I John 1 part 2
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Back Where I Belong (Part 2)
I John 1:5-10
Intro: Last week we saw how the God shaped void in our life is filled when we are brought to life through Christ. We establish fellowship with God the Father through the life that is in Christ.
Looking at the central verse to the passage vs 5
This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
Three benefits of accepting life through Jesus Christ
A. Fellowship with other Christians
Litterally this fellowship is the word partnership. You and I work to gether as partners because of this shared joy.
1. Partner in the work of the Church...
And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
2. Partner in the Gospel
B. Fellowship with God the Father
This is a Union a Unity that is in the light...
Light is all that is pure and brilliant. Everyone sees light. The dark recoils from it and fights against it. Children are drawn to it.
The question is what value will you give this union. If you are in the light and value it greatly than you will love the light and never wish to leave it. This was Johns hope. That the believers would turn from the Gnosticism of the world and its sudo knowledge and instead turn to the light of God in Christ Jesus and find their overwhelming joy there.
C. Your Joy is Full
I would think so. You went from enemy with God enjoying real fellowship with God.
The author continues not with showing us how to hold on to the fellowship that has been established, not as if we will lose the fellowship and lose our salvation, but as you will see the place of fellowship is not permanent. The fellowship is permanent, but those that benefit from a place of fellowship choose whether or not they will be in continual fellowship with God.
III. Father and son. Rough housing in dad's brand new basement remodel and putting a hole in the ceiling and breaking fellowship.
Trans:
I. Dividing Lines
I love what John does here because to show us how to keep a consistent line of Fellowship open between God and us open he allows us to view what separated us in the first place.
He looks as the separation as light and darkness. He shows us how he is the essence of light not that light is where he hangs out but that he is light.
Then shows us our option of light or dark. And that our choice will determine - not our salvation, but our standing with our father in the light. This is not a message of salvation, but one of fellowship.
C. Vs. 5 starts by separating God from us in this world by showing us His characteristic as light. In him is no darkness at all.
Argument: A. Vs. 6 He shows God's relationship with darkness. Since God does not have darkness he will not draw close to those that wish to walk in darkness.
And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
Make no mistake about it… when the believer lives a part from the purity and fellowship that we have with God we are going back to the dark.
Illustration: Like the prodigal son had broken fellowship with the father. The son knew where the father was and the father was read to see his son but held his position at the front door.
Then in demonstration of what James says...
Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
App:
A. See clearly a God whose is so pure your sin offends him.
II. Haunting Reminder
How man frees himself from the burden of sin...
Justifies it
If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
God understands
None of us are perfect
Hey I’m doing my best.
Denies it
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
It’s not that bad
Its just a habit Ive developed
We all have our vices.
Ignores it
If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
We can lie about our sin and look the other way but there is one that has not ignored your sin. And this is an indicator of a greater problem. Including an indicator that you do not have the light at all.
It is remarkable to me that the writer here is bent on warning against self-deception of walking right.
Do you think for just a minute that John knows here that there are probably as many if not more Christians who "think" that are walking in the Light than really do.
Does it not concern you that he makes very clear that there are two types of people those who walk in the light and those who don't any you may not be.
Illustration: Many a Christian stand traipsing through the foyer of this great church with the audacity of the emperor in his new clothes.
They think they are a spiritual somebody and haven't been in the light since 2004.
App: How do I deceive myself - every time the Holy Spirit convicts and you justify, deny or make light of your sin.
III. The Cleansing Hope
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
The purpose of the light - Fellowship
B. This true fellowship is followed with
"cleansing". That's interesting because usually
Christians go to vs. 9 for cleansing, when we are walking in the light of God we become acutely aware of the sin that light shows us. When we become aware of it we confess and forsake it and Christ cleanses us once again.
Argument:
A. God's design, however, is fellowship and then cleansing. Why well because vs 7 & 9 reveal a Process.
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
You walk in the light, interact in fellowship with the Father, (7)
He points out the darkness that we don’t even see without his light; we confess (9) and Jesus Cleanses us (7&9)
Illustration: You can't walk through a car wash and come out the same, and you can't walk in fellowship with God and ever
be the same again.
App: A. So how do 1 know then if 1 have been deceived?
Simple when was the last cleansing. Has it been awhile
- maybe time to get back to the light.
B. He is faithful and just to continually cleanse you. Not only from the sin that has spotted you - the effect (Jude 23), but the sin that you commit - the acts