Thanks for listening to the latest message from Him We Proclaim. In this encouraging series, Pastor John walks us through the resurrection of Jesus, the reality of eternal life. The grace of baptism, and the unshakable assurance believers have in Christ. I hope you have your copy of Scriptures along. We'll be looking at passages like 1 Corinthians, Luke, 1 John, and more.
To get gospel-centered reminders of God's faithfulness, power, and grace toward His people. Whether you're seeking hope, clarity, or a deeper understanding of the gospel, these sermons are rich with biblical truth and comfort. Let's dive now into today's message called The Message of Life Part 2. We're back to first John and this is the question that The question that we've been looking at, who is Jesus? Because John is addressing this issue in 1 John.
Why? Because there was a disagreement about the identity of Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah. There were two groups in the church. This The two groups of first century Jews in the church. The First groups, Jesus.
isn't the Christ. The second group said Jesus is not the Christ. Look at 1 John 2, verse 22, and this is what they said. This is what John says about them. He says, who isn't liar but And this is it.
The The the person who denies that Jesus It isn't the Christ, the Messiah. Version. Look at verse 19. Because of this, because they deny that Jesus is the Messiah, John says. They went out.
Left the fellowship. And John, John writes this. letter to assure his children. That their salvation is secure because they are confessing that Jesus is the Christ. These first five verses are are essential to John's defense that Jesus is the Christ.
He said some words. Very important. Truth is about what he calls the message of Life. He says that he and the apostles had experienced firsthand this message. This message lies that he is proclaiming.
The first thing that he says, look at verses 1 and 2, he says that John and the apostles. What did they do with this message of life? He said as they proclaim it. This is the heart of the apostolic proclamation of the first century church. They proclaim that Jesus is the Messiah, that he is the Christ.
John says, Look what he says. He says they heard him. Here's post He's talking about his post Resurrection appearances. They heard him when he came back from the dead. saw him, they looked at him.
scrutinized him. That he touched him. And this was such a powerful experience that They were changed. And John says that because they had this. encounter this experience with the risen Christ.
They can be assured that they have Salvation. Because his assurance is found in this resurrected Messiah.
Okay. That that was last week, look at this week. Look at verse 2. John says This Life, look what he says here, was manifested. And he's We have seen and we testify, we proclaim to you.
There's the eternal life. which was with the Father. And he said again was manifested to us. This idea of manifestation. What is he talking about?
He's talking about Again, Jesus' appearances to his disciples. After he Right. Rotten was from the dead. Look back at the Gospel of John. Look at John chapter 21.
John chapter 21, because this is what he's referring to. He's thinking back about Jesus' appearance to his disciples at the Sea of Tiberias. And he's thinking about this encounter that they had with him. Look at this. Look at what John says.
He says, after these things, Jesus. manifested himself took the disciples This isn't what he's reflecting upon. Jesus manifested himself to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias. And John says it was manifested. in this way.
Look at verse 14. John says this That's what This wasn't Now, the third time that Jesus was manifested to the disciples. After he was Raised? From the dead. And John isn't looking back, verse 2 of 1 John, to this encounter the disciples had where Jesus.
manifested himself to them. Jesus' self-disclosure to his disciples. when he was alive after death. This one is. powerful manifestation.
Mooks has Listen to this, the book of Acts, the first chapter, verse 3, he says, to these, that is to the apostles, he presented himself alive. after his suffering. by many convincing proofs. manifesting to him over a period of 40 days. You see that.
Jesus. For 40 days after his resurrection, he manifests himself to them with many convincing proofs. that he was alive. And Jesus appeared multiple times to his disciples, and he gave them. Many proofs to strengthen their faith.
Why? Because it's not normal for people to die and the next day be alive. That's not normal. And Jesus, he manifests himself. He appears to his disciples to strengthen their faith.
To given that Luke says Many proofs. That he is alive, that he's flesh and blood from the dead. And so John says that Jesus He has this Jesus who appeared to us. Look back at 1 John. Verse 2 he says, The life was manifested, it was revealed to us.
