Lessons From I John
1 John 1:5 (11/30/17)
November 30, 2017 • Benham Brothers
* vs 5-6 - plants can’t grow in the dark. * If we claim to have a relationship with God but aren’t growing, we’re not in the Light. * vs 7 - if we walk in the light we get a reward: * Fellowship with others! * Fellowship is a byproduct of two people loving God and living for Him. * Tori and I call this “trust the triangle.” * God is the answer to all marriage problems. * vs 8 - broken fellowship (relational conflict) is always the result of TWO people. * The key to transformation is when both parties take ownership of their part of the problem. * If they don’t then the divide will remain. * vs 9 - forgiveness comes through confessing to God. * James 5:16 - healing comes through confessing to each other.
1 John 1:8-9 (12/7/22)
December 7, 2022 • Benham Brothers • 1 John 1:8–9
John wrote his three letters to help believers grow in intimacy with God. Intimacy is to be “fully known and fully accepted.” You cannot have intimacy apart from confession. Without confession, people can’t know you. If they don’t truly know you they can’t fully accept you. Vs 8 -“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.”We have a natural tendency to hide ourselves from God and others. A cockroach hides when the light is turned on. All relationships should start with this thought - “I’m not perfect.” Vs 9 - “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”Confession opens the door for us to be fully known. God will accept our confession. Relationships cannot thrive apart from intimacy. Two parts to intimacy: 1) Fully Known - seek to be known and to know. Seek to Be Known (by God and others): All good relationships are built on vulnerability. Vulnerability is having a willingness to “open the door” (Revelation 3:20). Let God and others in! Key - Confessing to God brings forgiveness - Confessing to others brings healing (James 5:16). Human nature turns toward humility and vulnerability. When you open up, it draws God & others toward you. Seek to Know (God and others): Go after God - pursue Him to know Him. He rewards those who pursue (Jeremiah 29:13). Go after others - be a good question asker. 2) Fully Accepted - receive acceptance and be accepting. You’re accepted - those who know and love you accept you. Revelation 3:20 - God loves you and wants intimacy with you. Be accepting (of God and others). The Connection Code - the key to connection is found in two questions: Will you be there for me? (Security) Am I good enough for you? (Identity) Create an environment of emotional safety
1 John 2:3-6 (11/30/17)
November 30, 2017 • Benham Brothers
* Love involves two things - compassion and standards. * You can’t have one without the other. * Rules without relationship leads to rebellion. * Relationship without rules leads to rejection. * Matthew 24:12 - “because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold.” * When you have only compassion but no standards, you don’t have love! * Having compassion for God and others and being willing to live within God’s standards proves our love for Him. * This is the foundation for “knowing” Him.
1 John 2:7 (12/3/15)
December 3, 2015 • Benham Brothers
• John is talking about the law of love, which was an old commandment from God - Deut 10:12. • Jesus and John placed the entire weight of the law on this one command. • LAW - determines the lowest you can go. • Thou shalt not kill - we don’t walk around saying “I don’t want to kill anyone today.” • LOVE - determines the highest you should go. • Love people - we’re not supposed to “not kill,” but to bring life. • Law compels you to inaction / Love propels you to action. • Parents - there are laws against child neglect. • Love for their kids propels them to provide and protect. • This is how God’s love in our hearts takes over - we don’t need law when we have love.
