Cleansing From Sin
Book of 1 John
Chapter 1
Today as we begin a
short study of three of the Books written by the Apostle John, we
will see another eyewitness to many of the things of the Lord Jesus
Christ.
We need also to
mention that the Apostle John was writing to the church. In fact the
entire Bible is written to the believer because without the Holy
Spirit living inside you, you will never have a proper understanding
of the Scriptures!
The Apostle John
wants us to know the truth, and this was his greatest reason for
writing and above all, these are the words of the Holy Spirit given
to John.
John had a brother
named James and with Peter it these three that witnessed the
transfiguration of our Lord and the voice of God!
John was the only
Apostle that lived to die of old age!
John wrote 5 books
of the New Testament being, the Gospel of John, 1,2,and 3 John and
the Book of the Revelation.
John addresses the
spiritual beliefs of the believer.
John addresses all
the Body of Christ.
John addresses sin
in the church and false teachers.
John addresses our
sinful world!
John addresses the
Second Coming of Christ Jesus.
Let's listen to the
words of the Apostle John, given to him by the Holy Spirit.
*****1Jn 1:1 That
which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen
with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled,
of the Word of life;
1Jn 1:2 (For the
life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew
unto you that eternal life,
John simply says
that which is from the beginning which is the Holy Ghost inspired Old
Testament Scriptures, are the actual words from a Sovereign and Holy
God.
Most all the Jews
knew of the Old Testament Scriptures and the Apostles and yes even
the early church was familiar with those Scriptures!
The difference being
that to John, the Lord Jesus Christ was the complete fulfillment of
those Scriptures,
Joh 1:1 In the
beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was
God.
Joh 1:2 The same
was in the beginning with God.
Joh 1:3 All things
were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was
made.
John heard the
actual words of Christ which never went against the Old Testament.
John saw the things
that Jesus did with his own eyes.
John also witnessed
things that he could not put into words.
John handled the
nail scarred hands of Christ.
John handled the
nail scarred feet of Jesus.
John may have even
put his hand in the scarred side where that spear pierced the side of
Jesus.
Notice John does not
have a great introduction, John jumps right into the subject matter
of this great book of the Bible.
God is not living
off somewhere in outer space having forgotten His creation.
God is greatly
concerned in the things of this earth.
God loves and cares
for all His creation.
Remember God has not
moved away from His creation, His creation has chosen to follow a
false god!
The subject of this
Book of 1 John is that the Son of God came to this earth to save all
humanity!
We must clearly
understand that the Messiah, the Son of God has always existed. He
created all things. He walked in the cool of the day with Adam and
Eve. He has always been living and He made Himself known by Jesus the
Messiah, Jesus the Christ, or we simply say Jesus Christ!
Jesus is the exact
express image of God the Father in all His ways!
Heb 1:1 God, who at
sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the
fathers by the prophets,
Heb 1:2 Hath in
these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed
heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
Heb 1:3 Who being
the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and
upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself
purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
Jesus Christ did not
have a beginning because He is the beginning. He has always been!
Moses knew this
truth:
Psa 90:1 A Prayer
of Moses the man of God. Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in
all generations.
Psa 90:2 Before the
mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and
the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.
Jesus Christ proved
He was God in many ways, yet so many reject His truth.
John, James, Peter,
Paul, Mathew, Luke, Stephan, Barnabas, and so many others in the New
Testament did not have a problem believing the Jesus is the Almighty
God!
We are foolish not
to believe the Apostles, and the other Gospel writers, who wrote by
the power of the Holy Spirit!
Jesus is the "Word"
because He is the fulfillment of all the Old Testament prophecies!
Jesus is the "Word
of Life", because He has the message of eternal life!
Jesus revealed
Himself to a lost and dying world, so His life could be shared with
all who believed Him!
Jesus revealed
Himself to us when He did not have to!
Jesus has given us
all an opportunity to share in His life!
Jesus came to us in
the only fashion that would be accepted in His goal for us.
Jesus, who is God,
came to us in the form of man, His creation!
Jesus Christ came to
His creation with a great purpose!
*****1Jn 1:3 That
which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may
have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father,
and with his Son Jesus Christ.
1Jn 1:4 And these
things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.
Jesus Christ came to
this earth to restore our fellowship with our Creator!
This is the goal of
our Father in Heaven that we have an up close and personal
relationship with Him.
John is saying let
me tell you about my Savior.
We must understand
God is concerned about His creation. God cares for each of us!
God has not left us
to fend for ourselves against the wiles of the devil and the dark
powers of this world!
God promises that
there is much more than death and the grave in our future!
God wants to adopt
us into His family and with all adoptions there must be some
qualifications met!
