1 John 1:1-4

Introduction

At 2200, Pastor Minnick asked me to be prepared to preach both services…Yikes. This is what I’m called to do, but I have yet to do it! Way to get experience. As I mentioned several weeks ago, on August 25, 2020, don’t judge this church by my preaching. I am still learning…

You can gain a lot by education…but you can’t gain experience.

Turn in your bibles to 1 John 1:1-4…

Once upon a time …”

Remember how exciting those words used to be? They were the open door into an exciting world of make-believe, a dreamworld that helped you forget all the problems of childhood.

Then—pow! You turned a corner one day, and “Once upon a time” became kid stuff. You discovered that life is a battleground, not a playground, and fairy stories were no longer meaningful. You wanted something real.

The search for something real is not new. It has been going on since the beginning of history. Men have looked for reality and satisfaction in wealth, thrills, conquest, power, learning, and even in religion.[1]

I try to get back to this…for now let’s jump into 1 John.

Although the book is anonymous, the similarities of vocabulary, thought phrases, and style of writing between it and the Gospel of John argue for the same writer. For example, these distinctive words are common to both books: Father, Son, Spirit, beginning, Word, believe, life, light, etc.

The opening verse not only echoes the first verse of the Gospel (John 1:1) but reveals the fact the author was an eyewitness to both the pre-Calvary and the post resurrection ministries of Christ. John easily qualifies as an eyewitness (1 John 1:1-3; 5:6-10; cf. John 19:34-35).

1 John 1: 1-4 Main Idea: Jesus Christ is the God-man who is the one basis of true Christian fellowship and eternal life.[2]

Christianity stands or falls on the person and work of Jesus Christ. It succeeds or fails on whether or not a true and genuine incarnation (The act of assuming flesh, or of taking a human body and the nature of man; as the incarnation of the Son of God.) actually took place in space and time.

The options as to who Jesus is and what Jesus did can basically be reduced to four according to C. S. Lewis---

He could have been a liar—someone who simply was not who he claimed to be and knew it.

He could have been a lunatic—someone who thought he was somebody, but in fact he was not.

He could have been a legend—someone who was not who others later imagined him to be.

He could be the Lord—He is who He said He is, and His birth, life, death, and resurrection prove it to be true.

In our twenty-first-century context, we constantly face confusion, distortions, inaccuracies, and outright denials of the Jesus revealed in the Bible.

This is nothing new. The apostle John faced the same challenges in the first century, and he penned 1 John to set the record straight. He knew that it was essential to get the “Jesus question” right!

John wrote five books of the New Testament.

He wrote the Gospel of John to convert sinners. He wrote the epistles of John to confirm the saints. And he wrote the book of Revelation to crown the Savior.

John is an author who always gives us his purpose for writing. In his Gospel the key is located at the end, in John 20: 31, where he writes, “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.”

In Revelation the key is deposited at the front, in Revelation 1: 19, where he quotes Jesus: “Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;”

In 1 John, however, there are four keys that are scattered throughout the five chapters that help us unlock this letter.

In 1 John 1: 4, John says he wrote “that your joy may be full.”

In 2:1 he says he wrote “that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ.”

In 2: 26 he says he wrote “concerning them that seduce you.”

Finally, in 5: 13 he says his purpose was “that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”

In this book—written from Ephesus sometime between AD 80 and 95, most likely to churches in Asia Minor (modern Turkey)—three important themes are linked to the four purposes that open the doors to the truths we discover in this letter:

(1) Right belief in Jesus;

(2) Right obedience to God’s commands;

(3) Right love for one another.

These themes provide assurance, (full confidence of one's interest in Christ, and of final salvation.) whereby I can know that I am a Christian.

Similar to how the Gospel of John was written that we might have eternal life (John 20: 31), 1 John was written that we might know we have eternal life.

By utilizing assurance, John will expose those who profess Christ but do not know Him, and he will assure those who know Christ but may have doubts about their salvation.

In other words, it is possible to know Christ and have doubts.

It is also possible to profess Christ and be a liar.

There is great continuity to the truths in this letter that are true anywhere, anytime, and under any circumstances.

