“Eternal, Proclaimed, Forgiven”

Scripture: 1 John 1:1-2.2

Jesus is Risen! During this past week, he has already chosen several opportunities to prove the fact that he is no longer dead, but alive! The tomb is empty; he has, and will continue to appear to the faithful in a living form; he has spoken words of assurance to them; he has even walked and talked and eaten with them. But what are they to do with this new found revelation?
In the garden, Jesus told the women that the disciples should go to Galilee and meet him there. (Matthew 28:8-10) But why? What then? Will Jesus begin preaching and teaching and healing and all the rest, once again? What part will they play in all this? They must have had so many questions, and were getting so few answers.

That was Jesus’ way, though. He seldom gave straight forward answers to any question, and folks were always wondering “Why did he say THAT?” “What did he mean by that?” But eventually, they, and all who will follow the Lord, would know – they wouldn’t always receive the specific answers, of course, but they would begin to understand how Jesus worked within their lives.
Over the next few weeks, between now and Pentecost, we will be examining some of the teachings in John’s first Epistle. Some might think that we should be more chronological in nature, and start with the story of Pentecost, but I think that this letter will help us to better understand the events of Acts 2, and may even prepare us to personally receive the spiritual power that was evidenced on that day.

Let’s begin to see just what that power is all about.

Read 1 John 1:1-4

The first verse of this passage seem to have a strong parallel to the first verse of John’s gospel. But while the beginning of his gospel focuses on the creative power of the Trinitarian God, the focus of this letter is much more focused on Jesus. And this opening passage is, apparently, offered as evidence that the words that are about to be read are pure fact, that they are true and reliable.

Whether these words were written by John the disciple, or some other John, or a disciple of the disciple (there is a lot of controversy over who actually wrote the 5 books attributed to John), this author lets us know in no uncertain terms that the teachings that are about to be offered are not new, that they are not made up by the writer, that they come directly from Jesus Himself. The point is that this teacher has not created the message – that the words are God’s, and that this man is simply passing the words on from God.

Why might it be necessary to know this? It’s important – as important for the Church of today as it was for the Church of the late first century AD. It’s important to understand that this is not some made up teaching, or a modified or revised teaching, or even an interpreted teaching that is being presented here. It is actually who Jesus is, it is actually what Jesus taught, and we have to accept this fact as the basis for the rest of what we are about to read.

We are told that this Jesus was not a figment of someone’s imagination – he was heard and seen and touched, and he IS the Word of Life! He came from the Father, so that he could be with us. Jesus was not a spirit who appeared to have a physical form – he was real, he was physical, even though he was also God. It may not make a lot of sense to most folks, but we are never called to understand everything about the Lord – we are only called to believe and rejoice. And the writer John says that he, and others, are witnesses to this truth.

And why are we told of this truth? So that fellowship within the Church may occur, that without acceptance of this truth, there can be no true fellowship, and that our Christian fellowship will always include fellowship with God, and this is a reason to rejoice. And just in case you think this refers specifically to covered dish dinners and Spring cleaning days, it is far more than that. Christian fellowship occurs when the faithful come together to serve and learn and live in the name of Jesus Christ.
This fellowship appears when we discuss and learn about the Lord’s call on our lives; it occurs when we engage in a mission together – whether locally or far away; with people we know or in the company of newly met Christians; to be a Christian witness to people who are not yet familiar with the saving grace of Jesus Christ; to be engaged in spiritual warfare with others. And yes, it can also be seen at dinners, and clean up days, and in efforts to spruce up the church so it will be warm and welcoming to others. But there is a lot more to our fellowship than just being together.

Read 1 John 1:5-10

And now, we see God’s message begin to unfold. The writer John tells us that God is light, and that where there is Godly light, there can be no darkness. Let’s take a minute to think about the differences between the light and the dark.
Darkness is everywhere that the light doesn’t shine. Without light, there is only darkness, but the only way to eliminate light is to remove it. Darkness cannot destroy light, but light will always destroy darkness. These attributes are true for the light and dark we are familiar with day in and day out, but the light that we are reading about here is spiritual in nature and refers to God, and therefore this darkness can only refer to evil. The darkness of sin has no power over the Light of God, but God has infinite power and authority over evil.
And where do we find this Light? In John 8:12, Jesus tells us that he is the Light of the world, and when we follow him, we will be walking in his light, and the darkness, or sin, will no longer have any impact on our lives. But is the light solely a gift from Jesus? Verse 7 tells us that we “are to walk in the light, as He is in the light”. The implication is that this Light is not exclusively of Jesus – that it is from the Triune God – Father, Son and Spirit, and without trust, without faith in all three aspects of God, we will still be apart from his light.
And the writer offers one more caveat – that simply saying that we have fellowship in Christ, without truly being committed to him and his way, isn’t enough. Without a relationship with Jesus, we will still be walking in darkness – without Jesus in our life, we will still be immersed in sinfulness. (Luke 13:22-30)
And it is this “Light of God” that qualifies our fellowship. Are we truly fellowshipping, serving, walking with Christ, or are we just pretending, going through the motions, and staying just outside his ring of glorious Light?

The author of John’s letter warns us that unless we are in the Lord’s Light, even though we may appear to be one of his, even though we say we are his, we are only deceiving ourselves. And if we think we can claim righteousness without claiming Jesus, it isn’t so much that we are lying, but that we are, in essence, saying that Jesus is the source of the lie, that his call to a relationship with him isn’t what is important – that it’s all about what our words say, not what our life says! And none of us should ever be content in that attitude!

Read 1 John 2:1-2

Now here is the gist of the message – we all must do our very best to avoid committing sinful acts, but when we do, and we all will, those who are in Christ – those who are truly walking in the illuminating and revealing Light of God, can find forgiveness. It is by our faith in, and relationship with, Jesus that he is able to intercede on our behalf. Jesus is, John tells us, our atonement.
And some may be wondering what atonement actually means. It means that by the sacrifice that Jesus freely accepted on our part, we become worthy of God’s forgiveness – his eradication of the claim and control that sin has on our eternal lives. Think of it this way – by our faith in the redeeming sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross, by the shedding of His blood on Calvary, we are now “at-one” with God. By the Blood of Jesus, we have been made worthy.
And the critical part of this are the words – “by our faith”! Jesus offered himself up for the entire world, but without accepting that gift, without stepping into the Light of Christ, the offer of forgiveness will go wanting. There will never, and there can never be any forgiveness in the darkness of the world.

This is God’s promise and plan since long before Creation was ever put in motion, and it will continue to hold true as long as God is, which is forever! It is the message of hope in Christ, it is the message that his disciples have been carrying since that first Easter, and these are the words that we all must be sharing with those who still walk in sin’s obscurity and oblivion.
A life in Christ is not a lie. A life in Christ is not a burden. A life in Christ is not about laws and demands. It is about faith in a Light that reveals truth and power and eternity. It is about an offer of forgiveness and a promise of neverending life, and it’s a guarantee that the word of God is always true.

Can the message of Jesus possibly get any better than that, or any easier to share?