This morning we have an elder panel. We're missing
Jeff and Tan. You can pray for their safe return
from Arkansas. Jeff led the memorial service
for Jared Dawson yesterday. In addition to that,
some of you might know it was Jeff's birthday
yesterday. And so that was a bit rough, but a
beautiful thing too. But if you didn't send him
a happy birthday message, it's just an appeal
from me. I'd encourage you, send something to
him and think about how you can express thankfulness.
for his life and for his ministry, something
you're thankful for. I'm sure that would be a
tremendous blessing for him to receive notes
from many of you. Now, our theme today for this
elder panel is together. Together. Together with
God, partaking of his goodness. Together for
God, partaking or partnering for his purposes.
And together with one another, participating
in life together. And our desire today is to
cover these three aspects of biblical community,
really to just encourage faithfulness, specifically
among our members, but among any believer here.
And we are a church that unapologetically and
we think biblically promotes meaningful membership.
Sometimes, though, our own personal backgrounds
in church or in life, our own experiences, or
even our own bad thinking, may misunderstand
what that means. We don't always understand what
being a meaningful member or being a participating
member in a local church means. But here's one
thing we can all affirm. There is always more
to learn in following Christ. No one's arrived
yet. If you had, you wouldn't be here. Right?
That's the graduation. That's the graduation
that Jarrett got. He gets to see Christ face
to face now. For us, we're still here. That means
in the song, the old hymn, there's something
still to do or bear. There's growth. There's
opportunity to grow. So we want to focus not
just on our church covenant this morning and
not just, hey, do these things, though it is
derived from God's word. We want to focus on
that theme, though, of being together. Oftentimes
we miss some of the purposes, some of the intention
of God's wisdom in drawing us together in a local
body, a real body. And we're here together today.
We're not with the church in Syria. We're not
with the church in Iran. We're not with the church
in Jerusalem. We're the church here at Oak Hill.
And there's good work for us to do together.
So as you think about that word together, the
most important together is with God. And that's
where we're going to start off this morning.
Every other relationship can fail, but if we're
with God, then we have hope. We have purpose
in this life. And that's foundational. It's the
key to walking as a faithful Christian. Every
believer is a partaker of God's grace. And Grant
is going to lead us and help us think biblically
about being together with God. Practically, communion
is going to be in view. That ordinance is intended
to help us remember and honor the sacrifice of
Christ. But the partaking of communion is something
more than just doing something. It's more than
just a checkbox to fill. It represents who we
are. People that have been bought and paid for
with the life, the death, and the resurrection
of the Son of God. And being with God is the
greatest gift. Everyone, everyone could fail
you. But we know that God won't. That's the most
important together. And that's why there's a
regular celebration of that unity together with
God at the communion table. I'm looking forward
to hearing Grant encourage us to worship well
in that regard and to consider communion as a
response of worship, as not just that rote thing
that we just do once a month, but it's a worshipful
response and it's good. Next, Ken is going to
help us think biblically about the implication
or the outworking of being saved. It's that believers
are together for God. So we're with God, but
now we're for God. We're together for him. Now,
a wrong way to look at salvation is to think
that once you're saved, you can just sit back
and relax. You got your get out of jail free
card, right? Yeah, that's called heresy. It is.
And it is a heresy, but there are countless pew
sitters. I'm calling them that. I'm not trying
to call you a pew sitter. I'm saying there are
pew sitters. They think that being saved is just
showing up to church. They said a prayer. They
have their name on a church roster and therefore
they are saved and they are good. Now, friends,
we know there is no earning of salvation. We
do not teach that because it's not biblical.
Grace is free and it's an undeserved blessing.
God saves based on his merit, not ours. And we
say amen because none of us would measure up.
However, if someone is saved, then they will
be transformed. If, then. And that transforming
will be for God's good pleasure. And it will
involve that saved person living not for themselves
anymore, but living for God. Believers are then
to follow the example of Christ, who came to
what? Serve. There we go. Bible class, remember
this. He came to serve. That's what Jesus came
to do. You might have heard seek and save the
lost. It's another one. But he came to serve.
He is the greatest servant. Philippians 2 gives
that model an example. That means faithful Christians,
little Chrites, those who follow Jesus, are going
to model his life. They're going to be marked
by service. Not because they have to, but because
willfully they have an inward desire to please
God because they're together with God. Then they're
together fully. For God. With fellow saints.
And Ken is going to help orient our hearts towards
service, not as a means of grace, but as an evidence
of having received it. And I pray that we have
ears to hear. And finally, Dave is going to help
us consider being together with one another.
Together with one another. And that's going to
be a timely reminder. Sometimes we get so focused
on our personal salvation and even on service
that we miss the forest for the trees. Being
saved and serving God really should ignite our
hearts toward genuine love for brothers and sisters
in Christ. That's what being saved should do.
That's the outworking of our faith, loving real
tangible people. You can't say that you love
God and yet hate your brother. That's what we
learn. So we don't just serve other saints because
we have to, but our new nature in Christ ignites
a fervor for us to care for others, to seek to
do good for others, to want to live life with
other believers. And as much as communion and
serving are part of the lifeblood of a local
church, so is being present and being a participant
in the community of faith. They all work together.
You can't ignore one. There's a lot to unpack.
I know Dave's going to cover a lot. He might
go over his time limit. We don't know. He is.
