Luke 2:21-40

Jesus…, Salvation For All People
Luke 2:21-40 Triton UBF Post Christmas Message 12/27/09
Key verse 2: 30-32 Shp Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF
“For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.”
I thank God for this Christmas season. Everything is perfect except for the weather. We were so wet on Christmas Eve. Our basement had some flooding and our power went out. I think God may be slightly hard of hearing. Do you know why? Well, when people were singing, “I’m Dreaming Of A White Christmas” he thought we were singing, “I’m Dreaming Of A Wet Christmas.” But seriously folks, this really has been a great Christmas. First, there was the Chicagoland Christmas service at the Reginia Dominican High school. Over 1200 people came to worship our Shepherd King Jesus though a message delivered by our very own Shp Teddy. Last week we further explored the same passage from a different angle, though Shp John Mike’s message concerning the Magi’s act of worship. Today we want to carry on with the Christmas story, discovering what happened in the weeks after Jesus’ birth. Many of us have studied this passage before, but I guarantee you that is from a fresh, new angle. We will be learning about four people who lived in the light of God, Joseph and Mary, Simeon and Anna. We will be learning about how Jesus is our consolation, our salvation and our light of revelation and why it is important to live and walk in the light of God.
Part 1: People Who Lived In God’s Light. (21-28b; 36-38)
First, Joseph and Mary; a house church that walked in the light of God. They are such an exemplary house church that we want to find out more about them. First, they were obedient to the word of God in the Bible. Verse 21a reads, “On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise him,...” Leviticus 12:1-8 sheds some light on this. According to the law, Mary was ceremonially unclean from the birth for seven days. On the eighth day, she was to bring the boy to a servant of God to be circumcised. This might have been performed by the local rabbi in Bethlehem, possibly at the house they were staying at. Then, after another 33 days, Mary would be ceremonially purified from her bleeding and be able to carry though the next stage of the dedication process. Verses 22b-23 read, “…Joseph and Mary took him (Jesus) to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, ‘Every firstborn make is to be consecrated to the Lord.’)” Parents would normally offer a year old lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or a dove for a sin offering. But because Joseph and Mary were poor, they were to bring two doves or two young pigeons. (Luke 2:24) In this way the priest would make atonement for Mary and she would be clean to present the baby Jesus before God in the Temple. To us it may seem tedious and unnecessary for new parents to do this, but Joseph and Mary knew that God had a purpose for directing his people to do these things. It was to help his people be consecrated to him and be holy, distinguishing themselves from the nations around them. (Lev 11:44) Joseph and Mary were willing to submit to God’s way living as outlined by his word.
Second, they devoted their firstborn son to the Lord. (23) Presenting Jesus to the Lord, meant to devote him to serve God’s holy purpose, even from a young age. They knew well that this child was not their own, but that he belonged to God. It was not easy to devote their first born son to the Lord. Like any parents they would want to enjoy his cuteness and have fun together, posting many pictures on Facebook. But now they were given a mission to care for Jesus providing an environment where the he could grow strong, physically, emotionally and spiritually, as well as enjoy his cuteness.
Next, they named him “Jesus” adopting God’s plan for their son. Look at verse 1b. “…he was named Jesus, then name the angel had given him before he had been conceived.” The angel had told Mary to name the baby, “Jesus” in Luke 1:30-33. The angel also told Mary about what Jesus would become. Do you know what Jesus means? Jesus means “Jehovah is Salvation”. Mary and Joseph knew that their little boy was God’s salvation. Though Mary and Joseph knew this incredible will of God, it was still not easy to name him “Jesus”. There was social pressure to name him after a family member or the father. Then Jesus would have been called “Little Joe.” By naming him “Jesus” shows that they were totally on board with God’s hope and plan for their family. They were very happy with what God was doing. (33)
Mary and Joseph were willing to be inconvenienced by God. Jesus was born in Bethlehem, about 7 miles south of Jerusalem. Someone must have taken the young family in. But still, they were not at home. It is hard to live somewhere that is not your home. On Christmas Eve we had a 23 hour power outage and had to move into the Bible house. It was not easy to be away from home. They had to pay some rent money. Maybe Joseph repaired furniture. They intended to stay another 33 days to dedicate Jesus at the Temple. That would mean another month of living in someone else’s’ back room, paying more rent and traveling 7 miles with a newborn all the way to Jerusalem. (There is reason to believe that they relocated to Bethlehem for about 2 years.) Do you get the picture? They could have said, “Let’s skip this…we can do it some other time.” But they were willing to be inconvenienced in order to do things right before God. Nowadays people are so busy trying to survive in this hard world. We have no time to endure any inconveniences. But Joseph and Mary different. Jesus said in Luke 9:23, “…If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” Allow yourself to be inconvenienced by God sometimes. You will be blessed!
