1 John 4 - Young Adults "Knowing you Belong to God"

Intro

“i titled it belonging to God” at first

because that is such a theme to the entire book.

but then I added knowing because 27 times in this book he uses the word know

so it obviously is an important word

its actually the reason why he wrote the book

1 John 2:21 NKJV

21 I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth.

he wanted the receipts of this letter to know the truth because

there had been may lies spreading in the church at this time

Some of the false teachings in NT time:

1. a denial of the incarnation of Jesus Christ

2. a denial of the centrality of Jesus Christ in salvation

3. a lack of an appropriate Christian lifestyle

4. an emphasis on knowledge (often secret)

5. a tendency toward exclusivism

but knowing the truth isnt the only thing he wanted them to know

1 John 5:13 NKJV

13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.

so that is how i got to the title knowing you belong to God

Paul in chapter ultimately is building up to that verse!

so to get there he first:

Those who do NOT belong to God (1 John 4:1-6)

1 John 4:1–6 (NKJV)

1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because 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 of God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world. 4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 5 They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. 6 We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

4:3 “the spirit of the antichrist” Here the term (cf. 2:18–25) is used as a denier of Christ, not an attempt to usurp his position.

How do you identify a false teacher or prophet?

Basically what do they do with Jesus!

What do modern day false prophet say?

Those that DO belong to God: 1 John 4:7-19

1 John 4:7–19 (NKJV)

7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. 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 the Son as Savior of the world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. 17 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. 19 We love Him because He first loved us.

List the three major tests of those that belong to God?

Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God (1 Jn 4:2.)

Love each other (4:7)

Whoever confesses that Jesus is the son of God (1 John 4:15)

Have you confessed Jesus that He has come in the flesh that He is of God? (1 John 4:2)

Have you confessed that Jesus is God?

Do you love every believer?

How can you love the believer that your struggling to love?

Close out with

If you have confessed those things, and love your believers

you belong to God and when you “When you belong to God:

- you no longer fear the world any more ( 1 John 4:4) and you don’t fear God any more (1 John 4:17–19)”