1 John 2:12-14 (12/7/22)
December 7, 2022 • Benham Brothers • 1 John 2:12–14
When we are born again we are baby Christians. It’s our job to mature in the faith. Just like a kid grows, so our spirit grows. Vs 12-13 - “I am writing to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name. I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one.” Vs 14 - He repeats it all again! These verses show a three-step maturity in Christ - from child to teen to adult. “I am writing to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name…” To stay a child, boil everything down to the fact your sins have been forgiven. Jesus reminded His disciples about this after they did ossum stuff (Luke 10:20). “I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning…” Eternal life is to “know God.” Your job is to know God and make Him known.“In the beginning” signifies depth of maturity in relationship. “I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one.”Walking in victory over temptation matures you rapidly in your faith.God put Jesus in the wilderness to begin His ministry. Teenagers are constantly battling temptation. Kids - salvation Teens - overcome temptation Adults - know God
1 John 2:15-17 (12/1/16)
December 1, 2016 • Benham Brothers
• “World” in the Bible means several things - the physical earth, all of humanity, and Satan’s system. • The “world” in this context refers to “Satan’s system for opposing the work of Christ on the earth.” • The “world” of sports is an organized system made up of ideas, people, activities, purposes, etc. • I work in the “real estate world.” • A “world” has three components: • 1) Rules - the standards of conduct that support the system. • In real estate - buy low and sell high, put client’s interest above your own, location-location-location, etc. • 2) Risks - the negative consequences for not following the rules. • In real estate - you could lose money if you buy high, lose business if you put your own interests first, etc. • 3) Rewards - the positive consequences for following the rules. • In real estate - you make money if you buy low, you get tenants if you have the right location, etc. • Satan’s system is a rip-off of God’s. • EX: Acceptance - smoke the joint (rule), you’ll fit in (reward), if you don’t you’ll be rejected (risk). • God’s system: • EX: Acceptance - don’t smoke the joint (rule), you won’t fit in (risk), God will honor you (reward). • Satan’s three weapons for getting you into his world and keeping you there: • Lust of the flesh. • Lust of the eyes. • Pride of life. • All three deal with FOCUS! • Focusing on God will keep us out of the WORLD.
1 John 3:2 (12/6/18)
December 6, 2018 • Benham Brothers
* You’ve got to have the paradigm if you want to have the power. * How you see yourself determines how you behave yourself. * A paradigm is how you view the world. * A paradigm shift is changing how you view the world. * EX: 16 year old to a 36 year old. * Truth - we are God’s kids! * This paradigm changes everything. * God’s kids have God’s power at their disposal. * EX: Elephants at the circus.
1 John 3:3 (11/30/17)
November 30, 2017 • Benham Brothers
* All believers can expect that Christ will come back and we will be like Him. * This expectation brings us hope. * It also keeps us pure when we’re tempted to NOT be like Him. * Expectation is a powerful tool to keep us pure. * If I’m promised a fine steak dinner I won’t eat a bowl of spaghetti if I’m a little hungry. Why? * Because I have the expectation of something much better. * The same is true with temptation. * When we’re tempted, like with sex before marriage, there’s a promise of something much better if we simply wait. * Do you really expect to reign with Jesus one day? * Then don’t settle for being like the devil while you wait!
1 John 3:10-14 (12/3/20)
December 3, 2020 • Benham Brothers
* Evidence of life is not historical birth. * Evidence of life is that you are alive - your heart and brain have activity going on. * If there’s no activity in the heart and brain there’s no life. * The same is true spiritually - evidence of spiritual life is not a day you can point to where you “got saved.” * Evidence of spiritual life two-fold is a matter of the heart and mind. * Vs 10 - give God your heart AND mind. * 1) We do what’s right (actions start in the mind). * Vs 9 - you won’t give yourself over to habitual sin & you’ll feel bad when you do sin. * 2) We feel what’s right (love starts in the heart). * Vs 11 - you can’t love God and hate His kids. * Vs 12 - EX: Cain didn’t DO what was right so he didn’t LOVE his brother. * Why did he kill him? Because his actions were evil. * Because Cain didn’t DO what was right (actions) he didn’t FEEL what was right (love). * When you habitually give into sin it dulls your conscience and hardens your heart. * It attacks your doer and your feeler. * So what’s the reward for loving others? * Vs 13 - You’ll be hated by the world! * John shifts us from the position of Cain to the position of Abel. * He did what was right and loved his family, but he got killed for it. * Vs 16 - Jesus got killed for loving people as well, but He received a crown and throne as a reward. * The same is true with us - when we do what’s right and love others, we’ll be hated. But when we endure we’ll receive a reward. * John is setting us straight by explaining how it all works.
