July 11, 2021 Sunday Morning Service

Your turn.

Well, good morning. Good to see everybody here today. Appreciate your presence with us. What a crowd. We're happy. We're happy to have you. We're happy to have visitors. Any chance we can get. So, we're thankful that you're here and we're thankful that, you're going to be staying State, permanently here with us. We're thankful for that.

Last week, we started a brand new series called Latin up. And John is writing to a group of folks who lost their confidence in their salvation. They lost your confidence in their own identity with Jesus. And so John is is riding to illuminate them to to Enlighten them as to the truth of the matter. John said, listen, I came to you, we preach to you the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Now you can know for sure who you are and who you belong to, and that your celebration is with Christ in heaven. And he writes 36 times, we know, and the reason he's riding because there's a group of people that are rows up from within the ranks, And they began teaching things contrary to what John taught, these folks thought they were called gnostics, and they thought that they were illuminated with special intelligence. Special knowledge. And so they were telling the people that Jesus did not come in the flesh. You see the gnostics believed that all of the flesh, all material matter, what? Two evil. There's no way that Jesus the Christ ever came to this world in The Flash and whoever that was on the cross was an imposter. It was not Jesus Christ. So they began to teach well, you know, as we live in this, sinful flesh, or Spirit, our inward man cannot be touched by the sand song. Follow Me Now.

Since you're made of Flesh and your flesh desires to send, you can go about and send all you want. Do what you like. Because it's not going to affect the inward man, the material will not affect the spiritual. And I saw, they were essentially saying we are without sin. And it's nothing for us to do about it and John response. He says, if we say, we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in SL John is 20 out of fact that even though we're Christians we do sin. It's so he's writing to Enlighten these people and he's telling them to lighten up with the truth of God's word and saw this morning as we consider to talk about first. John chapter 1 verses 1 through 4. I'm reminded of a story of a creature who usually preached about 30 to 40 minutes long. but this day, he was about 10 minutes into a sermon and then he just abruptly, stop Honey apologize. You said, listen, I'm sorry, I can't go any further. You see, we have this dog at home, and he enjoys chewing paper. Well, this morning, he chewed up my Sherman. And so, all I have is 10 minutes worth of a sermon. And of course, the people in the church, they were kind him and they understood some of them had dogs to that. I need no papers especially their children to go to school, right?

And so after Services, one of those visitors came up to the preacher and said I'd like to get one so we can give that to our preacher. Amen. Right. Exactly.

So here we are. We're dealing with this group of people and there's a lot of people in the world today who act like gnostics, right? They believe that they have all the information they have. On what we have here is what John is telling these people. He says this is what you have got the word of God, you can turn to it, you can read it, you can consult with it and you can know that you have the truth. Now, other people base their truth upon their own convictions upon their own opinions. And far be it for me as a preacher of the Gospel of Jesus Christ that I can come up here and just offer up to you. My opinion about things. No need to preach on the word of God. We need to keep from the word of God and we need to live our lives from the word of God. And as we consider this particular patch together, he said that which was from the beginning noticed you didn't say who was from the beginning, but he says that, which was from the beginning but that's going to include who He's talking about Jesus, but he's talking about what Jesus said and what, Jesus talk, so that's why he begins this section. This epistle with that, which was from the beginning, which we have heard. Which we have seen with our eyes which we have looked upon in our hands have handled concerning the word of life. The life was manifested and we have seen and bear witness and declare to you that eternal life, which was with the father, and was manifested to us that which we have seen and heard Jesus, Christ. This is what it means to preach. Jesus Christ. You preached the person of Jesus Christ but you also preach what Jesus preached his words. What we see what we hear that is? What John said is what we're preaching that encompasses preaching, Jesus Christ? He says, we declare to you. That you also may have fellowship with us and truly. Our fellowship is with the father and with his son Jesus Christ, and these things we write to you. That your joy may be full complete. But that's what we'll be dealing with this morning. Just dealing with some complete sentences that bear light on the matter in which John is writing as far as we begin. Number one, the gospel is complete as John Begins the epistle. You'll you'll note that it says in the beginning that which was in the beginning. There wasn't in the beginning. In Genesis chapter 1 in the beginning, God created but I did first John or at the Gospel of John chapter one tells us that in the beginning was the word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. And now the same writer John. He says that which was from the beginning. It's others, addresses placed here. That's a little different from the first two, but here, he's talking about Jesus Christ and what he preached. Jesus Christ. And what he preached, he says this is the sum of our existence. This is our, our umbrella of where we live in. Find ourselves are very big in the unbrella and your Christ Christ in his word. Remember what Jesus said in John chapter 12 in verse 48 and said the word that I have, the same will judge you in the last day that saw Jesus puts her preeminence on his word. He's saying, listen, there's something I need to give to you remember, who was the New Testament in his blood while Jesus died for our sins? He also died in giving us the New Testament and the New Testament contains the teachings of Jesus Christ. Remember, he told the apostles before. He went back to heaven to be with the right hand of the father. He said, I have many more things to tell you. That you cannot bear them now but I sent to you another helper, the comforter or The Advocate, the paraclete tees, and he will guide you into all truth. That's all. You just had much more to say but he put a premium on what he had left to tell the apostles. That's why he sent the holy spirit to guide them into all truth. So that all of us here today can have all truth written for us in scripture, the word of God. And so we have here, the gospel is complete. That's what John is trying to tell us. He said, let's we have them message. Not only was it complete, then it's complete now. remember he says about this message that it might make your joy complete God's word does bring us joy, Jesus brings us joy and that Joy comes through his word and it be looked at

