1 John series
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The True God — 1 John 5:19‑21
As the Apostle John wraps up his first epistle, he simply warns his audience, “Little children, keep yourselves from idols.” But how are we to guard ourselves in a world filled with idolatry and with hearts so eager to construct new ones? Pastor Nate Harlan leads us to this encouraging conclusion of our series on 1…
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How We Persevere — 1 John 5:16‑18
Our salvation does not ultimately rest on our strength, our ability, our righteousness. Instead, perseverance is a gift that is granted to us by God’s unconditional love through our Lord Jesus Christ. He is a shepherd and we are his sheep. That is the basis for our assurance.
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That You May Know — 1 John 5:13-15
The Apostle John wants us to have certainty about God’s intentions toward us. He wants to remove all doubts from our minds. How do we attain salvation? Only by faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ. And as Pastor Nate Harlan says, God’s generosity is the basis of our confidence in Him as our…
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The Testimony of God — 1 John 5:6-12
In this passage, the Apostle John is concerned with defending the basis of our faith. How do we know these promises are true and that the gospel isn’t just wishful thinking? The answer we receive here is the same answer the Bible always gives: We know the gospel is true because God said so and…
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Overcoming the World — 1 John 5:1-5
You must live by faith to overcome the world. But how do you know if your faith is strong enough? Pastor Nate Harlan gives the good news: Your faith in God is a gift from Him. So it does not depend on your strength. Instead, it depends on His perfect strength.
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Knowing and Believing — 1 John 4:13-21
Christian, God loves you. His love for you is shown in the fact that He gave his Son as a propitiation for your sins. And the Apostle John is telling us in this passage that, more than anything, we must know and believe the love that God has for us.
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God Is Love — 1 John 4:7-12
Bumper stickers and graphic tees frequently quote the Bible and simply say, “God Is Love.” But what is love? Pastor Nate Harlan answers from the text of 1 John and the life of Christ: Love suffers willingly for the glory of God and for the good of others. Anything less is a lie.
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Test the Spirits — 1 John 4:1-6
Pastor Nate Harlan equips us to test the spirits — that is, false teaching inspired by demonic influence. We must be diligent or we will be led away into heresy and idolatry.
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When Our Hearts Condemn Us, Part 2 — 1 John 3:19-24
God’s love for his children is extravagant. In this second part of Pastor Nate Harlan’s sermon on 1 John 3:19-24, we focus on what the Apostle John tells us about this important topic. We are not to live in a state of insecurity about our relationship with God. We are to live trusting in the…
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When Our Hearts Condemn Us — 1 John 3:19-24
If you are struggling with the assurance of your salvation, if you lack confidence before God, you are more concerned about yourself than about others. This lack of confidence before God can actually make us selfish and keep us from obeying His command to love the brothers. Having biblical confidence equips us to love others…