The Assembly: Called out company - Fellowship (Part 1)

And before I do that, let me say it's delightful to see so many people here for these Bible readings. Some of us have been coming to these readings for a few years, and I think the brother might confirm with me later, but likely one of the largest companies. So thank you for your effort to be with us, and certainly a welcome on behalf of Mount Sterling.

Shall we pray? Our Father, we thank you for the rich grace that finds us here this morning, the kindness of God, no less. We can't help but think, Lord, of the comfort and the protection of the land and the governments, and think of our fellow believers in the Ukraine today and would commend them to Thee in a very special way. May they know much, Lord, of Thy protection in these very war-torn times.

We commend the work to Thee and the workers and other believers too that we wouldn't even know about. Lord, carrying on for Thyself, we pray for them and the country itself. Lord, in these different nations, may they fear and know themselves to be but man.

Pray that Thou'll remember, Father, as well those that sorrow today. We can't help but think of the Turkington family and would pray for Sandra and the children and the passing of our dear brother Alan. We just commit her to the others too, Lord, who are passing through similar circumstances.

We would pray for them. We've been asked to pray for these meetings, Lord, and Grand Forks, and we pray that Thou'll grant help as they would sow the seed of the Word of God. We thank Thee for the gospel meetings going on in B-Town and those that are attending.

We pray for Brooke today, Lord, that she might be awakened to her need and reached and saved, and others too that are coming. What an encouragement, what a lift it would be to the little company to see God move in salvation. We think the gospel meetings in Garnevillo and those that are attending presently, we commend to Thee and pray that God will work mightily in power and deliver these souls.

Other places too where brethren are reaching out, some local areas where they have been encouraged, and seeing people come to their meetings, we give thanks to God. Remember every testimony represented here today. We commend them to Thee.

We realize these pandemic days have been a real challenge to us individually and corporately as we gather as Thy people. The delight of Thy heart, and so, Lord, we look to Thee and would pray Thy blessing. Remember the government, the land today, and we pray, Father, that Thou give wisdom as they rule and govern, and may they know much of Thy fear would be our prayer.

So look upon us now, grant help to our brother, Sona, as he opens this first reading. We pray in the Savior's name. Amen.

It's good to be with you, and after so long too. Now the subject that we're going to look at, of course, in the entirety of these readings is the local assembly, but we're going to open with the subject of fellowship, and the brethren had expressed a desire to touch on two aspects in the opening, both personal fellowship, which is absolutely essential, to have personal fellowship with God before one can enter into assembly fellowship, and so what we're going to emphasize in this initial reading is going to, in a very real way, provide the basis or the foundation for the rest of the readings to follow. I'm going to touch on in a perfunctory, maybe a periphery way, some of the subjects that we will look on as well in aspects of the assembly, but that will be looked at in more detail later on in readings by our other brethren.

So in this reading, when we have participation on it later on, let's not go too deep. Let's not take anybody else's thunder away and material for later on, but if you'll turn with me please to that book of Acts chapter 2. Acts chapter 2. In looking at fellowship, as you're turning there, there are two aspects of it that we want to emphasize. There is a fellowship of life.

Fellowship of life. Life in Christ. You'll remember that when the Apostle Paul would often address those in assembly fellowship in other epistles, he would begin to those who are in Christ, and in Christ is an expression that is Pauline in nature.

It is also linked specifically with this particular dispensation, but as well it is indicative of the aspect of those who are saved in Christ. But then there is assembly fellowship, which is also now as he brings in, and that's the idea of a fellowship in light. And so the two things go together.

A fellowship of life and a fellowship of light. And so these things you'll notice as we go to Acts chapter 2. They are connected in verse 41 and 42. Verse 41.

Then they that gladly received his word, their salvation, were baptized. There's the next step of identification. And the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

And they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine. There's a fellowship of light. And fellowship here, so that the fellowship, the fellowship, assembly fellowship, is in a great extent based upon the doctrinal teaching of the New Testament.

That's light. And it says, and then in the breaking of bread, that's the expression of that fellowship. And then in prayers, that's how the fellowship is also maintained, by dependence upon God.

And so these two things are brought together in these two verses like bookends. Now let's go over to Romans chapter 6. There's many other passages we could go to, and we will look at some later on as we break the reading up. But Romans chapter 6, and we'll look down at verse 20, well 21.

What fruit had he then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now being made free from sin, became servants to God. You have fruit, your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.

So again he's bringing in what they were, and then what they are now. If you go to verse 17, go backwards for a moment, but God be thanked that ye were the servants of sin, but you have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. And the actual meaning there is that, that it doesn't, that isn't that doctrine was delivered to you, it's that you were actually delivered into the mold of the doctrine.

