Experiencign fellowship with Christ (Quality: Good)

[0:00] I beg your attention this evening to the first epistle general of John chapter 1 and verse 7. The first epistle general of John chapter 1 and verse 7.

[0:19] But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another.

[0:35] And the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanseth us from all sin. But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another.

[0:59] And the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanseth us from all sin. John the Divine speaks here in this epistle of those things which he has heard and seen and looked upon, which his hands have handled of the word of life.

[1:31] He speaks very simply and says, The life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness and show unto you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested unto us.

[1:50] That which we have seen and heard, declare we unto you. Then he comes to this. And truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.

[2:05] And what a clear truth that is. Jesus said to Peter, Blessed are your eyes for they see and your ears for they hear.

[2:18] And it is clear that John is speaking here of a sinner born of God.

[2:30] One of whom he wrote in the third chapter of his gospel. And he is speaking here so clearly of that which he knew, which had been revealed to him.

[2:46] Christ said, Flesh and blood hath not revealed this unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. He was the subject of divine revelation.

[3:01] And we know that John records how in the time he was on the island of Patmos, he was in the Spirit on the Lord's day.

[3:13] And he had such a precious view of Christ. Recorded in that chapter of the opening chapter of the book of the Revelation.

[3:27] And he speaks there so clearly of hearing the voice of Christ. And having such a glorious view of his Redeemer.

[3:39] And that view is so clear. He describes his, A dear Redeemer on whom he had laid his head at supper.

[3:51] In the midst of the seven candlesticks. The Son of Man clothed with a garment down to the foot. Girted by at the paps with a golden girdle. His head and his hair white like wool, as white as snow.

[4:04] He goes on to describe him. And he says, When I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me saying, Fear not.

[4:18] I say to you here tonight, The things which he had heard and seen. He spoke so blessedly about.

[4:29] It is not that true also of each of God's dear children. The Apostle Paul could so blessedly speak of the things that he had heard and seen.

[4:43] The things that had been revealed unto him. And when we hear these dear men of God speaking as they do, as it is in our text tonight, if we walk in the light.

[5:00] Beautiful word. Or what is it? To walk in the light. I believe it is to walk in the precious light of the work of the Spirit in the soul, the eyes that have been opened and the ears that have heard the word of truth.

[5:21] It is by faith to have heard the voice of God and to have had sweet revelations of him in the soul.

[5:33] And to walk in the sweetness, the immediate sweetness of those precious blessings. John says in the book of Revelation that he fell at his feet as dead.

[5:47] Such was the power of that glorious revelation. And we have there the words of Christ to his dear servant. When he heard him and he says, he laid his right hand upon me and he said, I am he that liveth and was dead.

[6:06] And behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And have the keys of hell and of death. All the blessed truth that Christ revealed to his dear servant.

[6:20] He could speak truly of those things which he had seen and heard. He had known the light of the Lord's countenance upon him.

[6:33] And there is in the work of God in the souls of his dear people an entrance into this truth. If we walk in the light.

[6:45] it is equally true of God's dear children as we read in the 50th chapter of Isaiah of those that fear the Lord walking in darkness.

[7:02] That is not eternal darkness. That is not the darkness of the unconverted in the world. That is the withdrawing of God's dear presence from his dear people.

[7:15] Those are times of solemn rebellion and disobedience. Those are times like Job walked in. He walked in the solemn darkness.

[7:27] All that I knew where I might find him he said was the experience of Job. I would come even to his feet and we know the Lord does withhold the light of his countenance from his dear church.

[7:48] Philpott wrote preach the blessed sermon on the subject the air of heaven walking in darkness and the air of hell walking in light. That is a solemn light which we read of in the book of the prophecy of Job.

[8:04] The air of hell walking in the sparks of his own kindling. But that is not what John has in mind here. Oh he is speaking of the child of God walking in the light as John knew it himself on that time in the island of Patmos when we read so beautifully he was in the spirit on the Lord's day.

[8:30] And John also speaks in the opening chapter of his gospel. So blessed when he says this the word was made flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory the glory is of the only begotten of the father full of grace and truth.

[8:52] A dear man of God walked in the light and he speaks of Christ here in this opening chapter. In him was life he says and the life was the light of men.

[9:06] Oh search your heart tonight has that light shone in your heart. Do you know something of the reality of that blessed light?

[9:19] Do you know what it is? Have you known what it has been to walk in the sweetness of that light? In the divine approbation of your God and you know it's linked here with the blood of Christ.

[9:32] I felt with this word upon my heart this evening this glorious light is closely linked here with the cleansing blood of Christ in the soul.

[9:46] Oh when that sweet fountain is known in the heart there is a walking in the light. It is the light of the peace of God and the blessed approbation of God.