John begins in this introduction by putting before us three great truths about the life of Jesus. In so doing he says, “Look! Here is a life like no other!”

I. Have a Passion to Know This Life 1 John 1:1-2

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)

I John 1: 1-4 constitutes the introduction to this General Epistle. These verses make up a great opening in the Bible, similar to other great openings such as:

Genesis 1:1 recounts the beginning of creation.

Mark 1:1 tells of the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

John 1:1 reveals the Word who is God and was there in the beginning.

And here, in 1 John 1:1, John reveals the incarnate Son, who became a man in the person of Jesus.

John wants us to know, and know rightly, this “Word of life” who invaded space and time and who makes it possible for us to have fellowship, (communion; intimate familiarity), and eternal intimacy with the one true God (v. 3).

He draws attention to two important truths concerning this life of Jesus which is like no other.

A. He Is Divine

The Son, Jesus Christ (v. 3) “which was from the beginning” (v. 1) and is the “eternal life, which was with the Father” (v. 2).

Jesus Christ, who is the Father’s Son (v. 3), has always eternally existed with the Father as God. There has never been a time when the Son was not.

He was before the beginning, in the beginning, and from the beginning. This is what John believed. This is what Jesus taught.

Jesus Himself boldly declared in:

John 8:58, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am” (indicating He is the God of Exodus 3:14). In John 10:30 He said, “I and my Father are one.”

And in John 14: 9 He told Philip, “Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?”

Clearly Jesus believed Himself to be God, and John confessed the same. This life is the life of outright God made flesh in Jesus.

There never was a time when the Son was not, and there will never be a time when He will not be.

So Jesus is Divine…He is God. On Friday (9/4/2020), Pastor Minnick, David Sheer, and I went on hike. I lead them astray… A story for another time.

On our way back, we enjoyed the beauty of the park. Pastor Minnick mentioned God has revealed Himself in creation (Rom. 1:20), but creation alone could never tell us the story of God’s love.

God has also revealed Himself much more fully in His Word, the Bible.

But God’s final and most complete revelation is in His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus speaking to Philip said, “He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father” (John 14:9).

Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 474). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

B. He Is Human

John now, as an apostle and friend of Jesus, presents a rigorous defense of the real and genuine humanity of the Son. John speaks as one who was an eyewitness of all Jesus said and did.

This is neither hearsay nor a secondhand account. The apostle presents an eyewitness account. John says four things concerning this “Word of life”:

(1) “we have heard,” John repeats this in verse 3.

(2) “Which we have seen with our eyes,” John states this three times in the first three verses.

Furthermore, “which we have looked upon.” There was an intentional, intense, and continuous gazing at, and contemplation of this man named Jesus.

For three years they watched and observed His every move.

(3) “Our hands have handled.” He was a real flesh-and-blood human being. He was no ghost or spirit.

(4) We “bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life,” as genuine eyewitnesses, this “eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us.” It was manifested—revealed openly!

Notice again how John uses repetition. Sometimes repetition is necessary to drive a point home and John uses repetition throughout this letter.

Twice he says the eternal life was manifested to us in Jesus Christ. He presents for anyone to consider an audible, visible, and tangible witness concerning Jesus, the Word of life, the eternal life.

Let me make an observation at this point.

It is imperative we understand the essential nature of the doctrine of the incarnation. The biblical Jesus is no myth, fairy tale, or fable.

He is no ghost or illusion. He is indeed the God who took on full humanity.

“The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us” says John (John 1:14).

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.

Piper says it so very well:

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 …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 (to·tal·i·tar·i·an). It’s authoritarian! (au·thor·i·tar·i·an) Who does he think he is! GOD! (Piper, “Eternal Life”)

It is never pointless to busy ourselves with Jesus. If He is who He claimed to be, that identity changes everything. We should all have a passion to know this life.

Before I continue…let me leave with this thought… We may not have heard, seen, looked upon, or handled Jesus in the flesh but we do get to hear, see,, look and handle the Word of God!

Jn 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

II. Have a Passion to Share This Life 1 John 1:3

The impact Jesus has on His followers cannot be put into words. They were radically changed and really “turned the world upside down” (Acts 17: 6). The impact of the life of Jesus, this “life like no other,” compelled them to take Him and His gospel to the nations.

They simply believed they must. They had no choice. What they had experienced in Jesus they wanted others to experience too.

A. We Want to Invite Everyone into Our Fellowship

Verse 3 begins with “That which we have seen and heard.”

As I mentioned earlier, “seeing” or seen is highlighted in each of the first three verses. Interestingly, the main verb of the introduction does not appear until now.

It is the word “declare.” It means to “proclaim” or (To make known; to tell explicitly; to manifest or communicate plainly to others by words).

John says we cannot remain silent about this eternal life-giving Word. What we have heard, seen, looked upon, and handled we must share with others. We will testify and bear witness concerning Jesus Christ, and we will proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.

To what end? “That ye also may have fellowship with us.” John speaks of fellowship four times in this letter, all in 1: 3-7.

The Greek word speaks of sharing in common something that is significant and important.

It entails the joy and oneness in a group of people who are in accord regarding something that really matters. You share common values, beliefs, and goals. You love the same things. You pursue a common agenda.

John so loves the church, the believing community of faith in Jesus, he wants to invite everyone to become a part. No one is to be excluded from this invitation. No one who comes by the way of Jesus—the Word who gives life, eternal life, a life of both quality and quantity—will be denied entrance.

The moment you enter into a personal relationship with Him, this life is yours. And this fellowship is yours as well.

B. We Want to Invite Everyone into Our Family

The fellowship that exists among followers of Jesus is far richer and deeper than of a college fraternity or sorority.

It is far richer and deeper than of a favorite sports team or community club. It is far richer and deeper than even of national identity or ethnic heritage. It is this fellowship that transcends any and all artificial barriers that have afflicted the human race since the fall.

By means of the incarnation and His perfect atoning sacrifice (2: 2), we are now a “fellowship family” with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.

When Jesus becomes our Savior, God becomes our Father. It is a package deal.

Like all families, Freedom Baptist Church has our disagreements but we should strive to work out these disagreements for God’s glory and the advancement of the gospel!

Later, in 1 John 2:23, John will write, “Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.”

Unlike every other religion in the world, Christianity brings us into intimate relationship with a God who is Savior and Father. He is a perfect Savior and a perfect heavenly Father.

In addition, you get a whole bunch of brothers and sisters thrown in as well from “all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues” (Rev 7: 9).

We Christians must never forget we have more in common with a Chinese Christian, an Ethiopian sister, and a brother in South America than a co-worker who does not know Christ.

Never forget this eternal life has transformed us is the eternal life we must proclaim to our co-worker, neighbors, and among the nations in order they might become family. We continually want to add more!

III. Have a Passion to Enjoy This Life 1 John 1:4

God is glorified in us when we find our joy in Him.

A common theology, a common Savior, a common Father, and a common experience of joy unites all who have come to know this life that is like no other, life in Jesus the incarnate Word.

These common blessings are woven beautifully throughout 1 John, and they are highlighted by the four keys we noted earlier, keys that he introduces by saying that he is writing or has written “these things.” How might we enjoy these blessings?

This statement of purpose should be compared with 1 Jn 5:13, where John expresses the purpose of his letter in other terms. The two passages are complementary not contradictory. The words of the present passage are an echo of the words of Christ in John 15:11, “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.”

Vaughan, C. (2011). 1, 2, 3 John (p. 25). Cape Coral, FL: Founders Press.

Let me quickly return to my opening remarks… The search for something real is not new. We don’t have to search any longer, we have real joy in knowing Jesus. The Apostle John was writing to Christians…

My Commanding Officer said he took Latin for three years—the only thing he remembers is “Repetitio est mater studiorum” which means “Repetition is the mother of studies/learning.”

John must have believed this because it five short chapters, he mentions “born of him” (1 Jn 2:29) or “born of God” (1 Jn 3:9, 4:7, 5:1, 5:5, 5:18) six times.

I’ll finish with this “We can experience real joy only after we have believed the gospel, put our trust in Jesus Christ, and been “born of God.”

[1] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 474). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

[2] Exalting Jesus in 1, 2, 3 John (Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary)