Walking in the Light – Part 2

Assurance of Salvation – 1 John 1:5 – 2:2

Crosspoint – Dave Spooner – Sept. 15^th, 2024

Intro:

• Good morning! Today we continue our series "Walking in the Light," focusing on the letters of John, which are near the end of the Bible. If you have a Bible with you, please turn to 1 John, chapter one, starting with verse five. We will continue through chapter two, verse two. If you don’t have a Bible, feel free to grab one from the back of the pew—1 John is on page 1054. We also have notes available online and printed copies in the café. If you missed any previous messages or would like to listen again, visit crosspointrockford.com.
• Back in March, we concluded a year-long series on the Gospel of John. John clearly tells us why he wrote his gospel:

John 20:31 ESV

These are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

 John wrote his gospel so that everyone who reads it might believe in Jesus, and in doing so, receive eternal life in His name. However, when he later wrote these letters to the churches, his purpose was slightly different. As Michael shared last week:

 1 John 5:13 NIV

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.

 The gospel was written so you can receive eternal life, while the letters were written so that you would know you have eternal life.

• So, the big question John addresses is: How can we know if we have eternal life? It's a deeply and eternally important question, and the answer affects every one of us. We know that eternal life is given by believing in Jesus. But how do we know if we truly believe? Is there a way to test ourselves? John provides us with diagnostic questions throughout his letters to help us evaluate whether we are truly in the faith.
• Paul echoes this same need for self-examination:

2 Cor 13:5 NIV

Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?

 Do you have eternal life? How do you know? Some people—many people—think they do, but Jesus warned that many people are deceiving themselves. So how do you know?

• In today’s passage, John gives us two key questions we are to ask ourselves so we can know if we have eternal life. These are just part of the larger set of tests found throughout this letter, but they will help us begin to examine where we stand. The first question we must ask ourselves to know if we have eternal life is this:

Do you walk in the light?

1 John 1:5-7 NIV

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 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, purifies us from all sin.

• This first question starts with God’s nature. Jesus taught the apostles that God is light and that in Him there is no darkness at all. But what does it mean for God to be "light"?
• The declaration “God is light” is a penetrating description of the being and nature of God: it means that He is absolute in glory, absolute in truth, and absolute in holiness. He is the embodiment and source of these things. The phrase “God is light” contains the splendor and glory of God, the truthfulness of God, and the righteousness of God. (See Ps. 27:1, 36:9, 119:130, Isa. 5:20, Mic. 7:8b, John 1:4, 1:9, 8:12, 9:5, 11:9-10. 12:35-36, Rom. 23:11-14, 2 Cor. 4:4-6, 2 Pet. 1:19)
• John plainly tells us that God is light. God is absolute perfection. He is absolute holiness and purity. In Him is no darkness at all. There is no shade, speck, or stain of moral imperfection. In Him is no fault, failure, or falsehood. In Him is no deceit, deviation, or dishonesty. This is why the angels cry “holy, holy, holy” night and day in the glory of His presence (Isa. 6, Rev. 4). This is why when Isaiah saw the Lord in His glory he cried out “woe is me!” (Isa. 6:5). This is why when the Apostle John saw the Lord in His glory on the island of Patmos, he fell down at His feet as though dead (Rev. 1:17). This is why when the twenty-four elders see His glory, they fall down in worship and cast their crowns as His feet (Rev. 4:10). This is why those who see His glory are utterly undone.
• This is God. He is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. If you claim you have fellowship with Him, that you know Him, not just know about Him but truly know Him. If you claim that you have a relationship with God, that you are His son or daughter but walk in the darkness, that is you live for your own glory, not for His, you live according to your truth, not His, you live for your own pleasure, not His. If you are not living out the truth about Him as revealed to us through His word, in His Son by His Spirit, then you are a liar and you don’t have fellowship with Him. You don’t have eternal life.
• Your living is the evidence of your believing. Your faith in Jesus, whether you walk in darkness or light, is evident from your daily thoughts, priorities, and behavior. If someone could have secretly followed you around this week, even gotten into your head, would they have see how you “walk in the light” of a living, breathing relationship with Jesus? You can know that you believe in Jesus if you follow Jesus by learning to live like Him and obey what He has commanded us to do. This is what “walking in the light” means. To walk in the light means to live for the glory of God, to live in the truth of God, to live by the righteousness of God. We come to Jesus, believe in Jesus, and follow Jesus.
• And if we walk in the light of Christ, we have fellowship. We have fellowship with God, and we also have fellowship with other believers. And again, fellowship is a committed and deepening relationship with Him. Walking in the light means keeping Jesus’ commands, but knowing that if we struggle, and we all do with sin, His blood purifies us from all sin. The perfection and goodness of God demands the perfection and goodness of man, if fellowship is to exist between us. The only way we can be “made perfect,” that is to be without sin, is by being forgiven of sin through the atonement of Jesus.
• We are made to have fellowship with God. We are made to have fellowship with others. This can truly and eternally happen when we are in Christ. He purifies us through taking the penalty of our sin upon Himself and extends His grace and forgiveness to us.
• So, you must ask yourselves, do you walk in the light? Are you striving after Christ and following Him? Are you striving to live the truth and the commands of scripture with your life?
• None of us does this perfectly. We all sin. We all fall short of the glory of God. What then? This is where we turn to the next diagnostic question to know if we will receive eternal life.

