01/21/2024 Remembering Others

Grace Place Atlanta COGBF 4700 Mitchell Street Forest Park, GA 30297 Website: atlantacogbf.org Email: info@atlantacogbf.org Phone: (404) 241-6781 Wayne D. Mack, Pastor Pastor Wayne D. Mack Sermon Notes January 21, 2024 Remembering Others Philippians 2: 1-11 NKJV 2:1 Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, 2 fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord of one mind. 3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. 5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Light Bearers 1 12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. GM GP This morning, I want to talk about being remembered and remembering others. This is not a homegoing or funeral message. However, already this year, or with the last 30 days or so, within my circle of friends and associates, death has claimed its share of lives. I remind you that time and life are filled with swift transitions. In talking about being remembered and remembering others, I want to stress the importance of being intentional about nurturing the relationships God put right in front of us. Those that He places within our reach that are so easily possible to take for granted. And we only realize how precious those connections are – only after it’s too late. Then the regrets of could’ve, would’ve, should’ve set in. Today’s message was inspired by two things that touched my heart last week: • The first was last Sunday’s morning worship. What a sweet fellowship we had. A beautiful Celebration of 10 days of consecration, a spirit-filled, powerful message by Elder Lonon, and a time of communion – remembering our Lord’s sacrifice for us and promise of new live through His shed blood. Then, there were fresh, beautiful faces in our crowd that we have not seen in a while. • The second thing was the sharing that took place in our men and brother’s 5:30 am prayer. Like the Sunday morning service [a day before] where we called out names of members and friends [adults 2 and children] who have been a part of this ministry over the years – in the men’s prayer we took a moment to recall and remember many more names of people that God has allowed us have in our lives – some more deeply than others; but nevertheless, everyone invaluable. So, this morning’s message, which I’ve entitled: Remembering Others is a reminder to us all of how important and precious remembering others is and maintaining relationships are. Has anybody here ever had someone constantly on your mind [the nag of call so and so, reach out to XYZ check on “LMNOP.” The nag or unction, or even the Holy Spirits poke continues for days, weeks, months – even years, but only to find out you’re too late – perchance they died before you made your contact, or something tragic happened to them? Now, that’s a real gut punch. Of course, regret sets in and self-disappointment. So, what are you going to do going forward? Typically, we make a promise to ourselves not to let that happen again. But unless you and I are truly convicted by the last missed opportunity – then, the scenario of procrastination will repeat itself again. Through this message, I want to give you some encouragement, inspiration, and good reasons to be proactive in Remembering Others in 2024. Right now, while it’s fresh on your mind, take the index card that you received at the door and jot down at least one name of someone that you have been intending to call or who has been on your mind, and you should reach out to. Do it now. (Even call them now!). Some in church, some may be a part of this church family that you haven’t seen in a while; others may be doing whatever . . . . 3 SAY: “I’m in church, but my pastor is doing a message around Remembering Others (people who matter) and he has challenged us to make an instant call to say: “I’m thinking about you, call you later”. There are a few on my list. But let me tell you about a Remembering Others story that occurred in the last week or two. Ms. Lockhart at the same nursing facility as Mother Kendall as well as Mother Jordan. I asked the nurses a few years ago if there was any in the facility that could use a visit – due to not having much family to pay them a visit. Now, I want to share with you a principle and a practice from the Word of God that I hope will help you to act more purposefully when Remembering Others. Turn with me to Philippians 2: 1-11 2:1 Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, 2 fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord of one mind. 3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. 5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 4 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. In this chapter, the Apostle Paul is calling for unity through humility and he is using Christ’s example of humility and sacrifice to illustrate it. A sure measure of unity in the church is the “Care Factor” among the church family and its members. “Care Factor” is a measure of how genuine Christian’s care for each other as children of God. A real indicator of such is how well we care to Remember Others and one another. Remembering Others in a “no strings attached” kind of way is a sure sign of caring. Paul shows us in Philippians Chapter 2 what it really takes to wholeheartedly and authentically Remember Others. The example he gives us is more than just a fleeting thought. It is a challenge to first do a little soul searching and self-examination (1:27), then consider how to really show or express care in Remembering Others above and beyond oneself. Among several instructive nuggets Paul provides to us for showing care and for Remembering Others, I want to zero in on just one principle. Philippians 2:1 says 2:1 Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, 2 fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord of one mind. 5 3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. In other words, Paul is saying: 1-4 Since there is so much encouragement in Christ and if your experience of Christ’s encouragement and love means anything to you, if you have known something of the fellowship of his Spirit – that Holy Spirit that brings us all together in such a wonderful fellowship, and all that it means in kindness, affection, and deep mercy, do make my [Paul] best hope for you come true! That is, Live together in harmony, live together in love, live together in unity, as though you had only one mind and one spirit between you. Never act from motives of rivalry or personal vanity or narcissism, but in humility think more of each other than you do of yourselves. [That makes room for Remembering Others]. None of you should think only of his own affairs but should learn to see things from other people’s point of view. Paul goes on to say: 5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. Here’s where the rubber meets the road in the challenge to Remember Others and keep it a priority. Paul here is saying “Let Christ himself be your example as to what your attitude should be. For he, who had always been God by nature, did not cling to His [prerogatives [or position of power] as God’s equal, but 5-7 6 stripped himself, that is, emptied Himself, of all privilege by voluntarily consenting to be a [bond] slave and being treated as a man and conducting Himself as a mortal human. The key phrase is made Himself of no reputation which means He emptied Himself, not of deity, but of setting aside anything that got in the way of Him Remembering Others. Things like: • His heavenly glory – while on earth He gave up the glory of faceto-face relationship with God and the privilege of running to heaven for everything. • Supernatural advantage • Eternal Riches • Divine Prerogatives He did it so that nothing would distract from Him Remember Others as in Remembering You and Me. Verse 8 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. And, having become man, he humbled himself by living a life of utter obedience, even to the extent of dying, and the death he died was the death of a common criminal. That is why God has now lifted him so high, and has given him the name beyond all names, so that at the name of Jesus “every knee shall bow,” whether in Heaven or earth or under 7 the earth. And that is why, in the end, “every tongue shall confess” that Jesus Christ” is the Lord, to the glory of God the Father. MORE . . . Remembering Others 8