Fellowship With God

Fred Ayers

What every Christain Should Know • Sermon • Submitted 7 years ago

1 John 1:3–2:2

Fellowship

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Fellowship With God

1 John 1:3 KJV 1900

3 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.

Fellowship - a relationship personal “day to day”

A father/son a family member

vs 3, vs 6 and vs 7

The apostle John opens his letter by asserting that one of the main aims of the Christian message is we may enter in to the fellowship, which is “with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ” (1:3).

Such fellowship with God is at the very heart of what it means to be a Christian.

Christianity is not, at its core, the observance of rituals or rules. Rather, it is a walk of personal fellowship with the living God.

But before we all sign up for the program, John makes it clear that fellowship with God is not a matter of being chummy with your good buddy in the sky!

He asserts that God is absolutely holy (1:5).

1 John 1:5 KJV 1900

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.

To have genuine fellowship with the holy God, we must walk in the light, as He Himself is in the light.

if you have accepted Christ as your savior then:

Our Relationship with God :

There was in John’s day, as there is today, the peril of profession, the danger of claiming to know God, but of being deceived. John’s message is:

Our Relationship with God :

Permanent -

John 10:27–29 KJV 1900

27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.

Unbreakable -

1 Peter 1:5 KJV 1900

5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

Unbreakable -

John 6:39 KJV 1900

39 And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.

Determines our eternal destiny

Our Fellowship with God

Dependent on obedience

Breakable

Determines daily joy

Fellowship - koykneea

Communion - it mean to have a relationship closely bound together for open sharing. There can be know fellowship between light and darkness.

children sill dad - broken fellowship

I The God of Light - 1 John 1:5

1 John 1:5 KJV 1900

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.

Note, also, that John does not begin with his hearers felt needs.

He doesn’t discuss where they may be hurting, or bring up how this message will help them have a happy family life or a successful personal life. Rather, John begins with God and he brings us face to face, not with God’s love, but with His holiness.

Coming after verse 3, about having fellowship with God, you would expect John to say,

“To have fellowship with God, you need to know that He loves you very much.”

But, rather, he bluntly says, “God is light.” Then, so that we don’t dodge the uncomfortable implications of that, he states the negative, “and in Him there is no darkness at all.”

Martyn Lloyd-Jones “Our main problem is our self-centeredness, and so we come to the Christian faith looking to have our needs met. I’m not happy; can God make me happy? I’m looking for something that I don’t have; can God give it to me? How can Christianity help me with my problems and needs? But to approach the Christian faith in that manner is to cater to our main problem, which is self! The first answer of the gospel can always, in effect, be put in this way: ‘Forget yourself and contemplate God.’” “The way to be delivered from self-centeredness is to stand in the presence of God

II Excuses that Don't Work -

1 John 2:1–2 KJV 1900

1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: 2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

1 John

Its is gods desire that we do not sin

vs 2- God has made a provision when we do sin

We all will sin

1 John 1:8 KJV 1900

8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

Romans 7:18–19 KJV 1900

18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. 19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.

1 Corinthians 6:9–12 KJV 1900

9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. 12 All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.

You may struggle with sin but as a Christian you will not continue in sin as though you were never saved.

1 John 3:3–10 KJV 1900

3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. 4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. 5 And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin. 6 Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him. 7 Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. 8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. 9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. 10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.

1 John 3:4–10 KJV 1900

4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. 5 And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin. 6 Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him. 7 Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. 8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. 9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. 10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.

vs 3,8 - comitteth

1 John 3

1 john 3.3-10

vs 3,8 - comitteth

vs 6 - sinneth

vs 9 - commit

present tense which indicate repeated action

1 John 1:3–4 KJV 1900

3 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. 4 And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

1 John 1:3 KJV 1900

3 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.

1 John 1:5 KJV 1900

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.

1 john 1.3

Note, also, that John does not begin with his hearers felt needs. He doesn’t discuss where they may be hurting, or bring up how this message will help them have a happy family life or a successful personal life. Rather, John begins with God and he brings us face to face, not with God’s love, but with His holiness. Coming after verse 3, about having fellowship with God, you would expect John to say, “To have fellowship with God, you need to know that He loves you very much.” But, rather, he bluntly says, “God is light.” Then, so that we don’t dodge the uncomfortable implications of that, he states the negative, “and in Him there is no darkness at all.”

