There's John, the Gospel, and then there's 1 John, the Letter.
So we're going to be reading from John's Gospel, Chapter 1, verses 1 to 14.
And Connor is going to come and read that for us.
All right, it's on page 1063 in the Church Bibles.
1063.
It's from the Gospel of John, not 1 John.
Okay.
Thanks very much, Connor.
And turn to then 1 John, written by the same author.
John's Gospel really introduces us to who Jesus is and tells us how we can believe.
1 John is to give us assurance or confidence in what we believe.
So we're going to look at 1 John, Chapter 1, verses 1 to 4.
Let's read those few verses together.
1 John, Chapter 1, verses 1 to 4.
1 John, chapter 1, verses 1 through 5.
We proclaim concerning the word of life.
The life appeared.
We have seen it and testify to it.
And we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us.
We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us.
and our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.
We write this to make our or your joy complete.
Well, keep your Bibles open there and we're going to pray
and ask God to help us as we look at his word together.
We're starting a new series in 1 John.
Let's pray together.
Father, we thank you for your word.
We thank you for these accounts and these letters
that we can read together
that tell us about who Jesus is
and gives us assurance and confidence
in what we can believe.
We pray that it will not just be words on a page
but that your words would be the very life of God
instructing us, teaching us
and helping us to see
the life that you have come to give.
So help us all, we pray in Jesus' name.
Amen.
Last Sunday evening
on RTE's The Meaning of Life
you may have watched it
Gay Byrne interviewed the actor
and the TV personality Stephen Fry
One of the questions that Byrne asked
it wasn't the main one
but one of them he asked was this
Does your life have a meaning?
Fry's response was this
I don't think the universe has a meaning
And his answer to the question
what happens to you when you die
he said this
Anybody who thinks they know
what happens when we die
is a fool or a liar
Now that's the belief of an atheist
and it reflects what the philosopher
Bertrand Russell once called
the firm foundation of unyielding despair
hopelessness
In other words
we've come from nowhere
and we're all heading nowhere
And that's the reality
for so many people
We are void of meaning and purpose
and it leaves us lonely and empty
It perhaps explains why Ireland
has one of the highest suicide rates in Europe
People are desperate to find meaning
or true life
Life that really satisfies
and fulfills
and wherever they turn
it doesn't deliver
So our question this morning is
Is there meaning to life?
Can we even find true life?
And if we discover this life
are we even certain that it is true?
Well as John begins his letter
He makes this extraordinary claim
to know where we can find true life
and how we can be absolutely certain
that it is true
He claims to know where we can find life
and how we can be absolutely certain
it is true
Look at what he says
It comes at the very end of verse 1
of 1 John chapter 1
He says this
We proclaim
concerning the word of life
Or look at the middle of verse 2
He says
We proclaim to you
the eternal life
John and his fellow apostles
claim to know
true and eternal life
and they are inviting us
people like you and me
to know and experience this life
So look at the beginning of verse 3
He says
We proclaim to you
what we have seen and heard
so that you also
may have fellowship with us
He's making it very clear
at the very beginning
we want you
to have the life
that we also have
So what is
this life that he is offering?
What is this life that he's
proclaiming or declaring?
Well we're going to see it
in three steps
First
what we call the essence
of life
This life
is not a thing
or a thought
This life is a person
Look what John
and his apostles have to say
about this life
Three things
First
look at verse 1
That which was
from the beginning
So from before time began
from before the world existed
from before any life on earth
this life was
in the beginning
He was simply there
Life
was there
So that which was
from the beginning
Now look down at the end
of verse 2
We're told something else
That which was
from the beginning
was with
the Father
This life
in the beginning
was with the Father
In other words
he was
with God
And he was
one
with God
This life
was personally
and intimately
involved
and connected
with God
to the point
of where
John said in his gospel
he was
God
So he was
from the beginning
with the Father
and look at the end
of verse 2
And now
appeared
to us
So that we could
know this life
he appeared
to us
in human form
Let me remind you
how John put it
in his gospel
when he wrote
about this life
He said
within the beginning
was the Word
and the Word
was with God
and the Word
was God
and the Word
became flesh
and made his dwelling
among us
This life
that was at the beginning
took on
human form
took on
flesh
and bone
He had lungs
that breathed
in fresh air
to sustain
his fragile body
He had a heart
just like you
and me
that pumped
blood around
his body
refueling
with oxygen
He appeared
like one of us
so that we
could know
this true
and eternal
life
And in case
we are in any doubt
as to his identity
just look forward
to 1 John
chapter 5
verse 11
1 John
chapter 5
verse 11
If we are not sure
who this life is
it is a person
well who is it
here it is
And this is the testimony
God has given us
eternal life
