1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:06,440
Good morning, I'm Kimberly. Today's scripture reading is from Ephesians

2
00:00:06,440 --> 00:00:15,440
chapter 4, 1 through 6. It is page 1006 in the Bibles in the back of the pews.

3
00:00:16,320 --> 00:00:23,060
Therefore I, the prisoner in the Lord, urge you to walk worthy of the calling

4
00:00:23,060 --> 00:00:29,440
you have received with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with

5
00:00:29,440 --> 00:00:35,320
one another in love, making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through

6
00:00:35,320 --> 00:00:42,400
the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to

7
00:00:42,400 --> 00:00:50,720
one hope at your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of

8
00:00:50,720 --> 00:01:01,720
all who is above all and through all and in all. This is God's Word. Who cares?

9
00:01:01,720 --> 00:01:10,240
That's what it says. Who cares? What are we getting at here? Well, we're getting at

10
00:01:10,240 --> 00:01:20,320
whose responsibility is it to care? Who will provide the care that is needed? It

11
00:01:20,320 --> 00:01:26,440
kind of has that snarky feel, right? Like who cares? No, it's who cares. It's a

12
00:01:26,440 --> 00:01:32,760
question with emphasis. Who will be there for and walk with someone through the

13
00:01:32,760 --> 00:01:40,120
good times and the bad times? Who's it going to be? Among the people of God,

14
00:01:40,120 --> 00:01:52,960
whose job is it to care? Well, what's the easy answer? The pastor. It's his job to

15
00:01:52,960 --> 00:02:00,000
care. That's why we pay him. He's the primary caregiver around here. He's paid

16
00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:05,560
to answer his phone night and day. He's paid to drop everything and to rush to a

17
00:02:05,560 --> 00:02:11,080
home of someone who's hurting or to the hospital bed of an infirm person or

18
00:02:11,080 --> 00:02:17,800
someone who is heading on in to undergo surgery. Is someone in need of food?

19
00:02:17,800 --> 00:02:23,720
Call the pastor. The pastor should get some food to that person. Is someone in need of

20
00:02:23,720 --> 00:02:30,920
prayer? Call the pastor. Pastor, we need to be praying for this person. Someone in

21
00:02:30,920 --> 00:02:35,880
need of godly counsel? Call the pastor. Someone in need of correction? Call the

22
00:02:35,880 --> 00:02:43,000
pastor. Someone struggling? Hey, pastor, I just wanted you to know that so and so

23
00:02:43,000 --> 00:02:49,320
is struggling. I think you probably should do something about that. For many

24
00:02:49,320 --> 00:02:54,800
pastors in churches, this is the reality of care within the congregation. The

25
00:02:54,800 --> 00:03:02,240
expectation to this question, who cares, is plain and simple. The pastor cares.

26
00:03:02,240 --> 00:03:10,400
That's his job. Well, that may be the reality among many churches and pastors.

27
00:03:10,400 --> 00:03:17,760
It does beg the question, how would the Bible answer that same question? How

28
00:03:17,760 --> 00:03:24,280
would the Bible answer the question of in the body, in the church, who cares?

29
00:03:24,280 --> 00:03:30,640
Because we're Bible people, right? We believe the Bible to be true. We stand

30
00:03:30,640 --> 00:03:37,160
on the word of God. Is it possible that the model that I outlined where the

31
00:03:37,160 --> 00:03:42,040
pastor is the default go-to is actually more of a product of our Western

32
00:03:42,040 --> 00:03:50,680
customer service checkout counter mentality than it is a biblical idea?

33
00:03:50,680 --> 00:03:58,880
When Jesus teaches us to pray, how does he begin? Our Father, does he, he doesn't

34
00:03:58,880 --> 00:04:06,480
begin with my Father? He begins with our Father. Interesting. When Paul talks

35
00:04:06,480 --> 00:04:14,760
about the Lord, does he say my Lord or our Lord? He's 53 times he says

36
00:04:14,760 --> 00:04:22,640
our Lord. One time he says my Lord. Did you know that the words personal, Lord,

37
00:04:22,640 --> 00:04:30,840
and Savior do not appear in the Bible? You ever heard that said? Except Jesus has

38
00:04:30,840 --> 00:04:35,240
your personal, Lord, and Savior. It sounds good. It fits really well together. It's

39
00:04:35,240 --> 00:04:40,160
not biblical. It's not in there at least. Not those words. Personal, Lord, and

40
00:04:40,160 --> 00:04:51,120
Savior. It's nowhere. The Bible is far more communal than it is individual. The

41
00:04:51,120 --> 00:04:55,720
Bible is far more communal than it is individual. I promise you, my

42
00:04:55,720 --> 00:04:59,280
perspective has changed even in the last five years of studying the Bible on this

43
00:04:59,280 --> 00:05:03,240
topic and I firmly believe it now more than ever that the Bible speaks far more

44
00:05:03,240 --> 00:05:08,320
about the community of saints, the people of God, than it does about the individual

45
00:05:08,320 --> 00:05:15,400
Christian. And what that tells us is that as the people of God, we belong to each

46
00:05:15,400 --> 00:05:24,480
other. We belong to each other. Paul speaking to the church in Ephesus, he

47
00:05:24,480 --> 00:05:31,560
begins with this, therefore I, the prisoner in the Lord, urge you to walk

48
00:05:31,560 --> 00:05:36,440
worthy of the calling you have received. Walk worthy of the calling you have

49
00:05:36,440 --> 00:05:41,360
received. And there's a key word right there in that first verse that should

50
00:05:41,360 --> 00:05:49,000
cause all of us good Bible students to stop. And it's that first word. Therefore.

