WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.259 Welcome to 563 Church, a production of Cornerstone 00:00:03.259 --> 00:00:06.660 Church in Eldridge, Iowa. Today, Pastor Daniel 00:00:06.660 --> 00:00:08.779 Reese speaks on the first message in our series 00:00:08.779 --> 00:00:12.380 in 1st John. Reading from 1st John chapter 1, 00:00:12.580 --> 00:00:15.220 verses 1 through 4, John invites us into fellowship 00:00:15.220 --> 00:00:17.539 with God in one another, revealing how sharing 00:00:17.539 --> 00:00:19.960 the reality of Christ makes our joy complete. 00:00:28.170 --> 00:00:33.109 new series this morning we're going to go through 00:00:33.109 --> 00:00:35.630 the book of first John together and so for the 00:00:35.630 --> 00:00:39.270 next eight weeks we will be going line by line 00:00:39.270 --> 00:00:42.670 through this this letter we'll do that together 00:00:42.670 --> 00:00:44.850 and I would always encourage you to follow along 00:00:44.850 --> 00:00:48.130 in your Bible on your phone as we study this 00:00:48.130 --> 00:00:50.530 thing together just so you can see it with your 00:00:50.530 --> 00:00:53.250 own eyes and just so you can make your own notes 00:00:53.250 --> 00:00:55.579 and and things like that. So if you have your 00:00:55.579 --> 00:00:58.700 Bibles, we'll be in 1 John chapter 1 here in 00:00:58.700 --> 00:01:03.340 just a minute. Have you ever bought something 00:01:03.340 --> 00:01:08.120 or experienced something and it completely changed 00:01:08.120 --> 00:01:13.140 your life? Or you had someone with a bunch of 00:01:13.140 --> 00:01:15.739 excitement and joy come and tell you about something 00:01:15.739 --> 00:01:19.519 that they got and their joy was so contagious 00:01:19.519 --> 00:01:21.680 that you had to go experience it for yourself. 00:01:21.799 --> 00:01:23.819 And so you went to that restaurant or you bought 00:01:23.819 --> 00:01:26.219 that thing online or you went on that trip or 00:01:26.219 --> 00:01:30.659 whatever it is, right? That kind of joy is contagious. 00:01:30.760 --> 00:01:32.700 We like recommendations from our friends and 00:01:32.700 --> 00:01:36.200 family about what are good things to experience. 00:01:36.780 --> 00:01:40.140 Now, with the exception of Jesus, I hope, the 00:01:40.140 --> 00:01:43.180 most influential thing that I can think of where 00:01:43.180 --> 00:01:47.219 I've influenced others to go and buy something 00:01:47.219 --> 00:01:52.120 was several years ago. We were living in La Mesa, 00:01:52.120 --> 00:01:54.780 Texas, and there was a Duluth clothing company 00:01:54.780 --> 00:01:58.739 that had just opened up near us. And Sina, my 00:01:58.739 --> 00:02:01.599 wife, went and got me a new pair of underwear 00:02:01.599 --> 00:02:05.969 for a gift. That's how... That's how romantic 00:02:05.969 --> 00:02:11.189 we are. Now, historically, I would go to Walmart 00:02:11.189 --> 00:02:15.449 or Target, and I would go buy the $10 pack of 00:02:15.449 --> 00:02:18.469 three underwear and just kind of recycle those 00:02:18.469 --> 00:02:21.490 things through as they got worn out. This pair 00:02:21.490 --> 00:02:25.830 that Sina got me was $25 for one pair. Now, that's 00:02:25.830 --> 00:02:29.610 ridiculous, in my opinion. I was a little offended 00:02:29.610 --> 00:02:33.550 that she went and did that. Come on, right? Until 00:02:33.550 --> 00:02:41.460 I wore them. and it changed my life. I threw 00:02:41.460 --> 00:02:44.139 out all my old Fruit of the Looms and I went 00:02:44.139 --> 00:02:47.400 to Duluth and I probably spent over $200 worth 00:02:47.400 --> 00:02:52.659 of new underwear. Now, I tell this story several 00:02:52.659 --> 00:02:55.479 years ago to my last church and I go into all 00:02:55.479 --> 00:02:57.400 the benefits, much more benefits than I will 00:02:57.400 --> 00:02:58.719 tell you this morning, but I go into all the 00:02:58.719 --> 00:03:01.360 benefits of this life -changing undergarment. 00:03:01.599 --> 00:03:04.620 And over the next few weeks, I'm pretty sure 00:03:04.620 --> 00:03:07.960 that every man in our church went to Duluth and 00:03:07.960 --> 00:03:12.960 bought all new underwear. It was so many people 00:03:12.960 --> 00:03:15.960 that the store actually reached out to me because 00:03:15.960 --> 00:03:18.639 they heard that I was promoting it in their church 00:03:18.639 --> 00:03:21.860 and their sales had skyrocketed over this underwear. 00:03:24.800 --> 00:03:28.280 Influencer, yeah. This before influencing was 00:03:28.280 --> 00:03:31.080 what it is now. So, in light of that, I feel 00:03:31.080 --> 00:03:33.439 like I need to, I wasn't planning on doing this 00:03:33.439 --> 00:03:35.979 today, but you'll see I have this t -shirt on, 00:03:36.639 --> 00:03:39.879 and it says Jesus One. Nothing fancy about it. 00:03:39.879 --> 00:03:41.460 It's a great t -shirt. It's real comfortable. 