The Joy of Fellowship – Part 2
1 John 1:1-4 (1-4)
December 12, 2021
Last week we began this new book study in 1 John.
John of course was the famed apostle.
• He wrote the gospel that bears his name.
• He wrote the epistles of 1, 2, & 3 John
• He wrote the Revelation
He first appears on the scene as a disciple of John the Baptist,
But when Jesus walked by and John the Baptist pointed Him out
As “the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world”
John became a follower of Jesus.
He is noted in the gospels as
• The brother of James
• And also as one of the “Sons of Thunder”.
• A man with at times a harsh view of sinners and an unyielding zeal for truth.
And yet
• This harsh man would later name himself “The disciple whom Jesus loved”
• And by the time he becomes an old man his letters are filled with love and care for the church which Jesus built.
That DOESN’T mean that John lost his zeal, he most certainly did not.
He is as bold and dogmatic as any writer in the New Testament.
But it is true that Jesus took that raw zeal of John
And refocused it to where it should be.
AND SO
• This rough and bold disciple
• Who at one time wanted to call down fire on the Samaritans
• And who would even scheme for a seat beside Jesus
• Has now become a man who is zealous for the flock that Jesus left in his care.
AND THAT IS GOOD, because as we NOTED LAST WEEK,
There were at the present “many deceivers”
Who had gone out into the world.
The biggest threat was Gnosticism
• Which claimed a “higher knowledge” through some sort of special revelation or communion with God.
• Their dualistic doctrine said that the spirit was good but all physical matter was bad and therefore a person could basically be a righteous person who lived in physical sin.
And this dualistic view distorted their theology on Jesus.
• If spirit was good and physical matter was evil then there was no way to reconcile the truth of the incarnation which said that God became flesh.
So there were some heresies which evolved regarding Jesus.
• Heresies like Docetism which said that Jesus only appeared human but wasn’t really physical flesh.
• Heresies like Cerenthianism which said that Jesus was a sinful human, it’s just that the Christ spirit came on Him at His baptism and left Him at His crucifixion.
John of course would again cry “NONSENSE!”
To all of that.
But you understand how these false teachers who claimed a higher knowledge were upsetting the faith of the church.
John then wrote this letter to the church
To remind them of what they already knew to be true.
It is a letter which is meant to bring ASSURANCE and CONVICTION
By reminding the church of what is obviously Christian
And what is obviously not Christian.
Don’t let some puffed up liar claiming special knowledge fool you
And drag you away from what you have always known to be true.
That is the heart of the epistle of 1 John.
And the first issue that John addresses in this letter is the issue of FELLOWSHIP
You are familiar with the word.
It is the word we often use when we talk about Christian brothers and sisters getting together to eat each other’s casseroles.
(We even have a room where we eat called “The Fellowship Hall”)
But certainly fellowship is far more than just eating a meal together.
Theologically speaking fellowship occurs on TWO PLANES.
• We have what we might call HORIZONTAL FELLOWSHIP which is that which takes place between two believers.
• And we have what we might call VERTICAL FELLOWSHIP which is what takes place between a believer and God.
A GENUINE BELIEVER HAS BOTH.
They fellowship with God and they fellowship with fellow believers.
We would also say that
It is our vertical fellowship which enables our horizontal fellowship.
What we have in common with one another, the basis of our fellowship,
Is that we each share a fellowship with the Father through Jesus.
Jesus outlined this fellowship (sometimes referred to as “unity”)
In His prayer in the Upper Room.
John 17:20-23 “I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. “The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.”
What you see there are terms of fellowship.
• “that they may all be one”
• “that they also may be in Us”
What Jesus refers to is common spiritual life.
Paul would say to the Corinthians:
2 Corinthians 5:16-17 “Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer. Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”
The fellowship we enjoy is not a physical fellowship, but a spiritual one.
The recognition we have with one another is not that we all look the same outwardly
Or dress the same or anything like that.
There is a spiritual recognition.
• It is a fellowship of common spiritual life.
• We share in the fruit of the Holy Spirit.
• We unify in our love for Christ.
