The Black and White of walking with God

I John 1:5-7

Introduction: When you hear the phrase walking with God what comes to your mind? Your lifestyle, your conversation, the way you raise your children. Well all of these can and do fall under the definition but without the proper spiritual relationship you cannot walk with God. We find that in His word the bible. You see some people would have us believe the bible is a history book dealing with what has already taken place. Others would have us believe the bible is a book written about future events. Too, an extent they are right but it doesn’t stop with these two areas. You see the bible speaks to you and me today, in 2006. Just as if it were written this morning. The book of first John speaks to contemporary life. How do I know that, it speaks about sin and mans failure from it and how those in the church are not immune from it? Every one sitting in this room today is a sinner, I know that because in Romans 3:23 we read “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” You are sitting here today a sinner. Now you are either a redeemed sinner or a condemned sinner but you are a sinner and so am I. Today our society has convinced itself that God can be appeased by the works of an individual regardless of their spiritual condition. The passage we are looking at this morning tells a different story. Look with me as we explore the black and white of walking with God.

First we see

I. The testimony of our life

A. The lifestyle we live

B. The words we choose

C. The works we produce

As we have looked at the testimony of our life, we should be reminded that every day we add to our testimony in one of two ways, either we improve it or we destroy it. That is a choice you and I make on a daily basis and may I add many times during the day.

(Ill.)An interesting phenomenon is occurring in our society. There is a high interest in salvation but a low interest in Christian living. Recent studies show that church attendance on any given Sunday morning across this great land is at an all time high. There are more men, women, and children filling church pews on Sundays than at any time in our history. However, the same studies show that moral standards are at an all time low. Some of these same church-goers are divorcing mates, aborting babies, cheating on spouses, drinking liquor, gambling paychecks, and abusing children at an unbelievably high rate.

What's the problem here? In a recent class, the teacher may have given us a good hint as to what is happening. He stated, "More people today want to 'Get Saved,'than want to 'live Saved.'" He referred to this conflict as "Justification versus Sanctification."

We can be really satisfied living a life “just-as-if-I’d-never-sinned” (justified) but to pursue sanctification will require one thing from you and I. That’s Repentance and whether we will admit or not we are suffering from...

II. The relaxation of our repentance

We suffer by...

A. The denial of our sin

B. The diluting of our sin

C. The disguising of our sin

We have been reminded of the testimony of our life and relaxation of our repentance and that probably has most of you ready to go to the house and have preacher for lunch. Well we aint done yet. We have just got to the good part, you see we have dealt with some pretty rough stuff this morning but I would not be doing the job God called me to if Iet you leave His house feeling defeated. God isn’t about defeat and you don’t have to be either. You see there is a victory to be had through the person of Jesus Christ today and because of that, we need to look at...

III. The value of our victory

A. Our joy of justification

The act of God declaring men free from guilt and acceptable to him.

B. Our seeking of sanctification

The effect of consecration

C. Our pleasure of propitiation

used of the cover of the ark of the covenant in the Holy of Holies, which was sprinkled with the blood of the expiatory victim on the annual day of atonement (this rite signifying that the life of the people, the loss of which they had merited by their sins, was offered to God in the blood as the life of the victim, and that God by this ceremony was appeased and their sins expiated); hence the lid of expiation, the propitiatory

Conclusion: This morning as our musicians come and I close this message I want to use a true story. “Former President Ronald Reagan says he learned the need for decision-making early in life. An aunt had taken him to a cobbler to have a pair of shoes made for him. The shoemaker asked young Ronald Reagan, "Do you want a square toe or a round toe?” Reagan hemmed and hawed. So the cobbler said, "Come back in a day or two and let me know what you want.” A few days later, the shoemaker saw Reagan on the street and asked what he had decided about the shoes. "I still haven't made up my mind," the boy answered. "Very well," said the cobbler. When Reagan received the shoes, he was shocked to see that one shoe had a square toe and the other a round toe.” Looking at those shoes every day taught me a lesson," said Reagan years later. "If you don't make your own decisions, somebody else will make them for you!” The sovereign God has made us people, not puppets. We have His Word to guide us, His love to redeem us, and His assurance that we are capable of making choices.” This morning only you and God know what choices need to be made in your life. Is it a relationship with Jesus Christ, is it rededication, or is it just saying thank you for an answered prayer. If you need someone to pray with you we are here if God is dealing with your heart while we sing will you come?