1 John 1

Let's turn to 1st John and we consider some of the most beautiful words of all of the scriptures. 1st John chapter 1 and we read verse number 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 the word of life. For the life was manifested and we have seen it and bear witness and show unto you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested unto us.

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 and these things write we unto you that your joy may be full. And the Lord blessed to us the reading of the sacred scriptures. John as he's writing here he makes it very evident the reason why he's writing this this letter and just at the end of verse number four as he's writing to these this first epistle of John and he says these things write we unto you that your joy may be full.

And so one of the reasons at least that John is writing is that our joy may be full. I mean we go to meetings and we sing it together, happy people. Have you ever been to a gathering of the saints and someone gives out that hymn happy people and you listen to them sing it and they sing it something like this happy people.

Is that how we sing it? And we drag along with it and there's no spirit in it and there's no tune with it and we don't even feel invigorated as we're singing it. Well John says listen he says the reason I'm writing unto you and I take it that the we in question as he's writing in verse number four and he says these things write we the we in question here is the apostolic witness. He says we as the Apostles are writing unto you that generation following the apostolic witness.

He says that your joy along with us that your joy may be full. I want to consider at least some things just in the context some things that will promote joy as we consider 1st John and these four verses in 1st John chapter 1. I want you to notice then that as John commences he mentions the eternal that which was from the beginning and then he moves from the eternal and the second thing he mentions is the audible and he says which we have heard. Then he moves and he comes still further.

He moves from the eternal to the audible and the third thing he mentions is the visible and he uses two words. He uses the first word to see something possibly at a distance and then the second word which we have looked upon to scrutinize something closely to look at it and it's not now at a distance but it's at a different perspective. It's a closer vision and he says listen the eternal the audible the visible and then he mentions the tangible and he says our hands have handled the word of life and all of this is for the reason that he mentions that your joy may be full and so the first thing that he mentions here in verse number one is the eternal.

Now I have to admit that not everyone sees this as a reference to the Lord Jesus as the eternal one. Some think that when John writes here and he speaks about that which was from the beginning they see it as a reference to the Lord Jesus being manifested and the beginning of his public ministry. Now as you have already recognized I don't take it that way.

I take it that this is a reference to the one that was from in eternity without beginning of days having no end of life. This is Christ as the eternal one. Now I've heard some of our brethren and I'm not throwing stones but just to I guess we've got to we've got to discuss it at least.

I've heard someone they say well this is the unbegun beginning. Do you ever hear them talk about that? And then they say well if it's not the unbegun beginning it's the beginning without a beginning and I begin to think pardon the pun but I begin to think the unbegun beginning the beginning without a beginning. This is not original with me but I'll share it with you.

Someone has suggested that the beginning here is the same beginning as John 1 and 1 and also the same beginning as Genesis 1 and 1. That is if we could put a stake in just right here and go this way from that stake let's call this point the beginning and let's run this way from the beginning into time. That's what Moses writes about and Moses writes in Genesis 1 verse 1 and Moses says he says in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Well John takes up the same vantage point only this time John is running from the same fixed point the beginning and John is going backward into eternity and John says in the beginning was the Word and the Word he was with God and the Word was God the same was in the beginning with God that which was from the beginning and so we have got the eternal that your joy may be full.

The second thing we've got to notice then is which we have heard now I've got to admit to you if I had been writing this and I can almost hear you say it's a good job you didn't write this but had I been writing this I would have said that which was from the beginning which we have seen but John doesn't do that. John in a remarkable way says which we have heard. Now you will you will remember in John's gospel John's first impression of the Lord Jesus.