Second, Simeon; A Righteous And Devout Man. Let’s see how this senior citizen walked in the light of God. Verse 25 reads, “Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel and the Holy Spirit was upon him.” (29b) First, he was righteous. To be righteous means that he had a right relationship with God. He repented of his sins before God, and trusted in the prescribed sacrifices offered at the temple to bring him forgiveness of sins. He was longing for the first coming of Jesus and the Kingdom of God.
Next, he was devout. The root of devout is devoted. This man had devoted his life to God, especially his senior years. He must have been like Msn Joseph Chung who recently went to Uganda as a silver missionary. After serving as a Missionary-pediatrician in the USA for 30 years, he dedicated the remaining years of his life to being a Bible teacher and a doctor for children at the Bethesda clinic in Kampala. Msn Joseph is like a modern day Simeon. We have other modern day Simeaon’s among us. Msn Rene, Frank Maietta a couple of them. May God raise up many Simeon’s among American students who can live devoted lives of faith throughout their entire lifetimes.
Simon was a waiting person. Look at verse 25, “…he was waiting for the consolation of Israel…” There are people who have no hope. One senior told me, “I have lived 10 years too long.” Another person told me, “Sometimes I wish I would go to sleep and not get up.” Sad, isn’t it? People suffer a lot with hopelessness and despair, especially in their senior years. But Simeon was full of hope. His heart was alive and vibrant. He was waiting for the Consolation of Israel. God’s hope infused new life into his body and God was going to answer his prayer by introducing him to the baby Jesus.
God could dwell in Simeon through his Holy Spirit. Let’s read verse 26-28. “It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God saying…” When the Holy Spirit dwelt in his heart God could communicate to his heart and guide him in life. God gave him insight that this tiny baby was the promised Messiah. He was full of God’s vision, godly obedience, confidence born out of sincere faith, and great joy. They gift of the Holy Spirit greater than any gift that any of you received this Christmas. Why not ask for it. (Luke 11: 13) It’s not too late. Orthodox Christmas is January 7th.
There is another person who walked in the light of God. Her name is Anna. Let’s read verse 36, “There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher.” First Anna was a prophetess who had an unusually close relationship with God. She interpreted the word of God to the people of her generation, and the next and the next. Second, she held onto faith. Look at 36b and 37a, “…She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage and then was a widow until she was eighty-four….” What a sad story! Jewish girls got married very young. Anna might have been 16 or 17 years old. She lived a dreamy life with her husband until she was 24. Then tragedy struck. Maybe it was a head on collision with a Roman chariot. We don’t know, but her husband died. Anna was all alone. Most women would fall into deep sorrow and blame God for their tragedy. But Anna was different. Look at verse 37b, “…She never left the temple but worshipped night and day, fasting and praying.” Her difficulties of life led her closer and closer to God, so much so, that by the end of her life, she lived in almost complete devotion to the Lord. She led daily bread meetings, at the temple every morning and prayer meetings every night.. Third, she preached the Word to any who would listen. Look at verse 38, “Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.” She was quick to greet newcomers and speak the Gospel to them. Let’s get back to this practice making sure that new comers feel very welcome. But the greatest quality of Anna is that she was a waiting person, just like Simeon, she was waiting for the redemption of Israel. This refers to Jesus, for Jesus is the one who would lead God’s people out of their slavery to sin and darkness and into the light of God’s word. With this hope she too was full of joy and thanksgiving to God.
Part ll: Who Is Jesus? (25; 29-31; 38)
We have already seen that Jesus was born into a poor family. Though he is God, he is humble, submitting to all the dedication ceremonies. He was very ordinary, being born and dedicated with no inaugural fanfare. After a quick survey of the passage we can see several more descriptions of Jesus. He is the Consolation of Israel; the Lord’s Christ; God’s salvation; A light of revelation to the Gentiles; the Redemption of Israel. Put them all together and you get a more complete picture of who Jesus is. Let’s talk about a few of these aspects of Jesus.
First Jesus is the Consolation of Israel. Look at verse 25 again. Simeon was waiting for the consolation of Israel. To console is to bring comfort and hope. We tend to think that a person who has suffered some loss in life needs to be consoled. And they do. When I was young I would always get the consolation prize so I wouldn’t feel so bad. But Simeon was waiting for the consolation of the whole nation, Israel. Why did Israel need to be comforted? It had been 400 years since Israel had heard the words of the prophets. They had been suffering for the last 40 year under the Romans. They were being heavily taxed and punished for resistance acts of guerilla warfare. They were poverty stricken. They felt ignored and even punished by God for their sins. Most people were losing all hope that Israel could ever be reconciled to God. But there was one who never lost hope for his people. He was Simeon, who was waiting for the consolation of Israel. Perhaps Simeon held onto the words of the Prophet Isaiah, “On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, … On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove the disgrace of his people from all the earth. The Lord has spoken. In that day they will say, ‘Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the Lord, we trusted in him, let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.” (Isaiah 25:6-9) The consolation of Israel is Jesus.
