Connect Church
Walk in the Light
  • O Come Let Us Adore Him
  • Go Tell It On The Mountain
  • Silent Night (Stille Nacht)
  • A King Like This
  • Have you ever noticed how people instinctively move toward light?
    Think about a campfire at night. The moment that flame comes alive, everyone draws near. Light brings warmth. Light brings clarity. Light creates a sense of safety and belonging. But step away from the fire for too long, and suddenly you’re surrounded by shadows—you hear things you can’t see, you feel things you can’t identify, and the darkness makes what’s ordinary feel threatening.
    Spiritually, John is saying something similar to the churches he’s writing to. They were surrounded by a culture full of confusion, false teachings, and voices claiming new “revelations.” Some said sin didn’t matter. Others claimed to have fellowship with God while living in complete moral darkness. The church was being pulled away from the warmth, truth, and clarity of the gospel flame.
    So John writes this letter to remind believers of something simple but powerful:
    You can’t walk with God and walk in darkness at the same time. Real fellowship with God—and with one another—can only happen when we walk in the light of His truth and grace.
    And church, the same is true today. With so many voices, ideas, and distractions, the call to “walk in the light” is not just a first-century message—it is a right now message for every believer who wants to live in the truth and grace of Christ.
    If you have your bibles, I want you to turn with me to 1 John. It is near the back of the New Testament. I want to go to chapter 1 of First John. Let’s begin reading at verse 5
    1 John 1:5–2:1 NIV
    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. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 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. 8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us. 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.

    God is Light

    There’s a place in France called the International Bureau of Weights and Measures. Inside that facility, in a temperature-controlled vault, sits a small cylinder made of platinum and iridium. For more than a century, that tiny piece of metal was known as “Le Grand K”—the international prototype kilogram.
    It didn’t matter where you lived, what country you were from, or what scale you used. If you wanted to know the true weight of a kilogram, you didn’t argue, you didn’t guess, and you didn’t rely on your opinion.
    You compared it to the standard.
    And here’s the thing:
    The standard never changed.
    It didn’t get lighter.
    It didn’t get heavier.
    Everything else had to adjust to it.
    In a world full of shifting opinions, moral trends, and “my truth” vs. “your truth,” John reminds us that God is the unchanging standard.
    He is light—pure, holy, absolute.
    And everything in our lives must be measured in comparison to Him, not the other way around.
    The problem is we often try to redefine the standard so we feel better about our darkness. But John says, “No—God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.” He doesn’t shift. He doesn’t adjust. We are the ones who must come into alignment with Him.
    Ephesians 5:8 NIV
    8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light
    God called you out of darkness. The day you repented of your sins, you walked out of darkness and came into the light. You met God at the place that He set His standard. Now everyone wants God’s standards lowered to meet them where they are comfortable. But that isn’t how it works.
    As children of light, we come into the light out of darkness and meet God where He is because He is light.

    Walking in Light Brings Fellowship

    It is not as simple as just being in the light. John is clear—what matters is that we walk in the light. Light isn’t just a location; it’s a lifestyle. It’s not about proximity to truth but obedience to truth. It’s not just believing the right things—it’s living them out in transparency, honesty, and integrity.
    When we look back at the Old Testament, few contrasts are clearer than Saul and David.
    Saul looked like a king. He acted religious. He offered sacrifices. He talked the talk.
    But his heart lived in the shadows.
    When he was confronted with sin, Saul hid, he blamed others, and made excuses.
    Saul wanted the blessing of God without the obedience to God.
    He lived in partial truth, partial obedience, and partial repentance—which is exactly what walking in darkness looks like.
    Because of that, his fellowship with God was broken.
    He had the appearance of light, but he lived in the shadows.
    David sinned deeply—yet he responded differently.
    When Nathan confronted him, he didn’t hide. He didn’t make excuses. He didn’t pretend he had no sin.
    He stepped into the light and said:
    “I have sinned against the Lord.”
    That confession didn’t minimize the consequences, but it restored fellowship with God.
    David shows us that walking in the light doesn’t mean perfection—it means transparency, repentance, and a heart open before God.
    This is exactly what John is describing:
    When you walk in darkness you are covering sin and pretending everything is fine. However, when you walk in light, you are confessing sin and letting God expose and cleanse what’s hidden.
    So when John says, “Walk in the light,” he means:
    Live in a way that keeps nothing hidden from God.
    Live in the truth.
    Live in the grace that exposes and cleanses.
    Because…
    “The blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin.”
    Light is not just illumination—it’s restoration. Light is relational and redemptive. Light brings us into true fellowship with God and one another.

