1 John - Introduction

I have a theme for this year. It’s JOY!!!!

Joy Joy Joy Joy in Jesus! I prayed about what to do after the names of God series and thought I need to hone my focus back to the joy of Jesus! Not that the names of Jesus don’t point us to joy but we need to get back to it.

1 John was written to fill your joy.

1 John 1:4 And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.

The purpose statement that John gives us in the book of 1 John is that he wrote this book to bring to joy to anyone who is reading the book but all that being John also gives three other reasons that he wrote this book.

1 John was written to combat sin.

1 John 2:1 My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

John lays out his purpose pretty clearly. Point 1 JOY! POINT 2 Sin will steal your joy. I believe sin is clearly defined as anything that does not meet God’s standard. Not your standard or my standard but God’s standard. Sin isn’t God trying to ruin your fun, but God trying to keep you from ruin. Sin is addictive and destructive in every sense. that is why Hebrews says the sin which so easily ensares us. It is a cruel trap, designed to destroy FELLOWSHIP with God. Sin will ruin your joy. You ever met someone without JOY

They look like this.

I looked like this for a few years in this church. I had the good old drug problem. My parents drug me to church 5 times a week. I would go home and sin. So when I sat hear at church in school, I scouled my heart hurt. Today I am joyful in Jesus. I thank God for that. But sin ruined my joy. If you are never happy here you probably have a sin problem. If I stepped on your toes just now that comes from John and he wants Jesus to be the solution to your sin problem so you can find joy

1 John was written so you can have eternal security.

1 John 5:13 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.

You want to know the core of joy. It is eternity with Jesus! When you come to church on Sunday it should be that you can have fellowship with Jesus. That should be number 1 priority after that it is the hope of heaven that is closely related to the Joy of fellowship with Jesus. Are you sure that you are going to heaven today, if not I want you to be sure. 1 John is designed to give you assurance of the fact that you are going to heaven.

At it’s core, 1 John fights false teaching.

1 John 4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

This is where we are going to get into the introduction of 1 John so buckle up!

John is very unique in the New Testament. It is isn’t one of the four gospels that tell the life of Jesus Christ. It also isn’t an epistle per say. A letter written to an individual or a specific church, it is different than Acts and Revelation. It kind of stands alone. It is like a gospel tract that you would give out at a restaurant it confronts heresy and tries to promote truth. It is a pastor sitting down and making an arguement to confront heresey and promote true Christianity.

1 John was written by John the apostle.

Here are some key things to know before we get started in this book.

John was originally an apostle of John the Baptist but was sent by him to learn from Jesus that He was the lamb of called who would take away the sin of the world.

John was called by Jesus.

Mark 1:19–20 When He had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets. And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after Him.

John was the child of Zebedee and Salome. remember in the gospel story his mother came to Jesus and said can my two boys sit on either side of you in your kingdom. They were prom and pollished and they had a lot to learn.

Jesus called John a son of Thunder.

Mark 3:17 James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom He gave the name Boanerges, that is, “Sons of Thunder”;

Like I said not pollished. Probably had a little of Jonah or a little of you in him before you got saved maybe even after you were saved. Some of you inform me that you were rascals before Christ got a hold of you and that is ok because Christ got a hold of you.

John was one of the twelve apostles.

Mark 3:13–19 And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted. And they came to Him. Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons: Simon, to whom He gave the name Peter; James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom He gave the name Boanerges, that is, “Sons of Thunder”; Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Cananite; and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him. And they went into a house.

The fact that He was one of the twelve gave him special authority. Authority given by Christ. I would dare say that he didn’t believe that he was better than you but He was given a special position by Jesus himself and that authority passed past the resurrection.

John was one of the three.

Luke 9:28 Now it came to pass, about eight days after these sayings, that He took Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray.

On certain occasions God selected 3 of the twelve to be a part of intimate situations like witnessing the ressurrection of Jarius duaghter and the transfiguration. Why he did that we will never know but it attest to special relation that John had with Jesus.

John was the disciple whom Jesus loved.

John 13:23 Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved.

I don’t ever think that this is a bad thing even though some have tried to use it that way. John is just a man that never got over the fact that jesus loved him. Jesus loves me was his theme song. It’s my theme song and I hope that all of you here it is also at the core of who you are.

