1 John 1:7 - Duane Permenter 6/12/11

In 2nd Thessalonians chapter 2 and verse 14.

The Apostle says that we are called by the gospel.

Again in First Corinthians chapter 1 and verse 9.

1 Corinthians 1 · chapter mention

He states that were called into Fellowship by the gospel.

Now John in the Epistle of John Begins, the text by talking

about the fact that Jesus has been revealed that he has.

God has come to the world and we've touched him, we've talked

to him. We've Walked with him and we

know fully who he is and we have a special fellowship with God

and with Christ, and he says, we want, we want you.

We remind you of these things, we write these things to you

because we want you also to have this same Fellowship.

We've been called into fellowship with the Lord Jesus

Christ. We've been calling the

fellowship with God, the Father, all the way back to the

beginning. This Fellowship was broken by

seeing and Cause of sin of man being separated from God was in

need of a savior, Jesus came and through the apostles words,

through the words of the Apostles, we can find the way

that leads us back into Fellowship.

John clearly tells us in first John chapter 1 that it's through

1 John 1 · chapter mention

the light of his word that we have Fellowship as long as we

remain in the light. Now, obviously, he doesn't mean

in that passage that a person makes every step in the light,

but he's teaching us the importance of having, the right

attitude of walking in the right way of Walking, In The Light, in

1st, John 1:7. John says, if we Walk in the

John 1:7

light even 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.

Jesus was the True Light. Jesus came with the word and

through that word, we can have that light today and we do have

that light as long as we remain within the confines of that

light. Now, noticed he says that our

fellowship with God is dependent upon the fact that we walk in

the light. Now, I want to illustrate that

when I was a little boy, About the size of a little Caleb, who

was here this morning hand, his oldest son, my Grandpa took me

to some railroad tracks and he was about forty, nine or so at

that time and he took me to the railroad track, a couple of

blocks of our house and and he got up on the rail and he just

started walking. He says he's a little boy and

Arkansas. He had walked the rail.

Now, I don't know if he had this in mind or not, but he taught me

a great lesson and of course, When I first took my first step,

I can hardly take a step without Fallin.

I can hardly walk one step after another without falling off of

the rail. But he would encourage me.

He put me back on the rail and I kept walking and I kept

practicing. He said, when I go away, I

believe you back in a month or so and every chance you get you

practice. And so I practice well pretty

soon because I was determined to walk the rail.

I could walk a few steps without falling.

Well, that's A little bit like Christianity.

You see, when you start your baby, that's why Jesus says,

except a man be born of water and of the spirit, he cannot

enter the kingdom of heaven. When you start, you don't know

anything. When you start, you can't walk

in the light hardening but your determine and you have a mindset

to be the kind of person God wants you to be.

And so, you get back in the light every time you fall.

You get back in the light because you're determined to

stay there your tutor. Ermine to be the kind of person

that God wants you to be. But you know what I learned.

After I learned to walk pretty well.

I learned that that there were always distractions.

You know, sometimes these tracks that I walked on went from the

East, to the west and on the north side of the track that

were some tall cottonwood trees. And in the top of those trees

were some red-tailed. Hawks sometimes, as I would walk

along one of those red-tailed, Hawks would swoop down to get a

squirrel and the shadow would start early and I'd follow.

Or sometimes I would be at a certain place and and there was

a stop sign on the road and a car would come screeching up to

the stop sign and it would start on me and I would fall.

Sometimes we lived in a small town.

Everybody knew each other at the distance.

Somebody say Dwayne and I turn around and I fall.

Now that again is a little bit like Christianity.

No matter how long you live it, no matter what you do, there's

always going to be some distractions.

In fact, the Bible says in First Peter chapter 5 and verse 8,

1 Peter 5 · chapter mention

that the devil is a roaring lion.

Well, can you about seeking whom?

He may devour in the second Thessalonians letter, our Second

Corinthian letter. The Apostle says that Satan is

like a serpent. He's deceptive.

