Experiential Exercise for 1 John 1:5 – 2:2

God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.—1 John 1:1-5

Remind the Class:

John proclaimed that God is light. Light is an ideal description of a holy God because it is a very proper emblem of purity, perfection, and goodness of His Divine nature (Clarke).If there is ever a problem in our relationship with the Creator, it’s our problem—because there is no sin or darkness in Him.

God has created us to walk in fellowship with Him; he has created us for relationship, interest and sharing. To walk in the light means to walk in a generally obedient life, without harboring known sin or resisting the conviction of the Holy Spirit.As God convicts us of sin that is hindering our fellowship with Him, we must confess it and receive forgiveness and cleansing for our relationship with God to continue without hindrance.

Share with the class that now we are going to think of those dark placesbut with a good ending!

Imagine that you are in a completely dark room. It’s large and empty. You are alone in the darkness. You slowly inch your way around the perimeter of the room. One hand moves along the wall, while the other hand is extended out in front of you. You try your best to keep your balance. You try not to panic. You try to navigate inside the room, but you can barely move because the darkness has overtaken you.

Just when fear and panic are about to overwhelm you, a light turns on and illuminates a small circle in one corner of the room. As your eyes adjust, you’re thrilled to see that it is Jesus standing in the circle of light. You move toward Him and realize that it’s not a spotlight that’s illuminating the room, it’s Christ Himself. He IS the light inside the room. The Savior smiles and invites you to join Him as He walks. You take Jesus’ hand and the two of you begin your journey. You quickly realize that in order to stay in the light of Jesus, you must keep walking. When you walk in the light, you walk where He is. As soon as you stop walking, the darkness envelops you once again.

After you’ve traveled a distance, Jesus stops for a moment. He turns to look at you and shares these words. His eyes are kind and his voice is gentle as he says: I want you to walk in the light with me. It’s why I created you. Remember, this is where you belong – right here with me. A part of walking together will require that you keep living in truth. A part of walking together will require that you confess your sin, because there is no darkness in me at all. If you confess your sin, I am faithful to forgive you. I’m faithful to cleanse the stain of your sin. I will advocate for you with my Father. I advocate on your behalf because although you are guilty, I have paid your penalty. I am qualified to take your punishment because I am the Righteous One. Come walk with Me. Let’s do this life together.

This imaginary scene illustrates the invitation we have from Jesus. He longs for us to walk with him and enjoy his presence every day.

  • What does it do to your heart to imagine this kind of invitation from Jesus?
  • What emotions do you have as you reflect on Christ’s faithfulness to forgive, cleanse and to advocate for you?

Teachers: Share your personal responses to the questions above. Share your responses as a way to encourage vulnerability with the Lord and one another.

Next, encourage the class to be doers of the Word, not hearers only. Invite class members to do 1 John 1:9.

But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

Reflect on your life and any ways you have stopped walking in the light of Jesus. What sins need to be confessed? In what ways do you miss the mark of His holiness? What behaviors, thoughts, attitudes or actions need to be confessed to God?

Take the next few moments and ask the Lord to show you any areas of your life that need confession.

Remember the teachings we discussed earlier about genuine biblical confessions.

Ask God what He thinks and feels about your sin(s). Take the time to let it sink in. Allow the thoughts and feelings to lead you to a place of godly sorrow.

Now make the transition to pray and ask God to forgive you and cleanse you and lift the burden of guilt.

Remember that He is inviting you to confess, so that the two of you can walk more closely together.

Give class members time to pray their silent prayers to Jesus.

You could end by asking volunteers to share what they just experienced and how they feel now.

Ex. Mercy, love, gratefulness, a lighter heart