Sermon Tone Analysis

Claim - The world and all that deny Jesus as the Christ are dangerous to the Jesus Follower and deadly to everyone else.

Focus - Looking at the dangers of the ‘world’ and 'false teachings of antichrists’

Function - To reassure Jesus followers that loving obedience to God by his Spirit through His Word is the most wonderful place to be.

Week 1 in 1 John, we discovered that true Jesus Followers, true Christians, exist in and for joyful fellowship with each other and with God.

And that it is all made possible through Jesus.

Last week we spent time looking at what the life of a Jesus Follower will look like.

2 measures we can apply to ourselves to see if we do walk in the light, if we are true Jesus followers.

Measure 2 - was that We will want to be obedient to God’s commands, most especially the command to ‘love each other’ sacrificially, just as Jesus loved us.

Measure 2 - We will want to be obedient to God’s commands, most especially the command to ‘love each other’ sacrificially, just as Jesus loved us.

Because loving each other and loving God is the new command that Jesus reestablished through his life, death and resurrection.

Measure 1 - sits along side obedience because we often fail, and so we readily confess our sins.

Today then, John reminds Jesus Followers how wonderful life is in Jesus.

But also contrasts the devastating life of the alternative options.

Both as another measure to check we are true Jesus followers, but also a warning for us to steer clear of the danger.

v12-14 are going to show us how wonderful life is as a Jesus Follower.

v15-17 are going to give us another measure to check ourselves against as we will see how devastating it is to love the world, instead of God.

and v18-27 are going to show us how devastating it is to believe anything but the truth about Jesus.

So more warnings and challenges, again that don’t earn our relationship with God, but do demonstrate if we are true Jesus Followers or not.

Focus - Looking at the dangers of the ‘world’ and 'false teachings of antichrists’

Function - To reassure Jesus followers that loving obedience to God by his Spirit through His Word is the most wonderful place to be.

1 - The wonderful life: following Jesus

a - following Jesus

a - following Jesus

In the face of people denying that sin is a problem.

In the face of other people ‘claiming to be Christians’ and yet living disobedient lives before God.

You have it right says John!

I am writing to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name.

Dear children simply meaning ALL those who are in Jesus, do not be afraid of discouraged in your faith, why?

Because you have the most precious gift: forgiveness.

My dear children, do not be afraid of discouraged in your faith, why?

Because you have the most precious gift: forgiveness.

I don’t know what you regret in your life,

I don’t know the most terrible things and thoughts of your heart,

I don’t know how far you have fled from God,

or abused his name,

or slandered His people,

betrayed his commands.

But forgiveness is real for the Jesus Followers.

Jesus takes our punishment and guilt, We are now free in God’s sight to enjoy him forever!

We are forgiven!

John addresses ‘all children’, again as he repeats the

Joh adresses ‘all chidlren’, all Jesus followers, again as he repeats the

pattern in v14

NIV I write to you, dear children, because you know the Father.

All of us who Follow Jesus, be assured in our faith because, we KNOW God the Father!

The One True God.

The mighty creator of all things.

The eternal God who shines forth life!

Sovereign over all, undefeated, perfectly righteous and good, glorious in every way.

Terrifying in power, worthy of fear and reverence.

We know him!

What a wonderful life to be a Jesus Follower!

No-one is quite sure who John is specifically referring too when he says ‘fathers’ and ‘young men’.

To the extent that most theologians have to conclude that we shouldn’t conclude!

In other words, John is deliberately vague, to allow for a deliberately wide application.

Fathers, could mean church leaders, or older men, but more likely older men and women, or spiritually mature men and women!

Young men could mean young people generally, or people young in their faith.

John probably wants anyone who hears these encouragements to be encouraged if they can relate to the encouragement, rather than to worrying fitting the vague description..

So, v13, People who are older in ‘years and/or your faith’ then, be reassured because you ‘Know’ him v13, who was from the beginning!

It reminds us of 1v1

You KNOW JESUS!

WHO is GOD (from the beginning), WHO is Fully man, as real as KFC!

It’s the most wonderful life to ‘know’ the truth about Jesus!

Who he was, GOD, and what he did (died and rose again to set us free, to give us forgiveness!)

Jesus Follower - you know Jesus, do not dispair, he is the truth, the God of all things, right from the beginning.

If you are more mature in your age and/or faith today, then have no doubt that the gift of forgiveness is a wonderful thing for you, but right there next to that gift is the wonderful reassuring confidence that you Know Jesus.

What a wonderful way to live life.

It’s so wonderfully reassuring John repeats the same phrase again in v14.

And for those who are young in ‘years and/or in faith’, right next to the gift of forgiveness in VICTORY! end of v13...

I am writing to you, young men,

because you have overcome the evil one

And then repeated but fleshed out at the end of v14

I write to you, young men,

because you are strong,

and the word of God lives in you,

and you have overcome the evil one.

Let your youthful age, or youthful spiritual vitality rejoice in the Victory that Jesus has had over the evil one for and with you!

You are not slaves to sin, you are armed for battle - not because you need to defend, no!

The devil, has been overcome already!

Victory is certain.

Now it is time to advance against his kingdom, against the darkness of chapter 1 v5-7.

Arm yoursleves for battle, not becasue you need to defend, no!

The devil, the evil one has been overcome!

Now it is time to advance against his kingdom, against the darkness of chapter 1 v5-7.

Declare war against your sin, and forge on with the word of God that lives in you - the truth about Jesus.

The evil one is down, now keep kicking him by proclaiming Jesus in the bible.

As we do men and women are freed to join the joyful fellowship of Jesus followers!

What a wonderful life.

“Christians are boring, Christians are goodie too shoes, Christians are nieve and wet”

No, No No No No!

NIVI write to you, dear children, because you know the Father.

All of us who know the truth of Jesus, be assured in our faith becasue, we KNOW God the Father!

The One True God.

The mighty creator of all things.

The eteranl God who shines forth life, God is light!

Soverign over all, undefeated, perfectly righteous and good, glorious in every way.

Terrifying in power, worthy of fearly reverance.

We are no longer slaves to sin, we are a forgiven people!

We are no longer slaves to sin, we are a forgiven people!

We ‘know’ personally the almighty creator of the universe.