1 John – Walking in the Truth • 04.07.24
Nick Lees   -   April 7, 2024

Walking in the Truth
1 John Overview

Certainty in Christ in confusing circumstances

  1. The Doctrine Test: What do you believe about Jesus Christ?
  2. The Moral Test: What is your response to Christ’s commands?
  3. The Love Test: How do you view and treat fellow Christians?

Good morning church family! Welcome guests + introduce self.

Dismiss 4th + 5th graders

Ushers + Bibles (1 John; Page 1210)

Today we are kicking off a new, 8-week series called Walking in the Truth, which is a study of the letters of 1, 2, and 3 John. I believe this is going to be a great follow-up to the things we studied on Easter weekend, specifically on the importance of Jesus of Nazareth being the Son of God who came as a man to take away our sins. Today, I’m going to lead us through an overview of the 1st letter from John so we can have our bearings as we study the rest of the letter in the weeks ahead. It’s the longest of the three, with the other two only clocking in at 13 and 15 verses respectively.

Anytime we do an overview sermon, we always look at the context. When I say context, what I’m referring to are details like these:

  • Author – who wrote it?
  • Date – when was it written?
  • Audience – to whom was it written?
  • Purpose – why was it written?
  • Key Themes – what is emphasized?

These matters are worthy of our time and attention because they help us to better understand and accurately interpret what we are reading. There is a real danger when reading the Bible when you disconnect it from its historical, redemptive context and begin interpreting it to mean whatever you want it to mean! That’s dangerous because you’ve essentially jettisoned the reasons why God had it written and substituted your own reasons instead. This leads to a different Bible with a different message that does not lead to salvation. So, let’s seek to answer these questions:

  • Author – who wrote it?

The strongest evidence supports the conclusion that they are written by the Apostle John. John was one of the sons of Zebedee, of the original 12 apostles called by Jesus Christ.

Matthew 4:18–22 (ESV)

18 While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21 And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

John is also the author of the fourth Gospel, as well as the book of Revelation, and there is substantial overlap in his writing style and language between his Gospel account and these epistles. John was the longest surviving Apostle, and it is believed his writings came later in his life.

  • Date – when was it written?

Based on the timeline of John being forced to move to Ephesus due to the Romans destroying Jerusalem in 67 A.D. it is believed his Gospel account was written around 85 AD. (TIMELINE) It is believed his epistles were penned after the Gospel account, which gives them a date of the early-mid 90s AD. Early post-apostolic figures like Polycarp and Papias (c. A.D. 100) presuppose or cite 1 John in their writings. This suggests a date of composition no later than the 90s A.D.

  • Audience – to whom was it written?

This is interesting to determine because John’s first letter differs from a typical letter of that time by not having a greeting that identifies the recipients. Based on what we know about his location at the time of writing, living in Ephesus, (MAP) it is believed that this was written as a “circular” letter – meaning it was to be passed around multiple churches in his area. As we’ll see, it is written to those within the church, but now we’re getting into our next contextual question…

  • Purpose – why was it written?

John does not leave his audience or us wondering why he has written this letter. Let me demonstrate by now reading portions of the letter to you.

1 John 1:1–4 (ESV)

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— 2 the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— 3 that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

John is writing this letter to proclaim the truth that Jesus is the Son of God who has come in the flesh. This is an essential truth to the Christian faith, and he is reminding them of it so that they may hold fast to this belief and have fellowship with God and the rest of the believers, as well as to help them have complete joy in Christ.

1 John 2:1 (ESV)

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

John is also writing this letter to protect these dear believers from the deceitfulness of sin. He wants them to be righteous as Christ is righteous. In that vein he is also writing so that they would walk in the truth. He reminds them of the work Christ has done and encourages them to remain faithful to it.

Unfortunately, there were false teachers in their midst seeking to lead them astray. So, a big part of John’s reason for writing is to protect them from these deceivers. Some had already left their church and he wanted to protect those who remained.

1 John 2:26 (ESV)

26 I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you.

He wants them to know and believe the truth not the lies! Finally, perhaps the most well-known and overarching reason for his writing is found near the end of his letter.

1 John 5:13 (ESV)

13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.

John is writing so they would have confidence or certainty in their faith and its outcome – eternal life. This is a letter about assurance just as much as it is a letter about the deceitfulness of sin, false teachers, and the ultimate enemy, Satan.

