INTRO
ƒ{ Many are familiar with the popular TV series Survivor
o If you’re like me and have never seen it let me explain.
1. 16 people are divided into 2 tribes and placed in a remote location
2. They have to survive off the land and pass difficult physical and mental tasks
3. At the end of each episode one person is voted off the tribe
4. At the end one remains as the ultimate survivor
5. And wins a prize of $1 million dollars
ƒ{ I began thinking about this concept and how much it relates to Christian life:
o We are on this planet
1. The saved tribe
2. The un-saved tribe
ƒ{ But trials come on the just and the unjust that try us:
o Physically
o Mentally
o Emotionally
o Spiritually
ƒ{ Ultimately, those who survive get a prize that is better than one million dollars
ƒ{ As a pastor, I get the privilege of seeing and hearing so many triumphant stories of how someone survived a most tragic event
ƒ{ I find strength in watching others overcome.
ƒ{ So, over the next few weeks
ƒ{ You will hear some great stories of survivors
o People who attend church with you every week
o And I will be preaching some principles about surviving life’s challenges
ƒ{ In this opening message I want to discuss finding a tribe that won’t vote you out
Illustration -- Story of a Survivor
„X This man was ship wrecked on a desert island.
„X He was the only person who survived.
„X So, he had to struggle and scratch out for himself a life on that lonely deserted island.
„X Some years later, a ship passing nearby the island saw a thin trail of smoke in the distance.
„X So it altered course and headed for the smoke, and it headed right for his island.
„X As the ship approached the captain looked through his binoculars and saw 3 huts.
„X One with smoke coming out of it, and a long-haired dirty man.
„X The ship anchored off shore and the captain led a small launch to the beach.
„X He stepped off onto the shore to meet a very happy and newly rescued man.
„X The captain shook the man’s hand, looked around and asked,
„X "Where are the others?"
„X The man gazed back at the captain with a puzzled look and said, "There are no others".
„X The captain pointed at the three huts and asked him, "Well, why then, are there 3 huts on this beach?"
„X The man glanced over at his 3 huts and said, "Oh, that...well, the one in the middle is the hut that I live in and the one on the right is where I go to church."
„X The captain asked, "Well, what’s the other hut for?"
„X Then the man said, "Well, that’s where I used to go to church, but there were some problems and I felt like I needed to leave."
ƒ{ Many times in the church world we have a tendency to vote people out.
o Not out of the church
o But out of our graces
o We exclude people
o And close our circles of love for some of the silliest reasons
VIDEO Survivor 5, September 19, 2002
Tribal Vote Scene
Preacher gets voted off
HEBREWS 10:24-25
* How can you find a tribe that won’t vote you out?
* I believe Citipoint is that tribe
* We are recognizing that we are all on a journey
* All saved by grace
* Perfect people don’t fit in well here
ƒ{ In order to feel safe in a church you should find these characteristics:
1. Love Should Be Our Focus
Verse 24a
* Spur one another on toward love
o Bike giveaway
o Feed the Multitude
o Leon Crawford’s church
Love = agape = Selfless
Self sacrificing
Puts others first
John 13:34-35
* I felt people didn’t think I loved them, so I:
1. Went to the foyer
2. Prayer letters
3. NBF
4. Youth Services
2. Show Love By Serving Others
Verse 24b
* And good deeds
o Inward
o Outward
Good Deeds = doing good things
In October of 1983 in the town of Worchester, Massachusetts, police found an elderly woman dead on her kitchen floor. But this was no ordinary discovery -- she had been dead for 4 years. Police estimate that she died of natural causes in 1979 because that was when her bank transactions ended. But how could she become so cut off from her community?
To a great extent she caused it herself. She didn’t like to be bothered by anyone. She had lived in the neighborhood for over 40 years, but no one knew her very well. She never spoke to anyone. So, when neighbors thought that something was wrong back in 1979, they called the police.
They called one of her brothers, who said he thought she had gone into a nursing home. So police stopped her mail delivery. One of the neighbors cut the grass in the yard to keep the neighborhood looking good. Another neighbor had the water cut off when a pipe froze and water came running out of the front door. And all the time the woman lay dead on her kitchen floor.
(Contemporary Illustrations for Preachers, Teachers and Writers, by Craig Brian Larson, p23)
3. Fellowship is a Focus
Verse 25a
Life Groups
* Apparently, some of the people in that Jewish-Christian community were abandoning the practice of gathering for worship and fellowship.
* There were probably many reasons
o Persecution
o The influence of their practicing Jewish friends
o And most likely, apathy
* So, the writer had to remind them how a real church had to be. It had to be together.
* You know, some of the people we associate with have tremendous influence in our lives, whether it is a good or bad influence.
* And for believers to hold onto the Christian hope and stay focused upon the faith, fellowship with other Christians is absolutely vital.
* We must have the accountability and encouragement that comes from being together. We are social creatures.
* We cannot succeed in the faith just as well on the lake, or golf course, as we can in the community of the church.
* We have a corporate identity. One part of the body cannot exist without any other.
1Corinthians 12:12
4. Atmosphere of Encouragement
Verse 25b
* In June 1993 the police of South Windsor, Connecticut pulled over motorists in larger numbers than usual, but not because they were breaking the law.
* One person stopped by a patrolman was a lady by the name of Lori Carlson. As the officer approached her car she wondered what she had done wrong.
* To her amazement the officer handed her a thank-you ticket and said, "You’re driving great! We appreciate it!"
* You see, on Wednesday, June 9th, the authorities in the city started a new program to give safe drivers a $2 reward ticket for:
o Observing the speed limit
o Wearing seat belts
o Using turn signals
o And having children in safety seats.
* What an interesting idea!
(Contemporary Illustrations for Preachers, Teachers, and Writers, by Craig Brian Larson, pg. 58)
* You know, none of us likes to see those flashing lights.
* The first thing you expect from a policeman is a rebuke, and a ticket.
* The last thing you expect is encouragement.
* And, as you know, it’s pretty sad that a lot of people think the same thing about church.
* When they go, they expect to be rebuked and brought down.
* They don’t expect to be lifted up and encouraged.
TESTIMONY
* Do you recognize this picture?
Photo Giant Redwoods
* It is a photo of a giant redwood tree from the western United States. It is one of the largest trees on the planet.
* But you probably didn’t know that these huge trees have relatively shallow root system.
* In fact, if they had to stand alone on their own roots, they may not have the support that they need.
* But in those giant redwood forests their enormous weight is supported in part by the interlocking of the tree’s roots with the other trees around it.
* They work together to hold one another up.
