Be Real --1 John-- Warren Wiersbe

1. Be Real --1 John-- Warren Wiersbe

2. Question from Last Week—Is John the cousin of Jesus • Was John the Apostle the cousin of Jesus? • John 19:25, “Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas and Mary Magdalene.” • Question…Who is Mary’s sister? • Mark 15:40, “There were also women looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the Less and of Joses and Salome. • Could Salome also be Mary’s sister (John 19:25)? • Mark 27:56, “among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons. • If Salome is indeed Mary’s sister and she is also the mother of Zebedee’s sons (James and John) then John would indeed be cousins with Jesus. • FINAL ANSWER—IT IS A POSSIBILITY

3. CHAPTER 2-WALKING AND TALKING (1 JOHN 1:5-2:6) • The life that is real also has an enemy, and we read about it in this section. This enemy is sin. Nine times in these verses John mentions sin, so the subject is obviously not unimportant. John illustrates his theme by using het contrast between light and darkness: God is light; sin is darkness. • But there is another contrast here too—the contrast between saying and doing. Four times John writes, “If we say” or “He that says” (1 John 1:6, 8, 10; 2:4). It is clear that our Christian life is to amount to more than mere “talk”; we must also “walk,” or live, what we believer.

4. Approach #1—We can try to cover our sins(1 John 1:5-6, 8, 10; 2:4) • 1 John 1:5-6–lying to others--covering 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. • 1 John 1:8–lying to self—self-deceipt If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. • 1 John 1:10 –lying to God-rejection of Biblical authority If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. • 1 John 2:4 –living a lie- He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

5. What does one lose when they choose dishonesty? • He loses the Word • He stops doing the truth (1 John 1:6); truth is no longer in him (1 John 1:8); and then he turns truth into lies (1 John 1:10). • One of the first symptoms of walking in darkness is a loss of blessing from the Bible. You cannot read the Word profitably while you are walking in the dark. • He loses fellowship with God • 1 John 1:6-7…prayer becomes an empty form to him. Worship is a dull routine. He becomes critical of other Christians and starts staying away form church: “What communion has light with darkness?” 2 Cor. 6:14 • He loses his character • 1 John 2:4…What starts out as one or two lies becomes a habitual pattern and ones character is becomes completely eroded! • Proverbs 28:13, “He that covers sin will not prosper.”

6. Approach #2—We Can Confess Our Sins (1 John 1:7, 9) • 1 John 1:7 • 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. • 1 John 1:9 • If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. • Confess=to say the same thing about • To confess means to be honest with God about your sin admitting your sin before Him

7. We Can Confess Our Sins Jesus our Advocate and our Propitiation • 1 John 2:1-2 • My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. • And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. • Propitiation=Jesus Satisfied God’s Holy law • Advocate=Jesus represents us before God’s throne

8. Truths of Confession… • Jesus grants forgiveness and restored fellowship 100% of the time! • Our forgiveness is not based on the depth of our remorse but on the quality of our propitiation—Jesus Christ! • Confession produces freedom and joy unlike hiding which produces bondage and death (Prov. 28:13)

9. Approach #3—We Can Conquer Our Sins (1 John 2:1-3, 5-6) • 1 John 2:1-6 • My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.2 And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. 3 Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. • 4 He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. • 5 But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.6 He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

10. Approach #3—We Can Conquer Our Sins (1 John 2:1-3, 5-6) • Walk in the Light (1 John 1:7) • Be Honest with God • Obey God’s Word (1 John 2:3-4) • We can obey because we have to—slave like obedience • We can obey because we need to—employee like obedience • We can obey because we want to—relational, love relatonship • Walk as the Light (1 John 2:6) • 1 Corinthians 11:1, Imitate me, even as I also imitate Christ