Well, let us turn to God's Word,
and I want to direct you to words that we read there in the First
Epistle, General of John, in Chapter 1, and reading again
verses 3 and 4. The First Epistle, General of
John, and verses 3 and 4, 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 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. To say something then with regards
to this fellowship with the Father and with the Son. In the context
of course we see how John, the rightly favoured apostle of the
Lord Jesus, is here bearing his testimony to the Lord Jesus Christ,
how he speaks of him. he knew the person and the wonder
of that person God manifest in the flesh those two natures and
yet that's one glorious and blessed person and John knew him he knew
something of his deity he had witnessed the life that he had
lived the miracles that he had performed And how does he speak
of the Lord Jesus here in the opening words of the Epistle?
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 of the Word of Life. And when he speaks there
of the beginning, is he not speaking in an absolute sense? It is that One who is before
all time. He goes on to say, doesn't he,
in the second verse, that eternal life which was with the Father
and was manifested unto us. He is speaking of the Lord Jesus. He is the Son of the Father in
truth and in love, as he says there in that second epistle.
And here he mentions him as that one who is indeed the Word of
Life. Our hands have handled of the
Word of Life, reminding us of the language that he would use
of course back in the opening words of the Gospel that bears
his name. Remember that remarkable opening
passage in John's Gospel. in the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, and the same
was in the beginning with God, and all things were made by Him,
and without Him was not anything made that was made, and in Him
was life, and the life was the light of men." Oh, the wonder
then of the person of the Lord Jesus. He is that light that
was manifested in the glories of the Incarnation. The Word was made flesh and dwelt
among us, He says, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the
only begotten of the Father, full of grace and of truth. And so, when He speaks of the
person of the Lord Jesus, it's not only the truth of His deity,
that He is God, the Eternal Son, of the Eternal Father, but he
was also a man. It's the man, Christ Jesus. He
was manifested. And we have that word twice here
in the second verse. The life was manifested and we
have seen it. He speaks again at the end of
that verse of what was with the Father and was manifested. unto us when the fullness of
the time was come. God sent forth His Son, made
of a woman, made under the law, all without controversy. Great
is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh. Not to belittle that that is
great in the eyes of God, that great mystery. that it was God
himself who became a man, which we have heard, he says, which
we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our
hands have handled of the words of life. Or the wonder then of
the coming of the Lord Jesus, that blessed person, one person,
undivided, and yet in that one person two quite distinct natures
he is divine and he is human, he is God and he is man and yet
he is but one person the Lord Jesus Christ and John had such
a knowledge of him and that's what he is speaking of, it's
so personal what he speaks of and the way in which he speaks
of these things here in the opening verses of this particular epistle. He had such an experimental knowledge. He was a favoured disciple of
the Lord. He was there when Christ instituted
the Holy Supper, leaning upon the Lord's bosom. Or how John
is speak of things that he had handled and and known of the
word of life. And of course where there is
any real religion it will be more than an intellectual ascent
to the truth. There will be that experience
in the soul of the man through religion's more than notion.
Something must be known and felt, that was John. is speaking of
things that he was so very well aware of here in this epistle. And what does he say in the words
of our text this morning? 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 for he's speaking then of Christian
fellowship, fellowship with the Father and with his Son. And God's great design, you see,
in the Gospel and in the proclamation and the declaration of the Gospel. Look how he goes on at verse
5, 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. Are we speaking then here of
that fellowship, that Christian fellowship, that is rooted in
fellowship with the Father and with His Son? And as we come
to consider the words of the text here in these two verses
three and four I want to divide what I say into two main parts
first of all to say something with regards to the fellowship
and then in the second place to say something with regards
to the fullness of the joy of those who know that fellowship
firstly consider the fellowship what is the source of fellowship. It's a word that is much abused
when Christians speak of fellowship today. How they demean the word
in many ways, because any social gathering of professed Christian
believers is spoken of as a time of fellowship. But is it really
a time of fellowship? There's nothing wrong with believers
socializing, meeting together. But is it always really that
fellowship that centers in the Father and in the Son. Here we
are reminded where the source of real Christian fellowship
lies. Observe the language that's used
here in this third verse, and in particular the word that. Not the opening words, but that
that occurs after the first clause. That which we have seen and heard
declare we unto you that's literally the word here has the meaning
of in order that here is the reason why he is declaring this
message it's in order that ye also may have fellowship with
us and truly our fellowship he says is with the Father and with
his Son Jesus Christ our Lord where is the source? Well, the
source is in the Lord Jesus Christ. That that he's been speaking
of, that that he has heard and seen and handled. This is the
source of true Christian fellowship. And the word that's used, fellowship,
is one that's derived from the verb which literally means to
have, to hold, It has the idea of having certain
things in common. That's fellowship. These people
have all this in common. They have a relationship with
God through the Lord Jesus Christ. And we see that quite clearly
when we think of what, in many ways, is the birth of the New
Testament church. There in Acts chapter 2, on the
day of Pentecost, with the coming of the Holy Spirit and the consequence,
remember, of the preaching of the apostle Peter on that auspicious
day. They gladly received the word,
it says, and were baptized. At the end of chapter 2, Peter
has preached the word, he's declared the gospel concerning Christ,
his death, his resurrection. and all under the gracious unction
of the Spirit of God and they received the word and were baptized
and three thousand three thousand souls were converted and then
they continued steadfastly it says in the apostles doctrine
and fellowship and in breaking of bread and in prayers and fear
came upon every soul and many wonders and signs were done by
the apostles and all that believed were together and had all things
common. This is the fellowship you see.