No, look, he also says in verse 2. He says, We have seen, we testify, they're eyewitnesses. And he said, as we proclaim. What? The eternal life Look, which was with the Father.
Now This phrase is often misunderstood. Because what John is talking about is not not what he's talking about. In the first chapter of his gospel, where he has Jesus. was with the father. He's talking about something different here.
This is what he says. This phrase, with the Father, can also be translated, and listen to this. to the Father. John is talking about the place that Jesus. Web two after his death.
When Jesus died, where did he go? And John says he went. Two Father. He went to the Father. Look back at the Gospel of John.
Look at John chapter 13. John says this: Now, before the feast of the Passover, Jesus, knowing that his hour had come. that he would depart out of this world. Look at this. To the Father.
That's what John is talking about. Look at John chapter 14. Look at verse twelve. Jesus says, truly, truly I say to you, he who believes in me But works that I do, he will do also. And he said, And greater works than these he will do because.
I Go to to the Father. It's the exact same phrase that John uses in 1 John. Look at verse 28. Jesus says, you heard that I said to you, I go away. And I will come to you.
If you loved me, you would have rejoiced. Because here it is, I go. to the Father. This is what John is saying. He's strengthening the fact that Jesus appeared to his disciples in these post-resurrection appearances to prove that he's the Christ, the Messiah.
Who is Jesus? He's the Messiah. He's the Christ. How do we know this? Because he had many convincing proofs that he manifested himself to the disciples because they heard it.
They saw it. They scrutinized it, they touched him. And John says that this manifestation, this appearing, refers to Jesus' appearances. after he comes back from the dead, when he appears to his disciples after going to the Father. You see that's what he's saying here.
Now here's the question. Why did John proclaim this message? Why did the apostles proclaim this message? Why did they proclaim this resurrected Christ? Look at verse 3.
The proclamation of this message results in fellowship. Fellowship. Look what John says. He says, verse 3, what we have seen. What we have heard What we proclaim to you also.
Why? So that you too. may have fellowship with us, with the apostles. But listen to this also. And he says, and indeed our fellowship is with the Father.
And with his son, Jesus. Christ, Jesus the Messiah. This is the first time that John mentions Jesus in this letter. And who does he call him? The Son of the Father, who is the Messiah Christ.
And that's who we have fellowship with. Why does John open up like this? Because what had happened? The fellowship in John's churches had been broken by those who denied that Jesus is the Christ and they left the fellowship. They broke the fellowship.
You see, And listen carefully. Faults. Gospels destroy fellowship. Fellowship with each other and fellowship with the triune God, the Father and the Son. And John proclaims this resurrected, incarnate Christ to his readers so that they might have fellowship not just with the apostles.
but with God himself. This is exactly what happened on the day of Pentecost when Peter preached the resurrected Christ to the crowds at Pentecost. Acts chapter 2. Peter proclaims very clearly the resurrection of Christ proving that he's the Messiah to that crowd and 3,000 people as in verse 42 were added to the fellowship. He says it in verse 42.
The book of Acts, it says they were continually Devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching, that's this message. And Two Fellowship. The preaching of the gospel results in fellowship with each other and fellowship with the triune God. That's what believers devote themselves to.
Now look at verse 3. John sets forth this twofold result. that comes about by the proclamation I'm just message of life, the resurrected Christ. Fellowship between man and man. He says, We proclaim this gospel so that you can have fellowship with us.
Who's the us? It's the apostles. Um The true church of God. But second, he says, here's the result: fellowship between the triune God and man. He says, indeed, our fellowship is with.
The father. And with his son, Jesus Christ, Jesus Messiah.
Now here's the question. That's what John is arguing. But here's the question. What is John? Showing us.
What is he showing us that is actually happening? Because of the proclamation of the resurrection of Christ. What is he showing us? Listen carefully. He's showing us how through the proclamation of Jesus who is the Christ.
Proven by his resurrection. He's showing us how that message of life. against reverse the curse. Of Eden. That's what he's showing us.
He's showing us how through the proclamation of the gospel Fellowship between God and man and man and man is restored. coming back to the goal of creation itself.