    What is sin?

    John forces us to deal honestly with this question.
    Not “What do I call sin?” Not “What do others think sin is?” But What does God say sin is?
    The word John uses is…

    ἁμαρτία (hamartia). It literally means “to miss the mark.”

    But the word is deeper than just missing a target. It is falling short of God’s standard. It is when you turn aside from the path you were meant to be on and you choose your way over God’s way. It means a heart that is bent away from the light.
    Sin isn’t just something we do—it’s a condition we live in apart from Christ.
    John gives us two warnings:

    1. “If we claim to be without sin…” verse 8

    This is self-deception. It means that truth is not living in us.

    2. “If we claim we have not sinned…” verse 10

    We are accusing God of lying. We are saying that His word has no place in us.
    What John is telling us is…
    If you deny sin, you shut yourself off from grace meant to cleanse you.
    We must understand what the Gospel is all about. Christ came for sin and this is the heart of John’s message.
    Jesus came…
    Not to applaud our efforts. Not to polish our image. Not to help us pretend that everything is fine.
    Jesus came because we missed the mark. He came because everyone of us has walked in darkness. He came to deal with sin once and for all.
    Look at what John said in verse 7.
    1 John 1:7 NIV
    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.
    You can’t outrun grace. You can’t out-sin His mercy. You can’t fall so far that the blood can’t reach you.
    And this leads us to one of the most hope-filled verses in Scripture.
    1 John 1:9 NIV
    9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
    Notice two things here.

    1. Confession is the doorway to cleansing.

    When you confess, you are agreeing with God about your sin. You are stepping into the light instead of hiding in the shadows.

    2. God is faithful and just.

    God doesn’t forgive us because we deserve it. God forgives us because Christ paid for it.
    When you confess, it isn’t about shame, but it’s about freedom. It’s not about condemnation, it’s about restoration. It’s not about focusing on sin, but it’s about releasing our sin to the Savior.
    And this is how we walk in the light.

