Welcome to Big Valley Grace Community Church. If it’s your first time here, we’re super glad you’re here. We all had a first time at church. My name is Joel. I’d love to meet you. Normally after the gathering I’m standing right down here, but today we’re doing Discover BVG. So after this gathering, I’m going to be out that door, turn right down the hall in the fireside room, and I’d love to meet you there. We’ll have food and some time together to share about our church. If you’re new — whether you’ve come once, twice, three times, or even been coming for about a month — we’d love to have you come to Discover BVG. I’m looking forward to spending time with you there.

If you have a Bible, you can turn to the letter of First John. It’s near the end of the New Testament. If you need a Bible, come to our prayer room after the gathering — our team will be there to pray with you if you need prayer, and we also have Bibles. We want to make sure everyone has a copy of God’s word.

We’re excited to start this new series together today — Love Made Known.

My wife and I have been married for 26 years. We’ve actually known each other our whole lives because our parents went to this church and were in a small group together. As newly married couples, our parents were in the same small group. So my wife and I have known each other since we were little kids.

That means I’ve been able to be a part of a number of significant moments in her life. When we were high school students, I got to be a part of a very significant one — her baptism. She was baptized down at the river at the edge of town. As you can see, my wife hasn’t changed a bit, but something has happened to me over the years. That was a great moment to be a part of. And yet, even though we were friends, in relationship with one another, and I got to be part of that significant moment in her life, I still had a lot to learn about Sarah. And I still do. Part of a significant moment, but still a relationship that needs to grow and that I need to learn more and more about her.

We can all have relationships with significant moments, and yet there’s always a need to continue to get to know the person. We’re in relationship with them, but we need to know them further.

You may have begun a relationship with God. You may have come to know Christ as your Savior. You may have even been baptized. And yet there’s a need to get to know further this person you’re in relationship with — Jesus. A very specific person. The most important person to have a relationship with is Jesus. And every one of us, no matter how long we’ve been in relationship with him, has the opportunity to continue to know him more, to understand who he is more.

I want you to know — I am passionate about having a relationship with Jesus. It is such a significant relationship to me, and I want to continue to know Jesus more and more.

Here’s the question I want to use to get us into the letter of First John: why is the specific person of Jesus of Nazareth the most important person in all of human history?

A lot of people in our culture are very apathetic toward the person of Jesus. And I would challenge you not to be apathetic. This is a really important question, and it’s important to get the answer right. Our culture today has a lot of confusion about Jesus, distortions about Jesus, inaccuracies about him, and outright denials of the Jesus revealed in the Bible. Well, the Apostle John who wrote First John faced the same problems — which is why he wrote this letter. He wrote it to clear some of these issues up.

So we begin to find the answer to this question in First John. Let me read the first four verses.

1 John 1:1–4: “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life — the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life which was with the Father and was made manifest to us — that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.”

These four verses describe a life like no other. A life we need to know. And when we come to know this life, we need to continue to grow in our understanding of who this life is.

Father, as we look at your word today, I pray that you’d use it so that we might correctly understand the person of Jesus of Nazareth. No matter where we are in relationship with you, God, would you use your word to take us to the next level of understanding who you are, who Jesus is? In the name of Jesus, and all God’s family said amen.

I’m going to use this statement to guide us as we unpack this passage: Jesus Christ is the God man who is the one basis of true Christian fellowship and eternal life. That term “God man” is not used very often — and it’s really only used about Jesus. As we walk through this text, you’ll see why. But this is a life like no other.

You may have been introduced to Jesus again. You may have even been baptized. But you need to get to know him. You need to get to know this life. I want to encourage you to have a passion to know this life — this life, Jesus.

God’s word reveals Jesus. Years ago I had a job where I drove a delivery truck on the weekends — 350 miles every weekend. Part of what I did while I drove was keep two buckets in my truck. One bucket had tapes with sermons on them about Jesus. I’d pull a tape out, listen to it while I was driving, and when I finished, I’d put it in the other bucket — the one with sermons I had already listened to. It went from a full bucket of sermons I hadn’t heard to a full bucket of sermons I had. Some of the parents in the room are going to need to explain to their kids what a tape is. But that tells you how long ago this was. Why did I do that? Because I had a passion to get to know this life. I had a passion to know Jesus. And God’s word reveals him.

