Creekside Church || Wasilla, AK
05.18.25 || Eternal Life and Everlasting Love
Weekly Sermon Notes
Locations & Times
Creekside Church || Wasilla, AK
2201 S Knik-Goose Bay Rd, Wasilla, AK 99654, USA
Sunday 9:00 AM
Sunday 11:00 AM
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I'm excited to start a 9 week journey in the book of 1 John called "IYKYK... eternal life. in Jesus. no doubt." (if you know you know).
We want you to know for sure that you have eternal life and can experience everlasting love by having fellowship with God. We want to define what it really means to be in fellowship with God. We want you to understand what it means to be a disciple, to actually walk in his ways and do what he says, that our actions and beliefs are in step with each other. And today we start with an introduction to these wonderful truths.
We want you to know for sure that you have eternal life and can experience everlasting love by having fellowship with God. We want to define what it really means to be in fellowship with God. We want you to understand what it means to be a disciple, to actually walk in his ways and do what he says, that our actions and beliefs are in step with each other. And today we start with an introduction to these wonderful truths.
ABOUT JOHN...
John was a disciple/Apostle of Jesus || was in his inner circle of three (Peter, James, John) [refers to himself as “the disciple whom Jesus loved” and outran Peter to the tomb] || wrote the gospel of John, 1,2,3 John and the Book of Revelation…prob around 90-95 ad || was a pastor in Asia Minor (think Turkey) in Ephesus || outlived all of the apostles || oral tradition tells us John was arrested in Ephesus and faced martyrdom when his enemies threw him in a huge basin of boiling oil. John was miraculously delivered from death. The authorities then sentenced John to slave labor in the mines of Patmos. On this island in the southern part of the Aegean Sea, John had a vision of Jesus Christ and wrote the prophetic book of Revelation. The apostle John was later freed, possibly due to old age, and he returned to what is now Turkey. He died as an old man sometime after AD 98, the only apostle to die peacefully. || This 1st letter starts differently than 2/3 John…probably more like a sermon that was circulated throughout the churches || One of his reasons for writing was to combat the heresy of Gnosticism (which was the belief that the internal [spiritual] special knowledge was the only important thing, and that the physical body was evil so it didn’t matter what you actually acted like, evil actions didn’t affect your eternity)…Gnosticism still shows up today in the devaluing of human life (abortion), the ongoing debate over sexual identity and gender ideologies that say the external is not what matters but the internal (how I feel) is the most important…|| this was a primary heresy that had invaded the church and led to some believing in a sub category that was called Docetism. A term derived from the Greek word meaning "to seem" or "to appear," is a heretical belief that Jesus only seemed to have a physical body and a human nature. Docetists believed that Jesus was fully divine and therefore could not truly be human, live, die, or be resurrected. They saw Jesus' earthly life and suffering as a mere illusion or appearance || John wanted to dispel this heresy and teach the churches in Ephesus to know that it is important to actually believe and act in godly ways (showing we are disciples) and helping people understand that Jesus was fully God and fully human…he was the only way they would experience eternal life and everlasting joy. ||
John was a disciple/Apostle of Jesus || was in his inner circle of three (Peter, James, John) [refers to himself as “the disciple whom Jesus loved” and outran Peter to the tomb] || wrote the gospel of John, 1,2,3 John and the Book of Revelation…prob around 90-95 ad || was a pastor in Asia Minor (think Turkey) in Ephesus || outlived all of the apostles || oral tradition tells us John was arrested in Ephesus and faced martyrdom when his enemies threw him in a huge basin of boiling oil. John was miraculously delivered from death. The authorities then sentenced John to slave labor in the mines of Patmos. On this island in the southern part of the Aegean Sea, John had a vision of Jesus Christ and wrote the prophetic book of Revelation. The apostle John was later freed, possibly due to old age, and he returned to what is now Turkey. He died as an old man sometime after AD 98, the only apostle to die peacefully. || This 1st letter starts differently than 2/3 John…probably more like a sermon that was circulated throughout the churches || One of his reasons for writing was to combat the heresy of Gnosticism (which was the belief that the internal [spiritual] special knowledge was the only important thing, and that the physical body was evil so it didn’t matter what you actually acted like, evil actions didn’t affect your eternity)…Gnosticism still shows up today in the devaluing of human life (abortion), the ongoing debate over sexual identity and gender ideologies that say the external is not what matters but the internal (how I feel) is the most important…|| this was a primary heresy that had invaded the church and led to some believing in a sub category that was called Docetism. A term derived from the Greek word meaning "to seem" or "to appear," is a heretical belief that Jesus only seemed to have a physical body and a human nature. Docetists believed that Jesus was fully divine and therefore could not truly be human, live, die, or be resurrected. They saw Jesus' earthly life and suffering as a mere illusion or appearance || John wanted to dispel this heresy and teach the churches in Ephesus to know that it is important to actually believe and act in godly ways (showing we are disciples) and helping people understand that Jesus was fully God and fully human…he was the only way they would experience eternal life and everlasting joy. ||
KEY THOUGHT...
