The Passing Shadow of Worldly Desire | 1 John 2:15–17 | This Week’s Devotions
Each week in our "Walking in the Light" series through 1 John, we pair the Sunday sermon with five days of devotional readings designed to help you sit longer with the passage and carry it into your week.
This week Pastor Mark preached from 1 John 2:15–17, "The Passing Shadow of Worldly Desire." John's warning not to love the world is not a call to retreat from creation or culture. It is a call to see clearly — to recognize that the world and its desires are already passing away, and to orient our lives toward the only pursuit that abides forever.
The five devotions below work through John's three-part diagnosis of worldly desire — the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life — before closing with the eschatological hope of verse 17. Each day includes a Scripture reading, a reflection, and three questions for personal examination.
If you missed Sunday's sermon or would like to listen again before working through the devotions, you can find it here.
The Passing Shadow of Worldly Desire | 1 John 2:15-17 | Walking in the Light
John does not leave his readers guessing about what he means by the things of the world. In 1 John 2:15–17 he names them plainly: the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life. These are not merely the obvious sins. They are the respectable ones — comfort, the itch to acquire, comparison and envy, and the arrogance of self-sufficiency that forgets we are creatures and not gods.
Old Commandment Made New | 1 John 2:7-14 | The Week’s Devotions
In 1 John 2:7–14, the Apostle John delivers what sounds like a contradiction — the commandment he gives is both old and new. In this week's sermon, Old Commandment Made New, we explored how Christ remastered the ancient command to love one another, bringing it into full light, and how that same light exposes the darkness of hatred in our hearts while flooding us with gospel assurance. This week's devotions take you deeper into the passage, tracing the love command from Leviticus through the teaching of Jesus, examining what hatred does to the soul, and pointing you toward the community that love creates.
Old Commandment Made New | 1 John 2:7-14 | Walking in the Light
When the Apostle John tells his readers that the commandment he is writing is not new — and then says it is — he is not contradicting himself. He is pointing us to Christ.
The command to love one another is ancient, rooted in the nature of God himself before the foundation of the world. But in Jesus, that command has been remastered. The same song, heard now in full depth and clarity, illuminated by the life, death, and resurrection of the one who loved us first.
In this sermon from our series Walking in the Light, Pastor Mark Groen traces John's movement through 1 John 2:7–14 — from the old command made new, to the sobering floodlight John turns on the church, to the unexpected pastoral comfort that closes the passage. John does not end with the indictment. He ends with assurance: your sins are forgiven, you know the Father, you have overcome the evil one.
The light exposes. But the light also leads us home.
Wrath Turned Aside | 1 John 2:1-6 | This Week’s Devotions
This week's devotions grow out of our sermon on 1 John 2:1-6, Wrath Turned Aside, where we considered two words at the heart of the gospel: advocate and propitiation. Sin rightly deserves the wrath of God, and the question every person must face is where that wrath will land. Over the next five days, we'll trace that question through Scripture, beginning with the holiness and wrath of God, moving through the advocacy and propitiating work of Christ, and ending with what it means to keep his commands and walk as he walked. Each day includes a short reflection and questions meant to help you sit with the text, not just read past it. Watch the sermon first if you haven't already, then work through these devotions at whatever pace lets the truth settle in.
Wrath Turned Aside | 1 John 2:1-6 | Walking in the Light
Sin rightly deserves the wrath of God. So where does that wrath land? In this sermon from 1 John 2:1-6, we look at two words you may not use often but that are essential to the gospel: advocate and propitiation. John writes as a father in the faith, calling believers to holiness while reminding them that when they fail — and they will — they have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
God is Light | 1 John 1:5-10 | This Week’s Devotions
This week's sermon from 1 John 1:5–10 confronts us with a truth we are tempted to soften: God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. That declaration is not background theology — it is the foundation of everything John says about sin, confession, and forgiveness. The five devotions below are designed to help you sit with that passage through the week, drawing on the broader witness of Scripture to deepen what you heard on Sunday. If you missed the sermon or want to revisit it before you begin, you can watch or listen here.
God is Light | 1 John 1:5-10 | Walking in the Light
What happens when a patient refuses to accept his doctor's diagnosis? He may feel fine. He may insist nothing is wrong. But his denial doesn't change the test results — it only delays treatment.
In 1 John 1:5–10, the Apostle John makes the same case about our spiritual condition. God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. That declaration exposes everything. To claim fellowship with God while walking in darkness is hypocrisy. To say we have no sin is self-deception. And to say we have not sinned is to make God a liar.
Eye-Witness to the Word of Life | 1 John 1:1-4 | This Week’s Devotions
The Sunday sermon is only the beginning. These five daily devotions are designed to help you sit with 1 John 1:1–4 through the week, turning the truth of John's eyewitness testimony over in your mind and applying it to your daily life. We encourage you to start by watching or listening to the full sermon, then work through one devotion each day.
Eye-Witness to the Word of Life | 1 John 1:1-4 | Walking in the Light
The Apostle John wastes no time. Rather than opening with a traditional greeting, he goes straight to his foundation: that which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and touched with our hands — the Word of Life.
