Jesus and Joy (1 John 1:1-4)

This was one of the last letters written in the NT, sometime between 90 and 95AD, so John would have had to have been in his 80s at least when he wrote it. In these first four verses, his introduction to his letter, we see what he’s writing about in verses 1 and 2, why he’s writing in verses 3 and 4, and we’ll see why we should trust him as we take an overview of this verses all together.

Let’s read verses 1 and 2 together. John is writing about what he calls ‘the word of life.’ That’s the name of his message. Look at what we learn about the word of life from this verses. It was eternal, it could be seen and heard and touched. It doesn’t sound like a normal message does it? John starts his letter by reminding us that he spent time with Jesus. He heard His teaching, rested his head against Him at the last supper, he saw him every day. John was writing to a city where people were teaching that Jesus wasn’t really a man, that He was just a spirit. Right from the beginning we see John fighting these ideas off, and making a big deal about the fact that Jesus was a real man with a real body.

John goes on in verse 2. This life, this message, this word was made manifest, that means it appeared to them. It was physical, it had skin and teeth and bones. It was a real man. Maybe we don’t understand why John is making such a big deal about this yet, but we will do as we keep studying this letter. John says in verse 2 that this is not just a word of life, but it’s a message about eternal life. So what John  wants to tell us about isn’t something that will just make us happy in the here and now, but something that will impact us forever.

So John’s message is physical, and eternal, and divine. Look at the end of the verse 2 with me. ‘which was with the Father.’ The message that John is proclaiming comes from Heaven. He’s not interested in adding to the symphony of ideas already in Ephesus. He’s not interested in beging another famous teacher with another idea to gain followers. He is interested in God the Father. This is what sets him apart from the false teachers in Ephesus, and this is what sets the Bible apart from the rest of religion and philosophy. The message was with the Father. It’s physical, it’s eternal and it’s divine.

We need to pay attention to it.

Why did John write this letter and share this message. Verses 3 and 4 gives us two reasons. Read those verses with me. See that first reason in verse 3. He’s writing to the church, and we’re reading this now, that that they, and we, might have fellowship. Fellowship with us, John says, that means so that they can be united together in something bigger than themselves. That their friendship and partnership can be based on faith in God. But he makes it even bigger. John writes about his physical, eternal, divine message so that we might have fellowship with God. So that we might have a relationship with God. So that we might be saved, in slightly more modern language.

John says this fellowship, this relationship is with the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. We know that Jesus is the message that John has been wiring about. That Jesus is physical and eternal and divine. That it’s Jesus that brings us into fellowship with God the Father. This is why 1 John is important, because it shows us how to have eternal life. There’s nothing more important that that!

What does this phrase, ‘fellowship with God,’ teach us about eternal life? Fellowship just means friendship or having a joint interest with someone. So let me ask the question this way, do you have a joint interest with God? That’s what John is trying to get us to understand. Fellowship with God is only based around Jesus. You can’t have fellowship with God based on your church attendance or Bible reading or witnessing. You just can’t. The Father’s primary interest in the world is Jesus. Is that true of you? The Father loves Jesus. Is that true of you? And fellowship involves conversation. You can’t have a relationship with someone if you never talk to them. John writes this letter so that we would understand that a relationship with the physical, eternal, divine Jesus is a two way thing. We talk to Him in prayer and He talks to us in His word. We present our requests to Him and He gives us our commands.

So how is your fellowship with God? How’s your conversation? Are you listening to His voice? If you’re not listening to the voice of the physical, eternal, divine one, then whose voice are you listening to? Who are you having fellowship with?

The second reason John writes is found in verse 4. Look at the end of that verse; ‘so that your joy may be full.’ There is something in a relationship with Christ that produces joy. Even more than that, one of the best evidences of a real relationship with Christ, or of real fellowship with God, is that it produces joy. The word used for our there can also mean your. So John is writing that our joy, and your joy may be complete. John finds his joy in ministry in the Christian growth of those he loves. Why else would he write this letter? I find my joy in ministry in the Christian growth of those I love, you guys, otherwise, why would I be here on a Saturday morning? And your fellowship with God produces joy. I keep saying this, but that’s because it’s so important. Psalm 16:11 is not lying! Neither is John. Do you want joy? Then come to Jesus, and have fellowship with Him.

Finally, we know we can trust John. He loves this church, he calls them ‘little children,’ he has such affection for them. He walked and talked and ate and wept with Jesus. He ended up in a lonely exile for the sake of this message. We can trust him.

Let me conclude by asking you some questions How is your joy? Are you enjoying your relationship with Jesus? Do you like Jesus? Not do you love Him, but do you like Him? How is your fellowship with God? Are you listening to Him, are you talking to Him? If your joy is weak it’s probably because you’re not spending enough time with Him, you’re being led astray by the lies of the world. And finally, are you sure that you believe the real Jesus? The physical Jesus. The eternal Jesus. The divine Jesus. Helping us to grow in fellowship with Him is the reason John writes.