BiblicalMastery Buddy's bible blog

Lesson 4

Where’s the Church Today?

1 John 2:12-28

Fourteen years ago I went with a group of youth on a mission trip to Venezuela. There was a couple incidences that have stuck in my mind all the years. Both involved the actions I observed during the week we were there. First was how seriously the young people took their quiet time with the Lord. It was nothing unusual to find them by themselves with their Bibles open. Obviously the practice had not started on the way to Venezuela. Almost all of them came from strong Christian homes that had provided them the solid biblical foundation they displayed in a strange place.

The second showed their understanding of putting others first. They had observed that each meal many rushed to be first in line to get their food. Since there was only so much food prepared those who came last found that most of the food was gone and they had to be satisfied with what was left. A unanimous decision was made by the the team to purposely allow everyone else go ahead of them even it meant they might not get much to eat.

Both of these things showed the spiritual maturity. They did not do them to draw attention to themselves. It pointed out to me was again that chronological age is no determiner of spiritual maturity. That maturity can only come as one seeks to know God through His word and the teaching of those who have spent years growing in their own relationship.

As I have mentioned several times in other lessons the Church is under attack by the forces of society. In the body are found all different levels of maturity. To help each with the struggles that all face it is important to learn where every person stands. Only by doing so can we all become strong when facing the enemy. Sadly the church has become somewhat apathetic. Just listen to the conversations that place in the building or homes. Look at those who have never have anyone to encourage them by meeting with them and sharing what God has written to give us strength for this life. Unless we build each other up the enemy will win.

1 John 2:12-14

John dealt with three different groups of people. Logically the characteristics might appear to relate to specific ages Most commentators believe that the author was referring to spiritual maturity. Young children in both cases would be those who are new to Christianity. They have been saved thus sealed by the Holy Spiritual. There sins were forgiven which is the first step to salvation. Following that initial step they have begun to know the Father. They had just begun to grow and hopefully would become like the fathers and the young men.

The fathers had come to know God and understood His eternal nation. They were mature and were in the position to lead their families and teach those who were coming behind them because of their knowledge. John repeated that same description because there was nothing more to say about them.

He then turned to the young men in the faith. They had first been saved. The second thing John would say about them was they were strong enough physically and spiritually to act out their faith. Like the young people described in the opening remarks, they had a firm grasp of the Scriptures and made them an important part of their lives. With that understanding they were able to stand up and defeat the devil.

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1. How would the three descriptions fit different age groups?

2. In what ways would they not be totally accurate? (Age has nothing to do with spiritual maturity or maturity in general. See examples in the opening paragraphs.)

3. What is a better way to address the three classes of people? (New believers, mature and those who put their faith into action.)

4. What is the foundation for each one? (Forgiveness and knowledge, Living out one’s faith over a number years and growing from those experiences, Having God’s word abide in one’s life.)

5. Why are these crucial in the warfare with satan?

1 John 2:15

John turns from the characteristics of followers of Christ to the challenges to their faith that are present in the world. He admonishes them to not get caught up in the cosmos. The world itself is God’s creation and is amoral. John was speaking of the world system under the controlled by the evil. In the twenty first century it is best described as a humanistic society which is in man is in rebellion with God. The person who has fallen into this trap is alienated from the Father and His love has no place in that person’s life.

1. What did John mean by saying to not love the world or the physical things found in it? (He was referring to all that places man at the center of everything that is taking place. It is a humanistic and atheistic philosophy that excludes God from man’s activities.)

2. What is the word that John uses to describe such a condition of man?

3. How is this different from how one would describe the world in which we live? (The world is God’s creation and is intended for man’s use?

4. Why is it not possible for God’s love to abide in a person with a humanistic perspective on life?

   (The cosmos becomes his God thus leaving God out.)

1 John 2:16

There are three aspects of what the world has to offer. John called them lusts. Lusts are the excesses to which natural desires can become unless man is in union with God. None of the following three can ever be satisfied. Appetites whatever they may be are insatiable like a forest burning everything in its path. They are:

• Lust of the flesh which focuses totally on satisfying a person’s physical desires without regard to others. It may include sexual immorality, gluttony, greed etc. It would be anything which would give a false impression of happiness.

• Lust of the eye sees the world and all it has to offer as more important than God. It boils down humanistic living believing that only the material world exists to make one happy. John Phillips in his commentary on 1 John calls it “showy appearance.” The devil has packaged the fame, fortune and material possessions as appealing to man.

• The boastful pride of life which causes man to look at who he is as greater than any other person or thing. It is the total opposite of humility which understands that man is the created being and God is the Creator and Lord of all. When man puts himself in the place of God as he views the world he is guilty of pride. It is the sin of exalting oneself above others. Proverbs tells that the prideful will fall.

John concludes by stating that all about which he has spoken is a product of man who has turned away from God. He explained that all of the above would not come from a God whose whole nature is pure.

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1. Why did John believe it necessary to explain man’s approach to the world? (The influence of this world can a trap from which it is difficult for man to escape.)

