1 John 1:1-4 • We live in a world of deep fakes, filter culture, and performing authenticity. Everyone has a version of truth, but nobody's certain of anything. So what does it mean to stake your life on something REAL?

⛪ Preached at Pilgrim Baptist Church • Cookeville, TN • January 15, 2026.

📚 Our verse-by-verse expository series through 1 John

The Apostle John starts his letter with shocking audacity: "I touched God with my hands." Not philosophy about God. Not ideas about Jesus. But a physical encounter with the eternal Word who became flesh.

Writing to churches devastated by Gnostic false teachers (who claimed Jesus only appeared human), John anchors believers in one unmovable truth: Jesus Christ—100% God and 100% man—came in a real physical body. And John's weathered fisherman hands touched Him.

This expository sermon walks through 1 John 1:1-4, explaining:

- How to be certain about faith when everything feels uncertain

- What John means by "that which was from the beginning" (the eternal Word)

- Why false teachers (ancient Gnostics and modern deceivers) attack the physical incarnation

- The difference between ideas about God vs. encountering God Himself

- What Christian fellowship is actually based on (hint: not common interests)

- Why your personal testimony is your anchor of certainty

- How joy survives even when people fail you

⏱️ Timestamps:

0:00 Introduction: Deep Fakes and Filter Culture

4:20 1 John 1:1 - John's Audacity: "Our Hands Touched God"

9:35 Historical Context: Gnostic Heresy Attacking the Church

14:50 "That Which Was from the Beginning" - John 1:1-14

21:15 The Creator of the Universe in a Body of Flesh

26:40 Colossians 1:16-17 - By Him All Things Consist

30:25 Revelation 22:13 - I Am the Beginning and the End

35:10 1 John 1:2 - Life Was Manifested (We Touched Eternity)

40:45 1 John 1:3 - Fellowship With the Father and Son

47:20 What Christian Fellowship Is Actually Based On

52:35 1 John 1:4 - That Your Joy May Be FULL

56:50 Application: Write Your Own "Which We Have Touched" Testimony

📖 Key Scriptures (KJV):

"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 shew 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

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God... And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." - John 1:1, 14

"For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist." - Colossians 1:16-17

📚 1 John Sermon Series - Verse by Verse:

Part 1: Healing From Church Hurt | 1 John 1:5-7 [link]

Part 2: Walking in Light After Church Hurt | 1 John 1:5-7 [link]

Part 3: Finding Certainty in a World of Fakes | 1 John 1:1-4 (This Sermon)

Part 4: [Coming Soon]

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