My hope in studying these letters is that believers in our church would have great certainty in their faith but also that no one would be deceived into thinking they are “ok” with God if they are living contrary to his will. Just like John, I am seeking everyone’s eternal good in this series! This leads us to that final contextual question:

  • Key Themes – what is emphasized?
    • Certainty/Assurance
      • In the Christian faith. In their standing with God.
    • Truth
      • About Christ. About false teachers.
    • Obedience
      • Walking in the Truth/Light/Christ.
    • Love
      • God’s love towards us. Our love towards God and one another.

This is a letter written to people who are facing difficulties; they are shaken up as they watch friends who once gathered with them walk away to follow false teachers. They are having to navigate their relationships with these who are now spreading a different message. John is seeking to encourage his audience to hold fast to the true faith. He is laying out specific tests or evidences that provide assurance that they are following the truth. If they pass the tests or bear the fruit then they ought to have certainty in their faith; however, if any are lacking in these things, then they ought to wrestle with their confession to see if they truly are in the faith. It is an opportunity for purifying your faith and increasing your confidence.

Who doesn’t want to have certainty in their standing with God? Who hasn’t struggled with doubts? Or perhaps some among us are overly confident when they ought to be more considerate of whether they are truly in the faith.

Wherever you stand, the Apostle John lays out some beautiful answers and assurances to provide spiritual certainty in this epistle. And that is our emphasis for this overview sermon:

Certainty in Christ in confusing circumstances

The desired outcome is to have a people who are confidently following Christ as they walk in the truth. The way that John sets about this is by presenting and developing three specific categories of tests for believers. Let me give them to you now and then we can develop each one:

  1. The Doctrine Test: What do you believe about Jesus Christ?
  2. The Moral Test: What is your response to Christ’s commands?
  3. The Love Test: How do you view and treat fellow Christians?

We’ll start with:

  1. The Doctrine Test: What do you believe about Jesus Christ?

As you heard earlier from the start of this letter, John is proclaiming to them truths about Jesus. He makes these proclamations as an eyewitness – one who has heard and seen and touched the Christ, the Son of God. John professes that Jesus is the eternal life who has been made manifest to Christians, and, more specifically, to those early eyewitnesses. John is writing to these churches as a first-generation Christian to those who are now 60+ years removed from the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He is writing to people who have been shaken up by friends leaving their churches and claiming to have a different, better truth.

We see John addressing the topic of those who have left in several sections. Let’s see what we can learn from them.

1 John 2:18–22 (ESV)

18 Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us. 20 But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge. 21 I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth. 22 Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son.

There is a major concern and problem with those who deny that Jesus is the Christ. Those who had departed from the churches were changing their view of who Jesus is and no longer believed that he was the Christ, the Son of God. Given that Jesus is central to the Christian faith, once you start changing what the Scriptures teach about him, that’s a BIG problem! Let’s keep reading…

1 John 3:7–8 (ESV)

7 Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. 8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.

The false teachers were minimizing sin and teaching that striving for righteousness doesn’t really matter. As John argues, the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil, which is sin (missing the mark; rebellion against God). It’s another real problem when you minimize sin in your life. There were people propagating these kinds of teaching in their communities and they had to guard against it! One more to go…

1 John 4:1–3 (ESV)

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.

This is connected with our earlier passage about the antichrists – they are those who deny the incarnation of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. In those days there was a heretical teaching that Jesus was only a man and that the Christ, who was God, was separate from Jesus. This is incredibly problematic because if Jesus is merely a man, then he could not be the perfect divine sacrifice for our sins and completely remove the wrath of God for us. It is also problematic because if the Christ is somehow not fully man, then he would not be a fitting sacrifice for us, because he is not a human bearing our sins like Isaiah 53 prophesied.

What you believe about Jesus Christ is of the utmost importance! It was in their day, and it still is in ours. We know that there are many competing views in our world today, just as there were back then, and John wants his readers to have certainty that they are following the truth about Jesus. So, he lays it out for them.

Picking up from where we left off earlier:

1 John 2:22–25 (ESV)

22 Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. 23 No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. 24 Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. 25 And this is the promise that he made to us—eternal life.

The one who confesses that Jesus is the Son of God has the Father also. The things they were taught by the Apostle Paul and other early leaders of the church need to abide or remain in them. They need to hold fast the truths they had been taught about Jesus. He is the Christ, the eternal Son of God, the One who came down and took on flesh to redeem us from our sin. This is what John testifies in chapter 4:

1 John 4:2 (ESV)

2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,

1 John 4:13–16 (ESV)

13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.

