Series Overview: 1 John

This summer (June – Aug), we will preach through the New Testament book, 1 John. As a church, we generally spend our Sunday gatherings walking through a book of the Bible. This Summer, we get to unpack a powerful and practical book written to the early church.

THE BOOK | What is 1 John about?

Here is a quick, helpful video giving an overview of the book.

John has 3 reoccurring themes that weave through the entire letter.

1 | GOD IS LIGHT.
“This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” 1 John 1:5

2 | GOD IS LOVE.
“God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.” 1 John 4:16b

3 | GOD IS LIFE.
“And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true: and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.” 1 John 5:20

THE REASON | Why teach this book?

Redemption Church desires to sit under the “whole counsel of God.” Lately, we have recently spent much of our time in the narrative of the Old Testament (Isaiah and The Kings). As leaders, we felt the Lord leading us into a New Testament letter to give us a rich Jesus-Centered theology and on-the-ground following Jesus tools. The letter of 1 John gives us both in abundance.

THE SCHEDULE | How will we teach it?

1 Jn 1:1-10 — Three Lies and The Truth
1 Jn 2:1-2 — Our Righteous Advocate
1 Jn 2:3-11 — Walk This Way
1 Jn 2:12-17 — A Tale of Two Loves
1 Jn 2:18-27 — Antichrist, Anointing, Abiding
1 Jn 2:28-3:3 — The Name Above All Names
1 Jn 3:4-10 — The Exceeding Sinfulness of Sin
1 Jn 3:11-18 — The Hated Don't Have to Hate
1 Jn 3:19-24 — Confidence or Condemnation?
1 Jn 4:1-6 — Test the Spirits
1 Jn 4:7-21 — God Is Love
1 Jn 5:1-5 — Victory in Jesus
81 Jn 5:6-21 — That You May Know

OUR PRAYER | What are we praying for?

We want to join John in praying for what he hoped would happen as he wrote to the early church. In 1 John 5:13, John gives us his reason for writing: “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.”

We want eternal life.
We want to be sure of our eternal life.
We want to experience eternal life now.
We want to enjoy eternal life fully.
We want to be rid of anything keeping us from eternal life.
We want more of Jesus, the only one who gives life, now and forever.

RESOURCES | How can I get ready?

An Introduction to 1 John – a helpful introduction to this book.
John Stott commentary – a popular commentary from an easy-to-understand theologian.
Reasons to preach through 1 John – a quick blog explaining the importance of this book.