1 John 1.1-4 POM Chapel Sermon

It is a privilege to speak at such an occasion as today. To be welcomed so well by LTCOL Micael Boude and be given this opportunity to share some words from this pulpit is an honour.

I have enjoyed learning more and more about the shared history PNG and Australia have. Kokoda is probably the most famous example, and hearing of the bond borne though blood, sweat, mud and tears between our military forces. The trek is something that I hope to do one day, but I can't help but notice how much things changed.

77 years ago men were engaged in close combat. They would carry their mates through sludge and horror. They would fight with tooth and nail to defend this amazing land. We partnered in blood against a well trained, ferocious and formidable enemy. The freedom we now celebrate came at the ultimate cost.

77 years later in 2019 the cost is more paid, not in lives, but in dollars and kina, as people line up to walk the trail. Often even having the luxury of having others carry their equipment for them. People freely have the option to come to this beautiful country and leave whenever they want. And don't get me wrong - this is a good thing. This is a great thing! We do this in celebration of the freedom we now enjoy.

The question we have before us is how does the truth in our past shape who we are today and tomorrow? How can we be people who reflect on the blood split at Kokoda and not stop being soldiers by simply becoming tourists down on the track? As Christians, we come together this morning to look beyond our uniforms and reflect upon our hearts. We look beyond Kokoda back to the truth of Jesus' first coming. This morning our question is does the truth of Jesus affect who we are today. The first letter of John, chapter one helps us think through this issue. Let us read this and then I will pray.

1 John 1–2:2 NIV

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete. This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 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, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us. My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.

1 John 1:1–4 NIV

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete.

Pray: Heavenly Father,

give us faith to receive your word,

understanding to know what it means,

and the will to put it into practice,

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

So how does the truth of Jesus affect who we are today?

I believe that this is the question John was posing to his original audience. It appears from the context that there were some groups who were drawing new Christians away from the Christian community and encouraging them to live however they wanted to live, often by reverting to a life that has no recognition of Jesus as Lord over their life, a life destined for eternal death. So, like a father yelling for his son to get out of the way of a speeding bus, John writes this letter to say that remaining in Christian communities is essential. Fellowship and partnership as Christians is not an optional thing that we do, but is at the core of who we are.

John addresses this in our passage this morning in two main parts: looks at the truth of Jesus and verses 3-4 looks at what difference that ought to make.

John begins by calling for his readers to look beyond the temptations in front of their face and look to the truth that they already know about. This is a key issue that faces our soldiers today. Those who want to live for Jesus are constantly tempted to drink excessively, have multiple mistresses, lie, and act like lazy gluttons. And the solution is not simply to wrap them up in bubble wrap and keep them in a nice little Christian cocoon. No, we need Christians to be out doing hard, honest, soldiering work. It doesn’t matter if they are a sapper doing a search or an infantry soldier practicing at an urban training facility, or even a soldier conducting boarder protection duties, we need good Christian people in these positions living lives of integrity. We need them doing the hard work, at times away from family for prolonged periods of time and serving our nations. And in doing so we want them to face temptations head on and look the other way. We want them to remember the truth of Jesus. What is that truth?

1 John 1:1–4 NIV

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete.

1 John 1:1–2 NIV

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us.

Jesus is that which was from the beginning.

Jesus was the one who came before John and the disciples and spoke to them.

They heard him.

Jesus was the one who healed the sick, who stilled the storm, who fed the hungry.

They saw him with their own eyes.

Jesus was the one who bled and died for them and then rose to life again. Jesus was the one, who when Thomas doubted, got him to touch him and feel him in the flesh, fully resurrected to life.

The looked at him and their hands touched him.

Jesus is the one they proclaim.

They talk about.

His is the word of life for who ever believes that Jesus is both Lord and Saviour are granted their true life purpose now and eternal life in the age that is to come.

John’s first point here is simply that the truth of Jesus is not manufactured lies. It is based on eyewitness testimony. These days we doubt something actually happened if we don’t see it in high definition on the TV. But in the first century they relied fully on eyewitness testimony. And John here states that this truth and we rest upon is truth you can rely on.

In that sense, when they look back to the truth, they see the implications of that truth as unchanging. It is not like Kokoda which was strenuous and necessary all those years ago and is now an optional life achievement. When Christians reflect back on the truth of Jesus, their lives today must still be shaped by the truth that Jesus actually came…(tidy this thought)

And this truth of Jesus has a natural and enduring implication - we must proclaim his name. It is so encouraging to see that across the PNGDF that they so desire to put God first that it is involved in every soldiers creed I find. Perhaps it would be more bold to change that to simply put Jesus first. For look at what John says in verse 3. This is key.

1 John 1:3 NIV

We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.

John proclaims this truth so that they might have fellowship with him. This idea of fellowship, or partnership is crucial.

We think of fellowship sometimes as a temporary thing: something good for a time. Like we come together this morning for chapel and have fellowship.

But for John fellowship is equal to having Wontock with those who read this. Fellowship equals family. And the family are like many people in the one boat all rowing in the same direction. This partnership, or fellowship, only works if they are committed to doing the one action.

But this fellowship is not simply between men. The amazing thing about what I have been reminded of over the last 3 weeks as I have met with chaplains and soldiers from Wewak to Lae to POM is that this fellowship we have is also with God. Our fellowship, says John is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We are like the disciples in that boat with Jesus right there with us, and we have a single minded, undivided heart mission to proclaim his name boldly.

Brothers and sisters, what we have heard this morning is a reminder that we do not have the luxury of being civilians in this fight against sin. We are to fight agains the temptations of sin in an offensive manner. We are to proclaim the good news of Jesus to all that we meet. We are to put Jesus first with our whole lives until we draw our final breath wherever that may be.

We are to proclaim the good news of Jesus. The good news that John reminds us of in verse 9:

1 John 1:9 NIV

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Despite being sinners, Jesus came in the flesh and died for us. He paid the debt that we deserve so that we might be forgiven and pure in his eyes. With this joy in our minds and our hearts, will our hands leap to action. Will we say no to sin and live for Jesus. Will we, in partnership with Christians in PNG, Australia and all around the world, unite and put Jesus first.

1 John 1.1-4 POM Chapel Sermon

“From the Beginning” Introduction

The Truth of Jesus ()

Why the Truth Matters ()

Implication for our life - Put Jesus first.