FELLOWSHlP IN THE LIGHT

TOPIC: FELLOWSHIP IN THE LIGHT
TEXT: I John 1:7 through 2:16.

MEMORY VERSE: If we walk In the light, as He Is In the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His son cleanseth us from all sin 1 Jn. 1:7.

CENTRAL TRUTH: As we walk in the light, Christ makes possible fellowship with God and other believers.

INTRODUCTION

Good elementary teachers help students to learn the basics of reading, writing. and arithmetic. Without learning the basics. in person lacks the foundation needed to achieve mastery of the details of a topic.

The Apostle John often referred to the recipients of his letters as ‘little children”. mostly a term of endearment but also at times. suggesting a lack of spiritual maturity. With false teachings threatening the church. John recapped the basics of the Christian faith by looking at who Jesus is, what light and darkness are. and how love for others results from faith. The basics would give believers what they needed to face the darkness that was invading the local church through false teachers and their immoral lifestyles.

1. THE WORD OF LIFE 1 Jn. 1.4-4

The word of God is the source of eternal life and the key to fellowship. John's letters focused on helping their readers know that their faith is based on truth. The word 'know' is found 27 times in 1 John (KJV).

Churches were facing faith-philosophy issues as pagan philosophies started to creep into the church. John addressed two types of false teachings in 1 John: Docetism which taught that Jesus only appeared to be human but was really more like a mirage; and Cerinthianism which taught that Jesus received the Divine Spirit at Baptism, but the Spirit left Him before the cross. Both were tied to the views that matter, such as human flesh was evil and spirit was good. These philosophies were part of the false teachings that would become known as Gnosticism. This is why John in (1 Jn. 1:14) went into the basics of the gospel and affirmed that Jesus is the eternal son of God. He made it clear that Jesus came as a man to this earth by using words such as “heard", "seen". “looked upon", and “handled" to convey that Jesus was real. not some apparition as some said. This false teaching questioned Christ's role as mediator between God and maple His physical death on the cross and the bodily resurrection from the death.

According to 1 Jn. 1:3, the outcome of salvation results in both kinds of relationships. Those who neglect fellowship with others miss the mutual edification. encouragement. and the correction that comes from that kind of sharing. Those who neglect fellowship with God set themselves up for the disappointments that result from the shortcomings of other human beings. Those who pursue both kinds of fellowship will achieve a higher level of spiritual maturity and joy in its fullness.

2. WALK IN THE LIGHT 1 Jn. 1:5 through 2:2

Here is a timely admonition, to live a godly lifestyle and to return to God if one has erred. Light symbolizes God and implies brightness, clarity, visibility, and the ability to see in details. Light implies that nothing is hidden. it implies moral righteousness. On the contrast, darkness implies the exact opposite of light. since God is light, those who fellowship with Him must walk in the light (1 Jn. 1:7). To walk in the light is to keep the truths of God's word focused on our daily living so we know quickly if we have stepped off the right road. The false teachers did not think sin was a problem; whereas according to them lack of knowledge of certain spiritual insight was. John called this kind of thinking self deception and encouraged the Christian view where one readily admits sin and confesses it to God to receive forgiveness (see Vs 8,9).

John further explained the ongoing role of forgiveness in the life of Christians in 1 Jn. 2:1 ,2. We must be ready to forgive others as God for Christ's sake forgave us.

3. WALK IN OBEDIENCE 1 Jn. 23-16.

The Christian is called to keep God's commandments and overcome evil. Those who know God “keep His commandments” (v5). Obedience to God provides the basis forthe fellowship believers experience. It also measures the reality of that fellowship. Anyone can testify to knowing God but failure to back up the claim with obedient living shows this person to be liar. Obeying God gives believers a “perfected" (v5) experience of the love of God. While disobedience does not negate God's love for us, it does create the callousness that lessens our ability to experience that love. A believers love for God finds it fullness in Obedient service to Him.

In Leviticus, God required the Israelites to be holy (11 :45) and to love their neighbors (19:18). These requirements for God's people had not changed. even in John's day. What was new were the dimensions that these commands took on through Jesus' life and death. Jesus demonstrated holiness by living a perfect life and exemplified perfect love by dying on the cross. A clear model now existed on which believers could pattern their own lives.

In verses 12-16 of 1 Jn. 2, John addressed three different groups in the church based on age and spiritual maturity, Believers are warned about the dangers of loving the world, a spiritual system that is in constant conflict With God's kingdom (vs. 1 5.1 6). We can not love both God and the world.

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION.

1. Why did John need to remind believers that the gospel is based on the truth about Jesus?

2. Why would it matter if Jesus only appeared to be human but actually was not?

3. What is the result of having an unbalance approach to fellowship, either focusing on God or other people?

4. Which is more of a problem: people who deny they are sinful or people who feel too sinful to be accepted by God?

5. In 1 Jn. 2:7, John said the commandment was old. he also said it was new. What did he mean by that?