Tonight, we return to our consideration of the letter of 1 John. Two weeks ago, we began considering the first four verses of chapter 1. Tonight, we consider verses 5 through 10 of 1 John chapter 1. Let's read together the whole chapter, the ten verses of 1 John chapter 1. 1 John chapter 1, as we hear now the Word of God. That 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. The life appeared. We have seen it and testified to it. And we proclaim to you the eternal life which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We 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. We write this to make our joy complete. Now the balance is our text for this evening. This is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you, God is light. In Him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with Him yet walk in darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But 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. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar and His Word has no place in our lives. Dear people of God, in our introductory sermon to the book of 1 John, we were introduced to the idea of fellowship, koinonia. Now sometimes we talk about being on the same page as another. And that same page may be talking, for example, about thinking the same theologically or having the same interests or ideas or agreeing with each other when it comes to certain issues or ways of doing things, there is a sameness, obviously, about it. Being on the same page. Well, in some respects, we could say that Koinonia Fellowship is being on the same page. Now, in the positive sense, only Christians can share and enjoy Koinonia Fellowship. That fellowship involves a common spirit in which believers share a new life in Christ Jesus as well as share fellowship in the family of God. Koinonia among believers includes mutual love, as Jesus says in John 13, verse 34, love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. Christians also enjoy a common salvation in faith only through Jesus Christ our Lord. In short, koinonia among believers involves community with communication with others of like mind and like nature. Those in this particular community follow the same kingdom ruler, different from the world's ruler. Those in this community abide by the same kingdom rules, different from the world's rules. And those in this community have the same kingdom goals, again, different from the world's goals. And those in this particular community cannot have fellowship, genuine fellowship, with those outside of this kingdom. It's impossible. But this community, this community of koinonia fellowship among believers, we must understand, is impossible without this same fellowship with the king of this kingdom. And that's why after introducing the idea of fellowship, John then in this text draws our attention to where it all begins. Indeed, throughout this wonderful letter, he talks about this koinonia fellowship among believers and how it's expressed, but he begins here. He draws our attention to where it all begins. We must be on the same page as God. And not just any page. His page. I preach to you this word of God about the truth of fellowship with God. Considering, first of all, the light foundation of this fellowship. Secondly, the negative facts of this fellowship. And then finally, the positive evidence of this fellowship. Now John begins with a statement of fact in this text concerning the character of God. And then he gives, in verses 6 through 10, he gives five if-then statements. If this, then that. Now, our English translation doesn't use the word then, but that's what they are. If-then statements. Three of the if-then statements are negative. Two are positive, which answer to the negative. And actually, chapter 2, verses 1 and 2, is another positive if-statement, which answers to the negative statement that we find in chapter 1, verse 10. But that idea is introduced in verse 7, and we will consider, the Lord willing, chapter 2, verses 1 and 2 next time. But again, believers, Christians cannot enjoy genuine fellowship with each other without first being in fellowship with the One who binds us together, and that is our God. He is the light foundation of this fellowship. Verse 5 says again, This is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you, God is light. In Him there is no darkness at all. The foundation of this fellowship is God. Particularly the fact that He is light. The apostolic proclamation which we considered last time, the message which John says we heard from Him, from Jesus Christ, the ultimate authority, includes the character of God and it includes teaching the truth about God. Now, throughout Scripture, God is described by His various attributes. John himself says in other places that God is love. He also says God is spirit. And here, of course, John uses the attribute of light to describe God's nature or character. And that's where it all begins, with the light. Because how one responds to that light determines the fellowship or lack of fellowship that that one has with God. Now, even the boys and girls here know what light is. Light is brilliant. Light shines. And boys and girls, you know the opposite of light. You know that the opposite of light is darkness. And what can we say about light, especially in contrast to the dark? Well, for one thing, we can say that there is comfort in the light, isn't there? When you can see your surroundings. But dark hides what is around us and can make us afraid. And again, boys and girls, you know what I mean. If you think about waking up in the middle of the night in a dark house, especially in a very dark bedroom, light illumines. It makes visible so that you can see clearly. But again, dark hides so that the eye cannot see. Now think