New Series: Being Light in a Dark World: A Study of 1 John
Sermon Recap
The Christian faith is not built on wishful
thinking, religious speculation, or a collection of inspiring ideas. It is
built on a Person who entered history. John begins his letter by emphasizing
that Jesus was heard, seen, looked upon, and touched. The eternal Son of God
truly came in the flesh, and John and the other apostles were eyewitnesses to
His life. Jesus has been revealed to us so that we can know with confidence who
He is.
But John doesn't simply want his readers to
know facts about Jesus. He wants them to experience fellowship with Jesus. The
apostles proclaim what they have seen and heard so that others can share in
fellowship with them, and ultimately with the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.
This fellowship produces something the world cannot manufacture - complete joy.
Jesus is the proven Son of God who completes
our joy.
1 John 1:1-4
[1] 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—[2] the life was made
manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the
eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us—[3] that
which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have
fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his
Son Jesus Christ. [4] And we are writing these things so that our joy may be
complete. (ESV)
Discussion Questions
What stands out to you most in 1 John 1:1-4?
Why do you think John emphasizes the physical
reality of Jesus so strongly?
How does knowing that Christianity is
grounded in the historical person of Jesus strengthen our confidence in Him?
How would you explain the difference between
knowing about Jesus and having fellowship with Jesus?
What things are you tempted to look to for
the joy that John says is ultimately found in fellowship with God?
How should our fellowship with God affect our
fellowship with one another?
If you genuinely believe Jesus is the eternal
Son of God who has been revealed to us, how should that change your life this
week?
Closing Thoughts:
John's experience with Jesus didn't end with
him. Because John had encountered the risen Christ, he wanted others to know
Him, too. He says, “what we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you.”
Genuine fellowship with Jesus should naturally overflow into helping others
know Jesus.
Living on mission begins with knowing Christ
ourselves and then faithfully sharing what we know about Him with others.
We should ask ourselves:
Who has God placed around us who needs to
hear the truth about Jesus?
We don't have to have every answer. Like
John, we can simply testify to the Jesus we have come to know and invite others
into fellowship with Him.
END
A devotion on 1 John 1:1-4
The Faith We Can Know
The Christian faith isn't built on wishful
thinking. It isn't based on a feeling we hope is true or an idea passed down
through generations. Our faith is grounded in a Person who entered history.
John writes, “We have heard, which we have
seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched.” The
apostles weren't simply repeating something they had heard from someone else.
They had encountered Jesus. They heard His voice, saw His life, watched His
miracles, witnessed His death, and saw Him after His resurrection.
And John tells us why he is sharing this
testimony: so that we can have fellowship with God — and so that our joy may be
complete.
That's good news for us today. We may live in
a world filled with confusion, doubt, darkness, and competing voices, but our
faith doesn't depend on having all the answers. It rests on knowing the One who
is the answer.
Before we can be light in a dark world, we
must know the Light.
Jesus is real. Jesus is alive. And Jesus
invites us into fellowship with Him.
