When Feelings Fade
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The Tension
The Tension
I have a confession to make this morning. I know we aren’t supposed to say this out loud, but we are among friends and can be honest.
My confession? Some days I don’t feel saved. There are days that I am on the mountaintop with God and feel like I can almost touch Him, and then there are those times when it seems the skies are brass and He can’t hear me.
I’m not going to ask you to raise your hands, but I think many of you could honestly say the same thing. Feelings change.
I have counseled many who have messed up and are ready to walk away from the faith. The reason, “If I can’t be perfect, why bother trying at all”. They commonly express feelings of guilt. They also say they just don’t “feel it” anymore. They have doubts which grow to consume them.
There was a conflict in John’s day and it continues even now. As time went on and diverse people were saved, they brought secular beliefs and philosophy with them.
As they tried to reconcile their beliefs with their newfound faith conflict arose.
One such debate centered around Jesus Christ.
The material world is bad, the spirit world is good.
The material world is under the control of evil, ignorance or nothingness.
A divine spark is somehow trapped in some (but not all) humans and it alone, of all that exists in this material world, is capable of redemption.
Salvation is through a secret knowledge by which individuals come to know themselves, their origin and destiny.
Since a good God could not have created an evil world, it must have been created by an inferior, ignorant or evil god.
I could go on, but clearly you see that is in direct contradiction to both Old and New Testaments.
It is a human way of reconciling their feelings and their observations of the evil present in the world.
He hides truth from humans, but sparks of Sophia in some humans fill them with an urge to return to the Pleroma (divine realm) where they belong.
I get it, when we see evil and its effects in the world it leaves us with many questions.
John, wrote the epistle of 1st John to set the believers straight.
He opens with addressing the basic issues of the doctrine of Jesus.
Apparently, the false teachers had made Jesus Christ a spirit
a. Either Christ possessing Jesus
b. Completely spiritual with no flesh.
A denial of the person and nature of Jesus is still ongoing.
Prove the Point
Prove the Point
John explains the person and origin of Jesus.
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
In order to unpack the meaning of these first four verses, let’s look more closely at the main assertions.
1. Christ, our Life, has eternally existed with the Father.
1. Christ, our Life, has eternally existed with the Father.
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—
Jesus existed from the beginning, and in the beginning of the preaching of Gospel, that was proclaimed.
John wrote in His gospel:
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Jesus, God the Son was always with God and was God.
Contrary to false teachings, Jesus was far more than a man.
Yes, as Mary’s son he was flesh and blood.
As God He also was eternally existent.
He wasn’t some plan B, or some lesser accidental deity.
A proper view of Christ is a true test of genuine fellowship
2. Christ, our Life, was manifested in the flesh.
2. Christ, our Life, was manifested in the flesh.
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—
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—
Notice how John deals with the false teachings head on.
Jesus twas physical: heard, seen, gazed at, handled.
John, was one of 3 inner circle
He along with Peter and James were with Jesus nearly all the time.
a. Transfiguration
b. Garden of Gethsemane
John was one of the best possible eye witnesses.
The memories of Jesus were permanently etched in John’s memory
The Word became flesh.
He was manifested to us.
God, took on flesh.
eternal life with the Father manifested 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.
3. John saw the, heard and now proclaims the word
3. John saw the, heard and now proclaims the word
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.
John says, “I was there” I saw Him and Heard Him.
Now I proclaim Him
Therefore John makes the proclamation of Christ the basis of his fellowship with other believers.
John preached Jesus and through Jesus, we can have fellowship with the Father and Son
We are partakers of His divine nature
John both affirms Jesus’ divine nature and physical reality, and that through Him, we have eternal life.
4. John longs for the fullness of joy that comes when others share his delight in the fellowship of the Father and the Son.
4. John longs for the fullness of joy that comes when others share his delight in the fellowship of the Father and the Son.
Complete joy comes from that fellowship.
4 And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.
One of John’s main points in writing this letter is so that we may have joy.
And joy, is whaPht will fill us and fight those fleshly feelings with which we struggle.
Apply
Apply
You see, our faith is not based on feelings!
Our feelings do not change reality.
Through fellowship with Jesus and each other, we have joy and assurance of our salvation.
16 For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
Philippians 1:5
We follow the resurrected and living Christ.
5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.
Our faith
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
Our faith is from God and based on His word
I know that I am saved, not because I feel saved, but because His word promised me that He would save me.
My assurance brings joy and stems from the joy that comes through fellowship with Him.
Together, we can strengthen each others faith.
Our shared relationship with Jesus Christ adds to our joy.
ionship with Jesus Christ adds to our joy.
John repeats a phrase often in this letter.
“these things are written so that you may know...”
We have assurance because God’s word says so.
In the coming weeks, we will examine the difference which God works in us.
John goes through several changes which He brings in our lives.
CONCLUSION:
Trust God based on the assurance from His word and not just because of feelings.