And so he's always looking for ways to cause us to fall. but

she see the difference between the person who fails and the

person who is successful is the person who gets up one more time

when he falls You see the difference between success and

failure is not your education. It's not from which side of the

tracks that you were born. Now we want to blame those

things and we want to bring those things into Vogue.

It's not because you're a man or a woman, it's not because of

your job or your social status. It's because you just get up one

more time than you fall. That's the difference.

I'm telling you today, that whoever you are, you can live

for Jesus and you can be the kind of person that you ought to

be. Get up, get up one more time and

give it a little more effort. You'll be amazed at how

successful you can be. That's the key.

That's the difference between failure and success, clearly.

Lee In this passage John is teaching us.

A lifestyle is teaching us a way of life.

We've been called to fellowship with God.

Think about that we've been called in the fellowship with

the creator of the heavens and the Earth.

The Bible says, in the beginning, God created the

Heaven and the Earth and he wants us to be in fellowship

with him. He made us in his likeness, he

made us in His image and he wants us to be like him.

I am and it's up to you. He has designed of means he's

designed a way that you can be successful.

He wants you to be successful. You know, there's an interesting

passage over there in second Peter.

All of us are familiar with this passage.

This is where Peter is talking about what we sometimes call the

Christian Graces and he says if these things be in you and

abound, they make you that ye shall neither be a Barren, nor

unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord and savior.

Here. Jesus Christ.

But there's an interesting Passages at the conclusion.

Some interesting versus at the conclusion of what he says about

the Christian Graces, look at this or listen to this.

Now, second Peter, chapter 1 about verse 10, I believe it is.

2 Peter 1 · chapter mention

The writer says, wherefore the rather Brethren give diligence

to make your calling and election.

Sure, for if you do these things you shall never fall.

Listen. Now for soul entrance, Shall be

administering you abundantly now?

Listen to me. You're not going to make it to

Heaven by the skin of your teeth.

It's not going to be something that happens by accident.

You have to make up your mind. You have to decide on going.

Now you can earn your salvation and there's nothing you could

do, that will cause you to deserve it.

But when you make up your mind, God will provide a way.

For you to get through and do you want you to do?

His plan is simple, too. Simple for some.

In fact, it's a plan that everybody could submit to.

Everyone can obey known as he says wherefore an entrance

should be ministering you abundantly into the Everlasting

Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Now sometimes I hear people quote from 1st Peter 4:11 and

we're not first Peter 4 verse 11, but I better look at it

1 Peter 4:11

because I think it's forward 17 and 18.

Let's see here. Yeah we're Peter says that

judgment is going to begin at the house of God and says that

the righteous scarcely be saved. And then there are, you know

sort of goes to something like this, you know, it's real hard

to get to heaven. Fact, it's impossible for some

and and we'll be lucky if we get there.

And you know, That's a contradiction to what he says in

2nd Peter chapter 1. If he's talking about judgment

he's talking about our Eternal home now.

It's clear in second, Peter chapter 1 that he's talking

about the Eternal Kingdom. He says into the Everlasting

Kingdom of our Lord and Savior. Jesus Christ over there in

second, Peter chapter 2, the Eternal Kingdom.

So now if in First Peter Chapter 4, verses 17 and 18, he's

1 Peter 4:17

talking about the same thing, it on fit.

Now, in the preceding verse believe it's verse 7.

Peter says, the end is near you see that tells us what he's

talking about in verse 17 18. He's not talking about the day

of judgment in verse 17, 18 because it's been 2000 years

since he said that and the Judgment hasn't come.

Now, we've been preaching to premillennialists for years,

that when John, the Baptist said the Kingdom of Heaven is at

hand, it had to come and that generation.

So, the pro it is, it has something.

It has reference to something else.

And the reference to that. Something else is the

destruction of Jerusalem. He says the righteous will

scarcely be saved. Now why?

Because they're going to be righteous people of Jerusalem

with Titus comes with that army. and that all of a sudden,

they're going to withdraw. The Jews are going to think that

this is an omen from God telling us to hold out and will be

victorious, but those who listen to, Jesus are going to flee the

mountains. Remember, that's what Jesus

said. When you see the armies

encompassing Jerusalem, flee to the mountains.

