Living In The Light

This is a message from leading the way with Dr. Michael. You sat we pray that it will encourage you in your walk of faith. If you would like to learn more about Dr. you Seth for leading the way, please visit LTW.or you know if the question how many of you would want to live life at its best. Most likely I'll get it just about every hand is raised and that's good another's ride because God created us to live life at its best. It is God's desire for each one of us to live our life at its best. But the question arises of the definition of breast what is best for me. What is life at its best.

Me who decides what is best and I thought is better for me to illustrate what I'm trying to say I was somebody actually wrote the story and it's about a young man who went to the beach for vacation and he took his goldfish with him. He would go every morning and soak the sun.

Enjoy the surf and loves life that is best for him.

But after a few days of knowing that he began to feel guilty and here I am enjoying life in the sun and the surf but Goldie is all by itself there in the condominium is so one day out of guilty so I better help Goldie get part of that action. So he said Goldie tomorrow you and I going to get some action. You got it, and enjoy life at its best. Just like I do and so he in the morning. He takes Goldie out of the fishbowl and he wraps it in a washcloth and takes it for them to the beach and there there he puts goldenrod next to him and he sat in the sun and the looks of Dolby and says now Goldie, that is life at its best. Live it up live it up and if you say to me, there can be no more foolishness than this. You're right, they could be no more foolishness than that. Why because life at its best for the goldfish was not meant to be in the beach or any fish for that matter, because it's almost sure that I was never intend to be in that environment.

It is not life at its best for that fissure for any fish and if you got that message by now you really have grasped the whole message of first John, which I want you to turn now in your Bibles first John chapter 1 life at its best. It is live when it is lived in the right environment when it is live away. God made it to live the way God intended for it to live life live that is best is when it is live the way God desired for it and God willed forth to live true life at its best, however, has a beginning has a middle and has a continuation and those are my three points. Life at its best. The only way to begin. It that is verses 1 to 4 live at its best. The only way to sustain it. Verses 5 to 7. Thirdly life at its best.

The only way to grow it verses 8 to 10. The only way to begin a life at its best. Verses 1 to 4. When we give you background. First, the apostle John lived to be an old man.

Jesus told him so. In fact, he told Peter and John, chapter 21 verse 22 then John is going to live to be an old man and he did. He lived to be his 90s, and one thing about living long time is that you see things you never thought to go to see in your life and so I after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., many of the believers fled Jerusalem, and John was one of them and he ended up in Ephesus for a period of time.

Of course he was in polymers where he had this great revelation in the book of Revelation, which would have in the last book in the Bible, but he lived most of his life in Ephesus. But in the church of Ephesus there was another man by the name Sorrento's not soon as those originally believed in the gospel message that was preached by the apostle Paul in Ephesus, but then he didn't like the truth of the gospel.

He didn't like the teaching of the apostles. He didn't like the fact that Jesus is the only son of God.

He did not like the message the exclusivity of Christ and the gospel must he did not like the fact that it is only through faith alone. One can be saved. So he began to teach new philosophy, they began to teach a heresy and he split the church in Ephesus that new philosophy was later known as Gnosticism. How many of you have heard Gnosticism there. Thanks to Ben Brown in the da Vinci code him and all the stuff now we all know about Gnosticism. While this is the man who started it and it says basically that Jesus is not God in human flesh because he said the body is evil and therefore God could not become human. And so Jesus he said was adopted by God at the time of baptism and he became the son of God until the before the cross and then God dumped him is no longer was a son of God, so princesses taught that salvation is a matter of attaining higher knowledge and the more knowledge you obtain more salvation you get.

And that is why throughout the epistle of John. John wanted to say and you notice I said wanted to say good not concise said really tell you why I'm going to say for him.

He says what knowledge you talking about you silly boy. That's really what he wanted to say and I'll tell you how because his flight way of saying it is he constantly repeating say we know we know we know we know in other words, I was personally with Jesus. I saw Jesus first hand. I experienced Jesus firsthand. I lived with Jesus first hand. I have heard him with my own ears firsthand. I have walked with him. I like my head on his shoulder. I know him in this mumbo-jumbo that you're coming up with all this mumbo-jumbo that you talking about has nothing to do with reality has nothing to do with the truth later on.

