Wednesday Night Bible Study
by Nathan Whitley
First Apostolic Church of Knoxville (Knoxville, TN)
Kind: Bible study
Scripture: 1 John 1:1-4, Genesis 1:1, John 1:1-4, John 1:14, John 1:18, Colossians 1:16-17, Colossians 2:9, 1 Timothy 3:16

Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/nathan-whitley--wednesday-night-bible-study-27
Published by Acts 2:38 Life from the sermon transcript on that page.
Free to copy and share with attribution.

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Well, praise the Lord everybody. >> It's great to be back in the house of the Lord. Great to be able to study the word of the Lord with you tonight. And again, uh, allow me to say it is a tremendous, tremendous honor to be able to, uh, teach on Wednesday nights. Uh, I said I couldn't fill his shoes, but I will follow in the footsteps of Bishop Mcool, uh, who is the greatest Bible teacher among us. And we are so blessed that this church has been built uh, on the word of God and great, great preaching. We're going to continue our series on First John. We did get uh some more of these booklets. Uh we're going to be on page nine tonight. And if you didn't get one of those, we have those at uh the media table. Uh again, I'll apologize for any mistakes. Uh anything that you see in there, I I'm aware of of those mistakes. Um, and so, uh, just kind of overlook those and just try to, as I say sometimes about books, good books, bad books, uh, take the meat, uh, leave the bone. If you see any, uh, errors or mistakes, just just toss that out. But we're going to be in First John chapter number one. We're going to begin, uh, with verses 1 through 4. And uh we'll we'll do just a quick uh review of what we began a couple of weeks ago um in laying down the the introductory matter for this book. And I mentioned before that studying the book or a book of the Bible or a New Testament letter, you need to know the context, why uh it was written, who wrote it, who they're writing to, the situation, the time, the place, all of that uh information is so important. Making sure that we keep everything in context. And so we laid down that introductory matter a couple of weeks ago, but the writer is the apostle John. He is writing to a church probably um for sure second generation probably third generation believers uh in Ephesus. Ephesus was uh a large body of believers if not the largest body of believers at that time going even beyond Jerusalem and some of those other places that the church was beginning to spread. It began by the apostle Paul later left in charge by Timothy and then po uh John as an elder statesman maybe acting in the role of a bishop. Obviously, he was an apostle, but acting as an overseer, an an aged shepherd, overlooking th this work. And this would be where he would write the gospel according to John. Um, and then the book of Revelation, the revelation of Jesus Christ was written by John while he was exiled on an island called Patmas, which is not far from Ephesus near Asia Minor. Now the issue at hand was uh there was a division a church split that took place and this was not over uh the color of uh the carpet or air conditioning or heat or the sound or anything like that like modern churches go through you know great matters like that. Uh but this was doctrinal. This was a doctrinal split. And I mentioned that there was probably an early form ofnosticism. Andnosticism, especially in its earliest form, had uh several flavors or distinctions of it. A few of those things were uh the material world, matter was evil, the spirit world was good. Um so that gave us two polar opposites to look at especially as we're going to talk about this tonight. Uh the other thing uh part ofnosticism uh whether if the material world was evil and the spirit world was good. There were two extremes to live that out. Extreme aestheticism uh punishing your body, punishing this uh this person uh to to bring it into subjection of some sort. Paul deals with that in his letter to the Colossians. And then also the the pendulum swings a lot of times. Uh if you can't do anything about the material world being evil, uh then just do what you want. There's if you can't stop it, then it's just licensed to sin. Do whatever you want. So you have these extremes uh these things that are happening within this early form ofnosticism. You say, "What's what'snosticism?" Maybe I've I will give you a brief definition of that as well. Nosis is the word like knowledge. And that's important as we go through this study. Uh, nosis means knowledge. So you may hear someone say, "Well, I'm atheist. I don't believe in God." Or, "I'm agnostic." So to be agnostic would say we can't know. So gnostic ornosticism is we can know. Agnostic means we can't know. So I don't know whether we could know if there is a