51
00:05:49,000 --> 00:05:55,880
Therefore. Because if you see a therefore, it points back to what is there before.

52
00:05:55,880 --> 00:06:02,320
And so it leaves us wondering what was there before he said therefore. And so I

53
00:06:02,320 --> 00:06:06,080
want to summarize really quickly for you chapter 3. Chapter 3 of the book of

54
00:06:06,080 --> 00:06:11,000
Ephesians. In chapter 3, Paul begins by describing his role as an apostle to the

55
00:06:11,000 --> 00:06:17,520
Gentiles. He explains that he was given this task by the grace of God and that

56
00:06:17,520 --> 00:06:23,440
the mystery of Christ was revealed to him. And the mystery as Paul describes it

57
00:06:23,440 --> 00:06:31,320
is that Jesus Christ and through him that the Gentiles are actually co-heirs.

58
00:06:31,320 --> 00:06:35,840
Bethany read that scripture earlier from Galatians, a parallel scripture. The

59
00:06:35,840 --> 00:06:40,640
Gentiles are actually co-heirs, members of the same body and shares in the

60
00:06:40,640 --> 00:06:45,120
promise of God in Christ. That they're not separate people. It's not a new

61
00:06:45,120 --> 00:06:49,640
religion of Gentile faith that's added to the Gentile faith. But this is one

62
00:06:49,640 --> 00:06:57,900
body. And that God is growing a family. But not with folks who are just like the

63
00:06:57,900 --> 00:07:02,560
first Jewish believers. These new folks who are going to be joining the

64
00:07:02,560 --> 00:07:07,760
family, sorry to break it to you. They're completely different than you. It's going

65
00:07:07,760 --> 00:07:13,560
to get weird. It's going to get funky because these new people, they eat

66
00:07:13,560 --> 00:07:19,080
different things than you do. And these new people, they talk very differently

67
00:07:19,080 --> 00:07:26,800
than you do. And their customs, man, they're so foreign to your Jewish way of life.

68
00:07:26,800 --> 00:07:34,320
It's going to get weird. But they're in the family now. Co-heirs with you. We got

69
00:07:34,320 --> 00:07:38,120
to figure this thing out. That in a nutshell is Ephesians and the book of

70
00:07:38,120 --> 00:07:43,760
Galatians. It's going to get weird. Let's figure this out. Paul talks about his

71
00:07:43,760 --> 00:07:50,560
mission to preach to the Gentiles what he says is the incalculable riches of

72
00:07:50,560 --> 00:07:56,560
Christ. And to make plain to everyone, both Jew and Gentile, that this is what

73
00:07:56,560 --> 00:08:00,400
God was doing in Christ. In other words, the mystery that Galatians is filled

74
00:08:00,400 --> 00:08:04,960
with, that he was going out to preach this mystery, the mystery was that God

75
00:08:04,960 --> 00:08:09,960
was going to bring the Gentiles into the faith. He was going to bring those other

76
00:08:09,960 --> 00:08:17,960
folks, those pagans, those weirdos. He was going to bring them in to the faith. That

77
00:08:17,960 --> 00:08:22,960
was the mystery that God had always planned to do. And then Paul ends the

78
00:08:22,960 --> 00:08:27,240
chapter, chapter three, with a prayer for the people in Ephesus. And here's what the

79
00:08:27,240 --> 00:08:31,920
prayer says. And this is going to lead us right back to that therefore. The prayer

80
00:08:31,920 --> 00:08:38,840
is this. For this reason, all of that that I just said, for this reason I kneel

81
00:08:38,840 --> 00:08:45,400
before the Father from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. And I

82
00:08:45,400 --> 00:08:50,560
pray that he may grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be

83
00:08:50,560 --> 00:08:55,720
strengthened with power in your inner being through his spirit, and that Christ

84
00:08:55,720 --> 00:09:02,920
may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and firmly

85
00:09:02,920 --> 00:09:08,720
established in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is

86
00:09:08,720 --> 00:09:13,840
the length and the width and the height and the depth of God's love, and to know

87
00:09:13,840 --> 00:09:19,920
Christ's love that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the

88
00:09:19,920 --> 00:09:28,840
fullness of God. That sounds good. That sounds really good to be filled up with

89
00:09:28,840 --> 00:09:34,480
to the fullness of who God is, being rooted and established in love. And Paul

90
00:09:34,480 --> 00:09:41,820
says that I need God, I need God, I'm praying God, grant you a strengthened

91
00:09:41,820 --> 00:09:48,360
inner being through the spirit and the fact that Christ is dwelling within you.

