God Sent His Son--Fellowship 1 John 1:1-4

Introduction

There are few things as fulfilling as having a close relationship with a group of people. Maybe you see each other only once or twice a year, but every time you get with them, it’s as if you have just seen each other yesterday.

The warmth of fellowship is a wonderful gift to have. A common past with a common bond. There is nothing like fellowship.

When God sent His Son, He gifted us with so many things—peace, hope, light and untold other gifts. One of the gifts we find is fellowship with God.

Central Truth: God sent His Son in order that you and I may have full fellowship with Him through His Holy Spirit.

Our fellowship with God:

1. Is based upon a firm foundation of authoritative experience (1)

There’s something about hearing someone who knows what they’re talking about. Throughout my years of education, there have been some professors I’ve had that I knew were authorities and were to be listened to. Boyd Hunt at Southwestern Seminary was not only a man who taught systematic theology, but by his demeanor and words it was obvious he lived what he taught. David Guinn has been teaching Constitutional law at Baylor for almost as long as he has been an attorney. His insights and lessons are worth every penny paid in tuition. These are men who knew their subjects, knew them well and, as a result, warranted the respect and attention of their students.

When John wrote his first letter, he wanted to give assurance to the readers. As we read the letter, we discover John giving us a series of guidelines of what to look for the way we relate to God and Jesus. He speaks of light, love, truth, obedience and fellowship.

Just as the Gospel according to John begins with what was in the beginning, so John takes up the refrain again here. In the Gospel account, John introduces the Word and all that it meant, leading to the Word made flesh and a life of grace and truth found only in Jesus Christ. Here, John’s emphasis is on the veracity of the witness of the apostles, and of John specifically.

John speaks of the senses that are involved in his witness: he heard, he saw, he touched. The phrase “looked at” interprets a Greek word that means to behold intellectually, to grasp the meaning of and to recognize the significance of that which is being looked at. What John is saying is that he not only saw Jesus, but he also came to a full understanding and awareness of Jesus.

The idea of “touched” is to examine closely. John wasn’t one who observed from afar. He was up-close and personal in his relationship with Jesus. Remember, this is the apostle whom Jesus would beckon, along with Peter and James and sometimes Andrew, to experience more intimate moments with Jesus. These three were with Jesus at the Mount of Transformation, and they were with Him at Gethsemane. John was part of Jesus’ inner circle and is described in the Gospel account as the disciple whom Jesus loved. In short, John’s testimony is one that is to be taken seriously, because he really knows what he’s talking about.

Everything that John has written regarding his testimony leads to the reason of his testimony: to proclaim the Word of Life. Jesus is the Word and He is life and He is the light. When John tells us how he knows what he’s talking about, he also wants us to know what and Who he’s speaking of.

The authority of his testimony is accompanied by John’s authority of commission—that is, Christ Himself has given John the responsibility and calling to proclaim his testimony. It was given at Jesus was about to ascend into heaven. Matthew 28 gives us the Great Commission, and the words are echoed in Acts 1:7-8. By commissioning John, Jesus Himself becomes the source of the message that John testifies to.

By giving us this message through John, God is giving us a foundation of authoritative experience upon which we can base our fellowship.

1. Draws from the eternal life that is Jesus Christ (2)

John repeats himself with a rewording of his first statement, but this time the emphasis is not so much on John the witness as it is on the One John is telling us about. He wants us to understand that our fellowship is built around Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh. John’s words are simple:

Jesus came to our world. He was born of a virgin, born under the law. He came in relative poverty—the sacrifice for His birth was two turtle doves, an acceptable sacrifice if a family could not afford a calf or lamb. John lets us know that Jesus appeared into our world, and the fellowship we now enjoy is a result of this truth.

The life was real. John again reminds us of his authoritative testimony, to remind us that this Jesus who came into our world was as much a man as any other human being, yet He was also the Word made flesh. This wonder is what John tells us about here, and because of this testimony we are able to have fellowship with Him.

As a result of these first two things, John proclaims the eternal life. This life was with the Father from the beginning and He appeared to us. The significance of this truth is to let us know that Jesus, no ordinary man, brings with Him no ordinary message. Because God sent His Son—because the life appeared—He enables us to have a personal fellowship with Him through His Son and the Holy Spirit.

1. Gives us common participation in grace, salvation and message (3-4)

The reason John continues to proclaim this message—by using the authority given Him by Christ through His commission and by using the authority of his own testimony—is to bring us into fellowship with God. This fellowship—the Greek word koinonia—indicates a “common participation in God’s grace, Christ’s salvation and the Spirit’s presence.”

We see the participation in God’s grace by becoming the children of God. This allows us to know the mind of God Himself. Paul, writing in 1 Corinthians 2:9-16, tells us that the Spirit whom the Father sends us gives us greater insight into God’s ways. Verse 12 tells us, “We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.” It is by God’s grace that our sins are forgiven and that we are given the Holy Spirit to guide and shape us, to sanctify us and purify us. This fellowship with God’s grace opens all manners of doors for us.

We also fellowship with Christ’s salvation. The salvation that comes through Christ is a one-time event, a life-changing event that stays with us for all eternity. By the salvation that comes through Christ, we are no longer slaves to sin, but we are more than servants of Christ—we are His friends. “You are My friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from My Father I have made known to you” (John 15:14-15).

We also fellowship through the Spirit’s presence within us. We read how the Spirit works to open God’s will to us from 1 Corinthians. But we also know that the Spirit brings to our remembrance the teachings of Christ (John 14:26; 16:13-14); helps us in our prayers (Romans 8:26-27); empowers us (2 Timothy 1:7). The Holy Spirit is the very presence of God the Father and the Son within us, allowing our spirit to commune with the Father and the Son. By this fellowship, we are able to worship God in spirit and in truth.

And all this fellowship is a common participation. This koinonia is not something unique to one person or a select group of people. No, this fellowship is available to all who profess the Son of God as Savior, who are chosen by the grace of God and empowered by the Spirit of God. It is something you and I share. Each of us has our own fellowship with God, but we also share that fellowship as we come together in worship and fellowship ourselves.

Is it any wonder, then, that John concludes his introduction to his letter by letting us know that writing the letter makes his joy complete? The purpose of his letter is to authoritatively testify about Christ so we can experience eternal life and the fellowship that comes with that. How can be anything but joyful?

Conclusion

The fellowship of long-time friends and loved ones is a truly special thing in our lives. People with whom we have a commonality, a shared experience and a mutual love and respect. This time of year draws us toward such fellowship as we gather with friends and family and recall the things that bind us together.

But as we gather with friends and family, let us also take time to rejoice in the fellowship we share together with Christ the Lord. The Father sent His Son to give us fellowship with Him for all eternity.

And that’s worth celebrating.