1. Why are lusts insatiable? (Man focused on man can never be satisfied.)

2. What is the lust of the flesh?

3. What is the lust of the eye?

4. What is the boastful pride of life?

5. Why are all of these destructive to man?

6. How do we know that the evil desires are from man and not God?

1 John 2:17

The world under control of satan is passing away. A new day of grace has dawned. Man no longer has to be a captive of the devil. Christ has won the victory. It may seem a long time coming but the kingdom of God is already present. It will have its culmination sometime in the future. All those who through Christ have turned their backs on this sinful world has the guarantee that he or she will live forever.

1. What can be say about the present day order? (It is not permanent.)

2. What promises have we been given?

3. What is to be our attitude toward this present world?

4. How do we know that we will live forever with the Father?

1 John 2:18-19

It would appear that John was mistaken when he spoke of the time in which they lived being the end of time. The followers of Christ of that day believed His return was imminent. For John the revelation given to him would have indicated that all things were being worked out according to God’s timing. For everyone living today that plan is unfolding in a way that would have been impossible during the lifetime of John. It has been over nineteen hundred years since John wrote those words and the world is still here. This phrase certainly could be interpreted in other ways.

• For every person does not know when the hour of his or her departure might be. It is important to make the decision to follow Christ while there is still time on man’s life clock. For many it is indeed the last hour but they keep waiting for the most opportune moment to make that life changing decision.

• The world as the early Christians knew it would soon be radically changed. Persecution like they had never experienced was about to occur under the Roman authority. For the next two hundred years Christianity would be considered an outlaw religion. During that time it would be the last days as many were killed for their faith. Here again the decision to follow Christ was not to taken lightly. It came at a high cost.

John predicated his belief on the fact that those who were turning from the church were antichrists. They had decided that the church, especially as it faced persecution was not the place for them. Their departure indicated that they were not part of the true Church otherwise they would have not departed.

1. Why would John believe that history was in its last days? (The Jewish Christians believed that Christ was going to return in their lifetime.)

2. In what ways is each hour and day possibly the last days?

3. How did he view those who left the church as examples of the antichrist?

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4. How was the coming persecution a picture of the last days? (The world as the Christian knew it was about to disappear. The way they had lived and worshipped was to be a thing of the past. They would have to worship in secret under the penalty of death as an illegal religion.)

1 John 2:20

There was clear evidence that a person was a true believer. He or she had been anointed by the Holy Spirit. Secondly, he or she knew God. They had committed themselves to Him in an intimate relationship which was the basis for the way they lived.

1. What is the result of a person coming to Christ? (He has been anointed by the Holy Spirit which is the sealing about which Paul spoke in Ephesians 1.)

2. What is the evidence in your life that this has happened to you?

3. What does it mean to know God?

4. In what ways and anointed life from the ones John called antichrist?

1 John 2:21-23

Here is another “I have written to you.” Each time he uses that phrase he was doing so to let them know that something important was about to follow. He had said much to them already. He wanted them to think about their spiritual condition. He told them that he has written them because they know the truth. He then used the negative to reinforce the positive. They know the truth and a lie cannot be the true. The one who does not know the truth but is a liar is the one who denies that Jesus was the Anointed One, the Messiah. He who rejects the Son is an antichrist and because he denies the truth about Jesus does not have a relationship with the Father. He went on further to explain that those who confessed Jesus had the Father indwelling them also.

1. Why did John use the phrase concerning his writing again?

2. What was he trying to emphasize in these verses? (Their spiritual condition)

3. What was the important characteristic that they possessed? (They believed the truth.)

4. What was the truth to which John was referring? (Jesus was the Anointed One, the Messiah.)

5. What are the characteristics of an antichrist? (They deny the truth and reject Christ and by doing so the Father.)

6. What are the things that you believe about Jesus?

7. What are the consequences of denying the truth?

1 John 2:24

The reason for the letter was to warn the churches against false teachers who were teaching a different gospel. John was again beginning in verse 24 is pleading them not to heed what they have been hearing. He wants to return to the instruction which they received from those like Paul and others who were true apostles. They needed for those truths to take up residence is their hearts and minds sinking deep down into their souls. Only by doing so will they find God and His Son indwelling in them.

1. Why had John written to the churches?

2. Why was it important for the people to return to the teaching of the early leaders of the church?

3. Why is God’s word so important in our lives? (They are our only source for truth?

4. How should we view every other writing outside of God’s word?

5. What relationship does one who heeds God’s word have with the Father?

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1 John 2:25

The promise from God from the beginning is eternal life. This is the truth to which John returned to over and over again. In the gospel of John he spoke of it seventeen times. Excluding John the eternal life or some derivation is used an additional twenty nine time. This is the gospel the good news that came through the work of Jesus Christ.

1. Why is this one verse so important? (It is the fulfillment of the promise from the Garden of Eden that God would provide a Savior for fallen man.

2. What shows that this one promise was important to John?

3. How did the other writers in the New Testament see it?

4. What does this promise mean to you?

1 John 2:26-27

The letter was to warn against false teachers. They were the ones who consider themselves the source of knowledge. John told them they had already received what they needed to know from the anointing and the indwelling of Christ. They need not listen to the false teachers that had made their way into the churches. As Jesus had told His disciples the Holy Spirit would be their teacher and from Him they would learn all they needed. The teaching from God was the truth and not a lie. What they had learned would bring them to the point of putting their full trust in Christ. If man puts his total confidence in Christ there will be no shame in him at His appearing. Salvation gives that assurance.

