Title: Ultimate Reality 
Text: 1 John 1:1-3

I Jn 1:1-3 " What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we beheld and our hands handled, concerning the Word of Life-- and the life was manifested, and we have seen and bear witness and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us-- what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, that you also may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ." (NAS)

I don't mean to beat a dead horse, but I have pondered the statement from the paper a few weeks ago in the article about A Course in Miracles that life is an illusion. I agree that at times life does seems almost unreal. All of us have probably had days when we have felt like we were in a dream world. At those times nothing seems real.

But to believe life is an illusion is to deny reality. Rather than trying to explain life which is often inexplicable it simply denies it. One of the realities of Christianity and the Bible is that it doesn't deny reality. It tells us God's ways are not our ways. It tells us that we can't comprehend the mind of God. But, it never denies the realities of life in this world.

Jesus told his disciples that in this world they would have many trials and sorrows (Jn 16:33 TLB). He told them they would be persecuted because they believed in Him, and the would give their lives because of their faith. He never hinted those things wouldn't or didn't happen. They were real not illusory.

We live in an age of doubt. Skepticism, and unbelief characterize our age. But in every age there have been skeptics, doubters, speculators, philosophers who have denied the reality that God exists. Perhaps in our age we have refined it a bit. In an age of supposed enlightenment and knowledge we have given a venue to these doubters and called it scholarly. A number of programs have been on television and have presented unsubstantiated and in many cases absurd speculation as genuine scholarship.

Perhaps there is truth to the statement the more things change the more they remain the same. First John was written in just such a climate. Skeptics, then as now, had their theories about God. John wanted to share what he had experienced personally. He wanted to share what was real. John, and others like him, had experienced the ultimate reality of God. Not just theory but certainty.

I. God is.

There is no introduction to this letter. John doesn't start with a greeting, or even an explanation of who is writing the letter. He is more interested in getting to the point. He has something to say. He has a message that God is.

In the very first verse he speaks of that which was from the beginning. This is the the beginning of all things as we know them. We are aware some scientists refer to this as the Big Bang. The time when reality as we know it began.

Like the book of Genesis and His gospel John affirms that someone was there before the beginning! This is the person John wants to introduce. Genesis 1:1 says "In the beginning God . . ." John picks up on this theme in his Gospel by saying "In the beginning was the Word." Now he speaks of that which was from the beginning. In other words, before anything else was, God was.

How do we know? Well first the Bible declares it to be so. It also maintains that creation itself declares it to be so.

Ps 19:1 "How clearly the sky reveals God's glory! How plainly it shows what he has done!" (TEV)

Christians are sometimes thought of as ignorant, uneducated and foolish for believing such things. But that is a false characterization. As we have said before though Christianity is built upon faith, there are many proofs which support that faith.

II. Can He be known (experienced) !

It is not enough to know that God is. More important is the question of can we know; can we experience this God. Is He simply the Prime Mover or First Cause? Did He simply begin everything and leave? Or is He involved with His creation in a personal way?

John tells us He has been experienced. God has revealed Himself and people have actually experienced His presence.

I Jn 1:1-3 "What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we beheld and our hands handled, concerning the Word of Life-- and the life was manifested, and we have seen and bear witness and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us-- what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, that you also may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ." (NAS)

John is talking about something he had personally heard, seen, looked at, and touched. He is referring to the Jesus Christ. The message John proclaimed was the message of Jesus Christ.  When John says in verse two that the life appeared, we are reminded of what he wrote in his Gospel, ". . . the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14, NAS)

In verse 2 he declares, ". . .the life was manifested, and we have seen and bear witness and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us." In other words, God made Himself known in the person of Jesus Christ. They saw Him, experienced His life, and now can do nothing but proclaim the reality of the possibility of eternal life for all.

III. Mankind can still experience His life

This brings us to the essence of his message. Since God is and since He has been experienced by others, mankind can experience His life too.

"[W]hat we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, that you also may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ." (I Jn 1:3, NAS)

In other words, God has not merely given this experience to a few. His purpose is that many experience the reality of this new life. This new life is experienced, in other words it is a relationship. Christianity is not best described as a religion. Christianity is a relationship with the living God through Jesus Christ. That's why John describes it by the word fellowship.

Experiencing God brings us into fellowship on two levels. We enter into a vertical fellowship with God Himself and into a horizontal fellowship with other believers. John said those who receive this message would have fellowship with us, that is, have fellowship with God's people. And he indicates that their fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ. Christianity is about entering into a relationship with God and with God's people.