He's probably going to. But it will be foundational
to really consider that a transformed heart desires
to be with God's people. All those things then
will make sense. You prioritize being at a member's
communion night. You prioritize serving on a
regular basis, responding to planning center.
There's your plug, Laura. Responding to planning
center requests. Some of you didn't say amen
to that. Yeah, there we go. Prioritizing and
being present on Sundays and even just regular
life together, the things that just occur in
between Sundays. And when thinking of such things,
we may just focus on being present together,
but I think that Dave's going to encourage us
to really be participants with one another, participants
in the church, giving our time, giving our resources
to one another, not neglecting sacrificial worship.
And yeah, finances will be in view and that schedules
will be in view. I'm looking forward to hearing
what the Lord will bring us through Dave and
that focus of life together with one another.
So after Dave concludes his teaching, I'll wrap
us up with some closing encouragement. But without
further ado, Mr. Fonda, lead us off, brother.
Well, good morning, fam. It's so encouraging
every time we have an elder panel to hear not
just an echo chamber, but to hear consistencies
of the truths of God's word proclaimed. And so
much of what Adam has already shared are things
that I'm going to be talking about a little bit
this morning. And we didn't coordinate this,
but we did coordinate it, but not word for word.
So I have the privilege this morning of talking
about communion, what it means to partake together
with God. Friends, we have a unique privilege
to come together as the body of Christ on a weekly
basis for corporate worship, to hear the word
preached, and many of us in this room also find
great joy in coming together once a month to
gather around the Lord's table to celebrate his
death and resurrection in what is known as the
sacrament of communion. We come together with
God as one body, and as Adam has already said
so well, a people purchased by his blood for
his possession. In order to understand communion,
we have to rightly understand that there is both
a vertical and a horizontal relationship at work
at the table. And my hope today is to help us
understand a little bit more of how both the
mystery and mercy of this sacrament that has
been instituted by our Lord works and how we
should worship together through our participation
in it as a family. If you've been around Oak
Hill for a few years, you might remember that
four years ago, Pastor Jeff preached an extremely
impactful and helpful four -part series that
was actually called Mystery and Mercy. And this
is the brief plug for you to go and to listen
to that series sometime this week, either on
our YouTube channel or the podcast, because Jeff
digs into a plethora of passages, this is for
Adam, and historical context in much greater
depth than what we'll be able to do this morning.
And it's helpful to also mention that a lot of
what I'll be sharing this morning is a condensed
version of that because it's been so helpful
for myself and for many in our body understanding
what communion is and what the transaction is
that takes place. So as we dive in, I want you
to either turn or tap in your Bible to Matthew
26, as we'll be referencing it a couple times
this morning. First, it's crucial for us to understand
that communion both originates in Scripture and
it is to be prioritized and protected by Christians.
Communion is for Christians. We are to participate
in it. We are to prioritize it and to protect
it. In addition to the first communion that Jesus
shared with his disciples that we see in the
Gospels, God stresses the importance and significance
of this supper and the new covenant throughout
his word. We see the supper telegraphed through
the Passover meal in the Old Testament and then
subsequent references to and instructions for
it throughout the New Testament, not in isolated
instances. We see Acts 2, Acts 20, 1 Corinthians
10 and 11. And friends, this teaches us communion
is a big deal to God. Think about this. Jesus
himself instructed us to participate in this
ordinance to proclaim his death until he comes.
And yet, this simple but very profound instruction
to do this in remembrance of me is something
that we often have sterilized and minimized in
its importance. This command from the Lord to
take and eat, drink from it, all of you, is often
either viewed as a mere obligation and approached
with stiffness, with callous hearts and rote
practice, or we may instead swing the pendulum
and view it as a casual event that we can simply
attend to check a box. Neither one of these are
right approaches. It's crucial for us to remember
that communion should be approached with reverence,
with intentionality, and is to be prioritized
and protected. Jesus himself instituted the supper.
Not a priest, not a pastor, not a disciple. And
this should mean something to us who follow him.
If we take his commandments to love one another,
to go and make disciples seriously, then why
on earth would we take a similar command to do
this in remembrance of me as simply a casual
and optional event in the life of a believer?
Why would we say, Lord, I've got another commitment
that night, or I have plans that I forgot about.
when we are commanded to participate in this
sacred meal. Jesus set aside a particular place
in the upper room at a particular time in the
evening to be with his chosen particular 12.
It was purposeful, and it was a guarded family
time, and this is in part why we believe in a
guarded communion table at Oak Hill, and we can
talk about that later. But Jesus knew every single
person at that table deeply and intimately. Acts
2 shows us that after Jesus had descended into
heaven, the early church devoted themselves to
the sharing of communion with one another. Can
we say the same for ourselves? Do we devote ourselves
to the participation of communion? Each person
who is in Christ should prioritize and protect
the Lord's Supper in the same way that Jesus
set an example for us to do so. Secondly, We
must remember, friends, that Jesus is the host
of this meal and we are his guests. This helps
inform our attitude and posture of worship. He
is the giver and we are the receivers in the
same way on Sunday mornings that we come before
his throne. We offer our response to what he
has given to us. Matthew 26, beginning in verse
26, if you're there with me, it says, while they
were eating. Jesus took some bread and after
a blessing, he broke it, gave it to the disciples
and said, take, eat, this is my body. And when
he had taken a cup and given thanks, he gave
it to them saying, drink from it, all of you,
for this is my blood of the covenant, which is
poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
Friends, take a second and look what's happening
here. Jesus takes, Jesus blesses. Jesus breaks
and Jesus gives. He alone is the host. He is
the leader. He is the centerpiece of this meal.