Our young people need the Consolation of Israel, Jesus Christ. When they are consoled by God, through faith, Jesus will destroy the shroud that enfolds their hearts. Jesus will swallow up death forever. Jesus will wipe away the tears from their faces; he will remove their disgrace through his forgiveness. Then our young people will say “Surely this is our God; we trusted in Jesus, and he saved us.” Let’s pray that the Consolation of America may come on the Triton Campus and NIU campus.
There is more about Jesus in this passage. Let’s read our key verses 30 -31, all together, ““For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.” First, Jesus is our salvation, prepared by God. People without God live in the darkness. It is destructive. It is a darkness of deception and hypo¬crisy that obscures reality. It is also a darkness of ignorance that suppresses the truth and keeps people trapped by their sinful nature, negative emotions, separated from God and from one another. But God had a plan, right from the beginning to send a Savior, who would save people from the darkness of their sins. We heard of God’s plan in last week’s message. Do you remember? Matthew 2:6, “But you Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.” The prophet Micah knew of the Christ, the Shepherd King, whom God would prepare, 700 years before Jesus came! The Magi knew of this Savior and sought him out. And Jesus came just as was promised. He came as a tiny baby in manger (soon after Joseph built him a cradle-I hope). When you look the cradle you must also see have spiritual eyes to see the cross and also the crown. Yes, Jesus was born to be our savior. He was born to die on the cross for our sins and be raised from the dead where he reigns forever as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Through his life, death and resurrection Jesus rescues us from the dominion of darkness and bring us into the kingdom of Heaven where we will dwell with him forever. He guides our feet in the path of righteousness. The cradle-the cross-the crown. Can your eyes see the Salvation God has prepared for you and me?
Next, Jesus is a light for revelation to us. In John 8:12. Jesus told the people, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in dark¬ness, but will have the light of life.” Spiritually speaking, light refers to God’s revelation that identi¬fies his truth and distinguishes it from falsehood. Light also reveals God’s will and his deeper purposes that are not always obvious to people. Jesus also reveals the light of God’s love and saving grace on sinners. The Gentiles did not know the Gospel. They were separated from God by their ignorance and sins. They had no idea that God loved them and wanted to be their Father also. God wanted them to come to him, repent of their sins and step into the light of God. That is why he sent Jesus. When Jesus shines his light into our hearts we know we are forgiven. We are set free to live a new life with a new beginning as God’s people. The light of Jesus will guide our paths all the way through this world and into the kingdom of God. We will see the glory of God.
Part lll: Jesus Is Your Salvation…Live In Him Today (34b-35b; 39-40)
Choosing to walk in the light of Jesus is not an option. Look at verses 34b-35. “…This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. …” It always amazed me how Jesus reveals what is in peoples’ hearts. You can have two people standing side by side and they appear very similar in their disposition. But when you introduce them to Jesus things become very clear, for how they respond to Jesus reveals their true colors. Jesus simply stands their, being his beautiful self, shedding his wonderful light, and peoples’ hearts are revealed. How they respond to Jesus will determine if they stand or fall spiritually. If we respond to Jesus in repentance and faith and obedience and love for God, we will rise, in this life and all the way to the Kingdom of God. If we refuse to come into the light, we will fall, sometimes forever. Let us not be those who speak against Jesus but be those who make the right response.
God blesses those who respond well to Jesus. Let’s read verses 39 and 40.
“When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him.” Joseph and Mary were blessed ones. They went back to their quiet, backwoods little hamlet, which recent archeological findings reveal was about 50 homes on 4 acres in the country. For the next thirty years they lived in relative peace enjoying their family, especially their firstborn Jesus whom they marveled at. Jesus got A’s in school. He never cursed; was always kind and helpful. He also helped out on the carpentry shop, lifting the heavy lumber for his aging father. He was great conversationalist and was eager to go to church every Sabbath. And he always talked about the latest things he learned about God. There would be times of suffering however, especially when Jesus was crucified on the cross for our sins and Mary would have to witness that. (35b) Do you want to live a most blessed life? Not a life free from hardships, but a most blessed life? Then decide, by faith, to come to Jesus our Savior and walk in the light of his word. Then the grace of God will be upon you and your family. You will all grow strong and wise together in the Lord. Mostly, you will see God’s salvation and the glory of God.

