SERMON BRIEF
Date Written: February 3, 2015
Date Preached: February 8, 2015
Church: OPBC (AM) Sunday
FOUNDATIONAL ELEMENTS
Title: 7 Characteristics of a Loving Fellowship
Text: Galatians 6:1-10 (NLT)
ETS: Paul’s message was that a fellowship that loved one another was focused on others not themselves.
ESS: Looking at this passage we can see if we desire to be a strong, loving fellowship we must focus on others & not ourselves.
Introduction:
For weeks, you heard me preach about overcoming fear with the tools God provides you as a believer. We can overcome fear thru God’s power, God’s love and the sound mind we have in serving Christ Jesus.
Last week you heard Bro Aristide preach about a Purpose Driven Church. His message offered 5 points to a purpose driven focus, they stated we must become a learning church; a fellowshipping church; a praying church; a fearing church and a transforming church…
We have entered into a partnership with our sister church at Franklin Ave for the purpose of revitalizing our fellowship and becoming a force for the Gospel in our community. We want our fellowship to reach this community…do we not?
One comment I hear quite a bit from our members is that they believe we have a loving church…a loving fellowship. I believe our members truly DESIRE that our fellowship to be seen by the world as a loving church…but is it?
I know that if I sat down with each one of you here this morning and asked you the question, “Do you want a loving fellowship here at Oak Park?”
I can imagine the answers I would get. I am sure most would be positive and many would believe that we ALREADY have a loving fellowship here at Oak Park.
I am also sure I would hear some say we are NOT a loving fellowship. But this is not about arguing the points these people may have for or against us being a loving fellowship!
Personally, I believe we have many great moments where our fellowship can be VERY loving, but I also see moments where we are not. I believe the reason we find ourselves NOT being loving is that we can lose focus and drift from the characteristics that make up a loving fellowship in Christ.
Now I want all of us here today to understand completely that I believe we ALL want to be a loving fellowship! But where we fall short as humans… where we fall short here at Oak Park Baptist church is that we see love ONE way.
However, God sees love in an entirely different way! We have to learn to focus on how God sees and demonstrates love and NOT on what we are comfortable with in showing love.
For us to become the loving fellowship God desires, we cannot simply settle for what WE think is loving, we must go the extra mile as Christ has called us to do…
There are some characteristics set forth in this passage that reveal what a loving church IS and what God desires from ANYONE calling themselves a fellowship of His people!
This morning I want us to look at these characteristics and see how we can apply them to our lives to become a fellowship that is after Jesus’ own heart.
I believe the characteristics Paul lays out here for the church create a fellowship that reflects the heart of Jesus, just like he taught in John 13:35(HCSB) [show now] where He said, “35By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Also we can become a fellowship that imitates His high priestly prayer of John 17:21 [show now]where He prayed, “…that they may ALL be one, just as you, Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that You have sent Me.”
If we take these characteristics and apply as a fellowship, we CAN be a church known for love of each other, love for God and our witness for Christ! Let me ask, “Would you want to be a fellowship known for THOSE things?”
Turn with me the Paul’s letter to the Galatians chapter 6 and let’s look at v1-10 this morning. [Show Gal 6:1-10 NLT – follow me as I read]
1Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. 2Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. 3If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important. 4Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. 5For we are each responsible for our own conduct. 6Those who are taught the word of God should provide for their teachers, sharing all good things with them. 7Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. 8Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. 9So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. 10Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.
A characteristic is defined as being a particular quality that is typical and distinctive for that group or individual. In other words, a characteristic reveals who you are because it is something that is TYPICAL of you… it is something distinctive that emanates from your life!
When we look at this passage it DOES serve a 2fold purpose in that these characteristics are applicable in BOTH the personal AND the corporate realm.
Paul is laying out the characteristics we must possess and apply in our lives as individual believers AND as a collective body or fellowship OF believers. So, I want us to take a close look at the seven characteristics that make up a LOVING fellowship!
The Characteristic of Restoration (v1)
1Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself.
Here Paul instructs that a loving fellowship takes stock of those in the fellowship and when it sees any member struggling in their walk with Christ, it acts!
He tells us here that we are to come alongside not to condemn, but to restore them AND we are to do this gently and with humility…
The action Paul calls for here is known as reconciliation, and this is not the only place Paul teaches about it! [show 2 Cor 5:18-21 now- follow me as I read]
18And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. 19For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. 20So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” 21For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.
