Fellowship with God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ is the central theme, emphasizing that true communion with God is the source of full joy. The sermon explains that entering God's family requires knowing Christ as Savior and that this fellowship is maintained through His ongoing priestly ministry. It further develops the idea that evidence of possessing eternal life is demonstrated through obedience to God's word and walking in love and light, mirroring Christ's own obedient life and walk. The message concludes by highlighting that a Christian's walk should be distinct from the world's, characterized by love, light, and careful, purposeful living.
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as John in his gospel declared, to as many as received him, that is Christ, to them gave him the right, the privilege, the authority to be called, the sons or the children of God, even to them that believe on his name. So may I properly emphasize that you find in this letter, if it is written particularly to the people and the children of God in the family of God. We had the joy of singing in chapter one this past Wednesday night. The dearly beloved apostle presents to us how he got in the family and how his fellow apostles got in the family in chapter one.
And he pointed us back to the coming end of the world of the Lord Jesus Christ When he first came, we heard him. We saw him. We gazed upon him. And we handled him. The person of Christ. Now, beloved, let me say frankly and firmly. You must know the person of Christ as your Savior to be in the family of God. And then John writes, That we were in the family. We are fellowships with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ.
Let me emphasize those words where he writes that. We believe in chapter one, verse three. Our fellowship is with two persons, God the Father, God the Son. Let me ask the question to my heart as well as to yours. Are you and I enjoying fellowship with God, our Father and its Son, the Lord Jesus Christ? Please let me remind my heart and yours too, though it may be repetition.
My fellow believer when you and I get the glory... That's all we're going to be doing. The words of the Lord Jesus, as we quoted, John, verse three, when praying to the Father, he said, This is eternal life, that they may know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. Eternal life. And I'm sure every believer in the Lord Jesus believes that he or she has what?
Eternal life. He that hath the Son hath life. He that hath not the Son hath not life. But the wrath of God abideth on him. And John's subject is our fellowship, is with the Father and with his Son. Now may I emphasize, I need it for my soul as well as you may need it for yours. How much fellowship? How much communion is another word? Do you enjoy with the Father and with his Son? Now, beloved, let me look beyond what we have here in our local gathering.
We have a gathering of fellow believers. But, please, where is our fellowship? Look beyond each other. Together, we who are the children of God, we're to have fellowship with the Father and with His Son, communion. And why? John said, we write these unto you, these things unto you, that your joy might be full. The fullness of joy. The completion of... I mean, I say frankly, bluntly, and I hope you take it in.
The more you enjoy God, the more you enjoy Christ, and the more you enjoy Christ, the more you'll enjoy the Father. And you'll find greater joy in personally knowing, in communion, God the Father, and God the Father. Now may I raise the question to my soul as well as to yours? That's where our fellowship belongs. In the enjoyment of knowing God is my Father. The Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God is my Savior. And that communion, blessed be God, had been brought to me when I came under the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
As we saw in verse seven. And the blood of Jesus Christ his Son. We are fellowship one with another. And the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us. Continually preserves and cleanses us from all sins. Now let me repeat another premise that we made. Don't forget the words of first John one seven at the end of it. The blood of Jesus. Now please let me say again with emphasis. Don't mistake the words. They are written to the children of God. And the truth in all of its fullness belongs to everyone.
The blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanseth us from all sins. Now let me repeat again. Pardon. It may be a repetition. But just give myself as an example. Back in February, nineteen fourteen, I came to the Lord Jesus Christ. I received him as my Savior by faith. I came under for my whole lifetime His precious blood. The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from what?
Was it just the sins of the past few years that I'd lived? God forbid. It's more than that. The sins of my life. And the enjoyment of it. And we found in our scripture that the Lord Jesus himself is called that eternal life. When he was upon the earth, when he was upon the earth, he was eternal life walking upon the earth himself.
When I have him, I have eternal life. When I know him, I have eternal life. And may I add, how long does it last? Just what he says. eternally my beloved let me think again what a joy to realize you have in this chapter the first chapter the fellowship of the believers and the children of God in fellowship with the father and in fellowship with his son and to maintain that fellowship we found that even at the end of the chapter And into chapter two and verse two, the blessed Lord Jesus at the right end of God, he maintains our position and relationship to the Father when we may even sin.
For when you look at the Bible and you look at yourself rightly, don't ever say, even though you're a believer, you can't sin. and may I be very frightened could you point to your life even as a believer that you've sinned that you've lived sinlessly that's not true only one has done that with the joyous singing the Lord Jesus loved our great advocate in heaven with the Father maintains that relationship let me read verses one and two chapter two precious as we read my little children or my dear children is what the apostle is writing to the children of God these things write down to you that you sin not and if any child of God sin to you you put it that way we not the unbeliever we have an advocate, one who pleads my cause, with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous one.