Not a disciple, not a priest, not a pastor, not
you, and not I. Thomas Watson rightly said, to
institute sacraments belongs by right to Christ
alone. It is the flower of his crown. Friends,
Jesus' disciples received from the Lord. They
brought nothing to the table, but they simply
received the gift of his body and his blood in
remembrance of the forgiveness of their sins.
His body was broken for your benefit and for
mine. For all those who partake of the bread
and the cup by faith, the disciples were not
commanded to do anything except to receive from
the Lord that night to eat and to drink. And
in this, we see this beautiful downward motion,
this picture of God reaching down and giving
to mankind. We don't see a portrait of man reaching
upward, of trying to reach towards heaven, but
simply receiving what Christ has offered freely.
It's critical for us to remember this picture
that each believer has received from the Lord.
And we see this throughout the New Testament.
In the same way that no disciple at that first
supper could offer any gift to the perfect lamb
who would be offered up on their behalf, they
and we are clothed in whose righteousness? Christ's
righteousness. Friends, remember, no amount of
our body broken, no amount of our blood poured
out then or now or in eternity could forgive
sins, but only the blood of a perfect sacrifice.
He who is fully God and fully man. This great
gift of the blood of Jesus, the bread and the
wine was not subject to the feelings of the disciples.
Jesus offered and instructed that they take and
they eat and they drink. He is the teacher. He
is the giver. He is the Lord. Jesus sets the
terms. When we choose to reject partaking in
communion because of how we feel about ourselves,
how we feel about someone else in the room, how
we feel about the Lord's command even, instead
of simply responding in obedience and faith,
we turn the tables and we actually suggest that
we have some greater gift to offer him than what
he has already offered once and for all to us
as his true disciples. That, as Adam said rightly
earlier, is heresy. Instead, when we willingly
receive and obey, we individually and we corporately
receive his ministry of mercy towards us through
the Holy Spirit as we remember his death and
the forgiveness of sins. Friends, picture this.
We have been invited by the Lord of hosts to
his table to receive both individually and as
one body, the grace that he has poured out for
those who he. When we gather together, we see
Christ as the head. We recognize him as the head
of the church, and we see one another as a people
corporately in need of nourishment. We remember
when we gather that we have no life in ourselves.
We instead need a savior to rescue us. Is there
a more beautiful picture than that? Third, we
must believe in faith. that there is something
that occurs in the celebration of the Lord's
Supper that is outside the bounds of our intellect
in both uniting us with Christ and uniting us
as one family. And walk with me with this in
a moment, because this is crucial to us understanding
both the eschological premise of what is happening
in both the here and the now, and what we talk
about at Oak Hill a lot is the already not yet
of communion. In John 6, Jesus proclaims that
he is the bread of life. and says, truly, truly,
I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the
Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life
in you. For my flesh is true food, my blood is
true drink, and whoever feeds on my flesh and
drinks my blood abides in me and I in him. Now,
before you freak out and think that we are going
Catholic, we are not. Those are Jesus' words
in John 6. And so we need to take a second and
acknowledge that this is a challenging passage.
And by God's grace, we've already unpacked this
at length in our study in John's Gospel commercial
for the podcast and also in the second sermon
of the Mystery and Mercy series. But friends,
it's a crucial passage for us to come back to,
to remember to understand how it fits into our
theme today of being together with God. Jesus
is helping us when he says this to understand
that in him and in him alone, there is true spiritual
nourishment. Apart from him, there is no life
at all. When we share in communion together,
we must remember that Jesus' physical gift to
us is not simply a physical memorial or a remembrance,
and likewise, it is also not simply a spiritual
ritual, but it's in fact both. It's a time where
together we receive Christ in the elements by
the Holy Spirit, who unites us to Christ in heaven
by faith. This invitation should lift our eyes
and hearts heavenward, where we are able to mysteriously
commune in the presence of the King. John Piper
helps us understand by saying, we eat and we
drink, that is, we take into our lives what happened
on the cross. By faith, by trusting in all that
God has for us in Jesus, we nourish ourselves
with the benefits that Jesus obtained for us
when he bled and he died on the cross. Jesus'
gift of communion unites us as one body, not
as one person. Yes, that is true. He has saved
each person individually, but he has also saved
us as a people. 1 Corinthians 10 reminds us that
the cup of blessing that we bless, is it not
a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread
that we break, is it not a participation in the
body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we
who are many are one body because we all partake
of the one bread. The first communion was shared
with 12 disciples from different walks of life,
different levels of faith and understanding and
trust in Jesus, different ages, different levels
of spiritual maturity. Jesus extended the bread
and cup to each of them, knowing each of these
differences. Friends, this should be a great
encouragement to us because we, in many respects,
are no different. We each come to the table as
a broken people. in need of a savior. Jesus'
gifts to us transcends the boundaries of age,
race, intellect, ability, and unites us as one
bride. So before you go and think that you have
something to offer or something better than the
person next to you at the communion table, check
yourself and think again and fix your eyes on
Jesus. Revelation 7 -9 says, after I looked at
this, behold, a great multitude that no one could
number from every nation, from all tribes and
peoples and languages, standing before the throne
and before the Lamb. Friends, communion prepares
us for that scene. It is an already not yet moment.
