CBC WKND 25 Session 1

JESUS SHATTERED THE DARKNESS

INTRODUCTION

What is up, everyone! I’m so glad you chose to be here for WKND 2025.

You know, I’ve been serving in student ministry for almost ten years at CBC, and I’ve seen a lot of amazing students come through. And I’ve got to say — your very own Braden is definitely a top-three student of all time that I wanted to punch. I didn’t — but I wanted to.

Also, I guess I should say Happy Halloween! I know it’s not exactly a church holiday (and some of you are like, “Wait, can he say that from the stage?”), but we’re not diving into that debate tonight. Since it’s the “spooky season,” though, let me ask: who here actually likes being scared? Like, who willingly walks into a haunted house or turns on a horror movie for fun?

Well, let me tell you something — I do not do horror. I don’t do haunted houses. I have zero fun being scared. I was the kid who grew up afraid of the dark — and honestly, I still kind of am. If I see a dark hallway or room, I’m like, “Nope. I need some light.” Or you’re outside at night and hear a random noise — suddenly you’re alert like, “What was that?” Yeah, that’s me. No shame here.

Who else is with me? Have you ever been afraid of the dark? Maybe when you were younger — or maybe even now — you’ve felt that panic when the lights go out. There’s something about darkness that makes us uncomfortable. We can’t see what’s around us. We can’t tell where we’re going. We feel vulnerable. Sometimes it even feels like something’s watching us — even when it’s not.

But this weekend, we’re not talking about physical darkness — we’re talking about a different kind of darkness. A darkness that doesn’t just surround us physically … but one that affects every single one of us. A darkness that creeps into every part of our lives — our thoughts, our choices, and even our relationships. A darkness that steals our joy, destroys our lives, and keeps us in-prisoned with guilt and shame.

It’s the darkness of sin.

THE DARKNESS OF SIN

The Darkness of Sin is more than just doing bad things — it’s a disease that’s infected everything God made good. It’s why the world is broken. It’s why relationships fall apart. It’s why people betray each other, why we fight with our parents, why friends turn on friends, and why anxiety, shame, and guilt are so heavy. Sin brings confusion where there was once clarity, division where there was once peace, and death where there was once life.

This darkness creeps into everything. It clouds our judgment, blinds our eyes, and convinces us that wrong is right. It twists what God created to be beautiful and makes it destructive. It’s the reason there’s greed, addiction, pride, jealousy, and hate. It’s the reason we see war, abuse, and injustice. It’s the reason we see heartbreak in our schools, gossip in our friend groups, and loneliness in our hearts.

And maybe worst of all, sin separates us from the very One who can save us from it — God Himself. It breaks the connection we were created to have with Him. Instead of running toward the light, we hide in the dark. Instead of finding peace, we chase things that leave us empty.

That’s the darkness we’re talking about this weekend — not the kind that hides under your bed, but the kind that hides in your heart. The kind that makes the world feel hopeless and heavy. The kind that only one person could ever conquer — and His name is Jesus.

Whether you’ve followed Jesus for years or you’re just here because your friends are, we’ve all felt what it’s like when sin — when darkness — grips our lives.

Maybe for you, it’s the darkness of lying to your parents. Maybe it’s what you look at online when no one’s around. Maybe it’s the way you treat someone at school, or the jealousy that eats at you when others seem to have it all. Or maybe it’s not what you’ve done — but what’s been done to you — and it’s distorted how you see yourself.

These are all forms of darkness that take hold in our lives.

That’s why this weekend’s theme is “Piercing the Darkness.”

PIERCING THE DARKNESS

And the darkness we’re piercing through is sin — because sin has devastating consequences.

As I began preparing for this weekend, I felt led to the book of 1 John, where the apostle John mentions light and darkness about a dozen times. So over these next four messages, we’re going to walk through 1 John together.

My prayer is that through this letter, you’ll see how we can pierce the darkness — and tonight, I want you to know this truth:

We can pierce the darkness because Jesus shattered the darkness.

So open your Bibles to 1 John chapter 1 as we read the whole chapter together.

[READ]

1 John 1 ESV

1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— 2 the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— 3 that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete. 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.

[PRAY]

John writes expecting that his readers already understand the gospel — the story of creation, sin, and redemption.

He’s also writing to address a dangerous false teaching that was spreading at the time — a belief called Gnosticism. Without turning this into a theology lecture (which I’d love, but you’d probably hate), here’s the quick version: Gnostics denied that Jesus was fully human and claimed that salvation came through secret spiritual knowledge, not faith and repentance.

So John writes this letter to correct false teaching and reaffirm the truth — that salvation is found only in Jesus Christ, the Son of God who came in the flesh.

John has the authority to write this because of two reasons:

The Holy Spirit inspired him. 2 Timothy 3:16 says, “All Scripture is breathed out by God…” That means even though men wrote the Bible, God authored it through His Spirit. (EXPLAIN HOW THE BIBLE CAN BE WRITTEN BY MAN & AUTHORED BY GOD)

John was an eyewitness. He didn’t hear rumors or play “telephone.” He walked with Jesus. He saw Him, heard Him, touched Him.

John opens his letter by declaring that Jesus is real. Not a myth. Not a legend. Not like Santa, Zeus, or any made-up god. Jesus is the eternal, living Son of God.

JESUS IS REAL

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands…” — 1 John 1:1

John is saying, “I’m not writing about someone I heard about — I’m writing about someone I knew.” He’s emphasizing that Jesus is the eternal God who became flesh.

“…we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life…” — 1 John 1:2–3

John’s message isn’t secondhand — it’s firsthand. And the result of that truth, he says, is fellowship — with God and with one another — and that leads to joy.

