Hill Country Bible Church (Part 2)

Sermon: “Let’s Come Clean”- 1 John 1:5-2:2

(Part 2 of the series “live for THE MOMENT: a study of 1 John)

Okay, I’ve gotten way more curmudgeonly than usual over this music stuff (perhaps a consequence of writing with such a close deadline), so I was really glad when Pastor Tim Hawks came on stage.  After taking a moment to congratulate the church once again on their many missions efforts, both in the community and overseas, he launched into one of the better sermons I’ve heard on this trip-- probably in my top five and maybe even my top three (even though, in retrospect, I don’t think I was even in total agreement with some of his spin on things-- kind of preferred Rob Bell’s take on this text).  The sermon should be viewable online, so rather than just looking at my notes, you might go ahead and watch it yourself.  In fact, I seriously entertained the notion of just pasting the video on here in lieu of notes and commentary, but that would be lazy on my part.  (Okay, I really just couldn’t get the video to embed properly, but whatever.)  I will stress though that this sermon video was recorded in a different service than the one I attended, so I’m sure there will be discrepancies.

Even though his theology certainly had a harder edge to it than mine does (seemed to be a bit more of a stress on total depravity, and I’m just not totally on board with that some days), I instantly liked Pastor Tim.  There was something about his demeanor that was serious but easy-going.  He was casually attired in an untucked button-up shirt, and he slouched a bit as he talked, and that somehow made him all the more engaging and approachable.  Again, Pastor Tim openly admitted that he was tired, and with good reason since he had been wishing his kids safe travel to Haiti at 3:15 that morning.  My heart leaped up a little when he mentioned Haiti, mainly just because I would get to tell Erin that this church was sending teams to Haiti and get her thoughts.  Just a reminder: that country needed a Christian ministry of both relief and presence way before the quake happened, and it still needs those things as much as ever.  I’m planning to go there with Erin for Spring Break of this academic year if not sooner.  I’m getting off topic though.  Happens when I write this late at night.

Pastor Tim had a small set on stage for his sermon.  There was a tall chair and table (on which rested a bottle of water and a few pages of notes), and there was also a whiteboard on which he had already written out a few words that would become important later in the sermon.  Like the sermon at Saddleback, this one too had a corresponding outline available in the bulletin with fill-in-the-blank sentences and Scripture references.  Of course, since I had snagged my bulletin out of the recycling pile at the entrance, I was actually missing this outline, but I had my little blue notebook for notes, so no big deal.

Pastor Tim informed us that we are facing an epidemic in this country: inflation.  No, not economic inflation-- inflation of ego.  In America especially, there is a huge tendency nowadays for people to overestimate themselves drastically, and Pastor Tim provided an example from a recent statistical study:

“When researchers asked a million high school students how well they got along with their peers, none of the students rated themselves below average.  As a matter of fact, 60% of students believe that they are in the top 10%, and 25% rated themselves in the top 1%.  Now, I’m not a big mathematician, but it would be hard to see that kind of working out with the whole concept of ‘average.’”

We can’t all be the top 1%.  The study was later expanded, and the researchers polled a group of college professors, of which, only 2% rated their teaching below average, 63% ranked themselves above average, and 25% described themselves as “truly exceptional.”  Pastor Tim dropped his arms emphatically and remarked, “You know, I slept through most of college, and I think it’s because I must have had all of that 2% at my school!”  After holding a bit to allow the congregation’s laughter, Pastor Tim continued with a simple restatement of the data he had just read: “The average person believes he’s better than the average person.”  For another example, he produced a set of particularly entertaining documents: kids’ letters to Santa.

Dear Santa,

There are three little boys who live at our house.  There is Jeffery.  He is 2.  There is David.  He is 4.  And there is Norman.  He is 7.  Jeffrey is good some of the time.  David is good some of the time.  But Norman is good all of the time.

I am Norman.

