The Joy of Hearing the Voice of God With Friends

Have You Not Known? Have You Not Heard?

(1 John 1:4, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, January 10, 2016)

(4a) The apostolic writings

[4a]  And we are writing these things …

There is eagerness and passion concerning the Christian message when people hear it well and receive it as truth from God. We see this throughout the New Testament among those who were chosen by Christ to be apostles. These men were sent out by the Lord with a message and a mission regarding the good news of the forgiveness of sins. We see this in John's gospel as the resurrected Lord of the church speaks to the first church leaders concerning the trust given to them.

[19] On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” [20] When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. [21] Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” [22] And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. [23] If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.” (John 20:19-23)

This important commission reiterates Jesus' earlier commission to Peter in Matthew 16. This role of the apostles was not just to preach and teach, but also to write. Because of this we have four gospels, one account of the earliest history of the work of the Lord's church, 21 letters to churches including the one we are considering, and finally one apocalyptic book of revelation given to the elderly “beloved” disciple when he was an exile on the island of Patmos.

This heritage of speaking, writing, and living out the faith continues all over the world to the present hour. The things that are written, if they are at all like 1 John, include important truths about the person and work of Jesus Christ, whom we confess to be the Son of God and our only hope both in life and in death. We, like the apostle John, believe that the promotion of these truths is important not only for pioneer evangelism, but also to strengthen people in their faith and obedience.

(4b) The fullness of apostolic joy

[4b]  ... so that our joy may be complete.

To bring this message to the churches, like any good endeavor in this world requires sacrifice. But this is not the message of the verse before us. Instead John wants those who receive this letter to know he is serving the Lord in this way not according to some begrudging act of slavish obedience but because he expects that this will bring him overflowing joy. Some early manuscripts have an alternate reading, “so that your joy may be complete.” There is no doubt that this is also a great motivator. We can comprehend both of these reasonable expectations by taking the translation as it is and understanding “our” to refer to both those who bear the message and those who receive it and believe it.

There are about a dozen passages in the New Testament that speak of overflowing joy using the particular words of our text. Let me make three simple points from the teaching that comes to us from these verses:

1. There is an overflowing joy that comes to those who hear and obey the voice of the Lord in His Word. (John 3:29, John 15:10-11)
2. That overflowing joy can and does coexist with deep trials and even disappointments. (Acts 13:49-52, 2 Corinthians 7:2-4)
3. This overflowing joy is associated with committed godly friendships that make sanctification (growth in holiness) seem very plausible. (2 Timothy 1:4, 2 John 1:12) [Note the 75 year long Harvard Study of Adult Development that demonstrates the tremendous health and happiness benefits that come from the security of long-term committed friendships. But we have so much more than even the blessings of the best friendships because of the content of the message that we share together.]

The effectual proclamation of the apostolic message is central to the joy of the one who truly hears and believes the good news of Jesus Christ.

The message that John refers to in this verse is the best news that could ever bind friends together. It is a more lasting news of salvation than that which made Moses and his sister Miriam sing and dance in Exodus 15. The struggle between Israel and Egypt in those days had led to so many years of oppression. Relief from that evil was very good, but Christ has delivered us from a far more serious and longer-standing danger. The removal of an earthly adversary is a great help, but it will do nothing toward providing us with the righteousness that we need in order to have safe fellowship with God forever. Christ has given us credit for all the obedience that we will ever need through his own life and death for us. [An early hint of this came in His baptism.]

As great as all this is, we experience these blessings with real people who have actual weaknesses that can make relationships tricky. People who have had the blessing of even the best marriages know that they are not living in fairy-tale pretend relationships. Though both parties are sinners, they learn to give each other the support of lover and beloved and to say in the words of Song of Solomon “I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine.” In that assurance of true commitment there is health and life. How much more in relationships where God gives us the privilege of communicating the truths of real forgiveness from Him and the blessings of heavenly glories through Jesus?

But will we focus on the positive? In our marriages and in friendships of all kinds are we able to catch the truth of John's idea that we have the privilege of communicating with each other with the confident expectation that our words and lives will bring both lover and beloved great joy? This positive news can revitalize our marriages and friendships. Then add the gift of the Lord of glory Himself into the many wonderful relationships that we can enjoy with His people all over the world and we surely have a most amazing gift. [Candy's recent experience of joy with a new GirefShare friend from another church who had read her book.]

Isn't a healthy family relationship better than anything that money or fame could buy? Isn't the good life of godly friendship over the passage of decades better than the anonymity of consumer religion? “Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
his understanding is unsearchable.” (Isaiah 40:28)

Old Testament Reading—Exodus 15:1-21 – The Songs of Moses and Miriam

Gospel Reading—Luke 3:1-22 – Jesus baptized by John