God's Help For Hurting Hearts Series

God's Help for Hurting Hearts

1 John 1:1-10

Sermon by Rick Crandall

Series: The First Epistle of John

Grayson Baptist Church - November 3, 2013

(Revised October 29, 2023)

BACKGROUND:

*Today we begin a verse by verse study of the Apostle John's first epistle. And as we get started, it helps us to know a little about John, and why he wrote this letter. John Phillips explained that "John had been born at Bethsaida, a fishing village on the Sea of Galilee not far from Capernaum. He had been one of a family of four: his father, a well-to-do fisherman, his mother Salome who was the Virgin Mary's sister, and John's brother James who was the first Apostle to be murdered for his faith in Jesus Christ.

*Of all the Apostles, John seems to have been closest to the Lord. Not only was he the Lord’s cousin, he was one of the first two disciples called. And after all 12 were called, the Lord selected John, his brother James, and Peter to be with Jesus for special revelations like the Lord's mountaintop transfiguration. We find this truth in Scriptures like Matthew 17:1, Matthew 26:37, and Mark 5:37. We also know that in John's Gospel, the Holy Spirit led John to describe himself as 'the disciple whom Jesus loved.'

*By the time John wrote this letter, he was a very old man. Various sources estimate that it was written between 85 and 100 A.D. John Phillips explained that John was "feeling the weight of his years and aware that his days on earth were about done. A godly life lay behind him and a very long memory thrilled him. His native land of Israel was far away, for John now lived in Ephesus, a pagan city on the edge of the European world. Just as Jesus had prophesied, Israel had been crushed by the Roman army. Jerusalem had fallen, the Temple had been destroyed, and Jewish national life had basically ended.

*Also by this time, dangerous heresies were spreading spiritual poison in God's churches. For example, some false teachers denied the divinity of Christ. Others denied the humanity of Christ. And John denounced these false teachings in the strongest possible way. Even in the opening verses, he made a bold declaration for both the divinity and the humanity of Jesus Christ. And John was most qualified to speak on these matters, because he had been there from the beginning of the Lord's ministry. John had basically seen it all. On top of that, he was divinely inspired by the Holy Spirit for every word he wrote. (1)

*So, one of the greatest themes in this letter is gospel truth, but another is God's love, God's kind of agape love. That's the kind, patient, giving, and forgiving love God has for us. And the kind of love God has for us, and the kind of love God wants us to have as followers of Jesus Christ. God wants us to have this kind of agape love for our neighbors, for lost people, and even for our enemies.

*But the special focus in this letter is for Christians to love one another. And we know that agape love is one of God's greatest priorities, because the original words show up 51 times this very short letter.

*With this background in mind, lets' read 1 John 1:1-10 to see God's love in action to help everyone who has a hurting heart.

MESSAGE:

*Years ago, Mary and I used to get into fusses on the way to church. Maybe it was the stress of getting two small children ready for Sunday school, or maybe the devil just tried to upset us when we were trying to worship God. Of course that's not the only time we ever argued, but it seemed really easy to get into a squabble when we were headed to church.

*Then as soon as we opened the car door, there was an instant transformation. We would put on the happy mask, and no one knew that we were going at it tooth and toenail a few seconds before. I'm happy to report that now by God's grace we both are much more patient with each other. (I am often amazed at the godly grace Mary gives to me.)

*But probably all of us have put on masks at church. Many times it's to cover up a hurting heart. They ask, "Hey, how're you doing?" You put on a big smile, and say, "Fine, fine," when nothing could be farther from the truth. Lots of people are hurting in our world, including God-fearing, Bible-believing, Jesus-loving Christians. One estimate I read said that probably a third of us are hurting right now. And if you aren't, one day you will.

[1] SOMETIMES WE HURT FROM THE GRIND OF LIFE.