How important should a holy life be for a Christian? In this sermon, David Capoccia looks at the teaching of the Apostle John in the letter of 1 John. David Capoccia explains that, in contrast to false teaching circulating during John’s time, Christ’s apostle taught: 1.) Believers must walk in light because God is light, 2.) Believers have been cleansed by and continually seek cleansing in God’s light, and 3.) Believers are empowered to keep God’s law of love by the new light of Christ.
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I’m grateful to be presenting the word of the Word of God to you and pastors place this morning mmm I take this off I pray that the Word of God convicts you and embolden you and assures you as you look forward to this new year pray with me please Great God great God in heaven you are so lovely in your holiness and you’re set of partner so father you are so majestic either help me to be able to explain your word give me the ability to speak clearly what your word says I pray that we would understand it open the eyes of those who listen today open their hearts to pay close attention to your word to be persuaded by it and to do it only your spirit can accomplish this I know that the means that you have ordained is preaching and yet God it is your spirit that has power so please work powerfully now in Jesus name I pray amen well you can’t talk about the new year without talking about new year’s resolutions what resolutions have you made for this year as you know one of the most common new year’s resolutions is to lose weight or to become more fit I want to get in shape I want to lose X amount of pounds want to get rid of my spare tire we say therefore i’m going to start eating healthy no more carbs no more sugar i’m going to start working out twice a week or something like that but new year’s resolutions are notorious for being broken people start out with enthusiasm and grit but within just a few weeks most people slip right back into their old patterns why does this happen we make resolutions to improve our lives to make us healthier or happier so why if there’s such a good goal why don’t we keep them when it comes to breaking the resolution to eat healthy or to hit the gym you will probably hear or even say these kinds of excuses my goal wasn’t realistic life got in the way I no longer had the time to work out or to cook healthy meals I got hurt or sick and I lost my motivation to continue it was just so miserable getting up early in the cold dark to work out it was just too hard I was tormented by hunger all the time I didn’t get enough support from others I just need to accept and be happy with who I am really all of these excuses are covers for the real fuller explanation which goes something like this I decided my goal wasn’t important enough for me to endure the pain and sacrifice is necessary to obtain it now people don’t say those words and might not even articulate those words in their own minds but their actions show that that is what they truly believe goal wasn’t important enough for those sacrifices now this sermon is not about losing weight or even the wisdom or helpfulness of new year’s resolutions that’s a separate topic but I mentioned this ultimate reason for failed resolutions because there is a parallel to the Christian life do we as believers communicate with our actions the same idea when it comes to personal holiness I decided my goal wasn’t important enough for me to endure the pain and sacrifices necessary to obtain it for truly we say we want to be holy we say we’re no longer going to do certain things we resolve we resolve to make holy certain parts of our lives and we really try but then when it just doesn’t happen we can’t figure out why well we start to give the same kinds of excuses of those who fail to eat healthy or to work out but could it be that though we want to be holy we don’t want to be holy enough that the reason we fail to live lives of consistent holiness is because we actually don’t think personal holiness is that important therefore we are not willing to make the changes in our thinking on our lifestyle that would allow us to live lives of holiness but just how important is it to live a holy life aren’t we after all made holy by Christ through our belief in him what does it mean to live holy and is it possible for a Christian to be a Christian and not live a holy life there’s much confusion when it comes to the topic holiness that is the topic of sanctification that special set of hardness of a Christian so let’s go to the only trustworthy source on the topic the Word of God if you haven’t already please open your Bibles to the book of 1st John near the end of the New Testament we’ll be starting in verse 5 but before we read the text again let me give you some background on this book who is the author the letter is written by the Apostle John one of the original twelve disciples and a member of Jesus’s inner circle John with one of the closest I witnesses of Jesus earthly ministry and teaching once called a son of thunder by Jesus it had to be rebuked by Jesus when John wanted the call down fire on a sinful Samaritan town John became later known in church history as the apostle of love indeed all of John’s writings are filled with statements about God’s love or the love that Christians ought to have toward one another in his gospel John even refers to himself as the disciple whom Jesus loved John was obviously obviously changed by Jesus love but he never lost his zeal a zeal that characterized him as a son of thunder John wrote five books of the Bible the Gospel of John probably earliest around 80 to 90 AD towards the end of the first century then his three epistles including this letter first John probably probably around 90 to 95 ad and then the book of Revelation the last book of