John chapter of First John chapter 2 verse episode brother and I write no new commandment to you. But in Ultimate, which you have heard from the beginning, the old commandant is the word, which you heard from the beginning. That's the commandant. Now, that that was an expression used by Paul especially in his letters to Timothy 1st and 2nd, Timothy where he starts talking about commandant, and V come in. And there is talk about the entire gospel system. The New Testament in his blood. And so commandant doesn't necessarily mean one single commitment, but it means all of it. In fact, the Hebrews used to write about that, they would call the old, Covenant, the Commandment of God. So it's a commitment that contains come in plural. And here's the same way, we have a commandment of Jesus Christ. Or we can say, we have the New Testament of Jesus Christ, gospel of Jesus Christ, chapter 1, and verse 23. We have the faith of Jesus Christ and there again. He's talking about the same thing. The same teacher.

Then in Chapter 2 and verse 22. 24. He says, therefore, let that abide in you, which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abide in you, you also will abide in the Sun and in the father. Now, doesn't that sound familiar to you? John chapter 8, verse 31. If you abide in my word, truly you are my disciples. I know he says, you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free. John is saying the same thing here. He says, abide in that, which you have heard from the beginning, the Gospel of Jesus Christ that message that Jesus began to preach over and over again. We find the gospel accounts, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John that Jesus talk about the pending the coming Kingdom. Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand. And then we read about Matthew chapter 16 that Jesus said he will build his church. That's the Kingdom Under contemplation, that is where Jew and Gentile will be. Come on. And we can read about that in a thesis chapter to where he says he made two to one in one body. The to Jew and Gentile in one body, the church.

