If we say that we have fellowship with Him

1 John 1:6 
If we say that we have fellowship with him,.... 

The Alexandrian copy reads, "for if we say": that is, if any profess to be partakers of the divine nature, to be like unto God, and to have communion with him, to have the light of his countenance, and the discoveries of his love: and walk in darkness; in the darkness of sin, ignorance, and unbelief, or are in a state of unregeneracy and blindness; whose understandings are darkened, and they know not God in Christ, nor have any true sight and sense of themselves, their sin and danger; and are ignorant of Christ and his righteousness, and the way of salvation by him; and are strangers to the Spirit of God, and the work of his grace; and are unacquainted with the truths of the Gospel; and not only so, but go on in darkness more and more; prefer it to the light, love it, and the works of it; have fellowship with them, and choose them; take pleasure in the ways of sin and wickedness, and continue, and walk on in them; if such persons pretend to fellowship with God, they are liars: we lie; it cannot be, it is a contradiction, the thing is impossible and impracticable; what communion hath light with darkness? 
or what fellowship can the throne of iniquity, or those in whom sin reigns, have with God? for God is light, and were they partakers of him, or like unto him, or had communion with him, they would consequently be in the light, and not in darkness, and much less walk in it; wherefore they are liars, and do not the truth: they do not say the truth, nor act according to it; they do not act uprightly or sincerely, but are hypocrites, and pretend to that which they have not; and if they did the truth, they would come to the light, and not walk in darkness; 
see John_3:21.


John 3:21  But anyone working and living in truth and reality welcomes God-light so the work can be seen for the God-work it is."

Are that does truth - He who does right, or he that obeys the truth. Truth here is opposed to error and to evil. The sinner acts from falsehood and error. The good man acts according to truth. The sinner believes a lie - that God will not punish, or that there is no God, or that there is no eternity and no hell. The Christian believes all these, and acts as if they were true. This is the difference between a Christian and a sinner.
Cometh to the light - Loves the truth, and seeks it more and more. By prayer and searching the Scriptures he endeavors to ascertain the truth, and yield his mind to it.
May be made manifest - May be made clear or plain; or that it may be made plain that his deeds are performed in God. He searches for truth and light that he may have evidence that his actions are right.
Wrought in God - That they are performed according to the will of God, or perhaps by the assistance of God, and are such as God will approve. The actions of good people are performed by the influence and aid of God, Phi_2:12. Of course, if they are performed by his aid, they are such as he will approve. Here is presented the character of a good man and a sincere Christian. We learn respecting that character:
1. He does truth. He loves it, seeks it, follows it.
2. He comes to the light. He does not attempt to deceive himself or others.
3. He is willing to know himself, and aims to do it. He desires to know the true state of his heart before God.
4. A special object of his efforts is that his deeds may be “wrought in God.” He desires to be a good man; to receive continual aid from God, and to perform such actions as he will approve.
This is the close of our Lord’s discourse with Nicodemus - a discourse condensing the gospel, giving the most striking exhibition and illustration of truth, and representing especially the fundamental doctrine of regeneration and the evidence of the change. It is clear that the Saviour regarded this as lying at the foundation of religion. Without it we cannot possibly be saved. And now it becomes every reader, as in the presence of God, and in view of the judgment-seat of Christ, solemnly to ask himself whether he has experienced this change? whether he knows by experience what it is to be born of that Spirit? If he does he will be saved. If not, he is in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity, and should give no sleep to his eyes until he has made his peace with God.

The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin

“The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” 

- 1Jo_1:7 “Cleanseth,” says the text-not “shall cleanse.” 


1Jn 1:7  But if we walk in the light, God himself being the light, we also experience a shared life with one another, as the sacrificed blood of Jesus, God's Son, purges all our sin. 
Message Bible

There are multitudes who think that as a dying hope they may look forward to pardon. Oh! how infinitely better to have cleansing now than to depend on the bare possibility of forgiveness when I come to die. 

