Sermon Tone Analysis

John introduction

As we get back into 1 John we can reorient ourselves again with the overall context

Collin Kruse writes:

that certain people had seceded from the author’s community (2:19) because they held different views concerning the person and work of Christ (4:1–3) and Christians’ obligations to keep God’s commands (2:4), namely to believe in his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another (3:23).

Though they had seceded, they nevertheless continued to try to influence those remaining in the author’s community to accept their heretical teachings (2:26).

Some of the secessionists appear to have undertaken an itinerant ministry among the churches (2:18–19, 26).

The effect of their teaching upon the members of these churches was to undermine confidence in the message of the gospel as originally received, so that the author found it necessary to bolster their assurance (5:13).

The secessionists’ insistence that they had a special anointing of the Spirit (which had led them to go beyond the primitive Christian gospel) made those remaining in the author’s community wonder whether they lacked that anointing (2:20, 27) and therefore also lacked the spiritual insight which the secessionists claimed to have.

Kruse goes on to sum up some of the possible correlated teachings from that time and area as well as its affect on the church there.

Gentiles interpreting Johns Gospel with a backdrop of Gentile mystery religions rather than Christ in a Jewish context

Believers who were labelled “innovators” who started off right but distorted what was handed down correctly

hellenistic jews not prepared to accepts Christ as Lord and leaned towards gnostic rooted teaching

Collin Kruse:

As a result of the confusion, these believers began to question whether they really knew God, whether they really were experiencing eternal life, and whether they were really in the truth.

The author of 1 John wrote to bolster the assurance of such people by providing them with criteria they could use to evaluate the claims being made by the secessionists and with which they could reassure themselves that they were in the truth

The book as a whole will stir up questions of Assurance/Eternal Security in most.

Therefore it may be helpful to pause and describe both very briefly:

Heb 10:22 “22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”

1 John 3:2 “2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be.

We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.”

“All genuine Christians persevere, but not all of them have assurance—and some non-Christians have false assurance.

If you have assurance, you are convinced that you have eternal life—that you are a born-again Christian "- Andrew Naselli No Quick Fix

Assurance is, the reinforcement or confidence after examining your life against God’s truth, you are confident you are in Christ and have nothing to be ashamed of at His Return.

Rom 8:38-39 “38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Phil 1:6 “6 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”

Eph 1:13 “13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise,”

Eternal Security is the Objective hope that comes from God in that the true believer cannot be lost by Christ and will endure in their faith in Christ into eternity with God because of Christ’ power to finish what he started.

John’s letter is written with these two concepts in mind writing to believers and providing clarity for who is actually a believer or who can have assurance and discern that of others who may be straying.

The readers’ assurance is to be grounded on God’s testimony about his Son, their own godly living, loving action and concern for fellow believers, their obedience to the love command, and the Spirit’s testimony to Christ

This grounding for the assurance is a distinguishing truth according to John.

What some might say is a small detail of the truth is a big deal to John.

Those who left the church who would not have this assurance

The Letters of John: An Introduction and Commentary (a.

Internal Evidence: Theological and Ethical Error)

denied that Jesus was the Christ (2:22).

This does not seem to mean, however, that they disbelieved in Jesus of Nazareth as the Christ of Old Testament expectation.

John’s argument has little in common with the earliest apostolic reasoning with the Jews that Jesus was the Christ (e.g.

Acts 9:22; 17:3; 18:5).

What John’s opponents denied was not the Messiahship, but the incarnation of Jesus.

In their case, to deny that he was ‘the Christ’ was equivalent to a denial that he was ‘the Son’ (2:23; 4:15; 2 John 9).

Similarly he ‘who believes that Jesus is the Christ’ is identical with him ‘who believes that Jesus is the Son of God’ (5:1, 5, and cf.

vv. 9, 13).

It is the same in the Gospel (John 20:31).

Making these destinction’s and the implications of the incarnated Christ upon our life did not come without difficulty.

1 John 3:13 “13 Do not be surprised, brethren, if the world hates you.”

Both the author and his readers live as aliens in the world of unbelieving humanity, a world under the control of the evil one (5:19).

The world does not ‘know’ them just as it did not ‘know’ Christ (3:1), and it is hostile towards them (3:13).

The world and its values are opposed to God, and the author urges his readers to resist its vain attractions (2:15–17).

These believers were in deed fighting deception from within their ranks, fighting worldy temptation from within themselves.

So we arrive at our text where John is strengthening the believers to live in light of the returning Christ!

To see Christ and be ready for Him.

To assurance of their standing before Him.

1 John 2:28–3:3 (NASB95PARA):

Three realities for the children of God that empowers shameless living

28a Now, little children, abide in Him, Main Statement

The “Now” draws our attention to the present!

What do we do with the writings and clarity John has given up to this point.

Who is the little children

The disciples of Christ, those who have love for one another and follow the faith handed down from Christ.

What is abiding but to Remain in Christ- this is to continue in Christ teaching as handed down.

The teaching that God is light and all that it encompasses as we live among the temptations of the world

28b so that when He appears, Temporal 28c

How long must we abide?

All the way until Christ appears!

Judging by the fact that we are all still here and He has not returned yet, this means that right here and now those believers and all believers of today are called to abide.

28c [so that]we may have confidence Purpose 28a

The motivation for abiding?

What is the opposite of confidence? to be in ashamed.

rather than rejoicing in Christ’ return, the one not abiding would be struck with shame and trying to hide.

Like and Adam and Even who thought that could hide from the all knowing and all seeing God.

28d and not shrink away from Him, in shame at His coming.

Parallel 28c

what would cause shrinking away?

To retreat from Christ.

What would cause this shame to someone who is not abiding?

Finally coming to the realization to face an unpardonable judgment

Finally coming to the realization of a lack of readiness to see Him

Finally coming to the realization of perfection exposing our full sinfulness in comparison!

To go one step further we have some examples of Scripture of what this time will look like and some exhortations for what that implies for right now.

What a picture John is calling us too.

To recall our expectant hope in the return of Christ and upon reflecting on our lives either stand confidently abiding in Christ or to try and hide because we did not give any real thought to our current living presuming “today would not be the day”.

Paul share’s John’s concern when he writes:

Jesus as well share’s this concern in his parable of the ten virgins when 5 were foolish and 5 were ready for the return of the bridegroom.

5 of the virgins stood in full assurance of their readiness to meet the bridegroom and 5 of them were rejected by the bridegroom forcing them to likely shrink back in shame.

In light of this exhortation to abide in Christ.

John calls us to recall the following 3 realities of the children of God to empower shameless living now!

I pray that God’s word will encourage us and build us up to live today in confident abiding in Christ so that we would be ready for Christ’ return!

The Present Reality of the children of God that empowers shameless living vv 2:29

29a If you know that He is righteous, Conditional 29b

29b you know that everyone also….. is born of Him Explanation 28a

29c ……who practices righteousness.

Relative 29b

Children of of God can be confident before Christ if they pursue Christ likeness.

He is righteous and he will be pleased with righteousness.

This is what it means to be born again.

To be a new creation with new desire’s bent towards pleasing God.

If we are pursuing this in our life now- we can approach Christ with confidence and not shrink back in shame.

We can have confidence now if we pursue righteousness now.

Why?

This is evidence of the present reality of being born again!