July 8, 2007

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 Scripture KJV

Reverend David S. Huffer

Westwood Baptist Church - 2124 Davis Road
 Waynesboro, VA

 1 John
2:4    He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
2:5    But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
2:6    He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.
2:7    Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning.
2:8    Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth.
2:9    He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.
2:10    He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.
2:11    But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.
2:12    I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake.
2:13    I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father.

 

 

God Is Light: The Knowledge Of The Light

1 John 2:3-14

 

As I preach through this series in 1 John, we have centered in on the vision statement: God Is Light.

·         Message #1 – “God is Light: The Joy of the Light”

·         Message #2 – “God Is Light: The Fellowship of the Light”

Review message #2

·         Our vision statement continues – God is Light and in Him is no darkness.

Two Circles of Influence:

  1. Circle of Light: Contains truth, love, righteousness, eternal life, hope, purity, and confidence.

·         This is God’s circle of light and His children are to walk within it and things of God.

  1. Circle of Darkness: Contains falsehood, hatred, impurity, fear, sinfulness.

·         This is the world’s circle of darkness. It consists of all that God is not.

 

FRIENDS – We walk in the light as we recognize, realize, and are restored in our fellowship with God

 

Introduction to “The Knowledge of Light”

Do you realize that we live in a day where the accumulation and compilation of knowledge is quickly out pacing us?

 

Listen to this bit of information that was written in Campus Life in 1979!

·         “Knowledge is exploding at such a rate – more than 200 pages a minute – that even Einstein couldn’t keep up.

·         In fact, if you read 24 hours a day, from age 21 to 70, and retained all you read, you would be 1 1/2 million years behind when you finished.”

 

FRIENDS - The thought of how far we are behind today in the chasing of knowledge is overwhelming as we consider that the “Information Highway” – the internet – resides in our life.

But just because we have an increase in knowledge doesn’t

necessarily say we personally know more, or even are using this increased knowledge.

David Hoke – “While our age is characterized by such a dramatic increase in the storehouse of knowledge, one effect of the increase is that we all know more about less.”

 

The thought that “we know more about less” seems to define us today.

·         As one man said: “I know a lot about nothing.”

·         Useless information is just that - unless we learn to act on it or put into practice what we know.

 

John writes a simple and useful message that is to be acted upon.

·         Someone once said: “While intelligent people can often simplify the complex, a fool is more likely to complicate the simple.”

 

FRIENDS – let’s not play the fool and walk in darkness – but let us gain the knowledge of the light in obedience, love and knowing.

 

THE KNOWLEDGE OF OBEDIENCE IN THE LIGHT – 2:3-6

A. Knowing Him Is Obeying Him – v.3-5

These verses teach the simplicity of the message – without obedience there is no fellowship!

·         Conditions of Obedience: keeping His Commandments (specific) and His Word (general)

·         Obedience is the manifestation or evidence of knowing God

FRIENDS – Some see God only as an “intellectual exercise” who want to say “I know God” without walking in the light of obedience.

·         And on the other hand some see God or Jesus only as a “spiritual high” to be gained by running from meeting to meeting looking to get more.

·         In reality to the Scriptures – what we need is more obedience to the commands and Word of God

 

Southern Baptist voted several years ago in our annual meeting to change the wording concerning the Bible in the Baptist Faith and Message.

It was changed from, “The Bible is the record of God’s revelation of Himself to man” to “The Bible is God’s

·         revelation of Himself to man.”

·         Emphasizing that the Bible is not just a record, or one of the records to which we know God and His Son Jesus Christ.

FRIENDS – If we believe that God’s Word IS His revelation of Himself to us – would not our knowledge of God increase through obeying His Word?

·         William Barclay – “Knowledge of God can be proved only by obedience to God; and knowledge of God can be gained only by obedience.”

·         Obedience is the answer in the test of assurance of walking in the light with God.

B. Knowing Him is Living Like Him – v.6

This verse tells us a lot more than just to obey. It touches on the way we live our life once we have met the Master.

·         All of the life of Christ points us to obedience

·         John 5:19 – “Then Jesus answered and said to them: “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.”

FRIENDS – Jesus isn’t giving us directions with His life – His life is our direction to walk in the light.

·         WWJD – essentially is asking:”Do these actions belong in the circle of light?”

·         The point is not perfect obedience – but (v.5) - is our life being matured in thoughts, deeds, and words that shows we are walking in the light rather than in darkness.

·         To walk as Jesus walked is to live as Jesus lived: In love, holiness, service, dependence on the Father, and so on.

John‘s message is simple – to acknowledge the knowledge of the light is to live obediently to God!

 

THE KNOWLEDGE OF LOVE IN THE LIGHT – 2:7-11

John goes right to the point of obedience – to love others.

·         He doesn’t give us an inch of leeway

·         If you and I are going to claim that we know God – then we are going to have to obey Him

·         And a manifestation of knowing Him is – we are to love one another

A. Loving In The Light Of The Old – v.7

John gives us one thing that was from the beginning – that has endured

·         revelation of Himself to man.”

