Uh-Oh

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 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 cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. (1 John 1:5-10 ESV). Don’t you just hate it when you hear the words, “uh-oh”? I can think of several places when that would be especially true. For example, when you are having any kind of surgery, you sure don’t want to hear the doctor say, “uh-oh!” And there are many times when it goes without saying! Just ask the First National Bank of Chicago. Their computer said “uh-oh” to the tune of $763.9 billion! The largest computer error in the history of banking in the United States occurred in mid-May of 1996 when a faulty computer program deposited millions of dollars each into more than 800 First National Bank customer accounts. Jeff Ferrera called his bank to check on his balance. After going through the list of menus, an automated voice told him his checking account balance was $924,844,208.32. To say the least, he was startled! Then the computer technician at Zenith Electronics began weighing his options. Some of his friends suggested that he wire it to the Cayman Islands and buy himself a new identity. Then he thought about putting his millions into a short-term account, earning a few thousand dollars in interest, and then returning all $924.8 million to the bank in a few days. "I figured they won’t catch it for a week," he told himself, "and I’d put it all back. What’s the harm?" As it turned out, he needn’t have worried. The bank spotted the computer error of depositing more than six times its total assets into various accounts and froze all accounts. By 1 a.m. on the morning of May 18, everything had been cleared up. There will always be uh-ohs in our lives. Some of them are more destructive than others. However, the promise of God is that they never need be permanent. When John wrote to the young Christians the words of our reading today, he let that truth be very clear. The only thing standing in the way of anyone being completely forgiven is their unwillingness to agree with God that they made a mistake. If you will confess your sin, God’s promise is that He will forgive it. From Texas history comes the story of the conversion of Sam Houston. At one tine, the Texas hero was called “The Old Drunk.” While he was governor of Tennessee, his wife left him. In despair he resigned as governor and tried to escape his problems by going to live among Cherokee Indians. He stayed drunk much of the time. It is said that the Indians, as they walked through the forest, would have to move him out of the path where he lay in a stupor. He married the daughter of a Baptist preacher and later trusted Christ. It was then that he began to change. This is what prepared him to be the great hero of the Texas revolution when he routed General Santa Ana’s Mexican army. Every Texas remembers the immortal battle cry of Sam Houston, “Remember the Alamo.” However, the real battle was won long before that in Sam Houston’s heart. When he learned the power of forgiveness through God’s grace, he was then truly ready to lead Texas to freedom! How about you today? Do you need to confess and receive the restoration of God’s grace? You can, if you will.