“1 John” Life. Light. Love.
Pastor Zach Bearss
March 29, 2020
1 JOHN: LIFE. LIGHT. LOVE. : PASTOR ZACH BEARSS: MARCH 29, 2020
CONNECT
It states in I John 1:1 that John experienced Christ through what he heard, saw, and touched while with Jesus . What would John have seen, heard, and touched based on the stories of the disciples being with Christ, and, out of these 3 senses, which would mean the most to you?
ENGAGE
Read I John 1:1-4. What do you learn about Christ in these few short verses?
Read I John 1:1 and John 1-14 and discuss Christ being the “Word of Life” and how He demonstrated this while on this earth. How does He communicate this to you through HIs Word today?
Read I John 1:2, I John 4:9, I Timothy 3:16, II Timothy 1:9-10, I Peter 1:20. To be manifested means “evident, obvious, apparent, plain”. List what was manifested by the life of Christ.
Read I John 1:3-7. Fellowship means “koinonia: having in common, joint, understood”. How do you experience true fellowship 1) with the Father 2) with the Son 3) with one another?
APPLY
Read I John 1:4. What is the goal of these things being written and made known about Christ?
Read this quote from Dallas Willard on joy and discuss whether you have this in your life right now or not:
“JOY is not the mere sensation of pleasure–it is a pervasive, constant, and unending sense of well-being that flows from vision, peace, righteousness, and hope. True joy is robust, even including outright hilarity! We can experience the joy being in God’s kingdom even in the midst of suffering and loss.”
PRAY
Pray for the joy of the Lord to be our strength in this hour of need for each one of us and for the world around us.
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“1 John” Life. Light. Love.
Invited to Walk in the Light
Pastor Zach Bearss
April 5, 2020
1 JOHN: LIFE. LIGHT. LOVE. : INVITED TO WALK IN THE LIGHT: PASTOR ZACH BEARSS: APRIL 5, 2020
CONNECT
Describe a time in your life when you were completely in the dark (ex: camping, a car broke down, a power outage) a then a light shown in that darkness. How did you fee before and after? What could you see before and after?
ENGAGE
Read I John1:5-10. Did you learn anything new or was something reinforced in your life through the sermon?
From I John 1: 5-10, there are 4 verses that start with the word “IF”. Fill in the blanks below:
IF we say we have no sin: 1)________________________________
2)_____________________________________________________
IF we confess our sins: 1)__________________________________
2)_____________________________________________________
IF we say we have not sinned: 1)_____________________________
2)_____________________________________________________
IF we say we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness:
1)____________________________________________________
2)____________________________________________________
IF we walk in the light: 1)__________________________________
2) ___________________________________________________
Read the following passages, also written by John. John 1:4-5, John 3:19-21, John 8:12,
John 12: 35-36, 46. Combine these with our passage in I John 1:5-10 and then list and contrast what it means to:
- WALK IN THE LIGHT
- WALK IN THE DARKNESS
APPLY
Confession is a way of bringing sin into the light and not allowing it to hide in the darkness. It renews our fellowship with Christ and with one another.
Read Psalm 139:23-24 and take a few moments to ask the Lord to expose His light into the a dark part of your life, and then confess your sins to Him. (I John 1:9)
PRAY
Pray that we will not just be hearers of the word and say that we follow Him, but that we will actually be doers of the word and walk in HIs light and the life He has for us. Then, ask the Lord “What would you do in this situation?” each time we come up against darkness this week.
For the bible references to read in the book of John, please make this correction to the sermon questions:
“John 35-36,46” should be “John 12:35-36,46” (3 verses not 3 chapters in the book of John, unless you want extra credit!)
“1 John” Easter Message: The Joy of Forgiveness
Pastor Zach Bearss
April 12, 2020
1 JOHN: EASTER MESSAGE : THE JOY OF FORGIVENESS: PASTOR ZACH BEARSS: APRIL 12, 2020
CONNECT
Discuss how different your Easter experience was this year as compared to previous years. What is God teaching you during this time? What are you struggling with during this time?
ENGAGE
Read the account of Resurrection Day in all 4 Gospels:
- Mark 16:1-8
- Matthew 28:1-15
- Luke 24:1-12
- John 20:1-18
THE CHALLENGE: What actions and emotions are there in these accounts that the disciples and other followers believed Jesus to be dead and were not looking for a resurrected Christ?
Discuss this statement: “By far the best proof of the resurrection is the existence of the Christian church. Nothing else could have changed sad and despairing men and women into people radiant with joy and flaming with courage.”–William Barclay.