·         Emphasizing that the Bible is not just a record, or one of the records to which we know God and His Son Jesus Christ.

FRIENDS – If we believe that God’s Word IS His revelation of Himself to us – would not our knowledge of God increase through obeying His Word?

·         William Barclay – “Knowledge of God can be proved only by obedience to God; and knowledge of God can be gained only by obedience.”

·         Obedience is the answer in the test of assurance of walking in the light with God.

B. Knowing Him is Living Like Him – v.6

This verse tells us a lot more than just to obey. It touches on the way we live our life once we have met the Master.

·         All of the life of Christ points us to obedience

·         John 5:19 – “Then Jesus answered and said to them: “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.”

FRIENDS – Jesus isn’t giving us directions with His life – His life is our direction to walk in the light.

·         WWJD – essentially is asking:”Do these actions belong in the circle of light?”

·         The point is not perfect obedience – but (v.5) - is our life being matured in thoughts, deeds, and words that shows we are walking in the light rather than in darkness.

·         To walk as Jesus walked is to live as Jesus lived: In love, holiness, service, dependence on the Father, and so on.

John‘s message is simple – to acknowledge the knowledge of the light is to live obediently to God!

 

THE KNOWLEDGE OF LOVE IN THE LIGHT – 2:7-11

John goes right to the point of obedience – to love others.

·         He doesn’t give us an inch of leeway

·         If you and I are going to claim that we know God – then we are going to have to obey Him

·         And a manifestation of knowing Him is – we are to love one another

A. Loving In The Light Of The Old – v.7

John gives us one thing that was from the beginning – that has endured

through the ages, and will continue into eternity – and that is “LOVE”

O.T. law commanded love:

·         Lev. 19:18 – “love your neighbor as yourself”

·         Lev. 19:34 – “Love the stranger for you were strangers”

·         Deut. 6:5 – “Love the Lord your God”

FRIENDS – The law to love is old – but not outdated or obsolete!

·         God has always been “pro-active” in love

B. Loving In The Light Of The New – v.8-11

Though the command to love is old – it finds a newness in Christ as He came to fulfill and take to a higher plain of living the law of God and thus the love of God.

·         John 13:34 – “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

FRIENDS – The new is “as I have loved you” – that you also love one another.

·         Our love is to reflect the love of Jesus

The law of love became new in the:

  1. Extent to which it reached out to the sinner
  2. Length to which it would go – nothing can separate us from the love of God (Rom. 8:39)
  3. Became “True in Him and in you” (v.8) – Love finds its true essence in Christ
  4. To know and not love is not to know and be deceived by the darkness.
    • 1 Cor. 8:1b-3 – “Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, this one is known by Him.”

FRIENDS - Love shines the light of Christ in the positive – not the negative that causes stumbling (v.10).

  1. Love is incompatible with hate – there are no “love-hate” relations with Christ
  2. The Circle of Light produces “love” and the Circle of Darkness produces “hate”
  3. Love allows us to walk in the light – hate leaves us in the dark
  4. Just as darkness is the absence of light – likewise hate is the absence of love
  5. To love shows the Circle of Light has influenced your life
  6. To love gives evidence of who we are in Christ
    7.  To love others is not limited to the Christian brothers and sisters – but we are to love those outside the bounds of Christianity with the love of Jesus.
     The complexity of the law of love is simple to those who know Christ – LOVE AS HE HAS LOVED US!

    THE KNOWLEDGE OF KNOWING IN THE LIGHT

    Every now and then it is good to be reminded of “who we are.”

    ·         We need to know and remember “whose we are” and what has been done for us

    ·         1 Cor. 6:20 – “For we were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

    A. Knowing You Are Forgiven

    ·         1 John 2:12-13c – “I write to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake. I write to you, little children, because you have known the Father.

    B. Knowing You Know you Know Him

    ·         1 John 2:13 – I write to you, fathers, because you have known Him who is from the beginning

    ·         The reality of God’s unchanging character

    ·         Remember – God still is!

    C. Knowing You Know How To Overcome

    ·         1 John 2:13c-14b – I write to you, young men, because you have overcome the wicked one. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the Word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the wicked one.”

    ·         Reality of Commitment

    ·         They have overcome – They will overcome and can overcome

    FRIENDS – To know who you know can be a constant source of joy and fellowship to walk in the light – with God who is light.

    CLOSE

    What are we to make of such a message as John has placed in our laps?

    ·         Rather than making some complex concluding statement – let me say in simplicity of the Word of God:

    ·         Prov. 24:5 – “A wise man is strong, Yes, a man of knowledge increases in strength.”

    May God give each of us as His children the wisdom and strength to obey Him and love Him that we might walk in the light as He is in the light and thus shine the light of Christ into the darkness. AMEN!

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