Sermon -- Festival of St. John, Apostle and Evangelist (December 27, 2020)

1 JOHN 1:1 – 2:2

THE BLESSED APOSTLE DECLARES A BLESSED FELLOWSHIP. 

In the name + of Jesus.

      That which was from the beginning is eternal.  The universe, laws of physics, matter, and time had a beginning.  God did not.  But then, that which is eternal entered our time and had an actual beginning. 

     God is spirit.  He is invisible.  No one has ever seen him.  And yet, John says, “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 … we proclaim also to you.” (1 John 1:1,3)  The invisible God took on a form which could be seen, heard, and handled.  The God who is spirit became flesh and blood.

     God is immortal.  He is the word of life and the source of life.  All living things have their being because God has been pleased to grant it and to sustain it.  And yet, the living God allowed himself to be put to death.  The immortal God died.  And then, this dead man brought himself back to life.  Never again can he die, but he lives forever.

     There were many who had seen and heard Jesus.  John was one of twelve men chosen to be an apostle of Jesus to see his miracles and hear his teaching.  John was a witness to Jesus’ sufferings, death, and resurrection.  And John was commissioned by Jesus to bear witness to all of this and to preach forgiveness of sins on account of all of this.  John wrote: “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 1:3)  The blessed apostle declares a blessed fellowship.

     If you are associated with Jesus Christ, it is because he has been pleased to bring you into fellowship with him.  Jesus Christ does not have association with liars and phonies.  It is important to understand what that means.  You might get the impression that Jesus Christ does not have association with sinners.  That is false.  Jesus called twelve men to be his apostles.  They were all sinners.  Even John, who was known as the disciple Jesus loved, was rebuked by Jesus for his desire for greatness and for a vengeful spirit against a Samaritan village which did not welcome Jesus with open arms.  In addition, Jesus was ridiculed by the Pharisees for welcoming people with low moral standards and poor reputations.  So, Jesus did not despise sinners.

     But Jesus will not have association with liars and phonies.  St. John wrote, “If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.  If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” (1 John 1:6,8,10)  So, what is the great lie?  That we are good people who deserve to be treated better by God.  That if our friends don’t think our sins are a big deal, God won’t either.  That God’s word does not apply to us when we don’t like it and that we have defensible reasons for our sins.  If we believe all these things, we call God a liar.  If we say that we are Christians when we persistently live contrary to God’s word, we are phonies.  This is unbelief, and whoever does not believe will be condemned.  Jesus is not hostile to sinners, only to unbelievers.

     But John, the blessed apostle, declares a blessed fellowship.  This blessed fellowship is established by Jesus Christ.  He takes away from you everything that prevents fellowship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  We know that sins are nothing to brag about, and we don’t.  We wish we could take back so many careless and cruel words.  We wish we could go back and be much kinder to people, especially if we have learned about the sorrows and stress they were dealing with.  If you have such regrets, it is because God has worked in you sorrow over sins and a desire to never repeat them.  But now comes the promise proclaimed by John: “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 cleanses us from all sin.  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:7,9)  The blessed apostle declares a blessed fellowship.  Jesus is not hostile to sinners, only to unbelievers.

     Unbelievers reject the forgiveness won for them by Jesus.  No matter how much an unbeliever protests that he is good and no matter how many works he can present to prove it, he is still in his sin.  His heart is corrupt.  Therefore, his works are corrupt, and he is judged accordingly.  But by God’s grace, you have learned to put no trust in your merits, knowing you have merited punishment.  Rather, you cling to your Savior; and the blood of Jesus cleanses you of all sins.  This is God’s faithful promise to you—that whoever believes and is baptized shall be saved.  If you believe and are baptized, God upholds his promise to you that you are forgiven of every offense and purified of all unrighteousness.  Rather than make excuses to others you have sinned against, now you make amends.  This is part of what it means to walk in the light.  But your forgiveness is not based on your making amends.  It is purchased by the blood of Christ.  It is applied to you by the blood of Christ.  And it is sustained in you by the blood of Christ.  This is the benefit of the blessed fellowship declared by the blessed apostle.

