Podcast: 1 John: Complete Joy

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And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.
-1 John 1:4

So we’re going to tackle a whole verse today. Honestly, I hoped to go a little faster pace through 1 John, since if we’re going to do one verse at a time, we may be here forever. But when I started looking at this one, I really felt like we needed to camp here a while.

You’ll remember from the first three verses of the book that John is telling us, very enthusiastically, that he was witness to the life and death of Christ, that he was there, that he spoke with Jesus, that he touched Him, and that he saw it all with his own eyes. And he is passing on this story to us, this Gospel, this good news, as the key to eternal life.

But not only that, he tells us as we come to verse 4, but, to repeat the verse, “we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.”

And already we need to back up a step, because, like so many of the other Apostles when writing letters to the Church, John probably wasn’t in a position to be really thrilled about anything. This letter was either written before the destruction of Jerusalem, after John had already lost his brother James for the sake of the Gospel and while the Church was being persecuted in the city; or it was written very late in his life, when he was imprisoned on the island of Patmos.

Either way, his enthusiasm and subject matter should give us pause. This is something that amazes me in the writings of John, as well as those of Paul, James, and Peter. Even though they should be miserable, they are joyful.

And John is writing to complete this joy. Which begs the question: How can it be completed? Obviously it is not by wealth and prosperity, for the Apostles (nor Jesus) had any of this. Those prosperity preachers, it seems to me, have a lot of learn about Jesus and His Apostles, for while they tell their followers to strive after wealth, power, and prestige, these early Christians were quite content without a bit of it.

Instead, our answer comes from the context of the verse, because John is right in the middle of talking about the message of Jesus Christ.

That’s it? A message is supposed to bring us joy? If I were imprisoned on Patmos, maybe the only message that would bring me joy would be the one that says I’m about to be released. Jesus doesn’t say that. In fact, He tells us that we will be persecuted for His sake. That’s not what John is talking about.

The message of the Gospel goes much deeper than that. Because if I’m released from jail, I still have to contend with death. And even before death, I have to contend with the state of my own soul. Honestly, I look at the commands of God as He revealed in the Bible, and I’m not sure I would be so thrilled about Judgment Day if left to myself. It tells me that the most important commandment is to love God with all my heart, soul, and might. Maybe there have been moments when I’ve loved Him with part of my heart, but I can’t really say any better. The second most important commandment is to love my neighbor as myself. I mean, I love myself pretty well, but I can’t honestly say I’ve been that good to others.

Jesus tells us that to be overly angry at someone makes us guilty of murder. My thoughts are going to be on display for a righteous and just God. I don’t think I’m going to be good enough for that day.

And none of us are. The Bible tells us clearly that all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God, and that the wages of sin is death. That is what we have earned by our constant and unending failures to live as we should.

The good news is that Jesus, the only begotten Son of God, came to earth, lived a perfect life, and died on a Cross, even though He didn’t deserve it. He died for our sins. We owed a debt that could only be paid in death, but He died to pay that debt.

In repentance and faith we can have joy. We can have joy because our salvation is secured by a Man who can do no wrong. By His Blood we are saved, and by His Spirit sealed and kept for eternity.

By hope also we have joy, for our Lord and Savior Jesus will return one day to rule. None can oppose Him, and He will establish a peace that is everlasting. In the brightness of that day, no matter how far off it may be, how could any prison cell be darkened?

In faith again we have joy, because God promises that He is working all things for the good for those who love Him. In James’ death, in the fall of Jerusalem, in John’s imprisonment, God is working through all of these things for John’s good, and for our own. He is working things that will last forever. Our joy is rooted also in this, because God is moving every hardship we face around to draw us nearer, ever nearer, to Himself.

If that describes your faith, then you understand completely what I’m saying. It doesn’t mean it’s not hard. It doesn’t mean that you won’t be sad. It doesn’t mean you won’t mourn. You most certainly will mourn. It only means that you can turn your eyes to heaven in even those terrible moments and say, “Your will be done,” because you believe, you have hope, you have faith, and you have joy in your risen Savior, Amen.

This isn’t like one of those things that people say when things are bad. They’ll tell you that things will get better, keep your chin up, look on the bright side, things could be worse, or at least you still have your health. While people mean well, there is no promise in this world that things will get better. There is no promise in this world that you’ll have even good health very long. I get no comfort from the idea that things could be worse.

But tell me about God – how He has orchestrated all of history and every moment of my life for the good; how He loved us so much that He sent His Son to die that we might live; how it is by His hand that I am guided; and how He has promised me eternal life, not by my own goodness, but by the righteousness of Jesus – tell me about Him, and you will me in joy. Not because of my situation now, but because He is in control of the situation now, and He is guiding me someplace. By the sacrifice of Jesus, I have become an adopted child of God, and my Father takes care of His own for eternity.