The Light Already Shines - 1 John 2:8

1 But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. 2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. 3 For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in exchange for you.

isa 43.5 - “Fear not, for I am with you.”

2:7-11

Verses 7-11 - about the New Commandment, so we know what it is and why it means

Old / new commandment - to love one another as Jesus has loved

Gospel context

John 13:34 ESV

34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.

How does the “old / new commandment” help us have confidence in Christ?

1. Christ keeps the command, 2. the command exposes the truth, 3. the disaster of walking in darkness, 4. the delight of walking in love

In verses 3-6, we saw a key diagnostic that distinguished John and the true Christians from the pretenders - those who belong to Jesus will keep His commands - they will guard His Word as the word of life.

Jesus fulfilled the Law by embodying the promises of Scripture, by doing God’s commands, and by His teaching about the Law

Fulfilled it in its totality by His atoning death on the cross as the propitiation for our sins.

For the first time, can be fulfilled in sinners - because it’s true in Him, and He is in you.

2:12-14

Last wk, Pastor AP took us to verses 12-14 of Chapter 2, and we read those “Timeless Words for Every Generation,” the promise that we share in Christ’s victory over the evil one, and that God gives strength to overcome the evil one through His Word

I mentioned we would look more carefully at verse 8, so that’s what we’re going to do today.

Focus on the end of the verse, dividing it in half,

Q. Can we walk confidently in a world full of darkness?

I. The darkness is no match for Jesus Christ

<<v8>>

What does John mean when he refers to the darkness, and how is it passing away?

Verses 9-11 - say that if you hate your brother, you’re in the darkness. But what is it?

The darkness of 1 John 2:8 can best be understood by looking back at the Gospels.

Back in Advent, we looked at John 1:9-13, which say:

John 1:9–13 ESV

9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

In that text, I said that the baby in the manger is the warrior, the conqueror, the destroyer of darkness. This is the arrival of the Champion to the field of battle.

As it was prophesied in

Isaiah 9:2 ESV

2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.

Darkness is anywhere sin, death, and the devil put their feet up on the coffee table as though they owned the place.

To put it another way, darkness in 1 John 2:8 is the illegitimate kingdom of Satan, and you and I were born into the darkness.

John 3:19-21 says

John 3:19–21 ESV

19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

The darkness is the realm where evil is concealed, covered up, or made up to look like righteousness. Darkness deceives you, and makes you into a deceiver, too. Darkness pleads ignorance of evil, and then perpetuates it.

Like a pyramid scheme con-man who convinces you that the deal of the century is just a single investment away, the kingdom of darkness promises prosperity but in the end delivers death.

And death is at the very heart of the kingdom of darkness.

While Israel languished in Egypt awaiting the Exodus, <<EXOD 10>>

In the kingdom of darkness, evil is touted as good, and everyone suffers by its lies.

But the good news is that the darkness is passing away.

The illegitimate kingdom of Satan is passing away. The realm where evil gets a pass and righteousness gets crucified is passing away. The era where death reigns is coming to an end.

We’re not talking about a gradual process where the world slowly gets better. This is about our conquering King defeating the usurper once and for all. The True Light didn’t come to the world He made to play nice with those who hate everything He loves. The Word became flesh to crush the head of the serpent. He came to set captives free.

Colossians 1:13–14 ESV

13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil. To unseat the usurper. To dethrone death. And this means that no matter how deep the darkness is right now, it can’t last. It’s passing away.

How is it passing away?

We can see it in Jesus’s ministry.

In Mark 5, <<TURN to Mark 5>>

Right after crossed Sea of Galilee, great storm rose, waves breaking into the boat, filling up, “we are perishing,”

Jesus woke up, calmed the storm with the words “Peace! Be still!”

“Who is this?”

Mk 5 - stepped out on the other side, in a region called the Gerasenes.

The very moment he stepped out of the boat, a filthy, naked, broken man runs up. He had lived among the tombs, the townspeople couldn’t keep him under control. They bound him with chains, and he pulled them apart. They shackled him, and he broke them. The sound of his wailing rang through the mountainside like they were haunted.

His naked body bore testimony that in his misery he had taken to cutting himself with stones.

And this is what the kingdom of darkness had done. The man was reduced to a mere animal.

But when Jesus’s foot touched ground, the man ran up and fell to the ground before Jesus. He knew exactly who this was. “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?”

But it wasn’t the man who spoke; it was the spirit that had driven him mad. Jesus asked the unclean spirit, “What is your name?” and he replied, “My name is Legion, for we are many.”

And with a word, Jesus commanded and the legion, the army of demons, and they departed the man. As if to make the point that the kingdom of darkness has death at its heart, they left the man and drove a herd of pigs off a cliff and into the sea.

But the man now sat at Jesus’s feet, clothed and in his right mind, and at Jesus’s word, he went home to the Decapolis to proclaim the good news that had come to him.

When Jesus stepped stepped out of the boat, the Gerasenes were his. The demon-possessed man walked in darkness until that moment, but the darkness didn’t stand a chance against the light.

How is the darkness passing away? Through deliverance. Redemption. Salvation.