THE COMFORT: Read Mark 16:7 and John 21:15-17,and Acts 2:37-41. Discuss Peter’s journey from betrayal to restoration. How does Jesus build on our failures and bring us victory for His glory for those that trust in Him?
THE CATALYST: Read I John 4:15-19. The catalyst Is to share the love of Christ with others around us. What are some practical ways we can do this, especially in light of the coronavirus?
APPLY
Fill in the blank: I can __________________because Jesus is alive.
PRAY
Ask the Lord of something in your life that He can change defeat into victory, no matter how large or how small, through His resurrection power.
“1 John”: Walking in the Light
Pastor Zach Bearss
April 19, 2020
1 JOHN: WALKING IN THE LIGHT: PASTOR ZACH BEARSS: APRIL 19, 2020
GOD IS LIFE. LIGHT. LOVE. I JOHN 2:1-11
CONNECT
Name a few things in life where you didn’t really know something until you experienced it also? (ex: watching someone ride a bike instead of actually riding one). Now do the same with something spiritual that you had to learn with the combination of knowledge of the Word of God with actually experiencing it. (ex: knowing God’s grace)
ENGAGE
Read I John 1:5-2:1-11.
I. WE HAVE AN ADVOCATE IN JESUS. “Advocate” (parakletos) is “one who pleads another’s cause, who helps another by defending or comforting him. Read John 14:16, John 15:26, and John 16:7 in which this same word is used for the Holy Spirit and discuss why it is important for us to have an advocate in heaven praying for us.
Discuss this statement: “The gospel, when rightly understood and received, sets the heart against all sin, and stops the allowed practice of it; at the same time it gives blessed relief to the wounded consciences of those who have sinned.”–Matthew Henry
II. OBEDIENCE AS A RESPONSE
Go back through the scripture from I John 1-2 listed above and complete these sentences with as many phrases as you can:
If I am obedient then I will/I am___________________________
If I am disobedient then I will/I am_________________________
III. LOVE IN A NEW WAY Read Mark 10:45, Romans 12:1-2, Hebrews 13:16, Philippians 2:3-4, and I John 3:17. Discuss, in light of being obedient to Christ, wanting things my own way versus laying my will down willingly to serve Christ and those around me.
APPLY
Where in my life do I need to turn disobedience into obedience to Christ in my life? How can I abide in Him more closely day by day? Where do I need to confess sin in my life to Him and possibly to others I trust? How will my daily walk in Christ look different than last week as I follow Him in faith?
PRAY
Pray for one another in this season of sheltering in place and the stress it has placed on our households spiritually, physically, and emotionally, and ask for His grace and mercy to enter in and replace it with His peace and His presence.
“1 John”: Life. Light. Love.
Pastor Zach Bearss
April 26, 2020
1 JOHN: PASTOR ZACH BEARSS: APRIL 26, 2020
GOD IS LIFE. LIGHT. LOVE I JOHN 2:12-17
CONNECT
We live in such a breathtaking spot here on earth that God created. What do you love to do outdoors that speaks to you of who God is and deepens your walk with Him?
ENGAGE
Read I John 2:12-17. What is it initially saying to you?
Contrast I John 3:16 to I John 2:15, noting that these verses are written by the same author (the apostle John) and that the same words in Greek are used. “Love(d)” = agapao and “world” = kosmos. Discuss these in light of Matthew 6:24.
The word “world” is used 22 times in the book of I John, Can you find them all? List the things of the world that we are supposed to love and those things that we are not supposed to love, then discuss the lists.
APPLY
Read James 1:17. Discuss the things on this earth that we can be thankful for and love, including 1) fellow mankind 2) God’s creation 3) the beauty of culture and 4) doing our jobs with excellence.
PRAY
Pray for to be thankful for the blessings of this world but to also discern where our love has gone astray and we put more importance on them than our love for God.
“1 John”: Love of the World Part 2
Pastor Zach Bearss
May 3, 2020
1 JOHN: PASTOR ZACH BEARSS: May 3, 2020
GOD IS LIFE. LIGHT. LOVE. I JOHN 2:15-17
CONNECT
What are some common, ordinary things you are missing the most day to day that you took for granted before the coronavirus?
