1st John-Wayne Barber
Introduction to 1 John
Dr. Wayne Barber
We are going to look at three things. First, there is the purpose of the writing of 1 John. Secondly, there is the passion with which it was written and then thirdly, the people to whom it was written. What we are going to be looking at is the structure beneath the surface.
What Every Believer Ought to Know (1 John 1:1)
Dr. Wayne Barber
The word “know” comes up in at least 25 different verses in 1 John. It is almost as if John is saying to the Gnostics, “You think you know something? Let me tell my sweet believers, if you want knowledge, remember Jesus Christ lives in you and that is the knowledge you need to have.”
That Our Joy May Be Made Complete! (1 John 1:1-4)
Dr. Wayne Barber
You know and I know that our joy is found in a person and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. As we obey Him, as we cling to His Word, that is where our joy comes. It grows. It is an ever increasing joy as we focus our lives only on Him.
Evidence of Christianity (1 John 1:5-10) >
Dr. Wayne Barber
If you were on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you? Sad to say, there are a lot of people whose walk and talk don’t line up.
The Believer and Sin – Part 1
Dr. Wayne Barber
There are a lot of people who think that now that they are believers they don’t have to deal with sin any more. As a matter of fact, many want to blame other people or other things. If there is a problem, it is somebody else’s fault. We never seem to look within and understand that we never, ever outgrow the fact that we are going to have to deal with sin in our life.
The Believer and Sin – Part 2
Dr. Wayne Barber
Do we have to deal with sin? Is sin a reality in a believer’s life? Certainly we have already seen that it is. It is very obvious that John knows that because we live in bodies of flesh, we will still sin. But he has a stern message for all of us as believers: how we look at sin and how we deal with it.
We Can Know That We Are Believers! (1 John 2:1-6)
Dr. Wayne Barber
We can know that we are believers, and I want us to see that. And I want us to see the confidence which we ought to have in confessing our sin.
The Believer and Relationships (1 John 2:7-11)
Dr. Wayne Barber
Have you ever noticed that one of the most identifying marks of a believer is not how loud he can shout or how high he can jump, but it is evidenced by the way he lives? It is evidenced by his relationships. That is a principle that follows throughout the New Testament. Galatians says the fruit of the Spirit working in a person’s life is love. Immediately you find when you are walking rightly with God your relationships become what God orders. We are going to see that loving our brother is evidence that we know the Lord Jesus Christ, that we are walking in the light in which He is.
The Believer and the World (1 John 2:12-17)
Dr. Wayne Barber
When it comes to the believer and the world, we have to understand what our relationship to it is. How are we to be in it but not of it? What does God have to say to us? What are the marks of a person who knows Christ? How does he live in this world but not be of it?
The Believer and the Truth (1 John 2:18-24)
Dr. Wayne Barber
We are going to look at The Believer and Truth. Remember that John is writing to combat the Gnostic heresy and all of the book now is a contrast: these are believers, these are not. Sometimes the waters get a little muddy when you realize that a Christian can sin and can step over here and appear to be not a believer and still at the same time be a believer.
The Believer and the Holy Spirit (1 John 2:25-29)
Dr. Wayne Barber
When does a Christian receive the Holy Spirit, and what is the Spirit’s role in the life of that Christian?
