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* * 0 God Demands Direction

& not Perfection! 1 Jn 1:7-10 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say

that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from

all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and

His word is not in us.

* * 0 Godly Logic!

●The Bible often uses logic to teach truth!–See Is. 1:18 cf. Jn. 8:31-32●1 Jn. 1:7-10 is often called “God’s

second law of pardon!”●John uses common logic to teach a

valuable and much needed truth!–“If (P) then (Q)” Modus Ponens or “if,

then syllogism”●“If” is found 5 times in this first

chapter!–Once in each of the last five verses! P

= Q

* * 0 How many of you here today have ever met someone perfect, besides

yourself of course?●The fact is that there are no perfect

people, and there has only ever been one!–None righteous, no not one! (Rom. 3:10)–None that understand, none that seek after

God! (Rom. 3:11)–All gone away/astray, none that does good,

no not one! (Rom. 3:12 “all have sinned!”)●The only perfect person was Jesus!

–“Yet without sin!” (Heb. 4:15)

* * 0 The fact remains that even the children of God make mistakes and

continually need forgiveness!●As we will see today, the Bible

demands direction and not perfection!●I can remember listening to sermons

growing up and thinking to myself “I am going to have to wait until right before I die to be baptized, because I know I wont be able to live a perfect life!”●I was clearly misunderstanding God’s

forgiveness and what being a Christian is!

* * 0 Rom 8:37 Yet in all these things

we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

●Direction and not perfection! Far too many Christians have simply given up on doing what is right because they have never learned this principle!●Many Christians go around always

feeling defeated, they experience the struggle Paul speaks of in (Rom. 7) and then fail to see the deliverance in (Rom. 7:24,25) and then expressed in (Rom. 8!)

* * 0 I. The Realization!

●If one picks up their Bible and starts reading they will read of men said to be “perfect” But what does this really mean?–Gen 6:9 This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah

was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God. NKJV

–Gen 17:1 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. KJV

–Deut 18:13 Thou shalt be perfect with the LORD thy God. KJV

* * 0 Each of these is translated from the Hebrew word tamiym

●Found 91 times in the OT! Translated as..–Without blemish 44 times–Perfect 18 times–Upright 8 times–Without spot 6 times–Uprightly 4 times–Sincerely 2 times–Complete 1 time–Full 1 time–Misc. 3 times

* * 0 Gen. 6:9 “Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation, Noah walked with

God!” ESV●Blameless vs. Perfect!–Did Noah ever sin? Did he ever make a

mistake? (Cf. Rom. 3:10-12, 23)–Yet, he was blameless in the sight of

God!●Only one person has ever walked this

earth and never sinned, only one was ever perfect and that was Jesus!–Heb. 4:15 cf. Jn. 8:7

* * 0 The one that is blameless is the one that when they sin they seek

God’s forgiveness!Phil. 2:15; 2 Pet. 3:14

●For example consider King David!–Act 13:22 "And when He had removed him,

He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, 'I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.”

–Yet, did he ever make a mistake? YES!!!–When he was confronted with his sin, he was

willing to seek God’s forgiveness!

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II. The Recognition!●In our second point this morning we

want to move from “what” to “why!”–This is where we need to understand

how this applies to us as Christians!●We must “recognize” that we will make

mistakes, but we do not have to continue to make them, and God is here to help!–Lets read together! (1 Jn. 3:1-10)●Everyone of us is “practicing”

something, either how to live right or live wrong!

* * 0 As we read of the great men and

women of the Bible, we read of both their strengths and

weaknesses!●The strong man is not the one that never falls, he is the one that keeps on trying and getting up again!●We need to simply learn to never

give up and keep on trying, trusting God to help carry us through!●We learn to always do our best and

trust God to do the rest!

* * 0 III. The Result!

●In our last point this morning we now want to move to the “application” of what the realization and recognition must bring!●When we properly understand that God is

here to help us, this should motivate us to want to walk with God!–Heb 13:5-6 Let your conduct be without

covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." So we may boldly say: "The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?"

* * 0 When we are walking with God,

He is here to help us when we stumble, when we fall!

●God is here to help us “get back up again!”

●This is also why we “need” one another in the body of Christ!

–Eccl 4:9-10 Two are better than one, Because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, For he has no one to help him up.

* * 0 Because God demands

direction and not perfection, we must keep

looking to Him!●Keep looking to Him for forgiveness!●Keep looking to Him for

strength!–Phil. 4:13 I can do all things through

Christ who strengthens me.●We cannot do it alone! We need

God and we need one another!

* * 0 Conclusion:●There has only ever been one perfect

person and that was Jesus! Our only hope is Jesus!–Rev. 1:5 and from Jesus Christ, the

faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood!

●Never give up hope, as long as we are walking in the light, the blood of Jesus continues to cleanse us from sin! ●Have you come to Jesus to be

forgiven?

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