Living in the Light

Sermon. Carlisle Evangelical Free Church. Shad Baker.

I John 2:7-14

7 Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard. 8 At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. 9 Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. 10 Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. 11 But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

12 I am writing to you, little children,
because your sins are forgiven for his name's sake.
13 I am writing to you, fathers,
because you know him who is from the beginning.
I am writing to you, young men,
because you have overcome the evil one.
I write to you, children,
because you know the Father.
14 I write to you, fathers,
because you know him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men,
because you are strong,
and the word of God abides in you,
and you have overcome the evil one.

I. What God requires
not writing a new command
- old command is seen in v6
- God is concerned with how we live
-- from the beginning God cares about our actions because our live is made complete when we love each other
-- do we believe in God? The live like it
- God is not just concerned with our behavior but also our heart
-- good behavior is good but where is our heart?
-- we can cross every moral t and do ever legal i but still miss Jesus
--- miss the fact that we are to love
-- old command: live moral lives
-- new command: love
--- all commands can be summed up by: love
- obedience with love

II. Test of Light
Do I love my brother? (v9-10)
- can't be in light and hate brother at same time
- simple test: don't rationalize or try to stall the test
what does love look like?
- Christ
- culmination of his love seen in his death

III. How do I improve?
- CONFESS QUICKLY/IMMEDIATELY!
-- we must confess first
-- can't wait to confess till we're "clean"
--- if we do, then we will never return to Christ because it's impossible for man to clean himself up
- GET INTO LIGHT
-- must return to Christ
- PLANNED GIVING
-- plan to sacrifice (give up and NOT get anything in return)
-- plan to be unnoticed/unrecognized
-- plan to love and be hated for it
--- then we're with Christ
- REMEMBER GOD LOVES EVEN ME
-- I'm hard to love yet Jesus still puts up and sacrificed (gave up his life and did not get anything in return for a long time, and even now not the proper respect) for me while I was still a sinner
- old way (darkness/hate) is passing away
--Light is coming into the world