And so you conformed upon your believing, and then your growth in the Lord, and you've obeyed from the heart so that there is not only devotion, the heart, but there is direction. You have obeyed, and so the two things are linked together. He goes back to when they were saved, and the growth that occurred, and what happened, and it is linked with the teaching that was given.

All growth, all enhancement, all development of our fellowship with the Lord is going to be based on obedience and submission to the teachings of the Word of God. And so let's go a little further to a few more verses. Let's go over to 1 Corinthians chapter 1, 1 Corinthians 1, and verse 1, Paul called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God and Sosthenes our brother unto the church of God, which is at Corinth to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus.

There again is the aspect of that they are saved, called saints, not called to be saints, they are called saints. With all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours. So he brings in the aspect of lordship again.

Grace be unto you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Then he goes on to in verse 8, he writes to the assembly and says, who shall also confirm you unto the end that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful by whom you were called unto the fellowship of his son Jesus Christ our Lord.

Now there's been a great debate over this fellowship. What is this fellowship? Is it personal fellowship? Is it assembly fellowship? Yes, yes, I think that's the answer. Because God's desire for everyone that he saves and brings them into personal fellowship with himself is for his desire to be brought to assembly fellowship.

Because that is the divine showcase of truth and of Christ in this dispensation. And so we have that there as again the two things are brought together. Now let's go over to 1 John chapter 1. 1 John chapter 1. Now as you're well aware this letter is a family, it's called a family epistle.

It is about life in the family but it is also a test for those who say they are in the family, those who say they are his. And so there is profession and possession. There are the tests that are seen and John brings those out because people were saying different things and that did not correspond or correlate to what that life was.

Now just for connection verse 1. That which was from the beginning which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and our hands have handled. He's speaking really of Christ. It says and of the word of life for the life was manifested and we have seen it and bear witness and show unto you that eternal life which was with the father and was manifested unto us.

That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you that ye also may have fellowship with us and truly our fellowship is with the father and with his son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you that your joy may be full. This then is the message which we have heard of him and declare unto you that God is light and in him is no darkness at all.

If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness we lie and do not the truth but if we walk in the light as he is in the light we have fellowship one with another that is with each other and the blood of Jesus Christ his son cleanseth us or keeps on cleansing us from all sin. There is the importance of the maintenance of that fellowship on the part of God. So you have two aspects here.

The maintaining of that fellowship on the part of God on God's side and then the maintaining of that fellowship on our side. If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. And so those are important things we will look at and touch on.

If we say that 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. Now there's many other passages we could look at but for the sake of time and we're not going to do that I'm sure other brethren will bring them out.

Fellowship. What is it? I think when we say that word fellowship it conjures up normally in the minds of people not only saved people but unsaved people as well people getting together people having a good time just commiserating just a camaraderie companionship and that is true in terms of what the world thinks. But the fact of the matter is that God has taken that and elevated it to tremendous heights.

He has brought it up to a level that is in association with himself and that is God's desire. In fact the trinity is a model in a sense for the very aspect of fellowship divine persons and the love that is shared between divine persons and so as we think of that that God is a God of communion a God of relationship a God of intense desire for intimacy and so God extended himself to us in creation first salvation bringing us unto himself. A God of fellowship.

The word in the Greek in the New Testament it's rarely found in the Old Testament maybe two or three times in the Old Testament it's a different idea there but in the New Testament the Greek word had to do with a common sharing and a partnership a joint participation in a communion with among people. It was the word in the common Greek for even business partnerships that where one had to depend upon the other. The Greek word also even has the aspect of the idea of something that is beneficial.

It has the idea of distribution so that it is a dynamic word as well. It's not a word that simply implies just I'm here in this relationship and you know I'm just going to enjoy this. No no no it means everybody pulling their weight everybody working together for the common good of what you are joined to or who you are joined with.

Now when the New Testament brings this word to us it also gives us two aspects. There's fellowship in the family that's the family of God of which everyone who is saved are brothers and sisters. We are linked with a father.

Thank God for that. There's fellowship in the body and we're going to look at that in the local aspect because the local aspect a local church is also called a body as well in first Corinthians 10. That's the idea there and it's referred to in first Corinthians 12 in picture as well and so we have those aspects of the body there.

We have the prayer of the Lord Jesus for us to be brought into fellowship with divine persons. John 17 that they all may be one in us not one of us that could never be true but one in us so that the fellowship that the Lord Jesus desires for us is intensely intimate and it's eternal because it will go on forever and so John 17 that prayer is is is looked at and prayed by the Lord Jesus. It's local it's not just eternal but it is local as well as believers meet together and gather together that's in Acts chapter 2 and so it will continue throughout this dispensation and forever.

