Title: Community-Church Responsibility
Place: BLCC
Date: 2/19/17
Text: Genesis 4.9; 1 Corinthians 5
CT: The church is responsible for the physical and spiritual needs of its people.
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FAS: One of the most famous stories in baseball history is the story of Jackie Robinson. He was the first African American to play Major League baseball for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Wherever the Dodgers went the fans and other team members threw hate and racial slurs at Jackie. Fans threw trash and spit at him between innings. Players from the other team would try to spike Jackie during the game when they slid into second base. Not a good time for our country.
During one exceptionally bad day where the fans just wouldn’t let up with their yelling and hateful vitriol toward Jackie, a team member of Jackie’s, Pee Wee Reese, finally had enough. He walked from his position at Short Stop to stand next to Jackie. Reese put his arm around Jackie and stood there and accepted the jeers and hatred right alongside Jackie.
Jackie Robinson later said that was the turning point of his career as a baseball player. He said, “A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.”
LS: What a contrast this is to what Cain said of his brother Abel in [Screen 2] Genesis 4.9, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”
God did not give a clear answer to Cain, but the rest of the Bible gives us a very clear answer. God does desire that His people share the responsibility for one another’s physical and just as importantly, if not more, their spiritual well being.
This the fourth week in the series “Community”. The purpose I have for this series is to look at what God would think of the church today and what it is doing? What would Jesus want us to do as a church?
What would Jesus think of our service? What would he notice? Would he see a church that is self-absorbed with their music and performance and preferences? Would he see a church that is inwardly focused and concerned only about itself?
I pray He would not.
I pray He would see a church that is doing its best to follow his lead and reach out to others and encourage and build up each other in unity in Him and Him alone. I pray he would see a church that serves its community as it serves its Lord.
This week we are going to look at the responsibility of the church to one another.
When someone becomes a member of the church family, he or she comes into a community in which everyone holds responsibility for everyone else. Everyone is in it together for the good or ill of all.
When the person enters the community, the church, that individual’s action impact everyone.
There is an old Jewish parable that describes three men sailing on a boat. One man begins drilling a hole under his seat. When the others saw this they said, “What are you trying to do?”
The man says, “What business is it of yours? I’m only drilling under my seat not yours.”
But they said, “But we are in the same boat and the water will come and flood us all.”
In contrast to the way people often think today that treats society, as no more than a collection of individuals who happen to live together.
God calls us to recognize our responsibility as individuals to the community, but he also calls the community, the church to recognize its responsibility to the individual members.
I am going to look at the physical needs briefly and then dig into the spiritual needs deeper.
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PHYSICAL:
OT-Deuteronomy 15.7-8, 7 If anyone is poor among your brothers and sisters in any of the towns of the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward them. 8 Rather, be openhanded and freely lend them whatever they need.
NT-Matthew 25. 34-36, 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
Pretty clear to me we are to take care of the physical needs of our brothers and sisters and those still outside.
That is why I am working with my friend Mike Power to start a food, furniture and clothing bank here at this church to serve those needs to our people God has given us to help. Check with him or me if you would like to be a part of this new ministry we are forming. I ask everyone to be in prayer for this ministry.
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SPIRITUAL:
The church is responsible for the physical needs of its people but maybe even more so the spiritual needs of its people.
What is our responsibility to the brother or sister who is headed down the wrong road? Can be tough to deal with, but are we as the church responsible.
Lets go to 1 Corinthians 5
1 Corinthians 5 [Screen 5]
Read 5.1-8: 1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that even pagans do not tolerate: A man is sleeping with his father’s wife.
[Screen 6] 2 And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have gone into mourning and have put out of your fellowship the man who has been doing this? 3 For my part, even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. As one who is present with you in this way, [Screen 7] I have already passed judgment in the name of our Lord Jesus on the one who has been doing this. 4 So when you are assembled and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, 5 hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.
6 Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough? [Screen 8]
9 I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— [Screen 9] 10 not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world.
Those outside looking in at us see our every flaw. If we claim to be Christian they will hold us to a higher standard. They say things like, “Well I thought you were a Christian” or “A Christian wouldn’t be like that.”
Aren’t we to be more like Jesus in our actions?
Often we see being a Christian all about keeping rules and doing certain sacrificial duties. Yes there are things we do to worship and remember our Lord. Out of love for Him.
But the thing is Christianity is mainly about being like Jesus.
There was a Jew named Steve Jobs who said, “The juice goes out of Christianity when it becomes too based on faith rather than living like Jesus or seeing the world as Jesus saw it.”
Pretty interesting statement coming from a non-Christian.
We are to love one another as Jesus’ followers.
But how are we to react to those outside?
We are to go to them and make them followers of Christ. [Screen 10]
Matthew 28.19, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
How? How would you do it?
Jesus taught to do it by setting the example in such a way that they would be drawn to us and want to be a follower.
We leverage the love of Christ. The forgiveness of Christ. The acceptance of Christ.
Any time we leverage the love we move forward and people will follow.
When we try to leverage power and force our views on people we push them away. When we impose and threaten with damnation we make people run, not follow. We are to make people disciples by winning them over with Jesus’ love and acceptance. Not by forcing them to be perfect before they even begin to believe and know Jesus.
So, knowing this how should you treat those that are outside the church, or body of Christ?