00:03:42.460 --> 00:03:45.180 It was the right size that I ordered. The reason 00:03:45.180 --> 00:03:47.280 I ordered it was because a friend of ours, a 00:03:47.280 --> 00:03:49.379 friend of mine, goes to this church named David 00:03:49.379 --> 00:03:52.879 Halverson, started his own t -shirt company type 00:03:52.879 --> 00:03:55.750 thing. And so I was like, well, I'm gonna support 00:03:55.750 --> 00:03:58.789 David, right? And so I got it, and I wore it 00:03:58.789 --> 00:04:01.509 this morning, obviously, and I go on my way here 00:04:01.509 --> 00:04:03.129 this morning, about 4 .35 o 'clock this morning, 00:04:03.129 --> 00:04:05.810 and I stop at Casey's to get a drink, and the 00:04:05.810 --> 00:04:07.830 cashier asks me, what in the world does that 00:04:07.830 --> 00:04:13.150 mean? So I got to share, half asleep, got to 00:04:13.150 --> 00:04:16.050 share the gospel this morning with the cashier 00:04:16.050 --> 00:04:21.629 at Casey's over there in Parkview. Yeah. So I 00:04:21.629 --> 00:04:24.600 say all that to say, It's not hard. So go to 00:04:24.600 --> 00:04:29.079 legacy ink I and K dot shop support David. He 00:04:29.079 --> 00:04:32.339 has great t -shirts. So there it is But anyway, 00:04:32.480 --> 00:04:35.240 whether it's undergarments or t -shirts, this 00:04:35.240 --> 00:04:38.139 is essentially what John is doing in our passage 00:04:38.139 --> 00:04:41.060 this morning Now granted he is sharing something 00:04:41.060 --> 00:04:43.600 much more important than t -shirts He's sharing 00:04:43.600 --> 00:04:45.699 something much more important than undergarments. 00:04:45.699 --> 00:04:49.079 What he's sharing is he has experienced Jesus 00:04:49.500 --> 00:04:54.379 the word of life, he's heard, he's seen, he's 00:04:54.379 --> 00:04:56.899 touched, and he cannot keep it to himself any 00:04:56.899 --> 00:05:00.079 longer. And so by sharing this reality, he invites 00:05:00.079 --> 00:05:03.100 us into the fellowship with God and each other, 00:05:03.379 --> 00:05:06.899 and the goal, he says, is to make our joy complete. 00:05:07.300 --> 00:05:09.560 So that's the passage this morning. So let's 00:05:09.560 --> 00:05:11.300 look at 1 John chapter one. We're gonna read 00:05:11.300 --> 00:05:13.860 the first four verses together. If you're willing 00:05:13.860 --> 00:05:15.920 and able, we'd love for you to stand and honor 00:05:15.920 --> 00:05:23.370 the Lord's word together. That which was from 00:05:23.370 --> 00:05:26.490 the beginning, which we have heard, which we 00:05:26.490 --> 00:05:28.990 have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon 00:05:28.990 --> 00:05:31.029 and have touched with our hands concerning the 00:05:31.029 --> 00:05:34.069 word of life. the life was made manifest and 00:05:34.069 --> 00:05:37.370 we have seen it and testify to it and proclaim 00:05:37.370 --> 00:05:40.689 to you the eternal life which was with the father 00:05:40.689 --> 00:05:43.850 and was made manifest to us that which we have 00:05:43.850 --> 00:05:47.769 seen and heard we proclaim also to you so that 00:05:47.769 --> 00:05:50.829 you too may have fellowship with us and indeed 00:05:50.829 --> 00:05:53.730 our fellowship is with the father and with his 00:05:53.730 --> 00:05:56.370 son Jesus Christ and we are writing these things 00:05:56.370 --> 00:06:00.310 so that our joy may be complete let's pray father 00:06:00.310 --> 00:06:02.889 thank you for this day I pray today that you 00:06:02.889 --> 00:06:06.209 will challenge us, encourage us, stir our affections 00:06:06.209 --> 00:06:08.689 towards you so that our joy will be complete 00:06:08.689 --> 00:06:12.910 as well. So that once we have experienced you, 00:06:13.009 --> 00:06:16.050 we cannot help but tell everybody we know. And 00:06:16.050 --> 00:06:17.850 so Father, I pray those words seep into our hearts 00:06:17.850 --> 00:06:23.430 this morning. In your name we pray, amen. Now, 00:06:23.910 --> 00:06:29.750 the book of 1 John is a short but powerful letter 00:06:29.930 --> 00:06:33.009 that was presumably written by the Apostle John, 00:06:33.370 --> 00:06:35.250 the same John that wrote the Gospel of John, 00:06:35.569 --> 00:06:38.970 the same John that wrote Revelation. But tradition 00:06:38.970 --> 00:06:42.470 and our early church fathers like Irenaeus, like 00:06:42.470 --> 00:06:46.089 Clement of Alexandria, they strongly affirm John 00:06:46.089 --> 00:06:49.959 as the author, noting his role as the beloved 00:06:49.959 --> 00:06:54.100 disciple of Jesus, as an eyewitness to Jesus' 00:06:54.379 --> 00:06:57.980 life. Now it was likely written between 85 and 00:06:57.980 --> 00:07:03.279 95. And 1 John emerged from Ephesus where John 00:07:03.279 --> 00:07:05.720 had spent the later years of his ministry leading 00:07:05.720 --> 00:07:09.300 various churches in Asia Minor. Now this letter 00:07:09.300 --> 00:07:12.040 was not addressed to a specific church, but it 00:07:12.040 --> 00:07:14.339 was addressed to a broader group of believers, 00:07:14.680 --> 00:07:18.949 possibly as a letter to counter false teachings 00:07:18.949 --> 00:07:21.670 that were going on in the region. Some early 00:07:21.670 --> 00:07:25.550 Christians were influenced by gnostic ideas. 