1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:07,000 If you will now, turn with me in your Bibles to 1 John. 2 00:00:07,000 --> 00:00:19,000 1 John. And I'm going to be reading from chapter 1 at verse 5 to chapter 2, verse 2. 3 00:00:19,000 --> 00:00:24,000 Let me give you a little bit of background on why this is so important. 4 00:00:24,000 --> 00:00:32,000 1 John. It was written by the beloved disciple John. 5 00:00:32,000 --> 00:00:37,000 He's writing from Ephesus, perhaps laid in his life, and there is a problem. 6 00:00:37,000 --> 00:00:48,000 You have false teachers coming into the church, and their teaching is leading people astray from what Jesus Christ had taught. 7 00:00:48,000 --> 00:00:58,000 They were the type of people who believed, you've got to have a special knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, and not everybody has that. 8 00:00:58,000 --> 00:01:03,000 Here, John is contradicting that. 9 00:01:03,000 --> 00:01:09,000 He's telling people how they are to live and believe in the Kingdom of God. 10 00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:14,000 Believe me, some of the questions that are brought up back then are still with us today. 11 00:01:14,000 --> 00:01:23,000 So let's read another section in which John tells us what is expected. 12 00:01:23,000 --> 00:01:29,000 This is the message we have heard from him and declared to you. 13 00:01:29,000 --> 00:01:33,000 God is light. 14 00:01:33,000 --> 00:01:35,000 In him there is no darkness at all. 15 00:01:35,000 --> 00:01:45,000 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 16 00:01:45,000 --> 00:01:55,000 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. 17 00:01:55,000 --> 00:02:03,000 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 18 00:02:03,000 --> 00:02:12,000 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 19 00:02:12,000 --> 00:02:20,000 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar, and his word is not in us. 20 00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:26,000 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. 21 00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:33,000 And if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous one. 22 00:02:33,000 --> 00:02:43,000 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sin, and not only our sins, but also the sins of the whole world. 23 00:02:43,000 --> 00:02:51,000 Let's pray and ask God to bless what we have read. 24 00:02:51,000 --> 00:02:56,000 Our Heavenly Father, please be with us now as we listen. 25 00:02:56,000 --> 00:03:11,000 Instruct us, Holy Spirit, so that we can live lives that are pleasing to you, but show us your grace, that it's not all to us alone, that Jesus is with us. 26 00:03:11,000 --> 00:03:16,000 Hear our prayer now, amen. 27 00:03:16,000 --> 00:03:20,000 We all have to make choices in life. 28 00:03:20,000 --> 00:03:26,000 I want you to think about going to Walmart if that is where you're doing your shopping. 29 00:03:26,000 --> 00:03:29,000 Let's say you want to buy toothpaste. 30 00:03:29,000 --> 00:03:33,000 Think of all the options that you have for toothpaste. 31 00:03:33,000 --> 00:03:37,000 Oh, you've got your crust, you've got your Colgate, you've got your aim. 32 00:03:37,000 --> 00:03:43,000 Then you've got your various flavors that can go with your toothpaste. 33 00:03:43,000 --> 00:03:49,000 Now, at one time, there was only about two or three toothpaste brands you could get, but that's all changed. 34 00:03:49,000 --> 00:03:53,000 And it's not just toothpaste. 