Let’s look at verses 1 and 2. “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life — the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life which was with the Father and was made manifest to us.”

Three times in these two verses, the word life shows up. The first time — “the word of life” — is describing the message about life. The second — “the life was made manifest” — is speaking about the person of Jesus Christ taking on human flesh. The life was made manifest. The third — “the eternal life” — is our opportunity to know this life that was made manifest, by receiving the message about this life so that we might have eternal life.

The scriptures say, “In him was life, and the life was the light of men.” When we come in contact with the life of Jesus, his life brings his light into our lives.

Part of my story is that I know what it is to live in darkness. I know what it is to have very twisted views. My thinking was carnal — I was focused on pursuing pleasure, and I even hunted sin. I went after it purposefully. And I’m so glad to have moved away from that darkness, because it tastes like death. That’s part of why I have such a passion for Jesus Christ — because I know what it’s like to live in that place. And I don’t want to live like that. It is so much better to live in the life and the light of Jesus than in the sin and the death of darkness.

I want to have a passion to know this life, and I want to encourage you to have that passion too. God’s word reveals that the true life is Jesus. In Jesus we can have holiness, purity, and eternal life.

Have a passion to know this life.

Jesus Christ is divine. Peter wrote, “We were eyewitnesses of his majesty” — we saw God, right in front of us. The clear teaching of scripture is that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And that should encourage you. When we know this life, we know a life that is divine, a life that sees us. God sees us. That should be very encouraging.

In the Bible, there are a number of places that talk about a beginning. Genesis 1:1: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” That’s the beginning of creation. Mark 1:1: “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” That’s the beginning of the message about Jesus as Lord and Savior. John 1:1: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” That’s helping us understand that Jesus Christ existed before creation and is God.

Here in First John, we have another beginning. “That which was from the beginning… the eternal life which was with the Father and was made manifest to us.” This is describing Jesus as eternal — existing before the beginning, before creation. Don’t miss the description. This is a life like no other. Jesus Christ is the eternal God. He is the Word. He is the life. And he was before the beginning.

Maybe you can relate to part of my story. Maybe you’ve become dissatisfied with pursuing pleasure. Maybe you’ve experienced the outcome of sin, of darkness, the constant taste of death. I want to encourage you — have a passion to know this life. Get to know Jesus. He is divine.

And Jesus Christ is human. The scriptures say that Mary the virgin gave birth to her firstborn son. Jesus Christ is human. That’s why the term “God man” exists — because Jesus Christ is both divine and human. And that should encourage you. The fact that Jesus Christ is human means he understands that you are human. He relates to your humanity. That is a great encouragement.

This beginning reveals the incarnate Son — the Son of God taking on human flesh, a man, Jesus of Nazareth. Let’s look at those two verses again. “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life — the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it.”

Three of the five human senses are referred to here — heard, seen, touched. This is testimony to a real experience with a real person. The scriptures say that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. That’s like saying God — the Word, Jesus — moved into our neighborhood. He put up a tent. The biblical word is “tabernacled.” He became flesh and dwelt among us. When the disciples talked about their experience with Jesus, they said, “We cannot but speak about what we have seen and heard.” He’s a human and we had an experience with him. We’ve seen him. We’ve heard him. We have to talk about it.

This is a life like no other. And I want to encourage you to know this life. Have a passion to know this life. You have the opportunity to live passionately knowing Jesus — the real Jesus.

Jesus Christ is the God man who is the one basis of true Christian fellowship and eternal life. Have a passion to know this life.

Number two: have a passion to share this life, because the real Jesus changes real lives.

Jesus rescued me, and I’m very grateful. And Jesus now uses my story so that I get to be part of him rescuing other people. I’m thankful every time I see someone Jesus rescues, because I know what it’s like to be rescued. I celebrate that he continues to rescue person after person. I have a passion to share this life.

Verse 3: “That which we have seen and heard, we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son.”

When people come to know Jesus, they go from darkness to light, from death to life. And the Apostle John is saying: we are proclaiming this message, sharing about this life with you. Have a passion to share this life.

We want to invite everyone into our fellowship. This is a fellowship of sinners turned saints, and there are plenty of sinners in our community who need to become saints. We want to share Jesus and invite everyone into this fellowship.