Now at this point I'm just going to take a time to give distinctions between personal fellowship and assembly fellowship. They're most important. Number one personal fellowship began the moment you were saved.

The moment you trusted Christ you entered into fellowship with a father. In fact that is the idea of first John 1. As John writes he is saying concerning the father he says I have one son I have my uniquely beloved son my one-of-a-kind son and I love that son and I want you to share in that joy and appreciation that I have for my beloved son and so I will bring you into fellowship with him that you can appreciate him more than just appreciate him this fellowship will bring you into conformity to be like him so that that is the goal of personal fellowship. It's not simply what I can get it's what God wants to make me God wants to develop in me my appreciation of him so that we must begin it is essential while it's difficult to bridge the gap between the two and these in this reading this first reading it is essential that we understand the importance and grasp it of personal fellowship with God.

In fact I'm going to say this I don't want to we emphasize assembly fellowship maybe I love God's assembly and this bible reading will be on that but I want to make this clear new believers especially need to be taught the basics of fellowship with their father that that is overlooked and we seem to want to crowd people into the assembly as soon as possible and emphasize that they need to get their feet under them understand the basics of what the whole their world has been rocked their world has been changed they are now brought into a whole new world of things and so standing in state justification eternal security some of these things that are that really need to be brought out I would suggest bible readings when new converts get added to to to the the as far as the group of people in your circles and so these are very important points I won't spend any more time on that so it begins the moment of salvation assembly fellowship starts after salvation and upon reception into the fellowship of the assembly personal fellowship can be experienced alone I look at one of the greatest books in our bible was written by a man who was totally alone but in fellowship with God John in Revelation on the island of Patmos and so he was enjoying fellowship with God alone assembly fellowship must be experienced with other believers and so there's a great distinction there personal fellowship can be experienced anywhere thank God for that but assembly fellowship can only be experienced where there is an assembly and you are meeting with other believers personal fellowship can never be completely severed never even if a believer is is disobedient there is still that relationship with their father there is still that that can never be completely severed assembly fellowship can be completely severed and so when an individual is put away or disciplined from an assembly excommunicated that fellowship is completely gone there is not an ounce of it left personal fellowship is eternal and will never cease assembly fellowship there is it there is it's for time and there are several ways it can cease it can cease upon death it can cease upon excommunication it can cease upon a person willingly leaving an assembly fellowship to go nowhere or somewhere else and so those are aspects of distinction personal fellowship is a fellowship of life and for the most part it is independent of behavior now what I mean by that is it will always be there it can be developed in behavior but it is always there assembly fellowship is a fellowship of light and life and it is dependent upon doctrine and behavior teaching and behavior so those are some distinctions now again I don't want to make a little bit of a statement here on a number of things we are living in a time in which fellowship with God assembly fellowship is being treated as nothing I think living through this pandemic has been very clear on that I think technology is pretty clear on that let's go back to 2007 you know what happened in 2007 2007 the iPhone was invented and while you may like that iPhone that you use iPhone I love what one person has said he said the iPhone is one of the most selfish technological inventions that was ever was created it seems years ago that what we would do is we would we would use a phone to be able to talk to other people that's the what was the one purpose we had for telephones right now we seem to use it for everything else but talking to other people social media searching the internet and so on and we talk about social networking social networking what it has has allowed people to do and this has spilled over to idea our ideology of fellowship it is spilled over to where we are creating our own personal avatars we are creating our own personal worlds we are we are doing what we want and making this our circle of fellowship and as a result we are losing out we have lost out to a great extent of what God intends for his people to be true fellowship and so that is important not only with each other but with himself someone someone has said the language of friendship has been hijacked and Facebook and other things like this reflect and project a heightened level of selfishness and of childishness and look at what's happening to the church today there's nothing greater to be seen than the worst to be seen rather than than the juvenilization of the church that we are dummying down things and and all of these things are because we are creating our own world and we're losing aspect of the truth of fellowship I think another thing is COVID COVID certainly hurt or at least it was used to hurt and one thing we learned I think very clearly is that churches and fellowship in churches they're not necessary right I mean really they're not necessary marijuana stores they're necessary right abortion clinics they are absolutely necessary bars they're necessary liquor stores they are necessary the church no that's not necessary and sadly that has become imbibed and believed and accepted this bible reading and I pray that the rest of the bible readings will do one thing that we will not miss the aspect brethren in all of our bible readings and I speak to my good brethren do not miss the aspect of fellowship what that what the church is to be what our personal relation to god the father is to be that is the overarching underpinning of everything that we do and have and so those are just some things we also have things assemblies are I noticed too in terms of fellowship we want to emphasize in the fact of these readings that this fellowship is with the father that it is based on his saving us and