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The Apostle John – “So you may know” Key Scripture: 1 John 1:1-4; Colossians 1:15-18 Most people in the area I live in (Southern Indiana) have heard of Jesus. Unfortunately, however, many people believe in a “Jesus” of their own imagination and creation. Jesus based on what they’ve been told, or what “they believe” should be true about Him. But when their problems aren’t solved, or they go through difficult trials, they conclude that “Jesus didn’t work,” and they go back to the world. The problem is, they didn’t believe in the Jesus revealed by scripture. Their experience was not that of true fellowship with God. At the age of 36 I took a real look at the foundation of my relationship with God. I have exceptional Godly parents and grandparents who made certain that I was exposed to the God of the Bible and I witnessed their faith. I grew up under the leadership and mentorship of some of the most trusted ministers of the gospel – Bob Russell, George Ross, Tom Mobley, Gary Cox, Phil LaMaster and many others who served at my home churches - Southeast Christian Church and Scottsburg First Christian Church. These men provided me a great biblical picture of Christ and walked with me through many refining and revealing life circumstances and moments. But at the age of 36, after serving 7 years as an Elder, Chairman of the Board, and another 9 years in bi-vocational ministry as a Worship Pastor, God was calling me to my first and only preaching ministry. Over the last 19 years I have been a student of God’s word and built a foundation of biblical truth and faith that is my own. What I mean by this, is I set out 19 years ago to know God solely through the revelation of His Word and complete surrender and obedience to His commands. Recently, I completed a teaching series in 1 John. The following is a simple look at the first four verses of 1 John Chapter 1. My hope is that it inspires you to desire to know our King the way the Apostle John did. The bible describes Jesus this way: “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created; things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church, he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.” (Colossians 1:15-18) The Apostle John, eye witness to Jesus Christ, follower of Jesus, one who gave His life proclaiming the truth about Jesus as he knew and experienced Him first hand, writes to us in his letter 1 John Chapter 1, verse 1: “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.” (1 John 1:1) John reveals Jesus Christ to us in a way that we can understand and know with certainty. In doing so, he takes us all the way back to the beginning and clearly states that, The revelation of Jesus Christ is historical not theoretical. John testified that Jesus is someone he saw, heard, looked at, and touched. Jesus was a real person, who lived at a real time in history. Understand how significant and important this is. John is reminding us that he is not sharing some philosophy he’s come up with. This is not some theory that he is propounding. He is telling us what he saw and learned from Jesus Christ himself. Who are you going to listen to? Who do you listen to when it comes to the important things in life? When faced with a question about your identity, your sexuality, marriage, children, sin, faith, fear, anxiety? Are you going to trust someone who has a theory? Who themself remains confused about their origin or sexuality? Unwilling to address the sin in their life? Who is so anxious they can’t function? Or are you going to trust the person who knows the maker of mankind, who once was caught up in sin but has been set free. Who was once anxious but now stares death in the face confident of their future? Are you going to trust someone who has never made the journey? Or do you want to be sure? John is revealing the Son of God, Jesus Christ to us in a way that we can truly know him. Jesus Christ revealed to us historically. Christians don’t have to put their brains in neutral to follow Christ. Right at the beginning of his letter, John wants us to know that He is going to tell us about a real person. We can check John’s facts with history. We can check facts about Jesus with other historians, even secular historians. John begins by telling us that Jesus is “the Word of Life”. It’s a familiar phrase for John. In the opening words of His gospel he wrote, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men. (John 1:1-4) When John calls Jesus “the Word” he is saying that Jesus is the One who fulfilled the promise of God. Jesus is the One who expresses the heart of God. He reveals the mind of God. Notice what else John says, · Jesus is eternal (He was in the beginning) · He is God · He is the Creator of the Universe · He is one who gives light and life John isn’t asking us to believe his theories. He’s asking us to believe his eyewitness testimony. John saw Jesus heal the sick, restore sight to the blind, and make the lame walk. He listened to the wisdom of His words. He was with Him on the Mount of Transfiguration. He was in the boat when Jesus walked on water and again when He calmed a raging storm with a word. He was present when he took the five loaves and two fish and fed nearly 10,000 hungry people. He was there at His crucifixion and remembered that Jesus had predicted it would happen. More than anything, He saw the