Idea: God uses His word to cause you to persevere, therefore let truth abide in you.
Intro: John has just warned about the danger of false teaching in the church, calling it antichrist. Some had denied the faith, and especially denied the truth about the person and work of Jesus Christ. The seriousness of the warning makes the comfort of assurance that much more bright! Some went out from us because they were not of us. We considered how important it is that the foundation of our salvation is mark by God's sovereignty. The Lord knows those who are His. At the same time, such a warning certainly also calls for watchfulness, especially against an enemy rightly named antichrist. There is an enemy and the enemy stands against the church and the enemy uses false teachers and false teachings to lead men and women astray. But on the other hand, you can also say that there is God, and God is on the side of His church so that the gates of hell will not prevail against it. And you can say that God uses means to defend His church and to cause His elect to persevere in faith. Broadly speaking, John teaches on the subject of perseverance, and especially the means or instruments God uses to protect against false teaching, and to produce perseverance in you as believers. I'll start by defining perseverance, then focus on how God uses His word to nurture you to persevere in faith.
1. Perseverance
2. Orthodoxy
3. Obedience
4. Grace
5. Sufficient
6. Testimony of the Holy Spirit |