As we share in remembrance together, we are the
same people. who are purchased by the blood of
the Savior, that will also one day worship together
at the marriage supper of the risen lamb. When
we come together at the Lord's table, we are
that people. We are already, as Ephesians tells
us, a part of the great multitude from every
nation and tribe and people and language who
have been seated with Christ in the heavenly
places, and we should delight in that gift that
brings us together. I understand that most of
us at this moment in time have a zip code that's
within five zip codes of one another, but we
are also at the same time Italian and Irish and
Egyptian and Greek and German, and our roots
understanding comes from all corners of the globe,
and we are united at once by Christ. So how do
you wrap your mind and heart around this great
mystery? Some of us... like my wife, are wired
as more intellectual processors. And we tend
to excel in the exhortation to examine ourselves
before coming to the table. As we see in 1 Corinthians
11, we do right to think, to be able to understand
our need for mercy. But if left unchecked, we
also may tend to fall into a pattern of thought
that we haven't confessed enough. or bought enough
offerings before the Lord, or be worthy enough
to participate in the supper because our minds
cannot conceive the mysterious of grace that
is at work. We can see everything that is stacked
against us. This perspective, if left unchecked,
can also lead to self -righteousness, seeing
everything that's stacked against every other
person at the table. Some of us in the body,
like me, and this may come as a shock to some
of you, are more emotional processors. And I
tend to excel in the exhortation to proclaim
the Lord's death until he comes. It's easy for
us to dwell on the joy set before him that we
see in Philippians 2 that carried Christ to the
cross on our behalf. It's easy for us to see
the big picture of Jesus who was crucified, buried,
resurrected, and coming again. But be careful
because this thinking, also left unchecked, can
easily cause us to forget that we are prone to
wander. And we can neglect to rightly prepare
our hearts and can just stumble into communion
without intentional heart preparation and endangering
us of eating and drinking in an unworthy manner.
But friends, in God's great providence, look
around the room for a moment. Only about 12 of
you are looking. Actually, look around. God has
given you, providentially, every single person
in this room. He has given us his spirit, his
word, and one another to help us remember how
and why we should come to the Lord's table. To
understand that in our difference, there is beauty.
That there is balance. We are supernaturally
joined together as one body for the possession
of our Savior and none of us. No one is spiritually
strong enough to say that we are worthy of being
at the table on our own or even collectively.
The essence of communion is a gracious God giving
to sinners. Not just one, not just a few, many,
many sinners. Us. Jesus did all the work. His
friends simply received. Communion, guys, should
defy our intellect. It is beautiful and glorious,
and it is about broken people coming together
to hear Jesus repeat to us, you are forgiven.
That makes no sense. And yet, it is a continual
reminder of an immense gift to each of us. We're
reminded that God has made us alive together
with Christ and seated us in the heavenly realms.
Friends, this is mysterious. It is hard to take
hold of. But Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians
13, now we see in a mere dimly, only in part.
Someday we will fully grasp it. Every time we
gather around the Lord's table, we practice,
we get a glimpse of our future at the marriage
supper of the Lamb. So an application for us,
how should we come to the table together, partaking
together? First, we should come humbly. Ephesians
2 reminds us that we are saved by grace through
your works. No, by grace through faith, and it
is absolutely of yourselves. No, it is not of
ourselves, but it is the what? Gift of God. Jesus
reminded his friends at the first communion that
it was the blood of his covenant poured out many
for the forgiveness of sins. Only by the blood
of Jesus can we come to the table. Only by the
blood of Jesus can we enter his presence. And
when we come in humility, It puts in perspective
that that meal is a gift from our Savior to us,
his bride. It will help us to treasure it, to
celebrate it, and to prioritize and protect it.
Secondly, we should come prayerfully. We should
pray that the Lord would help us to see him and
ourselves as we ought. We should pray for one
another to be able to have faith in the Lord's
meeting us, to understand that there is something
mysterious and wonderful about this transaction.
to be able to receive his gift in the ministry
of the Holy Spirit. We should pray not that we
would be freed from sin, for one day we will
be if we are in Christ, but that we will instead
flee from sin to rightly honor the sacrifice
of Christ, who we come to celebrate. Third, we
should come in unity. Friends, don't forget there
is one giver at the communion table. There are
many who receive. There is one savior. There
are many who are saved. Jesus is and should remain
the center of the supper. When we allow our petty
preferences and our personal prejudices to join
us at the supper, we actually place ourselves
at the middle of the table and we obscure the
beauty of the greatest sacrifice that we have
ever known. Our sin and self -righteousness has
no place. at the table of the one who became
sin for us so that we would become the righteousness
of God. And lastly, we should come worshipfully.
Consider this scene for a moment that the prophet
Isaiah lays out. On this mountain, the Lord of
hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich
food, a feast of well -aged wine, of rich food
full of marrow. of aged wine, well refined. He
will swallow up death forever and the Lord God
will wipe away tears from all faces and the reproach
of his people he will take away from all the
earth. Friends, the Lord's Supper is really an
appetizer feast, if you will, that prepares us
for the marriage supper of the Lamb. Now we remember
the sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins and
Christ's victory over death and the sustenance
that we receive through him. Then, we will receive
the victory of the conquering king and we will
celebrate with all the nations. Both the here
and now and the already not yet should stir our
hearts and our intellect to love Jesus more.
And so with worshipful hearts, as you look across
the table the next time that you come to communion,
see the faces of who he has redeemed. Sinners
saved by grace. Friends, the first communion,
The wedding feast and every Lord's Supper in
between should draw our gaze outward and upward
and should help us to celebrate the family that
God has brought together. This is a great mystery
and a great mercy. And Ken's going to come up.
