The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit have always enjoyed perfect fellowship, unity, and delight in one another. What Jesus experienced on earth—especially in John 17, Gethsemane, and the Cross—lets us see that fellowship in action.
And here’s the staggering truth: That same fellowship is now open to us through Christ.
We have access to the Father by the Spirit, because of the Son.
1. Jesus’ Strength Came From His Fellowship With the Father
In John 17, Jesus prays with absolute confidence in His Father:
“Father, the hour is come…”
“I have glorified thee…”
“Thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world…”
Even as the disciples fail Him or are confused, Jesus stands firm because His confidence is in the Father’s word and will.
That’s the faith of Christ—His faithfulness to the Father.
2. Gethsemane Shows the Depth of That Fellowship
In the garden:
His soul is “exceeding sorrowful unto death.”
The disciples fall asleep.
Every earthly support collapses.
Yet Jesus still says:
“Abba, Father… not my will, but thine be done.”
He wasn’t trying to avoid the cross.
He was affirming His full submission to the Father’s plan.
Everything He did, He did because He trusted the Father’s word.
3. On the Cross, The Fellowship Is Still There—even in the darkness
Jesus speaks three times to the Father from the cross:
1) “Father, forgive them…”
—He is still working the Father’s dispensational plan for Israel.
2) “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”
—This is the moment He bears sin, tastes the second death, is made a curse.
Yet even in forsaking, He addresses God in covenant terms: “My God.”
He is still aligned with the Father’s purpose.
3) “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.”
—He dies in faith, quoting Scripture (Psalm 31), confident the Father will raise Him.
4. What You’re Seeing Is the Faith of Christ
Jesus lived His entire earthly life not by His own strength, but by:
• trusting the Father’s word
• submitting to the Father’s will
• relying on the Spirit’s leading
This is why Paul calls it “the faith of Christ.” It’s Christ’s perfect faith for us, not our faith in Him.
5. And That’s the Fellowship We’re Invited Into
Because of the cross and the resurrection:
• The Spirit brings us to the Father
• Through Christ we have access
• We stand in the same grace, the same love, the same relationship
The fellowship that sustained Jesus is the same fellowship that sustains you.
Whatever sorrow you walk through, whatever loneliness you face,
whatever trial weighs on your soul—
He has been there.
And He walks through it with you, never abandoning, never forsaking.
