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John Was And Is Very Special; We Should Pay Attention To Everything He Wrote In This Letter; Yeshua Is The Life That Appeared; Encouragement To Have Fellowship With The Father And Son And True Spiritual Leaders Like John; To Have Fellowship
This letter was written by John. John is very special. John was, and is, a member of the Chosen People. He was one of Yeshua’s closest disciples. He was one of Messiah’s inner circle. John knew Yeshua very well. He knew Yeshua’s teachings very well.
John is also special because He was one of the Lord’s apostles. John wielded great spiritual authority.
John is also special because he is one of the authors of the Bible, and very few people have been honored by God to write part of the Bible. John was inspired by God to write the book of John, which is one of the greatest books ever written. It’s one of the most widely read books ever written. It’s one of the most loved books ever written. John, also under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, wrote the book of Revelation. And John wrote three letters, including this one that we are considering.
And John is very special because he is one of those 12 future kings who will sit on 12 thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel.
John is one of the most special men who ever lived. And he wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Therefore we should pay careful attention to everything this very special man wrote.
John wrote this letter to the followers of Messiah to encourage them to have fellowship with the Father and the Son; to encourage them have fellowship with the true spiritual leaders like John; and to warn them against following any of the growing numbers of false teachers.
John began this letter by testifying about the reality of Yeshua. John was an eye-witness to that reality. 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. 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, Messiah Yeshua. We write this to make our joy complete.
Yeshua existed from the beginning. He existed from the beginning, and before the beginning because Yeshua never had a beginning. The Son was eternally with the Father. Separate from the Father yet with the Father – two separate and distinct persons sharing the same divine nature, in eternal, loving fellowship with each other.
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. 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. The Son of God, who was from the beginning, and was with the Father, appeared in this world. The Son of God left the glories of Heaven and became a man – the most special and most important man and most Jewish man who ever lived. This perfect man was heard and seen and touched by people, including John and many others.
It is so important, so beneficial, so life restoring to know that the Son of God appeared in this world. Is there evidence that He actually appeared? Yes there is. We have the testimony of John. And we have the testimony of many other reliable witnesses. In our courts of law, one or two witnesses are enough to prove that something happened. We have many reliable witnesses, like John, who testified that Yeshua appeared, and died and rose from the dead.
Why must we believe in Yeshua? Because He is the life. Like God the Father, the Son has life within Himself. His life is not derived from any external source. He was always alive. And He is the one who gave life to humanity.
Why must we believe in Yeshua? Because not only is He the life, He is the Word of life. He is the message about life. And we are in the most desperate need of the Word of life. Because of the catastrophe that took place in Eden, human beings are alienated from God, who is the source of life. Because we joined the rebellion of the fallen angels, the authority to rule humanity was transferred to the devil and the demons. Satan became the god of this world, and we became his subjects. Because of the fall of man, we have a sin nature. Because of all this, we are headed to death, not life; to Hell, not Heaven.
Our greatest needs are to be reconciled to God and to be rescued from Satan and the demons, sin and the sin nature, death, and Hell. However, it is absolutely impossible for us to do this ourselves. No amount of human effort, good deeds, law-keeping, rituals or ceremonies can ever be enough. We are in the most desperate need of something outside of us that will bring us life. Yeshua is the life. Yeshua is the eternal life. Yeshua is the Word of life. Believing the message about Yeshua results in Yeshua, who is the life, giving us eternal life.
Faith is an essential part of our religion. We must know the right things. We must believe the right things. However, people can believe the right things and still go to Hell. The demons believe the right things and will go to Hell. We must believe the right things, but we also must have fellowship, a genuine sharing of life and values, with God the Father, Messiah Yeshua the Son, and the sons and daughters of God. 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, Messiah Yeshua. John wrote to the followers of Messiah to encourage them have fellowship with him, and the other true spiritual leaders, and with the Father and the Son.
It’s possible to have fellowship, real fellowship, lasting fellowship, eternal fellowship – a real and deep union and communion and sharing of life and values with the Father and the Son and the saints of God. Don’t you want that? I certainly do. Don’t you think it wise to live your life in such a way so that you have that fellowship? I do.
John wrote this letter so that those he wrote to could have fellowship with him, and the other true spiritual leaders, and with the Father and the Son. John gave us another reason why he wrote this letter: We write this to make our joy complete. John was a man who knew joy. And he experienced even more joy when he knew that people received the Word of life and remained in the fellowship of the Father and Son and God’s people.
Are you experiencing joy – a happiness not dependent on circumstances, a happiness that comes from knowing your sins are forgiven, a happiness that comes from having fellowship with the Father and the Son and with God’s chosen ones, knowing you will live forever?
If you don’t have much joy, I suggest you focus on what John focused on – knowing God, serving God, proclaiming the Gospel, building Messiah’s community, helping people enter the fellowship and remaining in the fellowship of the Father and Son and God’s people. Those who sow to the kingdom of God reap joy.
John continued by giving us a message he heard from the Son of God Himself. It’s a true message. It’s a message we should believe and put into practice. Here’s that message: to be part of the blessed and eternal fellowship of God and His chosen people, we must live out the truth. The way we live has to match our claim to have fellowship with God, our claim to be a believer, our claim to be a Christian or Messianic Jew. This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Yeshua, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
God is light. Light represents truth. God is pure light. In Him there is no darkness. He is pure truth. There is nothing in Him that goes against the truth; nothing sinful that violates the truth. If we claim to have fellowship with God, we must live according to the truth. Our lives must be characterized by truth. If our lives are not characterized by living according to the truth, and we claim to have fellowship with God, claim to be believers, claim to be Christians or Messianic Jews, then we are liars.