2008 Christmas Preparation Message

CHRISTIAN KOINONIA

1 John 1:1-10 Christmas 2008
Key Verse: 1:3 NIU UBF 12/7/08

"We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ."
Every Christmas my mind scans the Bible, trying to find original passages to preach about, concerning the birth of Jesus into the world. We have had messages from Isaiah. Micah, and the Gospels. This year I came to realize that 1 John chapter 1 was an excellent passage to think about the meaning of Jesus’ birth into this world. 1 John 1 concerns Jesus coming in the flesh. And isn’t that we are celebrating this Christmas season? Are we not celebrating the fact that Jesus, came into this world as a tiny baby in a manger to save people from their sins? So let us mediate on this passage and come to understand more deeply, the meaning of this season.
1 John was written by John the Apostle. John was the brother of James. They were sons of Zebedee. When God called them on the shores of the Sea of Galilee they left their boat and nets to follow Jesus. John felt a special closeness to Jesus, calling himself "the disciple whom Jesus loved" (Jn 21:20). He felt like this, but we all know that Jesus loved all of them equally. Later on, John wrote John's Gospel. In his senior years he pastured God's people in Ephesus. In his late eighties, he was exiled to the Isle of Patmos, a Roman quarry, where he wrote the book of Revelation.
John had authority to write about the truth of Jesus. Look at verses 1 and 2. “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us.” John had personal experience with Jesus. John and Jesus were tight. John was an eyewitness to Jesus' life and death and resurrection. He had followed Jesus for 3 ½ years during his earthly ministry. John knew Jesus the man. He saw him and heard him and touched him. And he loved Jesus. He was changed into an apostle of love. He also came to believe and know that Jesus is the eternal Word of life, the Son who was with the Father from the beginning.
These three letters, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John were written to believers who were being confronted by false teachers--especially by those with Gnostic ideas. 1 John was written to dispel doubts and plant assurance that Jesus was God. He presents God as light, love and life. He describes in simple and practical terms what it means to have fellowship with God. John wanted to get the believers back on track, showing the difference between light and darkness and to encourage the church to grow in love for God and for one another. When we keep all of these things in mind, everything in this chapter fits together and it makes perfect sense why we must study it for Christmas.
Part l: Jesus Is God Who Came In The Flesh
First, what do we know about this Gnosticism that plagued the early church? The Gnostics taught that flesh is evil and spirit is good. This is an unbiblical idea, and it leads to the denial of the true humanity of Christ. In practical life, those who embrace Gnosticism fall into one of two extremes: They either become ascetic to the point of mistreating their bodies, or they throw off all moral restraints, saying that it doesn't matter what we do with our physical bodies as long as we believe in Jesus, for the body is corruptible and perishing anyway. This is incredibly false teaching.
The Bible teaches that God created man-- body and spirit--and said, "It is good." Jesus is God. He is the Word who became flesh and made his dwelling among us (Jn 1:14). The idea that spirit is good and all matter is evil should be abhorrent to Christians who know that Jesus is God incarnate. John once wrote in John 1;14, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” Many Christians were becoming uncertain of this Biblical fact that there was now two or three generations separating them from the beginning of the Christian church and also due to the hard work of, and bad influence of these false teachers. This false teaching would have enormous consequences on their concept of God, their knowledge of his love and the character of the church.

