The Foundation of Our Fellowship

MPT: John wanted his readers to be certain of their fellowship with God and with each other because of what Jesus had done.

When we share the truth of the gospel, it brings us into a fellowship that lasts forever—and from that kind of deep connection, real joy begins to grow.

INTRODUCTION

I grew up with 2 younger sisters, and 5 cousins. We are all relatively close in age, my cousins lived in Virginia and Maryland most of my life, and I only got to see them once or twice a year, but every time we were together, it didn’t seem like we only saw each other that little. We had close bond with each other and got along very well. In fact, we got along too well, because usually when there was trouble, it was all of us, not just one or two. Some of the best memories I have with my cousins involved us getting in trouble together. We would be at my grandfather’s and we would do something we shouldn’t have been doing, and we would all get sent to time out. We loved time out, we would be in separate corners of the house, and we would roll balls back and forth to each other, or sneakily trade places, time out was great. So, you can see, we got in trouble together. I’m one of the oldest of the cousins, and one time when I was around 8 or 9 and the youngest was around 5, all 7 of us at the time, went upstairs at my grandfather’s house where we had a toy room, and we snuck peaches into that toy room, and we had ourselves a good old fashioned peach fight. Some of you may be thinking, “what is a peach fight”, it’s exactly how it sounds, we threw peaches at each other in that toy room. Now, you can imagine how much trouble we got it, more than our usual fun time out. Our parents to this day, talk about this peach fight like it happened yesterday, but here’s the thing, for us kids, we have no memory of this peach fight. None of us remember this happening, the only thing that makes sense, is that our parents beat that memory out of us. So not only did my cousins and I get in trouble together, apparently we also repressed memories together. Even though I see my cousins less frequently now than I did as a kid, we still get along as if no time has gone by, we have a strong bond and connection with one another. Our parents have done a good job raising us to have such a great fellowship with one another, because we are family. What’s great about the church, is we have an even stronger fellowship holding us together, and that is our faith in Jesus Christ as our savior, our salvation. We are a faith family. Some of you struggle with wondering if you are even saved. You struggle with your faith in God, or that it’s too late for you, you’re a lost cause. I’m here to tell you that if you are breathing, it’s not too late. Our fellowship as a body of believers is important and is rooted in our salvation. In 1 John 1-4, we see that John wanted his readers to be certain of their fellowship with God and with each other because of what Jesus had done. So this morning, we are going to see two ways you can be sure of your salvation.

CONTEXT

1 John is considered an epistle or a letter, even though at times it appears to be more of a sermon than a letter. Although the author and audience are not made known, this letter is widely attributed to the apostle John, John the Gospel writer as the author, and was meant to be a circular letter. Most scholars believe that this letter was written sometime around AD 70, when the Romans tore down Jerusalem and the temple. John left town where he had been a church leader, then ended up settling in Ephesus. He kept doing ministry in that area and lived nearly to AD 100. Most likely, he wrote the three New Testament letters with his name on them while he was there. By the content in the opening of this letter, it is clear that John is writing to the early church that is fighting heresy, and a denial of the incarnation of Jesus. 1 John was written to reassure believers about the truth of the gospel and to help them avoid the false teachings and harmful behaviors that had started to lead some people astray. So these first 4 verses, also known as the prologue, are important because John is clarifying that Jesus is the God-man, the image of the invisible God, who is the one basis of true Christian fellowship and salvation. So the first way you can be sure of your salvation, is:

