"Deceived" Word Night, Aug 26-Sept 1

Texts:

Isaiah 64:6
1 John 1:5-10
Genesis 3:14-15

Unpack it: As a result of following Jesus, his holiness amplifies our unholiness.  That confrontation brings us to confession and repentance.

1.  Look at the language that God uses to describe our good deeds and attempt at holiness and righteousness apart from Jesus.  Knowing that's how God views your attempt at good, how does that impact how you view your sin?

2.  Look back in the OT at ways that God handled sin.  Death, famine, plagues, killed off an entire generation of people in the wilderness, discomfort, removing of his provision and presence, etc.  Do you think God still has the same viewpoint of sin today?  Why of why not?  What's different?

3. What does light do to darkness?  It pushes it back and exposes it.  Think about the light/dark analogy when it comes to God and our sin.  How is our sin exposed?  It should be a natural reaction to walking with God.  So is that process evident in your life?  If not, what does that communicate about your relationship with God?

4.  What does it mean to know Jesus?  What does it mean to be a follower of Jesus?  Your reaction to sin helps show which team you are on.  Why is this such a critical question?

5.  What is the one case that Satan has against humanity?  How does Satan try to manipulate people into thinking that they are hopeless, shameful, and guilty?  His secret weapon is convincing people that you are too long gone to confess and turn around now, so don't even try.  He is literally fighting to keep you from confessing and repenting and finding Jesus.  Once you find Jesus, his only case against you in nullified.

6.  What is your natural reaction to darkness in your life?  Run away from it, ignore it, hide it, put lipstick on it to make it look better, downplay it, confess it, embrace it?  We all have darkness and sin in our lives (if you don't think you do, then you're calling God a liar).  So the important question is what is our reaction going to be to the light?  If you are to comfortable with your sin, the light will annoy you and you will turn away from it.  However, when we are willing to be exposed by the light in order to rid the darkness from our lives, we will start to be dependent on the light and will welcome it in our lives.

At first, the light will be hard to look at (embarrassing, humbling, will show you things you don't want to have to look at), but keep going towards it!  Keep depending on it!