Walk in the Light

0:32This is the message we have heard from Him and proclaim to you: that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with Him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 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. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

1:06If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sin, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. This is the Word of God. You may be seen it. Some of you may not know that I actually grew. Grew up in church, and that was actually a really good thing. It's not something that I'm ashamed of, it's not something that I'm awkward about. It was actually an overall really good experience. I came now mostly normal. And my church growing up was a pretty normal church by most standards in comparison with the churches that I found out about coming to college. And one of the things I was a part of when I was growing up in church was youth group. And it was a wonderful thing. I really grew a lot in my youth group. And one of the normal activities that we did is we had Disciple Now, or D Now, a time for specific age groups to go and stay at members of the churches in the community and to have a college student come in and to disciple and just grow and just hang out with you. And those were really formative years for my faith where I really grew in my understanding of God and His Word. And it was a fun time. But what was unique about the place in the church that I grew up in is in a small rural town of Simonton. And so a lot of the houses that we went to, some of them were in suburbs, but a lot of them were on houses that had a ton of land. And as a young guy who just has a lot of pent-up rage, being able to just go out there and run around, now some fun is good. And so one of the games that we used to play was this game called Commodant. And how Commodant works is you have one person who has a flashlight, and they're trying to get everyone else out. And if they shine their light on the, this is played at night, if they shine the light on a person and identified and said who their name was, they would be out. And so everyone else is trying to get away from the Commodant, and you would go from three separate bases. If you were on a base, you were safe. And if you got to all three bases, you won the game. Pretty cool, right? And so it was fun. You get to do this at night. It's awesome. And so one time I'm playing the game. I went to one base, and then I got to another, and I see the third base. But then I see the comet coming. And so I start sprinting as fast as I can. Actually, this is way too athletic of a motion for me. I was like, and so I'm just trying my heart out, and I can see the base right there. I'm getting there as fast as I can. And it's an open field. And then out of nowhere, wham, I smack on the ground. I'm like, what happened? This is an open field. I should be fine. I looked down, and there was just this random pole in the middle of nowhere. And so, thankfully, I was able to get up, and I got to the base in time because someone was actually slower than me, believe it or not. And I got there on time.

3:50So why do I bring that up this morning? Well, I needed a sermon intro, so there's that. But also, naturally, it shows just how much easier it is to walk in light. If I had seen the field more clearly, I could have seen that this massive pole that was in the way that made me fall. Our text this morning is going to show us the difference between man and God and how our sin separates us from God. How God is light and man is born out of darkness.

4:20And together we're going to learn that true believers leave the darkness because of the light of Jesus. Let's get into our text. So verse 5 says, This is the message we have heard from him and proclaimed to you, that God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all. Our text starts out by looking at who God is and how he has revealed himself to us. And the key to understanding any passage of Scripture, any Bible study, any sermon, is that the Bible is about God. So often when we come to Bible studies, sermons, podcasts, all that, we come to it with the desire of, you know, what can I get out of this? How can I feel better? What can I do in response to this? And those aren't necessarily bad things to have. We certainly, like James says, want to have an act of faith. We want to be doers of the word and not hearers only. But the Bible is not about us. Genesis 1-1 starts out with the reality that it says, in the beginning, God, not in the beginning, you. The whole Bible from Genesis to Revelation is all about God. It is proclaiming that he is the author of this story. But he's not like any normal author of any book. See, a normal author describes the setting, describes the characters, and describes the action that is going on. But God, as an author, is so different. He is the one who created the setting, created the characters, and is the sole driving force of the narrative. And on top of that, he's the main character. It's not about you. And ultimately, the whole Bible hinges on and points to the person and work of Jesus Christ. And this is an amazing reality of the whole Bible. It's not some disjointed book. It is one cohesive unit that proclaims the glory of God, and this should change the way that we read our Bibles and the way we see God.

6:10So now the question is: who is this God of light, and why is God describing himself this way in this passage? And why is there no darkness in it? The whole message of the Bible, this message that John heard and is proclaiming to us this morning, is that God is holy. God Himself says this in Isaiah 43:15. He says, I am the Lord, your holy one, the Creator of Israel, your King. You see, God is so different than you and I, and this is a good thing. He does not grow weary or get tired. He has all that He needs in and of Himself. God knows all things. I specifically rest in the fact that God is all-knowing because I spend a lot of my day reading books or listening to podcasts and sermons, listening and hearing from wiser, older men and women. I just try to take in as much information as I can and really just grow in wisdom. But as a finite being, there's only so much information that I can take in at a given time, in a given lifetime. And so I rest in the fact that my God and Savior is different than I am and that he knows all things and that I don't have to know everything.