The Bible teaches that Jesus is God. Contrary to Gnostic teachings, Jesus is the Word who became flesh and made his dwelling among us (Jn 1:14). He preached the word of God to our hearts. He served people day in and day out, practically and with prayer. He raised up his 12 disciples as the future spiritual leaders of the world. After pouring out his life, Jesus went on to died on the cross. He was very God and very man, who shared in all of sufferings. Hebrews 4:15 reads “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.” He experienced all that we experienced and overcame. We can band together with Jesus for Jesus truly understands us. Jesus understands Tim and Andrew’s hard studies because he spent many years as a young man mastering the Old Testament Scriptures. Jesus understands my kids, who have to do chores, because he was a carpenter’s apprentice. Jesus understands those who have lost a father, because Biblical scholars believe that Joseph died before Jesus began his ministry. Jesus understands those who are tired because he stayed up many nights praying and teaching the Bible to his disciples. Jesus understood all of us who are tempted by sin, because he was tempted every, but struggled and overcame victoriously.

Part ll: Deep Meaningful Koininia (1b-10)

Jesus really wants to have a relationship with us. Verse 1b reads, “… —this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.” This brings to mind what John had written in the opening verses of his Gospel. John 1:1-3 reads, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning. 3Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” John describes Jesus as the Word. We use words to communicate. Jennifer was using words in her forensics competition on Saturday to try to convey her ideas to the judges. I am trying to communicate about God’s love to you with words. I am not sure how successful I am at it. We use words to communicate and to have relationships with others. God really wants to communicate with us. Sin broke communication with God. But God in his love tried his best, in many different ways, to speak to our hearts. But we, in our darkness, would not open the door to let him and listen to him. God did not give up. Finally he went to the extreme to establish a relationship. He sent his one and only Son, Jesus into this world as the living Word of God. Through Jesus, our Heavenly Father is breaking through the barrier of sin and is communicating his amazing love into each of our hearts. He is establishing deep and meaningful fellowship with us. This fellowship we call Koininia.

So what is this "fellowship" or "koinonia" that God went to such great lengths to establish? Let’s read verse 3 together, “We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.” Fellowship has deep meaning. It is described by the Greek Word, Koininia. This word has become associated with our spiritual fellowship with God and with others believers. John and the apostles proclaimed what they had seen and heard so that we might know Jesus and have fellowship with him, and have fellowship with all believers down throughout history.

Jesus demonstrated this koinonia during his earthly ministry. He ate with sinners and tax collectors. (Mk 2:16). Jesus spent years serving the disciples and giving them discipleship training. (Mk 3:14). Jesus served and served and served some more, even giving his life as a ransom for many. (Mk 10:45) How beautiful is Jesus’ serving life. We have a great opportunity to serve others this Christmas by inviting them to our Christmas service and offering so that wheat can be trained into North Korea to help feed starving people there. Maybe we can find some other practical ways to serve others around NIU and DeKalb this Christmas.

The early church knew God’s heart and understood his insatiable desire to have koinonia with us. This understanding manifested itself into practical living. Look at the beautiful fellowship they had in Acts 4:32-35, “All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. 33With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. 34There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.” These early Christians were bound together by some common threads.

First, All the believers wanted to know Jesus. They knew the grace of Jesus very personally and deeply. This love of God caused them to want to know Jesus. Paul was one who knew the grace of Jesus. One of the motivating forces in his life and ministry is expressed in Philippians 3:10, “I want to know Christ and the fellowship of sharing in his suffering becoming like him in his death.” All Christians, experience Koininia through their desire to know Christ.
Second, they had commitment to God and to one another in unity. Unity of our fellowship is achieved when we all walk with God. (Ge 5:21-24), It can happen when we make a commitment to those who do the will of God. (Mk 3:31-35). Koininia does not have to occur in large groups in a mega church setting. It is more profoundly manifest through small groups. In Matthew 18:20, Jesus said, “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.” In fact much of the work of God going on in the 10/40 window, the frontlines of world evangelism, is happening though small house churches. Think about China and the Middle East. A Christian revolution is happening in Iran through small house churches of 3-4 people. (Voice Of The Martyrs Nov, 2008) You can be a member of a 10,000 person church and still have no fellowship with others. You could have five people and have deep and meaningful Koininia.
Proclaiming the word of God is very important in forming Christian koinonia? (1b; 3; 1Thes 1:8a; 2Thes 3:1; 1Co 1:18) Let’s read verse 1b; “…—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.” and verse 3, “We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.” “Proclaim” is repeated many times. Christian fellowship is not just having coffee together. (although this is important and necessary at times.) It involves proclaiming the word of God together as a team. Christian fellowship happens when we proclaim God’s word. When we proclaim the Gospel we have fellowship. To proclaim is a very positive thing. It means to go out of your way to proclaim what you believe as true. Proclaiming the gospel involves the sharing in the remaining suffering of Jesus. Some Christians in other countries suffer in unimaginable ways in order to proclaim the gospel. We have our own unique forms of suffering. Tim and Andrew are in the midst of their exams. But they took time out to prepare for the Sunday worship service. Tim lost his part time job at a bagel shop in order to worship God in Sunday. Sharing in the suffering of Jesus is the most fundamental meaning of Christian fellowship. God has called us here to proclaim his word among campus students though 1:1 Bible study. I doing so together, we are experiencing some great Koinina.!

