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Live in the Light.

This summary explores the main message and themes from the Epistles of John, emphasizing the importance of walking in truth and love as believers. It discusses the unity of believers, their shared future hope, and the need to align our attitudes and actions with God's design.

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Live in the Light.

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  1. Live in the Light. The Epistles of John

  2. Books 2-3 .

  3. Our goal today will be to simply summarize the main message & themes from these two very short letters.

  4. (2:1-2) The elder to the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all who know the truth because of the truth that abides in us and will be with us forever…

  5. It appears as though John personifiesthe church spread throughout Asia as a woman/mother & her children.

  6. This concept is confirmed in his closing verse…

  7. (2:13) The children of your elect sister greet you.

  8. John is not saying that he is in the presenceof someone’s actual nieces & nephews and is sending greetings from a literal sister’s children to their Aunt in Asia.

  9. John means that he is sending greetings from the ‘sister church’ where he is, and the believers (or children) of that church, greet the children of this other sister church in Asia.

  10. Now that we have that explanation out of the way… Let’s re-read Verse 1.

  11. (2:1-2) The elder to the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all who know the truth because of the truth that abides in us and will be with us forever…

  12. John says that he truly loves this sister church and her believing children.

  13. He adds that it is not only he who loves these believers, but everyone who knows the truth also loves them.

  14. This seems fairly redundant and straightforward, but we can learn a very important principle from John’s reason for including this…

  15. John’s reason for this great mutual affection, over many miles, is owing to…

  16. The mutual truth which is abidingin the believers. (2) Their mutual future hope awaitingin eternity.

  17. (2:1-2) The elder to the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all who know the truth becauseof the truth that abides in us andwill be with us forever…

  18. These are two very important truths which result in two foundational principles in Christianity.

  19. (1) Believers anywhere and everywhere are profoundly united, relationally & spiritually, because of their shared beliefin biblicaltruth.

  20. (2) Believers anywhere and everywhere should be deeplyunited, relationally & spiritually, because of their shared eternal future destiny.

  21. (1) Our deepest, most intimate, relationshipsshould be with those in the household of God.

  22. (2) We can and should be able to relateto and care for all believers everywhere, regardlessof culture & location.

  23. First, because we share a common worldview based on the truth revealedin God’s Word.

  24. Second, because we share a relationalbond with them which reachesout into eternity.

  25. (2:4) I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as we were commanded by the Father.

  26. John says that it makes him very happy to hear that the believers in the sister church are walking in the truth.

  27. In this verse we get the theme of the final two books/chapters of his Epistles.

  28. Walking in the truth.

  29. The fact that John says that he is ‘rejoicing’ to hear that ‘some of’ the believers are walking in the truth leads to two other important principles.

  30. (1) God’s goal is for all believers anywhere and everywhere to be walking in the truth.

  31. (2) It is possible for some believers to be walking in the truth…while others are not.

  32. What does it mean to walk in the truth?

  33. Simply, it means to walk parallelto the truth.

  34. That is where truth leads we follow. When truth turns we turn accordingly.

  35. God has revealed the truth to us about many, many areas.

  36. The truth about how to think, eat, drink, spend, parent, workunto the good of the creature and to the glory of the Creator.

  37. That is, God has a design & desire for how we should think, eat, drink, spend, parent& work…

  38. To walk in the truth means that we gladly, humbly, thankfully, submissively; thinkin the way that God has designed for thinking.

  39. To walk in the truth means that we gladly, humbly, thankfully, submissively; eatin the way that God has designed for eating.

  40. To walk in the truth means that we gladly, humbly, thankfully, submissively; parent in the way that God has designed for parenting.

  41. To walk in the truth means that we gladly, humbly, thankfully, submissively; workin the way that God has designed for working.

  42. The same came be said for everything… attitudes, emotions, property, business, church, money, sex, sexuality…

  43. Simply put walking in the truth is threefold…

  44. We seek to discover what God’s desire & designfor a particular thing is.

  45. (2) We believethat what God says about that particular thing is not only right & true but bestfor the creature.

  46. (3) We gladly & obediently alignour attitudes and actionsregarding that particular thing to God’s desire/design.

  47. John continues…

  48. (2:5) And now I ask you, dear lady—not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had from the beginning—that we love one another.

  49. John asks that the church continue to excel in one particular thing… that they love one other.

  50. John says that this shouldn’t be anything new to them, as they have been asked time & time again to love each other.

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