This morning we’re beginning a series of messages where our focus will be on fellowship in the Church. Before we look at Scripture I want to share about why this topic is so important.

In America today - there are more than 25 million people who are profoundly lonely. More than 70 million adults are struggling to find some meaning and purpose in life. 50 million plus Americans have endured divorce - and the continuing strain of divorce on their lives. An unknown number of adults and children suffer from physical and emotional abuse - usually by members of their own family. The most frequent concern expressed by teenagers in America today is that they do not receive unconditional love from their parents.

The majority of people around us are tying to find some healing for their lives - whether in some type of physical addiction - pornography - unhealthy relationships - toxic spirituality - wealth and possessions - or some other empty form of false hope. These are just a few examples.

Maybe you’re one of these people. All of these situations touch our lives and the community in which we live.

In contrast - the Bible describes the Church as a place of refuge - a place of healing - of hope - a place to be renewed and gather strength as we move back out into the hurting world where we live our lives. The Church is a community where each of us should feel free to be vulnerable - open - the place where we’re encouraged and uplifted by others.

And yet - think about this with me - when we have a friend who’s hurting - usually the Church is not the first place - maybe not even on the list of places we would send them for help. When we’re enduring and suffering - where do we go for help? When we talk about the love of Christ - the love of the brethren - too often we do not practice what we preach.

So, we have a ways to go together. Which brings us to our series of messages on "Finding Fellowship In An Unfriendly World" - a hurting world. Creating ties that bind us together in a healing community where God can work in us and through us.

I invite you to turn with me to our passage for this morning, 1 John 1:1-2:2. In these next few weeks we’re going to be looking at this letter of First John and what John has to say about genuine Christian fellowship.

John writes - 1 John 1:1: What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life - and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us.

John experienced a very special fellowship with Jesus. John was one of the first disciples that Jesus called. He was one of three disciples in Jesus’ inner circle. He was one of the three disciples at the Transfiguration. He was the first disciple to the empty tomb - the first disciple to believe in the resurrection. Only John is described specifically as the disciple whom Jesus loved.

Now John is writing 60 or so years after the resurrection. He’s the last living Apostle. He begins by saying, “I heard the voice of Jesus.” We don’t know if Jesus was a bass, a baritone, or a tenor. But, John knew. He had heard His voice. John writes, “I touched Him.” I felt His warm flesh. I looked into His eyes. I felt the beating of His human heart.

Verse 3: What we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us - I’m writing about our fellowship with Jesus - so that you also can have this fellowship - and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. These things we write so that our joy may be made complete.

Let’s pause here and talk about fellowship. In the navy they say that fellowship is two “fellows” in the same “ship.” There’s a sense where that’s true. They have the ship in common. Fellowship is when we have something in common.

The fellowship that John writes about - is that life that we have in common - that we share in Jesus Christ - the fellowship of those who know Jesus personally - who trust Him as their Savior and Lord. We’re like wanderers in the wilderness - out there in the world - who’ve come and sat down next to one another around the same fire. We belong to each other - a unique community of people who’ve all come to share the same - common - source of life.

Please hear this - because we need to be clear about what this means. There’s a difference between having a relationship and having fellowship. Many Christians are content - having only a relationship with Jesus and their brothers and sisters in Christ without experiencing fellowship.

Last weekend we were in Fowler - the cultural hub of the western hemisphere. We were in Fowler for a family reunion on Karen’s side of the family. Its was great - a good time as a family - a great time getting reacquainted and meeting relatives. Its true - if two Armenians talk with each other long enough eventually they’ll find out they’re related to each other.

All of us have things in common with others. We share human life. Most of us share a common Armenian ethnicity. When we repent and accept Jesus as our Savior we come to have a relationship with Him. We become a part of the family of God - the Church. Like we’re related to our human families.

But, John is talking about something unique. The fellowship John writes about - is not just because we have mutual interests or family relationships or because we come here Sunday after Sunday for services.

Fellowship is much deeper. Fellowship means experiencing life in Christ. Relationship puts us into the family of God. But, fellowship permits the life of that family to shine through us. Relationship means that all God has is potentially ours. But fellowship means we’re actually drawing upon that source. Relationship is our possessing God. Fellowship is God possessing us.

John writes that this fellowship with other believers and our fellowship with God through Jesus Christ - is deeper - more joyful - more satisfying than any type of relationship or experience which this world can offer us.

