... Each Other

Psalm of the Day: Psalm 41

Psalm 41 ESV

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. Blessed is the one who considers the poor! In the day of trouble the Lord delivers him; the Lord protects him and keeps him alive; he is called blessed in the land; you do not give him up to the will of his enemies. The Lord sustains him on his sickbed; in his illness you restore him to full health. As for me, I said, “O Lord, be gracious to me; heal me, for I have sinned against you!” My enemies say of me in malice, “When will he die, and his name perish?” And when one comes to see me, he utters empty words, while his heart gathers iniquity; when he goes out, he tells it abroad. All who hate me whisper together about me; they imagine the worst for me. They say, “A deadly thing is poured out on him; he will not rise again from where he lies.” Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me. But you, O Lord, be gracious to me, and raise me up, that I may repay them! By this I know that you delight in me: my enemy will not shout in triumph over me. But you have upheld me because of my integrity, and set me in your presence forever. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting! Amen and Amen.

Scripture Reading: Psalm 133

Psalm 133 ESV

A Song of Ascents. Of David. Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! It is like the precious oil on the head, running down on the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes! It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion! For there the Lord has commanded the blessing, life forevermore.

Sermon

Well, once again and as always good morning church, Truly, and having missed last week, i can say this with assurance. I was glad when they said to me. Let us go and worship in the house. Of the lord.

This morning marks, the final sermon In our topical miniseries in between Our series through Matthew and then what we'll start next week. Again, this starts next week. The little card is in your bulletin for you, but also to give to anyone who you might think would be blessed by our time in this series. The next week, we will be starting Our series through the book of Ecclesiastes.

And this week, This sermon, Is truly one of the main reasons that i wanted to do this mini-series before we dive into The book of Ecclesiastes.

By way of a preview if you will, for the next series that we start next week. Ecclesiastes, As a book of the bible, Is a book about how we live In a broken world. A world that's been broken by The effects and the consequences of sin, ultimately by the fall. In a world where things don't go... Not even just a world that doesn't go how we want things to go… but in a world that's often painful And difficult. How do we do that? How can we live in such a world?

And my thought and the introduction that i wanted to give us is part of the way we do that. And part of the way we live in this world is through the church. And so it's vital and it's important that the church run and function and operate the way God has called us to run and function and operate. And so, two weeks ago, we looked at elders, those tasked with overseeing, the flock. Those who are to guard and protect. We looked at the qualifications and the requirements for those elders and what it meant to be an elder. It is important that we have elders in a broken world to protect and shepherd us in a world that will seek to shipwreck Our faith.

Then last week, we talked about deacons, the servants, in some sense of the church. Those who are called to serve tables, to meet needs, to minister to the hurts because there are hurts because we live in a broken world.

But this week, we're going to land on this thought. That we need each other. This is what i changed The title of this sermon to. “We need each other.” In full honesty and in full transparency with you all, here's what it was called. In my mind, in the outline, the church needs Members.

THE CHURCH NEEDS MEMBERS

No longer. Are we talking about? Sort of elders and deacons those called to specific roles. But now we are calling... My goal is to call you.. to see why the church we need to be united together. And why membership and why this needing of each other rather is so important and therefore why it's important for you to be a member In the local Church.

We will be, as we have for the past few weeks, looking at a bunch of different texts, looking at, at various things, that scripture says about this. So before we dive in, let's open with a word of prayer.

Dear Lord we Thank you once again for today. We thank you for your grace and your mercy. We thank you for your kindness Towards us. We thank you That you see fit to call us, to love us, to save us, To give us fellowship. Fellowship first with you, but also, Fellowship with one another. We thank you for The church, the Body of Jesus Christ our savior. Thank you for saving us, redeeming us. And giving us a call to proclaim your goodness. May you speak to our hearts this morning. It's in jesus name We pray Amen.

Our first text, we're going to look at a few texts sort of one after the other. Is hebrews chapter 10 verses 23 through 25. I'm going to read them. I'm going to start by reading them for us today.

Hebrews 10:23–25 ESV

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Before we dive into this text, i feel the need to do what i'm calling an introduction here. Why membership?

