Walk in the Light - Week 1
Walk in the Light - Week 1
Stay in the Light
Who wrote the most words in the NT?
Word Count Ranking in the NT:
Luke (~37,000 words, Luke & Acts)
Paul (~32,000 words, 13 letters)
John (~28,000 words, Gospel of John, 1-3 John, Revelation)
History- Early church leaders like Irenaeus (born 130 AD) and Tertullian (born 160 AD) amongst others give credit to John the Apostle.
Style- The lay out and language of this book are very similar to John the Apostles other writings (IE the John 1:1/ 1 John 1:1)
John 1:1 1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
1 John 1:1 1 “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—”
“Paul writes to the church, but John writes to the family.”
Intro - 1 John 1:1-4
God is light - 1 John 1:5-3:10
God is love - 1 John 3:11-5:17
Conclusion - 1 John 5:18-21
1. Jesus: The Author and Founder of Our Faith (1 John 1:1-4)
1 John 1:1-4, “1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— 2 the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— 3 that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.”
1 John 1:1 1 “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—”
1b “…which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—”
1 John 1:2-4 “2 The life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— 3 that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.
2. God has no darkside (1 John 1:5)
1 John 1:5 “This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. “
3. The Call: Walk in the light (v.6-7)
1 John 1:6-7, “If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”
4. How do you live in the light?(v.8-10)
1 John 1:8-10 “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”
Psalm 32:3-5, “For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. 4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah. 5 I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah”
“When you confess your sin, you are agreeing with God that what he says about your sin is true. It is an admission of guilt. To confess your sin is not just saying, "I got caught. I'm sorry, but if I can get away with it, I'll do it again." That's not confession of sin. Confession of sin is coming to the place where you honestly agree with God about your sin. Confession means genuine contrition for our sin and a genuine seeking of forgiveness.” Kent Hughes
The Christian life will require consistent confession.
1 John 2:1, “1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”
Small Group Questions
- What does it mean that "God is light" (1 John 1:5), and how does that truth impact the way we live as believers?
- Why do you think people (even Christians) sometimes prefer to hide in darkness rather than walk in the light? What are some things that keep us from being fully honest with God and others?
- John emphasizes confession and repentance as essential to walking in the light (1 John 1:8-10). How can practicing regular confession transform your relationship with God and with others?
- In what ways do you see the difference between living in the light and merely "visiting" the light? How can we cultivate a lifestyle of transparency and accountability?
- 1 John 2:1 reminds us that we have an advocate in Jesus when we fail. How does this truth give you confidence and hope as you strive to walk in the light?