A Passion For God's People

I don't know if you caught the news at all this morning, I don't usually turn it on, but as I was awakened early in the morning by a call concerning that fire, I did watch the news and there was a major blaze over in Bloomfield and it ravaged, I think, almost two apartment buildings. Kathleen lost everything, had no insurance or whatever, was an apartment dweller, so we'll be needing to come alongside and support her. We'll let you know about that this week and how you maybe can help in some ways as we pull together some things for her. She's a single parent. Her daughter was not at home, so they were fortunate to escape. Unfortunately, there was at least one fatality there this morning. And as we say so often up here, and it usually goes over our heads, we just don't know. We just don't know what the day holds. I thank God for His grace and provision and support He provides in His body. Well, let's turn on our Bibles this morning. We're going to be talking about community and relationship. I'm going to turn my Bible to Ephesians chapter 4. I invite you to turn there with me. If you don't have a Bible of your own, just reach over to your neighbor and say, Oh, by the way, I don't know if we comment on this. I'm looking out there. Do you feel a little more comfortable there today? You notice that, Bill? You can stretch out. Take a look. We put a couple inches between the chairs. Did you notice that? Yeah, all right. That's good, isn't it? Don't get too comfortable. I'm not putting lazy boys out there. I'm not going to have that. The objective is still to fill them up. We can always put more in there. All right. Ephesians 4. Just the first three verses. As a prisoner for the Lord, then I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle. Be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace. Remember that last line again. Make every effort to keep the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace. Now, just to review real quickly. Last week we talked about our vision for 93 in terms of three major priorities. I highlighted them in a couple of your notes. Rejoicing, relating, and reaching out. And I want to say to you, I'm still committed to rejoicing. How many of you are still committed to rejoicing in 93 no matter what? Despite the Allegheny County personal property tax, I'm still rejoicing. Despite the fact that the Steelers went down the tubes big time last week, I'm still rejoicing. Despite the fact that I've been Mr. Mom all this week. I know. I feel real bad about that. You've got to offer my kids. They're the ones that are putting up with it. But still rejoicing. I want to underscore that those three priorities are in order. We rejoice first in the Lord and the power of His might. Then we are propelled into relating to one another. That's the theme of today's message. Our relationships. And then next week we're going to look at reaching out. How do we take this love of God outside these walls and make an impact together? I know that's what God wants for us. But before we can do that, we have to know that what we're taking out is something people want. Community, dear ones, is a vanishing truth in our society. If it doesn't work here, then let's not export it. Let's not... How many of you know that it doesn't take a lot of digging out there to find people who are at odds with each other? I mean, if we can't get along here, then we really have nothing to say out there. We're no better than Leno and Letterman, you know. Or Bubby and Neil, if you will. I mean, just... And make no mistake, that kind of thing, people just... They don't want anything to do with it. Churches are notorious for their problems and people... The world looks at it, why should I be part of what you're doing? And so we need to first of all see what can we do to strengthen the unity of the Spirit and the bond of peace. Let me give you five reasons why I believe cultivating relationships is a worthy pursuit of each of our energies for 1993. Do we have the overheads for those, please? All right, the first one, this is following the outline that you're taking in your notebook. I am impressed, all right? Number one, Jesus prayed that we would be one. And you could write under that, obedience. I don't think there's a higher motivation in my life than to obey God and what He's called me to do. And He said, be one. Work at being one. Be united together. And so, dear ones, I want to please the Father. That's the first thing you need to do is obey John 17. Jesus prayed it, I want to obey it. Second one, our growth depends on it. There's 33 one another's in the Bible. And Ephesians 4.15 is illustrative of building up one another. You can't be built up if you're not related. Now listen carefully to this. I have a picture in my mind right now of a person who was part of this church in its early years. Became a bit of a lone ranger, got into some theological sidetracks. I still see this person frequently. I run into him at Kmart or down at the mall or out at North Park. And he is still a free galloping individual. But I want to tell you something. I don't believe in 10 years he's really grown at all. He's still raising the same questions about the same silly little verses and so. We need one another to grow. That's the way the Lord designed it. He's the head and we are the body connected. Number three, our protection from sin's deceitfulness is enhanced. Please understand that the reason why we need each other is we're all vulnerable to being deceived. Flip over if you have your Bibles still open please to Hebrews chapter 3. There's a very strong exhortation here that I want you to catch. Hebrews chapter 3. The author writes this concerning the people of God. Verse 12. See to it brothers that none of you has a sinful unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another. Say it with me. Daily. Every day. Not once a week. But daily. As long as it is called today so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. Can I say to you that the enemy is very, very good at subtlety. And many people that I know that are lone rangers kind of out there not going to church anywhere. Not plugged in anywhere. They believe they're right. They believe every place else is goofed up. And they slowly in time will find that that sin will harden their hearts and they won't be able to hear God. I'm concerned for people like that. Our elders made about a hundred phone calls over the holidays to people that we haven't seen. And I heard some very sad stories about people who thought, well, my way is right. And I'm not sure why you do this and why you do that and so on and so on. And I get concerned for their salvation, yes. But certainly for the fact that they'll not be used for the purposes of God if they're out there on their own. Number four. Our testimony to the world is authenticated. Jesus said, by this shall all men know that you're my disciples. That you love one another. I mean, that's what we have to say to people. Number five. Our blessing is multiplied. Psalm 133, what a beautiful statement. Behold how good and pleasant it is when brethren dwell together in unity. How many of you know it's great when you get something special? I mean, if you won the publisher's clearing house drawing, as ridiculous a thought as that is, you're more likely to be hit by lightning, by the way. If you won that, wouldn't it be great to share it with somebody? I mean, at least the news. Well, seriously, we want to share our blessing. We really do. And being together gives us the opportunity to grow in that. Now, Paul writes and he says, make every effort to be in relationship like this. Be proactive about it. And I'm thinking, Lord, how does this happen? How can I encourage our church to be in relationship and to really make a step of obedience in this? And you know what? I got a bit of a revelation on this, and you're not going to like it. I got it in the dentist's chair. I know. That's exactly how I felt about it. No offense. I know we have some dentists in the congregation. And no matter what we say about gentle dentistry or whatever those new terms are, it still is the most unpleasant experience of my life. I mean, to sit back in that chair with your mouth, like, locked open, and see the smoke and the mist coming out, you know? And there's squirting water, and then he's sucking it out, and stuff falls down in your throat. And then he talks to you, you know, and he starts talking about this stuff and expects you to respond. And all the while, in the back of my mind, I'm thinking, God, that Novocaine, if that wears off, I'm dead. I mean, that's how bad this is. I was subjected to that for a long time this week for part of the aging process. But he said something. I told him I was hoping to get a little time away here shortly, just a little bit, to kind of regroup from the holidays that never happen. And he said, well, it's great to go out and just wear a shirt that says, I'm a human being, not a human doing. I thought it was important. Think about it. I'm just being. And you know something? We are, above all spiritual doings we are about, we are spiritual beings before God. And I want to submit to you one of the reasons why we fail in relationships is because we try to be spiritual doings and don't spend enough time being spiritual beings before God. God is more concerned about our character as the strength of our relational fabric than He is about somehow us making commitments that we won't be able to keep. I want to thank my dentist for that. It was a revelation to me. Character precedes the ability to do in the kingdom of God. And where Paul starts here in Ephesians 4, look at it, is not with a structure, not with a strategy. He starts with the need to be living a life worthy of your calling. And now I want us to look and see what it means to be a spiritual person who then can relate to others. First of all, look at it. Verse 2, this is the only verse we're going to exposit this morning. Be completely humble and gentle. That's the first thing in our outline. How many of you are already in trouble? It doesn't say just try to be, you know, humble. It says be completely humble and gentle. I want you to know I've been living my whole life since I became a Christian trying to make sense of that verse for me. I remember distinctly one of the low moments of my college career. I was serving as the president of my fraternity, if you can figure that one out. I think it's because I was the only sober one. And I came down one day. Well, someone had to be sober who was writing the checks because they weren't. But I came down one day and over my chair, in a not too subtle hint of a fashion, they had taken an old sweatshirt and had a silkscreen or whatever, you know, that process on the back of it, this sort of macho-looking character caricature with the words, never forget this, I think I might even still have it. It's hard to be humble when you're as great as I am. And they were telling me, look, we don't like the way you are. That's what they were saying with that. But I wore it around. I felt pretty good with it on. I have lived, honestly, the last 25 years asking God, what does it mean to be completely humble and gentle? And how do I become that way? Because it is the desire of my heart. And I want to just give you the only little bit of help I've been able to find. The only way I know to become humble and gentle is to hang out with Jesus. Turn over to Matthew chapter 11. It's the only place in the whole Bible where Jesus talks about his own character. And here's what he says. Matthew chapter 11, verses 28 through 30. Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn. There it is. Learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart. And you will find rest for your souls. Friends, that's the only way I know to become humble and gentle is hang out with the Lord Jesus Christ. Let him do the thing that only he can do. And that does not teach you the things that you do. He imparts his character into your life. I want to submit to you the first point of relating in a way that will please God in this church. Relating in a way that will cause the community around us to at least acknowledge that there's something happening here. Even if they don't agree with it, they can at least, by the integrity of our relationship, say there is something genuine there. The only way is to get close to Jesus because he is the one who will breed that character in us. Colossians 1, verse 15 says, For he is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or authorities or rulers. All things were created by him and for him. Dear one, you are breathing in that well-spaced chair this morning only because the Lord Jesus Christ has given you breath. You are walking today with your head up and your stomach full and your life with opportunity only because the Lord Jesus Christ has said yes to you. And we need to live our life fully understanding that. He is the God of gods and the King of kings and the Lord of lords. He is the one that gives us purpose for life. And as we read on we can see that it was his purpose to pull together. Look at verse 17. He is in all things and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church. He is up here. He is the beginning, the firstborn from among the dead so that in everything he might have supremacy. Dear ones, in the end, you know who is going to be on top? The Lord Jesus Christ. He is the one that is going to rule over it all. I don't see it right now, neither do you, but it's going to happen. But look at his heart. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through the blood shed in the cross. There is only one way that you and I will ever really be reconciled. There is only one way I'll be able to accept you as you are and you accept me as I am. There is only really one way that the church can function in community and that is through the shed blood of Jesus Christ in the cross. He reconciled us. It's already been done, but we've got to lay hold of it and begin to let it permeate the fabric of our character. How do we do that? By being with Jesus who is completely humble and gentle. Are you spending time with him? Are you making every effort? I just want to say it again. It's only the 17th of January, but are you spending time? I was convicted today, yesterday actually, when I got up early for my first of three morning meetings and thinking, you know, Lord, I'm slipping back into that same thing again. Early meetings mean no time with you. I don't want to be that way. I want to live in a way that pleases the Lord. He will impart to us. I love it when someone tells me, as someone recently did, you know, and I'm talking now to those of you who've known Christ for a while. Someone who's walked with the Lord 27 years told me the other day, he said, you know, I've come more alive in the last three years than I did in the previous 20. Because God is imparting new understanding, new revelation. How many of you know, the more you're with him, the more you realize who you really are? That's all humility is. It's knowing who God is and knowing who you are in comparison with that. It's not a cliche to say, the more mature I get, the farther I have to go. And it's true of us all. Alright, number two. Back to Ephesians 4. First thing is to be completely humble and gentle. That's not too difficult. How about this one? Be patient. Oh dear God. It's like, you know, it's like I'm holding up 200 pounds of barbell over my head and someone just slaps another 100 on each side when you put that word up. I'm just going now. Be patient. Definition of patience in the Greek. The ability to not retaliate even when under provocation or frustration. That is not me. Is that you? It's the opposite of anger. It's flowing with mercy. Oh Lord, that is not me. And dear ones, can I tell you, most of us here this morning, we don't retaliate with our fists. We don't retaliate with guns or weapons. You know how we retaliate? With words. Let me just make an important point here. Our words are a powerful, God-given, Holy Spirit-empowered opportunity to make an incredible impact or incredible destruction. There is nothing that causes more dissension, more hurt, more pain than just the words that come out of our mouth. How many of you know there'd be lots of people that you know today that would be walking with God if it hadn't been for some words that someone spoke? Out of order. Gossip and slander are part of our culture. You know, a year ago, when Anita Hill and Clarence Thomas were battling