1 John
Deepening The Spiritual Life of the Church (Current Weekend Study)
A Changed Heart = A Changed Life (Pt. 2)
March 10, 2024 • Pastor Jeff Cramer • 1 John 5:6–21
History tells the story about Alexander the Great and how there was a man in his army who was not acting brave in battle. When he should have been pressing in he was lingering back! Alexander approached & asked “What’s your name soldier?” The man answered: “Sir my name is Alexander.” The great general looked this soldier in the eye & said “Get in there and fight or change your name!” John teaches us that when we identify our life with Christ, by faith, we overcome the world! No longer do we shrink back in defeat but we stand strong until Satan flees!
A Changed Heart = A Changed Life
March 3, 2024 • Pastor Jeff Cramer • 1 John 5:1–5
John concludes this book by speaking of the reality of being changed forever! I’ve pastored this church for the last 12-years and I see the church as the family of God on earth with many needing to be connected to God’s truth. Yet, one of the challenges of our time is that people have a fascination with identifying problems and treating symptoms to feel better but never getting better!
The Balance of the Christian Life
February 18, 2024 • Pastor Jeff Cramer • 1 John 4:7–21
John continues on with the third test on how a child of God should understand the balance between the assurance God gives us and the warnings He lays out! We’ve been told repeatedly that God is love and we’ve also been instructed that because God is love we too should love! So what does that love look like?
My Source of Understanding
February 11, 2024 • Pastor Jeff Cramer • 1 John 4:1–6
Today, John takes us into the third discussion about what a child of God should understand and he uses the Holy Spirit as the baseline. In the first century Jews didn’t wrestle with the Deity of the coming Christ. Because they knew Messiah would come! They had the OT Prophecies. However, they wrestled with the Humanity of Christ. That’s why they rejected Jesus! They didn’t understand that God would take on humanity and fulfill the Old Covenant and pay the price for the sin of the world! In 2024 understanding genuine faith is still an issue. Because any accept the historical figure of Jesus but deny His Deity – as being Lord of their life.
Counterfeit or Genuine (Pt. 2)
February 4, 2024 • Pastor Jeff Cramer • 1 John 3:11–24
What makes our faith in Jesus Christ genuine? In this section of 1 John we can understand that it’s not just that we say we’re believers, but that we act out our faith. John repeatedly says You’ve already heard this. Yet, as the aged Apostle he tells them to live out the message Jesus gave by loving each other! Challenges to our love comes from those close to us. Just like when Cain murdered his brother Abel. Why? Because he was jealous of his righteous deeds.
Counterfeit or Genuine
December 10, 2023 • Pastor Jeff Cramer • 1 John 3:1–10
The bigger picture of 1 John is focused on counterfeit Christians who were trying to convince genuine Christians that a person could be saved and still practice sin. In chapters 1&2 John focused on the test of “fellowship.” Because the talk of believers was not matching the lives of believers. We’ve learned when a person says they’re a Christian it’s biblically sound to expect fruit. It’s the evidence of what’s expected. We’ve learned that biblical fellowship is seen in a life characterized by “doing” not just “saying.” It’s an active faith NOT a said faith. In these verses, John underscores the motivation of genuine belief. And he is telling the Church we cannot be born again and then live a life of “practicing sin.” - It’s impossible!!!
Unshakeable Confidence
November 12, 2023 • Pastor Jeff Cramer • Colossians 3:1–16, 1 John 2:28–29, 1 John 3:1–3
In our text today, John has a strong encouragement for the church: "remain in fellowship with Christ" (NLT). But how do we do this? Pastor Jeff will teach us what this looks like by taking a detour and pulling out practical instruction from Colossians 3. We are taught what this looks like as a church and it begins with getting rid of old practices and putting in place new spiritual values.
Family Warning
November 5, 2023 • Pastor Jeff Cramer • 1 John 2:18–27
John circles back to the “little children,” those who are NEW to the faith. He sets the urgency of the hour with two critical lessons for the church: It’s “the last hour” & the signs of “the last hour.” He warns for the Antichrist and also many Antichrist. But He’s warning the church to not be deceived by those who are claiming Christ, but are lying with their lifestyle. Because when doctrine is discarded or relationships are broken off in unbiblical ways, you can be sure there’s an ungodly person (An apostate) in your midst.
Family Matters
October 29, 2023 • Pastor Jeff Cramer • 1 John 2:12–17
We live in an age where many people know about Christ & claim to be saved but their lives don’t reflect faith. John has been teaching the church that profession without proof IS A LIE! While he’s speaking to the family of Christ, we see he identifies three portions of believers. In this section of verses, we see the family make up & get a strong warning.
The Love Test
October 22, 2023 • Pastor Jeff Cramer • 1 John 2:3–11
Today, John’s giving us the foundational test of what genuine Christian fellowship looks like thru doctrine and morals, which is the application of truth! John loved the church and he wanted them to be health & maturity that their lives would have purpose & be full of joy. He’s not teaching us to be directed to a set of religious standards. Rather, that we’re being called into relational standards that please the one who saved us.
A Refreshing Reality
October 1, 2023 • Pastor Jeff Cramer • 1 John 2:1–2
When I was a new believer my friend Kevin from San Diego modeled generosity perfectly to me. He didn’t lecture he demonstrated Biblical truth with his life and I caught on to it. He showed me how generosity works by living it. So, over the years, I’ve learned that the Christian life is more often caught than taught! It's during moments of fellowship many Bible truths are absorbed as we see other believers living them out. Today we're going to talk about “A Refreshing Reality.” John is teaching that fellowship with God does NOT require lives of sinless perfection (because we can’t attain that). But lives that are honest in bring our sin struggles to Jesus and responding to His loving truth.
What's Holding You Back?
September 24, 2023 • Pastor Jeff Cramer • 1 John 1
Today we introduce a new study through the epistle of 1 John. Why? Because his aim was to anchor in the church with simple truth so that fellowship with God was maintained! John was writing to deepen the spiritual life of the church. The three main points throughout 1 John is Fullness of joy, Freedom from sin, Assurance of salvation. Wouldn’t we all like more of that in our life?