(Through the Bible) 1 John — Zac Poonen

The Themes of 1 John: Life, Fellowship, Light, and Love

Let's turn today to the first letter of John. 1 John chapter 1. There are two things that.

He says here about God One he says in.

Chapter 1 in verse 5 God is light and chapter 4 verse 8 God is love. Basically, that's the theme of the letter Light and love in practical terms for us. That means life and Fellowship. Because in him in Jesus was life and that life Was the light of men.

It is through our life through the life of Jesus that the light was seen. And it's through our life Where the light will be seen not through our teaching. God is love and John reminds us of the one commandment that Jesus gave.

It's very interesting, you know that in none of the first three Gospels Do we read Jesus words saying a new commandment I give unto you. That you love one another. By this will all men know you are my disciples that you love one another.

John was the one who emphasized that he was the one who heard it clearly and That's what he emphasizes in this letter that if you love one another you'll have fellowship. The proof of it is fellowship.

So life and fellowship that is what? Is also the theme of this letter and when you read the first four verses, which is an introduction He speaks about that which was from the beginning. You read that in John's gospel to in the beginning was the word John's letter also.

Now we must remember that the Apostle John wrote all these letters all his letters. Just a few years before he died. Probably when he was around 90 years old. Or 95. I don't know at least 90 he had Been baptized in the Holy Spirit in the day of Pentecost 60 years earlier.

For 60 years he had walked with God. He had established churches no doubt done many miracles. Spoken in tongues prophesied. Seen the ministry of other Apostles and all the other 11 Apostles had died. He was the only one living.

He had seen the mighty movement with which churches were established and he had seen the decline of those churches towards the end of the first century. He had seen various false prophets various doctrines.

He had seen various good believers emphasizing various things in their zeal and now with the maturity of a 90 year old man who has walked with God for 60 years and Who knows God so intimately. The man who was I'm sure walking closer to God than any man on earth at that time the man who could look Back over 60 years of the growth of the church and could see what was important and what was not important.

Where people went astray overemphasizing something where they went astray. Underemphasizing something he writes with maturity. If you think this is the writing of a young 30 year old we don't have to take it with so much seriousness.

But it's the writing of a mature 90 year old. All his letters were written at that age. Revelation was written at that age. John's gospel was written at that age. He waited till he was 90 years old before he wrote anything and What do we see him emphasizing.

It's very very important for us to study one John. To see what he's emphasizing. There are some people who feel. We can't say for sure. That one John was probably the last book written. It was written after John's gospel after Revelation after 2nd John after 3rd John and This is probably the last book of Holy Scripture written possible after he had seen on the Lord of the Isle of Patmos and.

The Eternal Priorities: Life and Fellowship

And The thing that we need to study in this book is not only what he says. But also what he does not say. Because what he does not say teaches us what he realized are not the things to be emphasized. If I'm writing a four-page letter.

There are a lot of things I don't want to emphasize though, I mean they're okay. They are there, but they're not the main things. Take time to think of that. I could mention a few things. He does not speak anything about church government.

The pattern of church government. Should you have elders. Should you have pastors. Should you have bishops? Okay, there is a pattern in 1 Corinthians. And other passages of Scripture Timothy and Titus, but that's not what John's emphasizing because that's not the main thing.

He's not emphasizing speaking in tongues, he's not emphasizing healing. He's not emphasizing prosperity. There are many things written in other passages of the New Testament. He doesn't emphasize. He doesn't emphasize the pattern of the Sunday meeting.

You know there are the reason why I say this is because for many Christians these are the main things which I just mentioned. Those are the things they talk about. Whereas John doesn't. He talks about what was in the beginning when there was no church.

No government, church government, no Sunday meeting. No believers, no human beings, no angels, no heaven, no earth. Way back in the beginning when only God existed he's going back to them and He says what was there in the beginning when only God existed.

Father Son and Holy Spirit. What did they have? Did they have tongues? Did they have healing? Did they have church pattern? Did they have church government? What did they have way back then? They had life.

Life eternal life a certain quality of life that's what he calls light and What else did they have? Fellowship. Father Son and Holy Spirit. Perfect fellowship without any disturbance. And so what he's saying is brothers and sisters.