the Bible around 95 ad as the last surviving Apostle John and his teachings were treated by the Christians in the latter 1st century with particular reference it was the last apostle now more about this letter in particular first John is a general epistle that is it’s a letter not written to any particular church or person so who exactly received it we know from the book of Revelation and from church tradition that John ministered extensively to churches in Asia Minor that would be modern Turkey John probably wrote this letter while he was in the city of Ephesus and tending the letter to be read and passed from church to church in Asia Minor now why did john write this letter well the Apostle himself tells us why he wrote the letter in the letter he mentioned several purposes first John 1324 you can just glance over there and give this one what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also so that you two may have fellowship with us and indeed our Fellowship is with the father and with his son Jesus Christ these things we write so that our joy may be made complete John says I want to have joyful fellowship with you so I right this is for your joy and from mine John gives another purpose in chapter 5 1st John 5 13 he says these things i have written to you who believe in the name of the son of god so that you may know that you have eternal life john says I want you to have assurance of salvation and eternal life in God therefore i write to you but these two purposes are related to a larger issue that John must deal with the Apostle John is very concerned about something in the churches of Asia not endurance through Roman persecution that would come later the concern is false teaching false teaching dangerous heresy has infiltrated the churches under John’s care and has led some of his beloved brethren astray first John 226 says this these things I’ve written to you concerning those who are trying to deceive you and then 1st John 3 at the wrong verse number here but first on three I think it’s 17 no not 17 I have to look up which purse that is but he says little children make sure no one deceives you what exactly was this deceptive teaching that John was so concerned about we can’t say for sure we don’t get very many details in the letter but the details we do have fit the pattern of an early form of Gnosticism Gnosticism recall that Gnosticism as a general term referring to some form of teaching declaring new secret knowledge obtained outside of Scripture usually from a self-proclaimed prophet or some other supposed holy book generally this teaching when understood would result in a person’s enlightenment and salvation for an example of Christian Gnosticism still exists in today see Mormonism while there are many forms of Gnosticism most forms especially during John’s time taught that matter and the physical world were evil and inferior while the spiritual world was clean and superior there is a dualism and we see such we see a reference to such dualistic Gnosticism in the letter first John 42 I won’t read the verse but John tells us there that false the false teachers were denying that Jesus Christ came in the flesh they are denying that he came in the flesh why would they denied that detail in the flesh well because according to the Gnostics as mere physical matter bodies are weak and even evil so God’s Son could not have had a body or else they thought god son would have become tainted by evil a pure holy God cannot have an impure body so how did Christ calm well there were different explanations one explanation was that he must have what he must have come and what merely appeared to be a bod but actually wasn’t a body this belief later became known as docetism these false teachers were denying the true and full humanity of Jesus because of their Gnosticism but Gnosticism not only leads to a wrong theology of christ but a very twisted view of personal holiness john macarthur points out in his study bible notes Gnosticism usually goes one of two ways either severe outward treatment of the body like the Judaizers because the body is evil you’ve got to cleanse that evil outer body with various acts and rituals or total surrender to the body and all its desires it’s this latter version that fits the situation described in this letter total surrender to the body and the rationale for this teaching goes like this if the body as physical matter is intrinsically evil there’s nothing you can do to stop it from sinning so it’s futile to try after all the sin only affects the body the spirit doesn’t take part in the body sins and Jesus came not to save your body but your spirit it is your spirits knowledge and belief in God that saves you what you do in the body has nothing to do with your salvation and short the Gnostics taught this if you really know God and is truth then you know that you can’t stop yourself from sinning and that’s totally okay you will still be saved because of your knowledge of God and your belief in this would be an extremely appealing message but it not a gospel of new higher knowledge that not only provided you with salvation but allowed you to indulge all of your evil desires without feeling bad about it this teaching takes actual truths about salvation by faith and the evil nature is still present with believers and it warps them viciously versions of this false teaching plagued many of the New Testament churches and truly this false teaching is still plaguing Christian churches today and doesn’t matter what you do you’re still saved if you just believe in God many in Asia Minor were deceived first John 219 after discussing how people who love the world and what it offers will not be saved the Apostle John writes this chapter 2 not chapter 3 they went out from us but they were not really of us but if they had been of us they would have