92
00:09:48,360 --> 00:09:52,120
These are the same experiences, this strengthening inner being in

93
00:09:52,120 --> 00:09:56,760
Christ dwelling in you. And that the required attitude of the hearts to

94
00:09:56,760 --> 00:10:01,280
receive this is faith, that you by faith can receive this strengthening and

95
00:10:01,280 --> 00:10:07,960
indwelling of Christ if you believe and receive him. And then he says, now being

96
00:10:07,960 --> 00:10:12,840
rooted and firmly established in love, remember this, in Christ we've come to

97
00:10:12,840 --> 00:10:19,040
know and believe the love that is from God for us. In Christ we've come to

98
00:10:19,040 --> 00:10:23,800
believe the love that is from God for us, and that God is love, and the one who

99
00:10:23,800 --> 00:10:30,120
remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him. 1st John chapter 4. And

100
00:10:30,120 --> 00:10:35,960
so we're firmly established in love because Christ is in us, and therefore

101
00:10:35,960 --> 00:10:41,000
our roots have sunk deep into this love that is ours in in Christ. We get to know

102
00:10:41,000 --> 00:10:47,840
the love of God, and so he says that you may be able to comprehend with all the

103
00:10:47,840 --> 00:10:54,720
saints what is the length, the width, the height, the depth of God's love. The

104
00:10:54,720 --> 00:11:00,720
truth, the depth, the height, the width of God's love, Christ's love, the fullness of

105
00:11:00,720 --> 00:11:10,720
God, he says, cannot be apprehended by an individual in isolation, but only to

106
00:11:10,720 --> 00:11:17,920
gather with all the saints. I'll say that one more time. The truth, the depth, the

107
00:11:17,920 --> 00:11:27,280
height, the width of God's love, Christ's love for us, the fullness of God cannot

108
00:11:27,280 --> 00:11:35,160
be apprehended by an individual in isolation, but only together with all the

109
00:11:35,160 --> 00:11:44,440
saints, only together with all the saints. If you are a Christian, you can grow in

110
00:11:44,440 --> 00:11:52,160
understanding and in strength only as you possess and use for the benefit of

111
00:11:52,160 --> 00:11:56,840
others in the body of Christ the various giftings that his spirit has given you.

112
00:11:56,840 --> 00:12:04,440
You cannot grow in isolation. You cannot grow loving yourself in a corner.

113
00:12:04,440 --> 00:12:11,000
You can only grow in the body of Christ as you use the gifts he's given to love

114
00:12:11,000 --> 00:12:20,240
others, to love others, to care for others. And it's after that, after he says all

115
00:12:20,240 --> 00:12:27,480
that, that Paul then says in chapter 4, therefore, in light of all of that, in

116
00:12:27,480 --> 00:12:34,680
view of this, walk worthy of the calling you have received. What do you think it

117
00:12:34,680 --> 00:12:39,320
looks like to walk worthy of the calling to be incorporated into the body of

118
00:12:39,320 --> 00:12:43,880
Christ and to use the gifting that God gives to bless and care and love for

119
00:12:43,880 --> 00:12:50,160
others so that we can all together experience the fullness of who God is,

120
00:12:50,160 --> 00:12:54,400
something we cannot experience in isolation on our own or just with a few

121
00:12:54,400 --> 00:13:00,080
of us. We need all of us. And then Paul says walk worthy of that calling. He says

122
00:13:00,080 --> 00:13:06,280
that's a huge calling. That's a big deal. You want to walk through your life, your

123
00:13:06,280 --> 00:13:10,600
your Christian faith as an infant and never receive mature, grow to maturity

124
00:13:10,600 --> 00:13:16,400
or have the fullness of Christ? Well then stay disconnected. But there's a danger

125
00:13:16,400 --> 00:13:21,200
you might die out there. But you want to see and experience the fullness of love?

126
00:13:21,200 --> 00:13:25,400
You think it's awesome that Christ died for you and that he forgave your sins

127
00:13:25,400 --> 00:13:30,040
and you think the story of the gospel is pretty cool? Well it only gets cooler and

128
00:13:30,040 --> 00:13:34,600
better and more awesome as you spend time in the fellowship learning to use

129
00:13:34,600 --> 00:13:38,040
those gifts and loving one another because the Bible says only there can we

130
00:13:38,040 --> 00:13:43,200
begin to experience the fullness of God's love for us. Only there. I'm gonna

131
00:13:43,200 --> 00:13:46,720
say that over and over again because I think some people just don't hear it. Only

132
00:13:46,720 --> 00:13:55,160
there. There's no other way. There's no other way the Bible has given us this

133
00:13:55,160 --> 00:14:03,040
glorious truth. And if the calling is to welcome in these newcomers to the faith

134
00:14:03,040 --> 00:14:08,680
in the book of Ephesians, welcome in these newcomers, these weirdos, and to be

135
00:14:08,680 --> 00:14:12,860
strengthened by his indwelling in order that you may work together with the

136
00:14:12,860 --> 00:14:16,680
people of God to fully comprehend his love. And the only way you can work

