Walk In Fellowship With God
Walk In Fellowship With God • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 2 viewsBut if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
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VIntro: John 1:1–2 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.”
Here the Apostle John’s unapologetic assertion that Jesus Christ is the Word of life, and the Son of God is to assure all those that will read or hear the words of this epistle, that the Gosple teaching concerning Jesus Christ came from God.
An essential part of the Gospel is that the blood of Christ “cleanseth us from all sin” John goes on to say that all have sinned and need God’s forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ, and anyone denying that fact is in self-deception.
The goal of every believer should be to live a sin-free life, and to seek forgiveness as needed. This is how we walk in fellowship with God!
The similarities between the between the beginning verses of the Gospel of John and 1 John are striking. First John was written to combat the false teaching known as Gnosticism.
The root of Gnosticism was the false teaching that the goal of the believer in Christ was to escape the sinful material world, and become a pure, sinless spirit. To believe that you would have to reject Jesus coming in the flesh, that is why John emphasized Jesus did come in the flesh!
Fellowship With the Father and Son
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, concerning the Word of life—the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us—that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.
What We Know to Be True
The Docetists, another false teaching a heresy that promoted a false view of Jesus’ humanity. The word Docetism comes from the Greek dokein, which meant “to seem”; according to Docetism, Jesus Christ only seemed to have a human body like ours.
Again, John countered these false teaching by stating not only his but the Apostles and Christ disciples experiences with Christ was based on their actual, physical experience of the incarnate Son of God in human flesh and form.
John made it clear that this was not just his experience or truth, but the collective experience of all the Apostles and disciples of Jesus Christ.
In other words, John and the others heard, saw, examined, and touched Jesus. Jesus did not “seem” to be physically present with them, but they knew without question , that Jesus was present in the flesh, died a real death, bled real blood, and rose from the grave bodily.
We, you need to know just as the early believers did:
2 Timothy 1:8 (NKJV)
Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord
2 Timothy 1:12 (NKJV)
Paul went on to write: I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.
What We Declare To You
the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us—that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.
They heard Jesus with their own ears, they saw Jesus with their own eyes, they looked upon him, that is they studied, examined him, and they touched Him with their own hands.
John is declaring that they were eye witnesses giving eye witness testimony. John was stating they Jesu provided empirical, physical, evidence that He, the eternal Son of God lived as a flesh and blood man on earth.
RESPONSE TO THE WORD
In our modern day world, truth is seen as subjective, meaning that what is true for one person, may not be true for another. Not one truth but many. A solid definition of truth is “that which corresponds to reality.
John assures us of the reality, that Jesus literally came, lived, died, defeated sin, and lives forever as our Advocate.
FELLOWSHIP IN THE LIGHT
And these things we write to you that your joy may be full. This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
John said the purpose of his letter is “that your joy may be full”
The joy John wants us to celebrate is found in the faithful message he and all the others heard from “Him”.
Jesus is the Word (Logos) John argues that Jesus, the Word or Logos, is eternal and is God. Further, all creation came about by and through Jesus, who is presented as the source of life.
This Logos came and lived among us: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).
So, the message is this, God is light, and in Him )Father, Son and Holy Spirit) is no darkness at all.
Jesus being the Truth, He is also the Light, and He is the example by which we walk in a right relationship with God.
Fellowship Is Found in the Light
If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
With Jesus being the Light, therefore it is impossible to live in fellowship with Jesus and at the same time walk in darkness.
Now the Docetists did not deny their own physical existence, but they claimed that regardless of what they did or believed, the flesh remained defiled.
Two Extremes
self abuse
abstinence from sex in marriage
extreme fasting
inflicting punishment upon themselves
Also
The other response was to commit whatever sin they desired to engage in, because they believed their remained pure regardless of what they did.
Again 1 John 1:6–7 “If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”
Human nature corrupted by sin is not good or pure, but through Jesus, even the sinful nature can be made clean and holy, and the behavior of the believer in Christ will follow the lead of his renewed spiritual nature.
FELLOWSHIP THROUGH CLEANSING
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
Denying that we have sinned or need no forgiveness will block and lock the door to the spiritual healing and restoration we need.
because all have sinned and come short of the glory of God
if we claim we have no sin, we call God a liar
his truth is not in us
The Truth
sinned entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned
But when we confess Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we receive forgiveness of our sins, cleansing from unrighteousness, and everlasting life.
The Defeat of Sin
My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.