What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we
WEEK 32
LONGING FOR CONTINUAL
CLEANSING
1 JOHN 1
What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life—and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us—what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete.
This 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. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but 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. If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous 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.
WE COME BEFORE YOU, our great God and eternal King,
acknowledging that we are sinful, not only in that we have sinned, but also that we do sin. We want no self-deception about that:
Your Word makes it clear if we denied our sin, we would be calling You a liar! Our sin is ever before us, to echo King David's prayer,1
so we want first to confess our sins, knowing You are faithful to forgive us
and that You bring Your righteousness to bear
in cleansing us of each day's sinful accumulations.
In the same breath we also thank You, heavenly Father,
for the glories of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, especially the fellowship we enjoy together
with You and Your Son. Our tongues cannot find sufficient praise wherewith to bless You. What You have done for us exceeds all human accolades. Our poor minds can't begin to fathom the immensity of Your grace,
but we know that You are far more worthy
than human language could ever express. That cannot stop us from trying—
and we trust that You will receive
the simple thanks of Your children.
Thank You for the daily mercies You shower us with:
the comforts and blessings of life, the joy of family and friends, the love of the church, and countless other good things
that you give us richly to enjoy.2
We thank You especially for the Holy Scriptures, the Word of Life,3
for how would we live without Your truth? It leads us to repentance when we sin,
it gives us promises to live by, and it encourages our hearts
to love and pursue holiness. We long for heaven, where we will finally be perfect,
but for now we live in a world
where we are still beset by sin, failure, and weakness— and we confess that we often stumble and fall. We desperately need Your constant forgiveness and sustaining grace. Give us a deeper hunger for righteousness.
We therefore ask, O God, that Your Word
would dominate our thinking, cleanse our consciences, and control our living so that the glories of Christ and the transforming power of the gospel
would clearly be on display in us.
Thank You for that continual cleansing from all our sin. Thank You for the grace that is in Christ Jesus, our Savior. Thank you for the great love
with which You drew us to Yourself. Such divine favor is something we could never earn;
You have given it simply because we asked in faith
that You Yourself graciously supplied.4
We cling to Christ, in whose name we pray,
asking in conclusion that through Him
we might bring honor to Your worthy name. Amen.
1. Psalm 51:2-4 2. 1 Timothy 6:17
3. Philippians 2:14-16; Acts 5:19-20 4. Ephesians 2:8-10