Family Matters Part 5

My Church Family

Welcome back to part 5 of Family Matters. This week we are focusing on our Church Family. Say this with me “MY CHURCH FAMILY MATTERS.”

In 1 Corinthians Chapter 12, Paul talks about the spiritual gifts from the Holy Spirit and how each believer plays a crucial role in the Church regardless of their position. In this sermon you will see the benefits of involvement in a church family. I have two texts I would like to use for today: Matthew 5:1-12 and 1 Corinthians 12:14-26 . Matthew will serve to define for us the constitution of the Church and Corinthians will give application for living it out.

Matthew 5:1–12 (NKJV)

And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,

For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn,

For they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek,

For they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

For they shall be filled.

Blessed are the merciful,

For they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart,

For they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers,

For they shall be called sons of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,

For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Here is a video of what it may have been like as Jesus prepared for the Sermon on the Mount, specifically the Beatitudes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pIwOW32xVM

The Sermon on the Mount holds the same significance for the new covenant as the giving of the Law held for the old covenant. It outlines the basic principles of life in the kingdom of heaven. In one case it might be considered the “constitution” for the Kingdom. In Jesus, the messianic promises of the O.T. are realized, just as the prophets foretold. As God used Israel in the earth so now He would use the body of Christ aka the Church to establish the promises and demands of the kingdom (See Matthew 16:9; 18:18)

As the community of the Kingdom, the Church confesses and proclaims the Lord Jesus Christ. She also performs good works which God prepared in advance for her to do and for which God created her in Christ Jesus (See Ephesians 2:10 ).

Lets highlight the blessings of those who become Jesus disciples.

Theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

They shall be comforted.

They shall inherit the earth.

They shall be filled.

They shall obtain mercy.

They shall see God.

They shall be called sons of God.

We could simply state: The Church of God is called to operate as citizens not of this world but rather of the Kingdom of God. Although this world has given them reason to mourn from struggles of poverty and all kinds of evil they now shall be comforted and see God. When they are merciful to others and seek God they too shall receive mercy and be filled with His goodness. Although they are persecuted, these pure of heart peacemakers will be known as God’s children and they will inherit the earth and the Kingdom of Heaven.

1 Corinthians 12:14-26 NKJV

Unity and Diversity in One Body

12 For sas the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, tso also is Christ. 13 For uby one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—vwhether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and whave all been made to drink 7into one Spirit. 14 For in fact the body is not one member but many.

15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? 18 But now xGod has set the members, each one of them, in the body yjust as He pleased. 19 And if they were all one member, where would the body be?

20 But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. 21 And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22 No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. 23 And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty, 24 but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, 25 that there should be no 8schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. 26 And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.

In I Corinthians 12 Paul compares the church to a body. I want to use the body as a teaching point to teach the beauty and power of a church family.

1. Church gives us a place to ___________.

I love the depiction of Jesus recording the Beatitudes with Matthew in The Chosen series. Each one of his disciples is highlighted as those who may be poor in spirit, broken, meek, and even persecuted. But each one belonged in the group. Each one belonged in the Kingdom of God and His Church.

As a Church Family we want to give people a place to belong, a sense of roots! When you have that kind of environment it meets two basic needs of mankind.

When you have a place to belong you have a place where you feel as if you are “important.” Notice verses 15-19. “15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? 18 But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. 19 And if they were all one member, where would the body be?”

Illustration: In the movie “The Help (2011)”, A black nanny whispers “You is Kind, You is Smart, You is Important” to a white kid sitting on her lap, holding her small hand, and looking at the stray pupil. Nanny Aibileen Clack wants the baby, Mae Mobley, to keep in mind that she is kind, she is smart, she is important. While the line is somewhat used comically in conversation today the message is designed to promote human dignity. And as much as Mae Mobley sets it to memory so does everyone who has watched the film. In the body of believers everyone is a very important and it is a message that must be expressed to and know by everyone.

The Church’s goal should be to let every individual know that God loves them and that they are special in His eyes. The heart is vital to the human body. The kidneys are vital to the human body. The lungs are vital to the human body. Even so, people should understand that they are vital to God’s body and that God loves them. Jesus reached out to people who, by societies standards. were losers and made them winners.

Everyone has a need to feel appreciated. Notice verses 23-24 “23 And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty, 24 but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it."

2. As believers we are designed to work ___________ as a family.

While we know that the Church is both visible and invisible, we must understand that it is as much local as it is universal. As believers, we are part of the Kingdom of God. Our true church is not divided by era, race, culture, geography or philosophy. Inasmuch, God wants us to operate within our local church to serve His Kingdom and His purpose (See Titus 1:5). This means we are not meant to be lone rangers. We need to work together as a body of Believers. Paul compares the church to a body. Some members are arms. Some members are legs. Some members are hearts. Our church family provides a unit that we can work with to be more effective for the Kingdom of God.

Illustration: CNN shared a story once of how teamwork saves lives. In what the news called "The Miracle at Quecreek," nine miners trapped for three days 240 feet underground in a water-filled mine shaft "decided early on they were either going to live or die as a group." The 55 degree (Fahrenheit) water threatened to kill them slowly by hypothermia, so according to one news report "When one would get cold, the other eight would huddle around the person and warm that person, and when another person got cold, the favor was returned." "Everybody had strong moments," miner Harry B. Mayhugh told reporters after being released from Somerset Hospital in Somerset. "But any certain time maybe one guy got down, and then the rest pulled together. And then that guy would get back up, and maybe someone else would feel a little weaker, but it was a team effort. That’s the only way it could have been." They faced incredibly hostile conditions together—and they all came out alive together.

