25 Woods Lake Road, Building 8, Greenville, SC
Fish are known for swimming. Birds are known for flying. What are Christians known for? This question brings many different answers depending on who you ask, but the one thing Jesus said we should be known for is our love. John said if we don’t love others we’re guilty of murder! Today we take an honest look at our own lives to see if we are truly loving others the way Jesus loved us.
This sermon was not recorded due to technical difficulties. If you would like to receive a copy of the sermon notes by email, please contact us and let us know.
Just because someone teaches from the Bible, does that mean they are teaching the truth? John warns us that there are many “antichrists” already among us, and some are inside our churches! How can we identify these people to make sure we are not following false teachers, and how can we know for sure that our own faith is real and not counterfeit?
John says we have to make a choice: either we can love the world or we can love God, but it is impossible to love both. We cannot love the sinful ways of the world and have God’s love in us at the same time. It’s one or the other. He also warns that our lives will end very differently based on what we choose to love. So where is your love taking you? Are you living for the here and now, or are you living for eternity?
As we face the struggles and uncertainties of life that often come our way, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed, alone and afraid. In those times, we can find great encouragement by remembering the things that are already true of us in Christ. If you are facing difficult times, let these truths from God’s Word be the encouragement you need to find renewed hope and strength for the future.
There are certain chemicals which, when combined, produce tremendous change. Once they come in contact with each other, they cannot stay the same. In a similar way, a genuine encounter with God always produces change. John says if we claim to have had an encounter with God, but our lives have not been radically changed as a result, then we do not really know Him. Does your life show proof of this change?
As John the Apostle writes to his beloved children in Ephesus, he desires to stir their hearts into remembering their beginnings; when they first believed in the Lord Jesus for salvation; when they first received the gospel in faith. But why is it so important to be reminded of our beginnings in the gospel? Do we have any control for how much the gospel affects us now compared to when we first believed?
The world has tried every imaginable way to end war and crime and hatred and violence, yet despite all their best efforts to bring lasting peace to mankind through education, politics and money, nothing has changed. And nothing ever will change until we recognize and admit that our greatest problem is sin, and our greatest need is a Savior.
The early church faced persecution from its inception, but after a few decades, a new enemy appeared that was even more deadly. False teachers arose from within their own ranks and began to destroy the church from the inside. John wrote this letter to give clear ways to distinguish false doctrine from authentic Christianity. Does your life show evidence of these marks of a genuine believer?
“If God has forgiven me, why don’t I feel forgiven?” Have you ever asked that question? As Christians, we know that God has forgiven all our sin and He has promised to never remember it again. Why, then, do we so often still feel haunted and condemned by things in our past? If you’ve ever wrestled with this issue, today’s sermon will help you understand why that happens and how you can move beyond your past into the future God has for you! (Audio problems at the beginning will clear up within the first few minutes)
Salvation is an inner working of the Holy Spirit; transforming our hearts and lives from the inside out. Inside working it’s way out is this new man, empowered with the Holy Spirit. This new man effects our living today, and assures us where we will be when the Lord returns.
When it comes to war, it is vitally important to know the enemy. When it comes to spreading the gospel message, we also need to know what we’re up against. We need to understand how an unbeliever thinks. What is actually going on in their heart when they say, “I don’t believe in God.” Are they pleading ignorance? Do they need further proof?
