sin

1 John 1:9-10 – Forgiven & Not Guilty

March 25, 2021 By Ben Zornes Leave a Comment

If we confess the sin [in] us, He is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and shall cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His Word is not in us.
1 John 1:9-10

Denying the presence of sin isn’t how a believer addresses their sin. John has established a distinction between what it means “to have sin” (ἁμαρτίαν ἔχειν) in 1 Jn. 1:8, and “to sin” (αμαρτανειν).^⁠1 In other words, there’s both a sinful nature and sinful actions which are the fruit of that nature. Both are dealt with by confessing to the One who is faithful and just.

Verses 8 and 10 echo each other. Saying you don’t have sin is self-delusion, and proof that the truth isn’t dwelling in you (v8); saying that you have not sinned makes God (who is the truth) out to be a liar, and demonstrates that His Word doesn’t dwell in you (v10). Refusing to acknowledge the sin nature and the sins themselves are not only the project of self-delusion, but it is also a slander against God’s Word.

Sandwiched between these statements regarding the false ways of addressing our sin is the simple explanation for how the Christian deals with both the sinful root and the sinful fruit. We confess the sin in us, and God forgives our sins. The root is confessed, and not only is the fruit forgiven, but our unrighteousness is cleansed. Confession here is ὁμολογῶμεν (homologomen), which simply means to say the same thing as another. Of course, in this context we are agreeing with what God says about our sinful condition and our sinful actions. The conditional promise here is that if we confess our sin He not only forgives our sins, but he reckons us as righteous. He not only passes over our sin, but declares that we are not guilty.

This promise is one of the most golden passages of Scripture. In this simple promise the Gospel is held forth in all its profound glory. Sinners who confess their sinfulness, find in God a God who maintains His standard of justice, and yet forgives sinners because their unrighteousness is cleansed by the covering of another (1 Jn. 2:1-2).

¹Smith, David. The Expositors Greek Testament. Edited by W. Robertson Nicoll. Vol. Five. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1979. Pg 172

Lust & Blessings

March 15, 2021 By Ben Zornes Leave a Comment

We can scratch our heads and wonder how one becomes a Epstein, a Bundy, a Hitler, a Capone, or any number of celebrities who die of some drug overdose. How does one become a power hungry tyrant, killing millions? Or a vile lecher scarring scores of women? Or a corrupt billionaire, bilking thousands out of their life-savings? Here’s how…

If you indulge in clicking on that link, or you relish publicly cussing out your employees, or you bet your paycheck on a Vegas long-shot, or you photoshop your profile picture to deceptively improve your appearance, you’re simply habituating yourself to become swollen with unbridled desire. The horse-leech, as Solomon tells us, only knows one word, “Give, give, give.” It is always glutted, but never satisfied. You battle the lust for power, or sexual perversion, or financial glory, or celebrity by resisting it in the small matters. Standing up to your little lusts is how you prepare for resisting great lusts.

All of our little lusts—our lust for a bit more recognition, to have what our neighbors have (or what they show they have on Pinterest), for a bit more control over the people around us, for gratification of physical desires—all our avarice, and corrupt desires are just misguided attempts to get the blessing of God. Lust is the futile attempt to obtain the blessings that only come from diligence, duty, self-denial, and above all, delight in God above all things.

Lust in all its gluttonous designs is resisted by faith. Faith that God is the Source of supreme joy. Faith that obedience to His Word brings true blessing––both earthly and divine. Faith that taking up a cross is how we obtain a crown. Faith that Jesus’ blood has forgiven you of all your selfish lusts, and now calls you to delight in Him by joyful faith & obedience.

The Fire & Fury of the Living God

September 2, 2020 By Ben Zornes Leave a Comment

Introduction

The prophetic ministry is not an extra-curricular activity of some believers. Rather, preaching is a part of our corporate worship. We affirm that in the reading and explanation of God’s Word, we are hearing God speak to us. But man would rather reach for the volume knob of his distractions. But God will be heard, and if these are the echoes of His ways, what will you do when He thunders?