    Our Hope is in Jesus

    John shifts from confronting the reality of sin to comforting the believer with the hope of the gospel.
    He writes in 1 John 2:1
    1 John 2:1 NIV
    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.
    The word “advocate” is the Greek word paraklētos, meaning:
    One who comes alongside
    One who speaks on our behalf
    A legal defender
    A representative before the judge
    Jesus doesn’t just forgive us—He stands for us. He doesn’t just cleanse us—He intercedes for us. He doesn’t just remove our guilt—He represents us before God as the One who already paid our debt.
    He is our advocate not because we are righteous, but because He is the Righteous One.
    When you walk in the light it doesn’t mean that you are living flawlessly. It means you are living honestly and dependently:
    When we stumble, we don’t hide—we run to our Advocate.
    When we fall short, we don’t pretend—we confess.
    When Satan accuses, we don’t despair—we stand in Christ’s righteousness.
    Walking in the light is not perfection. It is reliance.
    Relying on the One who pleads our case. Relying on the One who stands before the Father on our behalf. Relying on the righteousness that covers us and the grace that restores us.
    Imagine you are standing in a courtroom, and the atmosphere is tense. Your life is on trial.
    All your thoughts, your actions, your failures—everything about you is on full display.
    There’s no hiding.
    The evidence is overwhelming.
    And the Judge is righteous and cannot overlook what is clearly wrong.
    The prosecutor rises, and lists every sin:
    Every lie
    Every failure
    Every hidden thought
    Every moment of disobedience
    And with every accusation, your head sinks lower.
    Because everything he says about you is true.
    But then, your defense attorney stands up. He doesn’t argue that you’re innocent. He doesn’t claim the evidence is flawed. He doesn’t try to justify your actions.
    Instead, He says:
    “Father, everything the prosecutor said is absolutely correct. But the penalty for these sins—every single one of them—has already been paid.
    I paid it.
    In full.
    On the cross.
    And this one… is Mine.”
    The Judge then looks at the Advocate—His Son—the One who is righteous, holy, and perfect—and declares:
    “Case dismissed. The debt is paid. This one is forgiven and free.”
    Church, that is the ministry of Jesus—your Advocate, your Defender, your Intercessor.
    He doesn’t win your case by ignoring your sin. He wins your case by pointing to His sacrifice.
    That’s why we can walk in the light—not because we never stumble, but because our Advocate never fails us.
    Let me close with this.
    Today we’ve walked through the heart of John’s message to us:
    God is light. He is pure, holy, and unchanging.
    You and I are called to walk in that light—not just believe in it, but live it daily.
    Also, sin is real, and we all miss the mark, but Christ came to cleanse, forgive, and restore.
    And you have an advocate. His name is Jesus. He is the One who pleads for us and empowers us to walk in truth.
    Today’s message isn’t meant to shame us. It’s a message that is meant to free us.
    John isn’t calling us out—he’s calling us into the light where grace, cleansing, and fellowship are found.
    Would everyone in the room stand with me today?
    And as you stand, I want you to hear this clearly:
    Walking in the light is not about perfection. It’s about direction. It’s about taking a step toward Jesus, together.
    If you’re here today and you’ve never given your life to Jesus…
    You don’t have to walk in darkness anymore.
    You don’t have to carry guilt, shame, or confusion alone.
    Today, the light of Christ is inviting you. He came because of your sin. He died to cleanse your sin. And He lives to bring you into fellowship with God.
    You can receive Him right now—right where you stand.
    And For Every Believer in the Room
    Maybe you love Jesus, but you’ve allowed an area of darkness to settle in—a struggle, a habit, an attitude, a wound, a secret.
    Walking in the light means being honest, being open, and letting Christ cleanse and strengthen you again.
    And that doesn’t happen alone—
    it happens in community, in fellowship, in prayer with one another.
    Here’s what I want us to do:
    Right where you’re standing, I want you to join with someone near you—maybe two or three, or just the person next to you—and I want us to pray together.
    This is walking in the light. This is fellowship. This is letting grace work among us.
    If you need salvation
    Tell the person next to you, “I want to accept Jesus today.”
    Let them pray over you and lead you to Him.
    If you’re a believer needing cleansing, strength, or restoration
    Tell your group, “Pray for me—I want to walk in the light again.”
    Let them pray cleansing, grace, and courage over you.
    Nobody is judging. Nobody is exposing. We’re stepping into the light together.
    Church, the light of Christ is here.
    The Advocate is speaking for you.
    The blood of Jesus still cleanses.
    And the fellowship of believers strengthens us to walk in truth.
    Let’s move into prayer now—and let God’s light shine on us, in us, and through us.

    Closing Benediction

    Church, as we leave this place today,
    may the light of Christ go before you,
    illuminate every step you take,
    and drive out every shadow that tries to hold you back.
    May the grace of Jesus, your Advocate,
    remind you daily that you are forgiven,
    you are cleansed,
    and you are covered by His righteousness.
    May the fellowship of the Holy Spirit strengthen you
    to walk honestly, humbly, and boldly in the light—
    shining as a witness of His truth in a world that desperately needs it.
    And may the God who is light
    fill your heart, your home, and your week
    with His peace, His presence, and His power.
    In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

      • 1 John 1:5–2:1NIV2011

      • Ephesians 5:8NIV2011

      • 1 John 1:7NIV2011

      • 1 John 1:9NIV2011

      • 1 John 2:1NIV2011

  • Trust In God

      • Matthew 6:21NIV2011

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