Sermon Central
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Vertical Fellowship Series
Contributed by Stan Rodda on Mar 15, 2006 (message contributor)
Summary: The title is self-explanatory.
Vertical Fellowship!
We are living in a lonely world
John 13:34, 35
Fellowship- deep dark secrets, confession
What’s wrong with fellowship in churches?
We have tried to force fellowship with each other, not with God
Fellowship programs
We don’t need a program
Let’s read 1 John 1:3-7 on the subject
Fellowship must be vertical before it can be horizontal
Fellowship with God comes first
Think about the people Christ put together
James & John
Zebedee Fishing Company
Common concern was their father
Simon the zealot & Matthew the tax collector
What was their common concern?
Deity of Christ, God
They had the same father
Romans 8:15
1 John 3:6, 7
Fellowship = Light
Sin = Darkness
We can’t have fellowship with God and not with Christians
We can’t live a double life
“I don’t need church to love God”
ex. Other excuses
1 Jn. 5:1, 2
What was the main problem here?
They were minimizing sin
They had an unwillingness to love and value Christians
1 Tim. 1:15
People who walk in fellowship with God, realize their sin
Why?
God is light
Gen. 1:3; Ex. 13:21
Grant and a dark room
The light shows everything in the room, darkness is gone
C.S. Lewis- quote
God’s light exposes our sin
We can’t minimize our sin without sinning further
Christians walking in God’s light, don’t find it difficult to fellowship
God’s light leads the way
The triangle
When Christians are separate, someone is always out of fellowship with Christ
Fellowship must be vertical before it can be horizontal
So what?
How do you walk in closer fellowship with God?
Prayer, meditation, fasting, study
A. W. Tozer quote
To listen to this sermon, go to www.godshere.org.