They are together and all things are held in common. They have
received great blessing from the Lord and it's not only there
in that second chapter but our events continue there in the
early church in chapter 4 And verse 32 of Acts, the multitude
of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul, neither
said any of them that all of the things which he possessed
was his own, but they had all things common. Where there is
this fellowship and the source of it? In the Lord Jesus Christ. when we find Paul exercising
his ministry there in the Acts of the Apostles as he goes from
place to place preaching the gospel he would go to the synagogues
he preached Christ there amongst the Jews and when the Jews refused
to hear the message what does he do? He turns to the Gentiles
and we see how churches were established and then we have
the various epistles that he sends to these various local
churches and to the Philippians writing there in the opening
chapter of Philippians he speaks of your fellowship in the gospel
your fellowship in the gospel from the first time from when
he first went amongst them all they had something in common
what was the source of their fellowship? the Lord Jesus the
Lord Jesus when is it Christians all agree and let distinctions
fall when nothing in themselves They see that Christ is all in
all. It all centers in Him, His person,
His work. Here is the source, the source
of real Christian fellowship. We have no life, no power, no
faith, but what by Christ is given. We all deserve eternal
death, and thus we all are even. We're all even, we're sinners.
But if we're sinners saved by the grace of God, manifest in
the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ, there is that that
is coming to us all, and the very source of our fellowship.
We know, John will go on to say won't he, later in that chapter,
we know that we have passed from death unto life. How do we know?
Because we love the brethren. All we have fellowship with Him,
we have this in common, we're all those who as sinners are
completely, utterly, totally dependent for all our salvation
in one person. This person of whom John is speaking. This person, the man Christ Jesus,
who is God, manifest in the flesh. This is a distinguishing mark,
is it not, of those Christians that we see in the New Testament
scriptures. They are a separate people. Are
they different to all others? Paul reminds the church that
he was so instrumental in establishing in the city of Corinth. He reminds
them there in the second letter to the Corinthians and the end
of the sixth chapter. Be not unequally yoked together
with unbelievers, he says. What fellowship hath righteousness
with unrighteousness? And what communion, it's the
same word, fellowship, hath light with darkness? And what concord
hath Christ with Belial? Or what part hath either believers
with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple
of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the
living God. As God has said, I will dwell in them and walk
in them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore, come out from among
them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean
thing, and I will receive you. And we'll be a father unto you,
and you shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. Having therefore these promises,
dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves. from all filthiness
of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of the Lord."
Here is the calling of these people. They are called out people. That's the doctrine of the church.
They are called out. They are called out of these
worlds. They are gathered together in local churches. They have
fellowship. They are a separated people.
And likewise with regards to these people, They can have no
fellowship with those whose profession is but an empty profession, not
something that has its source really in the Lord Jesus Christ
and that experience of His grace in the depths of their souls.
