Scripture:
I John 1:5-10 NKJV
[5] This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. [6] If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and 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 Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. [8] If we say that 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 that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
Observation:
Most of the time I’m sure what I’m going to write about when I wake up. The very first thing I do is talk to GOD. I thank HIM for waking me, and giving me breathless, then I ask the Holy Spirit to write a SOAP that is life changing profound and would minister to those who would take the time to read it. As I sit down with a cup of coffee and start searching the scripture. I do my best to allow the spirit to lead my search. I had no idea this is where we would land this morning, however, it fits into the topic of spiritual warfare that we have been talking about for the last week or so. John’s writing can be a little difficult to comprehend at times depending on where you are reading. He was able to sum the entire gospel up into just one verse. Reading chapter 3 and verse 16 proves the level of intelligence that he possessed. Although he was a fisherman when he was called to be a disciple he was by no means unintelligent. He was the author that the Holy Spirit used to write 5 out of 26 books in the New Testament, including the book that most people are scared to even open. The book of Revelation…. Not that it’s a book that should scare the followers of Christ, but it is a book that can be a little intimidating if you are not led by the Holy Spirit when you read it. So now that we have determined that John is a very intelligent man, not just some dumb fisherman found at the edge of the Sea of Galilee let’s see what he has to say to us. In the first verse that we look at this morning, John makes it clear that this message is not coming from him, verse 5 says, “This is the message which we have heard from HIM and declare to you.” That statement tells us that John is tuned in to the Holy spirit as he writes. As he moves forward he starts to do his best to describe GOD, saying HE is light, and there is no darkness in HIM. I believe what is being said is there are no secrets with GOD. Even as HIS plan for redemption unfolded in the bible, HE exposed it right from the beginning, by saying… look Satan I know you think you won, but listen here…. “The seed of the woman will crush your head, and you will curse HIS heel,” HIS plan was in the light the whole time. But let’s just back up a few verses and see what GOD’S desire was when HE came to walk with Adam that day, HE asked him where he was. Adam had never tried to hide before, so right away GOD knew something was up, and HE knew exactly what it was…. Have you eaten from the tree? HE wanted confession Adam was made naked, but now he stood there clothed in leaves that would never last. Hiding from the one who saw every wort and mole that Adam had. As we learned yesterday Adam, just like you and I, was fearfully and wonderfully made. He was made as part of GOD’S plan to bring redemption to the world. GOD’S plan was in the light. As John continues to teach he begins to expose exactly what it means to walk with GOD. In a sense what he is saying is stay naked in front of GOD, HE does not want you to try to hide from HIM, HE knew Adam had sinned and HE knows you have as well. You can’t hide it so just be honest about it. This is one of the tactics of spiritual warfare. The enemy likes shame, guilt, and fear, which all lead to the Holy Spirit slowly dying in our lives. Having fellowship with GOD means telling HIM when we fail, not trying to hide it. John paints us a picture of what that looks like, and honestly so did GOD as HE showed us HIS plan. Staying naked, walking in the light, staying in fellowship with GOD, through Jesus Christ HIS one and only SON. The picture is grace, verse 7 has a wonderful way of saying it, “But if we walked in the light (confessing our sins to the Father, and accepting the free gift of grace) as HE is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin. What John is saying is it’s not about our ability to be righteous. No one is righteous… no not one. It’s about continued fellowship with GOD staying naked. Letting HIM see all the worts so that the spiritual scalpel could remove them. As we begin to bring this observation to a close the most important part of it still seems to be ahead of us, verse 8 through 10 give us a very important teaching. First and foremost it tells us that we have sinned no matter what we think, and if we believe that we have not we are just lying to ourselves. GOD already knows, but if we confess OUR sins, GOD will forgive us. Saying that we have no sin is calling GOD a liar, HIS standards are so much higher than ours that even our thoughts are sins at times. We have to remember exactly who we are approaching. A Holy, righteous, just GOD who has no sin. The very essence of light. Nothing is hidden from HIM. Approaching the throne room of GRACE, means knowing who you are with a sober mind.
Application:
We all like to think we are good, and honestly, we want to be looked at as good people. But it’s not what we have done that will get us to heaven. Everyone of us has sinned. It’s not something we are going to hide. GOD knows. What I am going to tell you this morning is not to give up and just run towards sin, and that is not what this scripture teaches. What we need to do is not be scared to bring out sin to the light. That’s the only way it can be dealt with, HE is willing to forgive whatever you have done. It doesn’t matter what the enemy is trying to tell you about it. It can not be fixed if you are hiding it. We have to stay in fellowship with the light, but the first thing we want to do when we fall short is run from the only one who can do anything about it. Our own actions are what got us in this mess. But it’s GOD’S act of love that got us out of it. As we try to repeat the same actions that Adam did, Hiding our sin with the work of our hands all we will find is that it just leads to a life separated from HIS grace. That is what we have to be willing to receive. Staying sober minded has much more to do with seeing yourself for who you are rather than not using drugs and alcohol… although that is part of it, it’s not all of it. We tend to elevate ourselves by looking at the sins of others and seeing ourselves as better than they are, and saying well I’m pretty good, maybe I can do this thing. But we have to remember it was that same kind of pride that got Satan kicked out of heaven. All a man’s ways seem right to him but in the end they lead to death. So what the scripture teaches is not self righteousness. We are sinners made into saints through the blood of Christ that cleanses us from sin as we bring our failures to the father and ask for forgiveness. I am not good enough to make it into heaven. My selfish self-centered pride will get in the way if I don’t bring it to the Father. You can not get past grace. The thoughts I have alone are enough to send me strength to hell. Even they have to be taken captive. My suggestion is to take a good look, a sober look at who you are, and bring that to GOD. All the brokenness, all the hurt, all the pride, give HIM the broken life and watch as HE begins to shape every broken piece into a beautiful mosaic. You might not be able to see it now, but HE is an artist that is painting a picture with the sin that you bring HIM that will at some point not only blow your mind, but all those watching as well. Give HIM your sin and HE will give you the righteousness of the one who died for you.
Prayer:
Father you knew who you were making, in each one of us you saw it all. That crazy part about it is you made us still. You stitched us together. Every thought we would have, every pride filled moment, all the selfish ambition, every lie we would tell, all the stuff we had hoped no one would find out about. Yet we still try to hide it from you. I sit here today with a broken heart over the fact that I myself have tried to hide from you, the only one who can do anything about me. The only one who can clothe me with any kind of righteousness. I thank you for your son. I thank you for what you have done so that I could even talk to you. Without your part we have no part in this with the exception of our sin. All we can hand you is a pile of ashes. A life we have burned to the ground. What you give us back is nothing we can earn. Your grace truly is amazing, and I myself love you, because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. It’s in the mighty name of Jesus we pray amen