{"id":28354,"date":"2023-10-26T22:00:26","date_gmt":"2023-10-27T05:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/ecclesiastes-12_9-14-copy\/"},"modified":"2023-09-19T15:00:33","modified_gmt":"2023-09-19T22:00:33","slug":"1-john-1_1-10","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/1-john-1_1-10\/","title":{"rendered":"Welcome to the Light"},"content":{"rendered":"

1 John 1:1-10\u00a0 \u00a0(CLICK HERE FOR\u00a0BIBLE VERSES)<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Hi GAMErs!<\/p>\n

Today we begin the powerful book of\u00a01\u00a0John.\u00a0 Here is some background you may find helpful:<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0Interestingly, the author of\u00a01\u00a0John\u00a0does not identify himself in this book, although he repeatedly claims to be an eyewitness of Jesus\u2019 life on earth.\u00a0 From very early on in Christian history, this book has been attributed to the apostle\u00a0John, who was one of Jesus\u2019 closest disciples and the writer of the Gospel of\u00a0John.\u00a0 Both in terms of writing style and content themes,\u00a01\u00a0John\u00a0and the Gospel of\u00a0John\u00a0read like they come from the same author.\u00a0 Thus in our look at\u00a01\u00a0John\u00a0we will assume that\u00a0John\u00a0is indeed the author of\u00a01\u00a0John.
\n\u00b7 Many scholars believe that\u00a01\u00a0John\u00a0was written around the same time as the Gospel of\u00a0John, in which case\u00a01\u00a0John\u00a0may have been written around 70 A.D.<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is\u00a01\u00a0John\u00a01:1-10.\u00a0 Let\u2019s go!<\/p>\n

1\u00a0John\u00a01:1-4 (NIV)\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\n1\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched–this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.
\n2\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us.
\n3\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.
\n4\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0We write this to make our joy complete.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verse\u00a01:\u00a0 Over and over in this first sentence alone,\u00a0John\u00a0emphasizes how this \u201cWord of life\u201d (one of his favourite titles for Jesus) is someone they personally heard, saw, and touched.\u00a0\u00a0 As Peter would say at the beginning of one of his letters, \u201cwe were eyewitnesses of his majesty\u201d (2 Peter\u00a01:16).\u00a0 This \u201cWord of life\u201d also \u201cwas from the beginning\u201d, meaning that Jesus was no ordinary man but alive from the beginning of time.<\/p>\n

1\u00a0John\u00a01:2 (NIV)\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\n2\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us.
\n<\/em>
\nOn verse 2:\u00a0\u00a0John\u00a0equates Jesus to \u201cthe eternal life\u201d.\u00a0 He says that Jesus \u201cwas with the Father\u201d, which speaks to His divinity.\u00a0 Jesus is eternal life!\u00a0 He also says that Jesus \u201chas appeared to us\u201d, which refers to His humanity.<\/p>\n

1 John 1:3-4 (NIV)\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\n3\u00a0 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.
\n4\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0We write this to make our joy complete.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 3-4: \u00a0John\u2019s purpose in telling his readers about what he has seen and heard about Jesus is \u201cso that you also may have fellowship with us\u201d. \u00a0In other words, John\u2019s purpose in writing is clear: he wants others to know Jesus too. \u00a0It makes John\u2019s joy complete to tell others about Jesus and to lead others to Him.<\/p>\n

Similarly, when God uses you to tell others about His Son Jesus and to lead others to Him, there\u2019s no joy like it. \u00a0May you experience the joy of living out loud and leading others to Him.<\/p>\n

Also, what does\u00a0John\u00a0mean when he writes in verse 3, \u201cAnd our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ\u201d. He means that Christians share a bond that is so unique and everlasting: our bond as brothers and sisters in Christ is never just two way, but three way, because God is in the middle of our friendship.\u00a0 Just as a cord of three strands is not easily broken (Ecclesiastes 4:12),\u00a0there is nothing stronger or longer lasting than a friendship where Jesus is in the middle.<\/p>\n

1\u00a0John\u00a01:5 (NIV)\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\n5\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.
\n<\/em>
\nOn verse 5:\u00a0 In other words,\u00a0God is perfectly holy and sinless.\u00a0 Anything with sin cannot stand in His presence.<\/p>\n