our submission to his truth in terms of assembly fellowship so that we have assemblies now that are interested in in branding I can't believe branding and assembly they want a special brand they want a logo they want this is not about us brethren this is about him it's about christ and so I don't know why we missed that but anyway that's just a number of things we're interested in technology we're interested in what the media thinks and so on and a number of these things and one thing I think we need to emphasize too is as we go from personal fellowship and I will just begin getting into this outline now is that when it comes to the church the church is not for unbelievers the church is for believers and so if we try to make the church the assembly palatable to the world and acceptable to the world we are missing the point we are to reflect a world that is absolutely distinct from this world in its values and its desires in its longings and its behavior in its kindness and its sacrifice and its love our love is supremely to show what God is like and we do that in our fellowship one with another personally with God our father and by assembly fellowship too and so with that I'll just I'll just sit down and I will start with the aspect of personal fellowship now there are there are three types of fellowship that we're going to look at very quickly and then about around 11 o'clock I'm going to shift and we're going to look at two different scenarios to go to assembly fellowship but we have personal fellowship we have interpersonal fellowship and then we have assembly fellowship so personal fellowship is my personal fellowship as a child of God with my father and so the first point I want to notice is really what is the the meaning of this what what are we actually entering into uh in the aspect of personal fellowship with God we we want to help there's a lot of younger believers here too and we want to be a help to them and so brethren we let's let's uh try to keep our comments short simple and succinct you gave us a definition of fellowship frank of being a joint participation in assuring in common um and it is amazing to think is it not that if we're called into the fellowship fellowship with God to share in common with God God is holy and I am not and yet he brings us into a fellowship where we are sharing in his holiness it's amazing really that could be developed in many different ways so does that have to do with the aspect first of all of what he has made me in terms of sanctified that's why Paul begins to the Corinthians them who are sanctified I appreciated your comments and opening brother frank and referring to the pattern whether it is fellowship or what we're going to consider we have in this book a pattern that is perfect never less than perfect the fellowship between divine persons is perfect however the people aren't but we do seek to hold that pattern we don't change that pattern to fit accommodate our imperfections we are we are the material if you like but not the pattern so what we see today is people trying to accommodate something that suits them it's me you see birds we have to come back to the pattern so we we have that clearly laid out don't we that that goes back really one thing I neglected to bring out the emphasis is a called out company so that whether as individuals who are saved we are called out from the world we are in the world obviously but we are not of the world anymore we have been now linked with another world we were of our father the devil previously now we are of god our father so there is a distinction there so whether the individual or the local company we reflect a called out character what is it what's the mechanism that calls us out what's the means so would you say perhaps that one of the reasons why believers have eternal life is to partake of divine nature so that we can have fellowship without that life we're not capable of enjoying that interaction and realizing the blessings of that relationship that we have with god we had to have eternal life to be able to participate so that goes back to brother williams question then really it links together that that the what is the means is number one is the spirit of god the holy spirit of god in christ so that you have that defined for us in peter as he bring links together the three aspects of the godhead sanctifying the individual bringing him unto himself bringing her unto himself so the spirit of god the work of christ and the the uh really the power of by the father administrating over all of this as presented in the gospel the gospel we have been called out from the world we heard the gospel it was a call to our hearts right and the gospel is not i mean it saves us from hell thank god for that but the primary aspect of the gospel was to bring us to god amen i was just thinking brother just a very simple question and a comment for the younger as well so this this fellowship this communion that we've been brought into is that the same for god's desire for you as for someone that might have got saved at the age of six is there a difference of fellowship or is it the same you develop that scott go ahead it's the same we're all in christ that's where it starts sometimes we get the idea that god is more interested in the preachers oh because they're they're preaching more interested in whatever but when i go to john for what's the purpose of this whole fellowship father seekest us to worship him so we get so focused on activity what a person is doing therefore that must mean they are tremendously in fellowship with god but that personal as you're trying to emphasize me worshiping god is what everything springs from that can happen at any age so so let's just take a simple illustration why do people who are and i know it's a different meaning theologically but why do people adopt a child okay we talk about the bible speaks about adoption they adopt them for two reasons they adopt them number one for the good of the child and they adopt them so that they will get joy from that child as well and so in that same way that's the truth of being saved of god bringing us into his family he wants us that's what john writes that your joy may be full but that god himself as the father has a joy from that for all those who are saved yeah that thought of adoption goes to what our brother joel was bringing in about life um adopting parents today can't put their life into that child but that's what god has done with us good good and has formed literally in actuality a fellowship because we share in his life okay so let's let's sorry brother i'm just going to say the gospel is so important it all begins with the gospel amen and i'm nothing and christ is everything