Stick Together

Introduction

Do you ever feel like you’re on your own?

Like you have to walk through life all by yourself?

Maybe you feel like everyone has abandoned you,

or maybe you’d be honest enough to admit that you’ve pushed everyone away.

But either way, you feel like there’s no one really there for you.

Maybe these lyrics resonate with you…

Opening Illustration

Verse 1

I walk a lonely road

The only one that I have ever known

Don′t know where it goes

But it's home to me, and I walk alone

I walk this empty street

On the Boulevard of Broken Dreams

Where the city sleeps

And I′m the only one, and I walk alone

Chorus

My shadow's the only one that walks beside me

My shallow heart's the only thing that′s beating

Sometimes, I wish someone out there will find me

′Til then, I walk alone

Those are lyrics from the song, “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” by Green Day.

The main singer, Billie Joe Armstrong wrote those lyrics while he was living all by himself in a small loft in NY City in 2003.

Even though he was surrounded by millions of people,

he felt disconnected and all alone.

In a world where we are more connected than ever,

it’s easy to feel all alone.

Main Point of Sermon

That’s why we need to be intentional to…

“Stick Together”

We live in an individualistic society.

We are trained all through our lives to be

self-sufficient…

self-dependent…

And we even celebrate it!

When we have babies

we celebrate each milestone where they can do things on their own.

walking on their own;

feeding themselves;

put on their own clothes.

Each step of independence is celebrated!

When we’re starting a new job,

we work towards being able to do it on your own.

When you move out/get married,

and parents don’t have to provide for kids anymore.

We celebrate being able to do things on our own!

And I’m not saying any of those things is bad,

but the problem is when we begin to think we have to do EVERYTHING alone,

and asking for prayer, help, support, from others = FAILURE!

You and I need to realize that we need each other!

Series: Leverage Your Life

We’re in week 4 of a 6 week series called,

“Leverage Your Life”.

In this series we’ve been seeking to:

“Learn how to leverage your job, skill, and passion where you live, work, and play for the glory of God.”

God has saved us to be a part of the work He is doing in the world,

and that work is telling the world who God is,

and what He has done for them.

God the Father, sent Jesus, God the Son, into the world,

so that He could live the perfect life none of us could live,

die to pay the price for our sin,

so that everyone who believes in Jesus,

can have their sins forgiven,

and receive the righteousness of Jesus.

And God the Father and God the Son,

have sent God the Spirit into our hearts,

giving us the hope of eternal life,

and the desire to obey God,

and live for Him!

Now, we seek to leverage our lives for the glory of God who saved us!

We do this through:

5 Kingdom Priorities:

Seek first the kingdom

We have a new King, Jesus, and we give up seeking our own kingdoms,

and surrender our lives to make his name great by telling others about Him.

Deepen devotion

When we prioritize spending time with Jesus in His Word, in prayer, and worship,

He fuels us through His Spirit to seek His kingdom.

Stick together

We no longer have to walk alone.

We’re not competing with one another,

we are working together for the same mission!

This morning we’re going to see how we must drive to stick together:

Through Prayer

Through encouragement; and

Through partnership

Prayer for Illumination

Lord…

Scripture Introduction

The main idea we are going to see this morning is:

“To leverage your life for the kingdom, it must be leveraged together with other Christians.”

If we are going to be successful to build God’s kingdom,

we must “Stick Together”.

This makes complete sense when we think of the whole Bible:

God gave His commands to a group of people, the Israelites.

Jesus gave His commands to a group of people, the disciples.

Paul and those who worked closely with him, were used by God to plant churches made up of a group of disciples.

God’s commands are always given to a group of people,

who are commanded how they are to live and seek to glorify God together.

We have 13 letters from Paul in the NT,

and only 4 of them are written to individuals.

The other 9 were written to churches.

Paul knew the Christian life was a life committed to “Sticking Together”.

Paul’s Letter to the Colossians

We see a beautiful example of this in his letter to the Colossians.