God. And if there is a God, we couldn't know him. That's being agnostic, which is a different form of what we're dealing with in this letter. So, that's kind of the weeds of where we began a couple of weeks ago. Now, I mentioned before, we're going to go through this letter thematically because this is a letter that John wrote uh as an aged overseer. He repeats himself not uh not just because he's forgetting, but to drive home emphasis. And he'll say the same thing a different way early on. on and then later on. And so instead of us going to simply chapter by chapter, verse by verse, and repeating some of the things that he's going through, we're going to do this thematically. But we have to begin where he begins. So chapter number one, beginning at verse number one. Chapter one, beginning at verse number one. that which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, our hands have handled out of the word of life. For the life was manifested, and we have seen it. Look at this. We have seen it. Bear witness, show unto you that eternal life which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us. that which we have seen and heard, declare we unto you, that you also may have fellowship with us. And truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his son Jesus Christ. Verse four, and these things write we unto you. So tonight, our theme, our study is God's revelation in Jesus Christ. God's revelation in Jesus Christ. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for your word. It is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. Lord, I pray that you would help me as frail and as broken as I am, help me to clearly communicate the great things of your word, in spite of my weakness and my frailty, Lord, these these lips of clay, let the spirit of God and the word of God go forth and find good ground. Let there be clarity. Let there be understanding. But more importantly, God, let there be revelation tonight in Jesus' name we pray. And everyone said, "Amen." Amen. Amen. So, as you see, John offers no introductory matters. Greetings from John the Apostle to the churches at Ephesus. Grace and peace unto you. I've heard of the great reports of your none of that. None of the things that we get from say Paul or Peter. John opens right up with doctrine. He begins with theology immediately. No pleasantries, no greetings, no salutations. He gets right to it. And you might think, well, that seems strange. Well, it's not. He begins this way because if we get Jesus wrong, we get everything wrong. >> If we get Jesus wrong, we get everything wrong. Bad christologology, which is the doctrine of Jesus Christ, bad christologology always leads to bad theology. Every false doctrine begins with a false Christ. If you look at all the different shades of Christianity, if you look at all the different shades of religion that claims Jesus in some way, shape or form, error always begins with his person and work. If the because and I gave this illustration last week, I mentioned if you get a pick in uh your wool sweater, you might see that thing hanging there and you think, "Well, I can tuck it in or I can cut it out." Well, somewhere else in that sweater, there's going to be a compromise of some sort. It's compromised because just because you pulled one thread, somewhere else on the fabric, there's going to be a compromise. And if we get Jesus wrong in our doctrine, we're going to be wrong about everything else. Every heresy is born in the crib of a redefined Christ. Every heresy is born in the crib of a redefined Christ. When Jesus is redefined, everything else must be redesigned to fit the counterfeit. Redefine Christ and you'll eventually redefine sin. salvation, baptism, the Holy Ghost, the church, and eternity. Satan doesn't start by denying the Bible. He starts by redefining Jesus. >> He doesn't start by denying the Bible. And he will do that. But remember, he quotes the Bible. He starts by redefining Jesus. Let me kind of go I wrote this down today in studying because I I want us to make sure that we understand why John starts here like he does. He doesn't start off with fellowship. He doesn't start off with unity. He doesn't start off with love. He doesn't start off with uh even addressing the errors. Instead, he begins at Jesus and who he is. Because if we get this wrong, everything everything else is wrong. And the false teachers were wrong on everything because they were wrong about Jesus. So if we distort, listen, there's there's distortions. If we if we misunderstand or confuse or distort any part of Jesus and who he is and what he has done, we're going to compromise something else in our theology or our doctrine. Now, let me just stop here and say this. There are always going to be those among us saying we don't need doctrine. doctrine