A wedding day, the birth of a child, a baptism, each of us has our own ‘very important day’, followed by grey routine as the old joy slowly faded. It is to people like this that the aged John writes, the last living eyewitness of Jesus, reminding them what the true life revealed in Christ really is (1 John 1). The sermon shows that our bond with God rests not on our perfection, but on honest confession of sin and the cleansing power of the blood of Jesus. Listen and return to what is first and most important.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- John opens his letter with what he heard, saw and touched (1 John 1:1-4). Why was an eyewitness testimony so important for the churches at the end of the first century, when false teachings about Jesus were appearing?
- According to 1 John 1:5-10, what does it mean that God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all, and what does that mean for our fellowship with Him?
- The sermon says Christian community is not built on shared interests, views or a desire to do good, but on a relationship with the Father and the Son. How does that change the way you see people in the church?
- In the story of the prince on the galley, only the man who admitted his guilt is set free. What makes it so hard for us to confess sin instead of looking for excuses?
- John writes that those born of God do not keep on sinning, yet he also speaks of Jesus as our Advocate (1 John 2:1-2). How do you understand the difference between stumbling and living in sin?
- When everyday life dims the first passion of your faith, what can you do this week to return to the beginning and, like a scratched little mirror, reflect the light of Christ around you?