You will remember that John was introduced to Christ he was with John the Baptist he was a disciple of John the Baptist and he was standing with Andrew and they were looking upon Jesus as he walks and they heard John speak and John the Baptist says he says behold the Lamb of God and those two men those two men that day they left John the Baptist and they followed the Lord Jesus and in fact it was the same day they went to find their own brothers John seeks out James and Andrew goes to seek out Peter and John first findeth his own brother. Isn't that what it says? I think that's what it says that's my memories not working this evening but one of them first found his own brother because the other also went to find his brother and John says but wait a moment the first impression of the Lord Jesus which we have heard. Do you remember what Christ said to them that day it seems a strange thing for our for our mindset the Lord Jesus turned to them as they were following him and the Lord Jesus said he says whom seek ye and you know what they said to him which we have heard whom seek ye they said to him tell us where do you live now it seems very strange doesn't it where do you live well I didn't understand it until I read Mr. Ravi Zacharias on it and Mr. Zacharias he described being in India and he said when he was in India he came to give a talk and he expected they would announce him this is Mr. Ravi Zacharias or Dr. Ravi Zacharias THD or DD whatever it was but they didn't do that do you know how they introduced him this is our brother Ravi Zacharias and we know where he lives and we know where his father lived and we know where his grandfather lived and he said it clicked with me it clicked with me that my credentials were based upon where I came from and he says so it is in John 1 when the disciples said to the Lord Jesus tell us Rabbi where dwell us now what they were saying Lord show us where you have come from and if you manifest to us where you have come from we will recognize then that you are the Messiah and here they are that your joy may be full the eternal one the eternal and then the audible which we have heard you'll notice we move very quickly and he says which we have seen with our eyes which we have looked upon in fact in the gospel again just to come back to John's gospel that word which we have seen with our eyes is used of God no man have seen God at any time here what John says now listen he says we have seen with our eyes we have seen with our eyes you remember also in the gospel you will remember that John says in the gospel we beheld his glory that's actually the next word which we have looked upon you know those men there were men spent at least some of them spent three and a half years with this man you know by the time those three and a half years were finished John could say no man has seen God at any time but the only begotten of the Father he hath revealed him he hath told him out and we have seen we have looked upon him we beheld his glory for sake of time then let's just consider the last one the eternal the audible the visible and then he says the tangible that your joy may be full he says listen we handled him he says which our hands have handled the word of life we handled him you will remember there was a man at supper and you will recall as those disciples are reclining at supper one of them he actually got to put his head on the very breast of the Lord Jesus I always think to myself that that was the most favorite of all of those men got to hear the very heartbeat of the Lord Jesus I was with Peter Oris up one time we were in Charlottetown Airport he was waiting for a consignment of lizards and snakes that were coming in and it was a stupid question I admit it was a stupid question but I said to him Peter out of all of those disciples which one can you empathize with the most which one would you like to be you could almost tell his answer but he looked at me and he said John which one do you empathize with the most well I said you know Peter if I could be any of those men I would like to be John just to put my my head on the very breast of Christ just to hear the heartbeat of the Savior oh could I be like favored John now I said Pete out of all of them which one would you like to be oh he said I would like to be Peter you can almost you can almost see him can't you I would like to be Peter well here's a man and he says our hands of hand he got got to feel him the tangibility the word became flesh and dwelt among us and he writes this so that your joy may be full ah but you say wait a moment we're at a disadvantage you see we didn't see him sorry I should rephrase that we didn't hear him we haven't heard him we haven't looked at him from a distance we haven't scrutinized him minutely looking at him closely and certainly we haven't handled him ah but you know brethren and sisters the eternal one he's coming again that's the wonderful thing about it he's coming again what will be our first impression when he comes again when he steps from the throne of glory when he steps into the air what will be our first impression oh you say we will see him sorry that's not our first impression you know we will hear him which we have heard and when he comes again the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout the eternal one he's coming again and we will hear him and then brethren and sisters we will see him first of all at a distance we will see him at a distance and then we look upon him and you know the wonderful thing throughout eternity her hands shall handle him the hymn writer said maybe it's sanctified imagination when he takes me by the hand and leads me through that promised land what a day glorious day that will be brethren and sisters John writes this that your joy may be full may the Lord help us just at the beginning of this weekend that our hearts might be filled with joy considering that which was from the beginning