Lord's Day: August 24, 2025 Preacher: Carlos Montijo Series: First John Topic: Love Scripture: 1 John 4:12–14; 1:1–3; John 15:26–27; 1:14; 2 Corinthians 5:7; Matthew 16:15–17; Ephesians 4:1–7; Romans 9:11, 16, 18; Galatians 4:4–6; Titus 2:13–14

13By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. 14We have beheld and bear witness that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. 1 John 4:13-14

I. We have beheld and we bear witness…

• Who heard and saw, and beheld and touched with their hands “that which was from the beginning”?

II. “Beheld” means more than mere physical sensation

• Our physical eyes, however, do not impart to us spiritual understanding of and faith in the truth
• Do we walk by sight, or by faith? (2 Cor. 5:7)
• Matthew 16:15–17
• The apostles beheld and bore witness “that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world,” not merely because they physically saw and interacted with Christ on earth—did not Judas Iscariot do the same?—but because God chose them and gave them the gift of faith
• And we ourselves have received that same gift of that same faith from the same God, the same Spirit, the same Lord, the same Word, the same gospel (Eph. 4:1-7)

III. To be the Savior of the world…

• Is the Son the Savior of unbelievers? Of reprobates? Of Esau, or Pharaoh? Who is the Son the savior of?

IV. Is the doctrine of Particular Redemption a recent development?

• The Martyrdom of Polycarp (155-160 A.D.): “…we [Christians] will never be able to abandon the Christ, who suffered for the salvation of the whole world of those who are saved, the blameless for the sinful, or to worship anyone else. For we worship this one, who is the Son of God.”

And when I think - that God, His Son not sparing / Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in
That on a cross, my burden gladly bearing / He bled and died to take away my sin
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee / How great Thou art, how great Thou art

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• ThornCrown Covenant Baptist Church
  4712 Montana Ave
  El Paso, Texas 79903

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• web: ThornCrownCovenant.Church
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Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com