In the passage we are looking at this morning, we can also see where believers are called to restore our fellow Christian brothers and sisters! BUT Paul also issues a warning here.
When we step into help a brother or sister out when they are down and hurting… there is always the chance that what has trapped them will trap us! We must guard ourselves from being pulled into the same hole we are fighting to get our brother or sister out of…
Let me explain what I mean… How many of you have ever flown somewhere. If you have, you know that when you fly, there is always a briefing you have to endure before takeoff.
The flight attendant tells you of all the safety features of the plane and how to use them… one of these safety features is the oxygen mask that drop down into the cabin when the air pressure drops. This is for your safety and to keep you alive when oxygen runs out or low…
The safety briefing tells us that IF the cabin pressure drops and IF the oxygen masks are deployed, that you MUST put YOUR mask on first! They teach us that you must do this so that you can help those around you.
This is because you cannot effectively help others with their oxygen mask if you are starving yourself of oxygen! So put YOU must put your mask on first!
Now let’s look at that from a spiritual perspective… When we see a brother or sister in need, struggling with their walk, battling evil… Here Paul tells us we MUST help them, BUT to help them we must be spiritually ready to do it.
If you want to help your brothers and sisters with their walk when they have stumbled, then you have to be sure of YOUR footing on the path! You must be grounding in the Word, you must be in prayer constantly. You must be close to God so that He will grant you the strength to turn away from any temptations you may face!
God has promised believers that there is NO temptation present in this world that He cannot help us to escape from… This means our focus must be walking the right path before we can truly help others with their walk. This means when we are focused on God, He will be able to ENABLE us to help others!
We must be willing to restore our brothers and sisters BACK to a proper walk in Christ. However, notice that Paul does not put a limitation on this action! So what pastor, what do you mean by that?
Well what I mean is that NO matter how many times a brother or sister struggles, stumbles and falls… we are called to be there to help them back to where they need to be. We are called to restore them… we are ministers of reconciliation!
But not only are we called to restore our brothers and sisters the 2nd characteristic of a loving fellowship is found in v2…
The Characteristic of Compassion (v2)
2Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.
We have to become a fellowship that is not only seeking to know God and serve Him, but in serving Him we are called to serve one another!
The NLT says we are to ‘share’ each other’s burdens, but the ESV [show ESV verse now] uses stronger language as it tells us to bear each other’s burdens.
Sharing and bearing can be seen as 2 very different things, but the point here is that we are there for our brothers and sisters in Christ when they are in need!
If you see a need, the Word tells us that it is OUR Christian responsibility to try to meet that need. We know what James says about this… that if you see a need and do nothing…that is SIN!
Now we cannot meet ALL the needs of ALL the people! You may not be able to supply the answer or solution all on your own, but as a fellowship we can still try to help, we can still see what we can do for our brother or sister in Christ!
We can do SO much in Christ, far more than we can see or understand! So, when we see need, we are called to step up and be the loving fellowship we are called to be… when we share and bear our fellow believer’s burdens we become a church that reveals the compassion of Jesus in NOT just our words BUT also in our actions!
However, there is another side to this that I want to speak to… So often there many in who are IN need, but they don’t want to tell anyone because they don’t want to be a bother. Their mentality is that they need to ‘carry their load’ and not burden anyone.
I understand wanting to be a productive member of the fellowship and NOT being a burden, but what I NEED for you ALL to understand is that this is NOT about you carrying your own load or NOT becoming a burden…
Paul is NOT addressing you carrying your load! What Paul IS referring to is when YOUR load becomes too much for you to bear…and I know that happens a great deal!
My brothers and sisters, I know there can be times in our lives when things are difficult and become too much to bear on our own… this is where Paul is telling the fellowship to step up and step in and help those in need…
However, if you are not willing to share your burden with others how can we be the fellowship we are called to be? How can we be there to share and bear your burden with you if we do not know?
When we hold back from sharing our burdens, this is nothing more than pride! When you don’t share your need, you are telling God and the people of God that you really don’t need them. This is the height of pride! A loving fellowship cannot function properly when pride is in the way!
This leads me to the 3rd characteristic… a loving fellowship must be a fellowship of humility!
