Living in God's Light - Walking In God's Light

How can you tell if your faith is real?

In this message we explore three simple signs of a life that is walking with God. As we stay close to Jesus, our lives begin to reflect His character through obedience, love and a growing desire for the things that matter most.

🎧 Listen this week and discover why walking in God's light is not about striving harder but about staying closer to Christ. 

Transcript

Fantastic. Well, are you? Well, it's great to be with you today, which is fantastic. And you know what? I think my.

My watch is actually telling me that I'm actually really close to my hourly step goal. So I'm just going to do a few extra steps just to get there. You know, I think it was a few years ago, no one ever cared about how many steps you used to take. But for some reason, we have become like these amateur fitness trackers. And I'm nearly there.

And it's weird because Amy and I, my wife Amy, we would find ourselves some evenings pacing around the living room, trying to get some more steps in before bed just to really get to that goal. Anybody else track their steps? Anybody? Yeah, I'm in good company today. We head towards the kitchen for no particular reason, just to get those steps in.

And actually, 8,000 steps has now become a bit of a personal victory by the end of the day. We try and aim for 8,000 steps, but I know I'm in some company today, which you have some high achievers. Any 10,000 a step day people? Yeah. Oh, there's a few in this one.

Every service has been. There's some high achievers that's, you know, it takes effort, intentionality to really get that many steps. But you know what, it's 12 o'. Clock. This is the third service.

I'm at 5600. So that's pretty good for today, isn't it? I'm pretty happy with that. Yeah. I'll take that clap.

That's fine. Fantastic. You know what's interesting is that walking has become one of the most recommended forms of exercise in the world. We sometimes think that fitness means joining a gym. It means doing some intense workout like Pilates or CrossFit or Peloton or something like that.

But actually, research continues to show us that walking is one of the simplest and most effective things you can do for your health. So why is that? Well, because nobody gets healthy from one giant step. Nobody gets fit from one incredible walk. Health actually comes from consistent movement in the right direction one step at a time.

Now, I've been walking through one John this week, no pun intended, and I've realized something interesting. It's exactly this language that John is using. He doesn't tell us to sprint in the light. He doesn't tell us to perform in the light or even achieve in the light. He actually tells us to walk.

Now, if you were with us last week, Pastor John actually spoke to us about how we step into the light. But stepping into the light is only just the beginning, because the question is, how do we keep walking there? Have you ever walked in the dark before? But those sort of moments where it's like, literally it's pitch black. I want to tell you, we don't think to ourselves, I need to walk faster.

You think, I need more light. So what do you do? You reach for your torch, if you have one to shine the way. If you haven't got a torch, you look for the closest light source, whether it be a light post. If you're outside or one in the distance, maybe you pull out your phone and you use that light source as well.

But the thing is, the issue isn't effort. The issue is visibility, because the issue is staying close enough to the light source to see the next step. I want you to remember just one thing in this message this morning or this afternoon, and it's simply this, that walking in the light isn't trying harder. It's staying creative closer. We're going to read today from 1 John.

We're in chapter two this week, and there's 14 verses. So I would love for you to open your Bibles or turn on your Bible and have it in front of you. Yes, it will be on the screen, but I'm going to share throughout the message some. Some parts of this message and so you can see it in context. I'd love for you to have it open where you are.

We're starting from verse three. It says, we know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. Whoever says, I know him, but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we're in Him.

Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did. Dear friends, I'm not writing to you a new command, but an old one which you have heard since the beginning. This old command is the message you've heard. Yet. Yet I'm writing to you a new command.

Its truth is seen in him and in you because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. What's interesting here is that John, in this part of the scripture, he says something that almost sounds a bit contradictory. He's saying, I'm not writing you a new command yet. I am writing a new command. I'm kind of thinking, which one is it, John?

He's saying it's old because you've heard it before. What's the command To. To love God and to love your neighbour. It's new because Jesus raises the standard, he raises the bar. And he says this.

Love one another as I have loved you. See, the command isn't new, but the example is. John goes on and says, anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness. Anyone who loves their brother or sister lives in the light and there is nothing in them to make them stumble. But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness, but they do not know where they're going because the darkness has blinded them.

I'm writing to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name. I'm writing to you fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I'm writing to you young men, because you have overcome the evil one. And then he goes on and kind of just repeats sort of to these groups of people. And then after that he says, do not love the world or anything in the world.

If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them, for everything in the world. The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life that comes not from the Father, but from the world. The world and its desires will pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever. Amen. Amen.

Heavenly Father, I want to thank you today for your word. I thank you that it is alive, it is true, and it is a word that is going to hopefully change us and challenge us today. We thank you, Lord, for everyone who is going to hear this message that I pray that their hearts and their minds will be open to what you want to do in their life. And Holy Spirit, I am your vessel. I am your mouthpiece.