So, to understand what John is teaching here, you have to go back to Genesis 2. The very first beginning. The first chapters. Through the preaching, John says, We proclaim this message, this who is life, who is eternal life. The message of life.
What kind of life is it giving us? You have to go back to the blueprint to see.
Now, as babies and children, all of us craved as human beings. love. Didn't we? Have you ever met a baby who did not want to be loved. Beautiful little children, right?
Just I just want to be loved. Connected.
Well warmth, security. Joy, happiness. Hilarity, play, fun. Babies never needed isolation. What happens to baby if you keep it in isolation?
It dies. Why? Because that's hell. On earth. Babies never needed loneliness.
Pain. Anger. Huh. Neglect. Frustration.
Veer. Anxieties, depression, most importantly, not getting loved, not. feeling loved and accepted. Having a place. Called a family where they're connected and they feel joy and security and warmth.
Just consider this example here, loneliness. Listen what the father says about that. He says, did you know that loneliness can be as destructive as a debilitating disease? He cites this article by these researchers that says. Loneliness could be changing your brain and your body.
And then he says loneliness has hit epidemic proportions in our country. People were already lonely before. COVID-19 stranded folks at home and made getting close to people a lot nerving. Do you remember that? I remember back about four years ago when churches were saying, let's divide the church.
One side, I've got a vaccine card. The other side, these are the non-vaccinated, you can't sit with them. You talk about dividing up the fellowship. You talking about isolation. Loneliness, fear, anxiety, that was on steroids back then.
And this article says, but researchers were realizing that before this pandemic hit, Americans were lonelier than ever. Tragically, these are the negative consequences all of us experience, some to a greater degree than others. Because of the fall. This is life East. of Eden.
This is Listen carefully. Hell on earth. But from the beginning, this is not the kind of life that God intended for us to have. John says in 1 John chapter 1, he says. The life was manifested.
He appeared to us from the grave. We saw him, looked at him, scrutinized him, touched him. He's real, it happened. We're eyewitnesses of this amazing event that has changed the course of history. And John says.
This Life. This life, this message, this life is eternal life. What is eternal life? It's perfect fellowship with God. perfect fellowship with each other.
It's the Garden of Eden glorified.
So, the first two chapters of the book of Genesis show us God's. God's design, His perfect creation, how meant to be, it's the blueprint. In these opening chapters, it reveals to us how life. in God's good world was meant to be. And what do we see?
God's people, Adam and Eve. Living in God's place at the Garden of Eden. Under God's rule. Therefore, they enjoy God's blessing. What do we see here in the first two chapters?
We have man living in perfect fellowship with God. The tri-union God, man living, Adam and Eve with each other in perfect relationship. Trust. love, intimacy, connection, security, joy, warmth. Sad is fraction.
There was no Mick Jagger song there. I can't get no. Satisfaction. Yeah. It was perfect.
It was perfect. Fellowship. But disastrously, something happened disastrously. Man. And they self- will the act of rebellion.
turned against his Creator, His Covenant God. Indestroy. Avoid this perfect fellowship. By his sin. What does God do?
He acts in judgment to spoil all the perfect fellowship, the relationships that he established at creation. What happened? The perfect fellowship, trust, intimacy, and love. But Man, it's gone. Adam and Eve, what happens after they sin?
Adam blames Eve. Right. Eve blames the serpent. But both of them are blaming God because Adam says God you gave her to me and Eve says God you created a serpent. They're both saying it's your fault.
Then, following the sin of Adam and Eve, the first murder is recorded in history. Adam and Eve's son, Cain, murders his brother Abel. You're talking about disrupting fellowship. It was over. Genesis chapter 5 records the disastrous spread of sin and death to all mankind.
Regardless of how long a man lives. There's a refrain that runs throughout this chapter 5. Listen, so all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred and sixty-nine years. He was young. Because he was never created to be to die.
