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Birthdays and Anniversaries

Our sermon will be in Luke 21:5-24

We have a website: https://tahlequahworshipcenter.com/

Service coming up on Wednesday

Diaper Drive

The School has a rummage sale next weekend 10/7-10/8

Prayer requests

Georgey

Dorcas

Cristy’s Grandparents

Sandra

Donna

Ukraine

Joe & Family

Barbara’s Sister

Andy W.

I want to welcome all that are joining us online.

Thank you for being here with us.

Cristy has some songs picked out for us.

Are you ready to worship?

Let’s make a joyful noise

Songs

I’ve Got The Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy

Just A Closer Walk With Thee

Through It All

In Christ Alone

Full Of Joy

We will be studying 1 John 1:1-4

We are starting a new study - The Letters Of John

In the spirit of understanding these letters, we need to talk about the author of the letters.

Well, you could say that is God, but I’m going to talk about John.

Who was John?

And to whom was he writing?

These are some of the things we want to discover.

I need you to understand the importance of context.

You come over to my house and the kids and I are eating dinner.

Imagine Cristy going to the door and letting you in.

Now you hear the boys and I discussing something about the dream sequence, a beheading, training, and the jungle.

You are going to be confused.

Now if you know anything about Star Wars, you will recognize that we were discussing “The Empire Strikes Back”.

But if you don’t know about Star Wars, you might be completely mystified at what we are talking about.

Or even concerned.

With Star Wars, we can get the book and if we have connections, we can talk to George Lucas.

When it comes to the Bible, we can ask God for wisdom, but he has given us people that have studied and we can go to them.

That’s why we need to understand context.

I almost always study the Bible at least a paragraph at a time.

But even then, it’s hard to figure it all out without seeing what scholars have said.

We know that the Author is the Apostle John who was with Jesus longer than about anyone. He was one of the 1st disciples and was probably a disciple of John the Baptist before that.

He was close to Jesus and was there for just about everything that happened.

Jesus even entrusted the care of his mother to John.

He was maybe the only one that was there for the crucifixion.

John saw Jesus, and saw a vision of what would come to be.

We know that John was probably in Jerusalem until 60 AD,

And most scholars say that the letter was written while he was at Ephesus.

So it was written somewhere between 60 - 90 AD.

From the text itself, we know that John was addressing some errors in the church including Gnosticism.

We’ll come back to that later.

For now, let’s dig into these first 4 verses which form an introduction into this letter.

Here, John will tell us the purpose of this letter or instruction.

1 John 1:1–4 NKJV

1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life— 2 the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us— 3 that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. 4 And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.

Jesus at the First

Verse 1 says 1 John 1:1

1 John 1:1 NKJV

1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life—

This echos the Gospel of John:

John 1:1 NKJV

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John 1:14 NKJV

14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

So what are these similar to?

Genesis 1:1 NKJV

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

So John is drawing a contrast between the OT and the NT.

He starts both his gospel and this book with the beginning.

He is clearly stating that Jesus always existed.

All that was made, was made by him.

He is the Word. The Word of Life.

So Jesus was at the First, and he came ...

Jesus in the Flesh

1 John 1:1–2 NKJV

1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life— 2 the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us—

I told you before that we needed to talk about why John was writing this letter.

One of the errors of the early Church was called Gnosticism.

Gnosticism means “having knowledge”.

The biggest issue of Gnosticism was the idea that our material existence is flawed or evil.

Their teachings dealt with ideas of illusion and enlightenment.

They taught that Jesus did not resurrect in the flesh but in spirit.

So John here is trying to correct that error in our text.

It says that which was from the beginning (Jesus) which he had heard, seen, and touched.

It says that life was manifested.

They saw him and they bore witness of it.

They saw him over a period of years.

They was Jesus eat, they saw him drink, they saw him work miracles.

Before the resurrection and after.

Jesus came in the Flesh

The Gnostics ideas were that they had this special knowledge.

I am a bit wary of someone that believes they have some kind of new information.

If the teaching is not hundreds of years old, then we need to be wary of it now.

It’s been almost 2000 years since the formation of the church.

If someone has some kind of new teaching, be wary.

So John is going to teach that Jesus came in the flesh, and that we can have ...

Jesus in Fellowship

1 John 1:3 NKJV

3 that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.

This is the purpose of church.

That we have fellowship with God and with each other.

One of the first acts of the early church was fellowship.

Acts 2:42 NKJV

42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.

We have something special and that is the Holy Spirit.

There are certain people that you meet and you just feel that fellowship.

When Sue and Gerald were here, you just knew how they stood before God.

There was a love and grace about them.

I could sit here and speak of many more.

The whole process of church is here to support the fellowship I’m talking about.

We need that fellowship.

The structure of the Church is poised to promote it.

Singing, Preaching, and Teaching, these all are for our fellowship.

Even the leadership structure is designed for fellowship.

We come together, submitting ourselves to one another so that we become closer.

We are taught and the word of God is preached so that we will be of the same mind.

Acts 2:46 NKJV

46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart,

Continuing daily with one accord.

We don’t have that now.

Not even in the Church, but especially with other christians.

We tend to make excuses as why we divide.

The truth is that it is stubbornness and rebellion to God who put the authority structure together.

We need to prefer one another.

We need to love one another.

Jesus told us to love one another especially.

He told us the 2 greatest commandments and added a third.

John 13:34–35 NKJV

34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Does the outside world see that and understand that?

Do they see our love for one another, or our division?

You know the answer.

That’s what’s wrong with the church of today.

Christians are more known for who and what they are against than what they are for.

John is telling us that we have fellowship with the Father and with the Son and with other Christians.

Why is that important? So that our ...

Joy may be Full

Look at verse 4 - 1 John 1:4

1 John 1:4 NKJV

4 And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.

This whole letter is going to guide us on making our joy full.

First, we should talk a bit about Joy.

Joy is an outward expression of what it going on inside.

Let me just admit that my joy has been missing a bit.

Over the last few years, I have been through several seasons of things that eat away at my joy.

Health issues, church issues, loss of loved ones.

All of these things have sapped my joy.

But I’m here to tell you that I’m changing my perspective.

I’m setting my goals on the heavenly instead of the earthly.

I’m looking at the ground when I need to be looking at the sky!

When God announced the birth of Jesus, the angels were rejoicing.

The angel told Mary to rejoice.

If we have fellowship with the Holy Spirit then we should have joy.

Paul tells us in Romans 14:17

Romans 14:17 NKJV

17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

As we read this book of 1 John we need to think about how we should be joyful.

If you can’t find Joy in the Lord, You need to find the Lord of Joy

Are you ready?

Let’s put that Joy on so the world may see!