Paul wrote this letter to the young church in the city of Colossae while he was in prison.

He had likely not visited the church personally, but cared deeply for them.

They were facing pressure from false teaching that was creeping in,

so Paul wrote for two reasons:

First, to show them the supremacy of Christ.

He is God, Creator, and has all authority and power.

Second, to show and them what it means to be rooted in Christ.

And it’s interesting the way he ends this letter…

He ends with an encouragement for them to

strive for being rooted in Christ, working for His kingdom… TOGETHER!

We were never meant to walk this journey alone.

We need to “Stick Together”.

BILLBOARD

As we look at Colossians 4,

we are going to see three ways we can “Stick Together”…

We must “Stick Together”:

Through Prayer

Through Encouragement

Through Partnership

Transition

The first way we “Stick Together” is…

1. Through Prayer

Last week, Jonah talked about prayer being one of the ways we deepen our devotion to God.

Through prayer, God changes and transforms our hearts,

conforming us to His will.

And in a way that we can’t understand,

God actually accomplishes His will through our prayers.

So one of the ways we “Stick Together”, is “Through Prayer”.

We see this as we look at Colossians 4:2-6…

EXPLAIN

Colossians 4:2 ESV

2 Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.

The only way you’ll desire to seek God’s Kingdom first is to Deepen our Devotion!

You need to be committed to prayer.

Steadfast: persistent in it; don’t give up to quickly.

Watchful: expecting God to answer!

With thanksgiving: giving glory/thanks to God for answering.

Paul knows that prayer is powerful,

which is why he tells them to pray.

And that’s why he tells them to pray for him…

Colossians 4:3–4 ESV

3 At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— 4 that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.

Paul is in prison for telling others about Jesus,

and he’s asking for more opportunities to tell people about Jesus.

Usually being thrown in jail is an opportunity to question your life choices… lol

But Paul knows he’s being faithful to God, and wants to continue!

He tells the Colossians to pray for:

Open doors: opportunities… Paul knows God can use any circumstance.

Clarity: not trying to deceive/manipulate. The gospel is a simple message!

Paul wants to leverage his life… even his chains…

so that others can come to know and believe in Jesus,

And he knows he can’t do it alone.

He knows they need to stick together,

so he tells them to pray for him!

And he knows they need him,

so he encourages them as well…

Colossians 4:5–6 ESV

5 Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. 6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

It isn’t just Paul and the other missionaries with him who are witnesses…

it’s all followers of Christ!

Here Paul encourages them to:

Walk in wisdom toward outsiders: live in such a way that shows you’re different.

Make the best use of the time: you only have so much time… leverage it to the best of your ability!

Watch your tongue: speak in a way that’s gracious, attractive, and draws people in.

SUMMARY

Paul is not a lone ranger,

trying to take on a mission all by himself…

He knows the best way to leverage his life for God and His Kingdom,

is by sticking together with others by:

praying for each other,

that God would give opportunities,

and the wisdom to be salt and light.

APPLY

This is really important if we want to be effective in seeking God’s Kingdom!

It seems so obvious right!!

If we work together, and pray for each other,

we’ll be more effective as God works through us!

So why don’t we do ask for help/prayer?

I can’t speak for everyone/every situation,

but I think a part of the reason we don’t ask for help/prayer is,

we don’t enjoy talking about areas we’re not doing well.

We typically only ask for help if we “need” it,

and we don’t want to admit we’re not doing well,

so we keep it to ourselves,

and convince ourselves we’ll get better on our own!

But we usually don’t.

In fact, it’s now easier to get worse,

because there’s no accountability.

And that’s another reason we don’t ask for help,

because we don’t want to be accountable.

because if you fail, someone knows.

But we need to see that accountability as a good thing!

When we commit to goals and “stick together”,

we’re more likely to succeed.

God wants to make you more effective through others!