35 00:03:53,000 --> 00:03:57,000 You've got other choices you can make as well. 36 00:03:57,000 --> 00:04:00,000 I don't like going to Barnes & Noble anymore. 37 00:04:00,000 --> 00:04:03,000 Why? Because there are all these different books there's too many to choose from. 38 00:04:03,000 --> 00:04:05,000 Mine is we'll just go to the Internet. 39 00:04:05,000 --> 00:04:07,000 Choices, choices, choices. 40 00:04:07,000 --> 00:04:13,000 Even on TV, I remember the days, black and white, three channels. 41 00:04:13,000 --> 00:04:14,000 That's all you got. 42 00:04:14,000 --> 00:04:19,000 Now, oh my, you've got hundreds and hundreds of channels to choose from. 43 00:04:19,000 --> 00:04:26,000 And sometimes those choices we have to make are relatively trivial. 44 00:04:26,000 --> 00:04:32,000 But occasionally, you have to make choices that are much more significant. 45 00:04:32,000 --> 00:04:37,000 Such choices as what is going to be my calling in life, what will be the job. 46 00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:43,000 And if you do that, it's a choice that is going to affect you for 20, 30 years or so. 47 00:04:43,000 --> 00:04:45,000 Who are you going to marry? 48 00:04:45,000 --> 00:04:50,000 That could affect you for years and years and years to come. 49 00:04:50,000 --> 00:04:59,000 And one of the greatest choices of all which has eternal consequences is to follow Christ. 50 00:04:59,000 --> 00:05:02,000 There really is only two choices. 51 00:05:02,000 --> 00:05:07,000 You either follow Him or you don't. 52 00:05:07,000 --> 00:05:11,000 You will either enjoy the presence of God or you won't. 53 00:05:11,000 --> 00:05:13,000 You will follow His ways or you won't. 54 00:05:13,000 --> 00:05:20,000 You will have a future inheritance with Him or you won't. 55 00:05:20,000 --> 00:05:24,000 You will either reject His presence or you won't. 56 00:05:24,000 --> 00:05:27,000 You will either accept His ways or reject His ways. 57 00:05:27,000 --> 00:05:33,000 You will either rejoice of what you have with Jesus or you won't. 58 00:05:33,000 --> 00:05:40,000 Well, today's passage really is about a choice. 59 00:05:40,000 --> 00:05:42,000 The choice comes down to this. 60 00:05:42,000 --> 00:05:48,000 You can either walk in the light as He is in the light or you can walk in darkness. 61 00:05:48,000 --> 00:05:51,000 It is basically a twofold choice. 62 00:05:51,000 --> 00:05:52,000 One or the other. 63 00:05:52,000 --> 00:05:56,000 Walking in the light, walking in darkness. 64 00:05:56,000 --> 00:06:02,000 So let's see about that choice you can make. 65 00:06:02,000 --> 00:06:06,000 Now right away, I know there's going to be some objections. 66 00:06:06,000 --> 00:06:07,000 It's too narrow. 67 00:06:07,000 --> 00:06:11,000 Certainly there are more options than just two. 68 00:06:11,000 --> 00:06:17,000 Don't we live in this multicultural world where you've got all these religions? 69 00:06:17,000 --> 00:06:20,000 Well, what does Jesus say? 70 00:06:20,000 --> 00:06:24,000 I am the way, the truth and the light? 71 00:06:24,000 --> 00:06:27,000 And what does this passage say? 72 00:06:27,000 --> 00:06:31,000 Either we believe what Jesus says or we don't. 73 00:06:31,000 --> 00:06:36,000 And right now, Jesus is saying to you through John, 74 00:06:36,000 --> 00:06:39,000 you have two choices. 75 00:06:39,000 --> 00:06:44,000 You walk in the light or you walk in the darkness. 76 00:06:44,000 --> 00:06:49,000 So let's see what it means for you to walk in darkness. 