remained with us but they went out so that it would be shown that they are that they all are not of us people were leaving the true church to follow this new exciting and liberating teaching and they show themselves to have never been true believers so what does John the Apostle do in response this so-called new knowledge John sets the record straight he gets back to the basics of the true gospel the fundamentals of the faith and he does so emphatically there will be no wiggle room for this reason as many commentators have noted the letter first John is quite repetitious it is an insistent message of what salvation and the Christian life really consists of in contrast to the fleshly demon inspired ideas of these false teachers some have described the letters organization as being like a circle or a spiral it keeps coming around to the same topics and truths in a slightly different way each time my own view is that the book centers on six truths with similar implications for holiness and the lives of believers these truths alternate describing who God is and what God has given us this morning we’re only going to look at the first of those six truths and its implication for our lives that truth is this God is light with his background information in mind let’s reread our text first John 15 to chapter 2 verse 11 read with me verse 5 or follow along with me this is the message we have heard from him and announced to you that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all if we say that we have fellowship and and yet walk in the darkness we lie and do not practice the truth but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus his son cleanses us from all sin if we say that we have no sin we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in US if we confess our sins he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness if we say that we have not sinned we make him a liar and his word is not in US my little children I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin and if anyone sends we have an advocate with the father Jesus Christ the righteous and he himself is the propitiation for our sins and not for ours only but also for those of the whole world by this we know that we have come to know him if we keep his Commandments the one who says I have come to know him and does not keep his Commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him but whoever keeps his word and him the love of God has truly been perfected by this we know that we are in him the one who says he abides in him ought himself to walk in the same manner as he walked beloved I am NOT writing a new commandment to you but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning the old commandment is the word which you have heard on the other hand I am writing a new commandment to you which is true in him and in you because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining one who says he is in the light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now the one who loves his brother abides in the light and there is no cause for stumbling in him but the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes we can divide our text into three main points and they are the three points of my sermon first believers must walk in light because their God is light second believers have been cleansed by and continually seek cleansing in God’s light third believers are empowered to keep God’s law of love by the new light of Christ let’s look at each of these three points and see how the apostle develops each idea point one believers walk in light because their God is light believers walk in light because their God is light John starts by pointing out that what he’s about to say carries all the authority of the Son of God himself verse 5 this is the message we have heard from him and announced to you the self-proclaimed teachers did not carry Christ authority John says to his audience listen now to the one who was with Jesus and whose message from Jesus has not changed since Christ first commissioned him John next points out a central concept of Christ’s message the Holy nature of God look at the second part of verse 5 of chapter 1 God is light God is often associated with light and the scriptures even from Genesis 1 God’s very first creation was light God dwells in inglourious light in heaven God manifests the light of truth to men his angels often appear in light light then becomes a symbol of God’s beauty and God’s purity it’s God’s dazzling holiness represented in light and this quality is so central to God that John doesn’t say God has light but God is light John ee emphasizes this concept by stating the opposite and in him there is no darkness at all God’s holiness is so beautifully pure that not even a trace of darkness can be found in him God is to majestic and too holy for that now there’s an implication of God’s holy nature concerning God’s people because of God’s holiness God’s people do not walk in sin look at verse six if we say that we have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness we lie and do not practice the truth since light refers to God’s beauty his holiness and his truth darkness must refer to ugliness sin and falsehood John says if you claim to know God and enjoy communion with him and yet you live a life with unrepentant sin you are a liar you do not know God nor do you have any fellowship with him why is this true because God’s holy nature demand that his people also be holy the god of light cannot have fellowship with the people of darkness nor can God allow those who belong to him to so misrepresent him to the world no those who continue to walk in patterns of sin who live in sin who walk in darkness do not know God nor have any fellowship with him despite what they may claim notice again a double emphasis from John at