So when I was a kid, many weekends were filled
with home projects with dad. I was the only boy
in a family with three sisters, so I liked that
I could get outside and be with him. I was probably
four or five when I first received my first tool
belt. And I would follow after him with nails
and a little hammer and a little combination
square. And I helped with the building of a barn
for our sheep and our goats and our chickens.
I helped with the building of a retaining wall
around the garden. I helped with the building
of the deck that stretched across the back of
the house. In those moments, I would often feel
like I was a big help to my dad. I would hand
him nails. I would hold on to the measuring tape
as he would make marks or I would snap the chalk
line. In reality, without my dad being there,
those projects would have never started. Those
projects would have never finished. But my dad
was pleased to be with me. I grew in my understanding
of how things worked. I grew in confidence. I
grew in my appreciation of him. Though I thought
I was being the one. Though I thought I was the
one helping, I was being helped far more. Adam
opened us up, and we're looking at the theme
of together. With the time that we have, I want
to highlight together for God, or how believers
are partnering with God for his glory. This partnering
is a dual -sided blessing. We are blessed when
we get to serve God and one another, and we are
blessed when we are cared for by the service
of others. So let's dive into each of those two
points and look at the biblical principles surrounding
them. So Christ perfectly modeled sacrificial
service for us. Matthew 20, 28 says, just as
the son of man did not come to be served, but
to serve and to give his life as a ransom for
many. When people are given power or authority
in this world, our default is to lord it over
those who are under. or to exercise authority
that's given to them. But Christ, though he had
every right as the God in human form, did not
do that. Rather, he submitted to the Father in
perfect obedience and loved and served the people
around him. We see further examples of this from
Paul in his letter to the Philippians, verses
2, verses 5 through 8, says, I have this way
of thinking in yourselves, which was also in
Christ Jesus. who, although existing in the form
of God, did not regard equality with God a thing
to be grasped, but emptied himself by taking
the form of a slave, by being made in the likeness
of man, being found in appearance of man, he
humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point
of death, even death on a cross. So how do we
as followers of Jesus respond to this? Paul continues
in Philippians 2, verses 12 through 13. Just
as you have always obeyed, not in my presence
only, but now much more in my absence, work out
your salvation with fear and trembling, for it
is God who is at work in you, both to will and
to work for his good pleasure. Our responsibility
is to follow after Christ in being humble and
seeking to love and serve others. Verse 13 tells
us that we can do this because God is at work
in us. both to will and to work. This verse does
not only imply our dependence, but actually assures
us that we can work or serve because God is at
work in us. Is that not encouraging and fortifying
for our faith that God is working through us
to bring about his blessing in others? Paul,
while giving the goodbyes to the elders at Ephesus
in Acts 20, 35, says, remember the words of the
Lord Jesus that he himself said, it is more blessed
to give than to receive. We often think about
that when it comes to Christmas or maybe birthdays,
but do we often run to this when it comes to
serving one another? I can personally tell you
that God has used service in the church to grow
my love of him and my love of others. From serving
in youth ministry to clicking the slides to morning
setups to men's ministry, all of these are opportunities
to worship God and to love his people. One of
the blessings with that is those whom you serve
with, if you're doing it out of love, typically
you're going to grow in friendship with them
as well. And you're going to be more fulfilled
because you're using the gifts that God has given
you to worship him and he's pleased with that.
On the contrary, on the other side of that, often
when we're tempted to sin, it's because we are
seeking our own desires. We want to fulfill what
makes us happy. Rather, put that thinking off.
Remind yourself that I have been bought with
a price. I seek to serve God and his people and
then follow through with serving. Serving others
practically helps us not to think of ourselves.
And when the whole community of the church is
sacrificially serving one another, that makes
for a very tight -knit and beautiful community.
And the rest of the world sees that. It was sweet.
This last Thursday, we had a men's event called
Chilling and Grilling. Guys came over. We're
sharing barbecued foods. Adam was sharing a story
about East Africa, totally Muslim village that
welcomed Christians. Why? It's because of their
love and care for all people. When COVID hit,
many people didn't have enough food for themselves
or even their families. The Muslims couldn't
even care for their own. But the Christian church
came in, they shared, they cared for these people.
Many have now come to saving faith because of
God working or doing a work in their hearts and
using his people who are willing to serve for
his glory. It's beautiful. So the second point,
of blessing of serving one another is when we
get to be served. Now, caveat, we're not supposed
to seek that out, right? That's not what it's
for, but it's a byproduct. But if we are properly
a part of a healthy body, we're gonna be served.
What a blessing it is to have others around you
who pray for you, who want you to grow in your
understanding of God's word and practically serve
you each and every week. There's many great examples
here at Oak Hill who serve you each and every
week from Jeff, to the Women's Council, to the
elders, to the Kellys, to Alex, to Blake, to
Connor, to Meredith, to Cassie, to Micah. The
list goes on and on. Then it is sweet to hear
on a weekly basis when you see Church Center
pop up and it's like, hey, I need a ride to LAX.
And yet you guys fulfill it. That's wonderful.
It's a blessing to be a part of a church that
serves one another. God gets all the praise.
