We Can Deceive Ourselves

JULY 29, 2020 STUDY NOTES 1 JOHN 1:8 BIBLE TEACHER: CLIFTON JONES WE CAN DECEIVE OURSELVES INTRODUCTION We are living in a day when sin is no longer being identified as sin The world identifies sin as a way of life, a life of pleasure, and the only way to live America allows people to live like you please, go where you please, and do what you please As long, as you do not intentionally, deliberately, or willfully harm others But now it appears that harm to others is not even considered as sin or evil As long, as you have a so-called cause motivating your actions it is not sin, it is freedom You may make a mistake doing your thing your way, but it is just a mistake and not a sin It is a given fact, people make mistakes, and today they can get by with it in the name of justice All-of the above is a major problem within American society today But there is also a major problem within the church of today The same problem that John was writing to the early church about The problem of Christians listening to and watching the world instead of the Word of God Too often the church of today refuses to take sin seriously, they accept it as a way of life John now deals with Christians who are deceived because they are not living the “truth” John introduced the subject of this passage in, 1Jn 1:6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: The truth is, you cannot walk in the darkness of sin and walk in fellowship with God Sin in the life of a Christian does not result in loss of salvation but a loss of fellowship with God John is telling us “The Truth,” Christians still sin, and we must “confess our sins” LIFE WITHOUT TRUTH 1Jn 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. John includes himself when he says, “if we say” Saying, “we have no sin,” refers to someone who is denying the fact of sin in their life There are at least two possible points that John is making Some people say that they are not responsible for their sins, someone else is to blame They do not deny that it is sin, but their sin is not their fault People can find many different excuses for sins they have committed Sometimes they blame in on their heredity, the way they were raised by their family Sometimes they blame it on their environment, where they go to school, work, or live They have been led astray by someone else, someone they looked up to and followed Sometimes it is blamed on a physical or mental condition, it was not sin, it was a sickness Another possible point is that some people will claim that it is not sin at all It is not sin because they see no harm in what they are doing, it is not hurting them or anyone else I believe that one of the best examples of this today is party drinking or social drinking People do not realize the harm that is falling on the youth of today through social drinking The alcoholic who has lost everything is not the one who will influence the youth to drink The homeless wino on skid row is not the one who will influence the “first drink” The relaxing drink at home or the spirit of the party drink is that which influences others to drink Too many young people will eventually find out that the advertised “spirit of the party” is a lie So, what is sin? The original word means “to miss the mark,” falling short of the standard The standard is the right word or deed according to God’s Word and God’s will for our life It is the “Spirit of God” through the “Word of God” who will teach you the truth of sin Sin separates us from the purpose and plan of God for our daily life, to sin is not really living We must realize that there is also the sin of omission, Jas 4:17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. Sin is normally identified as doing something that God tells us not to do, disobeying God It is easy to identify the sins of commission, doing the things we know we should not do Too often we fail to identify with the sins of omission, not doing what God wants us to do Sins of omission are as real as sins of commission and are serious according to scripture It is sin when we do the wrong thing, it is sin when we don’t do the right thing When you don’t do what you know God is telling you to do, you have sinned When we commit sins of omission, we rob ourselves of the blessings of God And we rob others of the blessing that God has for them through us John is saying, “There is no excuse for sin” and when we live in sin “we deceive ourselves” we deceive ourselves, To deceive yourself means that you have made the wrong judgment about something Which is a serious state of life for a Christian, you are wandering from the truth of life At some point in sin all will find out how serious it is to depart from the right path Christians are personally responsible for walking the right path John means that you are only fooling yourself when you think that you have not sinned It is easier to fool yourself than it is to fool others, others know better Those who know you are not deceived when you live in sin as a Christian Again, it is only through the leadership of the Spirit and God’s Word that we walk the right path One day one of the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray Listen to one of the petition’s found within the prayer, Luk 11:4 And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. Praying not only to be delivered from sin but also from the “evil one” himself, Satan (1 Peter 5:8) Paul knew the truth of sin, Rom 7:20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. Paul is not saying, “the devil made me do it,” he is saying, “I let the devil do it through me” Christians are responsible for their own sinful actions The devil wants you to believe that you are not standing in sin Don’t allow sin to deceive you, 1Co 10:12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. We can allow sin to lead us astray and our sins will lead others astray When we sin, we will lead others astray because “the truth is not in us” and the truth is not in us. “Truth” is the manifestation of something as it really is, what you see or hear is the real thing Truth is that which is pure being without error or falsehood The Christian life is to be a manifestation of the truth of life, the life of Christ in us, Gal 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. “The truth” of verse 6 was, you cannot walk in darkness and have fellowship with God “The truth” of verse 8 is that a Christian can and will still commit sin When John says, “the truth is not in us,” he is not saying that Jesus is not in us He