Didaskalos Ministries Sermons: No Darkness At All, Part 2

"No Darkness At All"
Part 2

This morning we learned three things: 1. Jesus Christ Has Always Existed, 2. Jesus Came To Us!, and 3. Jesus came to bring us Eternal Life and Eternal Light. John goes further into God's Word to tell us about the Light that is Jesus - and why it should be the natural byproduct of the Christian's life:

1 John 1:5

This then is (Pres Act Ind EIMI = keeps on being) the message which we have heard of him, and declare (Pres Act Ind ANAGGELLO = to report, announce, disclose, proclaim, teach) unto you, that God is (HO THEOS + Pres Act Indic EIMI = God Himself keeps on being) light, and in him is (Pres Act Ind EIMI = keeps on being) no darkness at all. (SKOTIA OUDEIS)

1 John 1:6

If we say that we have (Pres Act Ind ECHO = keep on having and holding)
fellowship with him, and walk (Pres Act Subj PERIPATEO = to walk, to live)
in darkness, we lie, and do not (Pres Act Ind POIEO + OU = absolutely does not do) the truth:

1 John 1:7

But if we walk (Pres Act Subj PERIPATEO = we keep on walking) in the light, as he is (Pres Act Ind EIMI = keeps on being) in the light, we have (Pres Act Ind ECHO = keep on having and holding) fellowship one with another,
and the blood (HAIMA = sacrificial blood) of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth (KATHARIZO, Pres Linear Action = keeps on cleaning) us from all sin. (APO + Ablative PAS + HARMARTIA = from the source of all sin)

1 John 1:8

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

1 John 1:9

If we confess (HOMOLOGEO = to cite, acknowledge, say the same thing about) our sins, he is (Pres Act Ind EIMI = keeps on being) faithful and just
to forgive (Aor Act Subj APHIEMI = to cancel, pardon, forgive) us [our] sins, and to cleanse (Aor Act KATHARIZO = to cleanse or purify, declare clean)
us from all unrighteousness. (APO + PAS + Ablative ADIKIA = from the
source of all unrighteousness)

1 John 1:10

If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in
us.

There are three common misconceptions that we need to discuss tonight, because these misconceptions are prevalent in the Church of Christ today and prevalent in our Church. These are:

1. That man can fellowship with God and still walk in darkness.
2. That we can walk in sinlessness and perfection while on this earth, and
3. That we can become righteous and sinless on our own.

1. Can Man have Fellowship With God
and Still Walk In Darkness?

1 John 1:5

In the beginning of Creation, on the very first day when Jesus took and separated light from darkness:

Genesis 1:3-5 "And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. [4] And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. [5] And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day."

Jesus was also giving us the very first parable of the Scripture. You see, it takes Jesus, our Creator, to separate light from darkness. Just as God separated light from darkness at the Creation of all things, God separates light from darkness today. Not the light around us, the PHOS light, the visible light, but He separates light from darkness in our lives.

The Bible says that "God keeps on being Light, and in Him is no darkness at all". Let's focus on that for a minute - God keeps on being light, and is not dark. I want us to label some of the things that God isn't, and one of the best lists I can find of what God is and isn't is in Galatians:

Galatians 5:19-21 "Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, [20] Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, [21] Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God."

Now, list for me the things that are not in God. You see it in the list - go ahead and read them out. Read it with me. These things are not in God, cannot be in God, were never found in the life of His Son Jesus Christ. No, they cannot be in God, and the Apostle tells us in 1 John 1.6 that if we walk in these things we are out of fellowship with God. The Apostle says:

1 John 1:6

WOW, this is no shade of gray here. No, this is pure black and white. You are either walking in light and are in fellowship, or you are walking in darkness and are out of fellowship - there is no in between. I have had people ask me, "Brother David, can you tell me if thus and such is right or wrong", and my response is "look at it to see if it's full of light or darkness. That'll tell you, more than anything".

Look, these things are the light, and were all exemplified in the life of Jesus Christ:

Galatians 5:22-23 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, [23] Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."

No, dear one - you cannot walk in darkness and have fellowship with God. Just as you must choose which side of the fence you're going to be on, you must choose whether to follow Jesus or not. If you are saved you will want to pursue the light, for you will follow after the Light of your Savior. You cannot walk in darkness and have fellowship with God - it is an impossibility. But if you walk in the Light - Jesus will bless your business and your life.

