Scripture: 1 John 1:1-10

1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2 The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 We write this to make our joy complete. 5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.

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Background of 1 John

• John was writing to a fractured and wounded church to address the error of Gnosticism
• The Gnostics denied the existence of sin and the humanity of Christ
• They denied that Christ came and suffered in the flesh for mankind
• They claimed there is no sin and thus don’t need a Savior
• They claimed to be born again but lived a lifestyle of sin
• John wrote this letter to help the believers distinguish between a true born again brother and a false one.
• He wrote about:
• light vs. darkness, truth vs. falsehood (Ch.1)
• love vs, hate, love of the Father vs. love of the world, Christ vs. antichrists (Ch.2)
• children of God vs. children of the devil, (Ch.3)
• the Spirit of God vs. the spirit of the Antichrist (ch.4)
• eternal life vs eternal death (Ch.5)

In the last days, God will sift the people and separate

• the sheep from the goats,
• the genuine from the bogus,
• the real from the fake,
• the sincere from the insincere.

John challenged the people to:

• maintain their zeal for the Lord
• stand firm against false teachers
• strengthen their relationship with Christ who gives eternal life

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We are people who long for fellowship.

True fellowship starts with having a true relationship with each other

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1. God is the Initiator (vv.1-2)

• God wants to have fellowship with us
• But a morally perfect God and an imperfect sinner are incompatible
• There is a gap in between them and they cannot come together
• To bridge this gap, God sent His one and only Son, Jesus Christ

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2. God is the Inviter – (vv.3-4)

• He invites you to have a personal and intimate relationship and fellowship with Him through Christ – the Righteous One, the Acceptable Sacrifice to take away our sins
• Only through Christ can we have fellowship with God.
• Result of Accepting His invitation
• a. You will have fellowship with God and Christ and fellow believers (v.3)
• b. Your will experience the fullness of joy (v.4)

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3. God’s Desire and Pleasure

• That You will believe in His love and mercy and accept His invitation
• Accepting His invitation means:
• Acknowledge Christ and His Sacrifice
• Admit that you are a sinner in need of a Savior
• Accept Him as Lord and Savior
• Adore Him
• Appreciate His grace and goodness
• Attest to His power and reality – in and through your life

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4. Man's Response (vv.5-10)

A. God is light, in Him there is no darkness at all (v.5)

• He is pure, perfect, good, and sinless.

B. Man is full of darkness (v.6)

• He lives in sin, lies, is untruthful (v.6)
• He makes false claims and is deceptive (v.8)
• He is self-deceived and denies God and His Word (v.10)

Sin hinders your relationship and fellowship with God.

What must you do?

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

Accept His invitation by:

• Acknowledging Christ and His Sacrifice
• Admitting that you are a sinner in need of a Savior
• Accepting Him as Lord and Savior
• Adoring Him
• Appreciating His grace and goodness
• Attesting to His power and reality – in and through your life

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5. Man's Imperfection and Shortfall (2:1a)

My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin ... (1 Jn 2:1a)

• We are not sinlessly perfect
• We need His grace and mercy daily
• We cannot take God for granted by living carelessly

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6. Christ's Promise and Assurance

My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father (one who speaks to the Father in our defense) —Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:1-2)

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Conclusion

• 1. Thank God for His grace, goodness, mercy, and salvation.
• 2. Guard your heart and say NO to sin
• 3. Serve Him willingly and be faithful to Him to the end
• 4. Allow the Holy Spirit to lead, guide, and direct your path daily.
• 5. Allow God to use you to bless others
• 6. Give God all glory and honor