We experience true community with others as we experience true community with God...

This week we have been looking at the opening section of a letter that is recorded for us in the New Testament of the Bible, called the book of 1 John. So far this week, we have looked on as John is revealed the reality that Jesus Christ is God in a bod, who is life and is the source of eternal life with God. As the Word of Life, Jesus Christ is the personified expression of God who is life. Jesus, in His very nature and essence is life and is the source of eternal life.

We looked on as John basically say “and I just want y’all to know that Jesus and His message of eternal life was revealed to us. We have seen Him and have heard His message and want to declare publicly the truth of what we witnessed. We want to publicly declare the truth that Jesus Christ is God who was with God the Father and who revealed to us the reality that He is the source of the transcendent life with God and has begun to usher in the kingdom of God here on earth by entering into humanity.

We looked on as John invited the readers of this letter into close community with himself and the other early leaders of God’s new movement in history called the church as they engaged in the kingdom mission that they had been given by Jesus and experienced communion and connection with God the Father and Jesus. We talked about the reality that John recognized that he and early followers of Jesus were not only rescued from something; John and early followers of Jesus recognized that  they were rescued for something.

John and early followers of Jesus recognized that they were rescued not simply to get together after worshipping God to have a social club marked by good food and conversation with other Christians. John and early followers of Jesus recognized that they were rescued to experience close community with other followers of Jesus who are connected to Jesus and who are committed to the common mission that they had been given by Jesus to tell those who were far from Jesus about Jesus.

In addition, John and other early leaders of God’s new movement in history called the church were experiencing joy and gladness as people who were far from Jesus were rescued by Jesus as they shared Jesus with others. And because of that reality, John wanted to bring to completion and fulfillment the joy and gladness that they were already experiencing by inviting others to join in close community with other followers of Jesus who are connected to Jesus and who are committed to the common mission that they had been given by Jesus to tell those who were far from Jesus about Jesus. After providing the readers of this letter the reason behind the letter, today we will see John transition to begin to proclaim the message from Jesus that would be the message of his letter in 1 John 1:5:

 ⁵This 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.

John begins to disclose the message and teaching of Jesus that he and the other early leaders of God’s new movement in history called the church heard by stating that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. But what does that mean? Throughout his letters, John repeatedly used imagery as a means by which to communicate truth that otherwise would be much more difficult for us to wrap our minds around. As we will see in the next verse, light here is used by John to make a stark contrast to darkness.

When John uses the word light, he is painting an image of the nature of God that illumines the souls of humanity. By contrast, when John uses the word darkness, he is painting an image of a moral and spiritual darkness.

John’s point here is that there is a Creator God who is light and who is without flaw or fault and there is creation that was covered in darkness as a result of the selfishness and rebellion of humanity. After painting this word picture to describe the nature and character of God, we see John unpack the implications of this reality when it comes to experiencing connection and community with God and others in verse 6-7:

 ⁶ If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; ⁷ but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.

Here we see John use two if/then statements to unpack the implications that the nature and character of God have on the connection and community that humanity can experience with God and one another.  First, in verse 6, John states that “If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth”. Now when John uses the word truth here, this word refers to the truth of the message and teaching of Jesus that forms the basis of Christianity.

John’s point is that the person who claims to experience close community with God and with other followers of Jesus who are connected to God and who are committed to the common mission that they had been given by Jesus, but conduct their day to day lives in such a way that is marked by moral and spiritual darkness, they are telling a falsehood, they are lying. John’s point is that the person who claims to experience close community with God and with other followers of Jesus who are connected to God and who are committed to the common mission that they had been given by Jesus, but conduct their day to day lives in such a way that is marked by moral and spiritual darkness, they are not carrying out the obligation to live according to the truth of the message and teaching of Jesus in their day to day lives.

By contrast, as John points out in verse 7, “but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.” When John uses the phrase, walk in the light, this phrase refers to conducting one’s day to day life in the light of the nature of God that illuminates the heart and souls of humanity.

