Greetings! Below you will find questions which reference the sermon preached on Sunday, September 8th, 2013 at The Park. This week we studied chapter 3:4 to chapter 3:24. Each week new questions are posted to track along with the sermons. Work hard to facilitate discussion. Listen to the hearts around the room and close with prayer.
Intro to 1 John:
Jesus, despite what you may have heard, was fully man and fully God. I saw Him, I touched Him, I did life with Him. The fellowship I had as an Apostle, the eye witness of Jesus’s life and miracles, is now readily available for all of you who will confront the most venomous reality, one from which we all come. To have fellowship with this God-Man you have to confront your love disorder, you must face up to the fact you love something more than your Heavenly Father. That love, that trust in something else is forcing you into the darkness. These idols, the beginning of sin, are the anti-fellowship, the anti-community, and let’s face it… they are robbing you of the Joy of life with Jesus. Stop pretending you don’t have idols, be honest. That’s what confession is all about, it’s you stepping into the light of Jesus, the light of a faith community. He can smash these idols but only when we finally confess they exist.
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- What are some observations you had from this chapter?
- Were there any new insights you learned about the passage from the sermon?
- What theology was present in this chapter?
- What did you learn about God from reading this chapter?
- How do you understand John’s usage of the phrase “little children” in the passage?
- What does it mean to be “born of God” in verse 9? Why is this connected directly to not making a practice of, or habitually pursuing, sin?
- What thoughts do you have about John’s example of Cain and Abel of what not to do when it comes to loving one another?
- What example of Christ is mentioned in verse 16 that we are to also model? How does this look each day for you?
- We are commanded to believe in Christ and love one another in verse 23. Is one easier than the other? How would you argue that they are linked? Find other verses to support.