it out, and my personal opinion here, for what it's worth, is that she was lying. She was being used and manipulated by all kinds of groups. But it doesn't really matter that he got appointed as the Supreme Court Justice. It doesn't matter. For the rest of his life, when he walks into a restaurant or goes into a store, people aren't going to remember all of that as much as they're going to say, Well, there he is. The power of slander and gossip. Unsubstantiated, not proven, you see? And that same power is loosed in the church rampantly. I mean, it happens all the time. And it destroys things. That's why James, in his epistle, is so clear about getting your... He said, He who controls the tongue has the greatest power on earth. We can speak blessing or we can speak cursing. And I want to ask you a question today. Are you making every effort with your tongue to be a blessing? Just look over the other side of the page of Ephesians 4, verse 25 or 29. Don't let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouth. I read that and I had to repent. But only what is helpful for the three B's, building up others according to their needs, that it may benefit them so that they might be blessed. It's a powerful thing. Our words, and by the way, our words right now, listen, I'll say this, it's on the tape. Our words as a church to one another and to the things God's put before us will determine the fulfillment of our destiny or will seal the fate of our destruction. Simple as that. Our words. I stumbled across this story. It's a powerful illustration of how words can change the course of history. In 1899, four reporters met by chance in a Denver railroad station. Hal Stevens, Jack Tornay, John Lewis, and Hal Wilshire, who worked for the four Denver papers, the Post, the Times, the Republic, and the Rocky Mountain News, each had the unenviable task of finding a scoop for the Sunday morning edition. They had hoped to spot a visiting celebrity arriving that evening by train. However, no one showed up. So the reporters began to wonder, what on earth are we going to do for the paper? As they discussed their options at a nearby saloon, Hal suggested they make up a story. By the way, I think this is still happening. The other three laughed at first, but before long they were all agreed. They would come up with such a whopper that no one would question it, and the respective editors would congratulate them on their find. A phony local story might be too obvious, so they decided to write about someplace far away. They agreed on China. What if they say that some American engineers were on their way to China, stopped in Denver, and told us that they were on their way to bidding on a major job? The Chinese government is planning to demolish the Great Wall of China. Hal was not sure this story would be believable. Why would the Chinese ever tear down the Great Wall of China? Well, John Lewis said, it is a sign of international goodwill to invite foreign trade. By 11 p.m., the four reporters had worked out the details. The next day, all four newspapers carried the story on the front page. The Times headline said this, The Great Chinese Wall Doom in Denver was a time of violence known ever since as the Boxer Rebellion. All because of the power of someone's words. Untrue words. A hoax. And I believe only God could ever tell us all the damage that's been done by our words. I want to say, Church, if you've been guilty of gossiping, slandering, if you've been guilty of just listening and nodding, I want to ask you today, open your heart before God and repent of it, and say, Lord, let only wholesome things come out of my mouth. You know, our elders were so convicted of this, and so convinced that we needed to do something, that we made a covenant as elders. I won't spell it out to you today, maybe another time. But we covenanted seven things that we were going to do. Most of them had to deal with our mouths and what we spoke of each other, and of the Church, and of the things of God. And we're signing this, baby. Because we know the power of the tongue. On the other hand, when the tongue is used to speak faith and grace, dear ones, it can build you up. It can help you to overcome. It can make an enormous difference for good in your life. Number three, and quickly let me just talk about the third thing here. Be completely humble and gentle, number one. Be patient. And number three, bearing with one another in love. Bearing, see that little B-E there? Bearing with one another in love. This is sort of the final impossibility for my life. But I have to tell you, this is my wife's theme verse. Secretly. She's married to me. All these pastors are nodding, it's their theme verse too. Let me give you a definition of what this is talking about. Bearing with means allowing for the quirks and idiosyncrasies of others, knowing you have your own. Hello? It is amazing how perceptive we are of one another's quirks and idiosyncrasies. Do you ever sit down in your little fellowship group or home group or support group and just kind of sit around and sort of analyze the quirks and the idiosyncrasies? I mean, is it ever, do you ever do it? No, you're right. There are some weird people in my group. I want to just sort of open up. Folks, there's a lot of weird people in this church. Don't look real far, okay? There's a lot of aggravating people in this church. But it's funny. I hear people say, you know, I went to my home group and boy, you know, these persons, and they sit there and they just kind of go