Walking in the Light
Notes
Transcript
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”
Introduction
John has introduced his letter which has declares his authority, his knowledge, his message and his joy. He now comes to proclaim the truth in clear, unambiguous, powerful terms what every believer must know and show in their lives.
It is a ‘no holds barred’ uncompromising message.
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5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
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1. God is Light v5
1. God is Light v5
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5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
a. The Only Message
a. The Only Message
James and the Epistles of John (A. Fellowship and Forgiveness (1:5–10))
He discloses not only the importance of the message but also its timeless significance. This message, therefore, has not been subject to change and modification, because it did not originate with John or with any other apostle or writer. Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W.
As John has already said he heard this message from Jesus - this is its sole authority.
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Matthew 28:19–20 (ESV)
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
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b. God is Light
b. God is Light
In Jesus we see God’s eternal light. From the moment of his birth to the time of his resurrection, the life of Jesus was filled with God’s light. “Jesus was completely and absolutely transparent with the Light of God.” And whoever has seen Jesus has seen the Father (John 14:9). Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W.
9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
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c. Darkness
c. Darkness
“In [God] there is no darkness at all.” Using the emphatic negative, John stresses the positive. God and darkness are diametrically opposed. Anyone who has fellowship with God cannot be in darkness. He is in the light, glory, truth, holiness, and purity of God. Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W.
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2. Darkness and Light v6-7
2. Darkness and Light v6-7
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6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
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a. The Lie v6
a. The Lie v6
6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
“In [God] there is no darkness at all.” Using the emphatic negative, John stresses the positive. God and darkness are diametrically opposed. Anyone who has fellowship with God cannot be in darkness. He is in the light, glory, truth, holiness, and purity of God. Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W.
The sinner who refuses to set his life in harmony with God’s will cannot claim to have fellowship with God. Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W.
What are deeds that are contradictory to the assertion of living for God? They are deeds that cannot stand in the light of God’s Word (John 3:19–21). Darkness can blind a person so that his heart is filled with hatred toward his brother (1 John 2:11). And this blindness results in a refusal to live according to God’s precepts. Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W.
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19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”
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11 But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
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b. The Truth v7
b. The Truth v7
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
What then is characteristic of a life spent in the light of God’s truth? “If we walk in the light, as [God) is in the light, we have fellowship with one another.” Walking in the light is continuous. It means that we live in the radiance of God’s light, so that we reflect God’s virtues and glory. God himself lives in “unapproachable light,” as Paul discloses (1 Tim. 6:16). Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W.
16 who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.
Sin belongs to the world of darkness and cannot enter the sphere of holiness. Therefore, God gave his Son to die on earth. Through his Son’s death God removed man’s sin and guilt so that man may have fellowship with God. Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W.
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3. Darkness and Deception v8-10
3. Darkness and Deception v8-10
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8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
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a. Self Deception v8
a. Self Deception v8
8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
Scripture, however, teaches the universality of sin by saying that in the human race “there is no one who does good, not even one”
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20 Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.
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3 They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.
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3 They have all fallen away; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.
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4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.
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b. Confession v9
b. Confession v9
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
“If we confess our sins.” This is the conditional part of the sentence that points to our acknowledgement of sin. We openly and honestly face sin without hiding it or finding excuses for it. We confront the sins we have committed, without defending or justifying ourselves. Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W.
To confess means that I say the same thing God says about sin. God applies his law and says, “You are the sinner.” And like the publican in the temple court I acknowledge my sin and pray, “God, have mercy on me, the sinner” (Luke 18:13, italics added—the original Greek has “the sinner,” not “a sinner”). When God and man say the same thing about sin, the blood of Christ dissolves the stain of sin. God will remember sin no more. He forgives and forgets! Indeed, God is love. Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W.
True to the promises made to the people of his new covenant, God declares, “I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more” (Jer. 31:34; Heb. 8:12; 10:17). Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W.
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12 For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.”
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17 then he adds, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.”
The first verb to forgive describes the act of cancelling a debt and the restoration of the debtor. And the second verb to cleanse refers to making the forgiven sinner holy so that he is able to have fellowship with God. Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W.
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c. Frightening Consequence v10
c. Frightening Consequence v10
10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
The statement we have not sinned reveals the blatant attitude of the unrepentant, unregenerate infidel. In verse 8 the unbeliever said that he has no sin; now he asserts that he is not a sinner. If he is not a sinner, for he maintains that he has not sinned, he makes himself equal to God, the sinless One. Through his Word God convicts man of sin. But if man refuses to listen to evidence God presents, man accuses God of lying (1 John 5:10). In the sequence of three verses (6, 8, and 10), the writer works toward a climax: “we lie” (v. 6), “we deceive ourselves” (v. 8), and “we make him out to be a liar” (v. 10). Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W.
Conclusion
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9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