The righteous were scarcely. Saved the Judgment was right

upon them. But they were allowed to escape.

and, History Bears record that no Christian suffered in the

destruction of Jerusalem, death. For they left when Jesus told

him to leave. well, the point is all the things that we've been

talking about this week, if we want to be saved eternally, we

have to make up our minds that we're going to be saved.

We got to make up our minds to Center our eyes on the Mark.

We got to walk in the light. We got to determine that we're

going to remain in the light. Sometimes we may see him

sometimes we may fall but we must get back up and get back in

the light and press forward, Press On.

Now, let's go back to 1st John and look at this, a little more

carefully. Notice what John says, at verse

7. We've already quoted that but I

want to read that again. It says, 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. If we say that, we have no sin,

we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just Just to

forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all

unrighteousness. If we say that we have not

sinned, we make him a liar and his word is not in us.

All of us are sinners. I don't know why some people

have such a difficulty with admitting that.

I remember when I was growing up, sometimes people left the

impression that they were sitting us I don't know, I guess

they wanted people to think highly of them.

I don't know what the reason was. but John clearly says, if

we claimed that sin never bothers us that we're lying, he

tells us clearly that if we claim, we are per perfect in the

sense of being flawless, that were wrong. but, on the other

hand, He says, if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to

forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all

unrighteousness. Now, there's an interesting

story in the Old Testament. Probably everybody here knows

the story, but you remember that Jesus came to her, rather Moses,

and the children of Israel came to the Rock in Horeb.

And they need water. And you remember that Moses in

was instructed by God to take the rod that he had been

carrying and he was instructed to Smite, The Rock.

And water would come out. Now Moses didn't have any idea.

What that was all about, he just following orders.

And so he did that. He spoke The Rock.

Bible tells us that in the book of Exodus and as a result of his

obedience and the people's need, the Bible says that God provided

the people water from a rock. Now, it's 40 years later, that's

an approximate date. It's actually 38 points of the

months, but about 40 years later, the children of Israel

are in an area of the country by the name of kadish, Bernie idea.

And once again, there without water and this time God says

again, you gather the people together, you take your rod And

you speak to the Rock. now, here Moses spoke, and he hit But

here, he's told only to speak. Now, God doesn't explain to

Moses why? That was the case.

But you know the story. Bible says he not only spoke to

the Rock but he hit it again. And God's angry.

Now, why is God? So an angry have you ever

wondered why? Moses didn't understand really

why except that God told him what to do and he went beyond

what God Said. Better be careful.

Sometimes we to go beyond What God Says.

We think we're better off then, when when we're not, like to

sell it, it doesn't do as much as the Bible says, but Moses did

more than God said, he did all that God said, plus a little

more. He got in big trouble.

Now years later. Years later.

Inspiration reveals to us, why? Moses got in such big trouble.

You see 1st Corinthians, chapter 10, Paul said that rock, that

followed them. Now, that rock didn't live.

It wasn't a literal rock that followed them.

But in both instances, the water flowed out of the rock both at

Horeb and Cadence Rania. That's what he's talking about.

He's talking about the miracle. And he says the rock that

followed them was Jesus. Now, Jesus was to be smitten in

death. One time, he tells us in John,

the fourth chapter that he was giving Living Water that would

say 28 spiritual thirst and give everlasting life.

Think about that. The first time, the hit the

rock, their first time, they came to the Rock, they smote it.

Jesus died one time on the cross.

You see, he ruined the picture. When they came the second time

to the Rock, they were to speak to it and he hit it.

He violated God's Will and he ruined the picture.

Because you see that's the way it is.

When you're Christian when you become a Christian, Jesus died,

one time, therefore you're baptized one time.

You're baptized one time. Now, listen to me, we got a

problem in the Brotherhood. People get their life messed up.

And they did think that they could be re-baptized, and fix

it. Now, it's true that if you took

a bath, the first time, if you didn't understand what you're

doing now I can't read your heart.

