Righteous in this Generation II
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1 John 1:1-10
1 John 1:1-10
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.
The opening of this letter is very similar to the opening of the book of John.
If you remember the opening of the book of John, In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.
Here in 1 John, that which was from the beginning.
John is reiterating the eternal nature of Jesus.
Jesus is the Word that was from the beginning.
John explains what is meant by the Word.
He says that the Word is life.
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1. Jesus is life.
Our faith in Him allows us entrance into His promises of redemption, restoration and an eternal inheritance in the Kingdom of God.
This is the Word of Life.
John also explains that he was an eyewitness to the manifestation of the Word of Life.
He along with many others were witnesses of Jesus incarnate.
John says that he had the opportunity to hear the Word.
He saw the Word.
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2. John looked at and touched the Word, meaning Jesus, with his own hands.
If you are interested in Apologetics.
Great book by J. Warner Wallace- Cold Case Christianity.
Eye witness testimony is vital in determining if a fact is accurate.
Not only in moments after the event, but over the course of time.
This is the account of Jesus.
There were numerous eyewitnesses who held the same belief over the course of time.
All of the disciples went to their death because of the testimony of what they witnessed.
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. 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. We write this to make our joy complete.
The Life appeared, Jesus appeared to them.
The life found in Jesus was made known to them.
And they, meaning the disciples, are testifying about it.
John says that he is writing to proclaim the truth of eternal life.
John states that he is bearing witness to this truth because he also wants others to be in fellowship.
John is writing this letter to encourage others in the hope of Christ so that they also could know and place their faith in the Word of Life.
Faith will lead to fellowship with others who believe.
But most importantly, our faith brings us into fellowship with Jesus.
This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.
John says this is the message of Jesus
John is saying this is my message.
This is what I want you to know.
John is sharing the message that he has heard and experienced when he walked with Jesus.
John continues in verse five to declare that God is light.
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3. In Jesus there is no darkness.
In Jesus there is no confusion, discord, anxiety, no negativity.
If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth.
John is making the calling to live a life set apart in faith very real.
If we claim to be in fellowship with Christ and yet we choose to intentionally sin, we are liars.
If we have Jesus yet choose to walk in darkness we do not live out the truth.
This seems to be a fact of faith that should go without saying.
But we can see evidence of many people who claim to know Jesus yet there is no evidence of transformation in their lives.
We talked about this topic a few weeks ago at Bible study
It is almost inconceivable that someone can claim to have faith in Jesus but continue to live just like the world.
This goes back to the discussion of Cain.
Cain knew God.
He knew what his responsibility was, yet he chose to act in a way that was convenient for him.
He rejected obedience to God’s will in favor of what was convenient for him.
The Gospel is transformative.
Our faith in Jesus requires us to change for the better.
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4. Faith requires us to let go of the darkness and walk in His light.
This does not come instantaneously, it come by our choice.
We are justified, immediately.
Yet God encourages us to walk the path of sanctification over the course of our lives.
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
How do we walk in the light?
We follow.
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5. The closer we follow, the more intense the Light will become.
The more real our faith will become.
In the Light we will be able to discern the darkness.
We will be able to see, through, His provision those things that are trying to draw us out of the Light.
Our intentionality to follow Jesus causes us to be in fellowship with others who are also following.
Fellowship allows us to relay on one another.
Fellowship provides opportunities to encourage one another.
While in the Light we are in fellowship with others, most importantly we are in fellowship with Jesus.
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.
John is challenging us to be honest with ourselves.
Reminding us that we are in desperate need of a Savior who delivers from sin.
Our faith in Jesus purifies us from unrighteousness because we are covered by His robe of righteousness.
He is faithful to always forgive.
Transition Statement?
Turn to Genesis 9
The fear and dread of you will fall on all the beasts of the earth, and on all the birds in the sky, on every creature that moves along the ground, and on all the fish in the sea; they are given into your hands.
Remind them of the context, after the flood.
God is reminding Noah of his authority.
God reminds Noah that because he believed, he has been given the opportunity to walk in the authority of God.
Noah was recognized as a man of righteousness because he trusted God.
How does this verse relate to what we have just been talking about?
Remind you of what John said in the passages we read.
Our faith brings us into fellowship with Jesus.
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6. Our faithfulness in Jesus connects us to the authority of a King.
Like Noah after leaving the Ark, God blesses us with the ability to stand in His authority to declare truth.
Adam failed to walk in the authority of the King.
We see examples of individuals who have failed to walk in reverence to God.
Conversely. We see examples in the Biblical record who were called to stand in the authority of our Savior.
List examples: Abraham, Joseph, Gideon, Esther etc...
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7. The church, was called out to stand in His authority.
demanding that the world comply with the will of God.