A young businessman was rushed to a hospital in serious condition. A doctor predicted that he might die. Not a religious man at the time, he did, however, turn on a radio and heard a Christian song being played: "God Will Take Care Of You." He said that he couldn't get that song out of his mind. He began to pray, and as he did, he reported a sense of energy flowing in. It was near Christmas, a Sunday morning. He heard a group of nurses having a brief worship service in a nearby room and struggled up out of bed and joined them. While there, he committed his life to Jesus Christ. That man recovered. Thereafter, for the rest of his life, he remained faithful to his commitment. He referred every business and every personal decision to God, was resolute in his ethics, living by the teachings of Jesus. You've heard of this man, who told all of this in a book about his life. His name was J. C. Penney. He too insisted throughout his life that Paul was quite right in promising divine help for those in whom Christ's Spirit lives.
(E. Carver McGriff, LECTIONARY PREACHING WORKBOOK: CYCLE B, Lima: CSS Publishing, 1999)

2. Can We Walk in Sinlessness and Perfection
While On This Earth?

1 John 1:7

Bible teaches that men and women, even saved and sanctified men and women, can fall into sin and out of fellowship with God. Yet, dear believer, this is not the end of all things. When I was younger, and my children we babies, I walked out back where the sandbox was and saw my oldest boy blackened, head to toe, with sand and dirt. I sweat, I think he had even eaten a few worms! Did I look at my child and go, "I hate you for being this filthy!"? Did I look at my baby with the dirty, stinking diaper and say "I despise you for this filthy walk. You are wallowing in this mess!"? No, absolutely not. You see, my child was still my child, even when filthy. Now, I certainly wouldn't have cleaned up a stranger's children like I did mine over the years, but my children -- yes, I took them and cleaned them up.

Because they were my children. But they had to come to me, without a struggle, if they wanted to be cleansed. If they ran - well, they just stayed filthy! Jesus recognizes that we are human, and each and everyone of us makes mistakes. There are times that we fall back into sin. That's why Jesus says:

1 John 1:8

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

Oh yes, we have sin, but we have Jesus cleansing us and pointing us to the light. But we must come to Him for cleansing. We must admit our limitations, our failings, so that He can make it better.

In his book A Severe Mercy, author Sheldon Vanauken tells the story of a dog named Gypsy.
Gypsy was a furry, wheat colored collie, who lived and played on a ranch - several hundred acres of hills and woods, full of good things like rabbit trails and streams. She loved it there. At the ranch house she was given a comfortable bed and good meals. Her Master, who owned the ranch, made no unreasonable demands on her. She knew that her job was to love her Master and to be faithful to him and to obey other commands - to follow, to come, to lie down. And she also knew that she wasn't supposed to chase the chickens and the rabbits. Actually these were easy for Gypsy, because it was in her nature to obey and to love her master.
But one day when Gypsy was prowling on a hill far away past the spring house and pasture, two things happened at once: the Master called her and a rabbit dashed across the hill. Gypsy turned and raced towards the Master, as she had always done. Then she stopped. It entered her mind that she didn't have to obey. Perhaps the Master didn't understand about that rabbit. Anyway, these were her hills. The rabbit was hers, too. Very likely it was all lies - that story of everything, including herself, belonging to the Master. How did she know that the food in her dish came from him? Probably there was some natural explanation. She was a free dog and that was the end of it. These thoughts went through her mind swiftly while she stood irresolute. Again came the Master's command; the rabbit crossed the hilltop. Gypsy whirled and raced after the rabbit. She had made a choice. She was free to choose.
Hours later she came home. She saw the Master waiting for her, but she did not rush gladly to him, leaping and frisking as she had always done. Something new came into her demeanor: guilt. She crept up to him like a snake on her belly. Undoubtedly she was penitent at the moment. But she had a new knowledge - the knowledge of the possibility of sin - and it was a thrill in her heart and a salt taste in her mouth. Nevertheless she was very obedient the next day and the day after that. Eventually, though, there was another rabbit, and she didn't even hesitate.
The Master still loved her, but he trusted her no longer. He put Gypsy in a pen and took her for walks with a rope around her neck. All her real freedom was gone. But the Master gave her from time to time, new chances to obey of her own free will. Had she chosen to obey, she would have once again had perfect freedom to roam her hundreds of acres. But she did not. She always chose, if she were out of reach, to run away. The Master, knowing that hunger would eventually bring her back, let her run. He could have stopped her. A rifle shot would have ended her rebellion once and for all. But she was allowed to live. Perhaps she would someday choose the way of obedience and true freedom.
One day, during a journey by car, Gypsy and her young daughter Flurry were taken to the edge of the woods. Always before, Gypsy had limited her disobedience to the ranch. But now, coming back to the car, she suddenly felt the old thrill. She turned and ran away. The Master called with a note of sharp urgency. Flurry, in her innocence, came at once. But Gypsy, her ears dulled to the voice of the Master, continued her rush into the dark forest. After hours of searching and calling, the Master sadly abandoned the lost dog and with Flurry beside him, went home.
Flurry continued to live in freedom, always being obedient to the Master who loved her and took good care of her. She was happy to be in his service and she loved the look on his face when she did something that pleased him. She obeyed gladly of her own free choice.
But lost Gypsy, as long as she still lived, wandered the woods and roads as an outcast. She had lost her way home. She became dirty and matted with fox tails and thorns. Stones were often thrown at her and she was always hungry. She had more puppies who, like her, were lost and inclined to disobedience - as were their puppies for generations to come. The kind and benevolent hand of the Master was unknown to them, except as a tale.
But this is the way Gypsy chose on the Day of the Rabbit, and continued to choose, until finally there was no more choosing left to do.