And this is the basis for our fellowship.
We are all in the same Jesus.
The same Jesus is in each of us.
Our horizontal fellowship is based upon our vertical fellowship.
Paul spoke of this to the Ephesians.
Ephesians 4:1-6 “Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.”
You see it again there.
• We are called to love one another and preserve our common unity.
• “one body and one Spirit…one hope…one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.”
WE ARE CERTAINLY ALL DIFFERENT.
Even in Christ we have different gifts and represent different parts of the same body. (i.e., some are hands, some are feet, some are eyes, etc.)
We are different parts BUT we are all in Christ.
We are different people who all have the same Holy Spirit.
And there is tremendous joy and satisfaction to be found here.
We love the fellowship of the saints because it’s A DEEPER FELLOWSHIP
For many this fellowship is more real and rich and fulfilling
Than perhaps even the fellowship they may feel with family members.
IT IS DEEPER EVEN THAN FLESH AND BLOOD.
Jesus alluded to this:
Matthew 12:46-50 “While He was still speaking to the crowds, behold, His mother and brothers were standing outside, seeking to speak to Him. Someone said to Him, “Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside seeking to speak to You.” But Jesus answered the one who was telling Him and said, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, “Behold My mother and My brothers! “For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother.”
Certainly Jesus loved his mother, but you understand His point.
The truest and deepest and most fulfilling fellowship
IS NOT between those who share your DNA or genetics,
But IS between those who share the Holy Spirit.
This is why a believer may lose fellowship
With father or mother, brother or sister, son or daughter,
But still find true and lasting fellowship among the saints.
Spiritual fellowship is a pure and true and lasting joy.
WHAT IS MORE,
If you think about it, fellowship was the FIRST GLORIOUS REALITY that really DISTINGUISHED the early church from everyone else.
Remember how the early church was immediately described?
Acts 2:41-47 “So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.”
The FIRST REAL PRACTICAL BENEFIT felt by the early church
Was the joy of fellowship.
• They had a great community.
• They shared a common Savior.
• They shared a common salvation.
• They shared a common Spirit.
And they couldn’t get enough of each other.
AND YET, it was the joy of this fellowship
That WAS BEING CHALLENGED in John’s day.
HOW?
Well you have this Gnosticism
Which claims a higher and more spiritual knowledge.
In fact, these Gnostics who really had the higher knowledge were referred to as the “GNOSTICOI”.
• These were the ones who were considered to be “in the know”
• They were the “haves” everyone else then was the “have nots”
• They walked in “the light” everyone else was in “the darkness”
And here they came attacking the church
By seeking to explode the fundamental reality of their fellowship.
You can hear them:
• “You don’t really have fellowship with God, we are the ones who have
fellowship with God.”
• “We are in the know, you don’t know anything”
SO THAT VERTICAL FELLOWSHIP WAS CHALLENGED.
And since our horizontal fellowship rests in our vertical fellowship
The consequence was an unraveling of the fellowship of the saints.
“We are with God and you are not with us”
It was excluding…
It was certainly arrogant…
And it was threatening to the early church
Because they were beginning to wonder if their fellowship was a lie.
And in steps John to settle their hearts.
“Don’t be fooled by all this nonsense, you know what is true.”
And the FIRST AREA in which John wishes to comfort the church
Is in the area of their fellowship.
And we sort of started this last week, but let’s now work our way through the text.
John has 3 points to make to these believers regarding the joy of their fellowship.
#1 THE REALNESS OF JESUS
1 John 1:1
Again, we talked about this last time regarding how John exposed the lies of the Gnostic view that Jesus merely appeared human.
John of course says, “NONSENSE!”
As John discussed “the Word of Life” (who is Jesus)
John reminds the early church of what has been Christian doctrine “from the beginning”
• Ever since Jesus rose from the tomb…
• Ever since Peter preached at Pentecost and the Holy Spirit came…
• This has been the true Christian doctrine of the church.
Jesus was no phantom, Jesus was absolutely and truly human.
• John says, “we have heard” Him.
