-I’ve learned, in my 41 years, something of the concept of “Life Together”
-ILL: My History
-In the church we need to learn the concept of “life together”
-God’s house is our family house where we live together
-We should come home frequently
-We should learn to live together with our family members in our house
-PASSAGE: Romans 15:1-14
I. Get To Know One Another
-Many times, people in the church do not really know each other very well
A. Interests
-Hobbies
-Likes / dislikes
B. Circumstances
-What are your family members going through
-Remember: We are to weep with those who weep and to rejoice with those who rejoice
1. Good times
2. Bad times
C. Strengths and weaknesses
-PASSAGE: Romans 15:1
We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves.
-The strong should help the weak
-The weak should allow the strong to help them
-Discuss
-The strong cannot help the weak if they do not know their weaknesses
-The weak cannot be helped by the strong if they do not know their strengths
II. Please Each Other
-Seek another’s good above your own
-PASSAGE: Romans 15:2
Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification.
-Planned
-Spur of the moment
A. Unselfishly
-Selfishness is what ruins most relationships
B. To edify
-Not just to make them feel good
-Not just to make ourselves feel good
1. To help with their weaknesses
2. To help with their difficulties
3. To bless
III. Get On The Same Page
-Of the same book
-ILL: Late Comers & Hymn Books
-PASSAGE: Romans 15:5-6
Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, / that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
A. One mind
1. Theological truth
2. God’s purposes
B. One mouth
-Glorifying God
1. Not putting another down
2. Not speaking simply only of the trivial or ordinary
-But speaking the eternal truths of God
IV. Accept Others As They Are
-PASSAGE: Romans 15:7
Therefore receive one another, just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God.
A. Allow new people into your circle
-All people tend to be a bit cliquish
-New people tend to make us a little uncomfortable
B. Allow different people into your circle
-Different types of people than you typically associate with
-We may even consider these people a bit odd or weird
-ILL: My Stretching
-Look at the people that Jesus had as disciples
C. Allow the Holy Spirit to work
-Don’t expect them to necessarily be on the same spiritual plane as you
-We do not accept their sin, but we accept them and seek to show them the truth as the Holy Spirit enables us in love
-ILL: Paul & Barnabas
V. Admonish One Another
-PASSAGE: Romans 15:14
Now I myself am confident concerning you, my brethren, that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another.
-A good definition for this word “admonish” is “warn”
-PASSAGE: Hebrews 10:25
not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
-There is a whole sermon in the first part of this verse
-But consider the latter part of the verse
-We are to exhort (or admonish) each other more and more as the time of the second coming of Christ approaches
A. With love
-Not for meanness’ sake
-Not to Lord it over another
-Not to crush their spirit
B. For the sake of their usefulness
-God has a plan for every one of us
-Sometimes we can do things that may keep us from being useful in God’s plan
-Sometimes we can keep from doing things that would be useful to God’s plan
C. For their own sake
-ILL: First Rule Of Sailing
In the Seoul Olympics, sailing competitions were under way at Pusan on September 24, 1988, with winds raging at 35 knots and playing havoc with the boats. Two sailors of the Singapore team, Joseph Chan and Shaw Her, were thrown overboard when their boat capsized. Canada’s Lawrence Lemieux was sailing alone nearby in a separate event when he saw the sailors in distress. He rescued Chan, who was exhausted from struggling against the strong currents in his weighted sailing jacket. By the time Lemieux finished helping the Singapore team, he had fallen well behind in his race. Judges awarded Lemieux second place—the position he was in when he went to the sailors’ aid—and the International Olympic Committee gave him a special award for his gallantry. “It’s the first rule of sailing to help people in distress,” said Lemieux, downplaying the incident.
1. Blessings
-God blesses those who are fully His
-If we see one who is in some way not fully Christ’s, they will not be fully blessed
2. Eternity
-We may need to admonish to keep one on the right road to eternity
CONCLUSION
-Q: Have you learned the art of “Life Together”?
-How well do you know the others in the church?
-Their interests
-Their circumstances
-Their strengths
-Their weaknesses
-Are you seeking to please others?
-Are we all on the same page?
-Of one mind
-Of one voice
-Do we accept one another?
-Do we accept new people when they come to the church or to the faith?
-Are we admonishing one another?
