WEBVTT 00:00:06.029 --> 00:00:14.589 Jared King, born October 24th, 1992. May 24th, 00:00:14.589 --> 00:00:17.449 that was Nick's October 25th. You got me, brother. 00:00:17.769 --> 00:00:20.690 I can mess up on that because I got 25th and 00:00:20.690 --> 00:00:24.730 the 24th. You're right. May 24th, 1992. I got 00:00:24.730 --> 00:00:30.710 saved October 24th of 1992. So anyway. Jared 00:00:30.710 --> 00:00:33.049 graduated from Caring University with a bachelor's 00:00:33.049 --> 00:00:35.630 degree, a master's in Christian counseling, and 00:00:35.630 --> 00:00:40.670 a master's of divinity. To see how God has raised 00:00:40.670 --> 00:00:45.969 this young man in his ways and through his word 00:00:45.969 --> 00:00:49.070 is quite remarkable. I've had the privilege to 00:00:49.070 --> 00:00:52.329 be at his ordination and also to be able to speak 00:00:52.329 --> 00:00:56.549 at his ordination. So without further ado, my 00:00:56.549 --> 00:00:59.250 son, Pastor Jared Cain. Good morning, church. 00:01:00.619 --> 00:01:02.619 Can you hear me? Am I on? Yeah, there we go. 00:01:04.519 --> 00:01:07.780 When my dad asked me to come and open up 1 John 00:01:07.780 --> 00:01:11.439 chapter 1, as I understand it, you guys are going 00:01:11.439 --> 00:01:14.379 to be in there. I'm excited about it. I was like, 00:01:14.400 --> 00:01:20.939 of course. But let's read it together so you'd 00:01:20.939 --> 00:01:23.739 open your Bibles up to John. 1 John chapter 1. 00:01:24.519 --> 00:01:27.680 My dad said the whole chapter. It's only 10 verses. 00:01:30.600 --> 00:01:35.700 Try to be a person of brevity. I will try this 00:01:35.700 --> 00:01:39.299 morning. But we'll read it and we'll pray together. 00:01:42.000 --> 00:01:46.019 1 John 1. That which was from the beginning, 00:01:46.200 --> 00:01:49.680 which we have heard, which we have seen with 00:01:49.680 --> 00:01:53.340 our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched 00:01:53.340 --> 00:01:56.700 with our hands concerning the word of life, the 00:01:56.700 --> 00:01:59.760 life was made manifest, and we have seen it. 00:02:00.170 --> 00:02:03.170 and testify to it, and proclaim to you the eternal 00:02:03.170 --> 00:02:07.209 life, which was with the Father and was made 00:02:07.209 --> 00:02:10.310 manifest to us. That which we have seen and heard, 00:02:10.409 --> 00:02:14.370 we proclaim also to you, so that you may have 00:02:14.370 --> 00:02:16.889 fellowship with us. And indeed, our fellowship 00:02:16.889 --> 00:02:20.330 is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ. 00:02:21.310 --> 00:02:24.150 And we are writing these things so that our joy 00:02:24.150 --> 00:02:28.030 may be complete. This is the message we have 00:02:28.030 --> 00:02:30.009 heard from Him and proclaim to you that God is 00:02:30.009 --> 00:02:34.590 light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we 00:02:34.590 --> 00:02:36.590 say that we have fellowship with Him while we 00:02:36.590 --> 00:02:39.370 walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice 00:02:39.370 --> 00:02:41.250 the truth. But if we walk the light as He is 00:02:41.250 --> 00:02:43.710 in the light, we have fellowship with one another 00:02:43.710 --> 00:02:45.710 and the blood of Jesus, His Son, cleanses us 00:02:45.710 --> 00:02:49.000 from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive 00:02:49.000 --> 00:02:51.659 ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess 00:02:51.659 --> 00:02:54.919 our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive 00:02:54.919 --> 00:02:58.319 us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 00:02:59.460 --> 00:03:02.719 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar 00:03:02.719 --> 00:03:09.500 and his word is not in us. Let's pray. Father, 00:03:09.560 --> 00:03:12.819 we thank you. We thank you for this morning. 00:03:12.860 --> 00:03:15.020 I pray that you would show up. We are helpless. 00:03:15.900 --> 00:03:20.960 We need you. And if you don't show up, none of 00:03:20.960 --> 00:03:24.379 this happens. And so we pray that you would do 00:03:24.379 --> 00:03:26.979 a work in us through your word, that you would 00:03:26.979 --> 00:03:30.319 show us yourself, that you would show us our 00:03:30.319 --> 00:03:33.960 Savior, you would show us ourselves, that you 00:03:33.960 --> 00:03:39.520 would make this book live to us. Amen. It really 00:03:39.520 --> 00:03:41.659 is my pleasure to be with all of you, brothers 00:03:41.659 --> 00:03:44.500 and sisters, today. And I echo the words from 00:03:44.500 --> 00:03:47.620 John. from this chapter, that we may have fellowship 00:03:47.620 --> 00:03:50.819 with each other. And I come with this message 00:03:50.819 --> 00:03:55.199 so that our joy, that is our joy, may be complete. 00:03:56.599 --> 00:03:59.439 So like when I said my dad asked me to come preach, 00:03:59.699 --> 00:04:02.740 I was more than happy to do so, especially from 00:04:02.740 --> 00:04:05.840 John's epistle. And what we heard and see and 00:04:05.840 --> 00:04:09.759 touch before us in this text is relevant for 00:04:09.759 --> 00:04:14.819 us today. First, consider John's day. His letter 00:04:14.819 --> 00:04:19.139 was written around A .D. 70, maybe A .D. 80, 00:04:19.279 --> 00:04:21.620 the year where the Romans destroyed the temple. 00:04:21.660 --> 00:04:24.360 Around that time, he is writing to a church that 00:04:24.360 --> 00:04:27.300 is both scattered and riddled with false teaching, 00:04:27.579 --> 00:04:31.399 a culture steeped in syncretism, meaning a melding 00:04:31.399 --> 00:04:34.379 of different religions together, a culture steeped 00:04:34.379 --> 00:04:36.480 in Gnosticism, meaning there were people in the 00:04:36.480 --> 00:04:40.959 church claiming the way to get to God was through 00:04:40.959 --> 00:04:45.120 a secret knowledge. Like it was this mystic kind 00:04:45.120 --> 00:04:48.139 of thing. There was confusion in the church and 00:04:48.139 --> 00:04:51.399 the culture at large about who Jesus was and 00:04:51.399 --> 00:04:55.259 if he really mattered, that Jesus was actually 00:04:55.259 --> 00:04:58.360 who he said he was, that he actually rose from 00:04:58.360 --> 00:05:00.459 the dead, that he didn't rise from the dead. 00:05:00.600 --> 00:05:02.860 The opponents of the church were teaching that 00:05:02.860 --> 00:05:06.160 Jesus was just, he was a good teacher, but maybe 00:05:06.160 --> 00:05:10.660 he wasn't really God. That God was just spiritual. 