May 26, 2019

Watch the Sermon

1 John 1:8-10

1. We started by walking through 3 theological terms: justification, sanctification, & glorification. How is God involved in each of these terms?

2. Pastor Nate also mentioned how this passage in 1 John 1 is either a passage offering reassurance or a passage that serves as a warning based on whether we’ve been justified, are being sanctified, & will experience glorification. How can these 3 terms connect & give a person hope & assurance?

3. In 1 John 1:8, the warning is towards the one who denies having a sin nature…Pastor Nate went through a host of passages (Psalm 51:5; Ephesians 2:3; Romans 5:12, 19) to give us a Biblical understanding of sin. What happens when a person basically believes they are a good person & sin isn’t a major issue? 

4. Also in 1 John 1:8, it speaks of “the truth” & this was said to be the gospel…how are you doing in your progress of articulating the elements of the gospel message?

5. We then moved to 1 John 1:10 & saw that the one who denies the sin nature not only lies to others (v. 6), lies to themselves (v. 8), but ultimately seeks to make God a liar. Does anything change when you begin to see this perspective of being basically good as being defiant against God & in direct opposition to the Scriptures?

6. After this, we came back to 1 John 1:9 & noted the tense of confess as being present tense…that the proof of future glorification is presently & continually confessing your sin: both before God & before others. What are some of the reasons it is so difficult to actually practice the act of confessing your sin?

7. Pastor Nate made sure to say that confessing your sin is more than a mere “sorry” to God, it is an acknowledgment of God & agreeing with God concerning our sin. Why is it important to understand this difference?

8. We also see in 1 John 1:9 that by continually confessing we enjoy the gift of forgiveness. The passage makes it clear that this forgiveness is rooted in God’s faithfulness & God’s justice. What would be the implications if forgiveness was based on us, our performance?

9. The last thing we saw from 1 John 1:9 is that confession leads to a cleansing of all unrighteousness…the old clothes are gone & the new clothes are put on each day as we confess. How does this spur us on to practice confession?

10. Pastor Nate ended with an exhortation for us to respond by considering Christ: to have times of no distractions where we can muse upon the greatness of God. How can you make time for this in the midst of all your busyness?