Walking in the Light // April 30, 2007

Title: Walking in the Light
Text: I John 1:1-10
Proposition: We as Christians are to walk every day in the light of truth and forgiveness!

There was a slight shuffling in the audience as the old man moved from the side of the room to the front. The church in Ephesus had been meeting for some time now, and they had taken something of a center stage in this new religion that was taking shape in the world... Christianity. It was a strong church; many gathered here today remembered the day the city riots broke out after Paul preached against idolatry and the makers of the god statues rose up against him. The church had survived the fallout as Nero persecuted Christians in Rome. They were a diverse crowd, having been through the difficult transition that made Christianity not just a Jewish faith, but a "new way" for ALL mankind. Yes, today was a special treat, the Apostle was speaking.

He was old, his hands were curled and bore the marks of long years pulling in heavy nets from the Sea of Galilee. His shoulders were stooped from long years in the boat and the hard labor of fishing. His forearms and biceps demonstrated that he had been a "tough guy" in his youth and still was no one to trifle with. He reached the front of the room, straightened and faced his audience. His eyes flashed wisdom and kindness, but also the unmistakable glint of a man of passion. It was not for nothing that in his youth, his violent temper had garnered him the name "son of thunder..."

He was last of the Apostles. He held a prominent position in the Apostolic body. He was with Peter and James as the only witnesses of the raising of Jairus' daughter (Mark 5:37), of the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1) and of the Agony in Gethsemane (Matthew 26:37). Only he and Peter were sent into the city to make the preparation for the final Passover meal (the Last Supper) (Luke 22:8). At the meal itself, his place was next to Jesus, on whose chest he leaned (John 13:23, 25). According to the general interpretation, John was also that "other disciple" who with Peter followed Jesus after the arrest into the palace of the high-priest (John 18:15).It was to this disciple, so loved and trusted by Christ that as He was dying on the cross, looked down and gave His own mother to John's safekeeping. After the Resurrection, John with Peter was the first of the disciples to run towards the grave, and he was the first to believe that Jesus had truly risen (John 20:2-10). After Jesus' Ascension and the descent of the Holy Spirit, John took, together with Peter, a prominent part in the founding and guidance of the church. He is with Peter at the healing of the lame man in the Temple (Acts 3:1 seq.). With Peter he is also thrown into prison (Acts 4:3). He is also with Peter visiting the newly converted in Samaria (Acts 8:14).

This was the disciple that bore the title, "the disciple whom Jesus loved." It was a treat indeed to listen to John the Apostle speak. Many had come to service today. It was said that John was going to speak against the Gnostics that were teaching heresy!

A word about Gnostisism. At this point in history, it was in its beginning stages. It would be developed much further in the second century. There was a small, but vocal minority that claimed that they had special "knowledge" (gnosis) which other believers did not posess. (Freebie sidenote: Saints of God, please be every so skeptical when you hear someone say something like, "I have this truth that no one has ever seen before!" It's a hollow lie. Ecclesiasties tells us that there is "nothing new under the sun." I understand that some folks, by virtue of temperment or knowledge may have a better understanding of a topic than others, but be mindful that false teachers are in this world and they WILL decieve the Beloved - sometimes with the greatest of intentions! Think on this, Paul's favorite people to preach to were the Bereans - because they searched the Scriptures - they didn't even take Paul's word for it! Note: Heb. 1:1. Beloved, try every thought to see if it comes under the revealed Word of God!