1\u00a0John\u00a01:6-7 (NIV)<\/em><\/strong>
\n6\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.
\n7\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
\n<\/em>
\nOn verses 6-7:\u00a0\u00a0What does it mean to \u201cwalk in the light, as he is in the light\u201d (v7)? It means to respond with faith to Jesus, who is the light\u00a0(see the Gospel of\u00a0John\u00a01:4, 5, and 9).\u00a0 When we respond with faith to Jesus, we have fellowship with God, fellowship with each other, and Jesus\u2019 blood cleanses us from all sin.\u00a0 To \u201cwalk in the darkness\u201d (v6) means to reject Jesus who is the light.\u00a0 If I claim to have a relationship with God but reject Jesus, then I\u2019m only deceiving myself if I think I have a relationship with God, or as verse 6 says, \u201cwe lie and do not live by the truth\u201d.<\/p>\n

1\u00a0John\u00a01:8, 10 (NIV)\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\n8\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us\u2026
\n10\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.
\n<\/em>
\nOn verses 8, 10:\u00a0 If we claim to be without sin, three things happen: (1) we deceive ourselves, because the reality is that we are in fact sinners (v8); (2) we make God out to be a liar (v10a) because God\u2019s Word has already told us that we are sinners who need a Saviour; and (3) we give God no room to work in our lives, or as verse 10 says \u201chis word has no place in our lives\u201d.\u00a0 When I deny that I have sinned, I block God from working in my life, but when I admit that I have sinned and humbly look to God for mercy, I give God room to work.\u00a0 That\u2019s why Jesus says, \u201cBlessed are the poor [i.e. blessed are those who recognize that they need God], for theirs is the kingdom of heaven\u201d (Matthew 5:3).<\/p>\n

1\u00a0John\u00a01:9 (NIV)\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\n9\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
\n<\/em>
\nOn verse 9:\u00a0 This is one of the great promises of the Bible and is worth memorizing.\u00a0\u00a0Because Jesus has paid the price for our sins, all we need to do is confess our sins to God, admit our need for Jesus, and He promises to forgive us and cleanse us from sin so that we are no longer separated from Him.<\/p>\n

Jesus, You are the light that saves me and the Word that speaks life into me.\u00a0 Thank You for making it possible for an imperfect sinner like me to have a relationship with a perfectly holy God.\u00a0 In Jesus\u2019 name, AMEN!<\/em><\/p>\n

Copyright \u00a9 2021 Justin Lim. All rights reserved.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hi GAMErs!<\/p>\n

Today we begin the powerful book of\u00a01\u00a0John.\u00a0 Here is some background you may find helpful:<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0Interestingly, the author of\u00a01\u00a0John\u00a0does not identify himself in this book, although he repeatedly claims to be an eyewitness of Jesus\u2019 life on earth.\u00a0 From very early on in Christian history, this book has been attributed to the apostle\u00a0John, who was one of Jesus\u2019 closest disciples and the writer of the Gospel of\u00a0John.\u00a0 Both in terms of writing style and content themes,\u00a01\u00a0John\u00a0and the Gospel of\u00a0John\u00a0read like they come from the same author.\u00a0 Thus in our look at\u00a01\u00a0John\u00a0we will assume that\u00a0John\u00a0is indeed the author of\u00a01\u00a0John.\u00a0
\n\u00b7 Many scholars believe that\u00a01\u00a0John\u00a0was written around the same time as the Gospel of\u00a0John, in which case\u00a01\u00a0John\u00a0may have been written around 70 A.D.<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is\u00a01\u00a0John\u00a01:1-10.\u00a0 Let\u2019s go!<\/p>\n

1\u00a0John\u00a01:1-4 (NIV)\u00a0
\n1\u00a0\u00a0That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched–this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.\u00a0
\n2\u00a0\u00a0The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us.\u00a0
\n3\u00a0\u00a0We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.\u00a0
\n4\u00a0\u00a0We write this to make our joy complete.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":28356,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28354","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gametime-sharing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28354","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28354"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28354\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28357,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28354\/revisions\/28357"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28356"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28354"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28354"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28354"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}