The Lord Jesus
Christ opened the door into the throne room of God, and He is waiting
to welcome us with open arms!
Jesus has made us
acceptable to our Heavenly Father!
We can talk to Him
at any time of the day and His ears are open to hear from us.
He walks with us
everywhere we go to caution us and to make us aware of our
surroundings.
We can cast all our
cares upon Him for He cares for us.
We can ask Him for
strength to conquer our trials and tribulations, and He will supply
that strength.
We can live with
peace in our heart because of Him.
We can depend upon
Him for His righteousness because we just do not have any ourselves.
And we can know we
have been delivered from sin and death, because He gives us eternal
life!
We can know our
Father, by His Son, through the Holy Spirit!
Jesus Christ came
that our joy would also be full!
Not worldly joy but
heavenly joy.
It is the joy of the
Holy Spirit.
It is joy based upon
the Lord Jesus Christ.
It is joy, that
springs from faith in the work of Christ Jesus.
It is the joy in the
knowledge of future rewards.
Joh 15:11 These
things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and
that your joy might be full.
We know that the
world is full of darkness:
Joh_8:12 Then spake
Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that
followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of
life.
Joh_12:46 I am come
a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not
abide in darkness.
Jesus Christ who is
the light of the world has come to take us out of this dark world!
Gen 1:3 And God
said, Let there be light: and there was light.
You see there is no
darkness in our Savior!
*****1Jn 1:5 This
then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you,
that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
We know that all
those called of God are to be His messengers so, what is the message
they are to carry?
The Jesus Christ is
the sinless Son of God who died to pay for our sin!
We must not ignore
the message of God's salvation plan!
Heb 2:1 Therefore
we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have
heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.
Heb 2:2 For if the
word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and
disobedience received a just recompence of reward;
Heb 2:3 How shall
we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began
to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that
heard him;
Heb 2:4 God also
bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers
miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?
It as Jesus Christ
Himself who first preached the message of salvation and it was
carried on by the 12 chosen Apostles, when we include the Apostle
Paul!
Jesus said if you
have seen Me you have seen God!
God is Light!
Light is a sign of
purity.
Light is a sign of
truth.
The Light reveals
the nature, the meaning, and the destiny of our world, and those who
live on it!
The light of Jesus
Christ allows all those in darkness to walk out of the darkness into
the Light of the Lord!
In fact Jesus the
Light, will one day eliminate all darkness on this earth and in
heaven!
Rev 22:5 And there
shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of
the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for
ever and ever.
We just finished
with the Book of 2 Peter where we learned how to identify that false
teacher and we can see this again here in 1 John.
*****1Jn 1:6 If we
say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie,
and do not the truth:
We are all just
sinners saved by the "Grace" of God.
As long as we are in
the flesh we will stumble occasionally and fall.
If we ask the Lord
to forgive us, He will forgive us.
But If we refuse to
repent of our sin and continue to walk in that sin, then we are liars
if we say we belong to the Lord!
Waking in darkness
is walking without the Light of God!
The Lord Jesus is
light. His light shines in us by the Holy Spirit who lives within us.
The Holy Spirit will not allow us to walk in darkness if we belong to
our Heavenly Father.
Joh 7:16 Jesus
answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent
me.
Joh 7:17 If any man
will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of
God, or whether I speak of myself.
If we continue to
walk in darkness after we have claimed Jesus, then our heart was not
true. It's just that simple.
Walking in darkness
is the symbol of ignorance of the truth of God, walking in error of
the truth of God, and remaining in our sinful ways!
Our outward
profession of faith is contrary to our inward reality!
It takes faith and
that faith from a true heart!
Joh 3:19 And this
is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved
darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
Joh 3:20 For every
one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light,
lest his deeds should be reproved.
Joh 3:21 But he
that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made
manifest, that they are wrought in God.
If we have truly
repented of our old ways, it will show in our new walk in life!
*****1Jn 1:7 But if
we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one
with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from
all sin.
What is the greatest
misconception among all those that claim the Lord Jesus as their
Savior? They believe they can have fellowship with God and still walk
in sin and remain in darkness.
Walk the streets of
America and most of them will claim fellowship with God but their
ways say different.
Walk the halls of
congress and many of them will claim fellowship with God but their
votes say different.
Better still walk
inside the congregation at church and you will see many who claim to
know the truth but their actions outside the church say something
different.
Jesus preached His
message to the Jews who already worshiped God in their own way, yet
they did not have the fellowship they thought they had, because they
rejected the truth of the Scriptures. They rejected the Light sent
down from Heaven to remove the darkness of Judaism. Not only Judaism
but all known religions who remain in darkness.