John’s point is that if a person conducts their day to day life in such a way that they are exposed to the light of the nature of God that illuminates the heart and soul of humanity as Jesus did while here on earth, they will experience two things. First, those who conduct their day to day life in such a way that they are exposed to the light of the nature of God that illuminates the heart and soul of humanity as Jesus did while here on earth will experience close community with other followers of Jesus who are connected to God and who are committed to the common mission that they had been given by Jesus.

Second, those who conduct their day to day life in such a way that they are exposed to the light of the nature of God that illuminates the heart and soul of humanity as Jesus did while here on earth will have the blood of Jesus cleanse them from all sin. Now when John refers to the blood of Jesus, he is referring to Jesus death on the cross, in humanities place, for the selfishness and rebellion of humanity. When John uses the word cleanses, this word means to cleanse and purify something in a moral sense.  In addition, when John uses the word sin here, this word refers to acts of omission and commission against God and others that flow from our selfish love that places us above God and others and in rebellion against God and others.

John’s point here is that followers of Jesus experience close community with one another as they strive to live a life in the light of God’s nature and character that has been expressed by the personified Word of Life, Jesus Christ in His message and teaching. And John’s point here is that followers of Jesus experience close community with God as they strive to live a life in the light of God’s nature and character that has been expressed by the personified Word of Life, Jesus Christ, whose death on the cross cleanses and purifies them from the moral darkness of selfishness and rebellion that separated them from God. John here is revealing for us the timeless reality that there is no real community with God which is not expressed in community with other followers of Jesus.

And it is here, in this opening section of this letter, that we discover a timeless truth when it comes to connecting in true community. And that timeless truth is this: We experience true community with others as we experience true community with God. Just as it was for followers of Jesus in John’s day; just as it has been for followers of Jesus throughout history; we experience true community with others as we experience true community with God.

We experience true community with others as we experience close community with God by living our lives in the light of the message and teaching of Jesus, who came to explain God and provide us an opportunity to experience life in relationship with God through His life, death, and resurrection. And we experience true community with God as we experience close community with other followers of Jesus who are connected to God and who are committed to the common mission that they had been given by Jesus.

However, we will be unable to experience the true community with others if we choose to conduct our day to day lives in such a way that is marked by moral and spiritual darkness as a result of selfishness and rebellion against God. And we will be unable to experience true community with God if we choose to conduct our day to day lives in such a way that is marked by moral and spiritual darkness as a result of selfishness and rebellion against God. You see, there is no real community with God which is not expressed in community with other followers of Jesus.

Now maybe a natural objection or question has been raised in your mind. And if we were to have a conversation in the courtyard coffeehouse, that question or objection would sound like this: “Why can’t I experience true community with others without true community with God? And why can’t I experience true community with God without true community with others?”

If that question is running through your mind, I just want to let you know that you are asking a great question. And my response to that question would be this: notice what Jesus Himself said about this issue in a section of John’s account of Jesus life in John 3:19-21:

"This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. "For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. "But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God."

You see, how can we experience true community with God and others if we are conducting our day to day life in the moral and spiritual darkness that comes from selfishness and rebellion? If we are living our lives in the darkness of selfishness and rebellion, do we want to come out into the light of close community to have what we are doing exposed for all to see? If we enter into the light of close community with God and close community with others, we are exposed, aren’t we?

So we retreat into the darkness and put on a façade to those around us so that we are not exposed. And it is that façade that keeps us from experiencing close community with others. And it is that façade that keeps us in the darkness of our selfishness and rebellion that keeps us from experiencing true community with God. Because, as John reveals for us, there is no real community with God which is not expressed in community with other followers of Jesus. And the timeless reality is that we experience true community with others as we experience true community with God.

So here is a question to consider: Are you experiencing true community with others? Are you experiencing true community with God? How are you going to respond to the offer that Jesus provides for you to experience forgiveness and true community with God and others through His life, death, and resurrection, by believing, trusting, and following Jesus as Lord and Leader. 

Because, as we have discovered, we experience true community with others as we experience true community with God...