Series: 1 John
Week: Four
Passage: 1 John 1:8 - 1 John 2:1
Title: Getting back into the Fellowship of God
Focus: Repentance of Sin
Introduction:
Scripture: 1 John 1:8 - 1 John 2:1
Point #1: Recognition of Personal Sin (1 John 1:8)
• Explanation: (NOTE: Remember he is speaking to believers here.)
o “If (at any time) we should say we have no sin we are leading ourselves astray and the truth is not in us.”
• Man’s view of sin is often minor while God’s view of sin is major…
o Man calls sin… God calls sin
• A weakness Wickedness (Gen. 13:13 Sod.)
• An Accident An abomination (Proverbs 6:16)
• An Infirmity An Iniquity (Psalm 51:5)
• An Error An Evil (Isaiah 5:20)
• A Failure Fatal (Romans 6:23)
o Self Evaluation: Since the passage is written to those who believe, the issue is not whether the believer has had sin in the past but whether he has sin right now.
o To say that we have no sin, is to say that we are free of the consequences of our rebellion, which is to say that we have no need for Jesus Christ or the redemptive work of the cross.
• Question: Where are you at with sin right now?
• The first prerequisite for walking with God is the recognition of one’s own sinful nature.
• Illustration: Dr. Ralph Sockman writes about an experience he had while standing on the edge of Niagra Falls one clear, cold March day. Wrapped in white winter garments, the falls glistened in the bright sun. As some birds swooped down to snatch a drink from the clear water, Sockman's companion told how he had seen birds carried over the edge of the cliff. As they dipped down for a drink, tiny droplets of ice would form on their wings. As they returned for additional drinks more ice would weigh down their bodies until they couldn't rise above the cascading waters. Flapping their wings, the birds would suddenly drop over the falls.
• Application: The birds remind us of the effects of sin. We go down to the water for a taste until we can no longer rise up to experience the sun.
o Remember, it is one thing to lie (sin) but it is something entirely different when we believe our own lie.
• It only takes a little sin to depart from the truth.
• Embrace the truth of God’s absolute holiness (he is the light that brings personal sin to the surface through the power of the Holy Spirit)
• If we remain in our own sinfulness and never take ownership of our mistakes we lose fellowship with Christ.
o This is the basics of fellowship with God who is pure light. If God’s truth is not in us, then we are in darkness. There is only 1 of two places to be.
Point #2: Confession of Personal Sin (1 John 1:9)
• Explanation: God’s solution to our sinful problem is simple…
o “Confess”: Confession is a visual realization of personal shortcomings. We must see sin as God sees it!
o “Confession”: To declare openly and freely with no restraint or holding back. Greek = to publically concede that something is factual or true, with a focus on admission of wrongdoing.
• To whom?
• Openly to God, not man unless man has been wronged.
o Psalm 51: - Against you [GOD] and you only have I sinned”
• The nature of sin is a revolt against GOD himself, the nature of sin is to make ourselves GOD, that is why confession must be open first to GOD.
• Why?
• In order to find mercy in him who is faithful and just we must confess our sins (Prov 28:13).
o Remember: God cannot overlook sin and He must act in accordance to His nature.
• With the Saints sin breaks fellowship, not salvation.
• Never have to forgive the same sin again, although maybe same kinds of sin
• Because GOD is faithful and just and as a result he positions himself to forgive the sins of those who confess them to him
• Faithful – he makes his will known and stands behind his word – he says he will forgive those confess their sins to him (Psalm 32:5)
• Just = righteous – John acknowledges the “bigness” of GOD – not only is he the pure and holy light (v5) that would necessarily point to judgment of all that is not light, but this is held in conjunction with the fullness of his mercy, pointing back to Deuteronomy 5:9-10. (see also: Rom 11:22)
• God never throws past sins into our face in the future.
• The cleansing makes it possible for us to come into light and walk in fellowship.