through a grid, and it never occurs to them that the person next to them is sitting there and doing exactly the same thing about them. Kind of weird. We are a weird bunch. There's no illusion here of romantic community in this church, all right, folks? We are who we are. You take us as we are. God said, that's the way I accept you, and I have to tell you, that's the way we need to accept each other. And by the way, let's not even try to be all one kind of people. If we all have the same kind of clothes and drive the same kind of cars and live in the same kind of place, then we'll get along. Baloney. That's not the body of Christ. The eye can't say to the hand, I don't need you. The foot can't say to the elbow, hey, you know, you're weird. We need to bear with one another. We need to say, hey, some are just a little this way and some are a little that way, and you're a little your way. I mean, you know, people who think that they're like the model believer in demeanor, come on. There are people here. I mean, there's one person here. I don't think they're here this morning. Who, when they talk to me about something that's kind of like important to them, they get in my face. I mean, they violate my airspace. They get so close I can't focus on them. You know, like that? I mean, all I'm getting is their breath. And it's, I mean, it's weird. I've had this person come talk to me about something on their heart, something the Lord told them about. And they get right like that. And it is the strangest sensation. Now, how many say, is that sin? No, it's just like weird. I just kind of want to go, you know, back them up a little bit. But that's who they are. Now, I put up with that, and I have to say they probably say, man, the way he is. And that's the way we are, okay? So, you know, if you want to look at your neighbor and say, you know, you're weird, but I love you anyhow. That's the way it is. None of us are like, you know, God isn't saying, boy, that's a good one I've got. No, we're all, we all have our quirks and idiosyncrasies. And the Bible says, bear with one another. A spiritual being bears with. Paul said it this way. I now judge no one according to the flesh, but only according to what I see the grace of God operating in their life. And so when it comes to our groups, let's not say, oh, this one's always late. And then, you know, begin to find fault. Now, you may be able to approach them in love and say, you know, it'd be a great consideration if you got there, you know, before the meeting was over. And bring your contribution here, all right? We have our problems, but I want you to know, I think this church, weird, strange people, all the rest, is probably just as good as any other one. They're all the same. If you think you're going to leave here and find some place where everyone's really got it together, God bless you. When you find it, though, don't join it. Because you'll mess it up. What am I saying here today in summary? Paul makes it very clear, and folks, this is so serious. We are to be a people. Be a people in relationship. Spiritual beings, not just spiritual doings. And it starts with us looking at our character and saying, God, I want to be completely humble and gentle. I want to be patient. I want to be able to bear with my brothers and sisters in Christ and stand with them so that what you want to work through us as a corporate body can begin to rise forward. Can I say to you, we have spent far too much time in the last years picking apart one another and avoiding the things that God has called us to. That's got to end. It will end by the grace of God now. Because God has invested in this body a treasure of gift and talent. Wonderful people. Strong people of faith. Caring people. I want you to know that if you're at a point of need, you'll be cared for in this body. You will. Provided you let someone know. And I believe that what God wants to do is to unite us in a committed way to build relationships. It isn't good enough just to come sit. As much as I love you to come sit and worship the Lord, and I want to be with you, you can come here every Sunday, take your seat and look spiritual, take notes, have your Bible, and walk out and be on your way to an unfulfilled life. You must get connected where somebody can provide for you a covering of love and care and a bit of sort of an accountability for your life. And be ensuring that you're making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit and the bond of peace. If you look at your notes, Pastor Scott, would you hand me some notes there? Inside we have included for you, and I don't want to end this message with some kind of a recruitment thing, but I want you to know these are just the home groups that are currently meeting in our body. Find one that's near you and say, if you're not in a group, say, can I come by this week and visit with you? And if you're seated next to someone who needs a dismiss, ask them, what group are you in? Why not come visit with us? Next week we're going to list the home builders groups and the generations groups and some of the other ancillary groups that we have going all over the body that are ministering and meeting needs. And I want to say, folks, be plugged in. Be being a spiritual person in relationship. And for those of you, and I know that you're out here this morning who are thinking, you know, if someone really knew me, they wouldn't want me in their group. That isn't true. It's a lie. God wants us all to be related. Let's stand together, shall we?