Pastor Tim followed up, “I think we’re all Normans in some way shape or form.”  We always think that we’re always good, and we always think that we’re better than we are, so what do we do when we don’t measure up to our own high expectations?  What do we do when we mess up?  Pastor Tim gave another example, this time an old joke about two CEOs of a company-- the departing former CEO and his replacement who was just starting at the company.  The departing CEO had some advice for his replacement though, and he pulled him aside and told him, “Look, you will surely make mistakes from time to time in running this company.  It’s going to happen, and when you do, I’ve prepared three envelopes that are sitting in the top drawer of your desk.  When you make your first mistake, open envelope #1, and do what it says, and everything will be fine.  When you make your second mistake, open envelope #2, and so on.”  Everything went along smoothly for a few months before, sure enough, there was a hiring mistake at the company.  The new CEO knew he was in trouble, so he ran to his desk and opened the first envelope, and inside was a little card with just two words:

“Blame me.”

Well, the CEO took the advice and blamed his predecessor.  It was actually a decision that had been in the works before the new CEO had even gotten there-- totally the old CEO’s fault.  It was based on a bad recommendation, but that guy was out of there, so it wouldn’t happen again.  The world kept on spinning.  Everything was fine . . . for a while.  A few more months went by, and the new CEO made another mistake, this time a little bigger-- a problem with the budget.  The new CEO ran to his desk and pulled out the second envelope.  Inside was another little card:

“Blame the board of directors.”

The CEO took the card’s advice and explained that he had inherited this board of directors from his predecessor and that they were still very much locked in the old way of doing things, so the budget problem was not so much his fault as just the board’s outdated business practices not measuring up to the needs of a changing economy.  Things went along smoothly before the new CEO made yet another mistake a few months later.  Running to his desk, he pulled out the final envelope, and on a notecard inside, he read:

“Prepare three envelopes.”

The congregation loved it.  After their laughter died back down, Pastor Tim explained that we can’t go around blaming others for what we are like.  We must either accept it or deny it, but there is no shifting the blame.  In 1 John, we are told that we must abide in Christ and be unashamed before Jesus at His return, so how then should we deal with all of these sins and imperfections that weigh us down?  1 John 1:5-2:2 says:

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all.  If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.  If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and 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.  My little children, 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; and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

It was almost the exact same passage that I had heard Rob Bell preach on two months ago, but Pastor Tim found a slightly more evangelistic message in it.  He went through and dissected the passage.

“In Him there is no darkness at all.”  Pastor Tim explained that this “no…at all” is actually a double negative in Greek, so the writer is really trying to hit home the fact that God is a being of absolute light.  There is no darkness in God.  God has no dark side.  We can never blame God for our sins and shortcomings because God never seeks to trip us or trap us.  James 1:13 tells us directly that God does not tempt us.  Pastor Tim pointed to the whiteboard, on which there were two columns: light and dark.

Light                       Dark

Righteousness        Wickedness

Love                     Hate

Truth                     Deception

Caring                  Abusing

Mercifulness         Heartlessness

Pure                   Tainted

Pastor Tim explained that God is everything on the left column and nothing on the right.  Light reveals, and darkness hides, especially where sin is concerned.  Light might reveal our sins to us, but it also reveals our Savior.  Darkness, on the other hand, keeps us from being found out but also prevents us from being healed.  We must keep in mind that Christ is available to help us bear any sin if we are willing to step into that light and accept that confidence that comes from total reliance on Christ.  Pastor Tim went on to explain that there are three crucial functions that Jesus fills for us, but there is a “sin spin” on each one that attempts to lead us away from Christ.

(1) Jesus purifies us.

Sin Spin: It’s okay to ignore the sin in your life and to claim, “God and I are okay.  All my sins already are forgiven, so no worries, right?”  As 1 John 1:6 tells us, some claim fellowship but continue to walk in darkness.

There is no fellowship if you choose to walk in darkness.  Darkness is where you go to hide from God.  Walking in darkness and claiming fellowship with God would be like a thief living next door to a police officer and acting like they’re best friends.  Christ is a remedy for this condition though, so we need to come clean and start living right.  Pastor Tim informed us that the blood of Christ purifies all kinds of sin, and he emphasized that his statement was present tense: purifies.  While we can’t overemphasize the importance of Christ’s finished work on the cross, we must also realize that this work still continues daily in our hearts and not just at the single moment of salvation.  Whenever we sin, Christ’s purifying death is reapplied to our lives, and the real motivation to live right is that someday we will see Christ and know that He suffered for all that we do.  No matter what we do, Jesus wipes our slate clean, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to live in the light as we have been called to do.