00:07:26.089 --> 00:07:31.170 Now, gnosticism was a belief system that was 00:07:31.170 --> 00:07:34.389 really troubling to the early church. It taught 00:07:34.389 --> 00:07:37.350 that secret spiritual knowledge was the key to 00:07:37.350 --> 00:07:40.610 salvation. right? Not faith in Jesus alone. The 00:07:40.610 --> 00:07:43.930 Gnostics, they viewed the material world, including 00:07:43.930 --> 00:07:48.829 the human body, as evil or inferior, and it was 00:07:48.829 --> 00:07:52.569 created by a lesser God, not the one true God. 00:07:53.089 --> 00:07:54.709 Now, maybe the closest thing we have to that 00:07:54.709 --> 00:07:59.709 in our culture today is Mormonism. Not the same, 00:07:59.970 --> 00:08:03.160 but very, there's a lot of similarities. Now, 00:08:03.160 --> 00:08:08.139 Gnostics often denied Jesus' true humanity, claiming 00:08:08.139 --> 00:08:11.560 that He was a divine spirit who only appeared 00:08:11.560 --> 00:08:14.480 to be human. He wasn't actually human. Now, this 00:08:14.480 --> 00:08:18.259 contradicted the gospel's truth in that Jesus 00:08:18.259 --> 00:08:22.519 was fully God and fully man. Now, here in 1 John 00:08:22.519 --> 00:08:26.160 chapter 1, John counters these ideas because 00:08:26.399 --> 00:08:29.519 of what he saw. He's emphasizing what he saw, 00:08:29.819 --> 00:08:32.500 what he heard. He's telling us that I actually 00:08:32.500 --> 00:08:36.820 touched his body, the real incarnate Word of 00:08:36.820 --> 00:08:40.500 life. Now, Gnostics, they also believe that salvation 00:08:40.500 --> 00:08:43.759 came through this hidden wisdom that had to be 00:08:43.759 --> 00:08:46.000 given to you. You had to figure it out. It was 00:08:46.000 --> 00:08:49.539 not through an actual relationship with Jesus 00:08:49.539 --> 00:08:53.000 Christ, which John is going to refute over and 00:08:53.000 --> 00:08:55.940 over again, stressing fellowship with God and 00:08:55.940 --> 00:09:00.279 others comes through Jesus. Now, 1 John, you'll 00:09:00.279 --> 00:09:03.379 notice this pretty soon, right off the bat, it 00:09:03.379 --> 00:09:07.139 does not read like your typical letters in the 00:09:07.139 --> 00:09:10.639 New Testament. There's no greeting, there's no 00:09:10.639 --> 00:09:14.279 acknowledging this is who's writing it. It reads 00:09:14.279 --> 00:09:17.120 kind of like just this heartfelt sermon where 00:09:17.120 --> 00:09:20.299 he weaves in different theology and encouragements 00:09:20.299 --> 00:09:23.700 and warnings into his message. And so this should 00:09:23.700 --> 00:09:26.559 be an interesting study for all of us as we go 00:09:26.559 --> 00:09:29.279 through this together over the next eight weeks. 00:09:30.039 --> 00:09:33.340 And so because John is writing to a community 00:09:33.340 --> 00:09:36.000 where there is a lot of disunity at the time. 00:09:36.570 --> 00:09:39.009 and this group of people that he is writing to 00:09:39.009 --> 00:09:42.309 is meant as an encouragement to stand strong 00:09:42.309 --> 00:09:45.230 in what we know to be true about Jesus, stand 00:09:45.230 --> 00:09:49.190 strong in his message, and don't be easily swayed. 00:09:49.289 --> 00:09:51.210 So as we look at our passage this morning, there's 00:09:51.210 --> 00:09:53.450 a few things that I want us to focus on. These 00:09:53.450 --> 00:09:54.950 aren't the only things to focus on, but these 00:09:54.950 --> 00:09:57.490 are the ones that I want us to focus on this 00:09:57.490 --> 00:09:59.850 morning. Because if you're talking to a group 00:09:59.850 --> 00:10:02.370 of people, and you're talking to a group of people 00:10:02.370 --> 00:10:06.279 that are having a hard time getting along, John 00:10:06.279 --> 00:10:09.580 wants to remind them, remind us of what true 00:10:09.580 --> 00:10:12.179 fellowship actually looks like. He wants them 00:10:12.179 --> 00:10:17.039 to understand and see that true fellowship has 00:10:17.039 --> 00:10:21.820 its foundation on Jesus. He's clearing the deck. 00:10:22.000 --> 00:10:25.820 True fellowship has its foundation on Jesus. 00:10:26.179 --> 00:10:29.580 John didn't just hear about Jesus, but he actually 00:10:29.580 --> 00:10:34.159 heard his voice. He saw his miracles. He touched 00:10:34.159 --> 00:10:38.559 his resurrected body. This is not a myth or philosophy. 00:10:38.980 --> 00:10:43.080 It's a real person who is fully God and fully 00:10:43.080 --> 00:10:46.639 human. And so our fellowship with God begins 00:10:46.639 --> 00:10:49.779 with Jesus, because Jesus is the one who bridges 00:10:49.779 --> 00:10:53.399 the gap between the Father and our sinful nature. 00:10:54.399 --> 00:10:57.980 Jesus there's absolutely no connection to God 00:10:57.980 --> 00:11:01.419 or each other now John is trying to remind us 00:11:01.419 --> 00:11:05.360 that Jesus is what unites us to proclaim faith 00:11:05.360 --> 00:11:08.500 in him right I'm sorry Jesus is what unites us 00:11:08.500 --> 00:11:12.620 all of us who proclaim faith in him because we 00:11:12.620 --> 00:11:14.919 all have different backgrounds we all have different 00:11:14.919 --> 00:11:17.539 preferences we are all at different stages of 00:11:17.539 --> 00:11:22.000 life if you will we arrived at a saving knowledge 00:11:22.000 --> 00:11:25.190 of Jesus at different times and in different 00:11:25.190 --> 00:11:28.250 ways because we each have a different testimony, 00:11:28.850 --> 00:11:31.950 there is no reason other than Jesus that a lot 00:11:31.950 --> 00:11:34.809 of us would be in the same circles together. 