Provoking Thoughts From First John (1 Of 16)

The three books of John are referred to as “letters, however, the first was not written in the form of a letter.

For example, it has no salutation nor conclusion. In fact, it has all the characteristics of a sermon in which a pastor is revealing his love for God’s people.

To have a good understanding of the book, we have to understand some things about the city of Ephesus, from which this book was sent out. For example, look at...

A. THEIR HERITAGE

John was the pastor of the church in the city of Ephesus around the second century AD. He was the elder statesman who was one of the original twelve disciples.

Many of the believers in the church of Ephesus were children, or grandchildren of the first Christian church. Many of the glorious things that had happened in the earlier days of Christianity were fresh on their minds.

Illus: They could probably remember hearing their parents, or grandparents, talk about how Paul was in Ephesus and preached with the power of the Holy Spirit.

In fact, Paul had been so effective that Demetrius, the silversmith, who made silver images of the goddess Diana, felt that he would be put out of business.

To the believers what they were told was all second-hand information, although their fathers and grandparents had seen and heard of those things. Now, years later, the brightness of this rich heritage was wearing off.

In fact, the church at Ephesus, that had such a deep love for the Lord, was the same church of which John spoke from the Isle of Patmos, Rev. 2:4, “Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.” They had lost their love for the Lord Jesus.

But, at the time John wrote 1, 2, and 3 John they had not yet drifted to that point.

They had had been given a RICH SPIRITUAL HERITAGE. Look at...

B. THEIR COMPROMISE

They should have stood firmly, with this rich heritage, but instead of standing firm on the teachings of Paul, and others, they were caving in to false teachings of false teachers.

When Paul had preached there many years earlier, he had raised the standard of holiness high, but the false teachers were lowering the standards.

We never help people when we lower standards.

Illus: All of us are familiar with what has happened as a result of the lowering of standards in the educational system. We have kept “dumbing” down now we lag behind. It would be better to raise the scholastic standards and then students would be challenged to extend themselves.

The false teachers of John’s day were lowering the standard of holiness.

This has also happened today. The reason so many Christians follow the WORLD’S SYSTEM is because the standards are so low and it takes no effort to meet the standards the world requires.

For example, many American men will take their sons to the local bar when they reach around twenty years of age. A dad might say to his son, “Son, let’s have a drink together. It is about time you became a man.” Dads who do this, lower the standard of living for their sons.

God knew the world would always be trying to lure Christians down to its sinful standards. This is why God’s Word orders that we be “not conformed to the world.”

That is, “Do not allow the world to squeeze you into its mold.” When one allows the world to squeeze him into its mold, then he is a carbon copy of worldly people.

John was aware that the church of Ephesus was becoming a carbon copy of the lost world in which they lived. Again, they had a rich spiritual heritage, but as time passed they were drifting farther and farther from it.

Oh how it behooves us to be on guard more and more. As Christians, daily we find we are different from most people we associate with, and are surrounded by, each day.

The children and grandchildren of the members of the first Christian church began to COMPROMISE their teachings because it was less of a “hassle” to conform to the lifestyle of lost people around them than to continue firm in Jesus’ teachings.

Again, to understand the epistles of John, we have to understand THE HERITAGE AND COMPROMISE of the Ephesian Christians. Also.

C. THEIR OPPOSITION The apostle Paul had spiritual foresight. He could foresee problems were going to come to the church of Ephesus.

Look at Acts 20:29-30. We read, “For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.”

Notice that Paul warned them that after he departed men would come in as “...grievous wolves...”