“In JESUS we can have ETERNAL LIFE and can experience the joy of his EVERLASTING LOVE”
“In JESUS we can have ETERNAL LIFE and can experience the joy of his EVERLASTING LOVE”
THE TEXT...1 JOHN 1:1-4…
— this is one long sentence
1. I JOHN 1:1 [JESUS IS ETERNAL LIFE] “WHAT”…
-- was FROM THE BEGINNING
* (GN 1:1) “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
* (JN 1:1-2) “In the beginning was the Word…”
- beginning means before everything, The “WHAT” is eternal (both the message and the person)
-- was HEARD, SEEN, OBSERVED, TOUCHED (Jesus was both God (from the beginning) and man (heard/seen/observed/touched) || this
was a progressive thing, each one getting closer and closer (both the message and the person)
-- was equal to the “WORD OF LIFE”
- in John’s gospel he proclaimed that Jesus was the ETERNAL WORD...* (Jn 1:1-2)“…and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning.” || and that this ETERNALWORD BECAME FLESH...* (Jn 1:14) “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
- Jesus was fully eternal God and fully man, dwelling with us (Immanuel)
-- This “WHAT” is a THING we can RECEIVE(THE GOSPEL MESSAGE) and it is a PERSON we can KNOW(JESUS CHRIST)
- John was making sure we understand that we cannot separate the gospel message from the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus is eternal life.
2. I JOHN 1:2-3a “THAT LIFE…”
--was REVEALED to us (we SAW it, we TESTIFY about it, we DECLARE it to you)
-- was equal to “ETERNAL LIFE”…again a thing we can receive (gospel) and a person we can know (Jesus)
-- was with the FATHER (Jesus is eternal, Jesus is God the Son, JN 1:1-2)
-- was REVEALED to us (physically) (he came to us in the flesh, JN 1:14)
-- was SEEN and HEARD by us (he revealed himself by word and miracles…by the Holy Spirit)
-- was DECLARED by us (As we believed…we have to tell you about is so that you will believe too)
3. I JOHN 1:3b-4 [JESUS OFFERS EVERLASTING LOVE]“SO THAT”…
-- You may also have FELLOWSHIP with us (our FELLOWSHIP is with the FATHER and with His Son Jesus Christ)
-- koinonia is that EVERLASTING LOVE…it is a special, deep relationship, John wants everyone to know that God has given us access to a relationship with him that is amazing, deep, meaningful || We have the potential of a relationship of a shared life with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. It is as if the Father and the Son agree together to let us into their relationship of love and fellowship.
-- We have a real relationship with God…think about that…right now, for those that have repented and believed in Jesus, the Holy Spirit is residing in your soul, God himself is attentive to you, he knows your thoughts right now, he hears your prayers, he knows you and you know him, you have 24 hour/365 day access to the creator of the universe…everything we see around us, what we experience with our eyes, he made that, and you know him…isn’t that mind blowing?!?
-- Our JOY may be complete|| because I have fellowship with God through Jesus…I want others to know that same eternal life and the Joy of that EVERLASTING LOVE || and when you repent and believe you will now have FELLOWSHIP with God, experiencing ETERNAL LIFE and having the joy of his EVERLASTING LOVE!
— this is one long sentence
1. I JOHN 1:1 [JESUS IS ETERNAL LIFE] “WHAT”…
-- was FROM THE BEGINNING
* (GN 1:1) “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
* (JN 1:1-2) “In the beginning was the Word…”
- beginning means before everything, The “WHAT” is eternal (both the message and the person)
-- was HEARD, SEEN, OBSERVED, TOUCHED (Jesus was both God (from the beginning) and man (heard/seen/observed/touched) || this
was a progressive thing, each one getting closer and closer (both the message and the person)
-- was equal to the “WORD OF LIFE”
- in John’s gospel he proclaimed that Jesus was the ETERNAL WORD...* (Jn 1:1-2)“…and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning.” || and that this ETERNALWORD BECAME FLESH...* (Jn 1:14) “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
- Jesus was fully eternal God and fully man, dwelling with us (Immanuel)
-- This “WHAT” is a THING we can RECEIVE(THE GOSPEL MESSAGE) and it is a PERSON we can KNOW(JESUS CHRIST)
- John was making sure we understand that we cannot separate the gospel message from the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus is eternal life.
