Fellowship Of The God's Light - 1 John 1-2

Fellowship Of The God's Light - 1 John 1-2

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Introduction: 

Unlike most other NT epistles this one has no salutation at the beginning and no benediction at the conclusion. These four verses of introduction correspond to the opening eighteen verses of the Gospel and three verses of the Revelation. All these opening verses tell us the focus of John’s writings and indeed the focus of all his life, the Word, the Logos, who is life.

John 1:1-10 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world

Revelation 1:1-3 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw. Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.

The epistle of First John is built around the repetition three themes of antagonism: light vs. darkness, love vs. hatred, and truth vs. error. These three “battles” flow in and out of the letter.

In the letter, John gives the five reasons he is writing his first epistle:

That we might have fellowship (1:3). that ye also may have fellowship with us. This is the main theme of the first two chapters, which we will try to cover today.

That we might have joy (1:4). And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

That we might not sin (2:1–2). My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

That we might know truth and error (2:26). These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you. But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.

That we might have assurance (5:13). These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God

John the Last Apostle

John may have been much younger than His Lord, whatever his age actually was we can be pretty sure that since Jesus probably began his ministry at 30, the age when a man was qualified to served in the Temple, its very probably that his apostles would have been around that age or younger. By the time John writes his epistles, he is the last surviving apostle. He calls himself the elder and the aged. It is thought that he may have been close to 90 years old.

In the age we live in, it sometimes seems that everything we once thought was true and unshakeable about our doctrine, about our churches, about our nations and our families is now rapidly changing. Suddenly nothing is sure, truth is no longer truth, right is no longer desirable and wrong accepted as a necessary human right. As unsettling and disheartening as this is for us, can you imagine what it was like for the last living apostle, John. Everything and everybody that once were a steadfast part of his life are now gone. His brother James, killed by the Pharisees while still a young man back in Jerusalem. His fishing partners and later his coworkers in the work of carrying the Gospel, Peter and Andrew, both gone. No apostles left, Paul is gone and as far was we can tell from the letters none of the other building blocks of the New Testament are living. No mention is made of Mark, Luke, Barnabas, or Silas. In their place there is a new generation of pastors and workers that John is trying to teach.

On top of the loss of his family and fellow apostles, the truth of the Gospel and even the Person of his Lord and Savior is under attack, often by those who dare to call themselves,  Christians. Toward the end of the first century a new false Christianity, called Gnosticism, was making inroads into the churches. The Christianity that turned the world upside down in the first half of the century,  was now at risk of being turned upside down itself.

Gnosticism, was a philosophy of existence or being. It involved speculations concerning the origin of matter and how human beings can be free from matter. In particular, Gnosticism held that knowledge is superior to virtue, that the nonliteral sense of Scripture is the true meaning and can be understood only by a select few, that evil in the world means God’s could not be the creator, that the Incarnation was impossible because deity cannot unite itself with anything material—such as a body, and that there is no resurrection of the flesh. This teaching resulted in beliefs like Jesus not being a human at all but was merely a prolonged theophany, or that Jesus was the natural son of Joseph and Mary, upon whom Christ came at the time of baptism. Some Gnostics practiced asceticism because they believed all matter to be evil. Antinomianism, or lawlessness, was the conduct of others, since they held knowledge to be superior to virtue. - Wycliffe Bible Commentary

In spite of all the things that seemed to be changing the very foundations of Christianity, John knew that the truth hadn’t changed and can’t change. That Jesus the son of God, very God of very God, God in the flesh had not changed that he was the same, yesterday, today and forever and so John writes these letters to strongly and boldly proclaim again, the truth of Jesus Christ.

