God is light
Light, love and the love of God series • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 1:04:43
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Handout
Handout
From the beginning
From the beginning
Ah, what a beautiful start, assurance we have from John and the apostles for the Christian then and the Christian today.
John starts with a great truth then to them and a great truth that has been preserved for us today. John’s aim was to remind and assure the church a few things. Let me give the verses first as a reminder
1 What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life— 2 and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us—
3 what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. 4 These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete.
To declare the Word of life, the eternal life with the Father through Jesus Christ (vv.1-2)
We have fellowship with the Father and the Son just as the apostles did. (v.3)
That their joy and our joy may be made complete. (v.4)
The fullness of joy comes in having fellowship with God and the Son!
So, this evening we want to continue and now look at
Our Passage
God is Light
Some big little words
Our Advocate
Our Passage
Our Passage
Grab your bible, your version, open it and let’s look together at our passage, read and glean from it so we can learn and grow from it.
5 This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth;
7 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. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that 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. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; 2 and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.
What do you see, what do you notice, what sticks out to you?
Gleaning from the scripture
What was it that they had heard from the beginning (v.5)?
God is Light
What do we not have if we walk in the darkness (v.6)?
We do not have fellowship since we lie and do not practice the truth.
What do we have when we walk in the light (v.7)?
We have fellowship!
And we have cleansing of all sin
What are we doing if we say we have no sin (v.8)?
We are deceiving ourselves.
If we confess our sins what does God do (v.9)?
Forgive us and cleanse us
What do we make God if we say we have no sin (v.10?
We make God a liar
What is the purpose of this writing (v.2:1)?
So that we know we have an advocate with the Father if we sin
What is Jesus Christ (He Himself) according to (v.2)?
The propitiation for our sins.
So, Some quick simple truths pulled from the scripture. Now we will move to digging deeper.
God is Light
God is Light
According to our passage God is light and in Him there is no darkness.
Jesus is light, shining in the darkness (Jn1:4-9, 8:12 3:19-21; Eph5:8-10)
Light is figuratively used throughout scripture to describe that which is good, righteous and true
8 for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light 9 (for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth),
10 trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.
So, therefore, God must be thought of this way. He is good, He is righteous, He is true, now consider
4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. 5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
6 There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him.
8 He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light. 9 There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.
The Light shines in the darkness but darkness did not comprehend it.
John came to enlighten every man.
12 Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”
Now add to that!
19 “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. 20 “For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.
21 “But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”
Jesus came to shine light in the world but men loved darkness rather than light.
The light (the truth) that Jesus brought was to man so that they put off the deeds of darkness and walk in the light and that the darkness of the world would see the manifestation of God in the children (sons) of light.
Believe in the Light, it has benefits (Jn12:35-36)
35 So Jesus said to them, “For a little while longer the Light is among you. Walk while you have the Light, so that darkness will not overtake you; he who walks in the darkness does not know where he goes. 36 “While you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of Light.” These things Jesus spoke, and He went away and hid Himself from them.
Light came so we don’t have to remain in darkness (Jn12:46)
46 “I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness.
Light came into the world so that the world did not have to stay in darkness
Light to the Christian is God, Jesus, God’s Word that lights our path, it is God’s moral standard laid out for us in the scripture. It is the essence of God revealed through the scripture.
I have mentioned Light and darkness, let me emphasis one more thing before moving on.
If Light represents that which is good, righteous and true, than darkness is the opposite representing evil, unrighteousness and falsehood.
(Transition) now to move onto our next section, next point some big little words.
Big “little” words
Big “little” words
Big little words that matter. That is what we are going to look at now for the next few minutes.
Little word like “if”
(read emphatically)
5 This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth;
“If” The big little word “if” matters.
What are the ramifications of the word “If” in (v.6)?
“If” we say, if we do something else it matters. (expand)
7 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. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.
What do you learn about the if clause here in (v.7, then v.8)
“If” we walk in the light (expand)
“If” we say we have no sin (expand)
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.
OK, sure you are getting the point now, so what about the “if” clause in (v.9, then v.10)
“If” we confess our sins (expand)
“if” we say we have not sinned (expand)
Expand on light; God’s moral standard revealed through the scripture
Little word like “but”
7 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.
We have looked af the “if” clauses used, what do we learn from the “but” here in (v.7)?
If we choose to walk in the light (expand)
Negative of “if”
If we say we have fellowship but walk in darkness what do we have (v6)?
If we say we have no sin, what are we doing (v.8)?
If we say we have not sinned, then what is the result (v.10)?
Positive of “if”
If we walk in the light, what are the results (v.7)?
If we confess our sins, what does God do (v.9)?
No now, how important is the “but” found in (v.7) in this passage?
Our choices matter, are we going to walk in the light and have continual cleansing?
Are we going to confess our sins and have our sins forgiven and be cleansed from all unrighteousness?
So we need to be sure to know
If we walk in the darkness, we lie
If we say we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves
If we confess our sins, He will forgive
If we say we have no sin, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.
(Transition) we still have one more thing to look at tonight to tie this all together.
Our Advocate
Our Advocate
And advocate (N): a person who publicly supports or recommends a particular cause or policy. Let’s look at and to our Advocate!
1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; 2 and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.
What do you see, what do you notice, what sticks out to you in this passage?
Gleaning from the scripture:
What do we learn about the recipients from (v.1)
They are my little children
They have an Advocate with the Father
According to (v.1-2) who is our Advocate and not only our Advocate what what more (v.2)?
Our Advocate is Jesus Christ the righteous
He Himself is the propitiation for our sins.
Advocate also means to “call to one’s side, to one’s aid.” One who pleads another’s case, an intercessor.
Jesus Christ is not an advocate with the Father because of your righteousness, but because He is the propitiation for ours sins, so because of His imputed righteousness when our sins are forgiven.
Righteous, Jesus Christ the righteous one understands ours need for an advocate, Because:
We are sinners separated from God (Isa59:2)
We fall short because of our sin (Rom3:23) our wages are death (Rom6:23)
But Jesus lived and was tempted with all things, so He is perfect to be our Advocate (Heb2:17-18)
And we can come to Him with confidence because He is sinless (Heb4:14-16)
God offered the acceptable sacrifice (propitiation) (1Jn4:10)
10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
(expand)
All for those who are His little children, children of God, son’s of God because of faith, because of their belief.
I think it is only appropriate to close with this passage tonight
21 But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction;
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;
25 whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed;
26 for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
(invitation -Jesus our advocate) (Song) (Prayer) (Exit)