The Text

1 The word of the LORD which came unto Zephaniah the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hizkiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah. 2 I will utterly consume all things from off the land, saith the LORD. 3 I will consume man and beast; I will consume the fowls of the heaven, and the fishes of the sea, and the stumblingblocks with the wicked; and I will cut off man from off the land, saith the LORD. 4 I will also stretch out mine hand upon Judah, and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place, and the name of the Chemarims with the priests; . . .
Zephaniah 1:1-18

Summary of the Text

Zephaniah begins with a personal lineage, which appears to intimate that he’s related to the royal family; there’s also an important mention of polar opposite kings of Judah: godly Josiah and his wicked father Amon. This locates when this prophecy was given––~626BC (v1). Then commences the announcement of God’s coming wrath, which is described in all-encompassing terms; reminiscent of God’s global judgement in Noah’s day (cf. Gen. 6:7) (vv2-3). Judah and Jerusalem are brought into the crosshairs, and we begin to see why God is readying to unleash His holy wrath on the whole world: worship of Baal and the heavenly host persists (Manasseh’s influence), mixed in with a fair helping of swearing by both the Lord and Malcham, and plenty of apathetic apostasy (vv 4-6).

The Jews should lay their hand on their mouth if they think to object to this sweeping judgement, because the oft foretold “day of the Lord” was now imminent (v7). God Himself has prepared a sacrificial meal and invited His guests. The twist here is that Judah will be the sacrifice, and it would seem that the summoned guests are the nations (Cf. Jer. 10:25) which God has brought to “devour” Judah (v7b).

Certain groups are held up as epitomizing the offenses which God is coming to punish: the royal family who have arrayed themselves in “strange apparel” (v8) (Cf. 2 Ki. 10:22, Isa. 3:18), and those who “leap/rush over the threshold” in order to obtain plunder for their masters’ house (v9) (Cf. 1 Sam. 5:5). Think Prince John and the Sheriff of Nottingham. Lest the commoners think they are somehow so insignificant as to escape the Lord’s notice, Zephaniah describes the cries and howls which will issue across Jerusalem when this ruination comes (vv10-11).

God will be thorough in His search for evildoers, and there won’t be a crevice in which to hide; those who had been dismissive of former prophetic warnings won’t be able to be dismissive anymore (v12). Judah will be wholly plundered, and all the deuteronomic blessings whisked away (v13).

Zephaniah echoes and summarizes earlier prophets’ warnings of “the day of the Lord.” It is near. It is terrible. It is an inescapable reality (vv14-16). As one economist once shrewdly pointed out: “If something cannot go on forever, it will stop.” This judgement will be devastating, and neither their silver nor gold will deliver them. The fierce fire of the Lord’s jealousy is upon them and He is thundering down upon them to expel them from the land, and wish them, “good riddance (vv17-18).”

The Exceeding Sinfulness of Sin

One of the most damning effects of sin is that we call evil good, and good evil. Sin is so wicked because not only do we trespass in the commission of the sinful act, but we sin by telling ourselves that the sin is necessary, even right. Not only do we sin, we redefine our sin. We buttress ourselves against what our guilty consciences witness against us.

Zephaniah presents us a vivid picture in response to man’s temptation to paper over his sin. God is coming, candle in hand, searching every nook and cranny of Jerusalem to find those who had grown indifferent to the Lord’s claim over that Holy City. God is shown here as hunting down and searching out those who have said in their hearts, “God isn’t going to do good or evil.” But as the Psalmist taught us, only the fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”

The Gospel Arc

Zephaniah’s opening salvo leaves no wiggle room for the warm fuzzies of our modern evangelical nannies, which all too often rush in and comfort us with “There, there…God is love.” Some scholars bemoan how derivative this book is, because it borrows imagery from more gifted prophets like Amos and Isaiah. But we should see in Zephaniah a lovely succinctness––a prophetic bluntness––made to startle the complacent. His main objective is to disturb the complacent with a simple but vibrant warning.

In some Christian circles it has become increasingly en vogue to avoid the bad news of the Gospel. They think presenting Jesus as merely an example of tolerance, love, and kindness is all the Church is called to. Good as those virtues are, they are not the ground of our salvation. Kindness is only good if defined biblically. Otherwise it becomes like a child who feeds the new puppy too much dog food simply because neither the child nor the puppy know how to stop.

