1 John 1.5 - 2:2 Out of the Darkness

Darkness and light is an interesting study in the scripture. God brings the topic up in Genesis 1 when He begins His creative work by saying let there be light! The first thing God says is good is light. And light is amazing we don’t understand it very much. It is powerful brilliant fast and it pierces the darkness. It gives life and is beneficial for your well being. But the Bible also says a lot about darkness I find it an interesting study.

Real Darkness is painful.

Exodus 10:21–22 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, darkness which may even be felt.” So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days.

I believe that hell on earth is phrase we use too lightly. (pun intended) We say hell on earth is when we have a no good horrible bad day. Some use that phrase when their cell phone doesn’t work the way they want it to, others it’s when dunkin doughnuts is closed and they don’t get their coffee. More honest people use the phrase about things like the battle field from a war or the horrors of abuse that they have endured. But hell on earth in my opinion happens twice in this world in Egypt of Exodus and in Babylon of Revelation. Hell on earth is darkness a darkness so dark that it brings pain. thick and heavy the absent of light. Revelation says that during their days of painful darkness men gnawed on their tongues, but they did not repent.

Outer darkness is the absence of the light of God.

Matthew 25:30 And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

3 Times Jesus in parables says that he was cast out into outer darkness where their will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. It is a terrible picture of the horror of the lake of fire. The hellfire where there is absence of God and His light His goodness James says that every good and perfect gift comes from the father of light. Every good thing you have in this life comes from the God who is the source of light and every sin leads you one step farther from that light to that outer darkness the most terrifying thing that I can think of. Can you picture it!

God is light!

1 John 1:5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.

Remember when I introduced you to this book I said that 1 John says 3 things and those three things are God is light, God is Love, God is Life. He is all three. You have to understand that He is each and every single one. Some people like the God is Love movement. God is love, Man! It’s kind of a hippie type of thing. If you are a hippie sorry I’m not picking on you but it is this idea of tolerance and taking things too far. Love Everyone and Everything man! The TRUTH is that people can not love everyone and everything that is impossible. Only God can love everyone but let me tell you He does not love everything. And that is at the matter that John is trying to get us to understand right from the beginning of His gospel and His epistle God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.

Jesus’ message is the gospel.

Galatians 1:11–12 But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ.

This is what darkness looks like.

Romans 13:11–14 And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.

When John mentions darkness. He is talking about the sinfulness of man. The evil that we think takes place in the shadows where no one can see. Let me tell you God sees. There are some here, I know it, who are sitting on some sin. You think it is hidden that no one will find it out. Let me tell you the Bible is clear. BE SURE YOUR SINS WILL FIND YOU OUT!

Jesus is the Light of the World.

John 8:12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

When Jesus came to this earth, He was the light of God to shine to the ends of the earth the message that by His blood and through His name. GRACE we can have the salvation from our sins. This is a big message of the apostle John he says it in John 8 with the adulterous woman He also says it in John 9 to the blind man who sinned that this man was born blind this man or his father. Both of those times Jesus was confronting our issues and dogmas about sin. First thinking that everyone else sin is worse than our own and second that every bad thing in this life is the direct result of specific sin. Both things I believe that Jesus was trying to get His disciples away from thinking about sin from a karma type of thinking ying and yang and instead seeing sin for what it truly is. IT is wrong it is evil and God has to deal with it. In one of two ways in the lake of fire or on the cross.

Jesus enlightens us to the truth about sin.

John 1:4–5 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shined in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

This is a dark world. Sinful world isn’t it interesting that the Lake of Fire and Heaven are the exact opposite. The Lake of Fire is outer darkness and heaven Jesus is the light and there is no darkness there. Complete opposites. I chose the holiness of God, His goodness. I choose the light what about you?

Test of Fellowship #2

Your walk talks!

1 John 1:6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.

It was the musical merrils who sang the song your walk talks and talk talks but your walk talks louder than your talk talks.

There is a lot of message it that little phrase. What does your life say about who you belong to? Think back to that verse in Romans 13 revelry drunkeness lewdness lust strife and envy I am not adding to the scripture because Paul says avoid sexual immorality and idols. Darkness is a sinful lifestyle. The Holy Spirit will convict you if you are living a sinful lifestyle. Don’t decieve yourself. One of the things that I want is to not be a legalistic hypocrite. I will not, nor is it my job to micromanage your lifestyle. How you dress the things you do how you spend your money. But I will talk about sin. I will call a spade a spade. You know if you are living a sinful lifestyle. If you are always the first to tell dirty jokes or God has woken you up to the fact that you have to do something about the living a lifestyle as a drunk or drug abuser. If you are cheating on your spouse or living in sin outside of marriage. You have a pornography addiction. Living in darkness will destroy you and you can not have fellowship with God if you are practicing sin.

Practicing Sin - Habitual Failure

John 8:34–35 Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.

Jesus said whoever practices sin is a slave to sin. He was describing what this verse is talking about those who practice sin. If you are in sin. WE all sin. That is a fact. But is sin habitual for you? Is it a constant thing? You are living in sin and that sin is something that has a strangle hold on you? Then you will not be in fellowship with God. Now we are all in the process of having sin expunged from our lives. As a Christian are finding more and more close relationship with Christ and less desire to sin. YOU ARE NOT PERFECT! But you are on the road, it’s called sanctification. The problem is that some of you aren’t even on the road.

Three things that will rob your joy!

#1 Deny the power of sin.