1. Why did John continually warn the churches against the false teachers?

2. What do we need to learn to have Christ abide in us and us in Him?

3. Who is the one teacher we should heed?

4. Why should He be our only teacher?

5. How does the Holy Spirit impart to us what we need to hear?

6. Why do we so times get off track?

7. What promise did John make that would bring joy to the readers of his letter and to us? (By abiding in Him we do not need to be ashamed to meet Him when He comes to take His children home.)

• You need to understand that the only way to grow in Christ is to heed what the gospel says about Him.

• You who are more mature in the faith should be an example for those who look to you for guidance.

• Put away those things that will disqualify you from walking in the Light.

• John spoke of three things you are to avoid that will destroy your relationship with the Father. They are the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye and the boastful pride of life.

• Be on guard against those who out right reject Christ and deny that He is the Son of God.

• If you do not understand a great deal just know that God has promised eternal life through His Son.

If we take up residence in the kingdom of God which John calls abiding we can be assured of eternal life. The church needs to understand that the focus of each of us is to help others to have a true relationship with the Father. We are not to be mislead by false teaching but be people who adhere to the truth found only in God’s Word. It is so easy to go astray with all the pressures of a world that does

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not know Christ. There are so many today who would find no greater pleasure than to completely shut down the Church. The people of God therefore need to be a light shining in a dark world. The darkness must not be allowed to snuff out the light because of our actions. Let us continue to walk in God’s light in the same way that Jesus did while on earth. We can show the world what it means to be a follower of Christ by be an example of His love.

Lesson 3

More than an Advocate

1 John 2:1-10

The first time the word advocate is used in the Bible is in Job 16:19. In fact it is the only place that it is used in the Old Testament. Job speaks of there being a witness for him in heaven and then calls that individual an advocate. Even in the oldest book of the Bible, actually written before Genesis, a man speaks of a representative acting as his spokesman defending him before God. A little earlier he cried out for that advocate seeking an umpire to rule fairly on his behalf.

There have been a couple of occasions when I felt I was vulnerable as Job must have felt. Sadly, I found myself disappointed with a person who I believed would defend or at least understand my side of the issue. I may have told the story before of criticizing some software which was doing what the manufacturer had promised it would do. My vice president called me into the office with the director of the department and my manager. Expecting my manager to stand up for me because he had experienced the same frustration as I, he actually began to side with his bosses. I narrowly escaped that meeting with my job intact.

I learned as the Psalmist did from the events of his life that we are only to put our trust in God. In my life I have seen when my world seemed to be falling apart that God was still in heaven and everything was going to be worked out in the end. Nothing that happens catches God by surprise. The sooner all of us discover that fact the more we will realize just how much He is in control of the situations of our lives.

Probably, the greatest disappointment a person can have in a church is to believe that no one truly cares what is happening in their lives. Everyone is too busy to take the time and listen what is happening to that individual. So many walk away because the needed and advocate, one who would stand with them only to find that they were alone in the midst of a crowd. It is so easy for christians to so get wrapped up in their own little world that they do not recognize of someone who is hurting deeply. Man will disappoint but God will not. 1 John is full of promises. They are there so that we will trust God and then to help others who are just like us in so many ways.

1 John 2:1

When a person is as old as John was at that point in life he could have easily called all of those who had come him his little children. There was great affection for the church in the heart of John. Once again he alluded to the fact that he had written to them. It was a reference to all the evidence he had presented about Jesus. They were to understand extreme measures to which God had gone. He wanted to make sure by emphasizing those things that his children not take sin lightly. It came with a great cost to Jesus. They as children were to live a Christlike life. Both Paul and Peter admonish the readers of their letters to understand that just because they had received grace they should never use the freedom from sin and death as an excuse to be disobedient to God.

John goes on to use two important word in reference to Jesus. One has already been mentioned in the introduction. It is the word, advocate. In the Greek the word is parakletos. It describes who comes along aside in the situation in which he might find himself. The Holy Spirit is often often described as the Paraklete, the comforter. A present day analogy might been one who goes into a court of law to

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defend a person against charges made. Jesus plays this role for man. As the devil comes accusing man of sins as one writer put it Jesus only has to raise his nail scarred hands and the devil is defeated. Not only does Jesus defend man but He is also the propitiation for man’s sin.

John ended verse one with a very important statement about Jesus which he had been expressing all through the first chapter. He declared Jesus as righteous. Everything he had written as was going to write hinged on that one truth. Without the perfect relationship Jesus had with His Father advocacy and propitiation were impossible.

