1. powerpoint presentation designed by claro ruiz vicente http://clarovicente.weebly.com Adult Bible Study Guide Jul Aug Sep 2009 Adult Bible Study Guide Jul Aug Sep 2009

2. Dear User … This PowerPoint Show is freely shared to all who may find it beneficial. While intended primarily for personal use, some find it useful for teaching the lesson in church. There are those, however, who add illustrations, change background, adjust font size, etc. While their intention may be good, this is not right. Slide #1 says “designed by claro ruiz vicente.” For honest Christians, it is not necessary for another’s creation to be copyrighted in order to be respected. PLEASE USE AS IS. John’s Epistles An Appeal

3. Ekkehardt Mueller Principal Contributor

4. John’s Epistles Contents 1. Jesus and the Johannine Letters 2. Experiencing the Word of Life 3. Walking in the Light: Turning Away From Sin 4. Walking in the Light: Keeping His Commandments 5. Walking in the Light: Renouncing Worldliness 6. Walking in the Light: Rejecting Antichrists 7. Living as Children of God 8. Loving Brothers and Sisters 9. Believing in the Son of God 10. Confidence 11. Important Themes in 1 John 12. John’s Letter to the Chosen Lady 13. Power Struggle INTRODUCTION FIRST EPISTLE SECOND EPISTLE THIRD EPISTLE

5. John’s Epistles Our Goal {5} The three epistles of John speak to issues relevant for the church today. We would do well to listen to them, because ultimately, it is God who is speaking to us through John’s words, the God who has revealed to us truths about a greater and firmer foundation upon which we can rest: our Creator and Redeemer, Jesus Christ.

6. John’s Epistles Lesson 4, July 25 John’s Epistles Lesson 4, July 25

7. Keeping His Commandments Key Text 1 John 2:3 NKJV “Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.” “And how can we be sure that we belong to him? By looking within ourselves: are we really trying to do what he wants us to?” LB

8. Keeping His Commandments Initial Words {46} If you love someone, you show it by your actions, by your deeds, not just by what you say. Anyone can say that he or she loves the Lord. The question is, According to the Bible, how are we to reveal that love?

9. Keeping His Commandments Quick Look 1. To know God Is to Obey Him (1 John 2:4, 5) 2. To obey God Is to Love Him (1 John 2:5, 6) 3. To Love God Is to Love One Another (1 John 2:7-11)

10. Keeping His Commandments 1. To Know God Is to Obey Him 1 John 2:4, 5 NKJV “He who says, ‘I know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.”

11. 1.To Know God Is to Obey Him What Do We Know? {47} Just what is it that Christians know? First, that they have come to know God and second, that they “are in Him”. In the New Testament to know also describes relationships. To know God means to have an intimate relationship with Him. Obedience, love, and staying away from sin all point to the existence of such a relationship.

12. 1.To Know God Is to Obey Him What Do We Know? {47} Knowledge (gnosis) was an important concept in the religious world of the first centuries. It has developed into a full-pledged heresy among Christians called Gnosticism. In Gnosticism, salvation is gained through this secret knowledge rather than through a faith relationship with the Lord.

13. Keeping His Commandments 2. To Obey God Is to Love Him 1 John 2:5, 6 NKJV “But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

14. 2. To Obey God Is to Love Him Keeping the Commandments {49} The kind of knowledge of God that the Bible talks about isn’t merely cognizance of facts. It’s a knowledge that forms the basis of a love relationship. You can’t truly love someone you don’t know. And if you love someone, you are going to act a certain way.

15. Keeping the commandments is a sign that we know God/Jesus and love Him. Love and obedience are connected here. First John 2:4 refer to a false claim: you can come to know God and yet neglect keeping the commandments. John attacks this idea in a very strong language, calling anyone who teaches it a liar. 2. To Obey God Is to Love Him Keeping the Commandments {49}

16. 1 John 2:7-11 NKJV “Brethren, I write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning. … Again a new commandment I write to you….. He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness … and does not know where he is going….” Keeping His Commandments 3. To Love God Is to Love One Another

17. The New Commandment {53} What is this “new commandment”? His disciples should love each other just as Jesus loved them. But why does he state that he is writing not a new commandment but an old one? That’s because the commandment of neighborly love was already present in the Old Testament (Lev 19:18).

18. Yet, it is new because Jesus took it to new heights. 3. To Love God Is to Love One Another The New Commandment {54} He expected that we should love our neighbors even as He loved us, and, as the Cross shows, He loved us to the point of death. Further, in demanding that we love our “neighbors,” Jesus introduced a new definition of the word: neighbors are everyone who is in need.

19. In Scripture hate stands not only for what we may call hate today but also for preferring one person over another or neglecting somebody. In other words, you don’t have to despise someone to reveal “hate” as it’s sometimes understood in the Bible. 3. To Love God Is to Love One Another Loving Others {55}

20. Keeping His Commandments Final Words {51} Walking in the light and knowing God means to be obedient. Christians who want to abide in Him and walk in the light is called to follow Christ’s example in living their lives. How can they do this? They have to find out how Jesus lived, and on a daily basis they must compare their conduct to His. In other words, WWJD?