The Daily Walk | 03.10.26 | Isak Morehous | 1 John 1:9

Good morning and thank you for beginning your day with us.

I want to talk a little bit about guilt this morning.

Great topic of conversation first thing in the morning, right?

Well, let me read to you an encouragement from 1 John 1.9.

It says this if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

One of the most universal human experiences is the weight of guilt.

Every one of us knows what it feels like to have that pit form in your stomach.

And guilt at times can cause us to act in a way that we know that we shouldn't, in a way that goes against what God desires for us.

Just like Adam and Eve in the garden, we might try to cover things up, or maybe we minimize our actions, or we even try to justify them.

Or we may even try to ignore the conviction that we feel for our actions.

But God offers us a better way.

This verse begins with a simple invitation.

If we confess our sins, confession means we come honestly before God, that we stop pretending or trying to defend ourselves.

We accept that we are guilty sinners, and then we bring that sin into the light.

We bring it before God.

And when we do that, this verse reminds us of who God is.

It says that He is faithful and just to forgive us.

That means that the weight of our guilt, the weight of our sin is gone.

That means that forgiveness is not uncertain for us.

It doesn't depend on how emotional we feel or how well we've performed.

God is faithful.

He keeps his promises.

And God is also just because our forgiveness has already been secured through the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross.

Because Jesus paid the penalty for our sin.

God can forgive us completely.

And notice the second promise in this verse.

He doesn't only forgive us, he cleanses us.

God removes the stain of sin.

He restores us and makes us clean.

That means the sins we confess to him are covered by his grace.

So today I want you to take a moment to come before the Lord with total honesty and transparency.

If there is sin in your heart or your life, bring it to him, confess it, and trust this promise that God is faithful to forgive and to cleanse.

And as you do, remember that confession is not meant to lead us into shame or guilt.

It leads us into the freedom of God's grace.

That's all for this morning, and I hope that it was encouraging to you.

May we strive to love Jesus more obediently and to make him known.

Peace.