A Formula for Fellowship | Part 1

Was the most miserable man in the world listen to Adrian Rogers miserable man in the world is not an unsaved man. The most miserable man in the world of the same man out of fellowship with God and that right John is telling us here have joy is in fullness of fellowship with God and with us on the Lord Jesus Christ and with your brothers and sisters in Christ, welcome to find as Christians we can slip and fall into sin just like anyone else. But often times we would rather see our sins as mistakes need to be fixed, pastor, teacher and author Adrian Rogers said the problem with today's society is we all have a burden of guilt without a sense of sin, if we truly saved our sin can no longer condemn us, but it can interrupt fellowship with God, our son ship is fixed for eternity.

But our fellowship is determined by whether or not we obey our father's instructions.

If you have your Bible turn to first John chapter 1 will begin in verse three as Adrian Rogers reveals a formula for fellowship. First John chapter 1 and the moment I'm going to be our reading in verse three when I was younger man, I pastor the church down in Florida while I was in college, a little town named Fellsmere was famous for several things was famous for the sugarcane and there was a sugar mill down there is also famous for fishing and hunting cattle ranching and many people made their living touching falls frog legs was a good business.

I had a deacon who did that he would go out on frogs. His name was Neil very fine man enjoyed listening to him tell about the his escapades out there in the small meal told me a story. He said pastor before I became a Christian before I got saved. He said not only do we have frogs that we hunted alligators was against the law to kill alligators because they were protected. They said in order to kill alligator we had to do it very carefully and stealthily because of the game more so a frog, goes out in a contrivance, a sled with airplane engine only when propeller that just pushes it over the marshes incredible speeds and baserunners have a light they said in a high Satan stared at us lead all over those marshes shine the eyes of the frogs and dig frogs.

But he said ever so often we would shine the eyes of an alligator. My one good alligator was worth a whole lot more than the frogs they alligator hide very expensive and can be sold on the black market and he said we would coach alligators.

But he said we would never shoot the alligator because if we shot the alligator. The game warden would hear so what we would do would be to come alongside the alligator who would still be on the surface of the water light in his eyes and hit alligator with a hammer right between the eyes stunning and cut his throat them into the boat we had our gate was telling me about this. He said one night pastor. He said I saw. I believe the biggest alligator I ever saw. I certainly did more missing is that I train the light of his eyes and pulled my boat up right alongside him out of incident, high seed on these sleds.

These airboats is that I reached down and got my big hammer and you have to know meal because he's a small wiry guy, muscular build, and he said I got my my hammer and I certainly wanted to hit him hard enough to stunning and I certainly didn't want to lose him so he said I lifted the hammer in the air and gave a mighty stroke with that hammer, but he said eyes and missed his head altogether is what I did. He said the force of that hammer went up behind me and flip me out of my seat, straddle that alligator. This is the funny part is said to me pastor. I got back in the boat without getting wet and I can just see that see I thought about that as I thought about the passage of Scripture that I will be sharing with you today and is really a passage for those of you who are sitting in straddle and alligator and I want to listen because the child of God can slip into sin.

But winning this he'll have a desire for quick recovery and healing to fear sin as someone would fear a ferocious alligator.

I will tell you how to get back in the boat and tell you how to restore your fellowship with God's will. In verse three. By the way the title of our message a for fellowship how to get right and stay right with God. Look in verse three that which we have seen and heard declare we have you, that you also may have fellowship with us is obvious where the title came from a formula for fellowship that you may have fellowship with us and truly our fellowship is with the father and with his son Jesus Christ. These things right. We undo you, that your joy may be full out a way to have fullness of joy is have fellowship with God the father with his son the Lord Jesus Christ and with your brothers and sisters in Christ. That's obvious. That's the way that I have fullness of joy the most miserable man in the world is not an unsaved man. The most miserable man in the world is a saved man out of fellowship with God and that right and so John is telling us here have fullness of joy and fullness of joy is in fullness of fellowship with God and with his son the Lord Jesus Christ and with your brothers and sisters in Christ, right where I want to say two things about verse three verse three tells the two relationships we have with God for say is one of son ship and it is one of fellowship. One of son ship and one of fellowship now son ship and fellowship are not necessarily the same. They ought to be the same, but they're not always the same night. He speaks of the father and the reason he speaks of God as the father is because he used to those of us who been saved.