and this life
is in his
Son
He who has the Son
has life
He who does not
have the Son of God
does not
have life
So this life
this person
is the Son
this is
Jesus Christ
Jesus the God
man
who literally
moved into this world
and made this earth
his home
He walked
and he talked
he laughed
and he cried
He is not some kind
of demigod
half God
and half man
He is fully God
and fully man
He is the creator
of life
the sustainer
of life
the provider
of life
He is from the beginning
He was with the Father
and has appeared
to us
So John says
I am proclaiming to you
this is who I am telling you about
I am telling you about
the word of life
I want to proclaim to you
the eternal life
So first
the essence of life
second
the evidence
of life
because this life
is not
made up
this is
true
this is not
all legend
or lies
John and the
apostles
are concerned
to give us
evidence
for this life
so look at
verse 1
let's read it
that which was
from the beginning
which we have
heard
which we have
seen
with our eyes
which we have
looked at
and our hands
have touched
this we proclaim
concerning
the word of life
now can you see
how the evidence
is building up
on top of each other
creating this
this watertight
case
if you like
four things
he tells us
they heard
Jesus speak
to people
they heard
with their own
ears
what Jesus
said and taught
about his
identity
and mission
it's not a
second hand
account
not only did
they hear
but they
saw
Jesus
with their
own eyes
as Jesus
moved onto
this planet
and began
to walk
around
they saw
him
they didn't
have to rely
on what others
saw
they saw
for themselves
they saw
him alive
they saw
him crucified
and killed
and they saw
him raised
from the dead
and not only
that they
looked at
Jesus
in other words
not only did
they see
him
but they
saw him
do things
they saw
Jesus
perform
his miracles
they saw
Jesus
heal the sick
by a word
or by simply
touching someone
they saw
Jesus
raise people
from the dead
they saw
Jesus
eating and
drinking
they saw
Jesus
sleeping
and working
and not only
that
they actually
touched
Jesus
he wasn't
a spirit
or part
of their
imagination
he wasn't
a ghostly
figure
Jesus
was a
physical
being
that they
could
hug
that they
could
embrace
he was
a person
that they
could
shove
to wake
up
as he
slept
on the
boat
he was
a human
being
that they
could
carry
when he
was
tired
they
heard
they
saw
they
looked
at
they
touched
eli
they
wrote
So that we can read their testimony for ourselves.
That's what John's Gospel is.
It is a first-hand eyewitness account of seeing, hearing, touching and listening to Jesus and writing it down.
So that we can engage and hear and listen.
Let's have a look at one of those eyewitness accounts.
Go back to John's Gospel. Keep your finger in one John.
And go back to John's Gospel, chapter 20, verse 24.
Now I think this is extremely helpful for us because it's one of the apostles called Thomas.
And he's a sceptic. He's a doubter.
He's like one of these people who says, you don't expect me to believe all this, do you?
I'm not sure if I can believe it.
Now as we read this, let's remember a couple of things.
First, Jesus has died and Jesus has now risen again.
And Thomas doesn't believe it.
And as we read this, try and feel the senses that are going on.
What they saw, what they hear, what they touch, what they looked at.
Let's read verse 24.
Now Thomas, called Didymus, one of the twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came.
So the other disciples told him, we have seen the Lord.
But Thomas is a doubter.
He said to them, unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were and put my hand into his side, unless I touch him, he's saying, I will not believe it.
A week later, his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them.
Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and he said, he heard him say, peace be with you.
Then he said to Thomas, put your finger here, see my hands, reach out your hand and put it into my side, touch it, stop doubting and believe.
Thomas said to him, my Lord and my God.
Then Jesus told him, because you have seen me, you have believed.
Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.
And Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book.
But these are written, that you, people like you and me, may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing, you may have life in his name.
Do you see how important that is?
Christianity is rooted in historical fact.
These are eyewitness accounts, real people, who heard, who saw, who touched.
It's not a legend or a lie.
These are factual eyewitness accounts that have been written down and recorded for us,
so that we can know that Jesus is the God-man who has come to give life.
So the essence of life is Jesus.
He is a person.
And the evidence is clearly there for us all to see and to hear.
But this life is to be experienced.
It's to be experienced and it's to be enjoyed.
For example, you could tell me that a lovely ripe mango tastes good.
You could even show me by eating one and cutting off great big slices and saying it tastes good.
But I'm only going to know it tastes good when I actually bite into it for myself and eat it.
And so John is saying, to really know this life, you must experience it.
Yes, Jesus is the life.
Yes, here's all the evidence for it.
But if you are to know it and enjoy it, you must experience it for yourself.
You must taste it.
Three things.
First, John is saying, we have fellowship with the Father and the Son.
