A MATTER OF HEART AND MIND:
Living the Unity We Have Been Given
I Peter 3.8
S: Attitude
C: Unity
Th: Living the Unity We Have Been Given
Pr: WE LIVE OUT ONENESS BY POSSESSING GOOD ATTITUDES.
?: What? What are the attitudes we should possess?
KW: Approaches
TS: We will find in our study of I Peter 3.8 five approaches we must take in order to achieve oneness.
Type: Propositional
The ____ approach is…
I. HARMONY
II. EMPATHY
III. AFFECTION
IV. SENSITIVITY
V. HUMILITY
PA: How is the change to be observed?
• Don’t be careless with relationships
• Value unity and work at it
Version: ESV
RMBC 28 January 07 AM
INTRODUCTION:
I don’t know about you, but sometimes optimists drive me crazy…
ILL Optimism (H)
Did you hear about the optimist that fell out of the skyscraper?
Someone yelled out the 50th floor window, "HOW IS IT GOING?"
The man yelled back, "SO FAR, SO GOOD!"
That’s a little much, don’t you think?
ILL Attitude (H)
You may heard that the all-star Cal Ripken, Jr. was just recently elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. It is a much deserved honor. He was a truly great player with a great attitude who holds the record for most consecutive games played – 2,632.
Even as a Little Leaguer, Cal Ripken, Jr., displayed an unruffled at¬titude. In his first year, he was pitching and had just hit four consecutive batters. The coach hurried to the mound to try to calm Cal, but he left the mound laughing. He walked over Cal’s mom and ex¬plained that Cal had said, “They don’t get out of the way very fast do they?”
Well…
What is your attitude when things are not going right?
Sometimes it is hard to keep you head thinking straight when things are going wrong.
And it seems Murphy’s law, “If something can go wrong, it will” is occurring over and over again.
Maybe you can relate to some other Murphy’s law similarities…
ILL Pessimism (H)
• A slice of buttered bread, when dropped, will always land butter-side down.
• If you put two electrical cords together, or even if it’s a single cord, a hopeless tangle will result.
• A broken appliance demonstrated for the repairman will work perfectly.
• The day you forget your umbrella, it pours.
• The check-out line next to the one you are in will always be much quicker.
• Your printer will always jam the night before something important is due.
• Murphy’s Corollary of the Power of Negative Thinking: "An optimist is never pleasantly surprised."
• Murphy’s Philosophy: "Smile...tomorrow will be worse."
TRANSITION:
Today, we come to our last study based on the theme, “Living the Unity We Have Been Given.”
In other words…
1. Oneness is achieved when we live the unity we have been given.
We have been noting for the past weeks the truth that the church has been given unity.
Randall has been given unity.
It is not something we created.
It is, instead, a gift that we either apply or we don’t.
We either choose to preserve unity or we do not.
Three weeks ago, we noted that…
2. Our unity begins with our doctrine.
Doctrine is a good word, meaning “teaching.”
And we described how our oneness is based on standing firm regarding what is taught, the truth, about Jesus.
In other words, what we believe, our doctrine, serves as a basis for our meeting together.
It unites us.
Two weeks ago, we studied the fact that…
3. Our unity is only effective when faith, hope and love are observed.
You see, we can believe the right things, and still get it wrong.
We described how our oneness is based on fulfilling our purpose, and more specifically, living it out according to the vital characteristics of faith, hope and love.
We discussed that what we believe is validated by being a church that is living by faith, known by love, and a voice of hope.
Last week, we talked about the importance of worship that is characterized by spirit and truth.
And we noted that…
4. Our unity is blessed when we recognize our gatherings are for an audience of One.
As I have mentioned previously, even though the architecture of our room makes it look that those on the stage are the performers and those in the seats are the audience, there is in reality only an “audience of one.”
It is God who is the audience, and all that we do, whether in our seats or here on the platform, it is to be done in such a way that pleases God, or else we fail in our worship.
That being said, when we plan the worship services, our ultimate goal is not to make you feel good.
Rather, it is to honor God.
It is to make God feel good.
Now we come to our final study about unity, and today we are going to connect it with attitude.
Our proposition today is that…
5. WE LIVE OUT ONENESS BY POSSESSING GOOD ATTITUDES.
When we are speaking of attitudes today, we are thinking especially in the context of our relationships with each other.
In other words, the kind of behavior we bring to one another is based on how we think and what we think.
And these are things we must get a hold of and control.
First of all, we must all humbly accept that we are all here on level ground.
No one is better than another.
We all have the same need – the cross of Jesus.
We are all complete, moral failures in comparison to the purity of God.
And we all have received the ability to worship God because we have faced that failure.
We are all here by grace, not according to our deserving.
Since, then we are essential equals, we need to exercise care in our relationships with each other.
