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Test the spirits
In tonight’s passage, John urges us to test all teaching we hear and he gives us a framework by which we can discern between truth and error.
Agony in the garden
Today, on the east side of Jerusalem at the base of the Mount of Olives, there is a grove of olive trees. The original Garden of Gethsemane was somewhere in this vicinity, and it was here that Jesus prayed the night before His death. And what a gut-wrenching prayer. Two things stand out about this incident: firstly, the immensity of the pain Jesus was going through that night, and secondly, his unwavering commitment to fully obey His Father’s will. In order to begin to understand the message of the cross, both of these truths are essential. As Jesus “tasted” the cup of God’s wrath His agony was very real. But why did he did he have to drink it? It was for you and for me. That’s why!
Dealing with doubt
Tonight we see John encourage his readers to have assurance as those who belong to the truth.
Seriously good news for everyone
What would you do if you made a life-changing, life-saving discovery? You’d want to share your good news. And that was the thing that drove the apostle Paul to take his missionary life so seriously. He had met the risen Lord and that encounter changed him forever. Even if some didn’t appreciate him, his passion to share the gospel (‘the message of reconciliation’) could not be stopped. He knew what Christ had done in his own life and desperately wanted others to have a personal encounter with him, too. He saw himself as an ambassador of Christ and urged all believers to share this ‘message of reconciliation’ with others. Do you understand what Jesus has done for you? Have you made this great discovery? Let Him change your life today… forever!
What is love?
Listen as John shows us what it looks like to truly love one another.
Facing death with confidence
Death is a subject people generally try to avoid, but does it have to be the dreaded elephant in the room? The apostle Paul says emphatically: “No”. And in today’s passage he gives us solid reasons why we can live confidently in the very face of death, and even look forward to life beyond the grave. For the Christian, this present life is only ever meant to be temporary. We are mortal. Our bodies wear out. But Christ offers eternal life and a “heavenly” body that will never wear out to those who believe in Him. To have that hope changes the way we see everything! And motivates us to live each day, free from the fear of death and alive to the things that really matter! Do you have that confidence? Listen to this challenging message and be encouraged.
Greg Beaumont: Motivations to fight sin
The fight against sin in the Christian life is incredibly difficult. In this passage, John points out three objective realities to help motivate his readers to fight hard against sin. But not only this, John uses these objective realities to show that for a Christian, a life of ongoing sin is simply incompatible and that they should not be deceived by anyone who tells them different!
The essential ingredient
Listen as John encourages his readers to keep Jesus at the centre of their faith.
Peter Francis: Developing a fruitful faith
In these opening words of Peter’s second letter he is concerned to remind believers about the importance of having a growing and fruitful faith. Here Peter seems to draw our attention to three key things which will keep us growing in our faith: (1) Remembering the Foundations of our Faith; (2) Fostering the Fruit of our Faith and (3) Remembering the Future of our Faith.
Fleeting pleasures
Listen as John warns his readers about some of the things that can lead us off course as we travel through the Christian life.
The great discovery
When you discover something new that works so much better, why would you bother going back to the old? That’s essentially what the apostle Paul is saying in today’s passage. The people in the church at Corinth were being conned by some visiting “preachers”, who were telling them they had to go back to obeying the ancient law of Moses as the way to God. Paul knew from personal experience the futility of trying to live that way. So he exposes the inferiority of the law compared with the glory of being made righteous before God by trusting Jesus Christ. To meet Christ personally is to receive His life-giving Spirit and begin a whole new way of life. Why would you ever want to revert to a system that was broken, when Christ offers something far, far better!
Andrew Prince: God owes you no favours
Christians are to obey everything God has commanded in Scripture, and yet when they do they are simply doing their duty rather than something particularly commendable or worthy of reward.