77 00:06:49,000 --> 00:06:52,000 Now that's not the recommended course, 78 00:06:52,000 --> 00:06:57,000 but it is an option that you have walking in darkness. 79 00:06:57,000 --> 00:07:02,000 I remember one of the things that my mom used to say to me, 80 00:07:02,000 --> 00:07:07,000 nothing good happens after dark. 81 00:07:07,000 --> 00:07:08,000 And you know what? 82 00:07:08,000 --> 00:07:09,000 She was right. 83 00:07:09,000 --> 00:07:14,000 It seems that a lot of the crime that takes place happens when? 84 00:07:14,000 --> 00:07:17,000 Under the cover of night. 85 00:07:17,000 --> 00:07:20,000 People can't see you. 86 00:07:20,000 --> 00:07:23,000 It creates a problem. 87 00:07:23,000 --> 00:07:27,000 And that's why growing up, after about nine or ten o'clock, 88 00:07:27,000 --> 00:07:30,000 no one went outside. 89 00:07:30,000 --> 00:07:36,000 Because it was dark and you never knew what would happen. 90 00:07:36,000 --> 00:07:39,000 Darkness in the Bible. 91 00:07:39,000 --> 00:07:47,000 It has the connotations of evil, of sinfulness. 92 00:07:47,000 --> 00:07:51,000 I want you to think of Sodom and Gomorrah and what went on there. 93 00:07:51,000 --> 00:07:53,000 When did it happen? 94 00:07:53,000 --> 00:07:55,000 At night. 95 00:07:55,000 --> 00:07:57,000 And we can look at other passages in the Bible, 96 00:07:57,000 --> 00:08:00,000 such as Romans chapter 13, 97 00:08:00,000 --> 00:08:03,000 and listen to what the Bible says here. 98 00:08:03,000 --> 00:08:05,000 It says in verse 12, 99 00:08:05,000 --> 00:08:07,000 the night is nearly over. 100 00:08:07,000 --> 00:08:09,000 The day is almost here. 101 00:08:09,000 --> 00:08:12,000 So let us put aside the deeds of darkness 102 00:08:12,000 --> 00:08:16,000 and put on the armor of light. 103 00:08:16,000 --> 00:08:19,000 Let us behave decently as in the daytime, 104 00:08:19,000 --> 00:08:21,000 not in carousing and in drunkenness, 105 00:08:21,000 --> 00:08:24,000 not in sexual immorality and debauchery, 106 00:08:24,000 --> 00:08:26,000 not in dissection and jealousy. 107 00:08:26,000 --> 00:08:30,000 Rather, clothes yourself as with the Lord Jesus Christ. 108 00:08:30,000 --> 00:08:36,000 In the Bible, darkness is synonymous, 109 00:08:36,000 --> 00:08:41,000 many a time, with sinfulness. 110 00:08:41,000 --> 00:08:44,000 In fact, in John 319 it says this, 111 00:08:44,000 --> 00:08:46,000 and this is the judgment, 112 00:08:46,000 --> 00:08:48,000 that light has come into the world 113 00:08:48,000 --> 00:08:52,000 and men love darkness rather than light 114 00:08:52,000 --> 00:08:56,000 because their deeds were evil. 115 00:08:56,000 --> 00:08:59,000 And you can go back into the Old Testament in Isaiah 116 00:08:59,000 --> 00:09:06,000 where it says the people were walking in darkness. 117 00:09:06,000 --> 00:09:08,000 Darkness. 118 00:09:08,000 --> 00:09:11,000 Synonymous with sinfulness 119 00:09:11,000 --> 00:09:16,000 and being away from the presence of God. 120 00:09:16,000 --> 00:09:19,000 And if you look around the world, 121 00:09:19,000 --> 00:09:22,000 you would see this. 122 00:09:22,000 --> 00:09:25,000 Think of the lies that are told. 123 00:09:25,000 --> 00:09:29,000 Remember when the Ukraine war started? 124 00:09:29,000 --> 00:09:32,000 What did Putin say? 125 00:09:32,000 --> 00:09:35,000 Oh, we're not going to invade. 126 00:09:35,000 --> 00:09:37,000 What did he do? 127 00:09:37,000 --> 00:09:38,000 They invaded. 128 00:09:38,000 --> 00:09:39,000 It was a lie. 129 00:09:39,000 --> 00:09:41,000 Lying is part of darkness. 