1. Why did John use the term little children?

2. What was his concern? (He did not want them to use their new found life in Christ as a license to sin.)

3. What did John mean when spoke of having an advocate when we sin?

4. Who has been one who has walked with you through a very difficult time in your life?

5. What did that person mean to you?

6. What important characteristic did John express about Jesus?

7. Why was it so righteousness so crucial for what Jesus was accomplishing among the little children of John?

1 John 2:2

The other word is propitiation. Hilasmos is the Greek word that John used. Through the work of Christ man’s sin has been removed. Using the courtroom analogy again. Propitiation comes when the one who has the right to pronounce a sentence on someone steps forward and takes the place of the guilty one when the sentence is actually announced. Man is the guilty one but instead of paying the price for his sin Jesus stepped in and took upon himself the judgment and punishment for that sin. Man as Paul said in Colossians, “For He rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” Col. 1:13-14.

John then emphasized that the work of forgiveness on the part of Jesus was not just for those who were the recipients of his letter. It would carry over into every part of the world whenever a person was willing to confess and receive what God was offering to him.

1. How does one is the propitiation differ from an advocate? (One who is the propitiation actually takes on the burden that you may have had or is willing to suffer the consequences of your actions.)

2. Why is the courtroom scene a good analogy of what Jesus did for all of us?

3. What was the great work of God described in Colossians?

4. What was the good news that John shared that impacts us two thousand years after he wrote the words?

5. If it was important for John to write the good news how have they impacted your life?

1 John 2:3-4

The evidence that man has an intimate relationship with Christ is by keeping His commandments. Anyone who does not keep what Jesus has commanded but claims to be His follower is called out as a liar by John. If a person is a liar about the most important things then he is an untruthful and cannot be trusted.

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1. What does it mean to know Jesus? (it is to have a close and intimate relationship with Him in every area of our lives?

2. How does man show he has that kind of relationship?

3. What are some of the commands that come to mind that you should keep? (Start with Matthew 22:37-38)

4. Why does Christ call us to keep His commandments? (They are to our benefit.)

5. In what ways is it obvious that person does not really know God?

6. What is the most obvious way to remedy that situation?

1 John 2:5-6

The man who different than the one mentioned about keeps God’s word. By meditating on it, studying it and living by it man will find the love of God fleshed out in his life. He will become a mature follower of Christ. The evidence that a man is abides in God is by his walk. He should act and speak just as Jesus lived out His life on this earth. He needs to follow up his claims of being a child of God by the way he carries out God’s commandments.

1. How does a man become mature in Christ?

2. What does it mean to keep God’s word?

3. What are some of the ways that have indicated to you that a person is truly walking with the Lord?

4. What are you doing in your own life that shows the world that you indeed love Jesus?

1 John 2:7

John almost seems to be saying that what they have been taught from their earliest years as important for them to follow. The old commandments about which he is writing may be those of the Old Testament. Jesus used some of them as the basis for some of His teachings as are found in Matthew 5:27-28, 31-37, 43; 22:37. The Old Testament references are found in Exodus and Deuteronomy.

1. Why would John refer to commands found in the Old Testament? (Jesus did not invalidate them in His teachings.)

2. What are some of the Old Testament commands that you might find in the New Testament?

3. How important is the Ten Commandments to you in your life?

4. How did Jesus make them valid for those among whom He lived?

5. If they were true for those people how important are they today?

1 John 2:8

After saying he is not giving a new commandment he then wrote that indeed he was doing just that.

It is a new day. Jesus had brought new meaning to the old commandments. He had shed His light on them. To carry out His directives meant that the darkness of sin was being the true Light who had come into the world. Darkness will always flee when the true light arrives. A spirit of grace replaced a time of the Law.

1. Why did John immediately refer to a new commandment? (All Jesus had done gave new meaning to the old.)

2. How did He give new meaning? (He dealt with the intent or spirit of the law and not the letter of it.)

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3. What did John mean by the fact that the Light was shining? (The kingdom of grace had been come.)

4. What happens to darkness when light appears?

5. How has your relationship with Christ chased away the darkness from your life?

1 John 2:9-11

The final point John was making now moves into the horizontal relationships. He has clearly laid out the verification of the fact that Jesus was indeed the Son of God. Then he covered the work that Christ accomplished as the Light of the world. Next he spoke of each man’s responsibility for his own sin before God. He also included how God through Christ stepped in and took what man deserved becoming sin for him.

That fellowship with the Father and the Son is displayed in how man relates to man. John deals once again with the idea of light and darkness. To call oneself a follower of the Light and then hates those with whom he or she lives everyday proves that person is still walking in darkness. To love one’s brother shows clearly that one is walking according to the commands of God and his love of Christ. Jesus spoke much of friendship in the gospel of John especially in the chapters following 13. Hatred will keep man from seeing beyond himself. It is one of the characteristics of a fallen man and can consume every waking hour of the day. Although now mentioned hatred is pride because one looks to his own desires and lusts instead of caring for those around him. If there is no light in one’s life he certainly will stumble and not know the direction to take.

1. What are the factors that should draw every man to a fellowship with God? (God and His Son are light and have done everything to show their love for man.)

