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FELLOWSHIP IS WITH THE FATHER AND THE SON

"We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ."

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve. In this message we consider the meaning of fellowship with God. Christian "fellowship" (which appears four times in this chapter) is with the Father and the Son. This is also with one another. This fellowship is relationship in effective action.   This fellowship is active and working relationship with God and with one another. Today, let’s consider the meaning of fellowship with the Father and the Son.  

First, Christian fellowship is with the Father and the Son (1-4). At this time, the Apostle John was quite advanced in age.  He was writing this letter to the larger Christian community probably from the church in Ephesus. He was recognizing the dangerous threats that damaged the Christian fellowship. The Gnostics claimed their theory that spirit is good and matter is evil. Actually, their theory was derived from Plato, who said, "Spirit is good and body is evil." Gnostics denounced the incarnation of Jesus Christ. They said, "If Jesus is perfect God and perfect man, Jesus cannot be God, because body is evil." The influence of Gnostics was great. They denied the birth of Jesus in a manger. They also denied the reality of Jesus’ resurrection.  They ridiculed the idea of Jesus’ presence in Christian fellowship. Finally, they began to doubt the love of God, who sent his one and only Son Jesus Christ to save men from their sins.  Revelation 2:4 says, "Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love." They were good Christians. But many lost their first love for Jesus Christ and they began to love the world. This situation grieved Apostle John and he wrote to restore and strengthen Christian fellowship.

Look at verse 1. "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched--this we proclaim concerning the Word of life." Our fellowship with God is possible because the eternal God appeared. John and other apostles saw Jesus.  They lived with him.  They touched him. They ate with him.  To the other Christians coming after them, John and the other Apostles proclaimed Jesus in this world. 
Such proclamation (i.e., public declaration) is based on experiences.  It is based on real stories.

Look at verse 2: “The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us.” God appeared.  God showed his face.  God showed his arm.  God showed his feet.  Most of all God showed his heart.  This God appeared to people.  This is the news.  This God appeared not only to special few people who initially saw and experienced.  This God appeared to others—including you and me today.

Matthew 18:20 says, "For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them." This verse means that when even two get together in the name of Jesus, there Jesus is present.  God becomes real to his people. Until I came to college freshman I never saw Jesus. I passed my teenage years without any experiences of God.  Some one invited me for the Bible study. So I went to each week. Then I went to gathering of Christians. There I saw the first presentation of Christmas program.  Joy!  That is the characteristics of the gathering of people.  I never saw such joy in any other gatherings in this world. The Father and the Son became real to me over the years.  This is the reason I proclaim him even now.

Look at verse 3: “We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us”. Christians proclaim what they know. Here, John wants the Christians in the larger world to have fellowship with him and his fellow Christians in Ephesus.   This is an invitation to fellowship in the larger context. 

Look at verse 4: “We write this to make our joy complete”. It is to make our joy complete. If there is any special need in this life, this is complete joy. This complete joy includes fellowship with God the Father and the Son. This complete joy springs from fellowship with one another.  

Second, our fellowship is with one another (5-7). Look at verses 5 and 6:”This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and the do not live by the truth.”  God is light.  God is truth.  What is real is not in secret.  What is real is in the light—open and available. In Greek culture, knowing God is quite special experience.  It is not available to ordinary common people.  It is not for open and available means. It is through secret and mysterious gathering. This secret gathering has strict membership requirements. What do people do in secret chambers?  People do shameful acts in this secret places. This is what it means to dwell in darkness. Some people lived in these secret zones. Many live a double life--sometimes they live in the light, sometimes in the darkness.

Look at verses 6-7: “If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son purifies us from all sin”. Christian fellowship does not thrive in such secret double lives. Christian fellowship is in the light. Christian labor of love is to guide those who are living in the darkness to the marvelous light of Jesus. 1 Peter 2:9 says, "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light."

In this generation, people do not talk about why something happened or what caused an event to happen. Parents rarely talk about what bother them to their children.  Children hardly mention about their real struggles. Christians meet together with many meetings but do little with fellowship. As a result, the darkness overwhelms the minds of people who do not know "why?" Here, darkness stands for the chaotic life without God. What sustains fellowship is honesty and attentiveness to both the pain and loss that affect our lives. We all have powerful need to affirm the hope and thirst for meaning and faith. 

