The Test of True Fellowship: 1st John Lesson 3

Turn with me in your Bibles to 1 John. We are very early in our verse by verse study of this New Testament book. Today we will be looking at verses 5-7 of chapter 1. As we read these verses I want to read the entire first chapter. We do this to remind ourselves of the context. It is dangerous, deceitful, and irresponsible to pull verses out of the context in which they exist. That is what false teachers do who distort God’s truth to support their false doctrines. We will always look at these passages in their context. Let’s read chapter 1.

We have established that John is a voice of certainty. He speaks with confidence. You know exactly where he stands and it is not hard to figure out what he is saying. He sees and presents things in black and white. He is dogmatic. This is why we need his message today. John reminds us of the importance of standing for truth, even when the truth of God’s word is at best, very unpopular, and by many utterly rejected. The church of America today has, to much too much of a degree, abandoned the truth of Scripture and as a result become useless because it has lost its impact as salt and light. 

In the first section of this chapter John establishes himself as a reliable eye-witness giving testimony regarding the Lord Jesus Christ. He was a credible witness because he had personally heard and seen, and carefully examined and handled the One who was none other than the Word of Life. Because of what he had seen and heard and handled, he proclaimed the eternal life which came through the Word of Life. Those who have the eternal life which comes through the Word of Life have fellowship with one another, with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. In this fellowship of life our joy is made complete.

The issue in the forefront of John’s mind as he writes about this fellowship we can have with one another and with God and His Son is this. How can we be sure that we are legitimate partakers in this fellowship? John wants us to know for certain regarding our fellowship in Christ. John knew that it was entirely possible for a person to be deceived regarding the reality of authentic fellowship in Christ. John knew that it was possible to believe in Jesus and not be included in this fellowship. John had experienced a lifetime of seeing many who were deceived about this issue. In John 2:23-24 we read, “Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name, observing His signs which He was doing. But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men.” Here were “believers” who were not included in this fellowship with God the Father or His Son.

Likewise, John is the only Gospel writer to tell us of the events in John 6. Tremendous crowds were following Jesus because He had feed the 5,000. Jesus perceived that the crowds were ready to take Him by force and make Him king. They all wanted Jesus because of what He could do for them. They were like many today who seek fellowship with Him for purely selfish reasons. They want Him to solve all their problems, make them more successful, help them have a rich and full and meaningful life. They want to be saved from their hurts, hang ups, and habits, but not as the only solution for their sin. In John 6 Jesus just kept preaching and preaching and presenting more and more challenging truth about Himself being the Bread of Life, until they all walked away, all but the true disciples. He even asked them if they were going to leave also to which Peter responded, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”

John understood the problem. This fellowship with the One who is the Word of Life is offered. It is available. It produces fullness of joy. But not everyone who thinks or believes they are participants in this fellowship is genuine. Some are not. Some are deceived. The only solution to deception is a strong dose of the truth.

One thing that should be obvious to us as we read this passage is that it is not what we say that proves authentic fellowship in Christ, it is what we do, or how we walk. “If we say we have fellowship with Him, yet walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth…” “If we say we have no sin we are deceiving ourselves…” “If we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and the truth is not in us…”

You should remember from what we have said previously about John’s purpose for this book. It is that “you may know…” “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.” (1 Jn. 5:13) Very clearly from the onset he is telling us that we are not going to know based on the claims we make with our lips, but rather from the evidence produced by the way we live.

In verses 5-10 we have the first two tests, or the first two areas of life which are to be examined to determine whether or not one is truly fellowshipping with God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. The first is the test of our walk. Is our walk a walk in light or in darkness? This is what we will examine today. Next time we will look at the second test – the test of how we deal with sin.

Why do we need these tests? We need to know the criterion by which we are to examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith. (2 Cor. 13:5) There is nothing so tragic as those who are deceived into believing they are Christians when they are in fact children of darkness. I fear there are far more of those than we want to admit. Jesus clearly articulated this reality with the parable of the wheat and tares.

 This “fellowship test” is given to us by John because it is a reliable test by which we can determine the truth concerning our relationship with Christ. We will face this test in the form of a final exam. If we fail this test in the final exam our destiny is hell. If we fail this test now, there is time to repent, to turn to Christ, to beg God for mercy and trust in Christ and ask Him to deliver us from the domain of darkness. If we ignore the test now and fail it later, it will be too late.

 As we zero in on verses 5-7 and understand this first test of genuine fellowship in Christ, we are going to see three things. We are going to see the source of this test. We are going to see the standard. This is the standard by which the test is evaluated. Finally, we will see the substance of the test.

 Look at the source. John says in verse 5, “This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you…” John clearly states that he is not the source. This is the message, John says, we have heard from “Him.” This is Jesus. This message is from the Word of Life. This is the eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us. This is the One whom we heard, we saw, we examined, we handled. Him we have seen and Him we testify and proclaim. Jesus Christ is the source of this message.