the end of this verse not only do they lie not only do people lie when they claim fellowship with God and yet walk in darkness but they show that their habit is not to practice or do the truth they not only lie but they show themselves to be continual liars they don’t do the truth because how do God’s people really walk verse 7 tells us but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus his son cleanses us from all sin now we see the positive opposite of what we just saw God’s real people do not walk in sin they walk in light that is they walk in righteousness and truth they become like God they want to do this they feel compelled to do this they behold the beautiful holy light of God and they are changed by it to become obedient and there are two outcomes two outcomes mentioned here first because of this God’s true people have fellowship with one another now this is a slight change from the previous verse and verse 6 John said that those who walk in sin do not have fellowship with God but here he says those who walk in righteousness have fellowship with one another what happened to God well this shouldn’t confuse us too much the opposite of verse 6 is still true for believers those who walk in light do experience true fellowship with God and because of that they also have fellowship with one another the people of light have a common bond they all love and then and are transformed by the light of God they therefore enjoy happy and holy fellowship with one another but those who walk in sin they do not enjoy fellowship with God and cannot enjoy fellowship with God nor can they enjoy fellowship with God’s people they are in the darkness but there’s another result not only do those who walk and light have fellowship with one another but the blood of Jesus his son cleanses them from all sin those who were transformed by the light of God have full assurance of salvation they know that the blood of Jesus shed on the cross totally cleanses them of all their sin all of it they know that they that they have been once and for all sanctified they have been made holy set apart now why do they know this how do they know this because their lives have been changed they now walk in light they now imitate God they are now righteous they now obey Christ commands wait a minute you might say that sounds like work salvation it’s not my holy work that results in my cleansing or keep me saved it’s Christ’s work on my behalf isn’t it you are right and John is about to explain how cleansing is part of the believers experience but don’t miss his point those who are transformed by the light of God know and expect that the blood of Jesus has cleansed them from all sin there’s nothing left to be cleansed they have total holiness through Jesus blood this encourages them to persevere and to walk in righteousness so we see the first point from John to his audience believers walk in light because their God is light however cleansing from sin was part of and is in a limited way part of the life of Christ true follower we now come to point number two believers have been cleansed by and continually seek cleansing in God’s light believers have been cleansed by and continually seek cleansing in God’s light in this section Paul first reminds believers that all people have sin that needs cleansing before they can walk in light vs eight to 10 of chapter one if we say that we have no sin we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in US if we confess our sins he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness if we say that we have not sinned we make him a liar and his word is not in US you know that one of the most important realizations a person can make is that they are indeed a condemned sinner under the eternal wrath of God many people will at first protest and say I’m not perfect but I’m still a good person but God’s Word shows us that this is not true each person and their natural unredeemed state is like the people of the flood mentioned in Genesis 6 5 i’ll read that verse then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually each person lies lusts hates and steals disobeying God’s commands and therefore refusing to acknowledge God to be worthy of all glory obedience and worship this is a great offense to God each person in Pride rebels against God and God knows this God declares this many times in the scriptures Romans 310 quoting the songs Paul writes there is none righteous not even one and Romans 323 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God all men need cleansing from sin but God provided such cleansing God provided a way of such cleansing and it is this repentance and belief in Jesus Christ verse 9 described the process we confess our sins to God literally we say the same things to god about our sins that he does about that yes god i agree i am a wretched sinner deserving the highest outpouring of your anger my deeds are evil I have not kept your law I have not given you what you are rightly do but in this confession is also trust in Jesus Christ I have no righteousness to cover me Oh God but I place my trust in your son Jesus I take his life and righteousness as my own and trust that he has paid the full price of my sin on the basis of his sacrifice I ask for your mercy and for your acquittal such a prayer of faith God will honor as verse 9 also says God is faithful God is faithful to his promises of mercy that he has proclaimed in Christ and God is righteous but we can also be translated just God is just to acquit those who have been covered by Christ’s sacrifice he’s just a judge those who are covered but those who are covered he knows that he must equip them Christ’s sacrifice has paid for them and full so God totally forgives and cleanses those who are in Christ what would if a person still maintain that he does not need cleansing oh