Gnosticism in a nutshell. The basic premise is this: This exclusive "knowledge" centered around the concept of the essential goodness of the spirit and the essential evil of all matter. Spirit good - body bad. Therefore, several ideas stemmed from this false premise.
1. Jesus could not have possibly been a physical being! (All matter is bad) To make up for the fact that Jesus had come, it was said that perhaps he was not actually there but just appeared to be there... AND, there was the idea that the divine Christ came upon Him at baptism and left before the crucifixion... It is for these reasons that John emphasizes the humanity and deity of Christ in this Epistle.
2. The Gnostics faced an ethical problem with the existence of the human body - it's essentially evil! From this, two more views developed: a. Extreme asceticism attempted to purge the evil from the body. and b. antinominism veiwed the body as helplessly lost, and therefore what you did really didn't matter much at all. The Spirit was all that mattered. This gave rise in the Church to unbridled liscense. To this John said - be in the Light or in the Dark - can't be in both!
Given John's temperament, no doubt many thought he would rail against this heresy with fire and thunder. But, as he begins to speak, he eyes begin to brim with tears and his voice swells with emotion. He is speaking of his beloved Jesus. Look at the text: John 1:1-4
I. John's Credentials (1:1-4)
His words here are so very personal. This is not some "hand-me-down-story" experience; this is his own personal heartache and joy! John has seen Christ! He spent three years with him. Three years he would not give up for the world. Often, I speak with soldiers that have that frustration that comes with being with those that just "don't understand." Its not their fault, they can't understand, they have not been there. That's why it's so refreshing to worship with other soldiers' families; they have all been there. They have all shared the "incommunicable experience of war..." They have all shared the heartache of loss, the separation, the fear of not knowing, the loneliness, the joy of reunion; we are in this together, a community of warriors! Its not far-off knowledge for most of us, our worship stems from a passion that needs Christ to be here with us in our time of need. That's the faith that sustains us in this time.
You can imagine the emotion that accompanies these words. These false teachers are talking about HIS Lord!! This was the man that he had seen do miracles! Where were these Gnostics when the blood of Christ flowed down that rough wood? Where were these teachers when Christ kept pulling loaf after loaf of bread out a small basket and few five thousand people? Where were they when Jesus looked down from his place of shame and victory and said, "It is finished?" Where were they? How do they know what it was the Jesus taught?
John presents his case through the senses. Christ was a physical being - Quite human and wholly Divine. Note how he uses the phrase, "Word of Life" - it harkens back to John's Gospel where he presents Christ as the very Word of God; the "Logos" the very expression of God. This Logos was with God in the beginning and He WAS God. Jesus is very God and very man. Jesus, in vs. 1, had not only been seen and felt by John but had been thoroughly scrutinized!
"Lazarus was dead! He was! The stone was in front of the door and Jesus just told them to move it. Martha was furious! When the men removed that door, I could smell the stink of death rolling out the door. Then, Jesus called forth, 'Lazarus, come forth!!' and out he came! He was struggling with his bandages; people were in a state of shock - Martha was screaming - children were crying, and it just got quiet. From out the bandages, 'Lord, is that you? I can't see you, I'm all tied up...' Jesus just smiled and told us to help him out. I ran forward and helped Simon pull off the dressings.... I'll never forget that sight as long as I live! You can say what you like, Gnostics - but I have seen the Lord! I have touched his hands - His resurrected hands... and He has touched me!! You can philosophize and spiritualize all day long - but I was there! I was touched by His love. I felt the fire of God burn my lips, I saw Him raise Jairus' daughter, I saw Him on that mountain dressed in the Glory of Heaven, I know He was real, I know He was human, I know He was divine! He touched me and I touched Him and I will never be the same!!!"
They weren't there, they didn't know, they don't understand. John says, "Its ok, I know you don't get it... that's why I'm here, I'm going to tell you how it was, is and gonna be! This is the truth!"
II. John's Purpose (1:5-2:10)
Let there be no mistake, John is not leaving any room for doubt; he has more credibility than the false prophets that have risen up to confuse the church of Christ. I John must be understood in light of this purpose. John is speaking out against false prophets. Though he is now known as the "apostle of love" he minces no words in dealing with the false teachers. Look at how he describes them in the book:
They walked in darkness (1:5-6).
They refused to acknowledge their sinful nature (1:8, 10).
They refused to observe the commandments of Christ (2:3-4, 6).
They displayed a hatred toward other Believers (2:9, 11, 3:14, 15, 17, 4:8, 20-21, 5:1).
John refers to them as "antichrists" because they deny that Jesus is the Christ (2:18, 22, 4:3).
They broke fellowship with Believers (2:19).
Their teaching was seductive (2:26).
They practiced sinful conduct and are categorized as being "of the devil" (3:4, 8, 10)
John refers to them as "false prophets" (4:1-2).
They are "of the world" (4:5).
They refused John's teaching (4:6)
It's vital to understand the book in this light given the nature of some of the verses. They should not be taken out of context. Note, for instance, Chapter 2:3 - take that out of context, and it seems to put salvation on par with obeying the law! Since we understand that the Gnostics tended to licentiousness it stands to reason that John would point out that you can tell the true servants of Christ by their distinctive lifestyle. They follow a higher law. They are responsible to a Greater Authority! Actions and thoughts matter!
John also writes so that they may experience both Fellowship and Joy! We share Christ in common! We have automatic similarities with other Christians for we serve the same God! This fellowship brings joy and peace to a world so desperately in need of it!
A. The Light and Darkness
Light is revealing isn't it? Have you ever been working out in the garden or in the driveway late into the evening? When you finish, in the dying light of the day, you can see that your hands and arms are grimy! So you walk over to the hose and wash them off. You shake them dry, wipe them on your dirty shirt and call it good. But then, as you get closer to the house, you look at your hands under porch light and curl your lip in disgust! Your hands are filthy! So it's into the laundry room where you scrub them with some pumice soap! When your satisfied that you finally got them clean, you walk into the kitchen (where the light is the brightest!) and promptly reach into the pot o' chili to snag out a piece of yummy hamburger that cooking up... at which point you receive a sounding "thwack!!" on your hand from a wooden spoon and you are told in no uncertain terms to "step away from the chili, get in that bathroom and wash those grubby mitts!" Soundly chastened, you go into that bathroom and in the light of the vanity, you see the dirt under your fingernails, the grubby on your face and you decide to just take a shower and get it all clean!!
So it is with the light of the Word. The closer you get to Christ, the more sin you see in your life. There is a reason that older, more mature Christians are held to a higher standard than young, babes in Christ are. They have not gotten close enough to the light yet!
Though the contrast of "light and dark" is not original with John, he certainly makes the most use of it in the Text. In his Epistle, he continues Jesus' metaphor - drawing parallels to Christ's divinity - "I am the Light of the World." Christ said. John takes it deeper. The imagery of God as light illustrates God's self revelation in Christ - because of God's initiated disclosure, Christians have access to God's truth! It also highlights God's holiness. Note the absolute polarization of light and darkness. They cannot coexist! They are mutually exclusive! Thus, a person that claims fellowship with God but exists (walks) in the dark is lying! Strong words! The contrast between light and dark does not simply represent knowledge and ignorance but also portrays good vs. evil. (Jn. 3:19-21)

