09-13-2020 – Personal Testimony
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September 13, 2020
"Personal Testimony"
Studing: 1John 1:1-4...
"What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life— 2 and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us— 3 what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. 4 These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete."
The Book of 1John, along with 2&3 John, was written (early-mid 90’s A.D.) by the Apostle John, who also wrote the Gospel According to John (late 80’s-early 90’s) and Revelation (mid-late 90’s).
John was well known among the churches in Asia minor, and though the letter itself doesn’t specify John as the author, it was well established by the earliest testimony of the church that he indeed wrote this letter.
John's main purpose seems to be to reiterate the foundations of the Christian faith and to exhort Christians to test and approve all that is proclaimed and practiced in the name of Christ.
Read 1John 1:1-3…
"What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life— 2 and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to youthe eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us— 3 what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ."
John was a first-hand witness to what Jesus said and did, including His death and resurrection. John was not only an Apostle, he was one of Christ's most intimate followers, along with Peter and James.
John focuses here on the historic reality of Jesus Christ (the God-man: Son of God, Son of Man); because the false teachers of that time claimed to know Christ, yet denied that He was both God and man. John desires that all Christians obtain and maintain a proper view of Christ's humanity and divinity.
Notice how John states that he (and the other Apostles) have heard, have seen, and have touched Christ. John emphasizes how he personally looked upon and touched Jesus during His earthly ministry, both before and after His resurrection.
John provides his own personal testimony, that God did come in the flesh and that He did provide forgiveness and eternal life. John declares that those who have genuine fellowship with the Father through Christ, will know, believe and teach what is recorded in God’s Word.
This letter was written 50-60 years after Christ’s death, resurrection and ascension; and yet, John has a vivid recollection of all that Jesus did, said, and was. How is that possible.
John 14:16-17,
“I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.”
John 14:25-26,
“These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.”
John reemphasizes his own personal experience and eyewitness account of Jesus’ life on earth. This first-person testimony is very important, especially in light of all the false teachers of that day who arrogantly and falsely proclaimed lies about Jesus Christ; although they never really knew or believed in Him.
You and I, as God’s people, are to testify to others about the personal and growing relationship we have with Jesus Christ, as we prayerfully communicate with God, reading, studying and applying His Word to our life, learning to trust Him for what we need and thanking Him for all that He provides, now and forever.
Everyone who seeks forgiveness for their sins through Christ has eternal life and fellowship with God the Father and God the Son.
John 1:1-4,
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.”
John 1:14,
“And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
John 1:18,
“No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.”
John 5:25-26,
“Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself.”
John 11:25,
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies.”
1John 5:11-13.
“And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.”
God’s people are to be witnesses, like John, ready to share the message of Christ with anyone and everyone who will listen.
God’s people are messengers; Christ is the Message. We are spiritual food and beverage servers: Christ is the Bread of Life and the Living Water.
John 4:10,
Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”
John 4:14,
“whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”
John 6:27,
“Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you…”
John 6:33-35,
“For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world…” “…Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.”
Have you ever been offered food or drink when you were so full you felt as if you would burst? There may be a lesson in such an experience, I believe people need to be spiritually hungry or thirsty in order to be able and willing to hear the gospel.
I don’t do “door-to-door evangelism,” and I personally have a real distaste for telemarketers, especially Christian telemarketers who constantly call at the most inopportune times (lunch time, dinner time, bed time), trying to sell me something I don’t need or want.
It usually begins something like, “Is the Pastor in?” Then, “have I caught you at a bad time? Brother Hale” (“Pastor Hale,” or “Rev. Hale”). Finally they say, “I would like to tell you about an offer for a new ministry tool”... blah, blah, blah!
Or maybe they ask, “Is the person in charge of your youth ministry available?” or “Could I please speak with the individual who makes decisions about your phone and internet service?” or “Is the one in charge of ordering office supplies in?”...
I often think, maybe it is just too difficult for telemarketers to understand that, if I have a need for something I will seek to find it, and I don’t want them coming to my door or my phone to try and sell me something.
But you know, these experiences have caused me to rethink the way I bear witness to, or proclaim the message of, Christ.
God has provided all that is necessary for us to serve Him honorably and victoriously.
The Holy Spirit convicts us of the truth that we are all sinners, and there is Only One Savior.
(John 16:8-9), Jesus said,
“And He, when He [the Holy Spirit) comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me.”.
The Bible proclaims the truth of God’s plan, purpose, and provision through His Son. Jesus told the religious leaders
(John 5:39), “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.”
(John 14:6),
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”
As Believers, we are to give testimony through our words and works, that we are just sinners saved by the grace of God. Our purpose is to serve God and to love others by treating them as we would want to be treated
(1Peter 2:12),
“Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.”
(1Peter 2:15),
“For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men.”
Our personal testimony should express God’s love and exemplify God’s character.
In 1John1:4, we read,
“These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete.” Why does John say, “These things we write,” instead of “I write,” “so that our joy may be made complete,” instead of “your joy”?
John 15:8-9,
“My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love.”
John 15:11,
“These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.”
John 16:16,
“A little while, and you will no longer see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me.”
John 16:22,
“Therefore you too have grief now; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you.”
John 16:33,
“These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”
Are you excited about witnessing for Christ? Our peace and joy come from Christ; in fact, it is the joy of one who has been forgiven all their sins and granted eternal life.
You and I will not personally (this side of heaven) hear, or see, or touch Jesus, as did John; but we are just as responsible to bear witness and testify about Christ.
You and I must allow the truth of God’s Word to change us internally, if we expect for the changes to have an effect externally, where people see us.
2Corinthians 5:21,
“He made Him [Jesus Christ] who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
I pray that, in the weeks ahead, as we work our way through 1John, we all will have an increase in our desire to know, to grow in, to stand firm upon, and to declare the Message of Christ, as we serve the Bread of Life and the Living Water to anyone who hungers or thirsts for the righteousness that only comes from God.
And all God’s people said? Amen!
Pastor Mike
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