2. I JOHN 1:2-3a “THAT LIFE…”
--was REVEALED to us (we SAW it, we TESTIFY about it, we DECLARE it to you)
-- was equal to “ETERNAL LIFE”…again a thing we can receive (gospel) and a person we can know (Jesus)
-- was with the FATHER (Jesus is eternal, Jesus is God the Son, JN 1:1-2)
-- was REVEALED to us (physically) (he came to us in the flesh, JN 1:14)
-- was SEEN and HEARD by us (he revealed himself by word and miracles…by the Holy Spirit)
-- was DECLARED by us (As we believed…we have to tell you about is so that you will believe too)
3. I JOHN 1:3b-4 [JESUS OFFERS EVERLASTING LOVE]“SO THAT”…
-- You may also have FELLOWSHIP with us (our FELLOWSHIP is with the FATHER and with His Son Jesus Christ)
-- koinonia is that EVERLASTING LOVE…it is a special, deep relationship, John wants everyone to know that God has given us access to a relationship with him that is amazing, deep, meaningful || We have the potential of a relationship of a shared life with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. It is as if the Father and the Son agree together to let us into their relationship of love and fellowship.
-- We have a real relationship with God…think about that…right now, for those that have repented and believed in Jesus, the Holy Spirit is residing in your soul, God himself is attentive to you, he knows your thoughts right now, he hears your prayers, he knows you and you know him, you have 24 hour/365 day access to the creator of the universe…everything we see around us, what we experience with our eyes, he made that, and you know him…isn’t that mind blowing?!?
-- Our JOY may be complete|| because I have fellowship with God through Jesus…I want others to know that same eternal life and the Joy of that EVERLASTING LOVE || and when you repent and believe you will now have FELLOWSHIP with God, experiencing ETERNAL LIFE and having the joy of his EVERLASTING LOVE!
APPLICATION…
KEY THOUGHT: “In JESUS we can have ETERNAL LIFE and can experience the joy of his EVERLASTING LOVE”
1. YOU CAN KNOW YOU HAVE ETERNAL LIFE!
[Grace producing forgiveness, forever!]
A. TO BELIEVERS...
JN 14:6 || JESUS SAID: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
JN 20:31 || “But these are written SO THAT you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing YOU MAY HAVE LIFE in his name.”
1 JN 5:13 || “I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God SO THAT you may know that you have ETERNAL LIFE.”
B. TO THOSE WHO THINK WE HAVE TO WORK FOR THAT ETERNAL LIFE...
- Maybe you have been taught that it is your works that give you eternal life…that is not true…you are saved by grace through faith in Jesus…
EPH 2:8-9 || “8 For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— 9 not from works, so that no one can boast.”
- Your eternal life is given to you as a gift, by grace through faith…when you repent of your sins and believe in Jesus alone for forgiveness, you are given eternal life with him… now…your works are important after you have been given eternal life, the very next verse says…
EPH 2:10 || “10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.”
- We are commanded to live holy lives, to live a life pleasing to the Lord (we will spend quite a bit of time on this over the next few weeks) but be sure your works don’t save you, they don’t give you eternal life…but your works prove that your faith is genuine…
C. TO SEEKERS...
- You can have eternal life, Jesus is offering it to you as a free gift
ROM 6:23 || “23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
--> confess your sins: repent: believe: receive his gift:
2. YOU CAN EXPERIENCE THE JOY OF HIS EVERLASTING LOVE![Fellowship producing joy, forever!]
FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD...
- The joy of having a relationship with God…experiencing his forgiveness, grace, power, it is amazing and it is forever!…
--> Q: Are you experiencing that JOY in your life? JOY is a fruit of the Spirit…it has nothing to do with your circumstances. You could be going through some really challenging times and still experience JOY…knowing that God loves you and is with you and desires for you to know him and experience his mercy and grace and love and forgiveness
--> Q: As a follower of Jesus…how is your following?|| John was closely relating the message of the Gospel with the person of the Gospel || you can’t separate them. You can experience eternal life by surrendering your life to Jesus (who is the WORD OF LIFE) . You can experience the joy of his everlasting love by living in fellowship with him (obedience and surrender mark a life in fellowship with God)
- If you are not experiencing the joy of his everlasting love in your life, maybe there are some things that your are believing and some things you are doing that are wrong that are contributing to your loss of fellowship || maybe you are living in the flesh and not being led by, walking in step with, being empowered by the Holy Spirit || confess. Repent. Believe. The gospel is still applicable to us…sanctifying us…saving us from the power of sin in our lives
FELLOWSHIP WITH OTHERS...
- I want you to think of your ONE…face/name…who are far from God right now...
- Can you imagine in your mind the moment they repent and believe and will put their faith in Jesus? Can you imagine what that moment will be like for them? Their eyes will be opened, their ears will be opened, their darkened mind will be illuminated and their dead, cold, hard heart will come alive and become soft?
- Can you imagine how you will feel in that moment, for them? That incredible miraculous joy? Because of the joy we have experienced in Jesus…what has been revealed to us…we have to keep declaring this to them…to our ONE’s…so that they can know Jesus, they can have eternal life, they can experience the everlasting love of God in Jesus!
