Life in the light is the Good News of Jesus

To them in their date
To us today!
The problem was people had started to forget the original message and started producing the new and improved model?

Intro

Many of us recently enjoyed watching the Olympic games recently. The challenges and trails of all the competitors. The struggles they endure all in search of the prize of a Gold medal.
You know that you have the various experts commenting on who they think is going to be the eventual champion.
Then you usually have someone give you all the stats of the various people, who has done what when. Then based on this info they predict the winner of the competition.
Lastly you have the competitors themselves talking about their hopes, desires, expectations and goals.
Maybe you join in choosing who is going win that particular event.
Then all we need to do is sit back and watch and wait to see what the outcome will be.
Then with the benefit of hindsight we and discuss how really we always know what the outcome would be!
Hindsight is a wonderful thing to have but it is quite strange, you always get it to late. The people / community that received the letter that we know as 1 John did not have that assistance AVAILABLE to then they had to make a choice based on the information available to then at the time like most of us.
I believe that their choice went something like this…
A or B
New and improved vs original and the best
Which model would go for?
On what basis would you decide?
The author gives them some clues

Issues (Background)

As the speaker last week mentioned, that God’s desire in sending Jesus was so that he could once again have a relationship with people. The desire of this community / group of people was to have the best possible relationship with God possible.
They thought that it had all been sorted in Jesus, but then people start saying we have a new and improved version, with a closer relationship than you have.
Sin or No Sin
So what kind of relationship were the “New and Improved”, people claiming to have?
They started saying that their relationship with God is “soo Good”, that we do NOT SIN!!
Don’t we meet people say they are good people – no sin in life = no need of Jesus?
The new AND IMPROVED LIVED UPRIGHT LIFE, the outward so is not what it takes.
Some it is believed went as far as saying that we never sinned and by implication did not need Jesus to die on a cross for them!
Holy Spirit and truth – cause for confusion
If that was not bad enough, the new group claimed to be speaking empowered / enabled by the Holy Spirit, which is also referred to as the Spirit of TRUTH!
What’s more the write of 1 John and others like him claimed to be speaking empowered by the Spirit of Truth.
You now have a confused butch of people How can the Spirit of Truth be Contradicting itself?

The response of 1 John (the Author)

Holy Spirit and Truth – clarification
How can we sort who is telling the truth, and by implication genuinely speaking empowered by the Spirit of Truth?
John uses the argument that the one who accurately reflects the life and teaching of Jesus is the one who holds the truth.
This is because Jesus is “the way the Truth and the life.” John 14 vs 6.
So in order to prove his point John goes back to the beginning. 1 John 1vs 1-2, this is how it all started and we are still saying the same things.
How can you be sure that you know God / Christ? We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands.

b. Obey = keep = persevering or protecting, especially when its object is a person.

c. Obey or observing when the object is God

This is an echo of John 14 vs 21 … if you love you will keep my commandments.
What is more the New and Improved people are saying stuff, that is contradictory to what Jesus said and taught. This stuff is in conflict with the very foundation of the faith that they claim to believe.

Sin or No Sin
Then john delivers the killer blow.
We all know Jesus did not sin and was able to offer himself as a sacrifice for our sin. We also all know what kind of life he lived, one marked out by his love for others!
What is your life like? If you claim to be without sin then surely you would expect a similar life style?
One marked by the same character /quality of love.
The lives of the New & improved bunch does not match Jesus’.
You hate your brothers and sisters.
You Lord it over us.
Try to rub of faces in the dirty, of our weakness and failings.

The impact of Relationship

The Spirit of Truth
Jesus has made the sacrifice for our sin.
When we do stumble, fall, fail, are weak, the response of JC is … if we confess he is faithful and just.
The blood of JC is the antidote to sin not denial!!
We can maintain this good relationship with God, on the same basis that we obtained it. The work of Jesus on the cross.
Jesus is our atoning sacrifice. Jesus is able to plead his own blood to cover / remove the offence of sin (expiate). This enables us to enjoy good relationship again with God and people around us.
The Spirit of Truth help us to maintain relationship WITH God, but also brothers & sisters
John 15 vs 12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you

The Light

In the light or in the darkness – a realm, postion , place.

To be in the light is to be in close relationship with God through Jesus

Do you want it?

Do we have it?

Which brand do we choose?