Look at what darkness had done to the man in the tombs, tortured him over years, dehumanized him and worse. He was trapped in the darkness. Helpless. Wounded. And then the Light of the World stepped foot on the shore.

1 John 2:8 says that the new commandment is true in Christ and in you who believe, because the darkness is passing away and the true light already shines.

Where does the darkness seem deepest today?

At your work? Are you surrounded by people who are far from God, deeply in need of rescue, and don’t even know it?

At school? Do you see the need among your classmates? Your students?

How do you identify darkness? Remember what I said: It’s wherever sin, death, and the devil put their feet on the coffee table like they own the place?

Is the darkness deepest in your own heart?

Then we need to know more about the light.

Look back at verse 8 again, and here’s our second point:

II. The True Light shines powerfully in the Gospel

<<READ v8 again>>

John 1:9 identifies the True Light definitively for us. It’s the second person of the Trinity, the eternal Son of God, the Word who is God.

By Him, all things were made. In Him is life, and that life is the light of men.

The True Light is the Messiah who was promised to Israel, the Rescuer who was promised to Adam and Eve, God With Us promised in the book of Isaiah. In Isaiah 49:6, God said of the Messiah,

Isaiah 49:6 ESV

6 he says: “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

The LIGHT for the nations is the Savior, the King of kings, who willingly gave His life for the rebels who hated Him. He willingly stepped into the darkness of this world to win it back for Himself.

As we saw in 1 John 2:1-2, He is our advocate and atonement. By His righteous life, death, and resurrection, sinners who walked in darkness are declared righteous and forgiven.

Isaiah 60:19–21 ESV

19 The sun shall be no more your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give you light; but the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory. 20 Your sun shall no more go down, nor your moon withdraw itself; for the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your days of mourning shall be ended. 21 Your people shall all be righteous; they shall possess the land forever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I might be glorified.

The True Light, Jesus Christ, is already shining.

In His earthly ministry, He spoke a word, and the darkness fled. In His present ministry, He speaks through His Word, the message of the Gospel, and spiritually dead men and women come to life.

His Word is powerful. It’s a lamp to the feet and a light to the path. The Gospel is the word of life, the word that brings to life.

Jesus, the conquering King of kings, has chosen to drive back the darkness through the proclamation of a message.

Through the preaching of the Gospel, His Holy Spirit shines light into darkened hearts and brings them into the light.

John 8:12 ESV

12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

How is the darkness passing away? Through the proclamation of the Gospel.

Proclaiming the Gospel isn’t just making a recommendation. It’s not giving your opinion. The Gospel of Jesus Christ isn’t an option, a philosophy, a religion, a man-made system. I’m not here to sell you a program. I’m here today as an ambassador for that King who has promised to destroy darkness forever and set you free. Not because I deserved it, but because first He delivered me. I was 12 years old when He set me free, and now it is my aim to bear witness to what He’s done.

He gave me life. Real life. Eternal life.

When the darkness was at its deepest, when I was drowning in despair and ready to end it all, He grabbed me, and He saved me, and He has never let go.

And He put the light in me, so I could show it to the world.

That’s true for everyone who has been saved.

Matthew 5:14–16 ESV

14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Light points to God’s presence, God’s direction, God’s help. The LIGHT is what makes your good works make sense to those who see. The light is Christ on display in you who believe.

And this brings us back to the message of 1 John. John wrote the letter so that the believers would know that they have eternal life in Christ Jesus. They were faced with opponents who wanted to deceive them and snuff out the light of Christ.

But

2 Corinthians 4:6–7 ESV

6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.

Bethel family, it is God’s mission in us to carry the light into His world. We’re the jars of clay with the treasure inside. You and I can’t drive out demons, but Jesus can. You and I can’t still storms, but Jesus can. And He is in you, believer.

Last week at the members meeting, I said

“We long to see:

Every nation reached // Every neighbor loved // Every visitor welcomed // Every disciple trained // Every ministry saturated // with the Gospel of Jesus Christ”

There is a lot of darkness in the world. It’s no match for the Light.

That’s not to say you’ll make it through unscathed. Many Christians throughout the world today face the worst the Darkness can throw at them. But the same Jesus who delivered the Gerasene man can deliver you.

<<Daniel 3 - Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego>>

Daniel 3:17–18 ESV

17 If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. 18 But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

<<delivered by the pre-incarnate Son>>

PENTECOST

III. Conclusion

But before we turn to the Lord’s Table, something very important.

v8 written for Christians, people delivered by Jesus.

<<APPEAL>>

The darkness of sin

As covering for evil

As blindness

As ignorance

As evil in opposition to the light of Christ

The darkness of death

As the end-result of opposing the light of Christ, who is life

As gloom and fearful

The darkness of judgment and alienation from God

As in the case of Paul, the sinners in Sodom

As an imprisoning state

As the kingdom opposed to God

Implies ignorance, danger, helplessness

The futility of darkness - and the lie of avoiding judgment

God reigns even in the darkness, which could not exist if He didn’t create (Isa 45:7)

God sends darkness and blindness as judgments (Exod 10:21, Deut 28:28-29, Mk 15:33)

Ps 107:10 - in prison awaiting death

Col 1:12-13

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