1 John 1:1-4

Order of Service

• Call to Worship — 1 Chronicles 16:28-36
• Hymn — God, All Nature Sings Thy Glory (#122)
• Prayer of Invocation
• Scripture Reading — Psalm 31:15-24
• Hymn — Day by Day (#676)
• Pastoral Prayer
• Sermon
• Hymn — How Firm a Foundation (#94)
• Benediction — Romans 16:20

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Sermon Title: Trust in the Apostolic Proclamation

Scripture: 1 John 1:1-4

I. Introduction: John's Validation for Proclaiming the Gospel

A. John launches immediately into his letter without customary introductory elements, driven by pastoral urgency B. Context: John writes to believers whose assurance is threatened by false teachers undermining the deity of Christ and the duty to obey God C. The main verb of 1 John 1:1-4 is held until verse 3: we proclaim also to you D. The entire opening section establishes the grounds for trusting apostolic proclamation over the lies of false teachers

II. Trust the Apostolic Proclamation Because of the Credentials of Apostolic Authority

A. The subject of apostolic proclamation: the Son, the Word of Life

1. John's proclamation concerns the Word of Life — the eternal Son, the pre-existent Logos (John 1:1)
2. The Son is from the beginning, having always existed with the Father as God's own self-revelation
3. This Eternal Word of Life was made manifest — he entered history in the flesh
4. This is no new or novel word; it is the ancient gospel, the tale as old as time, rooted in eternity itself
5. The chief consequence of the Fall was death; life could only come from one outside of fallen man — the Life himself, made manifest (Genesis 3)

B. The credentials of apostolic eyewitness experience

1. A rising crescendo in 1 John 1:1 — heard, seen, looked upon, touched — each term intensifies the claim
2. Heard: as the Old Testament prophets were heard, so the apostles heard from the Living Word himself
3. Seen with our eyes: not mere report but direct, personal, indelible visual witness
4. Looked upon (beheld): a distinct verb carrying the idea of intent, careful examination leaving a deep impression
5. Touched with our hands: the verb suggests careful, extended physical examination — the Word was tangible, touchable
6. This experience extended to the post-resurrection appearances: Luke 24:39 — touch me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have
7. Hebrews 12 contrasts the terrifying untouchable Mount Sinai with Jesus, whose touch brings healing and builds weary faith

C. Application: our experience of Christ today

1. Believers today do not have the same direct apostolic experience, but we are not without experience of Christ
2. Our experience is built upon the foundation of the apostles' witness, received through the Word read and proclaimed and ministered in the sacraments
3. By the Spirit, who plants the seed of the Word, we have vital union with Christ even now — until faith gives way to full sight

III. Trust the Apostolic Proclamation Because of the Commitment of Apostolic Affection

A. Two so that statements in 1 John 1:3-4 reveal the apostles' affections and aims

B. The immediate aim: corporate fellowship

1. The goal stated is not merely personal salvation but fellowship — with the apostles, with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ
2. Fellowship is the very thing lost in the Fall — broken fellowship with God and with one another (Genesis 3)
3. This fellowship is a common shared participation in the grace of God among all who believe
4. C.S. Lewis's The Great Divorce depicts hell as a continual movement toward disfellowship — the opposite of what John describes
5. The ingathering of believers into fellowship is enjoyed now in the church and will one day be perfected in glory

C. The ultimate aim: consummate joy

1. John writes so that our joy may be complete — the best manuscripts read our joy, not merely your joy
2. The fellowship is so intimate that John's own joy waits upon and is bound up with his readers believing and holding fast to the apostolic proclamation
3. Joy defined (J.B. Fesko): Joy is not the absence of pain or suffering, but a contentment grounded in Christ, steadfast in the knowledge that one is firmly in the Savior's grasp
4. This joy is experienced in part now and will be experienced in full in glory
5. Application: pray for your elders — that they would labor with the same apostolic commitment and affection toward the joy and flourishing of the flock

IV. Conclusion

A. Only in the apostolic word is there eternal life B. That life is experienced now in fellowship with God and with one another C. It blooms toward full, complete, everlasting joy in Christ