11.24.24 Sermon @ Tulip CC - Cultivate Real Community

Sermon Planning & Notes

Communion Meditation

Cultivating Real Community - Begins with our Community or Communion with God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit. While we sing our communion song and take communion today, may I invite you to close your eyes, still your mind, and envision sitting at Thanksgiving Feast with Jesus. Imagine the conversation, one of love and encouragement. See the excitement on His face at the opportunity to sit and talk with you. Hear the tenderness and love in His voice. Cultivate your relationship with your savior.

Children’s Sermon

Lego Theology

God created us for relationship and community - in His image for Relationship with Him and Others

We weren’t meant to do life alone or to isolate ourselves

And when we put the wrong pieces together, we can’t be all we can be.

Sermon Outline

Intro/Review:

Where we’ve been: this is week 10 of our study of Finish Line Faith and I hope you’re training is continuing to show results.

(1) Never give up…(2) Rely on the Spirit…(3) Meditate on the Gospel…(4) Guard the Truth…(5) Expect Tough Times…(6) Maintain Your Character…(7) Chose Your Influences Wisely…(8) Feed on Scripture…(9)Speak God’s Truth

With 2 more weeks to go, this week and next, I wanted to take a moment to let you know where we are going from here. Today we will be studying what it means to (10) Cultivate Real Community in 2 Timothy 4 if you want to turn there.

Next week we will spend some time wrapping up our Finish Line Faith series as we are reminded to (11) Stay Close to Jesus. And for our last few minutes next week we will preview our Christmas Series that will take us through our Christmas Eve service.

Look with me at the 2 Timothy 4:8

2 Timothy 4:8 (NIV)

8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

Can I ask you, are you longing for Jesus to appear? I hope you are, but I know in the business and distraction of my life I don’t think as much about Jesus coming as I wish I did. I’ll share more with you about this next week, but I want to plant the seed of anticipation today.

How many of you have heard of Advent? Would you feel comfortable coming up explaining Advent to a friend who isn’t familiar with it? I didn’t grow up in church and only came to a serious personal faith in Christ in my mid 20’s. But as a kid I remember the word “Advent” being spoken around the holidays. I never really knew what it was, just assumed it had something to do with Christmas and church.

****Intro Advent - Anticipation/Great Expectancy - Offer the Hook (Read page 1 Intro from Come Let Us Adore Him - Announce plans for 12/1-12/31 - Offer Book - transition to Cultivate Real Community***

Transition to Message:

Why would we take the time to read a book together? As a family? As a church? As neighbors? Do you know what happens when people work together, learn together, study together, struggle together, do life together? We Cultivate Real Community…a community, a family, built to endure, equipped to glorify God, and continually growing.

Fallen Condition Focus (FCF):

Satan has caused us to live in fake community of fame while we are dying in the isolation and secrecy of real life.

Dominant Thought (DT):

To Finish the Race of Faith strong…we must Cultivate Real Community.

Passage Focus & Teaching:

When reading 2 Timothy, and other letters from Paul, we might have a tendency to skip over or miss the importance of Paul’s Personal Remarks and Final Greetings. It is easy to see a list of names that are hard to pronounce, and just skim on by them. But don’t miss the importance of relationship and community to Paul.

Let’s read it together…2 Timothy 4:9-15

2 Timothy 4:9–15 (NIV)

9 Do your best to come to me quickly, 10 for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia. 11 Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry. 12 I sent Tychicus to Ephesus. 13 When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, and my scrolls, especially the parchments.

14 Alexander the metalworker did me a great deal of harm. The Lord will repay him for what he has done. 15 You too should be on your guard against him, because he strongly opposed our message.

2 Timothy 4:19–22 (NIV)

19 Greet Priscilla and Aquila and the household of Onesiphorus. 20 Erastus stayed in Corinth, and I left Trophimus sick in Miletus. 21 Do your best to get here before winter. Eubulus greets you, and so do Pudens, Linus, Claudia and all the brothers and sisters.

22 The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you all.

Old and dying in a lonely prison cell, Paul is asking Timothy to bring others and come quickly. He asks for his scrolls (journals, notes, collection of scriptures), his cloak for warmth and comfort, and most importantly for Timothy and Mark for his soul.

Paul knew he needed the community of believers to finish strong, and he knew he needed to share the importance of community with Timothy. Paul carefully mentions brothers and sisters in the faith as he closes this letter to his young friend, and in doing so he reinforces for Timothy the importance of running the race together.

Pastor Stu Weber - US Army Veteran - recipient of 3 Bronze Stars as a Green Beret in Vietnam learned the importance of togetherness early in his training. He had this to say about Army Ranger training:

Read from Finish Line Faith page 117 - Pastor Stu Weber story

Life is better together. Without real community…the race is harder and maybe even overwhelming.

What are the communities of life?

Faith in and Communion with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit

Family - Spouse, Kids…Partents/Grandparents…Aunts/Uncles/Cousins

Local Church - like minded, similar life goals, sharing and meeting needs toghether

Universal Church - brothers and sisters in faith throughout the world…Christ followers, Spirit filled, fruitful

Local Community - neighbors, towns, schools, businesses

Regional & National Community - county, Missouri, USA

Created Community - God’s creation, global, diverse

What does it look like to Cultivate Real Community?

Romans 15:1–7 (NIV)

1 We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. 2 Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up. 3 For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.” 4 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.

5 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, 6 so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

7 Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.

What is the impact and blessing of Real Community?

Acts 2:42–47 (NIV)

42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Closing/Call to Action: