As we examine this next section of Scripture in First John, we notice a repeating concept throughout this passage—the idea of testifying or testi-mony. Realizing the varied definitions and understandings of this word, we see in the primary definition of “testimony” that it is a “firsthand authentication of a fact.” This is the type of testimony we see hear in John’s first letter—a firsthand authentication of the fact of who Jesus is and what Jesus has done. We have a choice today—we can either believe the testimony of God and receive eternal life or don’t—it’s that simple.
As difficulties arise each day, how are you dealing with them? Are you becoming overwhelmed by the stress and anxiety of contracting Covid-19? Has the racial tension across our great country caused uneasiness in you? Has isolation from interacting with people caused you to become despondent or depressed? Everyone is dealing with these things at least at some level. How are you doing? This morning, we’re going to divert from our study in 1 John to spend a few moments thinking about the frailty of life and how we are to respond to it. We’ll be looking today at the fourth chapter of Paul’s second letter to the Corinthian church as we consider a biblical response to the difficulties of our time.
As I was preparing our message this week, I found myself asking the question: “Is this really possible? Can people really do what I’m asking them to do this week? Can I do what I’m asking us to do?” As I studied, I realized that it is this defeatist attitude that usually keeps us from being all that God wants us to be. So as we move into the fifth chapter of First John, I want to encourage you to change your mind-set to that of Paul’s when he wrote, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). I want us to believe today that we can love as God loves and obey as God wants us to obey! That is evidence of our faith!
One of the effects of not meeting inside our facilities is that underutilized buildings tend to fall into disrepair. This past week, I was walking through the auditorium and actually walked through a cobweb! As I thought about the significance of that, I realized that just like our underutilized facility, the spiritual life of a believer who is not spending time in the Word and in prayer daily has the propensity to become stagnant and corroded. In other words, your daily spiritual walk has an effect on your spiritual well-being. That’s a pretty obvious statement, but one that we don’t seem to remember on a day-to-day basis. As we continue our journey through the second half of the book of First John, I want us to remember that the second half of this book is all about God’s love. I firmly believe that anyone who is encountering God’s love on a regular basis will not emerge unchanged. So this morning, we will be considering the effects of an encounter with the love of God.
Whether it is the latest Covid-19 Update or juicy gossip about our favorite celebrity, it is always wise that we consider the source of our information before blindly accepting it as truth! If it is important for things like this, how much more important is it that we consider the source when we are listening to teaching that is supposed to be truth from the Word of God. Are we considering the source there?
As we move on to chapter four in our study of the book of First John, we are confronted with this idea of considering the source. In the first six verses of this chapter, John provides us with four steps that we should take in order to identify whether or not the truth we are hearing is actually truth.
In the previous message, we completed the first section of the book of First John that focused on “God Is Light.” Now in this second section of the book, the focus turns to “God Is Love.” In this first message of this second section, the Apostle John presents the challenge to love one another. He says that this love will serve as evidence of our new life in Christ. But John is careful to note that love that is not demonstrated to others through our actions is not really love at all!
I’ll never forget something that my father told me one time as I was preparing for a game. I assume it was a football game that I was about to play, but I don’t recall the situation or exact circumstances surrounding the conversation—I only remember what he said. He said to me, “Don’t forget whose name is on the back of your jersey.” When I walked out onto that field, I wasn’t just representing myself—I was representing five generations of Allen men in Northwest Arkansas!
In our sermon today, I want us to think about this from an eternal/heavenly perspective. God the Father wants us to remember who we are as we live each day—we cannot forget that we are children of God—so we must live like God’s children!
In order to recognize counterfeit currency, you must be completely familiar with the real thing! In our study this morning, we’re going to take a few minutes considering real and counterfeit Christians—apostates and authentic believers. When considering this subject, it is essential that we know and understand who Jesus is and how we can come to know him better, because He is the definitive measure of truth!
Wouldn’t be nice if every time darkness and temptation was approaching us, we would hear some ominous music playing in the background to warn us? Wouldn’t be awesome to have John Williams composing the soundtrack of our lives? As awesome as that would be, it’s a fantasy—just like the Skywalker saga that we find in the mythical Star Wars universe. The reality is that darkness and evil lurk around every corner and we are seldom aware until it is too late! As we’ll discover today, the power of darkness resides in us—in the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life. So as we continue our study in 1 John this morning, we’re going to be focusing on power of darkness and the promise of God to overcome the power of darkness in our lives.
In the movie, The Princess Bride, Westley (the “Farm Boy”) proves his love to Princess Buttercup by being willing to do anything and everything that she commanded him to do. But it wasn’t just that he did what she told him, it was about the way that he did it. It was all about his attitude! As we move on to the next section of our study of 1 John, we find that God views obedience as a display of our love toward Hiim.