Intro: Why MEMBERSHIP

For the rest of this sermon, you're going to hear me talk about different things that scripture says about meeting together being together, lifting one another up, loving each other. Will get to that. But why does David take the angle here, really why will i be taking the angle that this is best seen and best lived out through membership in a local congregation.

I have heard all the thoughts and complaints of people who are not a fan of Church membership. In my last church there was an elder who was very against the Idea. “I am a member of a GYM not the Church”. I have had many lunch meetings with people who say “no where in Scripture does it say ‘you must be a member of the local church’” (note, i disagree, but that is a longer conversation…). I have heard the arguments that “there is but one universal church that all Christians are part of, so I don’t need to be a member of the Local church.” I have heard all these before, and frankly, I just don't agree with any of them

And we're going to use a bunch of thoughts to get here, and if you want I am available to talk about this later in detail, but here is the SHORT SHORT version of where I have landed:

We talked about this that it is the elders responsibility, this is two weeks ago, it is the elders responsibility to care for your soul. And in fact, we know to this was the final point to weeks ago in our elders sermon That elders are called to give an account for your soul. So, here's just a very pragmatic question, as an elder, as a pastor. Whose souls am i required to give an account for? And whose souls am I ultimately responsible for? Am i responsible for the souls of all people, in all Christians in all churches everywhere? Or am i responsible for the souls of those who are members at the church that i am called to shepherd? I think the best way, the easiest way to read this is that no. I i'm responsible for the souls of those who are members here.

Similarly, Deacons are called to be servants of The community.. but also of particular churches, who is their fundamental responsibility too? Well, it's to the members here at this church.

The ultimate thought here is how do we know where to draw these circle? How do we know? Who we are selecting from. Do we just bring anyone in to come and be an elder or a deacon here of this church? Or should we is it more right? That we say there are certain people that have chosen to be in fellowship, be in membership with this church and it is from that group. That we will select our elders and deacons.

But then, as we see this, this idea, Let us consider how to stir up one another. How do we stir up one another? And how do i know who i am responsible to help stir up and encourage? I guess I would say it this way, by way of example. On of the best pieces of advice i have ever recieved is that “I am called to love all people, but I am not called to love all people in the same way.” I love my wife different than I love all of you. and there is a level of acountability and a level of love that memebership draws circles around. Again by way of example, and Here's a final thought verse 25.

“Not neglecting to meet together.” Who am i responsible to meet together with? How do we draw these circles correctly? If not for membership. We can and should take a long look and a thought and understand that the church there's a sort of universal church, which is all believers at all times. But my responsibilities are not the same to all believers at all times. Let's suppose there's a person who is not going to church. They've been going to university Presbyterian church and they've been going there for years. And all of a sudden that person stops going to that church. Do i have a responsibility? Do i, David, have responsibility to call them?

Do you Have a responsibility. As someone who is not a member, who's not going there, who has not even ever met them? Do you have a responsibility to say, hey, i haven't seen you in a while. I don't think so. But suppose someone's a memeber here. And we haven't seen them for weeks. Do i now have a responsibility? Of course I do! Do you now have a responsibility to them? I think you do as well.

The idea of membership helps us know and helps us understand who it is. That we are called to live in a certain and particular way with. So that's why i'm for membership.

If someone wants to just come here, that's fine. You are welcome here. Membership Though comes with and brings with it, certain levels of commitment, from both the elders, the deacons, but also from one Another. Membership is important...

Off of my soap box. Let me just end with this So as i read, i just want to say that so that we, you know, as i read these things, as i say these things that is the heart behind what i am saying and why i am willing to read membership into these texts of the word doesn't exist here. I think this thought is important and it helps us know where these responsibilities kick in.

So the first thought though that i'd like to talk about in regards to membership. Is this: What does membership do for you? And here we read it in this text.

What it does for YOU

It helps us. Verse 23. Hold fast to our faith. What is membership do for you? It's strengthens your faith as you are in fellowship with other believers. It helps you be moved in your sanctification. How do you live a more Holy righteous life. Part of it. The writer of Hebrews is very clear here, a large part of it In fact is meeting together with other believers who are also growing in their sanctification and faith.

