Walk In The Light!

Reading: 1 John chapter 1 verses 5-10:

Ill:

• A reporter was interviewing an old man on his 100th birthday.

• "What are you most proud of?" he asked him.

• "Well, " said the man, "I don't have an enemy in the world."

• "What a beautiful thought! How inspirational!" said the reporter.

• "Yep," added the centenarian,

• "I’ve outlived every last one of them."

Ill:

• Every form of life has its enemies;

• Insects have to watch out for hungry birds,

• Birds must look out for cats,

• Cats must look out for dogs etc

• We humans have our enemies;

• We are constantly fighting germs which cause infections and disease

The Christian too has his enemies:

• One of those is what the Bible calls ‘sin’.

• Four times in these verses John mentions sin.

Ill:

• A party of school children were being showed around a hospital;

• And the nurse who was giving them a tour round asked if anyone had any questions;

• One child asked,

• "How come the people who work here are always washing their hands ?"

The nurse gave the answer;

"They are 'always washing their hands' for two reasons.

First they love health; and second, they hate germs".

One of the enemies that every Christian has to battle with is sin:

• Sin is more than just wrong actions, outward disobedience,

• It is a wrong attitude an inner rebellion or desire.

• Sin is disobedience to what God has said (Bible),

• Sin is living independent of God (very 1st commandment “Put God first”)

When somebody becomes a Christian there are three things to remember concerning sin:

(a).

• Regarding the PAST we are saved from sins PUNISHMENT

• It was dealt with at the cross – once and for all.

Quote:

“My sin – oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!

My sin – not in part, but the whole,

Is nailed to his cross, and I bear it no more;

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord O my soul”

(b).

• Regarding the FUTURE;

• The Bible teaches we shall be saved from sins PRESENCE.

• We shall be changed; 1 Corinthians chapter 15 talks about a new body, and a new heart!

• One that will enable us to spend eternity with the Lord.

(c).

• Regarding the PRESENT.

• Each Christian must do daily battle to experience God’s POWER over sin.

• Living a life that pleases God is not impossible;

• But very much possible!

• Within every Christian a battle is talking place (civil war),

• God’s Holy Spirit is pulling us towards him and his ways.

• But our old sinful nature, which finds sin attractive,

• Pulls us away from God towards those things that are wrong.

• We have to choose which one we want to win,

• The sinful nature or the new nature God has given us.

Ill:

• When I have a meal, I have a choice.

• I can eat junk food or I can healthy.

• My physical and mental health will be affected by that choice;

• Constant junk in and I will become unhealthy.

• But if I feed my body on good things;

• Then that too will produce results.

• There is of course a spiritual parallel to that illustration:

• What we allow into our hearts and minds will affect us for good or bad.

Quote: Eleanor Roosevelt:

“One’s philosophy is not best expressed in words.

It is expressed in the choices one makes.

In the long run, we shape our lives and we shape ourselves.

The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our responsibility.”

Quote: One of the earliest Church leaders Augustine:

• Said he experienced three stages with sin:

• (1). Lord, make me good, but not yet.

• (2). Lord, make me good, but not entirely.

• (3). Lord, make me good.

Every Christian ought to be desiring that third stage:

• Lord make me good, make me holy, make my life pleasing to you!

• That is what John means when says “Walk in the light as he is in the light”

Now at the time of John:

• False ideas regarding sin and forgiveness was being taught by false teachers,

• This false teaching brought confusion to many and resulted in wrong living by others.

• It left the believers uncertain about salvation and unconcerned about sin.

• John in this letter is writing to correct these false ideas,

THREE FALSE IDEAS AROUND AT THE TIME OF JOHN WERE:

(1). I am a Christian but I can live anyway I like;

• Verse 6:

• “People who claim to have fellowship with God yet walk in the darkness”.