We cannot walk in sinlessness and perfection, but we can confess our sins before God and heed the Master's Voice. Too many in our flock have decided that they know better than the Father of Light. Too many have wandered away after the world, being part time Christians - and as they wander away, they get farther and farther away from God. Which brings us to our third point:

3. Can We Become Righteous and Sinless On Our Own?

1 John 1:9

The Bible says that when we discover darkness in our lives, the darkness that keeps us from having fellowship with God, then we confess that sin to God. We tell God about the darkness, tell Him we're sorry about it, tell Him that we repent of that darkness. Do you know what happens next? Jesus, just like He did on the first day of Creation, comes into our lives and separates the darkness from the light. He literally pulls it out of our lives, and gets us back into a right relationship with our Heavenly Father, the Father of Lights. We aren't to work on getting better ourselves - but to rely on the power of Jesus Christ and His Precious Holy Spirit.

Larry was a truck driver, but his lifelong dream was to fly. When he graduated from high school, he joined the Air Force in hopes of becoming a pilot. Unfortunately, poor eyesight disqualified him. So when he finally left the service, he had to satisfy himself with watching others fly the fighter jets that crisscrossed the skies over his backyard. As he sat there in his lawn chair, he dreamed about the magic of flying.
Then one day, Larry Walters got an idea. He went down to the local army-navy surplus store and bought a tank of helium and forty-five weather balloons. These were not your brightly colored party balloons, these were heavy-duty spheres measuring more than four feet across when fully inflated.
Back in his yard, Larry used straps to attach the balloons to his lawn chair, the kind you might have in your own back yard. He anchored the chair to the bumper of his jeep and inflated the balloons with helium. Then he packed some sandwiches and drinks and loaded a BB gun, figuring he could pop a few of those balloons when it was time to return to earth.
His preparations complete, Larry Walters sat in his chair and cut the anchoring cord. His plan was that after he enjoyed some flying time to lazily float back down to earth. But things didn't quite work out that way.
When Larry cut the cord, he didn't float lazily up; he shot up as if fired from a cannon! Nor did he go up a couple hundred feet. He climbed and climbed until he finally leveled off at eleven thousand feet! At that height, he could hardly risk deflating any of the balloons, let he unbalance the load and really experience flying! So he stayed up there, sailing around for fourteen hours, totally at a loss as to how to get down.
Eventually, Larry drifted into the approach corridor for Los Angeles International Airport. A Pan Am pilot radioed the tower and told the air traffic controller that he had just passed a guy in a lawn chair at eleven thousand feet who had a gun in his lap.
Eventually, a Navy helicopter dropped a rescue line over Larry, and gradually hauled him back to earth. As soon as Larry hit the ground, he was arrested. But as he was being led away in handcuffs, a television reporter called out, "Mr. Walters, why'd you do it?" Larry stopped, eyed the man, then replied nonchalantly, "A man can't just sit around."

(Stories For The Heart Alice Gray, Multnomah, pp. 99-100)

CLOSURE

This sermon was preached to the Saints at Okapilco Baptist Church on the evening of June 24, 2000