Father that son ship that's established by birth and by the way, God is only the father of those who been born again I know some people talk about the universal fatherhood of God and the universal brotherhood of man.

That's not true.

God is not the father of all is only the thought of those who been born and his family. Jesus said in John chapter 8 and verse 44 to the Pharisees, you are of your father the devil blessed of your father you will do. God is the father of those who have been saved. He came into his own his own received him not as many as received him, to them gave me the right to power the authority to become the children of God. That's what the Bible says in John chapter 1 so God we know God as father when we get say that's a matter of life or death.

But after we say we do have fellowship with him.

That is a matter of light and darkness life-and-death in light and darkness that you see you can have life and still walk in darkness. What if you will, that which we have seen and heard declare we have you, that you may have fellowship with us and truly our fellowship is with the father and with his son Jesus Christ. These things right.

We unto you, that your joy may be full. This then is the message that we've heard of him, that God is light and 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 so you can have son ship without having fellowship. You can be walking in darkness as a child of God. And if you're walking in darkness your fellowship ceases and when your fellowship ceases your joy ceases. So I have some words for those of you who are sitting on an alligator this morning to get back in the boat, how to be restored to God how to get back where you all to be. You don't have to keep getting saved when you fall out of fellowship.

I fell out of fellowship with my father many times, but I did have to keep getting more leased when I would disobey my daddy would carry me to the woodshed and whom the Lord loves he chastens also if you are living in sin. I got to carry you to the woodshed and to get you right, but you can do it yourself and not have to go to woodshed.

Now you boys and girls may not know what I thought about when I say the woodshed. We did have woodshed railway a pumphouse but was just as good. My dad had a way he had eight he was, lastly, when it came to administering corporal punishment and a grip like a vice.

Get me with his left hand at the same moment he could take his belt off just like that one movement double and around we would go just like that. I had to learn. I idolize a plan to smarten up. It's a terrible thing. I used to get out there only end of that thing and that centrifugal force was terrible.

I guess the end of that whip, I finally learned not to do that but getting close to getting around the knees is very hard, very hard to give somebody a whipping.

When the hugging now my kids that's worth coming to church for you learn anything else. I mean win-win that when that chastisement began to get in as close as you can just get your father around the knees and say I love you daddy, I love you just get in as close as you can you get way out there. You going to catch the end of that play well that's not in the notes but that's good for you to know what what I'm trying to say is this guy was still his son. There was son ship there, but there was not fellowship.

Now what John is talking about here is fellowship how to have fellowship with God the father and with his son the Lord Jesus Christ.

He says in verse six if we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not the truth, but we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ his son God son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in its if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we would not see him would make him a liar and his word is not in us. Now how do you get right with God and stay right with God is right here. Here's the formula for fellowship.

First of all, your sin must be exposed to the light. Now notice what it says here if we walk in the light verse seven. Your sin must be exposed to the light as the light of God is light and in him is no darkness at all. You just open up your life to God and you say Lord, is there anything in my heart and in my life that is not right with you how many times we don't want to do that. We hate the light because our deeds are evil, but your sin must be exposed to light is a very interesting thing. Look, if you will, in verse six. If we save you see that little primitive words, if we say that in verse eight if we say DC went down in verse 10 if we say three times.

If we say if we say if we say now what is happening. Is this their people who say one thing when the other thing is true and John here is talking about the evolution of a lie he says in verse six if we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not the truth. That's what happens on Sunday morning when I met a person's fixing to backslide are getting ready to backslide or maybe is already backslid. He comes to church on Sunday morning when the song services going on. He sings when the handshaking is going on. He shakes hands and says how are you brother or sister in Christ, and Sunday school. He's nodding his head and saying amen and I was going his Bible and all of that summarizes how you doing this and I'm just I praise the Lord I'm just fine.

