January 21, 2007 1 John 1:5-7 Walking in the Light: Fellowship with One Another I. Knowing God is the beginning of fellowship (Verse 5) Light and darkess is symbolic language. Light Symbolizes: 1. _Absolute purity 2. _The truth II. Fellowship with God affects the way we live (Verse 6) A. Christians who are in fellowship with God must behave in ways that are consistent with God s character. 1. False claim: We can have fellowship with God while still living in a lifestyle of sin 2. Fellowship: Common enterprise, shared life, pursuing a common goal Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called today, that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. Hebrews 3:12-13 B. If we desire fellowship with God we must practice the truth by walking in the light. III. Fellowship with God shapes and defines our fellowship with other believers (Verse 7) A. When we walk in the light we will not hide sin. B. Walking in the light is not sinless fellowship, but it is transformational fellowship. C. Walking in the light must be gospel centered. 1
This is momentous knowledge. There is unspeakable comfort the sort of comfort that energizes, be it said, not enervates in knowing that God is constantly taking knowledge of me in love and watching over me for my good. There is tremendous relief in knowing that his love to me is utterly realistic, based at every point on prior knowledge of the worst about me, so that no discovery now can disillusion him about me, in the way I am so often disillusioned about myself, and quench his determination to bless me. 1 IV. Fellowship: Walking in the light with others A. Walking in the light: Some practicals 1. Walk into the light: Don t wait for others to come with observations (confess your sins). If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9 a. Confess specific tempations and sins. b. What were your thoughts, specific words, tone of voice, volume? How long before you gained self-control? c. Did you cry briefly, or were you crying for a period of time? d. Did you look at that unclean thing for two or twenty minutes? How long was it before you committed to call someone? 2. Welcome the light by responding to observations with humilty. But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. James 4:6 What does humility look like? a. Be suspicious of yourself! b. Ask questions that help you to understand their concerns. c. Am I hearing you accurately? d. Why does this concern you? e. Take the time to repeat what you hear them saying. f. Share where others have brought similar observations g. Ask for the Spirit s help. h. Take notes. i. Read and pray over your friends questions/thoughts. 1 J.I. Packer, Knowing God, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1993, page 42. 2
3. Walk in the light by making a plan (take sin seriously). a. Bring your plan to others for input. b. What does Scripture say? c. Have you identified heart issues? d. Commit to confess failures/temptations (don t wait for meetings). e. Have you identified temptations to be avoided? f. How will you seek to respond the next time you are tempted? What does biblical obedience in heart and action look like? g. How are you praying? h. Repentance can often take time. What are you doing to pursue conviction? Are you stewarding the grace of fellowship? 4. What if you disagree? a. Invite others into the conversation. b. Humbly share your perspective when you disagree, after you have heard and seriously considered others perpectives. c. Ask others to consider if their attitude or approach is in keeping with God s Spirit. d. Affirm your trust in God and commit to issues to prayer. 5. Initiate a personal evaluation. Ask your spouse, family, roommates, and caregroup members. See questions at the end of this outline. 6. Walking in the light: helping others practice the truth. a. Bring questions/observations to those you love. b. God is light. God is truth. Are your concerns/questions biblical? Is your heart loving? c. Do different or additional facts change your perspective? d. Don t demand an immediate response. Galatians 6:13 e. Correct in a spirit of gentleness. f. Don t wait to bring concerns or questions. g. Don t overwhelm with lengthy lists of sins. h. Be patient by remembering Matthew 7. i. Help people to move toward conviction/repentance. j. Do you have any concerns regarding my attitude or approach as I have shared these things with you? 3
k. Always remind them of the gospel. 7. Walking in the Light: Tranformational Grace. 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 cleanses us from all sins. 1 John 1:7 a. Are you more aware of God s grace or the communities deficiencies? How is the blood of Jesus functioning for you in fellowship? b. We need the Holy Spirit s help. It is only our fellowship with God that enables us to change. c. Fellowship is a means of grace, not the source of change. d. Culture of grace: i. Communicate confidence in the grace of God in one another s lives. ii. Commit to genuinely love one another by helping one another grow. iii. Does your group look to one another for help? iv. Santification is a process, I don t need new, I need true, and I need it from you. e. Culture of love 4
Addendum Questions for pursuing fellowship: For personal evaluation, ask your spouse, family, roommates and your care group members: Do you think I humbly pursue your input? Would you characterize me as one who pursues others for their input/questions/ observations? Am I easy to bring observations to? Do you feel I have taken your concerns seriously? Am I consistently confessing sin that you would be unaware of? What steps can I take to cultivate change in this area? Questions that promote an awareness of the gospel s power: How has the gospel helped you cultivate conviction for your sin? How should an awareness of the gospel affect your thoughts and attitude toward your sin? How does an awareness of the gospel help you to maintain hope in this trial? How does the gospel provide grace and motivation to forgive others who have sinned against you, so that you don t cultivate a heart of bitterness? Questions that promote an awareness of God s ongoing activity: What area of growth in your friend/small group member/parent/fellow believer/spouse s character would you be most encouraged about (in the last 3-6 months)? What specific evidences of God s grace have you observed in your friends/roommates/children/spouse in the last week? What would you be most encouraged about in your walk with God? 5
How have you seen the Lord at work through you, your friends, or your spouse in ways that are not explainable by human effort in the past several weeks? What things are you most thankful for in your church, your small group leader, your small group, your children, or your spouse? What specific things have you been giving thanks for as you have walked with God this past week? Questions that promote confession of sin and the involvement of others: Are there any sins that you are practicing that your care group would be categorically unaware of? Or patterns of sin in your life that you have given up confessing out of discouragement? What area of sin in your life would you be concerned about right now? Why are you concerned? Are there any issues or situations that are a repeated source of conflict between you and your spouse that you would like to share with the group? Can you describe your most recent disagreement? Do you have any questions or concerns about your children that you would like to ask the group counsel on? Is there any reason you might feel uncomfortable about sharing your difficulties or challenges with the people in this group? 6