Of course some of Samantha's disciples began to write his teaching hundred and 50 years after Christ, and they will write them and they will take the names of the apostles to them and so they look like the Gospel of Thomas and the gospel of Paul in the Gospel of Mary in the gospel of this in the gospel of that and the apostles have nothing to do with that teaching.

They are all fraudulent and today the damn grounds of this world say this the truth and they're trying to sell us a bill of goods.

So here what John is saying that there is only one way to begin life at its best. Only one way and another beginning is a false beginning any other beginning his or goldfish in the sun and any other beginning will lead to death and because false beginnings will lead to false ending.

And because false beginnings will lead to false destination and because of false beginning is going to lead to false living and because false beginning is going to lead the tragic ends. Therefore, this is what John said verse one. First John 11. That which was from the beginning, which we have heard and seen with our own eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched this we proclaim concerning the word of God and the word of life, as if to say who are you going to believe this babbling idiot now.

John didn't say that. Please understand, much rougher than he is more like John the Baptist. But you really do know that I believe this babbling idiot who have never seen or experience a living Lord Jesus or my word of testimony of eyewitness of a life lived with him that he is the only giver of life at its best believe this philosophical mumbo-jumbo or the one who experienced everything firsthand as an eyewitness account as an eyewitness as a person who lived with Jesus and walked with Jesus as a person who have experienced life at this last I wanted tell you that it cannot begin by believing a novelist that if, begin by believing theory that it cannot begin by believing speculators that it cannot begin by believing deceivers that, begin by believing a lie and John begins with Jesus and he said life begins real-life life that's worth living life.

That's its best. It begins when you do what John did and that is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

And that's what Jesus himself said listen to John 17 verse three. The high priestly prayer when Jesus was praying Jesus's own words. Listen carefully now this is eternal life, that they might know you the only true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent life at its best is only one rightful beginning believing that Jesus Christ alone can save you eternally. That is the beginning, but is only the beginning. You cannot begin life at its best. I doesn't matter where you are and what your circumstances are.

You cannot begin life at its best. By trying harder by doing some good abide trying to earn it by trying to perform certain rituals of certain duties. No how does it begin versus three and four. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard. Why so that you also might have fellowship with us and our fellowship is with the father and his son the Lord Jesus Christ and why verse four, so that you might have real joy listen to me joy is born, not brought all the money in the world, by your joy joy produces happiness, not the other way around. July is not dependent on your circumstances life at its best. The only way to begin it. Secondly, the only way to stay in it live at its best begins with light at its best when you invite Jesus Christ to come into your life.

He lights your life and you must be willing to let him put his searchlight into every corner, an area and Department of your life like let's be honest you know and I know that that's not easy you know and I know that there are areas in our lives. In the say Lord you can shine the light in all these areas, especially the public me, but you know this area hear them really don't want you to touch or if he shines a light. You kind of tried to shield it.

You know what area it is I know what area in my life. You know what it is. Deep down we resist the shining of the line in certain areas of our lives.

Deep down, and when that happens, what you doing you are depriving yourself of the joy that can give your life at its best. Listen to me you are not know what is like to dig our heels and say not that area. Lord do everything else except this one Lord, which Mondo started as well known in the Middle East about the Bedouin who are hungry in the middle of the night so he got up let a candle and grab some dates that he had been in the corner of his stent, and so he took the first dating put it near the candlelight and he saw this big worm just looking at immuno sites evolve is like at the eat this when he tested out he got another one and he was about to eat it look the cost of the light of the candle and the saw this huge worm coming out and so he taught that one out all before long, he thought, he's gonna go hungry and I don't need any of those dates are driven, one of which has a warm so what does he do whatever he respectable mandalas. He let the candle out and ate the dates were all listen verse five.

God is life in him there is no darkness at all.

If we claim we have fellowship with the light that's him yet walk in darkness will lie and do not live by the truth.

In other words he's saying we gonna eat the worms. Verse seven but if we walk in the light as he is the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus Christ his son, purifies us or keeps on purifying as well. Keep on cleansing us from how many sins. How many sins all our sins, but just some of them. John loves to begin with the beginning. In his gospel he starts in the beginning. And here, in the epistle.

