God Is Light

JULY 15, 2020 STUDY NOTES 1 JOHN 1:5 BIBLE TEACHER: CLIFTON JONES GOD IS LIGHT INTRODUCTION In the previous verses, John spoke to us about fellowship and joy Fellowship is a most important word describing a most important truth for the Christian When we experience fellowship, we will also experience full joy, “the fullness of joy” Fellowship and joy will come when we believe and obey the things that John tells us He is now going to show us that fellowship with God and the joy of Jesus is conditional In verse 5 John gives us a strong positive statement, “God is Light” He also gives us a strong negative statement, “in Him is no darkness at all” In verses 6 & 7, John tells us that fellowship with God is only when we walk in the light 1Jn 1:5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. John begins this verse with “This then” which speaks with great emphasis Emphasizing the importance of “the message,” this is “the message” that must be heard It is the message that was heard from the “Word of Life” It is the message which is the “Word for Life,” the truth of the message must be heard today It is a message that has not changed and never will change, but it will change your life It is still the same message and will do the same for you today that it did for the Apostles Throughout the ages, man has tried to change this message to suit his personal lifestyle But the message will never change, and we must not attempt to change it today The word John used for “Message” was a legal term found many times in the NT It is used for the promises of God to give something or to do something The message of the N.T. is the message of the “promises of God” through His Son The message that tells us of the One who graciously is continually giving to us The “message” is the Good News that has come to us in the Person of the Word of Life God has announced the message--God has declared the message--the message is the “WORD” The “message” is what Jesus said, what Jesus did, all that He was--is--and all that He will be John declares to us what he has heard from Jesus so that we can know fellowship with God But John is going to show us that fellowship with God is a conditional promise We must meet the conditions of God’s Word in-order to experience fellowship with God which we have heard of him, This is the third time that John says that he had “heard” the message of Jesus He is revealing how important the message really is and how important it is to hear the message The message did not originate with John, it is not a man-made story It was the message which they “heard of Him,” the apostles personally heard the message It is important to hear what John says because his words are a “Message” from Jesus Himself It was heard from Christ, the revelation that came from Jesus Himself It was not second-hand information according to verses 1-3 The message is the whole revelation communicated by Jesus Christ It is the “Word of Truth,” Joh 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. He knew that the message came from God, God had spoken many times in the past, Heb 1:1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, God has now spoken to us through His Son, Heb 1:2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; The revelation through His Son is superior to that of the prophets It is the complete revelation, it is the final revelation, there will be no other word from God That is why we must hear this message that John heard We must give full attention to what we hear, we must hear with the ear, mind, heart, and will John and the apostles heard Jesus and they gave full attention to what they heard They listened to learn, they wanted to learn and live, they wanted to obey Jesus You should want to listen to God so that you can obey God and obey in-order to please God Because John could not get out of his mind what he had heard, he must declare it to us and declare unto you, John has already made a strong point, he must communicate a message to us We “show you” that eternal life (vs. 2) We “declare unto you” (vs. 3) In verse 4, “we write unto you,” John knows that the “message” must be passed on In verse 5, John selected a special word to give special thought to what he was saying This is the first and only time that John uses the word translated “declare” The word means more than just to speak or to say something It is an announcement or a declaration, it means “to tell the whole story” John wants us to hear it all, John wants us to hear everything he heard The word “declare” means more than to speak, it also has the meaning of “to show” It speaks of what you do when you have something important enough to tell School teachers use “show and tell” as a learning tool, that is what John is doing John wants us to know that he is telling us something worth showing to others When you get excited about what you have seen or heard, you can’t wait to express it to others The point is, it must be told, and it must be told in detail, it must be shown that it is the truth John felt an obligation to declare the message unto us Christians today must feel that same obligation So, what is the message that must be declared? that God is light, Light means “to shine” or “to make manifest” Light is the illumination that makes sight possible Light is the illumination from God for our understanding Light in the Bible is a symbol of spiritual truth Light tells us that God wants us to see those spiritual truths Light represents the presence of God and His righteous activity Throughout the Bible light represents truth, salvation, the spiritual life, the goodness of God Light reveals--light purifies--light comforts; light makes life pleasant; light is good and uplifting Light is our confidence; it ends confusion; it makes us secure Light puts your life in order and gives it direction “Light” is the very nature of God, He did not attain it or receive it, “God is Light” There are other such statements that reveal to us the very nature of God “God is love,” 1Jn 4:8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. We believe that God is Love, 1Jn 4:16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. “God is Spirit,” Joh 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. The very nature of God is Spirit, Love, and Light, God is Spirit, God is Love, God is Light The symbolism of light and darkness is often found in Scripture So, what does the symbol of “light” tell us about God? Light was in the beginning because God is light, and God is the beginning (Gen. 1:1) The first verse of the Bible describes God’s original and perfect creation Darkness came upon God’s creation because of the fall of Lucifer (Gen. 1:2) Verse two describes the condition of the universe after the fall of Lucifer “The earth was without form and void” describes the chaotic state caused by Lucifer’s rebellion We find the assurance that God did something about the darkness (Gen. 1:3) The moving of the Spirit of God was God doing something about the chaos Genesis 1:3 is God beginning the process of reconstruction and reformation of the judged earth Before man was created God brought forth the light (Gen. 1:3-4) The light was good, and God was the difference between the light and the darkness Light speaks of God’s Glory, Splendor, Majesty, Purity, Righteousness, Holiness, and Truth “Light” reveals the truth, light exposes whatever exists, whether good or bad, right or wrong The truth of God is revealed in the “Light,” God is righteous, pure, holy, true