Fellowship with Jesus
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Introduction
Introduction
Last week we continued our Journey through 1 John by looking at John’s admonition that we walk in Fellowship with God. A concern of John's first epistle is that we have fellowship with the Father and the Son:
What we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so you may have fellowship with us. Indeed, our fellowship is with the Father and His Son, Yeshua the Messiah.
We discovered previously that he began by stressing the basis upon which we may fellowship with the FATHER -
Now this is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you—that God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with Him and keep walking in the darkness, we are lying and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of His Son Yeshua purifies us from all sin.
If we say we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.
My children, I am writing these things to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an Intercessor with the Father—the righteous Messiah Yeshua. He is the atonement for our sins, and not only for our sins but also for the whole world.
Walk in the light as He is in the light
Confess our sins, don't deny that we have sin
Make use of our "advocate" and "propitiation", Jesus Christ the Righteous
But what about fellowship with the SON? In our text (1Jn 2:3-6), John now describes how we can "know" that we have fellowship with Jesus Christ
A key phrase in this passage is “We know that we are in Him by this..."
Now we know that we have come to know Him by this—if we keep His commandments.
But whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God is truly made perfect. We know that we are in Him by this—
In other words, "here is how we can be sure". And John's first point is...
By this We Know that We “Know” Him
By this We Know that We “Know” Him
Now we know that we have come to know Him by this—if we keep His commandments. The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God is truly made perfect. We know that we are in Him by this—
How We can be Sure We Have Fellowship with Jesus
How We can be Sure We Have Fellowship with Jesus
Identifying the "Him" of this passage
Is it God or Jesus? The Father or the Son?
In light of the context, it is Jesus the Son of God .
My children, I am writing these things to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an Intercessor with the Father—the righteous Messiah Yeshua. He is the atonement for our sins, and not only for our sins but also for the whole world.
whoever claims to abide in Him must walk just as He walked.
This fits in well with John's overall aim in this epistle.
What we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so you may have fellowship with us. Indeed, our fellowship is with the Father and His Son, Yeshua the Messiah.
He has described the basis for fellowship with the Father
Now he discusses the basis for fellowship with the Son
What it means to “know” Jesus
As frequently used by John, the word “know” {ginosko} denotes a knowledge that comes by experience, by sharing experiences in life together
In this sense, it implies that "fellowship" (sharing, communion) has taken place
We can be Sure, “If We Keep His Commandments”
We can be Sure, “If We Keep His Commandments”
Fellowship with Jesus is dependent upon keeping His teachings .
He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me. He who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and reveal Myself to him.”
Judah (not the one from Kriot) said to Him, “Master, what has happened, that You are about to reveal Yourself to us and not the world?”
Yeshua answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling with him.
If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.
The person who claims to "know" (have fellowship) with Jesus, and does not keep His commandments...
The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
That person is just like the one who claims to have fellowship with the Father while walking in darkness!
If we say we have fellowship with Him and keep walking in the darkness, we are lying and do not practice the truth.
But the person who keeps the words of Jesus, the “love of God” is perfected in him!
This “love of God”...
Is it God's kind of love?
We have come to know love by this—Yeshua laid down His life for us, and we also ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. But if someone has material possessions and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?
Is it God's love for us?
The love of God was revealed among us by this—that God sent His one and only Son into the world so that we might live through Him.
Is it our love for God?
We know that we love God’s children by this—when we love God and obey His commandments. For this is the love of God—that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.
I suspect John is referring to our love for God, for the context concerns keeping the commandments of Jesus
Such love for God is "perfected" (made whole, complete) only when we keep the commandments of His Son!
“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.
He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me. He who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and reveal Myself to him.”
Yeshua answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling with him.
So, we can be sure that we “know” Jesus, that we are in fellowship with Him, and that we have perfected our love for God, ONLY if we are keeping the commandments of Jesus!
To stress the point even further, John continues by point out...
By This We Know We are “in” Him
By This We Know We are “in” Him
whoever claims to abide in Him must walk just as He walked.
Here is How We Can be Sure We are Abiding in Jesus
Here is How We Can be Sure We are Abiding in Jesus
The word "in" (5b) is parallel to the expression "abides in" (6a)
"Abiding in Jesus" is described by Jesus Himself as similar to a branch abiding in the vine.
Abide in Me, and I will abide in you. The branch cannot itself produce fruit, unless it abides on the vine. Likewise, you cannot produce fruit unless you abide in Me.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for apart from Me, you can do nothing.
There is a union, or attachment, between the branch and vine
From this union comes a communion, or sharing
So again, we are discussing the idea of having fellowship with Jesus
We Can be Sure, If We “Walk Just as He Walked”
We Can be Sure, If We “Walk Just as He Walked”
The person claiming to "abide in Jesus" (or to have fellowship with Him) should “walk” (live) just as Jesus did!
For only those who follow His words are truly His disciples. Jn 8:31
Then Yeshua said to the Judeans who had trusted Him, “If you abide in My word, then you are truly My disciples.
And those who are His disciples will become like their Teacher.
A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.
Such is the goal of discipleship, and of God's scheme of redemption itself!
For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
Understanding and applying this truth should have powerful ramifications in how we live.
Conclusion
Conclusion
We learn from John, then, that the key to knowing that we have fellowship with Jesus is understanding the difference between “talking” and “walking”
Anyone can say that they know Jesus, that they abide in Him
But those that really know are those who...
KEEP His commandments
WALK just as He walked
Do you really know Jesus? Are you in fellowship with Him, where there is eternal life and fullness of joy?
Have you kept the commands of Jesus? Let me list a few (though not all) just to see where we stand with some of the basics.
His commands concerning faith, repentance and baptism.
And Yeshua came up to them and spoke to them, saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, immersing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Ruach ha-Kodesh,
He told them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the Good News to every creature. He who believes and is immersed shall be saved, but he who does not believe shall be condemned.
Peter said to them, “Repent, and let each of you be immersed in the name of Messiah Yeshua for the removal of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Ruach ha-Kodesh.
Now why are you waiting? Get up and be immersed, and wash away your sins, calling on His Name.’
His commands to observe ALL that He commanded, including those revealed through His apostles.
teaching them to observe all I have commanded you. And remember! I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
They were devoting themselves to the teaching of the emissaries and to fellowship, to breaking bread and to prayers.
If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, let him recognize that what I write to you is the Lord’s command.
How you answer reveals the truth regarding your relationship with God, and your hope for eternal life!
Let Us Pray
