Defending and Declaring Jesus

Literary Genre

1. Narrative

This includes books of the Bible or sections of books which simply tell the story of what happened. Exodus is an expansive, epic narrative. Ruth focuses on the story of one family. Acts tells the spectacular events of the first generation of Christians, as they were led and inspired by the Holy Spirit. Narrative tells us what happened, according to the purposes of the author. Sometimes there are spiritual lessons from events, and sometimes we are just gaining the context of the history of God’s people.

Pray

Introduction

The Book of 1 John

Introduce the book and background history.

Author

The books of 1,2,3 John are most commonly believed to be written by John the Apostle

When Rome destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple in AD 70 John moved to the city of Ephesus where he continued his pastoral wok until his death around AD 100. This is the time period when John wrote these three books.

Goal in writing 1 John

Damage control and Assurance

Damage Control: John is defending the the Deity of Jesus against a group of people who had left the church and were not denying Jesus as the Messiah

18 Children, it is the last hour. And as you have heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. By this we know that it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they did not belong to us; for if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. However, they went out so that it might be made clear that none of them belongs to us. 20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. 21 I have not written to you because you don’t know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie comes from the truth. 22 Who is the liar, if not the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This one is the antichrist: the one who denies the Father and the Son. 23 No one who denies the Son has the Father; he who confesses the Son has the Father as well.

Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), 1 Jn 2:18–23.

Assurance: Throughout the Book we see that John is assuring the people he is writing about the love and life found through Jesus.

Style of John’s Letter

1. Written like a Sermon not like a traditional letter. There is no greeting to a specific person or an ending saying who it is from.

2. John used a method called Amplification when writing this letter.

A. Amplification means the way a writer embellishes a sentence in order to emphasize or exaggerate certain points.

B. Another thing to keep in mind is that this book is not written in a linear fashion.

C.Instead John uses ,Cyclical Repetition,Hyperbole, Stark Contrast to make his point

3 The Core ideas that John deals with in the book of 1 John are Life, Love, and Truth.

Theme

Knowing Jesus= Knowing the God of love

Johns Purpose for Writing

Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the New Testament (Introduction)

That we might have fellowship (1:3).

Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the New Testament Introduction

That we might have joy (1:4).

Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the New Testament Introduction

That we might not sin (2:1–2).

Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the New Testament Introduction

That we might overcome error (2:26).

Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the New Testament Introduction

That we might have assurance (5:13).

Spurgeon on 1 John

The fact that Christ was really in the flesh, the he was no phantom, no shadow mocking the eyes, is exceedingly important. Eyesight is good, clear evidence. But better still John had leaned his head on Jesus Christ. His hands had often met the real flesh and blood of the living Savior. We need have no doubt about the reality of Chris’t incarnation when we have these open eyes and hands to give us evidence.

Now with all of this lets jump into our text tonight.

1 John 1:1-4 1 What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have observed and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—2 that life was revealed, and we have seen it and we testify and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us—3 what we have seen and heard we also declare to you, so that you may also have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), 1 Jn 1:1–4.

Key Point

Jesus is God

John’s intensity as a witness and to share the truth

Fellowship with God and man

Jesus is God:What is from the Beginning

There are 4 great beginnings in the Bible.

Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

Mark 1:1 “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”

John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

1 John 1:1 “What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have observed and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—”

When we look at all of these together it is easy to see that even in the beginning we always start with Jesus.

Jesus is God: The Word of and Eternal Life

John 1:4 “In him was life, and that life was the light of men.”

Philippians 2:16 “by holding firm to the word of life. Then I can boast in the day of Christ that I didn’t run or labor for nothing.”

God the Son is the divine person who is the Word spoken by God the Father; he is the perfect image of the Father; he is one in being with the Father, who begat the Son from eternity and in the fullness of time sent the Son to be born in human flesh in order to redeem those the Father has given him

1 John 5:20 “And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we may know the true one. We are in the true one—that is, in his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.”

John As A Witness To Share The Truth

John is addressing the people we talked about earlier who were saying Jesus was not the Messiah.

John’s defence is that he and the other apostles. That is the we in these verses. Were a witness to what Jesus said and did.

John’s witness comes in the form of Hearing, Seeing, Observing and Touching

Because of what John and the other disciples witnessed it put the compulsion in them to share the good news they had witnessed.

If we do not believe the gospel is inclusive, if we are not optimistic about what it will do, if we are not a little aggressive about sharing it, people will not come to Christ.

R. Kent Hughes

Fellowship with God and man

John teaches that it is only through the word of God aka Jesus that we can have fellowship with God and with each other

21  Our fellowship with God is not meant to wait until we are in heaven. God’s greatest desire, and our greatest need, is to be in constant fellowship with Him now, and there is no greater expression or experience of fellowship than prayer.

John MacArthur

Alone with God (1995)

John F. MacArthur

When we see others that we love come to this fellowship it makes our joy complete.

Implication

As we have opened and studied God’s word tonight we are wrestling with many key concepts that are core to our faith.

The first is that Jesus is God.

The second is that we should not be surprised that when the world rejects Jesus. This is something that has been happening for all time.

Third we should want to share what we witness about God.

Fourth there is joy in being in fellowship with God and with others.

Jesus is God

Jesus Is God and worthy of our worship and fellowship. C. S. Lewis talks about Jesus in this way. There are 4 options when it comes to Jesus.

1 He could have been a liar-someone who simply was not who He claimed to be and knew it.

2 He could have been a lunatic-someone who thought He was somebody, but in fact He was not.

3 He could have been a legend- Someone who was not who others later imagined him to be.

4 Or He could be the Lord- He is who He said He is, and His birth, life,death, and resurrection prove it to be true

Throughout All Of History Mankind Has Denied This Fact

Jesus offends men because he lays emphasis on the unseen life, because he speaks of motives rather than of actions.

Oswald Chambers (Lecturer and Missionary)

Because Jesus Is God We Must Declare Him To The World.

Jeremiah 20:9 “I say, “I won’t mention him or speak any longer in his name.” But his message becomes a fire burning in my heart, shut up in my bones. I become tired of holding it in, and I cannot prevail.”

It’s much easier to think about “God’s role in my life” than to reflect on “my role in God’s plan” to help others and share the gospel.

John D. Barry; Rebecca Kruyswijk

Conclusion

Applications

If you say Jesus is God are you living a life that shows He is Lord of your life?

If not what is keeping you from submitting to Him?

If you are pray that God will further grow your fellowship with Him and other Christians

If we have heard and seen God we should be eager be a witness for him and to speak against the falsehood in our world. Are you doing this or are to you scared of what they may say or think about you?

If you are not prepared talk to us and we will help train you.

If you are prepared but don’t share why not?

If you are prepared and sharing pray that God will bring new people into fellowship with Him and you.