He is the one who is working in our hearts to
grow. He is the one who is giving us opportunities
to love and to serve one another. We are just
like the story of that little kid at the start
who holds the tape measure, but God's doing all
the work, but he's pleased with our worship of
him. So as we recap these blessings, God uses
his people to partner with him to bring about
his grace, to bring about his mercy, to bring
about his goodness. Think about it. Are we not
blessed that Oak Hill has a team that comes in
two to three hours before you get here to set
all of this up, to set up poles and drapes and
run cords, to set up the kids ministry or the
band who gets in early to practice and they're
practicing throughout the week, but then they
come together to practice or the children's ministry
team that spends hours prepping crafts and Bible
stories. It's a blessing that we don't just get
saved. and then sit around, but we get to be
used by God for his glory. God doesn't need us,
but rather he chooses us to be ambassadors of
Christ to the world and to the followers of Christ
around us. So let's seek the blessing of partnering
by serving others, and let's be thankful that
we get to receive that blessing when others care
for us as well. Dave, you want to come up? Well,
thank you, Grant. And Ken, that was a blessing.
So I'd like to spend a few minutes talking about
what it means to be an active church participant
and how do we live life together. So our member
covenant tells us to not forsake the assembling
together of the saints. This is taken from Hebrews
10 .25, and this verse tells us that we should
be in regular fellowship. But sadly, many Christians
don't see much value in regular fellowship. and
developing deep relationships in church. And
this can be especially true in large churches
where it's easy to get lost and have no accountability
and few meaningful relationships. But Christ's
design for the church is for all of us to be
very connected with one another. There is so
much more to Christ's design for the body than
just Sunday morning attendance. So getting back
to our question, what is an active church participant
and what should it look like? There's a great
model for us to follow, and it's found in Acts
2. We read it during our call to worship. So
if you could turn in your Bibles to Acts 2. In
Acts 2, we find a great description of the early
church right after Pentecost and how they lived
life together. So Acts 2, we're going to start
in verse 42. 2 .42, they, meaning the early church,
early Christians, were continually devoting themselves
to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship,
to the breaking of the bread, or communion, and
to prayer. So note that they were continually
devoted to these things. Church life together
and building community through deep fellowships
was a high priority, as it should be for all
of us. Verse 43, everyone kept feeling a sense
of awe and many wonders and signs were taking
place through the apostles. And all the believers
were together and had all things in common and
they would sell their property and possessions
and share with them all to the extent that anyone
had a need. Day by day, continuing with one mind
in the temple and breaking bread from house to
house, they were taking their meals together
with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising
God and having favor with all the people. And
the Lord was adding to their number day by day
those who were being saved. This is an incredibly
practical model for us to follow and gives us
so much insight should look like. It's our example
to follow. Going back to verse 42, it says that
they were continually devoting themselves to
the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to
breaking of the bread, and to prayer. Fellowship
was very important to them. Their attendance
at meetings was consistent and regular, and they
were spending a lot of time together, even going
from house to house and sharing meals together.
Going down to verses 44 and 45, it says there
that they had all things in common with each
other. Imagine that kind of community. They were
acting self -sacrificially and were even selling
their property and possessions and using the
money to meet each other's needs. They were so
committed to each other that they had all things
in common so that if anyone had a need, the need
was met. Covenant number eight of our member
covenant says that we will contribute cheerfully
and regularly to the support of the ministry
and the expenses of the church and the relief
of the poor. Notice that the early Christians
had glad and generous hearts. They gave of all
of their resources, their time, their possessions.
Financially, they gave gladly and generously.
And why did they do this? A couple of reasons.
One, because they were born again and God had
given them new and generous hearts. They were
totally different people. And two, because they
understood that they had died to self and they
knew that their lives belonged to Jesus. Their
time, their homes, their money, everything belonged
to him. And this practice of generous giving
spread throughout the early church into different
regions of the world. Here's what Paul has to
say in 2 Corinthians 8 about the church in Macedonia.
Speaking of the Macedonians and the financial
gifts that they gave to the Christians in Jerusalem,
Paul says, have overflowed in a wealth of generosity
on their part. Wow. For they gave according to
their means, and as I can testify, beyond their
means, of their own accord, begging us earnestly
for the favor of taking part in the relief of
the saints. And this, not as we expected, but
they gave themselves first to the Lord and then
by the will of God to us. Note that even though
they were afflicted and they lived in extreme
poverty, they gave financially beyond their means.
And they did it joyfully and generously. Why?
Because the text says that they gave themselves
first to the Lord. And all that they had belonged
to Jesus and they wanted to share it with others.
But in the preamble to our member covenant, it
says that we joyfully covenant with one another.
All of us giving of ourselves, including our
financial resources, it gives us joy to give.
As church members, we have an ongoing obligation
to contribute financially to the needs of the
body. And what compels us to give is a new heart
that finds joy in giving generously. So going
back to Acts 2, verse 46 says that they were
of one mind, so that there was also unity in
their fellowship. Notice that they took unity
and sharing a common life together seriously
because of the depth of their love for Jesus
and for each other. Their commitment to each
other was a high priority in their lives. Verse
46 says that they were sharing meals together
from house to house with gladness. This is why
our member covenant says that we joyfully covenant
with one another. To the early church, their
commitment to fellowship was a joyful experience,
not simply a duty to follow, but one where they
experienced true joy in their fellowship with
one another, their unity with one another. and
their generosity toward each other. So it's obvious
from this passage in Acts that the early Christians
placed a high priority on church life that extended
well beyond just attendance on Sunday mornings
or once a week. This is our model to follow today.
