Communion with Our Father
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Communion:
Communion:
Pass the Plates
Protect the Table
14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. 15 I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. 16 The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? 17 Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. 18 Consider the people of Israel: are not those who eat the sacrifices participants in the altar? 19 What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? 20 No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons. 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. 22 Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?
Participation in Christ’s Body and Blood
Participation not in Idolatry
Partake of the Elements
23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
Introduction:
Introduction:
Where we’ve been:
Blessings of our adoption—
We now have many gifts of Sonship...
Prayer
Provision
Pity/Protection
Punishment
Possessions
Where we’re headed:
Living in light of our adoption—
Holiness
Spirit Help
Generosity
Love
Today—
In summary…
what has adoption (our being born again) achieved for us...
how has adoption (our having a new Father) affected how we live.
Communion/Fellowship
The ultimate product of our being justified,
The fuel with which we are sanctified to love and obedience.
Prayer:
Prayer:
Text:
Text:
1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
We are children of God
God made this so out of His love for us
Fundamentally, we are children because we “know” God…and the world does not.
Ginosko - to know experientially and often relationally
Earthly Fathers desire their children, and children desire/need their Fathers.
But we have bad dads, absent dads in the world.
But we can’t perceive God with our senses.
1 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— 2 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— 3 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. 4 And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.
Our focus—Communion (here fellowship)
Textbook—Generally
2842. κοινωνία kŏinōnia, koy-nohn-ee´-ah; from 2844; partnership, i.e. (lit.) participation, or (social) intercourse, or (pecuniary) benefaction:—(to) communicate (-ation), communion, (contri-) distribution, fellowship.
John Owen—God, Specifically
Our communion with God consists in His communication of Himself to us, with our returning to Him of that which He requires and accepts, flowing from that union which in Jesus Christ we have with Him.
1. Communication of Himself—
1. Communication of Himself—
Primarily, but not exclusively, in Love
Primarily, but not exclusively, in Love
14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
We commune with each person of the Triune Godhead uniquely or in one primary way, but not exclusively with that one person or that way alone.
(Thoughts again based on Owen)
Communion with the Father is supremely in love
Christ was loved—the Son—and He was sent—away from the Father
7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
3 the Lord appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.
Communion with the Father is corporate, not merely private
vv. 3—”with us”
14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
2. Returning to Him what He Requires and Accepts
2. Returning to Him what He Requires and Accepts
Godly Character:
3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.
5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming. 7 In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. 8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. 11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all. 12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Godly Living:
Scripture Reading
Prayer
Study
Meditation
Memorization
Journaling
Etc...
Godward Love—The source of Godliness in Us
34 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
1 “Now this is the commandment—the statutes and the rules—that the Lord your God commanded me to teach you, that you may do them in the land to which you are going over, to possess it, 2 that you may fear the Lord your God, you and your son and your son’s son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be long. 3 Hear therefore, O Israel, and be careful to do them, that it may go well with you, and that you may multiply greatly, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey. 4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
3. Flowing from Union with Christ
3. Flowing from Union with Christ
vv. 1-3—Gospel “proclaimed” “that you too may” “and “with His Son Jesus Christ”
1 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— 2 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—
He was fully God
“From the beginning” “With the Father”
He was fully man
“we have heard..seen…touched”
He is the “Word of Life”, “Eternal Life”
He was “Made Manifest”
That we might be reconciled to God
8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
That we may rejoice/have “fullness of joy”
1, 2, 3 John II. The Purpose of the Epistle (Verse 4)
“Made full,” translating a Greek perfect tense, suggests the idea of a joy made permanently full. “It is but the beginning of joy when we begin to believe. When faith daily increases, joy increases in proportion” (Luther).
The sequence of thought between fellowship (verse 3) and fullness of joy (verse 4) is significant. The import of it is that fullness of joy depends on the realization of true fellowship in Christ. “The isolated and solitary Christian can never be a happy Christian” (Barrett, p. 35).
Concluding Thoughts:
Concluding Thoughts:
Growing in Communion with God—It can change, though our Union does not.
How is your personal communion with God the Father?
Have you received His communication of Love?
Have you realized the love He has for His children?
Have you realized this love in the church (His family)?
Do you make returns on His Love?
Do you desire to please Him?
Do you desire to truly know Him?
Have you yet to unite with Christ?
He is the Word made Flesh, the Image of the Invisible God
He is ready, having already achieved reconciliation
What hinders you today?
Believe fully in Christ
Boldly/Confidently as children approach your loving Father and commune with Him
Prayer:
Prayer: