5 Certainties In The Christian Life Series

Series: 1 John

Week: 13

Passage: 1 John 3:11-15

Title: 5 Certainties in the Christian Life

Focus: Christian Living

LAST WEEK: Question: Which Father are you following? Heavenly Father (Choosing light) or Satan (Choosing darkness)? Your actions either point to God or Satan.

OPENING QUOTE:

• The SIX most important words: "I admit I made a mistake."

• The FIVE most important words: "You did a good job."

• The FOUR most important words: "What do you think?"

• The THREE most important words: "After you please."

• The TWO most important words: "Thank you."

• The ONE most important word: "We"

• The LEAST important word: "I"

Does God want us to love one another simply to just get along? The message of the Gospel seems to be more than simply “getting along”. The greatest test of our righteousness is having a love for our brothers and sisters in Christ.

SCRIPTURE: “For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. 12 Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous. 13 Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters, if the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death. 15 Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.” 1 John 3:11-15

TITLE: (John’s) 4 Certainties in the Christian Life (1 John 3:11-15)

Certainty #1: There is a Message (1 John 3:11)

• Explanation: We know there is a message from John and that message in the Bible always goes back to LOVE. John starts the selected passages by using the words “from the beginning” pointing to two specific areas that would attract his audience’s attention.

o Creation (OT): “the beginning” refers to the creation and God’s provision for the people through giving commandments and law (discussed two weeks ago). God has been demonstrating His love for His creation “from the beginning” (provision).

• Deut. 6:5 and Lev. 19:18 (The great commandment to the people on what to love): “You shall LOVE the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might… LOVE your neighbor as yourself.”

o Messiah (NT): This is the message of Jesus that was proclaimed to us “from the beginning” for the New Testament crowd. For John, this was the first time they heard about loving one another through a messianic voice.

• Matthew 22:35 and Mark 12:28: Questioning over what is the greatest law and Jesus response of the Old Testament

• Luke 10:25: “On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.”

• Illustration: The strongest argument for the Gospel of Christ is the personal testimony of someone whose life has been changed by it. That they love the Lord and love their fellow brother and sister in Christ.

• Application: This is the message but what does that mean for us?

o We need to remember here is that a love for others grows out of our love for God. Where is our love for God if we do not love our fellow Christian brothers and sisters?

• John 13:34-35: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

• People will know we are disciples of Christ if we love.

• 1 Corinthians 13: The love chapter

• The message from the Gospel is that we are to love one another because Christ loved us. Our love is to be the example for our people reflecting from Jesus and goes out to brotherly love (within the church).

• Questions:

o If we can’t love each other (as a church) how are we going to love the unsaved?

o Where are we as a church in our love for each other?

Certainty #2: The Message is Offensive (1 John 3:12)

• Explanation: John says we are either black or white, living in light or darkness, reflecting God or reflecting Satan. There is not a lot of middle ground. As John progresses, he gives an example of hatred through the OT story of Cain and Able.