The truth of man is revealed in the “Light,” man without God is sinful, evil, and morally bad Probably the number one thought that John has in mind here is “revelation,” light reveals God is self-revealing, He must reveal Himself, God wants us to see Him and know Him That is why God sent His Son to the earth, to make known the life of God, Joh 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men. John called that life which was manifested in Jesus “LIGHT” Jesus is LIFE and Jesus is LIGHT, Jesus is from God and is the illumination of God Jesus is God--Jesus knows God--Jesus makes God known to us through His Light Sinful man does not want the light to shine within them, Joh 1:5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. That is a sad commentary on mankind, the natural man hates the Light Man, on his own will refuse to accept the Light Natural man (lost man) does not like the light but he is not able to extinguish the Light Evil loves the darkness, 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. The Light of Jesus reveals and exposes the darkness and shows the darkness as it really is In Jesus we see the truth of life, in Jesus we see the truth of God, 2Co 4:6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Through Jesus as the Light nothing is hidden, nothing can be disguised or concealed In Jesus we can see and through Jesus in us others can see Jesus Jesus shines through the Christian, Jesus said, Mat 5:14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Paul said, Eph 5:8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: John said, 1Jn 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. In Jesus we see the wisdom, glory, and power of God In Jesus we see God’s love, grace, and mercy, His holiness, goodness, and justice In Jesus we see the truth of man and the truth of God, the truth of life and death, life after death Light in the Scripture is the opposite of darkness, which John now identifies and in him is no darkness In scripture the word “darkness” is a figurative word for sin Darkness represents the influence and works of Satan, a symbol of evil, of separation from God Darkness is the results of sin and evil, the consequences of sin, the judgment of sin Sinners cannot escape the consequence of the darkness of sin The Bible uses the term darkness to describe the state of the world in which we live God did not create what John calls darkness We live in a dark, sinful world as a-result of Adam’s sin In darkness there is fear; anxiety; hopelessness; despair Those in darkness need guidance, help, protection, understanding, a path to travel, a goal for life Intellectually, light is truth, and darkness is ignorance or error Morally, light is purity, and darkness is evil John is telling us that a Christian may find themselves walking in spiritual darkness A Christian will walk in darkness when they are out of fellowship with God John expressed the contrast between God and darkness as strongly as he could Darkness is the absence of light, darkness and light are opposites, darkness and light are enemies Where light shines there is no darkness, where darkness is there is no light Darkness is why there is sickness, suffering, and death in this life, it is the result of sin When you are in the dark you cannot see the difference between evil and good “No darkness” is a very-strong point God is all God, God is the One and only God, God is nothing but God There is nothing in God that is not God Darkness is the opposite of all that is the light of God, all that is not like God is darkness In God there is no sin, evil, unrighteousness, wickedness, rebellion, no moral imperfection If it were not for Jesus, all that we could ever be is darkness We could never be anything like God apart from the Light of Jesus Darkness represents everything that should not be a part of our life at all. Another very-strong statement indicating absoluteness, not at all, never at any time There is not, no, not any, in any way, not even one bit, not one particle There is never any of any kind of darkness “In God” God is “All light,” God is only light, so, the same should be true of the Christian life There should be no darkness “at all” in us because we have been given power over the darkness Col 1:13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: Literally, He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness Through Jesus we have been called out of darkness into His wonderful light, 1Pe 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: Christians are to have nothing to do with the darkness, Eph 5:11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. (Show others the truth of darkness) Christians are at war with the darkness, Eph 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Christians must be clothed with the armor of God, Rom 13:12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Take off those filthy rags of darkness and put on the armor of light How do you do that? By following Jesus, 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. And now is the time to follow Jesus, 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. The message is “God is Light” and with God there is no darkness, without God it is all darkness The basis of fellowship with God is to walk in the light The Lord is the source of all life, Psa 36:9 For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light. He is the source of physical, spiritual, and eternal life, in His Light we see the Light of Life The Lord is “My Light,” My Salvation,” and “the strength of my life” That is “The Message” CONCLUSION Do a study from the Old Testament concerning the “Light” Light is a symbol of the flawless perfection of God God covers himself with a robe of light, Psa 104:1 Bless the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty. Psa 104:2 Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain: The darkness is not hidden from God, it is as clear as the light to God, Psa 139:11 If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about Psa 139:12 Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee. God reveals himself to us to show us how to live God will turn the darkness to light for us, 2Sa 22:29 For thou art my lamp, O LORD: and the LORD will lighten my darkness. Light provides illumination for us in dark places of life, Psa 18:28 For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness. In God’s presence there is light, Psa 89:15 Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O LORD, in the light of thy countenance. There is guidance for the righteous in the light, Psa 112:4 Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous. The Lord is my Light, there is strength in the light of the Lord, Psa 27:1 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? The light we see in God is as fresh as spring water, Psa 36:9 For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light. The light of His presence fills the heart with gladness, Psa 97:11 Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart. Psa 97:12 Rejoice in the LORD, ye righteous; and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness. The light reveals that He is God and that He is our God, Psa 118:27 God is the LORD, which hath shewed us light: bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar.Psa 118:28 Thou art my God, and I will praise thee: thou art my God, I will exalt thee. Psa 118:29 O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. HYMN #595 “SEND THE LIGHT”