I invite you to turn with me to 1st John chapter 1.

Last week we saw from verses 3 and 4 that John makes the message of Christ, call it doctrine, call it theology. John makes the message about Christ the foundation or the basis of all

significant Christian fellowship. He says, for example, what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you so that you may have fellowship with us in In order to create and nurture deep Christian

fellowship you have to talk about who Christ is and what he has done and what he means to you. Now that's what John begins to do very seriously

in verses 5 through 10. Let's try to get the overall structure here first and then go back and unpack the part that we have time to unpack this morning.

We'll take this as a preparation for the Lord's table instead of trying to rush it all in here and abuse the table.

Three parts, I see, to this text.

First, verse 5 gives the message that Christ has given to John.

God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all. Second, verses six and seven describe

the practical implications of this message and third verses to 10, clarify a possible misunderstanding of these applications.

Verse 5, the Theological Foundation, verses 6 and 7, the Practical Application,

Versus 8 to 10, the Necessary Clarification.

Let's look at them one at a time just briefly.

Verse 5. The Foundation.

This is the message we have heard from him

and proclaim to you that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all.

That's the bedrock, the foundation upon which everything else in this letter is built.

If you don't grasp and experience what it means that God is light,

the rest of this letter probably won't jive it won't click it won't happen in your life

verses six and seven draw out a practical application negatively first and then positively from this theological

foundation in verse 5. First, negatively. If we say we have fellowship with him, while we walk in darkness, we lie.

And do not live according to the truth, or literally do not do the truth.

...