SCRIPTURE: 1 JOHN 1
INTRODUCTION:
John was the beloved disciple of Jesus who wrote the Gospel of John, First, Second and Third John and Revelation. He wrote this letter about 85-90 AD at Ephesus before his exile to the island of Patmos. In the first letter, John warned Christians about false teachers misleading them by teaching that Jesus was only a man and not the Christ or the son of God. He wrote this letter to show the difference between light and darkness (truth and lies) and to encourage the church to grow in genuine love for God and for one another.
BIBLE VERSES:
“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 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[b] sin.” (1 John 1: 5-7)
“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)
THE WORD OF LIFE (vs. 1-4)
The Word of Life consists of what we have heard with our ears, seen with our eyes, touched with our hands. This life makes it possible for us to have fellowship with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.
WALKING IN THE LIGHT (vs. 56-5-10)
God is light. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. If we walk in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus purifies us from all sin. Every one is without sin. But if we confess our sins, He is faithful and jsut and will forgive us our sins and purity us from all unrighteousness (v. 9)
THOUGHTS:
3 BASIC PRINCIPLES OF TRUE CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP
- Fellowship is grounded on God’s Word.
- Fellowship is established on mutual love and unity
- Fellowship is renewed through the Trinity – Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Light represents what is good, true, pure, and holy. Darkness represents what is evil, sinful and wicked. God is light and Satan is the prince of darkness. Just as darkness cannot exist in the presence of light, sin cannot exist in the presence of a holy God. Therefore, it is impossible for people to say they are in the light when they are still living in evil and immorality. We cannot love God and keep on sinning at the same time.
No one is without sin. To enjoy a fellowship with Christ , we must confess our sins because he promises to forgive our unrighteousness. True confession involves a commitment not to continue in sin.