THE SUBJECT OF JOHN’S PREACHING - Robert Murray Mcchene

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of Life (for the Life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that Eternal Life which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us); that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.”—1 JOHN 1:1–4.

I. The subject of John’s preaching

It was Jesus Christ and Him crucified. “That which we have seen and heard, declare we unto yon.” This was the preaching of John the Baptist: “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sins of the world.” He pointed to Jesus. This was the preaching of Philip— cts 8:5: “Philip went down to Samaria, and preached Christ unto them.” And when he came to the Ethiopian eunuch, “he preached unto him Jesus.” This was the preaching of Paul: “I determined to know nothing among you, but Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” This was the beginning, and middle, and end of the preaching of Paul. This was the preaching of John: To declare all that he had seen with his eyes, heard with his ears, handled with his hands, of Immanuel,—this was the object of his life,—this was the Alpha and Omega of his preaching. He knew that Jesus was like the alabaster box, full of spikenard, very costly; and his whole labour was to break the box and pour forth the good ointment before the eyes of fainting sinners, that they might be attracted by the sweet savour. He knew that Jesus was a bundle of myrrh, and his whole life was spent in opening it out to sinners, that they might be overcome by the refreshing odours. He carried about the savour of Christ with him wherever he went. He knew that Jesus was the Balm of Gilead, and his labour was to open out this bruised balm before the eyes of sick souls, that they might be healed.

(1.) His Eternity.—“That which was from the beginning.” John had often heard Jesus speak of his eternity. “In the beginning was the Word.” “Before Abraham was, I am.” He remembered how Jesus said in prayer in the garden, “Glorify me with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was.” “Thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.” John thus knew that He was the Eternal One, that He was before all visible things, for He made them all. By Him God made the world. Even at the time John was leaning on his bosom, he felt that it was the bosom of the Uncreated One. John always declared this; he loved to make Him known. O beloved! if you have come to lean on the bosom of Jesus, you have come to the Uncreated One—the Eternal One.

(2.) Was with the Father.—John knew, from Prov. 8:30, that Jesus had been with the Father: “Then I was by Him, as one brought up with Him, and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before Him.” He had heard Jesus tell many of the secrets of his Father’s bosom, from which he knew that He had been with the Father: “All things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.” He had heard Jesus plainly say, “I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world.” “Again I leave the world, and go to the Father.” John felt, even when Jesus was washing his feet, that this was the man that was God’s fellow. Even when he saw Jesus on the cross, with his pale lips and bleeding hands and feet, like a tortured worm, and “no man,” he knew that this was the man that was God’s fellow. He lived to declare this. Do you thus look to Jesus? Have you beheld the glory, as of the only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth? O tempest-tossed soul, this is He that comes to save (3.) Eternal Life.—John knew that Jesus was the Author of all natural life,—that not a man breathes, no beast of the forest roars, no bird stoops on the wing, but they all receive the stream of life from the hand of Immanuel. He had seen Jesus raise the ruler’s daughter from the dead, and call Lazarus from the tomb. He knew that Jesus was the Author of all life in the soul. He had heard Jesus say, “As the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth whom He will, even so the Son quickeneth whom He will.” “My sheep know my voice, and I give unto them eternal life.” He had heard Him say, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” Above all, he had felt in his own soul that Christ was the Eternal Life. In that morning, when he sat with his father Zebedee in the boat, mending their nets, Jesus said, “Follow me!” and the life entered into his soul, and he found it a never-failing spring of life. Christ was his life; therefore did he make Him known as the Eternal Life. Even when he saw Him give up the ghost; when he saw his pale, lifeless body, the stiff hands and feet the glazed eye, the body cold as the rocky tomb where they laid Him; still he felt that this was the Eternal Life. O beloved! do you believe that He is the life of the world? Some of you feel your soul to be dead—lifeless in prayer—lifeless in praise. Oh look on Him whom John declares to you! All is death without Him. Bring your dead soul into union with Him, and He will give you eternal life.