ENGAGE
Read I John 2:15-17, Genesis 3:1-7, and Luke 4:1-13. Discuss the main avenues of sin uses to get us off track and causes us to love and put our trust in the world (temporal) over our love and trust in God (eternal)
Make 3 columns with these headings: What We Do, What We Have, Who We Are. Brainstorm and write down some practical examples in each category where the love of these eclipse the love of the Father.
Our hearts are idol factories (John Calvin). Look at the list above and answer this question: how have some of the good things in my life become the ultimate things in my life? (Examples: work, family, homes, food, sports, money, power).
APPLY
How can the 1st fruits of spiritual disciplines keep our desires in check: tithing, Sabbath rest, fasting, quiet time?
Read Matthew 6:19-21, 33. How can a longing for eternity and being heavenly minded keep us from loving the things of this world too much? Discuss this thought in light of these 2 quotes:
“If you read history, you will find that the Christians who did the most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next…it is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this.”–C.S. Lewis
“You must be fond of another world in order to change this world”
–G.K. Chesterton
PRAY
Pray for one another that the Lord would reveal in our hearts those places that have become idols that we serve instead of loving and serving Him above all else. Ask Him to restore our first love for Him.
“Therefore brothers and sisters, do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. But if the love of the Father is in you, if you love God with all your heart, then every room you enter will be a temple of God, all your work will be a sacrifice of love to God, every meal will be a banquet of love to God, every song will be an overture of love to God.”–John Piper
“1 John”: The Last Hour
Pastor Zach Bearss
May 10, 2020
1 JOHN: PASTOR ZACH BEARSS: May 10, 2020
GOD IS LIFE. LIGHT. LOVE. I JOHN: THE LAST HOUR
CONNECT
What emotions does it trigger in you when you think about the fact that Christ is coming again, at any moment and at any time? Does it evoke joy? fear? shame? anticipation?
ENGAGE
Read I John 2:18-28. Discuss any insights you gained from the sermon on this passage of scripture.
Discuss the Hebrew thought of time being cyclical, layered, and with truth now and future being intertwined versus Greek thought that time is linear, has timetables, and is predictable,
APPLY
How do we live in the tension to look daily for His return and still stay grounded in our walk with Him? Discuss these points below:
1) Remind ourselves that his coming in imminent: Matthew 24:42-51, Mark 13:34-37, Philippians 3:20, Hebrews 10:25, James 5:-7-9, Revelation 22:20, 2 Peter 3:8-18.
2) Remember the stories of God’s people and His faithfulness throughout the generations. What are some of your favorite stories of God’s faithfulness down through the ages? What are some of your favorite stories of God’s faithfulness in your own life?
3) Remember to wait for Him while abiding in Him. John 15:1-17
PRAY
Pray that your heart will be prepared for Christ’s second coming and that we would live daily in expectation of His return.
“1 John”
Pastor Zach Bearss
May 17, 2020
1 JOHN: PASTOR ZACH BEARSS: May 17, 2020
CONNECT
Have you ever witnessed or experienced a false teacher or teachings within the church? If so, how did you come to realize it was not truth and how did you deal with that?
ENGAGE
Read I John 2:18-28. Contrast those that truly follow Jesus and those who are following the spirit of the antichrist.
“The word antichrist means ‘against Christ or an opposition Christ or rival Christ’. Satan opposes Christ, and he desires to deceive people into a false view of who Jesus is. The word is used only by the apostle John. Referring to false teachers, he says, ‘even now there are many antichrists.” –Easton Dictionary.
Look up and discuss the 4 verses in which John uses the word antichrist:
I John 2:18, 2:22, 4:3 and 2 John 1:7
APPLY
1. THERE IS AN ANTI-TRUTH POWER IN THIS WORLD .
Matthew 7:15-20, 2 Corinthians 11:13-15, I John 4:1, II Peter 2:1-3
2. OUR HEARTS ARE EASILY DECEIVED. 2 Corinthians 11:3
3. THE POWER THAT IS IN US IS GREATER THAN WHAT IS IN THE WORLD.
Truth is a characteristic of God: Psalm 25:10, 86:15, 111:17
Jesus is the Truth. John 14:16
His Word is Truth. John 17:17
We should have Truth. Psalm 51:6, Psalm 86:11, John 4:24,
2 Corinthians 3:18
There are those who do not follow the Truth. Romans 1:25, Romans 2:8,
2 Timothy 3:1-5
4. OUR TRUTH AND HOPE IS IN THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST.
I John 5:4-5
PRAY
Ask the Lord to reveal where truth has been replaced with a lie in our hearts and ask Him to redirect our hearts to focus on His truth instead of the world’s lies.