The changes Jesus brings in our lives are so radical, they can’t hide. When Jesus comes and changes a person’s life, people around them are going to notice. The transformation is real and people will see it. Something is different. Something happened to you. Something changed. And that change is Jesus.

Look at verse 3 again: “That which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.”

At some moment, if you are a follower of Jesus, you realized that the message of Jesus for salvation was for you too. And I’m guessing that when you discovered that — that was an incredible moment in your life. And then at some moment you met the family of Jesus and found the chair you’re sitting in right now. You found that this chair was for you too. That you could be part of the family of God, the fellowship of believers. And we want to invite everyone into that family.

Look at the chairs next to you that are empty. That chair represents somebody who has not yet understood that salvation in Jesus is possible for them too. That empty chair is for someone who has not yet understood that they can come to Jesus, be part of the body of Christ, the fellowship of believers — that it’s for them too.

As I see the empty chairs in this room, I want to pray for each one. Father, I pray for all these empty chairs. God, use us as a church to invite people to sit in these chairs, that they might come to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and understand that they can be part of a family of God, a fellowship of believers — and that that chair is for them too. Use us as a church family to reach this community, to bring people to sit in those chairs and know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. In Jesus’ name. And all God’s family said amen.

Have a passion to share this life. We want to invite everyone into our family. We are orphans turned into the adopted. The scriptures call us brothers and sisters, children of God. The book of Revelation describes all nations, tribes, peoples, and languages.

Verse 3 again: “That which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.” This is describing a spiritual family. You have the opportunity to live passionately, inviting people to Jesus and the church, into relationship with Jesus as Lord and Savior, and into fellowship with his family.

Jesus Christ is the God man who is the one basis of true Christian fellowship and eternal life. Have a passion to share this life.

Number three: have a passion to enjoy this life. Have a passion to enjoy the life that Jesus offers you. Jesus gives true life. He gives full life. He gives real life. Enjoy it.

John 10:10: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. But I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” That’s Jesus speaking. He’s saying, “I came that you might have life and have it abundantly.”

I know what it is to wander. I know what it is to be aimless. It is not enjoyable — it’s the opposite of enjoyable. That’s part of why I’m so passionate about living with Jesus. I know what it’s like to be aimless and to wander. Every day is a day to go on an adventure with God. I woke up today and thought: thank you, God, that I have today. Today is a gift and I want to use it. I want to make the most of today. I am not interested in wasting my life. I want to enjoy the life that God has given me. Live it to the fullest.

Verse 4: “And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.” Have a passion to enjoy this life. Jesus, when he was teaching his disciples, taught so that his joy could be in them and their joy could be full. And now one of his apostles is writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

Now in this verse we find the first of four keys that are in the letter of First John. I’m going to share all four of them — they’ll give you a framework for the series. You’ll see these four things show up repeatedly as we go through this letter.

Key number one to enjoy is to promote joy that is full. If you have a lack of joy, your life is going to be incomplete. And if you meet somebody who has a lack of joy, their life is incomplete — because we are not designed to live apart from the joy of Jesus. A key to enjoying this life is to promote joy that is full.

My wife and I were once driving during rush hour on the freeway — commuter traffic, people all around us, and I looked at her — she was driving because she doesn’t let me drive — and I said, “I wonder how many people around us right now are just discontent.” Rush hour traffic, cars everywhere. I wonder how many people are just living in discontentment. One of the keys to enjoying this life is to promote joy that is full.

In verse 4: “We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.” Anyone who is in Jesus is designed to have complete joy. That is an outcome God wants for us — that our joy would be complete. We are designed by God to be in relationship with God. And God offers, through Jesus, fullness of joy so that life is whole, so that life is complete.

If you feel like something is missing, Jesus needs to fill that gap. If you try to fill that gap, that hole, that incomplete feeling with something other than Jesus, it’s going to fail — every time. Jesus is the only one who can complete your life so that you understand it is operating in fullness, in completeness, in wholeness.

The second key is to press on in holiness. A lack of purity in our lives will cause us to live an incomplete life. When we see people living with a lack of purity, they’re living an incomplete life. So one of the keys in this letter is to press on in holiness.

