October 30, 2012
DO I REALLY HAVE TO???
1 John 1
Roseana Smith
Central Truth
Forgiveness is offered through confessing to God. After this, healing is brought through confessing to others.
Key Verse | 1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous 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
Last summer, I went on vacation with my family to the coast of Mexico, courtesy of my brother's decision to have a destination wedding. It was one of the most beautiful tropical places I have ever been to, and we had such an amazing time. But while I was there, I had some insecurities surface that I did not know I had and chose to abuse alcohol rather than trust the Lord with my insecurities. The next morning I woke up so discouraged and frustrated with my behavior -- ashamed of what I had done, knowing I had hurt the Lord by giving in to my flesh.
Verse 9 says that if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. So I confessed my sin to the Lord, knowing He had been waiting all along to offer me forgiveness. But my confessing did not stop there. James 5:16 tells us to "confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed." As hard as it is to confess my sin, failures, and hurtful actions to another believer, the freedom and encouragement I have experienced from following these Scriptures has outweighed any anxieties I may have had.
As I shared my poor choice with my community group and others with whom I am in accountability, I experienced the Lord's forgiveness in a really encouraging way. They prayed for me and have walked with me as I have worked to submit my insecurities to the Lord. While forgiveness was certainly given from the Lord, He chooses to use our confessions to one another as a means of bringing healing in our lives. What a privilege it is to have people in my life who love me through my struggles and point me toward Christ.
Discussion Questions
1. Is there anything the Lord has placed on your heart that you need to confess to Him?
2. Who are the people in your life to whom you can confess your sin?
3. If you do not have other believers in your life you can confess to and will point you to Christ, what is the next step you need to take to develop those relationships?
4. How are you doing at praying for and encouraging those who have confessed their sin to you?
WEEKLY FAMILY ACTIVITY
October 29-November 2 (2 Peter 3 – 1 John 4)
Read 1 John 1:5-10.
• What is the difference between light and dark?
• Who does verse 5 say is light?
• What does it mean to be living by the truth?
• Where do you find truth?
• Are any of you without sin? What is sin? (Anything word, action or deed that breaks God's law.)
• Where in Scripture does it tell us that every person has sinned? (Romans 3:23)
• What cleanses us from our sins?
• What does it mean to live in the light? How can you practice being completely in the light this week? (i.e.: time in God's Word, sharing struggles with each other, praying for your enemies, asking for forgiveness when needed)
• What does it mean to be living in darkness or spiritual darkness (think about it as the opposite of living in the light)?
Activity: Buy a handful of glow sticks. (Michael's has the bracelets for pretty cheap.) Do this activity at night when you can make your whole house dark. Crack the bracelets or sticks to make them glow. Then take turns hiding them in the house and have the rest of the people search for them. Between hunts, talk about how easy it is to see light in darkness, that darkness can never overtake light. Discuss Jesus' claim to be "the light of the world." What did He mean by that?