2. What is one of the clearest evidences that man has a right relationship with the Father and Son?

3. When John speaks of one’s brother to whom is he referring?

4. What actions show that a person does not care for others?

5. What evidences are there in society of the prevailing darkness?

6. In what way is hatred a picture of pride?

7. How can we overcome the attitudes of hatred in our own lives?

8. What reasons do you think give you the right to hate others?

9. Who are some examples of those who you believe you hate?

10. How did Jesus deal with those who hated Him?

11. What can we do to be like Jesus?

• Do not take sin lightly remembering that it cost the life of Jesus?

• Be thankful that Jesus took the penalty of death that you deserved upon Himself. It is called propitiation.

• Work to be one to whom a person can come and know that you will walk alongside them in the difficulties of life.

• Seek to always abide in Christ knowing that by doing so He abides in you?

• Put away all hatred and malice from your life?

• Know that pride is the source for hatred etc. and know that God is the judge of others. It is not our business.

If man did not have sin in his life there would be no need of church. We know as humans that we can

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not go through life with sinning at least once. Therefore we need what only Jesus has to offer to reestablish a relationship with His Father. He is both our Advocate and propitiation for bringing us into the presence of God. First He is the One who argues our case before the Father and is the comforter in time of need. Secondly, because there can only be a guilty sentence pronounced He has been willing to take our punishment upon Himself. The church owes such a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid. We just have to accept what He has done for what it is, the gift of grace. Since all of us are under the same penalty we should treat each other as fellow travelers along the road of life. There is no room for hatred but only agape love in the fellowship. We have to be very careful that we are not guilty of judging those who need someone to lift them up out the darkness in which we once walked.

Our church needs to be a place of light in a dark world. The unchurched will only see that light if we live in the Light and project the light into the darkness. Remember, Jesus stated that those do there activities in the light of day will not stumble. This an important responsibility that we have been given. Let us carry it out to be best of our ability.

Lesson 2

Out of the Darkness into the Light

1 John 1:5-10

Two experiences that occurred a long time ago have affected the way I look at darkness. As a child one of our fears is being alone in a room at night. Darkness has a greater impact if you believe there is someone or something out there trying to harm you. I realize now that it was probably my imagination but I had just that kind of experience. My mother had sent me to a store at the end of the street. It was dark and as I made my way I thought I heard footsteps coming up behind me. Afraid to look back I began to run as hard as I could to the store. The harder and faster I ran the louder the footsteps became. To my relief I made to the store unharmed. Inside were the owner and a customer. I told them about what I thought was happening. One of them went out and looked down the street and came back with the news that there was no one to be seen. You can only imagine what the trip back home was like for me. I just knew that behind one of the trees that lined the street there was waiting the person who would grab me. Since that time I have never liked being in a strange place after dark. To this day I do not know if I was just imagining those footsteps or if they were real. It did not matter because I just knew they were.

The second incident took place in that same house. In the summer time before air-conditioning people left their windows open at night. It was the only way to cool the house down from the heat of the day. In the bedroom where I slept my bed was right under the window. We had sold our house and were getting ready to move. Some of the neighbors were not happy and someone had actually set the field next to our house on fire. One night as I was sleeping I heard a noise outside my window. I awoke scared thinking that someone was walking around on our back porch. It was one of those incidences where I was to frightened to cry out or move. Fortunately, the noise went away and I went on back to sleep. What or who was outside I do not know. It however did not diminish my fear of the night.

In one of these situations the light of that corner grocery store was a welcomed sight. It was a safe haven from whatever was waiting to harm me. In the second one I would have welcomed the sight of one of my parents coming into my room with a flashlight or just turning on the lights. In both cases light would have dispelled my fear.

Today the church faces a much greater danger than my imagined perils. The world is growing increasingly dark and hostile toward Christianity. On every side there are attacks from within and an apathy that is robbing it of its impact on the lives of its members. There are many who not only deny the truthfulness of God’s word but are attempting to undermine the teaching of the church. Without the light of each of us is to display the world will become a darker place to live. There is a great concern of how society is misleading the young people entrusted to our care. There are those who have spent their lifetime working with young people are now beginning to take note of the problem and what the church must do to insure that the light will not be extinguished. We have too long allowed our young people to be taught in ways that does not equip them to stay strong in an hostile environment. Sadly, in the world into which they are going to be moving at some point, there are some brilliant people who only want to indoctrinate them with a world viewpoint. John understood that the recipients of his letter were dealing with the same kinds of people teaching things that would keep Christians walking in darkness. Last week John laid out clearly why Jesus should be believed and and why we are to be part of His church. Today he will give further evidence.

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1 John 1:5

John had laid out the evidence concerning the life of Jesus. Now He then used those facts to called on the churches to listen carefully to the message that the apostles had heard from from the Son of God. His passed on what He knew first hand that His Father, God very nature is one of light.

There is much that can be said of this description and it is wrapped on man’s idea of light. Light is brilliant, warming, revealing, makes things visible that would other be hidden. It exposes the flaws and imperfections that may exist in an item under examination. Aptly described there is no impurity in it at all. In the case of focused light, like a laser, can penetrate into inaccessible places and can destroy things like tumors. The smallest source of light can dispel darkness. Conversely, darkness can never extinguish the light. The only way darkness gains the upper hand is the light is allowed to go out. Because God is the source of light and is light there is no darkness found in Him at all.

