give reason for us to see him

just addressing these Christians;

the tender affection of an aged pastor, a spiritual father.

You can see a man in his 80s or 90s.

Even old men in their 50s and 60s and 70s are little children to him.

"I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin.

But if anyone does sin, we have an Advocate with the Father,

Jesus Christ the Righteous."

Now, brothers and sisters, I want you to focus your attention

on not only the first verse here in this second chapter,

but I want, right here in the beginning, I want us to focus

on the first sentence of this first verse of this second chapter.

"My little children, I am writing these things to you

so that you may not sin."

I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin.

Just simply reading these words, I mean just think about it;

Just read these words as they are.

Pastoral. Practical. These things were meant to be practical.

So often, we turn things into theological debates.

That doesn't mean we don't need to discuss what things mean,

but a lot of times we use verses more from a theoretical stand point;

in our ivory towers, you know, we want to discuss and debate theology.

But that's not what Scripture is primarily intended for.

It's meant to be practical.

It's meant to deal with people right where they are.

That's what John is doing, he's addressing these people.

And I want you to ask yourselves,

What's John saying here? What's he saying?

I mean, just a practical, pastoral sense,

what do you hear coming from the heart of this apostle?

He's teaching, he's encouraging his spiritual children.

I ask you this question, Is John not clearly indicating

that Christians need not sin?

I mean, think with me. What's he saying here?

I'm not saying John is teaching perfectionism here.

You can all read this for yourselves.

You've got your Bibles open before you, you can see for yourself

and read for yourself what he is saying.

What does it sound like John is saying here?

"My little children, I am writing these things to you

so that you may not sin."

Grace Community Church, some things have been done

in order to equip you so that you don't sin.

Some things have been done so that you may not sin.

John is assuming here,

It certainly sounds like John is expressing his desire

that these Christians he's writing to might not sin.

Might not sin when?

Ever.

At all.

Again, perfectionism isn't the issue here.

But is he not writing to them that they not sin, when?

When they might sin.

And I mean, you live a whole life like that,

not sinning when you might sin,

what does it end up looking like?

It ends up looking good.

It ends up looking healthy.

It ends up looking to be like the life

that clearly John wants his little children to live like.

Brethren, that's what it says.

What does it sound like John is saying here?

His desire is that they may not sin, period.

I know you can all see that.

But you know what?

This isn't just him giving an expression of his desire that they not sin.

John is not just a passive observer on all these,

who sort of sits over there and says

"O, I hope they don't sin."

That's not what's happening.

John tells us he is actively engaged

in his own effort in helping them not to sin.

How is that?

By writing in the way that he believes is calculated

to prevent these Christians from sinning.

You all see that?

"My little children, I am writing these things to you

so that you may not sin."

'So that' — John writes what he writes

in order to produce a certain result;

so that Christians who would potentially,

perhaps sin in a certain situation, had John not written to them

what he's written to them, they might now avoid sin

precisely because of what he has written to them.

You can see the pulse of John's pastoral heart here.

That's what's coming out.

Here he is, an old man, and he's penning this letter.

He's penning it with a heartfelt purpose.

And what's that purpose?

His earnestness is about this little flock.

What does he want? He wants them not sinning.

I am trying to drive a point home here.

I mean, for one, John is not casually writing.

He writes on purpose, with a purpose;

and that is, that God's people not sin.

That is realistic folks,

to believe that the Christian doesn't have to sin.

That's what I'm driving home.

As I survey John's words here,

it's clear to me that John does not believe that Christians have to sin.

Christian, do you think that way?

I'll tell you, the mindset with which we approach sin

is so absolutely critical.

I come back to this, time and time again; that there in Romans 6,

where we are specifically told not to let sin reign

in your mortal bodies, that's not how he started.

Paul started by saying, You need to reckon yourself,

you need to consider yourselves dead to sin.

You need to think right about sin.

You need to think right about who is master in the Christian life.

And unless you think right about it,

if you go into the Christian life with this defeatist mentality

that I just have no power over it,

I'm just kind of a rag doll and it throws me around wherever,

you know, you can't expect me to do much better.