He is the propitiation. He is the one that is the propitiation for our sin, meaning the sins of the believer. And not for ours only. He can save the whole world if they believe on him, as we see from the context. But my beloved, please let me realize this. I've got to realize it. We find that in Him, teach me thy way, O Lord. And this scripture tells me, He brought me into fellowship with the Father, and He brought me into fellowship with the Son when I received the Savior for my own, and came under His precious blood, and proves that even though I may be faithless at times, I...
Now, please, don't know very carefully. The beloved apostle didn't write very carefully in chapter two and verse one. These things write unto you that you sin not. He's not permitting sin. But he says, I'm telling you there's a provision for the believer. At the throne of God, there in the presence of the Father is my Savior. Jesus Christ, the one righteous one. And why is he there? To maintain my relationship. with the Father. Well, you know, I know somebody would like to make it. So do you.
The devil himself. And he's called in the word of God the accuser of the saints of God. The accuser. And my beloved, let me give you this heart. When you and I make sin, he's not slow in accusing of the throne of God. The believer. But there's my Savior. You read John seventeen which was suggested. The prayer of the Lord Jesus. And in that prayer he prayed for all of those who trusted him. Then they were on the earth when he was here. And those who would believe after he left. And in that prayer he said one one thing he said.
He said many things. But one of the phrases he said. I pray that none of them shall be lost. Did he mean it? Would the Father answer that prayer? Please let me say, my fellow believer, you and I don't realize how much we owe to the present priestly ministry of the Lord Jesus at the right end of God. A few weeks ago, a month ago, we studied the epistle of the Ephesians of the Hebrews, rather, the book of Hebrews. And in that book, we found he was our great high priest. And the great intercessor.
And the joy of knowing. That all who come to him. He's going to bring them through. As we found in chapter seven. In verse twenty five. He has delivered. What for? To make intercession for. Now may I say frankly. Bluntly. I need it to. John. And for you and for me. If you're saved. Never faith to pray for you. And if it wasn't for him praying, you'd never be kept saved either. She was, I promise to bring you through.
You that have eternal life. Oh, the joy of Mary. And let me emphasize it in this particular way. The way of salvation. It is a work that is done entirely by God. whereby he saved the poor guilty, lost, held his serving sinner, who possesses her trust in the Lord Jesus and promises to bring them into eternal glory. Your salvation all the way from the past to the future is done by God himself. And what a joy to know the security of it.
Now we want to go to chapter two, but let me read from verse three, if I may. I'd like to read through verse five and go down this portion of the chapter through verse eleven, God willing, where we find some of the tests, the characteristics of what eternal life means to have. Eternal life, eternal life. And John emphasized it. Hereby we do know that we know him if we keep his commandments. He that says, I know him and keepeth none his commandments is a liar, and the truth is none in him.
But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected. Hereby know we that we are in him. I like to emphasize one word before going further. You'll find it begun in the third verse of our chapter, the first time it's mentioned. The word K-N-O-W. No. So no. If you were to read this epistle through and underscore the occasion where you read the word, you know how many times you find the word?
Twenty-seven times. K-N-O-W. And if you read it in the Greek text, there are two words for no in the Greek. You would find a total of forty-two times. No. No. K-N-O-W. And even at the end of the epistle, John says, these things have I written unto you that you may know that you have eternal life. And I want you to notice something in these verses that we have read. The first text of knowing that you have eternal life.
Hereby we do know that we know him if we keep his commandments. He that saith I know him and keepeth. I know John is very blunt. He that if you don't obey God's commandments and say that you have eternal life, you're a liar. And the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word in him, verily, is the love of God perfected, whereby we know that we are in. And in one word. And I want to emphasize it. Proving that I have eternal life is my obedience to my Father and my God.
Obedience. Keep his word. Please, may I emphasize again? You don't think it's the Ten Commandments of Moses that is referring to. It's whatever the Lord tells you to do in the book and through his word. And there are many other things besides the Ten Commandments. And you'll find even in the early church in the book of the Acts. The Lord led them. The Spirit of God led them. As they went along. And you also find too. That you as you look down in verse.
As you go to verse five. You have it emphasized in verse five in the opening. Whoso keepeth his word. Obedience to his word. Now please let me start with this. Now listen carefully. You know how you got saved? You obeyed his word. Yes, you did. Paul, as he wrote to the Romans in chapter fifteen, at the end of it, God sent him to the nations with a message for the obedience of faith.
