How to Look Like Jesus in our Relationships with One Another

Introduction

STORY ABOUT Relationships in the church

There are some relationships in the church that are healthy and there are some that are not….…

For the past few weeks we have been studying Peter’s Exhortations for Believers on how they are to bring God all the glory in every relationship they are in.

With the government, with their employers, with their spouses

And in 1 Peter 2:11-12 Peter lays out the Core Principle that every Christian must follow in every relationship they are in.

1 Peter 2:11–12 (ESV)

11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.

Avoid Sinning, and Live your life like Jesus -Pursue Holiness,

Peter has addressed the Christians relationship with the Government, within the work place within the Home

and now we are coming to Peter’s wrap up on his exhortation where He addresses how Christians should behave in there relationships with one another in the church and I believer in general as a follower of Jesus.

He wants to remind these persecuted Christians that even though it is hard to do some time, they have been called to look drastically different from the world in the way that they live out their lives especially how they treat one another in the church

Turn with me in your Bibles to 1 Peter 3:8-13

1 Peter 3:8–13 (ESV)

8 Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. 9 Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. 10 For “Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; 11 let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. 12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” 13 Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good?

What a beautiful description of someone who has forsaken the old man and it’s selfish desires and has put on Christ likeness in their life.

In this text Peter gives us 5 Virtues we must put on in order to look like Jesus and then He gives us two exhortations for How we can avoid sinning even when our relationships hurt.

Today our goal is to look at these 5 Virtues that exemplify Christlikeness in our relationships with one another.

and then next week, If the Lord Tarries, we will look at the two exhortations for how to avoid sinning in the way we respond to other people when they hurt us deeply.

look with me again at our text verse for this morning 8…

1 Peter 3:8 (ESV)

8 Finally, all of you

For the last 21 verse Peter has been addressing different relationships Believers have in their lives. and now He says - It doesn’t matter if your being persecuted by the government or not, or if you have a kind boss or an evil one, It doesn't matter if your a wife with a godly husband or an unsaved partner, It doesn’t matter if your a husband or a single man in the church, IF YOU ARE A BELIEVER IN CHRIST THAN THIS TRUTH IS FOR YOU .

Simply Put - IF YOU want to look like Christ in your relationships with one another than you will have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.

Five Virtues to Be Like Jesus in Your Relationships

1. Be in HARMONY

”Unity of mind" literally means to have harmony among yourselves.

Illustration: Your singing was absolutely beautiful -the way that you lifted up your voices together was wonderful. I took a minute to just close my eyes and listen to your praise as you sang in harmony as one voice with one message

But think what it would have sounded like if I would have decided that I wanted to sing Amazing Grace - at the top of my lungs while you all were singing Christ is mine for ever more.

Amazing Grace is a wonderful song that Praise God for his great love for us, RIGHT.

But in reality for me to sing it at that time would have been awful. Even though both songs can bring God glory it would not have been harmonies in the church,

Unity of Mind is the same principle- It means that there is a sweet spirit of harmony among the members of the church, it carries with it the idea of like-mindedness in Mission and in practice.

When We sing our songs together we are One mind- We have one purpose - to glorify God with our voices as one.

But think about our singing together for a minute.

While I was listening to you all sing-

I heard some of you singing High and some singing low, and it was beautiful

I heard some singing loudly and some singing quietly, and it was worshipful

I heard some who singing the melody and others who Blended their voices with a different part. and it was harmonious

Together we were One voice striving side by side with one purpose. to sing our praise to the One true God

this is what the virtue of harmony looks like in our relationships with one another,

We may sing different parts- we may do ministry in the church a little different from one another but our purpose is the same. to Bring God Glory in our relationships together

Im going to have to be honest with you for a minute- I actually really like Southern Gospel, quartet Music- But I only really get to listen to it when Im alone in my Car because Amy doesn't care for it near as much as I do.

