Living in Authentic Community

Introduction:

I remember when I was a kid a new brand of soft drink came out targeted at a new generation that they hoped were too cool for Coca Cola and Pepsi.

It was called Jolt Cola and I still remember it’s marketing pitch.

Twice the Caffeine and Sugar, the real stuff.

And as a young kid, I have to say, I was in!

I’m not sure why but I wanted it. One problem. Our parents were not too keen on giving their children this high octane beverage that they worried might kill them.

Jolt didn’t survive. But I find it interesting that as us young people grew older, we made energy drinks a thing!

But I think about that idea of young people and how we were tempted by “sugar the real stuff.”

And for many young people if you ask them what they value in relationships, many will say, “Authenticity.”

Some have written that millennials and Generation Z have a built-in lie detector and the ability to tell when someone is being fake with us. In fact many have admitted to walking away from churches because of a perceived fakeness and lack of authenticity with regard to relationships.

But as we look at the Bible, God not only commanded authenticity in the community of believers, Jesus modeled it for His disciples.

Today we look at North Hills’ 2nd Core Value (Not that they are in any particular order): Authentic Relationship.

Transition to the text: Turn with me in your Bibles to John 15:12-14. Jesus led his disciples for several years and we see a profound transformation in their lives in just that short amount of time. But here in vs. 15, we see perhaps the biggest transformation in their earthly time with Jesus…the transition from servants to friends. What a beautiful idea that Jesus calls His disciples to follow Him. But because of this he put great expectations on them for the future. His dream was a church built on the same love which he showed them.

Introduce:

Transformational Principle: Demonstrate God’s love in your relationships to experience a healthy, life-changing community.

Read:

John 15:12–17 ESV

12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. 17 These things I command you, so that you will love one another.

Again:

Transformational Principle: Demonstrate God’s love in your relationships to experience a healthy, life-changing community.

Transition: From the beginning of this passage, we see that Jesus is our example for how to love. First we should Demonstrate God’s love in our relationships....

1. Through vulnerability. (12-13)

Explanation: There are few things in life that are as vulnerable as “loving someone.” Many of us learn this when we are 12 and the very first time we get our heart broken by that girl or boy we thought was the one! Perhaps there is nothing more painful than loving someone who does not love you back.

When it comes to Jesus, he knew that the love he gives, would largely not be reciprocated. This is probably a good time to stop and try our best to define “love.”

What is love? (Baby don’t hurt me…)

1 John 4:8 ESV

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

But it would not be true to turn around and say love is God.

There are 9 different entries in Webster’s dictionary for love. 9! In their mind, love is anything from strong affection to physical attraction or warm attachment to anything from a person to a favorite food or t-shirt. All this to clearly demonstrate, when asking the question, “What is love?” Webster doesn’t know.

Now english has one word for love and indiscriminately applies it to everything. Koine Greek, the language of the Bible, has 4. Agape, Philia, Eros, storge.

Storge carries the idea of empathy and sympathy.

Eros is the romantic love experienced between husband and wife.

Phillia is friendship love. Like brotherly love. Philadelphia is the city of Brotherly love.

And then we have agape: Agape is unconditional love that is from one person to another without any reciprocation needed or expected. It is the love which which we are loved by God. It not how you feel about pizza or that t-shirt that is falling apart. This is love with which God loves His people. And this is the love Jesus commands us to love others.

Love one another…even if they don’t love you back.

Love one another…even if they ridicule and hate you.

Love one another even if it costs you your life. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You can’t get any more vulnerable than sacrificing for the good of others.

Jesus literally gave His life for those He loved. And how would the disciples remember these words after they realizes just what Jesus did for them? “As I have loved you...” would take on such new meaning.

Illustration: Think about this....even in wartime, we even see the most heroic acts as those who sacrifice themselves for others. Can you do that without having a deep love for others that leave you that vulnerable?

Application: I’ll admit that this is an incredibly high standard considering that it would be difficult to love family like this let alone other Christians who are in many cases no closer than complete strangers. But this is the call of Jesus...

Love others like Jesus…with vulnerability.

Secondly we should Demonstrate God’s love in our relationships....

2. Through transparency. (14-15)

Explanation: A huge transformation takes place in the relationship with Jesus and His disciples in vs. 14-15. Jesus starts by maintaining that they are still servants. Let’s be clear, they are still called to serve Jesus. But the relationship now has a friendship that goes deeper. And Jesus tells them what this new aspect of their relationship entails.

He defined the relationship: No longer do I call you servants....but I have called you friends.

He tells them that this new relational dynamic involves transparency: For a servant does not know what his master is doing....for all I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.

There is no longer any secrets. They have complete access to God and His plans. And the direct context of this passage is the love that God desires that His disciples have for one another. This is the foundation for Christ’s church. The love of Jesua s modeled at the cross imitated and demonstrated in our relationships.

But it wasn’t just in God’s plans for Jesus to go to the cross. Jesus’ transparency would extend to how he was emotionally handling God’s plan for him.

A few chapters later in John we see a recording of Jesus’ high priestly prayer. An emotionally moving glimpse into the inner thoughts and concerns of Jesus.

Many of us think of prayer as an intensely private thing. So we might ask, how did John know what Jesus prayed on that fateful night?

Because Jesus prayed it out loud in the presence of at least Peter James, and John.

Illustration: Now transparency is a double edged sword. On one hand, we feel like we can never make a mistake because it will reflect negatively on Christ, also we will have to apologize and while you are abligated to say sorry, that doesn’t mean it will be accepted. However on the other hand, the world needs to see more Christians owning up to their mistakes. They need to see Christians apologizing not for the sins of the church but for their own sins and mistakes. What makes christians different is not that we don’t make mistakes, but that when we do we own it.