He starts first verse which was from the beginning. He loves to begin with the beginning life because at the beginning of the creation God said, let there be light and there was light. Why, because without light there can be no plans there can be no animals. They can't be no growth there can be no activities they can be no beauty can be no sustaining of creation, they can be no life at all without light of creation almost its existence and its sustenance upon light and in the same way John is saying that Jesus is the light of the world does not only give life at its best. But his life is the only way that his children can live in joy and in power can be sustained and strengthened and have victory over sin in the midst of temptation, far from being afraid of the searchlight coming into your life and pointing some areas that you don't want far from being afraid. You should welcome it.

You should invited you should delight because when the light shines darkness gets out of the way. When light shines reality will sit in light shines truth will dwelling you when his light shines gloom and doom in depression and discouragement all going to get out and disappear but the question is how do I know that I'm regularly walking in the light. How do I know that that regulate I'm exposing allowing the like to expose that which needs to be exposed how Dawn know that I am regularly allowing his life to deal with that which I need to deal with. How do I know that his life is helping me cleanse things that need to be cleansed in my life. And here he gets difficult here really gets hard. John said, but having love for others, love for others. Love everybody. Michael Nabel don't bother me with that. The I love everyone in on the weatherman don't run the main thing is going to keep a child of light and darkness all going through a dark patch. The main thing that is going to keep you from experiencing the fullness of joy. The main thing that will keep you from living a life at its best is the caddying of bitterness in your life is the holding onto garage juice in your life.

It's the harboring of sin is that cherishing of sin.

It is non-confessing of sin. It is the heightening of sin in your life is going to keep you from walking in the light. Therefore you might not lose your salvation but you lose your joy. You might not lose your salvation, but surely going to lose your war when you continue to walk in darkness, when you continue to harbor what you harboring I had numerous people who have come to me through the years and would say something to the effect. I feel terrible. Michael conscious of my sin right now.

Then before I became a believer in Christ. I feel bad I feel terrible in my responses. You should rejoice. The fact that you are conscious of sin in your life is a clear indication that you're walking in the light before Christ. Your dad and your unconscious decision but now you no longer in the grip of sin.

You did not know what light looks like.

But now you know and know once you do once experience life at its best.

Once you begin to experience walking in life. Now you know what is like to go through dark patches in life, you rejoice not feel morbid or disappointed. It's good news that she would not depress you, child of the living God.

It should encourage you life at its best and only way you begin. It secondly the only way to sustain a turbine only way you broke in it. When the light of Christ shines in your life and in my life. We become conscious of sin course and if you not, then you haven't been born yet is still good in your sins and trespasses, but once you become conscious of sin. That's half of the good news is the other half. The other half of the good news is that there is only one way to deal with that consciousness of sin only one way and that is to confess if look at verse eight. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth in us.

But if we confess it and say if we confess if we do this, and if we did it and give you three out of four options.

One option if you confessed meaning is the only way there's no other way of dealing with sin, you know through the years, Christians have offered all kinds of ways to deal with sin, and if you read church history you read it. I grew up in an environment where there was some teaching going around that this is a movement started in Canada over hundred and some years ago is still the sinless perfection movement and influence many parts of the world and if you get this holiness experience. Basically you cease to sin and are set and all got these conventions and not hear these testimonies of people have experienced a holistic strip under known for even experience temptation anymore and you know what I used to think I must be the most miserable sinner from experiencing temptations all over the place.

While earning a getting so much of me.

I want that experience, give it to me. Give it to God blessed them on the grass anymore because I could I could insult people who did not want to be with the Lord.

But listen, that is not the way you do with sin but through the years that are varieties and nuances on that one. They've they call it different names and tell you some of them in a minute but it's another way of dealing with sin other than what John said in the word of God. I love Charles Spurgeon. As you know I Corps Charles Spurgeon all time is one of my great heroes of you is preaching to 5000 people every Sunday in London without microphone man start ministry at 15 no simile but anymore better Greek than most seminarians. It was amazing human being.

One day Charles Spurgeon got a visit with from one of those guys who come to him and said Mr. Spurgeon, I received the holiness experience and no longer sin. Is it all great. Come have dinner with me, so I invited them to dinner and in the middle of the dinner.