And as you see this believer live, a holy life, you are inspired to live a life holy like theirs. As i share my struggles but also my victories and triumphs in my sanctification. So you are moved and motivated and we stir one another up to love and good works. This is what coming together, being a member, being a part of a body gets for you.

We must meet together. We must come together. And what we will see is as we go through this. That what we do is not just sort of meeting for meeting sake. There's an intentional depth of relationship that we have with one another.

And this is something That elders and deacons can't do for you. I can stand up here and proclaim till i am blue in my face Your desperate need for all of these things. Living life together is what shows you the reward.

The deacons can come and serve and they can meet all of your needs, but truly, you will see the hope of the gospel when we are meeting each other's needs in love and community. Being a member is a vitally important thing. It it gains for you. A confidence, it stirs you to love and good Works. It helps to save your soul.

Don't neglect meeting together. Some do that. Don't do that. Especially as we see and understand that jesus is returning, we need one another So what do we do together What do we do? What are we called as members to do?

What we do TOGETHER

Acts chapter 2 starting in verse 42. “And they...”

The “they” here in context are the thousands of people who are getting saved by the preaching of the apostles. specifically by peter sermon at Pentecost, thousands are saved. And then this is what THEY do. This isn't what the apostles do. This is what the elders do. This is speaking to the body of believers. All of them, “they”

Continuing

Acts 2:42–47 ESV

And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Much has been written. You can Go and google this text.. any sermon, you will find listed: These are the four things that every church has to do. These are the ways that we work through this. There are some thoughts that are thematic that we see in all of these. Here's what i'd like to point out for us. What do we do together?

We learn together.

“They devoted themselves to the apostles teaching.” We sit down and we help each other learn and know what the scriptures have said. We are devoted to this teaching and we encourage and lift one another up in this. We teach each other. We instruct each other. We help each other. So there's a learning aspect, but there's also a fellowship.

The fellowship we have here, the breaking of bread, they take communion together... and prayers. They pray together. They love and care for one another so much so that they are willing to sell everything so that they can meet the needs of everyone there. They break bread in their homes. They are generous in what they have, and they are generous in their fellowship, welcoming each other into their homes. Not seeing this as a duty or a responsibility or a weight rather as they break bread in their homes, they receive their food with glad and generous hearts and they are praising god together.

And note the fallout: As we learn together as we fellowship together as we take communion together as we study together As we eat together... that's important, we do potlucks and i love them and i'm only partially kidding When i say this is one of the most important things at church does is have potlucks together because we live our lives together. As we receive our food with glad hearts, we are encouraging and lifting up one another. We are strengthening our faith to go back to Hebrews chapter 10. And as we do this, we will gain favor. Because what we are doing is what we all desperately need and want in life.

When we get into the book of Ecclesiastes, we will see that There's nothing new under the sun, that we all face, similar, trials, and struggles. Those some are heightened and some of us face them in different ways. We all experience the depth of pain in this world and we need each other. And so we lift one another up, we care for one another, we eat food together in fellowship, we pray together, we teach one another. These are the things that we do and note this reward: And the lord added to their number day by day. Those Who were being saved.

The gospel Is proclaimed.

Ultimately, This is what the church needs more than anything else. And this is why it's important that the church function the way the lord has called the church to function and not how we think it should work. Because when elders are doing what they are called to do, they are guarding and protecting and teaching and preaching sound doctrine and the gospel. Therefore, the gospel, Is flourishing.

When deacons do what they are called. We talked about this last week. The hardest of all hearts will receive the hope of the gospel.

But note here, when the church, when members, when people are coming to together, loving for caring, for each other, the way we are called, the gospel is proclaimed and the Lord will add to their number day by day. Those who are being saved.

The gospel grows and flourishes as we operate in the way that the lord has called us to operate. And how would i sum that up in one word? This is what we do. We devote themselves to the teaching the breaking of bread prayers. They were together they had all things in common. How do i how could i summarize this? How do we get to the heart? Of all of this.

