Walk In the Light

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on Independence Day weekend, Sunday, the 2nd of July, 2023, at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  Our service this morning also included the observance of Holy Communion with our Lord.  Our YouTube streaming channel is: 

https://www.youtube.com/@pilgrimreformedchurch1992/streams.]

Family, this morning we’re going to continue reading our way through the letters a few of the apostles wrote to the early church.  We’ll be moving from those the Apostle Peter wrote straight to the Apostle John’s, just as they’re listed in our Bible, though they were authored about 25 years apart.  I like to include timelines and snippets of history because it helps us relate that the events we read about actually did happen over the course of time.  So while Peter penned his letters in the mid 60’s AD, John was an old man when he authored his in around 90 AD.

The “beloved disciple” was most likely in Ephesus at the time, writing to those early Christians scattered throughout Asia Minor, just as did the Apostle Paul with his letter to the Ephesians.  The timing of John’s three letters is interesting, too.  The Roman Emperor Nero was now dead, but the persecution of the Christian church continued under the new Emperor, Domitian.  In fact, it was under Domitian’s rule that John would soon be exiled to the prison island of Patmos, where he would write the Book of Revelation, recording the events to come that Jesus revealed to him.

I am going to start at the beginning of John’s epistles, with verse 1 of chapter 1 of the 1st letter, and I think it appropriate to do so since John so often mentions the beginning in his writings.  In verse 1 of chapter 1 of his Gospel account, John proclaims, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”  And in verse 1 of chapter 1 of this his 1st letter he adds, “That which was from the beginning… we declare to you”.  So please listen and follow along to the 1st chapter of the Apostle John’s 1st letter to the early church, and I’ll be reading from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible this morning…

1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life — 2 the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us — 3 that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. 4 And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.

5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

--1 John 1 (NKJV)

Let us pray…  Almighty God, when You began Your great creation, Your ordered, “Let there be light!”, and You brought light into being.  Thank You, Father, for bringing light to the darkness.  And then You sent Your Son Jesus, the Light of men, and again the Light shone in the darkness.  Sadly, though, Father, too many people prefer the darkness, thinking it hides their wickedness.  They shun the Light, refusing to acknowledge Your Christ.  Forgive them, Father.  Please help us speak to them and tell them about Jesus.  Please soften their hearts so that Your Spirit can do His mighty work within them, that they too might be saved.  And please protect us, Father, from those who serve Satan and carry out his evil deeds.  Remind us of what we have been taught from the beginning, so that our joy may be full.  And Father, please keep us strong in our faith, of one mind and one purpose in our love, worship, and service, and healthy and safe in the days ahead.

Speak to us now, Father, that we might hear Your voice through Your Spirit within us and better understand the message You have for us this day.  Please help us to stay in the light of Your word, to always walk in Your light.  Help us remember what we have been taught, what we have read of the testimonies of those who witnessed first-hand.  This we pray in the precious name of Your Son, Christ Jesus our Lord.   Amen.

Peter Marshall, former chaplain of the US Senate, once opened a session with this plea:

Lord Jesus, thou who art the way, the truth, and the life; hear us as we pray for the truth that shall make all free. Teach us that liberty is not only to be loved but also to be lived. Liberty is too precious a thing to be buried in books. It costs too much to be hoarded. Help us see that our liberty is not the right to do as we please, but the opportunity to please to do what is right.

248 years ago, a band of patriots began a long and terrible battle to secure the right for Americans to rule ourselves, to free us from the chains of tyranny.  Not quite 2000 years ago, Christ Jesus defeated death to secure our salvation, to free us from the chains of our sin.

Liberty is not free; it comes at a high cost.  Neither is liberty a license to do whatever we want.  To honor those patriots who fought and died for our freedom, we must not surrender our rights to tyrants.  To honor our Lord who died for our salvation, we must not return to a sinful life.  Let us walk in this life always in the light.

Family, at some point in our life, each of us has received the Gospel, the Good News of salvation through Christ Jesus.  Some of us were taught this long ago as children.  Some newly born again heard it only recently.  John and the rest of the apostles who contributed to our Bible declared this truth to us so that all could learn, all could be taught, all could read or hear.

John assures us that in this shared knowledge, we all have fellowship together, as our true fellowship is with our Father God and with His Son Jesus Christ.  And in this, our joy is full.

The message John wants us to get right off the bat is that God is light.  God is light.  In Him there is no darkness; He’s not trying to hide anything.  We may not be able to see everything, but it’s not because God hides it from us.  The truth is in plain sight, for those who believe and use the faith they’ve been given.  We can see God in the sunrise and the sunset, in the gentle rain and the mighty storm.  We can see Him in His light.