Have your way in Jesus name, Amen. You know, one of the words that appears repeatedly throughout this letter is this word. No, not know, but to know. And John isn't really trying to make Christians doubt their salvation. He's actually trying to give them assurance.

And he's answering a question I think many of us have asked. Maybe you've asked this question. And I want to spend the rest of this, this morning, the rest of this message, trying to answer this very question. And it's this. How do I know I'm really walking with God?

How do I know that my faith is genuine? How do I know that I'm really heading in the right direction? And John gives us three tests. They're not tests of perfection, they are tests of direction. And the first sign is this the first sign is obedience.

Verse three, John says, we know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. I love that word, keep. Such a simple word. But it's fascinating here because in the original Greek, it is this word te deo. I have to look up how to pronounce this word, te deo.

And actually, it doesn't simply mean to obey. It actually means to guard or to treasure, to watch over, to hold onto something that is precious. And John isn't describing some checklist of all these commands. What he's describing here is relationship. That's what he's describing.

He's saying to us and not saying to us, are you perfectly obeying every command? He's asking, do you treasure what Jesus says? Because you treasure Jesus. And even the message paraphrase, it puts it in this way. It says, here's how we can be sure that we know God in the right way.

Keep his commandments. A few verses later, in verse six, it says this. It says, anyone who claims to be intimate with God ought to live the same kind of life that Jesus lived. I love that phrase, intimate with God. You see, John isn't talking about information.

He's talking about intimacy. He's not talking about religion. He's talking about relationship. He's not talking about trying harder. He's talking about how we can stay closer.

Because the closer we stay to Jesus, the more we treasure what Jesus says. And the more we treasure what Jesus says, the more our direction begins to look like his. But notice, John doesn't say Christians will never fail. He doesn't say Christians will never struggle. He doesn't even say Christians will never stumble.

Thank goodness for that. But I think every person in this room, including myself, knows what it feels like to get things wrong. Have you gotten something wrong this week? I'm sure you have, like me. But John's focus isn't perfection.

It's direction. You know, there's something interesting about these step counters. Whether you have Fitbits or Apple watches or whatever it may be be because nobody checks their Apple watch and asks it was every step perfect. Nobody gets to the end of their day and says, oh, you know what? 7324.

That step was actually not that great. You're sort of leaning to the left. It was only like a bit of a half step. I don't think that one actually counts. The watch doesn't care about perfection.

It simply asks, are you still walking? And I think John is asking us the same question. Maybe some of you have walked in today feeling like you failed. Maybe some of you have been walking in here today feeling like you should be further along than you are right now. Maybe some of you have walked in here today carrying such a disappointment.

It's heavy. But John isn't asking you today, have you arrived at. He's asking, are you still walking with Jesus? Because walking with Jesus and walking in the light isn't about trying harder. It's about staying closer.

Now, John immediately moves us from obedience over to relationships because anybody can claim to know God, even the enemy. He knows God. But the real test is when people get so how do I know if I'm really walking with God? The second sign is love. Let me say it again.

The real test appears when people get involved. You may have heard the phrase, church would be so much easier if it weren't for all the people. But I want to tell you today that's exactly where love shows up. In verse nine, what do we see? Anyone who claims to be in the light but.

But hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness. That's a strong word, isn't it? Hate. And actually, when he's referring to brothers and sisters, he's not talking about your physical, actual, immediate siblings. He's talking about the people here.

Look to your left. Look to your right. Look around. These are your brothers and sisters in Christ. That's who he's referring to.

But in this passage, he's saying this. He says he doesn't point us to church attendance. How often have you come this month? How often have you come this year? He doesn't point us to Bible knowledge.

Can you recite your Bible verses to me? He doesn't say or point us to spiritual gifts. Are you using the gifts that God has given you to bless the body of Christ? No, he points us to love. Just to love.

Let that sink in for a minute. John is saying that our relationship with God can be seen by the love for others in the body of Christ. Man that challenged me this week. Let me say it again. Our relationship with God is seen in the way we love the people of God.

How are you doing today? Because I want to tell you it's so much easier to raise our hands in worship than it is to maybe extend grace to someone who's hurt us this week. It's so much easier to sing I love you, Lord, than it is to forgive that person who wronged you this last month. But John says these two things are inseparable because the evidence of light is love. You see, people.

People are Wonderful. In theory, they're wonderful. It's actual people that can be difficult. And you know what? Nothing tests Christian maturity quite like a family holiday.

You been in one of those recently? Maybe not your immediate ones. We went on a family holiday back in Easter. It was an extended family holiday. There was nine of us.