 The word “message” is “epaggelia” in the Greek. It is a legal term denoting a summons. If you get a summons from a court you probably ought to appear. John had received a summons from the Judge. His summons was from Judge Jesus. He was summoned to testify. His message is testimony of the evidence he knew to be true. He had received this message from Jesus and this was the message he was announcing, or proclaiming, or declaring to us. John is not the source. Jesus is the source. 

 Why is it important to understand that Jesus is the source of the fellowship test? Why can’t I be the one to decide if my fellowship with Christ is genuine? After all, I know what I believe. I know what I have experienced. I know how I feel about Jesus. I know I prayed a prayer and got baptized. Why isn’t my assessment good enough?

“If we say” doesn’t cut it. What we say is not necessarily an accurate reflection of what is in our heart. We established a few minutes ago that Jesus knows what is in the hearts of all people. What did Samuel tell us? Man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart.

 It is Jesus who has the final, authoritative, accurate, assessment regarding the reality of our fellowship with Him. Remember the words of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7. Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’” (Matt. 7:22-23) 

 We must understand that Jesus is the source of this test of true fellowship because He is the One who ultimately determines whether it is genuine or counterfeit. Our hearts are desperately wicked and deceitful. Satan is the master of deception. I have shared with many people the truth of the gospel who believe they are in fellowship with Christ but their lives produce nothing by way of fruit. I am not the one who decides whether their fellowship is real, but Jesus will.

 Now let’s see the standard. What is immediately obvious is that John is emphasizing the absolute nature of the standard. “God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.” We have determined that with John things are black and white. He does not paint with any shade of gray. Here it is Light and no darkness at all. God is Light and in Him there is no darkness at all. This is an absolute standard.

 Sinful man rejects the absolute standard of a God who is Light and nothing but Light, a God in whom there is no darkness at all. Sinful man rejects a God who is absolute and recreates a god of their own liking. The culture is “ok” with a god who is nothing but a god of love. They want God to be tolerant. They want a god whom they can blame for making them with same sex attractions. They want a god they can make the author of sin. They want a god who will accept the blame for their mistakes. The culture wants nothing to do with a God who hates sin. They want nothing to do with a God who judges sinners. They want nothing to do with a God who would send someone to eternal punishment in hell.

 The Bible tells us who God is. John is very clear. God is Light and in Him there is no darkness at all. Not even a little darkness. If we diminish God as Light or shade Him with the slightest degree of darkness we must change Him, and we are not capable of doing that. When we try to do that we make a god of our own liking. God cannot be recreated and made to be anything other than what He is. The standard is not an arbitrary standard. It is an absolute standard. The standard is not a changing standard. God remains the same today, yesterday, and forever.

 Why is it important that we understand the truth about the nature and character of God? Why can’t we just go with the culture and accept any kind of god that we might happen to want? Here is why. It is because our character will be shaped by the character of the God we worship. Our character will determine our conduct. Our conduct reveals the truth regarding our character. Our character is shaped by the character of the God we worship.

 Fortunately, for us, when John tells us that God is Light, we have plenty of insight from other places in Scripture to shed some light on this subject. There is far too much for us to explore in depth so let me just give you some highlights. What does it mean that God is Light?

 We know that when God’s presence was with the children of Israel guiding them in the wilderness after they were delivered from Egyptian bondage He went before them in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light, that they might travel day and night. (Ex. 13:21) When Moses was on Mount Sinai with God he was exposed to God who is Light to the extent that when he came back into the camp with the people his face shined as a reflection of the glory of God’s presence. Light is a reflection of God’s presence and His glory. This is also seen when His presence descended on the completed tabernacle. This is known as the Shekinah glory. This light emanated from the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle. 1 Timothy 6:16 speaks of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords (v.15), and this is Jesus Christ, “who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see.” Light emanates from glory and God is glory.

 The fact that God is Light tells us that He has made Himself known to us. Light reveals and God has revealed Himself. The most complete manifestation of Himself was in the person of Jesus Christ. John tells us in His gospel. Let’s turn to the first chapter of the gospel of John for a moment. We are familiar with the first words of John’s gospel. Read verses 1-2. Verse 3 says “All things came into being through Him…” What was the first thing that came into being according to Genesis 1:3? The first thing created was light. Christ, who is the Agent of creation, first spoke light into existence. This light on the first day of creation exploded on a landscape that was shrouded in darkness. In John 1:4 we read that in Jesus was life and the life was the light of men. Verse 5 says, “The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” There are some obvious parallels between the creation of light on Day 1 of creation and the manifestation of Light when the Creator stepped into His creation. Light shattered the darkness.

 Verses 6-8 describe the ministry of John the Baptist, the forerunner who came to announce the Messiah’s arrival. His testimony was concerning “the Light.” He was not the Light but he came to testify about the Light. Then in verse 9 John writes, “There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.” If every man is enlightened by the Light, why then doesn’t every man believe? John 3:19 gives us the answer. “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.”