The Characteristic of Humility (v3)
3If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important.
I know that NO one likes to see themselves in this way, but I believe we ALL can fall prey to this trap by the enemy! Have you EVER felt that dealing with something is beneath you?
Have you ever felt that because of what YOU are doing that somehow you are more important or have more say in the church than someone doing something else?
My brothers and sisters our work in the kingdom is NOT to put us on a pedestal before man, but it is to serve the Master we say we serve! To serve Jesus Christ and exalt His name!
The words Paul uses here at the end of verse 3 are not words our society wants to hear… he says, “you’re NOT that important!”
Now I want to clarify what Paul is saying here, he is NOT somehow tearing away at the teaching that God values your soul and that you are of great worth to God! Paul is NOT saying that here…but what Paul is saying is that you are an instrument in God’s hands.
Like any instrument, you are replaceable. A mechanic may have a certain wrench he loves, but that wrench is NOT irreplaceable! He either has another wrench that can serve the same purpose OR he can get a wrench…
The point I want to make is that God can use you if you are willing, but if you believe you are too good to serve others, your service to the Kingdom will be severely limited.
This is because service to God has to be self-sacrificing and focused on God’s desires! Scripture tells us that Christ called His followers to die daily to themselves and LIVE everyday focused on Him!
We are called to be a church that restores those who are struggling…
We are called to bear one another’s burdens…
We are called to be humble and not think too much of ourselves…
BUT there is more! Paul’s 4th characteristic of a loving church is:
The Characteristic of Self-Discipline (sound mind) (v4-5)
4Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. 5For we are each responsible for our own conduct.
I know from years of experience in the pastorate that there are MANY times when dissention begins to arise when one person thinks another is NOT pulling his or her weight!
Here Paul wants to change the focus… He does not want you to look at what others are doing, but at what YOU are called by God to do… Paul says to pay attention to YOUR calling and you will receive a ‘job well done’ from the Lord!
Comparing ourselves with one another just breeds jealousy and/or frustration. It cannot lead us to anywhere but a bitter spirit! We are responsible for our conduct and behavior, but when we are focused on others our contribution is going to suffer!
When we see someone who is NOT pulling their weight, our job is NOT to complain about what they are NOT doing, but our job is to encourage them to strive to please Christ.
Don’t compare yourself to others or their calling, but rest in the fact that God has a special place for each of us in the kingdom.
That person you MAY feel is NOT carrying their weight, may have issues and struggles in their lives that you cannot see… and this leads us back to Characteristic 1 of restoring our brothers and sisters in Christ!
Have you ever found yourself thinking that because of this or that you are better than someone else… a loving fellowship does NOT support this type of spirit.
Rather, a loving fellowship is filled with those who want to:
Be the one who restores others…
Be the one who has compassion on those in need…
Be the one who show humility in their walk with Christ…
Be the one who reflects the self-discipline of patience…
There are 2 more characteristics we need to look at… the 5th characteristic is…
The Characteristic of Thankfulness/Generous Spirit (v6)
6Those who are taught the word of God should provide for their teachers, sharing all good things with them.
Here Paul calls on the church to take care of those who have surrendered their lives to the ministry. However, what does that mean? This is a reference to those called into the vocational ministry of the Gospel… those God has called to serve Him and has promised to provide for them!
But this is not limited to just those called to vocational ministry but also to those who serve in the church teaching God’s Word in a small group or thru a ministry…
When people are willing to deny themselves and serve God we must be willing to step up and take care of them! This can be in the form of a salary OR in the form of taking them out for a meal, or ministering to them in many ways!
A loving fellowship recognizes those who are dedicated to the teaching of God’s word and they treat them well. A loving fellowship understands that the teaching of God’s word is VITAL to the health of the church and those who teach it must be taken care of…
Paul spoke to the church in Corinth about this same spirit. He said that Jesus told him that it was better to give than it was to receive. MANY church members have come to EXPECT and even demand teaching without giving back in some form of service!
However, here Paul reveals that a loving fellowship does not demand anything but is generous of spirit and shows a giving nature toward those who are willing to teach God’s word. Do you have this kind of giving spirit about you?
The Characteristic of a Unselfish Spirit (v7-8)
7Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. 8Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit.
