The Mountain Church

This morning we continue in our study through the first letter of John as we consider 1 John 4:1-6. John shows us a problem that many false prophets have gone out into the world. He calls for the beloved of God to test the spirits to see whether they are from God. John then tells us the criterion or test of the truth is confessing that Christ has come in the flesh. Finally he gives the consolation of having the Spirit of truth and teaches us, "He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world" (1 John 4:4). The beloved of God are called to discern truth from error by the apostolic witness of Jesus Christ. The church is called to be discerning, but we don’t need to be fearful. God has not left us to wonder what is true. We have been given the truth of Jesus Christ through the witness of the apostles and the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. May we test and discern what we hear, hold fast to Jesus as he’s truly revealed in the apostolic witness, and find consolation in the Spirit who dwells within us. In Christ, we are from God and have overcome.

This morning we continue in our study through the first letter of John as we consider 1 John 3:11-24. In the text we see how we know we've passed out of death into life (vv. 11-15). There’s a reminder to love in considering the opposite of love. Secondly, we see how we know love (vv. 16-18).  There’s a reason to love in considering why we ought to love. Thirdly, we see how we know we've received God's love (vv. 19-24). There’s the reassurance of love in considering how we know that we are of the truth and reassure our hearts before Him. True and living faith produces genuine love for others. Faith is the root; love is the fruit. We grow as loving people, not by looking within, but by cultivating a deeper belief and trust in God’s love displayed to us in Jesus. Since God has loved us and we know His love in Jesus, we love others in a way that reflects the self-giving love of God, that's not mere talk, but is love in deed and in truth. Jesus laid down his life for us so we lay down our lives for others. We know love by this, that Christ gave himself in love and laid down His life for us.

This morning we proceed in our study through the first letter of John as we consider 1 John 2:28-3:10. John continues in his letter encouraging his readers to abide in Jesus so that they will be able to stand confident and unashamed at Christ's second coming. Being born of Him affects our conduct and should be evident by righteous living. This launches John into an outburst of astonishment and wonder at the love the Father has for us and that we can be called children of God. John shows us the magnitude of our sin and how we cannot keep on sinning if we are truly abiding in Him. Christ came in his first coming to take away our sin and defeat the devil. In his second coming we shall see him and be like him. In light of this, how can we possibly go on living in sin? Unrighteous conduct is unthinkable in the Christian who has grasped these two comings of Christ. Our actions are evidence of who our father is and whether we are children of the devil or children of God. He closes this section with a simple test that distinguishes who our true father is, do we do what its right? And do we love others?

This morning we continue in our study through the first letter of John as we consider 1 John 2:18-27. John encourages his readers that in the last hour, when others are trying to deceive you, abide in the truth of Jesus Christ. The Christian life is not about graduating from the gospel. You’re not mastering the truth and then moving on to new and better truths. The Christian faith is about being mastered by the truth already revealed. We mature by moving more deeply into faith in the gospel that we received from the beginning. The Christian faith does not need an upgrade or an update because the truth that's been revealed to us is complete, final, and sufficient. In an ever changing world, while we might be allured to think there’s bigger and better things, our text in 1 John brings comfort and fortifies us in the ancient message of the gospel. We don't need new truths, we need those old truths reapplied and renewed in our hearts, our minds, and convictions. May God give us grace to remain in what we heard from the beginning, abiding in the truth of Jesus as we enjoy fellowship with God. May we rest, rejoice, delight in, and live out of the fellowship with have with God for His glory and our ever increasing joy.

This morning we continue in our study through the first letter of John as we consider 1 John 2:15-17. The main point of these three verses is, “Do not love the world or the things in the world.” This is the main argument and only command in our passage. John gives two reasons not to love the world. First, he says, “For [or the reason you should not love the world], all that is in the world, — the desire of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life — is not from the Father but is from the world" (1 John 2:16). Second, “And [the other reason], the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever” (1 John 2:17). The command to not love the world is a call to continually direct our desires, attention, and thoughts to God and the things of the Father. John says, "Do not love the world," not because it is not easily loved, but because the love of God is supremely more satisfying. Don’t love the world, because the eternal reward of Jesus is far greater than the vanishing desires of the world. Jesus possessed everything, yet became poor. He deserved glory, yet accepted shame. He died on the cross, He was cast out, so that we might be brought home to the Father. Jesus gave up His life for us and secured something far more lovely, satisfying, secure, joyful, and eternal than anything of the world. We will not be free from the love of the world, until the love of God becomes more real, beautiful, and good to you. May God give us grace to see how everything we're longing for and desire from the world is ours in Christ, much more permanently and purely in the Father through Jesus Christ the Son by the power of the Spirit. 