As brothers and sisters in Christ, we should
place a priority on forming deep relationships
in the church as an expression of our love for
each other, where the needs of other church members
become our needs, where we love and serve one
another. Our relationship with each other is
a spiritual relationship that manifests itself
in tangible ways. We read earlier in Romans 12,
Romans 12, 5 says, So we, though many, are one
body in Christ and individually members of one
another. We share in a spiritual union with Christ
and each other, and this is the basis of our
fellowship. We are one body and individually
members of one another. We are knit together
or joined together as members of Christ's body.
We need to let that sink in. We are, as Jesus
prayed in John 17, unified with each other. as
the Father and the Son are unified. That's an
incredible thought. But the spiritual aspect
of our relationships also has a very practical
or has practical implications. We are actively
involved with each other's lives. It means that
we suffer when one of our members suffer. It
means that we rejoice with one another. It means
that we share the gospel ministry with each other.
That we share in church life together and we
share in humble service to each other and pray
and study the word and take communion together.
We live life together. How do we do any of this
if we have low expectations for the church and
ourselves? It's easy to write off the early church
and to write off what I'm saying. as those were
unique times. But this is today, and certainly
we couldn't be expected to live this kind of
life today, could we? And the answer is absolutely
yes. The passages here in Acts 2 and Romans 12
and 2 Corinthians 8 all serve as examples for
us to follow. But sadly, in some church circles,
the word fellowship means little more than a
church social activity on Sunday or Sunday service.
But church is not an event that you go to and
watch happen. It's not a spectator activity.
Church involves fellowship. And fellowship requires
building relationships and sharing the common
life that we have together as believers. And
not just one morning a week. Fellowship is so
fundamental to our faith and the design of the
body of Christ that the church wouldn't be the
church without it. And kids? We've got a lot
of kids here. Kids, I'm talking to you. This
message is for you, too. Please listen to this.
Kids, you are a part of the Oak Hill Church family,
and we want you to be part of Oak Hill's church
life. That means you're in fellowship, too, and
you love and serve and care for others. These
are things that we all do joyfully. Here's some
more things that we do as part of our church
life. We carry each other's burdens, like Chris
was talking about earlier. Galatians 6 .2. We're
patient with each other, bearing with one another
in love. Ephesians 4 .2. We are kind and compassionate
to one another. Ephesians 4 .32. We submit to
one another out of reverence for Christ. Ephesians
5 .21. In humility, we consider others better
than ourselves. Philippians 2 .3. We build up
each other, 1 Thessalonians 5 .11. We encourage
one another daily, Hebrews 3 .13. We confess
our sins to each other and pray for each other,
James 5 .16. We offer hospitality to one another
without grumbling, 1 Peter 4 .9. We use whatever
gift we've received to serve one another, 1 Peter
4 .10. These things should describe us here at
Oak Hill. How do we fulfill these responsibilities
if we're not in deep fellowship and intentional
building relationships with each other? How do
we fulfill our membership covenant to care for
each other, to serve one another, to use our
spiritual gifts to build up each other if we're
not building relationships and spending time
with each other? How do we rejoice with those
who rejoice and weep with those who weep if we're
not dedicated to times of committed fellowship?
We come together corporately as worshipers of
Christ, bound to each other spiritually, and
that relationship shows itself every day in practical
ways. Being a member of Christ's church is a
great gift. As fellow believers, we are joined
together. We are joint heirs with Christ, all
of us, having been adopted as God's children
into his family. As believers, we're all members
of God's eternal family. We are all brothers
and sisters eternally. This is the foundation
of our deep relationships with each other, that
though we are many, we are one body in Christ
and individually members of one another. We are
all eternally connected with Christ and with
each other. Fellowship is a responsibility, which
includes giving our time, our possessions, our
money, our resources, and we need to be faithful
in those things. But it's not a responsibility
that's a drudgery, but it's an expression of
the joy that we have in Christ. Our care and
concern for others flows out of thankful hearts
because we are fellow partakers of the body and
the blood of Christ. Our care for one another
will not let us forsake either the spiritual
or the physical well -being of our fellow family
members. We love and encourage with words, but
we also love sacrificially and in tangible ways.
This is how Christ designed the church to function,
that we would love and care for one another as
we care for ourselves. These are some of the
most important elements of what it means to be
an active church participant and what it means
to live life together. If a Christian loves Jesus,
then they will love his church. As covenant believers
at Oak Hill, we need to have a very, very high
view of fellowship and of serving the church
body. It's absolutely essential to our own spiritual
health and the health of our church body. Adam,
back to you. Amen. Thank you, Dave. Thank you,
Grant. Thank you, Ken. These are great encouragements
this morning. I mean, you think about the foundation
of gratitude and worshiping from a sincere heart
of praise, seeking to serve as a response of
that thankfulness and then pursuing. faithful
fellowship with one another in every part of
our lives. Each of those was a mini meal that
you guys gave. We're grateful for that. And isn't
it a grace to have teaching elders who love the
body, who love Christ and honor the word and
who desire to see every single member in this
body equipped to grow in Christ likeness. Now,
as we wrap up today, I wanted to give one encouragement
regarding what you've heard. to give some perspective
on what you've been listening to this morning.