130 00:09:41,000 --> 00:09:43,000 It's part of sinfulness. 131 00:09:43,000 --> 00:09:47,000 Think of the crimes that we see going on 132 00:09:47,000 --> 00:09:49,000 and it seems to be getting worse. 133 00:09:49,000 --> 00:09:52,000 I don't have any statistical evidence. 134 00:09:52,000 --> 00:09:54,000 It just seems to be that way. 135 00:09:54,000 --> 00:09:57,000 We also have an increasing amount, 136 00:09:57,000 --> 00:09:59,000 especially amongst the youth, 137 00:09:59,000 --> 00:10:03,000 with depression and suicide. 138 00:10:03,000 --> 00:10:05,000 Why is this happening? 139 00:10:05,000 --> 00:10:09,000 Because there is something wrong with humanity. 140 00:10:09,000 --> 00:10:12,000 And people have known that for quite some time. 141 00:10:12,000 --> 00:10:16,000 It was quite prominent that people understood humans were flawed. 142 00:10:16,000 --> 00:10:19,000 It seems today, though, we don't want to believe that. 143 00:10:19,000 --> 00:10:21,000 But there is a problem. 144 00:10:21,000 --> 00:10:29,000 And part of the problem of darkness is deception and lies, 145 00:10:29,000 --> 00:10:32,000 as well as unbelief. 146 00:10:32,000 --> 00:10:36,000 And it talks here about lying. 147 00:10:36,000 --> 00:10:40,000 And when it says that you are walking in darkness, 148 00:10:40,000 --> 00:10:44,000 it doesn't mean you have to be sinless, 149 00:10:44,000 --> 00:10:51,000 but the continual direction of your life is away from God. 150 00:10:51,000 --> 00:10:53,000 It is away from truth. 151 00:10:53,000 --> 00:10:55,000 It is away from goodness. 152 00:10:55,000 --> 00:10:58,000 No one says a Christian is ever going to be perfect, 153 00:10:58,000 --> 00:11:02,000 but it's a question of the direction of their life. 154 00:11:02,000 --> 00:11:08,000 And look specifically at what John is saying here. 155 00:11:08,000 --> 00:11:13,000 He's given us a bunch of conditional statements, if statements. 156 00:11:13,000 --> 00:11:17,000 And look at what it says in verse 6. 157 00:11:17,000 --> 00:11:22,000 If we claim to have fellowship with him, and yet walk in darkness, 158 00:11:22,000 --> 00:11:27,000 we lie and do not live out the truth. 159 00:11:27,000 --> 00:11:30,000 So what did you have back then in John's day? 160 00:11:30,000 --> 00:11:41,000 People who said they were Christians, but their lives did not reflect the gospel in any way. 161 00:11:41,000 --> 00:11:54,000 They said one thing with their lips, but their hearts and their lives showed something else. 162 00:11:54,000 --> 00:11:57,000 There were people back then who thought, 163 00:11:57,000 --> 00:12:00,000 well to be saved I just have to intellectually believe it, 164 00:12:00,000 --> 00:12:05,000 have the special knowledge, and since the body is fleshly and lowly, 165 00:12:05,000 --> 00:12:07,000 and it's not going to inherit the kingdom of God, 166 00:12:07,000 --> 00:12:09,000 that sin doesn't matter. 167 00:12:09,000 --> 00:12:12,000 Do as you please. 168 00:12:12,000 --> 00:12:15,000 It's not what Christianity says. 169 00:12:15,000 --> 00:12:17,000 Also look at verses 8 and 10. 170 00:12:17,000 --> 00:12:20,000 Here's another problem they have. 171 00:12:20,000 --> 00:12:28,000 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 172 00:12:28,000 --> 00:12:33,000 Verse 10, if we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar, 173 00:12:33,000 --> 00:12:37,000 and the world is not in us, and his word is not in us. 174 00:12:37,000 --> 00:12:39,000 What they're saying back then? 175 00:12:39,000 --> 00:12:43,000 You don't sin. 176 00:12:43,000 --> 00:12:46,000 You don't sin? 177 00:12:46,000 --> 00:12:55,000 People actually believe that back then, but it's wrong. 