Learning To Live With God’s Family Series

INTRODUCTION

• Slide #1

• Behave while living in a lost world.

• Dealing with the issue of government.

• Conduct at work.

• Conduct within the home.

• Up to this point the focus of our behavior has been focused on how to live with those outside of the church. Today, the focus is going to change to how we are to deal with our brothers and sisters in the church.

• Today we are going to look at how the Christian is to live within God’s family!

• One of the things we need to understand in life is that we need each other. Peter was writing to Christians as they were in the midst of persecution.

• When things are going bad around us, it is easy to start turning on the ones we say we love; it is easy to turn on family.

• During times of difficulty, we need one another even more. The tough times of life is not the time (there is never a time) to turn on our family or our Christian family.

• The family dynamic can be tricky at times because in any family, there are times when we say things and do things to one another that are wrong, insensitive and dumb.

• In your biological or adopted family, what do you do when another family member treats you poorly or in a hateful manner? I hope we try to work through it and not just hate the person forever.

• The bottom line concerning how we live with one another is that we are to love one another. Jesus said in John 13:35

• SLIDE #2

• John 13:35(ESV) 35By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

• Doesn’t that sound nice, we are to love one another? The question then becomes, “How do we know if we truly love one another?

• It is one thing to say we love one another; it is a different thing to actually love one another! How do we function within the structure of God’s family?

• AS we learn to live with God’s family, we will learn what it means to truly love one another!

• The world needs to see that we really love one another. Our love for one another must be real. It cannot be just a show.

• This section begins with “FINALLY.” This indicates Peter he is addressing the last group of people concerning our conduct. This section will deal with how we are to live with God’s family!

• SLIDE #3

• Let us begin with 1 Peter 3:8

• 1 Peter 3:8(ESV) 8Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.

• SLIDE #4

SERMON

To live with God’s family we must learn:

I. The proper attitudes to cultivate.

• Attitude is a good indicator of the true heart within us. If we really love one another, it will be evident in the following attitudes.

• If we are going to live as the family that God wants us to be our attitude will be very important! Verse 8 gives us a few attitudes to cultivate in order to be pleasing to God.

• SLIDE #5

A. Unity of mind.

• Do we display an attitude of unity, a spirit of harmony?

• The word “unity”(or harmony in some translations) literally means “to be of one mind.” We are like-minded; we realize we are part of a team. That team includes brothers in Christ from other churches who have been obedient to the call of Christ.

• Having unity of mind means that we are working together for a common goal of spread the gospel.

• Jesus prayed for unity in John 17:20-23

• SLIDE #6

• Paul reminds us of the importance of unity.

• Philippians 1:27(ESV) 27Only let your manner of life be worthy£ of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel,

• Warren Wiersbe in his commentary on 1 Peter states the following concerning Christian unity. “Unity does not mean uniformity; it means cooperation in the midst of diversity. The members of the body work together in unity, even though they are all different. Christians may differ on how things are to be done, but they must agree on what is to be done and why.

• A man criticized D.L. Moody’s methods of evangelism, and Moody said, “Well, I’m always ready for improvement. What are your methods?” The man confessed that he had none! “Then I’ll stick to my own,” said Moody.