1 John 1:4-7 (NKJV)
"Fellowship and the Fullness of Joy"
January 7, 2024
The Fellowship - The Father - The Forgiveness of Sin
The Fellowship. We like that word, “Fellowship.” In the Baptist Church it is often associated with food. We even name our cafeteria, our Fellowship Hall. In truth, the word fellowship means “things held in common.” It implies standing together on common ground. Imagine the glory of this statement, “God desires to have a close, personal relationship with you, where you and God stand together on common ground.” John tells us exactly how this can take place. He shows how close communion and intimate fellowship with the Father can be the normal Christian experience, instead of some mystical thing we only hear about, or see in the lives of others.
You see a true believer can slip and fall into sin, but there is always a desire for a quick recovery. The Christian will not be happy or satisfied until the situation is dealt with and the sin made right with God. Here’s what happens, when a Christian sins, he breaks fellowship with God. But, praise God, He has made a way for restoring and then maintaining that fellowship day by day. This daily fellowship with God is called “the fullness of joy” and John said, “I am bearing witness and declaring to you that the eternal life from the Father is now manifested to us!” I want to show you, from these verses, how you can draw near to God, and remain there in fellowship. James 4:8 says, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” The Hebrew writers says 4:16, “Let us therefore draw near with boldness unto the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy, and may find grace to help (us) in time of need.” ASV
If we confess our sin to God and truly repent of that sin, He will absolutely forgive us and cleanse our lives - Hebrews 7:23 says, “Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.” When God saves you, He saves you to the uttermost! Once God changes your relationship with Him by the blood of Jesus Christ you can never break that relationship! Paul said to the Philippians I am confident of this very thing, “that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ!” But there is a difference between relationship and fellowship. Sin cannot undo a believer’s relationship with God, but it can destroy his fellowship with God. Sin must be brought out into the open, when it is, we can have pure, honest fellowship with God and then in turn with others. The Christian cannot have true fellowship with others until he first has true fellowship with God. We cannot stand together on common ground until we first are on common ground with God.
The Father. Let me tell you something about the Father. God is Light! And Light - Reveals Dirt! (Have you ever taken a glass out of the dishwasher and held it up to the light? Sometimes you may have put it in there on the wrong shelf or maybe had too many dirty dishes and though it has gone through the complete cycle, when you hold it to the light you still have a dirty glass!) This is why many people do not attend church regularly. Because their sin is exposed to the light of the Word of God, the Holy Ghost brings conviction upon your heart, and you are forced to see your sins for what they are - an abomination to God. People fear exposure, so they stay away from the light, but before sin can be dealt with, it must be exposed to the light. Don’t get me wrong… A true Spirit filled life is not one that is sinless! It is simply a life lived in close fellowship with God. God handles our relationship, but we must handle our fellowship. There are Christians today with mountains of unconfessed sin, lying like heaps of dirty laundry in the corners of our hearts. ILLS: I had a relative that once had a broken clothes washer. When I visited their house, I noticed that they had begun to put their dirty clothes in the bathtub. The laundry baskets had gotten so full that they were overflowing with dirty clothes, and I guess they got tired of tripping over the dirty clothes so out of sight was out of mind. Weeks later I went back over their house to visit and they had long since gotten the washing machine fixed and yet there was still a pile of dirty clothes in the bathtub! If we don’t address sin in our lives, we will look up one day and even after God has given us His Holy Ghost Cleaning Power, we will still have dirty stuff just laying around in the dark corners of our hearts! “If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.” Fellowship with the Father is about PRACTICING the TRUTH! Knowing the truth is what God gives us, but practicing the truth is what we give God.
The Forgiveness of Sin. The best news in the world, for the Christian, is that there is a place where we can deal with our sins. A place where our guilt can be exchanged for peace. All men are looking for such a place, and Jesus offers it freely. “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” It is in the Blood of Jesus. There is power in the blood. There is power power wonder working power in the blood of the lamb. There is power power wonder working power in the precious blood of the lamb. He always forgives and cleanses. No matter how often you come, He will receive you and cleanse you. King David said in Psalm 103: For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father pities his children, So the Lord pities those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.
The first and primary step toward fellowship with God is admitting that, you cannot save, nor cleanse yourself. Jesus has already done the work; He simply asks for you to respond to Him by faith. When you do, you will be received, forgiven, cleansed and in fellowship with him. At the Last Supper, Jesus took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to His Disciples, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” Come to Him now and be covered by His Blood! Some of God’s children need to come home this morning. You have wandered far, and you are carrying a load of guilt. There is no need to do that any longer. Jesus wants to relieve your load. Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." Matthew 11:28