(4.) Manifested.—O beloved, if Jesus had not been manifested, you had never been saved! It would have been quite righteous in God to have kept his Son in his own bosom,—to have kept that jewel in his own place upon the throne of heaven. God would have been the same lovely God; but we would have lain down in a burning hell. If that Eternal Life which was with the Father—if He had remained in his glory as the Living One, then you and I would have borne our own curse. But He was manifested: “God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, believed on in the world, received up into glory.” John saw Him: he saw his lovely countenance; he beheld his glory, as the glory of the only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. He saw that better Sun veiled with flesh that could not keep the beams of his Godhead from shining through. He saw him on the Mount, when his face shone like the sun. He saw Him in the garden, when He lay upon the ground. He saw Him on the cross, when He hung between earth and heaven. He looked upon Him,—many a time he looked up on his heavenly countenance,—his eye met his eye. He heard Him,—heard the voice that said, “Let there be light!” He heard the voice like the sound of many waters. He heard all his gracious words,—his words concerning God and the way of peace. He heard Him say to a sinner, “Be of good cheer, thy sins are forgiven thee.” He handled Him,—he put his bands in his hands, his arms around his arms, and his head upon his bosom. Perhaps he handled his body when it was taken from the cross,—touched the cold clay of Immanuel. O beloved, it is a manifested Christ we declare unto you. It is not the Son in the bosom of the Father; that would never have saved you. It is Jesus manifested in flesh. The Son of God living and dying as man in the stead of sinners; Him we declare unto you.

Learn the true way of coming to peace.—It is by looking to a manifested Jesus. Some of yon think you will come to peace by looking in to your own heart. Your eye is riveted there. You watch every change there. If you could only see a glimpse of light there, oh, what joy it would give you! If you could only see a melting of your stony heart, if you could only see your heart turning to God, if you could only see a glimpse of the image of Jesus in your heart, you would be at peace; but you cannot,—all is dark within. Oh, dear souls, it is not there you will find peace! You must avert the eye from your bosom altogether. You must look to a declared Christ. Spread out the record of God concerning his Son. The gospels are the narrative of the heart of Jesus, of the work of Jesus, of the grace of Jesus. Spread them out before the eye of your mind, till they fill your eye. Cry for the Spirit to breathe over the page, to make a manifested Christ stand out plainly before you; and the moment that you are willing to believe all that is there spoken concerning Jesus, that moment you will wipe away your tears, and change your sighs for a new song of praise.

II. The object John had in view by preaching Christ (1.) That ye may have fellowship with us.—To have

fellowship with another is to have things in common with him. Thus, in Acts 4:32, the first Christians were “of one heart and of one soul; neither said any that aught of the things which he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common.” They had all their goods in common; they shared what they had with one another. This is what John desired in spiritual things,—that we should share with him in his spiritual things, share and share alike.

1st, Forgiveness.—Some people think it impossible to have the same forgiveness that the apostles had,—that it would be very bold to think of tasting the same. But is it not far bolder to say that John is a liar, and that the Holy Spirit is a liar? for he here says plainly, that all his preaching, and all his desire was, that you should have fellowship with him. Yes, sinner, forgiveness is as open to you as it was to John. The blood that washed him is ready to wash you as white as snow. John had the same need of Christ that the vilest of you have. Only look to a declared Immanuel; clear your eye from unbelief, and look at a freelyrevealed Jesus, and you will find the same forgiveness is as free to you as it was to John.

2d, The same love of Jesus.—John was the disciple whom Jesus loved. Just as Daniel was the prophet whom He greatly loved,—“a man greatly beloved.”—so John was the disciple whom Jesus loved. At the last supper which Jesus had in this world, John leaned upon his bosom. He had the nearest place to the heart of Christ of any in all the world. Perhaps you think it is impossible you can ever come to that. Some of you are trembling afar off; but you, too, if you will only look where John points you, if you will only believe the full record of God about Jesus, will share the love of Jesus with John, you will be one of his peculiarly beloved ones. Those that believe most, get most love; they come nearest to Jesus—they do, as it were, lay their head on his breast; and no doubt you will one day really share that bosom with John. If you believe little, you will keep far off from Jesus.

3d, The same fatherly dealings as John.—John experienced many wonderful dealings of God. He experienced many of the prunings of the Father. He was a fruitful branch, and the Father pruned him that he might bring forth more fruit. When he was very old, he was banished to Patmos, an island in the Ægean Sea, and, it is supposed, made a slave in the mines there. He was a companion in tribulation; but he had many sweet shinings of the Father’s love to his soul. He had sweet revelations of Christ in the time of his affliction; and he was joyfully delivered out of all his troubles. He experienced peculiarly the fatherly dealings of God. And so may you do, believer. Look where John looked, believe as John believed; and, like him, you will find that you have a Father in heaven, who will care for you, who will correct you in measure, who will stay his rough wind in the day of his east wind, who will preserve you unto his heavenly kingdom.

(2.) Fellowship with the Father.—O beloved, this is so wonderful, that I could not have believed it, if I had not seen it! Shall a hell- eserving worm come to share with the holy God? Oh the depth and the length of the love of God, it passeth knowledge!