And then we have here in John chapter 15 verse 10. If you keep my Commandments, you will abide in my love. Just as I have kept my father's Commandments and abide in his love. What's not making a comparison hear Jesus. That is, he's not making you a pair of senior, he sang. If I can do it, you can do it. If I can do it, you can do it. If I have followed my father's Commandments, exactly. You too can follow the father's Commandments. Exactly. If you keep my come here, if there's a conditional statement, if you do this, you will abide in my love. So, again, if we abide in his word, the word, then we abide in Christ. If we do not abide in the word of Christ, Well, we're no longer abiding in the Christ himself. So we need to understand that love love is not just an emotion. But love John tells us in first John chapter 5 verse 3, he says this is the love of God. What's that, John? but that you keep his Commandments and his Commandments are not burdensome. Does that mean we keep them perfectly by no means? None of us are perfect but we can be complete in Christ and we can completely carry those commitments out. And still rely upon the blood of Jesus Christ. Again going back to a John said in first John, chapter 1 verse 8. If we say we have no sin. Now this is even while we're walking in the light, remember in verse 7, if we walk in the light as P Price is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus Christ, his son cleanses us from all sin. and then goes on a switches up and he says, but if we say, we have no sin, we deceive ourselves in the truth, is not as far as we walk in the We're not going to be perfect. There's not Perfection while we walk in the light. While the light is perfect and its perfection in the light or not. We stumble, and we fall. And we make mistakes. Because we're human, we're just signed that way. Had it been any other? Why? He would be done? Right? We would know everything. We would always make the right choices like God makes, but we don't exactly made a little lower than the angels and therefore or imperfect, which reminds me every year about people always looking for a better church and never going to find a better Church in this world because the Church of Christ is made up of imperfect people. And if the church is comprised of imperfect, people when the church itself is in perfect That's why we all need to put a Jesus Christ. That's why we need his forgiveness. That's what the cross was all about. Otherwise, we'd be trying to make it a heavy, make it to heaven on our own, our own goodness, but that can't be that could never work. So here we find the idea that the message is complete and trying to sing, stick to the message, stick to the message, you know, who we are. John says, talking about himself, in the apostles, you know, we were with him, I knew that. They knew that they were eyewitnesses in fact, in John chapter 15 verses 26 and 27 and tells us that the holy spirit will be a witness. So also the apostles will be a witness and testify to Jesus Christ. So he's reminding them, you know, you know, you know, we work miracles. They knew that all these other imposters, these Gnostic to had a risen within their own ranks. They knew that any of the Miracles that they ever got never came from their hands. Base witnessed and saw the Miracles of John and the apostles that confirmed and certified the message that they preached. So there is some more evidence for them to be assured. That the message they received was indeed from God, and it was from the inspired Apostles and that message is true. And, of course, we can meet about in Jude 3, contend earnestly for the faith. Once for all delivered unto the Saints, the completed message of Jesus Christ, that's what he saying. He says you can be assured of that message. Can I have you think about that message that message produces Fellowship? It produces fellowship and fellowship is all about Jesus. Going back to First John chapter 1, verse 7. If we walk in the light as he is in a light, we have fellowship with with one another

If that's the case, then we have the blood of Jesus Christ that cleanses us from all sin. Well, there it is. We have a horizontal relationship, we have a vertical relationship. based upon walking in the light walking in the light of God's word walking in the light of Jesus Christ, Now this is if you think about first John chapter 1, verse 7 about walking, in the light that is essentially the same thing that acts chapter 2. And verse 42 says that they continued steadfastly in the apostles Doctrine teaching. That's walking in the line. Walking in the light of God's word but has John here is riding. He's pointing out some historical facts. He's pointing out that this Jesus. This this man. This man that they could see that they could hear and that they could touch. And I'm just going to have some things that they could smell. That they could be around. Have you ever considered what it would be like to spend an evening with Jesus? Well, he's human just like you and me. Although 100% guide, he's also 100% you and me. And I just wondered what it would be like, but I wonder if they got together and they told some jokes and I wonder if they got together and told some stories. And I wonder if Jesus, let open about his past and growing up, when he was a child, I'd love to be the fly-on-the-wall when you to understand the insides that these Apostles had, they were witnesses to Jesus Christ. That makes Christianity just a bit different than all the other religions. All the other religions, talk about something, some philosophy that you're going to follow something that can make you reach up another level of your Humanity. In Christianity, we had a person in Jesus Christ, who went to the Cross, to free us from sin and from death and that he provided us. This message to follow him on that one, but I say the One path Jesus Christ. Is that path. It's not. Islam.

It's not. Booties booties. It's not any other religion that you can think of, but it's about Jesus Christ. Remember, in John Chapter 14 verse 6, he said I am V way. Be true and deal. I didn't say I am one of the many ways to Heaven. No, he said, I am the way. The one and only way to the father. And that's Jesus Christ. And so John is really showcasing the Incarnation of Jesus Christ. Sometimes that preacher a Sherman in July Christmas in July, sermon kind of that kind of doing that. But you're talkin about the Incarnation of Jesus Christ, when God became flesh and dwelt Among Us, you can read about in the synoptic gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke about the birth of Christ, the birth of Christ. Genesis physical birth where God is now becoming man. Is dilip with flesh that God has prepared a body before he was even conceived. But then John comes along and he says, I'll give you a birth account. In the beginning was the word. And the Word was with God and the Word was God, you see, John goes back beyond the tune. John goes back beyond the birth of the baby Jesus in the manger, John goes back into eternity and he says, this is truly held and be held. This is God who dwell Among Us. Wow, that message must have blown them away. You know, I remember several years ago studying with A Muslim, the course, his name was Muhammad. And he ran a gas station and so I used to talk with him in every morning. We sit down and have some coffee and we talked and he's always want to talk about the trinity. The plurality of that Trinity. Father, Son and Holy. Spirit. Course, you know, they only believe in one person, one person. Some call him Jehovah, but that's who they believe in. They don't believe in Jesus Christ as deity, they just simply believe that he's a prophet. So we had studies on occasion and I remember one time we were talking about baptism, And he stopped me. and he said, you know, If this is true.

