4. 1 John 1-10: God is Light

And turn in your Bibles once again to the epistle of 1st John. We'll be reading verses 1 to 10, focusing this morning on verses 5 to 7.

1st John chapter 1, here now, the inspired word of God. 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, 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. What we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us.

Indeed, our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ. These things we write so that our joy may be made complete.

This is the message which we have heard from Him, and announce to you that God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.

If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.

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.

If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins,

He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

For if we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

Let's pray. Father, once again, as we look into Your Word, we pray that You would take it and impress it on our hearts, that,

Father, that we would employ it in our daily living, and that we would walk in the light as You are in the light.

We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. Please be seated. In the beginning,

God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the

Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. Then God said,

Let there be light, and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness.

The first divine command we find during the creation week, Let there be light.

The scriptures go on to say that God called the light good, and that's what we see in our text.

In our text for this morning, John says that God is light. Now, what does that mean?

And perhaps an even more basic question first should be explored. What is light? An editor for the

Encyclopedia Britannica writes, No single answer to the question, What is light satisfies the many contexts in which light is experienced, explored, and exploited.

The physicist is interested in the physical properties of light. The artist in an aesthetic appreciation of the visual world.

Through the sense of sight, light is a primary tool for perceiving the world and communicating with it.

Composition of light is a very complex subject, and has been the subject of much controversy and debate and research over the years.

When I was back in college taking my physics courses, the debate was, Is light a wave or is it a particle?

And then one scientist said, It's a wavicle, whatever that means.

But because the scripture says God is light, the spiritual discussion actually gets as deep and debatable as the physical properties of light.

But that's not our subject for this morning. We are going to look at the simplest analogy for light and darkness.

And that is the primary usage of it in scripture. Light represents goodness, righteousness, and truth.

Darkness represents evil, unholiness, and falsehood. In John's gospel,

Jesus said, in chapter 3, verse 19, He says, This is the judgment that the light has come into the world, and men love the darkness rather than light, for their deeds were evil.

For everyone who does evil hates the light and does not come to the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.

But he who practices the truth comes to the light so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.

Light is a subject that is used all through scripture.

Again, in John 8, verse 12, Jesus spoke to them again, 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.

And Paul follows through with the same analogy. He writes in Colossians 1, verse 13,

For he rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved

Son. Which leads us to our first point this morning, and we're just going to examine a little bit,

God is light. But first, a little reminder for context.

Remember, the overriding purpose of this letter is to give assurance to the church.

Remember, the early church was struggling from heresy from within the body of Christ.

And in the introduction to the letter, John reminded the church of the fellowship that we have in Jesus Christ and by virtue of that with one another.

And last week we saw how this fellowship leads to the fullness of joy.

Look again at the text, verse 5, 1 John 1, 5. This is the message we have heard from him and announced to you that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all.

Before we actually get into our main portion of the text, I want to look at the first part of the verse.

This is the message we have heard from him. Don't miss the importance and the impact of that statement.

The message that John is giving to the church was received from Christ himself.

It's the most important point. The source of the message is the very

Son of God, Jesus Christ. And John is quick to affirm this fact at the very beginning of this letter.

So why is this so important? Because John wants the church to know that he didn't come up with these thoughts by himself while contemplating life sitting underneath an apple tree and all of a sudden an apple fell and hit him on the head, giving him this great idea that God is light.

In other words, these thoughts are not those of a mere mortal but are of divine origin.

Therefore, they're infallible. This is a quick reminder of how

John opened his epistle. Remember what John said. 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.

There's no doubt that John wants the church to recognize the origin of this message. Now, he does speak as one who has authority.

That was bestowed upon him and the other apostles by Jesus Christ himself.

But this message was from Christ, the one who mentored

John for three and a half years, the one that John tells us he heard with his own ears, he saw with his own eyes, and he touched him.

He was with John and touched him. He reclined and leaned upon him at the Last Supper.

I'm belaboring this point because too often we take for granted what we have been given as Christians.

Every other religion was founded by a man or a woman giving certain doctrines and usually followed by a code of ethics.

And each of these founders of these religions or cults made certain promises that they were not able to keep because they all died and they're all still dead and will remain that way.

But the core of Christianity is not our code of ethics, though we have a good one.

Actually, we have the best one. But the centerpiece of Christianity is not that code of ethics.