• John says, “we have seen with our eyes”
• John says, “we have looked at” Him
• John says, “we have…touched [Him] with our hands”
Our revelation was not some spiritual or esoteric vision.
With our physical eyes we saw His physical body.
With our physical ears we heard His voice.
With our hands we touched His body.
And we talked about that last week, especially regarding the miracle of the incarnation, that Jesus would empty Himself to become human.
• He had to be human.
• He can’t bear the sin of man if He is not man.
• He cannot fulfill God’s Law as a human if He is not human.
That is still a great and absolutely foundational Christian doctrine.
But John’s point is deeper than just straightening out our Christology.
Don’t miss what John is saying.
• John says, “WE HAVE heard…”
• John says, “WE HAVE seen…”
• John says, “WE HAVE looked at…”
• John says, “WE HAVE touched…”
What is John doing?
He is defending His own fellowship with Jesus.
John doesn’t speak of someone else
Hearing or seeing or looking at or touching Jesus.
John defends his own fellowship with Jesus.
I saw Him! – I heard Him! – I touched Him!
John’s fellowship with Jesus was in fact a physical fellowship.
(John reminds of that when he reminds you that Jesus was real.)
And yet John’s fellowship was also far more
Than just a physical fellowship with Jesus.
And that is where he goes next.
The Realness of Jesus
#2 THE REVELATION OF JESUS
1 John 1:2
When John spoke of Jesus even in verse 1,
While John did describe seeing His physical body,
John still spoke of Jesus in spiritual terms.
John didn’t say, “concerning the body of Jesus”
John said, “concerning the Word of Life”
There was a physical body
Which John hear and saw and looked at and touched,
But that is NOT the primary connection John wants to discuss.
There is a deeper more spiritual connection which John had.
John is referring to “The Life” which Jesus gave him.
When John met Jesus he didn’t just get some physical buddy,
He found the very source of life.
And that is what John TALKS ABOUT NEXT.
(2) “and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us”
John said that Jesus brought “life”
John called it “the eternal life”
• Meaning that it is not simply physical life.
It is the life “which was with the Father”
• Meaning it is the true life which comes only from God.
And this true, and spiritual, and eternal life
John says “was manifested to us”
If you are confused regarding John’s point,
He is now laying what he knows
Right beside what the Gnostics claim to know.
They claim this higher knowledge of God
Gained through their spiritual experience.
John is here laying what he knows right beside them.
You claim a higher spiritual knowledge of God,
• Well I’m telling you that I heard, saw, and touched Jesus
• And Jesus Himself introduced me to the true spiritual and eternal life which comes directly from God.
(In a sense he is sort of daring them to compare resumes.)
And incidentally, if you’ll remember
John spent his entire gospel chronicling and describing this life to us.
• It is John’s gospel that really focuses on those 7 remarkable “I Am” statements from Jesus.
• It is John’s gospel that focuses so heavily on “the life” which Jesus revealed.
Think about John’s gospel for a moment.
John opened his very gospel with this announcement:
John 1:1-4 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.”
Only John gives us the story of Nicodemus and the promise Jesus made to him.
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”
Only John gives us the story of the woman at the well and the offer Jesus made to her.
John 4:13-14 “Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”
Only John records the story of the healing at the Bethesda pool and the sermon Jesus preached afterwards:
John 5:24 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.”
Only John records Jesus sermon about bread after the feeding of the 5,000
John 6:35 “Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.”
Only John records Jesus’ sermon during the Feast of Booths.
John 7:37-38 “Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’”
During that same sermon Jesus said again:
John 8:12 “Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”
It is John who revealed Jesus sermon as the door and the Good Shepherd:
John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”
John 10:27-28 “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.”
Only John tells of the resurrection of Lazarus and Jesus promise to Martha:
John 11:25-26 “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”
Only John gives the details of the Upper Room:
John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”
And if you’ll remember as Jesus finished revealing the truth about being the true vine, He concluded by saying this:
John 15:11 “These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.”
It was all about true, eternal, spiritual, abundant life.
John couldn’t get past it.
• Jesus came to bring to light something he had never seen before.
