Sermon for Sunday February 21st, 2010

 Make Our Joy Complete by Steve Shepherd

1 John 1:1-1:4

INTRO.- ILL.- The University of Notre Dame has a new tip for a catering employee they mistakenly gave a $29,000 gratuity check: Give it back. A lawsuit filed by the Indiana university claims Sara Gaspar used the accidental check to pay bills and buy a new car, MyFOX Chicago reported.

Notre Dame claims the check, which was supposed to be for $29.87, not $29,387, was issued on April 17 and alleges caterer Gaspar never notified university officials about the blunder.

Gaspar claims when messages she left regarding the check went unreturned, she assumed the amount wasn’t a mistake. She also said her supervisors told her the check was legitimate and they would pass on her messages to the human resources department, MyFOX Chicago reported.

"I guess because it was there and I was in a bad situation, I went out and spent it," Gaspar told the South Bend Tribune. "I was so excited ... I thought, I could pay some of these bills."

Her attorney claims that because the funds were listed as "gratuity" and not "wages," Gaspar did nothing wrong.

Wow! Wouldn’t that be awful to happen to you? You thought you were being blessed beyond measure and turns out it was all a mistake. At least, Sara Gaspar tried to check it out BEFORE she cashed that big check! Money is the name of the game to many people in life.

I Timothy 6:9-10 "People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs."

ILL.- Comedian Jay Leno once said, “They say John Kerry was the first Democratic presidential candidate in history to raise $50 million in a three-month period. Actually, that’s nothing. He once raised $500 million with two words: ’I do.’"

We all know that money and material possessions are the great goal of many people in life. We often gauge how a person is doing by the size of their bank account, the size of their house and the accumulation of their possessions.

What will make our joy complete, full, abounding? A new car? A big bank account? A new house? A bigger house? A baby? A better job? A raise in salary? A great doctor’s report? A great vacation? John gives us a lowdown on what will make our joy complete. What is it? Basically, it’s that which is from the beginning. IT’S JESUS! With Jesus, we have all we need!

PROP.- Let’s note what John is saying about Jesus who can make our joy complete.
1- He was from the beginning
2- He was seen and touched
3- He was sent for a purpose

I. HE WAS FROM THE BEGINNING

1That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.

ILL.- Little Johnny’s new baby brother was screaming up a storm. He asked his mom, “Where’d we get him?” His mother replied, “He came from heaven, Johnny.” Johnny says, “WOW! I can see why they threw him out!”

ILL.- When Smiths went to get their son William checked in a hospital, the doctor told them, "You have a cute baby." Mr. Smith said, "I bet you say that to all new parents."

"No," he replied, "just to those whose babies really are good-looking." "So what do you say to the others?" asked Mr. Smith. The doctor said, "He looks just like you."

Brothers and sisters, we all had a beginning but there is one who never had a beginning. WHO’S THAT?

1That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.

It’s hard to understand not having a beginning but it’s true!

Genesis 1:1 1 "In the beginning God....created the heavens and the earth."

Genesis 1:26-27 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them."

John 1:1-2 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning."

The "beginning" referred to in this text, of course, was the beginning of time as we know it. However, the text is not talking about the beginning of God or of Jesus because HEY HAD NO BEGINNING!

Revelation 1:8 "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty."

Revelation 22:13 "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End."

What is this Alpha and Omega business? They are the first and last letters of the Classical Greek alphabet. Both God and Christ have reigned from the beginning of time as we know it, but neither of them had any beginning!

Nehemiah 9:5 ""Stand up and praise the LORD your God, who is from everlasting to everlasting."

We believe in and serve a God who is forever! He is eternal. He is no feeble or powerless God! He has no beginning and no end. He always has existed and always will! He is the great one! He is the only One who was and is and forever shall be!

II. HE WAS SEEN AND TOUCHED

1That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 3We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard.

ILL.- Celebrity sightings. A couple of years ago Elaine wanted us to go to Las Vegas so I could see my favorite female singer, Celine Dion. But we didn’t go. I didn’t think we should spend the money even though Elaine was going to purchase the rather expensive tickets to see Celine. How expensive? $400 plus.

Have you been to Vegas to see any celebrities? Or Hollywood? Or anywhere else for that matter? Most people are somewhat celebrity crazy. We love to see celebrities in the flesh and get as close as possible. If that doesn’t happen then TV appearances will do for most of us.

Isaiah of old had a celebrity sighting like no other! Care to guess? Do you remember?