[10:01] It is the light in which the wrath of God is removed. And when there is a knowledge of Christ as the propitiation for your sins. John speaks of it here.

[10:13] He is the propitiation for our sins he says. That is the wrath of God the anger of God born by his dear son in his body on the tree and not born by his dear people.

[10:29] That wrath that anger taken from them. Beautiful word you know if we walk in the light as he is in the light.

[10:41] Lord Jesus Christ walked constantly in the light of his dear father's countenance. But there came the hour on Calvary's cross as he bore the sins of his dear church as Peter says who his own self bore our sins in his own body on the tree.

[11:08] And as we read in that beautiful passage in Hebrews chapter 10 verse 1 verse 1 verse 1 by one offering he has perfected them forever them that are sanctified.

[11:24] And this verse this man after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever. Now in that hour the Lord Jesus Christ knew that solemn darkness my God he said my God why hast thou forsaken me?

[11:50] But we hear him in his life walking in that blessed light I do always those things that please me. Now if we walk in the light as he is in the light we have fellowship one with another there is sweet union and communion between God's dear people their tongues are set at liberty.

[12:22] He says in an earlier verse here very beautifully and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. There is a fellowship of saints here below a blessed sweet union and communion a bond then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another.

[12:51] It was not anything this world could understand it was something solely reserved for his dear children heavenly union and communication one with another.

[13:08] The sweet eternal bonds of the gospel heart flowing out to heart in the precious knowledge of Christ in the soul.

[13:22] The fellowship was in him. the Lord Jesus when he prayed that prayer at the conclusion of the last supper recorded in the 17th of John he speaks of his dear church and he says this that they all may be one that thou father art in me and I in them they also may be one in us I in them and thou in me that they may be made perfect in one the world may know that thou hast sent me thou hast loved them as thou hast loved me listen to listen to those who speak of the things which they have heard and seen and have been revealed to them and as they come in the church to hear the account of those who come forward what a bond there is

[16:27] I remember in our own church at home many years ago now in 1979 at the age of 84 a dear old man who had been called by grace in 1919 over 60 years previously came before the church never shall I forget that meeting that dear old man said to me I never walked in a day of disobedience he came when the Lord called him to follow him in his ordinance and he came to the church he said a few things about the beginning of the work of God in his heart and then he came to say this friends he said I can't say much after all those years but he said this I can say I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God there was an aged minister in the chair he looked up and he said this when he had gone out and the church was discussing his case he said what more do we need here was the fellowship in the bonds of the gospel

[17:44] I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and we see it in the case of the Lord's dear servant Philip sent of his God beautifully directed to go into the desert and God often does direct his dear servant he sent his apostle Paul under that vision come over into Macedonia and help him he sent his apostle to Lydia and the Philippian jailer I believe as the apostle looked back on that journey whilst he suffered imprisonment and beating yet he had the sweet joy of seeing the mighty work of God's spirit bringing fellowship in the bonds of the everlasting gospel he heard the Philippian jailer cry out what must I do to be saved and he saw the work of

[18:44] God in his heart when we look at the case of Philip he was divinely directed to go into the desert where the Lord directs there's a purpose and when the servants of God walk in obedience to the Lord's commandment there will be fruit and so there was in that desert and as he came to the scripture why there was the word of God open there it was at that birth he was led as a lamb to the slaughter sheep dumb before its shearers so opened it not his mouth beginning of that scripture he preached unto him Jesus and we see the beauty of the fellowship if we walk in the light as he is in the light we have fellowship glorious fellowship and the fellowship in the gospel that was manifest in that hour so sacred what does hinder me to be baptized beautiful words came from

[19:48] Philip if thou believest here he was so faithful with all thine heart thou mayest and then these lovely words I believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God a glorious hour of fellowship for Philip as there was a sacred hour of fellowship for the apostle Paul when he baptized Lydia and when he baptized that next night the Philippian jailer in his house the work of God's spirit we walk in the light as he is in the light we have fellowship I will just stop here before I go on and ask you ever had fellowship I tell you this since I've been in the States in the last three weeks I've known some precious fellowship I came here not knowing anyone except the

[20:49] Lord's servants who've been in this country but I have moved quietly from home to home I felt a union I felt a sweet bond in the gospel a bond that transcends all national barriers a bond that is eternal some of the dear aged saints of God with whom I have talked oh the instant love and union the sweet fellowship in the bonds of the gospel what a blessed tie that is that binds the church of God and I believe the servants of God who have come over to UK have felt just the same they have known a sweet union and blessed fellowship in the bonds of the gospel there has been sweet fellowship one with another lovely words if we walk in the light the light of the work of God's spirit in our hearts the mighty work of his spirit we walk in the light and know the sweet blessedness of it we have fellowship one with another and now