And that care begins with attitude.
If we possess a good attitude, then we will have oneness.
If we possess a bad attitude, then we will be negative and critical, and we will hinder God’s purposes for us.
So…
6. We will find in our study of I Peter 3.8 five approaches we must take in order to achieve oneness.
Hopefully, you will have noticed that today’s text is our theme verse for the year.
NIV: Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble.
ESV: Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.
OUR STUDY:
I. The first approach is HARMONY.
The word that is translated “have unity of mind” is homophrones and literally means “same think”
We are to be of one mind, actively maintaining our common commitment to the Lord and to each other.
Another way of thinking about this is…
1. We are the harmony – the vehicles.
Set aside the vehicle picture for the moment, and we will come back to it…
Think about harmony for a moment.
It partners up with the melody, giving it fullness and texture.
Harmony goes with the melody.
They are not in conflict.
You can see this concept of harmony go awry when in a meeting someone weighs in on a topic in order to close the matter – to have the final say.
I am sure I have done this at times, so I am not pointing a finger at anyone.
The thing is that you may gain silence, it may be the end of the discussion, but you have neither harmony nor unity.
God wants us to do better.
Jesus wants invisible and visible harmony.
He wants us inwardly united with a good attitude.
He wants outwardly united acting on that attitude.
We are to be harmony, because we are not the melody.
2. Jesus is the melody – the message.
Jesus is the message, and we are the vehicles for that message.
We are not the tune.
But we are to make the tune sound great!
We are to always keep our purpose in mind.
It is our goal to be making committed followers of Jesus, and having a determination of being in harmony accomplishes this.
II. The second approach is EMPATHY.
The word here tells us that…
We are to share the same feeling for each other.
Peter is reinforcing what has been written earlier in Galatians 6.2, where Paul writes…
Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
We are come alongside one another and feel what they are feeling.
We suffer with those who suffer.
We weep with those who weep.
We rejoice when others are honored.
We understand the pressure that a leader is under when he has to lead.
We hurt with those who are criticized and attacked.
We grieve with the sorrows of others.
ILL Compassion (S)
Joni Erickson Tada is the president of JET ministries, a ministry which aims to serve the disabled. She is herself is a quadriplegic. A few years ago she was a spectator at the Los Angeles Special Olympics. Her husband Ken was an official, coordinating the track and field events. Joni was among a large crowd watching the participants prepare for the 50 meters running race.
After some time lining up the starters, the gun fired and off the contestants raced. As they rushed toward the finish line, one boy left the track and started running toward his friends standing in the infield. Ken blew his whistle, trying to get the boy to come back to the track, but all to no avail.
Then one of the other competitors noticed, a girl with thick bottle glasses. She stopped just short of the finish line and called out to the boy, "Stop, come back, this is the way."
Hearing the voice of her friend the boy stopped and looked. "Come back, this is the way" she called. The boy stood there, confused. His friend, realizing he was confused, left the track and ran over to him. She linked arms with him and together they ran back to the track and finished the race.
They were the last to cross the line, but were greeted by hugs from their fellow competitors and a standing ovation from the crowd.
The girl taught everyone present that day an important life lesson, that it’s important to take time out form our own goals in life to help others find their way.
Reflecting on the episode afterwards Ken was reminded of Romans 15.1-2 –
We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.
III. The third approach is AFFECTION.
We are a family.
We need to remember this.
We have a bond with each other that cannot be broken.
It is powerful.
Think about a brother or sister…
They may drive you crazy, but you would do anything for them.
Why?
Because you are family.
You love each other.
You have an undying affection for them.
This is the kind of love Peter is describing.
ILL Love (S)
Belden Lane tells this Jewish legend in Rabbinal Stories:
Time before time, when the world was young, two brothers shared a field and a mill, each night dividing the grain they had ground together during the day. One brother lived alone; the other had a wife and a large family.
Now, the single brother thought to himself one day, "It isn’t fair that we divide the grain evenly. I have only myself to care for, but my brother has children to feed." So each night he secretly took some of his grain to his brother’s granary to see that he was never without.
But the married brother said to himself one day, "It isn’t really fair that we divide the grain evenly, because I have children to provide for me in my old age, but my brother has no one. What will he do when he’s old?" So every night he secretly took some of his grain to his brother’s granary. As a result, both of them always found their supply of grain mysteriously replenished each morning.
Then one night they met each other halfway between their two houses. They suddenly realized what had been happening and embraced each other in love. The legend is that God witnessed their meeting and proclaimed, "This is a holy place — a place of love — and here it is that my temple shall be built." So it was. The First Temple is said to have been constructed on that very site.
Citation: Belden Lane, "Rabbinical Stories," Christian Century 98:41 (12-16-81)
Never let us forget, or minimize, the power of love for each other.