00:11:35.330 --> 00:11:38.409 He is the one that unites all of us. So John 00:11:38.409 --> 00:11:43.129 starts off this letter with the goal of bringing 00:11:43.129 --> 00:11:46.470 the church back to reality of who Jesus is. This 00:11:46.470 --> 00:11:48.789 is how he starts the letter. This is what unites 00:11:48.789 --> 00:11:54.090 us. And you see him going after Gnosticism right 00:11:54.090 --> 00:11:56.769 out of the gate. He's saying Jesus is eternal. 00:11:57.149 --> 00:12:00.490 He was the Word in the beginning. But he wasn't 00:12:00.490 --> 00:12:03.629 just a spiritual being. He wasn't just some idea. 00:12:03.769 --> 00:12:07.190 He wasn't just some random God. He was a human 00:12:07.190 --> 00:12:10.450 being that came down in the flesh. Now how does 00:12:10.450 --> 00:12:14.009 John know that? Because he touched him with his 00:12:14.009 --> 00:12:17.250 own hands. He experienced him. He saw him with 00:12:17.250 --> 00:12:21.549 his own eyes. He heard Jesus' message of salvation. 00:12:22.690 --> 00:12:25.750 And so he's fighting off the false teaching that 00:12:25.750 --> 00:12:29.490 maybe Jesus was just an idea. Maybe it's just 00:12:29.490 --> 00:12:32.129 some sort of rumor. You know, they kept saying, 00:12:32.230 --> 00:12:34.169 well, he was a great teacher. Well, he was, but 00:12:34.169 --> 00:12:36.570 he was more than that. He was more than just 00:12:36.570 --> 00:12:39.090 a man that walked on the face of the earth. He 00:12:39.090 --> 00:12:43.110 was God in the flesh. And he came so that we 00:12:43.110 --> 00:12:46.029 could have fellowship with him and the Father. 00:12:46.299 --> 00:12:50.759 And if we don't have our starting point as Jesus 00:12:50.759 --> 00:12:54.379 as the foundation of who we are, we will not 00:12:54.379 --> 00:12:59.220 end united. We will not have unity when we're 00:12:59.220 --> 00:13:03.100 discussing anything else. Because there is so 00:13:03.100 --> 00:13:07.980 much diversity in the world. We have different, 00:13:10.460 --> 00:13:14.059 I'm sorry, my mind just went blank. We have different 00:13:14.059 --> 00:13:17.830 cultures, right? We have different professions 00:13:17.830 --> 00:13:23.309 if we have different gifts and talents We we 00:13:23.309 --> 00:13:26.929 all these things different hobbies we we we have 00:13:26.929 --> 00:13:29.029 different levels of knowledge Some of us are 00:13:29.029 --> 00:13:32.269 smarter than others and if we elevate any of 00:13:32.269 --> 00:13:35.450 those things over the position of Jesus We begin 00:13:35.450 --> 00:13:37.990 to form our own factions. We only hang out with 00:13:37.990 --> 00:13:39.929 people that are part of our profession We only 00:13:39.929 --> 00:13:41.970 hang out with people that are part of our same 00:13:41.970 --> 00:13:46.049 Hobby group or or whatever Jesus is the reason 00:13:46.049 --> 00:13:49.009 why somebody like me and somebody like my wife 00:13:49.009 --> 00:13:51.330 can build a life together We have different backgrounds 00:13:51.309 --> 00:13:53.710 we have different traditions, we have different 00:13:53.710 --> 00:13:56.950 thoughts, but because we found our unity in Jesus, 00:13:57.049 --> 00:14:00.070 we're able to build our life together. It's why 00:14:00.070 --> 00:14:03.730 a new believer and a seasoned believer can find 00:14:03.730 --> 00:14:08.450 common ground. It is why in my home group we 00:14:08.450 --> 00:14:13.590 have a geologist, a lunch lady, and a pastor. 00:14:13.889 --> 00:14:15.870 And the only reason that those three people are 00:14:15.870 --> 00:14:18.450 together is because we can get together and have 00:14:18.450 --> 00:14:21.590 fellowship under the banner of Jesus. Because 00:14:21.590 --> 00:14:25.090 that's a random group of people. That's a random 00:14:25.090 --> 00:14:27.389 group of people that have found common ground 00:14:27.389 --> 00:14:30.049 because of Jesus. Now in my home group, do we 00:14:30.049 --> 00:14:33.450 raise our kids differently? Yes. Do we have different 00:14:33.450 --> 00:14:37.210 kinds of, different ideas of what fun is? Yes. 00:14:37.730 --> 00:14:41.230 Has it caused me to dominate an 11 year old in 00:14:41.230 --> 00:14:44.649 bowling? Yes. Right? because I don't really care 00:14:44.649 --> 00:14:47.710 much about bowling, I care about him. And because 00:14:47.710 --> 00:14:51.289 I care about him, we have found unity in Jesus. 