00:05:11.879 --> 00:05:15.199 And he didn't send his son Jesus to redeem sinful 00:05:15.199 --> 00:05:20.540 man. That even it was possible to transcend sin 00:05:20.540 --> 00:05:25.480 itself, right? On their own merit and their own 00:05:25.480 --> 00:05:28.199 accord and can potentially live without sin. 00:05:29.800 --> 00:05:33.399 You see where I'm going? They were undermining 00:05:33.399 --> 00:05:37.699 our Lord. You might say, this doesn't happen 00:05:37.699 --> 00:05:44.610 today. It does. I go to the gym five times a 00:05:44.610 --> 00:05:50.709 week, and I talk to the same guys, and my, like, 00:05:50.730 --> 00:05:54.430 scope of just, like, evangelism has just opened 00:05:54.430 --> 00:05:57.029 up. The Lord's just been opening doors. There's 00:05:57.029 --> 00:06:01.870 this old man, his name is Henry, and he's this 00:06:01.870 --> 00:06:07.290 conservative guy you can get, you know, on the 00:06:07.290 --> 00:06:11.689 right side of the aisle. But he's an atheist. 00:06:13.629 --> 00:06:16.709 He hates Jesus because Jesus didn't heal his 00:06:16.709 --> 00:06:22.629 mom before she passed. And so his thing is like, 00:06:22.689 --> 00:06:25.850 Jesus was a good teacher, and I can get down 00:06:25.850 --> 00:06:32.970 with Jesus' teachings, but he can't be that good. 00:06:35.189 --> 00:06:38.629 Right? He can't be God of the universe. There's 00:06:38.629 --> 00:06:40.930 this other gentleman, his name is Corey. Grew 00:06:40.930 --> 00:06:45.750 up in the church. He's divorced from his wife. 00:06:46.990 --> 00:06:49.230 He has an estranged relationship with his daughter. 00:06:49.850 --> 00:06:53.470 He's a younger guy, a little older than me. I'm 00:06:53.470 --> 00:06:58.350 34. And he's kind of the same way. Jesus is a 00:06:58.350 --> 00:07:01.689 good teacher. And all we need is Jesus' teachings 00:07:01.689 --> 00:07:05.550 in the Gospels, the rest of the Bible. That's 00:07:05.550 --> 00:07:10.269 not God's teaching. Right, kind of this syncretism, 00:07:10.310 --> 00:07:14.629 this kind of like confusion on who God says that 00:07:14.629 --> 00:07:20.170 he is. You know, and you know, not only, maybe 00:07:20.170 --> 00:07:24.569 you have a Henry or a Corey. Or consider yourself. 00:07:27.029 --> 00:07:29.569 We don't think our sin is categorically as bad 00:07:29.569 --> 00:07:33.509 as the next person sitting next to us. You see, 00:07:33.550 --> 00:07:38.160 church. Christianity stands or falls on the person 00:07:38.160 --> 00:07:42.759 and work of Jesus Christ, period. It succeeds 00:07:42.759 --> 00:07:45.819 or fails on whether or not Jesus actually says 00:07:45.819 --> 00:07:49.300 who he says he is in his word, or he's a liar. 00:07:50.360 --> 00:07:52.959 And if he is a liar, then we're doomed, right? 00:07:53.019 --> 00:07:54.800 C .S. Lewis says it this way in his book, Mere 00:07:54.800 --> 00:07:58.439 Christianity. A man who was merely a man and 00:07:58.439 --> 00:08:00.360 said the sorts of things Jesus said would not 00:08:00.360 --> 00:08:03.240 be a great moral teacher. He would either be 00:08:03.240 --> 00:08:07.360 a lunatic on a level with the man who says that 00:08:07.360 --> 00:08:11.639 he is a poached egg, or else he would be the 00:08:11.639 --> 00:08:16.180 devil of hell. You must make the choice. Either 00:08:16.180 --> 00:08:19.540 this man was and is the Son of God, or else a 00:08:19.540 --> 00:08:23.379 madman or something worse. You can't shut up 00:08:23.379 --> 00:08:27.439 for him as a fool, and you cannot spit at him 00:08:27.439 --> 00:08:31.500 and kill him as a demon. Or you can fall at his 00:08:31.500 --> 00:08:36.519 feet and call him Lord and God. But let us not 00:08:36.519 --> 00:08:40.480 come with any patronizing nonsense about him 00:08:40.480 --> 00:08:43.799 being a good teacher. He has not left himself 00:08:43.799 --> 00:08:50.500 open to any such thing or intends to do so. Friends, 00:08:50.500 --> 00:08:53.139 if Jesus is Lord, this changes everything. It 00:08:53.139 --> 00:08:55.600 changes everything. It changes everyone. And 00:08:55.600 --> 00:08:59.929 he makes people. He can make Henry a believer. 00:09:00.070 --> 00:09:03.250 He can convert Corey into a Jesus follower, and 00:09:03.250 --> 00:09:05.049 he can help us see the depths of our sinful, 00:09:05.149 --> 00:09:08.429 sinful, sinful hearts so that we would fall on 00:09:08.429 --> 00:09:11.230 our faces and praise God, singing amazing grace, 00:09:11.429 --> 00:09:13.830 how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like 00:09:13.830 --> 00:09:17.629 me. And I mean that. You could sing that with 00:09:17.629 --> 00:09:22.370 every fiber of your being. This is what I believe 00:09:22.370 --> 00:09:28.980 we have here in 1 John, right? the true Jesus 00:09:28.980 --> 00:09:31.360 of the Bible, as he says that he is, written 00:09:31.360 --> 00:09:34.440 by the beloved disciple. And so you might be 00:09:34.440 --> 00:09:38.600 asking, okay, if this is true, and Jesus is real, 00:09:38.799 --> 00:09:42.340 what does this look like? What does fellowship 00:09:42.340 --> 00:09:45.960 with God look like? Well, I'm glad you asked. 00:09:49.120 --> 00:09:52.620 The question is based in this section of verses 00:09:52.620 --> 00:09:57.000 in 1 John 1. Really in verses 3 to 4. And I believe 00:09:57.000 --> 00:10:00.179 John answers that question in all 10 verses. 