Why is Jesus
rejected? Because the world believes they can remain in darkness and
have fellowship with God the Father, and it is impossible to do that!
That word walk means
we must put forth some effort and it must be a continuous effort.
Luk_9:23 And he
said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny
himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
We cannot confess
the Lord Jesus Christ unless we walk with Him every day of the
remainder of our lives!
The world remains in
the dark about God because they reject the Lord Jesus Christ. There
is no fellowship with God without His Son!
There is no church
fellowship without the Lord Jesus Christ.
How do I walk in the
Light of Jesus Christ?
*I must walk in
love!
Eph 5:1 Be ye
therefore followers of God, as dear children;
Eph 5:2 And walk in
love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an
offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.
*I must walk in the
Holy Spirit!
Gal 5:16 This I say
then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the
flesh.
*I must walk by
faith!
2Co 5:7 (For we
walk by faith, not by sight:)
*I must walk in
newness of life!
Rom 6:4 Therefore
we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was
raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also
should walk in newness of life.
*My walk must match
my talk!
Rom 13:13 Let us
walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in
chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.
Rom 13:14 But put
ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to
fulfil the lusts thereof.
*I must walk worthy
of the Lord!
Col 1:10 That ye
might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in
every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;
*I must certainly
walk in truth!
3Jn 1:4 I have no
greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.
Until we walk
according to the truth of Jesus Christ how can we say we have a
personal relationship with Him?
We are walking in
our old sinful ways!
*****1Jn 1:8 If we
say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not
in us.
Even after we have
given our hearts to the Lord, we are still only sinners saved by the
"Grace" of God.
We will still make
mistakes, we will still sin. So if we think we have already reached
perfection in this life we are sadly mistaken, we are still sinners,
but those sins should be out of ignorance and not intentional, as
best we can to live according to the Word of God!
There is only one
who lived His life pleasing to the Heavenly Father. We know sin is
never pleasing to God the Father, so it was only His Son who has
pleased Him!
Joh 8:29 And he
that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do
always those things that please him.
We are not only
mistaken about our salvation we are misleading ourselves about the
truth of our salvation.
In other words we do
Satan's job for Him. Satan is the great "deceiver" and we
will have deceived ourselves if we believe we will sin no more.
The Lord has already
given us the answer to this problem!
*****1Jn 1:9 If we
confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and
to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
To be a Christian is
a growing process and the Lord understands this. When we sin, and we
will sin, then the sooner we get on our knees and ask for forgiveness
the better off we will be.
We actually need to
describe our sin to our Father in Heaven, so He will know that we
know what we are asking Him to forgive us of!
This is how we grow
we learn from our mistakes. Now we will still pay for those mistakes,
but we will not lose our salvation as some teach.
Once the Lord is
firmly in our hearts our salvation is eternal, but we still need a
daily cleansing that comes from forgiveness!
Our God is
righteous!
Our God is also
faithful to keep the promises He makes and here it says He is
faithful to forgive us.
Heb 10:23 Let us
hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is
faithful that promised;)
Once we have been
"justified" we cannot ever again be unjustified!
Rom 5:1 Therefore
being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord
Jesus Christ:
Rom 5:2 By whom
also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and
rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Rom 8:1 There is
therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who
walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Rom 8:2 For the law
of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law
of sin and death.
We must clearly
understand God does not make mistakes, but we still cannot say our
walk with the Lord will be perfect!
*****1Jn 1:10 If we
say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not
in us.
If we say we have no
sin, we deceive ourselves. If we say we have not sinned, we are
calling God a liar!
Rom 3:23 For all
have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Ecc 7:20 For there
is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.
The truth is, how
could anyone say such a thing, yet there are those that do.
The word sinner is
such a terrible word that most people object to being called sinners,
but it is no less true!
We are all sinners
and we will be as long as we are in these bodies of flesh!
There are just too
many people who believe that they have been so religious all their
lives, that God could not refuse to allow them in Heaven, and they
are truly deceived about the truth of God.
Many are just
religious perfectionists who believe they can achieve a perfect state
without the Lord Jesus Christ, and this is impossible!
There are also those
that believe they are just too good for God to reject them, but no
one is good enough simply because we have no goodness because we have
no righteousness.
Isa_64:6 But we are
all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy
rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the
wind, have taken us away.
The only thing we
have to offer God is a dirty rotten sinner in need of salvation and
this is what God says so it must be true.
The sooner we agree
with God and accept His plan of salvation the better off we will be.
When our name is
written down in the Lamb's Book of Life, it can never be erased!
We cannot help but
sin, but praise the Lord we have a Savior!
The Lord is soon
coming, and we will be going home so let's make Him proud of His
children!
Amen
Let's Pray!