00:14:51.629 --> 00:14:54.289 This is why being a part of a gospel community 00:14:54.289 --> 00:14:57.889 is so important, is we can bring all of our differences 00:14:57.889 --> 00:15:01.669 together and find unity in Jesus. We also see 00:15:01.669 --> 00:15:04.929 from this text that fellowship is built on sharing 00:15:04.929 --> 00:15:08.529 truth. John says, we proclaim to you what we 00:15:08.529 --> 00:15:12.120 have seen and heard. So like me sharing about 00:15:12.120 --> 00:15:16.179 a t -shirt that I got and that I like, and that 00:15:16.179 --> 00:15:19.679 propels people to action, John can't keep Jesus 00:15:19.679 --> 00:15:23.759 to himself. He's compelled to testify about the 00:15:23.759 --> 00:15:28.360 eternal life that appeared in Christ. This sharing 00:15:28.360 --> 00:15:30.960 that John is doing isn't just preaching. It's 00:15:30.960 --> 00:15:34.360 not just speaking. It's inviting others into 00:15:34.360 --> 00:15:38.799 a relationship with God. Fellowship is not a 00:15:38.799 --> 00:15:44.779 private... club. It is a community built on proclaiming 00:15:44.779 --> 00:15:48.960 the truth of Jesus. When we share His love, when 00:15:48.960 --> 00:15:52.539 we share His grace, we invite others into the 00:15:52.539 --> 00:15:54.980 same life -changing relationship that you and 00:15:54.980 --> 00:15:57.919 I have experienced. Now here's the problem when 00:15:57.919 --> 00:16:01.740 you try to kind of lone ranger your faith in 00:16:01.740 --> 00:16:06.059 the Lord. You begin to trust your emotions over 00:16:06.059 --> 00:16:09.590 the counsel of godly wisdom. There are so many 00:16:09.590 --> 00:16:14.850 verses that discuss the importance of gospel 00:16:14.850 --> 00:16:18.370 community. Jeremiah tells us that our hearts 00:16:18.370 --> 00:16:23.070 are deceitful above all things. Solomon tells 00:16:23.070 --> 00:16:27.230 us that two are better than one. The writer of 00:16:27.230 --> 00:16:30.370 Hebrews says to not neglect the gathering of 00:16:30.370 --> 00:16:33.309 the saints to do community. Jesus says where 00:16:33.309 --> 00:16:36.230 two or three are unified together in his name, 00:16:36.230 --> 00:16:40.740 he is in their midst. And so if your faith is 00:16:40.740 --> 00:16:44.000 played out in a private And you think this is 00:16:44.000 --> 00:16:46.600 just me. I'm not going to tell anybody about 00:16:46.600 --> 00:16:50.700 it You run a very high risk of being deceived 00:16:50.700 --> 00:16:54.279 by your own thoughts and desires You can be led 00:16:54.279 --> 00:16:56.019 astray now. Here's how it's worked out in my 00:16:56.019 --> 00:16:58.899 life recently now as many of you know this past 00:16:58.899 --> 00:17:02.960 summer was a trying time For me my fault, but 00:17:02.960 --> 00:17:06.559 it was reality I couldn't handle the I couldn't 00:17:06.559 --> 00:17:10.170 handle the You know, I couldn't control the response 00:17:10.170 --> 00:17:15.569 to that, but whatever. And so what I was frustrated 00:17:15.569 --> 00:17:20.789 about was I wanted to react a certain way. I 00:17:20.789 --> 00:17:24.769 wanted to act out in my flesh. But because I 00:17:24.769 --> 00:17:27.930 know that my heart is deceitful and I know that 00:17:27.930 --> 00:17:30.809 my heart lies to me at times, I thought it'd 00:17:30.809 --> 00:17:33.410 be a good idea to go get some advice. And so 00:17:33.410 --> 00:17:36.049 the truth is I wanted somebody to tell me what 00:17:36.049 --> 00:17:38.740 I wanted to hear. Let me go get some advice so 00:17:38.740 --> 00:17:40.240 the people will tell me what I wanted to hear 00:17:40.240 --> 00:17:43.119 I wanted somebody to tell me it's okay to quit 00:17:43.119 --> 00:17:46.500 I Wanted somebody to tell me it's okay if you 00:17:46.500 --> 00:17:48.299 go go over to their house and knock them out 00:17:48.299 --> 00:17:50.759 It's okay if you want to scream and yell it's 00:17:50.759 --> 00:17:53.299 it's okay to do all those things But instead 00:17:53.299 --> 00:17:55.599 they told me the opposite of what I wanted to 00:17:55.599 --> 00:17:59.619 hear And that frustrated me it frustrated me 00:17:59.619 --> 00:18:01.819 so I went to somebody else. Maybe they'll tell 00:18:01.819 --> 00:18:04.369 me what I want to hear And they didn't tell me 00:18:04.369 --> 00:18:06.109 what I wanted to hear either. So I go to a third 00:18:06.109 --> 00:18:08.089 person and they wouldn't tell me what I wanted 00:18:08.089 --> 00:18:10.410 to hear. And by the time I got to the third person, 00:18:10.410 --> 00:18:13.269 I began to notice this theme because they were 00:18:13.269 --> 00:18:17.329 all united. I was wrong in what I wanted to do. 00:18:17.329 --> 00:18:20.589 I was wrong in how I wanted to react. And not 00:18:20.589 --> 00:18:22.529 only was I wrong, did they tell me that, but 00:18:22.529 --> 00:18:25.710 then they said I needed to go do things that 00:18:25.710 --> 00:18:28.890 I wouldn't naturally do. Do you know how hard 00:18:28.890 --> 00:18:34.599 it is for me to keep my mouth shut? Do you know 00:18:34.599 --> 00:18:37.440 how hard it is for me to not defend myself and 00:18:37.440 --> 00:18:41.180 just keep taking shots? But what I learned about 00:18:41.180 --> 00:18:44.299 myself was that I was not trusting in the Lord 00:18:44.299 --> 00:18:47.380 to fight my battles. I was not trusting in His 00:18:47.380 --> 00:18:49.680 plan. I was trusting in the way I would do things. 