Exploring 1 John Session 8 1 John 2:9-11
Exploring 1 John Session 8 1 John 2:9-11
We are in session 8 in our study of 1 John. If you have missed previous sessions, the
video, podcast, and manuscript can be found at www.hbcc.org
and the video on YouTube channel HBCC Life
Just to clear up some possible confusion, the
writing we call John and the writings we call 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John
are different. John was one of the first
to follow Jesus (Matthew 4:21-22). He is
the author of the Gospel According to John which we identify simply as John.
Gospel means “the good news” about Jesus.
He is also traditionally accredited for writing The Revelation of Jesus
Christ, that’s the last writing in your Bible often referred to as Revelation. Of course, John also wrote the letters we
have identified as 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John. If the scripture cited is John followed by
chapter and verse, then that’s directing you to the Gospel According to John.
If the scripture text is cited 1st, 2nd, or 3rd John you are being
directed to one of the three letters.
In our time together we are going to learn that
there is no twilight in the spiritual world.
You’re either in the light or in the dark. This of course comes from John's strict distinctions
between what is of Christ and what is of anti-Christ. The Light is good, it is
truth, it is ethical, it is righteous, the dark not so much.
Reading ahead John tells us:
John 3:19-21 (MSG)
"This is the crisis we're in: God-light
streamed into the world, but men and women everywhere ran for the darkness.
They went for the darkness because they were not really interested in pleasing
God. Everyone who makes a practice of doing evil, addicted to denial and
illusion, hates God-light and won't come near it, fearing a painful exposure.
But anyone working and living in truth and reality welcomes God-light so the
work can be seen for the God-work it is."
There is no grey in John’s writing, you are either
in the light or in the dark. Hate for
one’s brother or sister in Christ is an indication you are living in
darkness. How we treat one another is
extremely important. We have previously
learned that the closer we get to God, the closer we get to one another and the
closer we get to one another the closer we get with God. It is in this fellowship that we are healed.
I need to put a personal comment here at the risk
of offending. Showing respect to all people, regardless of their ideas, their
agenda, their culture, is giving another due regard to their personhood, to their
being human like you. You may disagree
with them on some if not all their agenda, but name-calling, profanity, demonizing,
cursing another human being is a demonstration that you are living in the
darkness (James 3:10). Respect doesn’t mean accept, agree, or tolerate; rather
showing respect raises the dignity of every human being. My friends, if you are a believer, disrespect
is beneath you. Don’t give in to the
Devil’s trap of incivility. Remove all profanity from your rants (Ephesians
4:29; Colossians 3:18). Speak the truth
in love (Ephesians 4:15) so we can come up with solutions to society's problems
and not go to war with each other. Here
I will get off my soapbox.
I want you to live in the light. If you are becoming aware that your life is
not heading in the direction you hoped for and have started to search for
something bigger than yourself, this awareness is a spiritual awakening. It’s God calling you out of the dark. The gospel is that Jesus came to bring you
light. In the light, you are allowed to live your life to the full (John
10:10). The abundant life is a life of acceptance and belonging, of loving and
being loved, of inner contentment, and purposeful and meaningful work. I want you in the light. If you want to be in the light acknowledge
that desire, that you need to be in the light, believe that Jesus makes it
possible to you to enter the light, Jesus makes it possible for your sins to be
forgiven and for you to made new inside, commit yourself to become this new
light-filled person and ask God to accept your faith and bring you into the
light. The lights will come on. Let me know if you want to walk in the light,
better yet, make the decision right now.
Ask God to save you.
One of the questions we can ask of a letter is what
occurred to occasion it, what happened that would cause John to write what he
did. We have his answer, but what was
the question? The congregation that John
is writing to is experiencing a schism. Some
have been swayed to follow what historians have labeled as Gnosticism. Some
have stayed loyal to John’s teaching about Jesus and the ethical life a
disciple is to live. John is encouraging
his readers to continue to walk in the light.
He has made the case that it is by loving God and loving others that we
can know that we are walking in the light.
Obedience to God’s commands, respecting all others, meeting the needs of
others out of our abundance is demonstrations of a disciple's love.
1 John 2:9-11 (MSG)
Anyone who claims to live in God's light and hates
a brother or sister is still in the dark. It's the person who loves brother and
sister who dwells in God's light and doesn't block the light from others. But
whoever hates is still in the dark, stumbles around in the dark, doesn't know
which end is up, blinded by the darkness.
Brothers and sisters can be referring to all
others, our neighbors next door, the people in the community in which we live,
and the folks we work with. Yet we are safe in the assumption that when John
speaks of brothers or sisters he is referring to those who stayed in the
congregation. He is speaking about the disciples
of Jesus. We know that when we
acknowledge, believe, commit, and ask to enter into the light that God the
Father adopts us into His family.
Ephesians 1:5, John 1:12, 1 John 3:1, and Romans
8:16 (MSG)
Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his
family through Jesus Christ.” “whoever did want him, who believed he was who he
claimed and would do what he said, He made to be their true selves, their child-of-God
selves.” “Just look at it—we're called
children of God! That's who we really are.”
“God's Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We
know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children.”
How we treat one another is an indicator of
whether we are in the light or in the dark.
Remember John’s strict dualism, there is no grey. Love the light, hate the darkness. We are to love all, treat everyone with
respect, and when the opportunity arises meet another’s need out of our
abundance. But there is a special love
that is shared in the fellowship. It is
a more intimate relationship, it is the communion of saints, it is I’ve got
your back while you have mine, it is I can trust you with my heart, it is we
are friends.
