6. Essentials of the Faith Pt 5: The Message Proclaimed

The Message Proclaimed

1Jn 1:5-2:6 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. (6) If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. (7) But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. (8) If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. (9) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (10) If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. 1Jn 2:1-6 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. (2) He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. (3) And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. (4) Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, (5) but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: (6) whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

Three Points in this Verse

The Message

The Message Proclaimed

The Message Explained

The last time we were together we looked at verse 5. There are three points in the verse. We have looked at the Message. We saw the centrality of the message to our salvation. There is no other way under heaven which God has ordained for men to be saved apart from the gospel of Jesus Christ. We then looked at the timelessness of the message. The Word of God is not fluid and does not change to reflect the culture or times. We do not read and study the Scripture through the lens of culture, rather we view our culture in light of the unchanging truth of the Word of God. And lastly, we saw the distinctiveness or uniqueness of the message. Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone. It is not Christ plus works, it is only Christ. This stands in stark contrast to the worlds religions that demand works. Or to Catholicism whose gospel is Christ plus works. Or that sin is not that bad, nothing to be repented of, God is love and He won’t send anyone to hell. But when we speak of salvation it goes beyond the initial day of God’s appointed salvation. It also includes the salvation that all in Christ are currently experiencing in God’s preservation of the saints. Now this preservation is not a just a preserving but is progressive in nature. The Lord is continually conforming us to the image of Christ. How does He do this? He does it by the work of the Holy Spirit in the believer’s life, through the instruction and application of the word of God. In other words, (2Ti 3:16) All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, We stand on that absolute truth.

Before we move to our second point of the word proclaimed it is good to review why this letter was written. We know it was written by the apostle John near the end of his life to the churched he was ministering to in Asia Minor. It is safe to note that it included the churched referenced in Revelation as week as others. So it was a circular letter like Peter’s epistles. These churches included likely included 1st, 2nd, and 3rdgeneration believers. 1Jn 2:12-13 I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name's sake. (13) I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I write to you, children, because you know the Father. There were outward and inward problems affecting the church. One was a proto-gnosticism which was attacking the deity of Christ 1Jn 2:23 No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. As well as an antinomianism 1Jn 2:4 Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, by those who were once in the church but were either put out by the church or left of their own accord. Though outside the church they sought to influence the church. 1Jn 2:19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us. They sought to influence the church with heretical doctrines upsetting the faith of some. There was also a weakening of love to Christ. Rev 2:4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. AS then so now. The same issues affecting the church today were a problem then. What the Apostle John does is write a pastoral letter. Such is the pressing need and urgency of the matters that he does not bother to begin with an introduction or use the customary ending. He dives right into the heart of the matter. His goal is two-fold He wants them to know how to have fellowship with him, the Father and the Son and He wants them to know how their joy may be made full. 1Jn 1:1-4 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— (2) the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— (3) that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. (4) And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete. He states the essence of the apostolic message – the eternally existing Son of God became incarnate as the have touched, handled, seen, looked, contemplated, and been embraced by Him. This is the One we declare to you.

II. The Message Proclaimed- the message we have heard from Him and proclaim to you.

In this text we see a passing on, or a handing down from one to another. It is not an arbitrary passing but specific. There are three parties involved, Jesus, the Apostles, and the Church. Each of these were chosen and appointed by God for the proclamation of the message. Each of these protect, defend, and proclaim the truth as revealed to them. Though not said here we know from Whom Jesus received the message that He then made known to the Apostles. Isa 42:1 Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. And how do we know this is referring to Jesus? Because this same text is quoted by Matthew in reference to Jesus. Mat 12:18 “Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.

Joh 8:28-30 So Jesus said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me. For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak. (50) And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me.”

Joh 17:8 For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me.

Jesus chose and appointed the Apostles for the proclamation of the message. Mat 28:18-20 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. (19) Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (20) teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Paul begins many of the letters to the churches with a statement of his apostleship and that ‘by the will of God’. Throughout all of the epistles they are protecting the message, defending against false doctrine and proclaiming the message. Paul instructs Timothy and Titus to appoint elders in all the churches. Why? Because they are to be the protectors, defenders, and proclaimers of the message that Jesus handed to the Apostles and the Apostles proclaimed to the churches. Men who are gifted by the Holy Spirit of God to teach and preach. Eph 4:11-12 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, (12) to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, But though they are appointed specifically, it is the role of the church to be the pillar and support of the truth. 1Ti 3:15 if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth. The church is to uphold and hold forth the truth. It does not re-write the Word and it does not determine what is and isn’t the Word of God. 1 Peter 2:5 lays out the priesthood of all believers and 1 Peter 3:15 tells all believers to be ready to give and account of the hope that it is in them.

We ask the question why? Remember what the goal was fellowship with God and joy. So that all who are sinful might be brought into fellowship.; be His sons and daughters, separated from God but now brought near. For those that don’t know God to know Him and for those that do know Him to know Him better.

Taking in a high-level view. How do we have fellowship with God and our joy made full? We come to Him on His terms not ours. I work with a lot of different vendors in my job. They do not call my office and say I have this date and time available to talk to Ben about our product. They first reach out, introduce who they are, the services they are offering and ask when I might be available to have a call or meeting. What are the terms that God has set forth? There are 3 things. If we who are sinful want to fellowship with Him, we must accept His remedy for sin. We must 1)confess our sinfulness and 2)look to Jesus in faith.

1Jn 1:9-10 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (10) If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

1Jn 2:1-2 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. (2) He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

3)And as a fruit of real faith we must sincerely obey God’s commandments. 1Jn 2:4-6 Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, (5) but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: (6) whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

Fellowship with God is governed by God’s character not by human needs or perspective. It is limited to who God is as revealed by Jesus and declared through the apostles. In the OT prophets were given to Israel and Judah but they could not reveal God as Jesus did. Heb 1:1-2 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, (2) but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.

Joh 1:18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known.

Jesus made God known. All of God’s grace, mercy, compassion and love. Jesus shows the heart of God for His people, the holiness of God in Christ’s sinless perfection and the justice of God in Christ’s crucifixion having been made sin for us. There is no fellowship with God apart from the gospel message.

Application: This is the duty and responsibility of the church to safeguard the message. When I mean safe guard I do not mean to put it under lock and key but to be studied as it is in the Word of God and lived out in the peace and joy found only in the Lord. We must as the people of God fellowship with other like-minded believers that hold fast to the word of truth. Knowing that only true fellowship comes in holding to the truth of God’s revelation by Christ and declared by the apostles.