Firm Foundations

1 John intro?

Intro - Maccas. Cleaning the sink before washing the dishes. The right start. The principal. The wise and foolish builder, new wine- new winesacks. You must get your foundations, your beginning right.

John’s intention with this letter. Two foundations that he believes are essential to the believer. He was written extensively throughtout his letter, he has come at different angles to help paint a picture for us. These two foundations are: that the believer ought to love their fellow believers (apple tree), and; understanding the personhood of Jesus Christ.

Foundation 1 - Love One Another

1 John 5:1 (ESV)

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him.

v1a - John starts with a big idea. In the Greek, the the phrase quite literally says ‘believing’ is the consequence not the cause of being born to God. Faith is the result of spiritual rebirth in God. John captures this moment in his Gospel account- Nicodemus the Pharisee comes to Jesus one night. Nicodemus has caught a glimpse of who Jesus is and is seeking to know more. In the exchange, Jesus says a number of time: “unless you are born again you will never see the Kingdom of God”. To be born of God, or born again, means to experience a spiritual birth. John says this new birth occurs before faith begins. This is an important point for how it’ll set up the next few verses. What was before the new birth? Paul writes in Ephesians:

Ephesians 2:1–2 (ESV)

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—

Before experiencing the new birth, the believer was spiritually dead. What does it mean to be dead in youre sin? We are spiritually- shut off from God. We did not recognise, nor heed God. We lived for ourselves, no thought to our creator. What does it mean to be dead in your sin? 1. Can that which is dead will itself to life? 2. Can that which is dead have faith?

If you believe, or you have walked in today for the first time. Know this: God is stirring within you, seeking to awaken you to the reality of Eternal life.

If it true that our faith determined our salvation, do those who come to faith just have a superior self-will than others? No, if we start making our salvation somehow due to our works we walk a dangerous line away from grace to works and then the glory of our salvation is due in-part to us. Soli Deo Gloria.

We cannot, in our sinful state, will God to grant us new life or salvation. Later in the same text, Paul writes:

Ephesians 2:8–9 (ESV)

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

We have been saved by grace and it is not our own doing. We respond in faith, but only after what God has already achieved in our salvation. “So that none my boast”. The platform for understanding that God has begun the good work of faith within us generates a posture of thankfulness, rather than a posture of entitlement should we think our salvation is someone part in response to our own works. That posture of thankfulness is fundamental to the second part of verse 1. The evidence of our faith is love for one another. Whoever loves the father, loves His other children. How could you love your parent, but hate that which they love? Mutually love and faith in the father will produce in the beliver an affinity with other believers. “love whoever has been born of Him.”

1 John 5:2–3 (ESV)

By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.

How do we know that we love others? When we love God and keep His commandments. We cannot claim to love God but not love His children, you also cannot claim to love God and not be obedient to Him. This may seem like a paradox, but it isn’t. It’s liberating. Throughtout the NT, God calls us to obedience to live a life where we bear the fruit of the Spirit. To be a person of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and self-control. That seems pretty good! Sharkey story - skating.

Following Jesus, is not like pushing into the headwinds. The commandments of God and the requirements to follow Jesus are not burdensome, they’re a source of liberation. To not be ‘born again’ but to pursue morality can be like skating into the headwind. Seeking to like a good, moral life without a source point- constantly fighting against yourself. Like orienteering without without True North.

1 John 5:4–5 (ESV)

For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

But for the believer, through Jesus Christ, the Son of God we have overcome the world. We have recieved the new birth, born in the Spirit who is now our guide, we no longer belong to the world, as sons of disobedience. God’s commands are good to us, His laws refreshing- His Way is easy to us and His teaching light. We have overcome the world, friends, we skate with the wind.

Foundation 2 - Testimony to the Personhood of Christ

Jesus is fully man, He is fully God. Fully human, fully divine.

1 John 5:6–8 (ESV)

This is he who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree.

The second foundation that John wants to reassert to his readers is the nature and personhood of who Jesus is. John wrote his letter, in part, in reponse to false teaching about Jesus. This false teaching had been perpetuated by a man named Cerinthus, who had claimed that Jesus was not God, instead, he believed the Spirit of the Christ descended upon the man Jesus at his baptism and left him at his crucifiction. However, John, being an eyewitness to the life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus refutes this. Note: He explicitly says “Jesus Christ”. He then begins to name witnesses.

Firstly, he speaks about the water and the blood. All of my commentators agree this is one of the most complex sections of John’s writings. He is using a phrase “the water and the blood” which was likely a common phrase being used in debates about his topic. What the commentators disagree on, is what are the water and the blood. I’m going to tell you where I’ve landed, but know that this is contested space and you can certainly go do your own research.

