Created for Community
Notes
Transcript
We can’t become the people God wants us to become outside of community
We can’t become the people God wants us to become outside of community
Intro: Talk about last week’s chapel and this idea of community.
Hook: Develop this out— No matter how you’re wired; introvert, extravert, awkward, jock, musician—you long for community. We all desire community that allows us to be ourselves.
I. Created for Community
We were created by God in the image of God and He made us for community.
The Nicene Creed says this about the Trinity (325 AD):
“I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father… And I believe in the Holy Ghost, The Lord and Giver of Life; who proceeds from the Father and the Son; who with the Father and Son together is worshipped and glorified.” —Nicene Creed (325 AD)
The Trinity means that God Himself is in community. More accurately, God is community. One God, three persons, “before all worlds”—before ANY human community existed—there was God in perfect harmony within Himself. Deep community is imbued within us from creation as the image bearers of God.
So, if community is what we want and desire, what keeps us from finding this community?
II. The Fall: Broken Community
Sin. Sin keeps us from community. More specifically, it’s our inner desire to use people to meet your own needs first. We get so “self-focused” that we let that rule in our hearts instead of gospel-centered community
Some examples:
Has there ever been a time you avoided someone that drives you nuts?
Have you stopped pursuing certain friends because, if we’re being honest, they were no longer useful to us?
Have you ever clung to an unhealthy relationship just to escape the feeling of being alone?
How many times have you just said what you believe people wanted to hear so you wouldn’t offend them?
These examples and more reveal just a few of the ways that community as God intended has gone sideways. We have made community less than what is made to be!
Definition of Sin: Our sin, causes an unbelief, that makes it hard to see what’s true about God, the world and ourselves.
Tie Sin into Community: And, apart from Christ, because of our sin we are unable to believe, and we continue to live in warped relationships and community.
We need someone who can deliver us from our selfishness and restore our capacity for deep, loving, lasting community.
III. Redeemed for Community
That’s the beauty of the Gospel
Present Gospel—That God sent His Son to Earth, to live a perfect life, die on a cross as a sacrifice for our sins, rose three days later, he did what he said he would do, and proved he was who he said he was. Through that we have redemption.
Redemption means “to be delivered, ransomed, or set free.”
What does Jesus free us from? Sin and all of its effects.
What does Jesus redeem us for? A life that images God and reflects His goodness to the world.
Jesus redeems and restores our capacity for community.
After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands,
not a community that looks or acts like us, but a community made from every tribe and nation. There is a kinship between you and a believer in South Korea that does not exist between you and an unbelieving neighbor.
Last week, we looked at the example of being one body, and that is only possible through Christ’s redemptive work.
Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.
Now, we still live in a broken world. So, like all things in following Christ, it’s not going to come easy.
We have to stand in it—
Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand,
And continue in it.
if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.
So, what will this look like, to let the gospel transform and drive our community?
IV. Transformed in Community
Have you ever noticed how patient you are when no one is getting on your nerves? Or how loving you are when you are surrounded by people that are easy to love? Or how humble you are, as long as you are being loved and respected by others?
We are saints in isolation.
In community, our weaknesses, flaws, and sins are exposed.
If I ever have to take a personality test, I don’t try to answer it, I let my wife do it! If I take it, I’m going to think way too highly of myself!
Let’s think back to this idea of individualism that fractures community. What does this look like in our lives. We have to be honest in these answers because we can see these patterns in our lives and it can show us where we are resisting community as God intended.
Five Indicators of Individualism
Self-Reliance
You are proud of your ability to deal with your own problems and challenges without help from others.
You enjoy being asked for help but you rarely ask others for help.
It’s difficult for you to be vulnerable about what’s really going on in your soul because “those are my issues to deal with.”
You don’t honestly think you need people to grow spiritually, personal spiritual disciplines are sufficient.
It’s hard for you to receive gifts or help from people without wanting to pay them back somehow.
Self-Sufficiency
You may be thought of as a “good Christian” by others, but few people know you as you really are.
You may be outgoing and extroverted, but your relationships stay on the surface.
Very few people have full access to your life. You may disclose things to people, but only what you want them to know. You do not want them to dig deeper.
When relationships get hard, you tend to withdraw rather than deal with the issues.
You tend to measure spiritual growth by how much you know.
Self-Protection
You tend to keep others at arm’s length to guard against being hurt or rejected.
You measure spiritual growth or maturity by what others say or think.
You fear at times that if people knew “the real you,” they would keep their distance.
You avoid conflict. If people offend you or hurt your feelings, you prefer to say nothing rather than risk anger or rejection.
You might be addicted to approval. Your sense of value rises and falls on what other people say (or do not say) about you.
Self-Importance
You tend to be addicted to busyness; it’s the way you fill the void of deep relationships in your life.
You have a higher concern for respect from others (attention) than you have a sense of responsibility for others (sacrifice).
You are more concerned about what others think of your accomplishments (importance) than what they think of your relational influence in their lives (significance).
You tend to measure spiritual growth by what you have accomplished.
Self-Will
You regularly choose work and hobbies over people.
Your schedule and priorities always take precedence; you don’t reshuffle your agenda to help or serve others.
You like having people around, but you don’t tend to take their advice or welcome their correction.
When it comes to church, you ten to ask consumer-oriented questions like, “What do I like/not like? How does this make me feel? What do I get out of this?” Your wants and goals are functionally prioritized over the needs of the community and the mission of the church.
The reality is this: community is essential—not optional—for transformation. We can’t become the people God wants us to become outside of community.
That means opening yourself to real Christian community. That means being in community with God’s people, not just “my” people. That means loving others like yourself. That means not looking at your circle as “yours” and letting God build community around you to transform you into His image.
Through community, God can use us to love others we’d never love on our own, send a message to the world that something different has happened in our lives, and allows us to have opportunities to rely on God when we’d rather cut people off and rely on ourselves.
Closing: Don’t treat community like the net underneath a tightrope—a good thing in case something bad happens. The Bible treats community as the tight rope itself—you can’t move forward without it.
Pray about what community God wants for you. Identify the times when you have defaulted to individualism. Let God transform you through community as intended, and build a community amongst this student body that the world could never understand but someone on the outside wants in.
Pray and invite them to worship.