There was the mother in law, the father in law, the siblings, the husbands, the brothers. There was nine of us were in a big house up in Yorkshire, lovely part of the country. Seven days, seven nights. What could go wrong? They said.

But no, although we had a great time. We get there and it's like, who's going to have the biggest broom? Who's going to have the en suite? Who's cooking the dinner? Who's.

Why aren't they pulling their weight? And then we have conversations that may have gotten a little bit heated and some people may have got a bit hurt. But then we get to a point where we say, does love. What does love say in this situation? What does love cause us to do?

Maybe love causes us to not hold resentment, but to actually forgive in the moment and bring reconciliation. What does it look like in your life? Nothing reveals the real you. Quite like assembling IKEA furniture together. Ever done that before?

Amy and I were early in our marriage. We were in one of the houses we were first bought and we were at Ikea. It was 3pm we got one of those big wardrobes, big sliding doors. I thought, you know what? Two hours, Bish bash, bosh.

We're gonna go out for dinner. We're gonna have a great time. We're up there looking at the. I was gonna say a map pretty much is a map, isn't it? Look at the instructions, getting everything.

Why is that? Screw missing. Why is it here? We're getting frustrated with each other. We finally get the frame up and I'm thinking, looking around going, why is there pizza boxes?

That's. Cause we've been there for the last six hours trying to get this thing together. Then we get the sliding doors on, we stand back and they are on an angle. And I'm thinking, we. Why is it 2 o' clock in the morning and we get frustrated with each other and it's in those moments where you think, what does love require?

And it actually says, well, maybe I just need to be a bit more patient. Maybe I need to say sorry a few more times because I love my wife. And suddenly, depending what situations you're put in, all this spiritual maturity gets tested. But John here is saying, the person walking in the Light is becoming more loving. You're not perfect, but more loving, more patient, more forgiving, more gracious, more compassionate.

And then in verse 10, he says, anyone who loves their brother or sister, they live in the light. And there is nothing in them that will make them stumble. I love that. People who walk in bitterness, they create stumbling blocks. But people who walk in grace, they help others to walk in the light.

You see, the closer we stay to Jesus, the more we become like Jesus. So simple, yet profound. And the reason why is because Jesus loved people. He loved difficult people. He loved broken people.

Jesus loved people who misunderstood him. Jesus loved the people who betrayed him. Jesus even loved the people who nailed him to the cross. He loved people. So maybe the question today that we need to ask ourselves is to just really do a bit of examination.

Here are some questions we can ask each other. Who am I struggling to love? Who have I written off? Who do I need to forgive? Have a think.

Because walking in the light always moves us towards love. And the evidence of light is love.

I want to pause for a moment because that's what John actually does in this passage. If you have your Bible open or on there, right in the middle of this passage, John does something fascinating. He's been challenging us about obedience, challenging us about love. He's about to challenge us about being in the world. But then he stops.

He pauses. And then, if you can look in your Bible, there's a little heading that says the reason for writing. And then he goes on to verse 12. He says, I'm writing to you, dear children. Now, he's not talking to a physical child.

The dear children is actually the group of people. It is collective. It's all the people he's speaking to. He says, because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name, I'm writing to you fathers. Not just fathers.

You look at the message translation. It says, veterans, those who are experienced in the faith. That's who he's talking to. Because you know him, who is from the beginning, I'm writing to you young men, those up and comers, those I think translation says apprentices, those who are new in the faith. But getting to know him because you have overcome the evil one.

And at first glance, these verses can sometimes feel a little bit disconnected from what John has actually been talking about. He almost feels like he's changing the subject halfway through. But he hasn't. What. What he's doing is he's reminding them who they are.

Notice what he doesn't say. He doesn't say, try harder. Doesn't say, do better. He doesn't say, be more spiritual. Instead, he reminds them, your sins have been forgiven.

You know the Father, you've overcome the evil one. But listen now, before John talks to us about how they're walking, he reminds them where they're standing. This is real key today. I think it's important because I think some of us hear a message about obedience and then immediately can feel condemned. A lot of us can hear a message about love and instantly feel about, feel and look at all the things and the areas of life in which we fall short.

And John's saying, hold on. Before we go any further, remember who you are. And there's four things that come up here as we can see. We. But there's so many more.

What does he say? He says, you're forgiven. He says, you're known. He says, you're loved. He says, you're victorious in Christ.

Come on, somebody. That's what he said. He said, this is who you are. He says, identity comes before instruction. Assurance fuels transformation.

The Christian life doesn't begin with walk better. No, it begins with, you belong to Jesus. Because walking in the light isn't about trying harder. It's about staying closer. And because we know whose we are, John now turns his attention to what has our heart.

How do I know I'm really walking with God? The third sign is affection. Or to put another way, what has your heart today? What's shaping your desires? What's influencing your direction?