• Both the forgiving and cleansing are permanent.
o Note Verse 7: First cleansing if the result of walking in the light
o Note Verse 9: Second cleansing is the result of walking in darkness
• Illustration: Charles Bracelen Flood reports that after the Civil War, Robert E. Lee visited a Kentucky lady who took him to the remains of a grand old tree in front of her house. There she bitterly cried that its limbs and trunk had been destroyed by Federal artillery fire. She looked to Lee for a word condemning the North or at least sympathizing with her loss. After a brief silence, Lee said, "Cut it down, my dear Madam, and forget it." It is better to forgive the injustices of the past than to allow them to remain, let bitterness take root and poison the rest of our life.
• Application: It is better to forgive the injustices of the past than to allow them to remain, let bitterness take root and poison the rest of our life.
o 1 John 1:9 is one of the most important verses in the Bible to us as Christians.
• Whenever fellowship has been interrupted because of a specific sin, the Father has laid down the condition for the fellowship to be restored to Him.
• Sinner (the Lost): Not confess sins, but confess the Savior (Believe!)
o To believe the Lord Jesus Christ and confess Savior gives you life.
• Saint: You do not need to confess for salvation but confess for reinstating fellowship
o To confess as a child of God gives you abundant life.
• The first establishes fellowship – peace with God
• The second restores fellowship – “from”
o NOTE: If Satan can’t keep a person away from the Savior, he will try to keep him in sin. How do we get back into the fellowship with God?
• When you sin do not harden your hearts and make excuses.
• A hardened person stops praying, studying the Word, being faithful and has lost joy. Some try to go to more meetings, pray more, feel sorry for themselves, but nothing works.
• Admit we have sinned, confess it and he faithfully and justly will forgive it.
• The reason why is because the only way to forgiveness is confession.
o The reason the church is not turning up-side-down-world right side up today is because of sin.
• “Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.” Proverbs 28:13
Point #3: Realization of Personal Sin (1 John 1:10)
• Explanation: If we say “we have not sinned” we have reached the worst possible state for the believer. We may have the ability to say “I have not sinned” but for that statement to be true is another story. John realized that people got to two solutions:
o Verse 8: Denial of sin nature
o Verse 10: Denial of specific acts of sin
• This leads to two results:
• Make God a liar: Believer says “I’m perfect, other people may have confess sin, but not me. I have done nothing wrong is saying God is a liar when he says we have all sinned.
• His Word (revelation) is not in us: The Father’s total revelation is not abiding in this child whatsoever. He may quote a few selected passages to support his position, but he is not abiding in all God has said. Willful refusal to the total revelation God has given.
• John’s emphasis in this verse is that our denial attempts to make GOD a liar – this is contrasted/compared with v8 where we “lead ourselves astray” (make ourselves liars)
• When God tries to tell us we have sinned we reply: “Lord, you’ve got the wrong number, arrived at the wrong house. It is not me! It is not our church; it is the church down the road. They are the ones who have denied your word!”
o Watch the progression when this happens:
• Verse 6: Mild walk in darkness – relation to others
• Verse 8: We have no sin – relation to ourselves
• Verse 10: We have not sinned – Relation to God
• 10b – “his word is not in us” – John uses this word, “logos”, 65 times in his NT writing to mean “word” and it often carries the connotation of either “truth” or “Jesus” (John 1). If we fail to abide in GOD’s truth then how can Christ abide within us? He co-exist with the darkness (“GOD is light” – v5).
• Illustration: Need something about realization here
• Application (1 John 2:1): Be careful of extremes in this situation. (Denial of sin nature vs. compulsion). Some may say, “What’s the use, I can’t stop sinning”.
o This comment is not letting the light of the Word deal with sin and nature and allowing the Holy Spirit to speak.
• Temptation is fine, yielding is not.
• It is the discipline of repentance that needs to take place.
Conclusion: God does not want us to sin, but when we do we confess to conquer it and go on to maturity in the Christian life. Recognize, confess and realize.