Charles Spurgeon took his glass of water tested on his face and preaches doing that these days my grimacing and the man became indignant.

I mean, he was angry and he expressed it in no uncertain terms, and Spurgeon looked at him see brother. The goal man in you is not dead he just fainted and the glass of water revived him hello those are boys out there. I heard people teach the way to deal with sin is full surrender. I heard others teach the way to deal with sin is you receive a second blessing the way you deal with sin is brokenness the way you deal with sin is the release of the spirit.

The way you deal with sin is experiencing the exchange life and once you exchange your sinful Christ holiness you become holy and you don't sin a women look what John said. He said don't let yourself as so little good person is the saddest one of all. It's like the guy literally turning purple and yelling from the top of his voice saying I am not sure he said don't delude yourself. As for the Gnostics were doing. They were deluding themselves as of the body is evil. But I'm okay a month fine on the inside. No more knowledge I get, the better I become.

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.

But if we confess our sins he is faithful he is just and he will forgive us all our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness was adversely recorded. A lot is often the case those two extremes together. One extreme of people city IAM exist.

Confess your sins are and then get on with your sin, to know how you met some of those vile John 119.1 on and move on. Just keep living the way you live. God forgive our sins is over. And then of course you get the other extreme, those who beat themselves up over sin beat themselves up. I mean, they're constantly in remorse. They constantly and guilt and they never move from that point they sit there in the morbid state living the spiritual listen to what Martin Luther said. Martin Luther said most Christians have enough religion to feel guilty for their sin, but not enough to enjoy life in the spirit Alan Zaman belongs here. So what is confession is what John is saying to us, it's a recognition that a particular action or inaction or an attitude or a thought or behavior is morally wrong in the eyes of God, and to accept personal responsibility for the throng, but that's not all. Then you must follow the specific with a specific request of confessing that sin asking for the Lord's forgiveness of that sin and then his empowerment to have victory over that sin. As I said, identify the wrong personal responsibility. Ask God for mercy and grace to deal with both.

That's as far as offense to God's concern in offending another person works the same way works the same way acknowledging, confessing and asking for forgiveness.

So what does God do in response to this heartfelt confession. John said, because God is true to his word. Because God is true to his character because God is true to his promises because God is faithful to his nature.

You can be confident that your sins are forgiven and that your claims and that you're being restored.

Why because you have a lawyer in heaven that all the money in the world could not afford you have an advocate in heaven. You have a patron in heaven.

The Lord Jesus Christ is constantly interceding on your behalf to God the father. That is why you have a very important person in heaven who is speaking on your behalf who say a word in your behalf is saying I don't confess father.

Here are the marks in the wounds of the cross, forgive him and the father forgive and forgives me. Don't ever ever ever forget I'm getting close to the end. I don't want you to forget what I'm going to tell you listen carefully the work of Jesus Christ is both finished and unfinished. His work as a high priest who offered the perfect sacrifice for your sin and mine.

That work is finished, but his being an advocate whose interceding on your behalf.

That work is not finished as our Redeemer's work is finished, but as I restore his work is not finished as our Savior on the cross. His work is finished, but is a sustained on the throne's work is not finished. As I justify his work is finished, but as a sanctifier. His work is not finished. We have an advocate with the father. There may be someone here today who never begun life at its best. The church member denomination been through the rituals join the church thousand times baptize 100 times but you haven't begun real life at its best.

To date, you can but then those of you who know the Lord love the Lord. Some of you walking in darkness.

He received the light is knowledge. The light you probably saved on your way to heaven. But you still keeping his searchlight out of one or more areas in your life and you losing your joy and you don't realize why you losing your joy today. You can do exactly what John suggested if we confess our sins, and Anna saying just give it to lipservice a move on deliberately confess it, acknowledge it, repent of it and asked about the claims you father, you are the search of the hearts you the God who is in control of our lives. You know the secrets of our hearts. You know everything about us and whatever and whoever each of us may be only you know what is finished and so I pray for each individual that our hearts would turn toward you that our hearts will be tended toward you that our consciousness of sin should help us rejoice, but also helps us to turn to you for forgiveness and sanctification and growth like Jesus but it is in his name that I pray, amen