Sermon: 1 John 1 – God’s Light = Word’s Of Life!
Thesis: When we experience the Light of God Jesus-we experience the Word of Life who then reveals to us the word’s which produce life in us for eternity.
Scripture Text: 1 John 1: 1-10
1That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 3We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4We write this to make our joy complete.
5This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. 7But 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.
8If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.
Illustration: Testimony from Brooklyn Tabernacle about the Light of the World flooding into Calvin’s life and giving him the Word’s of Life to make him clean.
Parallel Reference to 1 John 1 is John 1:
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning.
3Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.
6There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. 7He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. 8He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 9The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.
10He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—13children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
14The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
15John testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’” 16From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. 17For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.
Introduction:
John means "grace, gift, or mercy of the Lord." He is one of the best known disciples - called the "beloved disciple," or the disciple "whom Jesus loved."
Holman Notes:
John is always mentioned in the first four in the lists of the twelve (Matt. 10:2; Mark 3:17; Luke 6:14; Acts 1:13). John is also among the “inner three” who were with Jesus on special occasions in the Synoptic Gospels: the raising of Jairus’ daughter (Mark 5:37), the transfiguration (Mark 9:2), and the Garden of Gethsemane (Mark 14:32-33). Andrew joined these three when they asked Jesus about the signs of the coming destruction of Jerusalem (Mark 13:3). Legends about the apostle continued to develop long after his death. According to tradition, John lived to an old age in Ephesus, where he preached love and fought heresy, especially the teachings of Cerinthus
Who was John? From The Daily Bible internet site:
"When Jesus saw His mother there, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, "Dear woman, here is your son," and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home." (John 19:26-27 NIV)
Despite the gruesome agony of the cross (see How Did Jesus Christ Die?), one of Jesus’ last words was for the care of His mother Mary, who at that point must have been in a state of extreme grief and horror upon witnessing The Crucifixion. From then on, she was to reside as family with John, one of the closest friends of Jesus, and apparently one of the bravest - he remained there with Jesus from the "trial" right to the end, despite very real danger to himself, while many others, including Peter, had run away (see The Fateful Night).
John and his brother James were the third and fourth fishermen (see The Fisher) of the Sea Of Galilee that Jesus had called to service that day (brothers Andrew and Peter were the first two). John and James had been fishing with their father Zebedee and left immediately to follow Jesus. Zebedee was apparently relatively wealthy, and had other hired men there, so John didn’t leave his father all alone (Mark 1:19-20). They had probably heard the preaching of John The Baptist, who had just been imprisoned (Mark 1:14), and were aware that a Savior was coming, although they may not have realized that they themselves would be called to service. Either way, they were aware and prepared - they immediately followed Jesus.
John eventually became a very close disciple, and friend, of Jesus. Jesus’ nickname for John and his brother was "Boanerges" which means something like "Sons of Thunder" - evidence of John’s zeal and temper, and perhaps of Jesus’ sense of humor.
After the resurrection, John and Peter were the first people to be told by Mary of Magdala, who had discovered the empty tomb (see The Garden Tomb) early that morning. The Bible states that, at that point they did not yet fully realize or understand that Jesus had actually risen - they thought that someone had stolen the body (John 20:1-9). John and Peter quickly ran to the tomb (John was apparently more physically fit than Peter, since he arrived at the tomb well ahead of Peter) and discovered the empty burial cloth and strips of linen.
Despite the persecution that he faced through the many years of his service and witness (that resulted in the martyrdom of nearly all, if not every one of the other apostles - see What Happened To The Apostles?), John managed to live to old age because (apart from caring for Mary who was likely not more than age 50 at the time of The Crucifixion) he had yet more writing to do. While banished to the island of Patmos, after having already written the Gospel of John (of which Mary would have been a very good source of information), he was given to write the Book of Revelation.
1 John was written to Christian believers to reinforce the claim that when we tell God that we are sinners and we want forgiveness God then forgives us of our sins and purifies our lives (1 John 1:9). The rest of 1 John is focused on telling Christians how they should act in light of God’s act of forgiveness.
He notes that the true test of ones faith is seen by there our for one another (3:11-24) Because God is love, His people must therefore act like Him and have the same character traits (4:1-21). He also tells us in I John that for us to have complete victory over sin means we must not only love others but we must believe that Jesus is the Son of God. We must believe that he is the Messiah and that His death for us was real (5:1-12).
Remember 1 John 1:1 from CEV-Jubilee Bible:
“The Word that gives life was from the beginning, and this is the one our message is about” (1 John 1:1a)
The Equation of 1 John is: God’s Light = Words of Life!