These are the two eternal realities. Everything else is for a period you get taken up with these temporary things and fight and quarrel and argue about these things and Miss the two eternal realities you have missed everything.

You get up to get taken up with theological information and You miss these two eternal realities in your life. You have missed the main thing it's like if you take a car and You break it all down and you're finally left with one or two nuts and bolts.

All these other things are like just one or two nuts and bolts. The main thing is the car. That's gone and you're left with one or two nuts and bolts and you're occupied with that. That's how many Christians are occupied with one small little thing and they've missed the main thing.

And John from the perspective of 60 years of observing Christendom and the development and the decline of Christendom in this in that first century Teaches us what we need to learn today. If you don't have the life of God in you that life of purity that life of humility that life of love and goodness.

Brother sister, whatever else you may have. It's a waste of time. Compared to the life of God all the rest is rubbish and If when you come together with other people You don't have fellowship. But you have organization and service and activity and preaching and everything else.

You're wasting your time even evangelism waste of time. There was no evangelism way back in the beginning. There's only life and fellowship. There was no Bible teaching way back in the beginning life and fellowship.

Please remember this keep this the back of your mind always in everything. Take a Christian home. What's the most important thing in the home that everything must be neat and tidy in its proper place?

That the walls must be always freshly painted. Curtains must be nice rubbish. What's the most important thing in a Christian home? Life the life of God in the husband and the wife and the children. And What's the other one fellowship, how can we have life and fellowship with humility humility humility.

That's the ground on Which all these things grow? Our calling as human beings is to humble ourselves. Then we provide the ground on Which God can make all these things grow and so in verses 1 2 3 he says from the beginning.

What was from the beginning? We have heard it we have seen it with our eyes. He says that life was manifested in Jesus. We saw it. We heard it we Touched it. That life was manifested and it needs to be manifested in this year 2000 and in the next year and the years to come till Jesus comes again and We have seen and bear witness not to a doctrine.

Look at the number of Christians today arguing over doctrine. Over silly things like what is the initial evidence of the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Should we take medicines when we are sick or not? Are these the things that are going to matter in eternity?

Life. We proclaim to you that eternal life that life which never had a beginning that pure holy life and Wherever you go to the end of your life proclaim Eternal life. That's what I want to do more and more to the end of my life.

In my younger days, I emphasize many things. I Have also been foolish. The same Apostle John in his younger days. He was more interested in calling down fire from heaven to consume the Samaritans. We read in Luke chapter 9.

Yeah, we've also been like that with foolish zeal, but now we have come to wisdom and you young people can Receive some of the wisdom that we older people have learned through our own foolishness. You don't have to do those foolish things that we did when we were young if you will humble yourself and take a little advice.

Emphasize life and fellowship not fellowship without that life that also we find in Christendom today. National councils of all denominations irrespective of whether they are born again or not. Ecumenical movements which just bring everybody together and finally brings everybody from every religion as well.

That is fellowship without life that type of fellowship people can have in hell also. That's that's not the fellowship I'm talking about. I'm talking about the fellowship which was way back in the beginning before even hell existed a Fellowship based on life.

I don't want a fellowship which is not based on life friendship. Yes, I'm willing to be friendly with other people but fellowship is a deeper thing. Life and fellowship they go together. We have seen that eternal life Which was with the father manifested to us.

We have seen and we heard. And we proclaim it to you and the purpose of proclaiming this life is that you may have fellowship. What are the two words life and fellowship. God is light and God is love and Our fellowship is with the father fellowship.

The Cross as the Secret of Life and Fellowship

We read in verse 3 is in two directions like the cross. The cross is the means by which We come to fellowship with God and with one another. Between God and me there's a cross on Which my Savior died.

Because of that I have fellowship. I can never have fellowship with God apart from that cross. Because I'm never going to be good enough. Between you and me. There must also be a cross on which I die.

If I want to have fellowship with you on which you must die if you want to have fellowship with me. There is no fellowship without the cross in the vertical direction or in the horizontal direction. Please remember that the cross is the secret of Life and fellowship.

There is no life without the cross. When was the cross in God's mind. Was it after he created the heaven and earth. No. It was in his mind way back from the beginning. It says in Revelation 13 the Lamb was slain from the foundations of the earth.