When you share how you’re struggling with someone else,

they can pray for you…

they can help you…

they can hold you accountable…

RUBBER ~~> ROAD

And this is exactly what we need when it comes to seeking God’s Kingdom.

We’ve already seen in this series that God’s Kingdom is:

PEOPLE!

God is working in our world to save people to Himself,

and you and I are a part of that.

We have been saved by God’s grace,

and He uses us to spread the knowledge of Jesus to others,

so they can be saved as well.

And you all know people who are far from Jesus:

where your work...

where you play (hobbies)…

where you live (neighbours)…

maybe even your own family/friends…

And you need opportunities to share with them about Jesus.

Begin by praying for them. (God soften their heart/give you opportunities/the right words to say)

Then share that person you’re praying for with someone who can be praying with you.

They can:

join you in praying for that person;

give you advice/ideas for starting a conversation;

ask you how it went/hold you accountable.

We all know that accountability is helpful.

You’re more likely to do something when you know someone is going to follow up with you.

SUMMARY

Don’t carry the burden on your own.

PAUL DIDN’T!

So you shouldn’t either.

Jesus wants you to seek His Kingdom first,

but He never asked you to do it alone…

So Let’s “Stick Together: Through Prayer”!

Transition

The next way we “Stick Together” is…

2. Through Encouragement

It’s easy for us to get discouraged in life.

We face struggles and challenges;

We have insecurities and wonder if we’re doing things right;

We second guess/question our decisions and life choices.

But what a blessing it is when someone comes along

and gives you a word of encouragement at the right time!

This is one of the ways we can be a blessing to one another,

by “Sticking Together: Through Encouraging One Another”.

EXPLAIN

We see this as we continue in…

Colossians 4:7–9 ESV

7 Tychicus will tell you all about my activities. He is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. 8 I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts, 9 and with him Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you of everything that has taken place here.

We see again that Paul is not all on his own.

He has men who are working together with him.

And though Paul can’t personally visit the Colossian church since he is in prison,

he wants to find a way to encourage them,

so he sends Tychicus and Onesimus to encourage them.

They were most likely the messengers sent to bring this letter to the Colossians,

but Paul sent them so that they could be an encouragement to them!

False teachers had come in to deceive and mislead the Colossian church.

Paul knew they were struggling and confused,

so he sent this letter to teach them,

and also send these brothers to encourage them to continue, rooted in Christ.

He didn’t just want to send a letter,

but knowing he couldn’t be there with them,

he did the next best thing and sent some trustworthy co-labourers,

to physically encourage them.

And one of the ways they will do that is,

by sharing what God has been doing through Paul.

“They will tell you of everything that has taken place here.”

In the midst of their struggles and fears

as false teachers contradicted Paul’s teaching about Jesus,

what a comfort it would have been to hear about what God is still doing through Paul.

It wasn’t a fluke!

It wasn’t a one-time thing!

It wasn’t trickery!

The power of God WAS & IS at work through Paul’s ministry!

This would have reignited and strengthened their faith!

Paul knew that, and wanted to encourage them by sharing what God was doing through him,

EVEN THOUGH HE WAS IN PRISON!

And this was not a one way street of encouragement.

Paul was always anxious for the churches that he planted.

He prayed earnestly for them after he would leave town.

They didn’t have instant communication the way we do,

so he wouldn’t always know how they were doing.

But after Tychicus and Onesimus visit to the Colossians,

they would return to Paul with news about what God was doing in and through THEM.

This would have been an incredible encouragement to Paul!

SUMMARY

Paul wanted the Colossians to know they weren’t alone…

They were in this together, and therefore need to “Stick Together”.

And one of the ways they can do that is through encouraging one another!

APPLY

“Sticking Together Through Encouragement”

is such an important part of the Christian life.

We all know what it’s like to struggle.

To go through difficult seasons where

we’re questioning things; or

we’re feel like a failure; or

wondering if God has given up on us…

In those seasons how good would it be to have someone come alongside you,

and encourage you?