I. The Word of Life brings the words of life!
a. The truth about the Word of Life:
i. You can hear the Word of Life and he will communicate to you the words that bring life.
1. Jesus always brings with Him words that produce life.
a. “I am the Bread of life, He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.” John 6:35
i. Jesus here tells us that he himself is the nourishment which sustains our lives.
ii. It is only from eating His bread that we can live and be nourished.
iii. Communion is all about partaking of this living Bread of life.
b. “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12
i. Jesus makes the claim and say’s I am the way through the darkness of this sinful world.
ii. Jesus makes this statement at the end of the Festival of Lights when the lights have all been extinguished.
1. Light must always be accepted for what it’s supposed to do, shine and guide the way through darkness.
iii. He in essence answers their questions of were the light will come from to deliver them from the bondage of this world and who will lead them to the entrance of Heaven.
1. JESUS answer,“I Will!”
c. I am the gate for the sheep 9I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. John 10:7, 9
i. Jesus tells us here that he is the opening to the Father and Heaven.
ii. He is the door to eternal life.
iii. Christ is the only doorway into heaven. Religion will not get you in nor will good works only Jesus.
d. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. I am the good shepherd I know my sheep and my sheep know me.” John 10:11,14
i. Jesus tells us the he is the good – godly Shepherd that will tend the flock and protect the flock in life.
ii. He will guide his sheep and he will lead his sheep to food and water.
iii. He will give his life for the sheep so that they may the abundant life.
e. “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies.” John 11:25
i. Jesus promises us that if we surrender to Him he will resurrect us from death.
1. he promises us from his own mouth these things;
a. Those who partake in the resurrection will receive rewards (Luke 14:13-14)..
b. They will not die ((Luke 20:37-38).
2. Life – Zoe means sustenance of supernatural life belonging to God and Jesus Christ.
a. John wrote the Gospel of John with the theme of Life.
b. John showed in the Gospel that life is only attained through Jesus the Logos.
c. A person is never really alive until he has meet the Word of Life!
d. True life comes to the Christian according to the New Testament by Jesus Christ. John tells us that Jesus the Logos is the one who gives life (zoe). Life is only found in a relationship with Jesus because if you do not have this relationship then you will face death and your life will end up being meaningless and worthless.
e. True life has eternal value and eternal rewards. A life without these qualities has no value-no purpose-no meaning!
3. Jesus is the conqueror of death and He is the one who gives life to any who desire it. It is His to give!
f. “I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6
i. Jesus here makes it clear that He is the only way to life.
ii. There is no other way!
g. 1“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 5“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:1,5
i. Jesus declares that He is the true vine. There are many false vines out there but he is the true vine.
ii. How do we know He is the true one? He said the proof would be in His resurrection from the dead.
ii. You can see the Word of Life and see that He is real and genuine.
1. We today can experience the true vine which is attached to the Father.
iii. You can touch the Word of Life and discover that he is for real!
1. Like Calvin did!
2. Like I did!
3. Like John did!
b. John’s own testimony to The Word of Life
i. I have heard Him
ii. I have see Him
iii. I have touched Him
1. Why does he tell us this?
a. So that we could know that we could hear him, see him, and touch him ourselves.
b. So that we could fellowship with John in experiencing Jesus together.
2. John in his Gospel answers the question ‘Who Is Jesus?” John answers this question by calling Jesus the Word. The Word was with God at the beginning and the Word is God and all things were made through the Word at the beginning of time and at Creation. Therefore He is truly able today to give life if He chooses to speak it into existence in a person (John 5:21).
T.S. – The Word of Life is the Light of Life and when we embrace the light we get the word of life which changes the way we live and the way we act.
II. God’s light Jesus was sent so that we would walk in His illumination.
a. John tells us this about the light.
i. God is light!
1. In Him there is NO darkness!
2. Illustration when I was a boy and we explored a cave in the mountains all day. What happened when the lights went out in the cave you could not see anything! I can still recall that day in darkness. My dad and my Cub Scout troop went to some caves in Penna. We spent the day down in these caves it was pitch black in them-no light. If we would not have had our flashlights we would have never been able to explore the cave or been able to find our way out.
a. I hated this time in the cave we where in there for 4-5 hours.
i. I felt lost-scarred!
ii. I felt uneasy-nervous!
iii. I felt trapped!
iv. I felt confused!
v. I wanted out but I could not get out on my own-I did not know how!
b. But when we came toward the end of the cave I could see the light at the end of the tunnel. I ran out of that dark dingy cave into a beautiful sunny day. It was a great feeling of refreshment. My attitude changed. I felt overjoyed with the sunshine and the beauty I could see in the surrounding mountains. I thought to myself there is no way I am going back into that black hole ever again.
c. It was the same when Jesus illuminated my life and brought me out of darkness.
i. I could see the purpose of life.
ii. I felt joy in my life like never before.
iii. I felt hope rush into my soul- all because of His light.
