Fellowship with God

Introduction

On Wednesday Evening we have been looking at God.

Who is God the Father, His attributes, character, and behavior.

Apart from the revelation of God in His attributes, we have no knowledge of the Being of God whatsoever. But in so far as God reveals Himself in His attributes, we also have some knowledge of His Divine Being, though even so our knowledge is subject to human limitations. Louis Berkhof

Who is Jesus? The “I Am” statements from the Book of John.

This has brought me repeated to 1 John and the first chapter in particular.

In John 1 we see Jesus as the Word, who gives Life, and this life is the Light of Men.

In 1 John 1 we see almost the same, the eternal Word of Life, that we have seen, and dwells with us.

In John 1 we look at Jesus as both Light and truth.

In 1 John 1:5-6 we have Jesus again viewed as light and our walk in Him as a walk in truth.

There are many similarities between the two books, showing the evidence that John wrote both of them and the heart of John to point us to Jesus Christ.

Both have a beautiful Prologue:

John 1:1-18.

1 John 1:1-4.

Both have clear purpose statements for why John wrote these books.

John 20:30–31 “30 And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.”

1 John 5:13 “13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.”

In John, the apostle wants us to know the way of Salvation, and in His 1st letter, he is helping us to test our salvation for reality. Has God done a work in our hearts, or is it a bit of self deception?

Introduction to 1 John

Prologue 1 John 1:1-4

1st Half: 1 John 1:5-3:10

1 John 1:5 “5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.”

Focus is on God and Loving God in truth.

2 Half: 1 John 3:11-5:12.

1 John 3:11 “11 For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another,”

Focus is on the earth and loving our neighbor in truth. Seems to be based on the greatest two commandments.

Reason for the Letter

1 John 5:13 “13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.”

The Prologue

1 John 1:1–4 “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.”

1 John 1:1 “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—”

That which was from the beginning....

Jesus is God, without this knowledge Salvation is lost. There is really no hope.

A sacrifice on our behalf had to come from something outside of what God had created.

Everything He created was His already?

Psalm 50:10–12 “10 For every beast of the forest is Mine, And the cattle on a thousand hills. 11 I know all the birds of the mountains, And the wild beasts of the field are Mine. 12 “If I were hungry, I would not tell you; For the world is Mine, and all its fullness.”

Isaiah 40:15–16 “15 Behold, the nations are as a drop in a bucket, And are counted as the small dust on the scales; Look, He lifts up the isles as a very little thing. 16 And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, Nor its beasts sufficient for a burnt offering.”

Psalm 49:8 “8 For the redemption of their souls is costly, And it shall cease forever—”

He is eternal, one with the Father, of the same essence.

John 1:1–4 “1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.”

Which we have heard…

He again goes back to the fact there is a message that we have heard.

It isn’t enough to have a vague understanding of God. We must know God as He has revealed himself with His words.

The Value of His Words from Scripture

John 17:3 “3 And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” (Salvation)

2 Peter 1:3–4 “3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” (Victorious Christian Life, conquering sin and the flesh, and the devil.)

2 Timothy 3:16–17 “16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (Profitable for good groweth to the end, completeness for the work)

This is also why the book of John starts off calling Jesus the Word. He came to bring a message from God to us as well as to offer Himself as a sacrifice.

Hebrews 1:1–2 “1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;”

Peters acknowledgment that Jesus has the words of eternal life.

John 6:68 “68 But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”

Peter understood that it wasn’t just knowing the Lord in a vague sense, but hearing Him!

Matthew 17:5 “5 While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!””

Which we have seen with our eyes, have looked upon...

We have seen — a short term idea that He was visible to them.

have looked upon — a long term study of Him.

He was not just a vision in the night, the result of some fevered dream in hopes of deliverance...

and our hands have handled...

He was physically here with them for a time, this eternal God.

Many gnostics wanted to say that the flesh was evil, so God couldn’t have come in the flesh, but came as a picture to be seen by others and communicate only, or that He indwelt a body and left at the cross before suffering…

All of these ideas were ideas to separate the flesh for the Spirit, justifying sin in the flesh as part of the flesh that we will leave when we become God. Sin wasn’t seen as good, but as unavoidable, so don’t worry too much over your fleshly sins. .... (This is where so many still go today, a desire to justify the sins in our flesh as being separate from the Spirit, unavoidable and excusable, under the blood, still working it.... )

John wants us to know from the beginning that Jesus as God, was here in the flesh, being handled. (Fully God and Fully man, able to be our mediator - the way between God and man being fully both.)

1 John 4:2–3 “2 By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.”

John 1:14 “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.”

1 Timothy 3:16 “16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory.”

2 John 7 “7 For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.”

Concerning the Word of Life

Concerning or Regarding

The Word of Life:

A title for Jesus and His words.

Here John again ties thoughts from His Gospel and letter together as in John 1:1-4 Jesus is both the Word and the Life of men.

Thoughts for Consideration

According to John, why is it important to know Jesus as God in the flesh?

How does the John emphasize the value of knowing God through His words from Scripture?

In the sermon, what character traits of Jesus are emphasized in John 1 and 1 John 1?

Why is it important to know Jesus as both God and man?