However, the moment of fellowship comes through the grace of our Lord Jesus.  One time a young couple came to Toledo and stayed from Friday till Monday. I spent about 24 hours of conversations with him—listening and praying.  They had chances to talk about their personal struggles, questions about the future and their modest goals in life.  Before they left, the husband said, “During this past three days I learned what it means to have Christian fellowship. I now know how to do ministry.” Each year we share our reviews and goals for the next year. We share our life stories in our important gatherings.  This sharing is not about telling our stories in detail.  This is about telling our stories with God and with one another. In doing so, we have deeper understanding about ourselves and the issues that we wrestle with. A Christian who has superficial understanding of self has very little chance to understand others.

Look at verse 7:”But if we walk in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin”.   What is Christian fellowship?  It is the gathering of people wounded and suffered. Therefore, they are honest about their sufferings and pain.  They have fellowship with one another.

What is the work of God? Just observe what Christ demonstrated in his fellowship with people? Through life together with his disciples, all the hidden struggles of disciples came to open. The disciples expressed their secret ambitions. The disciples opened up.  Their stories are known. People who came to Jesus had chances to share their life stories.  Jesus welcomed sinners and helped them to experience God—through the proclamation of God’s word and life together.  Such work of Christ continues. 

In verse 7, the most wonderful promise is here. “If we walk in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” Walk in the light.  We from secret struggles come to the open light. From the dark dungeon of lonely secret we must come to the light. We confront the truth.  There we have fellowship with one another.  The cross of Jesus becomes real.  All the heavy burdens of sin lose their tight grips. All the strains we have to endure go away. The blood of Jesus that shed for the sin of the world becomes effective in our own lives.  All the power of sin is gone.  We are purified and clean. 

Third, our fellowship is through continuous renewal in truth (8-9). Look at verses 8-9. "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."  This is not saying that we are perfect.  This is about particular serious sins that breaking the relationships with the Father and the Son.  This is about damaging fellowship with one another. 

What is needed is not pretending and claiming to be without sin.  It is to confess our sins before God first.  It is also to confess our sins before his people.  Christian fellowship is vertical (i.e., with the Father and the Son) and horizontal (i.e., one another). In the same way, restoration of fellowship is also vertical (i.e., with the Father and the Son) and horizontal (i.e., one another).   Sound and happy Christian requires God and people—both. 

Look at verse 9. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."  This is the promise. Here, confession of our sins and purifying from all unrighteousness are not about instantaneous achievements. This is not quick and cheap.  Rather, it is the process which takes quite a long time.  When we have major physical failures (e.g., broken legs and kidney failures), it takes time to get well and recover from such illness impact.  If we commit any sins that are heavy and serious, then it takes time for restoration. First of all, we all tend to resist the need for repentance.  We don’t want to repent.  We don’t want to confess.  We don’t want get into the process of restoration. We resist all we can.

Do you remember how long the Prodigal Son in Luke 15 resisted to come back?  It was only after he was broken at the very bottom pit of this world, he came back to his sense. He decided to come back.  Even after his return, it took time to restore fellowship with his older brother who even refused to see him in the banquet. During my long walk with God I have experienced great fellowship with his people.  With some people I need the work of reconciliation.  If this is not possible here on earth, it should be possible in heaven.  Therefore, we must all the more walk with Christ.  We must not live under the heavy burdens of sin—every day. Sinners with the guilt of sin taste the heavy burdens in their souls. We feel dirty and disgusting.  We do not feel right. We need to come clean.

Freedom from sin is possible with the Father and the Son.  We both need the Father—the holy, merciful and seemingly unapproachable Father. We need the Son—the gracious, open and approachable Savior.  We also need fellow believers who encourage us to come to God the Father and the Son.  Sinners want to confess. They can do so in the environment in which our stories can be told--our shortcomings and failures as much as victories and successes in this life.

Christian fellowship requires regular maintenance work. Just as we need oil changes for our car for every 3-4,000 miles, we need spiritual maintenance for every certain period. This spiritual oil change is the confession of our needs. This is to confess our needs for God and for one another. This regular renewal is in the context of Christian fellowship. Realistically, even one or two people may be adequate  for our confession and renewal.

Tonight some (if not all) HBF children will come and share their year reviews. Parents should come and share their reviews, too.  It is unfair to expect them to share theirs only.  We should share ours as well. 

Look at verse 3: "We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ."  This is what Christian life is about.  We proclaim to others what we have seen and heard.  We invite others to have fellowship with us.  Our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.  God is with us in our Christmas tables. We have our fellow believers in this fellowship.  In this Christmas take time to be with God. To be one another.  Do your 2007 reviews and plans for 2008 that include God and your neighbors.   Merry Christmas!

December 23, 2007.  Toledo UBF

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ®. NIV®;. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.
Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.