I really am a good person or I’ll work my way back to being good enough for God or what I do in the body doesn’t matter in my spirit I know that I am clean God will accept me to these notions John is four times in phatak you are dead wrong verse 8 John says you deceive yourself if you say these things and you show that the truth is not in you at all and verse 10 when you say these things you contradict the Word of God therefore you make God out to be a liar you dishonor God by doing this and you show that you do not know or value his word at all every man needs cleansing from sin in order to be saved but what about after salvation don’t save believers still sin well yes John clarifies that Christ also provides cleansing for the sins that believers still commit look at verses 1 to 2 of chapter 2 and first John my little children I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin and if anyone sins we have an advocate with the father Jesus Christ the righteous and he himself as the propitiation for our sins and not for ours only but also for those of the whole world notice first the tender affection John has for his brethren my little children he calls them the term here for children is in the diminutive form it is a term of endearment from the old apostle to his young brethren John grants that though believers are transformed to walk in light they will still sin now and then but they are not to fear when this happens because they have someone to come alongside an advocate who pleads his own righteous work on their behalf Jesus Christ Christ propitiatory work that is his work of satisfying the just wrath of God by sacrifice that appreciation means his repository work is so powerful as to cover all the sins of a person’s life past present and future and not just that person since but as the end of verse 2 tells us but also the sins of all believers everywhere in the world we don’t have time to fully look into that phrase those of the whole world the sins of the whole world but just know that it’s not proclaiming universal salvation or unlimited atonement for more on the doctrine of limited atonement see the pastor’s sermon on the doctrines of grace available on our website so not only have believers been cleansed once and for all by Christ but also Christ’s work is applied to them any time they sin in there but don’t miss an important caveat it should be understood that when believers sin in this way they always return to righteousness they repent they change they put to death the sin so that it does not remain a pattern or have it in their lives this is what they want to do they feel compelled to do this otherwise you know assuredly someone will come along and say well if all my sins are covered and I always have Christ as my advocate and I don’t really need to worry about walking in light because technically I’m righteous through Christ my behavior isn’t really a factor before God so and actually doesn’t matter whether I put to death patterns of sin in my life or not this idea probably fit very well with the Gnostic view affecting the churches of Asia Minor but John is not going to allow for that twisted interpretation nurse again verse 1 of chapter 2 I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin don’t misunderstand me John says these truths about your cleansing in Christ are not licensed for you to sing or permission for you to treat your buceta ng sins nonchalantly no I’m actually writing these things do so that you don’t sin John further clarifies himself in verses 3 to 6 essentially repeating what he said earlier in chapter 1 those who have been cleansed of sin change and they keep God’s commandments Luca vs 326 chapter 2 by this we know that we have come to know him if we keep his Commandments the one who says I have come to know him and does not keep his Commandments as a liar and the truth is not in him but whoever keeps his word in him the love of God has truly been perfected by this we know that we are in him the one who says he abides in him ought himself to walk in same manner as he walked jon is again very emphatic here don’t say you know God or abide in christ if you do not do what he did and if you do not do what He commands you to do if you say you know God while you continue to walk and sin you show yourself to be a liar with no knowledge of God’s truth you can see here John specific bent against the Gnostics who claimed to have been perfected by their higher knowledge and to have a perfect love for God John says if you really have love for God if you truly have been perfected and you will obey God’s commandments jesus said this himself John 14 15 Jesus says if you love me you will keep my Commandments how many people today and in ages past have claimed to know God and love God while refusing to be like him or to obey their words have proven empty brothers and sisters do not be deceived those who know God and have been cleansed by Christ keep Christ commandments now perhaps you’re saying to yourself wait I’m confused John says that those who know Christ obey but he also acknowledges that they sin and they need Christ as their advocate how can these things both be true let me clear things up true believers do sometimes sin they occasionally sin but that is not the pattern of their lives that is not the habit of their lives they walk in light their lives are marked by righteousness and obedience they are not content to just keep on falling to the same old sins in the same old ways they change they change their thinking to conform it to what the word God says and they make changes in their lives consistent with that new way of thinking if they see that something a person or activity or whatever it may be causes them to a stumble they get rid of it if they need help they reach out to their brothers and sisters in Christ they continue