Maybe you’ve had that happen before,

where someone comes and gives a word of encouragement at just the right time.

I know I’ve experienced that, and what a blessing it is!

It feels so good to receive a word of encouragement.

To know you’re not alone, and someone is there with you.

If we know how good it feels to receive an encouragement,

why don’t we seek to BE an encouragement to others more?

I think the most obvious answer is that we’re too inwardly focussed.

We get too caught up in

OUR world,

chasing OUR kingdom,

dealing with OUR problems…

that it’s easy for us to miss what’s going on in the lives of others,

let alone take the time to

think about them,

pray for them, or

reach out and encourage them.

We need to see how important this is to our success in seeking God’s kingdom.

We all need people in our lives who will:

ask us how things are going in our life;

help us see when we’re going off track;

encourage us to keep going; and

share what’s going on in their lives.

This is how we “Stick Together” in leveraging our lives for God’s glory,

“Through Encouragement”.

RUBBER ~~> ROAD

Who do you know in your life who could use some encouragement?

Make time in your day to regularly/consistently encourage others.

This could be working through a list…

Immediately texting someone who comes to mind…

Giving someone a call who you know needs it…

Asking someone out for a coffee…

Bringing/sharing a meal…

SUMMARY

In our world we are so prone to isolating ourselves from others,

which makes us feel more and more like we’re alone/on our own.

But we need each other!

We need to “Stick Together”!

Let’s be intentional to share what God’s doing in our lives,

and encourage one another to continue faithfully rooted in Jesus!

Transition

The next way we “Stick Together” is…

3. Through Partnership

At the end of this letter to the Colossians,

we see something beautiful in Paul’s ministry.

He was willing to partner with ANYBODY who was a true disciple of Jesus!

He didn’t care about a person’s

history,

background,

skin colour,

gender…

The dividing walls of hostility had been broken down…

In Christ, we are all one,

and therefore should “Leverage Our Lives”

by seeking to “Stick Together: Through Partnering Together”

EXPLAIN

First Paul mentions the Jewish believers he partnered with…

Colossians 4:10–11 ESV

10 Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, and Mark the cousin of Barnabas (concerning whom you have received instructions—if he comes to you, welcome him), 11 and Jesus who is called Justus. These are the only men of the circumcision among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and they have been a comfort to me.

Aristarchus, Mark, and Justus were all “of the circumcision”… aka Jews.

Paul calls these men his “fellow workers”.

They had accepted Christ as their Saviour and Messiah,

and they worked together with Paul to spread the Gospel.

These men were a comfort to Paul,

and he is commending them to the Colossians as well.

Next, Paul mentions the Gentile believers he partnered with…

Colossians 4:12–14 ESV

12 Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God. 13 For I bear him witness that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis. 14 Luke the beloved physician greets you, as does Demas.

Since the first 3 men were the only men of the circumcision among those with Paul,

that means these other 3 men are Gentiles… aka non-Jewish.

Epaphras was diligent to pray and work hard on behalf of the Colossians.

That’s where he was from,

and his longing was for them to

“stand mature”; and

“fully assured in all the will of God.”

But he didn’t only work hard for his hometown folks,

Paul says he also worked hard for the believers in

Laodicea and Hierapolis.

Paul also mentions Luke and Demas who are partnering with him.

These are Gentile believers in Jesus who Paul is partnering with.

He is not afraid to partner with Jews or Gentiles.

What unites them is their faith in Jesus,

which is why Paul ends with an encouragement to partner together with other churches…

Colossians 4:15–16 ESV

15 Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house. 16 And when this letter has been read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea.

When Paul wrote his letters,

they were not specific instructions for ONLY that church…

They were authoritative instructions for ALL churches, throughout ALL time.

Therefore he tells them to share the letters with one another.

We don’t know what happened to the letter to Laodicea, we don’t have it.

It was likely a letter Paul wrote, but God chose not to preserve.