178 00:12:55,000 --> 00:12:58,000 Now you may think, I've never heard of such a thing. 179 00:12:58,000 --> 00:13:00,000 Yeah, it happens today. 180 00:13:00,000 --> 00:13:04,000 I remember one time back when Jan and I were in Mississippi, 181 00:13:04,000 --> 00:13:08,000 I went to what was known as a library. 182 00:13:08,000 --> 00:13:10,000 They had a lot of literature, Christian literature, 183 00:13:10,000 --> 00:13:13,000 and I was in there looking at some books and tapes, 184 00:13:13,000 --> 00:13:15,000 and somebody came up to me and started questioning me, 185 00:13:15,000 --> 00:13:20,000 and he said, I don't sin anymore. 186 00:13:20,000 --> 00:13:23,000 Huh? Where's that in the Bible? 187 00:13:23,000 --> 00:13:25,000 For all of sin. 188 00:13:25,000 --> 00:13:30,000 But this person claimed to be a Christian, but yet he said he didn't sin. 189 00:13:30,000 --> 00:13:33,000 I've had people tell me, I don't need to say to God, 190 00:13:33,000 --> 00:13:39,000 I'm sorry, forgive me, because I don't sin. 191 00:13:39,000 --> 00:13:42,000 Huh? 192 00:13:42,000 --> 00:13:45,000 Basically, if you believe that, what you're saying is, 193 00:13:45,000 --> 00:13:56,000 you don't need Jesus anymore, and it is not true at all. 194 00:13:56,000 --> 00:14:00,000 If you honestly look at your life, you'll know you're a sinner, 195 00:14:00,000 --> 00:14:03,000 but there are people who believe that. 196 00:14:03,000 --> 00:14:08,000 Recently this week, a very prominent minister fell into sin. 197 00:14:08,000 --> 00:14:11,000 He's also connected with a lot of our Presbyterian circles, 198 00:14:11,000 --> 00:14:13,000 even though he's not Presbyterian. 199 00:14:13,000 --> 00:14:20,000 And as I was reading what happened, you could send in comments. 200 00:14:20,000 --> 00:14:24,000 And as I was looking at the comments, there's a couple things that struck me, 201 00:14:24,000 --> 00:14:27,000 but here was what one person said. 202 00:14:27,000 --> 00:14:34,000 He was truly regenerate, he wouldn't sin. 203 00:14:34,000 --> 00:14:37,000 Truly regenerate people still sin. 204 00:14:37,000 --> 00:14:43,000 And sometimes they sin badly. 205 00:14:43,000 --> 00:14:46,000 But yet these false teachers were claiming, 206 00:14:46,000 --> 00:14:49,000 no, we don't sin anymore. 207 00:14:49,000 --> 00:14:52,000 It's a lie. It's a lie. 208 00:14:52,000 --> 00:14:56,000 So tell me, say you're a Christian. 209 00:14:56,000 --> 00:15:00,000 First of all, what's the direction of your life? 210 00:15:00,000 --> 00:15:04,000 Are we misrepresenting Christianity? 211 00:15:04,000 --> 00:15:13,000 If we say we believe, and yet we act like we are people 212 00:15:13,000 --> 00:15:16,000 who care very little for the kingdom of God. 213 00:15:16,000 --> 00:15:19,000 What happens if we say we're a Christian, 214 00:15:19,000 --> 00:15:25,000 and yet our acts are hostile to words, fellow believers and other believers? 215 00:15:25,000 --> 00:15:31,000 We are people who just don't care about others or the Lord God. 216 00:15:31,000 --> 00:15:35,000 When the commandments come down to loving the Lord your God and loving each other, 217 00:15:35,000 --> 00:15:38,000 what does that say? 218 00:15:38,000 --> 00:15:43,000 Do you even want to be part of God's people? 219 00:15:43,000 --> 00:15:49,000 Don't fall into the trap of thinking, 220 00:15:49,000 --> 00:15:55,000 I can be a liar as a Christian, and it doesn't matter. 