924 1 Jn.2.7-11 He Who Loves Is in the Light
Notes
Transcript
- Church life is never easy & people ruffle each other’s feathers from time to time
- It is one thing to be a little prickly, it’s another thing to be destructive
- The Bible is full of people who love & people who are destructive & disagreeable
- At some point, there is a difference between finding someone difficult & finding someone destructive
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- As we see from 1 Cor., there is a difference between disagreements & destruction
- If you destroy God’s church Paul says, God will destroy you – so that’s not something to mess around with
- We can have disagreements – gosh, husbands & wives have disagreements, but those disagreements are not always negative & often we find that disagreements can help mature the relationship & help us to grow together
- If those disagreements end in departure, then, that has been nothing but a huge waste
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- The spirit of separation is not a fruit of the Spirit & separation through unresolved disagreement is not the way forward
- In fact, to turn your back on a brother or sister in Christ citing irreconcilable differences is none other than a vice that Paul mentions
3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good,
- Unwilling to reconcile; unwilling to talk things through; unwilling to even consider themselves to be in the wrong
- That is where darkness gets a hold of a person – blindly, they only see that they are in the right & that the other is in the wrong
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- There are occasions, of course, where someone’s beliefs are so inconsistent with the Gospel, that they must not be part of the church
- We are not talking about Scriptural injunctions, like here in John’s Epistles, where those who deny the incarnation of Christ – God in Christ - that these people were not even to be welcomed into your home
- So, if they deny that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, then that person, says John, is an antichrist
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- It’s going to be interesting as we journey through 1st John and talk about the likes of Cerinthus and Marcion – people not mentioned in the NT but known in the immediate period after the apostle’s generation
- These 2 are famous or should I say, infamous, for their heresies that denied the incarnation of Christ – that is, that God became Man
- But we’ll get to that as we journey through 1st John
1. The Lure of Darkness
1. The Lure of Darkness
18 For thus says the Lord, who created the heavens (he is God!), who formed the earth and made it (he established it; he did not create it a chaos, he formed it to be inhabited!): I am the Lord, and there is no other.
- The absence of light & of God’s creative activity would have left the earth as a place of chaos
- Order is of God & He created the world orderly & light is part of that which dispels the darkness & disorder
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Q. What is the big difference between darkness & light?
- I guess if you head to the bathroom before the sun is shining in the morning, you can risk tripping on something or stubbing your toe in the process
- When light is shining, we see things for what they are
- We see any lurking dangers & can avoid them
- Furthermore, in light, you can walk or even run about freely without cause of danger; you can’t do that in the dark
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- If we are in the darkness, we are also “blind” to where we are going
Q. Can we be sure of our destination in the darkness?
- Often, I will walk into our bedroom while it is dark & I’ll try to put my phone down on my bedside table only to completely miss it & have it end up on the floor
- I end up falling short of the table - & mostly because I don’t want to run into the table which is probably why I hang back too far
- Perhaps, I should turn the light on, but Ros would not like me to do that since she would sometimes head to bed early
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- The point is that in darkness, we cannot see what is in front of us & we easily can run into dangers
- The essence of this analogy has to do with running into sin & evil
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.
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- The difference between darkness and light is vast indeed
- However, it is not hard through temptation & the like to fall into that darkness
- As we look at the apostle Paul’s warnings, most of them relate to the reckless disregard to one’s emotional state – know thyself would be the dictum
- When people get carried away with their emotions/feelings they are not keeping a close watch over themselves - darkness can begin to creep in