Remember the depiction of Jesus recording the Beatitudes with Matthew in The Chosen series. We also see a powerful reflection of how each disciple and follower played a role in helping one another. I believe this is what God wants from us. God’s church needs to be a team that can depend on one another.

Illustration: One particular article about faithfulness and dependability asked these following questions.

• If your car starts one time out of three, do you consider it dependable?

• If the paper carrier skips the Monday and Thursday editions, would they be missed?

• If you fail to come to work two or three times a month, would your boss call you a dependable worker?

• If your refrigerator quits for a day now and then, do you excuse it and say, “But it works most of the time?”

• If your water heater greets you with cold water one or two mornings a week, would you be understanding?

• If you miss a couple of mortgage payments in a year’s time, would your banker say, “Oh, well, ten out of twelve isn’t bad?”

We expect faithfulness and dependability. That should also be true in the church. Many people want to attend church without any demands. The Bible teaches that we have gifts, abilities, and passions that other people need from us. As a church family we are a body and we must learn how to serve. Chapter 12 concludes:

27 Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually. 28 And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues.

Paul highlights the gifts so that we understand that they are meant to serve others not ourselves. For the body of Christ to function collectively we as individuals must learn to do our part. Do you have a gift or talent that isn’t being used?

Three ways to do our part to help the whole team.

a. Come together __________: Have fellowship and grow together. And when you do it, do it intentionally. i.e. motivate, encourage, boost creativity and productivity.

b. Appreciate and ____________ others: John the Baptist said it best “I must decrease so He (Jesus) can increase (See John 3:30).” When you seek to give preference to each other and serve with love you are decreasing and the work of God is increasing. No one wants to be tolerated they want to be celebrated. So celebrate the new comers, the young and old, singles and married, and the culturally diverse. Those who are carrying the work load should appreciate those who are developing.

c. Help carry the __________: When one part of the body doesn’t participate as it should other parts suffer. Give, Clean, Minister, Invite and tell others. (See-Matt 25:14-30)

3. Church family must be a place of love.

Ironically the following chapter 13 is known as the love chapter. Why because gifts and talents are nice but love is great. Gifts left to their own are merely avenues for us to stand out among others but love brings us to a place of sacrifice. In I Cor. 12 Paul deals with a subject that was troubling the church. The subject was spiritual gifts. There was division, confusion, and controversy surrounding the subject. Paul follows up chapter 12, a chapter about controversy, with a chapter about love. It’s as if Paul is saying, when you cannot agree, when you cannot find answers, when things are tense, let love and sacrifice be your guide.

The underlying premise of I Cor. 13 is that love overcomes the obstacles that separate us. Love covers our differences.

A. Love succeeds when all else fails. "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing." (I Cor. 13:1-4)

Love succeeds when prophecy fails. Love succeeds when faith fails. Love succeeds when benevolence fails. Love succeeds when confusion over gifts fails.

B. Love endures all difficulties.

C. Love overcomes all short-comings.

"When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love." (I Cor 13:8-13)

I believe the greatest example of love is found in sacrifice. Jesus said “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends (John 15:13 NIV)”.

Illustration: Praying Hands

In the 15th century, in a little village near Nüremberg, lived a family with several children. To put food on the table for everyone, the father labored nearly 18 hours a day in the coal mines, and did any other work he could find. Two of his children had a dream: they wanted to dedicate themselves to painting. But they knew that their father could never send any of them to study at the Academy. After many nights of quiet conversations, the two brothers came to an agreement. They would toss a coin in the air, and the loser would work in the mines to pay for the winner’s studies… On completing his studies, the winner would then pay for the education of the one who had stayed home with the sale of his work. In this way, both brothers could be artists.They tossed the coin in the air on Sunday after leaving church. One of them, called Albrecht Dürer, won and went to study in Nüremberg. The other brother began the dangerous work in the mines, where he remained for the next four years to subsidize the education of his brother, who immediately became a great sensation at the Academy. Albrecht’s engravings, etchings, and oils were much better that those of many of his professors, and at the time of his graduation, he had already begun to earn considerable sums with the sales of his art.When the young artist returned to his village, the Dürer family gathered for a festive dinner in his honor. At the end of the memorable evening, Albrecht stood at his place of honor at the table, and offered a toast to his dear brother who had sacrificed so much working in the mines to make his studies a reality. He said, “Now, brother, it is your turn. You can go to Nüremberg to pursue your dreams, and I will take care of all of your expenses.”  All eyes turned, full of expectation, to the corner of the table that his brother occupied. But he, his face wet with tears, stood and said gently: “No, brother, I can’t go to Nüremberg. It is too late for me. These four years of work in the mines have destroyed my hands. Every bone of my fingers has been broken at least one time, and the arthritis in my right hand is so far advanced that it was even difficult to raise the cup during your toast. I could never use the compass with delicate lines on parchment, and I wouldn’t be able to manage a pen or brush. No, brother, for me it is too late. But I am happy that my deformed hands have served so that yours have now accomplished your dream.”

More than 450 years have passed since that day. Today the engravings, oils, water paints, etchings and other work of Albrecht Dürer can be seen in museums around the world.

But surely you, like most people, remember only one. You may even have a copy in your office or at home.

On that day, in homage to his brother’s sacrifice, Albrecht Durer drew his brother’s damaged hands, with his palms together and fingers pointing toward the sky.

My church family provides a team to work with, a place to belong, and love. That is worth the investment.