Signs of Life
A verse-by-verse study of the book of 1 John.
The Greatest Danger
June 2, 2019 • Brian Watts
We finish our seventeen-week study in 1 John by looking at the final verse, John's last message to his readers. Here, he warned against one of the greatest dangers facing us... idolatry. We spend time looking at what it is, how to identify our idols, and how to guard ourselves against them.
The Value of Knowing
May 26, 2019 • Kevin Blake
As we continue in chapter 5 of 1 John, we look closely at a word that is repeated 7 times within 10 sentences... "know". Clearly John wants his readers to have confidence in what they know but why do we need to know and what effect should this knowledge have? We explore these questions this week.
The Testimony
May 19, 2019 • Brian Watts
We move into the middle of chapter 5 this week and another of John's closing words to the early church in this letter. Here, John gives a clear testimony that speaks to who Jesus was and what He came to do. We see that not only is Jesus who He claimed to be, but also that all of those who believe in Him get all the rights and benefits that He has in eternity.
Nike
May 12, 2019 • Brian Watts
As we begin to close our Signs of Life series, we look at the beginning of chapter 5. Here John recaps the signs that he has earlier shown that demonstrate our relationship with Christ. He then adds encouragement to this by telling believers that if they know God they are overcomers. We spend time looking at what this means and how it can aid us in our day-to-day lives.
An Unnatural Love
May 5, 2019 • Brian Watts
This week, we finish chapter 4 of 1 John. Here, we see a command that has been one of the central themes to this book... love one another. But John doesn't just give the command, he also shows us that God is the source of all love and that he demonstrated an incredible and unnatural love by sending Jesus. John also shows that one of the best ways to know if we've experienced this love is that we are able to show the same unnatural love to others.
How Do I Know What is True?
April 28, 2019 • Brian Watts
As we examine chapter 4 of 1 John, we realize quickly that they dealt with many of the same issues that we do today. In our culture, we encounter a myriad of voices that tell us what is true, what we should believe and how we should live our lives. We are often told to embrace whatever we think is true and to "live our truth." In John's day, there was a group of teachers who had embraced their own spirituality and were teaching a different message about how to know God. So how do we know what is true? What teachers should we trust? In today's message we see the need for discernment, a guide for discernment and the help God gives us to discern.
Missing the Point
April 7, 2019 • Kevin Blake
We finish 1 John 3 this week with a word of assurance from John. One of the main points of 1 John is for John to reassure early believers of their faith. In 1 John 3:19-24 we see John give this reassurance and point early followers towards the only place they can truly find eternal assurance.
Self Sacrifice
March 31, 2019 • Brian Watts
We continue in 1 John 3 this week and see one of the greatest signs of a believer who has accepted and been transformed by the gospel. So many times we look to our quiet time and prayer time as indicators of our spiritual condition. And while these things are important, John tells us in 1 John 3 that even more of an evidence of a heart change is how we love others.
Resembling the Father
March 24, 2019 • Brian Watts
As we move into week 9 of our series in 1 John, we begin looking at chapter 3. Here, John tells his readers about the incredible love we are shown by being adopted into God's family through Jesus. Because of this adoption, we will resemble God more and more as we abide in Him and practice righteousness.
A Crucial Warning
March 3, 2019 • Brian Watts
Perhaps no more important warning has ever been given to followers of Jesus than the one given in this passage: do not love the world. The love of the world has caused many to abandon Jesus altogether or to lose passion in following him. In this message we answer 3 questions: what is the love of the world, why is it such a problem, and how do we avoid it?