Now v7 is a verse we often use… you reap what you sow! Paul follows this verse up with an explanation of what he was teaching…
He said if you live ONLY for yourself that will lead to ruin… sow in selfishness and you will reap loneliness and heartache… spiritually when you sow the seeds of selfish discord Paul says that the only fruit for that is decay and death!
However, for those who sow the seeds of the Spirit in their Christian walk… God’s life will flow IN and THRU them! A loving fellowship must seek to shine forth the eternal life God has promised… and not a spirit of selfishness!
God’s eternal life is about HIS gift of grace & mercy toward us as sinners! God’s love is NOT a selfish love, but a love that never stops reaching out! God’s love never gives up…
Finally, I see one more characteristic we must have to be a truly LOVING fellowship… it is what I was just speaking about…
The Characteristic of Perseverance/God’s Love (v9-10)
9So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. 10Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.
In v9 Paul says, “So, let us NOT get tired of doing what is good!” This is a statement of encouragement from Paul to those in the church who ARE serving God and who ARE being the loving fellowship that he has described!
Have you ever heard the statement, “No good deed goes unpunished?” How many times have you been serving God, walking the walk, talking the talk and doing what God has called you to do…
Then BAMM out of nowhere things begin to spin out of control… things begin to get sketchy around you… things begin to NOT be what Scripture describes as a loving fellowship!
I know that serving God is hard… we live in a broken world and we have our sin nature battling against our new nature every day… we also have the Enemy seeking to devour us at every turn… so serving God is NEVER going to be easy in this world!
BUT… what about when it comes from WITHIN the fellowship against you? What about when you see others NOT living like they should? What about when those you are supposed to be able to trust…are NOT spiritually trustworthy?
Paul tells us to NOT lose heart when we are doing what God has called us to do and it all seems to go sideways anyway! I know that feeling… I know how it feels to want to just push away from the table and throw in the towel! But Paul says we must remain faithful even when we cannot see it!
We must persevere! He tells us here that a loving fellowship is a fellowship that perseveres together and then they are able to enjoy the harvest that God has coming…TOGETHER!
Don’t lose heart when others may not act or do what they should be doing! Stay true to the good…stay true to God’s calling on your life! Persevere and God is going to bless you for your faithful service!
Oak Park we have been doing and trying and there are many of us who ARE walking the walk, we are talking the talk, we are doing what God has called us to do…but NOTHING seems to be working!
I can bet that there are many of you who have had the thought of just throwing in the towel and going to join another church! Many have left our church with that same attitude!
However, Paul encourages us to PERSEVERE and know that in the RIGHT time… just at the right time! God is going to move… God is going to bless… God is going to honor our faithfulness and perseverance!
A loving fellowship perseveres THRU the times of difficulty by leaning on one another, by resting IN the love of God and by doing the good God has called us to do!
Paul says DON’T give up, God is going to bless if you don’t give up! So keep on doing good, keep on keepin’ on with the things God has called you to do… especially those things He has called us to with our brothers and sisters in Christ!
Do you know what perseverance reveals? Perseverance reveals trust in God! Perseverance reveals our love FOR God and His calling on our lives!
A loving fellowship does not give up on each other, but also a loving fellowship does not give up on God!
We are called to restore each other in our walks…
We are called to be compassionate with one another…
We are called to have humility in our walk with Christ…
We are called to show discipline in how we act/live…
We are called to have a thankful heart/generous spirit…
We are called to have the right focus and attitude in serving God…
We are called to persevere in HIS love and know that His love is enough and that HE will honor those who persevere!
Are we a loving fellowship? Not according to these biblical standards! We ALL (myself included) have a long way to go before we can consider ourselves a truly LOVING fellowship!
But this morning I am not here to chide you on what you are NOT doing… but to reveal to you what God wants you to do and that by His grace we CAN! I am calling on us as a fellowship to hit our knees TODAY to begin to become the loving fellowship God wants us to be!
I call on EVERY church member here to join me at this altar in prayer… in a prayer of confession where YOU have failed God! I know I need this… I know YOU need this…
Don’t let the Enemy convince you otherwise… to walk to this altar does NOT mean you are a bad person or that you are a bad Christian… it simply means you know you have sinned and want God to cleanse your heart!
Confession before brothers and sisters is good! It holds us accountable… I urge you to step out… step out as Mrs June comes to lead us in our hymn of invitation… Step out now and come forward…