1 John 1:4 ESV

4 And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

You know you can be in a relationship with someone and not understand the joy that is possible.

You can be in a relationship tonight and not enjoy the relationship. And I don’t mean a dating relationship because first off, gross, second, your dating skills are trash so you probably don’t enjoy that relationship. But what I actually mean is your relationship with your brother or your sister. Your relationship with your mom or your dad or with a grandparent. There might be some of you in here and you are legally related to someone because you are family but you don’t enjoy that relationship.

John wants us to know that it isn’t just about being with God but also about enjoying being with God.

The reason why we can enjoy being with God is because God is warmth, He is love, He is truth. God is light.

GOD IS LIGHT

“God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.” — 1 John 1:5

John makes a bold statement: God is light. He’s pure, holy, and completely without sin. Not a trace of darkness exists in Him.

That truth creates tension for us — because we do have darkness. How can sinful people have a relationship with a holy God?

John explains: we can’t claim fellowship with God while living in darkness.

1 John 1:6 “If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.”

That would be like saying “I’m dry” while standing in a swimming pool. Our words wouldn’t match reality.

But then comes the hope of verse 7:

1 John 1:7 ESV

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.

When we step into the light — when we stop hiding our sin — Jesus doesn’t shame us. He cleanses us.

[FAVORITE SHIRT] Imagine your wearing your favorite shirt and you are eating taco bell or for me it would be chipotle! And you take a bite of that big delicious burrito and BAM! You get food all over your favorite shirt. You try everything to clean it, but the stains won’t come out. No matter what you do that stain isn’t going anywhere. Then your mom comes along and takes the shirt from you. She washes it and comes out like new! The stains are just covered with something new they are completely gone.

Thats what Jesus did for us! He doesn’t just cover the stains of sins — He completely washes them away and makes us brand new.

He takes what is filthy and makes it clean. He transforms darkness into light.

We didn’t find this light though — the Light came to us.

It’s like being trapped in a pitch-black cave, unable to see or move. There is no exit, no way out and then suddenly, someone enters with a light, and everything changes.

EAGLE SKY CAVE STORY - Has anyone ever been in a cave before? Has anyone experienced real darkness in a cave before?

Jesus jumped into the cave for us, a cave of darkness and death. He willing stepped down from the glory of Heaven into our darkness. Why? So that we could have fellowship—real relationship—with God and with each other. Imagine you're trapped in a pitch-black cave. You can't see anything. You're stumbling around, hurting yourself, completely lost. Then suddenly, someone enters with a powerful light. Everything changes in an instant! That is what happened for me. I went from a panic to there is a way out.

That's what Jesus did. He entered our darkness, not just to visit, but to rescue us and bring us into the light. And no matter how badly the darkness wants to overcome the light of Christ it never will.

John 1:4–5 ESV

4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

So how do we walk in that light?

WALKING IN THE LIGHT

John tells us: confess your sins.

1 John 1:8–10 ESV

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.

We have three choices (verses 8–10):

Deny our sin.

Confess our sin.

Pretend we’ve never sinned.

Only confession leads to freedom.

Let's be real: Confession is hard, especially when you're a teenager. I remember when I was your age, the last thing I wanted to do was admit when I messed up. We worry about what others will think. We fear the consequences. We're embarrassed. So instead, we hide our darkness. On top of that we are selfish and we want what we want. We put on masks and pretend everything's fine.

But here's the incredible paradox: The very things we're afraid to bring into the light are the things that lose their power over us when we do. Sin thrives in secrecy. It grows stronger in the dark.

But when we confess—when we bring our sins into God's light—their power over us begins to break. Because darkness flees in the presence of light.

Sin thrives in secrecy — but dies in the light.

You know sin can be a difficult thing to let go of. Sin is desirable and enticing. There is a reason why we all struggle with sin. There is a reason why so many live in darkness even though they know there is no hope there. A good friend of mine named Tiffany was an atheist until she was 30. When her brother tried to share the gospel with her she would tell him, “you are a prisoner to your faith in Jesus. I can do what I want when I want to but because your so called God says don’t do that you don’t.” She said she thought she was living the life and was in complete freedom because all of her choices were her own. What she came to realize is that she was screaming freedom while being in prisoned by her sin. She eventually learned that faith in Jesus is not about losing your freedom but gaining it. But it only comes through the faith in Him and the repentance and confession of sin.

When we confess, God forgives. Every single time.

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive…” — 1 John 1:9

For believers, this means confidence — you don’t earn forgiveness; Jesus already paid for it. For those who haven’t yet trusted Jesus, this means hope — complete cleansing and freedom from the grip of sin.

Because Jesus didn’t just pierce the darkness — He shattered it.

He wasn’t a victim. He willingly gave His life. He’s the King of Kings, the Alpha and Omega, the One who makes demons tremble at His name.

When He was mocked on the cross — “If You’re really the Son of God, come down!” — He stayed, because He wasn’t stepping down from the cross; He was about to step up up from the grave.

That’s how you shatter darkness.

Through Him shattering the darkness we are able to walk in His light by confessing our sins and asking for Him to forgive us.

CONCLUSION

So where does that leave us tonight?

We’ve seen that Jesus — the light of the world — entered our darkness.

We’ve seen that God is light.

We’ve learned that walking in the light means confessing our sins.

Here’s the truth: Jesus has already shattered the darkness. The only question is — will you pierce the darkness by stepping into His light?

If you’re not following Jesus, this is your moment. He offers forgiveness, freedom, and new life. If you’re already His, this is your invitation to stop hiding — to bring every dark corner into His light.

Nothing you confess will shock Him. He already knows — and He loves you anyway.

Jesus shattered the darkness. Now it’s time to step into His marvelous light.