Coming after verse 3, about having fellowship with God, you would expect John to say, “To have fellowship with God, you need to know that He loves you very much.”

But, rather, he bluntly says, “God is light.” Then, so that we don’t dodge the uncomfortable implications of that, he states the negative, “and in Him there is no darkness at all.”

Martyn Lloyd-Jones makes this point (Fellowship With God [Crossway Books], p. 100), that we must always start with God. He argues that our main problem is our self-centeredness, and so we come to the Christian faith looking to have our needs met. I’m not happy; can God make me happy? I’m looking for something that I don’t have; can God give it to me? How can Christianity help me with my problems and needs? But to approach the Christian faith in that manner is to cater to our main problem, which is self! He says (p. 101), “The first answer of the gospel can always, in effect, be put in this way: ‘Forget yourself and contemplate God.’” He adds (p. 102), “The way to be delivered from self-centeredness is to stand in the presence of God

II Excuses that Don't Work -

if we say

1 John 1:6 KJV 1900

6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:

1 John 1:8 KJV 1900

8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

1john 1

1 John 1:10 KJV 1900

10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

To have fellowship with God, we must not walk in the darkness (1:6, 8, 10).

To understand this paragraph, we must see that John is writing against the false claims of the false teachers. Their claims are introduced by the phrase,

“if we say…” (1:6, 8, 10). John here shifts the “we” from the apostles to a hypothetical group that may include anyone, but especially targets the false teachers.

- Walk in Darkness

Their first claim was, “We have fellowship with God” (1:6), but John says that their lives did not back up their claim. They walked in darkness, they lied, and they did not practice the truth.

“To walk” points to the general tenor of one’s life. Walk way of Life

Since to walk in the light involves confessing our sins (1:9), to walk in the darkness means ignoring or denying our sins. Ignoring sin......

It is to block out the light of God’s holiness, as revealed in His Word, and to live as the world lives, making up your own ideas about right and wrong apart from God (see ; ).

Ephesians 4:17–19 KJV 1900

17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, 18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: 19 Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

Ephesians 4:17–18 KJV 1900

To walk in darkness is to try to hide from God, rather than to expose your life to Him.

- We Have No Sin

Apparently these false teachers were doing this, because John’s next hypothetical statement is (1:8), “If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.”

They may have been claiming that they had achieved a state of sinless perfection. Or, perhaps because they believed that the body could not touch the spirit, they were claiming not to have a sin nature.

They said, “You’re just seeing my body. My spirit is without sin.” John says, “You’re only deceiving yourselves!”

- We Have Not Sinned

The heretic’s third claim was (1:10), “We have not sinned.” This is the most blatant of the three, as seen by John’s consequence, “we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.”

It goes farther than the other claims by saying, “We have not sinned in the past and we are not now sinning.” Perhaps they were claiming that their enlightenment had led them to see that they were basically good at the core, not evil sinners.

John would say, “That man is walking in the darkness, deceiving himself and anyone who believes him. Worse, he is calling God a liar and God’s word is not in him!”

But we need to apply this personally.

II Consequences of Breaking Fellowship

If as a way of life, I am not allowing God’s Word to confront my sinful thoughts, attitudes, motives, words, and deeds, I am walking in darkness. If I dodge my sin by blaming others or making up excuses for why I sin, I am walking in darkness.

And for John, to walk in darkness is not describing a “carnal” Christian.

It is describing an unbeliever, no matter how much he may claim to have fellowship with God. To have fellowship with God, we must recognize that He is absolutely holy. And, we must not walk in the darkness.

Psalm 51:4 KJV 1900

4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, And done this evil in thy sight: That thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, And be clear when thou judgest.

The bible teaches that you will struggle with sin until death.

When you loose that battle it does not mean you are not saved.

