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Good evening everybody. 
I'm glad you could all make it 

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out this evening. 
I'm really honoured to be here 

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with you all tonight. 
Today we're going to be 

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continuing in the book of first 
John, and we'll be in chapter 2 

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covering verses one through to 
14. 

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While you turn there to recap, 
Kyle started us in this in First

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John chapter 1. 
And in this first chapter, John 

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begins by reminding his readers 
of the Word that they've heard 

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and seen that is Christ walking 
on the earth, living a perfect 

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life, dying on the cross, and 
being raised. 

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Three days later he is 
proclaiming this truth so that 

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his listeners may also have 
fellowship with Christ. 

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He then goes on to explain that 
God is light and in him, in Him,

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no darkness is found at all. 
He explains to his readers that 

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those who have fellowship with 
Christ must also walk in the 

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light and those who claim to be 
in fellowship with Christ and 

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walk in darkness are liars. 
John gives readers hope and 

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explains that when we sin, Jesus
is faithful and just to forgive 

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us and cleanse us. 
He even explains that we will 

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all sin and we do all sin and 
anyone who claims that they 

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don't sin is a liar. 
So we're going to continue now 

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in first John chapter 2, we're 
going to read verses one through

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to 14. 
My little children, I am writing

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these things to you so that you 
may not sin, but if anyone does 

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sin, we have an advocate with 
the Father, Jesus Christ the 

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righteous. 
He is the propitiation for our 

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sins, and not for ours only, but
also for the sins of the whole 

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world. 
And by this we know that we have

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come to know Him if we keep His 
commandments. 

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Whoever says I know Him but does
not keep His commandments is a 

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liar. 
And the truth is not in him, but

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whoever keeps His word in Him. 
Truly, the love of God is 

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perfected by this. 
We may know that we are in Him. 

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Whoever says He abides in Him 
ought to walk in the same way in

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which He walked. 
Beloved, I am writing you no new

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commandment, but an old 
commandment that you had from 

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the beginning. 
The old commandment is the word 

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that you have heard. 
At the same time, it is a new 

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commandment that I'm writing to 
you, which is true in Him and in

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you, because the darkness is 
passing away and the true light 

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is already shining. 
Whoever says he is in the light 

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and hates his brother is still 
in darkness. 

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Whoever loves his brother abides
in the light, and in him there 

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is no cause for stumbling. 
But whoever hates his brother is

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in the darkness and walks in the
darkness and does not know where

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he is going, because the 
darkness has blinded his eyes. 

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I am writing to you, little 
children, because your sins are 

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forgiven for His name's sake. 
I am writing to you, fathers, 

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because you know Him who is from
the beginning. 

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I am writing to you, young men, 
because you have overcome the 

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evil. 1 I write to you, 
children, because you know the 

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Father. 
I write to you, fathers, because

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you know him who is from the 
beginning. 

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I write to you, young men, 
because you are strong, and the 

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word of God abides in you, and 
you have overcome the evil. 1 

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Let's pray Dear Heavenly Father,
we thank you for this beautiful 

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day that you've blessed us with.
We thank you for your word to us

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that we can open up and study 
together. 

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And I just pray that you would 
give us a desire to know and 

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understand your word better. 
I pray that you would Pierce our

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hearts with your word to us this
evening as we look to be shaped 

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by You. 
I pray that our lives would be 

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changed by your word and that we
would be a light to those in our

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daily lives, that we would be 
bold in our daily life, living 

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in the light of the gospel so 
that others may see us and give 

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glory to you in heaven. 
Amen. 430 years in Egypt, 40 

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years in the wilderness, and 
finally the Israelite people 

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stood outside of Jericho with 
the promise of living in the 

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promised land. 
The land first promised to 

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Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and 
now these would be the 

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descendants that would finally 
see this promise come to pass. 

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The people of Jericho recognized
the power not of Israel, but of 

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Israel's God, and so they were 
tightly shut, shut and in in 

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hiding, terrified of what may 
happen to them. 

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There were typically a few ways 
to attack a walled city, by 

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going over the walls using 
ladders or ramps, by digging a 

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tunnel under the wall, by 
smashing a hole through the 

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wall, or by laying siege until 
the city is starved into 

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submission. 
But the night before the attack,

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Joshua was visited by an Angel 
who gave him instructions on how

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they were to take the city. 
The plan was unlike anything 

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that an army would normally use.
Anyone without faith in the Lord

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would have thought the plan was 
ridiculous. 