Do you confess that Jesus is the Christ and the Son of God? Do you believe that he was sent from heaven by the Father to be the Savior of the world?

Believing the truth about Jesus’ identity and incarnation is essential to the Christian faith! If you believe these things, then you ought to have confidence that you are abiding in the truth. If you do not believe these things, then you are against God, believing a lie about Him, and should fear his judgment. *pause*

In his letter, John also speaks of hoping in our adoption and future glorification with Christ.

1 John 2:28–3:3 (ESV)

28 And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming. 29 If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.

 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

A man or woman who believes in and abides in Jesus will live righteously and have confidence when he returns to judge the world. A believer finds great hope in their identity as a child of God, recognizing they were once an enemy of God, but now have been adopted into his family through Jesus’ sacrifice on their behalf. They also have great hope in the promised eternal outcome – they will be like Jesus when he comes again – full of glory and without sin. Is this your hope? Do you long to be with him and be like him?

Studying this letter will be an opportunity to evaluate what you believe about Jesus Christ. I hope it will be a clarifying time for each one of us that leads to certainty in Him. Even as we face an increasingly hostile world that is full of all kinds of false teaching about Christ, we can have confidence in the truth. This is an opportunity to sort through the falsehoods and lies, perhaps even about the health of our own walk with Jesus. But this is only the first of three categories of tests that are found in 1 John. The second category is:

  1. The Moral Test: What is your response to Christ’s commands?

What you believe about Christ should directly affect the way you live for Christ. There was a very real concern in John’s day between people who professed to be in the truth or in the light yet walked in darkness.

1 John 1:5–10 (ESV)

5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

There is a direct connection between believing the truth and living in light of the truth! One who has believed in Christ will walk in the light, as he is in the light. That means they will desire to confess their sin (say the same thing God says about it) and not hide it. It is a lie to claim Christ yet continue to live in unrepentant sin. God absolutely cares about our holiness.

John elaborates on this further in chapter 2:

1 John 2:3–6 (ESV)

3 And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. 4 Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, 5 but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: 6 whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

This is a very straightforward test: do you obey his commandments? If you profess to be a Christian, but you do not seek to know His Word or obey it, you’re a liar and the truth is not in you. That’s how bluntly John puts it. One who has tasted and seen the goodness of God’s love in Christ keeps his word. Those who make it their daily habit to know and obey God’s Word can have confidence that they are in him. This is not promoting works-based righteousness, it is simply connecting two dots – true believers are DOERS of the Word, not hearers only.

There is a real expectation that one who believes in Christ will live that out in their daily life through their thoughts/words/deeds. A Christian responds to the commands of Christ with joyful obedience and they make a break with sin in their life.

1 John 3:4–6 (ESV)

4 Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. 5 You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. 6 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him.

If someone followed you around for a week, what would their conclusion be? Would they say that you walk in the same way that Christ walked? That you have made a break with sin and are seeking to walk in righteousness?

If not, that is concerning. Of course you’re not going to be perfect, but if you generally find it a burden or onerous to read God’s Word and follow through with living it out, then you need to be concerned about your soul. If your life is lived differently than how Christ would call you to live, that’s a problem. It is time to do some self-evaluation to make sure you are in the faith. I say this from a position of love and desiring what is eternally best for you and for me. I must do the same evaluations!

Another category that is presented for evaluation is your relationship with the world (meaning the systems/categories of people that are opposed to God). Those who are in Christ and love Christ make a break with the world. Listen to how John speaks of this:

1 John 2:15–17 (ESV)

15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

Do you hear how polarizing this is? “If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” That is written plainly. A man or woman who truly loves the Lord and is following him forsakes the love of the world – the desires of the flesh, of the eyes, and the pride of life. You are no longer ruled by your sinful nature. You are aware that there are desires within you that do not please God and you seek to put them to death. You are aware that what you set your gaze on will often direct your life, so you set your eyes on Christ. You cultivate humility (a right view of self in light of a right view of God) rather than boasting in pride. No more is it, “Look at me!” but it is “Look at him!” A Christian does not love the world, and they also overcome the world. How does one do that? John explains in chapter 5:

1 John 5:1–5 (ESV)

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. 4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

As you love God and obey his commands, you choose the things that please Christ and thereby reveal that you are part of his family. As part of his family, you are victorious over the world that is opposed to him because you have authentic faith. You are no longer enslaved to the flesh and its worldly desires; you are set free to serve Christ! John later says that Jesus protects you from sin and the enemy. By clinging to Christ in obedience to His Word, you have overcome the world.

