Called Unto the Fellowship of His Son
Called unto the fellowship of His Son
I Corinthians 1:9 God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
Fellowship koinōnia koy-nohn-ee'-ah partnership, that is, (literally) participation, or social intercourse, or (pecuniary) benefaction: - (to) communicate, communion, (contri-), distribution, fellowship. I John 1 3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full. 5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: 7 But if 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 cleanseth us from all sin.
Walk in darkness = Something sinful and unrighteous in our lifestyle or manner of living. There is an area of our life where we are not walking in the truth.
Walk in the light = A lifestyle or manner of living that is righteous and in harmony with the Truth of God’s Word. The evidence or proof that we have fellowship with God is to consistently live our lives in agreement with the Truth of God’s Word.
You are called unto the fellowship of Jesus Christ.
Fellowship = the sharing together or joint participation as common possessors of a thing
What is it that we will share together and be joint participators as common possessors of with the Father, the Son and with one other?
I Peter 5:10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.
II Thessalonians 2 13 But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: 14 Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Those who are born again and live a lifestyle or manner of living that is consistent with truth and righteousness, will be sharers together and joint participators as common possessors of the glory of God and the image of Jesus Christ.
I Corinthians 15:49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
II Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
Colossians 3:10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
How do we begin this fellowship? (Be born again) Recognize that your relationship with Him is broken and that there is no way you can reconcile yourself to Him. Believe on Jesus, that He is the Son of God and that His death on the cross was payment for your sin Make Him Lord of your life Repent = (Turn from self and sin and walk in the light – live a life consistent with the Truth and righteousness of God by His power and enablement and not our own ability)
How do we continue this relationship? Live a life of obedience to the will of God. It is a life of self-denial and sacrifice. We no longer govern our lives by our own will but by the will of God.
We are not our own. We are bought with a price.
I Corinthians 6 19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.
When we are saved and born again and become a “Christ follower”, we: Enter into covenant with Him Make Him Lord of our lives and surrender our rights
We now belong to Him, we are His possession. We are His love slave. We no longer have any rights of our own. We surrender our will for His, our way for His, our desires, ambitions, hopes, dreams, and goals for His.
That which is dearest to us in this life must be held on the open palm of our hand as it were for Him to take as He will. We must love Him and desire Him more than anything in this life.
The only things we can lay claim to in this life is Him as He is our Possession, our Inheritance and that which He has promised us as long as we continue to believe Him and remain faithful to the covenant.
If we love something else more than Him, do our own will instead of His, look back, desiring something from the old life, we break covenant with Him and are not worthy of Him.
We must not live this life for ourselves any longer, but for Him.
Colossians 3 1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: 6 For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: 7 In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them. 8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. 9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; 10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
II Corinthians 5:15 And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.
Mark 8 34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 35 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it. 36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?
Luke 14:27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
“bear his cross” = die to sin and self
Die to sin. Carnality is sin The self-life is sin.
Conclusion: We are called unto the fellowship of His Son, to share in His glory and to bear His image.
Our responsibility is: Die to sin and the self-life Make Him truly Lord of our lives and do His will Don’t get preoccupied with things of this life, but let our heart seek after “things above”.
No Comments