October 12, 2008

1 John: Not for the Faint of Heart
Steve Lane

A. Introduction

The team: 1 Corinthians 9: 24
A letter from John the Apostle, around 90 AD
The tone is pastoral, but radical.

Gnosticism: matter is evil; spirit is good. Claims to have secret knowledge to advance.

Be able to speak with authority to a new generation of believers.

Key verses: John 20: 28,31 and 1 John 5: 13
Assurance that proves itself out in a life fully committed to following Jesus.

B. Passion and Purpose in Proclaiming the Word of Life

1 John 1: 1 - 4
When you have been with Jesus and truly tasted of eternal life...

Acts 4: 13
John 1: 14
John had been with Jesus, the eternal life made flesh.
John had a deep awareness of eternity.
The roof off, and the walls down -- John is looking for the joy of like-minded fellowship.

Acts 2: 42
Acts 4: 32 - 37

The radical Christianity that John is bringing them back towards.

Delighting yourself in God and taking on His purpose out of love -- not duty.

C. Bringing Our Heart into the Light

Darkness: falsehood and sin
Light: truth and holiness

1 John 1: 5 - 10
Proclaim: "God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with Him, yet walk in darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth."

Verse 8: "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves..."
We must deal with the "deceive ourselves" bit, and then... repentance and Christ-like living.

Radical change -- deep into our heart.
Jeremiah 17: 9 - 10
Jeremiah 8: 6,11
Hosea 7: 14
"They do not cry out to me from their hearts, but wail upon their beds."

"Often since I lived in this town, I have had very affecting views of my own sinfulness and vileness; very frequently to such a degree as to hold me in a kind of loud weeping, sometimes for a considerable time together; so that I have often been forced to shut myself up."
-Johnathan Edwards

King Amaziah in 2 Chronicles 25: 2,8
Not just about pride, but deceitfulness of the heart.

In 2 Chronicles 26: 4,15 Uzziah has a similar fate.

Deep repentance when we step into the light, and the motive of our heart is revealed.

D. Conclusion

Self-deception is serious and rampant in the church today... and it fits our culture.

A respone is always asked of us.