Forgiveness 1 John:5-10 8-14-11

Sermon 8-14-11 forgiveness – one 1 john 1:5-10
5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out 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, purifies us from all[b] sin.
8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.

Is the headline of your life’s newspaper sin or forgiveness?

God’s story of sin and forgiveness
Sin is real – sin is like a dirty diaper
Sin is a great deceiver, promises what it cannot deliver
Sin is not the headline. Love is the headline.
God so loved the world.

Our story of sin and forgiveness
Why is it easier for me to feel bad about myself?
I know psalm 103 says as far as the east is from the west, but they seem to be stuck on me.
Misspelled words – loveable, judgment, forgiveness
I hope you don’t understand this, but those of you who do,
Maybe this is why forgiveness is such good news

Why does my relationship with God feel like a transaction?

Remedies
God has solved the problem of sin.
He has made the way thru Jesus
God has already done the work, nothing more is needed.

Then there is the problem of how we see ourselves
We hear forgiveness, but have trouble sensing that it is for us

Seeing – the board in your eye mt. 7
In order to see, we have to change the way we look at things
When our vision is obstructed, we see the world incorrectly

How do we see god + ourselves when there is a board in our eye?
When our judgment is obscured

God is a mean angry father
And we are unworthy, unlovable, worthless
This is an insult to God

How do you see God when we walk in the light and we see clearly?
God is a loving father, aka prodigal son
God is love
Demello story – tell him I don’t remember his sins


How do we see ourselves? Imperfect, but loved

Pastor shawn shared with me Newborn Baby
We see the sin. I lie. I cheat. I steal. etc. (and we act out of that “seeing”. Guilt/shame/anger/etc.)
God sees more than that. God sees the potential me (The me I am created to be). The grace. The love. The peace. Etc.

Here’s my illustration…..
New born babies.

They are ugly. Wrinkly. Splotchy. Covered in goop and cleaned up they don’t get much better.
But ask a parent holding their new baby and they will describe the wonder, beauty, the grace. It’s almost as if they don’t even notice their kid is a misshapen prune.

Newborns are ugly, but parents see more.
Sinners are ugly, but God sees more.

Let’s take a closer look at this passage
Does God expect us to be perfect?
How do you read it
Light and darkness, good and bad or
Light and darkness, seen or unseen. Open and honest or hidden

1 jn 1:9 if we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just (true to His own nature and promises) and will forgive our sins [dismiss our lawlessness] and [continuously] cleanse us from all unrighteousness [everything not in conformity to His will in purpose, thought, and action].

Living in the light or living in darkness- if we walk in the light as he is in the light
Read it both ways
Isn’t this the characteristic of your best friend?
They know the worst about you, but they love you all the same.

Conclusion

If you are in love with God, confession is not about sin. It is about grace.
Will we hold up sin or God?

Ps 32
Prodigal son
Deep desire for the father to reconcile and walk with
What is the headline in your life, sin or grace

What is the headline on the newspaper of your life?