B. The "if" statements

At the heart of these statements is the beliefe that "sin has no effect on me." These statements reveal the lifestyle of a true believer.

1. If we claim fellowship with God and walk in darkness, we are lying!
- God is the authentic and identifying source of understanding and comprehension - following His revelation in Christ is how we KNOW we are on the right team!
- The verb phrase "but if we walk" denotes continous action. John has in mind the practice and habit of a life that is in continual fellowship with God. Remember, this is written to the Christian. This is not about salvation - it is about knowing who is WITH God and who is FALSE!
- Let there be no doubt - it is through the shed blood of Jesus that there is redemption for sin. That word "cleanse" denotes a continual cleansing of sin! Jesus saves and keeps up by His blood!

2. If we say we are sinless - we are lying! In fact, (1:10) if we claim it, we are making GOD out to be a liar since His Word confirms the universiality of Sin! (Ps. 14:3; Is. 53:10; Rom 3:10-23)

3. If we do sin - we have available to us forgiveness in Christ!
- Confession is the combination of two words: homo (same) and lego (to say). The idea here includes both the acknowledgement of specific sins (i.e. it's MY responsibility. I did this. Not my parents, not my teachers, not my environment - I am responsible for this sin)! We live in a world that is all about not taking responsibility for ANYTHING! In fact, it seems that we as Americans are obsessed with fixing blame on someone else, something else - it certainly could not have been MY fault! But here, the very idea of Confession is me acknowledging exactly that! I did this. I thought this. I decided not to do this good thing. Its me that needs forgiveness for what I have done. Make no mistake, when you stand before God, it WILL NOT MATTER how bad your parents were, how you never had a chance to do the right thing, how you never got a break, how you didn't know any better. You WILL pay for your sin. You WILL pay for your "indiscretions." (Unless, you have accepted responsibility and confessed that to Christ and HE has paid your debt for you.!) It also carries the idea of a recognition that that sin that I committed needs to be forgiven.
In response to this, God is both "faithful" and "just." He WILL forgive your sin. It's "too easy!" Yet so many Christians today wallow about in their sin. They will not accept responsibility. They will not see the need to be forgiven. They stand there in the ulgy, rotteness of their sin, while Christ continually calls to them to "come, repent and take my robe of righteousness!" They live defeated, broken lives. Just reach out, take the forgiveness and live a life VICTORIOUS in Christ Jesus! Stop punishing yourself and others - leave that to Christ! Wallow in the love! Swim in the forgiveness! Exalt in the victory of a life forgiven, transformed - CHANGED!

4. If we do sin - John does not desire, or give license for us to sin, but if we do (and we probably will!) Jesus, the advocate, will plead our cause to the Judge.
- When Satan brings your case before God he says, "Look here, God. This man is a lying, cheating, adulterous man! He has denied you and cursed you on many an occasion! He deserves death! He deserves Hell!"
- Jesus stands before that Judge and shows him the bill of Sin - PAID IN FULL!!! "This man stands guiltless before the throne, for I have paid his debt! It's gone!" Jesus is both an attorney and interssesor for us.
- Christ has satisfied the just demands of an Holy God. Christ not only represents us before God; He provides the grounds for our forgivenss!

Conclusion: Dear Christian - Know who you are in Christ! You don't have to live downtrodden in sin! Come to the fountain of forgiveness that is here - given to you!