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Priests were to carry the Ark of
the Covenant, and seven priests 

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bearing 7 trumpets of Ram's 
horns were to go before the ark,

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blowing the trumpets 
continually. 

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They were to circle the city 
once each day for six days. 

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And on the 7th day the men were 
to March around the city 7 

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times. 
And after the 7th circuit the 

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priests were to make one long 
blast on the trumpets, and at 

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the trumpet sound the people 
were to shout loudly. 

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So the next day the people did 
exactly as the Lord had 

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instructed, the wall fell and 
the Israelites went into Jericho

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and took over the city. 
What is so remarkable about this

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battle? 
Victory is not anything to do 

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with the strategy or with the 
strength of Israel, but the 

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faithful, the faithfulness of 
God to fulfill His promises. 

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If we look at Joshua chapter 6, 
verse 2, it says, and the Lord 

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said to Joshua, see, I have 
given Jericho into your hand 

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with its king and mighty men of 
a veiler. 

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God had said this to Joshua 
before the Israelites even began

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attacking Jericho. 
God gave the Israelites victory 

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over Jericho before they even 
started fighting. 

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All they had to do was obey 
God's instructions and they 

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would take the city. 
They had victory over Jericho, 

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but that didn't mean that they 
could sit back and do nothing. 

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They were do no credit for the 
victory at Jericho, but they 

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still had to obey the Lord's 
command. 

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Could God have sent a lightning 
strike and taken the city in a 

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blink of an eye without any 
help? 

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For sure. 
But He wanted the Israelites to 

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be a part, be a part of it, to 
show them His faithfulness. 

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They still had to pick up their 
swords, obey God's instructions,

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and go into battle. 
They were already given victory 

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over their enemies, but that 
didn't mean they would not face 

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hard times. 
They would lose men, they would 

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sin against God, and they would 
have to continue to fight. 

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In a similar way, all of us who 
truly put our faith in Christ 

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have victory over sin and death 
through Jesus Christ our 

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Saviour. 
And just like the Israelites, we

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do not have the power to save 
ourselves. 

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We have nothing to boast in 
regarding our salvation other 

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than to boast in Christ. 
Before we even entered the 

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world, Christ gave us this 
victory. 

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We did nothing to earn it. 
So where does that leave us? 

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What is our responsibility in 
this life? 

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Are there battles that we need 
to fight? 

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Like the Israelites, we do 
indeed have VV in Christ, but 

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God still calls us to obey Him. 
He calls us to pick up the sword

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of the Spirit, the Word of God, 
and look to be perfected in 

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Christ. 
We have battles to fight in this

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world before we enter our final 
home with our Father in heaven. 

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What we will see through First 
John chapter 2 is that there are

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battles in this life that are 
ours to fight, and there are 

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battles that we have no business
fighting because they have 

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already been won. 
We will see that we need to 

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fight the battle between sin and
truth. 

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We need to fight the battle 
between light and darkness, and 

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we need to stop fighting the 
battle for our salvation. 

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So the first battle we need to 
fight is the battle between sin 

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and truth. 
Let's begin again by rereading 

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verses 3 to verse 6. 
John says, and by this we know 

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that we have come to know Him if
we keep His commandments. 

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Whoever says I know Him but does
not keep His commandments is a 

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liar. 
And the truth is not in him, but

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whoever keeps His word in him. 
Truly the love of God is 

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perfected. 
By this we may know that we are 

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in Him. 
Whoever says He abides in Him 

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ought to walk in the same way in
which He walked. 

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So the evidence of someone 
having fellowship with Christ is

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pretty simple according to John,
Someone who keeps his 

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commandments. 
A loving obedience of God's 

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command is a natural result of 
fellowship with Him. 

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And when we commit our life to 
Christ and put our faith in Him,

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we are given a new heart. 
This heart has God's 

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commandments written on it. 
This new heart desires to follow

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those commandments. 
We also have the Holy Spirit 

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that convicts us and leads us 
when our flesh desires to go 

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back to sin. 
John goes even further in verse 

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4 to say that whoever knows him 
and does not keep his commands 

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is a liar and the truth is not 
in him. 

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So if anybody claims to know 
Christ and follow Christ, but 

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yet lives completely opposite to
His commands, it is right to 

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question his devotion to Christ.
John is so certain of Jesus 

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Christ's saving and changing 
power that he says anybody who 

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is not changed by it does not 
know Christ as they should. 

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John continues in verse 5 by 
saying, Whoever keeps his word 

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in him, truly the love of God is
perfected. 