This is where the life is.
We have fellowship with the Father and the Son.
Look at the middle of verse 3.
He says, and our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.
This is where life is.
Now, fellowship is a word we often use in kind of religious terms, but we're not always sure what it conveys.
It reflects two big ideas.
On the one hand, deep, personal and intimate relationship.
It's like a marriage.
Deep, personal, intimate relationship.
And on the other hand, shared, committed and involved partnership.
And John has experienced this fellowship with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.
And now he is saying to us, I personally share in the loving relationship that the Father has for the Son
and that the love that the Son has for the Father.
I share in this deep, intimate relationship.
I know this love.
And he goes on to say that I share in the partnership that the Father has with the Son.
And I share in the partnership that the Son has with the Father.
I'm involved in the work of God, just as the Father sent the Son.
So I am now proclaiming this Son, this life to you.
I'm in the fellowship.
I have a relationship.
I'm in this partnership.
This is not just intellectual ideas on a page.
This is an experience in life.
And John says, I have fellowship with the Father and with the Son.
But he doesn't stop there because John goes on to invite us to share in this fellowship.
He wants us to be involved in it.
Look at the beginning of verse 3.
He says, we proclaim to you what we have seen and heard.
So they've seen all of these things.
They've come to experience it for themselves.
And here's the reason they proclaim it and pass it on.
So that you also may have fellowship with us.
John is making it crystal clear.
He says, we can have fellowship with God.
We can join John and the other apostles and all those in the line of history
who've entered into that fellowship and enjoy a relationship and partnership with God.
So as John proclaims the word of life, as he proclaims this eternal life,
he is inviting people into the fellowship.
Enjoy what we have.
Now what John saw and heard, he wrote down.
So that as people like you and me read this testimony,
as we hear these same words,
we too can believe.
And we are invited to share in this fellowship.
We can know God.
This is not just an idea of way out there.
This is to be experienced.
Not just for the head.
This is for the heart.
And this fellowship, he says,
is to be enjoyed.
He is inviting us into a fellowship
that is marked by joy.
Look at verse 4.
We write this
to make our joy complete.
So at the very start of his letter,
he's saying,
I proclaim to you Jesus.
I'm giving you evidence for Jesus.
I'm inviting you into fellowship with God.
And the reason
we write this
to make our,
or your notes will have this at the bottom of the Bible,
your joy complete.
You see,
this is not a cold or impersonal fellowship.
This is a fellowship that brings real and lasting joy.
It completes our joy.
Listen to this quote from C.S. Lewis.
He says,
we are half-hearted creatures,
fooling about with drink
and sex
and ambition
when infinite joy
is offered to us.
We're like an ignorant child
who wants to go on making mud pies
in a slum
because he cannot imagine
what is meant
by the offer of a holiday
at the sea.
Do you see,
fellowship with God
isn't just a thought or an idea.
It is a life
of infinite joy
so that our joy can be complete.
And we need to be clear
as we understand this joy.
This life of infinite joy
does not mean
the absence of difficulties or struggles.
A joy that is complete
will not mean
the end of painful or hard times.
And I know that some of us here this morning
are facing difficult and hard times.
So where's the joy in all of that?
Well, the joy is experienced
in the midst of difficult things.
As we enter into fellowship
with the Father
and with His Son, Jesus Christ,
we are entering into the love
the Father has for the Son
and the Son has for the Father.
We're entering into that partnership.
We discover that within that fellowship
that God is enough.
That God is sufficient.
That within this fellowship
He will keep you
and He will hold you
and your life will find meaning and purpose.
This is the essence of life.
This is where we are finally satisfied
and fulfilled.
This is where all the searching ends
and where life begins.
And so John starts out,
he says,
look at the evidence.
Look at what we have heard
and what we have seen
and what we've looked at
and what we have touched.
Look at the evidence.
Read it.
Hear it.
Believe it.
And you will experience
deep, infinite joy.
Fellowship with God,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Let's pray together.
Father, we are amazed
that God,
in all His greatness,
the Creator of life,
the Sustainer of life,
the provider of life,
would become so small
as a person
to walk this earth
so that we could know you
intimately
and personally.
And we thank you
that you have invited us
to share in that fellowship.
to know deep,
personal,
and intimate relationship
with the Father
and with the Son.
To share in that love.
To share in that partnership.
And in that,
to know infinite joy.
A joy that completes,
fulfills,
and satisfies.
So would you please help us
not to turn away
and to seek life
in other things
or in other people.
Forgive us
when we try to find life
in our work
or even our loved ones
or in any other kind of activity.
activity.
But we pray
that we would find it
purely in Jesus.
The source of life.
The word of life.
The eternal life.
Please help us, we pray.
Amen.