05-27-01 The Real Life - 1 John 1.3 - Fl - No C
The Bible Knowledge Commentary 1:1-4
The Teacher’s Commentary – 1:1-4
Wiersbe’s BE series – 1.1-4
McGee Commentary
The Real Life
Revealed -
Experienced -
Shared -
Toward the end of the first century, some of the last books of the New Testament to have been written were the letters of John, an eyewitness to the incarnate Christ.
This morning we will look at a portion of 1 John.
A “general epistle.”
We do not know to whom the letter was written other than that it was written to Christians.
I am glad the Holy Spirit recorded it that way because its truths, warnings, and instructions are for all believers and not just a certain few.
The letter speaks of Christian behavior
And assurance of salvation
And many times of love
And refutes false teachings that were beginning to develop.
One of those false teachings that was growing was something called gnosticism
It made a distinction between the man Jesus and the divine Christ.
Since part of the belief was that spirit was good and flesh was bad they could not reconcile Jesus being born as God and man.
The first way they dealt with it was to say that Jesus only appeared to have a body.
“He was an ghost.”
1 John addresses this, stressing the full humanity of Jesus.
The second way they dealt with it was to say that the Divine Christ came upon the human Jesus at His baptism but left prior to the crucifixion.
They wanted to divide man’s humanity from his spirituality.
That is, you could be spiritually in tune but live like the devil because the flesh had nothing to do with the spiritual condition.
They claimed you could act any way you wanted and it not be sin.
They considered matter and sprit as alien to one another.
1 John clears up this heresy.
Now what does that have to do with us?
Well, do you know any people today who say they are one thing but live like they are another?
So, John writes this letter to Christians.
Now, the book does more than just challenge false teachings
It encourages its readers to walk in the knowledge of the truth
It helps us identify the characteristics of a life in Christ Jesus.
So, with that background, this morning we will look at the introduction to this book.
We are going to look at only the first four verses.
But, as you shall see…
Even the introduction is significant
Read 1 – 4
In the very first verse, John affirms the tangible reality of Christ.
His point being that God was revealed in the person of Jesus Christ.
(1 John 1:1 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.
In verse 1 – We see the Life REVEALED
That which was from the beginning
Now, first of all understand that Jesus has no beginning.
It’s hard for us to even think about.
A beginning that has no beginning.
From eternity this way and that – He always was and will be
Jesus existed before he put on that body that we see in the gospels.
But, when He did put it on…
From the beginning of the time John came to know Him
From the beginning of the gospel.
From the beginning of His incarnation
He was God in the flesh
John says, ‘...we heard, we saw, we touched Him...’
The false teaching that said that Jesus only appeared to be in a human body.
But John says, “...heard and touched...”
And he says…
“…we saw…”
For three years we gazed intently upon Jesus…”
I saw His glory at the transfiguration
I witnessed His suffering and death
I touched Him after His resurrection
First hand knowledge.
He knew that Jesus was the Life and that the Life was real.
The contrast then is that those false teachings were not the teachings that were from the beginning.
They were new
I am leery of new teachings.
If someone discovers something “new” in the Bible, my radar goes up.
I believe the message is unchanged and we should thank God for men like John who were there to give us an eyewitness account.
The Word of Life
A personal reference to Jesus as the Living Word
The Word that gives life, The Word that is life, The Word that was in the beginning with God, The Word that WAS God.
John 1.1 and John 1.14
Number Next
In verse 2 we see – The Life EXPERIENCED
(1 John 1:2 NIV) 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.
What life appeared?
Eternal life. John had something to write about didn’t he?
He had experienced a personal encounter with the one who is ETERNAL LIFE
Did you know that eternal life is a person?
Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life…” (JN 14.6)
The KJV says the life was manifest – or revealed
God has revealed Himself in nature
God has revealed Himself in the Bible
But His most complete display was in the person of Jesus of Nazareth.
In Jn 14.9 Jesus said he that hath seen me hath seen the Father.
And John had been with Him
Talked with Him, Ate with Him, Ministered with Him.
He was part of the inner circle of Christ’s followers
John knew the truth because he had a personal encounter with Jesus.
But it was not the mere fact that they were on the earth at the same time.
Many other people came into contact with Jesus and yet did not believe.
Yet…..they did not have the encounter that John had.
John’s encounter had to be more than physical
If we had to depend on a physical encounter with Jesus then we would be out of luck, wouldn’t we?
(He has left this earth)
John’s encounter was more than physical.
John’s encounter was spiritual. – John had put his trust in Christ and experienced the new birth that Jesus explained to Nicodemus.
We cannot have physical experiences with Jesus as John did
But
We CAN have the same spiritual experience that he had.
Then in verse three, - THE LIFE SHARED
As John talks about fellowship
(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.
Notice…
John is not trying to convert the recipients of this letter to Christianity.
In chapter two we see they are already Christians.
He also is not trying to tell them that these false teachings can cause them to lose their Christianity.
He says, the reason I write these things is for your fellowship.
Fellowship = Something in common, communion, a closeness
That is what we as believers from different denominations have here this morning
A common bond – We share the things of Jesus Christ.
But we also have fellowship with Christ
Before you trusted Jesus as your Savior, you had no fellowship with God.
As sinners we have nothing in common with a Holy God.
But when we come into His family, then we have fellowship
With one another and with God
John warns us that…
False teachings can interrupt the fellowship of Christians
Not everyone teaching today is teaching the truth.
We must be on guard against the same heresies that John had to deal with.
That is the denial that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh.
The denial that Jesus of Nazareth was the Son of God.
I would exhort you to
Hold tightly to the truths of your faith.
Guard them not only for yourselves
But also for the generation that follows you.
Why?
So you will remain in the truth – in the light
If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another.
It affects your walk with each other and your fellowship with God.
Give yourself this test:
Are you aware of being close to God? In your heart and in your mind, are you aware of being close to God?
John was. He was the one who laid his head on Jesus’ bosom. They had close fellowship. He was the disciple whom Jesus loved.
John knew that Jesus WAS eternal life.
Guard your faith and don’t let false teachings disrupt your fellowship with God and your brothers and sisters.
Verse four in conclusion
(1 John 1:4 NIV) We write this to make our joy complete.
Here we see the pastor’s heart of John.
As he indicates that his joy is dependent on the spiritual well being of those he ministered to.
So, the gospel of Jesus Christ is not only the basis of eternal life but it is also the basis for our relationship with each other and our relationship with God
From this aging apostle with the pastor’s heart we learn
Jesus Christ is the Life
That Life has been revealed to us through the eye of faith
(John 20:29 KJV) Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.
The Life is experienced when we put our trust in Jesus
It is a Life we can share with others as we fellowship together.
I want you to remember that eternal life is a person – Jesus Christ
The only way to have eternal life is to have Jesus Christ.
Maybe you have been thinking about asking Christ into your heart and you sure wish someone would tell you what the Bible says you must do.
We would love to introduce you to our Savior that we have fellowship with this morning.