On the other hand, if our lives do match our claim to have fellowship with God; if we are living according to the truth, then we have genuine fellowship with the Father and Son and the sons and daughters of God, and we have constant, continual, ongoing forgiveness, atonement, purification, cleansing from all sin. Are you living according to the truth? Does living according to the truth characterize your life?
When we are saved, we receive a new, godly nature; and the Spirit of God is given to us and lives in us; and we are expected to live truthful lives – but not perfect lives. It’s impossible to reach a state of sinless perfection in this life. We will sin. We will make mistakes. We will miss the mark. We will fall short of the glory of God. We will do things we shouldn’t do and not do things we should do. God knows this about us and has made provision for our sins – provided we don’t claim to be without sin, and provided we confess our sins. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us. We are expected to recognize that we have sinned and continue to sin. If we are unable to agree with God that have sinned and continue to sin, we have deceived ourselves. We have led ourselves astray. We don’t know the truth. God’s word is not in us. And even worse, since God has made it clear that we have sinned and continue to sin, we are calling God a liar. And we never want to disagree with something God has said, and thereby make Him out to be a liar. To have fellowship with God, it’s essential for us to agree with God that we have sinned and continue to sin. And we are expected to confess our sins. To have fellowship with God, it’s essential for us to confess our sins.
I feel horrible when I sin. I experience guilt; shame; embarrassment. I avoid my Heavenly Father. I lose my joy. I can’t stand being like that. I can’t stand living like that. I want to be able to live without shame, guilt, embarrassment. I want a clean conscience. I want the word of God to be in me. I want to be right with God. I want to be close to my Heavenly Father. I want to be close to the Son of God, who is my elder brother. I want to be happy. I want to experience joy. I want to know that God has forgiven me. I want to know that God has purified me from all the sins I’ve committed. To experience these great things, I must confess my sins.
When we sin, we acknowledge our sins. We agree with God that we have sinned. When we do that, we have the amazing promise that God, who is faithful and just, will forgive our sins, and purify us from everything we have done wrong. Clean. Purified. Right with God. Happy again. Joy restored.
Why is God faithful and just when we confess our sins and He forgives us our sins and purifies us from all unrighteousness? Because He is being faithful to His nature. He is a God of forgiveness. He is a God who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin.
Why is God faithful and just when we confess our sins and He forgives us our sins and purifies us from all unrighteousness? Because He is being faithful to His Word, like the prophecy of the New Covenant, which is found in Jeremiah 31, which contains the marvelous promise: I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.
Why is God faithful and just when we confess our sins and He forgives us our sins and purifies us from all unrighteousness? Because He is being faithful to Yeshua’s sacrifice. Yeshua’s sacrifice is greater than all of our sins. Yeshua’s sacrifice is more than sufficient to atone for all of our sins – past, present and future.
You want to have fellowship with God? Don’t claim that you don’t sin. Confess your sins – frequently, quickly, as soon as you become aware of them. You don’t want to have fellowship with God? Deny that you sin; claim to be without sin. Don’t confess your sins. Ignore them. Make excuses for them. Justify them. Rationalize them. Minimize them. Continue engaging in them.
Even though John wanted us to know that we will sin, he did not want us to sin. He did not encourage us to sin. And he reminded us again, that if we do sin, God has made provision for our sin by means of His Son, who is our advocate. My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father – Messiah Yeshua, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. Sin is one of our very greatest problems. Sin dominates humanity. Sin ruins us. Sin destroys us. Sin kills us. However, Yeshua is uniquely qualified to deal with our sins because He is the Messiah, the ultimate Prophet, Priest, King and Savior. That’s the kind of Person who can deal effectively with sin!
Messiah Yeshua is uniquely qualified to deal with our sins because He is the Righteous One. He is the only human being who always did what was right. He is the only man who never sinned. Because He overcame sin in His own life, the Righteous One is uniquely able to help us overcome sin and be righteous ones.
Messiah Yeshua helped us overcome sin by His death which atones for our sins. And He helps us overcome sin by being our Advocate; our Helper. If we have a problem with sin, He is there, helping us deal with that sin. If we sin and the Adversary is acting like a prosecutor and accusing us because of our sins, our Advocate is also there, reminding the Father that the accusations against us need to be dismissed because He has atoned for our all of our sins.
Messiah’s ability to overcome sin and make people righteous is so great that it provides atonement for the whole world of those who are being saved, for the chosen ones from all peoples throughout all ages. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
Let’s pray: Father, thank You for John, for this very special man whom you used to give us this divinely inspired letter that we can benefit so much from.
Thank You for John, and that he was an eye-witness to the reality of Yeshua, to His life and miracles and teaching and death and resurrection and ascension. Help us to be absolutely sure of those things, like John was.
Thank You that we can have real fellowship, lasting fellowship, eternal fellowship – a deep union and communion and sharing of life and values with You and Your Son and the other children of God.
Father, You are light, pure light, pure truth. Help us walk in the light, live according to the truth.
Father, help us understand that we have sinned and continue to sin, and be quick to confess our sins and turn away from our sins.
Thank You for the amazing promise You have given us that You are faithful and just, and will forgive our sins, and purify us from everything we have done wrong.
Thank You for Messiah Yeshua, the Righteous One, who is our Advocate, who knows how do help us deal with our sins and make us righteous ones. May He have free reign to do that fully in our lives.