I JOHN Ch.1:1-7
I. The Manifested Life
A. Life is presented unto us in terms of a person
1. This life is the life of God manifested in His Son Jesus Christ
2. This life is brought down to our level by means of flesh and blood
II. The Beginning of Life (v 1)
A. The phrase "in the beginning" overshadows the present with a past
1. We are children of destiny whose origin goes back to the beginning
2. It is at the beginning one starts a book
a) it is at the beginning that one learns the alphabet
b) it is at the beginning of life that one learns to live
c) the beginning of Christian experience is not the 20th century but the first century
d) the beginning of Christian experience is not turning over a new leaf but experiencing a new life
B. There are three beginnings mentioned in the Bible
1. Genesis 1:1 - This is the beginning of the universe that resulted in the world and all its parts
2. John 1:1 - This is the beginning before the beginning. It was the beginning that began the beginning - it commenced all things
3. I John 1:1 - This refers to the most recent of all beginnings. It is the beginning of Christian experience. The first two go back
to the creation and the Cross, this beginning goes back to our conversion
4. Creation - the Cross - Conversion. They all refer to the beginning of life
C. Jesus Christ is the central figure of history
1. All time before His coming points to His arrival
2. All time since His coming points back to dim
3. He is the central figure of time and eternity
D. He is called "The Word of Life"
1. Christ is the Word of Life while the Bible is the Word of Truth
2. The Word of Life is God's Word in flesh while the Word of God is God's Word in writing
3. Th Christ, God clothed Himself in flesh while in the Bible God clothes Himself in Lords
E. The Word of Life was a real person who lived in time, space and history
III. The Experience of Life (v 2)
A. Christianity is an experience in and with the Word of Life
1. It must be to us what it was to the apostles
2. It must be a thing so definite that we can bear to witness to it
3. It must be a sense and awareness of His presence with us and in us.
B. A motion picture executive was asked why movies had such a hold on people and churches were losing them
1. He replied, "I take the unreal and make it real"
2. Preachers take the real and make it unreal
3. Christians fail to exploit the reality of their faith
C. The Manifestation of Christ was His Incarnation
1. The experience of Christ is our regeneration
2. The incarnation meant God in Christ
3. The regeneration means God in Man
IV. The Fellowship of Life (V 3)
A. Fellowship is the word KOIMONIA. - it includes the idea of companionship - partnership
1. It is that and much more - it includes the idea of community of thought and interest
2. It is a state of unity and harmony
B. There are two phases of fellowship
1. Fellowship with others
a) ye may have fellowship with us. This means we are at one with each other
b) when we are exchanging what we know of Christ we are having fellowship
c) this can and should be the most enriching experience of life
2. Fellowship with God
a) we can only have fellowship with God in and through Jesus Christ
b) human fellowship has a Divine basis
c) when we think rightly of dim we think rightly of others
d) when we live rightly with Him we will live rightly with others
3. Let us cherish and guard this fellowship against rupture - against suspicion, jealousy, selfishness and disloyalty
4. Let past tragedies of broken fellowship be a lesson to us - let's refuse to allow them to happen again
V The Pretense of Fellowship (1:6-7).
A. The word SKOTOS (Darkness) is used only twice by John - in this text and John 3:19
1. Metaphorically it is used of moral darkness
a) fellowship with God and walking in darkness are mutually exclusive experiences
b) like Judas, we can be in the presence of light yet all the while be walking in darkness
c) just be certain that one day our pretending will be exposed (I Cor. 4:5)
d) Jesus said, "Ye are the light of the World"
e) Let your light shine before men that they may see your good works (Matt 5:14, 16)
f) Paul said, "Ye were sometimes darkness but now are ye light in the Lord" (Eph 5:8)
g) Satan kingdom is one of darkness - God's is one of light
2. One of God's first acts in creation was the division of light from darkness
B. Apostle then makes a distinction between our words and our walk
1. Three allegations, all lies, are prefaced by, "If we say"
a) 1st John 1:6, 8, 10
b) the first lie is one that says I am God's companion and yet our walk refutes his words
c) there is a terrible indictment pronounced upon the hypocrite in Titus 1:16
2. Let us be reminded orthodoxy of doctrine is no substitute for righteousness of life.
You can't say I believe all the right things, yet live the wrong way.