00:10:00.679 --> 00:10:04.879 And it would be this. True Christians receive 00:10:04.879 --> 00:10:09.720 the light, proclaim the light, and walk in the 00:10:09.720 --> 00:10:13.379 light. True Christians receive the light, proclaim 00:10:13.379 --> 00:10:16.419 the light, and walk in the light. And he does 00:10:16.419 --> 00:10:20.860 this through three movements. So quickly, if 00:10:20.860 --> 00:10:24.710 I can get through these 10 verses. Verses 1 and 00:10:24.710 --> 00:10:28.309 2. So what does fellowship with God look like? 00:10:29.309 --> 00:10:31.750 Well, true Christians receive the light. That's 00:10:31.750 --> 00:10:34.590 what it looks like. We receive it. This is one 00:10:34.590 --> 00:10:36.490 of the greatest openings in all of Scripture. 00:10:36.669 --> 00:10:38.809 That which was from the beginning, which we have 00:10:38.809 --> 00:10:40.870 heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which 00:10:40.870 --> 00:10:43.009 we have looked upon and touched with our hands 00:10:43.009 --> 00:10:45.950 concerning the word of life. The first thing 00:10:45.950 --> 00:10:48.730 to know about fellowship with God is that it 00:10:48.730 --> 00:10:51.639 starts... with the initiation of God, right? 00:10:51.740 --> 00:10:54.580 The first thing to know about this light is that 00:10:54.580 --> 00:10:58.919 he initiates it. This is what he means when he 00:10:58.919 --> 00:11:01.259 says they saw and heard and touched the word 00:11:01.259 --> 00:11:05.720 of life. It was the incarnate Jesus. Friends, 00:11:05.820 --> 00:11:08.100 Jesus is not merely the message of the gospel, 00:11:08.279 --> 00:11:12.070 but he is the object of the gospel. He is the 00:11:12.070 --> 00:11:14.370 gospel. That is where the power of salvation 00:11:14.370 --> 00:11:17.750 comes from, in Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. 00:11:18.190 --> 00:11:21.009 John echoes this in the beginning of his gospel 00:11:21.009 --> 00:11:23.929 in John chapter 1. In the beginning was the Word, 00:11:24.129 --> 00:11:26.850 and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, 00:11:27.029 --> 00:11:29.110 and He was in the beginning with God, and all 00:11:29.110 --> 00:11:31.409 things were made through Him, and without Him 00:11:31.409 --> 00:11:33.929 was not anything made that was made, and in Him 00:11:33.929 --> 00:11:37.230 was the life, and the life was what? The light 00:11:37.230 --> 00:11:41.230 of men. The light shines in the darkness and 00:11:41.230 --> 00:11:43.529 the darkness has not overcome it. And the word 00:11:43.529 --> 00:11:45.889 became flesh and dwelt among us and we have seen 00:11:45.889 --> 00:11:49.429 his glory. That is his light. Glory as the only 00:11:49.429 --> 00:11:51.750 son from the father full of grace and truth. 00:11:52.669 --> 00:11:56.509 Jesus. This is why I say true Christians receive 00:11:56.509 --> 00:12:03.980 the light. God the son. has come so that all 00:12:03.980 --> 00:12:07.100 who did receive him and believed in his name 00:12:07.100 --> 00:12:09.539 would become children of God, not born of blood, 00:12:09.639 --> 00:12:12.299 nor of the will of flesh, nor even the will of 00:12:12.299 --> 00:12:16.740 man, but of God. Church, this is the message 00:12:16.740 --> 00:12:20.840 for us, that Jesus is light. He's the incarnate 00:12:20.840 --> 00:12:24.740 word of God that saves. And John says that we 00:12:24.740 --> 00:12:28.580 have seen this God -man. We heard him. We touched 00:12:28.580 --> 00:12:31.720 him. He was real. He came to live the life we 00:12:31.720 --> 00:12:34.279 could not live, die the death we deserve, and 00:12:34.279 --> 00:12:37.700 raise again to give newness of life. And he continues 00:12:37.700 --> 00:12:39.820 in verse 2, the life that was made manifest, 00:12:39.919 --> 00:12:42.940 and we have seen it and testified to it, and 00:12:42.940 --> 00:12:46.279 proclaimed to you eternal life, which was with 00:12:46.279 --> 00:12:48.740 the Father and was made manifest to us. It's 00:12:48.740 --> 00:12:51.460 just like he's re -saying John chapter 1 from 00:12:51.460 --> 00:12:57.279 his gospel. That is invisible eternal life. became 00:12:57.279 --> 00:13:02.059 visible in the sun. And if Jesus is eternal life, 00:13:02.179 --> 00:13:07.820 as he says he is, like if he really is, he is 00:13:07.820 --> 00:13:12.840 your life today. Today, he sustains you today. 00:13:12.960 --> 00:13:15.220 All the things we just prayed about, he gives 00:13:15.220 --> 00:13:18.799 life to you today, right now. He is no ghost. 00:13:19.240 --> 00:13:25.039 He is no illusion. He was real. He is real. And 00:13:25.039 --> 00:13:27.539 that's what John is arguing against his opponents. 00:13:28.519 --> 00:13:32.080 That he's not just a nice teacher. That there 00:13:32.080 --> 00:13:36.600 is a resurrection. That God did take on flesh. 00:13:37.100 --> 00:13:42.000 And John says, Jesus is who he says he is. And 00:13:42.000 --> 00:13:46.580 he is foundational to your life. The doctrine 00:13:46.580 --> 00:13:49.139 of Christ's manifestation is of paramount importance 00:13:49.139 --> 00:13:53.950 to us because the message, That's where the power 00:13:53.950 --> 00:13:59.690 comes from. His life. The power of Christ. And 00:13:59.690 --> 00:14:03.730 now, you might be asking, why does that matter 00:14:03.730 --> 00:14:09.909 to me? Well, I'm glad you asked. This matters 00:14:09.909 --> 00:14:12.330 to us in two particular ways. One, without Jesus 00:14:12.330 --> 00:14:14.429 coming in the flesh and living and dying and 00:14:14.429 --> 00:14:17.450 raising again, we have no gospel. We have no 00:14:17.450 --> 00:14:20.190 hope. We have nothing. We have nothing to wake 00:14:20.190 --> 00:14:22.750 us up. We have nothing that motivates us, that 00:14:22.750 --> 00:14:25.669 gives us purpose. We have no salvation. But if 00:14:25.669 --> 00:14:32.950 he did do those things, we have everything. We 00:14:32.950 --> 00:14:35.070 have everything for life. We have joy in difficulty. 