Spend some time praying for, over, our ONE’s…by name
KEY THOUGHT: “In JESUS we can have ETERNAL LIFE and can experience the joy of his EVERLASTING LOVE”
1. YOU CAN KNOW YOU HAVE ETERNAL LIFE!
[Grace producing forgiveness, forever!]
A. TO BELIEVERS...
JN 14:6 || JESUS SAID: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
JN 20:31 || “But these are written SO THAT you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing YOU MAY HAVE LIFE in his name.”
1 JN 5:13 || “I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God SO THAT you may know that you have ETERNAL LIFE.”
B. TO THOSE WHO THINK WE HAVE TO WORK FOR THAT ETERNAL LIFE...
- Maybe you have been taught that it is your works that give you eternal life…that is not true…you are saved by grace through faith in Jesus…
EPH 2:8-9 || “8 For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— 9 not from works, so that no one can boast.”
- Your eternal life is given to you as a gift, by grace through faith…when you repent of your sins and believe in Jesus alone for forgiveness, you are given eternal life with him… now…your works are important after you have been given eternal life, the very next verse says…
EPH 2:10 || “10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.”
- We are commanded to live holy lives, to live a life pleasing to the Lord (we will spend quite a bit of time on this over the next few weeks) but be sure your works don’t save you, they don’t give you eternal life…but your works prove that your faith is genuine…
C. TO SEEKERS...
- You can have eternal life, Jesus is offering it to you as a free gift
ROM 6:23 || “23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
--> confess your sins: repent: believe: receive his gift:
2. YOU CAN EXPERIENCE THE JOY OF HIS EVERLASTING LOVE![Fellowship producing joy, forever!]
FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD...
- The joy of having a relationship with God…experiencing his forgiveness, grace, power, it is amazing and it is forever!…
--> Q: Are you experiencing that JOY in your life? JOY is a fruit of the Spirit…it has nothing to do with your circumstances. You could be going through some really challenging times and still experience JOY…knowing that God loves you and is with you and desires for you to know him and experience his mercy and grace and love and forgiveness
--> Q: As a follower of Jesus…how is your following?|| John was closely relating the message of the Gospel with the person of the Gospel || you can’t separate them. You can experience eternal life by surrendering your life to Jesus (who is the WORD OF LIFE) . You can experience the joy of his everlasting love by living in fellowship with him (obedience and surrender mark a life in fellowship with God)
- If you are not experiencing the joy of his everlasting love in your life, maybe there are some things that your are believing and some things you are doing that are wrong that are contributing to your loss of fellowship || maybe you are living in the flesh and not being led by, walking in step with, being empowered by the Holy Spirit || confess. Repent. Believe. The gospel is still applicable to us…sanctifying us…saving us from the power of sin in our lives
FELLOWSHIP WITH OTHERS...
- I want you to think of your ONE…face/name…who are far from God right now...
- Can you imagine in your mind the moment they repent and believe and will put their faith in Jesus? Can you imagine what that moment will be like for them? Their eyes will be opened, their ears will be opened, their darkened mind will be illuminated and their dead, cold, hard heart will come alive and become soft?
- Can you imagine how you will feel in that moment, for them? That incredible miraculous joy? Because of the joy we have experienced in Jesus…what has been revealed to us…we have to keep declaring this to them…to our ONE’s…so that they can know Jesus, they can have eternal life, they can experience the everlasting love of God in Jesus!
Spend some time praying for, over, our ONE’s…by name
KEY THOUGHT:
“In JESUS we can have ETERNAL LIFE and can experience the joy of his EVERLASTING LOVE”
“In JESUS we can have ETERNAL LIFE and can experience the joy of his EVERLASTING LOVE”
RESPOND, REFLECT & COMMUNION
I would like to give you a chance to respond to God…
-- What did God reveal about who he is to you today in our time in God’s word?
-- What did God reveal about what he has done or is doing in our time in God’s word?
-- What did you learn about who you are as we looked at these stories today?
-- What did you learn about what you are supposed to do?
—> Let's take a minute to thank Him, respond to Him, confess our sins to Him, examine our hearts before we take communion...
—> WHAT IS JESUS SAYING TO YOU TODAY?
—> WHAT IS JESUS ASKING YOU TO DO?
I would like to give you a chance to respond to God…
-- What did God reveal about who he is to you today in our time in God’s word?
-- What did God reveal about what he has done or is doing in our time in God’s word?
-- What did you learn about who you are as we looked at these stories today?
-- What did you learn about what you are supposed to do?
—> Let's take a minute to thank Him, respond to Him, confess our sins to Him, examine our hearts before we take communion...
—> WHAT IS JESUS SAYING TO YOU TODAY?
—> WHAT IS JESUS ASKING YOU TO DO?