INTENTIONAL TENSIONS THROUGHOUT 1 JOHN Kevin’s example of how much tension 1 John can create in us – “If anyone says, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar.” (1 John 4:20) An example I identify with deeply. As Kevin also pointed out, passages similar to this run all through 1 John in creating tension with the very reassuring passages.

TODAY’S GOAL: MIND THEN HEART 1 JOHN TODAY’S GOAL: MIND THEN HEART

1 JOHN – 3 examples of the Dynamic Tension (1) Example 1 – “THE WORLD” 2:2 – Jesus is God’s way of loving the world 4:14 – God sent Jesus to be Savior of the world 2:15-17 – Don’t make loving the world your way of living, it will destroy you – its way of grasping for more, finding identity, and judging success

1 JOHN – 3 examples of the Dynamic Tension (2) Example 2 – “Sin” and “Obedience” 1:8 – claim we don’t sin, we deceive ourselves 2:1 – I write this so you won’t sin (aorist in Greek) 2:1b – if you do sin, Jesus the Messiah advocates for you before the Father 2:3- we know that we know God because we continually keep (present in Greek) God’s commandments

1 JOHN – 3 examples of the Dynamic Tension (3) Example 3 – LOVING OUR NEIGHBOR 4:8- if you don’t love, you don’t know God 4:10- the primary thing is not that we loved God, but that God loved us 4:11 – but, that means that we ought to be loving one another 3:18-20 – if your heart condemns you for not being good enough, GOD IS BIGGER THAN EVEN YOUR HEART

TWO MORE KEYS TO HEARING 1 JOHN 1-REMEMBER SPIRAL-LOGIC of Hebrew Bible vs. Point 1, 2, 3 Eg’s love in terms of righteousness, righteousness in terms of love, both love and righteousness in terms of hope, hope in terms of love and righteousness, sin in terms of love etc. 2-NOTE the contrasts between past tense (emphasizing an event in Greek) and present tenses (an emphasis on ongoing lifestyle in Greek) eg. Sin- everyone does, but don’t keep sinning; love as pattern of life; more and more like Jesus

Your Thoughts? WHAT IDENTITIES IS OUR CULTURE PUSHING YOU TO CHOOSE IN ORDER TO “BE SOMEBODY” or to “BE SAFE”? WHAT PATTERNS ARE YOU ENCOURAGED TO MAKE “YOUR HOME”? WHAT CULTURAL or SUB-CULTURAL “TAPES” STILL PLAY IN YOUR HEAD, “STORIES” of reality that fill your HEART with FEARS and GOALS of SUCCESS in life?

A FEW OF THE MANY ANSWERS I THOUGHT OF: Job status Educational status Skin color Gender Looks Athletic ability $ in accounts What you are buying as consumer Part of Town you live in Sexy enough Live Longer at All Costs Republican-Democrat -Independent-Progressive-Conservative “Be a good boy/be a good girl” be a rebel

LISTEN TO OUR TEXT FOR TODAY 1 John 2:28-3:3 (CEB)

1 John 2:28-29 Now hopefully speak to our hearts 2:28 And now, little children, remain in relationship to Jesus, so that when he appears we can have confidence and not be ashamed in front of him when he comes. 2:29 If you know that he is righteous, you also know that every person who practices righteousness is born from him. Practice the identity God has given you through Jesus! Make this way of life your “home.”

1 John 3:1 3:1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us in that we should be called God’s children, and that is what we are! Because the world didn’t recognize him, it doesn’t recognize us. Celebrate the Identity and love God has given you! Don’t expect the culture to re-enforce it. Given what was done to Jesus, why would you?

1 John 3:2a (1) 2 Dear friends, now we are God’s children, and it hasn’t yet appeared what we will be.   BE CONFIDENT – “WE ARE GOD’S CHILDREN” NOW BUT, WE ARE NOT COMPLETED YET

1 John 3:2b 2b We know that when he (Jesus) appears we will be like him because we’ll see him as he is.  JESUS IS THE ONLY COMPLETED HUMAN GOD HAS SO FAR Finally, God will complete us as fully human-like Jesus JESUS, God’s Firstborn Child in God’s Future Family of brothers & sisters - “male & female in the image of God!”

1 John 3:3 3 And everyone who has this hope in Jesus purifies themselves (dedicates themselves as an offering to God) even as Jesus is pure.  SO BE MORE OF WHO GOD WANTS YOU TO BECOME Anything Drawing You away to a different identity, a different home?

JESUS INVITES YOU TO HIS OPEN TABLE “A NEW COVENANT GUARANTEED BY MY LIFE BLOOD” – JESUS SAYS HE IS ALL IN /COMMITTED/ TO YOU 100%. DRAW NEAR! RENEW YOUR COMMITMENT TO CONTINUE BECOMING ALL IN WITH JESUS – To Live as a Child of God heading for God’s Forever Family

WHERE ARE YOU CHOOSING TO BELONG? WHERE DO YOU GO TO BE AT HOME?