and that should continue not just something so it's very important and even i know you read in in x2 they receive them gladly some manuscripts don't have gladly in it because i think i'm not saying you're not glad when you're saved but there needs to be conviction and and that's so important the light gospel produces light christians but we need to really keep the good old gospel going and and and if we keep that in our mind it's not just something in the past i'm saved but christ is everything so so very clearly then the basis of this personal fellowship is salvation i think that's very simple we understand that and so everyone that's saved enters into that that that realm of fellowship with god that's that's that's the basis now what about the motive in terms of fellowship with god we have it i mentioned it was from god's side and from our side and john brings that out in his epistle so what about the motive from from god's side that's what i was just going to say well i appreciate what you're saying about the gospel as source of that but it begins with god you see that's why first corinthians says god is faithful who have called you to the fellowship of his son john speaks of the father fellowship not with god but with the father we fellowship with the father he takes us into the family but paul is taking these corinthians back to the beginning of it all whether it is the gospel or my god is the source of it yeah and i think it's six times in the first chapter as he opens that letter to the corinthians of all people he uses a word he says remember you're calling you're calling now to have a calling you have to have someone who calls and someone who calls is the initiator of it that's god so on god's side his desire is to call us to bring us unto himself the fact that we're called into the fellowship of his son it's true uh true of all but at corinth they were different fellowships i think that's why he really emphasizes that there's some that were following man but if we're really saved and we have an appreciation for christ we won't follow man so that's another motive that ultimately we will follow his beloved son not no factions no names no groups and again that spills over into local church truth no other name out of his name right and we'll get into that with matthew 18 and so on so so that's the motive from god's side so first of all i think if we put it in order if you want to do it this way the first is love god so loved the world yeah that you know how can we explain that there is no explanation for the heart of god why would he love us but he did and then the second thing is god desires intimacy that's that's that's that is an unbelievable thing that the god who existed forever desires intimacy communion and we should desire that too and then the third third reason would be conformity because so we could be conformed to the image of his son so on god's side those things are seen what about from our side now well there's the receiving of the word acts too they they received the word whether they did it gladly or not but they received it but that that happened in a moment of time when they believe what peter was preaching amen right but isn't that just a threshold into a life of receiving the word and being receptive to it and to be be obedient to it romans chapter 6 obeying from the heart so it's not just a date and a calendar it's a characteristic of life that that life is going to be governed by the word of god so then you you can't separate the importance of the word of god at any point it's what brought salvation and the level of my understanding obedience to the word of god will allow that communion fellowship to grow and grow so what we're getting today are people trying to reinvent the wheel no no no i'm gonna i'm gonna experience god this way but god has never changed his pattern of how we learn him it's the word of god and that's that's great on an academic level and that's good we understand that but what you know what what's going to motivate me to want that because at the at the foundation of everything even before conviction has to be desire yeah so so what is going to to motivate me then well oh sorry go ahead i was going to suggest in romans 12 paul brings before them the mercies of god that was a motivating factor for them to present their bodies as as a living sacrifice which is your reasonable service yeah yeah then the whole thing based on there's no there could be no pentecost if there's no calvary so calvary has it it's all based on the death of christ and our appreciation of that isn't it so then it's literally really we have to think about these things it's not it's not it's not a matter of just reading them and pulling out a page on a calendar we actually have to weigh out what is of value we have to make decisions there has to be there has to be choices and and we are living in a day and age especially with where everything is so passive we are just allowed to just it just just almost absorb things by osmosis you know or just we're being amused we want again technology cell phones television entertainment this requires thought it requires thinking and so that's important we're not doing that maybe for the weekend brother you could just give me your cell phone i'll look after well you called me before i don't know what i didn't answer it okay so we've got the motive then from god's side our side now the means so we've looked at now on a surface level word of god these basic things but what about now putting them into definitive practice in shoe leather how can we actually take these things that we're talking about now and put them in and and present them to all of ourselves to develop so i'll give you a couple of them so there's desire okay we had that at the base thinking about things weighing out putting the value on things esteeming but there's taking the time to commune with god to actually talk with god uh obedience then obeying what we have worship prayer these are found in acts 242 right there and what these early believers developed it so then just to your point that shows the discipline that we need we need to structure our individual lives so that i have time to read i have time to think to meditate on these but we as you said we end up being so passive where we allow everything to jam into our lives and then we wonder why we're sitting in morning meeting but nothing to worship because i haven't developed that habit of systematically reading and praying every day so these are these are simple things but we always got to keep going back to the foundation they continued steadfastly they were continually abiding in the apostle's doctrine they were in it that's right and i i would assume