Summer at DC: The Overview
Rodney Thrift   -  

Summer at DC 2024

The Overview…

1 John 1:5-9 (NLT) 5 This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. 6 So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. 7 But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. 9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

SOUL TATTOO: True fellowship with God requires us to actively love God and others.

John’s Relationship to Jesus:

1.) Disciple and Witness:

2.) The Beloved Disciple:

John 13:23 (NIV) One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him.

3.) Entrusted with Care:

John 19:26-27 (ESV) 26 When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” 27 Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.

1 John: (Chapters 1-5)

  • Theme: Emphasizes love, fellowship, and the assurance of salvation.

1 John 4:7-8 (NIV) 7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

  • Key Points: Warns against false teachings and encourages believers to abide in Christ.

1 John 2:15-17 (NIV) 15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. 16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.

  • Purpose: Written to assure believers of their salvation and to provide principles for authentic Christian living.

1 John 5:13 (NIV) 13I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.

2 John: (13 Verses)

  • Theme: Urges believers to walk in truth and love, warning against false teachers.

2 John 1:4 (NIV) 4It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth just as the Father commanded us.

  • Key Points: Emphasizes the importance of discerning false teachings and not supporting those who spread them.

2 John 1:10-11 (NIV) 10If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take them into your house. 11 Anyone who welcomes them shares in their wicked work.

  • Purpose: Written to encourage believers to stand firm in the truth of Christ.

2 John 1:2 (NIV) …because of the truth, which lives in us and will be with us forever.

3 John: (14 Verses)

  • Theme: Addresses hospitality, cooperation in the Gospel, and dealing with pride and arrogance.

3 John 1:5-6 (NIV) 5 Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers and sisters, even though they are strangers to you. 6 They have told the church about your love. Please send them on their way in a manner that honors God.

  • Key Points: Commends those who faithfully serve in hospitality and support the spread of the Gospel.

3 John 1:9-10 (NIV) 9 I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will not welcome us. 10 So when I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, spreading malicious nonsense about us. Not satisfied with that, he even refuses to welcome other believers. He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church.

Purpose: Written to encourage hospitality and support for fellow believers, while cautioning against pride and selfishness.

3 John 1:11 (NIV) 11 Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God.

Personal Application:

1.) Have I confessed all known sin to God?

2.) Am I walking in obedience to the light of God’s Word?

3.) Am I demonstrating a love for others?

SOUL TATTOO: True fellowship with God requires us to actively love God and our neighbor.