00:18:50.759 --> 00:18:54.119 And if it wasn't for fellowship that was built 00:18:54.119 --> 00:18:57.720 on Jesus and built on sharing truth, I would 00:18:57.720 --> 00:19:00.079 have gone my own way and that would have been 00:19:00.079 --> 00:19:02.420 extremely detrimental to my spiritual health. 00:19:03.440 --> 00:19:07.059 I was, we need fellowship with other believers 00:19:07.059 --> 00:19:11.319 that's built on truth. And sometimes that truth 00:19:11.319 --> 00:19:13.900 is telling us that, hey, your heart's being deceptive 00:19:13.900 --> 00:19:17.099 right now. Hey, you're off a little bit. You 00:19:17.099 --> 00:19:20.039 need to calibrate and you need to get your focus 00:19:20.039 --> 00:19:22.720 back on Jesus because if you don't, this is gonna 00:19:22.720 --> 00:19:26.130 end badly for you. And so I'm so thankful for 00:19:26.130 --> 00:19:29.170 those that I have in my life that have the courage 00:19:29.170 --> 00:19:32.390 to speak truth to me, even when it's truth that's 00:19:32.390 --> 00:19:35.230 hard to hear, even when it's truth that it's 00:19:35.230 --> 00:19:38.410 hard to say, I'm so grateful for those people. 00:19:39.029 --> 00:19:40.750 Which leads me to my final point of what true 00:19:40.750 --> 00:19:43.829 fellowship is. Fellowship that is rooted in Jesus 00:19:43.829 --> 00:19:49.009 and truth will bring complete joy. Fellowship 00:19:49.009 --> 00:19:52.400 that is rooted in Jesus and truth. will bring 00:19:52.400 --> 00:19:56.980 complete joy. John's goal is clear here. The 00:19:56.980 --> 00:19:59.119 purpose of his letter is clear here. We write 00:19:59.119 --> 00:20:03.619 this to make our joy complete. I'm writing to 00:20:03.619 --> 00:20:06.680 you. I'm telling you what I've experienced so 00:20:06.680 --> 00:20:09.579 that it will make your joy complete. True joy 00:20:09.579 --> 00:20:13.660 isn't found in keeping Jesus to ourselves, but 00:20:13.660 --> 00:20:17.400 it's in sharing him so others can join in with 00:20:17.400 --> 00:20:20.470 the fellowship of God and his people. This fellowship 00:20:20.470 --> 00:20:23.589 idea, this word, this original word is the Greek 00:20:23.589 --> 00:20:28.450 word koinonia. It's a deep, shared participation 00:20:28.450 --> 00:20:31.650 in Christ. That's what this fellowship is we're 00:20:31.650 --> 00:20:33.809 talking about. This is not just coffee hour with 00:20:33.809 --> 00:20:37.009 a friend. This is not donuts before the service 00:20:37.009 --> 00:20:39.950 where we stand around and chit chat. It's more 00:20:39.950 --> 00:20:42.930 than bringing a casserole to some potluck and 00:20:42.930 --> 00:20:47.809 calling it fellowship. It is a deep, shared participation. 00:20:48.000 --> 00:20:52.380 in Christ. When we live in this fellowship, our 00:20:52.380 --> 00:20:56.680 joy is complete, our joy overflows. And we cannot 00:20:56.680 --> 00:20:59.920 have complete joy without Jesus. We cannot have 00:20:59.920 --> 00:21:03.220 complete joy without each other. Now this idea 00:21:03.220 --> 00:21:06.680 of complete joy comes from what Jesus told his 00:21:06.680 --> 00:21:09.539 followers back in John chapter 15. I'm going 00:21:09.539 --> 00:21:11.960 to read it to you real quick in the context. 00:21:12.019 --> 00:21:14.079 John 15, starting in verse 5, it says, I am the 00:21:14.079 --> 00:21:17.440 vine, you are the branches. Whoever abides in 00:21:17.440 --> 00:21:20.440 me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, 00:21:20.460 --> 00:21:24.079 for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone 00:21:24.079 --> 00:21:25.880 does not abide in me, he is thrown away like 00:21:25.880 --> 00:21:28.839 a branch in withers, and the branches are gathered, 00:21:28.920 --> 00:21:32.059 thrown into the fire and burned. If you abide 00:21:32.059 --> 00:21:34.480 in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever 00:21:34.480 --> 00:21:38.180 you wish, and it will be done for you. By this 00:21:38.180 --> 00:21:40.799 my Father is glorified that you bear much fruit 00:21:40.799 --> 00:21:44.019 and so prove to be my disciples, as the Father 00:21:44.019 --> 00:21:47.750 has loved me. So have I loved you, abide in my 00:21:47.750 --> 00:21:50.829 love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide 00:21:50.829 --> 00:21:53.970 in my love, just as I have kept my father's commandments 00:21:53.970 --> 00:21:56.930 and abide in his love. These things I have spoken 00:21:56.930 --> 00:22:00.490 to you, that my joy may be in you and that your 00:22:00.490 --> 00:22:05.430 joy may be full. When Jesus says, so that my 00:22:05.430 --> 00:22:09.950 joy may be in you, he's offering his disciples 00:22:09.950 --> 00:22:13.640 the same joy that he experiences. He experiences 00:22:13.640 --> 00:22:18.579 a deep, divine satisfaction rooted in His perfect 00:22:18.579 --> 00:22:22.240 communion with His Father. This isn't a fleeting 00:22:22.240 --> 00:22:24.940 happiness that's tied to various circumstances, 00:22:25.059 --> 00:22:28.400 but it's a profound, unshakable joy that flows 00:22:28.400 --> 00:22:32.519 from living in God's will. That word complete 00:22:32.519 --> 00:22:36.230 means to fill to the brim. Where it overflows, 00:22:36.369 --> 00:22:40.289 it means to be complete. And so Jesus wants their 00:22:40.289 --> 00:22:45.349 joy, wants our joy to be full and abundant and 00:22:45.349 --> 00:22:49.609 lasting. And that is achieved by staying connected 00:22:49.609 --> 00:22:55.049 to Him and living out His love. This joy is relational. 