Some imagine that a sense of pardon is an attainment only obtainable after many years of Christian experience. But forgiveness of sin is a present thing-a privilege for this day, a joy for this very hour. 
The moment a sinner trusts Jesus he is fully forgiven. The text, being written in the present tense, also indicates continuance; it was “cleanseth” yesterday, it is “cleanseth” to-day, it will be “cleanseth” tomorrow: it will be always so with you, Christian, until you cross the river; every hour you may come to this fountain, for it cleanseth still. 

Notice, likewise, the completeness of the cleansing, “The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin”-not only from sin, but “from all sin.” 
Reader, I cannot tell you the exceeding sweetness of this word, but I pray God the Holy Ghost to give you a taste of it. 
Manifold are our sins against God. Whether the bill be little or great, the same receipt can discharge one as the other. The blood of Jesus Christ is as blessed and divine a payment for the transgressions of blaspheming Peter as for the shortcomings of loving John; our iniquity is gone, all gone at once, and all gone for ever. Blessed completeness! 
What a sweet theme to dwell upon as one gives himself to sleep. 

“Sins against a holy God; Sins against His righteous laws; Sins against His love, His blood; Sins against His name and cause; Sins immense as is the sea- From them all He cleanseth me.”

CONFESSING CHRIST BEFORE MEN

CONFESSING CHRIST BEFORE MEN
"Whosoever therefore shall confess Me before men, him will I confess also before My Father which is in heaven."-- Mat_10:32.

CHRIST'S ULTIMATE aim is to secure peace for our sin-stricken race, and the proclamation of the tidings of peace is spreading throughout the world. 
We must not falter in our testimony, or hide in our heart the truth which has been committed to us, because it may bring us to contumely and suffering. Nothing is so like to promote our own earnestness and devotion as our constant testimony for Christ. 

The advance of the Kingdom of God is determined much less by remarkable missions and sermons, as by each one saying to his neighbour: ....................."Know the Lord!"

We should begin with our next of kin. Andrew's testimony and confession brought Peter to Jesus (John_1:40-42). 
And whatever blessing came to the Church, and to the world through the testimony and confession of Peter must be partly credited to his brother Andrew.
We must confess Christ to our nearest friends. Philip found Nathanael. Our friends expect that we should let them share our inner thoughts and experience. 
Sometimes we can only give our simple testimony: "We have found Christ," but as we bring those whom we love to Christ, we shall ever find Him sympathetic and willing to meet our endeavours with His mighty help and fellowship. How He welcomed Peter, and read the character of Nathanael.

Our personal testimony is invaluable. The woman of Samaria brought the entire city to the feet of Jesus by her confession. Many of the Samaritans believed on Him for the saying of the woman, which testified, "He told me all that ever I did." That was the beginning of a great revival.

It was Mr. Moody's custom to speak each day, personally, to some one about the Lord Jesus. If any shall say that this habit is apt to become mechanical and formal, I can only answer that the days when I have lived like that have been the most radiant of my life. It is not necessary that one should be always interlarding phraseology with references to religion, but there must be no coveting of the light within us (Mat_5:14-16). How great an honour it will be to be confessed by Christ before all worlds, and to be presented by Him with exceeding joy before the Father (Jud_1:24). 
"If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him; if we deny Him, He will also deny us."

PRAYER
May we so represent Christ our Lord in this world that men may love Him for what they see of His likeness in us. AMEN.

God's Faithfulness and His Promises

 God's Faithfulness and His Promises 

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. (Heb_10:23) 

Previously, we reflected upon God's ability in conjunction with His promises. When promises are made, the capability of the one making promises is strategic. When relating God's ability to His promises, we have full assurance that He can fulfill what He has promised to do. 
"Ah, Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You . . . 

Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?" (Jer_32:17, Jer_32:27). Our Lord created all the universe, and He is ruler over all of humanity. 

Surely, He is able to fulfill all of His promises. Now, we have another issue to consider: faithfulness. When promises are made, faithfulness is just as important as ability. It is vital to know that the one promising is not only able, but is also reliable. In our present verse, we are given reason to exercise unwavering confidence in God, based upon His faithfulness. 

