1 John 1:5-2:1 : Walk in the Light
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Introduction:
I was sitting in my office at our house working on a paper for one of my seminary classes when I became excited to hear the Fed Ex truck stop by our house. I then was able to see the truck outside of my upstairs office window. I was especially excited this day because our sound equipment for the church was coming! Who here isn’t a sound or technology junkie! I also wanted to hurry down because there was only one lady on the truck and there was a lot of heavy equipment - speakers, speaker stands, etc. She had a lot more work to do so I wanted to be able to help her get the stuff unloaded. So being so excited I bolted out the office door.
To give a quick backstory - our house has a landing with two 4-5 step stairways and then they merge to make the final stairway downstairs. I have taken these steps many times and can walk them in my sleep! With the hallway lights off (because who has times to flip lights on when you are excited about sound equipment!)..... I bolt down the hallway and get ready to take these steps in stride.....except I suddenly find my body in a horizontal configuration. Unbeknownst to me, my 50+ lbs dog had decided to fall asleep right in front of the first stair. I proceeded to land with multiple bounces. Luckily it was only a few carpeted stairs…but 230 lbs of man falling in a horizontal fashion is no joke!
Praise God I was ok and was able to help the Fedex lady… after getting some sympathy from my wife as we men like to do!
What went wrong in that story? I had taken those steps so many times. I could take them in the dark, right? I knew my way around! But as I learned quickly, things can hide in the dark. Sometimes when you are in the dark - your path isn’t as clear as you think is.
Today we are going to talk about walking in the light. So many walk around in the darkness of this world. They think they know the way. They think the path is clear. Yet there seems to always be something that trips them up. Something that they didn’t see coming.
Friends, let’s start by reading this wonderful passage.
Read Full Scripture:
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.
1 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.
Prayer
Today we are going to discuss three reasons why we can and should walk in the light. The first is we should:
I. Walk in the Light Because Christ is Light (1:5)
I. Walk in the Light Because Christ is Light (1:5)
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.
The word message here is the Greek word angelia (an-gul-ee-a). This word can mean message or news. It is This is a very important message that is foundational to the Gospel and this entire book by John. What message has been heard? The message which is proclaimed that God is light.
It is interesting that there is no article before the word, light. It doesn’t say that God is the light. There isn’t even a word such as like or as before it. The message states that God is light. Meaning Christ is light.
What does John mean by the word light here? What does it mean that God or Christ is light?
The word light here refers to God being the source and measure of all truth. Be sure to understand that God is not a light. Jesus is not just one way to God. He is the only way to God. Jesus is not just someone who has the truth - He is the truth (John 14:6)!
Nothing is fully understood or seen unless it is understood in the light of God.
7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.
In other words - there is no fully true learning that one can do without God. My friends, whatever subject you learn about - if it is not learned in the light of God - then you are not fully learning.
A while back, we were visiting my brother-in-law and his family in Florida. We were on the beach one morning and I approached a gentleman and started talking to him about Jesus. We talked about many things, but he finally asked me a very important question. He asked me if self-help books were truth even if they weren’t written by a Christian or from a Christian worldview. What I said seemed to rock his world. I told him that a book can have even a Biblically-present truth but not be fully true by itself. He was very confused by this answer.
What I meant and went to explain is this:
For example - if you learn that the moon is 238,900 miles from the earth then that is a true statement. But it isn’t fully true. The full truth comes when you learn that the moon is that far from the earth because God spoke it that way! God created it that way. The full truth understands that gravity is actually the hand of God holding the moon at that exact distance in order to keep the tides of the ocean where they need to be. The full truth understands that if God released his hand that everything would go into chaos.
Some may hear that and balk at such a statement. What about math? We would have the same answer. A math problem is only true because God made it so.
There is no learning that is religiously neutral my friends. We must have a Biblical worldview with every single thing we learn. This is not an underhanded way to preach homeschooling. Yes, my family does homeschool. But my concern is much bigger than that. My concern is for adults and young persons alike.
Do we truly have a Biblical worldview? Do we truly start with the fear and reverance of the Lord in everything we read and learn? If we want to have a full knowledge, we must start with the Word of God and interpret everything through the lens of God. Even when it may seem unpopular or even foolish.
18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
Always remember that wisdom from God will always seem like foolishness to this world. Yet it is only this godly wisdom that will last. It does change day to day. This so-called human wisdom of our world changes like the wind. Our earth has went from thousands of years old to millions of years old to now billions of years old. All in the name of science - a term that actually means “to know” even though it seems like they really don’t know. Yet the Word of God has been clear about creation since the beginning! God created the world in 6 literal days. The Bible is clear that we live on a young earth. Trust the light. Trust God at His Word.
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.
At the end of this verse we see that there is no darkness in God at all. We cannot really understand how much John emphasizes this in English like we can in the original Greek. John literally states “there is no darkness in him, none.” In English this is a double negative which is bad grammar. Yet in Greek this was a common thing to do when one wanted to emphasize something. This is strong theology my friends. God has no darkness, none. He has absolutely no darkness in Him. He cannot sin. He cannot be bargined with or bribed. He is perfectly good.