The Last Apostle and the Fellowship of God’s Light

1 John 1:1-4 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

The Person. 1:1, 2

John names Jesus as the Word, the Logos. With this name, this title, John is declaring the reality, the truth, of the revelation of God in the person of Jesus. John then gives his witness of his own personal, first-hand experience of his life and time with Jesus of Nazareth, son of Mary, raised by his earthly father Joseph. John, heard him teach in the synagogues, he heard him preach the Sermon on the Mount, He saw Him heal the sick, give sight to the blind, cast out demons, walk on water, calm the storm, feed thousands with only a few loaves and fishes. John saw this same Jesus raise Lazarus from the grave. Then he saw Him beaten, tortured, humiliated and then crucified on a Roman cross and then he saw his Lord die and all the earth turn to blackness. But that was not the end of what John had personally seen. Oh, no. For 3 days later, he heard the reports of Mary, ran to see the empty tomb and then, and then he saw Jesus alive, returned from the dead victorious in glory, power and light. Finally, on Mt Olivet, he watched as Jesus ascended back into the throne room of heaven and heard the promise of His return.

John in his Gospel and in these letters stands and says, “My eyes have seen him. My hands have touched him. He is the Word of life!”

The Purpose. 1:3, 4

Now John writes the next generation of believers, some at risk of the lies and seduction of a false knowledge, a gnosis, that was not based in truth or reality and not proven by first hand eye-witness accounts, but on a philosophy that masqueraded as a new, better, deeper, more fulfilling way, but in truth it was pure deception. It is still with us in many forms, but this also hasn’t changed it is still a deception, still and error, still a lie and not the truth.

So, lets look at the first two chapters of 1 John as John establishes the standards and the conduct of the Fellowship of Light. First, it is a Fellowship …

The Code: Walk In Light - 1 John 1:5–2:6

This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But 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. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

The Fellowship Kept by Confession 1:5- 2:2

John writes that the fellowship demands walking in the light of God. He says, “God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If there was to be fellowship, then it demands staying, dwelling and walking in light and not in darkness. “If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, then and only then do we have fellowship..”

Walking in the light of God, John points out does not require some special higher gnosis, some obscure hidden knowledge, but instead something that every child of God understands, the confession of sin. Vs. 8- 10, 2:1-2 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. 2:1–2 1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: 2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

To stay in the light, all they must do was turn from the darkness of sin and in humility and repentance confess and once again, they would be walking in the Fellowship of that light.

Staying in the Fellowship of Light

For us to being in the Fellowship of Light means keeping ourselves in the light of God. John is writing to Christians, church members, so he is not speaking of initial sanctification or salvation but instead of progressive sanctification. Day by day overcoming sin and darkness through the same power of God’s grace and forgiveness, that saved our soul. Now it keeps us in the light of fellowship. It is simply, conviction of sin, confession of sin and the forgiveness of sin.

This is what Paul taught in Colossians 2:6-7 6  As therefore ye received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7  rooted and builded up in him, and established in your faith, even as ye were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

When John says, “that ye sin not” it is written in the aorist tense, the past tense. He is telling them not to remain in unconfessed sin, not to believe a sinful lie, but to confess and trust in Jesus forgiveness.  He reminds them and us, “And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous”

There is no secret, no hidden, deeper knowledge, no need for a second blessing, or a heaping helping of speaking in tongues or a miracle healing service, where some charlatan lays hands on me or teaches some new revelation. No all that is required is to just walk in the light, to stay in fellowship with God and with your brothers and sister in Christ and you do that by confession of sin and turning always back to Jesus’ love, forgiveness and light. All the time, every time, this is what we must do. When we practice this then sin will not become a practice in our life. Sin will not dominate us, will not control us and we will walk in the fellowship of light.  

After John tells this new generation of Christians that fellowship is first based on walking in the light of God, he then gives the next aspect of fellowship and that is the conduct that defines the fellowship.

The Conduct: Walk in Obedience - 1 John 2:3–6

3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. 4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. 6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

The Fellowship's Conduct

John tells the new generation of Christians, if you are in this fellowship then it will require something of you, it will require not just bowing the knee in repentance but also bowing the knee in obedience. 1 John 2:3 3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.

The word know, used here, is the word the word ginosko, the same word that the word gnosis and the idea of Gnosticism comes from. But here John is using it in contrast to some vague, esoteric knowledge that you may or may not attain to. Here he is saying this is how you absolutely know that you know Him, you will keep His commandments.