Sin defined

1 John 3:4 KJV 1900

4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

1 st Consequence - offend God

Psalm 51:4 KJV 1900

4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, And done this evil in thy sight: That thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, And be clear when thou judgest.

2nd Consequence - breaks prayer life

pslam 51.4

Psalm 66:18 KJV 1900

18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear me:

3rd Consequence - discipline

Hebrews 12:5–11 KJV 1900

5 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: 6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. 7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? 8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. 9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? 10 For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. 11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

heb 12.

vs 6 - your are his son

vs 7-8 - If you continue in sin - bot saved

To understand this paragraph, we must see that John is writing against the false claims of the false teachers. Their claims are introduced by the phrase,

“if we say…” (1:6, 8, 10). John here shifts the “we” from the apostles to a hypothetical group that may include anyone, but especially targets the false teachers.

vs 6 - walk in Darkness

Their first claim was, “We have fellowship with God” (1:6), but John says that their lives did not back up their claim. They walked in darkness, they lied, and they did not practice the truth.

“To walk” points to the general tenor of one’s life. Walk way of Life

Since to walk in the light involves confessing our sins (1:9), to walk in the darkness means ignoring or denying our sins. Ignoring sin......

It is to block out the light of God’s holiness, as revealed in His Word, and to live as the world lives, making up your own ideas about right and wrong apart from God (see ; ).

eph 4.17-19

Ephesians 4:17–19 KJV 1900

It is to justify your own behavior either by redefining sin, by blaming it on other factors, or by doing away with the entire concept of sin. To walk in darkness is to try to hide from God, rather than to expose your life to Him.

Apparently these false teachers were doing this, because John’s next hypothetical statement is (1:8), “If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.” They may have been claiming that they had achieved a state of sinless perfection. Or, perhaps because they believed that the body could not touch the spirit, they were claiming not to have a sin nature. They said, “You’re just seeing my body. My spirit is without sin.” John says, “You’re only deceiving yourselves!”

The heretic’s third claim was (1:10), “We have not sinned.” This is the most blatant of the three, as seen by John’s consequence, “we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.”

John would say, “That man is walking in the darkness, deceiving himself and anyone who believes him. Worse, he is calling God a liar and God’s word is not in him!”

But we need to apply this personally.

And for John, to walk in darkness is not describing a “carnal” Christian.

III Results of Walking in the Light - 1:7, 9

III Sin Brings Conviction

Ephesians 4:30 KJV 1900

30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

The spirit convicts - to make sorrowful

When we grieve the holy spirit He will grieve us back

Psalm 32:1–5 KJV 1900

1 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. 2 Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no guile. 3 When I kept silence, my bones waxed old Through my roaring all the day long. 4 For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: My moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah. 5 I acknowledged my sin unto thee, And mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; And thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.

Conviction - is a work of God. Conviction urges you to God and be forgiven for your sin.

Confess and return to fellowship with Him

Conviction ends when the moment you confess your sin to God. It will never be brought up again.

Condemnation - is a work of the devil.

Condemnation urges you to give up your walk with God .

you are a failure

you call yourself a Christian ?

you tried and failed

God could never forgive you again.

Condemnation continues after confession of sin to God.

satan delights in reminding you of past sins

Revelation 12:10 KJV 1900

10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

To have fellowship with God:

IV Results of Walking in the Light - 1:7, 9

Walking in the light is not a description of a class of spiritual believers, who have achieved perfection or some high state of sanctification.

Rather, it describes all true believers. Believers walk in the light; unbelievers walk in the darkness. There are three aspects of walking in the light:

TO WALK IN THE LIGHT IS TO LIVE OPENLY BEFORE GOD, SEEKING TO BE HOLY AND HATING ALL SIN. 1

1 Peter 1:15–16 KJV 1900

15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; 16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

1 peter

John 3:21 KJV 1900

21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

john 3.21Or, in Jesus’ words of , “But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.” This is in contrast with the evil person who loves darkness and hates the Light, who “does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed” ().

Or, in Jesus’ words of , “But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.” This is in contrast with the evil person who loves darkness and hates the Light, who “does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed” ().

