Beyond the Weekend: Confident
CONFIDENT: Finding Lasting Assurance in Christ
What if our confidence didn’t come from what we achieve but from where we belong?
We are constantly trying to prove our worth through achievements and appearances, 1 John offers a radical alternative: confidence that comes from belonging to God.
Join us for “Confident” as Pastor Aaron Buer guides us through the transformative message of 1 John.
Confident Faith
Read: 1 John 5:13 Listen: 1 John 5
I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. 1 John 5:13
The Apostle John, one of Jesus’s original disciples, is the last surviving disciple of the twelve. He previously served as a pastor and leader for a number of churches in Asia Minor, including the city of Ephesus. But now, he is eighty or ninety years old as he writes the letter known as 1 John. He writes because a group has split off from the church and is teaching things contrary to what John has taught. He writes to address the confusion and insecurity that has developed and to give them confidence in the truth he has taught.
As we spend the next five weeks in 1 John, we will see its importance for us today. Those of us exploring faith or returning to faith may have questions or doubts. Others of us believe and call ourselves a Christian, but we have nagging doubts about that belief: Am I really a Christian? Does God see me as a Christian? John’s letter answers these questions and gives us the confidence we need to live securely in Christ. We will see that God’s desire is for us to have assurance and peace because he loves us.
TODAY: Settle into a comfortable chair and read or listen to the entire book of 1 John. With just five chapters, it shouldn’t take long. Most people will finish in ten to fifteen minutes. Take your time and ask God to help you understand this important letter.