But what we do know, is that Paul envisioned churches

being unified,

following the same instructions,

partnering together as God’s holy people,

to leverage their lives for God’s kingdom and glory.

SUMMARY

They would do this by “Sticking Together: Through Partnership”.

Paul modelled this in his own life by working together with ANY true disciple of Jesus,

and he called the churches to follow His example.

APPLY

We need to strive to follow Paul’s example as well!

We need to be willing to partner with ANYONE who is a true disciple of Jesus.

When Paul looked at people,

he didn’t focus on:

their skin colour or nationality…

he didn’t focus on:

their heritage or their gender…

he didn’t focus on:

how bad their sins were…

Paul focussed on whether or not a person had faith in Jesus!

And if they did, he was willing to see them as a brother/sister in Christ,

and partner with them to build God’s kingdom.

Unfortunately, we live in a day where we emphasize our differences,

even among churches.

We assume that we need to have 100% agreement on every doctrine,

and if we don’t, we cannot partner together.

ILLUSTRATE

Jesus didn’t believe that!

He partnered with sinful humans who were far from perfect.

Look at who is following, supporting, and helping him proclaim the kingdom of God in…

Luke 8:1–3 ESV

1 Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him,

The 12 disciples were far from perfect,

and did not understand as they should,

yet Jesus is partnering with them,

and will hand His ministry off to them.

Then verse 2-3 says…

Luke 8:1–3 ESV

2 and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, 3 and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means.

There were also women with Jesus whom He partnered with.

They followed and supported His ministry financially.

SUMMARY

If Jesus could only partner with those who agreed with him on every doctrine,

He wouldn’t have partnered with anyone!

And He didn’t need to partner with anyone anyway since He is God!

But He chose to

Leverage His life for the glory of God by sticking together through partnership.

APPLY CONT.

In order for us to be most effective in leveraging our lives for the glory of God,

we need to follow Paul and Jesus’s example of

sticking together through partnership.

Now, I’m not saying we will work with every believer to the same degree.

There is some wisdom and discernment that needs to be in place.

A helpful way to think about this is a framework commonly referred to as:

THEOLOGICAL TRIAGE

First order issues - Essential to the gospel

The Trinity

The full deity and humanity of Christ

The bodily resurrection

Justification by faith

The authority of Scripture

The gospel itself

WE CANNOT HAVE MEANINGFUL CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP/PARTNERSHIP WITHOUT AGREEMENT HERE!

Second order issues - Urgent for the church but not essential to the gospel

Meaning and mode of baptism

Church polity (elder-led vs congregational, etc.)

Role of women in pastoral office

Certain issues related to the Lord’s Supper

AS LONG AS WE AGREE ON FIRST ORDER ISSUES… RECOGNIZE ONE ANOTHER AS BELIEVERS.

CAN PARTNER TOGETHER FOR SOME THINGS, BUT LIKELY CANNOT SERVE IN SAME CHURCH.

Third order issues - Important to Christian theology but not essential to the gospel or necessarily urgent for the church

Millennial views (premillennial, amillennial, etc.)

Timing details of the rapture

Some aspects of creation debates

Non-essential eschatological details

AGAIN, SO LONG AS WE AGREE ON FIRST ORDER ISSUES, WE RECOGNIZE ONE ANOTHER AS BELIEVERS.

IF WE AGREE ON SECOND ORDER ISSUES BUT DISAGREE ON THIRD ORDER ISSUES, WE CAN PEACEFULLY SERVE IN SAME CHURCH BECAUSE OUR DISAGREEMENTS ARE OF LESSER CONCERN TO FAITH AND PRACTICE.

RUBBER ~~> ROAD

In order for us to be most effective in

“Leveraging Our Lives to Seek God’s Kingdom”

we must learn to

“Stick Together Through Partnership”.

You may not agree with a fellow brother or sister in Christ on every issue,

but you can ask each other for prayer!

You may not agree with a fellow brother or sister in Christ on every issue,

but you can

encourage one another,

ask what God has been teaching them, and

share what God has been doing in your life.

