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From the Pulpit of Bro. JR.
Fields
November 8, 2009
I John 1:1-4
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.
Jesus Christ. Who is He to you? Do you see Him as
just a fairytale? Maybe you see Him as an historical figure -- someone who
came to earth as a healer of the sick, opening blinded yees and raising the dead
to life again. He was a miracle worker.
These last descriptions are true statements recorded in the
Bible, but who is this man we talk about - Jesus? I hope you call Him
"Friend". I hope you do call Him "Lord and Master." To call Him
anything else means you do not have the right relationship with Him. Any
other name amounts to nothing. One hundred years from now the only thing
that will matter to you is how you see Jesus today. We may build
hospitals, discover new drugs to heal all diseases, but the truth is "does it
matter to us." We can be very productive citizens and die lost.
John, the beloved disciple that Jesus loved, wrote "In the
beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."
John 1:1. The word WORD has a twofold meaning.
Word is a spoken language, grammar, if you please. In the Scripture
when you see WORD written, it is far more than grammar. It refers
to God's only Son. John 1:14: And the Word became flesh and dwelt
among us, and we beheld His glory, full of grace and truth.
Therefore, John is paralleling what he writes in the Gospel of John to what he
wrote in 1 John. He said, "That which was from the beginning." What
is that? That refers to our precious Savior. That, which was there
in the very beginning of creation.
Where did Jesus come from? Did God have a baby know to be
His son? No. Jesus is God. The Word was made flesh and
dwelt among men. We beheld His grace and truth. Jesus is God's
extension to us. "For unto us a Son is given." God's precious gift
to man came to live and die in our stead.
God looked upon the creation and He said,"Let Us
make man." Now, another question for you. Who are the "Us"?
He is not talking about he angels. They have no creative power. He
is talking about God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
From the beginning Jesus was a part of the creation process. The Scripture
says, "By Him all things were made and without Him nothing was made."
Jesus -- Who is He? "He which we have heard ... which with
our eyes we have looked upon, and our hand have handled the Word of God, "
said the disciples. What are you going to do with the truth?
I watched a movie once in which a man was on trial; the lawyer
shook his fist and said, "I want the truth!!" The other man said, "You
can't handle the truth." I wonder if we can handle the truth. The
truth is that we are all going in one direction or the other. The Bible
talks about two roads. One road leads to life and the other road leads to
destruction. Therefore, the truth is that you are on one of those roads
today. Which one is it? There are no side roads. You are
either on your way to Heaven or to Hell.
Jesus said, "I am the truth." Therefore, can
you handle the truth? That is a sobering question. 1 John1:2
-- The life was manifested, we have seen and bear witness to it and have shown
unto you eternal life."
The first thing you need to know in truth is the person of Truth
-- Jesus Christ. He said in John 14:6 -- I am the way, the truth and
the life." In Christ only can we find rest for our soul.
Being a Christian is knowing and having the God walking beside you on your
journey to Heaven. What joy to know that sweet fellowship. His word
is truth and His word is the source of life.
Everybody wants to go to Heaven, but nobody wants to die.
Some people say, "Ah, I'll find my peace at the end of the road." What do
you base that belief on? Do you base it on your good deeds? Won't
work! Do you base it on "I've got more good things in my life than bad
things." Won't work! "I was water baptized as a child; therefore, my
water baptism is sufficient for me to go to Heaven." Won't work!
Well, I belong to JR Field's church. It does not matter what church you
belong to. Church membership alone will get you nowhere. There is a
clearly defined route you must take to get you to life eternal. Jesus is
the author of life now and He is the author of eternal life in your hereafter.
You know what! We don't have to wait until we get to
Heaven to enjoy God's blessings. We have His blessings every single day!
David said, "He loves me daily with benefits." It's a good
thing to be a Christian. Some people say it's old-fashioned, but I see my
Christian life to be filled with joy. So, why should we send the message
to a lost and dying world that we Christians are always down-in-the-dumps?
We have a light and people should always see the light in us.
God's word is truth and it need no other basis to stand upon.
It stands alone. If Christ were an impostor, He would have been exposed
centuries ago. John says, "I witnessed His miracles. I was there when He
touched the sick, lifted the lame and made them walk. I was there when
Jesus touched the blinded eyes and raised people from the dead." The
disciples were privileged to be eyewitnesses to the miracles of Jesus.
Let's talk about that sweet Holy Spirit for just a moment.
That spirit where we unite under the umbrella of God's grace. We sometimes
get caught up in our denominational walls. We take on the attitude of
believing that as long as we have the same church doctrine, we will be all right
together. As long as you have the same Bible I have, or listen to the same
music I like then we can fellowship together. But the basis of fellowship
is one simple thing shared by His disciples. We have heard Him; we have
seen Him; we have touched Him; and now we are revealing Him to you. So you
see, it is all about Him. It is all about Jesus Christ alone.
I will agree that there are some denominations that we should
shy away from; but as a whole there are more things that unite us than divide
us.
Fellowship. The Bible say it is a blessed thing
when the brethren are united together. That is why it is so important to
have churches. I believe it is a time of discipleship -- a time to
fellowship with the brethren. You deal with people everyday who are lost
and wicked. That is how things are. That is why it is so important
to have that time of Christian fellowship. It is a renewing of the spirit.
The Lone Ranger is a person who says, "I can do it without the
church. I don't need those hypocrites to get me to Heaven." We all
know those kinds of people. Truthfully, they may be able to do it alone,
but it will not be an easy journey. I know I could not do it alone.
The reason God has given you a church family is to support each other.
There are people scattered around the world who are believers in Jesus Christ.
They are your brothers and sisters in Christ. We can all unite under the
banner of God to fellowship with the Father and we become a kindred spirit.
The word of God is being so abused today. When I think of
the word God, I think of Jehovah. Idols are not my God. As a Christian
they are not your God either, Church. My God does not send men to
slaughter innocent people. My God says, "Do good to them that despitefully
use you." My God is a God of love.
How do we access fellowship with God? We do it through the
Son. I am on my way to Heaven and it is not because of anything special
about me. It is not because I have done amazing things for God and it is
not because I stand in the pulpit and preach each Sunday. I am going to
Heaven because of the shed blood of the innocent Lamb of God. That is what
I am basing my eternal hope on. Because I have fellowship with Jesus, I
also have fellowship with the Father. "No man comes to the Father
but by Me, " said Jesus. Fellowship starts with Jesus and it ends
with Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.
How is your joy? Things are bad everywhere you look.
Factories are closing; people are getting shot; there is stealing and killing
everywhere. We see death from cancer, families torn apart, children
running away. If you have Christ, everything is under control.
"Nothing to the cross I bring, but simply to that cross
I cling."
My hope is built on nothing less, than Jesus Christ my
righteousness.
Is it possible to have joy in a world that is literally dying
and going to Hell? Yes, hold on, my child. What comes in the
morning? JOY!
Bro. JR Fields
November 8, 2009
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