August 26, 2012: AGAPE!

1 John Series message 14

Text: 1 John 4:13-16

John emphasizes the heart of the Gospel: love. Agape is a Greek word love, the kind of love which God shows us. We will do a parallel examination of Ephesians 3:14-19, which is a powerful prayer for believers in regards to comprehending the wonderful love of Christ.

AGAPE!

August 19, 2012: Love!

1 John Series message 13

Text:1 John 4:7-12

Our passage for Sunday is one of the most sublime and majestic in the entire Bible. In one brief phrase, John paints a picture of how amazing God is. I John 4:7-12 shows us how the love of God ought to be visible in our own lives as we relate to others.

Love!

August 12, 2012: Drawing a Line in the Sand

1 John Series message 12

Text: I John 4:1-6

This week John gets into why it is necessity to be discerning regarding the messages we pay attention to. There are many false teachers, who might be well-meaning and sincere, but ultimately don't know the truth. Others may intend to shake our faith. It can be intimidating when we think of what is against us. John provides us with direction to distinguish the truth from the lie and encouragement to stand strong. It all comes back to Christ.

Drawing a Line in the Sand

August 5, 2012: Assurance of Salvation

1 John Series message 11

Text: 1 John 3:19-24

A key Biblical teaching on salvation is that we can know we are saved, forgiven, and going to heaven when we die. Not "I hope I make it", or "I hope my good outweighs my bad"... but, I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded... as Paul said. Many Christians have doubts about their salvation, or struggle to put their hearts at rest in His presence. 1 John is a wonderful book which addresses this very struggle with absolute authority. We will unpack what John has to say on this very important issue.

Assurance of Salvation

July 29, 2012 Love, Love, Love

1 John series message 10

Text: 1 John 3:11-18

The apostle will remind us of the greatest act of love EVER: the Son of God laying down His life for us. It is impossible to minimize this profound act. What matters here is not just what He did, but WHO HE IS: the Son of God who appeared for the purpose of reconciling sinners like you and me to our Creator. It is this, the heart of Christianity, which inspires and compels us to live a life of love.

Love, Love, Love!

July 15, 2012: Endurance

Text: 2 Corinthians 6:3-10

When I started our studies in I John, I was honing in on LOVE and OBEDIENCE. God's love for us and through us. Obedience to the truth and how that marks us as believers. As we've journeyed through together, I've been impressed with another theme: perseverance. God's Word is always perfect for His people at just the right time. We, corporately and as individuals, need to gain God's strength and perspective as we persevere through some challenging times. This Sunday we're going to park on that theme a bit and see what Paul has to say about endurance with the challenges he faced as he ministered the Gospel. Timeless phrases such as "dying, yet alive... sorrowful, yet always rejoicing" punctuate his personal testimony.

Endurance

July 1, 2012: Perseverance: Heavenly Hope

1 John series message 8

Text: 1 John 2:28-3:3

God's timing is so perfect. Our theme the past two weeks has been perseverance. Last week we saw the importance of persevering in the truth; building our lives on the Word of God and obedience to what He calls us to. It is freeing to live our lives with GRACE and to rely daily on His love. This weekend we will see that the strength of our perseverance comes from the certainty of Jesus' return.

Perseverance: Heavenly Hope

June 24, 2012: Our Anointing

1 John series message 7

Text: 1 John 2:20-27

John reminds us that many antichrists are active in today's world and we see the effects on a regular basis. God has given us His Spirit to live in us and lead us into all truth, as well as men and women gifted as teachers to help us understand and live God's principles. This message is to remind us that, just as we are to persevere in trials, we need to persevere in God's Truth.

Our Anointing

June 17, 2012: The Test of Perseverance

1 John series message 6

Text: 1 John 2:18-19

John addresses the future antichrist as well as antichrists that are already among us. The focus, however, is on the perseverance of the saints. This is the third test of genuine faith; the first two were love and obedience. It is encouraging to keep in mind that it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. Yet, we are charged to persevere in our faith through difficult times, finding our strength in Him. We'll give good encouragement for doing just that, and for helping us demonstrate perseverance for others.

The Test of Perseverance

June 10, 2012: Loving What Lasts

1 John series message 5

Text: I John 2:15-17

Having affirmed the wonderful blessing of being God's children, John now urges us not to love the elements of this world which are temporary and contrary to godly living. This world and its trappings are passing away, but we will live forever! What a privilege to live with this eternal perspective!

Loving What Lasts

June 3, 2012: The Truth About You

1 John series message 4

Text: 1 John 2:12-14

God has a lot to say about who we are in Christ. Yet the more I interact with people, I see there is a bit of a disconnect between what God says and what we actually believe to be true about us. This text is a wonderful reassurance regarding how God views us as His children.

The Truth About You

May 13, 2012: Obedience Matters

1 John Series message 3

Text: 1 John 2:3-11

Last Sunday we saw the power of Christ’s blood to provide complete forgiveness and set us free in our thinking. That brings joy and peace to our lives. This week we'll see the centrality of obedience in our Christian life, from I John 2:3-11.

Obedience Matters

May 6, 2012: "Let's get a few things straight!"

1 John Series message 2

Text: 1 John 1:5-2:2

The apostle John, one of the Sons of Thunder, squarely addresses the nature and effects of sin in our sermon text. While circumstances have changed, core issues have not: sin is not subjective and nor is it without consequences. Admitting our sin is what drives us to Christ for salvation, and, sin will keep you from fellowship with God should you cherish it as a believer. Bad teaching about Jesus and sin destroys lives and John is anxious to set the record straight about our wonderful Savior and His unchanging love. Jesus came full of GRACE and TRUTH, and speaks on our behalf when we are accused by our adversary. He does not defend us based on our performance; that would be a nightmare. He simply declares “I died for him…she is covered by the blood!

Let's get a few things straight

April 22, 2012: Reluctant Heroes

Text: Ephesians 4:7-16

Great stories often have a reluctant hero. One who doesn't see their value until someone intervenes or circumstances force them to act. This week we will see Paul identify the reluctant heroes of the faith in the church at Ephesus and what that means to us today. You might just be a hero.

Reluctant Heroes