How can two walk together, says the Prophet, except they be agreed? Or they are agreed, they are
settled with regards to the truth of the Gospel for the source
of this fellowship. It's that grace of God in the
Lord Jesus Christ. What is the ground of it? Well,
the fellowship is grounded, is built upon this fellowship with
God. That's quite evident what he
says at the end of the third verse. Truly our fellowship is
with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ our Lord. He
speaks of fellowship between the believers, but that fellowship
is grounded in fellowship with the Father and with the Son of
God, the Lord Jesus Christ. And yet, alas, so often, how
is it in the Christian's way that sin comes? And what does
sin do? It brings separation. It brings
separation from God. Isaiah reminds the people of
his day, the Lord's people, your iniquities have separated between
you and your God, and your sin has hid his face from you. And
as there is separation, you see, with God, so there is separation
amongst the people of God. The fellowship with God is marred
and the fellowship amongst the Lord's people it follows that
must also be broken. Now God's people time and again
then have this realisation, this awful sense of what their sin
is and now John speaks of these things. Look at what he says
there at verse 6 in chapter 1 if we say that we have fellowship
with Him. and walk in darkness we lie and
do not the truth or if we say that we have fellowship
with God and we're not walking in obedience to his holy precepts
walking in the gospel words not walking in the light, walking
in darkness how awful a thing it is and how
real it is He says at verse 8, if we say that we have no sin,
we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. And then
again at verse 10, if we say that we have not sinned, we make
him a liar and his word is not in us. This is a strange thing
amongst these people who have fellowship one with another and
have fellowship with God. Sin is a terrible reality in
their lives, in their experiences. They have such a sense of it.
They have a sense of their Great need? They need salvation. And
where is that salvation? Why, it's only in the Lord Jesus
Christ. Oh, and look at the words of
verse 7. We have fellowship one with another
and the blood of Jesus Christ is so. Cleanseth us from all
sin. You see, the only ground of their
hope is in Christ. What God has done in Christ is
not just the source of the fellowship, it's the very ground of it. If we confess our sins, He is
faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us
from all righteousness, or the faithfulness of God, and the
justice of God. Where do we see it? We see it
in the sufferings of the Lord Jesus Christ. God is just. But
God is the justifier of them that believe in Jesus. The only ground then is the Lord
Jesus Christ Himself. And the spiritualist is the one
who makes that work of the Lord Jesus Christ such a reality.
What does he do when he comes into the soul? of the sinner,
he convinces the sinner, when he is calm he will convince the
world, reprove the world of sin, of righteousness, of judgment. Lord the sinner must be brought
to that to realize what he is. You are these who have fellowship
one with another, they are those who have such a sense of their
their sins and their complete and utter dependency upon the
Lord Jesus Christ. He is the source of the fellowship
in people. The grounds of their fellowship
is also the means of it. Truly, he says, in the words
of our text, truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His
Son Jesus Christ our Lord. It is in the Lord Jesus Christ
and it's only in the Lord Jesus Christ that God reveals Himself. We can know nothing of God and
nothing of any fellowship with God apart from Him who is the
only mediator between God and men. No man has seen God. At any time the only begotten
Son which is in the bosom of the Father He hath declared Him. Who are dependency? upon the
Lord Jesus. The blood of Jesus Christ his
Son cleanseth us from all sin. The One Mediator. No man knoweth
the Son but the Father, neither knoweth any man the Father save
the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal. those remarkable
words of the Lord Jesus himself towards the end of Matthew 11. No man knoweth the Son, but the
Father. All the knowledge, you see, that
is there between the Father and the Son in the glorious mystery
of the doctrine of God, the doctrine of the Trinity, the three divine
persons, Father, Son and Holy Ghost. three persons but one God. Here I wish rather Lord our Lord
is one Lord only one God and yet He subsists in three distinct
persons and now the intimacy of that knowledge that they have
in all the glorious unity of the Godhead no man knoweth the
Son but the Father neither knoweth any man the Father save the Son
and he to whom the Son will reveal." What a revelation it has that
we have in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now John speaks of it, he speaks
of it, doesn't he? So much in this epistle we read
there in the second chapter Verse 22,
"...who is a liar, but he that denieth of Jesus is the Christ. He is antichrist that denieth
the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the
same hath not the Father, but he that acknowledgeth the Son
hath the Father also." Those who deny the Son, they
can know nothing of the Father. Those who deny The eternal generation
of the son is the eternal son of the eternal father. If God
is eternally a father, he must surely have an eternal son. Again, John brings it out also
in that Short 2nd Epistle in verse 9, Whosoever transgresseth,
and abideth not in the doctrines of Christ, hath not God, he that
abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the
Son, which will abide in his doctrine. The only means whereby
we can have any fellowship with God is by and through the mediation
of the Lord Jesus. One God and one mediator between
God and man. This is the truth that is being
declared in here. Or do we recognize what real
fellowship is? It's not just social gatherings.
