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welcome to everyone just one quick announcement there is still time to make an offering for Cuba the brothers are going to put that together soon so if you're interested in donating to that cause please just do so in the back of the in the box on the back table just designate that it is in fact for Cuba well for our call to worship this evening you can turn with me in your Bibles to Psalm 125 Psalm 125 beginning in verse 1 a song of a sense those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion which cannot be moved but abides forever as the mountains surround Jerusalem so the Lord surrounds his people from this time forth and forever for the scepter of wickedness shall not rest on the land allotted to the righteous lest the righteous reach out their hands to iniquity do good o Lord to those who are good and to those who are upright in their hearts as for such has turn aside to their crooked ways the Lord shall lead them away with the workers of iniquity peace be upon Israel amen will please turn with me in your Trinity hymnal - number 133 hymn number 133 will stand as we sing together [Music] amen well let us pray our Great God and our holy father it is a joy to gather again on the Sabbath day to come into the house of the Lord may you fill our hearts with the gladness that the psalmist expressed when he said I was glad when they said unto me let us go to the house of the Lord help us as well to address you as the God of absolute sovereignty and glory and power and majesty you are infinite eternal and unchangeable you are most high most glorious most wondrous most worthy to be praised we bless you Father Son and Holy Spirit for your great grace and your mercy unto us how we thank you for the works of creation and Providence we thank you for the work of redemption we acknowledge the handiwork of the father and Sovereign Grace election and predestination we acknowledge the blest work of our Lord Jesus Christ for sinners even his life his death his resurrection on the third day and we praise You God Almighty for the power of the Holy Spirit who has come to effectually call us out of darkness into marvelous light so that we may indeed taste and see that the Lord is good we thank you for what the psalmist says in the psalm we read at the outset of worship you surround your people as the mountain surround Jerusalem God encouraged our hearts with that reality that you are ever nigh that you are ever with your people that you have promised to never leave us nor forsake us may these things encourage our weary hearts and may cause us to persevere by grace through faith unto that celestial City we would ask tonight that as we worship you would be exalted you would be glorified that you would be enthroned upon the praises of your people here we ask that as the word goes forth you would give us ears to hear and hearts to receive that truth and may it affect us for good may you conform us evermore under the image of the Lord Jesus Christ and may you use that self same preaching to save those who are still dead in their trespasses and sins god we do not appeal to mend good choices we do not appeal to them to exercise their free will or to to live better but we appeal to a sovereign God who has ruled over the hearts of men women boys and girls and we pray that today would be the day of salvation she would make men willing in the the day of your power she would constrain them to come to see that Christ alone is the way the truth and the life and that no man comes to the Father except through him we would ask that you would do this for your glory do this for the good of souls both young and old God in a particular way we do pray for our children we pray for our young people we know God there are so many sins and so many temptations in this world we would pray that in their youth they would remember their Creator that they by grace would walk in newness of life and with a devotion to the to the Lord Jesus Christ she would watch over them that she would keep them that you would protect them we ask that you would deal mercifully with each and every one of us tonight do forgive us now for our sins and our unrighteousness god help us to repent and help us to see the absolute wickedness of sin the fear of the Lord is to abhor evil and at times Lord God this doesn't seem to be the case so Lord change our hearts and our mindset with reference to sin caused us to walk carefully and obediently to our God not in our own strength but by the power of the Holy Spirit we pray our God as well that you would look with favor upon the the churches here in Chilliwack we thank you for your nearness to us we pray for other churches in this city in this community she would draw nigh unto them she would be their portion and lot she would bless those churches that do indeed preach the true gospel we ask that you would prosper them and bless them and use the word that goes forth from all the pulpits in this city to bring salvation to those who are dead in their sins we ask as well that you had bless this nation with faithful gospel preaching we know Lord God that there is great great wickedness in the land the land where babies are murdered Landwehr l elderly people and infirm people are murdered a land where sodomy is openly promoted certainly these are days that are that are vile and wretched we don't look to political means but we look to gospel means we pray that you would send forth your glorious truth that your