00:14:35.110 --> 00:14:37.590 We have hope in uncertainty. And we have power 00:14:37.590 --> 00:14:44.429 in our weakness. And two, I'll start off by saying, 00:14:44.490 --> 00:14:49.820 I don't think people... have difficulty squaring 00:14:49.820 --> 00:14:53.759 the idea that Jesus is both God and man. That's 00:14:53.759 --> 00:14:55.559 difficult, but I don't think at the end of the 00:14:55.559 --> 00:15:01.580 day people deny Jesus because He's fully God 00:15:01.580 --> 00:15:08.320 and man. I think it comes down to this. If Jesus 00:15:08.320 --> 00:15:12.700 is real, if He really came and did all the things 00:15:12.700 --> 00:15:15.799 that Scripture says that He did and that He claims 00:15:15.799 --> 00:15:19.269 to have done, then Jesus confronts our human 00:15:19.269 --> 00:15:25.029 desire to save ourselves. Meaning that if Jesus 00:15:25.029 --> 00:15:28.090 is Lord as he claims that he is, there is no 00:15:28.090 --> 00:15:32.669 other recourse than to submit everything to him. 00:15:35.450 --> 00:15:39.570 Submit your life, and I mean all of it. That 00:15:39.570 --> 00:15:41.990 means your house, your car, your health, your 00:15:41.990 --> 00:15:44.210 marriage, your children, your money, your job, 00:15:44.330 --> 00:15:49.440 every bit of it. your comfort. This is no small 00:15:49.440 --> 00:15:53.799 task, but it's the only thing we could do. And 00:15:53.799 --> 00:15:55.879 it's of the utmost importance for He is Lord. 00:15:56.519 --> 00:15:58.519 And you might say, Jared, that's a lot to ask 00:15:58.519 --> 00:16:03.519 for. What has He given me? We're saying it. What 00:16:03.519 --> 00:16:08.019 has He given you? What has He given you, me, 00:16:08.200 --> 00:16:16.299 everything? He gave His life. This is the gospel. 00:16:16.960 --> 00:16:19.860 That before Jesus, you were dead and you needed 00:16:19.860 --> 00:16:21.600 life and you were guilty and you needed forgiveness 00:16:21.600 --> 00:16:24.600 and he meets those two requirements with his 00:16:24.600 --> 00:16:27.539 life, death, and resurrection. Living the life 00:16:27.539 --> 00:16:30.360 perfectly that we could not live so that salvation 00:16:30.360 --> 00:16:32.399 would actually be attainable, that he would fulfill 00:16:32.399 --> 00:16:36.799 all the requirements of the law to give life. 00:16:38.659 --> 00:16:41.399 And then he would die the death that we deserve, 00:16:41.580 --> 00:16:45.059 fulfilling the satisfaction and punishment of 00:16:45.059 --> 00:16:47.340 God's wrath itself, and to raise again to give, 00:16:47.440 --> 00:16:50.840 not just fulfilling the law, but to give newness 00:16:50.840 --> 00:16:55.259 of life. That is the gospel. And if you trust 00:16:55.259 --> 00:16:59.299 it, your two problems are taken care of. And 00:16:59.299 --> 00:17:03.580 it changes everything. This truth is something 00:17:03.580 --> 00:17:06.940 that we receive, though. This truth is something 00:17:06.940 --> 00:17:10.829 that we receive before we work. You can only 00:17:10.829 --> 00:17:12.990 receive the gospel. You cannot work for it. It 00:17:12.990 --> 00:17:16.029 is freely given. True Christians receive the 00:17:16.029 --> 00:17:22.069 light. They receive it. They receive Jesus. And 00:17:22.069 --> 00:17:25.690 then secondly, true Christians proclaim the light. 00:17:26.730 --> 00:17:30.910 Right? When we come to faith and we receive the 00:17:30.910 --> 00:17:34.069 light of life, the light of men, we receive it 00:17:34.069 --> 00:17:37.750 to proclaim it. Look at verses 3 to 4 with me. 00:17:37.849 --> 00:17:41.250 That which we have seen we proclaim to you. Why? 00:17:41.450 --> 00:17:44.910 So that you may have fellowship with us and have 00:17:44.910 --> 00:17:47.650 fellowship with God and our joy may be complete. 00:17:48.750 --> 00:17:52.609 The impact of Jesus on his disciples cannot be 00:17:52.609 --> 00:17:56.269 put into adequate words. They were radically 00:17:56.269 --> 00:18:00.970 and undeniably changed forever. That is what 00:18:00.970 --> 00:18:05.650 John is getting at for us here. In verse 3, it 00:18:05.650 --> 00:18:09.089 begins with what we have seen and heard and has 00:18:09.089 --> 00:18:11.869 been that repeated phrase for the first three 00:18:11.869 --> 00:18:14.390 verses. But notice the main verb of the entire 00:18:14.390 --> 00:18:20.410 section so far is this, proclaim. For John, he 00:18:20.410 --> 00:18:23.190 could not remain silent in the face of his opponents. 00:18:24.109 --> 00:18:26.809 who were teaching falsehoods. He could not remain 00:18:26.809 --> 00:18:29.210 silent in the face of those who did not believe 00:18:29.210 --> 00:18:32.309 in Jesus, and he could not stay silent to his 00:18:32.309 --> 00:18:34.789 brothers and sisters who needed reminding of 00:18:34.789 --> 00:18:38.210 the gospel of God, the light of God, Jesus Christ. 00:18:38.490 --> 00:18:43.210 This light was the life of men, and the life 00:18:43.210 --> 00:18:46.849 was made manifest to him, and it compelled him 00:18:46.849 --> 00:18:51.849 to proclaim the light. There was no alternative. 00:18:52.880 --> 00:18:55.240 And he longed for everyone to experience the 00:18:55.240 --> 00:18:58.779 same fellowship and joy that he had. You know, 00:18:58.779 --> 00:19:01.140 John talks about this fellowship four times in 00:19:01.140 --> 00:19:04.440 the letter, and it encompasses the joy and communion 00:19:04.440 --> 00:19:07.779 of the followers of Jesus that have a common 00:19:07.779 --> 00:19:10.819 belief, they have common values, they have common 00:19:10.819 --> 00:19:14.359 goals. Meaning they love the same things, and 00:19:14.359 --> 00:19:16.940 they have the same purpose and a common agenda 00:19:16.940 --> 00:19:24.019 to make Christ known. And so John wants all to 00:19:24.019 --> 00:19:27.000 come to this believing community of faith in 00:19:27.000 --> 00:19:29.660 Jesus because he loves the church and he loves 00:19:29.660 --> 00:19:35.099 the lost. He wants to invite all people and no 00:19:35.099 --> 00:19:39.920 one is to be excluded from this invitation. No 00:19:39.920 --> 00:19:43.200 one who comes by the way of Jesus, the light, 00:19:43.339 --> 00:19:46.259 the word, the one who gives life will ever be 00:19:46.259 --> 00:19:49.519 denied entrance. Meaning if you have fellowship 00:19:49.519 --> 00:19:52.160 with God the Father and His Son, you have fellowship 00:19:52.160 --> 00:19:58.799 with one another. That is the unity that we have 00:19:58.799 --> 00:20:03.779 with one another. True unity built upon the person 00:20:03.779 --> 00:20:07.940 and work of Jesus Christ. And we often take this 00:20:07.940 --> 00:20:11.680 unity and fellowship for granted. Biblical unity 00:20:11.680 --> 00:20:16.799 is deeper than conformity. Our unity is not built 00:20:16.799 --> 00:20:21.000 on identical opinions, but on the blood of Jesus. 