So if we want to stay in God’s care and good graces, we need to be careful to stay in His light.  We can’t try to hide some things in the dark while walking in the light.  Let’s face it…  we can’t really hide anything from God.  He shines His light everywhere all the time and knows exactly what we are doing even before we do it.  Sure, we may be able to hide our actions from other people, but God always sees, God always knows.  There’s no hiding from God, no darkness He can’t see through.

God is light.  And since Jesus is not only God’s Son, but also God, then Jesus is light, too.  John comes right out and proclaims this in the 1st five verses of the 1st chapter of his Gospel account, when he writes…

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

--John 1:1-5 (NKJV)

In Jesus is the life, and the life is the light of men.  In Jesus is the light for all of mankind, and the darkness of evil cannot overcome it.  Sadly, too many people prefer the darkness, for they can continue their wicked ways under its cover.  They shun the light, scampering away like cockroaches any time it comes near.  They walk in darkness and have no fellowship with God.

If we walk in darkness, if we continue living a sinful life while saying we believe in Jesus, we are deceiving ourselves, for we are not following our Christ, not walking in the light as we should.  We are not in fellowship with God.  But if we return to the light and remain in the light, stay the straight and narrow path, follow Christ and His commands, and confess our sins before God, then the precious blood of His Son Jesus will cleanse us of our sin and we will again be in fellowship with God, with Jesus, and with the family of believers.

There was a time when the Pharisees brought a woman to Jesus that they had caught in the act of adultery, asking Him to say whether she should be stoned as according to their law, hoping to trap our Lord.  Jesus responded, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.”  All the stones dropped harmlessly to the ground; none were thrown.

Jesus knows we sin; it’s our inheritance from Adam and Eve.  But He gives us the chance to get back in the light by telling us just as He told this woman, “Go, and sin no more.”

John recorded the words Jesus spoke next, after the Pharisees all stepped away, in the 12th verse of the 8th chapter of his Gospel account…

12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

--John 8:12 (NKJV)

The light of the world; the light of mankind.  If we walk around in the light, we can see anything that might get in our way, that could make us stumble and fall and hurt ourselves.  If we try walking in the dark, even in familiar surroundings, we can get into all kinds of trouble.

Family, we must walk in the light of God, of Jesus, if we are to remain free of our sin, free of the chains of death, free from the tyranny of Satan.  This Tuesday, July the 4th, let us celebrate our hard-fought victory over foreign tyranny.  And let us rejoice in the victory won for us by Jesus, who brought light into the world, to show us the way out of darkness.  This Independence Day, and every day, let us proclaim our freedom and remain in the light of God.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord, the one true Son of God.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Almighty God, thank You for shining Your light for us to be able to see how we should walk through this life.  When we walk in the light, we remain in fellowship with You and with one another.  When we try to hide in the darkness, we displease You and sadden You.  Forgive us those times, please Father, when we think we can hide our acts from You, hide our sin.  And forgive those who help us sin, who may even encourage us to sin.  Forgive them so that they may find their way to the light.  Please help us reach out to them and help them.  Help us share Your light.  And please help us to not be afraid to shine the light of truth before others, showing Your love, so that they too may be saved by Your mercy and grace.  And Father, please shield us from Satan as he attacks our faith and tries to pull us away from You.  Help us be better servants, glorifying You in all we do so that the world can see You in us, through our deeds, in how we live.  And help us remain strong, faithful, and true to You in all things, no matter what the world throws at us or holds out before us.

Please hear us now, Father, as we pause for just a moment to speak to You through Your Spirit within us, promising to be more obedient to Your commands, and seeking Your help to do so…

Lord Jesus, Your Father God brought light into being when You and He created the world.  And then You brought light back into the world when we were stumbling and lost in the darkness of sin.  Thank You, Lord, for shining the light for all mankind to see.  We pray, dear Lord, that others may open their eyes and see the light.  Please, Jesus, help us reach out to them.  Help us show them Your love.  And help us endure any persecution they may cause us.  Shield our minds and our hearts from the world’s lies and empty promises.  Guide us around all the devil’s traps and snares.  Help us see though his temptations.

And Jesus, please help us be faithful and true to You, putting all our trust in You, all our hope in You.  Please heal the hurts that separate and divide us one from another.  Help us keep our focus on the things of heaven and the needs of others rather than on anything this life might offer.  This we pray in Your blessed name, Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior.  Amen.