I. "THIS THEN IS THE MESSAGE WE HAVE HEARD OF HIM."
A. From Him who was in the beginning with God.
1. The One whom we saw.
2. The One whom we touched.
3. The One whom we have heard.
B. God who at sundry times and in diverse manners spoke to our fathers, has in these last days spoken to us by His Own dear Son.
1. What is the message that He bought?
C. God is light.
1. Throughout the Bible God has been portrayed as light.
PSA 27:1 {[A Psalm] of David.} The LORD [is] my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD [is] the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
PSA 36:9 For with thee [is] the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.
ISA 60:19 The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the LORD shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory.
JOH 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
JOH 1:5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
JOH 1:9 [That] was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
JOH 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
JOH 9:5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.
JOH 12:35 Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.
JOH 12:36 While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light.
2. Speaking of God Paul said,
1TI 6:16 Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom [be] honour and power everlasting. Amen.
3. Speaking of heaven the Bible says:
REV 21:23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb [is] the light thereof.
4. Matthew said,
MAT 4:16 The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.
5. From a philosophical sense light stands for truth.
a. "I see the light."
b. The age of enlightenment.
6. Darkness stood for ignorance.
a. We speak of the dark ages.
7. From a moral sense light stands for goodness, purity.
8. Darkness stands for evil. Jesus said,
JOH 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
9. Light marks the kingdom of God. A kingdom of light and life. 10. Whereas darkness marks the kingdom of Satan, a kingdom of darkness.
D. The message, "God is light and in Him is no darkness at all."
II. IF WE SAY THAT WE HAVE FELLOWSHIP WITH HIM AND WALK IN DARKNESS, WE LIE AND DO NOT THE TRUTH.
A. Note that it does not matter what a person may say, what is important is what he does.
1. You may say that you have fellowship with God but what are you doing? How are you living?
2. How could you possible have fellowship with God who is light if you are walking in darkness?
B. Paul wrote to the Corinthians,
2CO 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
2CO 6:15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
III. IN CONTRAST, "IF WE WALK IN THE LIGHT AS HE IS IN THE LIGHT WE HAVE FELLOWSHIP ONE WITH THE OTHER."
A. Light merges with light.
B. Many people are deceived today concerning their relationship with God.
1. They somehow feel that they can maintain fellowship with God as they indulge in their fleshly lusts.
2. Paul wrote,
1CO 6:15 Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make [them] the members of an harlot? God forbid.
1CO 6:16 What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh.
1CO 6:17 But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.
C. Paul gave severe warnings to the church.
1CO 6:9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
1CO 6:10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
GAL 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are [these]; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
GAL 5:20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
GAL 5:21 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.
EPH 5:3 But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;
EPH 5:4 Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.
EPH 5:5 For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
EPH 5:6 Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.
D. The criteria for fellowship with God is to walk in the light as He is in the light.
1. Satan is known as the deceiver, thus the scripture warns us over and over again, not to be deceived.
2. In the passages quoted earlier Paul said to the Corinthians, Don't you know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God, be not deceived.
3. Then to the Ephesians he said, "Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the children of disobedience."
E. Fellowship with God, this is the ultimate experience of life.
1. This is the purpose of your existence.
2. This is made possible because of the death of Jesus.
F. The fellowship is dependant on the fact that the blood of Jesus Christ God's Son is cleansing us from all sin.
1. The Greek is in the present perfect tense so that it should literally read, "The blood of Jesus Christ God's Son is continually cleansing us from all sin."
Verse-Reference
Square — [Jhn 1:1 KJV]
Abbreviate Books
Use SBL Abbrev.
