Sunday Night, October 4, 2020, PM

I want to speak about perspectives on beginnings, perspectives on beginnings, and of course the beginning is in Genesis chapter 1, verse 1, in the beginning

God created the heavens and the earth, and the earth was without form, and void, or empty, and darkness was over the face of the deep.

Just stop right there and think, okay? What we have before us there, you know, we have the earth without form, void, empty, and darkness everywhere, darkness over the face of the deep, and the

Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters, the

Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters, and if there's any music, okay, you know, it's music of expectation, okay?

Something's going to happen here, something's going to happen, and that's verse 3, and God said, now just stop right there, and God said.

Now this is what happens. This is where the music leads up to, if you will, the expectation, and God said, let there be light, and there was light, and God saw that the light was good, and God called the light day, and the darkness

He called night, and the evening and the morning were the first day. Now that's the beginning of creation.

That's the beginning. Let's get a different perspective here.

Paul uses this Scripture, and he speaks to the church at Corinth in 2

Corinthians 4, verse 6, and this is what he says, God who said, let there be light, you know, referencing this very

Scripture, okay, God who said, let there be light, has shown in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

That's Paul's perspective, his use of this Scripture as illustration of what

God has done through Jesus Christ. This same God who initiated creation has shown in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, and that, in essence, brings us to a beginning.

You see, each of us, okay, experienced, at least each of us believers experienced this very light of God as He's shown in our hearts to show us

His Son, the Lord Jesus, and His Son, the Lord Jesus, showed us the Father. That is

Paul's perspective. John gives us, the apostle John gives us, another perspective on this beginning, if you will, in the gospel, the gospel of John, chapter 1, you're familiar with, in the beginning was the

Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

He was in the beginning with God, all things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made.

In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

But you see, John saw Jesus Christ. He saw

Christ at the very beginning, at the beginning, in creation, and God said, and the

Word of God went forth. The breath of God went forth. The breath of God gives life.

When He breathed into the nostrils of Adam, Adam became a living soul, and the

Word goes forth and brings about creation, and this

Word is with God and was

God. All things were made through Him, this Word that went forth, and so John sees the

Word of God, the Son of God, right there at the very beginning, right at the very beginning.

And again, John has perspective on beginnings in the first letter of John.

John wrote the gospel that people might believe in Jesus and in believing have eternal life, and John wrote this letter, 1

John, that those who have life might have the assurance of that life.

1 John chapter 1, that which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and have touched with our hands concerning the

Word of life. Now John could have started this out, that which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and have touched with our hands concerning the

Word of life, but he added this little phrase, which was from the beginning, that which was from the beginning.

Now what is John looking at here when he says, when he's looking back, that which was from the beginning, and it echoes, again,

Genesis chapter 1, verse 1, creation, Jesus Christ at the very beginning, that which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands concerning the

Word of life. Now what he's describing here is his experience with the incarnate

Christ, with the Lord Jesus, the earthly son, the child that was given, or the child that was born, the son that was given.

He said, we heard the words that he spoke, he said,

I heard these words, I saw this person with my own eyes,

I looked upon him and touched him with my own hands, and then he says, concerning the

Word of life. He refers to him as the Word of life. He is the

Word, he's also the Word of life. In John chapter 6, the

Gospel of John, Jesus says, concerning the words that he spoke, the words that I speak to you are spirit and life.

You see, the words that he speaks bring life. They are spirit and life.

And so when John speaks of him, he says, concerning the Word of life. And then in verse 2, he says, the life was made manifest and we have seen it, and testify to it, and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the

Father and was made manifest to us. Not only is this the Word of life, but it's eternal life, which was with the

Father and was made manifest to us. Making it very clear, this person that he speaks of was with the

Father, and this person that he speaks of is the Word of life. This person that he speaks of is eternal life, and he was made manifest to us.

In verse 3, that which we have seen and heard, we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us.

And indeed, our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.

Now at this point, John begins to speak of the fellowship that we have, just like we had just a moment ago.

We fellowshiped one with another, we experienced the presence of one another, spoke with one another, looked at one another, maybe even touched one another, okay?

That may be against the law these days, but nevertheless, okay? That's what we did, we had fellowship.

But he makes it very clear, he says, listen, so that you too may have fellowship with us, and indeed, our fellowship is with the

Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. Not only is our fellowship with one another, it's with the

Father and with his Son. You see, we have been brought into a fellowship with the

Father and with the Son, through the Spirit. He doesn't mention that here, but that's a fact.

Through the Spirit, we've been brought into fellowship with the Father and with the

Son. Now, he doesn't mention relationship here, but if you go back to the

Gospel of John, chapter 1, again, in verse 12, he speaks of our beginning, okay?

Just like Paul spoke of our beginning in Corinthians, John speaks of our beginning in John chapter 1, verse 12.

So, to those who did receive him, who believed on his name, he gave the right or gave the power to become children of God, born of God.

You know, not of blood, not of the will of man, not of the will of flesh, born of God.

And each of us, each of us as believers were born of God.

Now I tell, when I speak at the Grace Rescue Mission, I speak of being born of God, I remind those fellows at the

Rescue Mission, I say, listen, you know, how long does a dog live?

You know, and they all say, oh, 15, 16, 17 years maybe, you know, somewhere in that neighborhood. And I say, what about people?

How long do people live? You know, and well, you know, around 80 years, okay.

So what about if you're born of God, how long are you going to live?

If you're born of God, how long are you going to live? Well, you're going to live as long as God lives.

You're going to live everlastingly. You're going to live everlastingly, born of God.