to devote themselves to the Word of God to prayer to fellowship to the teaching of God’s Word knowing that if they neglect these things they will not have consistent victory over sin they want victory so they devote themselves to these things please listen listen to this believers are so transfixed by the wondrous light of Christ they go all out in their war against sin they love Christ they want to please him they want to be like him and are therefore glad to war against any sinful habit until it is defeated such warfare often it often involves getting to the root of symptoms sins for example I keep going back to pornography because I don’t trust Christ to take care of my anxieties I’m searching for comfort outside of Christ because I don’t know how to deal with my situation or another example i keep getting angry at my spouse because I pridefully believe the Lord doesn’t give me what I deserve I’m discontent and ungrateful and therefore I cannot be gracious to others to get to the root of some sins we often need the help of others and we need the teaching provided in church because we might not even know we might be blinded barson we need others to help us see it truly believers by the Holy Spirit working through their striving efforts yes effort is involved they pluck up every we’d of sin root and all in their lives when they sin when a habit of sin appears in their lives and they notice it they immediately go all out and putting it to death they don’t listen to the flesh they believe God’s Word and overcome fleshly feelings and put to death any sinful pattern this is the big difference between people of light and people of darkness the people of light are marked by righteous behavior the people of darkness by sinful behavior believers do sin but it is not their pattern they do not allow patterns of sin or habits of sin to continue in their lives so we see John’s second point believers have been cleansed by and continually seek cleansing and God’s light but you might be thinking I thought the point of God’s law and commands was to show us we cannot obey them and to just seek God’s mercy how can John now say that we need to keep God’s commands and God’s law let’s examine John’s third and last point believers are empowered to keep God’s law of love by the new light of Christ believers are empowered to keep God’s law of love by the new light of Christ in this section Paul begins by presenting both a contrast and the continuity between a certain old and a certain new commandment regarding love look at verses 7 to 8 in chapter 2 beloved I’m not writing a new commandment to you but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning the old commandment is the word which you have heard on the other hand I am writing a new commandment to you which is true in him and in you because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining notice you see the word beloved here but it’s actually the term brethren I’m not sure why it’s translated as beloved it’s the word a dull boy John is about to say something about brotherly love and he affirms his audience as brothers and sisters but what is this new commandment and what is the old commandment these terms actually show up multiple times in John’s writings there in his other letters and they actually come from Jesus himself the Gospel of John chapter 13 verses 34 to 35 records these words from Jesus a new commandment I give to you that you love one another even as I have loved you that you also love her even as I loved you that you also love one another by this all men will know that you are my disciples if you have what from one another now when Jesus said that when he gave them that new commandment he was actually presenting his to his disciples an old commandment goes back to the Pentateuch Leviticus 19 18 19 18 be but you shall love your neighbor as yourself i am the lord this old testament commandment is a summary of God’s whole law God had always intended for people to love him and therefore love one another loving others as an ordinance tied to the very nature of God and it has existed from of old it is the old commandment so why did Jesus then call that commandment a new commandment for his disciples well it’s because Jesus command to love became new in several ways first there was a new standard not just love someone as you love yourself but love someone as Christ loves you that’s an even higher standard second there was a new example not just the love of self or even the Father’s love demonstrated in the Old Testament but the love of God displayed in Christ the Son of God who laid down his life for his enemies and thirdly there was a new power because the disciples be held and experienced and receive Christ love they were changed by it they were now empowered to keep the old commandment of God by the new work of Christ love and this way Jesus makes the old law of love into a new law so it is here in our passage in 1st John John says if you walk with God and light and have come to know Christ then you will obey the old commandment that you have first heard from me and others when we share the gospel with you this commandment is of old because it is tied to the character of God however John also says you will be able to obey this old command because it has become new for you it was true in Christ and now becomes true in you your old life of darkness has passed away and is passing away because the life-giving light of Christ is now shining on you and in you in contrast to the Gnostics who saw who celebrated new revelation from God and of God John says no the revelation you need to pay attention to is the old revelation don’t absolve yourself from it by what you claim is new recognize that the old is still binding but that it becomes new for all who believe in Christ the gospel of Jesus is the only fresh