September 22, 2014
UMM . . . HELP! YOU WANT ME TO DO WHAT?
1 John 1
Josh Hickman
Central Truth
Confessing sin doesn't mean dressing it up nice and pretty, but calling it what it is. God promises not only to forgive us, but to cleanse us. God gives us a fresh start when we are honest with ourselves and repent.
Key Verse | 1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)
1 John 1
The Word of Life
1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— 2 the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— 3 that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 And we are writing these things so that our 1 1:4 Some manuscripts your joy may be complete.
Walking in the Light
5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice 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 cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
Dive Deeper | 1 John 1
'Umm . . . You want me to do what?' This was the exact thing I asked myself when I read 1 John for the first time.
I trusted in the Lord in 2011 and started to dive into everything I saw. I felt like I was on a roll while God was doing work on all of the destruction that was in my life. But I was still holding on to one giant thing: I had cheated on the lovely girl I was dating with multiple women before coming to know the Lord. I held on to this secret for more than eight months. I needed to truly trust God with my life, and I knew holding on to this lie would only cause more pain down the road. I couldn't truly follow Christ while holding on to this. "If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth." (1 John 1:6) I was heart-broken! I couldn't grow in my relationship with Christ nor be the man God made me to be if I hid all my sin. "Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy." (Proverbs 28:13)
Before I walked into her apartment to confess, I came across this Scripture in Joshua: "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:9)
So I prayed, sat down with Kacie, and told her everything I had been hiding. No matter what the outcome would have been, I knew that God wasn't going to get me out of this difficult time. Rather He was going to pull me through it. After I confessed everything, Kacie forgave me. I felt overwhelmed because of the undeserved kindness she showed me. God used Kacie to show me that His forgiveness is real. It was such a great reminder of how Christ has forgiven each of us.
Discussion Questions
1. Is there anything the Lord has placed on your heart that you need to confess to Him and to others?
2. According to Ephesians 1:7, on what basis are you forgiven?
3. Christ has made it possible for us to go directly to God for forgiveness, but confessing our sins to each other still has an important place in the life of the church (James 5:16). Are there people in your life right now who you can go to and confess the sin in your life and who will encourage you and pray for you?