1 John
Notes
Transcript
Handout
What is truth?
What is truth?
Do you remember who asked this question?
If you guessed Pontius Pilate you were right! How ironic is that? Pilate stood before Jesus who is the way the Truth and the Life. and if Pilate genuinely wanted to know the truth Jesus was right there in front of him. Jesus is omniscient that is He knows everything, We need to be sure we are not making the same mistake as Pilate. We have the truth right here (Hold up Bible) Are we looking else where? There is a popular belief to today that there is no absolute truth. No they believe that truth is relative. That means what you believe is true form you and what I believe is true for me. There is no absolute truth.
My favorite rebuttal to this false claim came from a Christian talk show host. He had a guest on who believed in relative truth and as they were talking. He takes her purse and starts going through it. At which point she gets offended and demands her purse back. At which point the talk show host responds, “Oh you may have a problem with me going through your purse, but I don’t have a problem with it!”
Do you see how quickly relative truth breaks down? There is absolute truth and part of that is you don’t take someone else’s belongings and shuffle through them.
As we dig into the truth of 1 John this morning, let’s pray that God will give us eyes to see and ears to hear His truth this morning. And may we be like the man who built his house on the rock, that after he heard the teachings of Jesus he obeyed. And when the winds and waves came what did his house do? It stood right? Are the winds and waves coming in our lives? Absolutely, Jesus told us they were coming!
I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
Who likes the truth of that promise? Does this promise bring joy to your heart?
Before we begin looking at chapter one, let’s look at the five w questions. Do you remember them from English class? First let’s look at Who?
Who wrote the Book?
Who wrote the Book?
According to church fathers:
Matthew 4:21 (ESV)
And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them.
John the son of Zebedee . One of the twelve disciples.
One of the strongest evidences from the text to support this view is the Greek writing style. A quick example is the first verse of John’s gospel and the first verse of 1 John. Let’s compare them.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—
Do you see the immediate similarities? Both start with in the beginning. There is some debate about the meanings. The Gospel of John is referring to the fact that Jesus has always existed. In the beginning means when God started creating Jesus was there. He is God. Now scholars debate what John means in 1 John. Some believe he is referring to the same thing others argue that he means he has been there from the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. Either way, the wording is still similar even if the meaning is nuanced. What is the other similarity? How does John refer to Jesus? He calls Jesus the Word. I want to share with you a quote from Pastor John Piper on why John calls Jesus the Word.
But still, we should ask, Why did he choose to call Jesus “the Word?” “In the beginning was the Word.” My answer to that question is this: John calls Jesus the Word because he had come to see the words of Jesus as the truth of God and the person of Jesus as the truth of God in such a unified way that Jesus himself — in his coming, and working, and teaching, and dying and rising — was the final and decisive message of God. Or to put it more simply: what God had to say to us was not only or mainly what Jesus said, but who Jesus was and what he did. His words clarified himself and his work. But his self and his work were the main truth God was revealing. “I am the truth,” - Pastor John
How can we trust the authors testimony?
How can we trust the authors testimony?
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—
John was an eyewitness. He heard, he saw with his own eyes, and he touched.
Let’s turn our attention to Where & When.
Where and when did he write it?
Where and when did he write it?
Second-century sources reported that around AD 70, the year the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the temple, John left Jerusalem where he was a church leader and relocated to Ephesus. He continued his pastoral work in that region and lived until nearly AD 100. Ephesus is probably the place where John wrote the three NT letters that bear his name. They could have been composed at any time in the last quarter of the first century.
Yarbrough, R. W. (2017). 1 John. In E. A. Blum & T. Wax (Eds.), CSB Study Bible: Notes (p. 1992). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
Ephesus is the probable place that he wrote it and between 70 - 100 AD.
Ephesus
The What question will be looking at in future sermons which brings us to
The final W question we are going to look at this morning is Why? This is the most important and practical question for us this morning. Why was John writing this letter and does it still apply to us today. I remember in high school getting into a debate about the Bible. My fellow student felt that we can’t go by the Bible today because it was written so long ago and our culture is totally different. Is that true? Why isn’t that true? I don’t remember exactly what I said, but the truth is it still is relevant because when you read it, you see that human nature hasn’t really changed over the last 6,000 years since creation. We may feel we have advanced due to technology but the human heart has’t changed. Go home and read the rest of Ecclesiastes. Solomon sought out every worldly pleasure and found them all lacking. His final conclusion? Maybe I should make you go home and find it. Well, I guess I will give it to you.