This morning we continue in our study through the first letter of John as we consider 1 John 2:7-14. In the text we see that the beloved of God are those who abide in the light of love, enjoying forgiveness, knowing God, and victory over the evil one. The structure of the text seems to be organized into two main sections. First, we see the the old, yet new commandment in verses 7 through 11. Second, we see the reassuring confidence of John’s writing in verses 12 through 14. In our passage, we also get to explore the reason for God's forgiveness and the source of our strength. The strength of a Christian is not found in their ability to abide, but in the strength of the Word of God that abides in them. Our strength does not rest on our ability to stay with Jesus, but His ability to stay with us. May God give us grace to believe the gospel, rejoicing in the reality that we are beloved, and may this empower us to abide in the light of love. We get to enjoy knowing God and walking in victory over the evil one because of God's grace shown to us in Jesus. When we walk in the light of love we reflect the truth that the true light is already shining.

This morning we continue in our study through the first letter of John as we consider 1 John 2:1-6. The text could be grouped into two main sections. First, we see the assurance of our advocate in verses 1 and 2. Second, we see the assurance in abiding obedience in verses 3 through 6. John shows that Jesus as an advocate and the propitiation for our sins is the ground of our assurance. Then he describes how abiding obedience is the evidence of that assurance. Our assurance is grounded in the work of our Advocate and evidenced in walking with Him. Knowing Jesus means you have an advocate and keep His Word. It looks like clinging to Jesus and conforming your life to His commandments.

The order of our passage, reflects the order of grace. The gospel is not you must keep the commandments and then you have Jesus as your advocate. The gospel is receive Jesus as your advocate, receive forgiveness from sin through the finished work of Jesus, then walk with Him. The gospel is, "I’m forgiven, therefore I obey," not "I obey, therefore I’m forgiven." May God give us grace to know Jesus as our advocate and propitiation and walk with Him in the joy of forgiveness and grace.

This morning we continue in our study through the first letter of John as we consider 1 John 1:5-10. John shares the message that he heard from Jesus that God is light and in him is no darkness at all. Since God is light, if we say we have fellowship with him and yet walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. John teaches us that walking in darkness looks like denying our sin and sinfulness. Walking in the light looks like confessing sin, sharing life together, and trusting the cleansing of Jesus. Since God is light, true fellowship with Him looks like confessing our sin and walking openly with God and others. May God give us grace to walk in the light as we confess our sin to God and others and show that Jesus has cleansed us from all sin. May we believe that God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us because of what Jesus has done for us on the cross.

This morning we begin a new study through the first letter of John as we consider 1 John 1:1-4. John writes to teach how we can know that we are in the truth. He wants the readers of his letter to know what it means to have faith in God. In 1 John we'll see what it looks like to be a Christian and be assured of our salvation. In the opening sentences of the letter, John begins with the incarnation and deity of Jesus. Through the text we see that John, and the apostolic witness, proclaim Jesus so that we can have fellowship with God in fullness of joy. John wants us to have fellowship with them and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. The completion of their joy is in the sharing of fellowship with God. 

May God give us grace to experience full joy as we share and seek to help others enjoy this fellowship of faith.

This morning we conclude our study through the Psalms as we consider Psalm 46. Through the text we see that if God is our refuge and strength, we can say, "We will not fear though the earth give way." We can be still, we can fear not if God is our fortress. We can be resolved to say this because we know that God is a very ready help. His heart and disposition is to help us. Secondly, we can fear not because we trust God is with us. Thirdly, we can experience a stillness of the soul because we believe God will be exalted.

Ultimately we can trust that God is our ever present help, is with us, and will be exalted because of the person and work of Jesus Christ. We can know that God is our well-proved help because He came to help us in Jesus. Jesus promised those who believed in Him that He would be with them to the end of the age. We can have hope that God will be exalted because Jesus was lifted up on the cross. The power, presence, and love of God was most clearly and fully shown in the gospel. Jesus is a fortress that fights off fear. May God give us grace to receive this good news by faith and live in the joy of knowing God is our refuge and strength.