But, the Gospel, faithfully preached, must first make the unrepentant sinner miserable. That is the Gospel arc we see here in this short prophetic book: a shocking rebuke, a call to repentance, and then, and only then, the assurance of mercy to those who turn to the Lord.

In our age of self-esteem, this is avoided at all cost, even in many pulpits. Nevertheless, the prophetic denouncement of sins big and small, sins of the royalty and sins of the commoners, corporate sins and individual sins, and the just wrath that awaits such sins is meant to incite sinners to ask “What must I do to be saved?”

What Must I Do?

Trying to carve out God’s love as if it can stand apart from His justice is denying His immutability. It assumes that God’s love cannot be so fierce as to burn with the heat of a thousand suns when wickedness is allowed to flourish. God will not be pitted against Himself.

Instead of blushing at the severity of the prophet’s voice, or bubble-wrapping the bad news of the Good News we need to wince. The prophetic Word insists, “Don’t ignore the warnings. Don’t minimize them. Don’t scoff at them.” When God warns, the thing you must do is ask, “Is there anything else? Show it all to me!” Don’t look for refuge in comparison shopping your sin compared to other more grievous sins.

Some may want to balk at Zephaniah’s hyperbole. Isn’t he overdoing it? But often a pastor needs to wave his hands and say in simple terms, “Stop it.” Spurgeon once commented on the severe nature of Zephaniah’s prophetic book, “I bless the Bible for being severe with my unbelief.” Do you want God to “go easy” on evil? Do you really want a God who yawns at wickedness? Do you really want God to let the vilest men never be brought to justice?

The Lord’s City

Remember that this city which is at the epicenter of God’s global judgement, was His city. Judah had broken God’s law, neglected it, mixed it with idolatry, spurned it, and were indifferent to the covenant of their King. Now the King warns, by his messenger, that He’s coming to bring justice down.

So the question is, have you hidden sin way down deep, thinking God won’t care, God won’t notice, nobody was hurt? God has a claim on you. He will search it out. He will bring it out. He will expose it, and that is a grace. But remember, the only place to flee from the wrath of the Living God is in the Living God.

There are two perspectives on when these prophecies were given. Was it before Josiah’s reforms, or after? My position is that it is after, mainly because of the reference to the “remnant of Baal” in verse 4. That being the case, how much more damning is it that they made a good start, but compromised so quickly, got distracted so easily, and in the midst of a wonderful revival many among them tried to preserve just a sliver of their idolatry?

We have made a good start at reformation here in Moscow. But let us not grow weary, lest our reformation being corrupted by compromise become a greater weight of condemnation. Are you trying to dress in strange apparel? Are you upright in business or are you rushing over the threshold to plunder the poor? Are you operating under the assumption that when judgement comes you can hide from the Lord in some remote corner of the Idaho woods? The only place to turn, the only place to flee is Jesus, the true King. The only King who became sin for us, so that all of God’s righteous wrath might be poured out upon Him instead of you. The only King who can truly and fully reform His people. So do not undertake a merely carnal reformation. That’s just French revolution in slow motion. We want a reformation which only the Spirit of God can bring. We want a revival which is sparked by the holy fire of God.

Sins Great and Small

January 13, 2020 By Ben Zornes Leave a Comment

Big sins are built on the backs of a thousand little sins. Sequoia sins like murder, adultery, embezzlement, apostasy, or fraud don’t grow overnight. They arise out of a thousand lies you tell yourself. A thousand minor compromises. A thousand squints at the clear lines of God’s law. A thousand fudging of the numbers in our moral accounting books.

Imagine roaring down the highway at night, in an unfamiliar area, and suddenly right ahead of you is a paper sign across the road. The font is tiny, and to make things worse the font is Comic Sans, but it reads: “Bridge Out!” As you careen to your death in the icy river below, you won’t be thinking to yourself, “What a legalistic sign!”

Rather, if you’re careening towards such danger, you want to have warning signs up ten miles down the road. You want flashing lights. You want a sign that lights up with a big orange glow, visible from Pluto, when your headlights hit it. You want signs to warn you if you start hurtling down the path towards disaster.