Isaiah 6:1-5 1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 And they were calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory." 4 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. 5 "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty."

What a sighting! To see our holy God in all His glory or at least, in part of His glory! Actually, Isaiah had a vision of the Lord and how accurate, we do not know, but the description sounds awesome.

And how did Isaiah respond to this sighting, this vision of our holy God? He was greatly humbled. So much so that he confessed his sin of uncleanness....his unclean mouth. When he confessed his unclean mouth that meant he was confessing his unclean heart, because out of the mouth, the heart speaks. (Matthew 12:34)

And what happens when most people have an earthly celebrity sighting? They may gush and take pictures. Isaiah of old, however, was humbled before God and wanted to be cleansed from his sin. Can you imagine coming into God’s presence?

1That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.

What was Peter talking about? NONE OTHER THAN JESUS! If you were God how would you reveal yourself to mankind? Good question and God knew best how to do that. First, He revealed Himself through His creation.

Romans 1:19-20 "Since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse."

God also revealed Himself through His Word, the Bible. And ultimately, God revealed Himself through Jesus.

John 14:9-10 "Jesus answered: "Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ’Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? "The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work."

Philippians 2:6 "Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped."

Colossians 1:15 "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation."

Colossians 1:19 "For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him."

Colossians 2:9 "For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form."

ILL.- A Jewish rabbi wrote: "You Christians possess one advantage over us. When we use the word ’God,’ our listeners have a somewhat vague concept in their minds of righteousness and power combined in a Being who fills the universe. When you employ that word, your hearers think at one of the figure of Jesus of Nazareth."

Yes, in Jesus we come to know what God the Father is. Like Father, like son. God reveals Himself through Jesus.

III. HE WAS SENT FOR A PURPOSE

3We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4We write this to make our joy complete.

ILL.- A lady Pat Montgomery said: When my friend got a job, her husband agreed to share the housework. He was stunned by the amount of effort involved in keeping a house clean with small boys to pick up after, and insisted that he and his wife shop for a new vacuum cleaner.

The salesman gave them a demonstration of the latest model. "It comes equipped with all the newest features," he assured them. The husband was not convinced. "Don’t you have a riding one?" he asked.

What’s your purpose in life? To clean house? Go to work? Well, yes, everybody has to work or should work.

Beyond work, what’s your purpose in life? Have you discerned or discovered it? Hopefully, you have. God has a purpose for every person’s life but not everyone is interested in discovering God’s will or purpose for their lives. However, I believe that when we do, life is always better.

ILL.- William Lyons Phelps stated, "If happiness truly consisted in physical ease and freedom from care then the happiest individual would not be either a man or a woman; it would be, I think, an American cow."

Aren’t you glad you’re far superior to a cow? And our happiness is founded in more than just the good stuff of this life. There is a certain amount of happiness available to us in this life, but the ultimate happiness will come after this life.

ILL.- A small boy, the child of missionaries, had been in school in the States for one year. One Christmas time, the principal was visiting the boy in his room, trying to cheer him up. “Son,” he asked, “what would you like to have most for Christmas?”

The boy looked for a long time at the framed picture of his father on his desk and remembered that he was in a far-off land. Then the boy said quietly, “I would like for my father to step out of that picture frame!”

Christ, through His incarnation, “stepped out” into this world.

Jesus said in John 10:10, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

3We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4We write this to make our joy complete.

Is there any greater joy than knowing that your sins are forgiven? Is there any greater joy than knowing that when you leave this world you will be going into the best of the best? Is there any greater than knowing even now He has taken care of you and will in the future?

Christ’s mission was to "seek and save the lost." His mission was to give us the abundant life, here and now and there and then! His mission was to make our joy complete or full!

Most people live for self. Our ideas, goals, and plans revolve around us and not others.

ILL.- For example, my son called me and said that he and his wife were going to do some service project with their church: Habitat for Humanity, I believe. It was to be on a Saturday morning. Shane said, "Of course, I’m selfish. I’d rather go deer hunting." But he didn’t. He would have other opportunities to go deer hunting.

But aren’t we all pretty much this way? We prefer to do what we want, not what we can do for others? BUT JESUS CAME NOT BE SERVED, BUT TO SERVE AND GIVE HIS LIFE AS A RANSOM FOR MANY. This should tell us something about ourselves as well.

CONCLUSION-------------------

3We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4We write this to make our joy complete.

Christ came to make our joy complete or full. Now it’s our turn. How so? How can we do this?

JOY = Jesus first. Others second. Yourself last.