You have to make that decision. It's true, that of all you did

was take a bath. Then you need to be baptized,

but it's not really a re-baptism anyway.

The point is you weren't baptized first time so you got

to be baptized scripture. Well, you're baptized one time

because Jesus died. One time.

And then when you need help again you ask the rock.

That's why John writing your Christian says, if we confess

our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins.

And so amazingly When Moses violated the picture both he and

Aaron were forbidden to enter the promised land.

You see there was always consequences to sin and we, we

fail to remember that now. Moses repented, I know that he

repeated because God forgave him because when Jesus was on the

earth he did finally enter the promised land.

Remember that? In Matthew the 17th chapter, you

remember some men appeared with Jesus when he was transfigured

on that mountain and one of them was Moses.

Moses is on the inside of the promised land.

He'd repented and someday. He's going to go to heaven but

he wasn't allowed to enter Kate him.

The type of Heaven because of that sin right there.

Now I'm going to tell you something, you may not always

understand why God tells you something.

You may not even always agree. With what God has said.

But that doesn't matter. What matters is God said.

And that settles it and no matter what I think.

No matter what I say, no matter what I believe all that's going

to make any difference to the dead.

Judgment is what God has said. And Jesus said he that rejecteth

me and receiveth, not my words. Hath one that judgeth him.

Now I've emphasized today, in both sermons, importance of the

Bible, And you can't walk in the light without the Bible.

If you're going to go to heaven, you got to be in the light.

So you got to know what this book says.

You got to study it, you got to absorb it, you got to comprehend

it. You got to assimilate it in your

life. You got to practice it.

You got to tell it to others. God's called you into his

Fellowship. Think about that.

That's an amazing thought me. Just old Wayne.

I'm the brother of Jesus Christ. He's called me in the

fellowship. With his father. and now, if I

stay in fellowship with him, If I continue to share the

blessings in Christ. Then someday I can go to heaven.

Now I don't know the mind set of you today.

We're coming close to the meeting.

We're fixing to getting our vehicle and lickety-split,

buddy. We're going to go 70 miles an

hour for several days. Maybe when we get to New Mexico

nurse, won't until 75 Vector. No maybes about it.

We are, if we decide to go on Interstate 10, we're going to go

80 because that's how fast speed limit is.

When we get to Texas, we're going home.

Well someday. Someday, we're going to go home.

Are you ready? Are you ready to go home?

Man, I want to go home, I'm ready.

Well, Jesus is coming back. He may come back tonight.

It may be tomorrow, it might be 10,000 years.

I don't know when he's coming, but I know he will.

And if you die in the meantime, or if I pass from this life

through the process, then my destiny is set.

So, we better think about it life tonight.

Better think very seriously. We're told in second Corinthians

13, examine yourselves. Examine yourselves.

Whether you be in the faith. Are you in the faith today?

You've never obeyed the gospel. We urge you to do that when

Philip went to Samaria and preached Jesus and the things

concerning the Kingdom of Heaven, the Bible says that they

believed and they were baptized in first or rather in Acts 18,

when Paul went to Corinth, he remained there for 18 months and

the Bible says that the Corinthians heard believed and

were baptized Well, maybe today, you've heard sufficiently.

You're ready to be baptized if that's the case believing with

all your heart, repent of your past, change your mind with

register sin, repent or perish. Jesus said confess him before

this audience. Peter said, in Matthew 16:16,

Matthew 16:16

Thou Art the Christ, the son of the Living, God, And then be

buried with him in baptism. Bible says that both the

preaching the converted acts 8, went down into the water and he

was baptized, and they came up out of the water rejoicing.

Why? Because baptism will save you,

not because there's power and water, but because that's the

plan of God. And when you obey, God, he keeps

his promises. On the all those that obey,

Jesus is the author of Salvation.

Not everyone that says to me, Lord Lord shall enter into the

kingdom of heaven, but he that does, the will of my father.

Who is in heaven, are you ready to obey today?

Right? Now, is the time the whole today

is the day of salvation. We thank you for listening to

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