“The Light Has Come"
[Week 6]
1 John 2:28-29, 3:1-10
See what great love the father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
1 John 3:1
The Big Idea
We must understand our identity because our identity determines our direction and our direction determines our destiny.
Discussion Questions [Start group with these questions]:
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Ask each member of the group “who are you?”
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Ask each member of the group “who does God say that you are?”
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Do you believe you are who God says you are?
Chapter 2:28-9, 3:1-10
John is reminding us of who we are in Christ. We are told that we are God’s children and we are loved greatly by Him. Notice that John’s sentences end with an exclamation mark. John really wants his readers to know that you are a child of the King, and you are loved by Him! John says “And that is what we are!” When you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and you believed that He rose from the dead, you were adopted by God into His family. Being a child of God also means that everything He has, we also have. Romans 8:17 says, “Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory.” It is extremely important that we understand who we are in Christ, so that we can continue to grow in our relationship with Him.
When we become a Christian (Child of God), our desire and directions should change. In verses 5-10, John talks about the one who keeps on sinning and the one who continues to sin. He says that these people really don’t know Jesus. This does not mean that if you commit a sin that you are not a Christian or that you can lose your salvation. Being a Christian doesn’t mean that you are sinless. It just means that you sin less. The life of a believer should be a life of repentance. Repenting from sin means that you turn away from sin and turn to Jesus. What John is talking about is the person who intentionally sins and continues and habitually walks in sin. He says that these people really don’t have a relationship with Jesus. A relationship with Jesus is all about pursuit, not perfection. All through the letter of 1 John, words like “remain”, “continue” and “in Him”. John is saying that children of God stay close to Him. We do this by prayer, reading and memorizing His Word, and staying in biblical community. John tells us in the book of John, chapter 15 that if we remain in Him, that He will remain in us, and He will produce much fruit through us.
As our direction and desires change, we should walk with the end in mind. In the end, we will no longer struggle with sin, temptation, pain, or sorrow. We will be made whole and the greatest part is that we will get to see Jesus face to face. We will get to spend eternity with Him, and we will get to enjoy Him forever!
Discussion Questions:
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We’ve talked about who we are in Christ, but what does this passage teach us about who God is?
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If you could see yourself and the world the way God does, how might that change your thoughts, words, and actions?
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How does a cross-centered understanding of God’s love affect the way you think about your relationship with Him?
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What is your next step of obedience? What is the last thing that God has told you to do?
Important Announcements:
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Heart and Soul session 1 started on November 13th. It’s not too late to join! Makeup session will be on November 20th at 3pm in the Museum.