Walking in the Light (1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1:5 1:5 1:5 1:5- -- -1:10) 1:1 0) 1:10) 1:10)

When you think of light, what comes to mind? A light bulb? The Sun? Headlights on a car? God says that He is light and in Him there is no darkness at all. What does that mean? Light is pure, bright, and clean. God is saying that He is pure. Darkness is often seen as dirty and something to be scared of. In the Bible darkness usually refers to sin. In God there is not even a hint of sin. He is perfect and holy [separated from sin]. If we say we are a Christian and continue to commit intentional sin God says were o nly lying to ourselves. As Christians we will continue to sin throughout our liv es, but we should stop intentionally sinning. What is the difference between sin and intentional sin? When you intentionally sin, you want to sin and you feel no guilt after you sin. When a Christian sins, they feel sorry for what they did and confess their sin to God. If we confess our sins, Jesus promises to forgive us from our sin and bring us back into the light [into a relationship with Him]. As Christians we must try and walk in the light on a daily basis. True believers admit that they have sinned and need Christs forgiveness. Understanding it Understanding it Understanding it Understanding it Why do you t hink God is light and Satan is darkness? What is the difference between sin and intentional sin? Can we intentionally sin and be close to God? Why or why not? ( 1:6) Will God forgive any sin if we confess it to Him? How many times will He fo rgive us? (1:9) Qualities of a True Believer #1 Qualities of a True Believer #1 Qualities of a True Believer #1 Qualities of a True Believer #1 Admitting that y ouve sinned and are in need of forgiveness What is the first characteristic of true believers? (1:8-9) Living Living Living Living it it it it If you were a li ght bulb, what would be the brightest part of your life? What would be the dimme st? As a Christian, what hope do you have if you do sin? (1:9) God doesnt want an y of His children to be stuck in sin. He wants all of us to walk in the light an d He will always be there to bring us out of the darkness. Write a prayer to God thanking Him that He forgives any sin and helps us walk in the light as He is in the light. Also, take time to confess any sin that may be keeping you from the light: Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter2 22 2 Jesus is Our Defender Jesus is Our Defende r Jesus is Our Defender Jesus is Our Defender( ( ( (1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 2:1 2:1 2:1 2:1- -- -2:6) 2:6) 2:6) 2:6) Jesus protects his children every time they sin. Whenever we sin, Satan is telling God what a horrible person we are and how we deserve hell (Revelation 12:10). But Jesus, like a true friend, is right there defending us telling God how He died for our sins and took the penalty for us. He saved us and gave us His righteousness [goodness]. We do not need to be ashamed of who we are. We have Christs righteousness within us. We arein Christ and nothing can separate us from Him (Romans 8:38-39). In this passage of 1 John, John tells gives us another quality of true Christians. We can have assurance of our salvation if we desire to obey Gods commandments. We will never perfectly follow them, but true believers have a desire to do what God wants them to do. If we follow the Bible and obey His commands, God says that his love is made complete in us. What does that mean? It doesnt mean He loves us more. It means that Gods love is being lived out in our lives and its more evident that Gods love is within us and we are a true believer. If we say were a Christian, we must walk like Jesus walked. This leads into another quality of true believers. A true believer gradually becomes more and more like Jesus. Take a moment and look

over the past six months of your life. Would you say you are more or less like Jesus than you were six months ago? Dont focus on bad days, but overall would you say youre becoming more like Jesus? If you have a bad day, thats ok, it doesnt mean youre not saved, it just means you had a bad day. But if we look at the overall past six months we should be able to see that were more like Jesus. True believers have a desire to grow in their faith and become more like Jesus. Qualities of a True Believer #2 Qualities of a True Believer #2 Qualities of a T rue Believer #2 Qualities of a True Believer #2 A desire to obey Gods Word Unde rstanding it Understanding it Understanding it Understanding it Some Bible trans lations say that Jesus is our advocate and He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Look up advocate and atonement in the dictionary and write out the definitions in your own words. Advocate: Atonement: How is Jesus an advocate for us? And how is He the atoning sacrifice for our sins? If we do sin, who defends us? (2:1)