word would run swiftly and be glorified she would change the hearts of those in high places that they would instead of legislating immorality would would take a righteous stand what indeed governing in in righteousness and justice God be merciful to this nation revive your people and awaken those who are dead in their trespasses and sins we also pray that you would be gracious throughout the earth we know that many of our brothers and sisters several of whom we prayed for this morning suffer for the cause of the Lord Jesus Christ God we thank you for the Liberty that we we currently have and we pray for those nations that are steeped in false religion those nations that are steeped in secularism and in and in are in rebellion to the Living God bless your people in these places and strengthen them with might and the inner man and cause them to persevere day by day we also pray our Father that you would be gracious to those affected by the Hurricanes we ask God that you would bless your people your churches may they be able to minister in a very tangible way in the wake of these situations and our God and our Father we would ask now that you would continue with us as we worship we RC bless Mike tonight as he preaches the word fill him with the Holy Spirit give us ears to hear your truth and may it may it be the case that God would be all-in-all in this place tonight and we pray these things through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior amen well please turn with me again in your Trinity hymnals to number 335 335 we'll stand as we sing together [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] we can turn in your Bibles to the book of Hosea immediately following Daniel is the Prophet Hosea the twelve minor prophets Hosea heading up the list here they're not minor because they're unimportant or not as important as the major prophets they're referred to as the Minor Prophets because their writings are shorter than say Isaiah Jeremiah and Ezekiel Hosea prophesied in the northern kingdom excuse me not long after probably some what might have been a some overlap with the Prophet Amos and during this particular time Isaiah and Micah were prophets to the southern kingdom so Hosea beginning in chapter one at verse one the word of the Lord that came to Hosea the son of beery in the days of uzziah jotham ahaz and hezekiah kings of judah and in the days of Jeroboam the son of joash king of Israel when the Lord began to speak by Hosea the Lord said to Hosea go take yourself a wife of harlotry and children of harlotry for the land has committed great harlot rain by departing from the Lord so he went and took Gomer the daughter of Dibley and she conceived and bore him a son and the Lord said to him call his name Jezreel for in a little while I will avenge the bloodshed of Jezreel on the house of Jehu and bring an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel it shall come to pass in that day that I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel and she conceived again and bore a daughter then God said to him call her name lo-ruhamah for I will no longer have mercy on the house of Israel but I will utterly take them away yet I will have mercy on the house of Judah will save them by the Lord their God and will not save them by bow nor by sword or battle by horses or horsemen now when she had weaned lo-ruhamah she conceived and bore a son then God said call his name lo Amy for you are not my people and I will not be your God yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea which cannot be measured or numbered and it shall come to pass and the place where it was said to them you are not my people there it shall be said to them you are sons of the Living God then the children of Judah and the children of Israel shall be gathered together and appoint for themselves one head and they shall come up out of the land for great will be the day of Jezreel amen well certainly this particular section has given great cause to many commentators many interpreters through the history of the church they think it's somehow unrighteous that God would tell hosea to take this particularly nefarious woman as a wife so it has caused some to see it as symbolic or allegorical that it really didn't happen in a literal fashion but rather it's calculated to teach truth others take what's called a proleptic view at the time that hosea took Gomer as wife she wasn't that kind of a person but she would become that kind of a person I think the straightforward reading is literal I think that God tells Hosea to do this to demonstrate a living vital way how God's relationship with Israel is God has taken a woman God has brought her into his bosom and she has indeed been unfaithful she has been a harlot she has been wicked the book was written just prior to the destruction of the Northern Kingdom and so God is communicating very rich themes theological themes concerning Israel and Judah and he has done so by calling Hosea to enter into a god-like relationship Hosea is God in the book we are at the time Israel and I think we by extension are the Gomer in the book we are the unfaithful one we are the wayward one and God calls Hosea to marry her so again some controversy in terms of its literal Ness I personally believe it is literal and preached it before that way and I think it makes the most sense out of the text well let us pray our Father we thank you for your word we thank you for the prophets of old and for their very relevant message to