Glynlea Grace United Methodist Chruch

Scripture

1 John 1:1-2:2

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life -- ² the life was made manifest, and we saw it, and testify to it, and proclaim to you the eternal life which was with the Father and was made manifest to us -- ³ that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you may have fellowship with us; and our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. ⁴ And we are writing this that our joy may be complete. ⁵ This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him is no darkness at all. ⁶ If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not live according to 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 his Son cleanses us from all sin. ⁸ If we say 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, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰ If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

2:1 My little children, I am writing this to you so that you may not sin; but if any one does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; ² and he is the expiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

Summary and Function

Summary: As followers of Jesus Christ, we are part of God’s Army. Unlike other armies, we fight evil with love. We seek to save lives for all eternity rather than destroy life. In order to do this, we must ‘walk in the light’. We ‘walk in the light’ by walking with God. Whenever we seek to love God and neighbor, we are ‘walking in the light’. This is a moment by moment Holy Spirit empowered decision. In every situation we face, we must decide to walk in the light. The Holy Spirit empowers us to ‘walk in the light’ and when we do ‘walk in the light’, God uses us to defeat evil and spread His kingdom throughout the earth.

Function: To encourage the congregation to ‘walk in the light’.

The Sermon

I. Introduction: Military night operations

A. Militaries that are any good prefer to conduct operations at night

· In Ranger School, we conducted all our patrols at night

· U.S. Army likes to use the cover of darkness to maneuver its forces and conduct recon.

· Any army worth mentioning prefers night operations

B. There is, however, one army that must conduct all its operations in the light

· This army is the ‘Army of God’ (AoG), the church.

· The AoG is not like other armies

- Its enemies consist of the evil powers of this world and Satan and his dominions (Ephesians 6:12)

- Instead of using violence and killing people, the AoG uses love as its primary strategy. Instead of carrying rifles, AoG soldiers carry the written word of God and use it to save lives for all eternity

· In order to fight evil with love, the AoG must remain in the light, which is the same as walking with God.

II. Walking in the light

A. When we are walking in the light, we are walking with God. This is because GOD IS LIGHT.

· 1 John 1:5-7: “This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him is no darkness at all. ⁶ If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not live according to 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 his Son cleanses us from all sin.”

· In order to understand what it means for God to be light, we must understand something about light and darkness

- Light is tangible & real. It actually exist. It can be studied. Darkness, however, is not tangible. It is merely the absence of light.

- God is light so the absence of God is darkness. In the same way…

- God is love so the absence of God is hate. In the same way…

- God is good so the absence of God is evil.

- If we want to fight evil, we must remain in God. We must remain in the light.

B. By walking in the light, we receive two benefits

· First benefit: We are forgiven of our sins (justified) – 1 John 1:7-10: 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 cleanses us from all sin. ⁸ If we say 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, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰ If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

· Second benefit: We do not continue to sin – 1 John 2:1: My little children, I am writing this to you so that you may not sin; but if any one does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous;

- Once we repent and trust Jesus as Savior and Lord, the Holy Spirit enters our hearts and changes our attitudes and desires

- As a Christian, you may look back and think:

Ø I use to look at pretty ladies with lust but now I look at them with love and respect

Ø I use to look at money and do anything to get more of it but now I look at money and wonder how I could use it to love and serve others

Ø I use to look at power, prestige and authority as something to achieve for my own selfish purposes but now I use whatever power, prestige and authority I may have to love and serve others.

C. So, how do we know when we are walking in the light?

· Even as Christians, we may find ourselves walking outside the light. This happens when our desires or actions are not in line with God’s character or will

· God’s will is found in the summation of the Law. The summation of the Law is…

- Loving God with all our hearts, souls, minds and strength

- Loving our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22: 34-40)

· To determine if we are walking in the light, we simply ask, “Am I doing the loving thing?”

- In the grocery store: You’re in a hurry but must buy two quick items. You pick up your two items and approach the ’10 items or less’ line. Before you get to the line, someone with a full cart jumps in front of you. Do you step into the darkness and pick a fight with the person or do you remain in the light and pray for that person? Perhaps you could remain in the light by witnessing to that person.

- While driving down the highway: You are going the speed limit when someone cuts you off and almost hits you. Do you step into the darkness by yelling at the person and trying to run him/her off the road or do you remain in the light by praying for that person. Perhaps the person is racing to the hospital for an emergency.

- While searching for a parking space at the mall on Christmas Eve: You finally find a space when someone swoops in and takes it. Do you step into darkness by yelling obscenities at the person or do you remain in the light by praying for him/her?

· The above examples are common, every day examples. This is to illustrate that remaining in the light is a moment by moment Holy Spirit empowered decision. In every situation we face, we must decide to walk in the light. It could be a common situation that we face many times or it could be a horrendous situation, such as when someone causes the death of a loved one. No matter what the decision, we must allow the Holy Spirit to empower us to choose the light.

· When we choose to walk in the light, God uses us to fight evil and spread His kingdom.

III. Conclusion

A. Walking in the light always starts with repentance and trust in Jesus as Savior and Lord.

B. If you have not acknowledged Jesus as your Savior and Lord, you can do so right now. You will become a soldier in God’s Army.

C. If you are already a Christian, but have stepped into darkness, you can always return to the light. Simply repent of whatever you need to repent of and , once again, walk with God. Allow God to use you to fight hatred and evil with love and goodness.