Fellowship with God    I John 1:1-10

Salvation is being in the family of God. But fellowship is being in relationship with God.  In the same way as it is possible for a son or daughter to be out of fellowship with their dad or mom, you and I can often times be out of fellowship with our Heavenly Father.

If you were to take a poll among Americans today, probably about 70% would consider themselves to be a Christian. But I would estimate that only about 10% have a personal relationship with the Lord God Almighty. Fellowship is vital to relationship.

But, what is meant by fellowship? Gossip? Cups of tea? Tours? No. What is being referred to is something of a quite different order and on a quite different level. "The early church met constantly to hear the apostles teach, and to share the common life, and break bread and to pray. A sense of awe was everywhere. All whose faith had drawn them together held everything in common. With one mind they kept up their daily attendance at the temple, and, breaking bread in private houses, shared their meals with unaffected joy as they praised God" (Acts 2:42-47, New English Bible). That is fellowship as the New Testament understands it, and there is clearly a world of difference between that and mere social activities.

The Greek word for fellowship (Koinonia) comes from a root meaning common or shared. So fellowship means common participation in something either by giving what you have to the other person or receiving what he or she has. Give and take is the essence of fellowship, and give and take must be the way of fellowship in the common life of the body of Christ.

Christian fellowship is two-dimensional, and it has to be vertical before it can be horizontal. We must know the reality of fellowship with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ before we can know the reality of fellowship with each other in our common relationship to God (1 John 1:3). The person who is not in fellowship with the Father and the Son is no Christian at all, and so cannot share with Christians the realities of their fellowship.

Part of our vision – as a church – is to be a fellowship-sharing church. Part of our mission – is to build a church on relationships. As we build a relationship with God, then we can build relationships with each other. Let’s take a look at I John 1, to see what Scripture says about true fellowship.

1) Fellowship with God makes your joy complete. (v. 3, 4)

As John explains in the verses 1 through 4, the same fellowship that they experienced when they had a personal relationship with Christ Jesus, is available to you and I today. The proof of true fellowship with God is the presence of joy. Joy is non-circumstantial related. John says, "We write this to make our joy complete." In other words, he's kind of saying, I, John, and the rest of the apostles, will not have complete joy until we get all these things that we know and have experienced about Jesus, and share it with you and others. You can never experience true joy until you take what God has done for you and transfer it someone else.

So, if you come to church and you are only a receiver of the truth and not a deliverer of the Truth, then you only have partial joy. God wants you to take the Truth and do something with it. Joy is kind of like love. The more you give out, the more you have.

     Attitudinalsclorosis.  It's a deadly disease. Although it may not kill your body, it does kill your spirit. What is attitudinalsclorosis?  My definition is: a bad attitude. Have you ever noticed that there are some people who are never happy?

     As kids, they weren't happy. They said, "I can't wait till I'm a teenager, then I'll be happy." They get to be a teenager, and think, "I'm still not happy, I can't wait till I graduate, then I'll be happy." They graduate, and they're still not happy. "I can't wait till I finish college and get my degree." They finish college and get their degree, and they're still not happy. "I can't wait till I'm married." They get married thinking that everything will be nothing but thrills and kisses - only to find out that it's nothing but bills and dishes. Still not happy. "If I could only have kids." They have kids, learn about patience, and say, "I can't wait till my kids move out of the house. Then I'll be happy." Their kids grow up and move out of the house, but they're still not happy. "If I could only retire, then I'll be happy." They retire, begin thinking that their life is worthless, and they're still not happy. They start to think, "I'd really be happy, if I was young again." Some people are NEVER happy. What are symptoms of attitudinalsclorosis?

1) You let little things bother you.

2) You put yourself and your own feelings before God.

3) You're negative toward others and their work.

4) You're get up and go, got up and left.

5) You don't trust others because they might be out to get you.

6) You think more highly of yourself than others. You begin to think why others can't be more like you.   You're always right. The sermon is always for the other person. "Oh, I wish she was here today to hear this sermon, this was for her."

2) Fellowship with God is predicated on His character.