3. Scientists can help us understand light and also help us to apply it spiritually to God as being the light of the world. Last week I covered the following introduction to an article I discovered in the Oct 2001 edition of the National Geographic. The article was titled the Power of Light:
a. Light reveals the world to us. Body and soul crave it. Light sets our biological clocks. It triggers in our brains the sensations of color. Light feeds us, supplying the energy of plants to grow. It inspires us with special effects like rainbows and sunsets. Light gives us life- changing tools, from incandescent bulbs to lasers and fiber optics. Scientists don’t fully understand what light is or what it can do. They just know that it will illuminate our future (3).
4. After just reading this introduction in the article I said, this article has spiritual insight for us as Christians. So I read on and the verses on light in the Bible just raced through my mind. Wow I thought! The Bible tells us that God is light. So we will continue to explore some spiritual application points from the scientific study of light. I came across this quote this week on light from another author:
a. “Light, without which we can see nothing, is itself invisible. It seems to move from place to place instantaneously, passing ghostlike through solid materials such as glass. If it is part of the material world, it is certainly, by dint of its surpassing subtlety, the part that is closest to spirit: So thought the astronomer Johannes Kepler. It is identical to God, mystics like Mani and John the Evangelist declared” (Park).
ii. We are told by John to walk in the Light!
1. Why? Because it purifies our life from sin!
2. It helps us to see were we are going!
iii. We are not to walk around in darkness!
1. Why? Because if we claim to be Christians we do not associate with darkness - if we do walk in the darkness we live a lie and we stumble over and over throughout our lives.
2. The scientists tell us that light is essential to our daily lives. This is why we crave it and desire it.
a. Light is as important as air we have been told. Fish need water like we need light.
b. God is as important as air as a matter of fact he breathed life into man in Genesis 2:7 “The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.’
c. Scientist’s tell us that light gives us Vitamin D for healthier bones. It’s called the “Sunshine vitamin.”
i. God’s light makes us healthy and strong.
ii. Proverbs 3:7, 8 “Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.”
b. Scientists also tell us that light will not reduce – You cannot dismantle the parts of light and have light. It will not work if you try to reduce it or dismantle any of lights parts it will not work.
i. Light is non reduce-able but you can use light as a source of energy because you can compress a lot of lights energy in a very small point.
1. Example when you use a magnifying glass on a sunny day to start a fire. When you do this experiment you are concentrating and compressing light together in one focused area. Result you light a fire.
a. Lasers are designed to work this way.
ii. Scientists tell us that this is one of the miracles of light:
1. “It has no volume. And photons have no charge, so in the process of being concentrated into a very small space, they don’t repulse each other as negatively charged electrons do.” (NIF will fit 4 x 10 the 24th power photons into the target capsule.) “They don’t bother one another” is the way Moses put it. “How many angels of light can dance on the head of a pin? In theory, and infinite number” (10).
2. Think about this statement – Light should not bother one another but gather together to gain greater power.
iii. God himself is light and he is non-reduce-able. You take away any part of God you don’t have God.
iv. The Lord gathers together his lights and compresses them together to stir up a fire in the world. To show light in the middle of darkness.
1. Spiritually this principle should be the same. The individual light elements should be able to come together and not repulse each other. A truth that the Christian church of today has neglected and ignored.
c. The Word of Life directs a beam of truth to our lives and reveals to us that we are sinners.
i. So don’t deceive yourself! The truth is we are all sinners!
1. But the good word from the light is if we recognize we are sinners and we confess our sine to Him then He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins!
a. The result will be that we are purified that we are made clean like Calvin sang about!
b. But if we live in denial to our sinful condition we make Jesus out to be a liar and His Word will have no place in our lives.
Conclusion:
The equation of 1 John 1 is God’s Light = Word’s of Life!
God sent Jesus to be a light to this dark world. Jesus is one who has put a spot light on the way. He tells us how to attain a meaningful life, an eternal life and a purposeful life. His light points us to the door of Heaven – a place were no darkness dwells. His light will always be illuminated by His words of insight and truth. His words will always birth new life not death. His words will guide, His words will direct, His words will heal, His words will bring hope, His words will bring wisdom, His words will bring meaning, His words will bring peace, His words will bring salvation, His words will bring love, His words will bring a life that has value for all eternity.
John just tells us in 1 John to make sure you grab a hold of it by making sure you admit you’re a sinner and then repent of your sinful ways and participate with him and other believers in a faith that brings eternal life.