8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
Our God is good!
Friends, we can walk in the light because Christ is light. We also can walk in the light because Christ clears the darkness.
Scripture References: John 14:6, Prov 1:7, 1 Cor 1:18, Psalm 34:8
II. Walk in the Light Because Christ Clears the Darkness (1:6-10)
II. Walk in the Light Because Christ Clears the Darkness (1:6-10)
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.
If we say we have fellowship with Him....
6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
Does what you say line up with your character? Is what you say supported by the character one may observe?
We are in a culture where people say a lot. You don’t have to go very far to hear what people think about just about anything. People are quick to give their opinion on athletes, movie stars, governmental leaders, social issues, and the list goes on. Yet how many times do we hear somebody blast someone about an issue and end up being guilty of the same thing! How many times do we see a government leader push women’s right and then be found to have sinned against women in an awful way. How many times do we hear someone blast prejudice but then be found to be putting down a different people group.
My friends, what we say needs to line up with our character. It needs to line up with who we actually are. Because if not…John states if we say we have fellowship with him while we actually are walking in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. Obviously we are human and we are going to sin. But we should be quick to run back to the Savior and repent.
This darkness mentioned here isn’t the kind of darkness that is seen through the trials and struggles of life. We all go through valleys where it may seem dark. Many of these struggles may be even external and out of our control.
This darkness mentioned here refers to sin. This is a state of walking without the light of Christ. This is being in a state of godlessness.
John admonishes his readers not to profess one thing and live in contradiction to it. To do so is to lie and not practice the truth.
A great illustration of this principle comes from King Saul in the Old Testament. Saul is the first king of Israel and has stated his allegiance to God and to the prophet Samuel. Yet what he says and what he does seems to contradict. We find in 1 Samuel 13 that Saul is in a precarious situation. In a prideful and foolish kingly way, he decided to send a small army to route the Philistines. Obviously, this didn’t sit well with the Philistines, so they muster a huge army of 30,000 chariots and 6,000 horsemen and what is stated to be troops like the sand on the seashore in multitude. Saul is understandably shaken up by this sudden turn of events.
Well, Samuel had told Saul to wait seven days and then Samuel would come and offer a sacrifice to the Lord on behalf of Israel. We see God use this timing to test the heart of Saul. On the seventh day Saul gets a little…or better stated.. very nervous that Samuel isn’t going to come. So he decides to take matters into his own hands. He offers the burnt sacrifice and the peace offerings himself.
As soon as the offerings were done Samuel arrived and rebuked him for sinning against the Lord. Samuel informs him that the kingdom will be torn from him one day as he had not kept the command of the Lord.
You see, this was a huge sin. Only the priests were to offer sacrifices. Saul was a Benjaminite and not one of the Levites (who were the only Israelites who were to be priests). He had no right or privilege to do such a thing. His true rebellious heart came out. He did not trust the Lord. He trusted in himself. He may have claimed to want to please the Lord, yet his concern was on himself. He professed his allegience to God, yet his character and actions showed otherwise.
Saul missed out on the following verse we see here.
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.
He didn’t walk in the light. He chose to walk in the darkness. And this walking in the darkness led him to make a horrible decision. He sinned against God in a mighty way. Because of his sin, he lost fellowship with God and with others. He became violently angry time and time again. He was unrighteously angry with his most loyal subject, David, who eventually went on to become king after his death. He turned on his own son, Jonathan, time and time again. And he even turned to a witch toward the end of his life for guidance. The darkness controlled his life.
My friends. Are you walking in the light or in the darkness? Are you having true fellowship with Christ and with the body of Christ - namely the church like we described last week? Are you covered by the blood of Jesus? I pray that you are.
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.
These final three verses move forward in the same line of thinking of the previous verses. John is admonishing his readers to walk in the light, or truth. These short verses house a wonderful Gospel message. These verses flesh out salvation. I have come up with four points in these verses that John uses to teach true salvation:
Calling (1:8)
Confessing (1:9)
Cleansing (1:9)
Confirming (1:10)
Calling (1:8)
We must call sin what it is - not rationalize it or explain it away.
This means we cannot minimize sin. We cannot redefine what sin is. We cannot play the victim and blame our parents, our genetic makeup, or our experiences. We must take full responsibility for our own behavior and actions.
We must call sin - sin. Not a mistake. Not a struggle. We must call sin - sin. We must be in agreement with God on what sin is.
Confessing (1:9)
We must confess our sins to the Lord. I am afraid that many people today are spending more time rationalizing their sins or trying to reform their ways than truly confessing their sins.
As a physician I am keenly aware of different diagnoses. I understand that there are some mental health issues that greatly benefit from medical treatment. Yet, I would argue that the many psychotherapy sessions as well as medication treatments are actually trying to treat the side effects of sin and not a true medical condition. Many people are trying to avoid confessing their sins and trying to label their struggles as a diagnosis other than sin.