"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful." 

 In the book of Hebrews, we are given a recurring call to stand firm in the hope of the Lord. To increasingly participate in the reality of being God's spiritual household here on earth, we are to confidently embrace throughout our pilgrimage the hope that is available in our Lord: "whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end" (Heb_3:6). 
To fully partake of all that is ours in Christ, we are to persistently cling to Him by faith right up to our last days on earth. "For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end" (Heb_3:14). 

Our present verse also stresses persistent faith in the hope of the Lord. "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering." Additionally, this persistence of trust in God is related to His promises and His faithfulness. 
"For He who promised is faithful." 

We can cling tightly to the promises of God. We can confidently hope in God fulfilling His promises to us. We do not need to waver in doubt, because God is reliable. He is trustworthy. He is faithful. 

 Dear God of faithfulness, how delightful to realize that my persistence of faith in You hinges on Your faithfulness toward me. I see that I can continue to depend upon You, because you are fully faithful to me. What expectation this gives me as I consider Your great promises! You will be faithful to fulfill every one of them, as I place my trust in You!

The Rapture of the Forward View

The Rapture of the Forward View

“Forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before” (Php_3:13)

Scripture encourages us to remember all the way that the Lord has brought us thus far, for in each memory is a meaningful look into the way He works, and the great love He bears for each one of us as He carries us through Life’s many, many episodes.

Pity the one who has no memory of such Providential occurences. Yet, to live too long in memory, and to over-dwell upon that which is past, may actually work against us — if it is not balanced with the rapture of the forward view.

We have much to look forward to as we press onward and upward to Zion’s Hill, where there is a City whose Builder and Maker is God; a place where there is no need of sun nor moon; for the Lord is the light of that blessed place.

There, just beyond the pearly gates, awaits a glory for each one of us that will indeed make whatever it is we are going through now on our journey fade into oblivion. Paul said that “the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us” (Rom_8:18).

And he repeated himself just to make sure we didn’t miss what he meant — “For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.” (2Co_4:17-18)

Have you sorrow and heartbreak? Disappointment, and setbacks? Ridicule and rejection? Questions with no answers? Have you labors seemingly unrewarded, efforts continually unappreciated, and victorious apparently uncelebrated? Then lift up your head and cast a glance by faith at what awaits you ere you reach the summit of your fondest longings.

There, in that exalted place of unending joy, we will surround the Throne with praise. There we shall see His face; and never, never sin! There, from the rivers of His grace, we will drink in limitless supplies of endless pleasures. And, even now, the holy hill of Zion yields a thousand sacred sweets before we reach the heav’nly fields, or walk the golden streets! Thus, as we journey, let our songs abound and every tear be dry! For even now we are passing through Immanuel’s ground to fairer worlds on high!! (adapted from the old hymn, Marching to Zion)

Oh, the rapture of the forward view!

Sleeping Through a Revolution (1 of 3)

Sleeping Through a Revolution (1 of 3)

“Awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.” (Eph_5:14).

Epic change is in the air while many have dozed off, seemingly oblivious to God . Perhaps we may be like Peter, James and John when the Lord invited them to a private prayer meeting on top of a mountain. 

By the time Peter, James and John made the climb, they were so tired that they fell asleep while Jesus was praying. And as they were sleeping, two other invited guests arrived – Moses, and the Prophet Elijah!  Jesus was delighted to see them, and they began talking together about the Kingdom of God and the coming Age of Glory.

At that moment, Jesus began to shine brighter than the noon day sun – so bright, in fact, that it woke Peter up. The Bible then tells us, “Peter and the other two disciples had been sound asleep. All at once they woke up and saw how glorious Jesus was” (Luke_9:32, Contemporary English Version).