The centerpiece of Christianity is the person of Jesus Christ who became a man and dwelt among his people.

And when he died for the sins of the people, the grave couldn't hold him.

He rose from the grave, ascended into heaven, where he rules heaven and earth from the right hand of the

Father. And before he ascended back into heaven, he commissioned his apostles to make disciples of the nations and to do so by preaching the gospel.

That's all implied in the statement in verse 5. This is the message we have heard from him and announced to you.

The essence of the message? God is light. And John states this both positively and negatively.

The characteristics of light in the physical realm give insight into the spiritual realm.

Last week I introduced you to my new best friend, Robert Candlish. He speaks again.

Candlish says, Light is diffusive, penetrating, searching, spreading itself over all space and entering into every hole and corner.

It is quickening and enlivening. A minister of healthy vigor and growth to all living creatures, plants and animals alike, including man himself.

It is pleasant also as source of relief and gladness to those who bask in its bright and joyous rays.

God is perfect in every aspect of his being. He is perfect in holiness and righteousness and truth.

Did you ever work on a project in your garage or your basement and you work hard at it, you want to get it perfect, sand it, paint it, and you look at it and say, my, that's good.

And then when you bring it outside in the daylight and you see all those little imperfections, you say, how did

I miss that? See, mankind has a habit of measuring himself against imperfect standards, against other men.

One of the things you always hear when you ask somebody, are you a good person? Well, I'm better than Adolf Hitler.

I'm glad. But that's not the standard.

But we like to do that because we can be pretty proud of ourselves that I'm better than you. Just look how good

I am. How often do we say that? But my counsel to that is remember Nebuchadnezzar, what happened to him.

And everything is fine until you're exposed to God's light. Then all the imperfections are visible.

You cannot hide from God's light. You can pretend it's not there. You can try to ignore it, but it doesn't go away.

God is perfection. And that's all right, that's my great grandchild.

Amen. So as John is laying the foundation for the purpose of his epistle, he summarized who

God is with the concept that Jesus himself taught, God is light.

What a perfect metaphor. But John doesn't just leave it there as God is light.

He continues to drive the point home concerning perfection of God by restating the thesis negatively.

Not only is God light, he continues and he says this, and in him there is no darkness at all.

Wow. That statement emphasizes the purity of God's light.

Meaning that God is perfect in all his attributes which is reflected in all his actions.

Imagine perfect justice, perfect righteousness, perfect love, perfect joy, and in that summary, perfect holiness.

Remember what John said in the opening verses of his gospel. In chapter 1 verse 5, the light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not comprehend it.

Light exposes things in the darkness, but even then the darkness didn't understand it.

The world was created by God who declared it good, but when sin entered the world, darkness came.

Adam and Eve hid from God and tried to cover themselves with leaves, not understanding they couldn't hide from God's perfect light.

And when Jesus, the second Adam, came into the world, the world did not understand him either and they sought to put him to death.

And then they thought they had succeeded in extinguishing the true light at that cross, but they miscalculated.

They didn't understand what they were doing and their sinful actions actually caused the light to spread and will continue to spread until Christ returns in power and glory.

This illustration that John is giving to the church shows once again the absolute nature of the kingdom of God versus the domain of the evil one.

There is no darkness in the kingdom of God. There is no light in the domain of Satan.

In other words, there is no fellowship between the two. Paul addresses this same concept in 2

Corinthians 6, verse 14. Paul says, Do not be bound together with unbelievers.

For what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?

That's the essence of verse 5. There is no fellowship between light and darkness because God is light and in him there is no darkness.

Based upon that premise, John issues a warning to the church.

Look at verse 6. If we say that we have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.

That is a stern warning. But it's also a faithful one because it's a warning against deception.

Both deception by those around us but also against self -deception.

John is specifically addressing those who profess Christ as Lord. Notice what he says.

If we say that we have fellowship with him only those who have professed faith can claim fellowship with Christ.

So this is certainly and directly aimed at professed believers.

But notice it's a conditional clause. If you profess faith and you still walk in darkness.

Now, prior to conversion, everyone walks in darkness. They're just not aware of that fact.

But if you profess that you have seen the light and are still walking in darkness, you've got a problem.

John says you lie and do not practice the truth.

We all know what a profession of faith is but what does it mean to walk in darkness? Let me give you a couple of examples from Scripture.

