A Life Like No Other: Jesus the Incarnate Word

Intro:

Who wrote 1 John?

What other books did John write?

Why did John write the gospel of John? - John 20:31

John gives us four reasons why he wrote 1 John

1 John 1:4 “4 And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.”

1 John 2:1 “1 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.”

What is an advocate? Jesus as out lawyer to get our case thrown out

1 John 2:26 “26 I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you.”

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

Who wouldn’t want complete joy, assurance of forgiveness, clarity about right and wrong, and eternal life!

Studying 1 John and abide in the words of this little book can help give us these things.

explain reading and memory plan

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 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.”

1 John 1:1–2 “1 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—”

Who is John talking about?

From the beginning? What does that mean? Wasn’t he born 2,000 years ago?

Colossians 1:16 “16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.”

So John is saying that Jesus was in the beginning which is to say that Jesus is God.

But what else does John say about Jesus?

What 3 senses did the disciples know Jesus?

heard, saw, and touched

Jesus was not just a spirit he was not just divine he was also a man.

What is the big theological word that we use to explain Jesus becoming man?

Why is the incarnation important the theology of Christianity?

“And Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man. He is not half God and half man, all God and no man, or all man and no God. Nor is He simply a man uniquely in touch with the divine. No, He is the God-man, like no one else who will ever live. He has always been with the Father, and at Bethlehem He came to be with us. This is the scandal, the stumbling block of the incarnation. “

JOhn Piper says this let me read it then explain it.

Many are willing to believe in Christ if he remains a merely spiritual reality. But when we preach that Christ has become a particular man in a particular place issuing particular commands and dying on a particular cross exposing the particular sins of our particular lives, then the preaching ceases to be acceptable for many. I don’t think it is so much the mystery of a divine and human nature in one person that causes most people to stumble over the doctrine of the incarnation. The stumbling block is that if the doctrine is true, every single person in the world must obey this one particular Jewish man. Everything he says is law. Everything he did is perfect. And the particularity of his work and word flow out into history in the form of a particular inspired book (written in the particular languages of Greek and Hebrew) that claims a universal authority over every other book that has ever been written. This is the stumbling block of the incarnation—when God becomes a man, he strips away every pretense of man to be God. We can no longer do our own thing; we must do what this one Jewish man wants us to do. We can no longer pose as self-sufficient, because this one Jewish man says we are all sick with sin and must come to him for healing. We can no longer depend on our own wisdom to find life, because this one Jewish man who lived for 30 obscure years in a little country in the Middle East says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” When God becomes a man, man ceases to be the measure of all things, and this man becomes the measure of all things. This is simply intolerable to the rebellious heart of men and women. The incarnation is a violation of the bill of human rights written by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. It is totalitarian. It’s authoritarian! Imperialism! Despotism! Usurpation! Absolutism! Who does he think he is! GOD!

If Jesus is just a spirit then he’s much easier to ignore but if Jesus is truly God and truly man than he must be obeyed and worshipped.

Do you believe that Jesus is God? THen why don’t you listen to Him?

What we believe is revealed by how we behave.

I believe help my unbelief

What else does John say about Jesus in verse 2?

He is eternal life. Not that he brings us eternal life or gives us eternal life but Jesus is the emptimy of eternal life.

1 John 1:3–4 “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.”

What is John doing with the message of Jesus?

Why?

Why do we share the message of Jesus?

Matthew 13:44 “44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”

We have this treasure we have this joy we have the best news in the world and the more we come to understand that good news the more we will want to share it.

We must never share the gospel out of guilt. It should come from a place of utter joy and amazement.

Cayden has anyone ever told you to talk about disc golf?

Calan - mountain biking?

Noah - minecraft?

We talk about these things because we love them. The more we understand who Jesus is and grow to love him the more we will want to talk about him.

If we don’t talk about him the problem isn’t that we aren’t talking abut him that’s just a symptom.