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By this. 
We may know that we are in Him. 

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Whoever says He abides in Him 
ought to walk in the same way in

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which he walked. 
Those who have been truly 

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transformed by Christ's loving 
sacrifice will obey His word, 

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and they will be perfected or 
sanctified as they continue to 

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grow in their knowledge, in 
their love for Christ. 

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Everybody's walk may look a 
little bit different, different 

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people grow at different paces, 
but the fact remains that 

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anybody who is truly saved will 
be changed and will act 

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differently than they did before
they were saved. 

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We cannot go through life 
thinking that we're good enough.

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Oh, I'd say I do more good 
things than bad things. 

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I don't, I don't think I'm, I 
think I'm all right. 

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Not only is that likely not 
true, it is not the attitude of 

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a believer. 
We are to strive to be perfect 

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as our Father in heaven is 
perfect. 

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Of course, we will never achieve
perfection, but it is what we 

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are to fight for. 
Think of a marriage 

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relationship. 
Would we ever say that it is OK 

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to disrespect our spouse? 
Sometimes when you sit down with

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your wife or your your husband, 
do you say to each other, listen

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honey, this week I'm hoping to 
only disrespect you twice, maybe

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three times. 
And I think if I keep it to 

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three, I think that's really 
good. 

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Of course, you never do that. 
I think we would all agree that 

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it is never OK to disrespect 
your spouse and you should 

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never. 
We would never say that we 

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desire to do it. 
Instead, our desire is to love 

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them and be patient with them 
always. 

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Yet we all fall short. 
But the desire should remain. 

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We do not want to disrespect our
spouse. 

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It is the same with our sin. 
We should never be OK with our 

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sin. 
We need to fight the battle 

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between sin and truth because 
first of all, God tells us to, 

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and because sin separates while 
truth draws us closer to God. 

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So are we grieved by our sin or 
do we shrug it off because we 

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are fallen and we can't help it?
As Christians, we need to battle

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daily against sin. 
So how do we practically do 

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that? 
I think our D groups do a 

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wonderful job of this. 
Our discipleship groups involve 

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four to five guys or four to 
five women and a group meeting 

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weekly to talk about their Bible
reading, talk about their sin 

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and their struggles, and hold 
each other accountable and pray 

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for each other. 
These D groups, when taken 

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seriously, are huge in our 
battle against sin, but only if 

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we take them seriously. 
We cannot excuse sin in these 

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groups. 
We're not there to make each 

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other feel normal in our sin 
because Oh well, we all do it. 

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These groups are there so that 
when I fall, one of my members 

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will take me by the hand and say
to me, what are you doing? 

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You can't, you can't be doing 
that. 

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Or they'll say to me, why didn't
you do a hear journal this week?

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Why aren't you reading your 
Bible? 

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What's going on? 
If we are willing to join AD 

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group and be honest to them, to 
ourselves and to God about our 

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sin, that is a huge step in the 
battle between sin and truth. 

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Because when sin is exposed, it 
loses its power very quickly. 

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00:13:25,480 --> 00:13:28,680
But when when sin is hidden, it 
festers. 

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00:13:28,920 --> 00:13:33,080
It leads to bigger sin, more 
sin, and it breaks up family and

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00:13:33,080 --> 00:13:37,200
destroys relationships. 
Nobody wakes up one morning and 

229
00:13:37,200 --> 00:13:39,200
decides that they want to cheat 
on their wife. 

230
00:13:39,560 --> 00:13:42,320
Nobody wakes up one morning and 
decides to become a drunk. 

231
00:13:43,080 --> 00:13:47,240
It starts much sooner than that.
When hidden sin is not exposed 

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and is, and it is allowed to 
fester and fester and fester and

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00:13:52,120 --> 00:13:54,520
we do not have to wonder what's 
right and what's wrong. 

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00:13:54,680 --> 00:13:58,640
It's all in God's Word. 
So if you open God's Word and it

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00:13:58,640 --> 00:14:00,720
teaches you to do something, 
then do it. 

236
00:14:01,560 --> 00:14:04,240
And if it says to stop doing 
something, then stop. 

237
00:14:05,280 --> 00:14:08,840
Be malleable and be willing to 
learn and be changed by God's 

238
00:14:08,840 --> 00:14:14,040
Word as you allow it to shape 
your life rather than your sin 

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00:14:14,080 --> 00:14:15,960
or the beliefs of the world 
shaping you. 