But even though he was almost a thousand years old, listen to this refrain throughout the whole chapter. And he He. died. In Genesis 11, there's God's judgment at the Tower of Babel, where he scatters men throughout the earth and gives them different languages. And because of this, mankind is now divided from God and from each other.
their fellowship is destroyed because they're in complete confusion. They can't understand each other. And if you've ever tried to communicate in a foreign country to somebody who doesn't speak your language, it's impossible to have fellowship. Yeah. Mr.
Oid. The perfect fellowship, the trust, the intimacy, love between God and man is gone. Rather than walking in the cool of the day with their Creator God. Adam and Eve hear the voice of God speak to them, Adam, where are you? And they hide in fear.
Adam says, I heard the sound of you in the garden. And I was afraid. Do you listen to that? I heard the sound of you. I heard the word of the Lord address me.
Where are you? And I was afraid. Because I was naked, I was Fully exposed to you in my rebellion and sin and guilt, and I was afraid.
So I hid myself because I knew the sentence of execution. was coming. In the day that you eat of this, you shall surely Die. And so tragically, Adam's fearful response has become the reply of every human conscience in the sight of God. Man's relationship, Genesis chapter 3, verses 7 through 8, is marked by separation.
Fear and dread. Isolation is hell on earth. Paradise had become hell. On Earth. This perfect fellowship that God had designed and creation for man to enjoy.
is a distant dream. Man's no longer living. As God's people. God's place. Under God's sovereign rule and blessing.
Man isn't living, as I said, east of Eden. where you have isolation. Fear. Anxiety. Trouble.
Depression. Hatred. War, murder. Envy. Strive.
Jealousy. covetousness. Thin. destruction of this world never intended by its creator. No, the story of the Bible could have ended at Genesis chapter 3, verse 14.
History could have ended at Genesis chapter 3, verse 14. But because God is gracious. And because he makes promises that he keeps. Because we just heard that from Psalm 105. He remembers his covenant that he made with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, and he fulfills it.
Yeah. You see. Listen, because he's gracious. He makes this surprising announcement in Genesis chapter 3 verse 15. He says, I'm going to send the champion seed, the offspring of the woman, the serpent crusher, the Messiah.
Who will crush the serpent's head and make all things right again? Fast forward to 1 John chapter 1 verse 3. What we have seen. What we have heard when he proclaimed you also Oh, that. Let me just paraphrase it.
so that Eden can be restored to you. Yeah. So that you can have fellowship with us. And indeed, our fellowship was with the Father and with this Son, Jesus Christ. This is Eden brought back again.
Jesus is that serpent crusher, the one that they have seen, the one that they have looked at and scrutinized, the one that they have heard, that they have taught. touched when he came back from the dead for 40 days. With many convincing proofs and signs showing to them that he is alive and that he is the Messiah, that he is the serpent crusher, that he is there to give them life, eternal life. What is it? It's the reversal of all of what you've experienced, the east of Eden.
This fellowship that was lost because of human sin is being restored through Jesus, the resurrected incarnate. Christ. John says, this is why we proclaim this to you. As we think about John's purpose for proclaiming the resurrected Christ, we see, listen, what do we see here? that we are not meant.
We're not created. We're not redeemed. Mm-hmm. in isolation. I think that's bit Just one of the worst things about what happened with COVID was it just put people in constant isolation.
and destroyed fellowship. We have been created. We have been redeemed to be brought into fellowship with each other. and with the triune God as the family of God. This fellowship, John says, is created.
It's nurtured and it's strengthened by the proclamation of the message of life. The resurrected Christ, the gospel. That's what he's talking about. Through the proclamation of the message, God is bringing his people to enjoy the goal of creation. To enter into the perfection of the rest.
That Jesus promises and invites us to receive when he says, come. Come to me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you. Rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me. For why?
Because I am gentle. And humble in heart. And you will find Rest. for your souls. That's why we come to church to find rest.
We come to get that Sabbath rest. We come to get that goal of creation. We come to experience. Eden, as God has designed it to be, and here in His place. God's people in God's place, the church, are living in fellowship with God and each other, enjoying his blessings as they're submitted to King Jesus.
