I JOHN 1:5-10
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.
I John 1:5-10 LIVING OUT THE TRUTH Springford Baptist Church: May 30, 2021.
A group of children are playing baseball together and having a wonderful time when crash- a ball comes right through the window.
Everyone freezes and then one young girl exclaims, “I’m sure glad it wasn’t me.”
This is very much the reaction that many of us have to various circumstances where there is a need to be forgiven, “I’m sure glad it wasn’t me.”
If we are going to be, “LIVING OUT THE TRUTH” (I John 1:6) as today’s Scripture describes God’s call on our lives, we will need to admit our own mistakes.
When it comes to, “LIVING OUT TRUTH”, I John 1:9 points to the necessity of confessing or admitting our sin and then realizing that God is ready to forgive and to set us free by the gift of His cleansing power!
Forgiveness has the potential to restore relationship and to provide new beginnings. However, without a willingness to acknowledge what we have done wrong, there can be no forgiveness, no new beginning.
We’re going to take some time this to explore what things about us can make it challenging to come to the place where we will admit our mistakes and be prepared to seek forgiveness from God or another human being. This is a crucial part of what it means to be “LIVING OUT THE TRUTH.”
What then are some of the challenges to confessing our sin?
- Admitting wrong may threaten our security. We may be trapped by wanting to see ourselves as better than we are. Perhaps we believe that God can only accept us if we are good enough.
- Ability to recognize my need for forgiveness may be affected by visual impairment. Jesus spoke about this in Matthew 7 where he talks about the tendency to judge others. Jesus says, “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother or sister’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye.” (Matthew 7:3)
An outrageous picture is created here of picking up on a small fault in someone else while maintaining a glaring issue in my life.
Somehow, when we are not LIVING OUT THE TRUTH, we can quickly describe how inconsistent another person is in his or her Christian life but excuse the inconsistencies in us.
We may determine that what someone else is doing wrong is a much bigger sin than ours.
- Perhaps there is an effort to maintain a good reputation.
We do not want to have people see us as we really are and may be reluctant for God to see us as we really are. So we pretend.
- Maybe if we’re honest, we wonder if God really will forgive whatever we confess to him or maybe we’re afraid that another individual will refuse to forgive us.
We cannot guarantee what the response of another person will be if we seek forgiveness, but we can be certain of how God will respond!!
The promise here in I John 1:9 is a life transforming promise “God is faithful and just (dependable & fair) and will forgive us our sin and cleanse or purify us from all unrighteousness.”
God, in His mercy, is the Master stain remover. God doesn’t just do a light cleaning to make things look better. God does deep cleansing!!
5.Maybe we aren’t quite ready to give up a particular sin yet. This is dangerous territory because conviction demands change.
God requires accountability and expects us to make the necessary life changes to ensure that what we’re being forgiven for does change. We do not choose when we think would be a convenient time to deal with a particular sin.
Those are some possible impediments to seeking forgiveness and LIVING OUT THE TRUTH. The reality is that if we are willing to confront these impediments and to trust God, as we courageously seek forgiveness, there are amazing benefits:
- Restored relationship with God and a renewed sense of God’s unchanging love.
- Increased understanding of God’s purpose and design for our lives.
- Greater sensitivity to areas where others struggle with sin.
- A lighter load to carry.
- Greater capacity to offer forgiveness having been forgiven.
As this Scripture affirms: “God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all.” (I John 1:5)
God
calls us to a high standard in “LIVING
OUT THE TRUTH.”
It is not unusual for people, including Christians to say, “Oh
well, “Nobody’s perfect.” This is true but it does not excuse
sin or the need to take sin seriously and to bring ourselves to God
for ongoing transformation and renovation.
When we talk about “LIVING OUT THE TRUTH”, what does our sin teach us?
Certainly one of the things it teaches us is how much we need God!
Our God is stronger than the forces of evil and as we pray for each other, we access the power of God for overcoming sin.
There is such an obvious contrast between light and darkness. (vss. 6,7)
These are 2 different lifestyle choices.
Walking
in the darkness is a pattern and an approach to life that excludes
God.
Walking in the light is a pattern and an approach to life
that includes and welcomes and relies on God!
Another thing that we learn from our repeated sins is the immense mercy of God that we can encounter every time we come to Him for forgiveness!
It
was necessary for Jesus, God’s Son to go to the cross for us to
secure this powerful gift of sins forgiven!
The blood of Jesus
Christ does purify us from all unrighteousness. (vs.
7b)
We
cannot deal effectively with sin by ourselves, but God has already
arranged a solution to the persistent problem and reality of our sin.
Admitting sin may feel awkward and uncomfortable, but knowing that God loves us and keeps no record of our wrongs can urge us to get things settled with Him without delay. This becomes a huge relief.
When we by faith ask Jesus Christ to take control of our lives, we ask for forgiveness of our sins.
Forgiveness of sins happens again and again as we make it our desire to obey and to please God! This is, “LIVING OUT THE TRUTH”!
“LIVING OUT THE TRUTH” is initiated when God forgives us and gives us the gift of new beginnings! God invites us to “walk in the light as He is in the light.” (I John 1:7)