divides. Or another form of that is uh we don't need theology. That's for people cloistered in ivory tower somewhere. That's that's for preachers. That's for professors. That's not for me. I'm telling you that's not the case. You need to know who Jesus is >> there because everything rises and falls on who he is. That's why he begins this way. Because if you're wrong on him like the false teachers were, everything else falls apart. If we distort his deity, we distort salvation. If Jesus is less than God, his sacrifice is less than sufficient. A merely human Jesus can inspire, but a divine Jesus can save. A savior who is not God cannot save. If we distort his humanity, we distort redemption. If Jesus is only divine and not fully human, he never truly enters our weaknesses and temptations. And therefore, he cannot represent us as the second Adam. A Christ who didn't take on humanity cannot take away human sin. If we distort, listen to me, if we distort the incarnation, God in flesh in the womb of a virgin, we distort revelation. If God did not manifest himself in flesh, then we do not truly know God. No man has seen God, but Jesus has revealed him. Wrong views of the incarnation always ends up with a wrong view of God. And we get Mary out of place too if we distort his sacrificial death. And that's happening. That's happening. There was a big uh to-do about this on social media by a very influential young Christian preacher, writer. Lots of my peers and younger are reading his books. And he made a statement that the substitution, the sacrifice at Calvary is not important. And I know where it's going. I know where it's going. If that if we if we're wrong on his substitution, his sacrificial death, we distort the seriousness of sin and the necessity of repentance. >> Yes, sir. >> You see where I'm going? >> You snag it somewhere. You snag IT ONE PLACE, IT'S crumpled somewhere else. Happens every time. Therefore, if he did not really need to die for us, then sin is not that serious. And if sin is not that serious, you can do whatever you want. >> When the cross is minimized, repentance is marginalized. If we distort baptism, we distort the gospel. If Jesus is not the saving name revealed, then baptism in his name loses meaning. If he is not the Christ who died, was buried and rose again, then baptism ceases to be burial with him in baptism and simply becomes an empty symbolic ritual. And that's why people start saying this that baptism is a public profession of an inner reality. That is not in the Bible. >> They make BAPTISM ABOUT JOINING A club instead of being initiated into the covenant body called the church. >> If we're wrong on one thing, we will mess it up somewhere else. You better know who Jesus is. All of this comes together. It's like Jenga. You ever played Jenga before? Anybody ever played Jenga? You stack up Jenga and it's nice. It's all whole and together. It's a beautiful thing of wood and pieces, but then you start to push out pieces and put another piece on top, another piece, and all of a sudden the structure begins to Whoa. If we if we push somewhere or remove if we rem if we remove his deity, if we remove his humanity, if we remove his sacrificial death, if we remove his resurrection, all of this, brothers and sisters, is tied to him. It all RISES AND F YOU BETTER KNOW WHO HE IS. >> It's more than a shout. It's more than a song. IT'S MORE THAN A MEDLEY. IT'S MORE THAN A MELODY. IT'S MORE THAN A BEAT. IT'S MORE THAN HAVING FELLOWSHIP. WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT THAT. YOU NEED TO KNOW who Jesus is. THIS IS NOT STUFF that you can. THIS IS NOT TRIVIAL. THIS IS NOT TRIFLE. THIS IS NOT SOMETHING THAT YOU SOMEBODY ELSE can get it. YOU NEED TO KNOW. >> THAT'S WHY JESUS ASKED HIS DISCIPLES, "WHO DO MEN SAY THAT I AM?" And they said, "Well, all these people are saying this, they say this, they say this. You're a teacher. You're this. You're that. You're a GOOD PERSON. YOU'RE THAT GOOD MORAL TEACHER. BLAH BLAH NO, NO, NO, NO. WHO DO YOU SAY THAT I AM? Because it's GOING TO COME DOWN TO WHO DO YOU SAY THAT HE IS? BECAUSE IF you're wrong on him, you're going to be wrong on something else. If we distort his return, we distort Christian priority. If he is not returning, urgency dies and holiness disappears. A Christ who isn't coming back produces Christians who aren't preparing. If we distort his identity as the one true God revealed in flesh, we distort worship. If Jesus is not fully God, worship becomes divided. Bad christologology always produces bad doxology. And that's a fancy word for worship. Low worship is a product of not knowing who he is. I was at a coffee shop here in town about 14 15 years ago. I'd go there and study and it was a church. It was a coffee shop that had a church in it. the church ran the