Verse 5 says, that God is light. This is His character. You cannot have fellowship with God until you understand the God you want to have fellowship with. (v. 5) "And 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 you are to have fellowship with God, you have to have fellowship with God on His terms. Everyone has their own opinion of what God is like. In verse 5, Scripture says that God is light.

The problem of many believers today is that we want a relative God in whom there is some darkness. We don't mind a God of light, as long as there is some darkness. Because if there is a little darkness in God, then He won't get that upset over my little sins. As long as I don't do the big stuff, then God shouldn't get that upset at me. John says, God is light and in Him, there is NO darkness at all.

The other day, Shalyse (my four year old daughter) and I were riding in my car, and the sun was shining in at a different angle. She pointed out that the dash board was dusty. This was something that I had failed to notice, so I asked her if would help me clean my car. She said, "Yes." So, one of these days, we’ll get around to cleaning my car.

When the light of God shines on our heart, our eyes are opened to see some dust and dirt that we hadn’t noticed before. And we are challenged to do something about it. God is light and His light reveals – even when we don’t like what we see.

Do you remember the first action that God took when He created the universe? "And God said, let there be . . . light." The first thing God did was to create what he is. Light. What God did was to begin to reveal part of His character. The reason that the sun exists is not because of a compilation of energy that led to an explosion that resulted in a ball of heat. No. The reason the sun exists is because God created it and put it there. God reached into Himself, pulled out a handful of Shekinah glory and hurled into space where it belongs.

God is light. And then He created lesser lights, like the moon and the stars, which feed off of the sun. The moon and the stars were placed there by God the Father so that when nighttime comes, it won't be pitch dark. So after God created the sun and placed it where it belongs, He then created you and I, and offered us the gift of salvation and life, and then said now, you are Children of Light, and just as the moon and stars feed off of the sun, you are to be spiritual lights that feed off of me. So that as we walk in the darkness of this world, it won't be pitch black, because Christians are shining.

Too many of us catagorize sin. We have lesser sins, medium sins, and greater sins. With God, sin is sin. And whether we have killed someone or whether we have gossiped, we must repent before God.

3) Fellowship with God is maintained when we walk in the light. (v. 6, 7)

If your walk does not match you talk, then you are living a lie. There is a big difference between what you profess and what you practice. You can come to church, and still live in sin. You can sing songs of worship, and still live in sin. You can even pray and still live in sin.

The test of fellowship is lifestyle, not conversation. A lot of people are long on lip, but short on life. They can quote the Bible by the yard, but live life by the inch. They know how to say, "Praise the Lord."

It sounds good, but God doesn't put a lot of weight on our lip service, He checks our heart, and He checks our walk.

What does the word walking mean?. If you walk in the light as he is in the light . . .Walking means that there is a progression going on. You are not standing still. There are many Christians who have been Christians for 5, or 10 or 20 years and they are still babies. They haven't grown - they haven't matured. There is no spiritual progression. They are not really walking with God. The Pharisees always knew what to say, but their feet were crooked.

(v. 7) "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light. . . . "Fellowship with God only occurs when we walk in the light.

If we have true fellowship with God, it doesn't mean that we are perfect. It means that because we are walking in the light, God reveals the sin in our life that we must confess and take care of. That's why so many new believers have trouble in their new lifestyle of serving the Lord. Many of them feel overwhelmed at the acknowledgement of what they were doing wrong. It's not that they are worse than they were now than before they were saved - it's that walking in the light has brought to light many of the sins that they need to deal with.

Show me someone who is living in sin, and refuses to admit it, and I'll show you someone who is out of fellowship with God. Show me someone who is willing to come to these altars and deal with the sin in their life, and I'll show you someone who is in fellowship with God, because God has brought to light the things they need to deal with.

4) Fellowship with God is restored with confession. (v. 9)

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."

