Jul4-10: Experiencing the Word of Life

Teaching Points

1. John has seen and heard "the Word of Life"1 John 1:1-3

• We have heard
• We have seen

OBSERVATION:

We have heard - this means willing to hear and to understand

• Deuteronomy 29:4 Yet the LORD hath not given you an heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day.
• Isaiah 50:4 The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned.
• Jeremiah 25:4 And the LORD hath sent unto you all his servants the prophets, rising early and sending them; but ye have not hearkened, nor inclined your ear to hear.
• Ezekiel 12:2 Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, which have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not: for they are a rebellious house.
• Matthew 11:15 He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

We have seen- this means convinced and ready to testify

• John 3:11 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.
• John 20:25 The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.
• Acts 4:20 For we can not but speak the things which we have seen and heard.
• 1 John 1:3 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.
• 1 John 4:14 And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.

2. Comparison between John 1 and 1 John

• John 1:1 This text shows who the Word is
  1 John 1:1 This text shows who experienced the Word of life

• John 1:1 "In the beginning"
  1 John 1:1 "That which was from the beginning"

• John 1:1, 4 "The Word", "In Him was life"
  1 John 1:1 "The Word of Life"
  

• John 1:1 "The Word was with God"
  1 John 1:2 "Which was with the Father

• John 1:5 John the Baptist was a witness of the Word
  1 John 1:1 The Twelve Disciples were witnesses of the Word of life

• John 1:3 The Word is the Creator
  1 John 1:2 The Word of Life is the Eternal Life

• John 1:12 "Become the sons of God"
  1 John 3:2 "Now are we the sons of God"
  

• John 1:14 "The Word became flesh"
  1 John 4:2 "Jesus Christ is come in the flesh"
  

• John 1:29 "Behold the Lamb of God"
  1 John 1:9 "Forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us..."

OBSERVATION:

• John 1-Introducing Jesus as God, Creator, Human, the Sacrifice.
• 1 John-introducing how we can be connected to the Word of Life.

3. Jesus is the Word of Life

• 1 John 1:1,2 The Word of Life is eternal life
• 1 John 2:25 Eternal life is promised to us
• 1 John 5:11-13 Eternal life is in His Son
• 1 John 5:20 Jesus Christ is eternal life
  

OBSERVATION:

• Jesus is the Eternal Life. Eternal life has two fold characteristics: quantity and quality. The quantity of the eternal life is an everlasting life however the quality of the eternal life is the character that Jesus revealed on earth. God's word is everlasting and God's word reveals God's character. Jesus has the both the quantity and the quality of eternal life.

4. "Witness" may also means willing to die for what you have seen and heard

• witness-Greek Definition: martureo-testify, bear record, give evidence. comes from martus, which means martyr

OBSERVATION:

• Acts 4:20 For we can not but speak the things which we have seen and heard.
• Peter and John were willing to testify even though they were threaten with death.

5. True fellowship is based upon waking in the light

• 1 John 1:6-7 "If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another"
• 1 John 2:8-10 Walk in the light means love his brother
• 1 John 2:5 In order to experience the love of God we need to keep His word
• 1 John 2:15 in order to experience the love of God we must not love the world
• 1 John 3:16-18 True love is willingness to lay down our own life for others

OBSERVATION:

• Walking in the light means to keep God's commandments. God's commandment is to love one another. The true fellowship is based upon love and this love is self-sacrificing love. Therefore true fellowship is possible when there is the spirit of self-sacrificing love among God's people. This love comes from God and not manufacture by man.

CONCLUSION:

• Jesus is the Word of Life. This life is eternal because it is based upon true love. And the true love is self-sacrificing. This type of love should never die. This type of love was manifested to us through Jesus Christ.