240
00:14:16,840 --> 00:14:19,760
Pick up the sword of the Spirit,
the Word of God each and every 

241
00:14:19,760 --> 00:14:23,000
day. 
Join AD group or find somebody 

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00:14:23,000 --> 00:14:26,520
that you can be accountable to 
and fight the battle against sin

243
00:14:26,880 --> 00:14:30,240
and desire rather to know the 
truth and live in the truth. 

244
00:14:33,480 --> 00:14:37,440
Not only are are we to fight the
battle between sin and truth, we

245
00:14:37,440 --> 00:14:40,800
also need to fight the battle 
between light and darkness. 

246
00:14:41,440 --> 00:14:44,480
Let's continue reading verses 7 
through to 11. 

247
00:14:46,000 --> 00:14:49,280
Beloved, I am writing you no new
commandment, but an old 

248
00:14:49,280 --> 00:14:51,160
commandment that you had from 
the beginning. 

249
00:14:52,000 --> 00:14:54,200
The old commandment is the word 
that you have heard. 

250
00:14:56,840 --> 00:14:59,520
At the same time, it is a new 
commandment that I am writing to

251
00:14:59,520 --> 00:15:02,800
you, which is true in him and in
you. 

252
00:15:02,800 --> 00:15:05,600
Because the darkness is passing 
away and the true light is 

253
00:15:05,600 --> 00:15:08,320
already shining. 
Whoever says he is in the light 

254
00:15:08,320 --> 00:15:10,440
and hates his brother is still 
in darkness. 

255
00:15:10,720 --> 00:15:13,480
Whoever loves his brother abides
in the light, and in him there 

256
00:15:13,480 --> 00:15:17,200
is no cause for stumbling, but 
whoever hates his brother is in 

257
00:15:17,200 --> 00:15:20,520
the darkness and walks in the 
darkness and does not know where

258
00:15:20,520 --> 00:15:23,800
he is going because the darkness
has blinded his eyes. 

259
00:15:25,600 --> 00:15:28,560
John is teaching both an old 
commandment and a new 

260
00:15:28,560 --> 00:15:32,720
commandment old, and that from 
the beginning God's command was 

261
00:15:32,720 --> 00:15:37,920
to love him and to love others. 
Jesus confirmed but also renewed

262
00:15:37,920 --> 00:15:41,440
these teachings when He gave 
this command to His apostles in 

263
00:15:41,440 --> 00:15:46,240
John chapter 13 verse 34. 
A new commandment I give to you 

264
00:15:46,680 --> 00:15:49,840
that you love one another just 
as I have loved you. 

265
00:15:50,840 --> 00:15:52,720
You also are to love one 
another. 

266
00:15:53,240 --> 00:15:56,480
By this all people will know 
that you are my disciples if you

267
00:15:56,480 --> 00:16:01,360
have love for one another. 
Jesus says that love is the way 

268
00:16:01,360 --> 00:16:04,320
that the world will know that 
believers are in Christ. 

269
00:16:05,960 --> 00:16:09,000
The age to come has not yet 
fully arrived, but is 

270
00:16:09,000 --> 00:16:12,360
progressively coming as the 
darkness passes away into light.

271
00:16:13,160 --> 00:16:16,360
The true light is already 
shining, that is Jesus. 

272
00:16:17,160 --> 00:16:20,120
John is explaining to his 
listeners that when they embrace

273
00:16:20,120 --> 00:16:24,480
this new commandment to love, 
they also are shining God's 

274
00:16:24,480 --> 00:16:26,840
light in a world full of 
darkness. 

275
00:16:29,080 --> 00:16:32,880
Then jumping back to first John 
in in verse 9, John goes on to 

276
00:16:32,880 --> 00:16:36,680
say that anyone who says he is 
in the light but hates his 

277
00:16:36,680 --> 00:16:40,200
brother is still in darkness, 
but whoever loves his brother 

278
00:16:40,200 --> 00:16:43,960
abides in the light. 
We can do all the right things, 

279
00:16:44,080 --> 00:16:47,080
we can know all the right 
scriptures, be knowledgeable in 

280
00:16:47,080 --> 00:16:51,480
every way, but if we lack love, 
we have nothing. 

