This past Sunday, I began a series called Living Life Together where we’ll be looking at the book of 1 John and how John encourages his congregations to live together in love.  I’ll be posting outlines on here the week after the sermon.
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Sermon:    Fellowship of the King
Scripture:  1 John 1:1-4

Background information on 1 John

• written to John’s congregations in Turkey and around Ephesus
• John’s congregation are facing a schism- unorthodox teaching has infiltrated the church
• Mainly- teaching that denies the deity of Jesus Christ
• John writes to remind the congregation that Jesus is God and about how to live and love one another.

John’s Authority:

• John reminds his congregation that he spent significant time with Jesus- experiencing all that Jesus did in his ministry.  John had first hand knowledge.
• The Word of Life that John speaks of is Jesus Christ- God in flesh who has “moved into the neighborhood.”

Jesus is the Reason:

• John reminds his readers that Jesus is the reason for all he does. 
• John proclaims salvation with authority.

Called to Community:

• The reason John proclaims salvation through Jesus is so that all people might enter into fellowship with God and God’s church.
• Fellowship means to “have something in common” such as a shared experience or labor.
• As Christians, our common salvation through Jesus Christ is what binds us together.
• That fellowship is never closed- like John, we are called to proclaim salvation so that others might enter into community with God through Jesus Christ.