Discover how the apostle John makes a shocking claim—that your relationship with Jesus today can be just as real and transformative as his was 2,000 years ago. This message explores how "walking in the light" leads to authentic fellowship with God and others, complete joy, and eternal life. Learn practical steps to move beyond religious performance into genuine relationship with Christ. If you've ever wondered if Christianity is more than just belief in historical events, this message reveals how the resurrection power of Jesus can transform your daily life today.
BBCC Sermon Outline
STEP INTO THE LIGHT – 1 John 1
April 27th
Prologue (1 John 1:1-4) – An Audacious Invitation
“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.” (NIV)
Central Message (1 John 1:5)
“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.” (NIV)
Walking in Darkness (v-6)
“If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth.” (NIV)
Walking in the Light (v-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.” (NIV)
Honest Confession (vv 8-10)
“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves… If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (NIV)
Key Themes & Lessons
Application
BBCC Verse of the Week: 1 John 1:7 (NIV) 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.
Study Notes
While John is not mentioned by name in the Fourth Gospel, he is likely to have been “the beloved disciple” who reclined next to Jesus at the Last Supper (John 13:23). He stood at the foot of the cross when Jesus was crucified; Jesus entrusted his mother Mary to John’s care (John 19:26–27). Along with Peter he witnessed the empty tomb on the first Easter morning (John 20:2–10). He also saw, spoke with, and ate breakfast at a lakeside fire kindled by the resurrected Jesus (John 21:7, 20). He was therefore highly qualified to write of what he and others had heard, seen, gazed upon, and touched (1 John 1:1). As Jesus’ “beloved disciple,” he was also well suited to plumb the depths of the meaning of Jesus’ coming (1:2; 4:9), life (2:6; 4:14), death (1:7), resurrection (5:11; “eternal life … in his Son” implies his death was not final), intercessory ministry at the Father’s right hand (2:1), and eventual return (2:28)—all matters playing a role in the witness, instruction, and admonition of this rich and highly concentrated letter. Early post-apostolic figures like Polycarp and Papias (c. a.d. 100) presuppose or cite 1 John in their writings. This suggests a date of composition no later than the 90s a.d. …He likely wrote 1 John as an elder statesman of the faith in the last third of the first century, perhaps to churches in the surrounding region. – ESV Study Bible
The purpose of the writing is now given. It is to make our joy complete (NIV, RV, RSV) or to make your joy complete (AV, NIV mg.) The fellowship and the joy are both to be a common possession between the apostle and his readers. This ‘seems to suit best the generous solicitude of the author, whose own joy would be incomplete unless his readers shared it’ (Metzger). Brooke quotes John 4:36 in this connection, where Jesus spoke of the sower and the reaper rejoicing together. And NEB captures the sense well by translating ‘we write this in order that the joy of us all may be complete’. And what is the secret of fullness of joy, ‘the complete and perfect felicity which we obtain from the Gospel’ (Calvin)? It is in the fellowship which the proclamation creates; for if the immediate purpose of the proclamation is the establishment of fellowship, the ultimate purpose is the completion of joy. This is the divine order—angelia [message], koinonia [fellowship], chara. [joy] - John Stott
What are some ways we deceive ourselves about sin? It's all very well for John to say that we have fellowship with God himself. But what if we have already ruined our lives by carelessness, stupidity or downright wickedness? We are-or ought to be ashamed. If only we could hide or God would give us a chance to clean up! But that's not how it works. God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. The darkness which encroaches upon our messy, rebellious, unbelieving lives cannot survive in his sight. If we pretend to be in fellowship with him while walking in the dark (behaving in the less-than-human way we often choose), it's like telling lies. – Tom Wright
There is in modern society a rationalization about sin that prevents even the word from being used beyond the walls of the church, for sin implies a moral responsibility to God. Wrong behavior is attributed to bad parenting, genetic propensities, or lack of adequate education, or it is embraced to affirm a perceived entitlement of individuals to define moral principles for themselves. The claim that there is a God and that violation of his moral standard is sin invites harsh social disapproval in a culture that no longer believes in absolute truth and sees any such claim as a wrongful and arrogant assertion of power. Furthermore, it is increasingly difficult to define sin in a society where what is legal is not necessarily ethical and moral by God’s standards. Collectively, modern mankind has said, “We have no sin,” and “We have not sinned.” This denial of sin by society, even with the complicity of the church, is itself sin. To deny sin is to call God a liar, for God has declared his moral standard and has paid dearly for our sin by sending Jesus Christ to die as our atonement. What serious business it is to deny sin in any of the many ways we humans, starting with Adam and Eve, have found to do it! – Karen Jobes
For next week – Read 1 John 2:1-11 Pastor Samuel Sutter // sam@BBCCOnline.org