coffee shop and they were they were playing secular music that I I I recognized in the back room. And so I thought that was interesting. And so I studying and drinking my coffee and the guy who was the worship leader was also the the barista at the coffee shop. He came out. He said, "Did you hear that, Nate? Did you hear that?" I said, "Yeah, man. I I I recognize that song." He goes, "We're singing that Sunday at church." Now listen, I love music. I will admit music is my love language, but I don't worship Jesus through secular music. I I I'm I'm not I'm not here to talk about whether you listen to it or not listen to it. That's That's a different That's you and him, not me. But this place is a place of worship. >> And let me just Can I Can I just poke the bear a little bit? If you're not worshiping, you got a very low view of Jesus. If you don't worship because you don't like the style of the song, you got a very low view of Jesus. >> You all right? >> I don't like the beat. I don't like the chords. I DON'T LIKE THE SINGER. Brothers and sisters, this is not a this is not a concert. If you want a concert, go to Thompson Boeing Arena. This is the church where Jesus is going to be lifted up high and lifted up. Come on. If if we're going to know him, we need to worship him. We distort who he is, we distort the relationship he has with the church, we will then distort the value of the church. Becomes more than a club. If Jesus is not the head, the church is not his body. If he's not the bridegroom, the church is not his bride. Lose Christ at the center of all of this and the church becomes nothing more than a social club. Everything rises and falls on who Jesus is. That's why he begins this way. He says, "That which was from the beginning." That which was from the beginning. What does that sound like? Go with me to John chapter number one. Go with me to John chapter number one. He says, "That which was from the beginning." John chapter number one. In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God. So that which was from the beginning, in the beginning was the word. Now go with me to Genesis chapter number one. In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. John begins this way. He is echoing the creation account that God created all things that which was from the beginning. So obviously in John chapter number one verse one he is recounting creation or eternity before creation that God existed before there was a creation. creation is not God. That's pantheism. To believe that God is in the trees and he's in the grass and in the mountains. He created those things, but those things are not God. So God existed before time. In the beginning, God created. In the beginning was the word. So, what beginning is John in this letter referring to? It's a good question. I believe he's referring to two things. One, the beginning of all things in creation, that God began all things. God does not have a beginning. Everything exists within him. God is not bound by time. Time is in God. So before time began, God was in the beginning. God God was from the very beginning. Not that he has a beginning. He has no beginning. He is God before time. He is eternal. He is a spirit. He is not bound by that's why he can be here and he can also be in Africa. He is omniresent. He is omnisient. He's all knowing. He's everywhere. He's omnipotent. He's all powerful because he's God. >> In the beginning, God. So, I believe he's he's he's he's referring to that there at creation's dawn that God was there in creation. But notice this in John chapter number one. I want to read this. We're going to we're going to it's amazing that we have this letter as well as John's gospel because you see so much parallel with them. so many references uh to to several themes such as this. So John chapter number one, give me verse number one. In the beginning was the word and the word was with God. Now if we stopped right there, if we stopped right there, we could make a case that there is more than one. But he doesn't stop there. In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. How did he create? And God said let there be light. God was there and his word was there because his word is him. Got to get this. We're going slow. I'm going to go slow, but we're we'll have a good Sunday punch at the end. In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God. The word was God. The Greek word for beginning points to eternity past where Jesus as God himself existed as the word. The logos not as a created being but the one God who spoke all things into being. He says this John or Paul says this in Colossians 1. By him all things were created and in him all things hold together. In him, Colossians 2:9, in him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead. Jesus is not in the