1 John Pt. 7
We’ve reached an important moment in John’s letter, in which he places the “family rules” so-to-speak on the table in front of his audience. The standards seem impossibly high, and they really are, but John’s point isn’t performance, it’s new identity. The stakes are high, and there’s no value in telling people sin doesn’t matter. Forgiveness isn’t meant to excuse indifference to God, it’s meant to clear the way for a new family relationship between us, the children, and God, our Heavenly Father.
The Last Supper - Leonardo DaVinci
DaVinci’s painting captures something of the holiness and the chaos of the table at the last supper. We probably all recoginze the importance and the chaos of building up our own family rhythms, including the dinner table of our home. There is an ideal that we aspire to, but also a deep foundation of love that our table fellowship is based on, and that is most completely true of the Table of Christ that we sit at now by faith. There is no room for sin or disobedience at the table, and when we bring it, Christ faithfully, lovingly, and firmly speaks to us the same message - “not at this table.”
Anchor Texts:
1 John 2:28-3:10 ESVUK - Children of God
2 Corinthians 3:18 ESVUK - And we all, with unveiled face…
Questions to Ponder:
The accent on this passage is moving away from the temptation to false belief (antichrists) to the temptation of ________________________________.
Read 1 John 3:6a - What is you first reaction to this passage?
Read 1 John 1:8-9. Think about how these verses at the beginning of John’s letter impact this later statement in 3:6.
Read 1 John 3:7. What deceptions about sin exist around us today in culture? What about in the church?
The root of this change (becoming a child of God instead of a child of the devil) is the FATHER’S LOVE not ___________________________.
A bible reading hint from the sermon: Interpret unclear passages by the light of __________________________.
Answers: 1. Sinful living, 5. Your Performance 6. Clear passages.
The Theme in Song:
This song by Abe Parker is about the tension of living as a child of a God in a world full of sin. John’s letter focuses on this tension, and is a call to not capitulate, or give in to the pressures of sin. THis song echoes that same call to resilience and dependance on Christ in a dark age.