In verse 15, John says, Do not love the world or anything in the world. But John isn't talking about people. God loves people. John isn't talking about creation because God created the world. He's talking about the value system that operates independently from God.

A way of living that says, I know best, I. I know what I want. I don't need God. But John is describing this as desires of the flesh, desires of the eyes and the pride of life. Basically, in modern language, he's saying, what I crave, what I covet, what makes me look important. And the message translation captures it brilliantly.

It says, the world and all its wanting, wanting, wanting is on the way out. Isn't that true of our culture today? Wanting, wanting, wanting. The algorithm telling me all the things that I want, all the things. The next purchase, the next upgrade, the next promotion, the next holiday, the next relationship.

Come on now. This is challenging. The word is challenging. It's telling us this. It's challenging us today.

The thing is, it doesn't challenge us. It's not going to Change us. But the world is throwing things at us. John says the world is built on endless wanting, taking us down a path. Maybe we are being led astray, but this is what John is talking to us about.

He says followers of Jesus aren't led by wanting. They're anchored by staying close to Jesus. The world says, well, what do I want next? Jesus says, stay close to me because whatever captures your affection eventually shapes your direction. And direction matters.

It really does. And even I struggle with this. Whatever captures your affection eventually shapes your direction. This is why I love Proverbs 3, 5, 6 so much. My life verse.

I have it. It's in our dining room. It's just I've had it throughout my life. Trust in the Lord, not the world, with all of my heart, and lean not on my own understanding, but in all your ways. Submit to him, be close to him, obey him, and he will direct your path.

That's what he will do. I love that picture, that God doesn't promise to remove every obstacle from the path, but he promises to direct it. And what do you do on a path? You walk on it. One step at a time.

You see, the Christian life isn't about taking one giant leap. It's about walking with Jesus every single day. And if we do that, we'll stay close enough to hear his voice, will stay close enough to trust in his leading. We'll stay close enough that his light will start showing you the next step. Walking in the light isn't about us trying harder.

It's about staying closer.

Now, a lot of you have been eyeing up my trainers here. You've looked at them a few times, thinking, what's he going to do with those? These are my trainers, and when I look closely, they tell a story. There's marks on them, they're a bit dirty, the sole is a bit worn out, maybe a little bit smelly.

But they tell a story. They've been through muddy fields, they've been through dusty paths, on long journeys, short journeys. Every scuff tells me that they were used for what they were made for, and they're not perfect anymore.

The only way these trainers could still look brand new is if they were just left on the shelf. Never worn, never used, never walk anywhere with them. But I want to tell you that trainers were never designed to sit on a shelf. They were designed to for walking. And followers of Jesus, we weren't made to stand still.

Many of us may think maturity looks like being perfect with no scars or no struggles or no mistakes and no weaknesses. But I want to tell you, if you've walked with Jesus for any length of time, you know, you know you have a story. You've had lessons learned. You've fought some battles, you've prayed some prayers through tears. You've had moments where God has carried you when you know you couldn't carry yourself.

And you won't be perfect, but you'll be walking. And this is what John's point is. The evidence of life isn't perfection. The evidence of life is movement, it's direction. So where are you heading today and who are you heading with?

If you're heading with Jesus, you'll have a growing desire to follow him. You'll have a growing desire to love like Jesus loved. You'll have a growing desire to stay close to him. And right at the end, in verse 17, John says, for whoever does the will of God, lives forever. But the esv, the English Standard Version, that translation just.

It's the same verse, but one word is different. What's that word? Whoever does the will of God abides forever. I love that word, abide. It's one of John's favourite words.

Simply means to remain, to continue, but to stay close. You see, the world is passing away. Trends will pass away, success will pass away, popularity will pass away. Everything the world promises, it will eventually fade away. But the person who stays close to Jesus is anchored into something this world can never take away.

And yeah, the world will keep saying to us, keep chasing, keep striving, keep wanting, keep proving, keep performing. But Jesus says, stay close, walk with me one step at a time. How do I know I'm walking in the light?

You're going to become more obedient, you're going to become more loving, you're going to become more captivated by Christ. And it's not because you've arrived, it's not because you're perfect, but it's because you're walking with Jesus. Amen. Amen. You know the people on my left and right, this is our response team, our prayer team.

If something has stirred you, if God is challenging you about something today, or if you need prayer for anything, I would ask you to come and respond and come down and these guys can pray with you and follow. You know, the closer you stay to Jesus, the further you'll go with Jesus. And one more time, walking in the light isn't about trying harder, it's about staying closer in Jesus name. My prayer today is that you would go in the fullness of God's grace. I pray you'll be blessed abundantly this week, and we'll see you all next Sunday.

God bless.