[22:20] I come to the part of this text which has rested upon my heart the blood of Jesus Christ his son cleanses us from all sin it is this last part of the text that has drawn me to this word you know there is one little word here which you might easily pass over but it is important it is this us or you consider it here the Lord's disciple John writes in this simple word us those to whom he wrote and market his own heart his own soul these things are so revealing he does not say the blood of Jesus

[23:35] Christ cleanses from all sin that would be a great truth he does what the apostle Paul did when he wrote for me or in the margin to me to live is Christ and to die is gain he wrote about himself and here John the divine is writing about himself he is speaking about his own heart and his soul and in this little word he reveals to us instantly that he himself knew this precious blood of Christ the apostle Peter in his epistle speaks of it himself he says this for as much as ye know ye were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold but with the precious blood of Christ and you know immediately as I've said today the apostle

[24:40] Peter when he uses that word precious tells us at once he had a gauge a measure of the blessedness of the blood of Christ in his soul through the precious experience of it and he goes on when he says so sweetly in his epistle who his own self bore our sin in his own body on the tree and so John the divine here when he comes to pen these words he speaks in this way and the blood of Jesus Christ his son cleanses us from all sin I do ask you here tonight can you enter this little word can you join with him and I would go further if you say to me tonight

[25:42] I cannot join with him I cannot enter this company that is here speaking of the blood of Christ in their own hearts I would ask you another question do you long to join with him do you long to join this august assembly that gather here in this little word the redeemed followers of the Lamb of God those who enter into the sweetness of that lovely hymn redeemed with Jesus blood redeemed his beauty is called to trace no angel can with it compare a sinner saved by grace oh to be brought to know that precious blood the Lord when he washed his disciples feet remarkably refers to it

[26:42] Peter said thou shalt not wash my feet and Jesus said to him if I wash thee not thou hast no part with me oh what a solemn word that is if I wash thee not thou hast no part with me is it your longing desire to have a part with Christ and Jesus Peter said to Jesus not my feet only but also my hand and my head and Jesus said he that is washed neither is not saved to wash his feet and he is clean everywhere and then he said this and ye are clean beautiful word he went on to say but not all referring to Judas Iscariot but he said ye that is his eleven disciples that was Peter are clean through the word that I have spoken unto you abide in me and I in you so shall he bring forth much fruit oh there is no greater blessing you can ever have in your life here below and to hear the words of

[27:53] Jesus lips speaking into your heart ye clean washed in the precious blood of Christ if we walk in the light as he is in the light we have fellowship one with another and here is the fellowship the blood of Jesus Christ his son cleanseth us from all sin we would speak just a little on this other small word here all sin oh what a word of comfort and consolation that is in the church of God and let us not think it strange the efficacy of the blood of this man I was struck and I'm often struck by that word in the epistle that he was this man after he had offered one sacrifice for sin forever oh the beautiful clarity of the humanity of Christ there this man the God man the man

[29:10] Christ Jesus he came here to offer one sacrifice for sin the perfection is there his Godhead and his manhood in the salvation of his dear church oh that precious fountain that was open for sin and unclean this man after he had offered one sacrifice for sin Emmanuel God with us here he is and we read of it in the prophecy of Isaiah man of sorrow acquainted with grief here is where our face is from him we esteemed him stricken smitten of God and afflicted that was true utterly true surely he hath borne our grief and carried our sorrow yet we did esteem him stricken smitten of God and afflicted but he was wounded for our transgression he was bruised for our iniquity the chastisement of our peace was upon him and with his stripes we are healed blessed truth has it been revealed in your heart oh do you long to know it oh what a word it is oh how comprehensive are some of these words as comprehensive as that promise which the Lord gave to his servant

[31:05] Joshua I will never leave thee oh the sacred nature of that word the eternal nature of it nor forsake thee the blood of Jesus Christ his son cleanseth us from all sins we will look now at the efficacy of the blood of Christ its cleansing nature I tell you this in the absolute simplicity of it when that precious blood is applied to your heart and conscience sometimes referred to in the scriptures as the blood of sprinkling when that precious blood is applied to your conscience you will know this word in its glorious nature cleanses the sweet psalmist of Israel in the 51st psalm looks to the

[32:18] Lord in the hour of his murder and adultery and he asked this wash me truly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin oh that dear man of God look to the fountain open open for sin and unclean and you know there is some precious things in the scripture from the pen of the psalmist David in the 22nd psalm he has some sweet things to say about his saviour and he speaks of his suffering I go no further than this they pierced my hands and my feet oh I believe he knew what he was speaking about when he said cleanse me oh he had been led into that glorious truth they pierced my hands and my feet and as he goes on in the 51st psalm he says this purged me with hyssop the hyssop was the plant in the old economy used to sprinkle the blood clearly the sweet psalmist of