Now Paul speaks of this very same thing, only he speaks of it, okay, from a different perspective, okay.

In Romans chapter 8, starting at verse 15 he says, we did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but we have received the spirit of adoption whereby we cry,

Abba, Father. It is His spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God.

You see, Paul speaks of the new birth as being adopted. Now are we born or are we adopted into God's family?

Well, he sang about that this morning, right? We're all glad to be a member of the family of God. Well, were we adopted or were we born into the family?

Well, Jill and I had three boys and, you know, we thought it'd be nice to have a girl.

And we thought, you know, if you adopt, you can choose. If you adopt, you can choose, okay.

And so we adopted Anna and Rachel. So now then we had three boys and two girls. If you adopt, you can choose.

So but in either case, they're all our children and in the family of God, okay.

In this case, though, it's not in either case, it's both. You see, being

God, He can do it His way. He can both bring us to the new birth and He can adopt us.

He can choose us. And so He chooses to bring us to the new birth.

He chooses us to bring us to this new birth. And that is our beginning.

But you see, from Paul's perspective, it's adoption. It's election, okay, from John's perspective, it's birth.

But in both cases, we're children of God in both cases.

And in both cases, we are now related to God.

We are in relationship with Him through His Son, the

Lord Jesus. And so John mentions here fellowship. But now both of these are true.

We are in relation with God and in fellowship with God, Father and Son.

And both of them are truths that are important to realize.

Because in a family, if you'll think about it, in a family, the children are related to the parents.

The children are in fellowship with the parents. And in the family, if a child disobeys, obviously, it doesn't mean that the child is no longer a child in the family.

Obviously, it doesn't mean that the child is now not related to the parents.

But what is obvious is that the fellowship has been broken.

The harmony is gone. There's no peace now between the child and the parent.

The relationship is still there, but the fellowship is missing. It's gone.

Now, what has to happen here? What is supposed to happen?

This fellowship needs to be restored. And how is it restored? It works like this.

You know, it's, you know, common knowledge. Usually, the child has to come before the parent and what?

Confess. I'm sorry. I did what was wrong. You told me not to do this.

I did it. I'm sorry. Will you forgive me? And what does the parent do?

Forgives. And now, in addition to this, there may be some retribution, okay?

Some restoration, okay? But that's the basics right there.

I mean, that's fundamental, okay? The confession and the forgiveness restores the fellowship.

But the relationship is always there, never in question.

Likewise, in the family of God, we who are born again, we who are believers in Christ, okay, who have been adopted into the family of God, sometimes we disobey, sometimes we sin, sometimes we fall, sometimes we disappoint

Him. And in no way does it mean that we're no longer His child. I mean, there's no way you can get unborn.

It just doesn't happen. We're His children forever.

But the fellowship, there's a problem there, right? Now, it's not a problem on God's part, okay?

I mean, He still loves us, right? He still loves us. We're still His children.

But the fellowship is broken. Well, let's just read on here, see what John has to say.

And indeed, our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ. And we are writing these things to you that our joy may be complete.

This is the message that we have heard from Him and proclaimed to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.

If we say we have fellowship with Him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.

But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.

If we say we have no sin, we therefore deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.

If, now here's a powerful verse, if we confess our sins,

He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

If we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.

But I hope you see that. I hope you see that. When we disappoint

God, when we fail Him, when we disobey, when we sin, transgress, commit iniquity, how do we restore that fellowship?

Now, the sin itself, the penalty, okay, the penalty of that sin, you know, the

Bible says, you know, what are the wages of sin? Death, but that penalty has been paid, right?

The penalty for every sin we've ever committed or will commit for every believer is covered by the blood of Christ.

The penalty has been paid, but the fellowship is broken and He makes it possible for us to come back into fellowship, okay, by confessing our sins.

If we confess our sins, He's faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness and to restore that fellowship.

Now, I hope you see that. We are related to God and we are in fellowship with God.

The relationship goes on forever. The fellowship sometimes needs to be restored.

You see, it's John's perspective here that we be in fellowship with the

Father and with the Son. He says, the reason

I'm telling you these things is so that you can be in fellowship, not only with one another, but with the

Father and with the Son. And if that fellowship is broken, confess your sins and He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness and to restore that fellowship.

So I'll stop right there. And I hope you see the difference between the relationship and the fellowship and the beginnings that you had, the new birth, the adoption, the light, and the word that brought you forth and the different perspectives that God shares with us through His disciples, through His apostles who wrote the

New Testament. Paul says, we are adopted.

John says, we are born. Peter says, we are made partakers of the divine nature in 2

Peter chapter one. James puts it like this. When my Sunday school class and I went through James a while back,

I noticed James said this. I think it's in chapter one. By His own will,

He brought us forth by the word of truth. Now, you know, that bears meditation.

That bears thought. By His own will, He brought us forth.

That is, He brought us to this new birth, okay, through the word of truth.

Well, I'll leave it with you. Again, that bears meditation, okay? Let's pray.

Father, what a blessing it is to have your word so readily available, to have it so clear, and to give us so many perspectives on this truth that we might fully understand the plan that you have for us, that each of us, being your child, can come before your throne of grace anytime, any place.

Even if we have sinned, even if we have broken fellowship with you, we can come before you and confess our sins.

And we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, who intercedes for us and brings us back into fellowship, brings us forgiveness, all because of the cross.

I thank you and I praise you for your son, the Lord Jesus, for the blood that was shed on our behalf, that we might have life, life with you, fellowship with you, amen.

Let us sing the doxology. ♪