I know what it is to be stuck in sin. It is horrible. My heart breaks when I see people repeating the same cycles of sin, the same cycles of dysfunction over and over. I know that feeling, and it’s a horrible experience. But we do not have to live stuck in sin with cycles of dysfunction. Jesus can bring healing.

1 John 2:1: “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” Our sinful nature needs redemption. And God offers a better path than pursuing sinful pleasure that ruins our lives. If you’re here and you feel like you’re repeating the same patterns of sin, stuck in cycles of dysfunction — you’re in the right place and we’re really glad you’re here. You’re welcome here. We want to help you. Jesus can bring healing into your life. Keep coming. Keep showing up.

The third key is to pursue correct doctrine. When we have a lack of truth, our life is incomplete. We live in a world that is very apathetic toward truth right now. Correct doctrine means a correct understanding, a correct teaching about God and his word. We don’t have to fall into a trap of being deceived.

1 John 2:26 — the third time he explains why he’s writing: “I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you.” Church family, the other team is trying to deceive you. They’re not being apathetic — they are actively attacking. It was happening when the Apostle John wrote this letter, and it’s happening now. So don’t be apathetic. Engage the truth, because a lack of truth is an incomplete life. God offers truth that is different from what our world offers. The standard of truth is God’s word.

Maybe you’re here and you feel like you can’t trust what you see, can’t trust what you read or hear. I’ve had so many people tell me they’ve become incredibly disillusioned with messaging and media — wondering if anything is even real. Well, God’s word is trustworthy. Jesus is trustworthy. You don’t need to be deceived. And one of the keys to enjoying this life is pursuing correct doctrine and having the truth.

The fourth key is to provide assurance of salvation. A lack of assurance of salvation leads to an incomplete life — for you and for the people you meet. We need to have assurance of salvation in Jesus Christ. We have the opportunity to know Jesus and have assurance that we actually know him.

1 John 5:13 — the fourth time he explains why he’s writing: “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.” He’s writing to people who already believe — and he wants them to have assurance that they know they have eternal life. God offers assurance that is based on the finished work of Jesus Christ. And that is a key to enjoying this life.

Have a passion to know this life. Have a passion to share this life. Have a passion to enjoy this life. And the four keys the Apostle John writes in this letter are: promote joy that is full, press on in holiness, pursue correct doctrine, and provide assurance of salvation.

So why is the specific person of Jesus of Nazareth the most important person in all of human history? Jesus Christ is the God man who is the one basis of true Christian fellowship and eternal life. He is a life like no other.

Church family, we live in a community that is full of people who are absolutely desperate for love. Our community is full of people who desire real love, genuine love. In this little letter of First John, the word love shows up 46 times. Forty-six times in this little letter.

The first instance is here in 1 John 2:4–6: “Whoever says ‘I know him’ but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him — whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.”

This is describing imperfect people who are loved by a perfect God. And God has made love known to us. As we obey God’s commands, we will make the love of God known to others. And that is what this teaching series is all about — God’s love made known to and through us. Because of the person of Jesus, a life like no other.

When we know Jesus and have a passion to know him, share him, and enjoy the life he’s given us — when we go around town, people are going to notice. There’s something different about them. What do they know? Who do they know that I don’t? And they’re going to come looking. As you live passionately for Jesus, people are going to come looking for what you have that they don’t have. And that’s going to bring them to Jesus Christ.

How would you fill in this sentence: I will invite _______ to come to church with me next week. What name would you put in that blank? Is God giving you a name right now? If he did, I want to challenge you — put it in that blank. I will invite that person to come to church with me next week.

And if God has given you a name, someone you want to invite, and you’d like prayer that you would actually do it — I want to challenge you to stand right now, because I want to pray for you.

God, with the people standing right now, it looks like you’ve put a name on their heart. You know what that name is, and they know what that name is. I pray that you would give them bravery and courage and boldness to actually invite that person. Provide an opportunity this week for them to invite that specific person to come to church with them next week, that that person might come to know Jesus Christ and his family. I pray blessing over everyone who is standing. In the name of Jesus, and all God’s family said amen.

If you need further prayer, our team is going to be available. If you’re new, come to Discover BVG. Church family, we love you and we’re going to see you again real soon.