137
00:14:16,680 --> 00:14:20,720
together to fully comprehend God's love is to work together to love one another

138
00:14:20,720 --> 00:14:29,120
and to care for one another. There's no other way. People cannot fully

139
00:14:29,120 --> 00:14:33,400
comprehend the love of God in Christ until we each play our part by caring

140
00:14:33,400 --> 00:14:39,800
for others according to our gifts and abilities that God has given us. We can't

141
00:14:39,800 --> 00:14:51,080
know the fullness of God's love unless you show up. I can't know the fullness

142
00:14:51,080 --> 00:14:55,920
of God's love unless you show up. And you can go around this room and say that of

143
00:14:55,920 --> 00:15:01,760
everyone else in this room. I can't know the fullness of God's love for me unless

144
00:15:01,760 --> 00:15:11,440
you show up to show me, to demonstrate it, to put it on the line and care. Then I

145
00:15:11,440 --> 00:15:16,720
can begin to know the fullness and begin to comprehend the fullness of love that I

146
00:15:16,720 --> 00:15:25,560
have in Christ. Ephesians tells us that there are four attitudes that Paul says

147
00:15:25,560 --> 00:15:30,880
are important to us to walk worthy of this calling and those attitudes are

148
00:15:30,880 --> 00:15:40,840
humility, gentleness, patience, and forbearance. Humility, gentleness, patience,

149
00:15:40,840 --> 00:15:43,720
and forbearance. We're gonna do something a little different this morning. I'm gonna

150
00:15:43,720 --> 00:15:50,200
ask you why do you think these attitudes are important to our calling? Why do you

151
00:15:50,200 --> 00:15:53,880
think it's important that we have these attitudes of humility, gentleness,

152
00:15:53,880 --> 00:16:03,440
patience, and forbearance? Anyone? This is the attitude of Christ towards us.

153
00:16:03,760 --> 00:16:16,280
Anyone else? Community gives us a realistic view of ourselves. That humility,

154
00:16:16,280 --> 00:16:28,560
yes, yes. Yeah. Anyone else? Why? Why do you think these attitudes are important

155
00:16:28,560 --> 00:16:41,120
to our calling? Chris? Yeah. That's it. They're all relational, aren't they? You

156
00:16:41,120 --> 00:16:43,920
don't need humility if you're all by yourself in isolation and there's no one

157
00:16:43,920 --> 00:16:48,960
else in the whole universe. Be as proud as you want because pride is elevating

158
00:16:48,960 --> 00:16:53,240
yourself above others and looking down on them and thinking yourself better

159
00:16:53,240 --> 00:16:59,440
than or more than you ought to. If there's no one else, have at it. But

160
00:16:59,440 --> 00:17:05,360
humility, gentleness, patience, and forbearance all are relational. They all

161
00:17:05,360 --> 00:17:10,920
relate to how we relate to one another and if you live alone, well you don't

162
00:17:10,920 --> 00:17:16,560
need those. But for this kingdom thing, this people of God thing that he is

163
00:17:16,560 --> 00:17:20,520
doing, and in the book of Ephesians where he's saying, hey there's two groups of

164
00:17:20,520 --> 00:17:24,040
people and they're one now and we got to work this out, those four

165
00:17:24,040 --> 00:17:29,640
qualities, those four attitudes are going to be paramount. Humility, having a right

166
00:17:29,640 --> 00:17:33,240
perspective of yourself, not thinking more highly of yourself than you ought.

167
00:17:33,240 --> 00:17:38,160
Gentleness, which is also meekness, which has been defined as power under

168
00:17:38,160 --> 00:17:45,120
control or knowing who you are but not utilizing that for your own benefit.

169
00:17:45,120 --> 00:17:49,800
Patience and how that relates to forbearance that we have to oftentimes

170
00:17:49,800 --> 00:17:54,400
be patient and forbear with one another in their failings. And the other thing

171
00:17:54,400 --> 00:17:58,760
that's important to note from this is these are the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

172
00:17:58,760 --> 00:18:04,000
Fruit of the Holy Spirit at work within us. And so Paul is both identifying the

173
00:18:04,000 --> 00:18:07,760
fruit of the Holy Spirit and saying that we have to have these attitudes in order

174
00:18:07,760 --> 00:18:13,640
for us to see, to live the life worthy of the calling that he's put on us.

175
00:18:13,640 --> 00:18:19,400
But we aren't called to be isolated and to fear God means that we recognize

176
00:18:19,400 --> 00:18:23,520
that even if I were alone in the Siberian wilderness all by myself, I'm

177
00:18:23,520 --> 00:18:31,560
not actually alone. God is still there and pride would have me elevate myself

178
00:18:31,560 --> 00:18:36,520
even above God. And Paul says, you know what? To answer the call, to live a life

179
00:18:36,520 --> 00:18:41,120
worthy of the calling, you'll need these four attitudes equipped because it's

180
00:18:41,120 --> 00:18:44,880
gonna take them to interact and have relationship with other people. So the

181
00:18:44,880 --> 00:18:47,840
other question that I'll ask you is then why are these attitudes sometimes

182
00:18:47,840 --> 00:18:58,960
difficult for us? What was that? We're self-centered. We fall into the

183
00:18:58,960 --> 00:19:11,960
self-centered trap. Anyone else? Say that again. It's hard to be humble.

