Main Idea. God’s promised King enters the world clothed in humility. Question. Why does God choose humility as the pathway for His King, rather than splendor? 1. Because his promises are rooted in humble means (1–5) Two Humble Means 1. Bethlehem. “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days… He shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord… and he shall be their peace.” (Micah 5:2–5) 2. The Davidic Line. “When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you… and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.” (2 Sam. 7:12–13) 2. Because he is humble (6–7) Responses. 1. Rest in the Humble Heart of Your Savior. 2. Imitate His Humility in Everyday Life. 3. Trust God to Exalt You in His Time. “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you.” (1 Pet 5:6).

Main Idea: Those who dwell in deep darkness have hope in the glorious light of their Savior. ______________ 1. The deep darkness of sin and judgement (v. 2) 2. The glorious light of the Son (vv. 2, 6-7) The light will be: 1. A human being (v. 6a) 2. The righteous, eternal king (6b, 7) 3. The Wonderful Counselor (6b) 4. The Mighty God (6b) 5. An Everlasting Father (6b) 6. The Prince of Peace (6b) Response: To the unbeliever: Come into the goodness of Jesus’ light! To the Christian: Give thought…to the deep darkness that once overwhelmed you. Give thanks… for the abounding grace that saved you. Give praise… for the greatness and grace in Jesus. Get ready… our King of Light is coming again.

MI: Those who are children of God display this by the way they live. DQ: How then do children of God live? 1. Children of God hope in Christ (2:28-3:3) 2. Children of God forsake sin (3:4-10) Four truths about the Spirit dwelling in those who are Children of God… 1. God causes his people to be born again by the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit. 2. God causes his people to be transformed by the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. 3. God causes his people to be assured by the testifying work of the Holy Spirit. 4. God causes his people to be secured by the guaranteeing work of the Holy Spirit. Responses: 1. Repent and Believe that Jesus is the Christ 2. Rejoice in the Completed Work of Christ 3. Rest in the Gospel

Main Idea. Confessing Christ sustains fellowship with God, shields from deception, and secures eternal life. Question. Why must we hold fast to the truth about Christ? 1. Because false teachers try to pull us away (vv.18–19, 26) 2. Because the Spirit enabled us to know the truth (vv.20–21) John 6:37–40: All that the Father gives to me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. John 10:27–30: My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one. 3. Because denying Jesus destroys fellowship with the Father (vv.22–23) John 6:53–55: Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and chI will raise him up on the last day. 55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Why is fellowship with the Father such a big deal? He chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world (Eph 1:4). He sent his only begotten Son to us (Jn 3:16) He loved us while we were His enemies (Col 1:21). He qualified us for an eternal inheritance (Col 1:12). He has lavished His love on us (1 Jn 3:1). Applications. Guard your heart from anything that shrinks Jesus. 4. Because abiding in the truth guards our eternal life (vv.24–25, 27) Takeaways. Confess Jesus as the Christ. Clothe Yourself in Christ. Count on the Spirit. Continue to Abide. Cling to Hope.

Main Idea. Because we truly belong to God, we must not love this passing world. Question. Why must God’s children not love the world? 1. Because we already belong to God (12–14) John anchors with 4 gospel truths: 1. You Are Forgiven for His Name’s Sake (v. 12) 2. You Know Him Who Is from the Beginning (vv. 13a, 14a) 3. You Have Overcome the Evil One (vv. 13b, 14b) 4. You Know the Father (v. 13c) Applications. 1. Rest in Him. [reference with application] 1 John 3:20 If your heart condemns you, God is greater than your heart 2. Because the world is opposed to God and is passing away (15–17) The command: “Do not love the world.” (v. 15) 1 John 5:19 We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. James 4:4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Colossians 1:13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son TWO REASONS TO NOT LOVE THE WORLD: 1. The world’s desires do not come from the Father. (v. 16) 2. The world is passing away. (v. 17) 2 Tim 4:10 For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. How do we overcome the world? 1 John 5:4, 5 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world… our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? Responses. 1. Look to see what you love 2. Live to love God 3. Lean toward your neighbor with love 4. Labor to love the world by sharing Christ

Main Idea. Those who truly know God will reflect the obedience and love of Christ. Question. How can we know that we truly know God? 1. Knowing God means walking as Jesus walked. (Obedience) (vv. 3–6) John 8:47 Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God. John 15:3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. John 5:19 The Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. 1 John 4:19 We love because he first loved us. Consider God’s love for us: John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. Romans 5:8 But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 1 John 4:9–10 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. New Covenant. Jer 31:31–34 I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. Ezk 36:26–27 26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. John 16:13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, Application. Will you obey the law perfectly? 1. No. We still sin. 2. Yes. By union with Christ, His perfect obedience to the law is counted as ours. Romans 5:19: By the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. Application. 1. We are to keep Christ’s commands. 2. Knowing God means loving as Jesus loved. (Love) (vv. 7–11) John 13:34,35 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. Deut 6:5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. Lev. 19:34 You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God. Application. 1. How are we doing in our love for one another? Takeaways. Our obedience is not the cause of knowing God, it’s the evidence that God graciously united us to Christ. Our love is not merely a moral obligation, but the overflow of Christ’s communion.

Fellowship With God 1 John 1:8–2:2 The Advocate for Sinners Main Idea. We confess our sins and trust Christ’s atonement and advocacy. Question. Where is our hope when we sin? 1. In Christ our atonement, who cleanses us (1:8–10; 2:2) Agreeing with God (in two ways) reunites the fellowship. Confess the sin (1 John 1:9) Confess the Son (Rom 10:9,10) If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. Hebrews 9:22 Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. Application. Be quick to confess and slow to excuse. Let failures drive you toward the cross and not away. 2. In Christ our advocate, who pleads for us (2:2) Revelation 12:10 And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. Hebrews 2:11 Jesus is not ashamed to call us His brothers because he cleansed us and set us apart. Hebrews 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Hebrew 7:25 Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. Takeaways. When guilt returns, look to Christ. Trust His advocacy, confess honestly, and walk in the light.

Main Idea. Only the blood of Jesus brings sinners out of darkness and into fellowship with God. Question. Why do we need the blood of Jesus to have fellowship with God? 1. Because God is holy (v.5) 2. Because sin breaks fellowship (v.6) 3. Because Christ’s blood restores fellowship (v.7) Takeaways (for walking in the light). Cling to Christ. Confess your sin. Live in fellowship.

Main Idea. Jesus Christ is the eternal Word of God made flesh. Question. Why trust the apostles over the apostates? 1. Because They Knew Christ (v.1) Application. Trust the apostles’ testimony because they truly knew Him. 2. Because They Proclaimed God’s Truth (v.2) Application. Hear clearly what the apostles say because it comes from God. 3. Because They Invite Us Into Fellowship (vv.3–4) Application. This fellowship with God is to be shared with the world, not reserved for a select few. Framing the book. We must know who Jesus Christ is. We can have assurance of salvation. “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.” (5:13).

Main Point: Good and faithful servants are cultivated by Christ’s perfect character. Driving Question: What aspects of God’s character cultivates in us goodness and faithfulness in our lives? Good and faithful servants know the rule and reign of Christ (v.14) Good and faithful servants know the generosity and goodness of Christ (v.15-21) Good and faithful servants know the grace and mercy of Christ (v.18, 24-28) Good and faithful servants know Christ is their joyful abundance (v.29-30) Takeaways: Let your servitude be cultivated and shaped by the character of Christ Be faithful today Rest in the faithfulness of God