This is in contrast with the evil person who loves darkness and hates the Light, who “does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed” ().

This does not imply that the person walking in the light never sins. indicates that the blood of Jesus is cleansing (present tense) from all sin the one who is walking in the light.

So to walk in the light does not mean to be sinless, which no one can do. Rather, it points to a habitual pattern of living openly before God, who examines the heart. To walk in the light is to seek to be holy as God is holy. But, what about when we sin?

TO WALK IN THE LIGHT IS TO CONFESS OUR SINS, EXPERIENCING GOD’S FORGIVENESS AND CLEANSING. 1 John 1:9

1 John 1:9 KJV 1900

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

ijohn 1.9

A person walking in the light does not deny his sin or try to cover it up. He does not blame others for it or make excuses about it. Rather, he confesses it

A person walking in the light does not deny his sin or try to cover it up. He does not blame others for it or make excuses about it. Rather, he confesses it (1:9): “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

To confess means to agree with God that our sin is sin. It means to accept responsibility for it and to turn from it. God’s wonderful promise is that if we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive and cleanse us.

But this verse creates a difficulty, in that other Scriptures teach that we are forgiven totally at the point of salvation, including all future sins. For example, states, “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Why, then, do we need to be forgiven again when we sin after salvation?

Some explain this as “family” forgiveness that is necessary for fellowship, not forensic forgiveness that is required to deliver us from God’s judgment. While that explanation may be okay, to me it does not take into account the terms “faithful and righteous to forgive….” God’s faithfulness relates to His new covenant promise to forgive all our sins through faith in Christ, which happens at salvation (). His righteousness (or, justice) relates to His strict demand that the penalty for sin be paid. In the case of the believer, Jesus Christ paid this at the cross.

Let me use an analogy. John uses the word “believe” in the present tense to refer to the means of how we get saved (; ; et al.). When a person first believes, he receives all the benefits of salvation. Does he stop believing then? No, he goes on believing in what Jesus did for him on the cross. As he continues believing, he does not receive the benefits of salvation over and over, but he does experience them repeatedly. So the Christian is characterized by a lifestyle of believing in Christ. As he goes on believing, he repeatedly enjoys the benefits that he received at salvation.

In a similar way, the believer’s life is marked by continual confession of sins. It begins at salvation, when he acknowledges his sin to God and asks for forgiveness and cleansing. He experiences ongoing forgiveness and cleansing as he continues confessing his sins. Verse 7 (“cleanses” is in the present tense) indicates that there is an ongoing sense in which the effects of the cleansing of Jesus’ blood are applied to us. Thus when a believer sins, he does not lose the forgiveness and cleansing that took place at salvation. But he does not experience it in his walk until he confesses his sin. Ongoing confession of sin and the experience of forgiveness and cleansing characterize those who walk in the light.

What Am I asking you ?

Does the reference to “one another” (1:7) refer to fellowship between God and the believer or between believers? In the immediate context, verse 6 refers to fellowship with God, and thus verse 7 would seem to point in that direction. But verse 3 also referred to fellowship with other believers. So I think that in 1:7 John’s primary emphasis is on fellowship with God. But fellowship with God and fellowship with other believers is always linked, as verse 3 makes clear. Since the heretics had withdrawn from the church (2:19), John wants us to know that true fellowship with God always brings us into fellowship with others that know Him. If someone can’t get along with other believers, he may not be in true fellowship with God.

IV Confessing

1 John 1:8–9 KJV 1900

8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1 john 1.

Psalm 32:5 KJV 1900

5 I acknowledged my sin unto thee, And mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; And thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.

opposite of confessing - covering

Proverbs 28:13 KJV 1900

13 He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: But whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.

we god to God to confess not a man

It was he we offended

Psalm 51:4 KJV 1900

4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, And done this evil in thy sight: That thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, And be clear when thou judgest.

only God can forgive

Mark 2:7 KJV 1900

7 Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?

no go between

1 Timothy 2:5 KJV 1900

5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

God says our sin will remove you from fellowship until it is confessed.

1 John 1:9 KJV 1900

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.