221 00:15:55,000 --> 00:16:04,000 Beware of thinking, I don't have to live as a follower of Christ. 222 00:16:04,000 --> 00:16:05,000 Beware. 223 00:16:05,000 --> 00:16:07,000 And do you know what a lot of people do today? 224 00:16:07,000 --> 00:16:08,000 Here's what happens. 225 00:16:08,000 --> 00:16:11,000 Here's how they excuse themselves from their sin. 226 00:16:11,000 --> 00:16:16,000 It's really another way of saying, I don't sin. 227 00:16:16,000 --> 00:16:18,000 They will do this. 228 00:16:18,000 --> 00:16:26,000 They know they have a problem, but they'll project that sin onto you or you or you. 229 00:16:26,000 --> 00:16:28,000 Oh, I got a problem with temper. 230 00:16:28,000 --> 00:16:31,000 Oh, but you do too. 231 00:16:31,000 --> 00:16:33,000 You're denying sin. 232 00:16:33,000 --> 00:16:37,000 You're denying that you are a sinner. 233 00:16:37,000 --> 00:16:39,000 Brothers and sisters in Christ, there's only two ways. 234 00:16:39,000 --> 00:16:43,000 You can either walk in darkness, or you can walk in the light. 235 00:16:43,000 --> 00:16:48,000 Which way do you want to walk? What will be the continual direction of your life? 236 00:16:48,000 --> 00:16:51,000 Light or darkness? 237 00:16:51,000 --> 00:16:54,000 Immorality or walking with Christ? 238 00:16:54,000 --> 00:16:57,000 Which brings us to the second way to walk. 239 00:16:57,000 --> 00:17:00,000 And that is walking in the light. 240 00:17:00,000 --> 00:17:02,000 That's what Jesus wants. 241 00:17:02,000 --> 00:17:05,000 That's what John wants. 242 00:17:05,000 --> 00:17:10,000 And it starts out in verse 5, where it says, 243 00:17:10,000 --> 00:17:15,000 This is the message we have heard from him and declared to you. 244 00:17:15,000 --> 00:17:20,000 God is light. 245 00:17:20,000 --> 00:17:25,000 Light refers to the glory of God. 246 00:17:25,000 --> 00:17:30,000 It refers to the truth of God as well. 247 00:17:30,000 --> 00:17:34,000 It is referring to the holiness of God. 248 00:17:34,000 --> 00:17:36,000 All of those things. 249 00:17:36,000 --> 00:17:43,000 There is no deceit nor deception with the living God. 250 00:17:43,000 --> 00:17:47,000 Now the world, darkness, not God. 251 00:17:47,000 --> 00:17:57,000 And perhaps what John is referring to here is what you find in the book of Isaiah in chapter 60, 252 00:17:57,000 --> 00:17:58,000 where it says, 253 00:17:58,000 --> 00:18:04,000 Arise, shine, for your light has come. 254 00:18:04,000 --> 00:18:08,000 Glory of the Lord rises upon you. 255 00:18:08,000 --> 00:18:13,000 See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the people. 256 00:18:13,000 --> 00:18:19,000 But the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you. 257 00:18:19,000 --> 00:18:24,000 Nations will come to your light. 258 00:18:24,000 --> 00:18:28,000 What John is saying is, the God that we worship is not evil. 259 00:18:28,000 --> 00:18:32,000 He's not going to lie to you. 260 00:18:32,000 --> 00:18:39,000 But keep in mind that the great commandment of the Bible is to be holy as I am holy. 261 00:18:39,000 --> 00:18:45,000 And that is exactly what John is saying here, 262 00:18:45,000 --> 00:18:50,000 that we are to walk as Christ walks. 263 00:18:50,000 --> 00:18:55,000 Now most of us, fashion conscious, 264 00:18:55,000 --> 00:19:02,000 we want to be like the celebrities, dress like them, dress like our sports heroes. 265 00:19:02,000 --> 00:19:11,000 But what we're really dressed like is Jesus Christ in the light of life. 266 00:19:11,000 --> 00:19:13,000 That's what we should want. 267 00:19:13,000 --> 00:19:16,000 It all has to do with character. 