00:20:22.200 --> 00:20:25.880 Consider the gospel that binds each of you at 00:20:25.880 --> 00:20:28.039 this gathering, at your local gathering here. 00:20:28.380 --> 00:20:31.480 Consider your Lord who has tied you together 00:20:31.480 --> 00:20:34.400 so intimately that you can come together no matter 00:20:34.400 --> 00:20:38.000 what corner of the earth you may be on by one 00:20:38.000 --> 00:20:44.599 unifying element, the blood of Jesus. that the 00:20:44.599 --> 00:20:49.359 gospel here is clearly proclaimed among you, 00:20:49.500 --> 00:20:53.279 that your elders care for you, and you are of 00:20:53.279 --> 00:20:58.559 one accord together. Today, think about that. 00:20:59.059 --> 00:21:04.259 That is no small thing. That is much to praise 00:21:04.259 --> 00:21:07.990 God about. You see, biblical fellowship is more 00:21:07.990 --> 00:21:10.609 than just coffee after church or enjoying another's 00:21:10.609 --> 00:21:14.130 company, and it is never conformity to particulars 00:21:14.130 --> 00:21:17.049 that are up for debate. Fellowship is sharing 00:21:17.049 --> 00:21:21.029 a common life in Christ. Because we belong to 00:21:21.029 --> 00:21:27.029 the same Savior, we belong to one another. Then, 00:21:27.049 --> 00:21:32.309 when that is done, and that settles and you sit 00:21:32.309 --> 00:21:37.019 in that, That eternal life in Jesus that transformed 00:21:37.019 --> 00:21:40.480 you, let it flow from you to others that you 00:21:40.480 --> 00:21:44.619 would proclaim the light for all those who walk 00:21:44.619 --> 00:21:47.940 in deep darkness and make it your goal, Christian, 00:21:48.039 --> 00:21:53.759 to add more to your numbers. From your neighbors 00:21:53.759 --> 00:21:56.440 and your family and your friends and even your 00:21:56.440 --> 00:21:59.660 grocery store attendant, add more to this gathering. 00:22:01.259 --> 00:22:03.880 Add them to this family because they need Christ. 00:22:04.160 --> 00:22:07.519 And John continues, though, for us as another 00:22:07.519 --> 00:22:10.680 reason why he proclaims the light. In verse 4, 00:22:10.799 --> 00:22:18.400 to complete his joy. God is most glorified in 00:22:18.400 --> 00:22:22.430 us when we find our joy in him. That is a rewording 00:22:22.430 --> 00:22:24.670 of John Piper's banner -waving phrase. And I 00:22:24.670 --> 00:22:27.130 believe it's true. To find our joy in Christ 00:22:27.130 --> 00:22:30.589 means that we will not rest until the non -believing 00:22:30.589 --> 00:22:34.349 world comes to know the same joy that we love. 00:22:35.930 --> 00:22:39.869 Think of verse 4 as a motivation for John's proclaiming 00:22:39.869 --> 00:22:44.130 the light. And it should be ours as well. Joy 00:22:44.130 --> 00:22:48.549 in God. You see, John's joy was not complete 00:22:48.549 --> 00:22:51.940 until the world around him shared, the Christ 00:22:51.940 --> 00:22:56.839 that he loved. He needed those around him to 00:22:56.839 --> 00:23:00.960 know the joy giver. There was too much darkness. 00:23:01.039 --> 00:23:03.500 There was too much blind men. There were too 00:23:03.500 --> 00:23:08.480 many people stuck, and he had the cure, the light 00:23:08.480 --> 00:23:12.859 of life, Jesus. And this is not a partial joy. 00:23:13.460 --> 00:23:16.359 This is a complete joy, an all -encompassing 00:23:16.359 --> 00:23:22.259 joy, a full joy. All we could ever want or need 00:23:22.259 --> 00:23:25.640 is wrapped in the single life of Jesus Christ, 00:23:25.859 --> 00:23:30.819 and it is He who provides life and light to all 00:23:30.819 --> 00:23:35.559 peoples. We have fullness of joy in our shared 00:23:35.559 --> 00:23:43.039 life with Him, the Father and the Son. The fullness 00:23:43.039 --> 00:23:45.579 of our joy is ours through our friendship with 00:23:45.579 --> 00:23:49.380 one another, with God, with Jesus, the Father. 00:23:50.380 --> 00:23:52.299 And this is only possible through the gospel 00:23:52.299 --> 00:23:56.039 of Jesus Christ, the light of God, God's Son. 00:23:57.619 --> 00:24:02.180 So you may ask, okay, well, what's that about? 00:24:02.799 --> 00:24:05.819 How do I, what does that mean for me? I'm glad 00:24:05.819 --> 00:24:08.500 you asked. But I'm going to ask you a question, 00:24:08.640 --> 00:24:14.619 and you can think about it. Very basic application 00:24:14.619 --> 00:24:20.700 of question from those two verses. Is your joy 00:24:20.700 --> 00:24:24.960 not complete until the world around you knows 00:24:24.960 --> 00:24:35.279 the Jesus you love? Proclaim the light and watch 00:24:35.279 --> 00:24:40.259 Him do wonders. But that's not all. Verse 5, 00:24:40.500 --> 00:24:46.519 10. Walk in the light. True Christians receive 00:24:46.519 --> 00:24:49.559 the light. True Christians proclaim the light. 