All I can think about is my mother.

Have you ever been there? Have you been studying with anybody? There was sit down and you start talking about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and what they need to do to obey the Gospel of Jesus Christ and an ocean.

It's their family that comes to their mind. Is your mama. Mama didn't do that. Mama didn't obey the gospel. Dad did not obey the gospel brother and sister didn't obey the gospel. What's going to happen to them? And so, they stopped. And they don't consider anymore about their own soul. but that's the point that he's making, they're basically he was saying if this is true, if what John is saying is true Everything Changes. And he was smart enough to recognize that fact he never did convert to Jesus, as far as I know. He went back to erect. To be with his family. But he understood the significance that Jesus makes when he said I am, the way, the truth and the life, he meant it, no one can go to the pub. No one can go to heaven except through the road or the path that Jesus made. That's the only way Jesus Christ. It's so as we consider the idea of Fellowship, that's why John was a little upset with these gnostics. You see, they were teaching a different gospel, a different way to Jesus Christ. And John was turning around saying, listen, we love those people. but we can't, fellowshipping We can't have any spiritual connection with those folks. All we can treat them nice because we love them. We want the best for them and the same thing with you and me, anyone that did not Jesus Christ his word. How can we logically and lovingly declare that we can have some form of spiritual fellowship with those? The number one to love everybody. Don't have to be in fellowship with everybody. And John is pointing that out by the simple virtue. If we walk in the light, We have Fellowship one with another and God. Based upon his word, that's exactly the prayer that Jesus makes in John chapter 17, and verse 20. Remember he's praying to the father He's praying about his past being in the glory of the Father in heaven with him.

And then he starts praying for his disciples, his apostles. He's saying, don't be with him, father, they're going to face some difficult times be with him. and then he says, what the father be with all those who believe in their word, the apostles Doctrine, the light The word of Christ, The Gospel, Jesus Christ, the faith, the New Testament, the teachings of Jesus. Sophie walk there. We have fellowship with one another based upon the word of Jesus Christ. Again, we get back to the significance of the New Testament. It's the New Testament in his blood. And that makes all the difference in the world. That makes the New Testament significant by virtue of the blood of Jesus Christ.

That we consider Jesus Christ. There's no more important question.

Then? What Jesus asked his apostles. Who do you say that? I, the son of man. And who do you think that I am, who do you Proclaim me to be? That's a question. Each of us have to answer in our own heart. Who is Jesus to you this morning?

Is there anything about the completed Gospel of Jesus Christ? That moves you closer to Christ? Is there anything about having fellowship with Jesus? Because it's all about Jesus Christ. All about Jesus Christ from The Book of Revelation or from the book of Genesis to the Book of Revelation. It's all about Jesus Christ.

And Jesus says you can know know without a doubt no assuredly that you are a child of God and that is our identity and that's the identity. He's trying to teach to the folks here. How about you Who Do You Think Jesus is? What's your identity? You can be assured this morning. You desire to be apart of Jesus Christ, and his family. Jesus says, he that believe in him shall be saved. There it is. It's so simple. And so pure and Jesus said it, he that believes and is baptized shall be saved, you will be a part of his body. You will be in Christ. You will know without a doubt that your sins are forgiven, perhaps, you've done that. But perhaps, like the folks John is riding to, you've been walking in the dark because you've wandered from the light of God's word,

And Jesus says, there's a remedy for that to repent. Repent, change your mind about the direction, your head again, and come back home. if you desire to be assured, Asher. Today, want to come and say that's Together. We Stand and say