1 John 1:5-7 • How Church Hurt Keeps You in Darkness

Описание: 💡 You can't fake light—but you CAN fake fellowship. If you've been hurt by church people, your response might be keeping you in more darkness than the betrayal itself.

🗡️ This expository sermon was delivered at Pilgrim Baptist Church in Cookeville, TN on Thursday, January 22, 2026, at 6:00 pm. 🗡️

In this powerful exposition of 1 John 1:5-7, Pastor Fortunato reveals why walking in light doesn't mean what most Christians think it means. After church hurt, we build walls, nurse bitterness, and justify our darkness because we were wronged. But John shows us something dangerous: your justified anger can become the same darkness that wounded you.

What You'll Discover:

✅ Why God is light (not just gives light) and what that means for broken fellowship
✅ The difference between your STANDING with God and your STATE with God
✅ How to have fellowship with God even while you're still sinning
✅ Why walking in light isn't about perfection—it's about transparency
✅ The three-step process in verse 7 that restores fellowship (most people skip step one)
✅ Why the blood "cleanseth" (present tense) means ongoing forgiveness for ongoing sin

The Hard Truth:

If you're holding onto bitterness after being deceived by false teachers or betrayed by believers, you're not cutting yourself off from legalism—you're cutting yourself off from the joy and fellowship God wants to restore. Walking in light while wounded is exactly what 1 John calls us to do.

This sermon challenges the common advice to "learn to trust again" and replaces it with something more biblical: learn to walk in the light yourself. Stop hiding your hurt, your anger, and your cynicism. Bring it before God. Let His blood cleanse it. Fellowship is born in the light, under the blood, and among the broken.

🎯 Perfect for anyone wrestling with:

Church division, spiritual betrayal, bitterness after being hurt by Christians, questions about ongoing sin and sanctification, or struggling to restore fellowship with God after disappointment.

📖 Scripture References: 1 John 1:5-7, Numbers 23:21, Numbers 16:49, Psalm 43:3, Proverbs 4, Titus 1:16, Amos 3:3

CONNECT WITH PILGRIM BAPTIST CHURCH

🌐 Website: https://pilgrimbaptist.church/
✍️ Pastor Fortunato's Blog: https://fortunato.blog/
📘 Facebook:   / pilgrimbaptistcookeville  
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📍 Located in Cookeville, Tennessee - Join us for Bible-centered, Christ-exalting preaching every Sunday.

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💬 Comment below: Have you experienced church hurt? How did you respond—and are you walking in light about it?