Way back in God's mind he knew That the second person of the Trinity would have to come to earth as a man and be crucified. That was not something he discovered later on and today for us the way to the tree of life is through the sword falling upon us and The only people who can fellowship around the tree of life are those on whom the sword has fallen on the life of Adam.

What is it that causes problems between believers the life of Adam? And you try to come to the church and bring the life of Adam there. There's always going to be conflict. You come to the church and bring the intelligence and reasoning and cleverness of Adam.

There'll be conflict. Put it under the sword the intelligence of Adam the cleverness of Adam the life of Adam put it all under the sword. Don't only kill the bad sheep of Adam kill the good sheep of Adam.

You remember how Saul lost the kingdom. He killed the bad sheep, and he didn't kill the good sheep. That's how he lost the kingdom and you can kill the bad sheep and not kill the good sheep. What are the bad sheep?

Jealousy bitterness. Sexual sin love of money. These are the bad sheep. What are the good sheep? Our intelligence our cleverness our talents our abilities put them also to death. Come to Jesus empty-handed nothing in my hands.

I bring simply to thy cross I cling and then God will sanctify you give you life and from that life He will use the faculties he gave you whether it's your talent or intelligence or anything. But first of all, you've got to lay it on the altar you say but God gave it to me.

Do you know that even what God gave you have to put on the altar and kill like Isaac? Who gave Isaac to Abraham. God who gave you your intelligence your musical abilities your talents. Put it on the altar kill it and Let God raise it up from the dead and then use it for his glory.

That's the only way We can serve God. I've done that. God's given me intelligence I think as much as most of you anyway. But what did I do with it. I laid it on the altar like Isaac. I said Lord this is yours.

But I'm not gonna use it. I'm gonna put it down at death and In resurrection, I got it back to use for his glory in everything is like that and Then it becomes sanctified. It's not Worldly, you can come to the scriptures of worldly wisdom.

Okay, and why does he say all this so that verse 4 our joy may be made complete. That's the purpose. Do you know that joy is a very essential part of the Christian life because joy is the atmosphere of heaven.

There is no gloom in heaven. You don't see any angel sitting like this in heaven depressed. No. They're always full of life and joy. We say heaven came down and glory filled my soul. That's the purpose the Holy Spirit comes to bring the atmosphere of heaven into our hearts.

Joy fellowship life brings joy fullness of joy. The whole purpose with which scriptures written is that our joy may be full. The devil says that if you give your life completely to God, you'll be miserable long-faced person.

There'll be no joy in your life and I'm sorry to say some Christians give that impression that face is so long. They look so depressed and then they try to witness for Christ. I heard of one of these long-faced people witnessing about Christ to somebody and that Jeff said he said you want to accept Jesus.

That Jeff said no. Thank you. I've got enough problems already. If you give you a witness like that. If if our life is not radiating joy. Our home is not radiating joy. Something is wrong. Something is wrong that is not God's will we miss the will of God somewhere we miss life.

We miss fellowship. The first thing he says is okay. You want this life? You want this fellowship? You want this joy? Listen to number one point. God is light. There is no darkness in him. Please remember that no lying.

Zero lying. Zero impurity. Zero hatred. Zero pride. No darkness at all. That's the number one message. You still want it? You want this life where you never tell a lie? Where you never hate anybody? Where you never are jealous of anyone?

Where you're never proud if you choose it. You'll never be gloomy. You'll never be depressed. You'll rejoice always. Is it possible to live such a life on earth? Does Philippians is Philippians 4 for rejoicing the Lord always written for people who go to heaven?

After going to heaven or is it here on earth? It's here on earth. He says your joy can be full here on earth. Whether you're on Pat moss persecuted. Or whether you're sitting comfortably in an easy chair.

Your joy can be full because it's not dependent on your circumstances. If you choose this way of light. But if we say we have fellowship with him and we walk in darkness, then we are not practicing the truth.

Lots of Christians like this. They say they have fellowship with God. They walk in darkness and you can see it in their face. The joy of the Lord is not there. There's no spring in their step. There's no song in their lips.

There's no twinkle in their eyes. Something is missing even young people and The older we become The more joy we should have if we are walking with God if we walk in the light this beautiful verse misquoted by many Christians.

