Exploring 1 John Session 7 1 John 2:7-8
Exploring 1 John Session 7 1 John 2:7-8
This is our 7th session in exploring 1
John. If you are just joining us you can
catch up on the previous sessions by checking out the video, podcast, or
manuscript on our website www.hbcc.life or
the video teaching on YouTube channel HBCC Life.
Dualistic imagery: light darkness, love-hate, good
evil, new old are all tools John uses to convey his message contrasting what is
ethical behavior with immoral behavior.
You know that immoral behavior as a Christian is a failure to love God
or a failure to love others, do this and you're in the dark To live ethically is to live like Jesus. Loving
God and Loving Others, do this and you're in the light. There is no gray. You
should note as John continues to write that he differentiates between those
with us, whom he calls dear friends, and those who have left us, and
specifically labels those who have left us as anti-Christ. John’s call to love one another is directed
to the dear friends and not extended to those who have left us.
Today we are going to explore the characteristics
of light and darkness. By the end of the
teaching, you will be able to discern what the deeds of darkness entail. [1
John 4:1] You will be urged to get rid
of any darkness in your life, to walk stumble free, as you shine in and with
the love of Christ. Here’s some good news, the kingdom of God is established
and it is advancing.
1 John 2:7-8 (MSG)
My dear friends, I'm not writing anything new
here. This is the oldest commandment in the book, and you've known it from day
one. It's always been implicit in the Message you've heard. On the other hand,
perhaps it is new, freshly minted as it is in both Christ and you—the darkness
on its way out and the True Light already blazing!
Identifying the oldest command in the book we can go
a couple of ways. We can look through
Jewish lenses or we can look through Pagan convert’s lenses. Looking through Jewish lenses the oldest
commands in the book are the 10 commandments (Exodus 20:2-17), which can be
summarized by Leviticus 19:18 and Deuteronomy 6:5 both verses from the ancient
Hebrew texts.
Lev 19:18-19 (MSG)
"Don't seek revenge or carry a grudge against
any of your people. "Love your neighbor
as yourself. I am God. "Keep my
decrees.
Deuteronomy 6:5 (MSG)
Love God, your God, with your whole heart: love
him with all that's in you, love him with all you've got!
Through Jewish lenses, the oldest command in the
book is to love God and to love others. For the pagan converts, those unacquainted
with Judaism, they most likely would not know the Jewish scripture. Their understanding of what John is calling a
new command would be found in the gospel; the good news of redemption and
salvation through Jesus.
Just wondering? Do you know that you can be redeemed
from the messes you’ve made in your life?
Our lives get messed up because of sin.
Sin deters, damages, and destroys relationships. Sin is fueled by selfishness, do what we
want, when we want, regardless of the circumstance we are convinced that we
know what is best for us. How has that
worked out for you so far? God the Holy
Spirit revealed to me before I ever knew who was doing the revealing that my
life was a mess. I would get depressed,
not happy with how life was unfolding.
Then I learned that Jesus came that I might have the opportunity to live
life the way God wanted me to live it (John 10:10), that I could live an
abundant life, life to the full. I wanted that so I acknowledged my sins that
created the mess. Believed that Jesus
could redeem me out of the mess. I
committed to give up living life my way and instead learn how to live Jesus’
way. Then I simply asked God to accept
my faith. The Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit set me on the road to salvation.
What was offered to me, redemption and salvation are also offered to
you. Your life can be redeemed you can
travel salvation’s road. Get out of the
dark. Acknowledge your mess, Believe Jesus can redeem you from your mess,
Commit yourself to walk that road of salvation, and ask God to accept your
faith. If that is your desire, do so
right now. Do it, get into the light and
tell someone, let me know, I want to help you mature in your new-found faith.
Back to our pagan converts, who most likely would
not be familiar with the Hebrew scriptures. So John could be referring to the
command Jesus gave to all who would follow Him.
John 13:34 (MSG)
"Let
me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way, I loved you, you
love one another.
It looks like love is the answer regardless of the
lenses you are looking through.
But then John writes something that makes me think
that maybe he is referring to Jesus and the presence of Jesus in your life: the darkness on its way out and the True Light
already blazing! (1 John 2:8 (MSG). The
True Light, most likely is the relationship of salvation through Jesus as
opposed to the false light of those that left possessed. False light is no
light at all.
