Joy For The Journey

Date Presented: August 12, 2018 Sunday a.m.

Place Presented: Mt. Zion Baptist Church

Date Presented: August 26, 2018 Sunday a.m.

Place Presented: New Vision Ministries, Boldo

Scripture:

1 John 1:1-9

John 1:1-16 (1, 5, 9, 14)

1 Corinthians 3:11

1 John 4:1

2 Corinthians 6:14

1 Peter 1:15-16

Psalm 119:105, 130

Psalm 89:15

In 1492 Christopher Columbus led an expedition and set sail for East Asia… The orient

But instead of landing in Asia he landed in, what is today, the Bahamas… Caribbean islands

Thus, he set a pattern that has lasted 500+ years

Men will still not stop and ask directions!

Think about this, is it true what some people say, that asking directions spoils the fun of the journey?

So today I want to talk about the journey we are on in this life

Specifically our spiritual journey

Whether we realize it or not;

We are on a journey

Our journeys are different

But, regardless who you are, we are on a spiritual journey

You may be hearing about Christ for the first time

You may want to know more

But are not yet committed

You are on a spiritual journey

You may say "what about skeptics, agnostics, or atheists," or don't know what to believe

Are those people still not on a spiritual journey?

They are trying to discover what they believe

So, yes they are

Or you may be a follower of Christ

You may strive every day to live in God's will

You are definitely on a spiritual journey

So, regardless of our reason

The common denominator between us is

We are all on a spiritual journey

And on that journey

It's not only men that fail to ask directions

Women are also guilty

We want to think that we have everything figured out

But if its not according to the road-map God has laid out for us, we are gonna lose our way

Today we will be looking at 1st John

1 John 1:1-9

Here John lays out a road-map to help us navigate the rough waters we face

During this time, the Christians in Asia Minor had reached a fork in the road on their spiritual journey

And John is giving them guidance to help them refocus on Jesus

And also to re-ignite joy on their journey

They had gotten so lost they had lost their joy

So I want to look at, I believe, 4 things John has given them and us that is needed to obtain genuine joy

1 John 1:1-2   Building The Right Foundation

Fist lets look at some similarities between 1st John and the beginning of Johns Gospel

1 John 1:1   “that which was from the beginning”

John 1:1    “In the beginning was the word”

What was in the beginning?   Jesus christ

What is the word?          “The word of Life”

1 John 1:2   “for the life was manifested”

“Manifested unto us”

John 1:14   “and the word was made flesh”

What was manifested unto us?    Jesus Christ

What was made flesh?

1 John 1:1   “which we have seen with our eyes”

1 John 1:2   “we have seen it, and bear witness”

John 1:14   “we beheld His glory”

What did they see?             Jesus Christ

What did the Apostles witness?

John and the other apostles, Saw, Heard, and Touched Jesus…The word of Life

They are our first hand witnesses of Jesus and His life and work and Miracles

And John is saying, “Jesus is the Right Foundation”

John is saying, our spiritual journey is joyful when based on reality and truth

Jesus really lived…He really ministered on earth…He really died on that cross…He really rose from the grave…He really ascended to heaven…And He really does sit at the right hand of God the Father

Jesus is reality and truth

Look at, 1 John 4:1

There are many illusions in this world and we must be weary of these things and keep strong to The Right Foundation…Jesus Christ

It says in 1 Corinthians 3:11

“For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ”

  II.   1 John 1:3-4   Must Have Right Companions

We must have the right kind of Fellowship

Fist: Fellowship is a mutual sharing between two or more people

How can you have mutual sharing when there is not a common factor in your lives?

We must have Fellowship with other Christians

Second: We must be willing to extend the “Right hand of fellowship” to other Christians

Accept and welcome them

2 Corinthians 6:14   Say’s it all

However, True Fellowship is with God

People dilute the word “Fellowship” to mean any social event…Not True

We must ask ourselves, “Is God in it?”

It takes genuine, life involvement, true investments, of ourselves in a relationship with other Christians

We all share the same story, “I was lost in sin when Jesus found and rescued me”

Fellowship with one another and with God is the ground for true joy.

  III.   1 John 1:5   Having The Right Source

Johns message for us here is:

“God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all”

Again, lets look at the similarities in Johns gospel

John 1:5   “and the light shineth in darkness”

John 1:9   “that was the true light”

God is fully Righteous

And He reveals Himself to us through Jesus Christ

When we travel a dark road we can’t find our way without light

It’s the same on our spiritual journey

God is that light

His word is that light

Christ is that light

We must recognize that God is Absolute Holy (Light)

1 Peter 1:15-16

Psalm 119:105

It’s no secret that the word is our guide and shows us the path that God has for us

Also, prevents sinful behavior

There is a difference between a lamp and a light

Lamp…will shine just enough light at our feet to light up our steps

We can walk without stumbling

Its a light for right now

Light…guides us to our destination

Lights the entire pathway

Psalm 119:130

“The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple”

Entrance can be defined as “opening”

So can’t it be said that, “opening of the bible provides us with light”

We must focus on the Right Source for our spiritual journey to be successful

Our spiritual journey is joyful when based on Gods revealed Truth

People today are looking at all different sources for truth

“Only the word” has stood the test of time as the only reliable source for God’s revealed truth

 IV.   1 John 1:6-7   Must Have The Right Goal

I’ve heard people claim to have a close relationship with God

But live lives of spiritual darkness (disobedience, sin, rebellion against God)

Some think as long as they believe in Christ that it doesn’t matter what they do…”its O.K. I’ll be forgiven”

Wrong!

John tells us in Verse 6 that:

“It’s impossible to live in close relationship with God and yet live a life of darkness”

Truth is, there is no darkness in God

We aren’t perfect and can’t be

But we must strive to live in Gods Light

Only those who consistently walk in Gods light can enjoy fruitful life and fellowship with God

If we walk in Gods light:

We will have fellowship with Him

And, the blood of Christ will cleanse us from our sins

He doesn’t say forgiveness

Cleanse means purification

He will wash away the stains sin has made on our lives

And wash away the ongoing effects of that sin

When we have the Right Goal, our spiritual journey will be joyful

And that…will lead to transformed lives

Our lives will be transformed

Others lives will be transformed

The point of the journey isn’t just reaching the final destination

Its about being transformed along the way

Like a caterpillar becoming a butterfly

It transforms from a creepy crawling insect into a beautiful flying wonder

Columbus probably did have a road-map

But obviously didn’t follow it very well

Or it wasn’t a very good map

“The Word” however, Gives Us a Perfect and Clear Direction

To live for God

Have a joy filled life

So, does asking directions spoil the joy of the journey?

Absolutely not

Its only when we ask for Gods guidance that we can be full of joy

Closing:

1 John 1:8-9

Have you lost your Joy?

Do you long for direction in your life?

Do you need something to make you path clear?

There is only one light bright enough to prevent us from falling and give us direction.

Its up to you, today is the day to decide, what kind of journey you want to have

God is waiting to give us new direction, cleanse us from those past mistakes, and show us what true joy is all about