281
00:16:52,800 --> 00:16:56,400
The difference between somebody 
walking in light versus darkness

282
00:16:56,560 --> 00:17:01,720
is love. 
Turn with me to 1st Corinthians 

283
00:17:01,720 --> 00:17:05,319
chapter 13. 
Now this is a a chapter often 

284
00:17:05,319 --> 00:17:10,160
used at wedding ceremonies, but 
it is actually written to 

285
00:17:10,160 --> 00:17:13,400
describe how fellow believers 
we're supposed to love one 

286
00:17:13,400 --> 00:17:16,760
another. 
So this the chapter starts by 

287
00:17:16,760 --> 00:17:19,680
saying this. 
If I speak in tongue in the 

288
00:17:19,680 --> 00:17:23,319
tongues of men and of angels, 
but have not love, I am a noisy 

289
00:17:23,319 --> 00:17:27,440
gong or a clanging cymbal. 
And if I have prophetic powers 

290
00:17:27,440 --> 00:17:30,800
and understand all mysteries and
all knowledge, and if I have all

291
00:17:30,800 --> 00:17:35,680
faith so as to remove mountains,
but have not love, I am nothing.

292
00:17:36,640 --> 00:17:39,920
If I give away all that I have 
and I deliver up my body to be 

293
00:17:39,920 --> 00:17:42,600
burned, but have not love, I 
gain nothing. 

294
00:17:44,560 --> 00:17:48,080
Love is everything. 
Anything we do without love is 

295
00:17:48,080 --> 00:17:50,920
pointless. 
But how do we love? 

296
00:17:51,320 --> 00:17:54,160
Well, if we continue reading in 
First Corinthians, he continues 

297
00:17:54,160 --> 00:17:59,240
to say love is patient and kind.
Love does not envy or boast. 

298
00:17:59,440 --> 00:18:02,960
It is not arrogant or rude. 
It does not insist on its own 

299
00:18:02,960 --> 00:18:05,160
way. 
It is not irritable or 

300
00:18:05,160 --> 00:18:07,520
resentful. 
It does not rejoice at 

301
00:18:07,520 --> 00:18:09,760
wrongdoing, but rejoices with 
the truth. 

302
00:18:10,360 --> 00:18:14,400
Love bears all things, believes 
all things, hopes all things, 

303
00:18:14,840 --> 00:18:17,640
endures all things. 
Love never ends. 

304
00:18:18,200 --> 00:18:20,200
As for prophecies, they will 
pass away. 

305
00:18:21,080 --> 00:18:24,600
As for tongues, they will cease.
As for knowledge, it will pass 

306
00:18:24,600 --> 00:18:28,160
away. 
Do we love our brothers and 

307
00:18:28,160 --> 00:18:32,640
sisters in Christ in that way? 
Or are we jealous of them, 

308
00:18:32,640 --> 00:18:36,240
wishing we had their job, their 
car, their house, their gifts? 

309
00:18:37,600 --> 00:18:40,640
Does our heart break when we 
hear of a brother who has fallen

310
00:18:40,640 --> 00:18:43,760
into sin? 
Or do we say to ourselves, boy, 

311
00:18:43,760 --> 00:18:47,200
I'm not surprised he fell into 
sin, he sure had it coming. 

312
00:18:48,320 --> 00:18:51,880
Do we hear gossip about a 
brother or sister in Christ and 

313
00:18:51,880 --> 00:18:54,640
immediately join in and assume 
it's true? 

314
00:18:55,200 --> 00:18:57,200
Or do we seek the truth for 
them? 

315
00:18:58,680 --> 00:19:02,960
Love bears all things, believes 
all things, hopes all things, 

316
00:19:03,080 --> 00:19:06,920
and endures all things. 
While there is a place for 

317
00:19:06,920 --> 00:19:10,880
calling out sin in a loving way,
there is nothing our brothers or

318
00:19:10,880 --> 00:19:14,880
sisters in Christ can do that 
would excuse us of this 

319
00:19:14,880 --> 00:19:20,720
responsibility to love them. 
Gossip, hate, and slander, they 

320
00:19:20,720 --> 00:19:23,040
come really easy to us. 
We're good at it. 

321
00:19:23,040 --> 00:19:26,600
Even. 
Love takes intentional hard 

322
00:19:26,600 --> 00:19:30,760
work, and we have to fight this 
battle between this light and 

323
00:19:30,760 --> 00:19:33,440
darkness and desire. 
Love over hate. 

324
00:19:35,000 --> 00:19:38,080
We first and foremost love our 
brothers and sisters in Christ 

325
00:19:38,200 --> 00:19:42,400
and desire unity with them. 
But also we shine the light of 

326
00:19:42,400 --> 00:19:45,480
Christ to unbelievers and we 
love them also. 

327
00:19:46,600 --> 00:19:49,600
Not the kind of love the world 
talks about making people OK 

328
00:19:49,600 --> 00:19:52,720
with their sin. 
We love them by sharing the 

329
00:19:52,720 --> 00:19:56,560
gospel with them, desiring for 
them to see their need for 

330
00:19:56,560 --> 00:19:58,760
Christ and the hope that is in 
Christ. 

331
00:20:00,600 --> 00:20:04,280
This battle for love will go 
against every fabric of society 

332
00:20:04,320 --> 00:20:07,280
because it is it is a love that 
will not not make sense to the 

333
00:20:07,280 --> 00:20:09,960
world. 
I think of Jesus's words in the 

334
00:20:09,960 --> 00:20:13,640
Sermon on the Mount when he says
you have heard that it was said 

335
00:20:13,640 --> 00:20:15,680
an eye for an eye and a tooth 
for a tooth. 

336
00:20:16,240 --> 00:20:18,600
But I tell you, do not resist an
evil person. 

337
00:20:19,200 --> 00:20:22,120
If anyone slaps you on the right
cheek, turn to them the other 

338
00:20:22,120 --> 00:20:24,640
cheek also. 
And if anyone wants to sue you 

339
00:20:24,640 --> 00:20:26,880
and take your shirt, hand over 
your coat as well. 

340
00:20:27,640 --> 00:20:30,800
If anyone forces you to go one 
mile, go with them two miles. 

341
00:20:31,360 --> 00:20:34,360
Give to the one who asks you, 
and do not turn away from the 

342
00:20:34,360 --> 00:20:35,840
one who wants to borrow from 
you. 

343
00:20:36,880 --> 00:20:39,080
You have heard that it was said,
love your neighbor and hate your

344
00:20:39,080 --> 00:20:40,920
enemy. 
But I tell you, love your 

345
00:20:40,920 --> 00:20:43,800
enemies and pray for those who 
persecute you, that you may be 

346
00:20:43,800 --> 00:20:45,400
children of your Father in 
heaven. 

347
00:20:46,120 --> 00:20:49,600
He causes His Son to rise on the
evil and the good, and sends 

348
00:20:49,600 --> 00:20:51,760
rain on the righteous and 
unrighteous. 

349
00:20:52,360 --> 00:20:56,200
If you love those who love you, 
what reward will you get? 

350
00:20:56,640 --> 00:20:58,560
Are not even the tax collectors 
doing that? 

351
00:20:59,280 --> 00:21:02,280
And if you greet only your own 
people, what are you doing more 

352
00:21:02,280 --> 00:21:04,560
than others? 
Do not even pagans do that? 

353
00:21:05,520 --> 00:21:08,240
Be there, be perfect. 
Therefore, as your Heavenly 

354
00:21:08,240 --> 00:21:13,320
Father is perfect, if you live 
your life with this sort of love

355
00:21:13,320 --> 00:21:16,800
to those around you, regardless 
of what you think they may 

356
00:21:16,800 --> 00:21:20,160
deserve, people will look at you
like you've got a third eye. 

357
00:21:21,280 --> 00:21:23,880
They will wonder, what in the 
world is this guy on? 

358
00:21:24,800 --> 00:21:28,160
Why does he treat people so well
no matter what they do to him? 

359
00:21:29,000 --> 00:21:34,400
And in that moment when all the 
eyes are on you, you are shining

360
00:21:34,400 --> 00:21:37,720
the light of Christ, and you can
look at them and point them to 

361
00:21:37,720 --> 00:21:41,320
Jesus and say he is why I live 
the way that I do. 

362
00:21:42,360 --> 00:21:46,280
Wake up each day and ask God to 
bring you opportunities to shine

363
00:21:46,280 --> 00:21:49,120
His light. 
Fight against the darkness that 

364
00:21:49,120 --> 00:21:52,360
can sometimes feel like it's 
prevailing in this world, and 

365
00:21:52,360 --> 00:21:54,760
fight it with the light of Jesus
Christ. 

366
00:21:56,400 --> 00:21:59,040
We are called to fight the 
battle between sin and truth, 

367
00:21:59,320 --> 00:22:03,560
between light and darkness, but 
we must also stop trying to 

368
00:22:03,560 --> 00:22:05,360
fight the battle for our 
salvation. 

369
00:22:06,280 --> 00:22:10,200
I want to close out tonight by 
reading verses 12 to 14 and 

370
00:22:10,200 --> 00:22:14,560
verses 1 and 2. 
I am writing to you, little 

371
00:22:14,560 --> 00:22:17,640
children, because your sins are 
forgiven for His name's sake. 

372
00:22:18,080 --> 00:22:21,040
I am writing to you, fathers, 
because you know Him who is from

373
00:22:21,040 --> 00:22:23,760
the beginning. 
I am writing to you, young men, 

374
00:22:23,760 --> 00:22:25,600
because you have overcome the 
evil 1. 

375
00:22:26,400 --> 00:22:28,920
I write to you, children, 
because you know the Father. 

376
00:22:29,680 --> 00:22:32,720
I write to you, fathers, because
you know Him who is from the 

377
00:22:32,720 --> 00:22:35,680
beginning. 
I write to you, young men, 

378
00:22:35,840 --> 00:22:39,760
because you are strong, and the 
word of God abides in you, and 

379
00:22:39,760 --> 00:22:43,480
you have overcome the evil. 1 
Then jumping to verses one and 

380
00:22:43,480 --> 00:22:48,080
two, my little children, I am 
writing these things to you so 

381
00:22:48,080 --> 00:22:51,520
that you may not sin. 
But if anyone does sin, we have 

382
00:22:51,520 --> 00:22:55,200
an advocate with the Father, 
Jesus Christ the righteous. 

383
00:22:55,680 --> 00:22:59,920
He is the propitiation for our 
sins, and not for ours only, but

384
00:22:59,920 --> 00:23:01,920
also for the sins of the whole 
world. 

385
00:23:04,280 --> 00:23:08,040
In this first verse, John gives 
his reason for writing these 

386
00:23:08,040 --> 00:23:12,040
things so that they won't sin. 
And like we've already said, 

387
00:23:12,560 --> 00:23:16,000
Christ's sacrifice does not give
us a license to sin, but should 

388
00:23:16,000 --> 00:23:20,320
give us a desire to flee from 
sin and instead desire to obey 

389
00:23:20,320 --> 00:23:22,000
his commandments and shine his 
light. 

390
00:23:23,160 --> 00:23:25,600
But John recognizes that we will
fall short. 

391
00:23:26,120 --> 00:23:28,080
We do fall short and we will 
sin. 

392
00:23:28,880 --> 00:23:32,320
In fact, in chapter 1, he says 
that anyone who says he doesn't 

393
00:23:32,320 --> 00:23:37,400
sin is a liar. 
So he goes on to say, but if 

394
00:23:37,400 --> 00:23:41,640
anyone does sin, we have an 
advocate with the Father. 

395
00:23:42,240 --> 00:23:46,000
Jesus Christ the righteous is 
the propitiation for our sins, 

396
00:23:46,240 --> 00:23:50,680
and not for ours only, but also 
for the sins of the whole world.

397
00:23:52,040 --> 00:23:55,280
These verses are the foundation 
of our faith in Christ. 

398
00:23:56,120 --> 00:24:00,240
God being a just and holy God 
must punish sin. 

399
00:24:00,760 --> 00:24:04,360
It has to be paid for. 
And because He loves us so much,

400
00:24:04,640 --> 00:24:07,680
He does not want us to die 
having to face that punishment. 

401
00:24:08,840 --> 00:24:12,640
So He made a way. 
He made a plan before the 

402
00:24:12,640 --> 00:24:16,400
foundations of the earth for us 
to join Him in His glorious 

403
00:24:16,400 --> 00:24:21,000
presence. 
So while we were still sinners, 

404
00:24:21,360 --> 00:24:26,680
He sent his only Son down to 
earth to become a man, to live a

405
00:24:26,680 --> 00:24:31,960
perfect life that we couldn't. 
He who knew no sin became sin on

406
00:24:31,960 --> 00:24:35,280
our behalf so that God might see
us as righteous. 

407
00:24:36,360 --> 00:24:41,120
He died a brutal death on the 
cross in our place, taking all 

408
00:24:41,120 --> 00:24:46,760
our sins onto Himself. 
Then he didn't stay there, but 

409
00:24:46,760 --> 00:24:50,240
he defeated death and was raised
on the third day. 

