1John 1:6-7
Big Idea: As we walk in the light of God’s Word, we enjoy fellowship with Christ and see the power of his blood continually purify our lives of the deeds of darkness.
Fellowship with God is ________________, _______________ participation in the work of Jesus on our behalf.
Three reasons for this definition;
The _______________________ of the word Fellowship
1John 1:6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
Acts 2:42-47
Koinonia: an intimate and personal sharing in one another’s lives; an active, ongoing practice of love and dependence upon the community of Christ.
The ___________________/_________________ Nature of Fellowship
If we say we are having (present active) fellowship with him while we are walking (present active) in darkness, we are lying (present middle) and are not practicing (present active) the truth, but if we are walking (present active) in the light, as he is in the light, we are having (present active) fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son is cleansing (present active) us from all sin.
The life of Christ will absolutely manifest itself in a believer’s life but it will not be in deeds of darkness, in will be in the fruit of the Spirit.
Galatians 5:16–25 (ESV) — 16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.
The _____________________________ Effect of Fellowship with God
1 John 1:7 (ESV) — 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 cleanses us from all sin.
1 John 1:7 (NIV) — 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.
The second result of walking in the light is that the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. The verb suggests that God does more than forgive; he erases the stain of sin. And the present tense shows that it is a continuous process. But what sin needs to be cleansed if we walk in the light? Alford, aware of this difficulty, insists that here and in verse 9, cleansing indicates ‘sanctification distinct from justification’… This being so, the reference here must be to cleansing not from deliberate sins but either from ‘every sin’ (niv mg), even those committed unconsciously, or, as may be suggested by the use of the singular sin, from the defilement of our fallen nature.
The good news of Christ is not only that he does away with the penalty of your sin, but that he continually and constantly deals with the power of your sin, as you turn to him, in repentance and faith, and walk in His light.