It's something far more glorious than that. It's spiritual in
its very nature. It's the work of the spirit in
the soul of a sinner, making that person aware of what he
is by nature. teaching him the solemn truth
concerning his sinful state, that there is but
one Saviour of sinners, even that One who is the Anointed
of God, the Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and in love. That which we have seen and heard,
says John, declare we unto you his concern to communicate to
them this blessed message and there's a purpose in order in
order that ye also may have fellowship with us and truly our fellowship
is with the father and with his son Jesus Christ and then the
consequence and these things write we unto you that your joy
may be full And so turning to the second point, having sought
to say something with regards to the fellowship, the source, the grounds, the
means of it, it's all in Christ. And now the fullness of joy when
we know anything of this fellowship. Remarkable what he says here,
of course, in the fourth verse. It reminds us that all fullness,
again, is in the Lord Jesus. And what John says is really
so much the same as what Paul says. Remember the language of
the apostle Paul in those great Christ-centered passages that
we have in the opening two chapters of the letter that Paul writes
to the Colossians. What does he say there in Colossians
chapter 1 verse 19? It pleased the Father that in
him should all the fullness dwell. Who is he speaking of? Well he's
speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ We have to go right back to verse
13. He says, Our God hath delivered
us from the power of darkness and hath translated us into the
kingdom of His dear Son. And then He is explaining things
concerning this person who is the eternal Son of God. Verse 19, He pleased the Father
that in Him should all fullness dwell. and having made peace
through the blood of his cross by him to reconcile all things
unto himself, by him I say whether they be things in earth or things
in heaven." Christ's great work is to reconcile, to reconcile
sinners to God. Those who were in a state of
alienation, enemies in their mind by wicked works, Oh, what is the carnal nature,
the natural nature of us all as men and women as we're born
into this world? The carnal mind, its enmity against
God, it's not subject to the law of God. Neither indeed can
be. But Christ is that One who was
reconciled, the sinner to God. And how has He done that? Oh,
it's by the blood of His cross. The blood of Jesus Christ, his
Son, cleanseth us from all sin. But it's not only there in the
first chapter of that epistle, but again in the second chapter
of Colossians. In verse 9, in Him. It's just
spoken of Christ at the end of verse 8. In Him dwelleth all
the fullness of the Godhead body. and ye are completing him which
is the head of all principality and power. All the language that
Paul uses, you see, it's the same as John employs with regards
to the Lord Jesus Christ. And not only here in his first
epistle, but remember the words that we find in the opening chapter
of the Gospel according to St John. And there at verse 16 of
his fullness. Have we received, and grace for
grace. What fullness? Whose fullness?
Again he's speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ, of His fullness.
Have we all received, and grace for grace. There is such a fullness
of grace that is in the Lord Jesus Christ, where sin abounds.
All that Christ asks so much more about. His person, His work,
what a fullness. When we stop to consider that
remarkable doctrine, the person of the Lord Jesus, we've touched
on it, He's one person. There is only one Lord Jesus
Christ and yet there are two distinct natures. But you know, we can't divide the natures, although
they are distinct. In every action, in every word,
in all that he is doing, the Lord Jesus is God and he is man. In everything. What was conceived
in the womb of the Virgin Mary, that holy thing, the human body,
a human soul, but it's joined to the eternal Son of God. That
holy thing that shall be born of thee shall be called the Son
of God. The Son of God has taken to Himself
human nature. He is now also the Son of Man. All the wonder of the of the
person, the wonder of the work that he accomplished, when he
made that great sin atoning sacrifice, when he died the just for the
unjust to bring sinners to God, to reconcile the sinner to God. All the fullness of grace is
there in the person and work of the Lord Jesus. And how is
it ministered to sinners? It's ministered by the Holy Spirit. Again, we're told, aren't we,
in the Acts, this time in relation to the preaching of Paul. We
have that record of Peter's sermon in Acts chapter 2, but we also
have quite a detailed account of a sermon that was preached
by the Apostle Paul there at Antioch in Pisidia in the 13th
of Acts. And what do we read as a result
of that preaching? Well, things similar to what
we have at the end of Acts chapter 2. In Acts 13, 52, the disciples
were filled with joy and with the Holy Ghost. Oh, that's the
consequence of the preaching. And what do these men... Paul
preaches much the same as Peter. They're preaching Christ. and
that's our preaching Christ so all the disciples are filled
