Set apart Jesus as holy in your hearts, His gospel, His ethics, His life

The Savior of the World

(1 John 4:14, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, January 15, 2017)

And we have seen and testify

that the Father has sent his Son

to be the Savior of the world.

We have seen and testify

Who has seen and testified?

Though these words have big implications for Christians today, John writes first and foremost about himself and the other disciples who were the original witnesses of Jesus Christ. You may remember the opening verses of 1 John: “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we 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.” (1 John 1:1-3) These words were true of those that saw, heard, and even touched Jesus.

Jesus made special promises to those original disciples: “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” (John 14:26) The apostles would receive divine teaching and would be given the gift of remembering that perfect teaching that would become foundational for the New Testament church (Ephesians 2:20).

Yet even though men like Peter and John saw Jesus with their eyes both prior to the cross and after the resurrection, they did not see the Father sending His Son into the world. That was beyond human view. The Son's heavenly mission had to be learned not through seeing but through hearing. Jesus told them that truth. Before the cross Jesus said, “I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.” (John 6:38) After the cross He said yet again, “As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” (John 20:21)

They saw

The original twelve (minus Judas) saw even with the eyes of their hearts the truth about Jesus Christ. They saw Him as the Son of God. To use John's words from John 1:1, In the beginning, Jesus was “the Word” who was “with God” and was also “God.” They heard the truth and believed. If they doubted the true divine oneness of the Father and Jesus, they needed to listen to this challenge that Jesus spoke to Philip, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” If, as in the case of Thomas, they relied too much on what their physical eyes told them in order to believe the truth about Jesus, they needed to take to heart words like these: “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (That's us!)

They testified

But once they received the gift of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, they knew what they knew. They had seen and they would testify for the rest of their lives regarding Jesus Christ, “the Father's Son.” (2 John 3) Christ had sent them forth with a message, and thus they would go. Their gospel would not only be their own eyewitness accounts but their true understanding of the Old Testament Scriptures. The Word that had so changed their own lives sent them forth speaking to all who would here. As the people on the streets of Athens would one day conclude about Saul of Tarsus, “He seems to be a preacher of foreign divinities.” Why? “Because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection.” We need to understand their message and their passion.

The Father has sent His Son to be the Savior of the World

The Father

The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who rightly demands perfect and unending obedience from all,

Has Sent

by the power of the Holy Spirit working within the womb of a poor Hebrew virgin, sent from heaven's heights

His Son

His own eternal Son, the Lamb of God,

To Be the Savior

that He might perfectly obey the Law of God and then die on the cross as our Sin-Bearer. Through His perfect fulfillment of love and justice, salvation has come,

Of the World

not only for the Jews, but for all the people groups of the earth.

Jesus, the Father's Son, is the Savior of the world. He will take His beloved from all over this dying cosmos, and bring forth a new resurrection kingdom for His glorious bride. Nothing could be better than this truth. It is simple but comprehensive. We must not tamper with it. For example, gospel is forever connected to sin. No sin, no need for a savior. New definition of sin, false gospel. Salvation falls apart when we reject the Biblical concept of sin and replace it with our own outrage based on modern standards of propriety rather than the eternal Law of God.

We have the apostolic witness recorded for us in the Scriptures concerning who Jesus is and what He has done. The original disciples passed on this message to others who believed their testimony and who also communicated this good news to so many others. We are recipients and guardians of a story that could not be better and therefore needs no improvement. What will we do with this treasured oracle of the gospel that has come to us from Almighty God?

1. Receive it with the ear. Don't rely on your eyes. Eyes could never have convinced you that the Father sent His Son to be the Savior of the world. The truth needs to be heard and believed.

2. Guard it with your heart. What you hear and believe, protect. Remember that the Immanuel, God with us, is with you. When you get up in the morning, don't say, “What am I doing today?” Say “What are we doing today?” You have a plural in you. Guard the Triune God in you with your life by turning away from all sin and heresy. Note what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6:12-20.

3. Do not improve it. Christianity does not need our updating. (Example: the evolving ethics of love and sex.) Note 1 Peter 3:15. Sanctify the Lord in your hearts, and be ready to speak hope.

Old Testament Reading—Zephaniah 2:1-15 – The Shameless Nation

Gospel Reading—Matthew 5:31-32 – [31] It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ [32] But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.