Another way that we can show transparency is through prayer. So often when we come to prayer, we pray for everyone else, but won’t dare bare our own souls. That’s too vulnerable and transparent. But...

Application: Prayer is a great way to be transparent with other Christians. By modeling Jesus’ transparency we can show the same love and friendship to our brothers and sisters in Christ.

But fair warning....don’t use prayer as a means for gossip or passive aggressive slander. It’s easier to share or ask for prayer for others than to be transparent regarding your own soul. Share your own heart. Don’t air the dirty laundry of others.

Lastly, we should Demonstrate God’s love in our relationships....

3. Through accountability. (16-17)

Explanation: Jesus says that it is he who chose them, not the other way around. And if we look at each one of the disciples, none of them thought they were worthy. They were lowly fishermen, tax collectors, and revolutionaries. There was nothing about them that made them worthy of being chosen. Jesus chose them not because of what they had to offer, Him but because He loves them.

But then Jesus says, He appointed them that they should go and bear fruit and that their fruit should abide.

What is the fruit that He was talking about? Isn’t it clear?

The fruit that Jesus is talking about is the fruit that plays out in our relationships with him and with others.

Jesus holds His disciples accountable for that love.

Vs. 14 - You are my friends if you do what I command you!

And what does Jesus command? That you love one another.

And then prayer comes into play here.

If your relationships are not right. If you are acting like a jerk to one another…guess what, your prayers will be stifled.

We might not like this in our hyper-individuatlistic society. Where faith is personal and private.

You might ask, does this stand up against the rest of the Bible? I’m glad you asked.

Well for one, this happens with forgiveness.

Matthew 6:14–15 ESV

14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

From the mouth of Jesus. Anyone harboring unforgiveness? Better check on that.

But it also happens with other relationships…perhaps the most important relationship.

Look at what Peter says.

1 Peter 3:7 ESV

7 Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.

Please don’t get hung up on the “weaker vessel” comment because I don’t have enough time to unpack the context. Just trust when I say Peter didn’t mean it as a value judgement against women.

What I want you to see, especially you husbands, the way you treat your wife will negatively affect your prayer life. And that makes sense, if you treat God’s daughter with contempt, why would He give you anything you ask.

This is God’s way of holding us accountable. Your relationships with one another definitely affects your relationship with God

Illustration:

Application: Check on your relationships. As a follower of Jesus, your relationships should look different because they are different. Because they are modeled after Jesus and what He did for us.

The sinless Son of God came to earth to demonstrate His unconditional love by sacrificing Himself in our place for our sin to pay the penalty for that sin.

Romans 6:23 ESV

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Can I be so bold as to say, for His true friends, Jesus loved unconditionally regardless of when we come to our senses and acknowledge His love and reciprocate.

But remember, God demonstrated His love at the cross.

Be as forgiving and loving with even those who don’t deserve it. Learn to let things go.

Also, we need to hold others accountable for how we treat one another and let others hold us accountable.

Because Jesus is holding us accountable. Nothing affects our lives like negativity in our relationships. And the Bible seems to confirm why.

Conclusion: Chuck Colson was once called the “Evil genius of an evil administration.” He, himself, wrote that he “was valuable to the president…because he was willing....to be ruthless in getting things done.” (Born Again, 1975). He was a liar, cheater, ruthless, hatchet man. Not many would have considered him to have any redeeming qualities. Until Jesus showed up.

Colson was a member of the Watergate 7 who would be indicted and go to prison for the biggest conspiracy in US history (to that point). As he awaited arrest and prison, a close Christian friend who was not ashamed to be associated with a renowned sinner gave Colson a copy of Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. God used this book to change Chuck’s life. He was instantly transformed.

Naturally no one believed it and thought it was a ploy for leniency. Time has a way of flipping the script.

That hardened man became a genuine authentic voice for Christ in the most broken of environments: Prison. His experience in prison helped show him the direction God would take his life.

In 1976, he founded Prison Fellowship. 3 years later it would become Prison Fellowship International. Now in 120 countries, Prison Fellowship International is the largest, most extensive association of national Christian ministries working within the criminal justice field, working to proclaim the Gospel worldwide and alleviate the suffering of prisoners and their families.

His goal was to build Christian community in prison to go beyond punishment to redemption of the souls of men and women who, in spite of their pasts, were still valuable to God!

With all the work that Chuck Colson has done for God in the last 40+ years, you might think he has earned the right to move beyond Watergate. But that wouldn’t be authentic.

You might be surprised to read his bio on the Prison Fellowship website.

Charles “Chuck” Colson, President Richard M. Nixon's White House counsel and hatchet man, served time in a federal prison camp for a Watergate-related crime. After his incarceration, Chuck felt led by God to honor a promise he made to remember his fellow prisoners and their families. That promise grew into Prison Fellowship® and the world's largest family of prison ministries.

This is a man who understood God’s grace.

And just for fun, I love this quote from Colson about why he believes the resurrection.

“I know the resurrection is a fact, and Watergate proved it to me. How? Because 12 men testified they had seen Jesus raised from the dead, then they proclaimed that truth for 40 years, never once denying it. Every one was beaten, tortured, stoned and put in prison. They would not have endured that if it weren't true. Watergate embroiled 12 of the most powerful men in the world-and they couldn't keep a lie for three weeks. You're telling me 12 apostles could keep a lie for 40 years? Absolutely impossible.”

Response: Do you long for authentic relationships with God and One Another?

You can have that today. First by embracing the love of a savior who was vulnerable, transparent and accountable for the sake of His people. He proved that by willingly dying on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins and demonstrated his victory over sin and death. And he offers that same eternal life.

But he calls us not to walk this road alone. He calls us to live in authentic community of love modeled after himself.

Will you join with Jesus and His church today.

Let’s pray.