The Word of Life
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— 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. And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

Walking in the Light
This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But 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 cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

1 John 1:1-10

1. The Joy of the Lord: Its Source in Our Lives
   1. The Lord Jesus – 1 John 1:1-3, John 15:11, John 17:13
   2. The Spirit of God – Acts 13:52, Rom. 14:17, Rom. 15:13, Gal. 5:22, 1 Thess. 1:6
2. The Joy of the Lord: Its Presence in our Lives
   1. Contentment – Phil. 1:21-26, Phil. 4:10-11
   2. Worship
      William Temple, the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1942-44 defined worship, “To worship is to quicken the conscience by the holiness of God, to feed the mind with the truth of God, to purge the imagination by the beauty of God, to open the heart to the love of God, to devote the will to the purpose of God.”
   3. Strength – Nehemiah 8:10
3. Joy-Filled Fellowship with God: Our Responsibilities
   1. A life of obedience – 1 John 1:7
      1. Living our lives by the light of the written Word – Psalm 119:105
      2. Living our lives by the example of the Living Word – John 13:12-17
   2. A life of sincerity – 1 John 1:9
      1. Agreeing with God concerning sin – Rom. 7:7-12
      2. Turning to God from confessed sin – 2 Timothy 2:19
4. Joy-Filled Fellowship with God: His Responses
   1. The exercise of His covenant faithfulness -1 John 1:9, Jer. 31:34
   2. The maintaining of His Holy Character – 1 John 1:9, Rom. 3:21-26