Wednesday July 16, 2014

Read: 1 John 1:8-10

He had done it again. That sin that he was fighting so hard against, that thing that he could never seem to beat had beaten him again. He could feel the weight on his heart grow heavier and heavier as he thought about it. She had done it again. Her heart sank as she realised what she had done, she could feel the guilt and shame like a 1 ton weight sitting in the pit of her stomach. She had been so determined not to fall into that sin again and yet here she was.

All of us have felt like this at times. When we fall again into a persistent sin that we cannot seem to beat we feel the weight of shame and guilt. They don’t even have to be persistent, difficult sins. Even sins that seem small can be enough to confront us with our own brokenness and fill us with disappointment, discouragement or even despair. While it’s encouraging to know from Romans 6 that the power of sin on our lives has been broken by Christ we still deal with the regular disappointment of falling into sin and giving in to temptation. We all fall into sin. Even Paul talks about this in Romans 7 when he says that he does what he does not want to do and what he wants to do he doesn’t do. Every Christian, from the most mature to the least mature, battles with sin.

The real question is not what to do if we sin, until judgment day all of us will still struggle with sin. The question is what do we do when we sin?

The Apostle John addresses this question in 1 John 1. He begins by saying that if anyone claims to have no sin or to not struggle with sin then they deceive themselves and the truth is not in them. We cannot think that we are totally holy and be in relationship with God. Those things are contradictory. John restates this in verse 10 by saying that claiming to be without sin makes God out to be a liar and means that His Word has no place in our lives.

But if we acknowledge our sin and confess it to God then we have absolute and sure hope in His mercy and His forgiveness for us. Notice John’s encouraging words in verse 9: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

What an encouragement for the man who has fallen again into that persistent sin. What a huge relief for the woman who realises she has done that same thing again that she had resolved not to do ever again. What a huge encouragement that is for us who struggle every day with sinful thoughts, feelings, attitudes and actions. If we confess our sins to God, if we willingly submit ourselves to His forgiveness and provision then we know that He is faithful and just and will forgives us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

When we sin, as we all do, let us be quick to turn to God, to confess our sins to Him and to trust ourselves to His forgiveness and purification. Let us cast ourselves on Him with complete confidence in His forgiveness. What a blessing it is to know that we have been freed from the power of sin and are guaranteed forgiveness in Christ.

Prayer:

Use the Bible passage from today and the reading notes to write down your prayer points before you pray.

Adoration:

Confession:

Thanks:

Supplication:

¥ Thank God that He guarantees His forgiveness and purification for all who turn to Him and seek His mercy and grace through Jesus Christ. Pray that He would reveal your sin to you and help you turn to Him for forgiveness.

¥ Pray for those families who will be going back to school this week or next week. Pray that they would be encouraged and rejuvenated from their time of rest and that they would be strengthened as they go back to their routine

 Walk Moment:

In James 5:16 we are commanded to confess our sins to one another. Do you have a mature Christian in your life to whom you can confess sin and seek encouragement and help? Consider today how you might be able to do this.

 Discussion Questions For Families and Groups

1. Some Christian teachers teach that you can be totally perfect and without sin in this life. How would you respond to this from this passage in 1 John?

2. Often we have a tendency to delay going to God after we sin. Why do you think this is?

3. How can you remind yourself of this passage from 1 John when you feel that way?

 Discipleship Moment For Girls

Intro: When we do the wrong thing it hurts other people. It can even make them upset with us.
Share: A time when someone did the wrong thing and made you upset. How did it feel? What did you do?
Read: 1 John 1:9. When we sin we hurt and upset God. What does this passage say we should do when we sin? What does it mean to confess? What does it say God will do? What does it mean to forgive? What does it mean to purify us from unrighteousness? How does this make you feel to know that God will always forgive you?
Pray Together: Thank God that He will always forgive us our sins when we turn to Him for help.

 Discipleship Moment For Boys

Intro: When we do the wrong thing it hurts other people. It can even make them upset with us.
Share: A time when someone did the wrong thing and made you upset. How did it feel? What did you do?
Read: 1 John 1:9. When we sin we hurt and upset God. What does this passage say we should do when we sin? What does it mean to confess? What does it say God will do? What does it mean to forgive? What does it mean to purify us from unrighteousness? How does this make you feel to know that God will always forgive you?
Pray Together: Thank God that He will always forgive us our sins when we turn to Him for help.