revelation from God nothing else may stand with it the law of God then summed up in the command to love which formally condemned all men is now able to be obeyed by believers nay it must be obeyed as Jon says next look at verses 9 to 11 of chapter 2 the one who says he is in the light and yet hates his brother in the darkness until now the one who loves his brother abides in the light and there is no cause for stumbling in him but the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes this section of Texas in the same format as what we saw earlier it is totally inconsistent to say that you are in the light that you belong to God and yet walk in a pattern of lovelessness toward your brethren the term brother here has fellow believers especially in mind but the principle extends to non-believers to if your knowledge and love for God does not manifest itself and sincere consistent it in sincere and consistent love for people especially fellow believers and you do not know God you are walking in darkness you are still in it something has caused you to stumble in your belief in God you have not yet believed God to be all lovey and satisfying and worthy of obedience and you have not given up your pride and your hatred and your contempt for others you therefore don’t know the god of light and we’re still you don’t even know where you are or where you are going hatred of others has blinded your eyes the verb translated as going here in our text is an interesting verb because it contains the idea of going away or going down the brother hater is not simply wandering but he is stumbling away from God down towards the fire of hell and he doesn’t even know it but John warns such people make no mistake only those who demonstrate love to their brothers and sisters in Christ and to all people are the ones that actually abide in God’s light a believer may slip now and then but lovelessness is not his pattern his life is marked just as Christ was by real love for others so we see John’s Third Point believers are empowered to keep God’s law of love by the new light of Christ let’s now review John’s argument and consider where we stand in light of it first believers walk and light because their God is liked second believers have been cleansed by and continually seek cleansing in God’s light and third believers are empowered to keep God’s law of love by the new light of Christ please ask yourself this morning do you walk in light his righteousness the pattern of your life are you zelus to identify and remove all the settings sins that appear in your life do you go all out in your war against sin have you ever said the same thing as God about your sin that without is cleansing you will be justly damned in torment forever have you pleaded with God for Christ’s merciful work to cover you and to pay your sin debt and having been cleansed by Christ do you walk in holiness immediately repenting and putting to death whatever occasional sin you notice appears in your walk do you love the Brethren and does that love proven in your deeds do you love your spouse do you love your children do you love your coworkers do you love your enemies and those who mistreat you do you see how Christ has empowered you to actually live out a new life of love because of his love if you can confidently answer yes to these things and let us rejoice and fellowship with one another let us thank God let us encourage one another just as the Apostle John intends let us rejoice in our hope of heaven the fruit of the Spirit is the seal of the Spirit it is the mark of guarantee that when you and I die we will go to be with the Lord those who walk in light can be sure that they will dwell in light with the god of light but if you cannot confidently answer yes to those questions then repent and believe the gospel true belief is always marked by change and persevere perseverance are you willing to give up your old patterns of thinking and behavior in order to obtain God and His salvation are you willing to line up under Christ as a good soldier and to fight to the nth degree for his sake are you willing to be discontent as long as a pattern of sin remains in your life brothers and sisters let us not be deceived bad teaching has infiltrated our day just like it did John’s let us beware of any teaching that does not lead to practical holiness to lives of obedience if we are not willing to do whatever it takes to change and if we do not actually change in our behavior but continue in our same old patterns and we do not know the god of light we were in darkness the darkness will destroy us so where are you this morning let the Word of God and first John penetrate your soul and spirit and show you what you really are either to comfort and encourage you or to convict you so that you may repent that’s closing prayer father I have sought to faithfully deliver your word help us God not to rationalize sin in order to twist your word into saying something it does not say protect us from bad teaching from things that sound holy but are actually abuses of your word you made this letter from John so emphatic and so clear that we would know that those who belong to you walk and holiness it is their pattern God make it our pattern we know our effort is involved we know our will is involved but we know also God that if anything happens is because you do it so we give you all the glory make us holy protect us from sin protect us from temptation deliver us from evil show us more of yourself order our feelings speak against your word and tell us don’t do righteousness it won’t be good for you help us to persevere and to not believe those feelings about to believe your word your word is true it is so good what we love you please accomplish great change in us make us into your holy people just as you have designed us to be in Jesus name Amen