• Jesus came not to simply be some physical example of how to live.
• Jesus came to bring life!
Jesus came to show the true life of God
And to make that life available to those who believed in Him.
Spiritual life – eternal life – abundant life
And this is what John reminds the church of here.
Church, I know Jesus.
• I knew Him physically,
• More than that I know about the life which He came to give.
• It is nothing less than the life of God
• And the result of having it is nothing less than fulness of Joy.
That is what Jesus revealed.
The Realness of Jesus, The Revelation of Jesus
#3 THE REALITY OF JESUS
1 John 1:3-4
And here is where John takes that necessary NEXT STEP.
These Gnostics
• Talk about a special private revelation which they have and you don’t.
• They are in the know and you are in the dark.
• They have knowledge and you don’t.
• They have fellowship and you don’t.
But that is NOT how it worked with John or the other apostles.
For what does John remind the church of here?
(3) “what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also”
The truth of Jesus…
The life of Jesus…
Was not such which was kept hidden.
It is not just for a select few special believers.
The truth of Jesus and the life of Jesus is for all believers.
What we were shown and taught about Jesus we gave to you…ALL OF IT!
IF YOU ARE IN CHRIST
There is no secret knowledge which you have not received.
There is no secret life in Jesus which you do not have.
The Gnostics wanted the church to feel like they had been left out of the loop and that there was more to be gained through them.
This has been one of my main beefs with some from the CHARISMATIC community (not all, but certainly some) who claim this new and higher and secondary understanding of God and His Spirit.
This notion that God didn’t give all of Himself to every believer, but to a select few who were granted this “secondary filling” (which they refer to as baptism of the Holy Spirit) God has given it all.
The rest of us believers are lacking…
They are in the know, we still don’t know it all.
They have it all, we are still in the bottom tier.
That is no different than what the Gnostics were teaching.
JOHN CRUSHES SUCH ARROGANT NONSENSE.
EVERYTHING Jesus revealed about Himself to the apostles,
They passed on to us.
Remember the promise Jesus made to the apostles in the upper room?
(this was a promise to them)
John 14:26 “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.”
Later Jesus told them:
John 16:12-13 “I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.”
Jesus told them that they would get it all,
And John says “what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also”
THE CHURCH GETS IT ALL!
And John reveals WHY THEY PASSED IT ALL ON to us.
“so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.”
The church is not a tier system.
The church is not like when you purchase a cable plan.
• There are no tiers.
• There are no gold level members with preferred access
• And then silver level members with a good access
• And then bronze level members with limited access.
When Jesus tore down that veil He took us all directly to the Father.
Every member of the church gets it all.
• Every believer receives ALL of the life of Christ.
• Every believer receives ALL of the Spirit of God.
• Every believer receives ALL of the benefits of Christianity.
Go read Ephesians some time.
Ephesians 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,”
Don’t let some Gnostic or other deceiver
Approach you and act like you only received part of the blessing
When you trusted in Christ.
If you are in Christ, you got it all.
The apostles held nothing back!
• There is no secret knowledge.
• There is no secondary filling.
• There is no deeper fellowship.
When you believed the message of the gospel
(the message of the apostles)
You were instantly entered into fellowship with them.
And their fellowship is with God and with Jesus Christ.
WHAT A GREAT WAY TO DESCRIBE THE CHURCH!
Have you ever thought of it like that?
When you invite someone TO church
You are merely inviting them to attend a worship service.
What we really WANT TO DO IS invite someone INTO the church.
We want to invite someone into this glorious fellowship
Which we have with one another and which we have with God.
It’s worth noting:
HOW DO YOU INVITE SOMEONE INTO THE CHURCH?
You do the same thing John did.
“what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ”
You preach the gospel to them!
You give them the word of Christ!
And when they believe the gospel you proclaim…
When they hear and believe the words of Christ…
They are also granted full access into the fellowship we call the church.
• They get the same Holy Spirit
• They get the same access to the Father
• They get the same eternal life
• They get the same inheritance
• They get the same total blessing package
That’s how you invite someone into the church.