Just as Jesus was real, substantial, and knowable, so also are the conduct that keeps Christians in fellowship with him and with one another. To stay in the fellowship of light, follow the commands of the One who is your leader and Lord. You must obey Jesus Christ.

Ruled by the Risen Ruler

The first century age of John had more in common with our age than we sometimes realize. Certainly, our social life is different, yes our technology has made a world of wonders but one thing hasn’t changed at all, people don’t like rules, They don’t like being told what to do. Sometime even people who say they are Christians, don’t like to hear about rules. They love to talk how Jesus set them free, but they don’t want to discuss how Jesus set them free to serve Him.

Please, don’t misunderstand sometimes when a preacher starts talking about rules and standards, the sermon devolves into a form of legalistic items for how to dress, wear your hair, the right kind of music, entertainment or a whole host of other man-made or preacher made rules. That is not what John is talking about when he talks of Christ’s commands. The rest of chapter two is about Christ’s commandment and we’ll take that up next week, because it is too important a subject to just mention in passing. John devotes more verses to that commandment than anything else.

What we do need to understand when it comes to the commands of Jesus Christ, what I need to accept as nonnegotiable and irrevocable, is if I am a child of God and walking in the fellowship with Him, is that I must obey Him. I must obey my Lord, Savior and King who gave His life to save my soul. I must.

Throughout the Old Testament God called out to his people to obey Him.

1 Samuel 15:22 And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.

Jeremiah 7:23 But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you.

Jeremiah 11:4  Which I commanded your fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, Obey my voice, and do them, according to all which I command you: so shall ye be my people, and I will be your God:

That call of God has not changed. The Old Testament people of God failed over and over and over again to be able to Obey the voice of God, they could not as a people keep the Covenant of the Law. We would also fail and in the same way, but Jesus came and with Him a new Covenant, a covenant of Grace, a promise of mercy. A covenant we have entered into by faith, a covenant not kept by us, but the power of God through Jesus Christ.

Now Jesus invites us into the blessings of that New Covenant, into a relationship with him and in that fellowship we now have the ability to obey the commandments of our King. Something that was impossible to do before is now what defines us as Christians, as those in the Fellowship of God’s Light.

Here is the difference, instead of hearing the demands of the law telling us to obey, we now hear Jesus say, Matthew 11:28-30 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Whatever Jesus requires of me, whatever command he gives me, no matter the cost, no matter the sacrifice, I can do it, because He walks in the yoke beside me. When I fall beneath the load, He gathers me back up and puts me on my feet once again. When my shoulders grow weak and I groan under the strain of the burden, His shoulders just grow stronger and He carries me along. His burden, his commandments, his rule of my life is light because he is strong enough to carry us both and he does over and over again, day after day, year after year, he carries me as I willing and lovingly obey him.

 Come Unto Me

1 Hear the blessed Savior calling the oppressed,
“O, ye heavy-laden, come to Me and rest;
Come, no longer tarry, I your load will bear,
Bring Me every burden, bring Me ev'ry care.”

Are you disappointed, wand’ring here and there,
Dragging chains of doubt and loaded down with care?
Do unholy feelings struggle in your breast?
Bring your case to Jesus, He will give you rest.

Refrain: Come unto Me; I will give you rest;
Take My yoke upon you, hear Me and be blest;
I am meek and lowly, come and trust My might;
Come, My yoke is easy, and My burden’s light.

 Conclusion

The Fellowship of Light has these first two foundational elements:

Walking in the light by knowing and applying the power of confession and

Showing the reality of that fellowship by conducting my life in obedience to Christ.

The world is filled with people who call themselves children of  light but are walking as children of the dark. They don’t see the need to confess what the Bible defines as sin and they don’t care to submit themselves in obedience to their savior’s commands. Whatever may be the eternal state of their soul, the state of their life in the present is not in the fellowship of God’s light. You can’t be in the darkness of unconfessed sin or the rebellion of an unsubmitted life and walk with God.