1. Why should we listen to John?

2. Why should we pay any attention to the message that Jesus gave to His disciples?

3. What are the important words of Jesus that John shared that will impact our lives?

4. What do you think of when someone mentions the word light?

5. Why is the description of God as light so powerful? (Light has the power over darkness.)

6. If God is light what is the darkness to which John referred? (Lives devoid of the light in other words those who are in rebellion and desire to do those things that are evil and sinful.)

1 John 1:6

Words are meaningless unless followed up back a godly lifestyle. In the previous verses John spelled out that fellowship was active participation with God in one’s daily walk. John wanted to make it clear that those in the churches could not live in a world of light and darkness at the same time. If anyone tries to make the claim that he is following Christ and the ways of the world he is a liar. Not only that he is not practicing the truth.

1. In what ways can our words prove to be meaningless?

2. Once again what does true fellowship mean?

3. How does this contrast to the idea of darkness?

4. Why does John called those who say that they can live in a world of light and darkness?

5. In what way is this trying to serve two masters?

6. What is the truth?

7. How does a man with split commitments defy the idea of living in the truth?

1 John 1:7

There are real positives for every man who walks in the Light. Jesus is the example for every person. He who is the Son of God spent His whole earthly life living in the light of His Father. To follow what Jesus did would lead the churches to have true fellowship with each other through Him. When man turns his back on the darkness he will find salvation through the blood Jesus shed on the cross. It is only through participation in His done deed can man truly walk in the light.

1. In what ways was Jesus the picture of One who walk in the Light?

2. Why did He believe it was necessary to walk in the Light of His Father? (There is no darkness or hint of evil in Him.)

3. Why is it a important to follow the example of Jesus?

4. Why is fellowship with each other so important? (It shows our relationship with the Father and His Son.)

5. What is the outcome of this kind of fellowship? (Being cleansed from the darkness that pervades all our lives at some point.)

6. Have do we show that we are in fellowship with each other? (All being focused on the same Person.)

7. What is salvation?

8. What is the result of salvation?

1 John 1:8

The opposite of walking in the Light is walking the darkness. One facet of gnosticism was the idea that because they had a special knowledge that they had reach a level of perfection and therefore were above sinning. To these and those of today that called evil good and good evil (Isaiah 5:20) John said to them, any man who made such claim was deceiving himself and was not walking in the truth. Sadly, this condition is epidemic in our world today because man has decided to choose sin over righteousness. Notice that John did not exclude himself from those who might fall into that false belief. Today as in his day these individuals would be called hypocrites.

1. What is the opposite of darkness?

2. Which of the the ways have you chosen to walk?

3. What is the danger of thinking that we have moved beyond the capability of sinning?

4. When are we guilty of calling good evil and evil good?

5. How does this verse relate to to Romans 3:23?

6. How does this represent what is happening in our world today?

1 John 1:9

Man can overcome this life of darkness by confessing that he is a sinner. He has walked in darkness and needs to come into the light. If he agrees with God that he has rebelled against God and repents then he has the guarantee that the Light will forgive him and cleanse him of all of his unrighteousness.

1. What must a man do to get himself out of darkness?

2. What does it mean to confess one’s sin?

3. What does it mean to sin?

4. According to John what is the promise of God to everyman?

5. What does it mean to be totally cleansed? (We are viewed as in a restored relationship before a holy God.)

1 John 1:10

The flip side of the opportunity to have the relationship with God men choose to look at themselves as self-righteous. John wrote this again because he wanted to emphasize the need that man has. Man cannot forgive himself but can lie that he has no need of God. A liar will not believe the word of God because his sense of his own importance.

1. Why does John repeat the idea that some claim that they have no sin?

2. What is the consequences of this kind of mindset?

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3. In what way does it exclude God from one’s life? (There is no room for both God and self in one’s life.)

4. Why is this man a liar?

5. Why will a man like that not avail himself of God’s word.

• You are to understand that there is no way to walk in the way of righteousness unless you believe in the One who is the revelation of the true Light in the world, God the Father.

• As you come to trust what the writers of the Bible have said about Jesus then His word will give direction to your life.

• Acknowledge that you are a sinner in need of a Savior

• By admitting that you are in no way perfect then you are to confess your imperfections agreeing with God that you have come short of His standards for your life.

• Believe with all your heart that God will keep all of His promises to you and will forgive confessed sins.

• His greatest promise is that you can be cleansed from all that is darkness in your life and can become part of His eternal family.

Throughout the New Testament the quality that the church is to possess is light. We are to be children of light be the reflection of Jesus Christ into the world. Colossians gives us the promise that we are no longer under the control of darkness but are part of God’s kingdom. (Colossians 1:13) Ephesians 5:8 that we are to walk as children of the Light. Jesus in Matthew tells us to be lights of the world. (Matthew 5:14) These are just a few of the many references that we are to be full of the light of Christ.

