Sermon Note 2025/11/01,02

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🌿 English Translation

“We Have Seen It” — 1 John 1:1–4

Introduction

From today, we will begin studying 1 John together. One of the distinctive features of the Bible is its testimony—its nature as witness.

For example, Buddhist scriptures were written four to five hundred years after Buddha’s death.

By contrast, the Bible—especially the Gospels, which describe the life of Jesus—were written by those who directly saw Him, or by people who lived while those eyewitnesses were still alive. They could testify, “Yes, that’s true. I saw it too.”

This is the remarkable witness of Scripture.

And we, too, are witnesses of this good news.

Not, “I heard there might be a God somewhere, who might love someone,”

but rather,

“I know for certain He exists. He loves me. I live each day experiencing that truth.”

That’s what it means to be a Christian.

This is not something ordinary—it’s the essence of faith.

The title is “We Have Seen It.”

We Have Truly Seen

John, who wrote this letter, was one of Jesus’ disciples—one of the closest three, along with Peter and James. He was said to be the youngest among them.

He saw Jesus’ life up close—he was beside Him even at the Last Supper.

When persecution against the church began, one by one the disciples were killed.

John alone remained. He suffered exile and hardship but lived long, surely wondering, “Why am I still alive?”

Yet God had left him a mission.

In his old age, John wrote the Gospel of John, and later, these letters.

He wrote during a time when the church was growing despite persecution, but false teachings also began to spread.

One of them was Gnosticism, rooted in Greek philosophy—emphasizing secret knowledge and dividing spirit and flesh: spirit = good, flesh = evil.

From that idea came a serious error:

“Flesh is evil—so God couldn’t possibly take on a body. Jesus wasn’t truly human; He only seemed to have a body.”

Imagine being told, “Your mother (or child) never truly existed. That was just a spirit appearing to have a body.”

Such a lie began spreading.

As memories of Christ faded, old John remembered his friends who died for their faith.

“What did they die for?” he must have thought.

They gave their lives to testify that Christ truly came in the flesh.

So John picked up his pen and wrote:

1 John 1:1

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

We Heard, Saw, and Touched Him

John says “we.” He remembered those who once walked with Jesus.

They were gone, but he still said, “We walked with Him.”

“We heard His voice”—speaking to crowds by the Sea of Galilee,

whispering to His disciples,

praying in agony in Gethsemane.

“We saw Him”—the humble Servant, walking with the poor, reaching to sinners, performing mighty works, and suffering on the cross.

“We touched Him”—He ate with us, laughed with us, talked with us.

Though it was long ago, John remembered vividly.

“We have seen Him”—his testimony was clear.

That Which Was from the Beginning

John emphasizes another phrase: “That which was from the beginning.”

He wanted to say clearly: Jesus truly is God.

We saw the One who made and sustains all things.

There are countless so-called gods in the world,

but there are really only two types:

gods made by people, and the God who made people.

The true God is the Creator.

Christ was not someone who became God—He was God from the beginning.

In Japan, people often think everything can become divine,

so many assume, “Jesus became God later, like a great teacher who was deified.”

But John insists: No.

This is not a man who became divine—this is God who became human.

John 1:14

The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.

We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

I Am Grateful for His Testimony

This is no legend, no myth.

John saw it all. He risked his life to declare, “This One was truly God.”

Even great people have flaws revealed by those close to them.

But the disciples who saw Jesus most intimately declared,

“This is truly God.”

They heard His voice, saw His life, touched His presence.

What other god in history has such witnesses?

If not this God, whom could we believe?

We Want You to Meet Him Too

John continues:

1 John 1:3–4

We 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.

We write this to make our joy complete.

John wants others to join this fellowship—not just to say,

“John saw Him,”

but “I know Him too.”

Christian faith is personal.

Unlike Buddhism or Shinto, where people may revere a teaching or shrine without a personal relationship,

a Christian’s faith is a relationship with God Himself.

We don’t believe “because someone else does,”

but because we have met Him personally.

Like the Samaritans in John 4:42:

“We no longer believe just because of what you said;

now we have heard for ourselves,

and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”

So it is for us—we each encounter God ourselves.

Not “my parents’ God,” or “my spouse’s God,” but my God.

Christ died for me. He changed my life.

And I pray my children, too, will one day know Him personally.

Amazing Grace

In our church’s gospel class, many who aren’t yet Christians join in.

