Who are the true disciples?

I. True disciples WALK IN THE LIGHT “ 5 This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; 7 but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.”I John 1:5-10(NAS)

True disciples, first and foremost, are those who understand and live with the knowledge that they are sinners and they need Christ to save them, every day, because they sin every day.

I. True disciples WALK IN THE LIGHT II. True disciples obey Jesus’ commands 1. Cultivate a loving attitude A.Love their brothers

“ 9 The one who says he is in the Light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now. 10 The one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him. 11 But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.”

I. True disciples WALK IN THE LIGHT II. True disciples obey Jesus’ commands 1. Cultivate a loving attitude A.Love their brothers B.True disciples love good deeds

“ 16 We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17 But whoever has the world's goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.”

I. True disciples WALK IN THE LIGHT II. True disciples obey Jesus’ commands 1. Cultivate a loving attitude A.Love their brothers B.True disciples love good deeds 2. Don’t love the world

“ 15 Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and ) the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17 The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever. "

I. True disciples WALK IN THE LIGHT II. True disciples obey Jesus’ commands 1. Cultivate a loving attitude A.Love their brothers B.True disciples love good deeds 2. Don’t love the world 3. They purify themselves

“ 2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. 3 And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. 4 Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. (…) 10 By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.”

I. True disciples WALK IN THE LIGHT II. True disciples obey Jesus’ commands III. True disciples acknowledge Christ as Lord. I. They persevere against false teachers

“ 2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. 3 And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. 4 Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. (…) 10 By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.”

I. True disciples WALK IN THE LIGHT II. True disciples obey Jesus’ commands III. True disciples acknowledge Christ as Lord. I. They persevere against false teachers II. They persevere in doctrine

“ 1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world. 4 You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. 5 They are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God; he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.” I John 4:1-6

I. True disciples WALK IN THE LIGHT II. True disciples obey Jesus’ commands III. True disciples acknowledge Christ as Lord. I. They persevere against false teachers II. They persevere in doctrine III. They persevere in their personal faith in Jesus

I John 5:4-5,10-12 “ 4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world--our faith. 5 Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? (…) 10 The one who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself; the one who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning His Son. 11 And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 12 He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.”

TRUE DISCIPLES: - walk in the light - obey Jesus - acknowledge Him as Lord

- Eternal life “ 13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.” I John 5:13

- Eternal life - Prayers are heard “ 14 This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.” I John 5:14-15

48 "He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day.” John 12:48

AM I A TRUE DISCIPLE?