And the moment you believe in the Lord Jesus, you started keeping his word. Obedient. What is obedience? Can I direct your heart and my heart to the Lord Jesus? Let me quote the words of Philippians chapter two, beginning at verse five. Let this mind be in you. which was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God, thought in not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself a low reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant or a slave, and was made in the likeness of men, and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
He was the perfect, sinless, obedient one when he would hear upon the earth. Let me quote the words of Paul as he writes them in Hebrews five. Though he were a son, speaking of Christ, Though he was the eternal Son of God, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered. The Lord Jesus Christ was never an obedient child before he came to the earth. He didn't need obedience in heaven.
He was God, very God, and His very God, and Creator, sinless and holy, pure and holy. But look, He took upon Him the form of a man, and that's the first time He had to be obedient to God. Tell me, He was equal with the Father. He was equal with the Spirit of God. Co-equal, co-eternal. But he comes down to the earth and that's the marvel of. As we quoted from Philippians and fashioned it from that. He was obedient unto death.
Even the death of the cross. In his heart there was obedience to the Father's will when he came here. In his thoughts, whatever he thought, was obedience of the Father's mind. The words that he spoke, they were in obedience to the Father's direction. And down even to his death. He was obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Now, beloved Lord, When you and I trusted the Savior, we began a life that was to be a life of obedience to God. Can you deny that? Can I deny that? Never. The believer's obedience. You find Paul saying in the book of Romans, in Ephesians rather, we were once the sons of disobedience. And you find Peter writing in his first epistle, Now are we the children of obedience. Now, my fellow believer, I put it right to your conscience and mind. How obedient are you.
How obedient am I to the will of God. You remember Romans twelve, one and two, which we often quote, I beseech you by the mercies of God that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice Holy and acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. Be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, acceptable, and perfect will of God. And obedience to God is the proof I have eternal life.
obedience to his word. Let me give you the thought. You find it from the Ephesian epistle. You may have read it. You read that great epistle of the Ephesian and begin in chapter five and verse twenty-five. Going down to chapter six and verse nine. You've got the Christian family. Now here, let me give an application of this. Here's the Christian family. There's the husband. There's the wife. There's the children mentioned. There are the parents mentioned. There are the servants or the slaves mentioned, if you have any, that work for you, who are in the Christian family.
And the Christian family, the husband, the wife, And as parents and children, to their parents, are to be obedient. Take, for example, what you have in chapter six and verse one, directed to the children. Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Now, may I insert the solemn truth and the sad fact? We're living in days of great disobedience, even from children.
If I read my Bible right, Paul, by the Holy Spirit in Second Timothy chapter three and verse five, declared what would be the condition of professing Christianity at the end before the Lord comes. And he writes, he declares about eighteen different things, nineteen different things. But I'm awesome, he says. And this is what we can note today. Children disobedient to their parents. In other words, there is the spirit of rebellion against any authority. Whether it be the parents. Name it.
In the world today, there is the spirit of disobedience. Magnifying. Growing. Increasing. It's Really what it is, rebellion against God's will. Whatever field it may be in, whether the children. And oh, may we realize that we who are parents are responsibility of then being entrusted with these children. Remember what the Lord said to the parents? Bring them up. Don't hit them down. Bring them up in the nurture and the admonition of the Lord. And the response, and may I point out very carefully, God gave to the parents the responsibility of bringing up the children right.
And however, the children are brought up is a reflection of their parents and their conscience. So likewise in God's family. God's got a family, the whole family, all over the world. One thing he wants, more than anything. And that is obedience. Obedience. Did you ever notice Peter's writing? You find it in first Peter's chapter two, and you find it at the end of his second epistle, chapter three. Peter was very much concerned about God's little children growing.
And in chapter two of the first epistle, he said to the children of the newborn baby, Grow. As newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the word that you may grow thereby. And at the end of the second episode, grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord and Savior, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It takes so many years to grow. The best way the children in the family grow for the bear is when they listen to their parents who give them the right direction as they follow it. The best way in God's family.
Obedient to his word. And follow him. Well, let's go further down the chapter. Reading if I may from verse six through eight. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also to walk. Even as he was. Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which we had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you've heard from the beginning. Again a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you, because the darkness has passed. The true light now shined. He that set is in the light and hateth his brother is in dawn.
