Grace Chapel Knoxville Sermons GraceChapelKnoxville

As John wraps up chapter 3 of his letter, he puts great emphasis on the condition of our hearts before God. The good news he shares is that we can be free of trying to navigate the confusing and muddy waters of our hearts. Instead, we can entrust our hearts to the Lord and as we abide in Him, he will transform our hearts through His abiding joyful love.

Pastor Jonathan brought an encouraging word on loving one another. He highlighted how John uses a musical quality in his writing to reaffirm key themes with repeated phrases that work like a chorus. In this passage, John repeatedly affirms the power of love and the destructiveness caused by the absence of love. This truth anchors us in the importance of abiding in God’s love. When we live like that, we can truly be “loved people, who love people."

In today’s message, we are discussing the incredible significance of what we consistently put into practice in our lives. The truth is that the habits we form, form us. We are either conforming to the patterns of a broken world leading to death, or we are growing in the way of Jesus which is life. May we all discover the power of practicing the righteousness of God, as we become more and more at home with Jesus.

This week Mark McComas teaches through 1 John 3:1-3 and challenges us not to read scriptures through our modern framework of Christianity, but by beholding the truth of who God is, and that we can know him and be known by him.

Today we explore John's warning about antichrists and false teaching. He gives us clear direction on avoiding these errors, and a firm foundation of Spirit and Truth to stand on that we may abide in the truth of Jesus. We don’t have to be fearful, but we should be prepared. Let’s purpose to abide in truth so that we may remain anchored in Christ.

This week, we discussed 1 John 2:12-17. John is encouraging readers to remember what anchors them, and how vital they are to one another. When the enemy comes to tempt us with desires of the eyes, flesh, and pride, John says we should find all that we need in God, and to link arms with one another so that we aren’t fighting the battles alone.