Be Honest Series

Be Honest

1 John 1:8-2:11

Be honest with yourself about sin (1:8)

Be honest with God about sin (1:9-10)

Be honest about the Remedy for sin (2:1-2)

Be honest with yourself about your relationship with God (2:3-11)

Test yourself (2:3)

Test your Actions

Test your Affections

Slide

There is a new TV show out called “Moment of Truth.” The premise is that you are asked questions while hooked up to a lie detector. Then on TV with your family sitting there and the Television audience watching, you are asked these questions again and all you need to do is be honest to win money.

Sounds simple enough.

Especially for someone who is a Christian, right?

Well, I don’t think there is anyone who likes to answer questions about what goes on in their heads, because the questions that are asked have more to do with what you would do or if you have thought about doing something.

For instance,

Would you cheat on your wife if you knew for sure you would not be caught?

Have you ever thought of stealing money from the bank you work at?

Have you ever fantasized about being with someone else other than your spouse?

And this is while your family is sitting there.

Sometimes it is very hard to be honest about some of the wrong things we have thought or done, isn’t it?

Well today, we are continuing on in our series in the book of 1st John and we are going to see that John tells us to

Be Honest

Slide

What do we need to be honest about?

We need to be honest about sin.

I think it is important for us to start out and be honest about what sin is.

Now before you get up and walk out on me, I want to talk about this because I desire personally and for each of you, as well as myself, to experience freedom and joy and the fullness of life that Christ has come to give.

If we don’t recognize sin in our life and the destruction it causes, we will not be free and we will continue to be in bondage.

Ok, so what is sin?

Sin is disobedience to God and it does not just happen in our actions, but even more often it occurs in our heart.

We all know it would be a sin to murder someone, but Jesus tells us we have committed murder in our heart and sinned if we hate someone.

We know it would be sin to commit adultery, but Jesus tells us that if we have lusted in our heart, we have committed adultery and sinned.

We know that doing something that God told us not to do is a sin, but it is also a sin to not do the good things we know we should have done.

James 4:17

17 Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.

Wow, if we include all of that in the category of sin, it sure becomes a lot easier to see that we are all sinners, to the very core of who we are.

Ok, Now that we know what sin is, it is time for the moment of truth. (Get out lie detector kit and chair). Who wants to be first in being honest?

Did you feel your heart start to beat a little faster?

Well, calm down, we aren’t going to be having anyone up here connected to a lie detector, but we are going to read what John says about who we need to be honest with and what we need to be honest about in regards to sin.

Turn with me to

1 John 1:8-2:11(p. 862)

Slide

Last week,

We talked about how it was time to Get Real and we spoke of

The Reality of Jesus Christ

The Reality of a Relationship with Jesus Christ

That relationship is based upon

our fellowship with the Lord and his church and

Truth.

Now John continues on telling us to be honest about sin

Read with me

1 John 1:8-2:11

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 has no place in our lives.

1 John 2:1 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense-Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.