He's lying. And the Bible says if we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not the truth. We began personal by lying to others and then we begin to lie to ourselves looking verse eight if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in. If you tell other people lie long enough to begin to believe. Allow yourself and you be in the say well I'm I'm really alright.

I'm really not so bad. I mean after all, is justifiable if it was just a mistake.

It was an error are what I'm doing is really a big frown on that or whatever and so you begin to alibi you begin to excuse you begin to call it a mistake, rename it or whatever and say what the sin, begin by lying to others. Verse six. Then you begin to live yourself and finally he lie to God looking verse 10 if we say that we are not sin would make him a liar and his word is not in us to see God says that's a sin that's wrong.

God's word is speaking to you know God alone, wrong Lord wrong and we began to lie to God when you knew that you just stonewall God and you shut out the life you just shut out the life you lied. Others you live yourself you lie to God and therefore you never really have that fellowship with God because you're not walking in life. You're walking in darkness. You pull the veil of darkness. Your sin now.

What you must do is just expose yourself to the light just say here I am Lord here I am Spirit of God shine your light.

The searchlight of your holiness in my life and let me know. Lord, if there's some sense some wicked way in me, search me oh God and try me and know my heart is see if there be some wicked way in me just simply open yourself up to God.

Don't be afraid to do it because this is not God's way to punish this is God's way to bless God wants to lead you to fellowship and God mostly due to joy, but so many of us just want to pull the cloak of darkness over our lives and we say all we've not saying we deceive ourselves, we deceive others, we deceive God but so just expose your sin to the light.

Now the light is the Holy Spirit of God the Holy Spirit of God will point out to you that thing in your heart in your life that may be wrong and is quite capable of doing. You'll have to go through morbid introspection, probing around in your innards trying to find out what's wrong with the Holy Spirit of God is quite sufficient, and the Holy Spirit of God will show you if there's anything that has brought this fellowship between you and your heavenly father. Now listen carefully you need to learn the difference between Holy Spirit conviction and satanic accusation. The Holy Spirit convicts the devil accused regarding the Holy Spirit convicts the devil accused now. Jesus said he will convict you of sin, but he says of Satan. He is the accuser of the brethren. He accuses you before God and he accuses you to yourself. Now what is the difference if you don't know the difference between Holy Spirit conviction and satanic accusation you going to be in deep trouble. Most of the time, try and have fellowship with God. Let me tell you how the Holy Spirit convicts in contradistinction to the way the devil accuses. First of all, the Holy Spirit of God will convict you legitimately what I mean by that I mean that the Holy Spirit of God will never convict you of any sin this already been contesting Flynn that he will not bring you to double jeopardy. He will not bring it up again if let's say that you live your life and you said oh God, I'm so sorry I've told a lie. You confess that in this case you need confessing your wife also. I told a lie.

I'm sorry God forgive me and God forgive you whether she does not God forgive God forgive you.

And that's the important thing God forgives you and you forgive and then later on you feel dirty and guilty about that.

Who brought it up again, not God, not God, the devil brought an the devil wants to accuse you to bring you to double jeopardy. Now the devil is good or what I told you before you send me all the devil says the old go ahead and do it you can get away with it, but after you see and hear say you'll never get away with it. You never know what is he something Nissi he wants to bring up that sand that has been buried in the grave of God's forgetfulness. Don't you let him do it. The Holy Spirit will convict you legitimately only if sand is not yet been confess, but the devil will accuse you illegitimately of sin that's already been forgiven is another way Holy Spirit of God will convict you the Holy Spirit of God. Not only will convict you legitimately, but he will convict you specifically specifically now the devil will accuse you general if he cannot get you to dredge up some send this already been forgiven here. Just try to make you feel guilty over anything over nothing here just say you know good has ever pull out on you. You're just no good unworthy. God doesn't love you. You just file you just a sinner.