 It is important to understand that Jesus is the Source of this test of true fellowship. He is the authority. He is the One who will either acknowledge us as being in true fellowship with Him, or reject us. John delivers the message directly from the Source. Jesus is also the Standard by which the test of genuine fellowship is measured. He is an absolute Standard. He is Light and in Him there is no darkness at all. Men are condemned in judgment because they reject the Light and men reject the Light because their deeds are evil and they love darkness rather than the Light.

 We are ready to look at the substance of this test of genuine fellowship. Again I will say that the substance is not what we say. Look at verse 6. “If we say we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.” Verse 7, “But if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.”

 Again, it is not our empty claims that substantiate the reality of our fellowship with Christ. It is our walk, our manner of life, our practice day in and day out. If our walk is in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. We need to understand what characterizes a walk in darkness.

 In the New Testament darkness represents everything opposite of fellowship with Christ. Those who walk in darkness are still living in the domain of the prince of darkness. True Christians have been delivered from the domain of darkness and have been transferred in to the kingdom of God’s beloved Son. (Colossians 1:13) 1 Peter 2:9 tells us that God has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. Those who live in the domain of darkness walk in darkness and if they claim to have fellowship with Christ they lie and do not practice the truth.

 In a similar line of thought, darkness represents a life of ignorance of the truth about Christ. In John 12:35-36 John records these words, “So Jesus said to them, ‘For a little while longer the Light is among you. Walk while you have the Light, so that darkness does not overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he goes. While you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of Light.’” In verse 46 of John 12 Jesus also said, “I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness.”

 To walk in the Light is to know and understand the truth concerning Christ. There are a lot of places you could have gone this morning to hear a false teacher who would tell you that Jesus wants you to be rich, prosperous, and successful. Jesus wants you to have whatever you desire to have. All you have to do is dream it and you can have it. To have it all you have to do is start claiming it. After all, life and death are in the power of the tongue. If you name it and claim it and have enough faith to believe God for it, God will make it happen for you. I am here to tell you that those people do not walk in the Light. They do not know the truth concerning Christ and they lie and do not practice the truth.

 But what about here? Is it possible that someone here could be making the claim to walk in fellowship with Christ but still be walking in darkness? We would be foolish to think it could not be true of someone here. Would I know if you are walking in darkness, lying, and not practicing the truth? I might have my suspicions but it is entirely possible for you to be one of those walking in darkness but giving adequate appearance of one who is walking in the truth. The test isn’t determined by what we do when we are here. The substance of the test is in how you are walking day by day, moment by moment. The test is in our manner of life.

 John makes it clear, abundantly clear. If we walk in darkness, we are in darkness. Men who walk in darkness walk in darkness because their deeds are evil and they don’t want their deeds to be exposed to the Light. If you are keeping things in your life in darkness because you don’t want others to know what you do, you are walking in darkness. 

 But if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light… If we walk in the same manner as He walked. To walk in the Light is to walk in purity and holiness. This does not mean we will walk perfectly. Our desires and the determination of our hearts will be to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which we have been called. We will strive to be holy as He is holy. We will be putting to death the deeds of the flesh. We will abstain from fleshly lusts. We will constantly seek to be transformed by the renewing of the mind so that we may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God. We will not walk in the shadows of darkness keeping things hidden from exposure to the Light.

 Jesus Christ is the Source of the test of genuine fellowship. If we abide in Him and He abides in us, we are assured that this fellowship is authentic. Jesus Christ is the Standard by which genuine fellowship is measured. He is Light and in Him there is no darkness. If we walk in the Light as He is in the Light, our fellowship with Him is real. If we walk in darkness, regardless of what we say about our fellowship with  Him, we lie and do not practice the truth. The substance of this test is the reality revealed by our walk.

 If we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have this tremendous promise that will provide for us the perfect segway into the Lord’s Table. If we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”

 We have fellowship with one another. We enjoy the “koinonia.” We are participants in communion and fellowship with one another. We share a common life in Christ. This forms a bond of union between us that is unlike anything we can experience in the world. We share in common the very life of Christ who is Light. We reflect the love and life and truth of Christ into one another’s lives.

 Look closely at the last part of this promise. “And the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.” This is how we attain to the standard. This is why we can pass the test. It isn’t because we are good enough in our own efforts to become righteous enough to have fellowship with a holy God. We are lifted up to the standard of perfection by being cleansed from all sin. This is a gracious cleansing that purifies us and clothes us in the righteous robes of Christ and makes us fit to stand in the presence of Holy God.

As we share these elements together today I want us to consider the truths we have examined. As the tray of elements comes to you, it will be passed from one to another. In a way this pictures the fellowship we have with one another. We are all standing side by side, together, at the foot of the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 These elements represent the broken body and the shed blood of God’s perfect Lamb. Jesus is the Lamb of God who was slain. He bore our sins in His body on the tree. The list of our offenses was nailed to that Cross. He paid the penalty for our sins so that we might be forgiven. His sacrifice in our place satisfied the righteous demands of a Holy God. In Christ we can have Life. He is the Light which is the Life of men.

 Let’s pray.