Message Outline
1 John 2:1-11
1 John 2:3
Ginosko means to know from first-hand experience.
Real knowledge of Jesus is demonstrated when we keep His commands.
John 14:15, 21, 23, 24; John 15:10
1 John 3:11
John 15:12
The command that shows we really know Jesus is this: Love one another.
All sin is a violation of love
The evidence someone knows Jesus is NOT perfection; it’s progress.
QUESTION: Are you moving in the right direction in terms of your obedience and love?
CHALLENGE: Don’t just ALLOW Jesus to work on you however you see fit. ASK Him to work on you however He wants!
Going Deeper Questions
Ice Breaker Question: who is the most famous person you have ever met/seen in person? Who is the most famous person you actually know in a personal way?
1 John 2:3 talks about really knowing God versus knowing about God.
How would you distinguish between simply knowing facts about God and truly knowing God in a life-changing personal way? What are some modern-day examples of people who claim to know God but whose lives are characterized by disobedience?
John links knowing God with obeying His commands. How can we guard against separating knowledge of God from obedience to Him?
1 John 2:5 talks about love being perfected in us. What do you think it means for the love of God to be “perfected” or “made complete” in you through your obedience? What are the implications if our love for God is not expressed in a changed life?
1 John 2:7-8 John describes the commandment to love one another as both “old” and “new.” In what ways is this command old, and in what ways is it new? How does Jesus’s life and death give this ancient command a new meaning for Christians?
1 John 2:9-11 John uses the metaphors of light and darkness to contrast love versus hatred Who are the people easy for you to love? Who are the most difficult? How do our relationships with others act as a clear sign of our spiritual state?
John says the one who hates his brother “does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.” In a practical sense, how can a lack of love lead to spiritual “stumbling” or “blindness” in a person’s life?
The evidence someone knows Jesus is NOT perfection; it’s progress.
Are you moving in the right direction in terms of your obedience and love?
Prayer: Pray for greater love and less hatred or animosity in your life. Pray you can move beyond selectively “allowing” God to work in you, instead “asking” Him to work in you!