You know good.

We are not a sinner you the righteousness of God in Christ even say your name born again, made a partaker of the Holy Spirit, but the devil would just like to accuse you generally by the Holy Spirit of God convicts you specifically the Holy Spirit of God will tell you exactly, precisely where it is that you going wrong, you don't have to do it, you'll have to dig around you will have to program, you just expose yourself to the light and the Holy Spirit like a skill position, put his finger on the sore spot and push is that you told a lie you are proud are you were arrogant you accrue, are you were selfish. Are you were dishonest are you are lustful. Are you watch that show that you ought not to walk. You told that lie that you are not the talk he will name it exactly.

Specifically, you see him until he puts his finger on the sore spot and tells you exactly what it is you really will never ever have a sense of forgiveness. But when the Holy Spirit of God convicts you legitimately and specifically then you're going to have headsets, but when you get clients of wonderful cleansing and wonderful forgiveness to the third thing the Holy Spirit of God will convict you redemptive flight I mean by that this that he wants to bring you back into fellowship. He wants to give you joy.

He wants to bring you back now accusation leads to despair. Conviction leads to confession and cleansing accusation drives you from God and causes you to become morose and guilt ridden.

That's not of the Holy Spirit. That's a bit devil.

The devil is the accuser. He doesn't want to redeem.

He wants to condemn the Holy Spirit of God was to draw you into fellowship with himself and so first of all sin must be exposed to the light. Number two. Not only must your sin be exposed to the light, but it must be expressed to the Lord. It must be expressed to the Lord.

I will give you will in verse nine he says here if we confess our sin, he is faithful and just forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Do you see that you see what's the Holy Spirit of God shows you what's wrong then what you do you confess now the word confess is made up of two Greek words Homo which means the same home only get O which means the speaker to say it means to say the same thing to say the same thing. Even our English word confess is very similar, meeting with fastest me like fess up say the same thing. Now the Holy Spirit of God legitimately specifically read tentatively says that Adrian is wrong in your life, then I say what he says about. I confess my sin. I agree with God I don't stonewall God. I say I have no sin, I don't live as online myself I don't lie to God. I agree with God. I agree with God. I express it to the Lord. I confess that I agree with God, do you see that if we can pass our sin.

That is, if we agree with God.

If we say with God.

What God says about it that it is wrong and were getting ready for this fellowship with God.

This is the confession of sin to agree with God about that sand is one thing that God will not accept the sin and that is an alibi on excuse. Don't try to rename the sin. Don't say it's a mistake and I need to be fixed say it is the same and I need to be forgiven if you will do that, then the Bible says you be cleansed coming up tomorrow will hear part two of this important message you today as you listen you have questions about who Jesus is. Right now, or how to surrender your life to him or discover Jesus page you'll find resources and materials that will answer questions you may have about your faith.

Go to LWF.org/radio and click discover Jesus at the top of the page again LWF.org/radio nephew like to order a copy of today's message. Call us at 1877 love God and order a formula for fellowship. This message is also part of a powerful series standing for light and truth for the complete audio collection. All 11 insightful messages: number 1877 love God or go online to order it LWF.org/radio or write us at Leavenworth finding box 38, 600 Memphis, TN 38183 thanks for studying with us in God's word today. What happens when we confess our sins, what can we do to restore our fellowship with God. Make sure you tune in next time for the powerful conclusion of a formula for fellowship on low word that we love interacting with our listeners on our Facebook page and one of our friends reached out to us and commented on tell us Tuesday post. She said I started listening, about 20 years ago when my marriage was a Ground Zero I had Adrian Rogers hoped to me like an IV to keep me alive to be able to raise my five-year-old daughter today she also listens to the sermons for comfort and encouragement. We are grateful here about how these timeless messages continue to inspire listeners and some restless days this month as a thank you for your generous gift will send you are standing for light and truth book.

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