The Community of Faith
Hebrews • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Among the many evidences that the 2nd coming is near Jesus said this:
Matt 24:11-12
New Living Translation Chapter 24
11 And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people. 12 Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold.
It’s not hard to feel that this must be talking about our day today, or at least we’re seeing glimpses of this prophecy. The war between Israel and Iran or between Russia and Ukraine could fit. But we know that the lack of love goes deeper and wider than that. In 2020 the world began to isolate to prevent the spread of Covid. We turned in on ourselves, subscribed to streaming platforms and moved our outside activities to the back yard. Kids don’t play with other kids in the neighborhood like they used to. Parents hold their kids tighter, worried about any interaction with stranger. Gone are the days of telling your kids to be home by supper and to have fun making new friends.
The Bible says that father’s will turn away from thier children and children from their fathers even. Are we seeing that today? Absolutely, politics has become so divisive that we can’t stand people who hold a different position than we do. Are you pro-life? That’s abhorrent to someone who isn’t. Do you lean liberal? Someone who leans conservative might prefer for you to be in jail rather than express your ideas at the poles. I’ve heard the fear that America might be at the brink of civil war multiple times in the last 5 years.
Churches have split and relationships ended over whether or not to wear a mask.
Even though many of the issues that divided our country and our families in the last few years have passed by us, we still experience the social impacts of that time. A husband and wife can both be home and together on the same couch but miles apart watching social media on their devices. A family with parents and kids can be feet apart in their homes but isolated, each to their own room with their face in their own device.
We have normalized isolation and individualization.
What is the solution to our isolation?
Community
We’ve been studying Hebrews and in our last message from that book we’re going to find a theme repeat over and over again. Turn with me to Hebrews chapter 12.
Heb 12:1 — Community as Witness
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
The cloud of witnesses refers to the faithful believers from Hebrews 11 (Abel, Abraham, Moses, etc). They form a spiritual community that inspires and encourages living Christian to persevere in faith. This is an important aspect of community because it recognizes that we don’t live isolated lives—we are part of the stream of Christianity that has flowed from the Cross through the last 2,000 years and for Millenia before that we are part of the community of believers who have always trusted in the Creator God.
Notice verse 2:
New Living Translation Chapter 12
2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. 3 Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up. 4 After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin.
Keep your eyes on Jesus. This is the way that you’ll endure in this race. Jesus endured the cross and gave his very life. I guarantee that none of us here have given that much in the struggle against sin. Is the difficulty in front of you too much for you? Look to Jesus and remember that He endured more for your sake; you can endure this. The following verses even suggest that we should consider the trials we face discipline and education from God.
12 Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees,
13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed.
Considering the trials and discipline we face, we need to encourage and support each other, especially those who are weak and struggling. The image of making a straight path implies creating a community environment that fosters healing and growth with mutual care and responsibility. Paul does not see an isolated believer in Jerusalem, he sees a community of believers who need to support each other.
14 Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.
15 See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled;
Paul calls Christians to work hard to have peace among ourselves. It’s way to easy for us to drop out when we experience conflict. We stay home and watch the live-stream, or we go to a different church in town. Or we make our excuses to ourselves and we stop engaging with spiritual community altogether. No! We can’t do that. God calls us to strive for peace, to work hard to exist in harmony and holiness. We are God’s people and we don’t get the privilege of holding grudges. We resolve our differences, value each other more than our opinions and cut out any bitterness before it can cause trouble.
We have a collective responsibility to prevent failure—we are interconnected as a single unit, a body.
The rest of chapter 12 talks about Mt Sinai, and though we have not come to a physical mountain with flames of fire and dark clouds swirling and an awesome trumpet from God, we do have the privilege of standing before God. Be careful that you don’t refuse to listen to God’s voice or His messengers. Turn to verse 28:
New Living Translation Chapter 12
28 Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe. 29 For our God is a devouring fire.
Immediately after saying “our God is a devouring fire he says this:
1 Let brotherly love continue.
2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
Worshiping God with holy fear includes brotherly love. These are inseparable ideas. You literally cannot love God and hate your neighbor. Community is an integral part of our faith. Not just because our love for God will compel us to love others, but because we need each other in order to stick close to Jesus.