00:22:55.559 --> 00:23:00.019 It grows through abiding in Jesus and loving 00:23:00.019 --> 00:23:04.259 others. Just as Jesus' joy comes from His oneness 00:23:04.259 --> 00:23:08.319 with the Father, our joy is completed when we 00:23:08.319 --> 00:23:12.640 remain in Him and we share His love. Much like 00:23:12.640 --> 00:23:14.859 the fellowship that John describes back in 1 00:23:14.859 --> 00:23:20.279 John chapter 1. John's joy is complete when he 00:23:20.279 --> 00:23:26.740 shares Jesus. That brings him. joy. Inviting 00:23:26.740 --> 00:23:29.539 others into the fellowship with God and each 00:23:29.539 --> 00:23:33.500 other, that brings complete joy. Both passages 00:23:33.500 --> 00:23:36.579 in John chapter 15 and here in 1 John chapter 00:23:36.579 --> 00:23:41.000 1 point to a joy that overflows through connection 00:23:41.000 --> 00:23:44.859 and community. John's joy is complete not because 00:23:44.859 --> 00:23:50.819 of what he knows, but because he shares what 00:23:50.819 --> 00:23:53.829 he knows about Jesus. It's not just consuming 00:23:53.829 --> 00:23:56.809 knowledge, it's sharing that knowledge by proclaiming 00:23:56.809 --> 00:24:00.170 the word of life. John invites others into the 00:24:00.170 --> 00:24:03.329 same fellowship he enjoys so that it creates 00:24:03.329 --> 00:24:11.569 a ripple effect. Sharing the gospel, whether 00:24:11.569 --> 00:24:15.990 it's with a t -shirt, whether it's through words 00:24:15.990 --> 00:24:23.860 or actions or testimony, amplifies our joy. It 00:24:23.860 --> 00:24:29.339 amplifies our joy because it aligns us with God's 00:24:29.339 --> 00:24:34.579 mission in this world. It puts us in His perfect 00:24:34.579 --> 00:24:38.900 will. Now, did you know that since Charlie Kirk 00:24:38.900 --> 00:24:43.099 was assassinated, there has been a surge across 00:24:43.099 --> 00:24:47.119 the nation in church attendance, especially amongst 00:24:47.119 --> 00:24:49.839 Gen Z and millennials, which researchers were 00:24:49.839 --> 00:24:52.960 saying were untouchable. They were rejecting 00:24:52.960 --> 00:24:56.019 the church, but since in the last couple months, 00:24:56.420 --> 00:24:59.680 there's been a surge in church attendance. There's 00:24:59.680 --> 00:25:03.019 a group of people seeking community and meaning 00:25:03.019 --> 00:25:06.079 in life. The reason for that is because when 00:25:06.079 --> 00:25:08.619 they look around, they realize the world is chaotic. 00:25:09.059 --> 00:25:11.619 The world is confusing, and they are seeking 00:25:11.619 --> 00:25:14.119 truth, and they are seeking something that is 00:25:14.119 --> 00:25:16.940 real. This is what this generation is longing 00:25:16.940 --> 00:25:20.099 for. Now Charlie Kirk often used the phrase that 00:25:20.099 --> 00:25:23.380 his goal was to make heaven crowded. That's what 00:25:23.380 --> 00:25:25.720 he wanted to be remembered for. I want to help 00:25:25.720 --> 00:25:29.019 make heaven crowded. Now two weeks ago at his 00:25:29.019 --> 00:25:32.019 memorial service millions of people around the 00:25:32.019 --> 00:25:36.319 world were exposed to the gospel because leaders 00:25:36.319 --> 00:25:39.400 from around the world decided it was time to 00:25:39.400 --> 00:25:42.500 not stay silent about their faith anymore. That 00:25:42.500 --> 00:25:44.640 their faith was no longer going to be private. 00:25:45.049 --> 00:25:47.789 Now the arguments I've heard since in the last 00:25:47.789 --> 00:25:50.930 two weeks Against the memorial have actually 00:25:50.930 --> 00:25:54.930 come from religious people Well that guy shared 00:25:54.930 --> 00:25:57.890 the gospel right he shared the gospel on national 00:25:57.890 --> 00:26:03.069 television, but but he's divorced Or that guy 00:26:03.069 --> 00:26:05.869 shared his testimony, but the next day I heard 00:26:05.869 --> 00:26:11.059 him use profanity in a news conference And so 00:26:11.059 --> 00:26:14.039 they minimize the effect that someone might have 00:26:14.039 --> 00:26:18.200 with the gospel. Do you know how many flawed 00:26:18.200 --> 00:26:25.720 men God has used to fulfill His purposes? Moses 00:26:25.720 --> 00:26:31.559 was a murderer. David was an adulterer. Jonah 00:26:31.559 --> 00:26:35.319 was indignant. Peter was a coward. Thank the 00:26:35.319 --> 00:26:38.859 Lord that He still uses imperfect people to spread 00:26:38.859 --> 00:26:41.890 His message. And so don't think you have to arrive 00:26:41.890 --> 00:26:44.609 to a certain level before you can be effective 00:26:44.609 --> 00:26:47.589 for the kingdom of God. There has been awakening 00:26:47.589 --> 00:26:51.549 to spiritual truth over the last month, which 00:26:51.549 --> 00:26:54.730 makes your testimony even more powerful right 00:26:54.730 --> 00:26:59.490 now. How are you using your testimony to make 00:26:59.490 --> 00:27:03.930 your joy complete? What I've learned is that 00:27:03.930 --> 00:27:06.089 oftentimes people don't want to share their faith. 