7:17But what does it mean that God is holy? It does not just mean that God is perfect and sinless, though that is a huge aspect of it. I love how the great late R. C. Sproll defines it. When the Bible calls God holy, Holy. It means primarily that God is transcendently separate. He is far above and beyond us, that it seems almost totally foreign to us. To be holy is to be other, to be different in a special way.

7:44There is no darkness in God. God cannot, by his nature, do anything wrong. He is a good God, and he is completely different than you and I, and we can rest in that. Listen to the words prayed by Hannah, the mother of Samuel, in 1 Samuel 2:2. There is none holy like the Lord, for there is none beside you. There is no rock like our God. Let this be our response to a holy God. So now that we understand who God is, that he is holy, that he is different than you and I, that there is complete goodness in him, we can better understand who we are as people born of darkness.

8:20And so now we're going to look at verses 6, 8, and 10. And these three verses show us how we are different than God as sinners. John is responding to false claims about the gospel. This text screams for us and pleads for us to see that there is always sin in our lives. And it is foolish and we are deceiving ourselves to believe otherwise. So let's look specifically at verse 6. Verse 6 says, If we say we have fellowship with him, while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.

8:52Some could say, well, if God is just so good and amazing, he says, God of light, how can I be in darkness? But John says that it is a lie. That and that they are not practicing the truth. And what is this truth that they are not seeing? They are not seeing the weight of their sin. They do not really know what it is. What is sin? Why do we even need a Savior? Sin is not just simply wrongdoing or a mistake. It literally means missing the mark. And what is this mark that is missed? It is missing the standard that God has laid out for us, and the standard is Him, to be holy as He is holy. You see, all of us are made in the image of God. We are completely different from the rest of creation. We are specifically designed to show and proclaim who God is. But instead of trusting in the goodness of God, man rebelled against God and His law. Romans 1:21 through 23 summarizes this reality.

9:49For although they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. Adam and Eve both chose to not believe God and made Him out to be a liar, like we see later on in this text. They believed the lie of the serpent and chose to put their trust in the tree instead of in the God who created them, the good and holy God that loved them. Sin is rebellion, and it has corrupted us to our very core. It may be easy to look at the story of Adam and Eve and think, well, you know, it's not really that bad. They just, you know, made a mistake. But we see immediately because of their sin, because God is holy and he can have no part of sin, that they are cast out of the relational presence of God, out of the Garden of Eden. And if you think, well, it's not that bad after that, you know, man's not generally bad, it's pretty good. We see depravity directly after this story. You see, out of the first two brothers that walk the earth, one kills the other out of jealousy. And that gets to the nature of our depravity, of our fallenness when we come into this world. And you may deceive yourself in thinking, well, I haven't killed anyone. That's good. But Jesus takes it a step further. He says that if you have hate in your heart against another person who is created in the image of God, that you've caused murder against them in your heart. And that desire is sin. So sin isn't just tied to our actions, it's tied to our desires and our very inclinations. Jesus tells us, our sin goes deeper than skin. It has corrupted us to our core. And all of biblical and human history testifies to that. Now let's look at verse 8.

11:49If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. He says this right after verse 7, which talks about the forgiveness of sin. Found in Jesus. We'll talk about that verse later. John is saying that it is wrong for those who have been forgiven to say that they have no sin. We often talk about here at New Life that being Christian does not mean that you are not a sinner. It just means that you are a repentant sinner. You don't make a habit of sinning. And why might we not see our sins so clearly? I believe it is because we've conflated sin with something else. We do not take sin seriously. Instead, we try to make it seem like it's really not that big of a deal. In recent Christian culture and books and sermons and popular Christian culture, I've heard an emphasis more placed on brokenness as opposed to sin. And brokenness is a good thing to talk about. It's a good word to describe the condition of the world that we are in or even ourselves. All of us have experienced and seen brokenness in this world from addiction, racism, fatherlessness, restlessness, mental health issues are all real issues in a broken world. But Jesus did not come to save us primarily because the world is broken, but because we all have actively sinned against God and our neighbors and have made a broken world. This past year, I've seen so many of my friends struggle with mental health issues, and it has really just opened my eyes to that. And the church does need to do better of addressing those issues. We need to do a better job of being friends to one another, of counseling one another, of providing a place where people can. Can be honest about the brokenness that they experience in this world. We need to be that. But it is a mistake for us to tell the world that their greatest issue is brokenness instead of the fact that they are sinners who stand condemned before a holy God.

