The sermon by Scott Brown on 1 John addresses the profound themes of fellowship with God, the nature of light and darkness, the significance of love, and the new birth in Christ. It emphasizes that true fellowship with God and Jesus Christ is the foundation of Christian life, bringing eternal life, joy, and anointing. The sermon highlights the contrast between light and darkness, illustrating that walking in the light leads to fellowship and purification from sin. Love is presented as a defining characteristic of a church aligned with Christ, contrasting with a loveless church, which contradicts the essence of Jesus' teachings. The sermon also underscores the importance of the new birth, where believers are 'born of God' and manifest a life that flows from divine fellowship rather than personal or worldly desires. It warns against relying on external appearances or counselors, advocating for reliance on God. The sermon concludes by reflecting on the Apostle John's lifelong journey with Christ and his message of maintaining a personal, intimate relationship with God.

1 John 1. That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and our hands have handled concerning the word of life. The life was manifested, and we have seen and bear witness and declare to you that eternal life Which was with the father was manifested to us That which we have seen and heard we declare to you that you also have fellowship with us and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ and these things we write to you that your joy may be full. This is the message which we have heard from him and declare to you that God is light and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness we lie and do not practice the truth.

But if we walk in the light as he is in the light we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and the truth is it not in us. Chapter 2.

My little children, These things are right to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous. And he himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the whole world. Now by this we know that we know him if we keep his commandments. 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. He who says he abides in him, ought himself also to walk just as he walked. Brethren, I write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you heard from the beginning.

Again, a new commandment I write to you which thing is true in him and in you because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. He who says he is in the light and hates his brother is in darkness until now. He who loves his brother abides in the light and There is no cause for stumbling in him, but he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes. I write to you little children because your sins are forgiven you for his namesake. I write to you fathers because you have known him who is from the beginning.

I write to you young men because you have overcome the wicked one. I write to you, little children, because you have known the Father. I have written to you, fathers, because you have known him who is from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the wicked one. Do not love the world or the things in the world.

If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it. But he who does the will of God abides forever." Little children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, Even now many Antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, But they were not of us, for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us.

But they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us. But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things. I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth. Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is anti-Christ who denies the Father and the Son.

Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either. He who acknowledges the Son has the Father also. Therefore, let that abide in you which you have heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise that He has promised us eternal life.

These things I have written to you concerning those who try to deceive you, but the anointing which you have received from him abides in you. And you do not need that anyone teach you, but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and As it has taught you, you will abide in Him. And now little children, abide in Him, that when He appears we may have confidence and not be ashamed before him at his coming. If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of him. Chapter 3.

Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us that we should be called children of God. Therefore the world does not know us because it did not know him. Beloved, now we are children of God and has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when he is revealed we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is and everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself just as he is pure whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness and sin is lawlessness And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known him.

Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as he is righteous. He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested that he might destroy the works of the devil. Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for his seed remains in him and he cannot sin because he has been born of God.

In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest. Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother. For this is the message you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. Not as Cain, who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him?

Because his works were evil and his brother was righteous. Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you. We know that we have passed from death to life because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death. Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

By this we know love because he laid down his life for us and we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has this world's goods and sees his brother in need and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. And by this we know that we are of the truth and shall assure our hearts before Him. For if our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts and knows all things.

Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God and whatever we ask we receive from Him because we keep his commandments and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. And this is his commandment, that we should believe on the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another as he gave us commandment. Now he who keeps his commandments abides in him and he in him, and by this we know that he abides in us by the Spirit whom he has given us. Chapter 4. Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits whether they are of God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

By this you know the Spirit of God. Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God. And every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God. And every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist which you have heard was coming and is now already in the world.

You are of God little children and have overcome them because he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are of the world, therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. We are of God. He who knows God hears us. He who is not of God does not hear us.

By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God, and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us that God has sent his only begotten son into the world that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us and his love has been perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in him and he in us because He has given us of His Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world.

Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in Him and He in God. And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love and he who abides in love abides in God and God in him. Love has been perfected among us in this that we may have boldness in the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment.