00:24:49.640 --> 00:24:54.900 True Christians walk in the light, right? John 00:24:54.900 --> 00:24:57.099 continues his argument, dialing in for us what 00:24:57.099 --> 00:25:00.980 the message is and what it does, that true Christians 00:25:00.980 --> 00:25:04.240 walk in the light. Verse 5 tells us in one succinct 00:25:04.240 --> 00:25:08.319 sentence what the message of this is at its core. 00:25:08.640 --> 00:25:11.900 God is a light, and in Him there is no darkness 00:25:11.900 --> 00:25:15.079 at all. This is a character description of God 00:25:15.079 --> 00:25:19.759 Himself. that John even proclaims that Jesus 00:25:19.759 --> 00:25:23.259 made himself. He says this in John 8 .12. If 00:25:23.259 --> 00:25:25.299 you're familiar with the Gospel of John, he says, 00:25:25.339 --> 00:25:27.000 I am the light of the world. Whoever follows 00:25:27.000 --> 00:25:29.599 me will not walk in darkness, but will have the 00:25:29.599 --> 00:25:34.059 light of life. The light we receive, the light 00:25:34.059 --> 00:25:36.920 that we proclaim, and now the light that we walk 00:25:36.920 --> 00:25:41.299 in is not simply a message. It is a person. It's 00:25:41.299 --> 00:25:45.349 Jesus. This is significant for John because light 00:25:45.349 --> 00:25:47.730 provides illumination in dark places and shows 00:25:47.730 --> 00:25:51.329 us where we need to go when it's hard to see. 00:25:53.410 --> 00:25:55.769 Jesus, who is light, provides us an example of 00:25:55.769 --> 00:26:00.150 how to live, on how to walk. Light is also a 00:26:00.150 --> 00:26:03.210 means of purification, and for Jesus, to be light 00:26:03.210 --> 00:26:08.130 means he's holy, he's glorious, he's a purifier. 00:26:11.880 --> 00:26:16.440 That this light of men shines so brightly, it 00:26:16.440 --> 00:26:20.759 means to purify every sin -stained fiber of our 00:26:20.759 --> 00:26:24.039 being so that we would be in perfect fellowship 00:26:24.039 --> 00:26:29.680 with God. Light here for John is not just a nice 00:26:29.680 --> 00:26:32.859 allegory, it's not just an illusion to think 00:26:32.859 --> 00:26:35.920 of our Savior, but to teach us what is truly 00:26:35.920 --> 00:26:40.599 ethical and moral in God's economy. Simply put, 00:26:41.920 --> 00:26:46.519 God is light, so walk in the light. This is clear 00:26:46.519 --> 00:26:50.259 in verse 6, which begins this kind of three -part 00:26:50.259 --> 00:26:52.720 correction of the false teachers and people who 00:26:52.720 --> 00:26:56.880 claimed weird things, right? John says, if we 00:26:56.880 --> 00:26:59.740 say we have fellowship with God, that is with 00:26:59.740 --> 00:27:09.119 Him, but walk in darkness, we're a liar. The 00:27:09.119 --> 00:27:11.980 claim that some were making, was that they had 00:27:11.980 --> 00:27:15.019 fellowship with God, like true relationship. 00:27:15.119 --> 00:27:16.759 This was their claim. They had true relationship 00:27:16.759 --> 00:27:18.799 with Him, and yet were walking in darkness, meaning 00:27:18.799 --> 00:27:25.160 they were living sinful lives continually. John's 00:27:25.160 --> 00:27:29.119 indictment does not mince words. Those who claim 00:27:29.119 --> 00:27:32.980 such things are liars, and they don't practice 00:27:32.980 --> 00:27:36.839 the truth. Right? You're like, well, how does 00:27:36.839 --> 00:27:39.700 that play out today? Just get your flavor of 00:27:39.700 --> 00:27:43.980 politician. All of them are Christians. Are they? 00:27:47.380 --> 00:27:51.019 It's crazy. Or just your favorite celebrity. 00:27:51.599 --> 00:27:55.200 Everyone uses Jesus as a bumper sticker, but 00:27:55.200 --> 00:27:59.000 it doesn't change them. Jesus changes people. 00:28:00.940 --> 00:28:05.240 So it's not compatible. You can't practice the 00:28:05.240 --> 00:28:09.920 truth when you lie about it. That is... They 00:28:09.920 --> 00:28:13.440 don't practice it. They don't do the truth. Such 00:28:13.440 --> 00:28:15.640 a person deceives themselves as they claim to 00:28:15.640 --> 00:28:17.980 have fellowship with God, but because of the 00:28:17.980 --> 00:28:20.380 incompatibility between the character of God 00:28:20.380 --> 00:28:23.420 as light and their own character as sinful men 00:28:23.420 --> 00:28:27.819 living in darkness, they are liars. And you see 00:28:27.819 --> 00:28:29.559 they were deceived in thinking that they could 00:28:29.559 --> 00:28:32.279 have fellowship with God and still make a practice 00:28:32.279 --> 00:28:36.849 of sin. Our sin is so egregious, it's so unholy, 00:28:36.869 --> 00:28:40.029 it's so filled with darkness, that it is in complete 00:28:40.029 --> 00:28:43.609 contrary nature to who even God is as light. 00:28:44.390 --> 00:28:47.269 Friends, if you want to know who God is, just 00:28:47.269 --> 00:28:50.549 look around. You don't have to look at a particular 00:28:50.549 --> 00:28:54.930 politician. Look at us, this room. It's amazing 00:28:54.930 --> 00:28:58.849 that God has kept the roof above our heads when 00:28:58.849 --> 00:29:00.849 he could have collapsed it upon us because of 00:29:00.849 --> 00:29:06.619 our sin. That's how bad sin really is. It's a 00:29:06.619 --> 00:29:10.240 cosmic rebellion against God. But we have this 00:29:10.240 --> 00:29:14.839 promise. God is light, and in Him there is no 00:29:14.839 --> 00:29:20.119 darkness. There is no fine print with God. Bring 00:29:20.119 --> 00:29:25.099 your nothing, and you receive everything. This 00:29:25.099 --> 00:29:28.819 is grace, and this is verse 7, the gospel for 00:29:28.819 --> 00:29:32.380 us this morning. But if we walk in the light 00:29:32.380 --> 00:29:34.720 as he is in the light, we have fellowship with 00:29:34.720 --> 00:29:37.380 God and with one another, and the blood of Jesus, 00:29:37.500 --> 00:29:41.660 his Son, cleanses us from all sin. John's logic. 00:29:41.740 --> 00:29:44.220 Follow me for a second. Follow me. God is light. 00:29:44.779 --> 00:29:47.440 That is the message that they proclaim and we 00:29:47.440 --> 00:29:51.240 proclaim. And if he is light, then if we are 00:29:51.240 --> 00:29:55.200 in him, we are in the light. This is the opposite 00:29:55.200 --> 00:29:58.059 of living in darkness. True Christians walk in 00:29:58.059 --> 00:30:00.579 the light. And when we walk in the light, there 00:30:00.579 --> 00:30:03.559 are particular benefits to walking in the light. 00:30:04.660 --> 00:30:06.920 Namely, we have fellowship with one another, 00:30:07.160 --> 00:30:11.339 right? The whole company of God's people. But 00:30:11.339 --> 00:30:16.099 how does this happen? By what power, by what 00:30:16.099 --> 00:30:24.420 power do we walk in the light? The blood of Christ. 