HOLY FELLOWSHIP

Today, there are many churches that maintain fellowship at the expense of holiness. Some are “seeker sensitive” churches, where the coffee is stronger than the doctrine, lest someone hear something offensive (like “the wages of sin is death,” Rom. 6:23) and become “turned off” to church. Some are liberal churches, who embrace lifestyles that clearly violate biblical teaching; they have failed to change society, and have been changed by it, to the extent that, were it not for the rituals, no one could tell the difference. These churches may have fellowship, but not Christian fellowship. Christian fellowship is holy fellowship.

John writes about holy fellowship in 1 John 1:5-10. He begins by telling us that “God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.” (v.5) “Fellowship” (v.6) is partnership with someone. Christian fellowship must be holy fellowship. To have holy fellowship with God and people, we must understand the consequences of four things.

First, to have holy fellowship with God and His people, we must understand the consequences of…

WALKING IN DARKNESS (v.6)

When we walk in darkness (a wicked lifestyle), we have:

No Truth. “If we say we have fellowship with Him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.” The so-called Christian who lives like the devil is living a lie. If you really have fellowship with God, it will change your life.

No Fellowship. Living a wicked lifestyle is a sign that we really don’t know God after all. People can tell.

I once worked with a man who complained about the management of the company. He heard them profess to be Christians, yet they would cheat and lie to people. He said, “I may be a heathen, but at least I know I’m a heathen.” He had a point.

There are some people who are lost and don’t even know it. They have convinced themselves that they are right with God, but their lifestyle tells a different story. We are not saved by doing good works; but if we are saved, good works will follow. How sad would it be for someone to spend their whole life in church, but end up in hell! You must have a real relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ to be saved. What does your lifestyle say about your fellowship with God?

Second, to have holy fellowship with God and His people, we must understand the consequences of…

WALKING IN LIGHT (v.7)

When we walk in the light (a holy lifestyle), we have:

Fellowship. “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light we have fellowship with one another…” A holy lifestyle is a sign of true fellowship with God and His people. (Note, fellowship with God and His people go together.)

Forgiveness. “…and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” A holy lifestyle is a sign that our sins have been forgiven through the blood of Jesus. Forgiveness is the cause, not the consequence.

How can you tell if a person is in the band? They play an instrument. They go to band practice. They wear the band uniform and play in the concerts. They do the things that band members do.

How can you tell if a person is a true believer in Jesus Christ? They live like one! Are you walking in the light?

Third, to have holy fellowship with God and His people, we must understand the consequences of…

WICKEDNESS DENIED (vv. 8, 10)

There are four consequences of denying that we have sin:

Deceiving Ourselves. “If we say that we have no sin we deceive ourselves…” (v.8) We can fool ourselves into thinking that everything is OK, when it is not.

Truth Vacuum. “…and the truth is not in us.” (v.8) It is simply a lie to say that we have no sin.
Making God a Liar. “If we say that we have not sinned we make Him a liar…” (v.10) God’s Word says that we have all sinned. (Rom. 3:23) To say otherwise is to call God a liar. We cannot have fellowship with God while calling Him a liar.

Word Vacuum. “…and His word is not in us.” (v.10) We have not assimilated God’s Word into our hearts, if we believe that we have not sinned.

We all remember the old country song that says, “O Lord, it’s hard to be humble when you’re perfect in every way. I can’t wait to look in the mirror. I get better looking each day.”*

Give me a break! If we’re honest, we have to admit that we have sinned at some time in our lives. Don’t try to deny it. The only person you might fool is yourself.

Fourth, to have holy fellowship with God and His people, we must understand the consequences of…

WICKEDNESS CONFESSED (v.9)

When we confess our sins, we say the same thing about our sin that God does; we call it what it is. This verse is for Christians who have fallen into sin and compromised their fellowship with God. We will discover four things by confessing our sins to God:

He Is Faithful. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful…to forgive us…” God will always honor His promise to forgive us.

He Is Just. “…He is faithful and just to forgive us…” God is perfectly just and right to forgive us, because Jesus paid the penalty for our sins on the cross. He already saved us at great expense; why would He not forgive us and restore our fellowship with Him?

He Will Forgive. “…to forgive us our sins…” When God forgives sin, He sends it away and dismisses it. God is willing to forgive us when we confess our sins to Him. Our fellowship with God can be restored.

He Will Cleanse. “…and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” God cleanses us from all sin. He cleanses us from the whole sin. He cleanses us from every sin. There is no sin that a Christian can commit that God will not forgive.

What if your child falls in the mud? You wouldn’t let him come to the dinner table until he gets cleaned up, but you wouldn’t disown him and make him live on the street. You would clean him up and then set him down at the dinner table with the rest of the family.

That’s what God does for us. When we are saved, we become God’s child. Sometimes, we slip and fall into sin, which interferes with our fellowship with God and His people. When we confess our sins to God, He cleans us up and gets us ready to fellowship with Him and His people once again. Is there something you need to confess to God?

God is in the forgiveness business. He is ready and waiting to forgive you for everything you’ve done. God forgives us from our sins, not in our sins. When God forgives, He doesn’t leave you where you are, He brings you where He wants you to be. Are you ready to be forgiven?

To learn more about how to follow Jesus, click here.

To find a good church where you can grow in your faith, click here.

This is a synopsis of a sermon presented on 8-23-2009 at Hatch Bend Baptist Church, by Paul A. Coleman.

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

* Mac Davis, It's Hard to Be Humble, Casablanca Records, 1980.