268 00:19:16,000 --> 00:19:19,000 Trying to be more like Jesus. 269 00:19:19,000 --> 00:19:24,000 It is putting on the love of Christ for God and for each other here. 270 00:19:24,000 --> 00:19:28,000 And he's also keeping something else in mind because you may be thinking to yourself, 271 00:19:28,000 --> 00:19:32,000 well you see, if I sin that just blows it all. 272 00:19:32,000 --> 00:19:38,000 What else does he say here about the light? 273 00:19:38,000 --> 00:19:42,000 It says in verses 9 and 10, 274 00:19:42,000 --> 00:19:47,000 if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins 275 00:19:47,000 --> 00:19:51,000 and purifies from all unrighteousness. 276 00:19:51,000 --> 00:19:55,000 Jesus knows you're going to sin. 277 00:19:55,000 --> 00:19:58,000 The question is, are you going to turn to him? 278 00:19:58,000 --> 00:20:02,000 Part of walking in the light is turning to Jesus Christ. 279 00:20:02,000 --> 00:20:05,000 And it goes on to say this, 280 00:20:05,000 --> 00:20:10,000 if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father. 281 00:20:10,000 --> 00:20:12,000 Jesus is there. 282 00:20:12,000 --> 00:20:14,000 Every time you sin, saying, 283 00:20:14,000 --> 00:20:22,000 but I have purified my child, my son, or my daughter by my blood. 284 00:20:22,000 --> 00:20:26,000 That is why it says in verse 2, he is atoning sacrifice for our sins 285 00:20:26,000 --> 00:20:32,000 because your sin which deserves the anger of God when Christ died on the cross, 286 00:20:32,000 --> 00:20:36,000 he took it all away. 287 00:20:36,000 --> 00:20:41,000 So that God's anger is not poured out on you for your sins 288 00:20:41,000 --> 00:20:44,000 because Christ took it all away. 289 00:20:44,000 --> 00:20:48,000 And he is there interceding for you in the heavenlies. 290 00:20:48,000 --> 00:20:53,000 That's part of the walking in the light. 291 00:20:53,000 --> 00:20:58,000 Walking in the light means, yes, you are trying to walk like Jesus Christ. 292 00:20:58,000 --> 00:21:00,000 It is holiness. 293 00:21:00,000 --> 00:21:03,000 But walking in the light is also this. 294 00:21:03,000 --> 00:21:05,000 You will sin. 295 00:21:05,000 --> 00:21:09,000 Are you willing to turn to Christ for forgiveness? 296 00:21:09,000 --> 00:21:18,000 Over and over and over again because he intercedes. 297 00:21:18,000 --> 00:21:23,000 And he is the one who will forgive. 298 00:21:23,000 --> 00:21:26,000 You're honest with ourselves. 299 00:21:26,000 --> 00:21:29,000 You need that forgiveness. 300 00:21:29,000 --> 00:21:38,000 Yes, it is the way we live in the direction of our life. 301 00:21:38,000 --> 00:21:41,000 Ask yourself this question. 302 00:21:41,000 --> 00:21:48,000 Are you the type of person who desires to look like Jesus in some way? 303 00:21:48,000 --> 00:21:52,000 No, I'm not saying you're going to be the savior of the world. 304 00:21:52,000 --> 00:21:55,000 I'm not saying you're going to do miracles. 305 00:21:55,000 --> 00:22:02,000 But the quality of your life is like Jesus. 306 00:22:02,000 --> 00:22:07,000 Or do you even care at all about that? 307 00:22:07,000 --> 00:22:09,000 What's the direction? 308 00:22:09,000 --> 00:22:14,000 What's the direction? 309 00:22:14,000 --> 00:22:17,000 Let's put it another way. 310 00:22:17,000 --> 00:22:23,000 How much of your life is centered around the forgiveness of Christ? 311 00:22:23,000 --> 00:22:26,000 I've heard it said like this, 312 00:22:26,000 --> 00:22:30,000 when you become a Christian and you grow in grace, 313 00:22:30,000 --> 00:22:36,000 your sense of sin will grow larger. 