CONCLUSION OF 1 JOHN 1 PART 3 OF 3 WHAT IS FELLOWSHIP? ARE YOU IN FELLOWSHIP OR OUT OF FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD AND/OR THE CHURCH BODY? FROM USERS.STIC.NET 4) Fellowship with God is restored with confession. (v. 9) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. Praise God for forgiveness. Praise God for the blood of Jesus. But sometimes, we are not completely honest with God. When we walk in the light - when we have true fellowship with God, then we must confess the particular sins His light has revealed. Let me tell you what most of us do. The end of the day comes, and we are getting ready for bed; and we remember to pray, and we say, Lord IF I have sinned today, please forgive me. Now, you know that a particular sin has been on your mind all throughout the day. You know you have done wrong. And you still try to slide by. If God showed you that you sinned with jealousy at 12:00 noon, and then at 3:00 PM, the Holy Spirit convicted you of saying a white lie; and then at 7:00 PM, you had some lustful thoughts, then admit it. Confess it to God. Dont try to tell God, Lord, IF I have sinned, forgive me. God knows you sinned, the only one you fool is yourself. When you confess those sins when they occur, you acknowledge them openly and honestly, then at the end of the day, you can say, Thank You, Lord, that every time I sinned, you forgave me by your grace. Fellowship with God is having that openness of communication 24 hours a day. Pray without ceasing. If you confess your sins, he is faithful and just . . . What does it mean for God to be just? God wont compromise His holiness to get rid of your sin. Thats where the blood of Jesus comes in to play. We must understand the nature of the blood of Christ. It provides forgiveness. But it only provides forgiveness and cleansing for those who are walking in the light. Many of us try to justify our sin. We even view things from a different perspective than God does. Man calls it an accident, God calls it abomination. Man calls it a blunder, God calls it blindness. Man calls it chance, God calls it a wrong choice. Man calls it love, God calls it lust. Man calls it error, God calls it enmity. Man calls it fascination. God calls it foolishness. Man calls it having a good time. God calls it selfish desires. Man calls it luxury, God calls it leprosy. Man calls it liberty, God calls it lawlessness. Man says, Everybody else is doing it, God calls it sin. Man says, A little fun wont hurt. God says, Dont give the devil a foothold. Man calls it a mistake, God calls it madness. Man calls it a weakness, God calls it willfulness. The book of Genesis tells us that God had fellowship with Adam and Eve. When Adam sinned against God, God came out to have fellowship with Adam, but Adam wasnt there. God called, Adam, where are you? Now, God knew where Adam was. He was bringing Adam to the point of realizing where he was. He was giving Adam a wake up call. Adam, where are you? Sometimes, the Holy Spirit does that with us. Have you ever stopped yourself in the middle of doing something wrong, and you start wondering to yourself, Why am I here? What am I doing? Thats the Holy Spirit speaking to you. Thats the Holy Spirit giving you a wake up call. God knows where you are. God knows what you are doing. You cant fool Him. Kind of like the story of the Prodigal Son. This young man left his home, took his money and went to have a good time. He broke fellowship with his father. How many of you know that when you go into the world to have some fun, it wont last. Scripture says that he came to his senses. Where am I? Why am I doing this? I will arise and go to my father. The father was anxiously waiting for his son. The father never left. He was always there. He always desired to have fellowship with his son. We break fellowship with God when we sin. And when we break fellowship with God, all we have to do is come back home. God never moves. Its us. When the son came back to his father, the father treated him like royalty. He gave him new clothes, he gave him a new ring, he threw a big banquet to celebrate that his son had returned home. When you make things right with God - When you are willing to honestly and openly confess your sins before God, God receives you back - He forgives, He forgets. He gives you a new heart. He restores your soul. He says, Lets celebrate. When God ordained the ministry of Fortress Church, we began with a creed that I purposed to always uphold. And, if you would allow me to, I’d like to remind you of that creed, and pray that every one of us will continue to live by it. It deals with commitment, and it deals with fellowship. It’s called . . . The Fellowship of the Unashamed The die has been cast. The decision has been made, and Ive stepped over the line. I wont look back, let up, slow down or back away. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense and my future is secure. Im finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, mundane talking and dwarfed goals. I no longer need preeminance, prosperity, position, promotions or popularity. My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions are few, my Guide is reliable and my mission is clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, turned back, lured away or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the adversary, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity. I dont have to be right, first, tops, recognized, regarded or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean on His promises, walk by patience, live by prayer and labor with power. I wont give up, shut up or let up until I have stayed up, prayed up, paid up, and spoken up for the cause of Jesus Christ. I must go till He comes, give till I drop and preach till all know. And when He comes, He will have no problem recognizing me, for my banner is clear - I am part of the fellowship of the unashamed!
Posted on: Sat, 25 Oct 2014 12:11:51 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015