IV. The fourth approach is SENSITIVITY.
This word is very similar to the second approach of empathy, with a little different angle.
It, too, is word that describes identifying what one is feeling on the inside.
But it also gives us the sense that…
1. We are to be aware of our surroundings.
We see what is going on with another.
We understand what is going on.
And we are watching out for them.
It is the idea of being soft-hearted – tenderhearted.
The opposite is to be insensitive – the determination to say anything, regardless of the consequences, stating that’s just the way I am.
The opposite is to be indifferent – not caring how what I do affects others.
The opposite is to be overcritical.
Instead…
2. We are to act with kindness.
ILL Kindness (S)
When 13-year-old Natalie Gilbert was asked to sing "The Star-Spangled Banner" at a nationally televised NBA Western Conference playoff game, it was a dream come true. But what happened on the day of her performance was more like a nightmare.
On April 25, 2003, Natalie bravely stood alone at mid-court in Portland’s Rose Garden Arena. As she began to belt out the familiar words of the national anthem before a capacity crowd, however, her mind went blank. She forgot the words. Closing her eyes and shaking her head, she appeared on the verge of tears.
At that moment Maurice Cheeks, the head coach of the Trailblazers, walked toward her. Cheeks put his arm around the girl and began singing with her.
"I didn’t even know if I knew all the words, but as many times as I’ve heard the national anthem, I just went over and continued to sing," Cheeks told CBS SportsLine. "The words started coming back to me and I just tried to help her out."
As he reminded the girl of the lyrics she’d forgotten, he encouraged the crowd to sing along. They did. Together, they made it all the way through, to "the home of the brave."
If we are tenderhearted and sensitive, it means we are going to act.
We are going to come alongside and help those in need.
V. The fifth approach is HUMILITY.
As we have mentioned last week…
We live a life of submission.
Ephesians 5.21 tells us that we are to be submitting to one another…
Submission is not so much about being under, as it is about raising up.
It is lifting others up.
It is not, “see how great I am,” but “see how great you are!”
It is refusing to give in to feeling proud, arrogant and assertive.
It is looking out for the good of others.
As Paul says in Philippians…
Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Where we must be careful and diligent to apply this is when creative people go to work.
Creative people bring change.
Creative people bring new ideas.
But they can easily be shot down by our stubborn preferences, when they should be allowed to contribute to the body of Christ as they are gifted to do.
An attitude of humility will take us a lot farther in fulfilling our purpose than its opposite.
APPLICATION:
If we are to have oneness, we must have good attitudes.
We must display these approaches, these characteristics, and we need them to be true both inwardly and outwardly.
1. We are not to be careless in our relationships.
Instead, we need to exercise great care in them.
We know this.
But we must admit, that we become lazy, and things come out of our mouths that we regret.
They contribute to disunity, not unity, all because we hand refused to discipline our mind and heart.
ILL Ability (S)
Charles Swindoll puts it this way…
“We Christians have the God-given ability to put our minds on those things that build up, strengthen, encourage, and help ourselves and others. ‘Do that!’ commands the Lord.”
The Lord demands that we be disciplined in our mind and heart.
He would have us guard our attitude, because…
2. Unity is worth every effort we make.
I have become convinced that we don’t value it enough or we would work at it more.
We would refuse to grumble and criticize.
We would reject those thoughts that make us into petty, bitter people.
Instead, we would be observed as harmonious, empathetic, affectionate, sensitive and humble.
3. Let’s “Come…Together”!
Let’s come together and be that kind of people for one another.
For Further Study: Matthew 18. 21-35; Acts 2.44, 4.32; Galatians 6.2; Ephesians 5.21; Philippians 2.1-4
BENEDICTION:
Let’s come together…and be united about the truth about Jesus…He is worth telling others about, for He truly is good news!
Let’s come together…and be a church that lives out the truth about Jesus, so that we will be “Living by Faith, Known by Love, and a Voice of Hope.”
Let’s come together…and be a church that remembers that we worship an audience of One, and that we are not here for our comfort, but to offer our God appropriate honor, praise and worship.
Let’s come together…and be disciplined in the matters of our heart and mind, submitting to one another, so that our relationships genuinely reflect love for one another.
Now may your love abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best; and may you be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
Amen.
RESOURCES:
SermonCentral:
Drake, James Sword N Spirit
Flury, Gerald Harmony
Shearhart, John The Fruit of the Spirit: Compassion
Turner, Mike Attitudes of Spiritual Growth
Books:
Briscoe, Stuart. How to Be a Motivated Christian. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1987.
MacArthur, John, Jr. 1 Peter. The MacArthur New Testament Commentary. Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2004.
Swindoll, Charles R. Strengthening Your Grip: Essentials in an Aimless World. Waco, TX: Word Books, 1982.