??? Accept. Love. Win them over not force them over. Tell them how Jesus can be reached not to judge them but to love and help them in a real relationship with Him.
Paul says in verse3 that he is judging the man who is sinning in such a horrible way. I thought we were to not judge. Isn’t that what we hear from people all the time? Yet Paul says judge. What did Jesus say about it?
Matthew 7.1-5, [Screen 11] 1“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. [Screen 12] 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. [Screen 13]
3 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? [Screen 14] 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? [Screen 15]
5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
Then you will be able to help your brother.
So, the Bible does say not to judge or you too will be judged. ?
Actually the Bible is not telling us not to judge but who to judge.
Cause what about those who claim to follow Christ and still do things like the first fellow in our text today. [Screen 16]
Read 11-13, 11 But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people.
[Screen 17] 12 What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? [screen 18] 13 God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked person from among you.”
Are we to judge fellow followers of Christ according to this?
Let’s think of it this way. Should we worry about how we look to outsiders? If yes, why?
So is it important what our fellow followers do?
They do represent our Lord when they claim to be followers.
S0 what should we do?
Hold each other accountable if not only to protect the witness of the body of Christ, the church. Verse 13 kind of puts it out there pretty straight.
Does this put a different spin on why we should point our fellow followers in the right direction? We as a community of believers all reflect Jesus as one.
So now answer this question. Is it proper to judge or “hold accountable” our brother or sister in Christ??? According to Bible I believe the answer is yes.
The problem here is any time we use the term judge we can not love. Oh we can try to say we are judging them because we love them. Does that help?
Probably not. I believe the best bet is to not approach judgingly but carefully to try and [Screen 19] help them. Take your own plank out so you can help.
I mean the path of least resistance, which my dad always said is where losers go, is to do nothing. Every body stays happy. We want every body happy don’t we?
The problem is that the consequences of doing nothing can be eternal. Their sin will cause death to occur. Not just their salvation is at stake but their relationships right now will die from their actions. Not to mention the witness they as followers are giving to an outsider. Tough call.
The balance is found, I believe, by not trying to judge and point, but to try and help and embrace them as a friend. Only through that type of encounter will good come.
I found a very disturbing article that deals with this.
A study conducted by Lifeway Research shows that many women with unplanned pregnancies go silently from the church pew to the abortion clinic, convinced the church would gossip rather than help. Ouch.
Researchers found that more than 4 in 10 women who have had an abortion were churchgoers when they ended a pregnancy. But only 7 percent of women discussed their abortion decision with anyone at church. Three-fourths (76 percent) say the church had no influence on their decision to terminate a pregnancy. Also, among women who have had an abortion:
• Two-thirds (65 percent) say church members judge single women who are pregnant.
• A majority (54 percent) thinks churches oversimplify decisions about pregnancy options.
• Fewer than half (41 percent) believe churches are prepared to help with decisions about unwanted pregnancies.
• Only 38 percent of women who have had an abortion consider church a safe place to discuss pregnancy options including parenting, abortion, and adoption. More than half of churchgoers who have had an abortion (52 percent) say no one at church knows it. Nearly half of women who have had an abortion (49 percent) say pastors' teachings on forgiveness don't seem to apply to terminated pregnancies.
Lisa Cannon Green, "Women Distrust Church on Abortion," Lifeway blog (11-23-15)
How are we as the church to help those who struggle with these kind of spiritual issues? Judge them? Will that do any good?
Or should we unconditionally love them and help them. As Jesus would say.
It is like why more alcoholics go to AA instead of church to find help. Did you know that? The founder of AA, Bill Wilson who was a 6 month recovering alcoholic at the time, started the AA when he himself was away on business and the deal fell through. All seemed lost. He headed to the bar to get a drink to wash away his failure.
Before Bill bought the drink a thought occurred to him.
“I don’t need another drink…I need another alcoholic.”
He needed someone who wouldn’t judge, but be able to understand and be able to help.
Church is the last place most people would feel comfortable to stand up and say, “Hi I’m Jim and I struggle with alcohol addiction” or “ I struggle with temptation of porn.” Or “ Our marriage is on the rocks.”
Not the place most people would feel comfortable speaking things like that.
This thought should break our heart as the community of the church.
God designed the church to be a place in which we as followers of Christ can carry one another’s burdens. [Screen 20]
Galatians 6.2, Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
The Bible admonishes us as the church to pray for each other. [Screen 21]
James 5.16, Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
The Bible says we are to suffer and rejoice with one another. [Screen 22]
1 Corinthians 12.26, If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
We are doing our part as the church when each of us no matter what we are struggling with can say, [Screen 23] “I don’t need to sin. I need another sinner. I need you to help me stay on the path to God’s ideal for me.”
CT: The church is responsible for the physical and spiritual needs of its people.
A place where people can feel comfortable asking for help in their physical and in their spiritual lives.
Won’t you come today and be part of this community that strives to follow Jesus in all ways. A community that helps those struggling with a battle with sin and evil not by judging and condemning but as a church that loves one another and lends a hand instead of a pointing finger. A church that offers help not indifference .
Come make the change. Help us to be the church that takes the responsibility God gives very seriously.
Make Jesus the Lord of your life and be baptized and be part of the love that Jesus brings to all others.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Overdorf, Daniel. Rediscovering community: what the Bible says about the church. Joplin, MO: College Press, 2012. Print. Chapter Three