[33:48] Israel is seeking that fountain open for sin and all uncleanness and he knew what was the precursor of it and even this the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit a broken and a contrite heart of God they will not despise when we come to look in our text here tonight the blood of Jesus Christ his son cleanseth us from all sin I ask you what do you know of that cleansing fountain opened opened upon Calvary's cross has that fountain been applied in your heart and can you speak of the effect of the efficacy of that precious blood upon your soul

[34:48] I tell you this when that cleansing work is wrought in your heart by that precious blood you will look for your sins and not be able to find them you will know a peace which passes all understanding you will know what it is to receive the atonement which the apostle Paul speaks of in the fifth chapter of his epistle to the Romans when he says of Christ by whom we have now received the atonement pardon God cannot twice demand first at my bleeding shorty's hand and then again at mine there is a blessed atonement known here a reconciliation between God and the sinner and that reconciliation is peace with God the wrath of God is removed and there is a glorious peace cleanses us from all sin and there we come to the opening part of this verse the blood we read regarding this precious fountain in the

[36:38] Passover in Egypt so beautifully I feel so clear in the figure we read of the figure and the substance in Paul's epistle to the Hebrews but you know the figures are divinely given they are not to be despised but they are figures and the figure was the blood upon the lintels of the doorpost and the glorious truth was this when I see the blood I'll pass over you when that blood is upon the heart of a poor sinner and he is brought to know that precious blood in his heart then he knows that sweet truth when I see the blood I'll pass over you the angel of death will not come to that hell and he will not come to a poor sinner oh that precious blood you know that sweet precious blood in heaven now

[37:52] Christ with authority he asked enthroned in glory now and oh how he asked with such precious authority in the courts of Hebna Bar that vicarious sacrifice on Calvary's cross in all its glorious perfection was utterly acceptable to his father there were the sins of his whole church put away there in his prayer which concluded the last supper he said father I will those whom thou hast given me be with me where I am they may behold my glory and he then went forth in his vicarious sacrifice to suffer bleed and die for them and open the very gates of heaven for them to bear their sins in his own body on the tree and to bring them home to glory the blood beautiful word

[39:18] I read I read the epistle of Paul to the Hebrews so gloriously does that dear man of God take the old order blend it with the new and show the glorious cohesion between the figure and the blessed person and work of Christ he knew both but oh when the Lord opened his eyes to the finished work of Christ and to the person of Christ how he saw glory in the figure he did not despise it he saw a sacred glory in all it pointed to but he saw the blessedness of the substance the reality the beauty and the glory of this sacred truth the blood of Jesus Christ his son and here we have the God here oh that sacred

[40:25] God here the second glorious person in the Trinity here having come down into this earth John knew it so well he opened his gospel with that lovely word in the beginning he said was the word and the word was with God and the word was God and then he went on to say and the word was made flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory the glory as of the only begotten of the father full of grace and truth and here we have this same blessed view here blood of Jesus Christ his son the eternal son of God from eternity past brought here into this earth in the manger of Bethlehem to take that body prepared for him to union with his glorious

[41:32] God here all the sight we have of it there the angels viewed the sea a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and they shall call his name Emmanuel which being interpreted is God with us and oh when we look at this blessed scene here we see what the angels said over those hills of Judah their utterance was this on earth peace you know the world has ever misinterpreted it they've always thought of turning swords into plowshares there will never ever be peace in this earth but what did the angels mean something far faster the angels viewed the finished work of

[42:34] Christ on Calvary the angels viewed the blood of the atonement the angels saw the eternal son of God in this earth they saw the healer of the breach and the restorer of the past the dwelling they saw there that glorious atonement and that reconciliation between God and his dear people and they saw peace utter peace that is spoken of here in our text the blood of Jesus Christ his son cleanseth us from all sin sinners reconciled to God no more rebellion no more conflict brought to be at peace with God oh to see it manifested in all its beauty and glory in the church the simple blessed divine work of God that the dear eunuch knew when he followed his lord in humble obedience through faith in the eternal son of

[43:54] God John puts it so beautifully he that hath the son hath died I used to know a dear old bilingual minister on Guernsey a little island off the coast of France he spoke English and French but how many times he quoted that lovely word he was a godly man he that hath the son he used to say he has it now right now he that hath the son hath life or what is it to have the son I believe it is to be brought here to know his precious blood in your heart and in your conscience and to be able to say before God I'm clean just God I'm clean but if we walk in the light as he is in the light we have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus

[45:06] Christ his son cleanseth us from all sin Amen Amen Thank you.