“Walking the Way of Fellowship” – The Calvary Road
I John 1:1-9
February 29, 2004
Purpose: True fellowship happens when we develop relationships with one another based on God’s fellowship which draws us together by His Light.
Introduction –
Some of the most humorous and enlightening moments in our lives center around the church’s idea of fellowship…Take for instance the interaction between a pastor and young boy after a service. It seems this particular congregation loved good fellowship and always served coffee after the sermon. One Sunday the pastor asks a little boy if he knew why they served the coffee. "I think," said the boy, "it’s to get the people awake before they drive home."
Mike Warnke, well-known Christian comedian, says that Christians have their own language…
…we don’t gossip, we just share in Christian love
…we don’t criticize, we’re just building up the body of Christ
…we don’t admit to our mistakes, those are mercy moments.
…and when we sit around and pig out together…well that’s just called fellowship.
I. Fellowship comes from our relationship with one another.
Fellowship needs to be more than that one hour after church every Sunday. Catching up with one another, checking in with friends, sharing time with one another is important, but in many ways, it is just the first step to true fellowship.
True fellowship happens when we put ourselves last, God first, and others second.
It happens when we start worrying about the we instead of the I. When we focus on the needs of others and put them at a higher priority level than ourselves.
Isn’t this what our Scripture passage is saying this morning? “If we say that we have fellowship with Him; and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is the in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” (v. 6-7)
Fellowship happens when we open ourselves up to one another. Sharing more than just the “everything’s fine” conversation, and going deeper to let each other know how we’re honestly doing.
Roy Hession in The Calvary Road book, put it like this, “When the barriers are down and the masks are off, God has a chance of making us really one.” (p.42)
When fellowship develops within us….first with God, then with one another…then God’s light shows through our relationships.
II. God functions as fellowship so that we can function as His people together.
Did you know that God himself is fellowship…Think about it with me for a moment…isn’t that the foundational part of the trinity?
Here we have Father, Son, and Holy Spirit…Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer…all functioning as one.
God’s purpose is that we all have fellowship with one another.
Fellowship doesn’t come from a denomination. It doesn’t come from a creed, a boast, or a toast. It
doesn’t magically appear as a result of some new “evangelism” formula or is the result of anything
that man has created. At its core…true fellowship is found in the light that only God can provide.
The point of true fellowship rests in our fellowship with Jesus Christ. How is that developed? Listen to this quote I found originally from an African minister…
I’m part of the fellowship of the unashamed. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I’m a disciple of His. I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away or be still.
My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, my future is secure. I’m finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, cheap living and dwarfed goals.
I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotion, plaudits, or popularity. I don’t have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean on His presence, walk by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by power.
My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions few, my Guide reliable, my mission clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded, 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 won’t give up, shut up, or let up until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, and preached up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till all know, and work till He stops me. And when He comes for His own, He will have no problem recognizing me…my banner will be clear!" (arrangement my Dr. Robert Moorehead, www.sermoncentral.com)
John tells us, “this is the message which we have heard from Him and declare unto you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.” (vs. 5)
Did you ever realize that every tuned piano is also tuned to other tuned pianos? When each piano is tuned it is tuned to a standard pitch. That means that as piano by piano is tuned it comes into the fellowship of pianos that are tuned like it.
Did you ever realize that every Christian is tuned to the same standard? If we want fellowship, if we want to experience the joys of fellowship, then we must get tuned to the One who is the light of the fellowship.
If you’re experiencing darkness…turn to the light.
If you’re hampered by sin…turn to the light.
If you find yourself outside of true fellowship…turn to the light.
“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth (God’s light) is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faith and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us form all unrighteousness” (v. 8-9) and to bring us back into the fellowship again.
God’s ultimate act of fellowship was to send a portion of himself to this earth, for you and me. Walking in fellowship is simply walking in the light and the reality of Jesus Christ.
His birth…His life…His ministry…His death…His resurrection…were all accomplished to that each human being of God’s creation may be brought back into fellowship with Him.
Are you ready to go back to Bethel?
Do you truly believe that Jesus died for you?
Have you experienced the tremendous power of the Crimson River?
Look for the lighthouse…let God hold you and Christian brothers and sisters sustain you…
and then, in fellowship, we shall see Jesus one day together.
(the previous section was taken from the list of special music titles used in the worship service)
Walking in fellowship comes from our relationships with one another and from God, who functions as a light-filled fellowship, so that all may receive the gift He is ready and willing to give through His Son Jesus Christ.
And the church says…Amen.
Will you join me in prayer?
Gracious God, we long to walk in fellowship with one another. Give us the right attitude to be there for one another. Set for us a course with your Light as our one and only guide.
Help us to get things settled. First, through our Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and then with one another. For we know that he alone offers the cleansing of forgiveness and the victory of salvation.
May our joy be full, as we are in fellowship with you and with one another.
In the name of Christ, we pray…Amen.
Closing Song – We Shall See Jesus – “Wakelee Quartet”
Benediction
Grant us, O Lord, that what has been said with our lips we may believe in our hearts,
and that what we believe in our hearts, we may practice in our lives;
in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
This sermon series is based on Roy Hession’s classic, “The Calvary Road” which can be purchased by calling Christian Literature Crusade (CLC) at 1.800.659.1240.
Note: If for any reason you did not find this sermon helpful or would like to make a comment or ask a question, please feel free to contact me at gb@clergy.net. Your input will help me personally and my congregation as I learn Spiritually and professionally.