Godhead. The Godhead is in Jesus. >> My God. the word was God because he is God. Now, second thing that I think he means, we're going to talk about this in a second. Go back to that. Excuse me. I believe he's talking about the beginning of creation. Yes. as he does in his gospel, but also I believe it's the beginning of Jesus's earthly life and ministry because he follows that up and says that which we have seen with our eyes which we have looked upon and our hands have handled of the word of life. For the life was manifested, someone say manifested. and we have seen it and bear witness and show unto you that eternal life. I mentioned that God is not bound by time because he is eternal. And John says, "We have seen. We have heard. WE HAVE TOUCHED. We bear witness to the eternal life." How could he do that? IF GOD IS ETERNAL, my God, I feel him. IF GOD is eternal, how could he see and hear? We think, "Okay, I can give you that." But he said, "We have touched touched eternal life." HOW COULD THEY TOUCH eternal life had not the word been made flesh? >> THAT WHICH CREATED ALL things stepped in to his creation. My God, THAT WHICH WAS NOT BOUND BY TIME, SUDDENLY IN THE FULLNESS OF TIME, God stepped INTO CREATION. AND JOHN SAYS, "ETERNAL LIFE, THAT WHICH IS SPIRIT, THAT WHICH HAS NO BEGINNING or end, we have seen, we have heard, we have touched, and we declare unto you THAT THE WORD OF LIFE WAS MANIFESTED TO US." Someone say manifested. >> This is a popular word in our culture today. You may have heard about this. It's witchcraft. You can think it, say it, you can manifest your destiny. Anybody heard of this this nonsense is going around. It's demonic. Manifest. I'm going to manifest this. I manifested this. I manif I I thought it. I said it. I'm And this is also in our Pentecostal movement, by the way. Be careful what you're watching and listening to. Not everything is Pentecostal, biblical Pentecostal. But the word manifested in Greek and what John is using here means revealed, made visible and appeared. And again, this is a strike, a paleimic against the the Gnostics that said spirits good, matters evil. And here's John saying the eternal life was revealed, appeared, manifest or revealed to us in flesh. Therefore, that which is eternal, spiritual, holy, has come into flesh, come into matter. And we have seen it, we have heard it, we have touched it, and we are declaring it unto you. He has been made manifest. Now, John says he's the word of life, eternal life. Again, this is John chapter number one. In the beginning was the word and the word was with God, and the word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life and the life was the light of men. Words, spoken words are invisible. Right? Spoken words are invisible. You can't see a word move through the air any more than you can see a song or a fragrance. Now, let's try this out. If I say the word teapot, teapot, immediately something comes into your brain. Right now, a teapot did not come out of my mouth, but a spoken word with my breath, my voice, my tongue, my lips. I spoke the word teapot. And in your brain, you thought of a teapot of some sort. Maybe it's an old one. Maybe it's a small one. Maybe it's a big one. Maybe maybe it's a a colorful one. Maybe it has flowers on it. Maybe it's one your grandmother had and passed down to you. Then you start thinking about, you know, you know the teacups and all the things that come along with. And all I had to say was teapot. You didn't see it. I didn't ask brother Derek to put one up on the screen because your brain by your ears have immediately imagined a teapot. But you didn't see the word teapot. But that word teapot isn't separate from me. My word is not a separate person from me. You ain't hearing me. When I I'm speaking these words right now, these words, if I were to go to a court of law and somebody were to take me to court and say, "Did did you say these things? Are these your words?" I could say, "I affirm that those are my words, but those words are not separate from me. You're not hearing me. The word is mine. My thought made audible. He's not saying when John says in the beginning was the word and the word was with God. He is not saying that a spoken word was next to God while he created. Y'all hearing me? Don't get confused. WORDS COME FROM THE PERSON. It proceeds from my mind, from my frail knowledge or wisdom, but it is mine. So when God who is the word spoke the words, let there be light, those words took on a form that came from the mind and the mouth of God. BUT THERE WAS NOT A SECOND word standing, A SEPARATE WORD. There was not another word, another my words do not become flesh and blood. But in the mind and the wisdom of God when he spoke things happened. Now scripture reveals that the omniresent God, he is spirit. He's