REFUGE KENOSHA

CAN I HAVE ASSURANCE? // 1 John 3:19-24

Everyone wants assurance. We want assurance in our friendships, at our jobs, and with those we love. Christians are no different. We want assurance that we belong to Jesus, but life can be hard and filled with failures. Can we have assurance of our salvation? As we look at 1 John 3:19-24 we will see that through sacrificial love, obedience to God's commands, and the Holy Spirit, we can come into a place of assurance.

LOVE IS A VERB // 1 John 3:14-18

Are Christians allowed to only know and affirm the right things? Or, does God have a higher standard that we are to live up to if we call ourselves His children? As we look at 1 John 3:14-18, we will see God's picture of what true love actually is. We will see that the truest form of love is that which is sacrificial.

WHERE LOVE AND HATE COLLIDE // 1 John 3:11-14

Why is there so much tension between Christianity and the rest of culture? Sure, Christians can be jerks sometimes. However, Christians carry with them the commands and righteousness of Christ, and this puts a target on their back. To Christians, Christians remind them of Jesus. To non-believers, Christians represent judgment and separation from God. As we look at 3:11-14, we will see how love and hate collide at righteousness.

WHAT GREAT LOVE // 1 John 2:28-3:10

There's something about being loved that can change us for the better. For Christians, there is an immense change that the Holy Spirit works in us when we come to realize that the God who made everything actually loves us! In Christianity, there's no such thing as an unchanged child of God. As we look at 1 John 2:28-3:10, we are going to see that God's kids are truly different.

THE CALL TO REMAIN // 1 John 2:24-25

People can become paralyzed when thinking about having to stay in one place in life for too long. In a culture that almost worships change, we are not to have the same idea when it comes to the Gospel of Jesus. The message that was handed down to us a long time ago is to be the same message that we remain in. However, as we look through 1 John 2:24-25, we will see that remaining is both a pursuit and a gift.

OVERCOMPLICATING JESUS // 1 John 2:18-23

Life can be complicated. There's an endless amount of decisions to be made. Who should I pursue relationships with? Which career should I embrace? As complex as life may be, following Jesus was always meant to be simple. The central truths about Jesus have always been simple, but there have been many movements and ideas that have attacked the simplicity of the Gospel.

WRONG KIND OF LOVE // 1 John 2:12-17

Despite what any cultural movement or time period may tell you, there are things we should not love. As Christians, more specifically, we are called to a high standard of not placing anything above our love for Jesus. As we look at 1 John 2:12-17, we will see how love for God and love for the world are opposed to one another, and that loving the world is a result of misguided passions.

WHAT HATE ACTUALLY IS // 1 John 2:9-11

Just like the word “love,” the word “hate” has taken on a variety of meanings in recent years. Although there is certainly warrant to some modern definitions, the ultimate meaning can only lie with whoever made all things. God gets to define what hate actually is. Today, as we look at 1 John 2:9-11 we will see how loving less (hate) destroys us and others quietly.

LOVE OTHERS // 1 John 2:7-8

The term “love” has undergone a lot of changes in the past 100 years. However, it is only rightly defined by whoever created the world. As we look at 1 John 2:7-8, we will see how love has not and will not change. We will see how our love for others and our love for God are not things that can be separated.

OBEDIENCE // 1 John 2:3-6

How can we know that we know? How can we have some sort of assurance that we belong to Jesus? It’s a difficult question, but one that Scripture addresses in several different ways. Today, as we look at 1 John 2:3-6, we will see how obedience is a key to assurance for the Christian.