13:46In my own life, I have struggled with food. I spend most of my day thinking about my next meal. I can smoke Waco from right here. But it would be deceitful for me to say, well, that's just how God made me. I just like to eat a lot. I live in a world full of sugar and gluten and all these things that are just constantly attacking me. But the reality is, is that I actively choose to love food, a created thing, more than my God. And that desire is sin. And that sin is the reason why I need a Savior. Brokenness is a real issue. But it's a real issue because our sin against God and one another is the most important issue that we face. Let's look at verse 10.

14:41Verse 10 says, if we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. John again takes another time again to show that it's foolish to believe that we don't have sin. And what are the final reasons that he gives for saying this? The first one he says is that we make Make God to be a liar. In this way, we fall into the lie that our first father and mother fell into. We believe that God is not good and believe that what he says is not, in fact, for our good. We redefine good and evil for ourselves. Adam and Eve chose not to believe in God's good word. Look back in the account in Genesis with me. Genesis 3:6 says, So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband, who was right there with her, and he ate.

15:39The tragedy is not just that they sinned, it's that they dishonored the God who created them and gave them so much, so much of creation for them to enjoy. But most of all, he gave them himself. That was the joy that they had, they got to be in the relational presence of God. He was all they ever needed. And this gets to the second point that John gives. The second reason that people don't see their sin is because God's word is not in us. Adam and Eve for sure heard God's will for their lives. They heard God's direct, audible words. They didn't worry about where are they going to be going after college and focus on that. They instead chose to disobey the clear command of God. That was given to him. You can memorize all the scripture in the world you want. You can go to breakaway every week. You can know all the five points of Calvinism and be able to listen to John Piper podcasts all the time. But if you have no remorse for your sin, if you look completely like the world, you are not a Christian.

16:51What you are is a functional atheist. Jesus says that if you love me, you will obey me. And that is not an option. Church, we must not shy away from the truth that human beings are sinners. Missions should be motivated by the reality that sinners stand condemned for the Holy God. It's not about ending world hunger, though that is a good thing to do. Sinners are destined and doomed for hell. Hell is a real place where people go for eternity, not because of the brokenness that they experience, but because they want nothing to do with their good Creator and sin against Him.

17:33But thankfully, God does not leave us in our sin. He has provided a way out to us to restore us to fellowship with Him and one another. Let's look specifically at verse 7. Verse 7 says, 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. Jesus came. Into this world to pay for the debt that all of us have incurred from our sin. 1 Peter 2:24 says, He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed. Theologians call this act of Christ stepping into our place to take on our punishment of our sins a substitutionary atonement, and the other side of it is penal substitution. In the Old Testament law, God's people, the Israelites, had to make all kinds of sacrifices for their various sins. And this was a very messy process to show them the way of their skin. As a hunter, specifically every time I skin a deer, I'm reminded of this reality because it is messy. There's all kinds of smells and noises as well, and blood is just so sticky and nasty. I wish I could say that I'm a man and I just power through it, but oh, it is nasty.

18:57And it's a vivid image of showing the weight of their sin that a life has to be taken for this. But praise be to God that we do not have to make repeated sacrifices for our sins because we have a one true sacrifice that covers all of our sins. Hebrews 10, 11 through 14 says, And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. Waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering, he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. And why is Jesus the perfect sacrifice? Because Jesus lived a sinless and holy life, a life that you and I can never live. He never did anything wrong. He never had a wrong desire. He never even had a wrong inclination because he wasn't just a man, he was God and is God.