YOU KNOW YOU ARE SAVED IF YOU HAVE EXPERIENCED JESUS

(V1): There is a lot to unpack here in this first verse. We see John saying “what was from the beginning”, this is echoing what was recorded in Gn 1:1 and in Jn 1:1. John is declaring, once again, right off that bat that Jesus has an eternal existence, and was with God, and is God from the very beginning. Jesus was present during the creation of the heavens and the earth. Jesus was present during the fall, the flood, through Abraham, Moses, and David. Jesus has been present through it all from the start. Jesus, is God. John goes on to say in the rest of verse 1, “what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have observed and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life”. Who’s the Word of life church? Remember Jn 1:1, “in the beginning was the Word, and Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John described Jesus as the Word, and then reminded the his readers that he and the other apostles had heard, seen and touched the Word themselves. John wrote a whole book, the Gospel of John, all about Jesus’ earthly ministry, and how He is God incarnate. John is asking the question, “why are you doubting that Jesus was real? Don’t you remember that I was there?” This was personal for John. He spent 3 years with Jesus, he witnessed Jesus’ miracles, he witnessed Jesus’ crucifixion, he witnessed Jesus’ resurrection, he knew Jesus was real. So we need to understand and believe that Jesus is fully divine, and fully human at the same time. Because Jesus is fully God and fully human, He becomes the standard in which we live, so we need to trust that Jesus is the standard for all things.

John has just reminded the church that Jesus is a living breathing human being. And because He is fully human, we humans stop being the measure of all things, and this human, Jesus becomes that measure. When John wrote his Gospel, he wrote it to reveal that Jesus has come to deliver his people into a kingdom in a restored creation, and this early church would have read or heard this Gospel. They would have an account of the life Jesus lived. What John is saying is that this Jesus who lived this perfect life, he is a real person just like us, He is now the standard in which we are to live.

(V2): Now we see John using life language. Remember in Jn 14:6 “Jesus told him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” And that life was revealed, and again, they witnessed the revelation of this eternal life in the person of Jesus Christ. So not only does John say that Jesus is God, but He is also the source of salvation, eternal life. At this point in history, the early church was being influenced by a movement called Gnosticism. Essentially, a movement that believed only a secret knowledge will permit you into heaven, and you have to spend your life searching for this knowledge. Specifically, these verses are targeting a denomination of Gnosticism called Docetisim, which believed that Jesus only appeared to be human. It’s really important to understand what the Bible teaches about who Jesus is. Jesus isn’t a made-up story or some kind of ghost. He’s God who became fully human. That means Jesus is both fully God and fully human at the same time. He’s not part God and part man, and He’s not just a really spiritual guy. He’s the one-of-a-kind God-man. He’s always existed with God the Father, but at Bethlehem, He came to live with us. The work and person of Jesus Christ is the best example of God’s revelation. Through Jesus, God’s mind, will, perfection, and heart are all revealed. Because Jesus has revealed Himself as God, and our faith is rooted in revelation: So since we trust that Jesus is the standard for all things, We can trust that our salvation comes from the work of Jesus Christ alone.

We just finished walking through the book of Exodus as a faith family. In Exodus we saw God desired to make Himself known to Israel, and saved them from the bondage of slavery. We saw God give commands on how they are live in right relationship with each other while worshipping God the way He should be worshiped. But we continued to see Israel fail. Exodus made it clear, that even with Moses as their mediator, they were not capable of living the life God demanded of them. So Jesus, Who is the standard, became human, to live the full human experience, from conception to death, lived the life demanded by God, and lived it perfectly. And even though we are all sinners, and deserve an eternity experiencing God’s wrath, Jesus stepped in our place, and died the death we deserve on the cross. He then rose again 3 days later, defeating sin and death, and those who put their faith in him will have salvation. Our salvation, is rooted in the best example of God’s revelation, Jesus. And if you have ever admitted that you are a sinner and need to repent, believe that Jesus died for you sins and rose from the dead, and confess that He is your savior, then you have experienced Jesus, and know you are saved. The second way we can be sure of our salvation is:

YOU KNOW IF YOU ARE SAVED IF YOU LONG FOR FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD AND HIS PEOPLE

(V3): John is once again talking about what he and the others actually saw and heard with their own eyes and ears. He’s really emphasizing that they were eyewitnesses—and we shouldn’t miss how closely that’s tied to the fact that they’re now passing it on to others. This “we” specifically refers to those who personally knew Jesus and walked with Him. They’re the ones sharing their experience with the rest of the church.