John witnessed Jesus life, His trial, the cross, the empty tomb, the resurrection, and His ascension to heaven.

He is the only man to be able to claim that. He also in my opinion. witnessed in his life just like Jesus predicted

John is the only eyewitness to the rapture, the marriage supper of the lamb, and the second coming of Christ.

Even if, I don’t think that there is, someone else who could claim the first no one could claim the second set of events. He is a great eye witness.

John served Jesus in Jerusalem and later Ephesus.

Most people believe he served as an apostle from the death of Jesus until about AD 68 in Jerusalem and then left for Ephesus and served Jesus their before being exiled to Patmos

John was a privileged prophet of God.

Revelation 1:1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John,

All this sets up the book we read a verse earlier from 1 John were John uses the phrase little children. Most people believe that this book was written later in the life of John around AD 90-95 probably after the gospel and before the apocalypse.

Antichrist is the reason for this book.

1 John 2:18 Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour.

You have heard me say this before. Antichrist may be the second most popular character of the Bible behind Jesus. People write books about him, the internet is obsessed about who he is. One fringe theory in the eighties said that Ronald Wilson Reagan must be the antichrist because his first middle and last name all had 6 letters. 6 6 6! but the book of revelation doesn’t even use the word antichrist. It comes from 1 John. Yes I believe that there will be a person who is the antithesis of Jesus or the antichrist that will unleash havock on the world part of the false trinity of revelation the beast but lets be honest and John tells us that anyone who teaches false truth about Jesus is associated with the devil as antichrist. Men like Joseph Smith and Mohammed who claim to be divine or deny the deity of Jesus Christ.

Their were false teachers creeping int the church trying to teach things that were contrary to the word of God based on worldly thinking and philosophy. Sounds like today. Things that will ruin your joy. The joy you have in Jesus.

These false teachers were called the Gnostics.

Gnosticism - the religious movement that taught salvation comes through secret, spiritual knowledge rather than faith or works.

One of their core beliefs that the material world is evil and that the spiritual is essetially good. They believed they had an elevated knowledge that is at the heart of their teaching. It you listen to their teaching you will think that they are philisophical know it alls they are right fighters at their core. They have to be right whereas we as Christians defer, GOD is right! Many gnostics believed in Jesus they taught some funny stuff like that Jesus was a man who had the Christ essence put on him at the baptism of John and it left before the crucixion. They also taught that Christ was an essence and not a man. Believing that matter is evil inheritantly and the spirit is good essentially opened up funny teaching about sin. Sin doesn’t matter. SOUND FAMILIAR! Let’s be in the church talk about spirituality and the facts that morals really don’t matter people are good, indulge in whatever you want it’s ok.

Man that sounds like some church today. They deny that sin is sin.

That is why we need 1 John to get us back to the truth.

1 John’s key word is FELLOWSHIP

Fellowship from John’s perspective is more than just a meal after church or goodies with some friends. Good old fellowship know we will learn what his fellowship is all about.

This book...

Promotes Happiness

Protects Holiness

Prevents Heresy

Provides Hope

I probably stole that list from somewhere but I have it in my notes on 1 John and so I can’t tell you who I stole it from but I don’t want to take credit for that. BUT it is true.

In this book...

God is Light

1 John 1:5 how about 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.

God is Love

1 John 4:8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

God is Life

1 John 5:11 And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.

That comes straight from the book of 1 John and it is clear to see. At the top of 1 John you can write that God is light God is Love and God is Life

1 John is a litmus test of your salvation.

John 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

John is asking the question does your walk match your talk! But the one way to heaven is by being born again as Bible believing Christian. Does going to church get you to heaven? NO! I will tell you this, my fear is that one person sitting here today doesn’t know Jesus! ONE person who is here every single week. That can quote scripture but they are just acting they haven’t surrendered to Jesus they don’t have the real joy of knowing that heaven is there home.

If that is you I want you to know Jesus as your Savior today.

I hope my desire is that this book will question you.

DO I HAVE THE JOY OF KNOWING JESUS as my savior?

AM I saved?

After that we can deal with all the other stuff found in the book

Here is the clear plan of Salvation!

Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 10:9–10 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.