about this. Light can hide from darkness, but the dark cannot hide from the light. If you walk into a room with a flashlight, you can put your hand over the light of the flashlight, or you can simply shut the flashlight off and you can hide that light. But when you turn that light on, when you shine the light of that flashlight throughout the dark room, it's impossible to cover up all on which the light shines. Even the darkest corners become light. In fact, light exposes the deepest secrets of the dark, and it exposes the truth about what's in the dark. The darkness hides the truth of an object. You cannot see an object clearly in the dark. If you get up in the middle of the night to get a drink of water and you're walking through the house making your way to the kitchen and you're walking through the living room, if you don't see the chair, you might stub your toe. The darkness can cause your hurt. But light will show the truth about that chair. First of all, that it's a chair. And secondly, that it's there. And therefore, light is also for our safety. Beloved, God in His wisdom has given us these word pictures, simple word pictures that even the boys and girls, the youngest child can understand. He's given these to us to help us understand His character. In Scripture, light stands for what is good and right and true. It represents that which is holy and pure. It represents life itself. But darkness stands for that which is evil and wrong and bad and a lie. Darkness represents death. Scripture is full of proof for this, and I encourage you to do a concordance study on the word light. We can't cover it all tonight. You'll see this for yourself. But light has reference to God and the things of God. Even the handout that Heibert gave us. The verse there, the unfolding of your words gives light. It gives understanding to the simple. Reference to God and the things of God. Now one thing we can look at, and that is that it is not uncommon for John himself to describe God as light. Turn with me into the book of John, the Gospel of John, chapter 3. As we read together a few short passages from the Gospel of John. John chapter 3, beginning at verse 19 through 21. John chapter 3, beginning at verse 19. This is the verdict. Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 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. Then flipping over to chapter 8. Chapter 8, verse 12. Chapter 8, verse 12. When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. Then over again to chapter 9, verse 5. Chapter 9, verse 5. Jesus says, While I am in the world, I am the light of the world. And one more place here in John, chapter 12. Chapter 12, verses 35 and 36 and verse 46. Chapter 12, verse 35. Then Jesus told them, You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light before darkness overtakes you. The man who walks in the dark does not know where he is going. Put your trust in the light while you have it so that you may become sons of light. When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them. Then verse 46, I have come into the world as a light so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness. As well, beloved, the Apostle John in Revelation 21 verse 23 speaking about the new Jerusalem says, The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light and the Lamb is its Lamb. And also going back to the Old Testament in Psalm 27, verse 1, which we sang, The Lord is my light and my salvation. And we know that throughout the history of Revelation, God revealed Himself as light. When His presence was near His people, it was in the mode of light. We can think of the burning bush on Mount Sinai or the pillar of fire which led the Israelites. Or how about the light on the Damascus road that fell upon Saul, Paul, the light of Jesus Christ. as well as the very transfiguration of Jesus Himself, the glory of His light, the glory of His being which shone through. God has clearly revealed Himself as light. He is not a light among many. He is the light, the original source of light. He is the Father of lights, as James 1 says. And as light, God is true and pure and holy. And the light of His Word exposes all that is false, all that is evil, all that is the lie. and the light of the Word of God alone leads to safety. The Lord is my light and my salvation. And that's why John can confidently say, in Him there is no darkness at all. Now in the Greek construction, there's a double negative there to give emphasis. The NIV tries a little bit. In Him there is no darkness at all. But we could say it even stronger. In Him there is no darkness. Not even a little bit of darkness. not even the slightest trace of darkness. And that's in contrast, of course, to the enemy Satan who is called the Prince of Darkness and the Father of Lies. True fellowship means being on the same page. And not only has God written that page, but He illumines that page. He demonstrates the truth which He has done through His Son Jesus Christ who is the light of the world and He reveals the truth of His Word by which He directs His people in all truth. Congregation, to be on the same page as God means to walk in the light of His truth. You see, His light is for us to see clearly to be sure, but it doesn't end there. His light is also for us to walk. We must know the truth, but we must also do the truth. The psalmist says, Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. With the idea of walking down that path, being able to see where we are going. And that's also why John must also speak and warn of the negative facts of this fellowship with God. Boys and girls, what we mean by negative facts is that John now lists some things which are not included in true fellowship with God. Kind of like if we would be talking about the game of basketball