RHCCC DTM Latest Sermon

RHCCC Worship Service 

March 19th, 2023

Sermon notes

Re-Energize: The Letters of John

Living on a Prayer

Rev. John Baik

Scripture: 1 John 5:13-21

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1. Assurance of Eternal Life Produces Confidence in God (v.13)

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2. Confidence In God Leads to Prayer (v.14-15)

a. Ask in confidence according to His Will (v.14)

b. 3 truths in praying in accordance to God’s will

  • Prayer brings us back to the garden

  • Prayer conforms our will with God’s

  • Prayer is real help

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3. Prayer leads to God’s Forgiveness (v. 16-17)

a. Prayer is our first act of love for others

Sermon notes

Re-Energize: The Letters of John

Born Again

Rev. Shu-Ling Lee

Scripture: 1 John 5:1-12

How do I know I’m a Christian? How do I know if I have faith or not?

There is an unshakeable foundation to your faith: You are born of God, ie. “New Birth”

1. What is the new birth?

2. How does the new birth come to be?

3. How do you know the new birth has really occurred?

There are signs that you have true faith (“Birthmarks”):

a. Theological: Believing in Jesus (v. 1a)

b. Relational: Loving God and others (v. 1b-2)

c. Moral: Obeying God’s Commands (v.3)

4. What is the result of the new birth? (v.4-5)

Sermon notes

Re-Energize: The Letters of John

The Supremacy of Love

Rev. Reuben Foncardas

Scripture: 1 John 4:7-21

In the previous sermon, we were instructed to “test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (4:1). This does not mean, however, that we should be cynical and suspicious of one another. The apostle John reminds us in I John 4:7-21 that our focus must be to love one another.

The love that God expects to see in us is not the human kind of love, but the divine love that comes only from Him. This supreme love can only be expressed by believers who follow three principles.

1. Know that love of God in us. (4:7-12)

2. Show that God lives in us. (4:13-16)

3. Grow that love of God in us. (4:17-21)

CONCLUSION:

God’s supreme love is proclaimed in the Word (God is love), proved at the Cross (Jesus died for us), and perfected in the believer (We love one another).

Sermon notes

Re-Energize: The Letters of John

Test of True Love

Pastor Stephen Hsu

Scripture: 1 John 4:1-6

Dear friends [beloved], do not believe every spirit, but TEST the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges [confesses] that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.

4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is IN YOU is greater than the one who is in the world. 5 They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.

—1 John 4:1-6

Big Idea: The test if a spirit is from God is if it points to the incarnate Jesus, which is how God showed us what true love looks like.

Introduction

Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.

—John 17:24 NRSV

1 John’s Purpose:

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.

—1 John 5:13

3 TESTS OF TRUTH & LOVE:

1. Does the spirit point to the incarnate Jesus? (v. 1-2)

2. Do you believe the Spirit in you is greater than Satan in the world? (v. 3-4)

3. Are you accountable to the world OR a church community? (v. 5-6)

CONCLUSION:

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2 The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 We write this to make our joy complete.

—1 John 1:1-4

Re-Energize: The Letters of John

The Challenge to Love

Rev. Kelly J. Tam

Scripture: 1 John 3:11-24

Sermon Notes

How can we love those whom are difficult to love?

Ask the Question: “What are my neighbour’s needs?”

1. Asking “what are my neighbour’s needs” makes it about them and not about us. (v. 17)

2. Asking “what are my neighbour’s needs” makes us more aware of the brokenness that God wants us to see. (v. 22)

3. Asking “what are my neighbour’s needs” gives us a tangible and spiritual confidence to love others. (v. 24)

sermon notes

Re-Energize: The Letters of John

Confident and Unashamed before Christ

Rev. Reuben Foncardas

Scripture: 1 John 2:28-3:10

As John amplifies the importance of walking in fellowship with Christ, he introduces a new theme in I John: the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. He encourages us to be prepared to face our Savior with confidence rather than shrink in shame when we meet Jesus face to face.

We can be confident and unashamed before Christ by consistently following two instructions.

1. Remain in fellowship with Christ. (2:28-3:6)

• Know who God is: righteous and loving Father.

• Know what you are, what you will be and what you should be.

• Know the gravity of the wickedness of sin.

2. Don’t let anyone lead you astray.(3:7-10)

• Know that only righteousness springs from a righteous nature.

• Know that all sin is satanic in nature and opposes the work of Christ.

• Know that as one born of God, you have received his sinless nature.

Conclusion:

Christ can come again on any day at any time. Will you be confident to say to him that you have consistently lived a holy life?

Sermon notes

Re-Energize: The Letters of John

Rejecting the World, Remaining in Jesus

Rev. Shu-Ling Lee

Scripture: 1 John 2:12-27

Sermon notes

Re-Energize: The Letters of John

Conditions for Walking in the Light

Rev. Reuben Foncardas

Scripture: 1 John 2:1-11

Before Jesus was arrested, he spent his last meal with his disciples in the upper room. There he explained to them the kind of relationship they will have once the Holy Spirit comes upon them (John 14-17). I John is a letter that expounds this kind of relationship believers have with God. The author’s underlying desire for writing 1st John is to motivate Christians to cultivate greater intimacy with God.

To enjoy our fellowship with God, 1st John calls us to walk in the light and not to walk in spiritual darkness. There are at least two basic conditions for living in the light.

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1. RENOUNCE your Sin. (1:8-2:2)

• Let us not deceive ourselves to think that we are without (not guilty of) sin (1:8). What hurts God are not just the things we do (sin of commission), but also those we do not do (sin of omission).

• Let us not call God a liar by thinking that what we did or did not do is not sin at all (1:10). God defines what sin is, not us.

• Let us do our best not to sin. But if we do sin, we must confess (agree with God) that sin (1:9), and trust Jesus, our advocate, for the forgiveness of our sin (2:1-2)

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2. OBEY your Savior. (2:3-11)

• If we claim to know Him (v. 4), we would be keeping His word (v. 5).

• If we claim to abide in Him (v. 6a), we would be following His example (v. 6b).

• If we claim to be in the light (v. 9), we would be loving our fellow believers (v. 10).

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Conclusion: Intimacy is God’s goal for us. It glorifies him and grants us pure delight in our fellowship with him.

Sermon Notes

Re-Energize: The Letters of John

Walk in the Light

Rev. Ho-Ming Tsui

Scripture: 1 John 1:1-10

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1-3 John:

• Clarifies what Christians are to believe through God’s WORD.

• Outlines disruptions to these core beliefs in our lives, using the metaphor the LIGHT of Christ to reveal truth to us.

• Challenges Christians to keep the LOVE of Christ at the center of their lives.

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Claim: Jesus is the light of the world (v.1-5)

1. Light reveals: God is knowable

2. Light heals: Salvation is given

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Call: Walk in the light (v. 6-10)

“Walking” = “Act in accordance to the truth you believe”

You will either “walk in the light” or “walk in the darkness”

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Walking in the light means:

1. We aim to live consistently

2. We aim to live courageously

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Conclusion: Become the person you already are.

What happened to friendship?

Rev. Shu-Ling Lee

Scripture: John 15:9-17