Walking In The Light

WALKING IN THE LIGHT

I JOHN 1:5-7

INTRO: Are you afraid of the dark?

1. As a child, shadows make us think of monsters.

2. If you like scary movies, you may at times think you see those characters in the dark.

(ILL.) In interview, Stephen King, horror author, was asked about daily writing routine. Said only wrote in morning. When asked if ever wrote at night, replied, "Are you kidding? Not with the stuff I write!" Apparently even he knows the power of darkness.

3. Darkness, understood Biblically, is where the hidden things of evil have freedom to thrive.

4. Darkness is the enemy of light; it is the strategy of Satan to ensnare the unexpecting.

5.

BKGD: John gives us a wake up call.

1. As Christians we need to periodically evaluate our lives to make sure we are not dabbling in or stumbling into darkness.

2. We need to ensure that our level of light stays bright.

3. Have you taken a good look at your light lately? Are you walking in the light?

I. PRINCIPLE ONE: God is Light

A. The nature of light is to make it possible to see, to reveal.

B. It is the opposite of darkness.

C. Light, in Scriptures, refers to truth, purity, and holiness; darkness refers to ignorance, error, sin, and evil.

D. God is the epitome of truth, purity, and holiness.

E. The nature of God is such that He reveals or exposes sin and error.

II. PRINCIPLE TWO: Darkness is the Absence of Light

A. Darkness is used to deceive and harbor impurity and sin.

B. "Walk" means to conduct one’s life.

C. "Walking in darkness" means conducting one’s life in a continual state of sin. (John 3:19-20)

19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.

A. Christians often buy into the dangerous philosophy that says that we can avoid the light without any consequences; that we can live in sin and still have fellowship with God.

B. Darkness destroys your fellowship with God.

C. To walk in darkness means to live as though there were no God. It means being a practical atheist: Atheists don’t believe in a God, and we live as though He does not exist. We avoid the light.

D. How do we avoid the light?

1. Stop attending church.

2. Stop reading Scriptures.

3. Stop examining yourselves.

a. How am I doing?

b. Am I loving?

c. Am I easier to live with?

d. Am I spending more time w/ God?

e. Are my priorities in order?

4. Compare ourselves with other Christians.

5. Never admit anything wrong in life.

(Ill.) Native from remote mtn. village. Visit large modern city for 1st time. Amazed with electric lights everywhere. Bought sacks of bulbs, sockets, & switches. Hung in front of home & on trees. Everyone watched with curiosity, asked what he was doing. Told them to watch. When night came, turned on switches, nothing happened. No one told him about electricity.

III. PRINCIPLE THREE: Light Dispels Darkness

A. Rather than stumble around in darkness, we should walk in the light. (John 3:21)

21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.

B. Many benefits to walking in the light.

1. Key to fellowship with God.

a. Cannot have fellowship with God while walking in darkness.

b. Walking in light gives us fellowship.

c. Possible to have relationship without fellowship.

2. Key for fellowship with one another

a. Brothers & sisters in Christ because of relationship w/ Christ.

b. Fellowship requires honesty, openness, approachability, an uncritical spirit, & vulnerability.

c. Walking in light produces these characteristics.

3. Key to constant cleansing from all sin.

a. Walking in light exposes sin; walking in darkness hides sin.

b. Walking in light deals with sin by confessing it, repenting of it, bringing forgiveness.

c. By walking in the light we stay clean and right with God.

CONCLU: How are you doing? Are you walking in the light?

Robert Louis Stevenson, author of books such as Treasure Island, when young child, one evening was looking out front window of house fascinated by lamplighter coming down street, lighting old fashion gas street lamps. Called to nana, "Nana! Come quickly! There’s a man coming down the street punching holes in the darkness!"

Is your light punching holes in the darkness of the world, or are you walking in the world’s darkness?