In many ways the church can fail Him if we do not live according to His teachings. The world does not want to see the light or have it expose its deeds therefore it hates those who expose what it is doing. We can be sure if we are walking according to the light that we are going to meet opposition. If the world is letting us alone then we are not being effective witnesses for the One who came to shine His light into the world. John very early gave us the purpose for Christ’s coming. He wrote, “In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not comprehend it.” (John 1:4-5) The word comprehend carries with it the idea that the darkness could not overpower the Light. We have this guarantee that our Savior can never be defeated. It is our responsibility, therefore, to live a life that reflects the victory that has already been won. Our sins have been forgiven and we now have salvation that cannot be taken from us.

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Lesson 1

What is the Message?

1 John 1:1-4

There is a strange phenomena taking place in society today. Maybe it has been around for a long time but now is more exaggerated in our highly mobile and connected environment. It seems that the whole world has become narcissistic. Just look at facebook and the other social media to see how so much of it is self promotion. Everything that is done is for the moment with no thought of the long term conse- quences. There is is even a new term for photos taken with smartphones, Ipads and even computers. They are called “Selfies” and they are everywhere.

The second thing that amazes me are the number of biographies and auto-biographies available, even in Christian bookstores, written by or about celebrities as young as their early twenties. How is it that a story capture who a person truly is whose only claim to fame is that he or she is an athlete or actor or race car driver and on and on can go the list. Many of them become one year wonders and are never heard of again. We are to read about and listen to these individuals as if they have some corner on wisdom because they can run or throw a baseball or football.

There is a story about the great nineteenth evangelist D.L Moody of whom it was said that he refused to allow any one write the story of his life until after his death. His reasoning was that some where along the line he might do something to discredit his name and bring ridicule and criticism upon himself. He even went so far as to destroy the majority of the his sermon notes to make sure that his particular way of writing things down to jog his memory as he preached might be misinterpreted.

I think the “biographical selfies” may come back to haunt these individuals just as some of the personal material that is written on facebook and twitter will follow them. What is written down or shown will never go away and each of us will have to live with what has been put out there for all the world to see.

The church has had its share of people who have had a large following. Many of them have had moral failures that completely ruined their reputations and the ministries that they led. Sadly, some still continue on as if nothing has happened in their lives that would affect how they are viewed. Celebrity is a dangerous thing. Christian leaders need to be very careful of how they present themselves to the vulnerable and those with a lack of maturity to see through the false teachings they share. Every one of us need to be very careful and examine what they do in light of the Scriptures.

I believe that John was in a unique position in history. He was one of the original twelve disciples and outlived all of the others by at least two decades. God granted him a privilege that only one other man was allowed to see and return. Paul had his vision of heaven but God was given the panorama of all that God was planning to do in the future. Both Revelation and the book of John were written late in the first century. The letters that John wrote were penned even later possibly within the last decade of that world changing era.

He had experienced time with Jesus, seen persecution of the church under a number of emperors, and spent time in exile himself. John was at the time the letters were sent was beginning to see a change in the church that was not positive. We get a hint of the drift away from the truth especially in Paul’s letter to the Galatians.

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The beginnings of a false teaching broadly called gnosticism was leading some Christians astray. Gnosticism taught that there only a select number of people who were wise and had had a special revelation from God concerning the teachings of the church. As we look at them with a critical eye it is obvious the such doctrine would totally undermind the gospel that had been passed downed through the apostles about Jesus.

Some of the most dangerous ones in some cases took opposite viewpoints. One taught that Jesus was not God but only a human being. They did not believe that God could indwelt sinful man. Their conclusion took a couple of forms. Since all material was evil then it was only the spirit that mattered so one could do with his body as he pleased. This is somewhat the attitude of today that my body is mine and I can do with it what ever I want. To the extreme this teaching would have destroyed the notion of the divinity of Jesus. Some then taught that the Holy Spirit had come on Jesus at His baptism and left at the time He was put on the cross.

John of course knew about all these heresies that were popping up in the church and wrote the three letters to counteract them. One last point that I find interesting that by the time these letters were written He had been shown what would happen to the churches in Asia minor including Ephesus from which the three originated.

The problems that John faced in the first century are still prevalent in our time. Atheism and outright militancy against Christianity is on the rise. There are probably more anti-Christians books available today than at any other point in history. His letters should be viewed as not just for the churches surrounding Ephesus but relevant to us today.

1 John 1:1

John begins his letter with the kind of evidence that would be irrefutable in the best courts of public opinion. He laid out for the people his own personal experience which had been verified over and over again in the sixty plus years since they first occurred. Without a doubt he was convinced of what he wrote. His first statement could mean a couple of things. He may have been speaking of the eternal nature of Christ on when he and the others thirst were introduced to Him. Either way the real issue was the understanding that John had of the importance of the physical evidence that needed to be shared with those who were doubting that Jesus was the Son of God and the Savior of the world.

The disciples had heard John the Baptist describe Jesus as the Lamb of God. Following that first contact with Jesus many of them would spend the next three and one half years with Him. During that period of time they would have heard the words of Jesus over and over again. The next thing John spoke was to verify the physical reality of the man. They had seen Him as a flesh and blood human being. Just as important they had observed all that He had done gaining understanding that this man was also the Son of God. To further emphasize His presence among them they touched Him as everyone might do to another person in the normal activities of life. With all the evidence before them they came to believe with all of lives that Jesus was indeed the Logos, the very Word of God, living among them.