But he who fears has not been made perfect in love We love him because he first loved us If someone says I love God and hates his brother He is a liar for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from him, that he who loves God must love his brother also. Chapter 5. Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves him who begot also loves him who is begotten of him. By This we know that we love the children of God when we love God and keep his commandments.

For this is the love of God that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

This is He who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ, not only by water, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth. For there are three that bear witness in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit, and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness on earth, the Spirit, the water, and the blood, and these three agree as one. If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater, for this is the witness of God, which he has testified of his Son.

He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself. He who does not believe God has made him a liar because he has not believed the testimony that God has given his Son, given of his Son. And this is the testimony that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life. He who does not have the Son of God does not have life.

These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God. Now this is the confidence that we have in him that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us and if we know that he hears us whatever we ask we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of him. If anyone sees a brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask and he will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. There is a sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that.

All unrighteousness is sin and there is sin not leading to death. We know that whoever is born of God does not sin, but he who has been born of God keeps himself and the wicked one does not touch him. We know that we are of God and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one. And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding that we may know him who is true, and we are in him who is true, in the Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.

Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen. Let us pray. Lord, we thank you for allowing us this book. Lord, we pray that the major teach, all the teachings here would Sink into our souls through the assistance of your Holy Spirit, Lord, that love would be made clear to us.

And while we can never do it perfectly while here on earth, we pray that you would sanctify us a little further, that we would get a little more proficient in our love for one another. Lord, we thank you for the assurance of salvation which can be had through the Holy Spirit. Lord, testify to me in this book, Lord, that Jesus Christ has come and paid the price for our sins if we're saved, and that we can be assured of this Lord and that we're protected from the wicked one Lord you protect us We thank you for that Lord. We pray that you help us keep a short of count of sin and That we would not be subject to some of the warnings the lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes the pride of life the things that are sinful as declared here in your scripture. Lord God, we thank you for these things, for your goodness to us, Lord, that you hear our prayers when we pray, you have our petitions.

Lord, you love us and it's your pleasure to grant some of these. Lord, I pray now for the preacher, Scott Brown, as he comes forward to give us a summary on this book. I pray you'd fill him with the Holy Spirit. You'd allow him to the Holy Spirit, you can allow them to exposit these scriptures and pull teachings out. Lord God, we ask these things in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Amen. Well, this may be the last sermon in 1 John, but by the power of the Holy Spirit, it won't be the last word from God through the Apostle John to all of us as we take these things into our hearts and we continue to learn from the Lord Jesus Christ about these things. And you see an outline in front of you, you'll see what I'm going to cover here in the next few minutes. But I want to begin just by saying it's very, very important that we understand what kind of church we want to be and what kind of church do we want to be. Now, in one way, this is actually the wrong question to ask.

What kind of church do we want to be? But it can lead us to the right question. And whether this is the right question or the wrong question depends on the way that we ask the question and our motive for asking that question, what kind of church do we want to be? Because the right question in its purest form for us, particularly as we meditate on the message of 1 John, is what kind of church does our Lord Jesus Christ want us to be? After all, it is His church, it's not our church.

And so if we ask what kind of church do we want to be, and we recognize that the kind of church that we want to be is the same kind of church that our Lord Jesus Christ wants us to be. Then we've asked the question in a right way, with the right motives. But the world is obsessed about with itself and it always wants us to ask what do you want to be? You can be whatever you want to be. What kind of church do you want to be?

And really in some ways that that can be a wrong question for us to ask. And John answers the question of what kind of church does the Lord Jesus Christ want us to be. He's communicated it right here in this epistle. And so the question that we have to ask is, is this the kind of church that we want to be? His kind of church.

Because John is presenting a church with a certain kind of culture, but it's a culture that is born of God. The whole theme of 1 John is what does it look like to be born of God, to have a life that actually comes out of God, not out of yourself, but out of God himself. And everything that he speaks about has to do with the results of the new birth. He begins, what we have heard, what we've seen with our eyes, what was manifested to us, we manifest it to you. It's a culture, it's a life that comes from Jesus.

