Fellowship: Life Together Under the Word
The Basis of Fellowship: Trinity
1 John 1:1-4 (v. 3)
Introduction:
“Introductory Matters”
1 John deals with fellowship.
But John does not give us a nice and neat definition of fellowship.
Therefore, we need to put these pieces into place and have them in our thinking and working them out in our practice.
So, we are dealing with fellowship and the nuances of fellowship so that we can know and as we work through 1 John begin to practice fellowship.
Understand this, we will not arrive at the close of any one of our Sunday morning services.
We are on a lifetime journey together. We will learn and we will wrestle through doing.
We must have Scripture as our guide, the glory of God as our goal in the building of the church through the empowering of the Holy Spirit.
Trinity
Some may regard the doctrine of the Trinity as heady and impractical theology.
This could not be further from the truth.
“The highest science, the loftiest speculation, the mightiest philosophy, which can engage the attention of a child of God is the name, the nature, the person, the doings, and the existence of the great God which he calls his Father.” – Charles Spurgeon
1. Definition of Trinity:
God eternally exists as three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and each person is fully God, and there is one God.
2. Reality of Trinity in Scripture:
A. Genesis 1:1-2 God created the heavens and the earth….And the Spirit of God
was hovering over the face of the waters….
B. Genesis 1:26 …let us make man in our image…
C. Genesis 3:8 …heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden…
1. Genesis 18 The LORD appears to Abraham and sits with, eats with and
speaks with Abraham
Trinity is a Scriptural reality.
My mission: not to prove Trinity
My mission is not to prove Trinity this morning.
Point: Remind us of the eternal nature of God and the resulting fellowship
My point here is just to remind you of the eternal nature of God as Father, Son and Spirit.
We reflect Trinity and our practices must be Trinitarian
Because God is Trinity and an eternal reality, the created order, including you and I, are reflective of Trinity and therefore our practices are to be Trinitarian.
Caution: Be careful in oversimplifying Trinity; revel in the mystery of Trinity in worship
Just a word of caution when thinking on and speaking about Trinity, overly simplistic illustrations just steal from the glory of Trinity. Don’t boil Trinity down to eggs and water. Those illustrations may work for a moment, but Trinity is deeper, wider, richer and more amazing than the creation can show us. No doubt there are reflections of Trinity all over the fallen created order, but creation can never fully show us what the Gospel can reveal for us in personal relationship with Trinity!
Revel in, delight in, relate to, be amazed by and be overwhelmed by Trinity, but don’t think that simple illustrations do Trinity full justice.
Sheer and joyful and worshipful awe will do.
3. Nature/Function of Trinity:
A. Luke 3:21-22; John 5:19; John 14:16, 17, 26; John 15:26;
John 16:7, 8, 13, 14; 1 John 4:8
“Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
(Luke 3:21-22 ESV)
“So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.”
(John 5:19 ESV)
“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.”
(John 14:16-17 ESV)
“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”
(John 14:26 ESV)
“But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.”
(John 15:26 ESV)
“Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:…’
(John 16:7-8 ESV)
“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.”
(John 16:13-14 ESV)
“Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”
(1 John 4:8 ESV)
1. Together in equality and mission
2. Together in submission to authority
3. Together in distinct function
4. Together in perfect love
4. The basis of fellowship is Trinity
1 John 1:1-4
“…that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.” (1 John 1:3)
“And this is eternal life, that they may know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” (John 17:3)
(Father sends the Son, Son glorifies Father by dying for rebels and rising for their salvation, Son sends the Spirit to convict and regenerate and empower and guide and glorify the Son)
A. Individual fellowship with Trinity
(Objective reality leading to experiential joy!)
1. Union with God by the work of the Gospel (objective reality)
2. Communion with God by the indwelling Spirit springing up to eternal
life (experiential joy)
B. Individuals in fellowship with Trinity in fellowship with each other
1. Union with the body as integral parts of the body by our common
salvation in the Gospel (objective reality)
2. Communion with the individual parts of the body by indwelling
Holy Spirit’s uniting us to and equipping us to serve and build each
other up. (experiential joy)
C. Sum that up:
1. Saved by the Gospel, know and enjoy God, made part of the body of Christ, made vital to individuals in the body of Christ
5. What are the Trinitarian implications of fellowship, life together under the word?
A. We do life together under the word in equality and mission
B. We do life together under the word in submission
C. We do life together under the word in distinct function
1. Each believer has a function and no function is less than
2. Each believer has a gift or the capacity to be gifted to serve others
3. Each believer must be present in each other’s lives to serve each other
a. Connect group
1. Pray
2. Devote yourselves to the word
3. Ask if there is anything anyone has that may encourage
another to grow into Chief Shepherd Jesus
b. Corporate worship
1. Come ready to serve each other
c. Life together under the word daily relationships
1. Keep the fellowship going
D. We do life together under the word in love
1. 1 Corinthians 13
Theology in the Dirt 