That's not the approach of Scripture;

and what Scripture is saying to us is,

we've got to think right about sin

and how it relates to the Christian

if we're ever going to fight it right.

John isn't denying that this is an all out battle.

John isn't denying that there aren't these passions of the flesh

that wage war against the soul.

John isn't denying that sometimes we have to resist sin

all the way to shedding our blood.

He's not denying any of that.

But you see clearly what he is saying.

You can see as plainly as I can,

that it is assumed here that if Christians take what John has written,

and do with it what John intends for them to do with it,

the result will be what?

You answer it, That they may not sin.

That these Christians would refrain from sin.

And you tell me this, What is John writing?

What is he writing?

"My little children, I write these things,"

What things?

Obviously 1st John.

And what is 1st John?

It's Scripture.

It's God-breathed.

That's what we have here.

I mean, what you need to get from that is,

it's not just John who believes that the Christian doesn't have to sin.

It's ultimately who?

It's God. This is God-breathed.

So, it is ultimately God who believes that Christians don't have to sin.

It's God who believes that Christians,

think about this: It's God who believes that you take a person

and save them through the merits,

through the shed blood of Jesus Christ;

regenerate them by the power of God,

Indwell them by the Spirit of God.

If they'll use their heads, the brains that God gave them,

and process the Word of God.

If they will meditate on that Word and know that Word

and come to fear that Word.

In their minds, they'll chew on it.

They'll tremble at it.

They'll believe it, they'll be convicted by it

if they apply it to their life.

God believes you can actually be deterred from sin by doing that.

You can avoid sin.

Brethren, does this not sound something like

maybe what David said in Psalm 119?

What did David say in Psalm 119 that sounds really similar to this?

I've hid Your Word in my heart, that I might not sin against You.

Is there a reality to that?

I mean, did he just make that up? Is he an exception?

Brethren, John assumes the same thing. Absolutely.

And notice, I want you to see this.

Notice how John progresses in this first verse.

What's the next thing that he says?

It's really interesting to me how he says this.

"But - that's the ESV - but, If anyone does sin."

I write these things to you so that you don't sin,

but if you do, (now a lot of the translations put 'and',

but that doesn't take away from the fact that that word 'if' is there.)

You know what? That could easily be translated 'incase.'

It means the same thing.

You're not doing any injustice to Scripture if you read it this way:

"I write to you that you do not sin, but incase you do,"

Now here's the thing that I want you to see about that.

In John's mind, what does it sound like is normative,

and what does it sound like to him, is the exception?

Is sinning the normative thing, or not sinning the normative thing?

Which one is the exception, when we don't sin as Christians

or when we do?

What does that sound like?

Christians, I write to you that you don't sin, but incase you do.

I mean, incase there's a fire, we have an exit back there.

Does that sound like the fire is the normal thing?

It sounds like it's the exception.

That's how he's talking here.

Can you imagine it?

An inspired man, An inspired apostle

actually writing like the most normative thing is that the Christian

practices righteousness.

Is that amazing to people?

Christians not sinning is the norm here, not the exception.

And listen, it's not like John only says that here.

This first epistle of John resonates with this reality

all over the place.

I'm just going to show you one place

because I think it's one of the most stark;

it's just one of the most obvious portions.

If you jump forward to 1st John 3,

— I mean, John here is not so specifically pressing us

to take what he writes and not sin,

as much as he is just indicating the reality

that if you are truly a Christian,

the pattern of sin in your life will be broken.

The practice of righteousness will be the norm.

The practice of sinning will no longer be the reality.

And if we pick up in 1st John 3:5,

"You know that Christ appeared to take away sins."

Now, here's the thing: I do not believe

he is talking about taking away the guilt.

I believe he is talking about taking sin out of your life.

He is taking the practice of sin out of your life.

Why do I believe that? Well, watch.

"You know He appeared to take away sins,

and in Him (in Christ) there is no sin.

No one who abides in Him keeps on sinning.

No one who keeps on sinning has either seen Him or known Him.

Little children, let no one deceive you.

Whoever practices righteousness is righteous,

as He is righteous.

Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil,