May 27, 2001 1 John 1:3-10
“We exist to fellowship and to care”
INTRODUCTION
In the fall of the year, Linda, a young woman, was traveling alone up the rutted and rugged highway from Alberta, Canada to the Yukon. Linda didn’t know you don’t travel to Whitehorse alone in a rundown Honda Civic, so she set off where only four-wheel drivers normally venture. The first evening she found a room in the mountains near a summit and asked for a 5 a.m. wakeup call so she could get an early start. She couldn’t understand why the clerk looked surprised at that request, but as she awoke to early morning fog shrouding the mountain-tops, she understood.
Not wanting to look foolish, she got up and went to breakfast. Two truckers invited Linda to join them, and since the place was so small, she felt obliged. “Where are you headed?” one of the truckers asked. “Whitehorse” was her reply. “In that little Civic? No way! This pass is DANGEROUS in weather like this.” “Well, I’m determined to try” was Linda’s gutsy, if not very uninformed response.”
“Then I guess we’re just going to have to hug you,” the trucker suggested. Linda drew back. “There’s no way I’m going to let you touch me!” “Not like THAT!” the truckers chuckled. “We’ll put one truck in front of you and one in the rear. In that way, we’ll get you through the mountains.”
All that foggy morning Linda followed the two red dots in front of her and had the reassurance of a big escort behind as they made their way safely through the mountains.
That story reminds me of what this church is supposed to be like. Caught in the fog of our dangerous passage through life, we need to be “hugged”. With fellow Christians who know the way and can safely lead ahead of us, and with others behind, gently encouraging us along, we, too, can pass safely. – Don Graham as quoted in Growing strong in the seasons of life by Chuck Swindoll, p. 286
So far, we have looked at three of the reasons that we exist as a church. This morning, we come to the 4th reason. Let’s say it together: New Life Baptist Church exists to fellowship with and care for one another. We’re going to look at both of these topics this morning – fellowship and caring – in order that we might answer two questions. 1st - How are we doing? 2nd - What can we do to improve? Let’s make that a little more personal so that we don’t do what often happens in churches and say “That was a really good message for Joe sitting over there. I hope he listened to every word.” No, this message is for you and for me. So let’s re-word those questions. 1st – how am I doing at fellowshipping and caring? 2nd – What can I do to improve?
FELLOWSHIP – Turn with me to 1 John 1. We’re going to look at verses 3-10. As we look at these verses, I want us to see some fellowship principles and then, we’re going to apply them to both our fellowship with one another and our fellowship with God.
1. Fellowship is made possible by shared experiences. (vs. 3)
In this passage, John says that he is going to communicate to his readers some of the things that he has heard and seen in order that they might have fellowship with him. The word that John uses here to speak of fellowship is the word “koinonia”. It is the idea of sharing a portion of your life with someone else. Sharing needs, hurts, joys, laughter, tears, stories – everything that makes up the everyday existence of your life.
This is memorial day weekend, and we celebrate and honor those who have given service to our country in order that we might have the freedoms that we enjoy. Some have paid a very high price. A while back, one Wed. night, we took some time to gather in a circle and just share the needs and concerns that each of us were feeling in order that we might better be able to pray for one another.
Thursday, Victoria came home from a field trip to the science museum in Pittsburgh. She had to tell us everything about it because she wanted us to share in the same experience that she had.
Experiences at camp when we would be doing dishes while singing choruses. I hate doing dishes, but those memories are some of the best memories that I have.
In the near future, hope to do a mission team. There is nothing like working together toward a common goal for the benefit of someone else to bind people together.
Things that you have in common with one another, shared experiences, begin the fellowship process. You ever been in a place with a group of people and had this thought go through your mind: “What am I doing here? I have nothing in common with this group of people!” When you walk into a group of Christians, you don’t have to have that thought. The first message that I ever preached to this church was out of Eph 4:3-6 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit-- just as you were called to one hope when you were called-- one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. You see all those things that we have in common with one another?! The wonderful thing is that none of those things will ever change. If I base my fellowship with you over the fact that we like the same baseball team, what happens if one of us changes our mind and starts to like the rival? If I base my fellowship with you over the fact that we are both single guys who like to have a good time, what happens when you get married? If I base my fellowship with you over the fact that we both have cancer, what happens when your cancer goes into remission and I don’t see you at the doctor’s office every week to get your chemo? But if I base my fellowship with you over the fact that we both have Jesus – there I am safe, because that will never change!
Look at what John has to say there at the end of verse 3. [talk about our fellowship with the Father and the Son enables the fellowship that we have with one another]
That brings us to the 2nd fellowship principle
2. Fellowship is hindered or destroyed by major differences. (vs. 5,6)
Senator Jeffords, one of the senators from Vermont, announced this week that he was leaving the Republican party to become an independent. He said that he no longer felt comfortable being a Rep. because the Rep. party had just gone a different direction that he was headed. He broke fellowship because the differences were too great.
It is not differences that break fellowship, but major differences. I don’t’ have to be just like you in order to fellowship with you. Paul talks about in 1 Cor 12 that each of us is different from one another. We have different gifts and abilities. What enables us to fellowship with one another is the fact that we each use our differences to help one another, serve one another and carry the whole group in the same direction. That’s why Paul calls us a body in that chapter. We’re headed the same way. What we are trying to accomplish by establishing and examining our church mission statement is to get everyone headed in the same direction at the same time.
This Tuesday, I will work my final shift at Burger King. In the 4 months that I worked there, I never really felt like I was able to fellowship with anyone there. We’d talk about things that we had in common – our kids, bills, experiences, things that happened at work – but there was never a real bond that developed between me and anyone else there. I know the reason why. We were living in totally different worlds. We couldn’t share Jesus together – at least not the way that we should have been able to. That didn’t surprise me though. The Bible talks about that fact. (2 Cor 6:14 NIV) Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?
That brings us to what hinders our fellowship with God. Our fellowship with Him is hindered and even destroyed by some very major differences.
Because of God’s character – “light”
Because of my rebellion – “walk in darkness”
3. Fellowship is restored by forgiveness. (vs. 7-10)
Accomplished through a sacrifice (vs. 7)
Requires that we admit that we were wrong (vs. 8)
Founded on the promise that we will be forgiven & restored (vs. 9)
A pastor once rebuked a Christian lady who had an unforgiving spirit toward someone who had offended her. After a moment’s thought she replied, "Well, I guess I’ll pardon her as you suggest, but I don’t want anything more to do with her!" "Is that how you want God to treat you?" said Mr. Hamilton. "Do you wish His forgiveness and then have Him withdraw His love and fellowship? Remember, when Christ put away your sins, He cast them into the sea of everlasting forgetfulness!" Recognizing her wrong attitude, she repented and forgave the woman. Forbearance like this goes beyond our weak human powers. It requires God’s grace and the softening influence of the Holy Spirit within our hearts.
Recognizes that fellowship will be broken again (vs. 10)
Think back with me to the Garden of Eden. [talk about the fellowship that Adam and Eve enjoyed with one another and with God] Ever since that fellowship was broken, mankind has been trying to get it back. Now, perhaps more than ever, man is trying to get in touch with the spiritual world. The problem is that they are trying to do it on their own terms. And man is trying to get in touch with other people. Listen to the radio, and almost every song is about relationships. Man thinks that he is going to be able to restore that fellowship through sex, through marriage, through having a house full of friends, but none of those will satisfy. Only as a person comes to God on God’s terms and places himself at God’s disposal can he have fellowship with God. And then, once he has restored fellowship with God, then he can have fellowship with people. Did you catch the fact that several times in just these few verses, John mentioned the fact that fellowship with God is the prerequisite to fellowship with people? (vs 3, 6-7)
Husbands, if your fellowship with your wife is not what it needs to be, the answer might not be buying her a box of chocolates and some flowers. Maybe the problem is not in your relationship with your wife at all. Maybe the problem is in your relationship with the Father.
CARE – I want to ask and answer three questions related to this topic to get us thinking about it.