In Psalm 1 -1 we see the psalmist says,

How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked. Notice he uses the term walking.

Nor stand in the path of sinners nor sit in the seat of scoffers. I love

Psalm 1. But I love Psalm 2. I love

Psalm 110. I guess I like the Psalms. Because it says such abject truth and yet it does in poetic form.

It's beautiful poetry. But this Psalm is a perfect example because it contrasts the wicked and the godly.

The godly man is blessed because he does not walk in the counsel of the wicked. Walking signifies the way of life.

We see this also in Psalm 26. I like this one too. Psalm 26, verse 1.

Vindicate me, O Lord, for I have walked in my integrity. And I have trusted in the

Lord without wavering. Examine me, O Lord, and try me. Test my mind and my heart.

For your loving kindness is before my eyes and I have walked in your truth.

And then later on in the same Psalm, verse 11. But as for me, I shall walk in my integrity.

Redeem me and be gracious to me. Notice that David, while protesting that he is walking in integrity, is still relying on God to redeem him and to be gracious to him.

We also see this same concept in Isaiah. Isaiah chapter 2, verse 5. Come, house of Jacob.

Let us walk in the light of the Lord. So, walking in darkness means living your life according to the principles of darkness.

Those principles that stand in opposition to the principles of light.

They are the deeds of the flesh. We don't have to guess what this is.

The Scripture tells us. Paul tells us in Galatians chapter 5 what the deeds of the flesh are.

In verse 19 he says, Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these of which

I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Those are the deeds of darkness. Let me be quick to say something because I don't want to mislead you into the error of perfectionism.

John is not saying that when you come to Christ you no longer sin. He's not saying that. Or, if you do sin, you're not a true believer.

The fact is, if we have to jump ahead a verse, John quickly refutes the notion.

We'll look at this next week. If we say we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.

So if you profess faith and live in darkness, that's the key.

You lie. Those are strong words. But these words come from the gospel writer who taught extensively about the love of God.

But we need to understand that the love of God is not a wishy -washy sentimentalism.

And it is only the love of God that gives real comfort and encouragement. You see, we're commanded to speak the truth, but speak it in love.

And that's what John is doing here. If someone is deceived by others, or by themselves, they need to hear the plain truth.

If you are proclaiming that the light of the world has come in the person of Jesus Christ, and you have accepted that, and yet you are still living according to the deeds of the flesh, your profession of faith is a lie.

But it goes deeper than that. Your life is a lie.

I'm not saying that every non -believer is involved in a great immoral lifestyle.

But just the fact that they walk around seeming to enjoy life and the benefits of God's common grace demonstrates deceit.

Even in the mundane affairs of life. Let me give you an example. Most of you here know what what my answer is going to be if you ask me, how am

I doing? Better than I deserve. It didn't originate with me.

I got it from Robin Nona a number of years ago, and I stole it, I said, because that is the perfect answer for any believer.

When I greet a non -Christian, and I ask, how are you doing? And they respond, oh,

I'm doing great. Oh, couldn't be better. I have to bite my tongue. Because I want to say, that's a lie.

You're not doing good. Do you know where you're headed? Now, I'm a little bit more tactful than that.

But sometimes, yes, sometimes. Sometimes I'm not that tactful.

Remember, my spiritual gift is sarcasm. But that is the reality.

A non -believer is living a lie. Psalm 101, verse 7. He who practices deceit shall not dwell within my house.

He who speaks a falsehood shall not maintain his position before me. And then

John continues by saying, not only do you lie, but you don't practice the truth.

Now, what does that mean? They do not practice the truth. The essence of practicing to do something is to do it repetitively, to improve.

That's the aim or goal of practice. Great musicians practice relentlessly to perfect their craft.

Jascha Heifetz, one of the greatest violinists of the 20th century, said this.

He says, practice one day. I know it. If I don't practice for two days, all the critics know it.

If I don't practice for three days, everybody knows it. Professional athletes put in hours of practice to hone their skills.

And you'll find that most of the superstar athletes are the ones who practice more than anybody else.

When you come to Christ, you have the ability not to sin.

You have the ability not to sin. If you want it in the Latin, it's the passe non peccare.

But it doesn't come easy for redeemed sinners. I'm not talking about outside now.

Living a godly life is difficult. It takes practice.

That's why the Apostle Paul tells the church in Philippi in chapter 2, verse 12 of his epistle.

