Sermon Extras

SERMON NOTES

The Upper Room- Part 2 – John 13:18-30 “Honest about sin”

REVIEW: Last week we had a powerful lesson on Humility. We learned the first mark of a disciple “Humble service is the mark of every disciple” Take off the bib, put on the apron. 

INTRO> I want you to imagine a situation with me. Imagine that you and your family just purchased a new home. You are living in it and your family becomes sick, after a years long journey, you find out that your house has black mold all in the walls. The contractor says, you have to learn the house to its foundation and rebuild. You say… we don’t really like the word “black mold” we find that very offensive. We are thinking about putting up some fresh paint and decorations and that will be good for us…. and we know how this story ends.. They very thing they ignore will be the very thing that kills them. 

APP> Why do I tell you that. Well, I think that is the way that the world has dealt with the word “sin” and the sad thing is… it’s not just the world… the church has somehow fell prey to this idea that we don’t have to talk about sin or mention it. *ILL> A recent surgery done in conservative christian churches asked this question.. “is everyone born innocent in the eyes of God?” 65% of conservative christians answered “Yes” 

APP> What if I told you that we actually need this. That we actually need the truth of “sin”? That we need to recover this language. I love how the theologian Barbra Brown Taylor puts it, “… abandoning the language of sin will not make sin go away. Human being will continue to experience alienation, deformation, damnation and death not matter what we call them. Abandoning the language will simply leave us speechless before them, and increase our denial of their presence in our lives.” 

The two great errors of sin: 

• Legalism- A hyper focus on sin and behavior modification. 
• License- A hyper focus on God’s grace and love, with a total disregard to sin and behavior. 

CONTEXT> The main thrust of this passage is two fold. First, this passage tells us about sin, in great detail, in narrative forum. But we can’t just stop there… These verses are not only about sin but how Jesus responds to sin. 

1) Sin is betrayal. v21

• “truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me…” The Bible speaks of sin in many different ways… transgressions, debts.. rebellion.. many of those things. This passage, I believe is showing us the very heart of what sin is. 

APP> The O.E.D. Defines betrayal as “a violation of trust of confidence, an abandonment of something committed to ones charge. APP> Betrayal is deeply painful because betrayal is deeply relational.

• “For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.” Romans 1:21 
• theologian John Stott puts it this way, “The essence of sin is we human beings substituting ourselves for God, while the essence of salvation is God substituting himself for us. We…put ourselves where only God deserves to be; God…puts himself where we deserve to be.”  The Cross of Christ,

APP> Sin is complete and total self-absorption at the cost of everyone else, including God. 

2) Sin is sneaky. v22-

• “The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he spoke.” this is such an important point.. look at how many times John communicates it to us… v25 “Lord, Who is it?” …v28 “Now, no one at the table knew why he said this to him.” John is trying to get a point across BIG TIME… nobody knew it was Judas… what does this mean? 

*ILL> One of my Fav Bibles, Gift from Billy Graham Organization, I got to meet his son Franklin Graham. 

APP> Proximity to Jesus is not intimacy with Jesus. 

APP> The most dangerous thing about Christianity is that you can appear to be a Christian without Christ. 

3) Sin is something Jesus won’t over look. 

• “After saying these things, Jesus was troubled in his spirit, and testified, “Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me. John 13:21
• The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners… 1 Timothy 1:15

APP> Jesus will never hide from what is hurting you.

APP> It is the love and mercy of Jesus Christ that drives his hatred for sin. 

APP> Healing begins with honesty.

APP> Whatever is hidden will never be healed.

APP> Does your Jesus only comfort you and never confront you?

4) Jesus loves Sinners. 

• Jesus answered, “It is he to whom I will give this morsel of bread when I have dipped it.” So when he had dipped the morsel, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.” John 13:26-27
• Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him.. John 13:1

APP> There is more grace, love and mercy in Jesus Christ than there is sin in you.

BIG IDEA> Upper Room disciples are honest about sin because of their hope in the Savior.

Application: And they were very sorrowful and began to say to him one after another, “Is it I, Lord?” Matthew 26:22

Learn much of the Lord Jesus. For every look at yourself, take ten looks at Christ. He is altogether lovely. Such infinite majesty, and yet such meekness and grace, and all for sinners, even the chief! -Robert Murray M’Cheyne