1 John

Order of Service

• Call to Worship — Psalm 103
• Hymn — Praise My Soul, the King of Heaven (#76)
• Prayer of Invocation
• Scripture Reading — Psalm 31:1-14
• Hymn — Beneath the Cross of Jesus (#251)
• Pastoral Prayer
• Sermon
• Hymn — Blessed Assurance (#693)
• Benediction — 1 Peter 5:10-11

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Sermon Title: Assurance of Who We Are in God

Scripture: 1 John 2:28–3:3

I. Introduction to John's Letters

A. Good biblical and historical evidence that 1–3 John were written by the Apostle John B. Connection between Ecclesiastes and 1 John

1. Both describe the world as passing away
2. Both emphasize the duty of obedience to God C. First John is the letter of assurance — John writes to remind weary Believers of who they are and what is theirs

II. The Threat to Assurance

A. A group of secessionists (John calls them antichrists and liars) had left the fellowship B. The threat is as old as the Garden of Eden: being tempted to doubt God's self-revelation and disregard the duty to obey his word C. Two specific attacks in this letter

1. The deity of Christ coming under attack (wrong belief)
2. Obedience being undermined (wrong practice) D. Whenever God's word is set aside in favor of the word of man, Christian assurance always suffers

III. The Benefits of Assurance

A. Forgiveness — so total and sweeping that believers can have confidence and not shrink from Christ in shame at his coming (see 1 John 2:28) B. Godliness — the evident fruit of obedience and practicing righteousness C. Communion with God — confidence to bring prayerful requests to him

IV. Assurance Is Yours Because You Are Born of God

A. John addresses believers as "little children" at least seven times in 1 John and ten times across the letters — his favorite title for believers B. You are born of the God who is light and life

1. 1 John 1:5 — God is light; in him is no darkness at all
2. God's light is his moral perfection and perfect truth radiating out, revealing the way to walk rightly
3. 1 John 5:20 — the Son is the true God and eternal life; cf. Psalm 36:9 — with God is the fountain of life
4. Life originates in God; in him we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28) C. You are born to new life by his Spirit and Word
5. At the fall, spiritual death permeated all humanity — we were dead in trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1)
6. God gives new spiritual life at recreation by his Spirit and Word
7. Vivid picture in Ezekiel 37 — the valley of dry bones
8. 2 Corinthians 5:17 — if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation
9. 1 Peter 1:23 — new birth through the imperishable seed of the Word
10. 1 John 2:20 — believers have been anointed by the Holy One
11. 1 John 5:9-10 — believing in the Son is evidence of having God's testimony within
12. 1 John 3:9-10 — God's abiding seed has been planted; children of God cannot continue unabated in the same sinful patterns D. Assurance is found in the evidence of God's light and life in our lives — but self-examination only goes so far
13. Robert Murray McCheyne: "For every one look inside yourself, look ten times to Christ"
14. When we sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous (1 John 2:1)

V. Assurance Is Yours Because You Are Beloved by God

A. John addresses believers as "beloved" ten times across his letters B. 1 John 3:1 — See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God C. You are beloved by the God who is love

1. 1 John 4:8, 16 — God is love (stated twice in chapter 4)
2. This is not "love is God" — the world twists love to mean permissiveness; God is love itself in his very being and character
3. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit love each other perfectly and eternally D. You are born to new love
4. The second half of 1 John and most of 2 John are taken up with the life of love lived out by those born of God
5. Love for God and love for neighbor summarize all the law
6. Jesus perfectly demonstrates this love as both model and mediator — the propitiation for our sins
7. We love only because he first loved us (1 John 4:19)
8. The DNA of God's love flows through the veins of those born of him — love for one another is the ultimate evidence of who we are E. Self-examination is called for, but we look to Jesus who is perfect love

VI. Conclusion — Recite Who You Are

A. John aims to remind believers of who they are so they remember what is theirs and the Kingdom to which they belong B. Preach the gospel to yourself every day (cf. Jonathan Edwards) C. You are born of God and beloved of God — this is John's message in 1 John D. The goal: confidence so that when Christ returns, we do not shrink back from him (1 John 2:28)