00:27:06.940 --> 00:27:09.579 They don't want to wear a t -shirt like this 00:27:09.579 --> 00:27:11.339 because somebody might ask them a question they 00:27:11.339 --> 00:27:15.000 don't know the answer to. What if the question 00:27:15.000 --> 00:27:19.059 makes me look like a fool? What if I get stumped? 00:27:19.960 --> 00:27:23.240 What I often tell people is nobody, nobody can 00:27:23.240 --> 00:27:27.599 argue with your testimony. They can't tell you 00:27:27.599 --> 00:27:30.099 what God has done in your life. They can't tell 00:27:30.099 --> 00:27:34.859 you that didn't happen. The reason that John's 00:27:34.859 --> 00:27:37.579 words are so powerful, is because he says, I 00:27:37.579 --> 00:27:43.160 have touched Jesus. I was there. I saw the work 00:27:43.160 --> 00:27:47.180 that he did. He is essentially sharing his testimony 00:27:47.180 --> 00:27:51.859 about how Jesus changed his life. Now, a recent 00:27:51.859 --> 00:27:57.559 study, as in the last six weeks, a recent study 00:27:57.559 --> 00:28:06.690 shows that 84 % of people you know, 84 % percent 00:28:06.690 --> 00:28:10.109 of people that you know would come to church 00:28:10.109 --> 00:28:16.730 if you invited them. Why are we not doing that? 00:28:18.470 --> 00:28:21.509 Why are we not telling people what God has done 00:28:21.509 --> 00:28:25.769 for us? The pump is primed for an awakening, 00:28:25.890 --> 00:28:30.250 but we aren't doing anything about it. If every 00:28:30.250 --> 00:28:33.130 single one of us in this room right now, If every 00:28:33.130 --> 00:28:36.230 single one of us invited one person to come to 00:28:36.230 --> 00:28:39.289 church with us next week, we would not have enough 00:28:39.289 --> 00:28:46.930 room in this building. Invite them into community. 00:28:47.190 --> 00:28:51.410 We're not exclusive here. This is not a secret. 00:28:52.049 --> 00:28:54.670 Tell them stories about how God has been faithful 00:28:54.670 --> 00:28:57.829 to you. Tell them stories about how God has changed 00:28:57.829 --> 00:29:01.170 your life. How he got you through a tough situation. 00:29:02.029 --> 00:29:05.369 Share your testimony so that you can experience 00:29:05.369 --> 00:29:12.009 complete joy. Our culture is calling for it. 00:29:12.210 --> 00:29:16.410 84 % of the people you know would come to church 00:29:16.410 --> 00:29:19.710 with you. Tell them what God has done in your 00:29:19.710 --> 00:29:25.309 life. Now, it's not to invite them here so that 00:29:25.309 --> 00:29:30.390 I do the work for you, but invite them into community. 00:29:34.799 --> 00:29:38.619 Tell them what God has done for you because you've 00:29:38.619 --> 00:29:42.160 experienced it. You've experienced what he's 00:29:42.160 --> 00:29:43.940 done. You've experienced it. Otherwise I don't 00:29:43.940 --> 00:29:46.799 think you'd be here today. He's calling you. 00:29:46.859 --> 00:29:48.519 Otherwise I don't think you'd be here today. 00:29:50.220 --> 00:29:51.940 And so my challenge to you is who are you going 00:29:51.940 --> 00:29:55.880 to invite this week? Now I believe it with everything 00:29:55.880 --> 00:29:58.759 in me because it's been my prayer is that when 00:29:58.759 --> 00:30:00.460 I start talking about who are you going to invite 00:30:00.460 --> 00:30:04.880 next week, that somebody came to your mind. God, 00:30:05.019 --> 00:30:07.920 place somebody on your heart. Do you have the 00:30:07.920 --> 00:30:10.339 courage to walk in obedience and bring them here 00:30:10.339 --> 00:30:14.900 so that they can experience what God has done? 00:30:16.599 --> 00:30:19.319 Are you sharing your testimony with them so that 00:30:19.319 --> 00:30:21.680 they can experience what God has done so that 00:30:21.680 --> 00:30:27.940 your joy may be complete? Because we're a melting 00:30:27.940 --> 00:30:31.380 pot of personalities in this room. We're a melting 00:30:31.380 --> 00:30:34.839 pot of backgrounds and histories. But the one 00:30:34.839 --> 00:30:41.740 thing that unites all of us is Jesus. More people 00:30:41.740 --> 00:30:46.180 need to experience him. Thank you for listening 00:30:46.180 --> 00:30:49.640 today to 563 Church, a production of Cornerstone 00:30:49.640 --> 00:30:52.220 Church, Eldridge, Iowa. For more information 00:30:52.220 --> 00:30:54.299 about our church or just getting right with God, 00:30:54.819 --> 00:30:58.319 please visit us at 563church .com. You can also 00:30:58.319 --> 00:31:01.059 find us on Facebook and Instagram. Have a great 00:31:01.059 --> 00:31:01.420 week.