If we claim to have fellowship with God and walk in darkness, there is a problem. True fellowship with God means walking in the light. So what does it mean to walk in the light, even though we are flawed and broken followers of Christ?
Pastor Troy Murphy addressed that issue during his message on 1 John 1 at Community Church on Sunday, February 4. It was the start of a seven-part series on 1 John, 2 John and 3 John.
Here are some key points from Troy’s message:
*When we become believers, God instills in us through the Holy Spirit a hate for sin. We will still fall away and choose to sin because we are flawed, but sin should make us uncomfortable to the point we don’t want to exist in that dark space for very long. God gives us a desire to come back to the light.
*Oswald Chambers said: The love of God working in me causes me to hate, with the Holy Spirit’s hatred for sin, anything that is not in keeping with God’s holiness. To “walk in the light” means that everything that is of the darkness actually drives me closer to the center of the light.
*Will power won’t work when trying to avoid the darkness. It’s not a matter of disciplining yourself to walk in the light. It’s not based on your merit. It’s God working in you that creates a hunger for the light. The Holy Spirit brings you to this conclusion: “I don’t like living in sin.”
*There are commands that are super clear in the Bible, even though culture pulls us into the dark and says it’s OK to engage in certain activities that are in direct contradiction to God's commands. The longer you play that game, the greater the chance your will become dull to the Holy Spirit's presence and impact in your life.
*In his book “Lovable,” Kelly Flanagan talks about the concept of performing away our feelings of guilt and shame so that God is happy with us. In fact, God has already dealt with the guilt and sin removal in our lives by sending his son Jesus to die for us and conquer the power of sin and death. The gift he gave us in Jesus should make us long to live in the light, out of gratitude.
*Tim Keller said: Fear-based repentance makes us hate ourselves. Joy-based repentance makes us hate the sin.
*We must be honest about our sin, similar to King David, who was first in line as a great sinner. He was a murderer and adulterer but he chose to walk in the light and follow after God. David acknowledged God’s sovereignty in Psalm 139 when he said: You have searched me Lord, and you know me.
Discussion questions
Is there something that needs to change in your life — a situation where you are walking in the darkness?
What are some steps you can take to let the light of God shine in your life?
If God searched your heart, what would he find?
Do you hate sin, or do you easily tolerate it?