24 Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
- The Lexham Bible translation uses a more contemporary word here for passions
24 Now those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh together with its feelings and its desires.
- Passions/feelings – then Desires/lusts
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- Feeling this way or that way does not equate to truth, nor does it equate to what is right but, unfortunately, in our modern world, people think with their feelings
- People need to be in lock step with the Spirit, not with their feelings
- If we don’t step back from improper emotions/feelings then we can be in danger of the darkness overcoming us
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- Now let’s drill down to why the apostle is saying these things
- What you have in this part of Asia Minor is a group of itinerate. preachers – which have started & developed splinter churches of the sorts that have a particular warped sense of Christianity
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- No doubt, you are aware of the New Age movement
- It’s not spoken about much nowadays, but you know what they are about
- In the New Age movement, there is this sense of light & darkness, but not what you find in the NT
- Their light is special knowledge/special enlightenment that puts them over and above everyone else
- They alone are in touch with the universe – in touch with God
- Crystals give you power not the Holy Spirit
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- Likewise, the Masonic movement is a secretive society that only the “enlightened” can enjoy
- Secret rites & secret rituals are practiced & only available to the special initiated people
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- This kind of thing is what John’s community was facing & what he is up against in these letters
- These people are using worldly wisdom / worldly thinking as the foundation of their Christianity
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In the post-apostolic period – just after the apostles, many heresies arose in the broader church
- From Egypt & Babylon came the mystery cults / mystery religions & their pagan mixes of a variety of religions
- These were starting to gain a foothold in the Churches of Christ & almost engulfed them
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- You want to know why the creeds of the church came about?
- The Apostle’s creed, Nicene creed?
- To combat this nonsense – it was so destructive to the truth that it threatened to destroy the reality of what Christ has done for us
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- Specifically, a movement known as Gnosticism arose
- Gnosticism comes from the word, “Gnosis” or knowledge
- These people claimed a special secret exclusive knowledge of God that only they possessed – that was only accessible to their group alone
- If you don’t come over to us, they say, you are lost & you do not have eternal life
- Only through them - through these people - could you gain this special knowledge that gave you the key to salvation
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- Ok, I know this is a bit complicated but if you really want to know what this Epistle is about, then this will open it up for you like never before
- So, what we have in these 3 Epistles is the apostle John combating an early form of Gnosticism
- It’s not full blown yet – it’s fullness came another 50 yrs later, but at this time the seeds of this destructive heresy are sprouting
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- Get ready for this
8 On the other hand, I am writing a new commandment to you, which is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true Light is already shining.
- It’s been shining from the beginning – not just since these itinerant preachers have come along & started sprouting their nonsense!
- In fact, it is what John has heard from the beginning
- In spite of what they say, those who hold to what was from the beginning times of Jesus are in the light, the true light of Jesus Christ
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- Unlike this heretical group who think they are sinless, no Christian is sinless
- Their so-called enlightenment does not mean they are sinless, only a liar would make that claim
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.
2. Abide in Light, Abide in Love
2. Abide in Light, Abide in Love
- A central theme, if not the central theme, in John’s Epistles is the notion of abiding - In fact, it occurs 23 times in 1st John alone
- There are 3 tests in 1st John that go with abiding:
1. Doctrinal – abiding in the teaching – what is from the beginning
2. Moral – abiding in the commandments of God
3. Relational – abiding in the character of Christ & God (God is love)
16 We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.
- Mighty powerful words that speak to the relational character of the church
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- A couple of weeks ago, James reminded us of the fruit of the Spirit and what it means to walk in the Spirit
- The first fruit of the Spirit the apostle Paul mentions is the fruit of love
- It is God’s Spirit which produces love in the Christian
- If the church gets caught up with these heretical groups, they will no longer be abiding in Christ
- One big problem with these segregated groups is that they promote disunity
- If you are not part of them, if you have not received the special “enlightenment”, you cannot participate in salvation; you cannot have eternal life...
- Join with us & join the elite group of enlightened people, they would say
- But if you don’t join, we want no part of you
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- John decisively shows that such a stance divides the church of Christ & does not reflect the true light at all
- Especially telling is his statement that “God is love” – if God is love, what right has any Christian to reject a brother or sister in Christ?
10 The one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him.
Q. Hey, who is the one who’s in the light, as opposed to him in the darkness?
- It is the one who loves his brother
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Q. Ok, nitty gritty – what are we saying about our brother or sister in Christ?