After Jesus was crucified, after He was raised form the dead He reminds His church that He has given us all authority under His direction to demand that the word of righteousness be expressed in this world.
In this venture, He declares that He will be with us.
This is the call of His church.
This is our responsibility.
How can we be righteous in this generation?
Like Noah.
Remember, God declared that Noah was righteous in his generation.
We see a world that is running toward evil.
We live in a world that appears to be governed by corruption.
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8. To live in righteousness this day, we first must recognize the authority of Jesus in our lives.
We are saved by faith.
In our salvation we enter into a covenant with an eternal King.
It is by His authority that we can demand truth.
We can stand like a house build upon the rocks who will not be moved.
Our Light, the Light of Christ, will be broadcast into the darkness.
This is the attitude that we must have especially in our generation.
We must be a church that is willing to stand firm on the Holy, immutable Word of God.
Secondly,
We need to recognize the source of Righteousness.
It is only in Jesus that we can find hope.
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9. In faith, we are covered by His robe of righteousness.
If we are adorned in His robe of righteousness, we can stand in His authority.
Turn to Psalm 27
The Lord is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked advance against me to devour me, it is my enemies and my foes who will stumble and fall. Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident. One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple. For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock.
This is our promise.
The Lord is our stronghold.
Though the world may turn against us, whom shall we fear?
Though war break out and our enemies surround us.
It is the enemies of God who will stumble and fall.
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10. Even in the midst of turmoil, we can have confidence because the Lord is with us.
Like David, as he surveyed the difficulties he faced asked God for one thing.
David asked that he may gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and seek Him in His Temple.
The situation surrounding David did not change.
His focus changed.
I bring this up because we are in a similar situation.
We see a world that is seemingly turning against the Word of God on all fronts.
It can be frightening.
It is frightening.
Especially when we think of our children and grandchildren.
Part of me can be very discouraged when I think about the difficulties my children will have to face.
I wish it was different, easier.
But we must remember that the Lord has given us life for such a time as this.
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11. He has called us to be a people of faith for such a time as this.
We have the opportunity, as His church, to be living witnesses of Hos mercy, glory and authority.
We can claim the promises of David for ourselves and for our children.
We can walk out our faith in confidence trusting in the Lord’s provision.
Our willingness to walk out our faith in the midst of difficulty can serve as an example to our children.
This is why it is utterly important to have confidence in faith, like David.
David says though war break out against him, he will have confidence.
I want to quickly remind you of the account of David and Goliath.
Turn to 1 Samuel 17
Goliath was threatening Israel.
King Saul and the other warriors there cowered in fear of the giant.
Goliath made all sorts of blasphemous accusations against God and His people.
And the people just took it. They cowered in fear.
Until David.
David came into the situation
He saw what the giant was doing against God.
He saw the fear on the faces of Saul and the others.
David chose not to cower in fear of the situation.
He chose rather to trust in the provision of God.
The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.” Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you.” Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head. David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them. “I cannot go in these,” he said to Saul, “because I am not used to them.” So he took them off. Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine. Meanwhile, the Philistine, with his shield bearer in front of him, kept coming closer to David. He looked David over and saw that he was little more than a boy, glowing with health and handsome, and he despised him. He said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. “Come here,” he said, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and the wild animals!” David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.” As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground. So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him. David ran and stood over him. He took hold of the Philistine’s sword and drew it from the sheath. After he killed him, he cut off his head with the sword. When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they turned and ran.
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12. David responded to God in confidence.
David ran to confront the giant who was attempting to make a mockery of God.
David ran to face the giant, knowing that God Himself would fight the battle.
We too shall run.
We too must run to confront the giants that threaten us in this day.
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13. We cannot afford to cower in fear like the camp of Israel.
We can trust that God will provide.
We can trust that the Lord will fight our battles.
Click for Verse
The fear and dread of you will fall on all the beasts of the earth, and on all the birds in the sky, on every creature that moves along the ground, and on all the fish in the sea; they are given into your hands.
I remind you of this verse because this is the authority that we are called to walk in.
God delivers us to freedom in His Salvation.
We do not have to cower in fear of this world or the giants who try to mock God.
We can stand in the confidence of God knowing that He goes before us.
We can stand in His authority to
We can use the power of prayer to push back the work of the devil so that the world once again has a healthy fear of the Lord.
fellowship and our willingness to worship together will declare the authority of God.
Noah was righteous because he believed and trusted in the Lord God Almighty.
We are called to do the same.
In our faithfulness to God, we will build and preserve the witness of God on the earth.
This is something that we mist do for the sake of our children and grandchildren.
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14. We have the opportunity right now to run our race in confidence that the Lord goes before us.
Run
Run
Run
Benediction: 2 Timothy 4:1-8
In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.
Talk about 1 john then connect back to Geness 9:2 then to the communion verese in 1 cor