Think about a music quartet with me for a minute You have these 4 guys that sing together- think how boring it would be if they all sang in unison the melody of the song.

But what makes a quartet so amazing is how each one sings is own part .

from the guy who can sing way to high to the fella who can sing really low.

Each one sings his own part and the end result is a beautiful sound of harmony to your ears.

Friends Harmony in the church is not uniformity - we are not called to look just like each other-

We all have been given different talents and abilities and opinions and personalities , and when we all work together with our differences the result is Harmony in the church,

to have unity of mind with one another means that we see our difference not as a means for division but as beautiful opportunities for harmony in the church-

Trans: Virtue #2:

1 Peter 3:8 (ESV)

8 Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.

Be SYMPATHETIC

If we are going to look like Jesus in our relationships with one another than we must be sympathetic with one another,

being "sympathetic" means “to Share the same feelings”

As Christians, We are to have an understanding and compassionate attitude toward the experiences, feelings, and struggles of others within the Christian community and even those we may not know.

Romans 12 :15 gives us a simple picture of what Sympathy looks like in a believer’s life

Romans 12:15 (ESV)

15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.

Sympathy is the ability to share in the joys and sorrows of fellow believers even when we dont fully understand.

This means that you respond with empathy and care when your brother or sister is hurting

and joy & happiness when your sister is rejoicing even when the blessing they have recieved is something you have prayed for in your own life.

Think about the church in Asia that Peter is writing this letter to.

There were people in the church who had lost everything as a result of their faith in Jesus Christ.

Some in the church were being oppressed by the government and others where very prosperous in their lifestyles

Some in the church were enslaved struggling with abusive masters, and Some where free men with wonderful bosses at work

Some women in the church where married to unbelieving men who where not kind or easy to live with. while others had husbands that exemplified Christ and led them spiritually

Friends this church was full of hurting people and Joyful people.

Our natural human tendency is to look at others who are hurting when we are not and say “Buck up butter cup its not that bad…You need to just get over it and trust god!

Or on the flip side- to look at others when they are prosperous and rejoicing when we are hurting and Say Its not fair that they get this blessing and I dont- I hope it gets taken away so they can feel my pain.

Sympathy says “Even though our circumstances may look very different I chose to feel your joy and your pain with you .

very practically church, to look like Jesus means that we must not be insensitive in our responses to others.

and It means that we must not have an indifference attitude to others joys and hurts.

Transition: Virtue # 3

1 Peter 3:8 (ESV)

8 Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.

Be LOVING

"Brotherly love" is a translation of the Greek word "philadelphos," (Fee-La- De -Fose)

This type of love is characterized by affection, fondness and friendship.

It’s a love used to describe the -relationship between siblings in a home.

It carries with it the idea that you genuinely like each other, and that you want to spend time together .

When I was growing Up my older brother and I would fight and argue just like most you probably did with your siblings.

But deep down we enjoyed being together ,doing things that we loved.

We spent hours building forts down by the creek, We often stayed up later playing games, or getting up early to go fishing.

The reason brothers have a deep lasting love for each other is because they spend so much time together -living life together- doing things together that they enjoy.

Friends when it comes to your Christianity- Spending time together with other believers is how brotherly love is built up in your life .

You cant have brotherly love if you dont spend time with your brothers.

As Christians we should have a great affection for one another in the church,

To have the virtue of Brotherly love means that you have a deep affection for one another that comes from joyfully living life together in fellowship with one another.

TRANSITION: #4

1 Peter 3:8 (ESV)

8 Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.

Be TENDER HEART

Tenderheartedness is similar to sympathy in that it is a genuine care for others needs.

But tenderhearted goes deeper than just a sympathetic feeling-

It’s a virtue that is only produced from the heart of a man who is godly at His core.

Its a characteristic of your inner most being,

A tender hearted person is aware of the needs of others and lovingly understands their pain to the point it affects his own heart

a tenderhearted person doesn't just give words of encouragement, he he jumps right into the trial with the hurting to be part of the solution.