Walking in the Light and Confessing Sin

Have you heard a verse which says the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin? Have you heard that verse, you know, it's not in the Bible. The blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin is not in the Bible.

What the Bible says is if we walk in the light as he is in the light then the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin and There's a lot of difference between that and just saying the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin because the wrong person can take a hold of that verse.

1 John 1 7 does not say the blood of Jesus cleanses anybody and everybody from all sin. It cleanses only those who walk in the light as God himself is in the light. That means only a person who has a burning desire to live in the light of God with nothing hidden in his life.

This is not talking about perfection. Coming into the light means I hide nothing. I Come into the light of God's purity and I say Lord. You can see me as I am. I Don't want to hide anything in my life.

This is not for hypocrites. This is not for those who want to hide something. Then the blood of Jesus will cleanse us not just cover us like the Old Testament blood of bulls and goats. But cleanse it remove it wipe it out.

So there's no record of it anymore justified by his blood cleansed from all sin. But if we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves. Who is this man saying? Writing this verse a man who's 90 years old who's walked with God for 60 years.

He still says we we were saved. So did John have sin in his life at the age of 90? Yes or no? Yes. He says we he doesn't say you. He says we. Here is this godly man the holiest man walking on earth at that time.

He acknowledges. That is there are still areas in my life where I have not yet become like Jesus Christ. I'm pressing on. So there'll never be a time in our life when we can say we are free from sin. John was climbing a mountain.

He was born again one day. He was a foot of the mountain. Becoming like Christ is the top of the mountain. He was climbing and he had probably reached a long way up maybe 75 of the way up. But he still hadn't reached the top.

He says still there's sin in me. What type of sin. Not anger and bitterness and lust and adultery and all that. No, he had finished with that when he was about a hundred feet now. He's about 20 ,000 feet.

He's dealing with other sins, which we probably don't even think about as sins you know. The Christian life is a struggle at every stage. Have you seen the second standard students struggling with his arithmetic?

Yeah, he struggles with his arithmetic multiplication and all is difficult for him. Have you seen the PhD students struggling with his arithmetic? Mathematics. Both are struggling but at two different levels.

He's struggling with multiplication and he's struggling with some complicated mathematical problem. So Christian life is like that at every point. It's a struggle. It's a struggle at five feet. It's a struggle at 20 ,000 feet because there's sin.

There's a depth and saturation of sin in this body and As we get light on it, we cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit. Perfecting holiness in the fear of God, but till the end of our life on earth, we will have to admit.

There's still sin in us. We're still not like Christ. But we are pressing on it's becoming better every year. It's better than it was last year. Verse 9. If we confess our sins, he's faithful and righteous to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

The Advocate and the Call Not to Sin

One little point here. To whom should we confess our sin? Very important because there's a lot of false teaching on this particularly in cultist groups that try to control you. By saying confess your sins in public.

I've heard of groups Christian groups of born-again people where people are told to confess all their sins in public which they committed. Way back from their earliest memory. This is of the devil. It's not of God.

Sin must be confessed in the circle in which it was committed. For example, if I have a dirty thought. Who is in that circle? Only God. You don't know about it. So I confess only to God if I slap you there are two people in that circle God and you.

I Confess to you and I confess to God. If I hurt somebody if I hurt five people. Then there are six people in that circle God plus those five people. I confess to God. I confess to those five people. I don't go and confess to other people never.

Sin which is committed only against God you confess only to God sin. It just can be committed against God plus X number of people we confess to God and those X number of people. That's all. Please remember this it will save you from a lot of stupidity.

That's going on in Christendom today where leaders and pastors try to control people by making you confess your sin so they know about your past life and then you can Never leave their group because they can blackmail you.

They say we know all about your past life. You better be careful stay here for the rest of your life. There are so many wicked men in Christendom today. Don't listen to their foolish teachings. They quote some verse like it says in James 5 confess your sins to one another.

They never show you the context of it that that's talking about healing. That if you are not healed because of some sin in your life confess that sin in the presence of only the elders and be Healed. It's not talking about public confession of sin.

Don't be fooled by people who take one verse out of context. Okay, he's faithful. He'll forgive us cleanse us from all unrighteousness and If we say we have not sinned we make him a liar. These are two different things.

