Loving One Another As Family

Introduction

Illustration: How To Hug

There is a story about a man who was walking down the street. He passed a used-book store, and in the window he Saw a book with the title How to Hug. He was taken by the title and, being of a somewhat romantic nature, went in to buy the book. To his chagrin, he discovered that it was the seventh volume of an encyclopedia and covered the subjects “How” to “Hug.”

Everyone knows that the church is a place where love ought to be manifested, and many people have come to church hoping to find a demonstration of love- only to discover an encyclopedia on theology.

In the church we hear & talk a lot about:

Jesus the son of God

God

Holy Spirit

Our Heavenly Father

Going to heaven

Salvation

Sanctification

Faithfulness

The End Times

Justification

Righteousness

And even Love- Love of God & Love of people

But what about the expression of this love

The Bible says in the book of Ephesians

Ephesians 2:19 ESV

19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,

In other words God’s people, Christians, are a family

And the Bible says in the book of Galatians

Galatians 6:10 ESV

10 So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.

Folks within the church can sometimes get really sanctimonious when it comes to caring for people within the church

Instead of realizing our mandate to love

love is not just a feeling or emotion

love is an expression

love is an action

let me take you back to school- love is not only a noun, love is also a verb

you can tell me you love me all you want, but I need to feel it, I need to see it in action

And a family ought to love one another

1 John 3:18 ESV

18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

Last week week were in the book Micah the same book from which Micah 6:8 is located

Micah 6:8 ESV

8 He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Transition To Body- the book of Brotherly Love

Acts 17:3–4 ESV

3 explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.” 4 And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women.

Acts 17:6 ESV

6 And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also,

What turned the world upside down in Thessalonica?

1 Thessalonians Overview:

Chapter 1- Example of Love Filled Ministry (to Macedonia & Achaia)

Chapter 2- Model of Love Filled Ministry (Paul, Silvanus, & Timothy’s)

Chapter 3- Mutuality of Love Filled Ministry

Chapter 4- Holiness of Love Filled Ministry

Chapter 5- Alertness of Love Filled Ministry (breastplate of faith, hope, & love to Jesus’ imminent return)

In other words our ministry ought to be wrapped, filled, & overflowing with love

Body

God (our Father & our LORD Jesus) Brings Us Together

1 Thessalonians 3:11 ESV

11 Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you,

God Grows Our Love (for one another & for all)

1 Thessalonians 3:12 ESV

12 and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you,

Why?

God (through our LORD Jesus) Creates One Holy People

1 Thessalonians 3:13 ESV

13 so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.

Establishes (ESV, KJ, NKJ, & NASB) strengthens (NIV, NET)

Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament based on Semantic Domains 74.19 στηρίζω; ἐπιστηρίζω; στερεόω

to cause someone to become stronger in the sense of more firm and unchanging in attitude or belief—‘to strengthen, to make more firm.’

1 John 4:8 ESV

8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

Our love for one another reflects our holiness- our ability to stand blameless before God

In other words, our love for others, reflects our Christlikeness

Leviticus 19:2 ESV

2 “Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.

1 Peter 1:16 ESV

16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

Ephesians 4:5 ESV

5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism,

Ephesians 4:11–13 ESV

11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,

Brotherly Love Is Continually Practiced

1 Thessalonians 4:9–12 ESV

9 Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, 10 for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more, 11 and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, 12 so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.

Transition To Close

Illustration: “We Are Family” is a song recorded by American vocal group Sister Sledge. Composed by Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers (of earlier fame from the group CHIC), they both offered the song to Atlantic Records; although the record label initially declined, the track was released as a single from the album of the same name in April 1979 and began to gain club and radio play, eventually becoming the group's signature song.

Everyone can see we're together As we walk on by (And) and we fly just like birds of a feather I won't tell no lie

all of the people around us they say Can they be that close Just let me state for the record We're giving love in a family dose

We are family (Hey, y'all) I got all my sisters with me We are family Get up everybody and sing (sing it to me)

We are family I got all my sisters with me We are family Get up everybody and sing

Living life is fun and we've just begun To get our share of this world's delights (High) high hopes we have for the future And our goal's in sight

no, we don't get depressed Here's what we call our golden rule Have faith in you and the things you do You won't go wrong, oh no This is our family jewel

We are family (hey, sing it to me) I got all my sisters with me We are family (oh, I can hear you now) Get up everybody and sing

The song has since gone on to be used more generally as an expression of solidarity in various contexts, notably as the anthem of the We Are Family Foundation, which is named after it.

Its mission is creating and supporting programs that inspire and educate people about mutual respect, understanding, and appreciation of cultural diversity while striving to solve global problems

But we that mission almost 2000 years ago

When Jesus said

Matthew 28:16 ESV

16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them.

Matthew 28:17 ESV

17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted.

Matthew 28:18–20 ESV

18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

2 Corinthians 5:14–15 ESV

14 For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; 15 and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.

2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

2 Corinthians 5:18 ESV

18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;

2 Corinthians 5:20 ESV

20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

Close

John 3:16 ESV

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:17 ESV

17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

1 John 3:1 ESV

1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

Romans 8:29 ESV

29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

Romans 8:30 ESV

30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

John 17:1–5 ESV

1 When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, 2 since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 4 I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.