2,21 Wed-Fellowship with God

Woody Rimes

If Holiness is An Option • Sermon • Submitted 7 years ago

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IF HOLINESS IS AN OPTION…

What does “holiness” have to do with “fellowship with God”?

Psalm 15:1 KJV 1900

Lord, Who shall abide in thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in thy holy hill?

Who may worship in your sanctuary, Lord?

Who may enter your presence on your holy hill?

“sanctuary”= tent, a symbol for something transient and temporary—pilgrimage

“hill”== a symbol for something permanent.

True worship withers our roots down here and establishes our foundation up there.

Fellowship with God should be looked upon as being eternal.

Who May Enter? The Answer:—Psalm 15:2-5

WORKS-

2 Those who lead blameless lives and do what is right,

“Blameless”- perfect, upright—Imagine an Israelite wanting to bring a special burn offering to God. He finds a full-grown ram, prized breeding stock, very best in his flock. He runs his eyes over it to make sure there are no blemishes. It is “without blemish”. Our works must stand the scrutiny of God.

WORDS- 2b-3

vs2-speaking the truth from sincere hearts. “truth”- first time it is used in Psalms. God considers our secret words and also our innermost hidden thoughts.

vs3-Those who refuse to gossip or harm their neighbors or speak evil of their friends. 4 Those who despise flagrant sinners, and honor the faithful followers of the Lord, and keep their promises even when it hurts.

“backbiteth”-slander, gossip—the man who would be a guest at the Lord’s table must be marked by words that are restrained.

5 Those who lend money without charging interest, and who cannot be bribed to lie about the innocent. Such people will stand firm forever.

WAYS-vs5

The man who is greedy of gain and who is not mindful of what he does to make money has no place in God’s house.

“Fellowship”- to ally oneself, to be coupled, participation; enjoyment of the presence of God by the believer, with sin confessed, obedience the prime goal and fruit the result.

Fellowship with God consists of:

-Knowledge of His will—

John 17:3 KJV 1900

And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

-Mutual affection—

Romans 8:38–39 KJV 1900

For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

-Enjoyment of his presence-

Psalm 4:6 KJV 1900

There be many that say, Who will shew us any good? Lord, Lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us.

-Conformity to his image-

1 John 2:6 KJV 1900

He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

To regard wickedness is to cherish some sin, to love it to the extent that I am not willing to part with it. I know it is there, yet I justify it in some way.

God does not require a perfect, sinless life to have fellowship with Him, but He does require that we pursue holiness. We must grieve over sin in our lives instead of justifying it.

Read and explain—

1 John 1:6–9 KJV 1900

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, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. 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.

If we claim that we have fellowship with God and yet do not live in the eternal life revealed by Jesus, we are lying and not doing the truth (i.e., we are not obeying God’s word). The truth, in light of this context, is nothing other than the truth God has revealed in Jesus.

After stating a negative theological maxim (aimed specifically against those who held to the Christological heresy John was addressing), John states its positive corollary in v. 7: It is those who live in the eternal life revealed in Jesus who have fellowship with God (and God with them) and are sinless in God’s sight.

The evidence of true mutual fellowship with God is one’s living in the fullness of life revealed by Jesus.

While those without Christ can only make false claims about having fellowship with God (1:6), Christians actually have fellowship with God and God with them through Jesus, who is the only Mediator between God and human beings.

The second effect in John’s reasoning indicates that the conditions necessary for fellowship with God are fulfilled by Jesus’ death. His logic is thus: Those who live in the eternal life revealed in Jesus have every single one of their sins, which defile and make one unfit for fellowship with God, cleansed through Jesus’ atoning death.

Jesus Christ-

2 Corinthians 5:21 KJV 1900

For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

1 John 3:5 KJV 1900

And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.

Isaiah 53:11 KJV 1900

He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; For he shall bear their iniquities.

Psalm 45:7 KJV 1900

Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: Therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee With the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

The “holiness” of Jesus was more than simply the absence of actual sin. It was a perfect conformity to the will of His Father.

John 4:34 KJV 1900

Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.

John 6:38 KJV 1900

For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.

John 8:29 KJV 1900

And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.

Technically, a believers fellowship with God is never broken because it is an eternal partnership (). But because God is holy, sin destroys the joy of the believer’s fellowship.