Some examples may be a man who has just cheated on his wife and feels depressed so he tries to medicate himself to make the painful feelings go away. Confess your sin to the Lord, brother! Be set free!
Another may be a parent who is neglecting their children because of their busy work schedule. They are anxious and depressed because they don’t have the relationship they would like to have with their kids or even their spouse. Get a different job and downsize! Set your priorities straight. Store up treasures in heaven and not on earth where they will be burnt up! What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul - or the souls of his children! Your children want time with you more than they want to have cool things! Your spouse desires a relationship with you, not just a nice house. I understand that there are seasons and times where it is difficult and such a change is not possible. But start looking for open doors to be set free from your rigorous schedule.
A final example may be a child who continues to disobey and rebell against his or her parents and is watching and listening to ungodly entertainment. They wonder why they are having depressive thoughts or fits of rage when they listen to that certain music that has such terrible and angry lyrics. They wonder why they continue to get in trouble when they hang out with that certain friend group. Repent! Confess your sins. Surround yourselves with godly influences. Watch godly movies. Listen to God honoring music! Do not be decieved by the enemy and think that turning to a self-help book, a medication, or even a person apart from Christ is going to cover up your sin problem. Only Jesus can cleanse us of our sins! Confess and repent or turn away from your sins.
Confession must be done with real contrition - it must be genuine.
I am sure we have all heard someone give a guilty plea in order to avoid a harsher punishment. Many times, this “confession” is laced with denial as well. There is just enough truth in the confession to get them the plea. There often times isn’t a true contrition or genuine confession.
True salvation only comes through genuine repentance. You must understand the weight of your sin and understand the debt you owe. You must see yourself as the poor beggar and not the middle class guy. You must see yourself as the immate and not the freeman. Only then can you truly repent and come to a saving knowledge of Christ.
Cleansing (1:9)
After calling sin what God calls it and confessing and repenting of our sins we are given a wonderful gift. We are cleansed from our sins! Our sins are cast as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12)!
Our sins are removed from us and we are seen as spotless before God. Jesus paid it all. He didn’t just pay some of our debt. He paid it all. And we are blessed to be cleansed from our sins for all eternity if we confess our sins, repent of our sins, and follow Christ.
Confirming (1:10)
Finally, we have confirmation of our salvation. John speaks of this in the negative here. If we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us. True believers are confirmed because they do confess and repent and follow. False believers are confirmed to be false by denying that they are sinners in the first place. They refuse to call sin what God calls it. They refuse to confess and repent and turn toward Christ. And in turn, they are not cleansed from their unrighteousness. They are not counted righteous.
Where are you brothers and sisters. Are you a confirmed believer? Or is this message shedding light and confirming that you are not a true believer? I pray that you seek the Lord and confess your sins and repent. Turn toward Christ. Be cleansed.
Turn to Christ who is light. Turn to Christ who clears that darkness. And lastly:
Scripture References: 1 Samuel 13, Psalm 103.12
III. Walk in the Light Because You Can Walk With Christ (2:1)
III. Walk in the Light Because You Can Walk With Christ (2:1)
1 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.
We get to this final part in this section. Verse 1 here goes right along with the previous few verses. Remember that the chapter breaks and verses in the Bible were not in the original. It was somewhere during the 16th century that these things were added!
However, John lets his readers know that he is writing these things to us so that we may not sin. He gives us such an intimate greeting as well. My little children. He is like a grandfather passing down wonderful wisdom to his grandchildren. John is likely writing this letter in his older age. It is estimated that he writes this letter between 85-95 AD. He is an old man and full of wisdom and knowledge. He wants to pass this on to others.
After encouraging his readers not to sin, he offers hope and assurance to believers as well. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
Obviously, John knows that we all will sin. However, he wants to let his readers know that Christ is faithful. Christ is ready for you to walk with Him. He will light your path (Psalm 119:105). He will guide you in the way that you should go. And even when you falter and sin against Him - He will continue to be your advocate. He is for you and not against you (Romans 8:31). He loves you and cares for you. He wants to walk with you and carry your burdens for you (Matt 11:28-30).
Walk with Him brothers and sisters.
Scripture References: Psalm 119:105, Romans 8:31, Matt 11:28-30
Conclusion
As we come to a close today, I want us to look at the entirety of this Scripture. John uses the word ‘if’ multiple times here. It is used in every verse from 1:6-2:1. What does this word imply? ‘If’ is a word that starts conditional clauses. Some of these clauses he gives are positive and some are negative. There are only two choices that are given here. One can walk in the light or can walk in the darkness. One can be in the truth or be a liar. One can be in fellowship with Christ or be out of fellowship with Christ. One can be cleansed of their sin or be declared guilty of sin.
Today I want us to bow our heads and examine our lives. Are we walking in the light? Are we true, confirmed believers in Jesus? Let us pray.
Prayer
Have a blessed week!