The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.
As we look at why, I think the same truths apply to us. Our enemy has not changed.
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.
Neither has his tactics. remember the passage we read this morning from John’s Gospel?
You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me.
Is there any clearer picture of the cosmic struggle we are in?
There are only two sides in life.
There are only two sides in life.
There is good vs evil.
There is light vs darkness.
And ultimately, Truth vs Lies.
This leads us to:
Why did John write?
Why did John write?
My study Bible listed four reasons John wrote this letter and they come right from the text.
The first reason he wrote :
I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you.
1.False Teachers were trying to deceive them. (2:26)
A major theme as you read through 1 John is truth. Is this an issue today? Do we still have a problem with false teaching? That is why it is so important for us to know the word of God. So we can spot false teaching not if it comes but when. We all will face false teaching it is inevitable.
Do you know how they train federal agents to spot counterfeit money?
Counterfeit Money -Tim Challies
To spot counterfeit money, you study real money.
You must study the truth because you will encounter false teaching. It is everywhere around us. What is the source of false teaching? Satan right?
You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
Isn’t it amazing, that our enemy has not changed since then beginning. He lead Adam and Eve away with what? False teaching.
Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.
He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”
Did God actually say? That has been the problem from the beginning man doubted the truth of God. God created everything perfect, we created sickness and death. God gave us all we ever needed. We wanted more.
But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
Isn’t sin today the same. God has told us what is best for us. He has given us all we need right here. He has given us Himself! But we still turn aside to sin.
Preferring anything above Christ is the very essence of sin. It must be fought.
- Pastor John Piper
This ties into the second reason John wrote:
My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
2. I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. (2:1)
And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.
3. So that his joy may be complete. (1:4) (Also see 2 John 1:3 & 3 John 1:4)
How would writing this letter bring John joy? Let’s look at his own words.
I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as we were commanded by the Father.
I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.
So what does John mean by walking in the truth? He is writing so that they will know the truth and live it out. Seeing others love the truth and apply it to their lives brings genuine believers joy.
When you spend your life studying this book (hold up Bible) and pursuing the truth their is no greater joy then to watch God move in the lives of others. And the opposite is also true. It is heart breaking to watch children and grandchildren grow up in the truth and then walk away from it. I am sure we have all experienced or know someone who has experienced this heart break. Our main goal and focus as believers should be too aide and encourage and help our spiritual children to walk in the truth. When I say spiritual children, there are multiple applications. But a great example is child dedication. To you remember several months ago when we dedicated Elias? You, as a congregation adopted him as a spiritual child. You agreed to help raise him in the Lord. This is what should give us our greatest joy to see Elias grow up spiritually in the Lord. and our greatest sorrow if he does not. I what to challenge you this morning to focus on praying for others. Especially the spiritual children who know the truth and are being lead a stray. I am sure we all know someone who grew up hearing the truth and bought into Satan’s lie that there is something better than knowing God. That there is something in this world more worthy of our time, talent, love, affection, and worship than Jesus Christ. Let’s wake up! What did Jesus say?
For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?
Maybe I am only speaking to myself, but I was lost in this temptation to chase money and success. I tried to find my value in something other than Christ and let me tell you IT DOESN’T WORK!
The final reason John wrote:
1 John 5:13 (ESV)
I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.
4. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. (5:13)
This is the greatest need in everyone ever born outside of Jesus. You will die. And then the judgement. The only question before ever person is will you spend eternity plumbing the depths of our great God or will you be eternally separated from Him? If you look at our four points they are all interrelated aren’t they? John is writing so this first century church knows the truth and if they know the truth and believe the truth, they will be granted eternal life, But Jesus didn’t die on the cross just to free us from the penalty of sin, He also died to set us free from the power of sin. So if we know the truth and believe the truth, we can walk in the light as He is in the light and quit sinning. And what greater joy is there in walking in truth and seeing fellow believers walk in the truth? Do you need to refocus this morning on what brings true joy? Do you need to start praying or pray more for your lost friends, family, and neighbors? So that you can find joy in watching them walk in the truth? Remember we have an enemy who wants to seek kill and destroy and he does not take a day off should we? I want to leave you with this verse that I believe nicely ties this all together:
Romans 15:13 (ESV)
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.