Sometimes we explain lyrics, like Amazing Grace by John Newton, a former slave trader:

“Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me…”

While explaining, I thought—does this even need explanation?

Every Christian who has experienced grace hears that song and thinks,

“That’s my story too. I was lost, but now am found.”

A missionary I deeply respect once said to me,

“Jesus is faithful. I know this because I have walked with Him for many years.”

That’s what it means to be a witness—a testifier.

And because we, too, know Him personally,

we long to tell others—

to say,

“I want you to meet the Jesus who changed my life.”

Prayer

John devoted his life to testifying that Christ was truly God.

Those who heard his message experienced it themselves,

became witnesses of God’s grace,

and passed that message to others.

Through them, the gospel reached us.

Now we, too, walk daily with God and bear witness to His grace.

Therefore we can say:

“We know Jesus. We know His love.”

Thank You, Lord,

for drawing us into this living fellowship with You.

🌿《我們親眼看見了》——約翰一書 1:1–4

引言

從今天開始，我們要一起研讀《約翰一書》。

聖經的一個顯著特點，就是它是一卷「見證」之書。

舉例來說，佛教的經典是在釋迦牟尼去世後四、五百年才被寫成的。

但聖經卻不同。尤其是四福音書——記載耶穌生平的書卷——是由親眼見過祂的人，或是在那些見證人仍然在世的時代所寫成的。

他們能見證說：「是的，那是真的，我也親眼看見了！」

這正是聖經奇妙的地方。

而我們今天，也是這好消息的見證人。

不是說：「好像有一位神存在，也許祂愛某些人。」

而是：「我確信祂存在，祂愛我，我每天都經歷祂的真實。」

這就是基督徒的信仰。

這不是平凡之事，而是信心的本質。

今天的題目是——「我們親眼看見了。」

我們確實看見了

寫這封信的使徒約翰，是耶穌的十二門徒之一。

他與彼得、雅各是最親近的三人之一，也被認為是其中年紀最小的。

他親眼看見耶穌的一生，甚至在最後的晚餐時也坐在祂身旁。

當教會遭受逼迫時，門徒們一個接一個殉道。

只有約翰倖存下來。

他經歷放逐與艱難，年老時或許曾問自己：「為什麼我還活著？」

然而，上帝給了他新的使命。

在年老時，約翰寫下了《約翰福音》，後來又寫了這些書信。

當時教會在逼迫中仍不斷成長，但異端也開始興起。

其中一個主要的錯誤思想叫做諾斯底主義（Gnosticism），

它受希臘哲學影響，強調神祕知識，並將靈與肉分開——靈是善的，肉體是惡的。

從這思想衍生出嚴重的錯誤：

「既然肉體是惡的，神就不可能取了肉身。耶穌並非真實的人，只是看起來像人。」

想像一下，有人對你說：「你的母親（或孩子）從來不存在，只是靈體假裝成有形體。」

那是多麼可怕的謊言！

隨著時間過去，人們逐漸忘記耶穌，老年的約翰想起那些為信仰而殉道的朋友們，

他心裡想：「他們是為什麼而死？」

他們是為了見證「基督真實道成肉身」而死。

於是約翰再次拿起筆，寫下：

約翰一書 1:1

「論到從起初原有的生命之道，就是我們所聽見的、所看見的、親眼看過、親手摸過的，這生命已經顯現出來。」

我們聽過、看過、摸過

約翰說「我們」，他並不是孤單的。

他懷念那些曾與耶穌同行的門徒。

雖然他們已離世，但他仍說：「我們曾與祂同行。」

「我們聽見祂的聲音」——

祂在加利利海邊向群眾講道的聲音，

祂在客西馬尼園痛苦禱告的聲音，

祂溫柔教導門徒的聲音。

「我們看見祂」——

那位謙卑的僕人，與貧窮人同行，接近罪人，施行神蹟，最後在十字架上受苦。

「我們摸過祂」——

祂與我們一起吃飯、歡笑、交談。

雖然已經過了許多年，但這一切仍深深刻在約翰心中。

他說：「我們看見了祂！」——這是清楚的見證。

從起初原有的

約翰又特別強調：「從起初原有的。」

他要明確地指出：耶穌是真神。

我們所見的，是那位創造並持守萬有的主。