eternal. We've covered that. He can think, speak, and act without the limitations of a body. When the Bible says that he has a hand or that he has eyes or that he can smell the sweet savor, it's using human words to describe what God is doing. But God doesn't have hands and God doesn't have a nose. He's spirit. But the Bible, John says he's the word and the word was with God. Where was the word? It was in the mind of God from eternity past. It was IN THE MIND OF GOD BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD THAT THE SON, WHICH IS NOT A SECOND PERSON, WHICH IS NOT A WHICH IS NOT A LESSER GOD. NO, NO, NO, NO, NO. It is the very word of God made flesh. He said, "IN THE BEGINNING WAS THE WORD, AND THE WORD WAS WITH GOD, and the word was God." Verse 14, "And the word was made flesh and dwelt TABERNACLED AMONG US." GOD DIDN'T SEND A SECOND PERSON. GOD DIDN'T SEND SOMEBODY ELSE. BUT GOD, WHO WAS THE LOGOS, THE WORD, THE WISDOM OF GOD, GOD CAME IN FLESH, MY GOD, AND DWELT AMONG US TO DO WHAT WE COULD NOT DO. I WISH SOMEBODY WOULD PRAISE him right now. 1 Timothy 3:16, "And without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness." Not that the He does not say great is the mystery of the Godhead. It does not say great is the mystery of God. IT SAYS GREAT IS THE MYSTERY OF GODLINESS. GOD WAS MANIFEST IN THE FLESH. >> THERE WAS NOT A SECOND PERSON MANIFEST IN FLESH BUT GOD REVEALED APPEARED MANIFEST HIMSELF IN FLESH. Justified in the spirit seen of angels preached unto the Gentiles. believed on into the world and received up into glory. When God speaks, his word has creative power. But it is the wisdom of God. It is the word of God. That's why John can say he is the word made flesh or manifest because God has revealed himself. Verse 18 of chapter 1. No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten son which is in the bosom of the father. He hath declared him. He has revealed him. He's not saying that Jesus was in his bosom like like he was just hanging out inside of him like no. He is the word. It's the wisdom of God. It's the very w the VERY MIND OF GOD, THE PLAN of God. And when God revealed or manifest himself, HE HAS SHOWN. THEY SAID, "JESUS, show us the father." Well, I'll tell you where to go. You go down this road over here and take this way. I'll I I'll show you how to see the father. I This is what you need to do. Jesus said, "Have I been so long with you? When you seen me, >> you've seen the Father." >> There's my God have mercy. He said, "WHEN YOU'VE SEEN ME, YOU'VE SEEN THE FATHER." WHY? BECAUSE I'M GOD MANIFEST IN FLESH. HE DIDN'T CEASE TO BE GOD JUST BECAUSE HE WAS IN THE MAN Christ Jesus. HE WAS GOD FROM ETERNITY, BUT HE STEPPED INTO HUMANITY. My God have mercy. TO REVEAL and enact his plan of redemption. >> We got We got to be right about this. We got to be right about this. the invisible God. He is the image, the icon, the picture of the invisible God. We must know who Jesus is. He says, "And we've looked upon, we've looked upon verse number one, which we have looked upon." This is more than just simply seeing. In Greek, it means to gaze upon, to study closely, to observe with understanding. This wasn't just a passing glance. John said, "We have look looked upon him. We've seen him." You know what we need today? We need to have a revelation of who he is. Thou art the the Christ, the son of God. He said, "Flesh and blood has not revealed this unto you, Peter, but my father which is in heaven has revealed it unto you." You don't get a revelation by simply having a quick look. You know what we need to do is if you don't have a revelation, you better get in it until you do. and then pray until he reveals it. I can I can teach you. I can I can preach to you. You can go through disciplehip classes. You can listen to podcasts. You can do all the things. But until you get a revelation, a revelation, you'll die for a revelation. >> People who have a revelation don't change their mind. People who have a revelation aren't tossed to and fro by every wind. I got a revelation. You ain't You're not taking this away from me. I've gazed upon him. I I I've I've studied him. I I've I've been with him. I have touched. I have seen. I have heard. That's why you need more than just Sunday and Wednesdays. I'm for Wednesdays and Sundays. But we need more than that. We need a revelation. Someone say, "Amen." Now, let's move on. We We've got We've got through that, but I want to give you two things. I'm almost done. Got 13 minutes. Two things. Correct doctrine about Jesus leads to at least three practical things. We're going to look at two. One of those things is assurance, which is the whole point of the letter. But I want to give you two things from this this portion tonight. Two things that correct doctrine produces. Fellowship and