that when those believers would come to a bible reading that would be apparent yeah amen yeah so that means that i am going to not only have to say yes but i'm going to have to say no i'm going to have to say no to time spent on youtube okay i am going to have to you know i'm going to have to uh 12 mile rabbit trails okay that going and all of a sudden i think wow it's midnight what they have actually done studies and studies have shown that the average high school student spends nine hours on their cell phone on their mobile they're on the internet a day nine hours okay that's crazy okay and and then to think if even if half that time were spent then we come to the assembly we don't have anything we come to god we don't have anything i'm gonna have to say no to my friends friendships i'm gonna have to say no to certain friends even certain associations that are going to bring me down and so these are practical things that we have to weigh out it's important to desire is one thing but determination is another remember it says of those early believers they determined it's interesting to notice that i mean i'm sure that if everybody that desired to come to the mount sterling bible readings were here we couldn't hold them all who's here those that were determined when it comes to it uh assembly attendance um most would if they're in the assembly fellowship would desire they don't make it why no determination brody i can tell you're getting ready to tell us something here give us help there needs to be affection yes isn't there yes and that's why i think it's good for young believers to to read the gospels this is the one that suffered and bled and died to save you don't we want to know more about the person that we love and then we can get into the epistles and we'll have an affection not a matter of reading 50 or 20 chapters a day or i mean you could read it all all day long but to really have affection and want to get something that i can follow and the in corinthians is god's assembly and it represents god christ represented god he's gone now we're here to represent him and think of the love that the son had for the father and if we have that love then i think that's where it all begins is with affection and that ties in really with what i was saying earlier about love that love is the fountainhead because the word in our bible for love agape is literally a love of esteem it's a love of placing the value on something over above other things so love not the world neither the things that are in the world that means that i do not esteem those things i do not in fact i count them as an enemy that's what he says so i esteem the things of god higher i give them place i think brody was going to say something i'm not sure if i was but uh all of these things could be summed up in the experience of the children of israel being taken out of egypt right now some may have missed it on the way by but williams opening comment was god is holy and i am not and then frank followed that up with god sanctifies us so the word sanctification or to be sanctified is equivalent to the word holy so in order for that relationship to begin god has to sanctify them he takes them out positionally from egypt and then he provides a way to practically sanctify them so to maintain that communion but to to really sum it up god's desire was that they would serve him worship him and commune with him and he performed the the initial sanctification and gave them the means whereby to maintain it very good but when you come to your uh first john passage it's two-sided the maintenance isn't it because god's provided the blood and they have to confess their sins okay and that provides a segue moving on to the next one the maintenance of it and this maintenance will embrace both myself as an individual and others in relation to me on an interpersonal basis because god has saved others too so that we can work together and we can help each other all right so the maintenance of that say again um in relation to myself if we confess our sin we are he is faithful and just to forgive us our sin one of the great things that will chip in and and go and and really destroy fellowship with god is sin that's right because god is holy now that holiness embraces many things it embraces in in the sense of the character of god what he loves what he hates and so both of those are true so what does it mean to confess our sins just before you comment on that brother frank it's a very simple um point but it's it's most significant you you said that first john isn't a family right where does it all start chapter one confession of sin confession of sin in my life is an evidence that i'm in fellowship with god don't miss that dear child of god why did we take so long to get saved because we resisted admitting we were sin sinners so here in my christian life the devil doesn't mind a person reading the bible but don't let it shine light see so that's why he oh he'll find time to read but don't spend too much time thinking about it but when i come to my god this is what keeps me in in a good relationship with you is where i'm first with god allowing that light to oh lord i'm weak if i understand that i'll not be so critical of your weaknesses because it's springing from my own understanding so yeah isn't that why before the upper room discourse really takes place the lord is washing their feet defilement frank you asked about uh what is the confession of sin and maybe to get the ball rolling on that it's more than just saying i'm sorry i think the entire thrust of confession is that i am going to confess that what god sees as sin yes i see a sin i name it and i take sides with god against it right yeah it's it's the outgrowth of that life that we've obtained amen that produces likeness to god it's really thinking the thoughts of god after him amen it's agreeing with god as to what my behavior really is as sinful and it goes beyond the the confession something you know i'm sorry it actually develops into a repentance there's a turning from it that's right or it was an empty confession right abhorrence that's right when it comes to loving one another that should be instinctive if someone were saved i don't have to try to to love you frank i do love you oh you know it's not something that i'm trying to work it's because you're both you you're my brother you're that's right you know we're all in the same fellowship so when it comes to it's a great thing that we love sinners too when we preach the gospel that's why we preach why do we minister the word because we love the lord's people and want to help them and we want to be helped ourselves same as bible readings the love of god is shared abroad in our