He says, So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence.

And then listen to what he says. Work out your salvation with fair and trembling. Work it out.

For it is God who has worked in you both to do his will and to work for his good pleasure.

You can't work out your salvation if God is not working in you. But with God working in you, you can work on your progressive sanctification.

And then he continues. Notice, and this is the very next verse. And we need context.

Do all things without grumbling and disputing. What's he talking about? Working out your salvation with fair and trembling.

It's hard to be a Christian. Don't think it's not. Because you're hitting the enemies on three fronts.

The world, the flesh, and the devil. So he says, Do all things without grumbling or disputing so that you will prove yourself to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation among whom you appear as lights in the world.

Not much has changed in 2 ,000 years, has it? And then we're told by Jesus to prove the truth in John chapter 3 verse 21.

But he... ...delight. Notice, there's effort involved here.

This is not a new concept for the children of God. Back in the Psalms again, Psalm 106.

How blessed are those who keep justice, who practice righteousness at all times.

But let's go back to the warning. If you say you are in fellowship with Christ, in other words, if you say you have been born again, you are

Christian. If that is your testimony and you are living in darkness, manifesting the deeds of the flesh, you're living a lie and not practicing the truth.

Yes, that is a severe and an ominous warning. But typical of John, he doesn't leave us there.

Look at verse 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. Verse 7 starts with one of my favorite words.

It's a little three -letter word. And I love it. But. After that severe warning against self -deception and living a lie, he says, but if you walk in the light as he himself is in the light.

Just as verse 6 was conditional, so we see that this verse is also conditional.

If we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have true Christian fellowship.

Once again, we see the absolute antithesis between light and darkness in the scriptures.

Just as the false professor fails to practice walking in the truth, the believer is encouraged to walk in the light.

Indeed, to practice walking in righteousness. In fact, there's a subtle change that takes place in this verse.

How John refers to God and the light. Previously, he said, he started off with saying,

God is light. But now he says, God is in the light.

Once again, Camlish comments on this change, and I'll quote him again. It is a significant change.

It brings out this great thought that the same clear and lucid atmosphere surrounds us both.

We walk in the light in which God is. It is the light of his own pure truth, his own holy nature.

The light in which he is, in which he dwells, is his own light. The light which he is himself.

In that light, he sits enthroned. In that light, he sees and knows. He surveys and judges all things.

And now the supposition is that we walk as he is in that light.

Walking in the light is equated with being in fellowship with one another.

That fellowship is not just with one another Christians, but we are in fellowship with God.

And we have this fellowship by virtue of our union with Christ. It is a fellowship of light.

Candlish one last time. The same lustrous glory of holiness shines on our walk and on his throne.

Let that sink in. The same lustrous glory of holiness shines on us as on God's throne.

Once again, while the admonition to false professors is strong, the encouragement is stronger and gracious.

Which leads us to the last clause of verse 7. And it begins with another three -letter word, and the blood of Jesus, his son, cleanses us from all sin.

Besides the intimate fellowship we have with him, the blood of Jesus Christ, his son, cleanses us from all sins.

What can be more encouraging to the Christian than this simple gospel message?

Are you discouraged? Are you experiencing trouble in your life?

Is there a particular sin that is besetting you, that is entangling you? The blood of Jesus cleanses from all sin.

John, writing to the church, reminds them, go back to the basics. The simplicity of the gospel message is profound.

Jesus Christ came to earth to seek and to save that which was lost. And to do so, he died and was buried, just as the scripture said he would.

But he rose again and was seen alive by hundreds of people, all according to the scriptures.

And all who confess with their mouth and believe with their heart shall be saved.

My friends, it doesn't get any better than that. The Christmas season is in full swing.

Around the globe, people are at least giving lip service to the birth of Jesus Christ. In the midst of this season, let's not lose the meaning and the necessity of the incarnation of Jesus.

Jesus is the light of the world. In him, there is no darkness at all.

And if we walk in his light, we will enjoy that fellowship with him. The gospel is literally good news.

The good news is really good news. So, Christians, take comfort in these words of the beloved apostle.

Use them as encouragement to practice righteousness. And may

I encourage you to walk in the light. If you've never come to Christ confessing your sin, you are walking in darkness.

Or if you are one who has professed faith and still walking in darkness, repent of your sin.

Call upon the name of Jesus and be saved. Come to the light as he is.