Sermon Supplement, Lord’s Day, August 6, 2006
Kihei Baptist, Kihei, Maui, Hawaii
HOW TO HAVE FELLOWSHIP WITH THE FATHER, I John 1:3
Glenn Armstrong D.D., Pastor
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HOW TO HAVE FELLOWSHIP WITH THE FATHER, I John 1:3
I. INTRODUCTION AND PURPOSE OF THE EPISTLE OF FIRST JOHN
A. The Author: The author of this epistle is the Apostle John who also wrote Second and Third John, the Gospel of John and the Book of Revelation. The emphasis of the gospel is believing on Jesus as the Son of God for salvation to have eternal life. The emphasis of the epistles is knowing that the saints have eternal life by sanctification. The emphasis of the Book of Revelation is on the Son being glorified. The first is past, the second is present and the third is futuristic. The gospel teaches that Christ died for us. The epistles teach He lives through us and the Revelation teaches He is coming for us.
John is the last of the inspired writers. He wrote about 95 AD nearly 20 years after Paul's death.
B: The Historical Setting: It is impossible to understand the understand the New Testament apart from the historical and theological setting for which they are written. They identify the errors about Christ that were being taught in the first century and which now are common in the Christian church. The heresies rejected the eternal deity of Jesus, taught that we was embodied by the Spirit God at his baptism and died a martyr's death without redemptive power in his person.
C: The Contrasting Concepts: John uses three words repeatedly in this book. "Love" is used 46 times, about one out of every 2 1/3 verses. "Life" is used fifteen times and "know" is used 38 times. Together they teach that a believer is one who has received the love of God in his life, and knows that spirituality is not a mystical result of some higher light experience available only to a privileged few (see light 1:7; love 2:40 life 5:12).
D. The Purpose: The purpose of this book is to help the believer experience fellowship with God, enjoy living for Jesus, separate from sin, understand and avoid heretical errors and live with assurance in their lives. A study of First John will guide the growth of believers to experience the truth that holiness is happiness! (These last three words constitute the most exact statement I have ever read!)
E. The Theme: The theme of the book is to teach that our fellowship with God is tested by obedience, love and truth. The key verse of the book is 5:13, "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God."
F. The Outline:
1) Salvation is tested by right fellowship, 1:1-2:17
2) Salvation is tested by right faith, 2:18-4:6
3) Salvation is tested by right love, 4:7-5:5
4) Salvation is tested by right understanding, 5:6-27
Summary: What God develops in our lives by abiding, we are to demonstrate by obeying.
G. The Paragraph Analysis:
1:1-4 ---- The Must of Fellowship
1:5-10 ---- The Message of Fellowship
2:1-6 ---- The Making of Fellowship
2:7-11 ---- The Mercy of Fellowship
2:12-17 --- The maturity of Fellowship
2:18-25 --- The Manifestation of Fellowship
2:26-27 --- The Ministry of Fellowship
2:28 --- The Majesty of Fellowship
3:1-3 --- Called to be like Christ
3:4-10 --- Cured to be like Christ
3:11-18 --- Committed to be like Christ
3:19-24 --- Confident to be like Christ
4:1-6 --- Counterfeits to be like Christ
4:7-12 --- Changed to be like Christ
4:13-21 --- Commanded to be like Christ
5:1-5 --- Conceived to be like Christ
5:6-12 --- Certified to be like Christ
5:13-17 --- Correspondence to be like Christ
5:18-19 --- Complications to being like Christ
5:20-21 --- Comprehension to be like Christ
Conclusion: 5:2, "Little children, keep yourselves from idols."
II. HOW TO HAVE FELLOWSHIP WITH THE FATHER, I John 1:3
A. Fellowship with God the Father is based on His eternal creative existence, 1:1
1. Fellowship with God requires a self-existing, eternal,
creative God.
2) John's argument in his gospel, epistles and revelation defends the incarnation of God in human form. God became man is in contradiction to the religions of the day that teach man became/is God.
B. Fellowship with God the Father is based on personal observations and documentations, 1:1.
C. John recorded that he and others:
1) heard God and spoke to Him.
2) saw God with their eyes
3) touched God with their hands
4) knew Jesus to be the eternal messenger from God
D. Fellowship with God is without possibility unless Jesus is God incarnate.
E.) Stressing the humanity of Jesus without His deity and teaching that redemption results from following Jesus as an example is a false gospel.
F. Trying Jesus, man from Galilee, is different from trusting Jesus, God/man from heaven!
G. Fellowship with God the Father is based on the witness and testimony of credible people, 1:2
1) While our salvation is based on our sonship, our fellowship is the base for communion with Christ.
2) Jesus is mentioned as the manifestation of the eternal life of God. God was made visible in Jesus, who is the full revelation of God, Colossians 1:15-19.
3) God is the sole source of eternal life. It is this life that is given to the believer when he trusts Christ as the sufficient payment for his sin.
H. Fellowship with God the Father is based on the manifestation and incarnation of Jesus and the Son of God, 1:2
1) John recorded that he had seen God by seeing Jesus.
The teaching of the text is that John and others looked intently into the person and character of Jesus and found Him to be God enfleshed in humanity.
2) To reject the incarnation of Christ is to reject the redemption program of God the Father.
I. Fellowship with God the Father is based the manifestation of the personal reception of a divine invitation, 1; 3
1) Fellowship is the New Testament word for the Old Testament idea of companionship with God.
2) Spiritual fellowship is believing the message declared by the apostles as totally true and completely trustworthy.
3) The redemption of a human soul is founded on the doctrine of the incarnation of Jesus Christ.
4) Sharing Christ is declaring a message of the possibility of a sinful person having eternal fellowship with an infinitely holy God.
5) John identified false teachers as those who reject a real Christ Jesus. It would be impossible to have a real forgiveness by a phony (phantom) Jesus.
GAA/August 6, 2006