our current situation keep us from the kinds of unfaithfulness that are so vividly displayed in this book of Hosea throughout the minor prophets really give us grace as the Church of the Living God to be faithful to be obedient and to that end as I prayed earlier may you indeed fill us with your Holy Spirit we acknowledge God that apart from Jesus Christ we can do nothing we cannot worship you aright we cannot live for you a right we desperately stand in need of the power and the Ministry of the Holy Spirit so please fill each and every one of us and cause us to walk before our God in a way that is pleasing to our God we exercise mercy and grace and kindness over us and a holy restraint and cause us to glorify you in this world cause us to shine as lights in a crooked and perverse generation and give us the boldness to hold forth the word of truth and we pray these things through Jesus Christ our Lord amen well for our final hymn you can turn to 171 it's a tune I'm not sure that we're really familiar with but hopefully tonight as we learn a new tune we can do so under the glory of God number one seven one will stand as [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] well good evening everyone if you'll turn with me in your Bibles to first John chapter one first John chapter one this evening we're gonna look at verses one through four first John chapter one begin reading at verse 1 that which was from the beginning that which we have heard that we that which we have seen with our eyes which we have looked upon in our hands have handled concerning the word of life now the life was manifested and we have seen and bear witness and declared to you that eternal life which is with the father and was manifested to us that which we have seen and heard we declared to you that you also may have fellowship with us and truly our Fellowship is with the father and with his son Jesus Christ and these things we write to you that your joy may be full amen let us pray O Lord God Almighty we thank you for your great grace we thank you that we see your grace in the gospel of Jesus Christ we thank you that Christ lived died and Rosie rose again on behalf of his people we thank you that he came to save his people from their sins O God and we thank you for that great mystery how he's one person in two natures fully God and fully man we thank you God in your Providence you've raised up witnesses concerning these things we thank you that these brothers these apostles saw him we thank you that they touched him they beheld him they heard him they heard the things that he would say concerning the kingdom of God and now they are announcing these things to the people here and that now your people your your your preachers announced these things to others as well father God we thank you for your plan of redemption that in this you call sinners out of darkness into marvelous light to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ we thank you for the benefits that we have because of Christ because Christ is eternal life we thank you for the fellowship we have with you O God we thank you that you were gracious to reconcile us to you even though you alienated yourself from us because of our sin we thank you for this O God that though Adam lost communion with you in the garden that the last Adam came to renew restore communion with the God earth we thank you that this is found in the gospel this is found in free and sovereign grace this is found in Jesus Christ we pray O God that this would give us great joy that we would be ecstatic concerning the things of the gospel that we would love the things of the gospel that we rejoice in the things of the gospel knowing that we have fellowship with the God of heaven and earth and knowing that we have eternal life because of the message that these messengers proclaim the father God we pray that you would help in aid the preaching today as your gospel goes forth may your gospel go out may those who know Christ already may they be edified by your Holy Spirit for those that do not know Christ O God we pray that today would be the day of salvation that you would call them out of Darkness through the preaching of your word that you would that your Holy Spirit would accompany the preaching O God and we pray ultimately O God that you would be glorified in all things for you are the true in the Living God and you deserve glory and honor and praise for you are the Redeemer of your people we pray that you would be glorified in this evening in the name of Christ amen well the overarching theme of first John is thankfully what John records for us in first John chapter 5 verse 13 he writes there in verse 13 of chapter 5 these things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God see thankfully John both in the Gospel of John and first John actually writes for us the purpose it's helpful for us but what we see in first John 1 verses 1 through 4 as we see the introduction to the book we see the introduction to first John and in many ways first John is kind of like a sermon so in verses 1 through 4 we kind of see we're gonna unpack the introduction of this sermon that would have been read out loud to the people for that he was writing towards but you see when John's writing there's a problem that he's seeking to address in first John in several places he talks about people who come to corrupt the gospel false teachers come in to t'cut to change the gospel and some came to deny that Jesus came in the flesh according to 1st