The HEART of it all

Well, i'd like to go to a very famous passage. But not one that we often hear in terms of church membership, I would bet that almost everyone. Here has heard this chapter, the first Corinthians chapter 13. You have heard it. And you've heard it at weddings. And i think that it's fitting. Spoiler alert. The heart of it all will be one word: “Love”

First Corinthians 13, is what's known as the love chapter. And you hear to weddings, that's good. Husbands, should love their wives, and why should love their husbands? This is how that should work and they beautiful marriage. Sealed and sanctified by god, there should be the sort of sacrificial love that we read about in first Corinthians 13. But that's not the original context and that's not the original audience of first Corinthians 13. If we were to go back to first Corinthians 12, Specifically starting in verse 12, Paul begins, what is the most famous, beautiful and important? I would say picture of the church. Is that the church is one body with many members. I'll just read it first Corinthians 12 12

1 Corinthians 12:12 ESV

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.

Here's the thought here. This is important one. We grasp my body is my body, but my body has fingers. It's still my body. My body has arms still my body legs eyes. These are different parts but all together, they still form just one body. So to it is with christ.

Continuing:

1 Corinthians 12:13–15 ESV

For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body.

Paul begins to go and he'll spend versus doing this, the eye can't say to the hand verse 21. This idea of, we need the body of christ needs, one another functioning in different roles. The way i would say, based on what we've preached the last few weeks is this: the body of christ needs elders.

Because elders fill the specific role but the elders can't say to the deacons, we don't need you. And the deacons can't say to the elders or to members, we don't need you and the members of the church cannot say to the elders or the deacons. We don't need you. We all need one Another We are all... verse 27,

1 Corinthians 12:27–31 ESV

Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.

Here's the, i just want to lay the foundation of first Corinthians 13, so we can understand what the heart of the church working together is. We need one another, he does this beautiful picture of the way the body works and the liver can't say to the kidneys. I don't need you. And the spleen can't say to the spine. I don't need you, we need one another. Because we all have different roles and responsibilities, but we must earnestly desire. The higher things. What are the higher things? Well NOW in the life of the church and how the church should operate we find Corinthians 13 starting in verse 1

1 Corinthians 13:1–3 ESV

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

So let's go back to Acts chapter 2 very quickly.

If i have everything in common, i'm devoted to the apostles teaching And we're fellowship together but i have not love. I have nothing.

And if i sell everything i have, this is a direct quote for first Corinthians but we think back to Acts two, they were selling everything and give everything to those who have need. Paul says here, if i give away all that i have And if i deliver my body be burned and have not love I gain nothing.

The heart of it all. Is that we must love one another But what sort of love are we called to love each other with? Paul helps us out here.

1 Corinthians 13:4–8 (ESV)

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never ends.

That is how we are called, as a church, to love one another. This is a sacrificial, love. This is a, this is an “all of me” love. And it's how we are called to love each other. This is how the body is called to work.

It is not that Paul's writing.. Oh yeah. Love your wife in this way and then we going to get back to how the church works in chapter 14. The the chapter 13 is random little poem Paul through, in the middle of this talking on how the church should work. This is all how the church should offering operate.

1 Corinthians 13:8–13 ESV

Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Anything else we are ever called to do... Are we called to learn? We talked about it. Yes. Acts chapter 2. Is it good? That we are instructed and we train ourselves in theology and in righteousness, yes, these are good. But all of that, pails in comparison. To our call to love one another.

We need each other To bear the burden. To hold each other's head up. To love and care for each other. to weep with those who weep to mourn with those who mourn to rejoice with those who are rejoicing, we need each other.

We must love each other, such that, when one in this church is hurting, we all experience that hurt.

It's not enough to just be friendly. And shake someone's hand and then go about our affairs. The calling to the church is to love each other With a patient kind end, enduring love. With a sacrificial Holy and perfect Love. With a sanctifying love, that does not rejoice it wrong doings but rejoices in truth. but also a love that is willing to cast aside my cares and wants and desires because it will bear all things endure, all things, and hope all things.

We are called to love each other. That is the heart. Of this all.

THIS i think memberships are important. These are the things you get. Is it possible to live a christian life? Never being a member of church, getting some part of this it different times. And in different places, of course it is. Is it good and right You have friends who are Christians that you sort of live this out? In a particular way, of course it is.

But the church should look like the church and the church should look like love. It should look like meeting together and fellow shipping together. It should look like spurning one another on to love and good works. That's why we need each other.

This is what we are called to.

Let's pray.