Fellowship With God And His People

TEXT1 John 1:1-3

INTRODUCTION:

A.      HOW TO HAVE FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD REVEALED IN SCRIPTURE.

          1.       Based on fellowship with Jesus and the Apostles.

          2.       Hearing and believing and obeying necessary.

B.      FELLOWSHIP BASED ON ABIDING IN THE TEACHING OF HIS WORD.

C.      LESSON IMPORTANT BECAUSE WE ARE BEING ASKED TO COMPROMISE

          ON THE TRUTH IN SEVERAL AREAS.

I.     THE IMPORTANCE OF THE WORD IN FELLOWSHIP SEEN

       IN 1, 2, AND 3 John.

A.      1 John 1:1-4.  THAT WHICH WE HAVE SEEN ... DECLARE WE...

                   JOY BASED ON THESE WRITINGS( vs. 4 ). JOY MADE FULL.

B.      1:5-10.  THIS IS THE MESSAGE...GOD IS LIGHT.

                   THE TRUTH AND THE LIGHT - FELLOWSHIP( vs. 7 ).

                   IF WE SIN - HIS TRUTH( vs. 8 ),  HIS WORD( vs. 10 ).

C.      2:1-6WRITE UNTO YOU.

                    COMMANDMENTS, TRUTH( vs. 3 ).  KNOW HIM, FELLOWSHIP.

                   vs. 5.  HOW DO WE KNOW WE ARE IN HIM?( vs. 6 ).

D.      2:7-11.  I WRITE - COMMANDMENT - THE WORD( vs. 7 ).

                   DISOBEDIENCE IS DARKNESS( vs. 9 ).

E.      2:12-29.  THESE VERSES ADDRESS WHAT IS WRITTEN AND

                   EQUIVALENT PHRASES.

                   See especially vs. 24.

F.       4:1-6.  TRY THE SPIRITS, ARE THEY OF GOD? - BY WHAT MEANS?

          1.       Applied to error - a doctrinal test.

          2.       Conformity of doctrine is the fellowship test( vs. 6 ).

G.      2 John.

          1.       References to Truth and Commandments and Walking in them help

                   understand the context( vs. 1, 4, 6 ).

          2.       Warning to not lose what was wrought in keeping the commands( vs. 8 ).

          3.       Loss of fellowship is the result of presumptuous sin( vs. 9 ).

          4.       Not to fellowship those who teach error( vs. 10-11 ).

II.    APPLY TO CONTROVERSY - WHAT HAS GOD SAID?

A.      WHAT IS THE DOCTRINE OF CHRIST?( Matt. 19:9 ).

B.      VARIOUS HERESIES:

          1.       Bond broken for guilty and innocent - J. Freeman, Melear, Lowell Williams.

          2.       1 Cor. 7:15. - Bales, Bassett.

          3.       Kingdom Law - Hailey, Fuqua.

          4.       Baptism takes care of it - Roy Hall, Dabney

          5.       Redefine Adultery - Olan Hicks.

C.      ARE THOSE IN ERROR IN FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD?( Gal. 1:6-9; 2John 9 ).

D.      CALLS FOR COMPROMISE AND Romans 14.  DOUBTFUL DISPUTATIONS.

          1.       "Groundless scruples," "Private and personal liberties in things inherently

                             innocent"( Cecil Douthitt, Guardian of Truth, 2/7/'91, p. 76 ).

          2.       What is said in the text?( Rom. 14:3, 14-17, 18, 20 ).

                   a.       God did legislate on meats and feast days!

                   b.       God legislated freedom.

          3.       What is said elsewhere?( 1 Cor. 8:4-8;  Col. 2:16-17 ).

          4.       Irrelevant!( Rom. 14:16-17 ).

          5.       What they cannot be:

                   a.       That which is legislated against, therefore sinful( 1 Cor. 6:12-20 ).

                   b.       In Romans, that which obeys fleshly desires( Rom. 13:11-14 ).

                   c.       That which goes against apostle's tradition( 2 Thess. 3:6 ).

III.   HOW DIVISION COMES.

A.      John 17:17-21.

          1.       Sanctified by the Truth, the Word of God.

          2.       Unified by the word( 1 Cor. 4:6 ).

B.      DIVISION INEVITABLE WHEN

          1.       Theories are taught that contradict a fundamental law( Matt. 19:9 ).

          2.       Appeals to absence of prohibition ignoring principle( 1Pet. 4:11; 2Pet. 3:16 ).

          3.       Theory breeds looseness in other Moral and Doctrinal issues

                   ( 2 Tim. 2:16;  3:13;  2 Cor. 6:17-18;  Eph. 5:11 ).

          4.       Won't tolerate persistent teaching of the truth( 2 Tim. 4:2-4;  1 John 2:19 ).

C.      DIVISION IS NOT INEVITABLE WHEN

          1.       All appeal to the same rule.

          2.       All seek what the Bible says, not confirmation or justification of practice.

          3.       None are emboldened to other loose practices( Gal. 5:19-21 ).

          4.       Open discussion of issues is not avoided.

D.      WE DIVIDE WHEN WE FORSAKE THE SCRIPTURAL BASIS FOR UNITY

          ( 1 Cor. 4:7, 6 ).

CONCLUSIONWHEN CHURCHES SPLIT, WHO IS AT FAULT?