Day 2694 – A Joyful Life - God is Light and Our Blight - 1 John 1:5-10

Welcome to Day 2694 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me.This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to WisdomDay 2694 – A Joyful Life - God is Light and Our Blight - 1 John 1:5-10Putnam Church Message – 08/10/2025Sermon Series: 1, 2, & 3 John“A Joyful Life – God’s Light and Our Blight.” Last week, we explored “A Joyful Life - God is Life,” from 1 John 1:1-4, and we focused on Communion and Joy with God and each other.This week, we continue through the letter of 1 John, and we will cover 1 John 1:5-10 as we explore “God’s Light and Our Blight.” Let’s read 1 John 1:5-10 from the NIV, which is found on page 1899 of your Pew Bibles.Light and Darkness, Sin and Forgiveness5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all[a] sin.8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.Opening PrayerAt some point in each of our lives, we transition from childhood to adulthood, from student to teacher, from mentee to mentor. Wisely, my parents had me wait a year after high school before entering college. I needed that extra year to mature and earn additional money. By God’s grace and planning, it also allowed me to meet Paula in her first year; otherwise, God would have had to work out our meeting in another way. I remember when I was on my way out, heading to college for the first time, I knew that I would be on my own for the rest of my life. My parents did all they could to raise me right, to instill in me solid values, words of wisdom, and examples to follow. When I had to cross the threshold of the house that marked the moment of my transition from dependent child to independent adult, my parents knew that they had taught me the best they knew how, and now the decisions to continue walking in that knowledge were up to me.I may have been on my own physically, at least for a season—until I began to build my own family and emulate the wisdom and lessons my parents had taught me. But I wasn’t on my own spiritually. The words and examples of my parents were always there, becoming increasingly relevant and meaningful as I faced my own real-life situations. As I continued to mature as an adult, I can’t remember how many times the words of my mom or dad came back to me, and I thought, “That’s what they meant!” They also left me a priceless spiritual legacy, introducing me to the Lord Jesus, a respect for God’s Word, and a love for others, especially fellow believers.I imagine something similar happened with Jesus’ original disciples. They continued to mature in their understanding of the faith after the Lord Jesus pushed His disciples out of the nest and sent...