00:30:26.720 --> 00:30:29.829 That is what I meant. when I say verse 7, is 00:30:29.829 --> 00:30:32.369 the gospel for us. When we are in the light, 00:30:32.430 --> 00:30:35.950 we are immediately aware of the stains on our 00:30:35.950 --> 00:30:38.130 clothes, and we can see the devastating effects 00:30:38.130 --> 00:30:41.789 of sin on our lives, and the light illuminates 00:30:41.789 --> 00:30:44.450 the darkness and begins to do something powerful. 00:30:44.630 --> 00:30:49.869 It cleanses. The sinful man comes, sin and all, 00:30:50.029 --> 00:30:55.390 into the light, and to his amazement, that Each 00:30:55.390 --> 00:31:01.009 dark blemish begins to disappear. The blood of 00:31:01.009 --> 00:31:04.950 Jesus, God's Son, cleanses from all sin. And 00:31:04.950 --> 00:31:08.109 John is speaking of the death of our Lord. This 00:31:08.109 --> 00:31:10.930 was always the pattern, even in the Old Testament. 00:31:11.150 --> 00:31:14.289 Someone would give a sacrifice for sin, blood 00:31:14.289 --> 00:31:17.069 would be shed, that sacrifice would cover them, 00:31:17.250 --> 00:31:20.930 and it would purify them, and their life was 00:31:20.930 --> 00:31:23.910 found in that sacrifice. The same... It's for 00:31:23.910 --> 00:31:29.809 us, friends. The same is for us. For our Lord 00:31:29.809 --> 00:31:33.009 does the same thing. Christ's death was to purify 00:31:33.009 --> 00:31:36.170 us from sin, to remove our sin, to forgive our 00:31:36.170 --> 00:31:38.609 sin and its defiling effects that we would no 00:31:38.609 --> 00:31:42.890 longer be condemned in the sight of God. That 00:31:42.890 --> 00:31:47.809 God's judgment would be removed from us and placed 00:31:47.809 --> 00:31:57.259 on another. Jesus. That he would be a satisfying 00:31:57.259 --> 00:32:01.000 sacrifice. That his life, death, and resurrection 00:32:01.000 --> 00:32:04.140 would be an aroma to God that was just not pleasing, 00:32:04.220 --> 00:32:12.079 but sufficient. That is the gospel. And although 00:32:12.079 --> 00:32:14.519 we fight sin daily, our victory is found in the 00:32:14.519 --> 00:32:17.500 power of Jesus, who has defeated both the penalty 00:32:17.500 --> 00:32:22.200 of sin and the power of sin for us. Praise God. 00:32:23.789 --> 00:32:28.690 So awaken from your sinful slumber. Walk in the 00:32:28.690 --> 00:32:32.089 light. John doesn't allow us to sit comfortably, 00:32:32.269 --> 00:32:35.029 though. He continues to call us to war with our 00:32:35.029 --> 00:32:39.970 sin as he continues by saying, if we say we have 00:32:39.970 --> 00:32:42.049 no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is 00:32:42.049 --> 00:32:44.970 not in us. He's reiterating his earlier point, 00:32:45.029 --> 00:32:49.650 except the lie gets deeper. There were those 00:32:49.650 --> 00:32:51.990 who not only said they had fellowship with God 00:32:51.990 --> 00:32:54.230 and lived like hell, but also there were those 00:32:54.230 --> 00:32:58.329 who said that they had no sin. That is, that 00:32:58.329 --> 00:33:00.710 they believed they had transcended sin, that 00:33:00.710 --> 00:33:02.730 they were not actively sinning when they actually 00:33:02.730 --> 00:33:06.730 were. Right? They didn't need to be cleansed 00:33:06.730 --> 00:33:10.609 from sin because they had none. This is blasphemy. 00:33:13.289 --> 00:33:15.769 For if you remove sin, you remove the necessity 00:33:15.769 --> 00:33:20.839 of the Savior. So to say that you have sin or 00:33:20.839 --> 00:33:23.140 to say that you have no sin means that you are 00:33:23.140 --> 00:33:28.240 a liar. But the converse is that if we say that 00:33:28.240 --> 00:33:31.880 we are sinners, the truth is in us. The takeaway? 00:33:33.000 --> 00:33:38.299 Admit your sin, church. Admit your need. Admit 00:33:38.299 --> 00:33:42.200 your helplessness. Is your walk in the light 00:33:42.200 --> 00:33:47.059 characterized by confession and repentance and 00:33:47.059 --> 00:33:51.450 perseverance? John seems to think so because 00:33:51.450 --> 00:33:54.349 he says in the next verse, if we confess our 00:33:54.349 --> 00:33:56.730 sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our 00:33:56.730 --> 00:33:58.789 sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 00:33:59.430 --> 00:34:03.509 If we confess, God is faithful. I need you to 00:34:03.509 --> 00:34:08.309 catch this with me. Our cleansing is not conditional 00:34:08.309 --> 00:34:12.769 on our confession. Right? Not in and of itself. 00:34:13.329 --> 00:34:16.150 But by trusting in the faithfulness of Christ, 00:34:16.269 --> 00:34:19.800 that's where our cleansing comes from. It is 00:34:19.800 --> 00:34:22.280 not the confession itself that cleanses, but 00:34:22.280 --> 00:34:24.579 God's faithfulness through the blood of His Son, 00:34:24.659 --> 00:34:29.119 Jesus, that cleanses us. To confess our sins 00:34:29.119 --> 00:34:31.519 is not merely to admit that we are sinners, but 00:34:31.519 --> 00:34:34.300 to lay it before God and to seek His forgiveness. 00:34:34.500 --> 00:34:37.739 And if we do so, we can be sure of this thing, 00:34:37.900 --> 00:34:41.360 that He will forgive you, that He will purify 00:34:41.360 --> 00:34:46.019 you. Based on what grounds? I'm glad you asked. 00:34:46.440 --> 00:34:50.900 His own character. not the strength of your confession. 