John 4 to others denied that Jesus is the Christ in 1st John 2:22 he says he is an antichrist who denies the father and the son whoever denies the son does not have the father either but he who acknowledges the son has the father also so there were some who are coming to corrupt the gospel to change the gospel and still come under the name of Christianity they even talked about how son went out from them but they were not of them so this is a major problem when it comes to free grace there's a major problem when it comes to eternal life because you must have the true message in order to have eternal life you must believe the true gospel in order to have fellowship with the father and the son so a lot of ways we have to ask ourselves the question did Jesus come in the flesh how do we know this to be true did Jesus actually come and how do we know this to be true and that's what John seeks to answer for us in 1st John 1 verses 1 through 4 and so we will look at verses 1 through 4 under three main headings this evening first of all we will look at the messenger secondly we will look at his message and lastly we will look at the benefits of his message so messenger his message and the benefits of his message notice first of all the messenger this is found we primarily see this in chapter 1 verse 3 you see the main verb in verses 1 through 3 verses 1 through 3 is one long sentence and the main verb is that verb that that word that says we declare to you we announce to you we proclaim to you that is the main verb and so when we talk about the messenger this is what we have in mind these ones who are announcing the truth you see he's doing something very interesting with respect to how he structures the sentence the messenger is last in the sentence but the object or the gospel what it is he's proclaiming the message that he's proclaiming is front and center he's front loading the message and so it says we announced to you in verse 3 back to 1 that was from the beginning you see they're highlighting the idea that the focus is on the message rather than the messenger they are no names they're meant to be ones to highlight Jesus Christ the Son of God to proclaim his name to make his name high and pas the Apostle Paul uses like language in 2nd Corinthians 5:20 when he talks about imploring the Corinthians as ambassadors ambassadors really were no names weren't they they were to speak on behalf of someone as if that someone was actually speaking they were to speak on behalf of the king as if the King were speaking so these messengers were come and they and they were just speaking as if the king was speaking people shouldn't know who they were in a lot of ways they'd be walking into a place to preach and teach and it would say my name is blank because the focus is on the message not the messenger now that's not to say when we hire pastors and call paths we shouldn't know who they are and and and love them and care for them but nonetheless the focus of John here is that the message must be higher than the messenger the gospel of free and sovereign grace must be above what these messengers Pro but must be above these messengers so they are heralds of the truth no name heralds but what makes them proper heralds it's the fact according to 1st John 1 2 that they are witnesses notice the life was manifested and we have seen and bear witness and declare to you they've seen Christ and that's the the language we see in 1st John 1:1 that would choose from the beginning that which we've heard which we've seen with our eyes which we have looked upon which we our hands have handled sensory language to describe this gospel described that Christ has come in the flesh they are witnesses to the gospel notice it says in 1 1 that which was from the beginning what makes them good witness is that they were with Christ from the beginning of his earthly ministry until his death and I think when it talks about from the beginning here I think it's talking about the beginning of Jesus earthly ministry because Jesus tells that to them in John 15 in the Upper Room discourse and now in a lot of ways a lot of the things we see in the Upper Room discourse John talks about in first John other things Christ has passed down to the apostles John the Apostle passes down to his hearers as well and so it says that which was in John 15 27 he says to disciples you will bear witness because you have been with me from the beginning they were the proper witnesses because they were with Christ they saw his miracles they saw him his healings they saw his and heard his preaching and teaching now it's not to say now we must understand that that who is from the beaning not which of the gospel is about is about the one who was in the beginning according to john 1:1 who they'll be in the beginning was the word and the Word was with God and the Word was God he's proclaiming Jesus Christ who is the same yesterday today and forever he is proclaiming Jesus Christ the Son of God but what makes them a proper and true witness is that they have seen the Christ they've seen his works they've seen him die on the cross they've seen him raised from the dead and they saw him ascend on high first John 4:14 we have seen and testified that the father has sent the son as savior of the world in God John's Gospel John 21 24 this is the disciple who testifies to these things and wrote these things and we know that his testimony is true and when we think about the mark of an apostle in Acts chapter 1 when they're