You don’t just invite them to a service,
You proclaim to them the truth about Jesus.
AND JOHN SAYS, THAT IS WHAT WE DID FOR YOU.
You have it all!
And WHY does John remind the church of that to open his epistle?
(4) “These things we write so that our joy may be made complete.”
That is an interesting statement.
Remember that Jesus offered it back in John 15 in the upper room.
John 15:11 “These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.”
There is a true and deep abiding joy
Which is found when you know Christ and know His people.
This was the joy that the deceivers were seeking to strip from the church.
• These believers were being told that they didn’t really have fellowship with God,
• They were still on the outside looking in.
How can you rejoice when you think
That you still don’t have a real relationship with God?
John is writing to restore that joy.
And I would REMIND YOU of that this morning as well.
Church, if you have repented of your sins and believed in Jesus
Then you have full access to and fellowship with the Father.
• Through Jesus you can go boldly before the throne of God.
• Through Jesus your prayers are heard and answered.
• Jesus said that through Him we could ask the Father anything.
In Jesus Christ you are “IN”!
And the life that Jesus puts inside you
• Is the very same life He put in the apostles.
• It is the same life He put in the early church.
• It is the same life He put in the believer sitting next to you.
We may have different gifts and different roles but we all get the same life!
We all, through Jesus, have fellowship with God.
And that should give you joy!
But that is NOT ALL John says.
He DOESN’T just say “that your joy may be made complete”
He says “so that OUR joy may be made complete.”
In his 3rd epistle John will write:
3 John 1:3-4 “For I was very glad when brethren came and testified to your truth, that is, how you are walking in truth. I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth.”
It is impossible to have the full joy of fellowship
When your brother is struggling in deception.
Because part of our joy is that horizontal fellowship.
Paul wrote:
1 Corinthians 12:26 “And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.”
2 Corinthians 11:28-29 “Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches. Who is weak without my being weak? Who is led into sin without my intense concern?”
We remember when Paul was concerned about the Thessalonians:
1 Thessalonians 3:5-10 “For this reason, when I could endure it no longer, I also sent to find out about your faith, for fear that the tempter might have tempted you, and our labor would be in vain. But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us good news of your faith and love, and that you always think kindly of us, longing to see us just as we also long to see you, for this reason, brethren, in all our distress and affliction we were comforted about you through your faith; for now we really live, if you stand firm in the Lord. For what thanks can we render to God for you in return for all the joy with which we rejoice before our God on your account, as we night and day keep praying most earnestly that we may see your face, and may complete what is lacking in your faith?”
THAT IS THE JOY JOHN WANTS.
• He was grieved that so many in the church were disturbed and confused regarding their relationship with Christ.
• He wrote to encourage all those who believe that through Jesus they have it all
• So that not only could they rejoice, but he could rejoice with them.
THIS IS FELLOWSHIP!
THIS IS WHAT MAKES CHURCH SO WONDERFUL!
That we gather here with those who believe in Jesus
And with whom we share the common life of God.
• It is NOT a physical link it IS a spiritual one.
• It is NOT a tiered link it IS a common one.
• It is NOT a grievous fellowship it IS an all-satisfying joyous one!
And it is enjoyed by all those who believe in Christ
According to all that the apostles declared about Him.
If you are in that fellowship rejoice!
Rejoice with God and rejoice with your brother!
If you are not in that fellowship,
Namely because you have not trusted in Christ,
Then let me extend the invitation to you.
• Jesus Christ was fully God who became fully human.
• As a human He fully obeyed God and fulfilled God’s righteous requirement for humanity.
• As a human He then died on a cross to pay the debt of sinners before God.
And when you believe in Jesus
You are believing that His righteousness is acceptable to God
And His death satisfied God.
And the Bible says that when you believe
• You get justified as His righteousness is imputed to you
• You get forgiveness as your sin is imputed to Him.
• You get true, eternal, spiritual, abundant life.
• You get fellowship with God and full access to Him
• You get fellowship with the children of God and access into the church.
You get it all!
And it is nothing short of fullness of joy!