世界上有無數「神」，

但其實只有兩類：

一種是「人所造的神」，

另一種是「造人的神」。

真正的神，是創造者。

基督不是一個後來被神化的人，

祂從起初就是神。

在日本或華人文化裡，常有人以為「凡事皆可成神」，

於是也有人認為：「耶穌後來被尊為神，就像聖人被神化一樣。」

但約翰要強調：不是！

祂不是人成為神，而是神成為人。

約翰福音 1:14

「道成了肉身，住在我們中間，充充滿滿地有恩典、有真理。

我們也見過祂的榮光，正是父獨生子的榮光。」

感謝這位見證者

這不是傳說，也不是神話。

約翰親眼看見，並以生命作見證：「祂確實是神！」

即使是偉大的人，與他親近的人也能看到他的缺點。

但那些最親近耶穌的人卻說：

「這的確是神。」

他們聽見祂的聲音，看見祂的生活，觸摸祂的存在。

在歷史上，哪一位「神」有這樣的見證人？

若不是這位神，我們還能信誰呢？

我也希望你能認識祂

約翰繼續說：

約翰一書 1:3–4

「我們將所看見、所聽見的傳給你們，使你們與我們相交；

我們乃是與父並祂兒子耶穌基督相交的。

我們將這些事寫給你們，使你們的喜樂可以滿足。」

約翰希望所有人都能進入這份團契。

不只是說：「約翰曾看見祂」，

而是：「我也親自認識祂。」

基督信仰是「個人的信仰」。

不像佛教或神道，人們可以尊敬某位導師或參拜神社而無需個人關係。

基督徒的信仰，是與神親密的關係。

我們不是「因為別人相信」而信，

而是「因為我親自遇見祂」。

就像撒瑪利亞人對耶穌說的（約翰福音 4:42）：

「現在我們信，不再是因你們所說的，

因為我們親自聽見了，

知道這真是救世主。」

我們每一個人都要親自遇見這位神。

不是「我父母的神」，不是「我配偶的神」，

而是「我的神」。

基督為我而死，改變了我的生命。

我也希望我的孩子有一天能親自遇見祂。

奇異恩典

在我們教會的福音班裡，有許多尚未信主的人。

有時我們會解釋詩歌的意思，例如《奇異恩典》。

這首歌的作者約翰·牛頓曾是販奴者，

歌詞說：「奇異恩典，何等甘甜，拯救像我這樣的罪人……」

我在講解的時候突然想：其實不需要太多解釋。

凡經歷過恩典的基督徒，聽到這首歌都會說：

「這就是我的故事。我曾迷失，如今被尋回。」

有一位我非常敬重的宣教士曾對我說：

「耶穌是信實的。我之所以知道，是因我與祂同行多年。」

這就是「見證人」的意義。

而我們也同樣認識祂，

所以我們願意告訴別人——

「我也希望你能遇見改變我生命的耶穌。」

禱告

約翰一生為了見證基督是真神而活。

那些聽見他信息的人，也親自經歷了這位神，

成為新的見證人，

把福音傳給下一代。

因此，福音才傳到我們這裡。

如今我們也與神同行，

在每日生活中見證祂的恩典。

因此我們能說：

「我認識耶穌，我知道祂的愛。」

主啊，感謝祢，

讓我們進入與祢同在的團契，

並使我們的喜樂滿足。

🌿 Kami ay Nakakita Nito — 1 Juan 1:1–4

Panimula

Simula ngayon, pag-aaralan natin nang sama-sama ang Unang Liham ni Juan.Ang isa sa mga kamangha-manghang katangian ng Biblia ay ito ay isang aklat ng mga patotoo.

Halimbawa, ang mga kasulatan ng Budismo ay naisulat lamang mga apat o limang daang taon matapos mamatay si Buddha.Ngunit iba ang Biblia.Lalo na ang apat na Ebanghelyo—ang mga ulat ng buhay ni Jesus—ay isinulat ng mga taong personal na nakakita sa Kanya, o ng mga nabuhay sa panahon ng mga nakasaksi mismo.Kaya’t masasabi nila, “Oo, totoo iyan. Nakita ko mismo iyon.”Iyan ang kamangha-manghang katotohanan ng Biblia.

Ngayon, tayo rin ay mga saksi ng Magandang Balita.Hindi natin sinasabi, “Maaaring may Diyos, at baka mahal Niya ang ilang tao.”Bagkus, sinasabi natin, “Tunay na may Diyos. Mahal Niya ako, at nararanasan ko Siya araw-araw.”Iyan ang pananampalatayang Kristiyano—hindi haka-haka, kundi isang personal na karanasan ng pananampalataya.Ang pamagat ng mensahe ngayon ay: “Kami ay Nakakita Nito.”