20:03He came to be light in a very, very dark world. Now let's look at verse 9. If you're looking for a verse to memorize and highlight this week, this is it. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. There is great hope here for all of us. Don't hide from your sin. From this passage, we have seen that it's foolish to believe that you don't have sin. We must walk in the light of Christ. Again, as Christians, just because we're believers doesn't mean that we don't have sin in our lives, but we are repentant sinners. We don't make a habit of sinning. So, church, let's not make a habit of sinning. Let's be different from the world. Not for the sake of saying that we're different and cooler because of that. Let us be a people who are deeply aware of our sin. Healing begins with a recognition of who God is and responding with confession. The church must be a place of restoration where we can be honest about our sins and struggles. James 5, 16 says, Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. As individuals, we must be faithful to confess our sins. And as a church, we must be willing to walk with people through their sin.

21:33God is faithful to forgive our sins by the blood of Jesus. Just because our sins are forgiven does not mean that we must not take them seriously. God is consistent about this in the Old Testament and the New Testament. He desires holiness from us. If we are called to be image bearers, to show and reflect the glory of God, but there is no light coming out of us, what does that say about our hearts? If our hearts are truly changed by the gospel, then obedience is not an option.

22:06So this morning, we all need to ask ourselves, are we walking in light or are we walking in darkness? For some of you, maybe this is the first time that you are gathering with a church body. Welcome. We're glad that you're here. But it would be a lie for me to stand up here and say that the worst thing facing you is the difficulties in your job, difficulties with your family. And all these real issues that you experience in a broken world. But the reality is that you stand condemned before a holy God, before your creator, and that you will justly spend eternity away from the relational presence of God in hell. But the worst part about that is not hell. It's the fact that you don't get to spend eternity with your creator. But he doesn't just leave you there. Today, if you take the first step to repent of your sins, to confess Christ as Jesus and Lord, to trust in his work and not your own, you will be saved and you get to spend eternity with him. And that is why we call it the good news. It's wonderful. And there's another group of you here. You've grown up in church your whole life. You went to VBSs. You go to a bunch of Bible studies, and you know a few Bible verses here and there, but really, your life's no different. You say you're a Christian, you sing God bless America, but you're really not a believer. And so I would plead with you today. It is a dangerous place that you're in to believe that you're a Christian, but have to stand before Jesus and him and say, look at all the amazing things that I did, all the mission trips that I went on, all the photos that I have on my Instagram. But for him to say, depart from me, I never knew you, that is tragic. But it doesn't have to be that way. And so for the first time, I plead with you to take hold of Christ, to get serious about that, to join a church community, to walk outside and find. Find more information about membership class and be a part of a local body because you don't have to walk through this alone. And then finally, church, Christians, let us work to be repentant and honest sinners, to be faithful to share the hope that we have with unbelievers because hell is real and people will justly be sent there for their sins. Our hope this morning, our hope every day as we get up, is that Jesus is the lie of the world who came to bring us out of the darkness of our sins. Let's meditate and leave on one final verse. John 8:12 says, Again, Jesus spoke to them, saying, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.

24:50Friends, true believers leave the darkness because of the light of Jesus. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, Lord, we thank you for how awesome and amazing of a God you are. That you created all of us to show and proclaim your good and awesome glory. But all of us have failed to live up to that standard. We have chosen to love and worship and serve created things. Things that you created us that were good, but that we have twisted, Lord. Lord, help us this morning to see our Our sin, to see that it's not just actions, that it is tied to our very desire, and that we are helpless in our state of sin, and that we need your Holy Spirit to give us new life, Lord. Lord, we rest in the fact that if we confess our sins and place our trust in the finished work of your Son, Jesus, that by His resurrection, that we get to walk in the newness of life, that we are a new creation, that the old has passed away, and that our very desires have changed, and that for the first time we can glorify you, Lord. And we know that it is going to be a long and tough road until your Son returns, that we will experience real brokenness in the world, and that we will also sin against you, Lord. But we thank you that the blood of your Son covers over a multitude of sins, Lord, and we rest in that hope. Help us to be a church that is deeply aware of our sins. Help us to be a people that is so humbled by the majesty and glory of your God. Help us to be so aware of who you are in your goodness. And help us to be a place of restoration where people can have a restored relationship with you and with one another, Lord. And help us to be faithful to proclaim that truth to the lost so that you, your name, will be glorified, Lord. Help us this morning. In Jesus Christ's name, amen.