Four Truths About Fellowship: A Sermon on 1 John 1:1–2:6
As we know all too well, sin always separates. And thus, when fellowship breaks, there is, lurking somewhere, sin unconfessed. In those times, it is tempting to fix the problem(s) with our own wisdom and to work overtime to recreate the fellowship that was had before. Yet, in times when fellowship is lost, we must remember that God alone can “fix” it. And accordingly we should seek him first and all his righteousness.
To put it seasonally, before the Lord gives his church spring rains, he often makes us feel the bitterness of winter’s cold. This coldness may have known sources, or its chilling drafts may strike us without ever revealing the source of their cold. Yet, whatever the source of winter, we should remember that God is working, and that spring is coming. As Hosea 6:1–3 tells us, we must remember that the Lord is the one who breaks us, so that he can bind us; he hurts us (or permits us to feel pain), so that he can heal us (see Psalm 105). Then, from this place of weakened condition, we are invited to return to know the Lord.
This is the promise: God will sanctify his people, and he will bring them to confess their sins. And until sin is confessed, joy will be withheld. Yet, when we seek his light and see our darkness, it will prompt true confession, repentance, forgiveness, and grace. And this grace will bring a new season of fellowship, all provided by the Lord.
In the meantime, as we wait for spring, we can learn from Scripture what fellowship truly is. And for the next four Sundays, that is what we are going to do. Yesterday, we began this series by looking at 1 John 1:1–2:6. And in those opening verses of John’s first epistle, we observed four truths about fellowship.
- Fellowship begins in the LORD (1:1–4)
- Fellowship continues by confessing sin (1:5–10)
- Fellowship centers on Christ’s priestly mediation (2:1–2)
- Fellowship depends on obeying God’s Word (2:3–6)
You can listen to the rest of the sermon here. You can also consider another meditation on fellowship here. All told, fellowship is a wonderful Christian blessing, but it is one that God will sometimes break in order to make it better, or to show the false pretenses on which some fellowships stand. And he does that because he loves us and wants to make our fellowship even more fully devoted to him and to those who seek him first.
As we begin 2024, let us learn how to recognize and root out those habits of heart, speech, and life that stand in the way of true fellowship. For indeed, fellowship that stands on falsehood is not true fellowship. Instead, it is a union that will soon dissolve. But wonderfully, when dissolved or just discouraged, God binds us up in Christ to know more of him and the fellowship that he gives.
That is our hope and the goal of this new sermon series: To see God more clearly and to walk with him and others more dearly. May God help us do both as we seek him first this year.
Soli Deo Gloria, ds
Via Emmaus 