The Family of God 2

The Family of God – It’s Better Together II - The Family Who Lives Together (nv 11/5/06am)

Romans 12 / 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 / Leviticus 3

OS: 1 Signs of a modern family – You have at least 15 phone numbers to reach your family of three. You call your son’s beeper to let him know it’s time to eat. He emails you back from his bedroom, “What’s for dinner?” / You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyone is home. / Cleaning up the dinning room means getting all the fast food bags out of the back seat of the van. / Your dinning room table is now your flat filling cabinet. /

There have been many changes over the years, but some things remain the same…

 “Who can ever forget Winston Churchill’s immortal words: "We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills." It sounds exactly like our family vacation.” (Robert Orben)   

I.      Series: The Family of God – It’s better together. (Mt. 12:50)

A.   1 John 3:1, How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!

B.    2 The Quality of our life is in direct proportion to the Quality of our relationships.

C.   The Quality of our relationships with one another is in direction proportion to the Quality of our relationship with God.

II.   :Lesson #2 – “The Family that Lives Together” (Fellowship – Sharing Life)

A.   2 Corinthians 6:14, “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers” – be yoked together with believers. (3 Yoke explanation)

B.    4 Fellowship includes, but is not limited to potlucks. Fellowship is sharing life. (Triangle) Sharing Life together is worth it.

C.   The Quality of our fellowship is in direct proportion to the quality and quantity of our sharing of life.

D.   The church belongs to God – Yet the reality of our church family depends also upon us: In this sense this is our church – “my church”

                      1.       This Is My Church
It is composed of people just like me. / It will be friendly if I am. / It will do a great work if I work. It will make generous gifts to many causes if I am generous. / It will bring others into its fellowship if I bring them. / Its seats will be filled if I fill them. / It will be a church of loyalty and love, of faith and service. / If I who make it what it is, am filled with these, / Therefore, with God’s help, I dedicate myself to the task of being / All these things I want my Church to be. Anonymous   

                      2.       “Sometimes I feel like giving the right knee of fellowship rather than the right hand”

III.           Experiencing the Family of God happens when we Experience Life Together.

TS] Because we are basically selfish we must first see what’s in it for me:

I.      5 I will have the support I need when we share life together. Galatians 6:2, Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

A.   Animals of prey will always go for the weaker isolated animal. The devil is no different. The fellowship of other believers will strengthen you in times of weakness.

B.     Emperor Penguins Illu - The largest penguins, emperors spend their entire lives on the harsh open ice of Antarctica. They even breed in the winter, unlike most birds. And once the eggs are laid (usually just one at a time), the mothers depart for an extended feeding expedition, leaving the fathers to care for the eggs. --- Each father balances his egg on his feet and covers it with his brood pouch, a layer of feathered skin designed to keep the egg toasty. The fathers then wait, standing still for about two months through frigid temperatures, cruel winds, and blinding snow – and without eating anything the whole time. (80 below zero, 100 mph winds, and they take turns getting to stand in the middle) --- Once the eggs are hatched, the females return from the sea, bringing food they regurgitate for the chicks. Now it’s the males’ time to leave for their own fishing session while the chicks are cradled in the mothers’ brook pouches for another two months.

C.   Small Group – (especially in support groups) “I had no idea other people had the same struggles that I do! (Sad Funeral / Groceries in School)

TS] Support is not all you get…

II.   6 I will have the purpose I need when we share life together.

A.   Purpose is an interesting subject:

                      1.       church camp for children on the purpose of God has for all of his creation. “If God has a good purpose for everything, then why did He create poison ivy?” …“The reason God made poison ivy is that He wanted us to know that there are certain things we should keep our cotton-pickin’ hands off of!”

B.    :1 Peter 4:10, Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.

                      1.       You carry within you a grace from God – It is a gift, ability, disposition, or talent that is needed by the family – If you were not present the family suffers.

C.   Illustration – It’s a wonderful life. Don’t sell yourself short, and don’t cheat the rest of us.

                      1.       Within the family you discover a place to belong, participate, be a part of something far greater than yourself.

                      2.       Nothing comes close to this in the world.

TS] Once I see the benefit only then am I ready to accept what is necessary to really be family:

III.           7 We share life together when we are willing to sacrifice. (Romans 12)

A.   Text: Notice the sacrifice as you read the chapter.

                      1.       :1-2…4, “each member belongs to all the others” 10, “honor one another above yourselves”, 13, “share with people who are in need”, 18, “as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”

                      2.        8