The Heart of the Church’s Ministry: 1 John #01. This is an exposition of 1 John 1:1-4. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday morning, October 4, 2015.
Intro:
Do you find it hard to remain optimistic? Is it increasingly difficult for you to fight cynicism? Politics turn my stomach. I’m tired of the finger pointing, posturing and grandstanding on both sides. Don’t you just want to turn off the radio and the TV, lay the newspapers aside and say, “Who cares – just let me know when it’s over?” I’m tired of living in a moral cesspool. I’m fed up with life in general. I’m tired of bickering within the church, the doctrinal degeneration, the loss of faithfulness and the lack of holiness. It is getting to the point that the line between believer and nonbeliever is nonexistent. Immorality and perversion is as common inside the church as in the culture in general. I’m depressed about the cost of healthcare, gas, housing, education and just about anything else you care to name. Maybe we should just all get together and go find a mountain somewhere, build a compound and just hideout until Jesus comes! No, we’d just get on each other’s nerves. Now, aren’t you glad you drug yourself to church today for such a positive, uplifting message?
The truth is we live in a broken world. Our world that is dominated by sin. Corruption reigns in the hearts of men and thus life often stinks! That should neither surprise us, nor destroy us. The universal verdict seems to be that the church is in trouble. All the statistical data indicates the church is in serious decline. Scholars and religious gurus are scrambling to find an antidote. Worship services are being replaced with carnival acts. Corporate worship – the gathering of the church as a united body to express the praise and worship of God – is being replaced with a cafeteria style/do as you please worship “experience.” Dr. Phil has replaced the prophet – so instead of, “Thus saith the Lord” we ask, “How’s that working for you?”
I fully understand that we do not live in the 16th century so to worship the same as the church did in the 16th century would not be helpful. I understand that times change and methods change. Musical styles and musical tastes change thus we must be flexible. While we may package it differently what is needed today is the same as what was needed in the 16th century, in fact it has been needed since Adam and Eve ate themselves out of house and home. What we need is the Gospel. Our text this morning is found in 1 John the first chapter.
Text: 1 John 1:1-4
John the beloved apostle, the son of Zebedee, is writing to his “dear children” to encourage and strengthen them. This “letter” is a circular letter to the churches of Asia Minor (modern day Turkey). It is written during a time of persecution and in the face of the early stages of some heretical teachings.
The letter is notoriously hard to outline.
John’s style does not lead itself to logical outlines or thought progression.
Rather it is a free-flowing word from a pastor’s heart to people dearly loved.
Martin Lloyd-Jones suggests that there are three principle themes running throughout that must be kept in mind:
Who the believers are and the nature of the world in which they live (5:19)
the assurance enjoyed by true believers (5:13)
3) the joy that believers are to know (1:4).
Our text is a preface to the letter and serves the same purpose as the prologue in John’s Gospel. As we walk through our text we are reminded that:
Thesis: In a world of confused spirituality, skepticism, and unbelief believers are called to boldly, joyfully and faithfully declare the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
This is our ministry.
This is our calling.
There were two heretical systems that were beginning to develop in Asia and making inroads at the time. One was “Gnosticism.” Gnosticism taught that there is a higher knowledge (from the Greek word for knowledge “gnosis”) that is spiritual and known only to the elite. Gnosticism made a sharp distinction between the spiritual and the material world. Matter was evil while the spirit was good. The other heretical teaching was known as Docetism. Docetism taught that Jesus only appeared to be human. There was no incarnation, no divine savior. Lest you think these issues do not matter today listen to the characteristics of Gnosticism:
It was an eclectic religion – cut and paste spirituality
Individualistic and subjective – self realization with your own path to God
Emphasis on God’s nearness over his distance – imminence vs. transcendence
Spirit over matter
Anti-institutional orientation
Anti-sacramental
Suspicious of the Old Testament
Feminist theology – the feminine divine
Anti-intellectual – mind is evil – you need “spiritual discernment”
Sound familiar? Sounds an awful lot like the spiritual world we live in. It sounds eerily like the culture we are forced to confront. It seems to me we should be very interested in what John has to say. It is interesting to note that what is needed is not a new philosophical outlook; not political clout; not a voting block – but the Gospel – after all the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation.
Let’s note some things from our text.
- The Gospel centers around Jesus Christ – the Eternal One made flesh. (1:1-2)
- The very nature of the Gospel demands that the story be told. (1:2-3)
- The Gospel brings fellowship and unbridled joy. (1:3-4)
Conclusion:
In a world of confused spirituality, skepticism and unbelief the need is for the straightforward, unvarnished glorious truth that God became man to pay the price for our rebellion and to purchase a people for His own glory.
Such a story must be told.
That truth brings fellowship and unbridled joy.