314 00:22:36,000 --> 00:22:41,000 But so will your understanding of the grace of God. 315 00:22:41,000 --> 00:22:45,000 But you know what typically happens? 316 00:22:45,000 --> 00:22:47,000 Our sense of sin grows smaller, 317 00:22:47,000 --> 00:22:53,000 but so does the sense of grace grow smaller as we go in the Christian life. 318 00:22:53,000 --> 00:22:55,000 And that is just wrong. 319 00:22:55,000 --> 00:22:57,000 It should be growing in grace. 320 00:22:57,000 --> 00:23:02,000 And the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 321 00:23:02,000 --> 00:23:05,000 That's walking in the light. 322 00:23:05,000 --> 00:23:07,000 That's what Jesus wants. 323 00:23:07,000 --> 00:23:13,000 That is what John is telling us about here. 324 00:23:13,000 --> 00:23:19,000 Now I said at the start, you've got choices to make. 325 00:23:19,000 --> 00:23:22,000 And for all of us who have gathered here, 326 00:23:22,000 --> 00:23:26,000 the message that you need to hear is this. 327 00:23:26,000 --> 00:23:28,000 You've got to make a choice. 328 00:23:28,000 --> 00:23:31,000 Do you either want to walk as Jesus walked, 329 00:23:31,000 --> 00:23:35,000 in the light, or do you want to walk in darkness? 330 00:23:35,000 --> 00:23:38,000 I can tell you from personal experience 331 00:23:38,000 --> 00:23:44,000 that walking in the light is by far better than walking in the darkness. 332 00:23:44,000 --> 00:23:47,000 If you walk in sin your whole life, 333 00:23:47,000 --> 00:23:49,000 I don't see how you can make it 334 00:23:49,000 --> 00:23:51,000 because you're always going to feel guilty, 335 00:23:51,000 --> 00:23:53,000 or you're always going to have to fear 336 00:23:53,000 --> 00:23:58,000 that someone's going to find out that you sin. 337 00:23:58,000 --> 00:24:01,000 But you know, if you walk in the light, 338 00:24:01,000 --> 00:24:04,000 all that guilt evaporates. 339 00:24:04,000 --> 00:24:07,000 And even if you do sin, 340 00:24:07,000 --> 00:24:11,000 you have a Savior who will forgive you. 341 00:24:11,000 --> 00:24:13,000 Totally. 342 00:24:13,000 --> 00:24:15,000 The world will bring up everything you've done 343 00:24:15,000 --> 00:24:17,000 since you were an infant. 344 00:24:17,000 --> 00:24:21,000 But Jesus says, walk in the light 345 00:24:21,000 --> 00:24:25,000 and you'll find the forgiveness that you need. 346 00:24:25,000 --> 00:24:28,000 So the choice is up to you. 347 00:24:28,000 --> 00:24:31,000 Either walking in the darkness, 348 00:24:31,000 --> 00:24:34,000 or walking in the light. 349 00:24:34,000 --> 00:24:35,000 Let's pray. 350 00:24:35,000 --> 00:24:37,000 Our Heavenly Father, 351 00:24:37,000 --> 00:24:40,000 there are only two ways we can go in this life. 352 00:24:40,000 --> 00:24:44,000 Darkness or light. 353 00:24:44,000 --> 00:24:46,000 And now our God, we ask 354 00:24:46,000 --> 00:24:49,000 that your Holy Spirit will work in our lives 355 00:24:49,000 --> 00:24:53,000 so that we'll desire to follow Jesus 356 00:24:53,000 --> 00:24:56,000 in holiness, but also clinging to Him 357 00:24:56,000 --> 00:24:59,000 for forgiveness as the atoning sacrifice 358 00:24:59,000 --> 00:25:03,000 who died on the cross to take the wrath of God 359 00:25:03,000 --> 00:25:08,000 so that we are forgiven totally. 360 00:25:08,000 --> 00:25:11,000 May we be great repenters 361 00:25:11,000 --> 00:25:14,000 and great forgivers in your kingdom. 362 00:25:14,000 --> 00:25:24,000 Hear our prayer. Amen.