184
00:19:20,520 --> 00:19:25,600
Yeah, that that self-centeredness is gonna begin to rise up and you're gonna

185
00:19:25,600 --> 00:19:30,240
say, well you can't talk that way to me. You can't act that way to me. Don't you

186
00:19:30,240 --> 00:19:35,640
know I've been sitting in this pew for the last 600 years? That's my seat.

187
00:19:40,520 --> 00:19:48,880
These require sacrifice. That's great. The example that Christ gave us

188
00:19:48,880 --> 00:19:52,720
in these attributes and that the Holy Spirit brings to us as believers

189
00:19:52,720 --> 00:19:57,680
requires sacrifice because all of this is wrapped up in what we call the word

190
00:19:57,680 --> 00:20:04,120
love. And love is in this perfect example in Christ and the kind of love that

191
00:20:04,120 --> 00:20:08,160
comes from heaven is not a self-centered love about what I get out of the deal.

192
00:20:08,160 --> 00:20:11,680
The kind of love that comes from heaven is repeatedly told to us as a

193
00:20:11,680 --> 00:20:15,800
self-giving love and therefore it is sacrificed because it's always

194
00:20:15,800 --> 00:20:25,520
self-giving. Paul says that I remind you that these things are important for you

195
00:20:25,520 --> 00:20:29,240
to answer the call and to live a life worthy. How many of you guys want to live a

196
00:20:29,240 --> 00:20:32,560
life worthy of the calling you've received? I want to live a life worthy of

197
00:20:32,560 --> 00:20:36,880
the calling I've received. Clothe yourself with humility, gentleness,

198
00:20:36,880 --> 00:20:45,400
patience, and forbearance. I want to remind you that Ephesians is not written

199
00:20:45,400 --> 00:20:51,400
to the pastor. These are marching orders for the pastor alone.

200
00:20:51,400 --> 00:20:56,960
This is to the whole church and that is why the principles of the Scripture

201
00:20:56,960 --> 00:21:03,440
passed through Ephesians right to you and right to me. This is your calling and

202
00:21:03,440 --> 00:21:10,000
this is mine. And so what does the Bible say about caring for others? What does

203
00:21:10,000 --> 00:21:14,880
the Bible tell us with these equipped with these attitudes knowing that we

204
00:21:14,880 --> 00:21:19,960
cannot know the fullness of God except in community together as we exercise the

205
00:21:19,960 --> 00:21:26,040
giftings and we love one another knowing that in our minds what does the Bible

206
00:21:26,040 --> 00:21:30,800
say we are how is the Bible the Bible say that we are to care for one another

207
00:21:30,800 --> 00:21:35,600
I want to give you really quickly eight ways that the Bible says we are to care

208
00:21:35,600 --> 00:21:42,200
for one another here we go we're gonna go fast number one love one another this

209
00:21:42,200 --> 00:21:45,760
is that love thing one of the most fundamental commands in the Bible is to

210
00:21:45,760 --> 00:21:51,760
love others Jesus summarized the whole law in the prophets by saying it is

211
00:21:51,760 --> 00:21:58,120
loving God and it is loving your neighbor in Matthew 22 there's another

212
00:21:58,120 --> 00:22:04,080
great passage in Corinthians that says if I speak human or angelic tongues but

213
00:22:04,080 --> 00:22:11,160
do not have love I am a noisy gong or a clinging symbol if I have the gift of

214
00:22:11,160 --> 00:22:15,280
prophecy and I understand all kinds of mysteries and all knowledge and if I

215
00:22:15,280 --> 00:22:20,280
have all the faith so that I can move mountains but do not have love I am

216
00:22:20,280 --> 00:22:29,920
nothing love is patient love is kind love does not envy it is not boastful it

217
00:22:29,920 --> 00:22:37,520
is not arrogant it is not rude it is not self-seeking it is not irritable and

218
00:22:37,520 --> 00:22:46,280
does not keep a record of wrongs love finds no joy in unrighteousness but

219
00:22:46,280 --> 00:22:53,360
rejoices in the truth it bears all things believes all things hopes all

220
00:22:53,360 --> 00:23:02,720
things endures all things love never ends number one we're called to love one

221
00:23:02,720 --> 00:23:08,720
another with the patient kind not envious not boastful not arrogant not

222
00:23:08,720 --> 00:23:15,960
rude kind of love that self giving selfless not self-centered love number

223
00:23:15,960 --> 00:23:21,680
two we are to bear one another's burdens bear one another's burdens

224
00:23:21,680 --> 00:23:27,120
believers are instructed to support each other especially in times of

225
00:23:27,120 --> 00:23:34,360
difficulty especially in times of difficulty Galatians 6 2 says carry one

226
00:23:34,360 --> 00:23:41,560
another's burdens in this way you fulfill the law of Christ you want to

227
00:23:41,560 --> 00:23:45,760
fulfill the law of Christ which is the law of love carry one another's burdens