There are men and women throughout history who have done exactly this… including in our own church family. I have spoken with men and women who have counted the cost of following Christ in their workplace or families. Choosing to please Christ rather than bend the knee to corporate greed or propagating lies. Sharing the gospel even when it may cost them relationships or their job. I will be seeking to share examples of their stories throughout this series. If you have such a testimony, I would love to grab a coffee and hear it.

For the rest of us, is that what could be said of you? Are you striving for daily obedience to Christ? Do you love God and seek to obey his commands?

There is great certainty in the faith for those who do love God and seek to obey Him. And thankfully, we also have the promise that God is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness when we confess our sins to him. There is always a path forward in Christ! Do not let your sin continue to weigh you down or condemn you.

Our final test is…

  1. The Love Test: How do you view and treat fellow Christians?

Not only does John emphasize having the right beliefs and right responses to Christ, but he also teaches that this will prove itself in the way we view and treat our fellow Christians. A man or woman cannot claim to know Christ and yet be unloving to their brothers/sisters in the faith.

1 John 2:9–11 (ESV)

9 Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. 10 Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. 11 But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

1 John 4:19–21 (ESV)

19 We love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.

Pretty clear, isn’t it? How you view and treat your fellow Christians says a lot about your relationship with God. If you will not even love those around you, there is no way you love God.

This is a real smack in the face to some of us. “You mean I have to love him/her!?” Yes, that is exactly what it means. There is no room for Christians to treat one another poorly or with partiality. That’s how the world treats one another.

We don’t need bullies in the kid’s or student’s ministry. We don’t need cliques in the adults of our church. There should be no “outsiders” in the family of God. We are all his children and loved extravagantly by the Father. The same type of extravagant love should be the goal of his children for one another.

Who cares if they are different than you? That’s what makes the body of Christ so special. He brings unity in the face of our diversity. Ethnicity/economic status/gender/age/maturity levels are not reasons for Christians to treat one another unlovingly. The world may divide over these, but the church is united in Christ!

We are to LOVE one another. Just as Christ loved us – and he laid down his life for us. John knew this command very well, as he recorded it in his gospel:

John 13:34–35 (ESV)

34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

This is one of the six pillars of our church – compelling community. The idea is that there ought to be something different about Christ’s church. We are to be the most loving, sacrificial people on the planet. The things that the world makes mountains out of are not going to divide us!

What could possibly allow us to love like this?! John tells us. The fact that God first loved us. He initiated. He sent His Son to die for us while we were still sinners. We are able to love extravagantly because we have already been extravagantly loved by God! There is no wrath left for those who are in Christ – you are forgiven and free! Free to love people just like Christ loved you and loves them! To seek their good even at great expense to yourself.

Do you love like this? Would someone be shocked at the level of sacrificial service you offer to others? Is there any difference in the way that you live and love compared to a very nice or generous unbelieving man or woman? These are questions worth pondering as we study this letter! *pause*

At the end of this letter, John ends with some statements about what we know. He lays out things that we have certainty in. As we close out today, I want to draw your attention to the last two verses of the letter.

1 John 5:20–21 (ESV)

20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. 21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols.

We can have confidence in Jesus Christ and what he has taught us. It is possible to have great assurance in our faith and where we will spend eternity. I look forward to solidifying this understanding in our church in the weeks ahead!

Yet, even as we have this confidence, we must be on guard against the temptations of this world and our idols (anything or anyone that grabs our heart, minds, or affections more than God). This fits so well with what we heard last week in preparation for Good Friday and Easter Sunday. May we continue to be quick to identify our idols and forsake them in pursuit of Christ!

Before we pray, I want to give you some homework for this week.

  • Read the entire letter of 1 John
    • Identify words or concepts you don’t understand and look them up in a study Bible (ESV Study Bible) or a good commentary (John Stott’s TNTC is only $8 on Amazon)
      • Or email me your questions and I’ll know to address them as we go
    • Write down the different “tests” and “assurances” you see to make sure you’re in the faith. Allow these to be a great tool for self-evaluation/reflection in your own walk with God.

 

Let’s pray.