Ooh. What do you say? And so, this is the age of gospel proclamation to all nations, all people. John says, through the preaching and the gospel, the Holy Spirit creates this faith. He creates this fellowship between God and man and between each other.
Listen carefully through each week. When you come to receive the sacraments, Through the administration of the sacraments, the Holy Spirit assures us of our faith and He strengthens it and He nurtures this. fellowship. Listen to what the Apostle Paul says about that. The cup of blessing, that's that cup right here.
The cup of blessing that we bless, listen. Is it not a Fellowship. In the blood of Christ. You cannot unexplain that. It's not just something that you think back about that happened 2,000 years ago.
When you take that cup with faith, you are fellowshipping in the blood of Christ, not in the cup, but through faith. That means of grace gives you and connects you to Jesus himself. That's Eden restored. You get Eden here every Sunday at this table. The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a fellowship, a participation.
In the blood of Christ. Listen, look at that bread as I read this. Just won't look at it. Listen to God's word. The bread that we break, is it not a fellowship in the body of Christ?
It's a visible gospel. It's the Holy Spirit connecting us again to our God. Fellowship. You see. Listen to this.
We don't just fellowship with Christ. Verse 17, because there is one bread. We who are many. are one body, for we all partake. Fellowship.
of the one bread. We fellowship together. You think? The gospel Create. fellowship.
with God and each other. The gospel, why? Second Corinthians chapter 3, verse 8. Paul says, the gospel. is the ministry of the spirit.
You want the Holy Spirit to work? Proclaim the gospel. It's the message of life. It brings you Eden. It brings you fellowship with God.
It brings back the blueprint. And he says, this is for you. This is how life was intended to be for you. Take and eat. Taste and see that the Lord is good, right?
And so through the proclamation of the gospel, the Holy Spirit, who we confess is the Lord, the giver of life. He gives us this life that John is talking about. He makes us new creations. He makes us part of the age to come, the new creation, the new heavens and earth that is coming. He makes us part of that.
Now If any man be in Christ, he is a what? New creation, behold, the old is Gone. East of Eden is gone. What you were in Adam is gone. Loneliness, isolation, depression.
Hatred. Envy, strife, jealousy, conflict, warring, murder, all that is gone. It's all gone. Shift. Go away from it.
Don't have anything to do with it. New creation has come. The old is gone. Separation. Isolation.
fear, dread, loneliness. The new has come. What is the new? Love. Intimacy.
Horns. Security. God's original blueprint, God's design. You get to taste it, the author of Hebrews says, every single week, taste of the powers of the age to come. And it makes you so hungry and so thirsty, you can't wait for a perfect age, a perfect society, a perfect culture where you have perfect fellowship with God and perfect fellowship with each other forever.
That's what John says. This is why we proclaim this message to you. It says you might have. Fellowship with us. And indeed, our fellowship is with the Father.
And with his son, Jesus Christ. Amen. Heavenly Father, we thank you. We thank you for this. Just shocking and amazing good news.
And we long for the day for you to come, Lord Jesus, to make all things new. You're making all things new, but to consummate it. to perfect it.
So Help us today as we come to your table to get a great Taste. of the powers of the age to come. and assure our hearts quiet our souls. Comfort our consciences. Forgive our sins.
and give us assurance. of our salvation. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. John Fawnville sends his thanks for listening today.
And before we wrap up, can I tell you about an encouraging book you might want to get soon? It's called Hope and Holiness: How the Gospel Enables and Empowers Sexual Purity. You're not alone if you've tried to conquer sexual temptations and tried all the methods available only to find yourself feeling defeated again. This book may be just what you're looking for. With his shepherding heart, John shows that the gospel, not practical steps or more self-discipline, is God's provision for the power to live a life of sexual purity.
and it's available to every Christian. What I like is the book is available in three convenient ways, paperback, audiobook, or Kindle. The links are in our podcast descriptions or check out. Just search for Hope and Holiness by John Fonville on Amazon. get a copy for you and it's a wonderful book to go through with a small group.
Him we proclaim is a ministry of Paramount Church in Jacksonville, Florida. You can find us at paramountchurch.com. We'll talk again soon.