Verse 8 is having sin, which is unconscious inside us. Verse 10 is have not sinned which is committing sin. If anybody says I've never seen in my life, he's a liar. I don't think any of us have that problem.

Chapter 2 verse 1 now my little children. I'm writing to you. What is the? What is his word to us these things? I'm writing to you that you should not sin. That's the first word, but We may sin. This is the balance of Scripture.

What is the balance of Scripture? You should not sin, but we may sin and If anyone sins we have an advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous. Why is he called Jesus Christ the righteous? Because a lot of advocates are liars.

But Jesus Christ is not Jesus Christ doesn't won't tell a lie. He will help you if you speak the truth. He's a righteous Advocate he's on your side. But if you want him to help you, please speak the truth.

Don't tell a lie. Don't pretend that you have not sinned. Don't pretend that you're holy when you're not Acknowledge your sin and he will Forgive you he will support you. He will defend you. He's an advocate on your side, but the righteous advocate.

Now, can you tell me what is the difference supposing John had written like this? The last part of that sentence. No the last there are two sentences in verse 1. Supposing he had put the second sentence first in the first sentence second, would it have made a difference?

What do you think? Supposing it had read like this verse 1 my little children if anyone sins. We have an advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous, but I'm writing to you that you may not sin.

Do you think that would have made a difference? It's the same truths. It would have made a difference because then the emphasis is being given on the fact first of all that of course you will sin and The other thing comes secondary.

Of course, we should try to not sin, but that's not how it's put. The emphasis is put first of all on don't sin. That's the emphasis and then if you fall. This is what you must do. In other words John is saying you don't have to fall.

We don't straightaway tell a person you're gonna fall. Think of a man who's climbing a mountain. You tell him well, of course, you know, you're gonna fall are you gonna break your bones? Is that the first thing you tell a man who's gonna climb a mountain?

No, you tell him you can climb you can go up to the top brother you need not fall but if you fall. Here's an ambulance ready to pick you up. There's a lot of difference between putting one thing first and the other thing second and many times people preach putting the second thing first.

Of course you people will sin. Why do we tell them that first? Why not tell them what it says first year you should not sin and. Then tell them if you do this is what you can do. That's the right way.

Supposing you tell your child who's going for an examination. He's all nervous and he says you tell your child, you know, you may fail in this examination. What encouragement to that poor child? Of course, you may fail and then of course you can always do it next year, you know, don't worry.

Is that how you tell a child going to an examination? He said no you're gonna do well and If you do badly, don't worry, don't get discouraged. Don't go and commit suicide. No. That's the way we do it for children.

Why can't we do it like that in the Christian life? You will not sin. You're gonna overcome. But if you fail don't commit suicide just come home. God will help you. That's the right way. Okay, because he's the propitiation for the sins of the whole world.

Obedience, Walking as Christ Walked, and Love

How do we know that we have come to know Jesus verse 3 because we keep his commandments. And if you say that, you know him verse 4 and you don't keep his commandments. You're a liar. Keeping the commandments is one of the great themes of one John.

Obeying God keeping his commandments obeying God keeping his commandments. It's one of the great themes of one John the. The other theme is of course loving the one another but let me proceed here. We're six.

The one who says he abides in Christ Must walk as he walked. Not as other men walk don't say we are human one John 2 6 if you say that you are Abiding in Christ. Every Christian says that what is your responsibility to walk as Jesus walked?

That's your responsibility. That we must take as a challenge we cannot become like Christ that comes in chapter 3 verse 2 only when he comes. Walking as he walked is here on earth. You see walking is a conscious act.

We don't walk in our sleep. We walk when we are awake. It's a conscious act. I walk consciously but There's a lot of me which is unconscious. I don't know so many things in my life in those areas I'll become like Christ when he comes.

He says I'm not writing a new commandment to you. But an old one which you heard from the beginning and that is about love. If you hate your brother, you're still in darkness verse 9. But the one who loves his brother abides in the light.

These are two of the main themes of the letter obedience to God's commandments and Loving one another obedience to God's commandments and loving one another. Then he writes in verse 12 to 14 to three groups of Christians the babies spiritual babies spiritually little like young people and spiritually mature fathers.