Let me stop at verse eight, though. And note very carefully what the dear apostle is speaking about as he opens verse six. He's talking about not the obedience of the believer but the walk of the believer. If he has eternal life. Note these words that he said. He that said he has eternal life in him. On himself also so to walk. Even as he walk. meaning the Lord Jesus. What a responsibility. Obedience.
And now my walk. Meaning my daily life. The walk of my life as I go day by day. Go back with me if you can to the Ephesian epistle. This chapter in the Ephesian epistle. And in the Ephesian epistle. May I point out something to you about the walk of the believer that you have here in the portion of God's word even. Chapter four, verse seventeen. Verse seventeen through nineteen. Note these words that Paul writes to those believers in Ephesus. This I pray therefore and testify in the Lord that ye henceforth walk not as are the Gentiles walk in the vanity of their minds.
Having their understanding dark and being alienated and so on in the blindness of their heart. Don't walk like others walk. Please let me say this. The walk of a Christian should certainly be different from a walk of an unbeliever. His and her daily walk. But go down into chapter five, please. We have more words in chapter five about walking. And they're certainly very necessary. Chapter five in verse two, if you please. Well, go to verse one, put them together. Be ye therefore followers of God as dear children. Here you have it again, on appeal to the children of God, and walk in love.
As Christ also has loved us, and has given him such form as an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling Savior. My beloved, what a responsibility. But it is an evidence. I have eternal life. I remember the words you may have heard them and you may have read them sometimes. I remember as a young fellow reading them. It was often said, your life speaks so loud I can't hear what you say. And that can often be true, can it not?
When one makes a profession, as John writes regarding it in his epistle, if he's saying he walks with the Lord, he must walk in love. But go down the chapter, please, in this fifth chapter of Ephesians. For we have some other references, too. And let me begin reading, if I may, at verse eight. For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord. Walk. As children of light. And what is light? Well, God is light. That's one of the attributes of his being.
And we have come into the light. We know him, Christ, as the light of the world. Walk as children of light. Your walk is in paradise. We used to sing a little chorus in my young Christian days. Shine, shine, right where you are. Send forth a light into the light. Shine for the Lord where you are. Walk in the light. Go further down the chapter, if you please. I think you'll find something else further down. Verse fourteen, go with me there.
Wherefore it says, Awake. Thou that sleepeth in. Arise from the dead. And Christ shall give thee. And may I say very finally, these words were written for a believer to wake up. They might walk in the light. But now know what we have in verse fifteen. Another type of the walk. See then that you walk circumspectly. Carefully. Not as fools. But as wives, redeeming the time because the days of evil and so on. Oh, the responsibility. Walk in love. Walk in the light.
Walk as children of light. And go to Colossians, please. Two books over, further over. Colossians chapter two in verse six. And even Paul writes it as a Colossian. Tell them about their walk and what it should be. In verse six. And read verse seven, if you please. As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him. Rooted and built up in him, established in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. Here you have Paul's faith.
You received the Lord Jesus. Now, please let me say again, The moment you and I trusted Christ as our Savior, that was the first indication of obeying God. You obeyed the gospel. And may I be reminded with you, if you read Second Thessalonians chapter one, when the Lord's coming back in judgment to punish the ungodly, In second Thessalonians chapter one it says it's coming to punish them that obeyed not the gospel. So let me re-emphasize the two facts we try to bring out.
First of all, if I have received Christ as my eternal Savior, obedience should follow. Second, my walk. should be like him and how important that is. But now go down to that chapter in first John chapter two. I'd like to go further down and begin reading if I may at verse nine. He that saitheth in the light and hateth his brother is in darkness even until now. He that loveth his brother abideth in the light and there is none occasion of something in him but he that hateth his brother It's in darkness and walketh in darkness.
And knoweth not whither we goeth because their darkness has blinded his eyes. Though John teaches that eternal life and the security of it for the believer is assured, he's very particular. They make definite statements that if there's not the evidence that God requires that one is alive. Do you notice that? John certainly, as he said in verse nine, if a man say he's in the light and yet he hates his brother, John says he's still in darkness.
He hasn't been saved. He's in darkness even until now. But he that loveth his brother has died away in the light and there's no occasion of stumbling in him. But he that he is his brother is in darkness and walk is in darkness. No one not whither he goes because that darkness has blinded his darkness. Let me just summarize the message for the morning. Chapter one, I'm in fellowship as a child of God with the Father with his Son.
Drawn into that fellowship by the Son and the Holy Spirit. And covered with the precious blood of Jesus. And protected for time and eternity. And even in time, though I may manifest failure in my life. And may I pause and remind you.