Walking with Jesus
The Seven Parts of
Christian Worship
~~ part 7 of
7 — Fellowship ~~
“What does the New Testament
authorize (command, state, instruct, and example) concerning
the unity being shared in the Lord’s worship?”
Scripture reading: 1 John 1:1-7 (Suggested memory verse
is verse 7)
prepared by David
Churchill
[printable PDF of sermon outline][audio MP3 -- approx. 32 min.]
[Authority; Lord's Supper; Giving; Teaching; Praying; Singing; Fellowship]
1 John 1:5-7 (New American Standard
Bible)
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.
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.
1 John 1:5-7 (New King James Version)
5 This is the message which we have heard
from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is
no darkness at all.
6 If we say that we have fellowship
with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the
truth.
7 But if we walk in the light
as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another,
and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
I. God calls us into fellowship
with Jesus and with Christians
1 Corinthians 1:9-10 — “God is faithful, through
whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ
our Lord. Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of
our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no
divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same
mind and in the same judgment.”
(NASB)
1 John 1:7 — “But if we walk in
the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with
one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses
us from all sin.”
(NKJV)
II. Jesus explains that our
fellowship with him is conditional upon our love and our obedience
John 14:23-24 — “If anyone loves Me, he
will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will
come to him and make Our abode with him. He who does
not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you
hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me.” (NASB)
Matthew 18:20 — “For where two or three
have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.” (NASB)
Acts 2:42 — “They were continually
devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to
fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” (NASB)
III. Our fellowship is strengthened
by unity and weakened by division
1 Corinthians 1:10 — “Now I exhort you,
brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all
agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that
you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment.” (NASB)
IV. The success or failure of
our worship as a group is conditional upon the strength of our
fellowship
1 Corinthians 11:17-20 — “Now in giving these instructions
I do not praise you, since you come together not for the better
but for the worse. For first of all, when you come
together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you,
and in part I believe it. For there must also be factions
among you, that those who are approved may be recognized among
you. Therefore when you come together in one place,
it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper.” (NKJV)
V. God acknowledges that His
followers (as individuals) occasionally need their fellow followers
to lovingly correct them
Leviticus 19:15-18 — “You shall do no injustice
in judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor nor defer to
the great, but you are to judge your neighbor fairly. You
shall not go about as a slanderer among your people, and you
are not to act against the life of your neighbor; I am the LORD.
You shall not hate your fellow countryman in your heart;
you may surely reprove your neighbor, but shall not incur sin
because of him. You shall not take vengeance, nor bear
any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall
love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD.” (NASB)
Matthew 5:21-24 — “You have heard that the
ancients were told, ‘You shall not commit murder’ and
‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’
But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother
shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother,
‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the
supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall
be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell. Therefore if
you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember
that your brother has something against you, leave your offering
there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your
brother, and then come and present your offering.” (NASB)
Matthew 18:15-17 — “If your brother sins,
go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you,
you have won your brother. But if he does not listen
to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of
two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed. If
he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if
he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as
a Gentile and a tax collector.”
(NASB)
Luke 17:1-4 — “It is inevitable that
stumbling blocks come, but woe to him through whom they come!
It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around
his neck and he were thrown into the sea, than that he would
cause one of these little ones to stumble. Be on your
guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents,
forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times
a day, and returns to you seven times, saying, “I repent,”
forgive him.”
(NASB)
VI. Christians have no business
partnering in fellowship & unity with unbelievers
2 Corinthians 6:14-18 — “Do not be bound together
with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness
and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?
Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has
a believer in common with an unbeliever? Or what agreement
has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple
of the living God; just as God said, ‘I will dwell in them and walk among them; and I will be their
God, and they shall be My people. Therefore, come out
from their midst and be separate,’ says the Lord. ‘And do not touch what
is unclean; and I will welcome you. And I will be a
father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to Me,’ says the Lord
Almighty.” (NASB)
VII. God intends for our fellowshipping
in unity with Him in our worship to encourage our visitors to
seek Him
1 Corinthians 14:22-24 — “So then tongues are for
a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers; but prophecy
is for a sign, not to unbelievers but to those who believe. Therefore
if the whole church assembles together and all speak in tongues,
and ungifted men or unbelievers enter, will they not say that
you are mad? But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or
an ungifted man enters, he is convicted by all, he is called
to account by all; the secrets of his heart are disclosed; and
so he will fall on his face and worship God, declaring that
God is certainly among you.”
(NASB)
VIII. God plans for our fellowship
with Him and each other to encourage us
James chapter 5 — members
of the church are commanded & expected to be praying with
concern for each other
Ephesians 5:19 — “speaking to one another in psalms and hymns
and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart
to the Lord;” (NASB)
Colossians 3:16 — “Let the word of Christ
richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing
one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing
with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” (NASB)
Philippians 2:1-4 — “Therefore if there
is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of
love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection
and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same
mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on
one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit,
but with humility of mind regard one another as more important
than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal
interests, but also for the interests of others.” (NASB)
1 Timothy 4:13 — “… give attention
to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching.” (NASB)
Romans 1:12 — “that is, that I may
be encouraged together with you while among you, each of
us by the other’s faith, both yours and mine.” (NASB)
1 Thessalonians 5:11 — “Therefore encourage
one another and build up one another, just as you also are
doing.” (NASB)
Hebrews 3:13 — “But encourage one
another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,”
so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness
of sin.” (NASB)
IX. What privileges and responsibilities
should motivate us as we consider our fellowship together?
Hebrews 10:23-25 — “Let us hold fast the
confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised
is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another
to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling
together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one
another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.” (NASB)
Philippians 2:13-15 — “for it is God who
is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.
Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you
will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children
of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse
generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world,” (NASB)
[printable PDF of sermon outline][audio MP3 -- approx. 32 min.]
[Authority; Lord's Supper; Giving; Teaching; Praying; Singing; Fellowship] |