looking to replace Judas what's one of the primary things that they were witness of Christ from John's bet or from the beginning from John's baptism until his resurrection so these men they've seen Christ now in a lot of ways we see that the message that is proclaimed by these messengers is nothing new Jesus passes it down to the disciples and the disciples pass it down and whenever you hear the word of God preached and proclaim that same message is going forth it's a family tree of theology as the word goes out and as we said already we see that there's this sensory language seeing hearing you see when Jesus came and called John John was probably in his boat fishing and he looks up and there is the Christ fully human our common infirmities uh essential properties and common infirmities he is like us in every way would yet without sin and he calls to him and says I will make you a Fisher of men he's fully God and fully man not only that when he saw him when he would heal people he saw him and hurt him when he preached the truth he saw him when he was raised from the dead he saw many ascended on high and when he died he saw him at the right hand of God Almighty sensory language what makes them true witnesses is the fact that they've seen him and you see we even used witnesses and with the law uh the judicial system uses witnesses very much today still because they've seen it's still a helpful way to figure out in solving crimes you know what's really interesting I think sometimes we don't understand the real important civil witness especially perhaps in Canada where there's no death penalty you see the ninth commandment says you shall bear you shall not bear false witness why is that because life or death is at stake if a witness lies or is wrong or or or our our skirts the truth then someone could go to their death so don't think we sometimes understand the pedo the importance and the thrust of witnesses even furthermore in the ancient world they didn't have crying see an investigation that in that during that time they didn't necessarily have forensics they based it on witnesses and didn't least haven't we seen in our past couple studies in Matthew that they thought that the the scribes and Pharisees brought about false witnesses they initially couldn't find any they brought some and certainly in that instance Christ does go to his death but as our brothers highlighted this morning it was Christ who went to his death according to his resolute determination I like that language so we see the importance of witnesses and aren't there many witnesses that testify to Jesus Christ you know they say two or three witnesses we certainly have mark Matthew Mark and Luke and we also have John and we have Paul and we have James the brother of Jesus and we have all the Old Testament writers pointing forward to Jesus Christ you see we have so many witnesses to the truth he's and but here he's highlighting how he is a true witness because they've seen Christ they've heard him they've they've looked upon him and our hands have handled concerning the word of life and so I think what we can see here perhaps as we think through how we apply to our day is we need to find faithful preachers and remain under those men men who seek to not propagate anything new but that which has been handed down when you find those brothers pray for them love them care for them don't chastise them but love them and hold them in in your prayers for they need it we need it we're humans too but fine faithful men hold to them beware of false teachers and be under those that preach the light that preach the truth so that's the messenger let us look secondly then at his message notice at the end of verse one all these things he's seen concerning the word of life now then verse two the life was manifested now this idea of being manifested is one of the thrusts and focuses of the text it says it twice several things it says it twice but manifested is one of those things now I think as we understand manifested with the sensory language John is combating a wretched heresy going on at that time some men were teaching that Christ only appeared to come in the flesh he didn't actually come in the flesh but he only appeared to come in the flesh and part of the reason for that was some thought the spiritual world was good and the material world was bad so having a body would have been bad and so John when he uses the sensory language with manifest is combating those very things I've seen this one I've held him IV how I've heard him to combat these very false teachers you see when we comes to thinking about the mystery of Jesus Christ the one person into me two natures heresies go one of two ways some have a tough time dealing with the fact that God became man others have a tough time with man with with with the idea of good the god man one person into natures you see I think in our day and age we have a tough time how could Jesus of Nazareth be God but back in their day they would have had a probably more of the emphasis certainly there were those who denied that Jesus is God but the emphasis would have been on how can God become man how can God become man but Christ appeared Christ actually came in the flesh according to John 1:14 the word became flesh and dwelt among us he actually is truly human and he must be truly human in order for there to be salvation without Jesus Christ being fully man how are you and I ever going to be right with God it would either have to be by our own merit or