King David once prayed, “Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression (Psa. 19:13).” Are there sins of resentment which you are treasuring up? Are you telling yourself lies about your motives for hanging out with certain friends? Have you justified watching some questionable movies under the pretense of “understanding the culture”? Have you cut corners at your job? Have you gone to bed angry at your spouse, or kids, or others?

If you feel the prick of conviction from those questions, remember that that conviction is a road sign, warning of a calamitous fall awaiting those who recklessly and willfully plow forward. A disastrous fall will come to the haughty man who refuses to heed the warning sign; but grace, upon grace, upon grace is given to the humble man who repents and flees from the little sins, and thus is kept from great sins.

No Prosthetic Hands

August 26, 2019 By Ben Zornes Leave a Comment

Jesus commands us that, “if thy hand offend thee, cut it off (Mk 9:43).” He repeats this for the foot and eye, with the point being: take the battle against sin seriously. Better to lose limbs than let sin conquer you. Better to live free and die, than to live in slavery to sin and die spiritually.

In this room are a wide-variety of sins. The sin which you might find such a struggle to overcome might not be the sin which the person to the left of you finds they are beset by, and the person on your right could be facing some other sin entirely. But each of you need to face your sins and temptations square in the face and resolve to do whatever it takes, by the sanctifying Spirit of Christ, to resist your sins.

Confessing your sin is a sort of cutting off of your hand. It is acknowledging the wickedness of your sin, and your admission that it is vile in God’s sight. It is you separating yourself from your sin. But the routine of confessing your sins (whether in your daily walk, or at a set point in the weekly liturgy) should not be taken as a permission slip to go out and get a new hand to facilitate your sin tomorrow. Jesus didn’t say that if your hand causes you to sin cut it off but it’s ok to go get a prosthetic replacement. He didn’t say to pluck out your eye and then replace it with a robotically enhanced one.

So, confess your sin. Cut off anything which facilitates that sin you need to confess this morning. Delete that app. Leave that group of friends. Cut up your credit card. Unsubscribe from that streaming service. Don’t go to that party. Don’t hit the snooze button. In other words, make no provision for the flesh…kill it, mortify it, and triumph over it in the death and resurrection of Christ which enables you to be victorious over your sin.

The Two Parts of Repentance

February 19, 2019 By Ben Zornes Leave a Comment

Repentance is a two part act of faith. First, it turns from sin, and second, it pursues after God. First, it mortifies, second, it vivifies. First, it sees how vile, wicked, and deadly sin is, second, it flees to God, to enjoy the light of His glory. First, it reviles the sin, second, it hungers and thirsts for righteousness.

Repentance is incomplete if it only sees sin as bad, turns from it, and sits there. Many times, we want to turn our back to sin, but not budge an inch away from it…after all, sin gives the best back rubs. But true, evangelical repentance, after seeing how bad sin is, turns away from it in godly fear, and seeks after God. It turns from vice, to seek after virtue.

Halfway repentance sees that the table of sin is spread with moldy jams, rotten roasts, bread made from sawdust, with maggots and cockroaches crawling over all of it. Halfway repentance will turn away from this putrid “feast,” but it sticks around for the company. Full repentance is revolted by sin’s feast, turns away from it, and runs––full-tilt––to this table.

You must not only feel bad for your sin, you must savor Christ. You must not only flee from the death which your sin deserves, but you must cling to the life which is found in Jesus. You must forsake your sin, and feed your faith upon the Lamb of God. Have you despised your sin? Have you grieved over how it offends a holy God? Well and good. Repentance must not stop there. True repentance will always make its way to this meal; to the body and blood of our Lord Jesus.

So come in faith, and welcome to Jesus…

The Kavanaugh Rule

September 27, 2018 By Ben Zornes Leave a Comment

The Left’s favorite Bible verse, and perhaps the only one they know, is “Judge not, that ye be not judged (Mt. 7:1).” Take that back…they also know the one Levitical law about sewing two types of seed in one field or sewing a garment with two types of fabric (Lev. 19:19), which they trot out to make us embarrassed about even thinking to appeal to God’s Law when it comes to sexual regulations.

