Sermon for Trinity 11, August 16, 2026
Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, in truth and love. Amen.
1 John 1:5-2:2 5This is the message we heard from him and proclaim to you: God is light. In him there is no darkness at all. 6If we say we have fellowship with him but still walk in darkness, we are lying and do not put the truth into practice. 7But if we walk in the light, just as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanses us from all sin. 8If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10If we say we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar, and his Word is not in us. 2 My children, I write these things to you so that you will not sin. If anyone does sin, we have an Advocate before the Father: Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the whole world. (EHV)
Stay in the Light through faith in Christ.
Dear fellow redeemed,
Are you afraid of the dark? Many people are. The dark can be scary because we don’t see what’s out there, or worse, that there may be something unseen right nearby that threatens us. On the other hand, what is perhaps even more common than fear of the dark is being afraid of the light. Now, some might think that doesn’t make much sense. However, in the context of this letter, many, many people show themselves to be afraid of the Light that is God. Therefore, you and I, my friends, should Stay in the Light through faith in Christ.
John wrote, “This is the message we heard from him and proclaim to you: God is light. In him there is no darkness at all.” By rights, we should all be afraid of the darkness John mentions here, because it is everything that is opposed to God. Yet, since the fall into sin, what do you suppose attracts us more? To our sinful nature, the darkness seems enticing, and once fallen, darkness seems safer, because our consciences declare that our sin condemns us. And when caught in the darkness of sin, we get everything about salvation and eternal life completely backwards.
Many years ago, I had a granary that was infested with rats. Anytime I slid the door open and switched on the light, there was an explosion of rats scurrying every which way to find a hiding place. They were afraid of the light and afraid of me (and perhaps my cats). They knew that in the light, they were susceptible to death. The same thing happens among people. Far too many people turn against God or try to hide from Him because they fear His judgment. If you look at the empty church pews in so many locations, you will see evidence that my statement is true. People who feel guilty often avoid going to church, partly because they feel some inner shame, but mostly, because they fear being confronted by believers, which shows that consciences realize that their guilt is condemnable.
Likewise, because there is so much sin in our world, and thus so many sinners, there is much fear among those who reject God. There are many who imagine that if they just don’t recognize that there is one true God, then He won’t be able to touch them. Or perhaps, in our guilt, we can convince ourselves that we shouldn’t be judged because we are only doing what we desire to do, and we leave others alone to do what they desire to do. Do you understand where such thoughts might lead? John’s words here give us the answer to any who would hide from God and His judgment, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” … “If we say we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar, and his Word is not in us.” The result of this for any sinner, and I might add for every unrepentant sinner, is only eternal condemnation—whether that truth is believed or not.
This morning, as we continue our catechism review, we focus on absolution. This might be the part of repentance that many people miss. We can sometimes say we are sorry for the evil we do, but without absolution—that is, without the declaration of forgiveness for Jesus’ sake and trust in His forgiveness—the result of recognized guilt will still bring only despair leading to hopelessness.
On the other hand, dear friends, the cure for the hopelessness of guilt is to Stay in the Light through faith in Christ. Remember John’s message, “God is light. In him there is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him but still walk in darkness, we are lying and do not put the truth into practice. But if we walk in the light, just as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.” Light is purity. Light gives sight to those blinded by darkness. Light’s power can cut or heal.
Thus, the Light of God is Jesus Christ who came into this world to remove the darkness from each of us and replace it with the light of His holiness, an exchange purchased for us with His blood shed on the cross. “This saying is trustworthy and worthy of full acceptance: ‘Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.’” (1 Timothy 1:15) The darkness of sin covered each of us and made us afraid of the One who was appointed from everlasting to be our Judge. It was the same for every sinner of the world, and every population of people gathered together with each other, both ancient and modern, sought a way to claw their way out of the darkness, but there was no hope to be found, until Jesus came into the world to fulfill the promise given in the beginning when mankind sinned and first hid from God.
One thing about the God who is Light is that He is always faithful to His promises and to His love for us. Though there was no good to be found in any person on earth, God sought only faith in His love. For that reason, He counted all of our guilt as if it belongs to Jesus, and He punished every last shred of guilt, every infraction of the law, and every shortcoming of imperfect man as though belonging to His holy, innocent, God-fearing Son. Therefore, because the penalty for all the sin of the world was paid for in that brutal, murderous assault on Jesus at the cross, God’s justice allows only pardon for sin in us.
John says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Since Jesus has paid our debt in full, there is no price we could pay, no hoops to jump through, no mountain to climb, no works that might remove the stain of our guilt. Only Jesus’ blood washes away the stench that kept God at arm’s length. Yet, dear people of God, that is exactly what was fulfilled for you and me on the cross.
John wrote this letter to plead for all the people of the world to come out of hiding and into the light of Christ Jesus. Already while He walked this earth, Jesus made it clear that though He is given authority to judge the world, that is not why He came as a baby in Bethlehem. Jesus declared, “God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. The one who believes in him is not condemned, but the one who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God.” (John 3:17-18)
To deny our guilt leaves us eternally condemned for as St. John wrote, “If we say we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar, and his Word is not in us.” Apart from faith in Jesus, there is only darkness, condemnation, hopelessness, and fear. Now granted, sometimes that fear may come across as boastful arrogance, but the only sure way to forgiveness and salvation is to fall before our God in company with others like the tax collector at the temple, pleading, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” (Luke 18:13) This honest admission and plea is all that God seeks from us. God knows that we cannot offer Him anything that is not already owed Him. Yet, His love for us seeks nothing but faith in His Son as our Lord and Savior.
For that reason and that reason alone, St. John assured his readers, “My children, I write these things to you so that you will not sin. If anyone does sin, we have an Advocate before the Father: Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the whole world.” Every sin means we have turned back to the darkness in which the devil is in control. Yet, as long as we have faith in Jesus, He is with us to pull us back into the light because it is His light that covers us and gives us the way to heavenly peace.
God made Jesus the atoning sacrifice for the world. There is no one on earth, or ever living on earth, whose guilt was not paid for by the death of that One and Only Son of God. At the same time, our Redeemer didn’t stay dead, for He rose from the grave just as He had promised, and He ascended to heaven for the main purpose of interceding for us with His Father. Because of Christ’s dedication to our salvation, the devil can never again accuse us of any sin. The sins of the world have been paid for, so there is no reason to hide from God. There is no reason to fear His judgment, because the judgment of God for all of us has already fallen on His own beloved Son, and with that debt paid by Jesus’ blood, God now calls us forgiven and welcomes all who believe in His Son as His own holy, dearly loved children.
Therefore dear friends, having heard the Word of your God, and having been washed clean by the powerful cleansing of Baptism, come humbly, confidently, and regularly before your God and Savior. Hear Him again and again tell of the sacrifice He made to give you peace. Then by the power of His Holy Spirit in the Word and the healing food of the Lord’s Supper, Stay in the Light through faith in Christ. Amen.
The Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.