1. What was the evidence that you heard that led you to follow Jesus?

2. Why was it important for John to present such a detailed description of the relationship he and the other disciples had with Jesus?

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3. What are the things he listed that would be proof enough for anyone to believe? (He listed the five senses that all of us use every day.)

4. What gave credibility to the message from John that is lacking in so much we read today? (He had spent a lifetime focusing on the gospel and what it meant in his life and that of the others who would read his words.)

5. What makes a person believable in your eyes?

6. By what criteria do you judge a person as a genuine Christian?

1 John 1:2

What John was doing would fit a scene in a courtroom. He is continually laying fact upon fact until there is should be no room left of who Jesus was. In this verse he spoke of the manifestation of Jesus. The Greek word for manifested is “emphanizo” which means to “shine” “bring to light” or “show plainly.” God choice to reveal Himself in plain sight for all men of His day to see.

Jesus came and allowed Himself to be seen and heard was that man may come to understand the eternal life He was providing through His death and resurrection. Once again John stated that the information he was proclaiming was not third hand. He had seen and heard the One whom God had manifested to them. John and the others believed Jesus the revealed truth. Having served the Lord for years he was proclaiming the truth as it was given to them.

1. Why did John continue to repeat the same idea over and over? (He wanted to make sure that the people understood that what he was sharing was not what he had experienced first hand.)

2. Why did he use the word manifested? (It gave such a clear picture that God had been revealed through His Son.)

3. Why is it so important to continually spend time in God’s word?

4. Why is it so important to memorize the word? (Makes one ready to share God’s word anytime and anyplace.)

5. Why would you heed the words of someone like John? (He had stayed committed to Jesus for over sixty years even during very difficult times.)

6. How well equipped do you feel to share about Jesus?

7. Why is his message still effective? (It has stood the test of time sharing the truth that cannot be denied.)

1 John 1:3

Having spoken the word so the people would find eternal life because of John’s witness, He had one more step the followers of Christ were to take. They were to hear the word, believe it, gain eternal life through its truth which would lead to genuine fellowship with other believers. The fellowship spoken about here is more than meeting to eat fried chicken and mash potatoes. It is to be an active participant with other Christians in the service of Jesus Christ. Koinonia, the Greek word for fellowship has one more important meaning. The church is to be bonded together to serve a united purpose. The way for each person to participate is for each person to use the gifts and abilities that God has given him/her to the furtherance of God’s kingdom. As John so beautifully put it our ultimate fellowship is with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Every person longs for the time when what has started in this lifetime will be made complete. God calls man to be part of His body working alongside Him to bring all people to salvation. Without being an active part of the ministry it cannot be said that one is actively become part of the whole.

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1. How did the citizens in Asia Minor come to the place of finding eternal life according to this verse?

2. What are the steps to having fellowship with other believers?

3. What is fellowship of believers?

4. What is the ultimate example of fellowship? (The Trinity)

5. What does God truly want for each of us? (To be a part of His forever fellowship.)

6. How have we misused the idea behind the word? (We call every gathering a fellowship.)

7. How do we fulfill the idea behind fellowship? ( We use our gifts and abilities in working together for the common good of God’s kingdom.)

1 John 1:4

John took the time to write the letter for one purpose. He desired that our joy be made complete. There will never be final joy until each person is at home with the Father. Meanwhile John, as he did in his gospel, wants the recipients of his letter, which would include us today, to not allow the circumstances of this world destroy the happiness that we have found in Christ. The world buffets man but God through Christ gives a peace and joy that overcomes the world.

1. What thanksgiving can we find in John’s words? (The assurance that we can have in Christ for eternal life.)

2. What does joy mean for the Christian?

3. How is it different than happiness? (Happiness depends on what is going on around us. Joy is the peace and happiness that can even be found in the midst of trouble.)

4. Who is the giver of true joy?

5. Why can man not find it on his own? (Because there is always conflict even in the hearts of man that keeps him from resting in God.)

• Look to God’s word as proof that Jesus came to earth in the flesh to save mankind. See Philippians 2.

• Learn what true fellowship means for followers of Christ.

• Be willing to use all that God has done for you in His service that the body of Christ will be unified.

• Learn to rest in God. It is only by doing so will you find true joy.

• Study God’s word to learn what God means by His peace.

Today it is critical that we be able to give a strong defense for the person of Jesus Christ. The proof that God came to earth is found within the pages of His word. Even though there have been others like Josephus who have written of Him, the most conclusive evidence has come from men like John who lived and worked with Jesus for the three and one half years. Almost all of the men who wrote about Him gave their lives in belief that Jesus was indeed who He said He was.

Now is our time to witness to the facts of Jesus’s life. We must spend the necessary time meditating, studying and reflecting on God’s word. It is important for us to know what it says so that we can follow the commands given in Deuteronomy 6 to teach and share His word so that he next generation will have the same fellowship with the Father with which we have been blessed. 2 Timothy 2:2 is also a strong admonition to teach faithful men so they themselves can teach others. Let us not fail in this task.

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