He Passed Through the Heavens | Luke 24:44-53 & Hebrews 4:14-5:10 | The Ascension of Jesus
The ascension of Jesus Christ is one of the most practically significant — and most neglected — doctrines in the Christian faith. We confess it in the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed, but for many believers it functions as little more than a transitional fact: Jesus rose, then He left, now we wait.
This week's sermon from Luke 24:44–53 and Hebrews 4:14–5:10 challenges that assumption. When Jesus ascended, the disciples didn't grieve — they returned to Jerusalem with great joy. Why? Because they had come to understand that His departure was not a loss but an accomplishment. The cross and the empty tomb were not detours; they were destinations. And the ascension was the plan all along.
Devotions | Redemption Secured | Ruth 4
Last Sunday, we reached the conclusion of our journey through the book of Ruth, moving from the quiet "happenstance" of the fields to the public and certain finalization of a royal legacy. In the message, Redemption Secured, we witnessed Boaz take his stand at the city gate to resolve the legal hurdles that stood between Naomi’s emptiness and God’s promised restoration. We saw that true redemption is never free—it required Boaz to sacrifice his own interests, just as our True Redeemer, Jesus Christ, emptied Himself to buy us back at the cross.
Redemption Secured | Ruth 4:1-22 | Redeeming Love
Have you ever looked at a 3-dimensional "Magic Eye" image? At first glance, it looks like a meaningless pattern of ink, but once your eyes adjust, a complete picture comes off the page.
This Sunday, we saw the book of Ruth do the exact same thing. In chapter 4, the "messy" story of funerals, famines, and foreigners suddenly clicks into focus as a royal legacy. We followed Boaz to the city gate, where he legally secured the redemption of Ruth and Naomi. While a closer relative walked away to protect his own temporary inheritance, Boaz stepped forward with integrity, becoming the grandfather of King David and an ancestor of the Messiah.
Devotions | The Redeemer’s Kindness | Ruth 3
This Lord’s Day, we continued our journey through the book of Ruth by entering the high stakes and quiet tension of the threshing floor in chapter 3. In the message, "The Redeemer’s Kindness," we explored Ruth’s daring move—not of seduction, but of radical, risk-taking faith as she appealed to the character of Boaz. We saw how Ruth moved beyond the fringes of the field to seek full inclusion and rest under the "wings" of her redeemer, providing us with a beautiful picture of how we approach our True Redeemer, Jesus Christ.
The Redeemer’s Kindness | Ruth 3 | Redeeming Love
Ruth 3 is one of the most tension-filled chapters in Scripture. On the threshing floor, Naomi’s plan unfolds, Ruth takes a bold step, and Boaz is faced with a significant decision.
Every part of this moment carries risk. Each person involved could take the easy path—one shaped by convenience, desire, or self-preservation. But instead, Ruth acts with integrity, and Boaz responds with godly character.
Devotions | Under His Wings | Ruth 2
Last Sunday, we continued our journey through the book of Ruth by looking at the quiet but powerful providence of God in chapter 2. While the world might see a series of "lucky breaks" or random coincidences, we witnessed the sovereign hand of God guiding a vulnerable widow to exactly the right field at exactly the right time.
In the message, "Under His Wings," we explored how Boaz serves as a "type" of Christ—our true Kinsman-Redeemer—who goes above and beyond to show grace and provide a refuge for those who deserve nothing. If you missed the service or want to revisit how Boaz's extraordinary generosity points us to the Gospel, you can watch the full sermon here.
Under His Wings | Ruth 2 | Redeeming Love
It is an amazing feeling when someone goes above and beyond for you. In our world of limited resources, we rarely see people disregard their own limitations to help someone else—especially someone who has no claim on them. Yet, this is exactly the type of generosity we see in Boaz as we move into the second chapter of Ruth.
This week, we followed Ruth into the fields. As an unclean Gentile and a poor widow, she expected only the scraps left on the fringes. Instead, she found a man who provided safety, water, a seat at his table, and an abundance of grain that left her mother-in-law, Naomi, astonished.
Devotions | Where You Go, I Go | Redeeming Love
This Lord’s Day, we continued our journey through the book of Ruth, moving from the tragic "dead ends" of Moab to the first stirrings of hope in the land of Judah. In the message "Where You Go, I Go," we witnessed the radical contrast between Orpah’s logical departure and Ruth’s extraordinary vow of covenantal loyalty. We saw that even when we feel "empty" or "bitter" like Naomi, God is a master of navigating us back to the center of His redeeming love.
Devotions | The Breadless House | Redeeming Love
Have you ever felt truly lost? Not just "wrong exit on the highway" lost, but a deep sense of disorientation and hopelessness as you try to navigate life’s trials?
Last week, we launched our new five-week series, "Redeeming Love," by looking at the somber opening of the book of Ruth. In that message, "The Breadless House," we explored how Elimelech and Naomi reacted when the "House of Bread" (Bethlehem) ran dry. We saw the dangerous allure of seeking provision in "Moab"—choosing worldly security over faithful obedience to our Covenant God.