1. Does God care? YES!!!
If you’ve ever felt like God doesn’t care, you are not alone. The disciples on the sea of Galilee, Mary and Martha whose brother had just died, Job who had suffered the loss of his 10 children and his fortune, Elijah who had defeated the prophets of Baal but allowed his fear to cause him to run away. They all wondered if God cared. Here’s some of what the Bible has to say about God’s caring.
(Psa 55:22 NIV) Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.
(Psa 95:7 NIV) for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care…
(Nahum 1:7 NIV) The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him,
(Zec 10:3 NIV) …the LORD Almighty will care for his flock, the house of Judah, and make them like a proud horse in battle.
(1 Pet 5:7 NIV) Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
One of the arguments that I hear that people give to seem to suggest that God doesn’t care is all the pain and suffering that is in the world. “If God really cared”, they say “or if He was even there, He would put a stop to all the pain and suffering that is out there.” In answer to that, I would say three things. First, mankind caused the pain and suffering when he brought sin into the world. Second, mankind keeps pain and suffering here through his greed and refusal to do things God’s way. Third, Jesus entered into that pain and suffering when he came down to earth to experience all that we experience and to pay the debt that we owe on the cross.
[read “Does Jesus care?” in hymnal]
2. Do I care?
(Jer 23:1-4 NIV) "Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture!" declares the LORD. Therefore this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says to the shepherds who tend my people: "Because you have scattered my flock and driven them away and have not bestowed care on them, I will bestow punishment on you for the evil you have done," declares the LORD. “I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and increase in number. I will place shepherds over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid or terrified, nor will any be missing," declares the LORD.
When you are not here, you are going to get some kind of contact from me. Don’t do it to annoy you or make you feel guilty. I do it because I care.
Do you really think that I would have stuck with this little church for the past almost 3 years through all the struggles that we have faced if I didn’t care? Do you think that I would have humbled myself to get a job flipping burgers instead of looking for another, larger church to pastor if I didn’t care? Do you think I would have put my family in danger so that I could continue to minister to this church and this community if I didn’t care? Jesus spoke of those who are ministers to his flock only because of the reason that they can get something out of it. He called them hirelings (Jn 10:13). When danger comes along, they run away. That’s not me. I care.
Do you know why I get up here and tell you about problems in your life and sometimes step on your toes? Do you think that I get a thrill out of that? No, I don’t. I do it because I care for you and want what is best for you.
Do you know why I go out into our community and knock on doors? It’s because I care about the people that are inside those houses.
I’ve dealt with the first two questions and hopefully answered them to your satisfaction. The third question only you can answer.
3. Do you care?
One of the “one another’s” in our church covenant is “bear one another’s burdens”. How many of you have some kind of burden that you are bearing today? Wouldn’t it be nice to have someone else come along and say, “Here, let me help you carry that load.”? Some burdens, I can actually physically help you carry. Others, I can help by listening. Still others, I can help by praying.
Why don’t we care more for one another?
We don’t have time (“I’m too busy to care! I’ve got too much going on in my own life to help you with anything that is going on in yours.”)
We don’t take thought – we just haven’t trained ourselves to start thinking beyond on our own four walls
We don’t want to get involved – If you’re going to care for someone else, you have to get involved in their lives and their problems.
We don’t know what their needs are – share some of the needs in the church
We don’t know them
We don’t think that it will do any good
As a church, there are some things that we are going to do to help promote an attitude of caring in this body.
1. Update the church directory
2. Dinner on the grounds once a month
3. Family activities once a month during the summer months
4. Prayer cards and prayer lists
5. Small group ministry in Sunday School
CONCLUSION
The deeper our fellowship with one another and the more that we care about one another, the more committed we will be to be here every Sunday, the more we will be excited about this church and desire to tell others about it, the more we will find encouragement from one another when we are here, and the more contact we will have with one another even when we are not here. Does this sound like something that you think is worth the effort for us to put into practice?
INVITATION
As I’ve said already, the first step to having fellowship with one another is having fellowship with God. The stronger your fellowship with God, the stronger your fellowship with people can become. The greater the distance between you and God, the more distance there will be between you and His people. Some of you need to restore that fellowship with the Father this morning by seeking His forgiveness. Some of you need to restore fellowship with another Christian by seeking their forgiveness. What are you going to do about it?