410
00:24:51,800 --> 00:24:55,920
And now, after all that, after 
He's paid our debt, appeased 

411
00:24:55,920 --> 00:25:00,720
God's wrath, experienced the 
brutal death that we deserve, he

412
00:25:00,720 --> 00:25:05,320
sits with God the Father in 
heaven, and He advocates to the 

413
00:25:05,320 --> 00:25:12,520
Father for us. 
Our sin is what put Jesus on the

414
00:25:12,520 --> 00:25:17,240
cross, and yet He still loves us
so much that He actively is 

415
00:25:17,240 --> 00:25:22,240
lobbying on our behalf to the 
Father and makes us righteous in

416
00:25:22,240 --> 00:25:26,440
His sight. 
Do we realize how amazing this 

417
00:25:26,480 --> 00:25:30,320
this is? 
This is why we fight the battle 

418
00:25:30,320 --> 00:25:33,240
against sin. 
This is why we fight the battle 

419
00:25:33,240 --> 00:25:37,160
for light over darkness. 
Not to earn our salvation or to 

420
00:25:37,160 --> 00:25:41,040
check some sort of box and make 
ourselves feel good, but because

421
00:25:41,040 --> 00:25:45,800
we have a Saviour who not only 
died for us, but who now sits 

422
00:25:45,800 --> 00:25:47,960
with the Father and advocates 
for us. 

423
00:25:49,160 --> 00:25:52,000
So how do we find the endurance 
and the desire to fight the 

424
00:25:52,000 --> 00:25:54,360
battle against sin and against 
darkness? 

425
00:25:55,960 --> 00:26:00,080
We must preach this gospel to 
ourselves and to others day in 

426
00:26:00,080 --> 00:26:03,760
and day out. 
If we do this, we will be 

427
00:26:03,760 --> 00:26:06,200
changed and others will be 
changed as well. 

428
00:26:07,080 --> 00:26:10,080
Not because we worked a little 
harder to stop sinning, but 

429
00:26:10,080 --> 00:26:15,040
because the Gospel of Jesus 
Christ has power to save and 

430
00:26:15,040 --> 00:26:18,800
change lives and it will change 
yours. 

431
00:26:20,200 --> 00:26:23,040
In fact, it is the only thing 
that has power to save. 

432
00:26:23,240 --> 00:26:25,600
We cannot save ourselves or 
others. 

433
00:26:26,400 --> 00:26:30,080
We can never hear the gospel 
enough because despite how 

434
00:26:30,080 --> 00:26:33,120
amazing this sacrifice and this 
good news is, we forget it. 

435
00:26:33,880 --> 00:26:36,960
Or maybe we don't forget it, but
we don't think about it or let 

436
00:26:36,960 --> 00:26:39,960
it sink in. 
But if we're willing to preach 

437
00:26:39,960 --> 00:26:43,920
this gospel to ourselves every 
day, if we stop fighting the 

438
00:26:43,920 --> 00:26:48,480
battle for our salvation, but 
find joy and hope in the battle 

439
00:26:48,480 --> 00:26:52,200
already won in Jesus Christ our 
Savior, our lives will be 

440
00:26:52,200 --> 00:26:55,480
changed. 
We will love one another more. 

441
00:26:55,760 --> 00:26:59,760
We will sin less and less, and 
make no mistake, we'll still sin

442
00:26:59,760 --> 00:27:01,400
and fall short of the glory of 
God. 

443
00:27:01,840 --> 00:27:05,880
But take heart because Jesus 
Christ, our Lord and Savior has 

444
00:27:05,920 --> 00:27:08,440
overcome the world. 
He's already won. 

445
00:27:09,040 --> 00:27:11,640
It was finished on the cross. 
Let's pray. 

446
00:27:14,680 --> 00:27:17,640
Heavenly Father, I thank you 
again for this day that you've 

447
00:27:17,640 --> 00:27:21,040
blessed us with. 
I thank you for your Son, Jesus,

448
00:27:21,040 --> 00:27:26,240
who you sent down to to die in 
our place, to take our sin unto 

449
00:27:26,240 --> 00:27:29,640
himself and to to take the 
punishment that we deserved. 

450
00:27:31,200 --> 00:27:33,840
And he was he didn't stay there,
but he was raised on the third 

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00:27:33,840 --> 00:27:35,760
day. 
And he, we just thank you that 

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00:27:35,760 --> 00:27:38,840
he now sits beside you and 
advocates for us on our behalf. 

453
00:27:38,840 --> 00:27:42,760
And I just pray that you would 
help us to take heart in that 

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00:27:42,840 --> 00:27:47,680
truth, in that promise that we 
would just continue to fight the

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00:27:47,680 --> 00:27:51,040
battle against sin, the battle 
against darkness while we we 

456
00:27:51,040 --> 00:27:54,440
live in this temporary world, 
that we would shine your light 

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00:27:54,440 --> 00:27:58,840
wherever we go and just continue
to be sanctified in the truth of

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Jesus Christ. 
Amen.