1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

There are only two kinds of people those walking in the light of Jesus Christ and those walking in the darkness of this world. The deception comes when you think that you can live this life and do good things be a good person and you will be ok, that you will make it to glory. Sin is powerful!!! Really Really powerful. You can not make it on your own only Jesus blood has the power to save you from your sins.

Only the blood of Jesus Christ can save you from sin.

Ephesians 1:7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.

We also know what Hebrews says that without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. It is only by the blood that you can be saved.

#2 Deny the presence of sin.

1 John 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

Everyone is a sinner.

Psalm 14:3 They have all turned aside, They have together become corrupt; There is none who does good, No, not one.

Isaiah 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

We are all sinners in need of a Savior. That is a fact and this comes back to that gnostic argument man is good it is just this body that is bad, That thinking led them down the road to jesus not being God and to them thinking that they could be a Christian but be habitually practicing sin. This world is all about that we calll good evil and evil good. Don’t comprimise to sin. What is sin? READ THE BOOK!!! It is all in here. There are Christians and churches today that are giving into sin. You can’t do that. Homosexuality is a sin! Why the book says it is. That settles it! End of story. I have heard people try to reason these things. Reasoning is great but it the end I defer to authority. God is the authority! End of Story!

#3 Deny the Practice of Sin

1 John 1:10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

Yes I know, I skipped verse 9 and I did that on purpose. We will come back to it in a second. If you know you Know why. If you are sitting here today and saying I’m not that bad my sin isn’t hurting anyone else. You are lying to yourself. You can keep on lying to yourself or you can listen to the Holy Spirit! That sin isn’t worth it. Aren’t you tired of living for the devil? Are you tired of destroying your marriage your family your conscience and your heart? Most importantly aren’t you tired of going against God? It’s stealing your joy!!!!!!

God gave us the answer.

Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Three things that will restore your joy.

#1 Admit that you are a sinner.

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Maybe you have been faking it for a long time. STOP you know that you are living in sin. That word Confess means to come along side of and agree with. It is the word homologeo - to say the same thing. It is you saying yes God I am a sinner. You have to come to the cold hard truth. GOD I am a sinner, You are right and I am wrong. God promised to forgive. His blood has the power to save to cleanse to heal and restore.

Satan prosecutes the sinner.

Revelation 12:10 Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.”

It is really interesting the Devil is the dweller in darkness. and He wants to keep you in the dark. He wants to deceive you into thinking that you can do what you want when you want to. That sin is ok. He would like you to rationalize sin. He wants you to sin more and more all the while he is at the throne of God trying to accuse you as a sinner before the father.

#2 Jesus is the advocate for sinners.

1 John 2:1 My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

Jesus is the exact opposite of the darkness. While the devil wants to keep you in the dark. To lie to you. To tell you that you are ok in your sin, that you think that you are good. Meanwhile he is telling God, look what he did. He is guilty HE is playing you the fool. Convincing you to walk down the road of destruction to hellfire outer darkness and weeping and gnashing of teeth laughing all the way. NOT SO WITH GOD! He puts the label on sin POISON!!! Do not do this. He knows that in your fallen state that you sin all the time. He convicts you in your heart this is wrong, and then He streatches out his nail pierced to save and when He comes before the throne he doesn’t accuse you HE ADOVATES, Helps you He says Father I know that this man is a sinner but don’t look at his sins. They are gone remember them no more I paid for them on the cross. You see we don’t get away with SIN! JESUS paid it all!!!!

#3 Jesus paid it all!

1 John 2:2 And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.

I am not sure if MERCY GRACE REDEMPTION or PROPITIATION is my favorite word. But Propitiation is on my mouth rushmore of favorite words. It tells us exactly what God does with our sins. This is victory in Jesus. SIN steals your joy, it ruins your life, it damns your soul to darkness. BUT Jesus paid it all. Propitiation. Is the picture of Genesis 22 when Abraham takes Isaac to the top of the mountain of God. Take your son your only son who you love and sacrifice him. ABRAHAM must have been crushed.… On the way up the hill believing in the power of God that if He sacrificed his son that God would bring him back to life. NOW THAT’S FAITH!!!! That’s saving Faith. He says God will provide himself a lamb knowing that the lamb was supposed to be His son. He gets to the top of the hill places Isaac on the altar and lifts the knife. STOP!!!! and the ram who was caught in the thicket was provided to take Isaacs place. The same story plays out every day. I was in darkness and sin. I was walking the road to hell lost broken and ruined damned. I came to the cross realized that I deserved to be on that cross, and GOD said stop and He put His son Jesus on the cross in my place and He shed His blood gave His life on that cross! The sky went dark for three hours as Christ bore the weight of my sin the world fell into grief for three days but on the third day oh the third day Jesus rose from the grave. You want to know the good news. you want to know the great news. This isn’t just my story it can be your story too. This verse says that Jesus died for the sins of the whole world. He wants to advocate for you. You are a sinner just like all of us and if you have n’t accepted God’s free gift of salvation it’s simple. Follow the plan right here. CONFESS agree with God I am a sinner. Believe in the name of Jesus the advocate who is the son of God who stands at the throne ready to plead your case against the Devil, and accept Jesus salvation. He died in your place it is available to the entire world come out of the darkness and into His marvelous light. Out of your sin and into fellowship with the Savior Jesus blood paid it all. I picture myself on that rock I deserve death but Jesus stopped the eternal knife from plunging in my heart and allowed his side to be pierced as He proclaimed it is Finished ACCEPT CHRIST TODAY!