Walk in the Light!

The Tuesday after Easter, I was driving home from taking my parents to the airport when I saw something strange. It was dark already and I had just made it back into Rockwall on I-30 by the Costco, when I saw it. There was a car with the passenger side window down and a person’s arm out the window. When I got closer, I realized that the hand of that person’s arm only had one finger up, and it was not a thumbs up or ‘you are number one’ finger. Then, the truck that was following the car with its blinker on as if to exit on the approaching off-ramp, moved into the off-ramp lane, but did not exit. Instead, the truck kept driving half on the road and half on the dirt beside the car and sped in front of the car. At this point, I and the other drivers around had slowed down so as not to get caught in a wreck. Then, the truck hit its break causing the car to turn into the fast lane and speed off, but the truck quickly sped up after them. And for a few seconds, I lost sight of them behind an 18-wheeler. Though I did not see it, my best guess as to why the people in the car were signaling to the person in the truck, was that they were upset by something the person driving the truck had done.

We get upset when others do things that are wrong, but even when others do things that are right. When the rules of the road are broken, it causes us to be upset because we share the road, and if someone does something against the rules or dangerous, it puts the rest of the drivers in danger. It is the same with life. When the rules of life are broken, it causes us to be upset because we all share this world, but not all rules are good rules and sometimes people get upset when people break the rules to do something right. An example of this occurred in Acts 4. In Acts 4, we hear about the repercussions of an event from Acts 3, where Peter healed a man who could not walk. The Jewish religious leaders put Peter and John in prison for the night because they broke their ‘law’ about not preaching about Jesus, then questioned them the next day about what they had done. Peter responded by saying, 9 “If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed, 10 then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed.” Peter had done a good thing by healing this man. It was a miracle, but the religious leaders were upset because Peter gave Jesus the credit for the power to heal. Jesus did not fit in their rule book and they did not want to share their world with the resurrected Jesus. Yet, for all their anger at Peter and John for sharing the message of Jesus, the religious leaders could not outright condemn them since the people had seen them heal a man, and they could not argue against the power of God.

It is easy for us to shake our heads at those who rejected Jesus. If I had been watching Peter and John stand trial for healing a man and for preaching about Jesus, I like to think I would have stood up for them. And I am sure the same thought is true for you. But then I think of all those times when other believers or Jesus has been put on trial before me in some official ways and an overwhelming number of unofficial ways, and I have not stood up for the truth that Jesus Christ is the one true God, the risen Savior, who saved me and all the world from sin, death, the devil and hell. And I am sure the same is true for you. Then, in 1 John 1, we hear, 6 “If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth.” So often you and I have not even stood up for Jesus, but we walk, step after step in the darkness. You and I let lies about the creation of the universe go unchallenged by Genesis. You and I let ourselves be drawn into excusing greed and coveting by calling it success or security. You and I let fantasies play out in our minds and on our screens that go against what God created uniquely for husband and wife. Before we grow comfortable in how well we represent God because we live such good lives, we must hear these words from 1 John 1, 8 “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” And, 10 “If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.” Walking in darkness is both your pursuit and falling into sin, and also not quickly admitting you are sinful. Both sin and the denial of sin separate us from God. When we do not live out the truth, we do not have fellowship with God. Fellowship means sharing in something. Fellowship with God is sharing in his truth, love, light and life, all of which disappear in the darkness of sin, lies and death.

The light that breaks through the darkness of your sin is the Word of life, Jesus. John, the same one who was there with Peter when on trial for healing the man who could not walk and for preaching about Jesus, was given these words to write down to share with you so that you are not lost in darkness, and he wrote, 4 “We write this to make our joy complete.” Pure joy comes from sharing the message of Jesus and watching it bring the lost into the light. John makes four points to make you sure that you are not lost in the darkness. One, 2:2 “He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” There is no doubt that your sins are forgiven, because Jesus purified us from all sin by allowing himself to be put to death for the sins of the entire world, meaning all people of all time, to satisfy God’s anger over sin. Two, 2:1 “we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.” Jesus is the one who stands resurrected in heaven pleading your case to the Father so that independent of anything you do, the fact stands forever that your sins were paid for and you are now righteous, good and perfect in God’s eyes. Three, 9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” When you confess your sins, either at the beginning of worship or at any other time, you do not confess them and then wonder if God will accept your heartfelt apology. Instead, when you confess your sins, it is a guarantee every time that they are forgiven because God is faithful, he keeps his promise to forgive always. Four, 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, purifies us from all sin.” Your desire to do good, to love God and love others, is also evidence that you are in the light and have been saved by Jesus, set aside to serve him, as we hear from Peter, who healed the man who could not walk, in 1 Peter 2, 9 “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” You were chosen by God to be his light shining in this dark world. You are a light to share in the joy of John and Peter, to share in telling others about the one who saved you, Jesus.

Jesus has always been the one who gives light to the world. In Luke 24, Jesus himself after his resurrection allowed his disciples to understand his purpose, 45 “Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46 He told them, ‘This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.’” The answer to the darkness in the world and the sin in your heart, is Jesus. You can think of it then like this, you live in darkness, Jesus is the light.

Faith is like God giving you a rechargeable flashlight for free to get through this dark world. That rechargeable flashlight needs to be plugged into the Word, the Bible, to shine. When you stop plugging in, your light stops shining, your flashlight is worthless, and you stumble around in the darkness until you die. When you are plugged in, you face life with joy and positivity even when difficulties come because the light of God through faith allows you to see suffering, sickness or persecution as temporary and the chance to share Jesus with others to give them hope. Being plugged in and shining also means you repent, to God and others, always at peace with Jesus’ forgiveness and humble before others owning your sinful selfish behavior and trying to make amends rather than blaming others and leaving people in a broken mess after you hurt them. Being plugged in also keeps you looking forward to heaven, where you will not need faith or to be plugged in because you will be in the very presence of God, the Light and you will not repent anymore because you will not sin anymore in heaven, and your eternal life will be one of joy and fellowship with God, sharing in all of his goodness.

Now, back to the strange thing I saw in the darkness. So, I had lost sight of the truck speeding after the car behind an 18-wheeler for a few seconds. Then, they reappeared and from what I could tell the truck took the next exit off of I-30, but I was not sure where the car went. What I am guessing did not happen is that they both exited and met up at the Love gas station slash Carl’s Jr. to apologize to one another. No, more likely than not, they both went off into the darkness. You are no longer lost in darkness. You have the answer to your sin as John wrote, 2:1 “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.” John’s encouragement to you is to turn to Jesus when you sin, repent and then walk in the Light, forgiven and eager to go home to live with the Light in heaven. Amen.