Advent Midweek Service, December 6, 2017
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/bethany-lutheran-worship
The Hymn #95 Savior of the Nations Come
The Order of Vespers p. 41
The Psalmody Psalm 100 p. 144
The Lection - 1 John 1:1-10
The Sermon Hymn #76 A Great and Mighty Wonder
John the Apostle's Witness
The Prayers and Lord’s Prayer p. 44
The Collect for Peace p. 45
The Benediction p. 45
Hymn #562 Round Me Falls the Night
1 John 1 King James Version (KJV)
1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;
2 (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)
3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.
4 And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.
5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
John the Apostle's Witness
1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;
As Lenski wrote in his commentary, this is a letter from St. John the Apostle. He is the only one to use Logos - the Word - for Jesus. This opening lays out the claim of John to write and speak as an Apostle who has been taught by the Savior and seen the risen Lord.
The word apostle is used for the original 12 (Judas replaced) and for those who saw the risen Lord. When John writes, it is on the basis of traveling with Jesus, being taught by Jesus, witnessing His miracles, mourning as the warnings were voiced about the crucifixion, and yet there at the cross, taking care of Mary, called "son" by Jesus on the cross, seeing and hearing Him after the resurrection, watching the Ascension.
This is very simple to St. Paul laying claim to his apostolic authority. In both cases, they are saying, "The false teachers say this or that and accuse me. What authority from the Founder do they have? They have none!"
So we can see why apostolic preaching was so powerful - they were eye-and-ear witnesses. They began with a certain kind of faith and were built up over time to realize the fulness of His teaching. It is like raising issues with a military veteran - have you been in a battle? Have you seen this or that?
2 (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)
We went over the first 18 verses of John's Gospel, chapter 1, in the Greek class. People can remember how the same vocabulary is used. "The life" means more than someone living. Jesus is the Life who brings eternal life to all who hear and believe. Luther said, "I used to think life was surrounded by death. Now I realize that death is surrounded by life, and life springs up wherever the Gospel is preached.
I know a number who have experienced this. They had a knowledge of the Gospel, in some cases a false view brought by false teachers with all the credentials except a sincere faith. When they realized the real message of the Word, they were and remain energized by that spiritual knowledge.
3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.
This is the same relationship taught by Jesus. He said "I am in you, and you are in Me, just as the Father is in Me, and I am in the Father." That is a heavenly fellowship that we have and share with the Savior. That is also why "communion-koinonia" with the Body and Blood of Christ (1 Corinthians 10:16) is so important. If we re-translate this for NIV purposes (participation) - that ye may have participation with us. That sounds like a club. The word is designed to deny the Sacrament, the meaning of koinonia. The blessing is "The communion of the Holy Spirit" not "The participation..." And no one that I know "participates with Nature" as an excuse to avoid church.
4 And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.
If it is God's revealed truth, it is designed to give us a spiritually rich and joyful life. The design of the Apostle is to share the Treasure of the Gospel, not to burden the members. Everything he teaches is from Christ, as he was designated. Even better, he had a special relationship, as the "disciple Jesus loved" and as the protector of Mary.
5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
To distinguish the truth from falsehood, good from evil, John uses the metaphors of light and darkness. This follows the pattern of Jesus' teaching. There are believers and unbelievers, truth and falsehood, light and darkness. Sin remains, but the Gospel subdues sin and brings healing and peace. However, evil and darkness promise everything but only bring chaos and condemnation.
6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
The last four verses build on what John has established as truth and fellowship. To belong to his very special relationship between the Son and the Father, we walk in light and follow the truth. That means we abhor error and seek to understand what God teaches about man, not what people speakers teach about God (to remain popular).
