“You Gotta Hear about this!”

(1 John 1:1-4)

Series: A word for the Church [on screen]

Rev. Matthew C. McCraw, EdD

First Baptist Church, Bartow, Florida

August 22, 2021

The Passage

1 John 1:1-4

1 What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have observed and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— 2 that life was revealed, and we have seen it and we testify and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us— 3 what we have seen and heard we also declare to you, so that you may also have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

Introductory Comments:

Think about the different held beliefs you’ve heard concerning Jesus. Many people believe that Jesus was a good moral teacher. Many people speak of Jesus as, “Little Baby Jesus.” Many picture Jesus as someone hanging on a cross, wearing a crown of thorns. Some people admit that Jesus walked on the earth, but they say that He was merely a man. Some people are even so hard-hearted as to say that Jesus never even existed. 

You know, a little less than two thousand years ago, there were also varying beliefs concerning Jesus. In fact, there was a heresy among Christians present at that time called Gnosticism. [on screen] This false belief taught that Jesus could not have had a physical body because the physical (or material) world was evil. In fact, around 50 years or less after Jesus rose from the dead, some were questioning whether Jesus really even walked the earth.

It was on the heels of this heresy, and other misunderstandings about Jesus and following Jesus, that a man named John wrote a letter to the early followers of Jesus. That letter is what we’ve come to know as 1 John. 

So, we begin our study in 1 John called “A Word for the Church.” This message for the Church long ago is also a message that we need to hear in the Church today. 

Before we begin this sermon, and before we begin this series, let’s go to God in prayer and ask Him to speak to us. 

(prayer)

First John was written by . . . John, one of the original twelve apostles of Jesus. He was the brother of James and one of the sons of Zebedee, also known as the “Sons of Thunder.”

John was also the author of the Gospel of John, the fourth book of the New Testament;  as well as 2 John, 3 John, and the book of Revelation. 

It is well accepted that John was quite old when he wrote this letter and he was probably living in Ephesus at the time. In fact, a church sits near where it is believed that John wrote part of the New Testament. I’ve had the privilege of going there and it’s a special place. 

More than likely, John’s letter was not just intended for only one church, but for many churches located in Asia Minor, which was located in what is modern-day Turkey. 

Because this is one of the latest letters in the New Testament (meaning it is not as old as the others), a lot of time had passed since Jesus rose from the dead and the Church had started. Many different beliefs about Jesus had come about and John sought to bring some clarity to the situation. 

One study Bible said, “John wrote this letter to put believers back on track.” I think that’s right: John is trying to get the early Christians back on track about who Jesus is and how we are supposed to follow Him. 

John talks about something in these first four verses. Let’s see what it is that he’s talking about. 

First, we see that . . . 

I. This was from the beginning. (1:1) [on screen]

Let’s start at the beginning. Look at 1 John, chapter 1, verse 1:

1 What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have observed and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life

Now, when we first read this verse, there’s something familiar, isn’t