Walking in the Light: Turning Away From Sin

Sabbath School Class—Life as Discovery and Hope

July 18, 2009

Larry R Evans

Introductory Reflections

If we conclude that sin is the transgression of the law have we really explained sin? If we describe righteousness as the absence of wrong doing, have we laid the foundation for understanding the character of God? Is it possible to find a solution to sinful behavior if we don’t understand the nature of sin? Does the cross help us understand sin, righteousness or both? It is almost impossible to separate a discussion of sin without also trying to grasp what true righteousness is. This dynamic relationship between sin and righteousness will undergird our study this week.

Reflective Quiz

1. Isaiah tells us that we should let our own light shine. [Isa. 60:1-3] True and False

Isa 60:1-3

"Arise, shine, for your light has come,

and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.

2 See, darkness covers the earth

and thick darkness is over the peoples,

but the LORD rises upon you

and his glory appears over you.

3 Nations will come to your light,

and kings to the brightness of your dawn. (NIV)

We are not the originator of the light. The light we have is a reflected light given to us by God. We share this passage at the outset of today’s lesson mainly for two reasons:

· Despite Jerusalem’s sins the Lord still tells her to do two things: Arise and, secondly, to give light. Neither of these are possible for Zion or Jerusalem to do but for the fact that “the glory of the Lord rises upon you.”

· Within the commands to rise and shine is the enabling power given by God.

· Jerusalem shares not her “own” light but God’s light which then becomes her light.

· On a personal note: Imagine the implications when you are down and out with little or no hope and someone tells you to Arise and Shine. How realistic is it! Not very realistic if you do it with the same attitude and powerlessness that got you in the mess in the first place! That is the hope Isaiah brings—there is something more to life than what we have apart from God.

If that is the case how then do we understand:

1 John 1:6-7

6 If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. 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, his Son, purifies us from all sin.”

The secret, it seems, is to walk in His light by knowing Him—not by hearing about him. It is He who, after all, purifies us from our past and releases us from the chains of the past. Living in darkness for John is another way of saying living a life that does not reflect the principles of God. It is living a life that is alienated from God—a life of bondage and slavery. He is setting the stage for a whole line of reasoning which is to follow. John makes it clear that we cannot claim to be without sin (1 Jn.1:8) but he also makes it very clear we are not to continue to walk in darkness (1 Jn.1:6). Light equal hope and darkness equals despair. There is, therefore, a difference between living in sin and being sinful! This is why Jeremiah can tell his people while they are still in captivity that there is a real life on the other side that will soon be theirs:

Jer 29:11 I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out--plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. (The Message)

2. We can draw the wrong conclusions about God if we begin with a wrong understanding of sin and its effects upon us. [1Jn.1:6-10; Jn.16:1-4] True

If sin consists of only doing wrong things does that mean that if we stop doing wrong things we become righteous? If righteousness consists of doing right things do we fully grasp the real character of God? Is that all religion has to offer?

Morris Venden used to say, “An apple tree produces apples because it is an apple tree, not in order to become an apple tree.” In other words, we are talking about a full makeover and a life without hypocrisy – not necessarily sinlessness but a total reorientation.

Being religious by just doing the right things for show can lead to a destruction of who God really is. The whole question, “Is God Dead?” can come about because we kill Him in our lives and the lives of others by how we portray Christianity. Consider John 16.

John 16:1-3

16:1 "All this I have told you so that you will not go astray. 2 They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God. 3 They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. (NIV)

The book of Revelation speaks of this hypocrisy as well when it says,

Rev 13:14-17

14 Because of the signs he was given power to do on behalf of the first beast, he deceived the inhabitants of the earth. He ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. 15 He was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that it could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. 16 He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, 17 so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name. (NIV)

The kind of religion God is looking for is one that comes from the heart that is so life changing that it “then” changes the life including the way we think, the way we respond and the reason we do the good things we do.

Mat 5:43 "You're familiar with the old written law, 'Love your friend,' and its unwritten companion, 'Hate your enemy.'

Mat 5:44 I'm challenging that. I'm telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer,

Mat 5:45 for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best--the sun to warm and the rain to nourish--to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty.

Mat 5:46 If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that.

Mat 5:47 If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that.

Mat 5:48 "In a word, what I'm saying is, Grow up. You're kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you. (The Message)

3. When fighting sin, it is best to tackle them one sin at a time. [1Jn. 1:5-7; 2:1; Jn.15:1-5] False

One way of fighting sin is by denying it as does Christian Science founded by Mary Baker Eddy. “Christian Science denies the existence of all matter, including man's physical body. They say that man is "incapable of sin, sickness, and death." They claim sin, sickness, and death are the "effects of error," thereby denying the reality of sin.”

With such a belief there is no need for Jesus or the cross nor is there a personal Devil. Such denial also denies divine intervention to save us from our own struggles. But the question remains how do we fight the fight of temptation and sin . . . or should we should we describe it as the “fight of faith?” Note Paul’s counsel to young Timothy:

1 Tim 6:6-12

6 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9 People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

11 But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. (NIV)

What difference does it make if we enter into the “fight from sin” or the “fight of faith?” What is central in each fight? Which fight is more likely to be more productive? Have you fought both wars? Did Jesus fight both?

Which battle is described in Rev. 3:20?

Rev 3:20 "Look at me. I stand at the door. I knock. If you hear me call and open the door, I'll come right in and sit down to supper with you.

4. Forgiving ourselves is easy when we know that Jesus has forgiven us. [Ps.51:3,4; Rev. 5; 1Jn.2:1,2] True and False

The “fight of faith” continues even after accepting Christ because temptation continues and that fight is to make things right with our own might. John addresses the fight of faith in a different way:

1 John 1:9-10

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives. (NIV)

David knew the struggle as well.

Psa 51:1 Generous in love--God, give grace! Huge in mercy--wipe out my bad record.

Psa 51:2 Scrub away my guilt, soak out my sins in your laundry.

Psa 51:3 I know how bad I've been; my sins are staring me down.

Psa 51:4 You're the One I've violated, and you've seen it all, seen the full extent of my evil. You have all the facts before you; whatever you decide about me is fair.

Psa 51:5 I've been out of step with you for a long time, in the wrong since before I was born.

Psa 51:6 What you're after is truth from the inside out. Enter me, then; conceive a new, true life.

Psa 51:7 Soak me in your laundry and I'll come out clean, scrub me and I'll have a snow-white life.

5. Jesus persuades the Father to save us by showing Him the scars of His crucifixion. [1Jn. 2:1; Jn.3:16,17; 1Jn.1:9] False

God needs no persuasion. He is in the business of reaching out to us!

John 3:16-18

16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. (NIV)

Reflective Conclusion

Just as the crucifixion left scars in the hands and side of Jesus so sin leaves scars in our lives. But it is also true that just as the scars of Christ did not stop Him from coming into the Father’s presence so also our past does not have to stop us from having a more full life. Sin is much more than sinful acts. It is a mindset set on self and from that perspective it reaches out to all gratifications within reach. Sin is darkness because it is a separation from God the source of all light. There is hope, however, for each one but is found outside of ourselves. We are not gods but sons and daughters of a loving, intervening God who has never stopped loving us. Such love is the basis of hope and the foundation for all behavioral change. Sin is so inherent in each one of us that the only hope for change is a “new birth” that is renewed each day in the presence of God. With Paul we draw the same conclusion: “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!