     The apostles were chosen by Jesus to go and to bear witness to Jesus’ death and resurrection.  They declared that salvation and forgiveness come only through Jesus Christ.  They were all consistent in their testimony, and they all were treated the same for their message—they were persecuted, tortured, and killed.  John was an exception to this.  Tradition says that John died of natural causes at a good old age.  That does not mean that John’s life was easy.  While John is known as the disciple Jesus loved, that love was not revealed through preferential treatment.  It was revealed only through the mercies of a God who saves.

     For preaching about Jesus, John was banished by the Roman emperor Domitian to the island of Patmos where, it would seem, John was left to die.  While on Patmos, John was cut off from any companionship or contact with his fellow Christians.  The Christians whom John had served could pray for him, but they could not be seen by him.  John still had a blessed fellowship, for he had not been cut off from Jesus.  But John was not able to benefit from that blessed fellowship with other believers who had been redeemed by Jesus.

     This is not exactly the heart-warming message that you might want to hear as we still revel in the joys of Christmas.  But it is no accident that even in the joys of Christmas we are reminded of the cross.  Yes, we remember the cross of Jesus, but we also remember the cross that Jesus has us bear for the sake of his name.  The harsh reality is that you cannot have fellowship with the world and with the Lord.  The world may enjoy Jesus as long as he remains a cute baby in a manger.  But when Jesus actually has words of substance, the cuteness of Jesus wears off.  In fact, he becomes offensive.  Many reject the idea that they need to repent and need a Savior.  They insist on being accepted the way they are—without a change in behavior, without a concern for God’s word, and without apology.

     But God has worked in you a change in behavior, a concern for God’s word, and a mouth that confesses Jesus.  This is why the world despises you.  Your godly confession and your godly life testify to the world that it is evil.  Even if others jump all over you because you have sinned and they call you a phony, it is not true.  If you confess your sins and sorrow over them, you are not a phony.  You are acknowledging that God’s word is right to convict you.  Those who do not call God a liar.  And they may despise you for saying otherwise.  The world may be hostile to you, but God is not.  St. John reminds us: “If anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.  He is the propitiation for our sins.” (1 John 2:1,2)  God is not hostile to sinners, only to unbelievers.

     The blessed apostle declares a blessed fellowship.  John declared a real God, not a theoretical one.  John is a witness that God entered our world as a man, associated with everyone, was interested in their lives, and even probed into their hearts.  Jesus is a God who could be seen, heard, and touched.  It is by Jesus’ death that your guilt is taken away, and it is by Jesus’ resurrection that God declares that he is pleased with Jesus’ sacrifice and, as a result, with you.  Therefore, God’s love for you is not something you have to convince yourself that you have.  It is tied to a real man whose crucifixion and resurrection were real, historical events.  Since Jesus is real, so is your forgiveness and salvation.  St. John saw it, and he tells you so.

     The blessed apostle declares a blessed fellowship.  That fellowship is still established by means that you can see, touch, and hear.  Just as God came as a physical person, so God still comes to us through physical means.  By the waters of holy baptism, you have been brought into the family of God and enjoy the fellowship and benefits of God’s kingdom.  By the bread and wine of holy communion, Jesus gives you the body and blood which have conquered death and live forever.  Rather than assuming you are forgiven, God has established holy absolution by which you hear Jesus’ minister speak the very words of God.  This is how the immortal, eternal, invisible God meets his people to keep us secure in his love forever.    

     The blessed apostle declares a blessed fellowship.  John wrote his epistle to fellow Christians who needed this comfort and encouragement as much as we do.  When God joins people to his church, he unites us to other flesh and blood people.  The Lord Jesus Christ attaches us to one another for the good of each other.  We get to see one another, hear each other’s concerns, and touch one another’s lives.  In this way, we get to strengthen and support one another as we continue to live in a world which is hostile to Christ and which mocks godly lives by God’s people.  In order to not be swept away by fellowship with the world, we need this blessed fellowship with one another.  For this is how our Lord Jesus Christ strengthens and keeps us in the one true faith.  Here alone will you find a real forgiveness and even the tangible love of God. 

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.