The Character Test

June 08, 2025

Sermon Series: Confident

Senior Pastor:

Pastor Aaron Buer continues our new Confident sermon series by exploring the assurance tests found in 1 John. We discover how authentic faith produces evidence through character transformation and obedience to God's commands. John provides practical tests not to earn God's love, but to evaluate whether there's evidence of salvation in our lives. We learn that walking in the light means choosing honesty and transparency instead of hiding our sin. Through Jesus as our advocate and atoning sacrifice, we find both the ability to pursue godliness and the assurance of forgiveness when we fall short. We are challenged to examine our lives for evidence of God's transforming work and to live with authenticity in community.

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Continue the conversation by exploring the Sermon Guide for reflection and practical next steps, or spend time with our Devotionals to carry God's Word with you throughout the week.

More in this Series

Week 1
Confident
Confident Faith
Pastor Aaron Buer begins our Confident series by exploring the Apostle John's letter on confident faith. We discover that God's desire is for us to have assurance and peace in our relationship with him, not nagging doubts about our salvation. Through John's eyewitness testimony, we see that our faith stands on historically reliable ground. These aren't fictional stories but the accounts of those who walked and talked with Jesus. We learn that Christianity is unique among world religions because God reaches down to rescue us rather than requiring us to earn our way up to him. We're challenged to move beyond just believing the right things to experiencing genuine fellowship with God and other believers, finding the complete joy that comes from knowing we can be confident in our faith.
- Sermon Guide
- Devotional
Week 3
Confident
The Love Test
Pastor Aaron Buer continues our Confident sermon series by exploring 1 John and how we can be confident in our salvation. In this message, we discover that God loved first, sending Jesus to rescue us. Basing our lives on God's love for us transforms how we approach our fears and anxieties. We examine the choice between loving God and loving the world, recognizing that cultural pursuits for satisfaction will ultimately disappoint us. We learn that authentic faith shows itself through sacrificial love in action within our church community. We're challenged to anchor our identity in God's love, turn from worldly pursuits for fulfillment and demonstrate genuine love through tangible care for fellow believers.
- Sermon Guide
- Devotional
Week 4
Confident
The Truth Test
Pastor Aaron Buer continues our Confident sermon series by examining how we can discern truth from deception in our world today. We explore John's warnings about false teachers who distort the truth about Jesus, discovering essential tests for identifying what is true versus false. We learn that Jesus is the Son of God, Savior, and King—truths we must hold firmly against competing voices. We are challenged to become faithful students of God's Word and to exercise spiritual discernment by testing those we listen to. We're encouraged that the Holy Spirit within us is greater than any deceptive force, empowering us to remain grounded in truth.
- Devotional
Week 5
Confident
Confident Identity
Pastor Aaron Buer concludes our "Confident" series by exploring how our identity as God's children should shape our daily lives. We discover that being adopted into God's family isn't just a nice thought but should be the most important part of who we are. Through John's teaching, we see that knowing who we are in Christ and who we will become when he returns should inspire us to live with purity today. We're challenged to let our confident identity as his beloved children change how we think and act, finding our worth in what God says about us rather than anything else.
- Sermon Guide
- Devotional

Previous Sermon in Series

Confident Faith

Next Sermon in Series

The Love Test

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