EVENING SD FOR 7/30/2024 6:09 PM
This SD will be the first introduction to the letter of 1
John, and in this SD I will quote what the late Warren W. Wiersbe wrote in his Be
Book series entitled “Be Real” “Turning from Hypocrisy To Truth.” Today’s introduction will be rather short and
then Lord willing, tomorrow’s introduction from John MacArthur’s commentary will
be longer.
“Once upon a time….’
“Remember how exciting those words used to be? They were the open door into an exciting
world of make-believe, a dreamworld that helped you forget all the problems of
childhood.
“Then—pow! You turned a corner one day, and ‘Once upon a
time” became kid stuff. You discovered
that life is a battleground, not a playground, and fairy stories were no longer
meaningful. You wanted something real.
“The search for something real is not new. It has bee going on since the beginning of
history. Men have looked for reality and
satisfaction in wealth, thrills, conquest, power, learning, and even in
religion.
“There is nothing really wrong with these experiences,
except that by themselves they never
really satisfy. Wanting something real and finding something real are two different
things. Like a child eating cotton candy at the circus, many people who expect
to bite into something real end up with a mouthful of nothing. They waste priceless years on empty
substitutes for reality.
“This is where the Apostle John’s first epistle comes
in. Written centuries ago, this letter
deals with a theme that is forever up-to-date: the life that is real.
“John had discovered that satisfying reality is not
to be found in things or thrills, but in a Person—Jesus Christ, the Son of
God. Without wasting any time, he tells
us about this ‘living reality’ in the first paragraph of his letter.
“As you read 1 John 1:1-4, you learn three vital facts
about the life that is real.”
Now I will quote 1 John 1:1-4 at this time, but as in my
other NT studies that I have been doing most of my help comes from the
commentaries of John MacArthur with at times some help from Warren Wiersbe’s
commentaries.
“1 What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we
have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands,
concerning the Word of Life — 2 and the life was manifested, and we have seen
and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and
was manifested to us — 3 what
we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship
with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus
Christ. 4 These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete.”
7/30/2024 6:27 PM
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