it have to be eternal punishment now we certainly can't have eternal or a procure for ourselves salvation thus it would have to be eternal punishment without Jesus Christ without the gospel without the message without this one who came lived died and rose again fully God and fully man because eternal life is at stake notice it says the life was manifested and we have seen and bear witness and declare to you that eternal life in 1 1 1 1 it says they've handled concerning the word of life and then 2 is a parenthesis further explaining that and he highlights how it's tied to eternal life Christ is eternal life John says that in 1st John 5:20 and we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding that we may know Him who is true and we are in Him who is true in his son Jesus Christ this is the true God and eternal life in John's Gospel John 20:31 when he highlights the purpose of the gospel in John 20 verses 30 and 31 and truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples which are not written in this book but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God and that believing you may have life in his name eternal life is found in Christ and in Christ alone eternal life is found in the god man Jesus Christ eternal life is found in the one who was with the father notice what it says and to this one who's declared to you that eternal life which was with the father and is manifested to us you see even in just a couple verses we do have high Christology one person in two natures fully God and fully man there is no mixture between the purpose between the nature's one God a one person with two nature's it's a great and high mystery that this one had the great high mystery but this one had to be both fully God and fully man because you see it's man who sinned against God but you see no man is perfect therefore we need God to condescend to us in the gospel as Christ took on human nature we see the deity of Jesus Christ it is Christ is God who came in the flesh this is the focus this is the thrust it wasn't as if Jesus act just appeared to come in the flesh he actually came in the flesh a lot of ways when he's describing the gospel here in 1st John 1:1 through 4 in a lot of ways it's a very simple message Jesus came Jesus lived Jesus died Jesus rose again you're a wretch you need Christ it's that simple isn't it even when we think about first Peter 3:14 as Peter is describing a deal how to share the gospel with others he talks about the idea of making a defense that's where we get that defence language but it's very much in the context of facing suffering for even of say is facing suffering perhaps for doing righteousness in 3:14 but if you should suffer for righteousness you are blessed but and then verse 15 but sanctify the Lord God in your hearts and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you with meekness and fear be ready to give an answer for the hope that is in you you don't how you haven't had to have read all of John Owen to do that have you to give an answer for the hope that is in you you don't have to get a degree in theology to do that do you you see I love the very nature of this text because it highlights the simplicity of the gospel and notice in a lot of ways it's given answer or give a defense to everyone who asks you because the hope is perhaps as they are revealing you as they are persecuting you you might be silent and they might ask you for the hope that is in you and you share with them the gospel of free and sovereign grace you're a wretch you need Christ Christ came lived died and rose again on behalf of sinners you see this messenger has a simple message believe on Christ and cling to that gospel hold fast to that truth and that's the application believe on Christ if you do not know Christ and hold fast to that gospel so that's the messenger we've seen the messenger and his message let us look thirdly and finally the benefits of his message notice in 1st John 1:3 that which we have seen and heard we declared to you and notice the purpose for the declaring that you also may have fellowship with us the benefits of the gospel is that you have fellowship with not only the Apostles but notice and truly our Fellowship is with the father and with his son Jesus Christ this idea of sharing in props the idea carries with it the idea of sharing within mutual interests you know perhaps we may not all have the same hobbies or like the same cars or have the same jobs but nonetheless when we come together in Christ we have one thing that we have in common and the most important thing that we have in common listen to one writer Christian Fellowship is not the sentimental and superficial attachment of a random collection of individuals but the profoundly mutual relationship of those who remain in Christ and therefore belong to each other do you know Christ you and I have something in common do you believe on Christ you and I are brothers and sisters in Christ and I think he goes on to furler how further highlight the Gaul in this in this epistle what Fellowship looks like he talks about how fellowship is walking perhaps in the light don't we all strive together to walk in the light keeping his Commandments don't we by God's grace strive to keep his Commandments certainly not to for salvation but because we have been saved and dude do we not like first John 9 1:9 if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness how many of us often confess that he goes on to talk about walking as children he