joy. Correct doctrine, correct theology produces fellowship and joy. Ashley and I, I've told this story a hundred times. Ashley and I, we were I think we just got just got married. We went to a restaurant uh here in town and um it was a Saturday morning brunch and uh this this young man uh sat us down. He goes, are y'all pastors or something? I said, 'Well, that's a loose phrase for me. I just I'm I've been a traveling evangelist for years. I'm not sure if I'm I still don't know if I'm a pastor or not. I don't know. But I said, "Well, we we work at a church, you know, 5020 Pleasant Ridge Road." He goes, "I knew it. I knew you were Christians." I said, "Well, what church do you go to?" He goes, "Church? I don't go to church. I love Jesus, but I don't go to church. So, give me my eggs, Benedict, my biscuit. Oh, Lord. Correct theology, doctrine is going to lead to correct fellowship. That which we have seen and heard, we declare unto you, that you also may have fellowship with us. And truly our fellowship is with the father and with his son Jesus Christ. So the test of fellowship is correct doctrine. Y'all ready? There are going to be people that you come into contact with, family members, co-workers who you may not be able to have fellowship with simply because of doctrine. correct doctrine, true doctrine is going to produce true fellowship. It never goes backwards. Well, if we just fellowship with him long enough, we're we hold on. I I wish I wish pray would be a better term. I wish that everybody that we run with would become like us. When you are a teenager, who you hang out with influences who you are. Show me your friends and I'll show you your future. Show me your fellowship and I'll show you your doctrine. I'm feeling it tonight. Y'all show me who who who who who's preaching for him got quiet. Who they letting up on their platform? Show me your fellowship and I'll show you your doctrine. >> Oh no, brother Nate. We We want unity. No, what you've got is trouble. Because what John is saying here is this. If they deny that Jesus has come in the flesh, they're antirist and have nothing to do with them. But brother Nate, we're to love. That's what John says. Yeah. To love the brothers. I knew I'd get you here. You see, we cannot sacrifice truth for fellowship. That's why I don't go to everybody's church. It's quiet in here tonight, y'all. That's why you you need to, as John would say, test the spirits. But they, brother Nate, but they sing so good. Thank God. Wonderful. So does Artha Franklin. That can't be the test. Well, I get goosebumps and I feel great. What do they believe? And if they're if they're hiding their doctrine, if they're afraid to talk about doctrine, I can tell you about their doctrine. They don't believe fat meets greasy, but they I'm I'm on it tonight. They'll baptize you any way that you want. Why would I want to go some I don't want somebody to be baptized any way that they want. I want to be baptized in the way that God has revealed in his. That's what matters. WE CAN LOVE THEM. WE CAN APPRECIATE THEM. WE CAN PRAY FOR THEM. BUT THEY AIN'T GOING TO PREACH FOR US. Y'all all right? Y'all all right? Some say doctrine divides. That's not true. False doctrine destroys unity. True doctrine brings fellowship. Fellowship without truth isn't fellowship at all. It's sentimentality dressed up as faith. Truth cannot be sacrificed for the sake of peace. Compromise with error only breeds confusion. We talk about fellowship. Almost done. Six minutes. Fellowship. It's a New Testament word. Konia in the Greek. It means far more than coffee before or after church. Okay. Now, when I was growing up, and I think I've talked about this before, the we had at my church growing up the fellowship hall. I can still smell the coffee and the ham salad sandwiches. We'd have on special nights. We had fellowship. had vacation bible school and that you know we had Kool-Aid and cookies and all. I can I can tell you all about the fellowship all we use this word fellowship so loosely but in the New Testament fellowship is more than that and I I appreciate that that's important but fellowship is more than that it means in Greek a shared life or having that which is common between us. There's something shared here. There's something common between us. There's something that you and I have experienced together that knits us together. In Acts 2:42, the early believers devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles, the doctrine of the apost the apostles and fellowship. Doctrine and fellowship go hand in hand. They share their possessions practically and their lives spiritually. Doctrine and fellowship were inseparable. The apostles teaching created the apostles or the apostolic community. And so in John's letter in the New Testament, Coinia fellowship