and we would say, but it does not include a little round white ball and a stick to hit it. Or talking about bowling, that it does not include a little round flat puck that we use on ice. John says the following things are not included in this fellowship with God. Verses 6, 8, and 10. If we claim to have fellowship with Him, yet walk in darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. In verse 8, if we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. And then verse 10, if we claim we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar and His word has no place in our lives. It's as if John is telling his readers, okay, God is light. You know what that means. Now, examine yourselves to see how you stand in relationship to that light. If you say that you are one with God, who is light, but you walk in darkness, there's a problem. There's a contradiction because light and dark don't mix. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 6 verse 14, What do righteousness and wickedness have in common? And the answer he expects is nothing whatsoever. And he says, or what fellowship can light have with darkness? And again, none. Not at all. To walk in darkness is talking about one's entire life and walk. One's entire way of life. The Greek word for walk is to walk about, to walk around. It's talking about one's entire mode of life. John is talking about living in the sphere or realm of sin. Now, we know that we all live in the midst of a sinful world. And there is wickedness all around each one of us. But this is talking about being one with that life of sin. It's talking about living this life with your whole mind and soul and all of your strength and being a slave to sin. It is the very opposite of walking according to the truth and will of God. And John says, if this describes you, If you walk in darkness, yet you claim to have fellowship with God. Yet you claim to live according to His will and in obedience to Him. Yet you claim to love what He loves and hate what He hates. Yet you walk in darkness. Then you're a liar. You're a liar. Your walk doesn't match your talk. You see, knowing the truth, congregation, doesn't mean anything without living the truth. Again, as John said in John 3, verse 20, whoever loves evil, which of course means walking in darkness, is included in that, that one hates the light. And we all know that it's impossible to have fellowship with one that you hate. The very deeds of darkness of one who walks in the darkness testifies against that one, that that one doesn't truly have fellowship with God, that instead that one is a slave of unrighteousness, as Paul says in Romans. Instead of life with God, and all of the beauty that that includes, sin alienates and disrupts life. Sin nurtures discord, not peace. It produces disorder, not harmony. It results in enmity, not fellowship. This is the first negative fact of fellowship with God. That fellowship with God is not walking in darkness. It's very possible that John was preaching against those involved in the heretical movements of the day like Gnosticism. Again, this heresy included the teaching that the physical is evil and only the spiritual is good and so one can live like they want and do what they want with the physical because it really doesn't matter anyway. But it also taught that one could achieve perfection through the achievement of certain knowledge. And therefore, John continues in verses 8 and 10 by talking about the evidence of walking in darkness, and that is sin. Now in verse 8 he begins, if we claim to be without sin. And in verse 10 he begins, if we claim we have not sinned. In the first instance, one claims to not be sinful, to not have a corrupted nature, to not be stained with sin. to not be guilty before God and that naturally then leads to the second false claim here and that is to not have committed any sin. Now boys and girls, if a person says that they don't have any sin in their lives and they have not committed any sin, what are they saying? They are saying that they are like God. They are making themselves equal with God in purity and holiness. But again, John is very explicit and clear about the truth of the matter. Again, verse 8, If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. In verse 10, If we claim we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar and His word has no place in our lives. Those who claim to be without sin deceive themselves. They literally turn themselves away from the truth. And those who claim to have not sinned make God out to be a liar. How dangerous! Now, that sounds more like fellowship with the devil, doesn't it? Remember what Jesus says in John 8, verse 44. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But notice the downward spiral here. Those who make these false claims lie and then move on to deceive themselves and finally and really necessarily this is where it must end up they call God a liar. Beloved, these things have no place. They do not belong. They cannot exist in a state of true fellowship. True people cannot have true fellowship if lying, deception, and accusation are involved. But the reason John can make such bold statements is because this fellowship that he talks about is tied to God who is light and tied to the light of His Word which exposes all that is false, all that is in error, all that is the lie. To make these false claims, those who make them, do not live by the truth. The truth is not in them, and God's Word has no place in their lives. Remember, in God there is no darkness, none at all. Therefore, in Him there is nothing false, there is no lie, there is no deception, only pure and holy, unadulterated, absolute truth. And what is that truth? With regard to the false claim that one can be in fellowship with God while at