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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The post How We Persevere — 1 John 5:16‑18 first appeared on Trinity Reformed Church.

How did the resurrection of Christ influence worship by God’s people? Instead of being defined by separation, worship is now defined by communion. And instead of being in the shadows, worship is now in the light of heavenly realities.

(With apologies for the audio issues in this sermon.)

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The post Post-Resurrection Worship — Hebrews 12:18‑24 first appeared on Trinity Reformed Church.

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 Father.

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The post That You May Know — 1 John 5:13-15 first appeared on Trinity Reformed Church.

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 He cannot lie.

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The post The Testimony of God — 1 John 5:6-12 first appeared on Trinity Reformed Church.

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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The post Overcoming the World — 1 John 5:1-5 first appeared on Trinity Reformed Church.

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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The post Knowing and Believing — 1 John 4:13-21 first appeared on Trinity Reformed Church.

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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Photo by Morah Daniels via Flickr

The post God Is Love — 1 John 4:7-12 first appeared on Trinity Reformed Church.

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. If any teacher says that Jesus Christ is not God incarnate, fully human and fully God, then we must reject him. The scriptures and the church’s creeds protect us from such falsehoods.

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The post Test the Spirits — 1 John 4:1-6 first appeared on Trinity Reformed Church.

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 generosity of God to us, his children.

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The post When Our Hearts Condemn Us, Part 2 — 1 John 3:19-24 first appeared on Trinity Reformed Church.

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 rather than worry about ourselves.

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The post When Our Hearts Condemn Us — 1 John 3:19-24 first appeared on Trinity Reformed Church.