The First Epistle of John: Lesson Two

"For this they willfully forget:

that by the word of God the heavens

were of old, and the earth standing out of water

and in the water,

by which the world that then existed

perished, being flooded with water. But

the heavens and the earth

which are now preserved by the

same word, are reserved for fire until the

day of judgment

and perdition of ungodly men."

2 Peter 3:5-7

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Good day, ladies! As with all Bible study, let's begin by seeking the Lord.....

"Holy Father, thank You for reminding us in Peter's epistle about the power of Your word. As we study this day about who You are and what Your word is, may we be blessed and renewed.

I seek the forgiveness of my sins...even the sins I do not know about....so that when I read Your word this day I may clearly here Your voice and not be separated from You. I pray for a cleansing by Your precious blood.

I pray for the ladies reading this study this day. May we all be changed through the reading of Your word. I pray that You will go to her and hear her prayer for help and renewal. I pray that You will teach her how to be a better servant to You, LORD.

In Jesus' name....amen."

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What Was Heard, Seen, and Touched

As we begin this lesson today, it is important for us to remember those words of Peter's above. God's word is indeed most powerful. More powerful than any nuclear weapon and more powerful than any earthly army.

His words brought life from nothingness. Ex nihilo...something from nothing. And by those words we will be judged in the end for what we did and did not do according to His word.

1 John 1:1

"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and out hands have handled, concerning the Word of life."

Whenever I teach English and writing lessons at my son's school, I have to remind the students about different types of writing: narrative, informative, persuasive, etc. They can easily tell what type of writing their story is by knowing these types thoroughly.

When a writer lists facts and specifics, they are usually trying to persuade the reader of the author's expertise or experience for validation.

Here we have John telling us that from the beginning he was there to hear Jesus, touch Him, see Him with his eyes, and handle Him with his own hands...so we, the reader, may know that John has the expertise and experience to write about Christ. He knew Him intimately and Jesus knew John intimately. This gives credibility and validation to the letter.

Please read:

Mark 1:14 -the fisherman

• John's calling
• Jesus called John...John did not seek Jesus

Luke 5:1-11

• Witnessed miracles along with Simon
• They forsook all and followed Him

Matt 4:20

Matt 19:27

Mark 3:13-18

Luke 9:1-3

• Most mentioned disciples: Peter, James, & John

So, we read here that Jesus chose these men....He performed miracles before them, and then He gave them the power to preach the kingdom of God and to heal. John was a credible witness to the acts of Jesus.

Acts 4:1-4

• "...many who heard their words, believed."
• Christ gave power to their words

Please read:

John 1:1-4

John 1:14

1 John 1:1

"...that which we have seen with our eyes.."

John beheld the glory of the Word becoming flesh and dwelling among them. He also saw that glory being beaten, tortured, ridiculed, and finally...killed.

John 19: 25-30

Imagine you are John. You were chosen by Jesus to do and witness great things. You saw with your own eyes the dead rising again! You sat under Jesus' teachings. Imagine that!! You ate with Him and talked to Him.

Then, you saw Him bleeding and hanging on a cross...the very glory of God hanging like a criminal just as He said. Suddenly, you watch Him die.

John 20: 1-23

Bu then, with those same eyes, you see the empty tomb, the linens gently placed, and then you see the risen Christ standing before you just as He said He would.

Imagine that!

John 1:1

"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, concerning the Word of life.."

Yes, John was the credible witness chosen by Jesus to write these words that we may know and have fellowship with Christ Jesus.....just as he did.

Praise be to God.

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Life Application

So, how do we take all this and apply it to our lives? Well, are you a credible witness of Christ just as John was? Do you know Jesus intimately enough to tell others about Him and His words?

Please read:

1Tim 1:16-17

Is Jesus using you to show to others how to get through pain and suffering so that they may know how to suffer in Christ Jesus?

A teacher at Nathan's school was recently hired to take over for another teacher who left. She has no experience at all in teaching, but she came at a time when I was there teaching full time for 6 weeks. I came alongside her and helped her with lesson plans and classroom management while another experienced teacher helped her with administrative tasks. Together, all three of us grew close and began to know each other intimately. So intimately, that this teacher shared with us that she was having marriage problems and financial troubles.

As a result, I was able to share with her how Jesus brought me and Scott through similar troubles and how faithful Christ was to us throughout all the hard times. Jesus used our pain and suffering "as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him". She was very encouraged by my tansparency. Especially when I told her that only 4 short years ago I was cleaning toilets as a janitor at our church and now I have a Masters degree in education and am a teacher. She was amazed at what Jesus did with my life.....and what He can do with hers.

1 John 1:4

The purpose for the First Epistle of John is clear: that we all may have the full and complete joy that comes with having fellowship in Christ Jesus.

Know Him personally. Know Him intimately. Then, tell others about what you have seen, heard, and witnessed Him doing in your life.

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Next time we will look deeper into the "Word of life" .

Until then.....

"The gospel is a message of good news that something extraordinary has happened. At the heart of that message is that Jesus, God the Son incarnate, has atoned for the sins of all His people, turning away the righteous wrath of God. The gospel is a cross-shaped message. Sadly, in our day, this message is being re-shaped into other forms, and the results are not happy."

-Dr. R. Scott Clark, Associate Pastor, Westminster Seminary California (cited from the book, The Truth About the Cross, R.C. Sproul, 2007)

Blessings,

Ruth