Sometimes we fall into the trap of prioritizing our ideas of holiness above relationship with our church family. We isolate ourselves based on our choice of clothing or food or our opinion on the nature of Christ. Instead of seeking out close communion with all the body of Christ we judge each other worthy or unworthy of our company based on whether or not we share the exact same opinion of some nuance of Christian practice. This is exactly like the Judaizers did in Paul’s day. Teaching the commandments of men as though they were the dictates of God and then pushing away anyone who doesn’t agree with you.
But Paul says, “don’t neglect to show hospitality…” Not just to people who agree with you, but to strangers too. In fact, some of those people who are different than you have turned out to be angels. So, take every opportunity to show hospitality to God’s people.
Heb 13:3 — Remember those in suffering
3 Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body.
Paul calls us to show empathy and kindness to those who are in vulnerable and unfortunate situations. Did you know that someone from our congregation is in jail right now? I keep in touch with him over the phone and through email. His wife and daughter regularly attend church here, but they find themselves isolated in the middle of a crowd. They feel like they are less than. And surely a big part of that is because of their circumstance, but there’s a big part of that feeling that is the result of our lack of hospitality. We need to seek those vulnerable people out and make sure that they are feeling loved. They should have so many invitations to lunch, and so many people sitting round them at potluck and so many calls and cards and expressions of love that they feel overwhelmed by the positive attention. I won’t call her out in this setting, but please find those vulnerable people and treat them with extra care and kindness.
In verse 4 paul tells us that Marriage should be honorable and not defiled by immorality.
In verse 5 he invites us to contentment rather than chasing after money.
Then in verse 7 he says this:
7 Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.
and in verse 17:
17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.
God has provided the spiritual gifts for a reason. There are some who God has called to be administrators and others teachers in the church. We shouldn’t all clamor to hold these roles because they are roles of responsibility that require additional accountability before God. Instead, we should do our best to make their lives easier by submitting to the authority of God expressed through them.
Isolation and individualization push us to shrug off the authority of the leaders God has called. When we recognize that we are part of an essential community that God has provided to assist us in our journey with Him, we will respect the leaders He has placed in that community.
In verses 8-9 recognize that some people try to lead when they are not following Jesus, so we should be careful not to be led away by strange teachings. I appreciate this balance between submitting to the leaders God has called and testing the teachings so that we don’t stray from truth.
Skip forward to verse 15:
15 Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.
16 Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.
The plural “let us” suggests a corporate worship experience where the community collectively offers praise. Earlier in Hebrews Paul reminds the Christians in Jerusalem to not stop meeting together. In a place where persecution was coming from both the Jews and the Romans it would have been easier to isolate themselves and pray in their own closet. But isolation is toxic for spirituality. Get together, even if there is persecution. Get together and worship. Get together and do good. Get together and share what you have.
We don’t offer burnt offerings anymore, but we do offer the sacrifices of praise and service and sharing.
Even as this sermon ends Paul points to the interconnectedness of God’s people. Look at verse 24:
24 Greet all your leaders and all the saints. Those who come from Italy send you greetings.
This group of believers that is meeting here is part of the body of Christ that has no walls and no boarders. We are connected to every other follower of Christ in every part of this conference and this world.
We cannot and must not look down the street at our brothers and sisters in Richland or Kennewick and talk badly about them with critique. Comparing one church to another is unwise. Instead, we need to embrace our brothers and sisters in Christ no matter the style of their worship service or the language they speak or the location of their mission field. We are all one body whether in Italy or Jerusalem, Pasco or Kennewick.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Satan’s goal is to break down the love between us. The love in our families. The love in our neighborhoods. And the love in our church. We cannot allow Him to win. If the love of many is growing cold in our world, lets make the church a bonfire of love by pressing together at every opportunity. Let’s discipline ourselves to think good thoughts about each other and say encouraging words about and to each other. Let’s put aside the fooling arguments and squash the bitterness than can sometimes creep in. Let’s eliminate jealousy and cut out negative assumptions from our thinking.
Let’s assume the best and give the benefit of the doubt and offer second and third chances and be quick to forgive and slow to get angry.
Let’s prioritize community over convenience or personal preference.
Let’s make godly love grow here.
