Intro To I John

Title: An Introduction to I John Script: I John 1:1-4

Type: Expository Series Where: GNBC 6-2-24

Intro: A teacher tells her class of five-year-olds they can paint whatever they like. After twenty minutes or so, she walks around the room to see what they’ve painted. “Ooh, that’s a nice house, Johnny; well done.” “What a lovely fish, Cynthia; good job.” Finally, she gets to Jeff, and his painting is a wildly abstract blur of colors and shapes. “Ooh, that’s nice—what’s that, Jeff?” “It’s God,” says Jeff. “But no one’s ever seen God,” says the teacher. “Well,” says Jeff, “they have now.” Over the years, there’ve been no shortage of people who’ve painted imaginative pictures of “God.” There’ve been gods in the shape of animals; gods in the shape of fire or water; gods who look like the stars and the sun; distant gods, inner gods; benign gods and fearsome ones. And if I were to ask you to paint your picture of God, I’m guessing it would be different to Jeff’s and probably different to mine. Some people, presumably, would just leave the paper blank. But would any of our pictures be accurate? How would we know? The only way we’d know for sure is if God had actually revealed Himself.

Prop: Exam. I John 1:1-4 we’ll see 4 evidences of real Christianity.

BG: 1. I Jn. written by the aged apostle most likely late 80’s ad. Nearly 50 yrs after Christ.

2. Two major errors John is correcting in this letter: antinomianism (Against the law) – which essentially said no man can be held accountable to any moral law (Like today!), and perfectionism which taught that the believer can be sinlessly perfect in this life and that in fact, the individual’s sin nature was removed at conversion.

3.

Prop: Let’s look this morning at 4 evidences of real Christianity in I Jn 1:1-4

I. Real Christianity is the Savior, Jesus Christ, Revealed.

A. John Begins his letter by Unequivocally Stating that Christianity is Rooted in Fact.

1. The Fact of Christianity is a Self-Authenticated by God Himself.

a. Much of religion and philosophy is the speculations of man. Christianity, however, is not based on the speculations of men and women about God, but rather, the revelation of God to man. The Bible tells us that sinful man “suppresses” the truth of God. Rom. 1:18 “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,” Illust: When the rich and famous tell you and me about some non-Christian personal guru who has given them new insights into “God”, be assured they are liars. They do not know the truth because by their very nature they suppress the truth.

b. Christianity is not essentially a system of thought. Rather, it’s a person—Jesus Christ—Who was historically validated, personally experienced, and authoritatively proclaimed by the apostles. That is the foundation that John lays in these opening verses. The only way that we can come to God or know Him is through Jesus Christ. (Jn.14:6),

2. Jesus Christ is the Highest Form of God’s Personal Revelation to Man.

a. God makes Himself known to man because ONLY God can fully know God and make Himself known to man. God makes himself known as Lord through two types of revelation: general and special revelation. General Revelation is given to all people through creation. Through general revelation to all men, God communicates His existence, His power, and His glory, such that men are left without excuse. Sadly, it is not enough to save, but rather is sufficient to condemn. It allows us to know that a “God” exists, but it gives a very limited picture of the nature of that God. Special Revelation is God’s revealing of Himself in particular ways to particular people, through events, activities, prophets, apostles, theophanies, etc.

b. Heb. 1:1-2 describes how this special revelation has occurred:

“Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.” God has specially revealed Himself by speaking to us: first through the OT prophets but finally in His Son Jesus Christ. This is special revelation: a specific revealing of what God is like, to a particular people. Illust: There’s only so much you can tell about an artist from the things he’s created. To really get to know him, we’d need to meet him. That’s why Jesus is the ultimate example of special revelation.” He is nothing less than the Artist stepping into His own creation and meeting us in the flesh. “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father,” (Jn. 14)