1 John 1.1-4
class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'>1 John 1:1-4
Billy Graham Joke
· 1 John is about Joy and Abiding in Christ!
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· It is written not to unbelievers but to those who have already placed their faith in Christ.
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· John affectionately refers to the recipients of his letter as “little children” and “beloved”
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· The Gospel of John is written to those who have never placed their faith in Christ in fact it states its purpose in John 20:30-31 - Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name. (only Gospel that tells us the purpose)
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· The Gospel of John is written to establish relationship while 1 John assumes the relationship has already been established
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· Written so that you may enjoy the relationship to the fullest!
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· The key word in the Gospel of John is “believe” which occurs over 90 times but the key word in 1 John is “abide” which occurs 22 times!
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· No one knew better than John – The disciple whom Jesus loved and the disciple who chose to be close to Jesus - what it means to abide in Christ and experience the full Joy of salvation!
Recap
· John was the “beloved disciple”
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· Only one of the disciples to live out his life and died of natural causes possibly to the age of 104.
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· Wrote the Gospel of John, 1 2 and 3 John and Revelation - 2nd only to Paul in the number of NT books.
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· Was in the innermost circle with Jesus being present at the transfiguration, when Jesus raised Jairus’ daughter from the dead and was the only disciple present when our Lord hung on the cross.
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· On His last night on earth it was Peter and John whom Jesus sent to go and prepare their last Passover meal together.
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· Jesus gave John the responsibility to watch after his mother when He knew His time was short.
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· Not much recorded dialogue from James in the Gospels but when it is there it is not always positive. For example when he and his brother James asked Jesus for the chief place in His kingdom on the throne sitting on His left and His right.
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· When the Samaritan village refused to accept Jesus and the disciples in their town (Samaritans and Jews hated each other) it was John who wanted to command down fire to destroy the whole village!
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· Lastly we know that he was given the name with his brother James – “Sons of Thunder” because of their temper.
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· God can take a disciple with a bad temper – just a common fisherman – and can use him for His glory – just like He can use you and me!
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· Most importantly John was the “disciple whom Jesus loved” the title he referred to himself as 5 times in the Gospel that bears his name.
Now to 1 John 1:1-4
(Message)1 John 1:1-4 - From the very first day, we were there, taking it all in—we heard it with our own ears, saw it with our own eyes, verified it with our own hands. The Word of Life appeared right before our eyes; we saw it happen! And now we’re telling you in most sober prose that what we witnessed was, incredibly, this: The infinite Life of God himself took shape before us. We saw it, we heard it, and now we’re telling you so you can experience it along with us, this experience of communion with the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ. Our motive for writing is simply this: We want you to enjoy this, too. Your joy will double our joy!
· We do not know where John was when he wrote this letter for sure or even who he wrote it to. Tradition says that John spent most of his days in Ephesus which is modern day Turkey so most scholars think he wrote it from there.
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· It does not read like a normal letter that is addressed to an individual with an opening and closing but instead is directed towards a group of believers.
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· It is also to difficult to date this letter as well but most give a very late date somewhere around 90 AD which was almost 60 years from the time that Christ was crucified.
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· Reason for this date is because of Gnosticism. We know that in the letter John speaks about “antichrists” or those who are already spreading false teachings about Christ.
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· Gnosticism was a form of teaching spreading through the church that was becoming popular that stated that all matter is evil and only the spirit is good. Gnostics even challenged the belief that Jesus Christ was fully flesh and said that He was only spirit.
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· John says here in verse 1 that he saw Christ, he heard Christ and he even touched Christ to rebuke this thought. He is making it clear that Christ really did live and because of that He really did die.
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· Gnosticism was one of the first early satanic attacks on Christ because if you can take away the human nature of Christ you take away the blood sacrifice that was made and that was necessary for Jesus to be our Passover Lamb.
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· Hebrews 9.22 says that without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. So if you take away the blood of Jesus you take away forgiveness of sins.
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· John makes clear in the first verses… Jesus is real! He really walked this earth! I saw Him! I heard Him! I touched Him!
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· These stories that you read about are easy to put away as just a myth or fairy tale. it is not mother goose… humpty dumpty sat on a wall… this is real… Jesus Christ was nailed to a cross! – A real person --- fully God and fully man!
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· “what was from the beginning” – what does that remind you of? Genesis 1 – “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth”
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· Also reminds us of the Gospel of John Chapter 1
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· Eugene Peterson in The Message says “John 1:14 - The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son, Generous inside and out, true from start to finish.
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· What we have seen, what we have heard, what we have touched. He is real…..
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· He cares for you… and wants to become part of your entire life.
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· He has great plans for you, if you will just trust Him and give your worries to Him.
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· Best of all He is coming back again – this time not to be nailed to a cross and die the horrible death as a common criminal – a death you and I deserve to die.
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· Instead He is coming back as reigning King – glorious and triumphant – where He will sit on the throne and rule this world like He rightfully deserves to do.
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· “Vs. 4 – “These things we write so that our joy may be made full”
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· The purpose of John writing this letter is so that you will have joy and enjoy your relationship with Jesus to the hilt and it gives him joy to share that message with us.
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· Do you find great joy in encouraging others?
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· When you talk to others or about others does what you say lift people up or tear them down?
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· Hebrews 3:13 - But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
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· I encourage you with this. There is great joy in knowing Christ and that joy comes when we abide close to him and like John we lean on His breast and truly understand that we are the disciples that Jesus loves!
Jude 24-25 - Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.