Which brings us to verse 5 - because we need to understand how we enter into this depth of fellowship. Remember - John is writing to Christians - they have a relationship with each other. But they - like us - need to go deeper. So, what John is about to say is crucial if we want to have fellowship together.

Verse 5: This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.

God is pure - holy - like light is without darkness - God is without sin.

Verse 6: If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in darkness - if we continue to live practicing sin - we lie and do not practice the truth - we’re dishonest before others - but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light - sinless - we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. - we’re dishonest with ourselves - If we confess our sins - if we’re honest - agreeing with God that we are sinners - If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us - we’re dishonest before God.

Any textbook will tell us that the speed at which light travels through a vacuum is about 186,000 miles per second. According to Albert Einstein, nothing can travel faster than light. However, in the last couple of weeks, scientists - here in the United States and in Italy - have reported experiments where they’ve been able to get pulses of light to travel faster than the normal speed of light.

In one of these experiments - a pulse of light travels through a chamber filled with cesium gas - and the pulse seems to go 300 times faster than the normal speed of light. That’s so fast that the main part of the pulse exits the chamber even before it enters the chamber. Ponder that. But not too long.

We use light to measure distance - we speak of “light years” as the time it takes to travel tremendous distances through space. We use lasers to measure or survey slightly shorter distances here on earth.

The point is that God - as light - sinless - is the standard. Measured against God’s standard - compare our lives with His - and we fail miserably. We sin. Hopelessly we sin.

One of the hardest questions to answer is this: “How are you?” How honest are we willing to be in giving an answer? In most homes - congregations - in our lives - there are problems that exist but we never openly speak about. Relationships that are broken with no hope of restoration - tensions - concerns - burdens - fears - insecurities. We hide behind walls of small talk - reputations - position.

In the same way, there are sins that we continually struggle with. Patterns of sin that continue to trap us. Things that we’ve done they weigh us down with guilt. Sin that damages our relationships with others. We all struggle with these things but we’re hesitant to even to look at them or deal with them.

God is honest with us. Sin keeps us from fellowship with Him and with each other. That’s why John calls us back to the fundamental issue of our honesty about our sin.

John writes - in verse 9: “If we’re honest about our sin - if we agree with God that we’re sinners - then we’re in the place where Jesus - who is faithful and able to forgive our sins - to purify us from our sin - we’re in the place where He can put us into a right fellowship with God.”

Practically - how do we be honest with God about our sin and move into a deeper fellowship with each other?

Look with me at 1 John 2:1: My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins - and we all do - we have an Advocate - "parekhos muh" - one who speaks on our behalf before the Throne of God - Jesus - our Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sin - the means by which our sins are forgiven - and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.

There are three points here we need to see.

First: Jesus is our Advocate. We need to agree with God about our sin and accept Jesus as our Savior. Without personally knowing Jesus Christ we cannot have true fellowship with each other. "haghortagtsouteun" - "fellowship" - is based on "haghortouteun" - "communion" - the shed blood and broken body of Jesus Christ. Its on this foundation that John appeals to his readers to come and have fellowship together.

Second: John writes that Jesus is the means by which our sins are forgiven. That means that nothing we can ever do will ever accomplish the fellowship with God or each other that we need.

Imagine taking everything and visualize putting it at the foot of the cross of Jesus Christ - leaving it there - and walking away. Whatever is holding us back - whether its our fault - our sin - or not. Whatever the situation - the circumstance - the bitterness - the anger - the injustice. We need to give it to Him and let Him deal with it.

If its a sin - He died on the cross for that sin. His blood has been shed - His body broken - He’s dealt with it. If we confess it - its forgiven. Leave it at the cross.

If its a circumstance or a person - He’s died for the people involved - leave it there and let Him deal with the people and circumstances involved.

The point is to confess and let go of what keeps us from fellowship and experiencing God’s power and working in our lives - and to not pick it up again.

Third: We need to seek forgiveness. There are relationships in this church - relationships in families - where fellowship has been broken because people will not forgive each other. This is hard. It means honesty and vulnerability with each other. But, someone needs to take the first step.

John reminds us that Jesus died for our sins and for the sins of the whole world. That’s everyone here. If God forgives us - then in the confidence of knowing His forgiveness - we need to ask forgiveness from others. And if God has forgiven us - can we not forgive others? Whether they ask for it or not?

As Christians are we enjoying fellowship with the Father and with his Son? Are we experiencing all things in common together with our brothers and sisters in Christ?