Rev. Eric Landry - August 16, 2020
1 John 4:7-21
Confident in God’s Love - The English Protestant Reformer, William Tyndale (best known for his English translation of the Bible), when commenting on 1 John 4:7-21, said: “John singeth his old song again.” He does indeed, but why does he? Why is John returning—for the third time in this epistle—to the themes of God’s love for us and our love for one another. Interestingly, each time John takes up this theme, he does so from a slightly different vantage point—as if he is holding a diamond up to the light and slowly turning it to admire its different facets. This section seems to be focused on the nature of the God who is love and the reason that love—demonstrated for us in Christ—can give us confidence when we stand before God at the final judgment. Join us for a confidence booster this Sunday as we consider 1 John 4:7-21.
From Series: "The Epistles of John: Life in the Light of Christ"
This Sunday, we will begin a new summer sermon series through the three epistles of John. Over the course of this series, I hope to show you how the early church was not much different than our own church. They had to deal with internal conflicts and external persecution. They had to struggle against heresy and complacency. Their temptations to sin are much like our own. Their hope, their message, their role in society is also much like our own. This week, we’re looking at the first four verses of 1 John 1. In those verses we read John’s purpose statement: what’s the point of this letter? Surprisingly, and refreshingly, it’s about joy. After a week of tremendous sadness and grief, can we really find joy—especially in an ancient epistle like this one? I invite you to join us on Sunday as we rediscover the joy of the gospel in the initial verses of 1 John.