the same time walk in darkness, the Bible says in 1 John 3, verse 3, Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself just as he is pure. And in chapter 4, verse 20, we read, If anyone says, I love God, yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And Paul says in Romans, what should we say then? Should we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means. We died to sin. How can we live in it any longer? And he also makes it clear in Romans 7 that one who is born again has new desires. He says, For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do, no, the evil I do not want to do. This I keep on doing. Scripture is clear that those who indeed have fellowship with God cannot any longer walk in darkness. But with regard to that last verse we quoted from Romans 7, with that, Paul also answers the other two false claims with regard to sin. Those who say, I don't have any sin. I haven't committed any sin. In essence, Paul says, I'm born again. I'm saved by the blood of Jesus Christ. But I still sin. I don't want to. But it's a continual struggle. You see, the Word of God is plain. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. There is none righteous, no, not one. The truth of the Word of God reveals that man is a sinner and sins as and is in need of salvation. And all throughout the Old Testament, the animal sacrifice is pointed to the one final sacrifice for sin, to Jesus Christ, who alone could satisfy God's anger and wrath against sin. And congregation, the very coming of Christ, His perfect and sinless presence among men, His suffering and death, His ascension and resurrection, all of this testifies to the fact of our sin. If we had not sinned, if mankind had not sinned, He would not have had to come. He alone could put you and me on the same page with our Heavenly Father. He alone could accomplish for us and in us the positive evidence of fellowship, of this fellowship. Verse 7 says, But 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. In verse 9, If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. Now before we consider this point together, it may be that some of us here think that verses 8 and 10 contradict verse 6. On the one hand, it may seem that verse 6 is saying that we must be perfect. If we have fellowship with God, we cannot have fellowship, we cannot walk in darkness, we cannot have fellowship with sin. After all, as well in Leviticus, God says, be holy even as I am holy. But then verses 8 and 10 strongly remind us that we are sinners who indeed sin, as we have just pointed out from Scripture. Surely there's a contradiction here. We cannot sin, we cannot have fellowship with God if we walk in sin, but yet we sin. We're sinners. There's a contradiction. No, there's absolutely no contradiction. Those who are born again by the grace of God no longer live in the darkness of continual and habitual sin. They have been given the light of the truth of God's Word to see themselves clearly and also see a way out of the darkness through the light of the world, Jesus Christ. Through the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit, the believer is able not to sin. Able not to sin. But while in this life, unfortunately, we are also still able to sin. Able not to sin. Able to sin. We could say that believers don't sin and sin at the same time. But the difference is in how one deals with their sin. Those who walk in darkness don't care about their sin and they're more comfortable in the darkness. After all, where is a thief more comfortable doing his work? In the darkness. But those who walk in the light by God's grace indeed give positive evidence of being in fellowship with God. Again, verse 7 begins, But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another. To walk in the light of fellowship with God is to live in the sphere where the whole of your life and your experience is illumined or interpreted or explained by the truth of God. To walk in that light is to believe the light of God's truth and to obey it in word and deed so that our values and our behaviors and our attitudes and our commitments are in harmony with God's character of light and truth and also that our whole life in Him contradicts, is antithetical to the natural passions of those who walk in darkness. Paul says it beautifully in Titus 2, verses 11-14. For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say no to ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age while we wait for the blessed hope, the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people that are His very own, eager to do what is good. Beloved, we enjoy fellowship with God because of the finished saving sacrifice of Jesus Christ. In Him alone we stand justified before God with the guilt of our sin washed away by His blood. That which was red like crimson is transformed white as snow. In Christ, by the grace of God, we are on the same page with our Heavenly Father and He brings us into His presence to enjoy fellowship with Him. But also, those then who know and enjoy that fellowship with God also then have an earnest desire to have fellowship with the church on earth. You see, God's people instinctively sing, I love Thy church, O God. Beyond my highest joy, I prize her heavenly ways. Her sweet communion solemn vows, her hymns of love and praise. Beloved, walking in the light is the conscious and continual effort to live a life in conformity, in agreement with that which God, the light, has revealed to us. And that means that the positive evidence of true fellowship with God not only includes knowing the truth, but also responding appropriately to the light of God's truth. Verse 9 says, If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. We are called to respond to God with honor and glory and praise