isn't about potlucks or men's camping trips. It's about participation in the very life of God through union in Jesus. But fellowship with God is only possible through correct doctrine about who he is. How can two walk together lest they agree? You can't have fellowship with a God you don't know. Let's go to the next part. And these things write we unto you that your joy may be full. Now, why would John give us fellowship and joy in this opening about doctrine of Jesus? Because doctrine isn't just for the mind. It's for the heart. Brother Nate, uh, all that theology stuff is beyond me. I can't I don't I'm a feeler. I'm not a thinker. You know, God does not demand that we leave our brains in the car when we come into a church service. Just leave your thing in caps in the car. We're going to come in here and worship tonight. Just feel something. I We are feelers. But right doctrine is going to create joy in your you know you know what causes chaos not knowing. You know what causes confusion? Not knowing but knowing having assurance having fellowship brings joy. I want to talk about happiness. What makes you happy? a Mercedes with leather interior. It's got, you know, it's got Apple CarPlay that it'll make you happy for a year until they get the new one out. Happy is Happiness is based on circumstance. Joy comes from the Holy Ghost. this joy that I have the world didn't you know why the world can't give it to you because the world can't give you joy you you'll never get joy from the world and let me just say this you'll not you you won't get joy from another person either you get joy the joy of the Lord Lord is my. You want strength, get joy. You want joy, get Jesus. Have correct doctrine. Have correct fellowship. Get in this book. Get in here and worship. Get in here and serve. Get out here and love somebody. That will give you joy. You know, when you when you become Stand to your feet. I'm done. When you become a Christian, when you're born again, you know, you don't have to become a stoic. Bishop tells the story of the guy who was frowning all the time. I'm probably butchering the story. I got religion. No, what you got is a bunch of nonsense. When you got the Holy Ghost, Peter says it's joy unspeakable. If you're going around looks like you've been baptized in lemon juice, you need the Holy Ghost. >> You need living water in your life. OUT OF YOUR BELLY SHALL flow rivers of living water. Joy comes from Paul said, "Joy is a fruit OF THE SPIRIT." IF YOU DON'T HAVE ANY JOY in your life, GET CONNECTED TO THE BR GET CONNECTED TO THE ROOT. Get connected TO WHO HE IS. AND FROM THERE, being in union WITH HIM PRODUCES JOY. >> You know what we need more more of? We need less anxiety, less worry. You know what might this is not just how can I say this without hurting your feelings? I've done plenty of that tonight already. You know what might help your anxiety and your fear and your worry? Turning off the news. >> But I got to be informed. Uh how about you be conformed and transformed? >> But do you know who won the election and who didn't? This joy that I have. The politicians didn't give it to me. >> The election didn't. And the if the if the politicians and the election didn't give it to me, then the election and the politician can't take it away. >> THAT MIGHT HELP YOUR JOY. THAT THAT MIGHT HELP YOUR INFLUENCE of joy in your life. If you turn off all the negativity, brother Nate, you're meddling. Yeah. Yeah. But we need to be He didn't say have a little joy. He said that your joy may be full or as the ESV says complete. John doesn't want us to have a little joy. He wants us to have complete joy, fullness, overflowing, and you get joy. You get complete joy from right fellowship and right doctrine. We need to know who Jesus is. Everything rises and falls on who he is. I want to know him. Don't you? Let's pray. Father, thank you for your word. It is a light unto my feet. It's a lamp unto my path, God. And I pray that tonight that somebody may have a little light, a little light. the light of men come into their spirit. Oh God, Lord, we want right fellowship and we want complete joy and that that's a byproduct of being able to know who you are. And I pray that you would reveal yourself. You have manifested yourself to us. And I pray God that you would do it even now through your spirit and through your word that you are the word made flesh dwelling among us. And now God, that word is in us by your spirit. Lord, I pray that you would be with us, not just tonight, but tomorrow, the rest of this week. Bring us back Sunday morning and Sunday night for another great time of fellowship and joy in the Holy Ghost. In Jesus' name we pray. And everyone said, "Amen." You're dismissed in Jesus' name. Fellowship with somebody joyfully. And you're dismissed in Jesus' name.