John saw Jesus and he's manifesting the glory of Jesus Christ to his disciples. And John tells us what a church looks like when the life of Jesus Christ is manifesting itself in that church. And that's why there's so much about love in this testimony that John gives, Because a loveless church is the most profound contradiction to the church that Jesus Christ is establishing. And that's why there's so much written, you know, the two love chapters in 1 John, chapter three and four. Behold, what manner of love the Father has given unto us, that we might be called the sons of God, the children of God.

And all of our life really arises out of that love that he has given to us. And love either proves that you're a church of Jesus Christ or you're not. You're a church of Cain who murdered his brother or you're a church of Jesus Christ who loves his brethren and gives himself up for them. You know, you get to the book of Revelation and you find that this church that John is speaking to is spoken of. And basically what John says to that church is, love or die.

The death of a church or the life of a church hinges on one thing. That is the new birth and the light that continues to shine in the believer. Because John is talking about a church that is born out of fellowship with God. That's the whole heart of the matter. What is it like to have fellowship with God?

And then what kind of a church does that create when you have people that are actually having fellowship with God? Now The author of this letter, the time and the place of writing, you know, this is the Apostle John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, one of the sons of thunder who wanted to call down thunder on the crowd. The disciple who is on the Mount of Transfiguration, the disciple whom the Lord Jesus Christ committed his mother to his care, the disciple that wrote the Gospel of John and the Book of Revelation. Many people believe that John was very young, probably 16 or 17 years old when Jesus Christ met him. How about you?

Are you that age? Imagine that! Encountering Jesus Christ when you're 16. Well, that can happen today when you're 16. And the Lord changed him dramatically, and it's such a remarkable thing.

This letter was written by an old man. John is at the end of his life, and he's looking back, and the Lord has had many years to soften his heart and give him a sense of the love of God. This is what happens the longer you live with the Lord Jesus Christ, the more of his love you taste and the more of his love you see and it tenderizes your heart. And that's what happened to John. You can see it in there.

The time and the place of the writing is critical to understand. First John seems to be written after the Gospel of John. We're not exactly sure of the perfect sequence of the writings of John. 1 John is most likely the last letter that John is writing, and many believe it to be the very last witness of the Apostles. Most people believe that John spent his latter years in Ephesus ministering to the churches in that region and there's some historical testimony about that.

He's been on the island of Patmos, he's written the book of Revelation, he's written the Gospel of John and now this final testimony of his life. And the main message of the letter is this. What is it like to have fellowship with God? And the whole sort of pathology of the letter is of a family and family members, children, and this great grandfather of a man in the faith. And John is writing to a kind of family, And it's the family that is living its life out in the city of Ephesus, one of the most corrupt cities probably in history.

And John uses this language of we because he's talking to his family and he's explaining the treasure it is to have fellowship with God and with his son Jesus Christ And it's a fellowship that brings eternal life. It's a fellowship that provides an anointing. It makes you want to keep his commandments. It makes you want to love your brother. It causes you to stop shutting your heart off against your brother.

It gives you the strength to turn away from your idols, the things that are hurting you the very most, and it brings joy. And this is one of John's great concerns. And so it just speaks of just the critical element of personal fellowship with God the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. That it is the most critical matter in any kind of a church life. And to the extent that we neglect such a fellowship is the extent to which we'll be lost in our own joys, our own ways.

And it's such a critical doctrine to make sure that we don't depart our studies in 1 John from misunderstanding because it's so easy for a person or for a church to drift and to drift from a personal and intimate dependent walk with Christ. Christians can become very dependent upon externals to get them through. How they look, who they're with. They might become overly dependent on counselors. It's such a popular thing to go to a counselor.

People just want to run, But they don't often run so quickly to the wonderful counselor. They might become too dependent on their lifestyle choices and the way that they're trying to present themselves in this world. They might become... Or they might become too dependent on their lifestyle choices and the way that they're trying to present themselves in this world. They might become...