A tender hearted person cares more about loving his brother than he does about his own contentment.

A tenderhearted person lovingly sticks with his brother even when failure continues to happen in their relationship.

Do you see the picture of what a tenderhearted person looks like ?

He looks like the Jesus that loving continues to care for us even when we continue to fail in our relationship with Him

Isaiah 53 describes this ultimate example of how far a tenderhearted Person will go to care for those he Loves

Isaiah 53:3–5 (ESV)

3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.

Friends, To look like Jesus in our relationships means that we have the same tender heart towards others in the church, and in the world that Jesus had towards us while we were still in our sin.

TRANSITION: #5

1 Peter 3:8 (ESV)

8 Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.

Be HUMBLE

does anyone else struggle with Humilty in their life?

I believe that the hardest virtue for anyone of us to exemplify in our relationships is Humility.

and yet I believe that it is the single most important virtue we must have if we are going to be like Christ in our relationships with one another.

Humility is the virtue of putting aside your own pride and your own glory and putting others above yourself

Why is this so hard!!!!

Because true humility is a characteristic that is so contrary to our selfish human nature.

Think about it -Our sinful nature says “do whatever it takes so that you come out on top.”

Do whatever will bring you the most pleasure, the most success, the most glory and the most fame.

`and this self glorifying theology trickles into every relationship we have.

We naturally want to use our relationships with others for our own benefit……

Humility is more than just putting other people above yourself Its understanding who God you are in comparison to a Holy God

its recognizing that your abilities, your successes, and even your very existence is dependent on God's grace and providence in your life.

Its coming to the understanding that your life is no longer about you……

Humility is a sinner crying out to a Holy God saying “there is nothing I could ever do to save myself. I need You.

Humility is the Believer proclaiming the words of Gal 2:20

Galatians 2:20 (ESV)

20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Humility is Saying NOT MY WILL BUT THINE OR LORD,

<<<<PAUSE>>>>>

So what does Humility practically look like in our relationships with one another?

It’s a life that is genuinely loving towards other people regardless of what they believe or think, or doo

It’s a life that prioritizes serving others over being served by others .

It’s a life filled with compassion and tenderheartedness towards those who are hurting

it’s a life that rejoices with those who receive what you have been asking God to provide for your self.

it’s a life that is completely dependent on God for everything He needs,

It’s A Life that joyfully submit to God's will even when it is hard to understand,

It’s a Life that has a teachable a spirit, and a posture of grace towards others.

We cannot look like Jesus in our relationships if we do not have the virtue of Humility in our lives.

BRING IT HOME

Brothers and sisters to look like Jesus in your relationships than these 5 virtues must be true about your life

TO be like Christ in your relationships with one another You must strive to be In harmony with one another

God Gave you the church so that you could be part of that spiritual chorus- So that you dont have to do this Christian life alone. One of the most beautiful ways that you can praise God is by being in harmony with the church.

To Be like Christ in your relationships with one another You must put on the virtue of Sympathy

Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep

To Be like Christ in your relationships with one another You must put on the virtue of brotherly Love towards one another

Remember the words of Jesus in the gospel of John

“The world will know that You are my disciples by the way that you LOVE one another.”

Brothers and sisters our love for each other in the church is drastically different than any other love in this world because it models the perfect selfless love of our savior.

To Be like Christ in your relationships with one another You must put on the virtue of tenderheartedness-

take the time to care for one another- let them know that you are right by their side walking through life’s trials and struggles together.

To Be like Christ in your relationships with one another You must put on the virtue of Humility.

Give up control of your life to Jesus. Serve others Let Christ be the one to receive the glory from your life.

Brothers and sisters if we are going to be a church that makes and equips Followers of Jesus Christ in this community and around the world then we need to look like Jesus in our relationships with one another.

Christians I leave you with one Question- What virtue do you still need to put on in order to look like Jesus in your reltionships with others?

PRAY