Let five premier teachers of God's Word lead you to a closer, more intimate understanding of God's message to His people. Intended as companions to the Blackaby Study Bible , these guides also stand alone as a complete study of a book of the Bible. The lessons include: Leader's Notes - 7 studies based on reference materials included in the Blackaby Study Bible - An explanation and interpretation of Scripture - A story that illustrates the passage in focus - Other Bible verses related to the theme - Questions for reflection - Suggestions for application in everyday life. Encounters with God The First, Second, and Third Epistles of John and JUDE By Henry Blackaby Richard Blackaby Thomas Blackaby Melvin Blackaby Norman Blackaby Thomas Nelson Copyright © 2008 Henry Blackaby, Th.M., D.D. Richard Blackaby, M.Div., Ph.D. Thomas Blackaby, M.Div., D.Min. Melvin Blackaby, M.Div., Ph.D. Norman Blackaby, M.Div., B.L., Ph.D. All right reserved. ISBN: 978-1-4185-2655-9 Contents An Introduction to the First, Second, and Third Epistles of John and the Epistle of Jude..............................7An Overview of Our Study of the First, Second, and Third Epistles of John and the Epistle of Jude.....................11Lesson #1: Fellowship with the True Light.............................................................................15Lesson #2: The Love of the Father Bestowed on Us......................................................................25Lesson #3: Dealing with Sin...........................................................................................35Lesson #4: The Perfecting of Love.....................................................................................45Lesson #5: Walking in the Truth of Christ.............................................................................57Lesson #6: Imitating and Doing Good...................................................................................69Lesson #7: Contending for the Faith...................................................................................79Notes to Leaders of Small Groups......................................................................................91 Chapter One Lesson #1 FELLOWSHIP WITH THE TRUE LIGHT Fellowship: companionship, including the sharing of common interests, goals, experiences, or views B Bible Focus 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. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteous- ness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us (1 John 1:5-10). John wasted little time in his message when it came to contradicting boldly three false claims of those who were spreading heresy in the early church: The false teachers claimed to have partnership with God, but they practiced and promoted beliefs God did not approve. The false teachers denied they had a sinful nature, but they did-everybody does! They denied that their conduct displeased God, but according to God's Word it did-thus, they accused God of lying. These attributes of false teachers are evident throughout history. A false teacher nearly always claims to be doing God's work and to be a person of outstanding character who lives in accordance with God's Word. It takes careful discernment to see the lie in their message. Taken as a whole, John's first letter gives thorough criteria for contrasting those who teach what is of God with those who do not: THE MESSAGE THAT IS RIGHT BEFORE GOD IS: 1. Light-it guides people to truth, purity, and all that is right and holy (1 John 1:5,7; 2:9-10). 2. True (1 John 1:6; 2:4). 3. Life-both now and in eternity (1 John 1:2; 3:14). 4. Loving and compassionate (1 John 2:10; 3:11,18). 5. Enduring-forever (1 John 2:17). 6. Promotes faith (1 John 5:4,10). 7. An open acknowledgement of both the humanity of Christ and the divinity of Jesus (1 John 4:2; 1 John 4:15). In sharp contrast, the message that is not right before God is: 1. Darkness-it contains or promotes things that are untrue, impure, and evil according to Scripture (1 John 1:5-6; 2:9,11). 2. A lie (1 John 1:6; 2:4). 3. Death-producing (1 John 3:14). 4. Hateful, fear-generating, and without compassion (1 John 2:11; 3:17; 4:18). 5. Temporal (1 John 2:17). 6. Something that promotes unbelief (1 John 5:10). 7. A denial of the divinity of Jesus and the humanity of Christ (1 John 2:22; 4:3). Are you able to discern heresy from truth? Is your set of beliefs in full alignment with what is right b