with joy all the Spirit you see, the Spirit
is that one who comes to make real the things of the Lord Jesus
Christ the things of Him who is the Saviour of sinners remember when He comes, He doesn't
just come to to work conviction in the soul doesn't just come
to reprove of sin and of righteousness and of judgment. When the Lord
speaks of him there in that 16th chapter of John, he goes on to
also speak of that remarkable self-effacing ministry of the
Spirit. He's God. Is God the Holy Ghost? Is He equal to the Father? Is
He equal to the Son? And yet, oh, what is His ministry
under the Gospel? When He has come, not only to
reprove the world of sin, no, says Christ, albeit when He,
the Spirit of Truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth,
for He shall not speak of Himself. but whatsoever he shall hear
that shall he speak and he will show you things to come and he
shall glorify me for he shall receive of mine
and shall show it unto you that's his ministry to make known the
Lord Jesus Christ to sinners And though the Spirit bears witness,
says Paul, with our spirit, that we are the children of God. Truly our fellowship is with
the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. And there
comes then all that fullness of joy as He is made known, as
that one who is able to save to the Ottomans, all that would
come to God by him. Isn't joy one of the fruits of
the Spirit of God? When Paul writes here at the
end of Galatians 5 of the fruit of the Spirit, amongst them we have that fruit
of joy. It's joy in the Holy Ghost and
it comes because the Spirit is that one who reveals the things
of the Lord Jesus Christ. And are we not even in that familiar
apostolic benediction that we regularly use as the conclusion
of our service of worship, the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,
and the love of God and the communion or the fellowship, it's the same
word really, the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. If we would
know anything of the grace of the Lord Jesus, anything of the
love of God the Father, We must know it by that blessed work
of the Spirit. He makes communion with God,
fellowship with the Father and with the Son a blessed reality. And the Lord speaks of him, doesn't
he, as that one who proceeds from the Father and proceeds
from himself. Again, this is the doctrine of
the Triniton. When the Comforter is come, whom
I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of Truth,
which proceedeth from the Father, ye shall testify of me. That's the language of the Lord
Jesus there in John 15, 26. I will send him, he proceeds
from Christ, I will send him, but he also proceedeth from the
Father. This is the doctrine of God,
the doctrine of the Trinity. The Father is the Father in the
sense that He begets. He begets the Son. The Son is
the Son in that He is begotten of the Father. Eternally begotten. And the Spirit is the Spirit
in that He proceeds from the Father and from the Son. And we read, don't we, of how
at the end the Lord breathes on his disciples and says, Receive
ye the Holy Ghost, which is blessed ministry to
make the things of Christ a reality. And although here in the text
this morning we have no mention of the Spirit, We only read of
fellowship with the Father and with his Son, and yet the Spirit
is here, isn't it? How is John writing these things?
These are not simply the words of the Apostle John, this is
the Word of God. This is the work of the Spirit
of God. As in the Old Testament, holy
men of God spake as they were moved by the Spirit of God. These
are the very words of the Spirit of God and He only can make them
the reality in our souls that we might know what that fellowship
with the Father and His Son Jesus Christ is. For when He, the Spirit
of Truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth, says Christ.
He shall not speak of Himself, He shall glorify Him. He shall
take of mine and shall show it unto you. Is Christ the source?
Is Christ the grounds? Is Christ the very means of real
Christian fellowship? How can we know it? We can only
know it by that blessed work of the Spirit. And where that
work of the Spirit comes, there will also come that glorious
fullness of joy. That joy that is a fruit. of the Spirit's working. May
the Lord then be pleased to grant that we might know what it is
in some measure to enter into the text and to know that fellowship
that John is so intent by the gracious ministry of the Spirit
to instill into the minds and hearts of these New Testament
believers, but not just New Testament believers, but believers in every
day, in every generation. And even in our day, John says,
that which we have seen and heard, declare we unto you, that you
and me, 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. May the Lord be pleased to bless
the word to us. We're going to sing as our concluding
praise this morning the hymn number
8, the tune Innocence 474. Blessed are the sons of God They are bought with Jesus' blood. They are ransomed from the grave. Life eternal they shall have. They have fellowship with God
through the Mediator's blood. One with God through Jesus' one. Glory is in them begun. We sing the hymn number 80, tune
474.