“1 John”
Pastor Zach Bearss
May 24, 2020
1 JOHN: PASTOR ZACH BEARSS: May 24, 2020
CONNECT
What wows you about God and causes you to stand in awe of Him?
ENGAGE
Read I John 3:1-3. The word “see” or “behold” in verses 1 and 2 is the Greek word “horao” which means “to see with the yes” but also “to see with the mind, to perceive, know.” Look up the following verses in Matthew in which the same word is used and discuss its correlation: Matthew 2:11, 4:16, 9:36, 13:14-15, 17.
The word “beloved” in verse 2 is the Greek word “apapetos” which means “esteemed, dear, favorite, worthy of love”. Read Matthew 3:17 and 12:18 and discuss how this same word is used to describe Jesus.
Read Ephesians 5:1-2 and Philippians 2:12. How does it impact our lives that we are also called beloved?
Read Romans 8:15-17 and discuss what it means in our lives to be described as children of God.
When we receive Christ we receive an immediate spiritual inheritance. Read Ephesians 1 and list what our spiritual blessings are when we become a child of God.
APPLY
Read Matthew 5:8 and James 4:8 Spend a time of reflection and ask these questions: Where does my heart need to be purified? Has my heart become dull towards Christ? Am I longing to be like Him and see Him more clearly?
PRAY
Pray that our eyes will be opened and fixed on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, and that we will see Him more clearly day by day.
“1 John”
Pastor Zach Bearss
May 31, 2020
1 JOHN: PASTOR ZACH BEARSS: May 31, 2020
CONNECT
What are you looking forward to this summer as restrictions from the coronavirus begin to loosen? Or are you concerned about what will occur because you are at high risk? How can we support one another in this journey?
ENGAGE
Read 1 John 3:4-10. Make a chart with 2 headings: “Children of God” and “Children of the Devil”. Write down what you see in this passage that falls into these 2 categories, as well as anything else in context from the entire book of 1 John.
To “practice” is a verb that is present tense and means to habitually do. What significance does this have for those that habitually practice righteousness and those that habitually practice lawlessness.
Do Christians sin? Discuss this in the context of 1 John 1: 5-10.
APPLY
To be a follower of Christ means to abide in Him, to practice righteousness, to be obedient. Spend some time reflecting on these questions and then discuss:
- Are you seeking to obey what Christ commands?
- Has your life grown and reflected a walk with Christ over the last year?
- How do you daily practice abiding in Him?
- Read Matthew 7:24-29. Are you building your house upon the word of God or other things of this world?
- Read 1 John 1:6-7.Do my words match my actions on a daily basis?
There are 2 costs:
- THE COST OF DISCIPLESHIP: following Him
- THE COST OF NON-DISCIPLESHIP: not following Him.
Discuss each of these and which would be more costly to you in your own life.
PRAY
Confess any complacency in our lives that would hold us back from following Him more fully.
“1 John”
Pastor Zach Bearss
June 7, 2020
1 JOHN: PASTOR ZACH BEARSS: June 7, 2020
CONNECT
Share from your own experiences of life when you have experienced division, hatred, or prejudice due to race, education, beliefs, or people groups. How does that still affect you today?
ENGAGE
Read I John 3:10-18. What insights do you gain of how we should behalf as believers? Discuss what it looks like to be a child of God versus a child of the devil. Do we really believe that there are only these 2 groups of people in this world?
Read Genesis 4:1-16 and James 4:1-2 and contrast it to our lives today in the passage above.
Discuss this quote from Desmond Tutu:
- “One of the sayings in our country in Ubuntu-the essence of being human. Ubuntu speaks particularly about the fact that you can’t exist as a human being in isolation. It speaks about our interconnectedness. You can’t be human all by yourself, and when you have this quality-Ubuntu-you are know for your generosity. We think of ourselves far too frequently as just individuals, separated from one another, whereas you are connected and what you do affects the whole world. When you do well, it spreads out; it is for the whole of humanity.”
Read Galatians 3:26-28 and apply this to the lack of unity in the church today, especially in light of current events with the coronavirus and with racism.
APPLY
Am I a part of God’s family or not? If I am, then spend some time in reflection and ask yourself these questions:
- How can I put into practice honoring one another? Romans 12:10-13
- How can I put into practice today serving one another? I Peter 4:10
- Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal where is my life being driven by fear instead of love? I John 4:18
I John 3:16-18 is a call to action. Ask the Holy Spirit where He would like for you to be active today in our families, small groups, and communities to go beyond mere words in our Christian faith.