 Do you own and confess your sins?

 1 John 1:8-10 NIV

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.

 To walk in the light means to become increasingly conscious of sin that would hinder our fellowship with God and our fellow Christians, and as that sin is revealed, not to run away into the darkness again. Rather we bring it, by faith, to the God whose Son gave his life that all our sins might be forgiven and removed. As we do so, the barriers to fellowship are removed and we continue in relationship with God.

• Sin does matter. We dare not redefine it, or pretend it doesn’t exist. Sin is a departure from right. Sin is a departure from righteousness. If our sin demanded the price of the blood of God’s only Son on the cross then it is of paramount importance that we take it seriously, accepting God’s definition of where and what we are by nature and receiving his abundant pardon and restoring love, by grace. This is the outcome:

John 3:19-21 NIV

This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.

• He is faithful and just, the confirmation of the divine nature. He will forgive and purify us – the confirmation of the divine actions – because God is faithful and just. He will always forgive the sin that we confess. He calls us into the light, and then makes us white as snow, time and time and time again. The conviction of Sin is a gift of God. It is a warning alarm of danger in our lives, like a “rumble strip” along side the freeway, it deeps us from going further off course and winding up causing damage and really hurting ourselves and others.
• So we need to own the reality of sin, our sin. We can’t pretend our sin does not exist. We must own it, confess it, and ask God to forgive us. The good news is that all sin can be forgiven in Christ. Now don’t take this as a license to sin; John will talk about this later. But He also addresses it here, because people think this way. He goes on to say:

 1 John 2:1-2NIV

My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.

• He is writing so we do not sin, but he also recognizes that we will sin because of our fallen nature. We are to strive not to sin, but when we do, again the greatest news is that we have an advocate, someone who comes to our aid and stands in our defense. That is Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. There is no other person who can do this for you, not your grandmother, not your pastor, not your friends, not the “saints” or Mary, not Buddha, not Muhammad, nor any religious person. Only Jesus. He is the only Righteous One. He gave His righteous life for ours as an atoning sacrifice, paying the penalty for our sins by giving His righteous life for ours, so that when God looks at us, He sees the righteousness of Christ. He did that for our sins, and also for all those in the world who will turn to Him in belief.

Conclusion

• So today, based on this passage, I am asking you to do business with your soul. If you say you believe in Jesus and have eternal life, I want you to know if this is true. To know if this is true, you must ask yourself, “Am I walking in the light?” And then you must ask yourself, “Do I own and confess my sin?”
• If you say “yes” to these questions, be at peace knowing the assurance of your salvation and your fellowship with God and His people. If you say “no” to one or both of these questions, then don’t deceive yourself about the false reality of the state of your soul. Choose to put your faith in Jesus today, ask Him to forgive you of your sin, ask Him to give you a new heart, and choose to follow Him by knowing Him and doing what He asks. Eternal life is too important to leave in question. Choose to walk in the light today.

 Questions for Growth Groups

• In 1 John 1:5, John says, "God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all." What do you think it means that God is light? How would you define "darkness" in this context?
• How do you see the presence of light and darkness in the world around you?

• Verses 6-7 talk about walking in the light versus walking in darkness. What does it look like to "walk in the light" in your daily life?
• What are some practical ways we can live out our fellowship with God and with others?

• 1 John 1:9 says that "if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins." How does this promise affect the way you approach confession?
• Why is confession important in our relationship with God and with others? How does it free us from guilt and bring us closer to God?

• In 1 John 2:1-2, John reminds us that we have an advocate, Jesus Christ, when we sin. How does knowing that Jesus is your advocate impact the way you think about sin and forgiveness?
• What is the significance of Jesus being the "atoning sacrifice" for our sins? How does this shape your understanding of His love and grace?

• How does receiving God's forgiveness affect your ability to forgive others?

• What steps can you take this week to walk more fully in the light and confess any areas where you are struggling?
• How can we, as a small group, encourage one another to live in the light and grow in our relationship with God?