You don't have to sin!

"My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin" (1 John 1:1a).

Wow! John is pretty bold to write that he has the secret to a life without sin.

I'm guessing that most of us would like to read what that secret is.

Then we just have to study what John has written, so we'll back up to the beginning of 1 John.

John begins by writing about the Word of life, Jesus Christ. He has eternally been with the Father, but was revealed to man. He came to earth and revealed the Father to us (1:1-2).

Christ was revealed so that we can have fellowship with the Father, with His Son Jesus Christ and with other  believers (v 3).

And when we enjoy this type of fellowship, our joy can be full (v 4).

So Christ came that we can have relationships and joy.

How do we maintain fellowship with the Father, the Son and other believers, gaining the by-product of joy?

By having a biblical view of God and sin.

God is light. Sin is darkness. Light and darkness can't exist in the same place at the same time.

If we want to have fellowship, we have to choose not to sin (v 5-7) and admit our sinfulness and sins (v 8-10).

We can choose not to sin, but if we fail and choose sinfully, there's still hope.

The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin (v 7). Because He is faithful and just, He will forgive us and cleanse us (v 10). He is the advocate with the Father on our behalf (2:1) and He has satisfied God with His sacrifice (2:2).

Put it all together and we have no reason to sin.

We can choose to have fellowship with God, Jesus and other believers, filled with joy.

Or we can choose to live a secret life of sinfulness, filled with fear of discovery.

What's your choice?

Mardi Gras

Today is Fat Tuesday, which is the translation of the French term, "mardi gras." It is the last day of feasting and frivolity before the time of fasting and solemnity preceding Easter. For some it will be a day of eating donuts, pancakes and other fatty foods, before they give up something for Lent. For many others it's a day of wild parties, where various acts of sinful behavior are committed. Often these acts are committed behind masks, so that there can be no harm done, no guilt credited. Millions around the world will return to their homes in a drunken or doped up stage, having participated in various acts of indecency and sexual perversion.

Followers of Jesus Christ will decry mardi gras activities. They will avoid drunkenness, drugs and debauchery. They will stay away from the activities of carnival (festival of the flesh).

Well, at least the extremes...

How many will fulfill the desires of the works of the flesh listed in Galatians 6?

"Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies and things like these..." (Gal 6:19-20)

By the way, you don't get to pick and choose. Not even 99.99% is a passing grade. Not even an occasional event of one of these works gets you off the hook. Even a thought of one makes you as guilty as the one whose life is characterized by all of them.

But that's okay.

We'll get cleaned up before AWANA and prayer meeting on Wednesday.

I'll do my hair up nice and smile real pretty in the choir.

My sermon on Sunday will be so good, that no one will suspect anything.

How is that any different than Fat Tuesday and Ash Wednesday?

Wallow in sin, but show up sparkly clean at church?

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires" (vs 22-24).

"Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness" (Romans 6:12-13).

The Christian life that is a cycle of Fat Tuesdays and Ash Wednesdays is not what God intends. We have been declared to be holy. We are to live holy.

All the time.

Consecration

While the children of were at Mt Sinai, their new religious rituals were being established. Laws, sacrifices, holy days, festivals and a meeting place were given to the people for their worship and relationship with Jehovah.

They were starting anew. Nothing like this had been done before.

One part of the process was the consecration of the priests, recorded in Exodus 29.

One bull, two rams, unleavened bread, unleavened cakes mixed with oil and unleavened wafers smeared with oil were to be brought to the entrance of the tent of meeting. 

Aaron and his sons were to be washed and Aaron would be clothed with the high priestly garments. Aaron's sons would be clothed in the priestly attire. The animals sacrificed, the horns of the altar smeared in blood.

With the blood of the second ram, Moses was to perform a particular ceremony to Aaron and his sons:

"...you shall kill the ram and take part of its blood and put it on the tip of the right ear of Aaron and on the tips of the right ears of his son, and on the thumbs of their right hands and on the great toes of their right fee, and thrown the rest of the blood against the sides of the altar. Then you shall take part of the blood that is on the altar, and of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it on Aaron and his garments, and on his sons and his sons' garments with him. He and his garments shall be holy, and his sons and his sons' garments with him" (vs 20-21).

The blood of the sacrifice was what made the high priest and his sons, as well as their garments holy, sanctified, set apart. From that point on these men were separated from the rest of the people. These garments were to be worn in the performance of their duties of representing the people before God. These men and their clothing were no longer common; they were separated unto God.

Although the believer does not go through this ritual of consecration, they have been consecrated by a much greater sacrifice than the blood of a ram. We have been called to be holy, to live holy lives, sanctified to God.

"...but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct...knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot" (1 Pet 1:15-19).

What can wash away my sins?

Nothing but the blood of Jesus!

What can make me whole again?

Nothing but the blood of Jesus!

Oh, precious is the flow

That makes me white as snow!

No other fount I know!

Nothing but the blood of Jesus!