Living in Koinina is a lifestyle. Look at verses 5-7, “5This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. 7But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all[b] sin.” False teachers were saying that they can still live in the light and also walk in darkness. The body is going to be destroyed anyway, so who cares? (This is what the Gnostics say.) Walking in the darkness is walking with the devil and walking selfishness. Darkness is the darkness of sin. It is a lifestyle. Sin breaks our fellowship with God and with others. It makes us fatalistic and dark, and robs our lives of meaning. Sin is at the root of most broken relationships with God and with each other. When we are selfish, proud, self centered and thankless and arrogant we can never have fellowship. (even with our pets.) We must overcome and struggle to overcome the darkness of selfishness and pride and struggle to live by the word of God.

The good news is that we don't have to live in the darkness of sin. God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all. (1 John 1:5) God is perfectly holy and pure and he alone can guide us out of the darkness of sin. If we repent before him, he exposes our sin, and the blood of Jesus his Son purifies us from all sin. We can walk joyfully with God in his light. Walking in the light is also a lifestyle. Walking in the light is walking in the truth of Jesus and walking in the footsteps of Jesus. This is fellowship, walking together in the same lifestyle, walking together in the footsteps of Jesus. It involves life together. It involves struggling, laughing, and yes, even crying together. There can be nothing more solid, meaningful, and intimate than this. (Learning, struggling together, having communion, sharing in Jesus’ suffering together.) Common life is a good opportunity to learn the lifestyle of walking in the light. It is also a decision and so let’s decide to walk in the light.

If the darkness of sin hinders Koinina, how can we overcome? Look at verses 8-10, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.” John is countering another claim of the false teachers. Gnostics claimed that people had no natural tendency towards sin. They thought, that in their spirits, they were incapable of sinning. It is a self deception. Practically speaking, they refused to take sin seriously. They felt they had no need to confess and repent. But the truth is that in life, we are always capable of sinning and fall into it constantly. That is why confession is so important. John makes it very clear what confession is. Confession is not just listing our sinful activities. Look at verse8. First we acknowledge sin as sin. This is the first step in bringing us closer to Jesus. Sin brings shame, guilt, and when we confess and repent, humility of heart. We break down our pride and accept the love of God and experience God’s mercy. We taste God’s forgiveness and his grace. This strengthens our fellowship with God. Our foundation of fellowship with God and with each other is confession, repentance and forgiveness.

God wants us to have Koinina to make our joy complete. Verse 4 reads, “4We write this to make our[a] joy complete.” How can our joy be complete? It is linked to proclaiming the Gospel. The most unhappy times in our Christian lives is when we are not proclaiming the Gospel. Lately my joy has been made more complete through my Bible study with Jay and Casandra. I thank you all of your co-working in proclaiming the word of God together here as a team.

Koinonia brings unity among us. God’s desire for our unity us revealed in Jesus’ prayer, “That they may be one as we are one.” (Jn 17:11) God wants to glorify his name though his unified people. The hardest thing in life is maintaining our fellowship with Jesus. If we maintain this Koininia then Jesus’ name is glorified. Through our unity with God and with one another the world will know that Jesus Christ is Lord. One of the most damaging things to our Christian message is not atheists or Islam. It is our own disunity. They must know our unified message, our unified life and our unifying love.

John does not stop telling us how important it is to build up fellowship with Christ and unite with one another. The deepest desire of Christians is to fellowship with God and with one another. There are three C’s in finding and maintaining koinonia, communion, community, and commitment. God wants us to have fellowship with him and with each other. John invites us to walk with Jesus in the light of his love and truth. He wants us to know the real joy of fellowship with God and fellowship with one another, receiving the word and proclaiming it together.