See how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God. 1 John 3:1 John Piper, in a sermon,”The Depth of Christ’s Love: Its Lavish Benefits” Not only did it cost him his Son to save us from sin and death and hell (John 3:16; 1 John … More Children of God: by adoption and new birth
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. And this is the promise that he made to us —eternal life. I write these things to you about those who are trying to … More A Pair of Imperatives
John Piper begins a sermon on 1 John 2:18-27 with this: I received recently in the mail a box from the Unification Church—the Moonies. It contained three video tapes and a copy of the Divine Principle and a message from Mr. Moon from prison dated 1985. They plead to be given a fair hearing…. To … More What makes a spiritual sitting duck?
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. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.—1 John 2:1-2 … More How is Jesus an advocate for us before God?
1 John 1:5-7 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. John Piper comments: What is the main value of light? Negatively, it helps you avoid danger. Positively, it helps you reach what you are after. When you … More No Hidden Agenda, No Small Print
Tom Steller, of The Bethlehem Institute, relates this story in a sermon from 1 John 5, “Little Children, Keep Yourselves From Idols” The movie The Wizard of Oz almost destroyed my faith when I was a little child. Or at least it opened the door to doubting the existence of God for the first time … More Jesus Is the Evidence That God Is Real
Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. 1 John 5:12 John Piper gives this illustration to help us understand: In the film, Passage to India, there was a young Indian doctor who had been arrested for allegedly assaulting a young English woman in India. The … More HAVE Jesus?
Pastor Steven J. Cole concludes a sermon on 1 John 5:1-5 with this: The very first test given to a newborn in the delivery room is called the Apgar score. The test was designed to quickly evaluate a newborn’s physical condition after delivery and to determine any immediate need for extra medical or emergency care. … More What is your spiritual Apgar?
1 John 4:16-19 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he … More The basis for your confidence…
Steven J.Cole on Spiritual Discernment: Hence, John tells his beloved flock (1 John 4:1), “do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God.” Paul said a similar thing. After saying that we should “not despise prophetic utterances,” he added, “But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which … More The basis for discernment
Knowing God through His Word ... Day by Day 