Talagang Nakita Namin

Ang sumulat ng liham na ito ay si Apostol Juan, isa sa labindalawang alagad ni Jesus.Kasama siya sa tatlong pinakamalapit kay Jesus—sina Pedro, Santiago, at siya mismo—at itinuturing na pinakabata sa kanila.Nakita niya mismo ang buong buhay ni Jesus at nakaupo sa tabi Niya sa Huling Hapunan.

Nang magsimulang usigin ang simbahan, isa-isang pinatay ang mga alagad.Si Juan lamang ang nanatiling buhay.Naranasan niya ang pagpapatapon at maraming paghihirap.Marahil ay naitanong niya, “Bakit ako pa ang buhay?”Ngunit may bagong layunin si Diyos para sa kanya.

Sa kanyang katandaan, isinulat ni Juan ang Ebanghelyo ni Juan at pagkatapos ay ang mga liham na ito.Sa panahong iyon, patuloy na lumalago ang simbahan sa kabila ng pag-uusig, ngunit lumaganap din ang mga maling katuruan.Isa sa mga iyon ay ang Gnostisismo, isang pilosopiyang Griego na nagtuturo na ang espiritu ay mabuti at ang laman ay masama.

Mula rito ay lumabas ang maling paniniwala na:“Kung masama ang laman, hindi maaaring naging tao ang Diyos. Ang katauhan ni Jesus ay ilusyon lamang.”Isipin mong may magsabi sa iyo, “Ang iyong ina o anak ay hindi totoo, isa lamang espiritu na nag-anyong tao.”Isang kakila-kilabot na kasinungalingan!

Habang tumatanda si Juan, naalala niya ang mga kaibigang alagad na namatay para sa pananampalataya.Naalala niya, “Para saan sila namatay?”Namatay sila upang patunayan na ang Kristo ay tunay na nagkatawang-tao.Kaya’t muling kinuha ni Juan ang panulat at isinulat:

1 Juan 1:1“Ang aming narinig, nakita ng aming mga mata, namasdan, at nahawakan ng aming mga kamay tungkol sa Salita ng Buhay—ito ang aming pinatotohanan.”

Narinig, Nakita, Nahawakan

Nang sabihin ni Juan na “kami,” hindi siya nag-iisa.Naalala niya ang mga kasama niyang alagad na nakasama ni Jesus.Kahit patay na ang marami sa kanila, sinabi niya pa rin, “Kami ay nakasama Niya.”

Narinig namin ang Kanyang tinig—ang tinig na nagturo sa dalampasigan ng Galilea,ang tinig na umiiyak sa panalangin sa Hardin ng Getsemani,ang tinig na nagturo nang may kababaang-loob at pagmamahal.

Nakita namin Siya—ang mapagpakumbabang Lingkod na naglakad kasama ng mahihirap,lumapit sa mga makasalanan, gumawa ng mga himala, at nagdusa sa krus.

Nahawakan namin Siya—kumain, tumawa, at nakipag-usap Siya sa amin.

Bagaman lumipas na ang maraming taon, malinaw pa rin sa isipan ni Juan ang lahat ng ito.Kaya’t buong pananalig niyang sinabi, “Nakita namin Siya!”

Siya ay Umiiral na Noon Pa Man

Idinagdag pa ni Juan, “Noon pa man ay naroon na Siya.”Ibig niyang ipahayag: Si Jesus ay tunay na Diyos.Ang aming nakita ay ang mismong Maylikha ng lahat ng bagay.

May dalawang uri lamang ng “diyos” sa mundo:Ang mga “diyos” na nilikha ng tao,at ang Diyos na lumikha sa tao.Ang tunay na Diyos ay ang Manlilikha.

Si Kristo ay hindi isang taong kalaunan ay ginawang diyos,kundi Siya mismo ay Diyos na naging tao.

Sa kulturang Hapon o Tsino, madalas isipin ng mga tao na “ang sinumang dakila ay maaaring maging diyos,”ngunit nililinaw ni Juan: Hindi!Hindi ito ang tao ay naging diyos, kundi ang Diyos ay naging tao.

Juan 1:14“At ang Salita ay nagkatawang-tao at tumahan sa atin, puspos ng biyaya at katotohanan.Nakita namin ang Kanyang kaluwalhatian, ang kaluwalhatian bilang bugtong na Anak ng Ama.”