228
00:23:45,760 --> 00:23:52,720
especially when difficult times come on people and this totally goes against our

229
00:23:52,720 --> 00:23:59,800
pull yourself up with your own bootstraps mentality sometimes people

230
00:23:59,800 --> 00:24:05,560
have a lot of burdens sometimes their burdens are physical sometimes they're

231
00:24:05,560 --> 00:24:12,480
mental sometimes they're spiritual but we care when we carry one another's

232
00:24:12,480 --> 00:24:24,400
burdens and yes this can get very costly very costly but the example of love that

233
00:24:24,400 --> 00:24:33,000
was set by Christ is that of self giving love even unto death giving is always

234
00:24:33,000 --> 00:24:42,960
costly but it is in our individual self giving that we are able and together to

235
00:24:42,960 --> 00:24:48,920
better comprehend the love of God when we give of ourselves to one another by

236
00:24:48,920 --> 00:24:54,840
bearing one another's burdens we have a better picture of who God is and how he

237
00:24:54,840 --> 00:25:02,040
loves us we need that lesson over and over again so thank God for the difficult

238
00:25:02,040 --> 00:25:06,600
cases in the church thank God for the people with lots of problems because

239
00:25:06,600 --> 00:25:12,600
they're just teaching us about God's love for us number three forgive each

240
00:25:12,600 --> 00:25:18,800
other forgiveness is a key aspect of Christian relationships throughout the

241
00:25:18,800 --> 00:25:24,800
Bible and it's outlined in Colossians 3 13 where again it says to bear with one

242
00:25:24,800 --> 00:25:28,960
another and forgive one another if anyone has a grievance against another

243
00:25:28,960 --> 00:25:38,040
just as the Lord has forgiven you so you are also to forgive because sometimes

244
00:25:38,040 --> 00:25:44,040
the burdens that we are called to bear with one another is someone else's sin

245
00:25:44,360 --> 00:25:51,880
to forgive will always cost you something forgiveness is when we when you

246
00:25:51,880 --> 00:25:58,440
absorb the debt of the offense that was given to you by someone else you absorb

247
00:25:58,440 --> 00:26:03,960
that debt into yourself and you don't pass it on to the offender that's what

248
00:26:03,960 --> 00:26:11,840
forgiveness is I will take the pain of the offense and not pass it on to you

249
00:26:12,080 --> 00:26:19,200
this is only possible if you are rooted in the infinitely glorious love of God

250
00:26:19,200 --> 00:26:25,880
and you're drawing your life and your security and your significance from him

251
00:26:25,880 --> 00:26:33,480
because if you aren't we will need someone to pay because if they don't pay

252
00:26:33,480 --> 00:26:41,600
a piece of me is missing a piece of me remains hurt because I have to absorb

253
00:26:41,600 --> 00:26:48,320
their pain but if I am connected if I'm deeply rooted in the love of God then I

254
00:26:48,320 --> 00:26:52,960
can take someone's offense absorb that offense and go wash myself in the

255
00:26:52,960 --> 00:26:59,120
fountain of God's love and watch it melt away and I am no less a person for

256
00:26:59,120 --> 00:27:05,040
forgiving and I can do that seven times and I could do that seven times seventy

257
00:27:05,040 --> 00:27:12,600
and I can do that on and on because Christ did it for me if he could do it

258
00:27:12,600 --> 00:27:17,080
for me and the whole world he can empower me and strengthen me to forgive

259
00:27:17,080 --> 00:27:24,000
and when we forgive again we allow one another to better comprehend the love

260
00:27:24,000 --> 00:27:29,960
God has for us that's what we do we allow them to experience a deeper level

261
00:27:29,960 --> 00:27:35,160
of fullness with Christ every time we forgive to truly care for one another

262
00:27:35,160 --> 00:27:42,680
means we must forgive and to forgive means we must be securely rooted in God's

263
00:27:42,680 --> 00:27:51,200
love and his forgiveness number four we must encourage and build each other up

264
00:27:51,200 --> 00:27:56,200
Christians are encouraged to be sources of encouragement in fact first

265
00:27:56,200 --> 00:28:00,920
Thessalonians 5 5th 11 some of you guys know this says encourage one another and

266
00:28:00,920 --> 00:28:04,920
build each other up but Hebrews 3 which is the one I was thinking of 313 we have

267
00:28:04,920 --> 00:28:10,400
probably all know to some degree it says encourage one another daily as long as

268
00:28:10,400 --> 00:28:16,720
today is called today encourage one another daily as long as today is called

269
00:28:16,720 --> 00:28:21,200
today but the second half is so killer it's all that's my speech there killer

270
00:28:21,200 --> 00:28:26,640
that's awesome it's good why do we do that why do we encourage one another

271
00:28:26,640 --> 00:28:31,480
daily as long as today is called today so that none of you may be hardened by

272
00:28:31,480 --> 00:28:39,560
sins deceitfulness what that's what that's why we encourage so that none of

273
00:28:39,560 --> 00:28:47,560
you may be hardened by sins deceitfulness says daily I gotta ask I