Q. Does it reflect the true light whereby God is love or is it reflecting darkness?
- The whole point John makes here is found in the saying, “If the shoe fits, wear it”
- If you are not loving your brother or sister in Christ, then you must wear the fact that you are not in the light but in the darkness
- That may come as quite a surprise – it’s hard-hitting & meant to be
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- Some might object & say that they don’t hate the person, they just don’t get on with him or her
- Ok, I get that this can be the case – however, it is important to understand where the contrast of love & hate fit in
13 Do not be surprised, brethren, if the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death. 15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. 16 We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
- Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer…
- Hebrew culture & understanding always thought in contrasting extremes – either black or white
- You are one or the other – in the light or the darkness
- Either someone who loves or a murderer
- A curse be on anyone who does not love the Lord, says Paul
- He who is not with Me, says Jesus, is against Me – no in-betweens
- It’s just the way with Hebraic thought – hate your brother = murderer
- This is peculiarly laid out here in 1 Jn. 4
17 By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.
- Jay Adams finds this intriguing that love is contrasted with fear
- He thought fear would be contrasted with, perhaps, peace or security, but no, it is contrasted with love
- He says for good reason, since love is self-giving whereas fear is self-protecting
- Love is the motivation from being in the true light (the God who is love)
Fear → moving away from (problems, persons), like Adam & Eve, hiding and covering up, self-protection
Love → moving toward (problems, persons), revelation and openness, vulnerability
-- Jay Adams, Christian Counselor’s Training Manual.
- If you abide in love you, in fact, are abiding in the true light
3. Darkness Is Headed for Death
3. Darkness Is Headed for Death
- I find it interesting that in life we celebrate using various colours to frame an occasion
- A wedding is usually marked by a bride wearing a beautiful white dress
- It marks the purity of the bride & it is enforced by the influence in Eph.
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, 26 so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.
- Also in the book of Revelation
14 I said to him, “My lord, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
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- But then you have the occasion of a funeral where most people wear black to mark the occasion of sadness & loss
- Death in contrast to life, darkness in contrast to light
- So, we see Jesus as the light of life
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- People who live in darkness are those who live in fear & not love
- Instead of love of brother, these heretical groups exclude certain members of the Christian community as unworthy, unenlightened & hence, unsaved
- They, the apostle says, while claiming to be of the light are living in darkness
9 The one who says he is in the Light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now. 10 The one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him.
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- Furthermore, the clarity of those in darkness is tied in with the world
- As the world is & thinks, so are these heretical groups
- I know I’m quoting a lot of Scripture here, but please see how it relates to these people who have separated themselves from the truth
15 Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17 The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.
- The world’s values – how it lives & thinks is in contrast with the people of God
- The world is living in darkness - & there is no harmony between light & darkness – as Paul says, no harmony between Christ & Belial; what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever, he asks?
- What fellowship has light with darkness; what partnership does righteousness have with lawlessness (2 Cor. 6:14-15)
- Darkness is headed for the final death
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- Hence, if we don’t want to be headed for final death, then the Christian church must take seriously the real danger of destructive relationships within the Christian community
- I know we can have disagreements & we are not talking about that
- What we are talking about is breaking fellowship – walking away & still claiming to love
- This is what the message on love is about
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- Now this is obviously a challenge to all of us, since we all have had thorny issues with people before & we all can be guilty of not exercising the love of which John speaks
- But Church life ought to be a place of safety where goodwill abounds & abounds & abounds & increases amongst the people of God
- We should know with confidence that people are not out to get you
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- Before the throne of God, everyone will be on the one level
- All of us will be stripped bare of all our deeds & all our wants
- What will be left is whether we have been holding to His word & whether we have loved one another as Christ has loved us
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- I want to conclude this morning with this little illustration given by my lecturer in Bible College
- He drew a circle on the board & put the person of Jesus in the middle
- He hypothesised that salvation was for all who would be inside the circle
- Then he said, where would most people be located within the circle?
- Everyone got his point – they would be sitting just on the inside of the circle – just enough to get them home
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- But that is not the way salvation is portrayed in the NT – there is no circle
- Salvation is a life lived by aiming to be next to Jesus in the centre of the circle
- With His help, we can be there with Him because He has died for our sins & cleansed us from all unrighteousness
- We live now with Him in a perpetual good relationship because as I Jn. 1:7 concludes that if we confess our sins, He is faithful & just to forgives us our sins & to cleanse us from all unrighteousness
- So, let’s be brothers & sisters as we enjoy together our relationship with our eternal God