Praise God for forgiveness. Praise God for the blood of Jesus. But sometimes, we are not completely honest with God. When we walk in the light - when we have true fellowship with God, then we must confess the particular sins His light has revealed. Let me tell you what most of us do. The end of the day comes, and we are getting ready for bed; and we remember to pray, and we say, "Lord IF I have sinned today, please forgive me." Now, you know that a particular sin has been on your mind all throughout the day. You know you have done wrong. And you still try to slide by. If God showed you that you sinned with jealousy at 12:00 noon, and then at 3:00 PM, the Holy Spirit convicted you of saying a white lie; and then at 7:00 PM, you had some lustful thoughts, then admit it. Confess it to God. Don't try to tell God, "Lord, IF I have sinned, forgive me." God knows you sinned, the only one you fool is yourself. When you confess those sins when they occur, you acknowledge them openly and honestly, then at the end of the day, you can say, "Thank You, Lord, that every time I sinned, you forgave me by your grace." Fellowship with God is having that openness of communication 24 hours a day. Pray without ceasing.

If you confess your sins, he is faithful and just . . . What does it mean for God to be just? God won't compromise His holiness to get rid of your sin. That's where the blood of Jesus comes in to play. We must understand the nature of the blood of Christ. It provides forgiveness. But it only provides forgiveness and cleansing for those who are walking in the light.

Many of us try to justify our sin. We even view things from a different perspective than God does.

Man calls it an accident, God calls it abomination.

Man calls it a blunder, God calls it blindness.

Man calls it chance, God calls it a wrong choice.

Man calls it love, God calls it lust.

Man calls it error, God calls it enmity.

Man calls it fascination. God calls it foolishness.

Man calls it "having a good time." God calls it selfish desires.

Man calls it luxury, God calls it leprosy.

Man calls it liberty, God calls it lawlessness.

Man says, "Everybody else is doing it," God calls it sin.

Man says, "A little fun won't hurt." God says, "Don't give the devil a foothold."

Man calls it a mistake, God calls it madness.

Man calls it a weakness, God calls it willfulness.

The book of Genesis tells us that God had fellowship with Adam and Eve. When Adam sinned against God, God came out to have fellowship with Adam, but Adam wasn't there. God called, "Adam, where are you?" Now, God knew where Adam was. He was bringing Adam to the point of realizing where he was.

He was giving Adam a wake up call. "Adam, where are you?" Sometimes, the Holy Spirit does that with us. Have you ever stopped yourself in the middle of doing something wrong, and you start wondering to yourself, "Why am I here? What am I doing?"

That's the Holy Spirit speaking to you. That's the Holy Spirit giving you a wake up call. God knows where you are. God knows what you are doing. You can't fool Him.

Kind of like the story of the Prodigal Son. This young man left his home, took his money and went to have a good time. He broke fellowship with his father. How many of you know that when you go into the world to have some fun, it won't last. Scripture says that he came to his senses. "Where am I? Why am I doing this? I will arise and go to my father." The father was anxiously waiting for his son.

The father never left. He was always there. He always desired to have fellowship with his son.

We break fellowship with God when we sin. And when we break fellowship with God, all we have to do is come back home. God never moves. It's us. When the son came back to his father, the father treated him like royalty. He gave him new clothes, he gave him a new ring, he threw a big banquet to celebrate that his son had returned home. When you make things right with God - When you are willing to honestly and openly confess your sins before God, God receives you back - He forgives, He forgets. He gives you a new heart. He restores your soul. He says, "Let's celebrate."

When God ordained the ministry of Fortress Church, we began with a creed that I purposed to always uphold. And, if you would allow me to, I’d like to remind you of that creed, and pray that every one of us will continue to live by it. It deals with commitment, and it deals with fellowship. It’s called . . . The Fellowship of the Unashamed

The die has been cast. The decision has been made, and I've stepped over the line. I won't look back, let up slow down or back away. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense and my future is secure. I'm finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, mundane talking and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need preeminance, prosperity, position, promotions or popularity.

My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions are few, my Guide is reliable and my mission is clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, turned back, lured away or delayed.

I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the adversary, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.

I don't have to be right, first, tops, recognized, regarded or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean on His promises, walk by patience, live by prayer and labor with power.

I won't give up, shut up or let up until I have stayed up, prayed up, paid up, and spoken up for the cause of Jesus Christ. I must go till He comes, give till I drop and preach till all know. And when He comes, He will have no problem recognizing me, for my banner is clear - I am part of the fellowship of the unashamed!