Hmmm. “They woke up and saw how glorious Jesus was” — Don’t you think it’s time for that to happen again?
you remember reading the story of Rip Van Winkle when you were a kid? I do, but the funny thing is I can’t remember what was the point of the story. I mean, I know it’s about a guy who fell asleep for a really long time – but beyond that I couldn’t recall anything else. So I decided to read it again, and here’s what I discovered.

When Rip Van Winkle went to sleep, King George of England was the recognized monarch who ruled over the American colonies. Twenty years later when Rip woke up, George Washington was the President of the United States.

Rip Van Winkle had slept through a Revolution!

Peter, James and John were essentially doing the same thing on top that sacred mountain of transfiguration. And, as the evidence seems to suggest, much of the church today is in the exact same condition – sleeping through a revolution.

(to be continued ….)

Watch this video here!

The earnest of our inheritance

“The earnest of our inheritance.”
- Eph_1:14
Oh! what enlightenment, what joys, what consolation, what delight of heart is experienced by that man who has learned to feed on Jesus, and on Jesus alone. 
Yet the realization which we have of Christ’s preciousness is, in this life, imperfect at the best. As an old writer says, “‘Tis but a taste!” We have tasted “that the Lord is gracious,” but we do not yet know how good and gracious he is, although what we know of his sweetness makes us long for more. 
We have enjoyed the first-fruits of the Spirit, and they have set us hungering and thirsting for the fullness of the heavenly vintage. We groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption. Here we are like Israel in the wilderness, who had but one cluster from Eshcol, there we shall be in the vineyard. Here we see the manna falling small, like coriander seed, but there shall we eat the bread of heaven and the old corn of the kingdom. 

We are but beginners now in spiritual education; for although we have learned the first letters of the alphabet, we cannot read words yet, much less can we put sentences together; but as one says, “He that has been in heaven but five minutes, knows more than the general assembly of divines on earth.” We have many ungratified desires at present, but soon every wish shall be satisfied; and all our powers shall find the sweetest employment in that eternal world of joy.
 O Christian, antedate heaven for a few years. Within a very little time thou shalt be rid of all thy trials and thy troubles. Thine eyes now suffused with tears shall weep no longer. Thou shalt gaze in ineffable rapture upon the splendour of him who sits upon the throne. Nay, more, upon his throne shalt thou sit. The triumph of his glory shall be shared by thee; his crown, his joy, his paradise, these shall be thine, and thou shalt be co-heir with him who is the heir of all things.


“And now what hast thou to do in the way of Egypt, to drink the waters of Sihor?”
- Jer_2:18
By sundry miracles, by divers mercies, by strange deliverance Jehovah had proved himself to be worthy of Israel’s trust. Yet they broke down the hedges with which God had enclosed them as a sacred garden; they forsook their own true and living God, and followed after false gods. 
Constantly did the Lord reprove them for this infatuation, and our text contains one instance of God’s expostulating with them, “What hast thou to do in the way of Egypt, to drink the waters of the muddy river?”-for so it may be translated. “Why dost thou wander afar and leave thine own cool stream from Lebanon? Why dost thou forsake Jerusalem to turn aside to Noph and to Tahapanes? 

Why art thou so strangely set on mischief, that thou canst not be content with the good and healthful, but wouldst follow after that which is evil and deceitful?” Is there not here a word of expostulation and warning to the Christian? O true believer, called by grace and washed in the precious blood of Jesus, thou hast tasted of better drink than the muddy river of this world’s pleasure can give thee; thou hast had fellowship with Christ; thou hast obtained the joy of seeing Jesus, and leaning thine head upon his bosom. Do the trifles, the songs, the honours, the merriment of this earth content thee after that? 
Hast thou eaten the bread of angels, and canst thou live on husks? Good Rutherford once said, “I have tasted of Christ’s own manna, and it hath put my mouth out of taste for the brown bread of this world’s joys.” Methinks it should be so with thee. If thou art wandering after the waters of Egypt, O return quickly to the one living fountain: the waters of Sihor may be sweet to the Egyptians, but they will prove only bitterness to thee. What hast thou to do with them? Jesus asks thee this question this evening-what wilt thou answer him?