May 31 – Sermon Discussion Guide
Download “Confidence in Christ” Discussion Guide Here
Confidence in Christ
1 John 2:28-3:3; 3:19-24; 4:17-18; 5:13-15
28 And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming. 29 If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him. 1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.
1 John 2:28-3:3
19 By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; 20 for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. 21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; 22 and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. 23 And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. 24 Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.
1 John 3:19-24
17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.
1 John 4:17-18
13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life. 14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.
1 John 5:13-15
Digger Deeper
The Bible is clear that Jesus is coming again and this time that he is returning in judgment. Spend some time reading through these passages about the return of Christ, the joy of being in his presence, and prayer.
- 2 Chronicles 7:14
- Psalm 66:18
- Proverbs 15:19
- Isaiah 59:1-2
- Daniel 7:13-14
- Matthew 13:24-30; 24:29-31, 45-41; 25:31-46
- Luke 11:1-13
- John 16:23-24
- 2 Corinthians 5:6-10
- Ephesians 3:11-12
- Colossians 3:4
- 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11
- Hebrews 4:14-16
- James 4:2-3
Digesting the Text
- When you think about the return of the Lord, what feelings, thoughts, or concerns come to your mind? What is your general response to the truth that Jesus is coming back and this time in judgment?
- In this series, we have noted that Jon identifies 3 “signs of life.” Can you remember what they are? Read 1 John 2:23-24 and 5:1-5. Pastor Will noted in this sermon the significance that these are “signs” of our life in Christ and not the “sources” of our life in Christ. What did he mean by this? Why is it significant? Can you find support for this statement in John’s letter?
- John writes not only so that we can have confidence before the Lord on the “day of judgment” but so that we can have confidence before the Lord now! How does John encourage us to practice this confidence now?
- John tells us that we can know that the Lord hears our prayers but places two conditions upon them. What are these two conditions? Do these conditions obligate or force the Lord to give us what we pray for? If not, what is the significance of these conditions?
- What is the condition of your current prayer life? What steps can you take to grow in your prayer life?
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Week 22 – Christ is King
What?
How?
Who?
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Week 21 – Christ is Priest
What?
How?
Who?
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May 17 – Sermon Discussion Guide
Download Love Discussion Guide .pdf Here
Signs of Life: Love
1 John 2:7-11; 3:11-18; 4:7-12
7 Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard. 8 At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. 9 Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. 10 Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. 11 But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
– 1 John 2:7-11
11 For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. 12 We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous. 13 Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. 15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. 16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17 But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
– 1 John 3:11-18
7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.
– 1 John 4:7-12
Digging Deeper
John tells us that his command that we love is not a new commandment but an old one. The Bible is filled with testimony of God’s love and his command that we love like him. Take some time to look up these other passages of Scripture to get a fuller view of God’s command that we love.
- Leviticus 19:18
- Matthew 5:21-22
- John 13:34; 15:12-17
- Galatians 5:14
- Philippians 2:5-8
- James 2:1-9
- 1 Peter 2:19-23
Digesting the Text
- What is something that you consider valuable? What is it that determines its value?
- Take some time to read through the passages from 1 John. Take special notice of the words that John repeats throughout these verses. What patterns do you see? What is John trying to communicate to his audience and to us? What does John indicate has value and what does not?
- When is a time that you have struggled to love other believers? What are some ways that we tend to close our hearts (1 John 3:17) to someone in need?
- What was the response of Jesus to our need? Make a list of everything you can think that Jesus sacrificed to serve us in our need and save us from our sin.
- Pastor Will shared that love and hate are two sides of the same coin, two ends of the same spectrum. When we love one thing, we must hate another. How does this challenge you to be intentional to love who, what, and how Jesus loves this week? What are some real steps you can take to love on purpose this week?
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Week 20 – Christ is Prophet
What?
How?
Who?
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May 10 – Sermon Discussion Guide
Signs of Life – Truth
1 John 2:18-25, 4:1-6, 5:1-13
18 Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour. 19They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us. 20But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge. 21I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth. 22Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. 23No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. 24Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. 25And this is the promise that he made to us—eternal life.
1 John 2:18-25
1Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. 4Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 5They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. 6We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
1 John 4:1-6
Digging Deeper
The Bible is full of evidence regarding the divine identity of Jesus Christ. Spend some time looking up these verses and allowing them to give you a fuller understanding of Jesus’s true identity.
- Daniel 7:13-14
- Mark 2:10-11
- Luke 1:35
- John 1:1-3, 14-18; 12:44-45
- Philippians 2:6-7
- Colossians 1:15-20
- Hebrews 2:16-17
Digesting the Text
- Who do you think is the greatest threat to the health of the church? Are you more concerned with persecution from outside or corruption from inside the church? Read Acts 17:10-12. Why were the Bereans commended? What does their example have to do with John’s letter and what does it mean for you as individual Christians and church members?
- What do you think are the claims being made by the antichrists? What are the assuring truths that John gives to counter their false teachings? What does John want to make clear about the identity of Jesus?
- If we “all… know the truth” (2:20) and “do not need anyone to teach” us (2:27) because of our anointing, does this mean that we don’t need preachers and Bible teachers? Why or why not?
- Would you be able to identify false teaching if you encountered it in a sermon, a book, or a movie? What steps can you take to be better prepared to identify and correct false teachings when they come?
- What does John mean when he says we must “confess” and “believe” in Jesus? Is this just a mental assent to a truth or is it something more? If it is more, what do you think it is and how is this confession and belief present in your life?
- Write down any questions that you might have from these verses or this sermon and discuss them with one another or reach out to Pastor Will for more help.
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