You may not agree with a fellow brother or sister in Christ on every issue,

but you can partner together to

share the good news of Jesus with someone you both know/work with.

disciple a newer believer you both know…

As a church, we also want to “Leverage Our Lives by Sticking Together”.

Here at GNC we are seeking to partner with other churches,

so that we can have the maximum impact for God’s glory.

We do that through partnership with the CNBC,

where we work together to spread the gospel/plant churches.

We are doing that through partnership with other local churches.

As pastors we meet with other pastors;

As a church we’ve invited other churches to fellowships;

We partner together with Life Church to disciple youth.

And we are hoping to be more intentional to partner with other local churches outside CNBC

to reach Leamington and surrounding area with the gospel.

SUMMARY

In order for us to be most effective in Seeking God’s Kingdom,

we must “Leverage Our Lives by Sticking Together!”

You are each saved and called by God to live your own lives for His glory,

but you were never meant to do it on your own.

You were saved to a people… the Church!

And God has called us to

“Stick Together:

Through Prayer;

Through Encouragement; and

Through Partnership”

And as we do, God will build His Kingdom through us,

and has promised that the gates of hell will not prevail against it!

Closing

Lord’s Supper Intro

This morning, we are remembering the sacrifice that made this all possible.

This morning we remember Jesus’s sacrifice,

by partaking in the Lord’s Supper.

You should have received a cup on your way in.

If you didn’t, raise your hand and an usher will bring you one.

This ordinance is only for those who have

repented of their sins;

put their faith in Christ alone for salvation;

have been baptized on the confession of that faith; and

are in good standing with the Lord.

If you have not done those things,

we ask that you do not participate.

The Apostles’ Creed Intro

As we have talked about “Sticking Together” this morning,

I thought it would be fitting that we read the Apostles’ Creed together.

The Apostles’ Creed is an ancient statement of the Christian faith

that has been used for centuries to summarize

the gospel,

teach believers, and

confess together what we believe about

God,

Jesus Christ,

the Holy Spirit, and

the church.”

This is a summary of all that we believe as Christians.

Our unity and partnership are based on these core truths.

Once everyone has received a cup,

we will read these words together.

Apostles’ Creed

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,

creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit

and born of the virgin Mary.

He suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, died, and was buried;

he descended to the dead.

On the third day he rose again;

he ascended into heaven,

he is seated at the right hand of the Father,

and he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the holy universal church,

the communion of saints,

the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,

and the life everlasting. Amen.

Lord’s Supper Prayer

God the Father,

we thank You for initiating Your plan of salvation.

We praise You for Your love, Your grace and Your mercy.

God the Son, Jesus,

we thank You for accomplishing the plan of salvation.

We praise You for willingly surrendering Your life for us.

God the Holy Spirit,

we thank You for applying the plan of salvation.

We praise You for giving us new life, and the desire to live for You.

We praise You and thank You, our Triune God!

We partake of this bread and juice,

in obedience to Christ, our Saviour,

and in remembrance of His sacrifice for us… Amen!

Partake of Wafer/Juice

Join me in opening the top portion — wafer.

Let’s partake together.

Join me in opening the juice.

Let’s partake together.

Closing Prayer

God, we thank You, that Your grace has appeared in the face of Jesus Christ, our Saviour.

Through His sinless life, sacrificial death, resurrection and ascension,

He has brought salvation for all people.

Jesus willingly gave Himself to redeem us from all our sin,

and to purify us as a people to Himself!

This He did while we were His enemies,

completely and totally underserving!

We praise You and thank You for Your grace and mercy!

And we know that one day Jesus will return in glory.

Until then we have been sealed with the Holy Spirit,

who trains us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions;

to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,

being zealous for good works.

We ask that through the indwelling presence and power of the Holy Spirit,

that you strengthen us to “Leverage Our Lives” for the glory of Your name.

In Jesus’ name we pray… Amen!