for who He is and what He has done. And we are called to respond in faith and obedience to Him with full dependence upon Him. But our response also includes agreeing with Him, especially about ourselves. You see, that's what it means to confess. To confess means to say the same thing. It means to say the same thing about God as He has said about Himself. We did that tonight as we professed our faith using the words of the Apostles' Creed. God says He is Trinity. One God, three persons. We confess the same thing. But this also means to say the same thing about ourselves that He has said about us. We've already considered what God's Word says about us with regard to sin. When we sin, we are not to deny it. We are not to brush it under the carpet. We are not to turn our back upon it. We are commanded to confess in humility and sorrow and repentance the truth of our sin, the terribleness of our sin, asking for the forgiveness of our sin. But also, we must claim His promise. This is the beauty of it. To claim His promise that He will forgive us our sin. God is faithful, the text says. And that means forgiveness is an absolute guarantee for those who confess and repent because God said that He would forgive. We hear the assurance of pardon every Sunday morning in connection with the law. It includes 1 John 1, verse 9, sometimes, but also Proverbs 28, verse 13 says, He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy. David says in Psalm 32, verse 5, Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, I will confess my transgressions to the Lord, and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Isaiah 43, verse 25 says, I, even I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake and remembers your sins no more. And David says in Psalm 103 that God removes our transgressions as far as the east is from the west. Congregation, it doesn't get any plainer than that. That's what God says. He cannot, He will not lie, He is faithful. But He is also just. Justice means that right must be done. For justice to be served, that means that that which is wrong must be corrected and paid for. God is just, therefore the sin committed against Him must be paid for. It cannot be ignored because He is just. Yet He can promise forgiveness to you and me. Because His justice has been satisfied for you and me who believe. How? Verse 7 says, and this of course introduces chapter 2 verses 1 and 2. The last part of verse 7 says, And the blood of Jesus His Son purifies us from all sin. His justice has been met in Jesus Christ. The Bible says, Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness. And the book of Hebrews makes it clear that all of the blood of all of the animal sacrifices was not enough to pay for our sins. The precious blood of Jesus, as Peter says, is the only redeeming agent that would do. Beloved, the basis of our fellowship with God is not our sinlessness, but His faithfulness and His justness to forgive because Jesus has paid it all. And therefore, our comfort is that in Christ we are delivered from sin's eternal punishment. We are restored to fellowship with God. We are assured that our sins are forgiven past, present, and future, and we are being cleansed daily by God the Holy Spirit who promises to complete the sanctifying work which He has begun. True fellowship with God. Being on the same page with Him. His page is knowing Him rightly and knowing ourselves rightly according to His Word. Only the light of His truth acknowledged and believed by grace through faith will set you free. Many evangelize today by saying, God is love. God is love. That's all you need to know. Don't worry about anything you've done. God is love. But not many say God is light. And this is where it begins. God is light. People don't like their sin exposed, which is what that light does. People don't like to face the truth. But the truth is, unless you know and confess the truth of yourself as revealed by the light of God, you can never know the love of God. This is the blessing and the beauty of Christianity over against every other religion, which every other one is a false religion. That with Christianity, true Christianity, not only is the truth revealed, but also there is a remedy for sin. May our prayer be, beloved, that God would never let us out of His light. And when we try to escape His light, may it shine more brightly to lead us back to Him. May our desire be to be lights in this dark world with the light of Jesus Christ, the light of the love of Jesus shining through us, through which He might bring others to Himself. And may we look forward to the day when our Lord Jesus Christ presents to His Father, His bride, the church without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish but holy and blameless and we shall live with Him forever in that place where there is no night and no need of the light of the sun or moon because the glory of God gives it light. Amen. Shall we pray? Father, we thank You for the light of Your truth. We thank You that You are light. We thank You, Heavenly Father, that You have revealed to us the truth, the truth that isn't easy for mankind to swallow, but You have allowed us, You have caused us to accept that truth by the power of the Spirit who has given us new birth in Jesus Christ, our Lord. Father, You have helped us cause us to see how great our sin and misery is. You have given to us to see how we are delivered from our sin and misery through Jesus Christ our Lord. And Father, you have given us and we pray that you would give us even more earnestly a desire to live in the joy of that deliverance. Lead us and guide us by your truth. Oh, send out your light and your truth. Let them lead each one of us from this day on until the coming of Christ Jesus. In His name alone we pray. Amen.