(2) Jesus forgives us.

Sin Spin: It’s okay to deny sin in your life, or we like to justify ourselves by saying, “Well, I’m not perfect, but I’m still a good person.”

The reality is that, when we do this, we are deceiving ourselves.  The Bible calls on us to confess our sins to one another.  Pastor Tim explained that the word “confess” is actually a combination of two Greek words meaning “to speak” and “the same as,” so to confess is to speak the same as Jesus.  When we confess, Jesus forgives our sins and lifts our burdens, so we must do this regularly.  Pastor Tim shared an example from an author named John Ensor, in which Ensor attempted to steal a hat from a department store and then had to confess his crime to his parents so that the store manager would let him off the hook.  From the other room, he could hear his sister lament, “My brother the thief!”  How interesting that to sin is to take on the identity of that crime.  Ensor felt shame and humiliation in that moment but realized that these were good and necessary emotions.  Our deeds define us, and he did not want to be a thief, just as we should not want to be sinners.

(3) Jesus advocates for us.

Sin Spin: We often excuse our sins and say that they’re not that bad.

While Pastor Tim had presented this entire sermon with a very easy-going demeanor up until now, he hit hard on this point.  Citing 1 John 1:10, he said, “To say that our sin is no big deal is to call God a liar.”  Still, Jesus is our advocate (and not like a sleazy defense attorney who might advertise his services on TV and billboards).  No, Jesus is the parakletos, a word which means “to come beside,” and Jesus does this all day everyday with anyone who asks.  1 John 2:2 tells us that Jesus has died as an atoning sacrifice for the entire world, so is your sin really any worse than the sins of the whole world?  Why not allow Christ to carry your burden?  Jesus has paid the penalty for our sins already, and we will stand in His presence completely unashamed one day if we will just ask for that forgiveness and ask for it constantly.  Christ is constantly working on our behalf.

Pastor Tim explained that, in this sanctuary and the world outside it, there are two groups of people: those who have never confessed and those who have confessed but are still growing into God’s love.  Hill Country has a lot of great opportunities for people --mission trips, church planting, programs to help you read through the Bible in a year--, but Pastor Tim reminded the congregation that their real goal is to make sure that everyone there spends the whole day with Jesus, not just a quiet time.

Pastor Tim asked the prayer team and elders to come forward so that they might be available for prayer following the benediction, and he said that he would be out in the Connections area following the service if first-time visitors would like to talk to him.  (Hey, I’m a first-time visitor!)  An elder delivered the benediction as Pastor Tim made his way out to prepare to greet people, and I joined the massive exodus of people moving toward the exit following the closing prayer.

Meet Pastor Tim

The Connections Area

I headed out of the sanctuary and into the open foyer.  Over to my right was a set of five or so steps that led up to a small recessed area with TV screens and charts talking about the church’s history-- the Connections area.  Standing right there in the middle and talking to a few people was Pastor Tim, so I stood in line and waited for my turn.  In retrospect, while I had loved his delivery of the sermon and his illustrations, it had actually been a far more convicting message than the sermon I had heard before at Austin Stone-- not that that’s a bad thing, just a little surprising.  I guess Pastor Tim just had such a friendly and laid back delivery that I didn’t feel threatened by his calling us out as sinners.  That’s one of the reasons that I encourage you to watch this sermon rather than just reading my notes; I don’t think I could fully capture his tone, and I suspect he’ll come off a lot more condemnatory in my recounting of the message than in the actual video.  The thing that I had liked most about the sermon had been his emphasis on the continuing redemptive power of Jesus in our lives.  So often, people talk about when they “got saved,” and frankly, I really hate that kind of talk.  “Saved” implies a finished product.  “Saved” implies that Jesus is done with you.  Well, I’m proud to say that I’m not “saved,” because I don’t feel like God is done with me yet.  I’m perpetually in the process of being saved by Jesus.  I feel like God is constantly working on me, and that’s a beautiful process that won’t be finished until the Kingdom.  Yep, I figured I would thank Pastor Tim for preaching a very sin-heavy sermon that didn’t resort to the tired old saved-or-not-saved distinction.  I would thank him for reminding us that salvation is a continual process throughout our entire lives.  I’m about 70% sure that it was Thomas Aquinas who wrote about the “infinite journey into God, forever going deeper and deeper into a Love that has no end,” and I really like that image.  The people in front of me moved on, and it was my turn to meet Pastor Tim.