And why? So that others can join in the same kind of fellowship—that they had. Right after that, John says this fellowship is with the Father and with Jesus Christ. The Greek word koinōnia basically means sharing something deeply in common. Christian fellowship means we’re united not just with each other, but with God Himself through Jesus Christ and by the Holy Spirit.

This kind of fellowship didn’t stop with the apostles. They shared it with others, and those people passed it along, and so on. It’s a living, ongoing connection—anchored in relationship with God the Father and Jesus. And right from the start of his letter, John wants to make it crystal clear: Jesus is central and inseparable from the Father.

John repeats himself in this first three verses that he was an eyewitness to the divinity and humanity of Jesus, because it’s clear he is writing to doubters. And we all have doubts at times. I doubted for the longest time that this peach fight happened. I mean, I am the favorite grandson, why would I do such a thing? And I know, if there were peaches at my grandfather’s house, that meant he was going to make is world famous peach cobbler and peach ice cream. Why would I deprive myself of such a delicacy? It doesn’t make sense. But, there are credible eyewitnesses. I can no longer doubt the events of that day. John is also saying we should no longer doubt who Jesus is. Unlike any other religion, our God, the one true God has revealed Himself to everyone, through His word, and through His son Jesus Christ. He did pick just one person, give them a special revelation for them only, then say “good luck” and leave. No, our God, came to live with us, to teach us how to live, and then died in our place so that we can have a chance to live in eternity with Him.

(V4): God is glorified when we find our joy in Him. What brings us together is that we share the same beliefs, the same Savior, the same Father—and the same joy that comes from knowing Jesus. Life in Him is unlike anything else. We are to long for bringing in others to experience the joy we have in Christ. The joy of knowing we have a savior that saved us from eternal damnation, a savior who’s spirit dwells in us when we believe in Him, a savior, who longs to have a relationship with us.

John says he’s writing this letter so that our joy can be complete—not halfway, not kinda full, but totally full. Everything we could ever want or need in terms of joy. He’s actually echoing what Jesus told him: “I have told you these things so that my joy can be in you, and your joy may be complete” (John 15:11), and “Until now you have asked for nothing in my name. As and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete” (John 16:24).

The point is, real joy—deep, lasting joy—comes from doing life with Jesus. And that joy grows through our friendships with each other and with God, who is now our Father. And all of this is possible because of the Gospel of Jesus, God’s Son.

The joy we have in fellowship with God and each other is because we share convictions. We gather around Scripture—what it says about who God is, who we are, and how we’re supposed to live in light of that. It’s important to get familiar with the core beliefs we share. Do you know what we believe and why it matters? If not, ask! Don’t be afraid to speak up if something doesn’t make sense. No one has it all figured out, and questions are a great place to start. We share our experience of Jesus. We push others to grow in their relationship with Christ, and share what our personal journeys are like. So stop making excuses as to why you aren’t pursing fellowship with God and His children. We just finished the book of Exodus, and a big portion of what we learned was about living in right relationship with God and others, and how much work that is. Some of you are introverted, and that’s okay, but don’t let that keep you from growing in fellowship with fellow believers. Some of you are church hurt. I get it, we have all experienced some form of church hurt, and the reality is, saved people, are still sinful people. I’m not making excuses, and I’m not saying it is okay, but while saved people still sin, we as a faith family are meant to keep each other accountable, and to encourage one another. So the more we pursue a fellowship with God, and a fellowship with our faith family, the more help we have to combat the sin in our life, and experience the true joy that is in salvation. Let’s pray.

The praise and worship team are going to come up, and we are going to have a time of invitation. If you’re a believer in the room, I just want to encourage you—if you trust Jesus and desire fellowship with Him and His people, that’s a sign your faith is real. Let that give you confidence in your salvation. If you aren’t a believer in this room, I want you to experience the joy that there is in salvation. If you have not placed your faith in Jesus, and you want to, or have questions please see me. We are going to have