Salamat sa Saksi

Hindi ito alamat o kathang-isip.Nakita mismo ni Juan at patuloy niyang sinasabi: “Siya ay tunay na Diyos.”

Kapag ang isang tao ay dakila, madalas nakikita ng mga malalapit sa kanya ang kanyang kahinaan.Ngunit yaong mga pinakamalapit kay Jesus ay nagsabing, “Ito nga ang Diyos.”Narinig nila Siya, nakita Siya, at nakasama Siya.Mayroon bang ibang “diyos” sa kasaysayan na may ganitong mga saksi?Kung hindi Siya, sino pa ang paniniwalaan natin?

Nais Kong Makilala Mo Rin Siya

Patuloy ni Juan:

1 Juan 1:3–4“Ang aming nakita at narinig ay ipinapahayag namin sa inyo, upang kayo rin ay makipag-ugnayan sa amin.At tunay na kami ay may pakikisama sa Ama at sa Kanyang Anak na si Jesu-Cristo.Sinusulat namin ito upang ang ating kagalakan ay ganap.”

Nais ni Juan na makapasok din tayo sa ganitong pakikisama—hindi lamang “Si Juan ay nakakita kay Jesus,”kundi “Ako rin ay nakakilala sa Kanya.”

Ang pananampalatayang Kristiyano ay personal na pananampalataya.Hindi ito katulad ng ibang relihiyon kung saan sapat na ang pagsunod o paggalang sa isang guro.Ang pananampalatayang Kristiyano ay ugnayan sa Diyos.Hindi tayo nananampalataya dahil sa paniniwala ng iba,kundi dahil tayo mismo ay nakatagpo sa Kanya.

Tulad ng sinabi ng mga Samaritano (Juan 4:42):

“Ngayon ay nananampalataya kami, hindi lamang dahil sa sinabi ninyo,kundi dahil narinig namin mismo,at nalaman naming Siya nga ang Tagapagligtas ng sanlibutan.”

Kailangan nating lahat na personal na makatagpo ang Diyos—hindi lamang “Diyos ng aking mga magulang,”hindi “Diyos ng aking asawa,”kundi “Aking Diyos.”Si Kristo ay namatay para sa akin at binago ang aking buhay.Nais ko rin na makilala Siya ng aking mga anak.

Kamangha-manghang Biyaya

Sa aming simbahan, maraming dumadalo sa Bible class na hindi pa mananampalataya.Minsan ipinapaliwanag namin ang kahulugan ng mga awitin tulad ng Amazing Grace.Ang awtor nito, si John Newton, ay dating mangangalakal ng alipin.Isinulat niya: “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me...”

Habang ipinaliliwanag ko ito, napagtanto ko: hindi na kailangan ng mahahabang paliwanag.Ang sinumang nakaranas ng biyaya ng Diyos ay agad nakakaunawa:“Ako iyon—naligaw noon, ngunit natagpuan ngayon.”

Isang misyonerong lubos kong iginagalang ang minsang nagsabi sa akin:“Si Jesus ay tapat. Alam ko ito dahil nakasama ko Siya sa mahabang panahon.”Iyan ang tunay na kahulugan ng pagiging saksi.

Kaya’t gaya ni Juan, tayo rin ay mga saksi.At nais nating sabihin sa iba:“Nais kong makilala mo rin si Jesus na nagbago ng aking buhay.”

Panalangin

Buong buhay ni Juan ay ginugol sa pagpapatotoo na si Kristo ay tunay na Diyos.Ang mga nakarinig sa kanya ay nakatagpo rin sa Diyos at naging mga bagong saksi,at ipinasa nila ang Mabuting Balita hanggang sa makarating ito sa atin ngayon.

Ngayon, tayo naman ang mga nakikibahagi sa buhay na ito kasama ng Diyos.Sa ating araw-araw, nakikita natin ang Kanyang biyaya at katapatan.Kaya’t masasabi rin natin:“Nakikilala ko si Jesus. Alam ko ang Kanyang pag-ibig.”

Panginoon, salamat po,sapagkat isinama Mo kami sa buhay na pakikisama sa Iyo,at pinuspos Mo ang aming kagalakan.

💭 Mga Napag-isipan / Mga Desisyon

• Naunawaan kong tunay na nakita at naranasan ng mga alagad si Jesus.

• Nais kong maging saksi rin sa Kanya sa pamamagitan ng aking buhay.

• Mananalangin ako na makilala rin ng aking pamilya at mga kaibigan si Jesus nang personal.