But “judge not” is still their pet-verse. So, let’s use it shall we? The next line, for those who have actually read it in context proceeds thus, “For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again (Mt. 7:2).” In essence, whatever the standard is with which you are demanding another be judged, you must be willing to submit yourself to the same standard of judgement.

This is really delightful. So, Kavanaugh has been accused of (now multiple) instances of sexual shenanigans. The Left is demanding that the FBI investigate all these accusations. We wouldn’t want our Supreme Court sullied by such a miscarriage of justice would we? We wouldn’t want such a bastion of uprightness which has ruled that black men were property, mothers can butcher their babies in utero, and two dudes can enter the fruit-bearing union of marriage. No, we’d never want the bench soiled.

A Sexual Audit of Congress

So I propose an audit of the sexual history of all members of Congress. The whole debauched lot of them. We want a list of the parties they attended, who was there, and what went down. How many interns have been paid off, after all?

What measure you mete out, it shall be meted out to you. But that’s not what this is all about. This isn’t about justice. This is about power. Today, Dr. Ford (Kavanaugh’s accuser) and Kavanaugh both gave emotional testimony. DURING the hearings both the GOP and Democrats sent out campaign fundraising emails. The gnawing hunger for power is a heckuva drug.

In the maelstrom which is 2018 politics, do not forget that this is a fight. Father Christmas might remind us that battles are ugly things when women fight them. The battle will be fought in the pristine (insert sarcasm here) halls of our government. But the battle will be won by fathers fighting for their sons to be men of honor. Sons who aren’t given to strong drink, porn, or sloth. The battle will be won by fathers defending their daughters by insisting they not go to those parties. The battle will be won by mothers sacrificing the cultural prestige of a career for the greater privilege of rearing their children to fear the Lord.

Tit for Tat

What is taking place in front of us is the bruised ego of progressives retaliate for the scorching of 2016. If they are successful in destroying Kavanaugh, and taking back the Senate, House or both, the Republicans are already threatening to employ similar dirty politics. The tit for tat of vengeance will always lead us to destroy our enemies.

The Gospel offers a means whereby we might route our enemies. It doesn’t offer a touchy-feely, “let’s all get along” mindset. It demands that we all die, in Christ, to our sin. The death of Christ is the only means whereby any family, city, or nation might have peace with each other; and only by being at peace with God first.

Our nation has embraced sexual license and now is flabbergasted at how bad that’s worked out. Our nation has enshrined avarice, and then are shocked when those whose ambition brought them to the top abuse their power. We’ve knocked the load-bearing wall out of the house our more godly and wise forefathers built, and now wonder why there’s a sagging ceiling in the living room. The only recourse is to return to the Gospel which airs all our dirty laundry, all our vile secrets, and offers forgiveness for it all…through a man whose reputation and very life was sacrificed for yours.

No Time For Licking Wounds

August 27, 2018 By Ben Zornes Leave a Comment

Today isn’t a gathering for licking the wounds of our failures this week. We aren’t here to bemoan the boot of sin upon our necks. We aren’t here to mope, sulk, or wallow in despair. Church isn’t a place to learn helpful strategies for negotiating a cease-fire with sin. This isn’t a therapy session so you can better cope with your “bad habits”. This isn’t a place to get some pointers on more positive thinking. This isn’t a support group for our mutual commiseration.

This worship service is intended to glorify God and to renew our faith. And this is our faith: Jesus Christ is King. He has conquered all His––and consequently your––enemies. He sits at the right hand of the Father, and all authorities, powers, and dominions––not only in this world, but in the world to come––are His. The Gospel we preach here is that Christ has overcome, He is ascended on high, and all things are subject unto Him. In Christ, we come today as more than conquerors. We come to a victory celebration. We come to enjoy the spoils of the war which our Lord has won. As a triumphant king, He now bestows gifts unto His people. His bounty becomes theirs. He leads His saints in a triumphal procession.

Your sin is not the victor. Your Christ is. As you confess your sins, you are not to take your eyes off of a triumphant Christ to look at your dismal track record this week. Confession of sin is the exact opposite. It’s a refusal to let your sin keep you any longer blind to the mercy and victory found in the Lord of Hosts. Sin promises exaltation but brings humiliation. Jesus invites you to bend low and confess your sin and in doing so He lifts you up.