The apostle John wrote the book of First John to squash doubts and to build assurance by presenting a clear picture of Christ. Entering history, Jesus was and is God in the flesh and God in focus; seen, heard, and touched by the author of this letter, John the apostle. He walked and talked with Jesus, saw Jesus heal, heard Him teach, watched Him die, met Him arisen, and saw Him ascend. John knew God because he had lived with Him and had seen Him work. Having laid this foundation, there are three points that the apostle John made in 1 John chapter 1 about God.

First, he presents God is light, symbolizing absolute purity and holiness. “This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” (1 John 1:5-7) He goes on to explain how believers can walk in God’s light and have fellowship with Him with Christ as their Advocate.

Second, John presents God is love, giving, dying, forgiving, and blessing. God is love, and because God loves us, he calls us His children and makes us like Christ. This truth should motivate us to live close to Him. We can be sure of our family relationship with God when our lives are filled with good works and love for others. Also, john warns of false teachers who twist the truth. We should reject these false teachers as we continue to live in God’s love.

Lastly, John presents God is life. God’s life is in his Son. To have his Son is to have eternal life. Do you know that you have eternal life? First John was written to help you know the reality of God in your life through faith in Christ, to assure you that you have eternal life, and to encourage you to remain in fellowship with the God who is light and love.

Did you know that heaven is a place where we will be given wonderful rewards? The Bible describes these as crowns, wreaths of victory, as those given in the Grecian games. However, the crowns of the Christian are eternal, enduring, and golden. These eternal crowns are as follows:

1. A Crown of Life – … he (the Christian) shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love Him (James 1:12)
2. A Crown of Righteousness – Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness… and unto all them that also love His appearing (2 Timothy 4:8)
3. A Crown of Glory – And when the Chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory (1 Peter 5:4)
4. A Crown for Soul Winners – For what is… our crown of rejoicing – is it not even yourselves (Paul’s converts) in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His appearing? (1 Thessalonians 2:19)
5. A Crown for Martyrs – … be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life (Revelation 2:10)

The final question is, what crowns will be yours once you get to heaven?

Previously, we looked at the word covenant. Let me add that covenant is the word for a binding agreement, a treaty, or a pact made with a solemn oath. God in his grace has made certain covenants with mankind. In Genesis 9:8-17 God made a covenant with man not to destroy the world again by a flood. The rainbow is given as the token of this covenant.
Now we want to review the seven-fold covenant or promise s that God made ito the Israelites in the book of Exodus chapter 6. You may also refer to these covenant promises as the seven “I wills” of God. They are as follows:

1. “I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.” (Exodus 6:6)
2. “I will rid you of your bondage.” (Exodus 6:6)
3. “I will redeem you.”  (Exodus 6:6)
4. “I will take you to me for a people.” (Exodus 6:7)
5. “I will be your God.”  (Exodus 6:7)
6. “I will bring you into the land.” (Exodus 6:8)
7. “I will give it to you for an heritage.” (Exodus 6:8)

Lastly, in Jeremiah 31:34 God promised to make a New Covenant with Israel someday. Well, Christ’s death inaugurated this New Covenant or New Testament and it was sealed with the blood of Jesus Christ according to 1 Corinthians 11:25. We all should thank and praise God for the New Covenant.
Blessings,
Pastor Jeff

A covenant is a contract or agreement between two or more parties. Covenant is how God has chosen to communicate to us, to redeem us, and to guarantee us eternal life in Jesus. These truths, revealed in the Bible, are the basis of Christianity. The Bible is a covenant document and the Old and New Testaments are really Old and New Covenants. The word “testament” is Latin for Covenant.
There is a pattern to the covenants found in the Bible. The initiating party describes himself and what He has done, then there is a list of obligations between the two (or more) parties. When God was ready to bring the children of Israel out of bondage in Egypt He made a seven fold covenant with them through Moses. First, he gave a three-fold divine acknowledgment of them as His people by stating three things that He had already done for them. You can call them three “I haves” that identified Himself as their God and them as his people. He said the following in Exodus Chapter 6.

1. I have established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan (verse 4)
2. I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage (verse 5)
3. I have remembered my covenant (verse 5)

Next time we will look at the seven “I wills” or the seven-fold promise of God that followed.
In His Word,
Pastor Jeff