Matthew 6:23 (NIV)
If then the light within you is darkness, how
great is that darkness!
Jesus is the light bringer. We can trace this
throughout John’s writings.
John 1:1-5 (MSG)
The Word was first, the Word present to God, God
present to the Word. The Word was God, in readiness for God from day one. Everything was created through him;
nothing—not one thing!—came into being without him. What came into existence
was Life, and the Life was Light to live by. The Life-Light blazed out of the
darkness; the darkness couldn't put it out.
Jesus is the bringer of Life-Light.
John 8:12 (MSG)
Jesus once again addressed them: "I am the
world's Light. No one who follows me stumbles around in the darkness. I provide
plenty of light to live in."
The light symbolizes Jesus.
1 John 1:5 (MSG)
God is light, pure light; there's not a trace of
darkness in him.
Behind the words is there is a connection to be
made: Jesus is Divine; the Father and
Jesus are one.
“The True Light is already blazing!”
Darkness is on its way out. It is wise to understand what the darkness is
all about. Darkness causes stumbling (1
John 1:6). We are in darkness when we do
not know God. “Life-Light” blazes in
those who know God. A failure to love
results in stumbling, stumbling creates the messes in our lives.
When you witness division, schism, divorce,
disunity, a scattering of the community, you are witnessing the results of
being in darkness. [1 Corinthians 1:10-17; Galatians 5:20]
When you hear accusations, accusing, slandering,
gossiping, blaming, you are hearing the results of being in darkness.
[Revelation 12:9-11; 1 Peter 2:1]
When you are peddled lies, deceit, untruths, spin
you are being asked to buy into the way of darkness. [Isaiah 5:20]
Where the darkness thrives there is the negation
of life, the destruction of community, and hate for another. [John 8:44]
Where the darkness thrives there is inequality,
oppression, injustice, bigotry, bullying, and prejudice.[Zechariah 7:9-10,
Proverbs 14:31]
Where the darkness thrives there is violence,
immorality, abuse, selfishness, scandal, and strife. [Galatinas 5:19-21]
Lives being destroyed by poverty, addiction,
acquisition, trauma, religious talk without loving action, only happen in the
darkness.
Lives being destroyed by pornography, promiscuity,
greed, lust, only happen in the darkness.
[Coossians 3:5]
Lives being manipulated, propaganda believed,
conformity demanded, us verse them, only happen in the darkness. [Ephesians
5:6]
In the dark there is no God, there is no altruism,
no compassion, and no empathy. [Proverbs 31:0] In the dark, it’s everyone for
themselves, it’s me first, it’s I am the highest authority for what is right
and what is wrong. [Philippinas 2:4] In
the dark, there is isolation, rejection, there is no community, there is no exchange
of ideas, no debate, and no free speech.
All that belongs to the darkness is on its way
out. As a follower of Jesus, having
acknowledged, believed, committed, and been accepted if there is darkness in
your heart, get rid of it (Psalm 51:10).
Ask God to purge you from all wrongdoing, all wrong being. Such
forgiveness and restoration and freedom are found in confession (1 John 1:9) and
fellowship (1 John 1:7).
Ephesians 5:8-11 (NIV)
For you were once darkness, but now you are light
in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in
all goodness, righteousness, and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord.
Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose
them.
Ask the Holy Spirit to expose the fruitless deeds
of darkness in our own life. Start here.
Start with yourself. Let the
blazing light overcome the darkness.
If you are in Christ, the True light is shinning
in you right now.: “the darkness is on its way out and the True Light already
blazing!” It is so very difficult to see in our culture that the darkness is
progressively being defeated. It seems
anything but, it seems that chaos and hate and violence are rampant because these
are the headlines that bombard us. [Romans 8:22] Such bad news all the time creates a state of
fear and paranoia. We should add fear
to the list of the results of darkness for as John has written:
1 John 4:18 (MSG)
There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed
love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear
of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love.
Get rid of the darkness from the corners of your
life (Romans 13:12; Psalm 139-23-24).
Step into the blaze of light that is overcoming the darkness even now
(John 8:12). Let your light shine. Expose
the darkness in the world around you (Psalm 94:16). Shine the light of love,
this pleases the Lord, this is what disciples do. My friends, there is a
kingdom of love established. It advances
through you as you love God and love others.
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