1st, In his holiness.—A natural man has not a spark of God’s holiness in him. There is a kind of goodness about you. You may be kind, pleasant, agreeable, good-natured, amiable people,— there may be a kind of integrity about you, so that you are above stealing or lying; but as long as you are in a natural state, there is not a grain of God’s holiness in you. You have not a grain of that absolute hatred against all sin which God has; you have none of that flaming love for what is lovely, pure, holy, which dwells in the heart of God. But the moment you believe on a manifested Christ, that moment you receive the Spirit,—the same Spirit which dwells in the infinite bosom of the Father dwelleth in you; so you become partakers of God’s holiness,—you become partakers of the divine nature. You will not be as holy as God; but the same stream that flows through the heart of God will be given you. Ah! does not your heart break to be holier? Look then to Jesus, and abide in Him, and you will share the same spirit with God himself.

2d, In his joy.—No joy is like the divine joy. It is infinite, full, eternal, pure unmingled joy. It is light, without any cloud to darken it; it is calm, without any breath to ruffle it. Clouds and darkness are round about Him, storms and fire go before Him; but within all is peace ineffable, unchangeable. Believers in some measure share in this joy. We might mention some of the elements of God’s joy. First, Alt things happen according to the good pleasure of his will. He has fore-ordained whatsoever comes to pass. Nothing comes unprepared upon God. Many things are hateful in his sight, yet, looking on the whole, He can delight in all. If you have come to Christ, you will have some drops of his joy. You can look upon all events with a calm, holy joy, knowing that your Father’s will and purposes alone shall stand. Second, The conversion of souls. There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner repenting, more than over ninety-nine who need no repentance. I have no doubt that this is one of the great elements of his joy—seeing souls brought into his favour. God loves to save; He delighteth in mercy; He delights when He can be a just God and a Saviour. If you are come to Christ, you will have the same joy.

(3.) Fellowship with the Son

(3.) Fellowship with the Son 1st, We share with the Son in his justification.—Once Jesus was unjustified; once there were sins laid to his charge,—the sins of many. It was this that occasioned his agony in the garden, on the cross. His only comfort was, “He is near that justifieth me.” He knew the time would be short. But now the wrath of God has all fallen upon Him. The thunder-clouds of God’s anger have spent all their lightnings on his head. The vials of God’s wrath have poured out their last drops upon Him. He is now justified from all the sins that were laid upon Him. He has left them with the grave-clothes. His fellow-men and devils laid all sins to his charge; He was silent. Do you believe this record concerning the Son? Do you cleave to Jesus as yours? Then you have fellowship with Him in his justification. You are as much justified as Christ is. There is as little guilt lying upon you as there is upon Christ. The vials of wrath have not another drop for Christ, nor another drop for you. You are justified from all things.

2d, His adoption.—When Jesus went up to heaven, He said, “I go to my Father.” When He entered heaven, the word of God was “Thou art my Son; sit Thou on my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool.” Oh, it was a blessed exchange, when He left the frowns and curses of this world for the embrace of his Father’s arms,—when He left the thorny crown for a crown of glory,—when He came from under the wrath of God into the fatherly love of God! Such is your change, you that believe in Jesus. You have fellowship with the Son, you share in his adoption. He says, “I ascend to my Father and your Father.” God is as much your Father as He is Christ’s Father, your God as Christ’s God. Oh, what a change! for an heir of hell to become an heir of God, and joint-heir with Christ; to inherit God; to have a son’s interest in God! Eternity alone will teach you what is in that word, “heir of God.”

(4.) Joy full.—Other joys are not filling. Creature joys only fill a small part of the soul. Money, houses, lands, music, entertainments, friends, these are not filling joys; they are just drops of joys. But Christ revealed makes the cup run over. “Thou anointest my head with oil, my cup runneth over.” Believing in a manifested Christ fills the heart full of joy. “In thy presence is fulness of joy.” Christ brings the soul into God’s presence. One smile of God fills the heart more than ten thousand smiles of the world.

You that have nothing but creature joy, hunting after butterflies, feeding upon carrion, why do you spend money for that which is not bread? You that are afflicted, tempest-tossed, and not comforted, look to a manifested Jesus. According to your faith so be it unto you. Believe none, and you will have no joy. Believe little, and you will have little joy. Believe much, and you will have much joy. Believe all, and you will have all joy, and your joy will be full. It will be like a bowl lipping over, good measure, pressed down, and running over. Amen.

ST PETER’S, 1839.