Pastor Tim shook my hand and was very friendly despite being still just a little worn out from his long morning.  I had been in a talkative mode all morning for some reason, and he seemed happy to take a break from talking and just listen to a bit of my story before telling me a bit more about the church and its church planting initiative.  He and I talked a bit about Duke and my reasons for doing what I was doing this summer-- chiefly the need to get out of the ivory tower for a bit and put some of that school learning into context.  I have to be honest, as great as my various field education internships have been, they’re somehow still Duke, and it’s just not the same as venturing off on your own and getting to discover all these fascinating churches that dot our country’s landscape.  I love field ed.  I’ve done it every term I could.  Still, we have to acknowledge its main shortcoming: you are still seeing things through the Duke lens, and though that’s a really great lens through which to see the world, it’s still a slightly altered perception.  As a field ed intern, you haven’t broken through the Duke bubble; you’re only stretching a bit within it.  You are still a Duke student participating in a Duke program, and that’s a limitation.  This summer, I’ve gotten far enough from campus that a lot of that Duke baggage has been absent, or I can at least hide it in my trunk and forget about it for a bit.  I haven’t had the same responsibilities.  I haven’t had the Duke label.  I’ve just been a Christian getting to know the shape of the church in my country and continually renewing my relationship with Christ and His earthly body, the Church.  I realize this project has encountered a few naysayers along the way, so I’m going to state this plainly:

This summer is an experience that I have to have in order to enter the pastorate.  While my theological education from Duke could not have been more comprehensive, my education in the Church feels very incomplete, and now I think that I have a much better handle on the role of a pastor and the tools available to me through the Church.  Duke taught me a lot about the history of the Church and how we got to where we are and the rich tradition behind it all, but this summer has given me a necessary hands-on experience that a classroom or internship simply cannot offer.  I feel like the Church and I have gone on a much-needed second honeymoon, and I’m definitely wiser for it.

Okay, so maybe I didn’t get into all that with Pastor Tim; our conversation was actually fairly light.  His son goes to UNC, so we talked basketball, but not quite to the same extent that I did at Mosaic.  I thanked Pastor Tim for his sermon since I often hear more evangelical pastors only focusing on accepting Jesus, and it was nice to hear a sermon that was evangelistic but still spoke to those of us who had already accepted Jesus and were now trying to walk with Him.  I also told Pastor Tim that what had interested me most about Hill Country was the church planting program, and his eyes lit up with excitement.  “22 churches!  We’ve been really blessed.”  I agreed with him, “Yes, this church is doing some amazing things,” before I corrected myself, “God is really doing some amazing things through this church.”  Whoa, did I maybe just mature a little?  Nah, couldn’t be.  Pastor Tim and I parted ways.  I was glad that we hadn’t gotten into any finer points of theology since I suspected we’d disagree on a few issues, but when it comes to the basics . . .

God loves the world.

Christ came to earth,

Living and dying to reconcile us to God.

Life is fuller when connected to God

    Through Christ

    In the presence of the Holy Spirit.

The Church is Christ’s earthly body and bride.

We are charged with responding to needs in the world around us,

    Be they spiritual or physical.

There is a coming age in which every need will be satisfied,

    Not through our work, but through Christ’s great return.

Yeah, I think we’re in full agreement on all that.  It was a good Sunday so far, and I had just enough time to grab a bite to eat and run back to the Curries’ to do a little writing before it was time to head off to my third service of the day: the evening service at Austin Stone’s main campus.

You know, didn’t I promise myself at one point that I wasn’t going to do three services in a day again?

Hmm . . . nah, totally worth it.