heart so it shouldn't be too difficult to uh to love one another yeah but there were there are things that will plug that that will stop that right that will hinder that flow that outflow all right we have everlasting life and that is seen in christ himself in the gospels and then we have the epistles to help us to live in view of that eternal life it's not that we're we all know some seem to think i'm not going to hell and that's the big thing all about it that's only well salvation is just the beginning that's right isn't that so we need to be like christ but we're human and we sin so we confess our sin tom were you i'd just like to say that in verse nine of first john chapter one we are the ones that do the confessing if we confess our sins at that point i'd like to say i don't think you have to get on your knees 10 times and confess the thing over 10 times 100 times i think you confess it and you do it in a very sincere way and it is as we heard on agreeing with god god says this is wrong i i confess and i agree with god that it's wrong but then we have the confessing but also we have the cleansing amen and it is he who cleanses us and it is something we can't do but he does the blood of jesus christ god's son cleanses us from all sins we use in the gospel but it's primarily in context for those of us that are in the family we're part of the family and and the way are the reason why he can cleanse us is because he's faithful and he's just it's not something that's swept under the rug as it were are just turned away it's based on his faithfulness and it's based on who he is as the just god and thankfully when that sin is dealt with it's gone yeah it's forgotten and i think that's the way we get the rejoice we rejoice in it and the cleansing of sin and the confessing of sin is is almost a relief it's something that we can do with satisfaction knowing that god has made me he brought me in that fellowship again with himself yeah so that sorry can i cut someone off oh i'm just with traffic traffic jam here okay you follow just just want to pick that up quickly so the devil and the flesh within love to use the guilt complex you keep confessing the same sin over oh i feel because the flesh within doesn't want you to enter into the truth of the word of god right and then what then what we do is we beat ourselves allow the word of god to cleanse you i'm just taking god at his word and just a little comment what you said god actually chooses to put it out of his mind hebrews and then here i am coming back to god confessing the very same sin i honestly believe god's look at me going what are you talking about scott it's not in my mind it shouldn't be in your mind but we've got we got to learn these lessons young the flesh within has never and will never be affected by the blood of christ it's a built-in enemy and we've got to take the word of god against sometimes our own thinking which is often so so what it the flesh wants the facts it took me years to overcome that confession sure sure and that's like a dog chasing his tail because you can't do much for god going like that right but but the problem is again we are looking within and so if we're going to borrow a phrase from gensaki if i'm going to circle back okay and look at and look at chapter two where he begins in chapter one he begins with christ an acceptance of christ he begins that which we have seen that which we have handled that which we've heard right it's christ so then after he says god is faithful how is he faithful why is he faithful he's faithful on the basis of the acceptance of his son it's the propitiation and so again it goes back to my appreciation for christ if that is full if that is warmed then i won't look at self i won't be occupied with i'll be occupied with him and that will actually keep me and preserve me and so it works with in conjunction with that go ahead will you okay um i had a question on verse seven of first john one if a believer sins can it be said they're in the light in verse seven that's a sphere of our fellowship we are in the light yeah yeah it's it's not a matter of you go out of the light in the light you know it that's not what he's saying so instead of if since we walk in the light god has put us there that's right yeah because god is light right right so it's the thought too of the enjoyment of that you know that's really what has been disturbed okay the godward side is all settled but now it comes to me to enjoy it so somebody said to mr darby what happens if you turn your back to it he says well it shines on your back but you don't want to get into a lot of things but in the next chapter you know there's a progression in the christian life isn't it yeah and if you become a father it's because you're occupied with them nothing greater the key word in that chapter is abiding isn't it yeah so so so then to move on a little bit brother we need to but did you have one thing to say brody no it would just be at the beginning you said we're not going to steal the thunder from the other readings but a very practical thought is much of what our brother tom is going to be dealing with when it comes to the discipline in the assembly not all but much could be avoided if a brother would just admit he was wrong right and confess so looking at these things then again just to emphasize uh before we go to one last point my desire being occupied with christ that then focuses on my intelligence in the scriptures my understanding if i don't spend time in the scriptures to think about what they're saying meditation communion i will become a miserable christian i will become an ineffective believer and yes i am his child but i will be a poor example of my father and his family so this is a very large picture and i'm glad while it's difficult to put them together i'm glad that that the personal fellowship was emphasized because when it comes to assembly testimony as long as we don't do the the biggies you know uh we're okay you know and we can come week after week we can sit we can even take part but what about pride what about anger what about hypocrisy what about looking down at others in not only in the assembly but even in the family of god feeling we are superior to them because we're in the assembly and they're not and that this is my brother this is my sister there are good thank god there are good believers and you know and i say that don't shine me you know and and they are you know those that we should love so yeah i'll have a good humor please can i have sorry no frank you missed the unsaved the unsaved too yeah yeah but but we're talking about the family here that's what i'm saying but if we look down on the unsaved it's a big problem because we want