is saying that the “truth of Jesus” is not in us, we are not telling the truth about salvation The truth is, that Jesus saved us and gave us power to defeat sin in our life (Ephesians 6:10-18) The truth is, that sin must be dealt with daily and Paul tells us how to do that, Rom 6:11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. “To reckon” means “to think it through,” put it all together in your mind and come to “the truth” Christians are now a “new creation,” 2Co 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. “The truth” is, Christians are no longer to be controlled by sin, Rom 6:12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. “The truth” is, Christians can live a righteous life before God, Rom 6:13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. God is Truth, Christ is Truth, the Holy Spirit is Truth, God’s Word is Truth God’s people must “walk in truth,” to walk in truth is overcoming sin and not walking in sin “Truth” is to work within us, truth is an inner principle working to mold our life Our eyes must see the truth, our ears must hear the truth, and our heart must receive the truth The truth is Christian’s still need continual cleansing from our daily sins The cleansing of sin can only come through the “confession of sins,” 1Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. CONCLUSION Christians must realize that what we say and what we do will influence others Our world today and the church of today need the witness of “truth,” a true Christian example Paul told us to go in the same direction he was going, walk the same path he was walking, Php 3:16 Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing. Your daily walk of life today should be what you know God wants your life to be Paul is leading us up to the next verse when he says, “let us walk,” Php 3:17 Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample. “Walk” has the thought of a military term meaning, “to keep in line” or “to keep in step” We are soldiers for Christ, 2Ti 2:3 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. Nothing should distract our service for Christ, certainly not sin Every day we must determine to stand with God and to walk with God every step of the way A good soldier for Christ will walk according to rule and live according to duty The word “rule” referred to that which was used to examine balance or straightness of something Having a standard to go by like a plumb line or a level in-order to be according to standard If you are saved, you lined up with the spiritual standard or you would not have been saved Your present state of spirituality has been achieved because you walked according to standard The only way that you can continue to make spiritual progress is to continue to think spiritual Paul is telling us that we must think like he did, we must have the same mind-set that he did Our desire for spiritual growth, for spiritual maturity must be just as great as his was, Php 3:10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; After 30 years of living for and serving the Lord, Paul said, “I want to know Him” Paul was saying, “I want to walk through the rest of my life in fellowship with Christ Today is the day to make up our mind, we are going to walk in fellowship with God (1 John 1:3) Our pursuit must begin by putting into practice what we already know about the Christian life Living what we have already learned and then studying the Bible to learn something new TAKE TIME FOR A GOOD PERSONAL BIBLE STUDY AS CHRISTIANS WE SHOULD NOT WALK After the flesh (Romans 8:1,4) As men,” that old sinful nature; carnal nature (1 Corinthians 3:3) In a dishonest and deceitful way of life, not telling the truth about Jesus by the way we live (2 Corinthians 4:2) “As Gentiles,” those who live without giving any thought toward God (Ephesians 4:17) As “the enemies of the cross of Christ,” having an earthly mind and desiring worldly pleasures (Philippians 3:18-19) In a disorderly lifestyle; without discipline; not performing Christian duties; idleness; laziness (2 Thessalonians 3:6,11) In darkness, to walk in darkness is to give over to sinful desires, having no fellowship with God (John 8:12; 1 John 1:6) The way we walked before we were saved (Colossians 3:5-9) We must get rid of fornication (sexual immorality) uncleanness (a filthy mind) inordinate affection (sinful passions) evil concupiscence (wicked cravings) covetousness (greedy desires) idolatry (putting anything in the place of God) anger (desire of revenge) wrath (uncontrolled anger) malice (desire to injure) blasphemy (speech that injures others) filthy communication (foulmouthed abusive language toward God or others) Lie not (never at any time) (Note verse 7) In the which ye also “walked” sometime, when ye lived in them Be sure it is in the past (Note verse 9) seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds (DO NOT WALK) THE WAY CHRISTIANS SHOULD WALK “Even so we also should walk in newness of life,” Bury the old life and enjoy the new life (Romans 6:4) “Let us walk honestly,” live an honorable life; a decent life; well thought of by others (Romans 13:13) “Walk in the Spirit,” more than anything else desire to be spiritual (Gal 5:16,25; Rom 8:1,4) We should “walk in good works,” all Christians are spiritually gifted to serve and to minister (Ephesians 2:10; 4:7) “Walk as children of light,” so you can see the truth of life and others can see you (Ephesians 5:8; 1 John 1:7) “Walk, even as he walked,” follow Jesus every step of life (1 John 2:6) “See then that ye walk circumspectly,” in the right way; carefully; diligently (Ephesians 5:15) Walk in “wisdom,” take every opportunity to learn from God; share God with others (Col. 4:5) Walk in “truth,” truth is learning and living the life of Jesus (2 John 4; 3 John 3-4) To “walk” in the love of Jesus is to walk in obedience to His “commandments” (2 John 6) Self-sacrificing service is the evidence of love for God (Ephesians 5:2) “For we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7) Our Christian walk should be an example to others (Philippians 3:17; 1 Thessalonians 4:12) Our walk should please God (avoid sexual sin) (1 Thessalonians 4:1-6) a major problem today “Walk while ye have the light,” today is the day to walk with Jesus (John 12:35) “As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him” (Colossians 2:6) Christians have no excuse, we can “Walk Worthy,” Jesus Christ is “LORD” The WORTHY WALK will be a WORTHWILE WALK (Revelation 3:4) But WATCH OUT! Satan is “walking about” (1 Peter 5:8)