MAKE SURE TO EMAIL NOTES TO YOURSELF (only way to see them later)

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1 John 2:23-3:3 ESV
No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. 24 Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. 25 And this is the promise that he made to us — eternal life. 26 I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you. 27 But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him. 28 And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming. 29 If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him. 3:1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

Point 1: Abiding In The Truth…Calls Us To Rely Fully On Jesus (2:23-27)

To abide in Christ means to keep up a habit of constant close communion with him - to be always leaning on him, resting on him, pouring out our hearts to him, and using him as our fountain of life and strength, as our chief companion and best friend. To have His words abiding in us, to keep his sayings and precepts continually before our memories and minds, and to make them the guide of our actions and the rule of our daily conduct and behavior. - J.C. Ryle, “Expository Thoughts on the Gospels”

Point 2: Abiding In The Truth…Calls Us To Obedience (2:28-29)

2 Corinthians 13:5 Message
Test yourselves to make sure you are solid in the faith. Don’t drift along taking everything for granted. Give yourselves regular checkups. You need firsthand evidence, not mere hearsay, that Jesus Christ is in you. Test it out. If you fail the test, do something about it.

Point 3: Abiding In The Truth…Calls Us To Hope. (3:1-3)

1 Corinthians 15:19 Message
If all we get out of Christ is a little inspiration for a few short years, we’re a pretty sorry lot. 20 But the truth is that Christ has been raised up, the first in a long legacy of those who are going to leave the cemeteries.

If you are looking at Christianity, start by looking at Jesus’s life as it is shown to us in the gospels, and especially at the resurrection. Don’t begin, as modern people do, by asking yourself if Christianity fits who you are. If the resurrection happened, then there is a God who created you for himself and ultimately, yes, Christianity fits you whether you can see it now or not. If he’s real and risen, then just like [the Apostle] Paul, even though he had none of the answers to any of his questions, you’ll have to say, ‘What would you have me do, Lord? (Acts 9:1-6)’” - Tim Keller, Hope in Times of Fear: The Resurrection and the Meaning of Easter; Viking, 2021