274
00:28:47,560 --> 00:28:53,160
gotta ask this of myself are you even thinking about the rest of us daily let

275
00:28:53,160 --> 00:28:58,680
alone encouraging us is it possible to go through a week without thinking of

276
00:28:58,680 --> 00:29:05,360
your brothers and sisters in Christ let alone encourage them daily how are you

277
00:29:05,360 --> 00:29:10,800
gonna do that if you don't show up how are you gonna do that if you don't show

278
00:29:10,800 --> 00:29:19,640
up and what what happens what does this the scripture say you may become

279
00:29:19,640 --> 00:29:25,960
hardened it also says that God has ordained to help keep your brother and

280
00:29:25,960 --> 00:29:32,320
sister from sin through your encouragement God has ordained to help

281
00:29:32,320 --> 00:29:36,080
keep your brother and sister from sin from your encouragement so when you are

282
00:29:36,080 --> 00:29:40,160
not present and daily encouraging you're depriving your brother or sister of the

283
00:29:40,160 --> 00:29:48,000
help that they need to stay out of sins deceitfulness don't do that no no that's

284
00:29:48,000 --> 00:29:55,920
bad encourage one another daily as long as today is called today so that none of

285
00:29:55,920 --> 00:30:04,000
you may be hardened by sins deceitfulness what happens to you if you

286
00:30:04,000 --> 00:30:09,320
withhold encouragement or neglect your Christian duty to encourage the enemy

287
00:30:09,320 --> 00:30:15,480
draws a foothold and sin its deceitfulness can lead you or your

288
00:30:15,480 --> 00:30:21,000
brother a sister astray to care for one another and to show the glory and

289
00:30:21,000 --> 00:30:24,920
fullness of who God is we encourage and build each other up number five we pray

290
00:30:24,920 --> 00:30:30,640
for each other we pray for each other we are commanded in the word to pray

291
00:30:30,640 --> 00:30:35,760
according to James chapter 5 16 confess your sins to each other and pray for

292
00:30:35,760 --> 00:30:40,060
each other so that you may be healed this verse also demonstrates that the

293
00:30:40,060 --> 00:30:46,640
power to heal is invested in the prayers we pray not in the pastors or the elders

294
00:30:46,640 --> 00:30:52,680
of the church right before it it does say if anyone is sick call on the elders

295
00:30:52,680 --> 00:30:56,240
and have them anoint them with oil and pray for them and there's lots of debate

296
00:30:56,240 --> 00:31:00,600
over whether that it was actually a means of healing as in the elders acted

297
00:31:00,600 --> 00:31:05,040
as a doctor role because oil was a medicine at that time or whether there's

298
00:31:05,040 --> 00:31:09,520
a spiritual significance to it whatever it is just a couple sentences later he

299
00:31:09,520 --> 00:31:13,960
then broadens it up member James is a wisdom book it's like reading the

300
00:31:13,960 --> 00:31:18,400
pro the proverbs and so he goes from saying call the elders to just a few

301
00:31:18,400 --> 00:31:23,480
verses laying say later saying everyone everyone confess your sins one to

302
00:31:23,480 --> 00:31:30,120
another and pray for each other for your healing eight ways that we care well one

303
00:31:30,120 --> 00:31:41,680
of them is that we pray for each other number six meet each other's needs meet

304
00:31:41,680 --> 00:31:48,360
each other's needs we already read this in Acts chapter 2 the beginning of it

305
00:31:48,360 --> 00:31:53,760
but Acts chapter 2 verse 44 and 45 talk about how the early church met the needs

306
00:31:53,760 --> 00:32:00,160
of those who were in the need they provided for they cared for they shared

307
00:32:00,160 --> 00:32:06,680
their possessions and good giving to anyone who was in need they met each

308
00:32:06,680 --> 00:32:16,120
other's needs number seven they show hospitality to care and to love is to

309
00:32:16,120 --> 00:32:23,480
show hospitality and first Peter chapter 4 verse 9 says to be hospitable to one

310
00:32:23,480 --> 00:32:28,440
another and to do it without complaining I'll say that one again be

311
00:32:28,440 --> 00:32:33,160
hospitable to one another and do it without complaining how many guys have

312
00:32:33,160 --> 00:32:38,440
ever been getting your house ready to have someone over I can't believe I

313
00:32:38,440 --> 00:32:45,720
agreed to this be hospitable to one another without complaining hospitable

314
00:32:45,720 --> 00:32:52,760
is about opening our homes and not withholding our space from others it's

315
00:32:52,760 --> 00:32:56,000
about opening our homes and not withholding our space from others and

316
00:32:56,000 --> 00:33:01,280
this is very very difficult for some people some people will go their whole

317
00:33:01,280 --> 00:33:05,840
Christian experience and never open their space to others and the Bible

318
00:33:05,840 --> 00:33:10,000
commands us to be hospitable and to do it without grumbling and if that's you

319
00:33:10,000 --> 00:33:13,800
and it's difficult I'll just remind you of what's someone named Kerry Newhoff

320
00:33:13,800 --> 00:33:18,920
he's a leadership guy what he says he says you can make excuses or you can