There's this idea in 1 Thessalonians 4, verses
9 and 10. You don't have to turn there if you
don't want to. I'm going to read it. Paul says
this, Now listen to this. Brothers, excel still
more. Excel still more. Now, I think that's interesting
because Paul emphasizes the people are doing
a good job. They're loving one another. But then
he says they're urged to excel still more. Now,
as a kid growing up, whether it was in school
or sports, I always wanted to feel like something
could be finished, be done, right? You want to
work towards something. You want to see it done.
It would almost be a motivation, right? To finish
something. You finish the drill. Ah, now we can
rest. You complete the assignment. Now my brain
can turn into mush again, right? Be done with
the chore. My kids always want to be done with
the chores, right? The dishes are never done.
But as a believer, that dynamic in life is different.
It's different. There's no aspect of being done
this side of glory. There's no figuring it all
out, becoming a super Christian and everything
is easy and makes sense. It's not how it works.
But there is an aspect of being a follower of
Christ where we are considering ourselves in
process or even as our call to worship reminded
us, a living sacrifice. You know what sacrifices
are? I know we have children in here, but sacrifices
are animals that are being put to death. Friends,
living sacrifices is what we are called to be.
And let's not ignore these truths for our young
ones, but teach them that this is following God.
We are putting to death our way so that we can
live God's way. Now, this reality of excelling
still more, let me just encourage you. Are you
good? Are you good at celebrating life in Christ?
Are you good at celebrating communion? I hope
so. But if you are, excel still more. Are you
good at serving? Do you always say yes on Planning
Center? Laura knows if you do. Do you always
show up when there's a need? Are you the driver
that Kenny was talking about to LAX? Somebody's
racking up those miles. You can excel still more.
Are you faithful at being with one another, desiring
to be present, to give of your time, to give
of your finances? Are you always saying yes on
those needs that pop up, the meals that pop up,
the child watching that pops up? We have a lot
of children. Don't you hear them in here? Excel
still more. Now, if you're not great at any of
those, if you recognize there are shortcomings
in your understandings or the outworking of your
faith, then guess what? You can excel still more.
Isn't that marvelous? Now, we don't pursue this
to try to prove anything. We don't do this to
puff ourselves up or to pretend like we're okay
and have it all figured out. In fact, in that
same passage, First Thessalonians chapter four,
Paul continues. He makes it clear why this is
happening. He says, make it your ambition to
lead a quiet life, to attend to your own business,
to work with your hands, just as we commanded
you that you would walk properly toward outsiders
and not be in any need. And the last part is
clear, to walk properly toward outsiders and
not be in any need. Now, as you think about what's
been taught today, and I would encourage you,
go back and listen again, but consider that a
faithful response as a believer is not to make
you look good, but to represent Christ well,
to be a light in a dark world, to not be a burden
to others. Now, yes, as Dave noted, we can share
our needs. We can receive help, and that's not
bad. That's a gracious thing, but we're encouraged
to focus on being a blessing. not just receiving
them. A faithful walk with the Lord ensures that
we, whether we have much or whether we have little,
we will be able to walk and to live according
to His ways, excelling still more in every aspect
of our lives. And I just want to finish with
this, to underscore the nature of the encouragement,
verse 1 of this passage, this chapter, gives
us the greatest clarity. He says, Finally then,
brothers, We ask and exhort you in the Lord Jesus
that as you receive from us how you ought to
walk and to please God. Pause. What's the goal?
Is the goal to please ourselves? No. We're called
to please God. We should consider questions like
this. Am I living a life that pleases God? Are
my priorities in order? Or is my life consumed
with myself and what I want? How am I using my
gifts, my abilities? Am I using them in service
of the Lord or in my own service? Am I living
a God -centered life or a life centered around
self? Why is it so important? Why should this
type of sacrificial life be pursued? We follow
the one who sacrificed himself for us. We follow
the one who gave his own life in order to bring
us to God. That's at the root of why we obey
these things. We should thank the Lord. We should
thank Jesus that he was not selfish when he came
to this world. He was not focused on his desire.
He willingly laid down his life for our redemption,
our forgiveness, our future. So may we imitate
him in that kind of love to others. So thank
you, Grant, Ken, Dave, for bringing these topics
to us today, giving us a perspective on being
together for God, with God, with one another.
And in light of that, friends, let's pray as
we orient our hearts to sing praises. God, we
are grateful for Jesus Christ. We are grateful
to consider that our motivation is not to gain
something, but the reality of having been given
something. We thank you that our communion is
first with you through Christ and also with one
another. So we're thankful for a church body
that is growing in the likeness of Christ. We're
thankful to see areas of service, whether it's
on a Sunday set up or serving with our acorns.
whether it's giving rides to the airport or meals,
whether it's spending time with one another in
the midweek, being part of a small group, giving
of our tithes, our offerings, giving of our time,
and all these things, we are grateful, and yet
we ask, Father, help us to excel still more.
Help us to be zealous, to be with you. to be
zealous to work for you, and to be zealous to
love other believers. So we ask, help us to lift
our voices, not just in the singing today. Yes,
help us to do that well for your glory, but help
us to lift our voices day in and day out, to
both sing and to extol your magnificent grace
in Christ Jesus. We recognize that you have saved
a people, not just a person, but a people for
your own pleasure, for your good purposes. And
we praise you. So ignite our hearts to desire
your glory above everything else and to submit
our ways to you. Your ways are best. So lift
our eyes that we would see your wisdom in the
gospel. and that we would see the beauty of your
bride, the church. Help us to love you and to
love others and lift our hearts as we sing praises
to your great name in Christ, whose name we pray.
Amen.