goes on to talk about walking in love and as I said already a lot of those things Jesus talks about in the Upper Room discourse these types of things the fellowship that we have with one another in Christ Jesus now certainly we see that that fellowship as it works out in the gospel but I think what's going on here in first John 1:3 and the focus and the thrust is on who we fellowship with it says we felt you had you indeed have fellowship with us I think when he says us there he's referring to the Apostles because you see there were some men who were perhaps tied to these ones who were denying that Jesus came in the flesh they taught that salvation was for the spiritually elite that is you had to have some sort of secret knowledge to be saved and they had four classes of people they had the ordinary people they had the ones who are above average and then they had the ones who were truly elite because they had some secret knowledge that only they got from God Almighty there was a fourth cost but they were they utterly fleshly but you see that they taught you had to be spiritually elite so the assumption could have been these pasal of these apostles were the only ones who were saved because they were the ones who were they had the in with Jesus Christ but indeed you have fellowship with us and I think sometimes we sometimes think that way don't we you have to have some sort of special knowledge I think sometimes it does creep its way into Chris Jannetty I think I recall John Paton that missionary to the new head Battuta what's now modern-day Vanuatu and after he had to flee from Vanuatu he went around Australia preaching the truth and mate raising awareness and there's one sermon that he recalls from one man Charles kinglee in Australia and this is what mr. kingly said or Kingsley sorry the black people of Australia cannot take in the gospel poor brutes in human shape must they must perish like beasts and they know what patent records after that seventy thousand converts on Fiji thirty four thousand on Samoa twelve thousand on the island of Vanuatu in the islands of Vanuatu you see the gospel is the power of God for salvation to all who believe you see the gospel and as we saw that as as Jon Patton saw the gospel in an action God saw God's power these men who are cannibals feasting on the flesh of other men were at the lord's table feasting on the flesh of Jesus Christ by faith figuratively but nonetheless we're communion were having communion with other Saints because of God Almighty because of God's grace and so when he says when John says here that you have fellowship with us he's inviting those to have fellowship with those who are supposedly close to Jesus he's inviting people to have fellowship people to have fellowship to combat any sort of thought that you could not approach them and have the same communion with them that is there's a youth there there's a there's a unity between the spiritually weak and that's spiritually strong and as I said already I think sometimes perhaps it this idea of having some sort of secret knowledge or you're not quite as holy if you don't have that has crept its way into the church you know I've seen I remember one got one when I was reforming one guy asked me you said I think you have a word for weren't from God for us and I was reforming at that time and I said you know I think we really need to read the word we need to read the Bible and he looked at me and said I was so sure that you had a word from God because there's something kind of holy isn't there about getting a special word from God Almighty that's over and above the Word of God there's something kind of special when we all want to share what we've been learning and seeing it still creeps its way in today doesn't it we still finds those little instances and even perhaps sometimes perhaps not in a charismatic kind of way but sometimes perhaps is reformed we think we're spiritually elite we're pretty proud sometimes I think not saying we shouldn't not read the Puritans not saying we shouldn't read good theology but sometimes we need to check our egos out the door with those types of things we need to be careful we need to be where and when there is Union in the gospel of free and sovereign grace and so even here it's his fellowship with us but even further and truly our Fellowship is with the father and with his son Jesus Christ you see certainly it's we have fellowship with the Apostles but not only that we have fellowship with the God of heaven and earth would a pagan God have fellowship with wretched human beings but in the gospel God Almighty condescends to have fellowship with humans through Jesus Christ indeed our Fellowship is with the father and with his son Jesus Christ this is that reversal of that fall this is that reconcile Brecon silly ation remember it's God who a lien ated himself from us because of our sin and God in His mercy has reconciled us to him through Jesus Christ we certainly see a lot of that language in Romans chapter 5 but nonetheless we have communion with God Almighty fellowship is the God of heaven and earth because of Jesus Christ so is the focus then here is on who we fellowship with it's with the apostles it's with the father and with his son Jesus Christ through the gospel that's the blessedness of fellowship that he's highlighting here in verse 3 but that's not the only benefit of the gospel of the message but in verse 4 and these things we write to you that your joy may be full that you might rejoice