321
00:33:18,920 --> 00:33:24,640
make progress but you can't make both you can make excuses or you can make

322
00:33:24,640 --> 00:33:32,360
progress but you can't make both oh my house is too small they wouldn't want to

323
00:33:32,360 --> 00:33:39,040
come over here anyway well open your house to one person at a time or maybe

324
00:33:39,040 --> 00:33:45,280
bring them onto your front porch at least the gateway into your home I don't

325
00:33:45,280 --> 00:33:53,200
have anything fancy to offer them make them a bologna sandwich sorry I'll choke

326
00:33:53,200 --> 00:34:01,480
it down that's all you got I'll choke it down do you have bread and water do you

327
00:34:01,480 --> 00:34:07,240
have bread you know precious that would be to be invited to someone's home who

328
00:34:07,240 --> 00:34:11,720
doesn't have much and to be offered bread and water I don't know about you

329
00:34:11,720 --> 00:34:16,760
but that just that warms me inside thinking about that I need a fancy meal

330
00:34:16,760 --> 00:34:22,880
I want to be in relationship with you I want to better fully comprehend the

331
00:34:22,880 --> 00:34:28,160
glory and wonder of God's love for us by going to your house and spending time

332
00:34:28,160 --> 00:34:38,080
with you but I'm too busy I'm so busy I could never open my home that may be

333
00:34:38,080 --> 00:34:44,520
true but some people are unloved and do you think your busyness should deprive

334
00:34:44,520 --> 00:34:49,360
your brothers and sisters of the debt of love that you owe them in Christ it

335
00:34:49,360 --> 00:34:57,240
shouldn't be hospitable without complaining open your home don't even

336
00:34:57,240 --> 00:35:04,000
clean it before you have them over it's okay we'll all make it through it'll be

337
00:35:04,000 --> 00:35:12,200
okay hospitality invites others into our life and it opens up areas of our life

338
00:35:12,200 --> 00:35:18,560
that are deeply private to us and in so it can become one of the most

339
00:35:18,560 --> 00:35:23,880
extraordinary acts of love you show someone willing to open your home to

340
00:35:23,880 --> 00:35:32,200
someone else and finally number eight we teach and we admonish one another in the

341
00:35:32,200 --> 00:35:38,240
book of Corinthians chapter 3 16 we are told that Christians are to instruct one

342
00:35:38,240 --> 00:35:47,280
another where to teach one another with all wisdom through songs hymns and

343
00:35:47,280 --> 00:35:56,400
spiritual songs making music and singing to the Lord we teach and admonish each

344
00:35:56,400 --> 00:36:02,360
other it's not the job solely of the pastor or the professional we are to

345
00:36:02,360 --> 00:36:07,200
teach one another and so if you join together here on Sunday mornings and you

346
00:36:07,200 --> 00:36:14,080
lift your voice in song thank you for caring for us thank you for teaching and

347
00:36:14,080 --> 00:36:20,680
admonishing us with your voice I would encourage all of us to break out in song

348
00:36:20,680 --> 00:36:26,400
in the other places to have someone into your home and sing a hymn or sing a hymn

349
00:36:26,400 --> 00:36:30,920
in the car ride home or when you're taking someone to go grocery shopping or

350
00:36:30,920 --> 00:36:36,680
whatever it is you're doing teach admonish one another it's part of caring

351
00:36:36,680 --> 00:36:42,800
and in doing so we all get to experience a deeper more full measure of God's love

352
00:36:42,800 --> 00:36:48,360
for us so I'll close with this in terms of the question we asked at the

353
00:36:48,360 --> 00:36:58,600
beginning who cares I think the Bible answer says that it is the responsibility

354
00:36:58,600 --> 00:37:04,520
and the duty of every Christian to care it is a mark of maturity in the faith

355
00:37:04,520 --> 00:37:09,600
and it is a visible sign of the fruit of the Holy Spirit for you to care one for

356
00:37:09,600 --> 00:37:14,480
another and that it carrying includes teaching and showing hospitality and

357
00:37:14,480 --> 00:37:18,160
meeting each other's needs and praying for one another and encouraging each

358
00:37:18,160 --> 00:37:22,720
other daily and forgiving and bearing each other's burdens and actively

359
00:37:22,720 --> 00:37:31,560
loving one another Ephesians says that it is through these acts of love done by

360
00:37:31,560 --> 00:37:36,280
each one of us that together we can better know and understand God's love

361
00:37:36,280 --> 00:37:42,120
for us and as Jesus said the world will know you are my disciples what by the

362
00:37:42,120 --> 00:37:48,480
love you have one for another and this means that our self-giving love and our

363
00:37:48,480 --> 00:37:56,360
care can be a witness to anyone who sees it a witness to our Lord and his kind of

364
00:37:56,360 --> 00:38:02,640
love which is self-giving God's summoning a people to be his new creation

365
00:38:02,640 --> 00:38:07,960
and we are a part of that and in his new creation the question is who cares well

366
00:38:07,960 --> 00:38:35,960
the answer is I do I do and that's for each one of you