PRAY
Ask the Holy Spirit to fall on us and reveal where the things that break His heart will break our hearts and move us towards agape love and action.
“1 John”
Pastor Zach Bearss
June 21, 2020
1 JOHN: PASTOR ZACH BEARSS: June 21, 2020
CONNECT
If anyone in your group was able to attend either the prayer and praise services on Sunday evenings or our first outdoor Sunday morning service, discuss what it meant for you to be able to fellowship in person with one another once again.
ENGAGE
Read I John 4:1-6. Discuss the relevancy of this portion of scripture as it relates to us today.
On a piece of paper, make 2 columns: “The Spirit of Truth” and “The Spirit of Error.” Write down and discuss what you discover in this passage about the two contrasts plus anywhere else in I John that speaks about this subject.
Read 2 Kings 6:8-17. Discuss what Elisha saw that his servant did not until he prayed. Read Ephesians 1: 15-18. How can we know that we have true spiritual insight and wisdom and are seeing and experiencing Jesus in our lives clearly and correctly?
APPLY
How can we apply in our lives the fact that the One in us is greater than the one in the world? (I John 4:4) Dwell on these facts listed below and then discuss where our focus should be on a daily basis:
- God stops the unstoppable (Daniel in the Lion’s Den. Moses and the Red Sea)
- God guides the misguided (Balaam and the Donkey, Paul on the road to Damascus)
- God uses those mistaken (Jonah and the city of Ninevah. Esther and the King)
- God is makes something out of nothing (Speaking Creation into existence, the birth of Isaac to Abraham and Sarah)
- Jesus is fully God and fully man (Jesus healed, fed the 5000, raised others from the dead, joyfully went to the cross)
PRAY
Pray that the focus of our hearts will be on the One who can do exceedingly, abundantly more than we can think or ask and not on the error and lies of this world that would deny who Christ truly is: the Son of God, the Son of Man, and Lord of all.
“1 John”
Pastor Zach Bearss
June 28, 2020
1 JOHN: PASTOR ZACH BEARSS: June 28, 2020
CONNECT
How has the coronavirus made you uncertain of the things of life?
ENGAGE
Read I John 5:18-21. What are the 3 things we know to be true in this passage?
The word “know” is the Greek word “ginosko“. (G1097)
“Ginosko is when you experientially learn something either in a classroom or more often in the ‘classroom of life.’ Ginosko is that knowledge that comes from obeying the Lord. You may intellectually know some truth but you don’t really ‘know’ it experientially until you surrender and obey the truth.” (www.sermonindex.net)
John uses this word 24 times in the book of I John. It is a very personal, relational term to describe our walk with Jesus. Look up and list what else we can “know” for certain.
I John 2:3-5, 2:13-14, 2:18, 2:29, 3:1, 3:6, 3:16 3:19-20, 3:24, 4:2, 4:6-8, 4:13, 4:16, 5:2, 5:20
APPLICATION
Read I John 5:21. One of the easiest ways for us not to experience knowing Christ to the fullest is to worship idols, which is anything else we set our affections on in place of God. Spend time in prayer and self examination of where your heart has been pulled away to serve the temporal things of this world instead of the eternal. Ask the Lord to reveal these places in your heart and bring them to the light.
PRAYER
Pray that the Lord would strengthen our walk with Him and that we would come to know Him more deeply day by day.
“1 John”
Pastor Zach Bearss
July 5, 2020
1 JOHN: PASTOR ZACH BEARSS: JULY 5, 2020
CONNECT
On a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the highest), how would you rank your prayer life: are you a passive prayer, a prayer warrior, or somewhere in between?
ENGAGE
Read I John 5:13-15. Looking back over the entire book of I John, answer these questions: How can we know that we have eternal life? How can we have confidence in our prayer life as we approach the throne of grace?
Look up these verses on prayer and discuss what the Bible has to say about our prayers: Philippians 4:6-7, James 5:16, Jeremiah 29:12-13, Jeremiah 33:3, Matthew 7:7, Matthew 6:9-13.
APPLY
Consider joining in the daily prayer walks that many from our congregation are participating in through the rest of July; it is not too late to join in! Go to www.clearviewcommunity.org and click under the heading PRAYER for more information.
PRAY
Pray for the Lord to give us revival for our prayer lives and a vision that prayer matters and changes the world when we go before the Father on our knees. As the Father to bend our hearts towards His.