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.