If we are walking in the dark we take no concern
for another person’s welfare, their grief, or their salvation. In the dark, we write people off because we
judge that they cannot further our cause, meet our needs, deliver what we want.
If we are walking in the dark we have contempt for
another person. We regard them as
beneath us, an ignorant fool to be disregarded and brushed aside. In the dark, if someone disagrees with me
they themselves, not their idea, disqualifies them from my affection and
invites my disdain.
If we are walking in the dark we see people as
nuisances. In the dark people are just
an unfortunate necessity, their poverty, their plight, the pain are bothersome
and tiring, no concern of mine. We turn
our backs, close our eyes, and take care of ourselves exclusively.
If we are walking in the dark we see those who are
not like us as enemies. Those that don’t
look like us, those who don’t think like us, those who don’t agree with us are
all adversaries. Xenophobia, the fear of
the different, not only race, not only religion, not only country of origin,
but ideas cause us to turn those differences into rivals that must be defeated,
if not annihilated.
If you are in the dark, your stumbling around and
don’t even realize it because you’ve been blinded (2 Corinthians 4:4). Have you ever thought your being feed a line
of lies? Seeing is no longer a guarantee
that what is depicted is the truth. Propaganda,
spin, bias, twist everything into a particular ideology. You are convinced you know the truth, but
here’s a little test: Does your
understanding of the situations and circumstances of life promote loving God
and loving others while exposing everything that is anti-Christ? If you wonder, it’s time for a Holy Spirit
optometry appointment.
“Let light shine out of the darkness” (2
Corinthians 4:6). There is to be no darkness in the lives of those living in
fellowship with God and one another. Get the darkness out of your heart. If you find darkness in your heart 1 John 1:9
it!
1 John 1:9 (NIV)
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just
and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
Confess, repent, reconcile, and walk in the light.
I want you in the light. A disciple of
Jesus doesn’t block the light by dabbling in the darkness (1 Thessalonians
5:22). Dabbling in the darkness is refusing to be a lover.
To be a lover you need the power of the Holy
Spirit changing you from the inside out.
Love enables you to grow spiritually, to become more mature in your
faith, to deepen your knowledge of God. Love enables you to grow socially, to
be concerned with the welfare of others, listening to them, hearing them,
helping them in their journey. God has
already sealed you with the Holy Spirit.
A believer has all the help they need to walk in the light (2
Corinthians 4 5-6).
The darkness of hate drives everything in the
opposite direction. The darkness of hate
drives you into the arms of Satan, the deceiver, the accuser of people, the liar,
the blinder of eyes, the murderer.
Division, strife, injustice, oppression, anarchy, and chaos are all the
fruits of hate. The Apostle Paul writes to the congregation in the region of
Galatia, and what he has written is wisdom to those outside the congregation
and that much more, for those of the congregation:
Galatians 5:14-15 (MSG)
For everything we know about God's Word is summed
up in a single sentence: Love others as you love yourself. That's an act of
true freedom. If you bite and ravage each other, watch out—in no time at all
you will be annihilating each other, and where will your precious freedom be
then?
Walking in the darkness you will think you are
doing right but your attitudes and actions are leading to annihilation (Judges
21:25, Proverbs 14:12). Kill, Steal,
destroy is the way of darkness (John 10:10). Anger, vengeance, hate is the way
of darkness—certainly, you’ve seen Star Wars!
A troubled congregation is quarreling, taking
sides, accusing and blaming one another; gossiping and slandering. There are heated exchanges instead of
listening (James 1:19). There are rulers
instead of servants. There is
contention, controversy, and complaining. There is a failure to forgive. Then the congregation is blown asunder. Brothers and sisters part as enemies. A congregation is meant to be a lighthouse,
not a house of horrors. If you feel this
kind of trouble in yourself 1 John 1:9 it!.
Save your fellowship (Philippians 4:2).
Do not resent those you are to love.
We know the problem in the congregation John is
writing to has been caused by heresy (1 Timothy 4:1-2). Heresy is false teachings about Jesus and
living as a disciple. Rightfully heresy
was repudiated, those determined to adopt the heresy, left the
congregation. This left people wondering
if they got things wrong, maybe those that left are right. John is telling us
all that you can tell who is in the right and who is in the wrong, who has
fellowship with God, and who does not by their behavior.
Hear the Truth:
“It's the person who loves brother and sister who
dwells in God's light and doesn't block the light from others” (1 John 2:9
MSG).
This is the answer to every social ill, living in
the light of God. God-light shines out
of you as you love (2 Corinthians 4:6). That
love heals the brokenhearted, bandages the soul wounds, encourages the
downtrodden, gives cold water to the thirsty.
That love sets prisoners free from the habits, attachments, and
addictions that bind them. That love
offers forgiveness to the repentant.
That love lifts up and speaks out against injustice, poverty, violence,
and ignorance. That love works towards
peace and unity for all. That love opens
blinded eyes. That love draws us together and draws us to God. I want you in
the light.
John has opened our eyes to the fact that there are
no gray shadows in the life of a disciple of Jesus. A person’s deeds demonstrate if they are in
the light or in the dark. When a true
believer finds a shadow of darkness within them they repent, they 1 John 1:9 it. Be a true believer, walk
in the light.
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