Babies young men fathers. What does he tell the babies your sins are forgiven? Babies must know your sins are forgiven. What's the second thing? He tells babies. That's in the last part of verse 13 little children.

You know the father. There are two things all Christian babies must know. One all your sins are forgiven and that God is your loving father. That's the point you start at if you don't start there and you can't even grow.

Secondly, we go to the next level. What is the young men those who are little more mature in the Christian life? What should they know? First of all. To overcome Satan. Middle of verse 13. I've written unto you young men because you overcome the evil one and the latter part of verse 14.

Because you are strong the Word of God abides in you and that's how you overcome the evil one. In other words, you overcome Satan by the Word of God abiding in you. Then what about fathers? What do the fathers need to know?

They need to know God Him who was from the beginning. From the beginning there was life and fellowship. When you come to maturity you come to know God and Again he says in verse 14 the same thing. There's only one thing I have to write to you father.

You've got to know God. There's nothing greater than that to know God personally to know the values he has to know the things that Existed from all eternity and that's how you can distinguish today. Those who are always talking about forgiveness and God is a loving father.

He takes care of all my needs. He heals me. He provides for me. That's good. Don't despise them. It's like babies who say mama dada and things like that. Don't despise them. That's good. But don't spend all your life saying mama dada you've got to grow up from that.

You got to grow up to go to school. You've got to grow up to be strong you've got to grow up to learn how to ride a cycle things like that you got to grow up to overcome Satan and Then you've got to go beyond that see some people get stuck there.

They're always resisting Satan rebuking Satan all the time all over the place. Now Jesus didn't spend his time rebuking Satan all around. No, don't think such people are spiritual. They are in a stage and if they get stuck there this problem they must go on to the place where they know God.

That's the greatest thing of all. Okay, and then to all these three groups he has got an exhortation don't love the world verse 15. Can fathers also be in danger of loving the world? Sure, the most mature person in the world Christian is also in danger of loving the world.

It needs an exhortation. Don't love the world. If you love the world, you don't cannot love the father. Everything that is in the world and there are three things mentioned there the lust of the flesh.

Which is the passions in our body? Sexual passions passion to eat too much sleep too much all types of lusts of anger various things the lust of the eyes that is the desire to buy everything I see whatever I see and Related to the love of money that is and the pride of life.

These are the three things which characterize the world system. That's not from the father and anyone. Who loves these things cannot love the father, but the world is passing away and all these lusts will pass away.

But the one who does the will of God will remain forever. The only one is going to remain forever is the one who spends his life doing God's will. And then he says about Antichrist, you know that there are Antichrist is going to come in the last days.

But they're already Antichrist in the church people who got the spirit of the Antichrist. Who want to exalt themselves, you know, the Antichrist it says in second Thessalonians 2 sits in the temple as God.

He says there are already people sitting in the church. Pretending that they are God. What are the marks of them? They want to rule over other people. They don't want to serve other people. They are the Antichrist.

The people who never Ask forgiveness from anyone because God doesn't ever ask forgiveness from anyone because he never makes a mistake. There are some people who act like God as if they have never made a mistake in their life.

A lot of people like that a lot of Christian leaders who act as though I never make any mistakes. I Say till the end of my life. I Will be asking forgiveness from people because I make mistakes. I'm not God.

Don't ever think that if time will come in your life, but you'll never make a mistake. You will I will. We got to humble ourselves and say we're not God. We may slip up and when we do we must be ready to ask forgiveness from the lowest and the least person on earth.

So the Antichrist are already there but John was so powerful in the church that these Antichrist had to go away when John was there and Our church the preaching in the church must be so powerful that people sitting with the spirit of the Antichrist must get offended and leave.

And go somewhere else. Where all the other Antichrist congregate in some other group let them go there. But they can't be here. We need people like John to drive these Antichrist out of the church. They went out from us verse 19 because they didn't belong their spirit didn't belong to our spirit.

So they couldn't stay here. They can go and join the other people in some other group. Where their spirit is the same and he says you also need to discern that you got an anointing and you can discern.

Because that anointing verse 27 will teach you all things you don't need John. You don't need John or any apostle to come and teach. You got the Holy Spirit to show you what spirit that fellow has. So little children abide in him chapter 3.