them to be saved that's and that's a huge problem yeah by this shall all men know you're my disciples and that you have love one for another so that is the fact that if i'm out of fellowship with my brethren and sisters i'm out of fellowship with god yeah yeah yeah and members in my own then natural family i can treat my children terribly i can be a father that just treats my my children maybe i could be a husband that treats my wife with disdain and just as an object to do my bidding and i or i can be a wife that looks down on my you know all of these things really will affect our fellowship with god and yet we tend to minimize those because we're just we're in the assembly now so i want to that's why i'm good i'm glad we did so so just just before you leave because i know you want to jump yeah do we learn in the truth of the advocacy of christ the advocate brought in here coming back to the very first thing we started with the importance of this relationship to christ himself i'll say this in this way when we commit sin as believers god christ doesn't leave us alone and kind of waits for me to come to an understanding that i've disapproved him that's the truth of the advocate that's the washing of the feet there's something uniquely only christ can do psalm 23 he restores my soul so that relationship when it's impeded by sin christ actually comes to me and starts to work why wanting to bring me back in that we find that hard to understand why would god miss my fellowship see that's what we mean to him so when i eventually get to the point where i acknowledge say the same thing that is a proof that the advocate has been doing his work and i'm just allowing that to work for me didn't the lord want the brethren to wash the feet before he did it i i don't take that no but want them to well peter peter said for example no not my feet only but right wasn't he before he washed the feet he wanted the disciples to be washing each other's feet in that portion well he said that then he gave him an example to do and that's where i want to touch on right now but did you have one thing just one quick thing i have no idea what another believer's fellowship with god is like but i do know this i don't expect to be any different than his fellowship is with his fellow brethren right so i i as you see the manifestation of my fellowship of god what's my fellowship like with my brother that's what that's what he's teaching and now now to bring that in and go from feet washing because as i have given you an example right you do to others now turn with me to galatians 6 for a moment galatians 6 and verse 1 so we've looked at now as far as my own responsibility and on my side of the maintaining of this fellowship we've looked at it on god's side but what responsibility do individuals bear outside of like my brethren in in seeking my fellowship with god so verse one of chapter six and it's interesting because this is a group of people that were being told to depend on the outward the external if they had no one was they had all the right marks all ahead but he says brethren if a man be overtaken in a fault ye which are spiritual restore such a one in the spirit of meekness considering thyself lest thou also be tempted so maybe someone could unpack that verse for me and help us out in terms of what is my responsibility and how do i know if i'm spiritual how do we know who qualifies people to do this he doesn't say legal people will help restore them it's the person that's spiritual and i think the example of this is seen in abraham and lot when lot was taken captive abraham brought him back again he was restored and and of course they lest you also be tempted abraham wouldn't partake of any of the the goods frank is spiritual defined for us in the previous chapter the fruit of the spirit excellent that's right so that this all goes back to the definition of the fellowship it is not something that is tribal it is not something that is ethical it is not even something that is moral it is not something that is theological it is something that is spiritual it is in the spirit and so the holy spirit the character of god the very development of the fruit of the spirit what would the fault be you ever thought about that i mean there's certain things that people do they need to be disciplined and so on i wondered and i'm just telling you what my brain says it may be all wrong but it could have been that he's occupied with the law you know that's the subject of galatians and maybe he's all about the anyhow he's restored back so he's a believer you need to be restored so so the idea here in this is a person who is caught in a snare right he's like a trap he stumbles you know so something has been attractive something has been uh appealing something has been maybe even he's he's concerned him occupied himself with and now it has become something else it has taken him away from what is spiritual sorry i was gonna say you don't go to him like you're uh you're something you're all right and you're you know and look down on him but in the spirit of meekness amen we all can be overtaken by faults so we need to keep that in mind and just go with a love for the brother and try to bring him back every true believer should be bearing the fruit of the spirit and all those aspects in chapter five and so there will be a desire to draw alongside a brother that has been overtaken by a fault that feeds into what tom will be bringing out to seek to restore if we if we appreciate the advocate then we should be in that same spirit shouldn't we yeah the idea of the word restore i think means to repair net so something is broken and i think what's broken here is the fellowship that you've been talking about and so the other individual there's two things that he has to be he has to be marked by meekness and he has to be marked by consideration and he also has to be marked by humility lest that he himself be tempted so those that spring from the fruit of the spirit and the fountainhead of this all again is love love for that brother or that sister uh and you know if it's if it's sisters you know i would encourage two sisters to to try to help other sisters right like that is a great field you know and and and there's there's so much that is that is not modeled in the world and so older sisters for younger sisters we have that example in titus older men for younger men we need this you know this is so important i know it's a different field in a sense we're not getting into restoration but we're getting out of restoration but even mentoring helping you know encouraging we need that we don't have that as we should and we're small enough as it is so it's such a such a needed important thing