resurrected Jesus. Three days after he was dead and buried, John was having dinner with Jesus! He had a chance to question him and learn from him those forty days after His resurrection. John is telling us that his faith, Our faith can be based in fact not fiction. The second thing that John tells us is that Life in Jesus Christ is relevant not superficial. If this life is all there is, Solomon is right: “Meaningless, Meaningless, it is all meaningless.” (Ecclesiastes 1:2) There is no real justice and there is no reward for doing what is right. There is no real motivation to make the hard and difficult choices, to live differently than the world, to die to self and consider others needs as we consider our own. There is no reason to do anything of real value. If there is an eternity beyond this temporal life that we are now living, then knowing about eternal life is of vital importance. This is the most important issue of our lives! This is not superficial information; it is vital, practical, and life changing. John tells us that he has the evidence that this life is not all there is. The evidence is the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. John tells us that Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man comes to the Father, except through me.” (John 14:6) and then Jesus proved it right before not only John’s eyes, but hundreds of eye witnesses who saw Jesus die on the cross, be placed in a grave, and after the third day encountered the resurrected Lord with the scars in his hands and side to prove it was him. Every one of us is going to die some day. We all have a sense that there is more to life than just what we see and experience now. (God’s word says that God has placed eternity in the heart of man). As we stand at the bedside of someone who is dying, or at the grave of someone who is about to be buried, we want to know, “Is this all there is?” John wrote in verse 2: “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.” (1John 1:2) This fact of eternal life is relevant, not superficial. It is vital, practical and life changing! John tells us something else that is important. John tells us that his experience with the Word of Life and his confidence regarding eternal life is something that we too can experience. Verse 3: “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.” (1 John 1:3) It was his motive, it was one of the driving forces that propelled John to live a life of complete self-sacrifice. I love the message paraphrase of verse 4 that reads: “Our motive for writing is simply this: We want you to enjoy this too. Your joy will double our joy!” (1 John 1:4)(MSG) He wanted us to know: Jesus Christ offers a New Beginning Christianity is not a class where you learn a bunch of facts. The message of Jesus Christ offers us a chance for a new beginning, new life. John’s passion is for us to know the Jesus that set Him free. The message of salvation is a message of forgiveness for acts of rebellion and indifference to God. It is a message of hope to a person who is broken because of sin and without hope. It is a message of healing to those who have been victims of life’s circumstances and brokenness. It is a message of life to those who are watching the gradual decay of their physical body. It is a declaration of value for those who feel worthless. It is a message of a love that exceeds any love we have ever known. John is not simply interested in us merely learning his story. John wants us to meet the Jesus that changed his life and the life of millions since. He shares what He saw, heard, and touched so that you and I might come to trust Jesus Christ with our lives. We can live our lives believing that we are a good Christian. We can even help others and do a lot of kind things. However, when the Lord, who alone determines our eternal destiny, looks at our lives, He will know whether we are real or counterfeit;whether we are followers or pretenders. Jesus said, “Many will say to me on that day, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophecy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from me you evildoers!” (Matthew 7:22-23) So here’s the question. On what do you base your life and faith? On what or who do you base your relationship with God? Have you examined the facts given by eyewitnesses like the Apostle John and embraced them? Here’s the challenge: Study the life of Jesus. See if His life matches the claims about him. Hear his words. Check out the facts. Take time to look at the evidence for the resurrection. All the while, live obediently to His every command. Emulate His ways. The old song says it best. “Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, just to take Him at His word. Just to rest upon His promise, just to know ‘thus sayeth The Lord’. Jesus, Jesus, how I trust him, how I’ve proved Him o’re and o’re. Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus, oh for grace to trust Him more.” Father, thank you for your Word. Your Word that took on flesh and blood and allowed me to see you, the One who created all things including us. Thank you for revealing yourself to me through Jesus Christ who very publicly opened the way for meto know you. Today I stand before you in full surrender to your call on my life. Your call to believe, worship, glorify, and honor you. I trust you! In Jesus name, Amen.
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