Untitled Sermon (26)

Conditions for fellowship with God

1 John 1:5–10 NKJV

5 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. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice 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 Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. 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. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

Intro:

What is fellowship? A lot of times we (Baptist) when we come together, eat, sit around and talk, have a time of fellowship. And that is part of it. But let’s look at what John means here.

The key VS to I John is 1:4 your joy can not be full if you don’t have fellowship with God. The word fellowship used 4 times in the chapter means a partnership, a partnership with the Jesus Himself.

A good word to use for this kind of fellowship is relationship. Being a Christian is not about being religious, it’s about a relationship.

The condition for fellowship with Jesus, to have real fellowship with Jesus, you have to have a relationship, a personal relationship. John show how you can know.

The world is full of religious people; churches are full of religious people. People who know about God, but don’t have that personal relationship with him. Sad part, so many think they are saved, and think so because they belong to a church, or have been baptized, or because they are good and do good things. Mt 7: 21-23

Matthew 7:21–23 NKJV

21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

I. Walk in the light. VS 5-6

1 John 1:5–6 NKJV

5 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. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.

VS 5a

1. God is light. Not a light, He is light. We know that God is love, He is also light.

Gen 1:3 “And God said let there be light” Only God could crate light, only God could put light into the world because He is light.

a. Light does a lot of things. Light has power over darkness .Elab

b. Light attracts. Front porch light. It attacks bugs. Light attracts fish.

c. The light of God should attract people. People who do not have fellowship with Him.

Mt. 5:14 (God is light, we are “the” light of the world.

d. If our fellowship with Jesus is real, then the light that we are through Him should be attacking people to Him.

e. But is that the case? How can we do that? How can we be that light that attracts people to light of God?

f. Our attitude, the love we show for others, the life we live. Serving others. Not just those in church, but those outside the church. (Glen Springs)

e. Now we are not perfect, but God is. He is light and in him is no darkness.

f. Since God is light and in Him is no darkness at all, those who have fellowship with Him must in harmony with Him.

Amos 3:3 “how can two be together, except they be agreed?”

g. Ye are the light of the world.

SONG: Let others see Jesus in you.

VS 6

1 John 1:6 NKJV

6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.

Notice “We”

1. If a person claims to be saved, claims to be a follower of Jesus, but walks (live like or to occupy) with the darkness. (In God there is not darkness) Darkness is the opposite of light.

a. John tells us, that anyone who lives this way is a liar. “we lie” and do not the truth: Means do not practice the truth.

b. We all sin: But those practice sin, continually sin and it does not brother them, then there is a problem.

c. The Holy Spirit will not lead to go where many who claim to be believers go. The Holy Spirit will not lead to do what many who claim to be believers do.

d. So many people have joined a church, been baptized, have done all the right things, except for the one thing that really matters. Truth Jesus personally and asked Him to forgive them and trusted His grace to cover their sins.

e. Which means there was a changes. “If any man……..

II. Walk with one another. VS 7

1 John 1:7 NKJV

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 Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

VS 7

1. Notice “the light”

But if we walk in the light:

a. To walk in the light means to allowing the Lord to lead your life, to direct your steps, to right you into the path of righteousness.

b. It means walking in God’s will, to glorify Him in all that we say, do and wherever we go.

As He is the light: And that light is in us to direct us. We are not children of darkness, we are children of light.

c. We have no excuse for walking in darkness. We should have no desire to walk in darkness because we are new creations are we are lead to a life that will please God.

We walk one with another:

1. All true believers’ belong to the same family, we all belong a part of the body of Christ.

a. What about other denominations? Elab on what we believe the bible says about salvation.

b. True Christians have much in common. Possess the same Holy Spirit, the same Divine nature. Since we have the same Holy Spirit, and the same divine nature, which all through God, then we should walk with one another.

c. We love the same God, we embrace the same truths of God’s word, we living for the same savior.

d. All true believers’ can have fellowship. We may not always see eye to eye on everything, but true believers’ can disagree and still love one another and fellowship to the glory of God.

e. But there is a person who always disagrees and want let it go, trying to cause problems. Are they really saved? READ VERSE AGAIN.

The blood of Jesus Christ His son cleanseth us from all sin:

1. Notice the word “cleanseth” not cleansed past tense, but clesnseth, it’s continual.

a. We can praise Him that He not only forgives us of our past sins, but our future sins too.

III. Walk in forgiveness. VS 8-10

1 John 1:8 NKJV

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

1 John 1:10 NKJV

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

VS 8, 10

1. John is writing to believers and this verse applies to believers.

a. No matter how much we separate ourselves from the world, no matter holy of a life we may live. As long as we life in this flesh, we will never come to a point where do not need cleansing.

b. Anyone who thinks they are so holy that they are above sin or cannot sin, they don’t know their own heart.

If we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves:

G.W for deceive is a word that means “to cause to stray”

a. We have to stay focus on the truth, we can’t deceive ourselves and stray from the truth. That’s what the devil wants us to do.

And the truth is not in us:

VS 10

1. If we say we have no sin, we our making God out to be a lair.

1 John 1:9 NKJV

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

VS 9

If we confess our sins:

1. Notice he says “If we confess our sins” Not if they. He says we meaning believers, followers of Jesus.

a. We all sin, (VS 8 if we say we have no sin) when because we still have a sin nature, we still live the flesh, and we need forgiveness.

He is faithful and just to forgive and cleanse us of all unrighteousness:

1. God is faithful, He will do just as He say He will do.

a. For the saved, we need daily forgiveness. Elab

b. For the one that’s not saved or not sure. Elab