God Is Light and in Him There Is No Darkness at All

In one paragraph

Pastor Ray opened this passage aware that he had just finished preaching through the entire New Testament the week before, and was now turning toward what comes next. He landed in 1 John 1, following the thread from the end of Luke where Jesus tells his disciples that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations. The message was about what that...

Read together

1. Hebrews 4 (partial) Opening call to come boldly to the throne of grace to receive mercy and undeserved favor
2. Luke (closing passage, specific verse not given) Jesus opens the minds of the apostles to understand the scriptures, and says repentance for forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations beginning from Jerusalem
3. Matthew 16 (specific verse not given) Referenced as the point where Jesus began saying the Christ would suffer and rise on the third day
4. John 15 (specific verse not given) Jesus calls his followers friends, not servants, because he has made known everything from the Father
5. 1 John 1:1-4 (paraphrased, verses not individually cited) John's eyewitness introduction declaring what was seen and heard from the beginning, proclaimed so readers may have fellowship
6. 1 John 1:5-7 God is light and in him there is no darkness; walking in the light brings fellowship and cleansing from sin by the blood of Jesus
7. 1 John 1:8-9 Saying we have no sin deceives ourselves; confessing sin leads to God's faithful forgiveness and cleansing from all unrighteousness
8. 1 John 1:10 Saying we have not sinned makes God out to be a liar and his word is not in us
9. 1 John 2:1-2 John writes so his readers may not sin; if anyone sins we have an advocate in Jesus Christ who is the propitiation for our sins and for the whole world
10. Isaiah (specific verse not given) God takes sins that are red like crimson and makes them white as snow, placing them behind him
11. 2 Peter 1:10-11 Closing exhortation to be diligent to make certain of God's calling and choosing, walking it out so as not to stumble, with entrance into the eternal kingdom abundantly supplied

Talk about it

1. John writes that he is proclaiming what he personally heard and saw so that his readers may have fellowship with him and the other apostles. What does it mean to you that the Christian faith rests on eyewitness testimony, and how does that affect the way you hold on to it?
2. Pastor Ray said he woke up anxious in the night and described knowing in his waking moments that God has always taken care of him, while still struggling in the dark hours. Have you experienced that gap between what you know to be true and what you feel in a hard moment, and what has helped you through it?
3. The sermon drew a distinction between saying we have fellowship with God while walking in darkness and actually walking in the light. What does walking in the light look like in ordinary daily life, and where do you find it hardest to do?
4. Pastor Ray used the word confess and explained it as speaking the same thing about our sin that God speaks about it, agreeing with Him rather than excusing or minimizing it. What makes that kind of honest agreement with God difficult, and what makes it possible?
5. The sermon described the all-or-nothing thinking that can follow a slip or relapse, and John's answer to that in the words 'my little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin, and if anyone sins, we have an advocate.' How does having an advocate change the way you respond when you fall short, and how does being in community with other believers fit into that?