Can You See Where You Are Going?
To walk in the light requires receiving Christ as personal Saviour and having faith in God's Word.
Theodore Epp emphasizes the necessity of receiving Christ as a personal Savior to walk in the light, which illuminates our hearts and convicts us of sin. This divine light reveals God's holiness and our need for reconciliation through Christ, highlighting the righteousness available to all who believe. As Christians, walking in the light increases our awareness of God's holiness and our own sinful nature, urging us to reject worldly patterns and impulses. Epp warns against the danger of calling sinful tendencies righteous, as this leads to walking in darkness. Ultimately, he reminds us that true followers of Christ will not walk in darkness but will possess the light of life.
Text
1 John 1:5-10
For a person to walk in the light requires that he first receive Christ as personal Saviour. The light of God's Word must first have enlightened that person's heart and convicted him of his sin.
That same light reveals to us the holiness of God and brings us to a reverential fear of Him, something foreign to the natural man (see Rom. 3:18).
That same light reveals to us how Christ came to reconcile us to God. To us is offered "the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference" (Rom. 3:22).
Christians who walk in the light become increasingly conscious of the holiness of God and of the sinfulness of sin. They are not deluded into denying that they have a sinful nature.
They realize that they still have sinful tendencies that are expressed in fleshly impulses, nonspiritual inclinations and standards of living that are patterned after the world rather than after God.
These are all sinful in the sight of God, and to call them righteous rather than sinful is to walk in darkness. Should we even so much as waver in our trust in God, we sin, for the Word says, "Whatsoever is not of faith is sin" (Rom. 14:23).
"I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life" (John 8:12).
Sermon Outline
- Walking in the Light
- The Light Reveals Christ's Reconciliation
- Walking in the Light
- Walking in Darkness
- Receiving Christ as Personal Saviour
- The Light Reveals God's Holiness
- The Righteousness of God by Faith
- No Difference Between People
- Conscious of God's Holiness and Sinfulness
- Recognizing Sinful Tendencies
- Wavering in Trust is Sin
- The Importance of Faith
Key Quotes
“For a person to walk in the light requires that he first receive Christ as personal Saviour.” — Theodore Epp
“I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” — Theodore Epp
Application Points
- Recognize your sinful nature and the sinfulness of sin.
- Realize that you still have sinful tendencies and impulses, but do not call them righteous.
- Trust in God and have faith in His Word, for whatever is not of faith is sin.