1John1

1 John 1

1-4 – “From the beginning”

– Genesis 1:1-5 / John 1:1-5
– This person, this truth, this reality is the subject of their testimony!

1 – “we” includes me! As a Born Again believer this too is my testimony or… It can/ought to be!

1-3 An intimate relationship is described… a continuing relationship. Something so quickly written and said so flippantly but take time to consider this! I have an intimate relationship with the creator God. With the awesome, fearsome judge of righteousness and justice. Words do not compare to a life long meditation of this truth that I can know Jesus more intimately than my best friend, spouse or parent! (selah) The context and tense of the passage does not suggest a ‘one-time’, past experience. It says “we have” not ‘we did’ Their testimony was present tense and continuing – And more than this… I know that I share this testimony!! I know that I can say these words too! I could write these first 4 verses. This is my experience!

But what about today, this week, lately?… Have I “heard” His voice, His calling, His command? / Have I “seen” His work, His glory, His body? / Have I “looked” upon His word, His revelation, His faithfulness? / Have I “handled” this very life in my own body? Have I handled His testimony?

2-3 Because that life truly is! We are living proof of that life! We have received it and we “declare” it in testimony, conduct and in preaching/conversation. Our very being, our very existence (Only now we are Born Again) “declares” this life. … Oh it is so easy to read this, so easy to learn truth but may God give grace and mercy to learn to live this life. May we truly die daily for Christ to be seen.

And for what purpose?? “That ye also may have fellowship with us” !! – That you/I also may know and experience this life! That we all may have such a testimony! Surely this is our simplistic aim/goal!! Go have Christ and to share Him!! (Selah) – Consider the persecuted church. They don’t spend time arguing over doctrine!! They simply have Christ and share Him!!

For what puspose?? For unity! That all may come and fellowship with us! With me!! And my fellowship is not with a denomination! It is not with like minded theologians! Not with people of my suiting!! God forbid that I only fellowship with people that I approve!! My fellowship is on nothing of myself!! My fellowship is with the father and with His son! Our fellowship is the glorying, the glory and the work of God! It is His purpose and chief aim – our communion/fellowship with Himself/His body!

– If I am fellowshipping with Christ and His Father surely my perspective, my judgement, my character will change!! Surely I will let my self die and become more like Him? Picture sitting down with the Father and His Son and in walks a brother/sister that you vehemently disagree with… Will you jump up and protest at the faults in your brother/sister?? Will you ignore that one that God has welcomed into His presence? Will you presume God and expect Him to think/act as you do? NO!!! I don’t think so! Then father invited them, the son welcomed them and you/I will serve them!! God alone will judge the thoughts and motives of the heart. Never presume God!! ALWAYS ABASE YOURSELF!! John 13:1-5 / Romans 12:10 / 1 Corinthians 13:1-8 / Luke 18:10-14

4 – “That your joy may be full” – He IS joy unspeakable and full of glory. To have Christ, to commune with our father… There is no other joy!! I can truly say that I have tried many things in life that have never satisfied me me or brought contentment. All my life I searched for truth, reality, balance… but when I tasted, I saw that the Lord was good!! :)

5 – “this” / “message” – A singular message! Only one, simple and true message!

“God is light” – Consider the properties of light. It reveals, it reflects, it travels… etc… It vanquishes darkness!! Gen 1:4/John 1:5 – He is light in the mental, the spiritual and the physical… In every sense of the word, He is light!!! It is by Him that I see, I perceive, I learn… Proverbs 1:7 / Proverbs 9:10 – This thought alone deserves much meditation for us to glorify and worship Him! :)

This though has serious implications for me… Is there darkness in me? Yes!! Then I cannot be in God! – selah. So consider what light is. Consider what darkness is. We see in Genesis 1 that light and darkness are very separate. From the beginning of time they have not mixed! In John 1 the light shone but the darkness could not see the light, it could not understand it, overcome it, overpower it or manipulate it. There is a consistent, definitive seperation – And so should there be in me!

Light is God! So darkness is everything that is not God!

6 – I cannot walk in both darkness and light. The bible says that this is an impossibility. It is one or the other! 1John 2:6 – Let me be true to myself and to God. What do I say of myself and how do I walk? / 2 paths – God’s way or my way

Matthew 7:13-14 / Joshua 24:14-15 / Deuteronomy 11:26-28

7 – “But if” – There is another way!! Another option from this darkness that I am walking in!! Another possibility! There is hope! But if we walk in “the light” – God is that light. So if we walk in God!! Romans 8:4 / Galations 5:16 – If all of us walk in God then by God we will have fellowship with each other. – Ephesians 4:15-16

My responsibility is to walk in God. To walk as Christ walked. My first and only responsibility is to walk in Him! – As long as I abide in Him, as long as I walk in the light, the blood cleanses me… Oh stop and take it in… His blood cleanses us from all sin!! As we stay in Jesus, as we come daily and offer our lives to Him. Even when we give into temptation and fail in weakness… If we come back to His light and offer our lives in repentance and shame… Then His blood will cleanse us from all sin….. (selah)

If I walk in God I have fellowship with Him and His body and Jesus blood cleanses me! – The requirement is not a direction or a destination!!… There can be many teachings, many beliefs, many interpretations BUT!!! One requirement!!! We MUST walk IN HIM!! So in all I do I must commit myself to His will. Do I ever ask WWJD? Have I heard His voice/command to lead me to where I am?

8 – Would I be foolish enough to claim that I have never chosen to walk my own path? Why do I ever choose my own?? Romans 3:23 / Psalm 51:5 / Isaiah 53:6

We are sinners!! We ARE short of God’s glory! Sin is not what we do, it is what we are!! We are sinful! If you were never a sinner you were born sinful! Christ came to save sinners! 1 Timothy 1:15

9 – A verse that changed my life. In my darkness, in my sin, in the perils of my own path with no hope, a heavy conviction of sin and a terrible sense of unworthiness, shame and regret… Feeling utterly helpless… I read this!! – Simply “confess”!!! What a hope filled my heart! Hope!!

Confess – I am a sinner / God is light and I am darkness / I am short of God’s glory / I am disobedient / I am rebellious to His commands, His love!! Romans 10:9

If we can simply confess… With honesty and humility come before the awesome, creator God who already knows our hearts and thoughts and openly confess them to Him. With a submission and pleading for mercy! – However… We must be acutely aware that we are confessing sins! – Not a lighthearted thing! / But He is faithful (consistent) and just (a keeper of His word/promise) to forgive us!

10 – God says that we are all sinners. Not simply the preachers!  And we can study His word and learn His word all we like but if we cannot confess the truth of His word then it has never entered our souls/hearts!!