1 John 3:11-13 (12/1/16)
December 1, 2016 • Benham Brothers
• vs 11 - We should LOVE one another. • vs 12 - Be like Abel - his love for God was manifest in the sacrifice he brought to Him. • vs 13 - Expect the world to HATE you. • Do what? • For a believer love and hate always go together. • When we love God and others we live like Jesus, and when we live like Jesus the world will hate us. • Why? • The same reason Cain hated Abel - because Abel’s life convicted Cain of his sin. • The “world” is Satan’s system that opposes Christ’s work on the earth, so if we’re loving God and loving others Satan HATES this.
1 John 4:9 (12/6/18)
December 6, 2018 • Benham Brothers
* 1 John 4 is all about love. * How are we going to live a life of love? * “…so that we might live THROUGH Him.” * We need a God Grid (Jesus Filter). * EX: Spaghetti * Christ is our filter where we process everything through Him. * This God Grid is simply a mindset that is aware of Christ’s presence and what He would say, do, think, or feel in a certain situation. * “How would Jesus respond to this?” “What does Jesus think of my spouse?” * Having this awareness allows us to take thoughts captive (like the spaghetti water).
1 John 4:11 (12/7/17)
December 7, 2017 • Benham Brothers
* The essential element of love is sacrifice. * What you’re willing to sacrifice for those you say you love shows whether you really love them. * God “sacrificed” His own Son for us. * If the essential element of love is sacrifice then the essential element of sacrifice is surrender. * When it comes to covenant relationships, the surrender must be EVERYTHING. * You don’t really love God unless you’re willing to sacrifice everything. * Hosea 3:1-2 - Hosea was willing to sacrifice his career, reputation, money….everything. * The same is true in your marriage and family. * Once we surrender to Him then our lives become “living sacrifices” where we experience God’s love and express it to others! * Sacrifice sets the stage for us to experience God’s love, then surrender allows us to express it. * His love comes to us and then through us!
1 John 4:16-17 (12/7/17)
December 7, 2017 • Benham Brothers
* If you’re love has grown cold these verses are your answer. * God is love, and if we live in Him and He in us then our love will “grow more perfect.” * The secret to loving our ________ is by abiding in Christ. * When we make Christ our abode (where we live) our love for others grows. * We abide through attention (mind) and affection (heart). * Our hearts will go where our minds take them. * When we abide we allow nothing to come between us and Jesus.
1 John 4:20-21 (12/6/18)
December 6, 2018 • Benham Brothers
* It’s easier to love God than to love people. * God doesn’t have bad breath, say bad things, hurt your feelings, etc. * The way we love God is by loving others. Why? * Because others are God’s kids. * We can’t love a dad and hate his kids. * We love God and bless Him by loving and blessing His kids.
1 John 5:3 (12/21/22)
December 21, 2022
When we are born again we are born from love and for love. From love - God’s passion for us as His kids. For love - to love God and others. We need to define love. Love is a man - Jesus. True love (Jesus) includes two things: Compassion = to suffer together. Standards = the rules of relationship. You cannot have one without the other. Vs 1-2 - “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. 2 This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands.”Vs 3a - “In fact, this IS LOVE FOR GOD: to keep His commands…” Obedience is what that love looks like. EX: Cleaning the dishes is what “thank you” looks like when you’re at someone’s house for dinner. Vs 3b - “…And His commands are not burdensome.”Boundaries are not burdens - they keep you from burdens and bring you blessings. They represent freedom. They keep the bad out and the good in. Rabbi in Jerusalem - “You Christians are so funny. You think of tôrâ as law. We Jews think of tôrâ as our way of expressing our love for God.The way we say, “I love you” to God is to do what He says.