1 John 4:1-6 There is growing interest in all kinds of spirituality – astrology, reincarnation, psychics, the healing power of crystals. What do you make of all this? Is it encouraging that at least people believe there is something beyond the material world? This passage tells us to beware – we need to test the spirits because not all are from God.
1 John 3:11-24 Do you have assurance that you know God and are saved? If so, why? Is your assurance built on a firm foundation? Some have false assurance, whereas others lack the assurance they should be enjoying. This passage tells us the right basis for assurance.
1 John 2:28-3:10 If you’re a Christian, does it matter how you live? If we’re saved by grace, not by our works, does that mean we can just live as we want? Do we have diplomatic immunity when it comes to sin and prosecution? This passage makes very clear that isn’t the case. If we don’t practice righteousness, we’re not part of God’s family.
1 John 2:15-27 All of us are concerned about threats to our physical health and life, but what about threats to our spiritual health and life? Is that as big a concern? It should be, given the consequences are eternal. In this passage we are warned about two particular threats which plagued the first century churches and are just as real and deadly today.
1 John 2:3-14 Of those who say they are Christian, some are and some aren’t. Some are the genuine article, whereas others are just wearing the label. Which are we?…
1 John 1:5-2:2 Can we know for sure now that we’ve got a place in heaven? Or do we need to wait until we die, and appear at the final judgement? The apostle John tells us we can be sure now. God is light. If we’re walking in the light, we have fellowship with him. But what does it mean to walk in the light?
1 John 1:1-4 Loads of people claim to be Christian. In the UK almost half the population ticked that box in the last census – but are they really all Christians? What is a true Christian? That is what the letter of 1 John tells, so we can be sure whether or not we are the genuine article, or just wearing a fake label.
Various In Genesis there’s a priest-king called Melchizedek who makes a brief appearance. It would be easy to miss him. But as the Bible story unfolds it turns out that he is hugely important, pointing us forward to the ultimate priest-king, and to what Easter is all about.
Various We all love stories. But as we get older, we wonder if there is a bigger story of which we are part, which gives meaning to our lives. The Bible reveals this bigger story, in which the main character is Jesus. The mini-stories in the Old Testament are part of this bigger story and point to him, as we see in this talk which focuses on Jacob, Joseph, and Judah.
Various How would you sum up in one word your philosophy of life, your beliefs? What would be the one word for someone who is a Christian? Christianity is about Christ; the Bible is about Christ; even the Old Testament is about Christ. As we continue to explore Jesus in Genesis, this talk focuses in on the stories of Noah, Abraham, and Isaac.
