[1 John Series 2] Real Life Walks In The LightSample

Walking in the light

God is faithful. He is not fickle. He is truth and doesn’t lie. But if we justify ourselves, we are calling God a liar: “Everybody else is saying it is okay. You say it is not. They’re not the liars. You’re the liar, God.”

When we realize we have done that and walked in darkness, we need to repent and say, “Lord, I confess to You my sin. I’ve done wrong and I am sorry.”

C. S. Lewis said, “Fallen man is not simply an imperfect creature who needs improvement. He is a rebel who must lay down his arms. This process of surrender, this movement full speed astern, is what Christians call ‘repentance.’ Now, repentance is no fun at all. It is something much harder than merely eating humble pie. It means killing a part of yourself and undergoing a kind of death.”

People think they just need to be enlightened because they aren’t that bad. That is different from realizing there is wickedness in my heart, and something has got to die in me. Jesus died on the cross to pay for that. So I’m going to place my faith and my trust in His death on my behalf, and that’s what’s going to kill this in me—because now the Holy Spirit lives inside of me. He is faithful, He is righteous. When we confess our sins, He forgives us and washes us clean so now we can walk in the light.

We all need Jesus’ forgiveness. If we say, ‘We have not sinned,’ we have made Him a liar. Repentance brings self-understanding, fellowship with God, and fellowship with others. There is not a person that is without sin. If you think, “Well, me, I haven’t sinned.” You’re sinning just right then in your pride. I’m not perfect. You’re not perfect. We all dabble in the dark at times. But when we confess it, Jesus Christ is able to give us light.

Spiritually, we are a house on fire, surrounded by floodwaters; we are on an island in need of a rescue from this heart of darkness. Jesus is the only one that in the spiritual realms can rescue you and me. It is only Jesus, and He is the one you’ve got to call on. He’s the only one. So don’t live self-deceived. Don’t live in lies. Don’t walk in darkness. Walk in the light of Christ.

[This reading plan is based on the 1 John series preached by pastor Gregg Matte. To watch the whole sermon this plan was taken from please follow this link: https://houstonsfirst.org/message/lovefirst-sunday-real-life-walks-in-the-light]