in the gospel that you might have joy knowing that you have eternal life as he's writing the purpose for which he is writing and even John's joy is knowing that his brother his brethren are walking or his children are walking in the truth that's what he says in 2nd John 4 you see we have joy in the gospel you see we don't preach the gospel because we hate people we preach the gospel so that people might find joy but find everlasting joy in the truth everlasting joy in the reality of an inheritance that is unfading undefiled imperishable the joy of having communion with God the Father God the Son and God the Holy Spirit even in prayer we pray to God the Father through the son by the Holy Spirit see the fellowship aspect highlights the reality that we can have joy in those types of things and not only that perhaps walking in the truth walking in light walking in love those things don't give us joy right and perhaps as we think about the message the reality that we find joy in the reality that there is eternal life in the gospel ever lasting life that's why he is writing you see false messages lead to a false hope don't they not the absence of hope but false hope I was think about this the other day or when we think about other religions and we think about their devotion to that religion they actually believe that they have hope so when a suicide bomber straps a bomb to himself and he goes to his target location he actually thinks he's going to blast himself to heaven it's very sad we see the delusion of sin or perhaps a Buddhist who actually tries so hard to curb our desires hoping that one day after thousands of years they'll get to Nirvana and cease to exist they actually believe that there's hope in that or the Hindus when they go and live their lives according to the caste system which they're in the hope is that they move up from one caste to another than from not to another than from that to another with the hope they will one day be united to God again but people actually believe these things there's actually hope in those things the thing is it's the power of God for salvation in the gospel showing them where true hope lies and true hope lies in the true message preached by one who is preaching by a true messenger that handles accurately the right or the word of God all right it's not false so we have assured hope we have joy in that truth and it's made possible by the gospel as one writer says it is noteworthy that in the Gospel of John all instances of joy but one are in the last discourse where it is a future possibility opened up for Jesus followers by his victorious death and return where do we find ultimate joy we find ultimate joy in Christ we find ultimate joy in Christ living dying and rising again so if you know Christ Jesus this day you have fellowship with the apostles you have fellowship with the father and the son and you also have a joy found in the gospel of free and sovereign grace so then in conclusion we see here that we see that how do we know that the gospel is true how do we know that Jesus came live died and rose again we know that because we have the true eyewitness accounts of Jesus Christ we know that because these men have handed down the truth that has been handed to them in the gospel of Jesus Christ and so brothers and sisters let us hold fast to that gospel clinging to that gospel find men who preached the gospel right find men who hold fast to the gospel beware of false teachers and know that you have fellowship and joy in that gospel now if you're an unbeliever here today believe this simple message believe the truth that if you believe on Jesus Christ you shall have everlasting life know the reality that if you don't believe on Jesus Christ and you have hope in something else it is a false hope know this that if you believe that you can earn your salvation you are wrong you must believe on Jesus Christ the one which the Apostles heard the one in which the apostles saw the one which the apostles beheld the one which the apostles touched with their hands concerning the word of life believe the word of life and you shall have eternal life an eternal life is only found in Jesus Christ believe on him and you shall have everlasting joy with a Father Son and Holy Spirit so let us pray do you have only father we again thank you for this day we thank you for your Lord's Day we thank you that we can come into your house from met for many who have been called out of darkness into marvelous light for many that by your grace and your mercy you caused them to believe the truth of free and sovereign grace we thank you for your gospel of God we thank you that eternal life is found in your gospel we thank you O God that you are pleased according to your Providence to call forth your people out of Darkness through preaching through your word and even the company through primarily through the Holy Spirit accompanying the Word of God we pray today God that those who know Christ that they would find joy and know the hope and benefits of being a having fellowship with the father and the son having been of the benefits of having fellowship with the apostles and even the benefits of having fellowship with one another got we pray for those that do not know Christ we pray that you would use the word to call them out of darkness into marvelous light they might believe on Christ we pray O God that you would be glorified in all things in the name of Christ amen we'll close with a brief time of meditation then you're dismissed