00:34:52.300 --> 00:34:56.639 He is faithful, and not just faithful, but just 00:34:56.639 --> 00:35:04.360 to forgive sin that is confessed. The faithfulness 00:35:04.360 --> 00:35:08.860 lies in God's adherence to His promise that He 00:35:08.860 --> 00:35:14.260 will save His people. Is that not the same of 00:35:14.260 --> 00:35:16.539 the writer of Hebrews when... The writer says 00:35:16.539 --> 00:35:18.699 in chapter 9, Therefore, brothers, since we have 00:35:18.699 --> 00:35:21.000 a confidence to enter the holy places by the 00:35:21.000 --> 00:35:23.380 blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that 00:35:23.380 --> 00:35:25.199 he opened for us through the curtain that is 00:35:25.199 --> 00:35:27.860 his flesh, and since we have a great high priest 00:35:27.860 --> 00:35:30.719 over the house of God, let us draw near, near 00:35:30.719 --> 00:35:33.719 with a true heart of full assurance of faith, 00:35:33.800 --> 00:35:36.820 with our hearts sprinkled clean from every evil 00:35:36.820 --> 00:35:39.900 conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 00:35:41.389 --> 00:35:44.150 It is John that reminds us of this point in verse 00:35:44.150 --> 00:35:47.409 7. But God, being rich in mercy, has removed 00:35:47.409 --> 00:35:50.769 the guilt and power of sin in the human heart 00:35:50.769 --> 00:35:56.130 to walk in the light. For darkness has no power 00:35:56.130 --> 00:36:00.730 over you. And yet again, the detractors, if you 00:36:00.730 --> 00:36:04.409 see the last verse for us, if we say we have 00:36:04.409 --> 00:36:06.409 not sinned, we make him a liar and his word is 00:36:06.409 --> 00:36:11.179 not in us. It is one thing to deny. Present sinfulness. 00:36:11.440 --> 00:36:15.800 It is another to deny past acts of sin, and that's 00:36:15.800 --> 00:36:19.119 what the claim is here. This truly is the final 00:36:19.119 --> 00:36:21.280 nail in the coffin for them, and John's indictment 00:36:21.280 --> 00:36:29.719 is a heavy one. Their claim is that they had 00:36:29.719 --> 00:36:35.880 no sin even in the past. And John says, it's 00:36:35.880 --> 00:36:40.280 not that you're just a liar. You make God a liar. 00:36:41.960 --> 00:36:47.400 And his word is not in you. Yes, that word, the 00:36:47.400 --> 00:36:51.800 living word, Jesus. Jesus has not made his home 00:36:51.800 --> 00:36:54.420 in you if you say such things. The claim that 00:36:54.420 --> 00:36:57.920 one has never sinned once again claims man as 00:36:57.920 --> 00:37:01.280 his own savior, disregarding his need for Christ 00:37:01.280 --> 00:37:04.860 and the Lord of all. who is the only way to the 00:37:04.860 --> 00:37:07.679 Father and the only way to life, who is the light 00:37:07.679 --> 00:37:10.260 of life, the only one who purifies from all sin 00:37:10.260 --> 00:37:13.239 by his life, death, and resurrection. To claim 00:37:13.239 --> 00:37:15.940 this would be a rejection of the entirety of 00:37:15.940 --> 00:37:20.019 the scriptures, and the narrative is one of universal 00:37:20.019 --> 00:37:24.260 sin and man's natural bent to be enemies of God. 00:37:24.420 --> 00:37:30.139 But God sends his Son to save sinful man because 00:37:30.139 --> 00:37:33.769 men could not save themselves. So that all who 00:37:33.769 --> 00:37:35.869 would come to be justified by faith in Christ 00:37:35.869 --> 00:37:39.190 alone, by grace alone, would receive the light, 00:37:39.309 --> 00:37:42.489 becoming children of God, proclaiming the light 00:37:42.489 --> 00:37:45.570 to make others children of God and to walk in 00:37:45.570 --> 00:37:51.590 the light as children of God. So church, this 00:37:51.590 --> 00:37:56.030 morning, I asked one central question. What does 00:37:56.030 --> 00:37:59.449 fellowship with God look like? John's answer 00:37:59.449 --> 00:38:03.150 is not secret knowledge. It's not performance. 00:38:03.510 --> 00:38:07.070 It's not pretending to have no sin. It's not 00:38:07.070 --> 00:38:09.250 merely claiming to know God and living like a 00:38:09.250 --> 00:38:12.670 person who does not. The answer here is true 00:38:12.670 --> 00:38:15.769 Christians receive the light, proclaim the light, 00:38:15.909 --> 00:38:21.429 and walk in the light. So some of you here, you've 00:38:21.429 --> 00:38:26.130 heard and you've never received the light. You've 00:38:26.130 --> 00:38:29.269 admired Jesus as a good teacher, but never Lord. 00:38:30.280 --> 00:38:33.099 You never submitted to who he actually is. I 00:38:33.099 --> 00:38:37.059 invite you, as John does, to submit to the real 00:38:37.059 --> 00:38:41.139 Jesus, to come to the light, receive Christ as 00:38:41.139 --> 00:38:44.400 he receives sinners, and his blood cleanses from 00:38:44.400 --> 00:38:48.519 all sin. Some of you here, you've received the 00:38:48.519 --> 00:38:50.500 light, but never proclaimed the light. You've 00:38:50.500 --> 00:38:54.179 hidden it under a bushel. John reminds us that 00:38:54.179 --> 00:38:58.599 Christ is the one we receive. He is the light. 00:38:59.509 --> 00:39:02.170 And this Christ is the one we proclaim to the 00:39:02.170 --> 00:39:06.730 dark world who will illuminate the dark. So even 00:39:06.730 --> 00:39:12.949 if they stone you like they did Stephen, well 00:39:12.949 --> 00:39:20.510 done. God wins. So do you. You get Jesus. They 00:39:20.510 --> 00:39:24.570 spit at you. They get angry at you. Go unafraid 00:39:24.570 --> 00:39:27.380 to share the light of the world. Christ and Him 00:39:27.380 --> 00:39:29.940 crucified. And some of you here, you're just 00:39:29.940 --> 00:39:33.800 tired. You're tired because you're sin. And you're 00:39:33.800 --> 00:39:36.039 tired because of the effects of sin. They seem 00:39:36.039 --> 00:39:40.000 unbearable. They seem insurmountable. Friends, 00:39:40.000 --> 00:39:43.760 confess your sins because He is faithful and 00:39:43.760 --> 00:39:47.519 just to forgive sins and cleanse from all unrighteousness. 00:39:47.980 --> 00:39:51.159 Never run from the light because of your sin. 00:39:52.159 --> 00:39:55.039 Instead, run into the light because that is where 00:39:55.039 --> 00:39:59.420 cleansing and rest is found. The light Jesus 00:39:59.420 --> 00:40:02.539 Christ has come into the world. And I urge all 00:40:02.539 --> 00:40:06.940 of us, especially myself, receive Him, proclaim 00:40:06.940 --> 00:40:12.420 Him, and walk in Him. Let's pray. Father, we 00:40:12.420 --> 00:40:15.619 come before You and we thank You for Your Word. 00:40:16.380 --> 00:40:21.769 We pray that You would apply it to us. that you 00:40:21.769 --> 00:40:27.170 would help us see you, see our true Savior, and 00:40:27.170 --> 00:40:30.710 see ourselves. Make this book live to us. Amen.