Water: I believe this to be a reference to Jesus birth. The water of the womb. John was refuting a doctrine which claimed Jesus was just a man, who was a vassal for the Christ for a time. This is why I think John is talking about birth and not baptism. Nothing changed about Jesus’ nature, he didn’t need to go through the waters of baptism. He did it to identify His humanity with His divinity. From the beginning of his life, his birth, it was testified that He was the Christ, that is the Messiah. Scripture testifies to this: Jesus’ birth to a virgin, being born in bethlahem, the flight to Egypt, the massacre of 1st born sons by Herod, the wise man, shepherds and angels- all of these are prophecies about the coming of the Christ written hundreds of years before his birth. Jesus birth is a testimony to him being the Christ. The saviour of the world came through the waters of birth.

Blood: If water is Jesus birth, the blood speaks to His death. Once again, scripture testifies to this end. Prophecies in scripture: Jesus would have his hands and feet pierced, he’d be rejected by his own people, people would cast lots for his clothing, he would be silent before his accusers, he would not cry out, he’d be buried with the rich, he’d be killed alongside criminals. The coming Saviour, Servant King is the sacrifical lamb who takes away the sins of the world. He is the Christ.

The Letters of John: An Introduction and Commentary (a. The Three Witnesses (5:6–12))

If the Son of God did not take to himself our nature in his birth and our sins in his death, he cannot reconcile us to God.

Pastor Brad spoke about this in more detail, you can listen or watch online.

The third witness John speaks to is the Spirit. The Spirit testifies in two ways. Firstly, His work in our lives. The testimony of Jesus Christ is borne through the work and presence of the Holy Spirit. Often, and you may agree, I believe the Holy Spirit to be misrepresented or underrepresented in His work. Often, people drum up His involvement to an emotional experience or even simply as the Santa Claus of the trinity handing out certain spiritual gifts. Rather, He is desparately needed in the life of a believer. Everyday. He stays our hand and convicts us that we might turn away and repoent of sin. He steadys and calms our hearts as we struggle with doubt. He encourages us with good word, scripture and soulful worship. He stirs up our hearts like the disciples on the road to Emmaus; after hearing Jesus’ recalling of scripture, they said “didn’t our hearts burn within us?” That’s the Holy Spirit. He draws our attention, however he must, to turn our eyes toward Jesus and trust Him. James Merritt says, “The witness of the Spirit is God’s witness to us, in us, and through us. Just as the arrow of a compass always points toward the North, the Spirit of God always points to Jesus.”

The second way the Spirit testifies to us, is His involvement in Jesus’ life, ministry and death. He was involved in His conception, baptism, ministered to Him in His temptation, and empowered Him in His ministry. Most notably, the Spirit descended upon Jesus at His baptism. This was to fulfill the prophecy from Isaiah:

Isaiah 42:1–3 (ESV)

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.

He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice,

or make it heard in the street;

a bruised reed he will not break,

and a faintly burning wick he will not quench;

he will faithfully bring forth justice.

The descending of the Spirit is a witness to the annointing and appointment of Jesus for the work of ministry ahead. Not only that, but all prophecy, whether spoken about the ministry, birth or death of Christ was spoken through the Spirit and fulfilled by His hand thorugh Jesus.

Therefore the three testify as one. The water to the Divine’s humanity, the blood to His Messianic death and the Spirit to the prophecy of all of what was to come and its fulfillmentin the man-God Jesus Christ.

1 John 5:9–10 (ESV)

If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son. Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son.

Our theme for this series has been ‘Blessed Assurance’. An assurance for us today is that our own testimony is evidence of the finished work of Jesus. We wouldn’t be here if it weren’t so. Millions upon millions of people would not be meeting on this Sunday morning, at 9am, serving, giving financially and singing sogns of praise or listening to some bloke like me if this was not true. We would all be sleeping in, going to a local cafe for breakfast, watching with glee at our healthy, risk-free bank accounts.

This is not the case, we are here. Many of us serve, give of ourselves- our time, or resources. In partnership with the billions of believers who have gone before us, in awe and honour of the 70 million odd believers who have given their life having been born again to God. It’s in this same spirit for why we run Carols. No seriosuly, if Gospel of Jesus Christ wasn’t true, I wouldn’t want to run Carols. That was so much work and it came so close to ruin in so many different ways. We do it because our eyes have been opened, we have come into a knowing faith of who God is. How could we not do it. Our own testimony, testifies to Jesus.

1 John 5:11–12 (ESV)

And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

Wrap-up and GOSPEL!