Informed Faith Comes First | 1 John 3:23-24
Preacher: Carlos Montijo Series: First John Scripture: 1 John 3:22–24, Mark 1:14, Matthew 3:8, Acts 26:20, John 6:29, John 6:63, John 5:46–47, Hebrews 11:8–10, Hebrews 11:17–19, 1 Corinthians 2:16, John 8:51
Lord's Day: May 25, 2025 Preacher: Carlos Montijo Series: First John Topic: Faith Scripture: 1 John 3:22–24; Mark 1:14; Matthew 3:8; Acts 26:20; John 6:29, 63; 5:46–47; Hebrews 11:8–10, 17–19; 1 Corinthians 2:16; John 8:51
23And this is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He gave a commandment to us. 24And the one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. We know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He gave us. 1 John 3:23–24
- Our prayers must be informed and guided by Scripture, just as our faith must be informed and guided by Scripture
- We are commanded to first and foremost understand and believe the truth (Mark 1:14)
- Faith always comes first, then good works follow, then we do works “in keeping” with this saving repentance and faith (Mt 3:8, Acts 26:20)
- Obedience does not follow faith, because believing is the first act of obedience, even though our belief is not our good work—it is the work of God (John 6:29)
I. There is no difference between believing “in the name of His Son Jesus Christ,” or believing in Christ, or believing Christ, or believing the words of Christ
II. Do not be misled when people say that true faith is not believing things about Christ, but believing Christ Himself
III. Take Abraham as a prime example of faith, true faith
IV. Union with Christ
- 1 John 3:24 teaches us a universal union with Christ, but also a particular union with Him—a personal one, through faith—by His Spirit, His anointing
- "The New Testament does indeed teach a mutual indwelling of Christ and the believer. There is a very real sense in which minds interpenetrate. In I Corinthians 2:16 Paul asserts that 'we have the mind of Christ.' Christ dwells in us and we in him by our thinking and believing his doctrines. As John says in his Gospel 8:51, 'He who maintains my doctrine shall not see death, ever.'”[1]
We meet on Sundays for worship at 10:00am:
- ThornCrown Covenant Baptist Church
4712 Montana Ave
El Paso, Texas 79903
Contact us at:
- web: ThornCrownCovenant.Church
call/text: (915) 843-8088
email: ThornCrownCovenantBChurch@gmail.com
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
[1] Gordon H. Clark, First John: A Commentary, Trinity Paper, No. 2, 2nd ed. (The Trinity Foundation, 1992), p. 120 <https://www.trinitylectures.org/first-john-p-85.html>
other sermons in this series
Jun 28
2026
To Die or Not to Die? That Is the Question of Sin | 1 John 5:16-17
Preacher: Carlos Montijo Scripture: 1 John 5:11–17, Hebrews 7:25, Romans 5:9, Galatians 6:1, Proverbs 27:17, 1 John 2:19–20, Psalm 97:10, 1 John 2:9–11, 1 John 3:15–17, Romans 6:23, James 2:10 Series: First John
Jun 14
2026
The Will of God & Sin | 1 John 5:14-16, Ephesians 5:15–17
Preacher: Carlos Montijo Scripture: 1 John 5:14–16, Ephesians 5:15–17, Psalm 143:10, Colossians 4:12, Acts 20:27, Ephesians 1:7–10, Deuteronomy 29:29, 1 Corinthians 14:33, Isaiah 46:10–11, Job 42:1–2, Genesis 50:20, Acts 2:23, Acts 4:28, Colossians 3:11, Ezekiel 33:10–11, 1 Samuel 2:25, John 6:40, 1 Thessalonians 4:3–11, 1 Thessalonians 5:18, 1 Peter 2:13–15, 1 John 2:1, 1 Thessalonians 1:1, John 17:17, 2 Peter 3:18, 1 Timothy 3:15, Hebrews 10:24–25, 2 Samuel 10:12, James 4:13–17, 1 John 2:17 Series: First John
Jun 7
2026
To Boldly Ask According to His Will | 1 John 5:14-15
Preacher: Carlos Montijo Scripture: 1 John 5:10–15, Ephesians 6:18, Romans 13:12, Hebrews 4:14–16, 1 John 3:21–23, John 14:13–15, John 16:23–24, Matthew 6:7–13, Psalm 125:2, Psalm 22:3, Psalm 113:1–9, James 4:3, James 5:16 Series: First John