Series: “Live Like a Champion: Victory Through the Promises of God!”

“The Promise of Forgiveness!”

1 John 1:5-10 (NASB95)

We have finished our study of 2 Peter 1, which is the foundation for this entire series. If you missed those foundational five sermons during the month of January, then please go to our webpage and you can either read the manuscripts on the blog or listen to and/or watch the messages through an audio or video file.

Today, we start looking at the individual promises—the plays in God’s Playbook—and learn how to apply them to our lives so that we can live the victorious life and play like champions!

Never forget the larger vision of why we are learning these lessons: We live like champions so that others will come to know the One who gave us His Victory—Jesus Christ, crucified, risen, and coming again!

We are starting with the promise that, in many ways, is the greatest evidence of our Christianity: nothing demonstrates to us and the world the tangible reality of Jesus Christ crucified, risen and coming again more than our ability to forgive as we have first been forgiven (Colossians 3:13; Ephesians 4:32).

Now, let’s start our study of the plays in God’s Playbook by walking through the 4 steps of how to live like a champion in both the private and public arenas of our lives, starting with the promise of forgiveness:

STEP #1: Know God’s playbook—the Bible—by learning the promises of God.

⁵This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. ⁶If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; ⁷but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. ⁸If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. ⁹If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.

Remember, knowing is more than memorizing; it is a call to internalizing it. That requires us to meditate upon it or hide God’s Word in our hearts (Psalm 119:11) so that the Word is in us and we are in the Word. We master when we memorize; it masters us when we internalize. Joshua was commanded in Joshua 1:7-9,

Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go. This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

STEP #2: Train in godliness by learning to live according to the promises of God.

To truly understand the importance of training ourselves in godliness according to this teaching, we need to go back to our theme passage for this sermon series. Peter teaches us the importance of receiving Christ’s forgiveness for ourselves in 2 Peter 1:5-10, with emphasis added to verse 9:

Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble;

Our scripture lesson in 1 John 1:5-10 is very clear and I’ll help you apply it with 1-2-3-LIVE IN GRACE!

“Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.”

The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.”

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

This “1-2-3-Live in Grace! “ application of 1 John 1:5-10 is essential to the promise of forgiveness. Only God’s love is perfect; therefore, we must live in a forgiving love that is anchored on His perfect love!

STEP #3: We are invited to learn how to listen to the Coach’s voice so that we play the right play at the right time.

Jesus is very clear about the urgency of forgiveness. In Matthew 6:12, Jesus taught us to pray in the Lord’s prayer: “And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”

“For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. “But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions” (cf. 2 Corinthians 2:10-11).

What a wonderful invitation from our Lord and Savior! But the disciples were confused by this, so listen to this exchange between Peter and Jesus in Matthew 18:21-35, as Jesus makes the application very clear:

Then Peter came and said to Him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. “For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. “When he had begun to settle them, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. “But since he did not have the means to repay, his lord commanded him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all that he had, and repayment to be made. “So the slave fell to the ground and prostrated himself before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you everything.’ “And the lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him the debt. “But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and he seized him and began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay back what you owe.’ “So his fellow slave fell to the ground and began to plead with him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you.’ “But he was unwilling and went and threw him in prison until he should pay back what was owed. “So when his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were deeply grieved and came and reported to their lord all that had happened. “Then summoning him, his lord said to him, ‘You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. ‘Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had mercy on you?’ “And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him. “My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart.”

What is the right play to run in both the private and public arenas of our lives: FORGIVE! Every time!! Because this is the sign and wonder of the resurrection in you and through you! This is our mission as the people of God and that leads us to step #4.

STEP #4: Work together as one team—we are members of God’s family—His Church.

I close our time together with Jesus’ words from Matthew 5:22-24, as an invitation to each of us today, because we can’t make visible to the world our Victory if we don’t run the plays together as one team:

But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, “You good-for-nothing,” shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, “You fool,” shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell. Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.

We are one team! We each have been chosen by God and called to be on the field together, but how can we play as one team if we aren’t willing to practice together the most fundamental play in the Playbook? What would it look like to the world watching the Superbowl if the players were fighting one another on the sidelines or arguing with the QB and one another in huddle? As Jesus said in John 13:35, “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”