Loving God’s Church – Community – 2

                                                   Loving God’s Church – Community – 2

Subject – Acceptance in the Community

By Rick Welborne

John 8:1-11 (NKJV)
¹  But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.
²  Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them.
³  Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst,
⁴  they said to Him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act.
⁵  Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?"
⁶  This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.
⁷  So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first."
⁸  And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground.
⁹  Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
¹⁰  When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, "Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?"
¹¹  She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more." 

--We have talked how we are all broken people in need of a Savior and we spoke of the illusion of finding a local church that will be everything we expect it to be. We are human.

Bonhoeffer - Those who love their dream of a Christian community more than the Christian community itself become destroyers of that Christian community even though their personal intentions may be ever so honest, earnest, and sacrificial.

--Jesus is the cornerstone of this community of broken, strange, weird bunch of misfits and to criticize the community is to insult the Christ Who built it.

--We talked about the idea that there is no pain like the pain of loneliness. It is so strange that with so many ways of connecting, people are lonelier now than ever. Depression and anxiety are rampant.

Ortberg - I believe that if you had to sum up in a single word what God is up to, what His goal is in creating the universe and the persons who inhabit it, that word would be community.

--Finally we looked at last week how God has been experiencing this idea of community within the Trinity and He is welcoming us into that inclusive circle with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Father, make us one.

1. The Christian Community and the Humane Society.

--On Nantucket Island there is a museum dedicated to an organization formed centuries ago. Sea travel was so dangerous and because of the storms in the Atlantic off the coast of Massachusetts, many were lost.

--Because so many lives were being lost along a mile stretch or so, a group of volunteers decide to get into the lifesaving business. They banded together to form what was called the Humane Society.

--People built little huts along the shore where people were perishing and people watched the sea at all times.

They didn’t do it for money or recognition but because they prized human life. Listen to their motto:

Humane Society Motto – You have to go out, but you don’t have to come back. 

--That doesn’t sound very catchy but it was. The stories and accounts of people who would risk everything, even their lives, to save people they didn’t know. Sounds a lot like missions.

--Over time, things began to change. The US Coast Guard began to take over the task of rescue. For a while the USCG and the Humane Society worked side by side. 

--Eventually the idea that carried the day was, “Let the professionals do it. They’re better trained and they get paid to do it.” Volunteers stopped manning the huts and going out searching for those lost in the sea. 

--A strange thing happened, they could not bring themselves to disband. The life-saving society still exists today. The members get together, have a dinner, and reminisce of the good old days. They enjoy each other.

--They’re just not in life-saving business. Listen, you and I were made to be in the Life Saving business. We are not to abandon our huts when people are shipwrecked around us every day. People are hurting everywhere.

--We have the ability to offer acceptance, love, and hope to those who may be going through the trials of their lives. So many need acceptance from those of us who seem to be more mature or seem to be blessed now. 

Romans 15:5-7 (NIV)
⁵  May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus,
⁶  so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
⁷  Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. 

--With church attendance on the decline, have you ever given consideration why you should be faithful to this community of believers? National averages say people are attending church one or two times a month.

Hebrews 10:25 (NCV)
²⁵  You should not stay away from the church meetings, as some are doing, but you should meet together and encourage each other. Do this even more as you see the day coming. 

Why we should be faithful to this community of believers…this local church? What if someone comes to church hurting? It happens every service. If you were here, you could give them a hug.

Single Parent – Hi Pastor Rick, I just wanna thank you for always having open arms, to give my kids a hug means the world to them. I appreciate your kindness and always giving my children a giggle, you’re not only their pastor, you’re their friend. 

--Many of the people who come on Sunday and on Wednesday nights need someone to show love. I can’t reach them all, but as a community we can. We can’t love anyone or reach them if we are not here.

--When we are faithful to God’s house, this community, we can encourage each other especially knowing Jesus’ return is so soon. 

2. Jesus, a woman caught in adultery, and the community of God.

--Question: Why do so many churches produce stone throwers? Do yourself a study about Jesus and see which sins upset Him the most…sins of the flesh or sins of the spirit. Attitudes verses acts.

--There are stories of the sinful woman who anointed Jesus feet, the Pharisee and the tax collector, the prodigal son and his older self-righteous brother. Jesus seemed to side with the sinners of the flesh.

C.S. Lewis – The sins of the flesh are bad, but they are the least bad of sins. All the worst pleasures are purely spiritual: the pleasure of putting other people in the wrong, of bossing and patronizing; the pleasures of power and hatred. For there are two things inside me, competing with the human self which I must try to become. They are the Animal self and the Diabolical self. The Diabolical self is the worse of the two. That is why a cold, self-righteous prig who goes to church regularly may be far nearer to hell than the prostitute.

--The Pharisees in the above stories were blind to the fact of how much they loved picking up stones to crush those who were hurting. Had no love or mercy. Story of the SS teacher and the smoker. 

--If I had my rather, I would rather have people who have been caught in their sins and are broken than to have those who are judgmental, superior in their attitudes, impatient, and bitter, leading our church.

--Questions: Who would you be in this story? The guilty caught in your sin, the judgmental picking up stones, or would you be more like Jesus? The truth is we all identify more with the adulteress. Not me, Pastor! Guilty!

Isaiah 53:6 (NKJV)
⁶  All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. 

3. Go and sin no more.

John 8:10-11 (NKJV)
¹⁰  When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, "Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?"
¹¹  She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you; 

--You see; this community should never be a place of stone throwers. People should be accepted here and they should know people care. 

--Jesus says something more to this lady which cuts her to her core but also gives her hope. Go and sin no more told her that He knew all about her sin but it also told her that someone believed in her. 

--Jesus accepting her into the community of the Trinity is not the same thing as simply tolerating any behavior that is contrary to God’s Word. She could not continue in her sin. We often miss this truth.

Ortberg – Accepting another human being does not mean we refuse to confront or challenge that in them which could harm others and damage their souls. 

--I love My Church means that everyone is welcome and that everyone will be accepted but it also means that once we enter this beautiful community of God that we should, go and sin no more. 

--This woman who was caught in adultery found forgiveness and acceptance in Christ but she also found something so unbelievably great…a new beginning…a new life…a new future surrounded by family.

--Failure to confront, to speak truth in love, can ultimately be as fatal to the growth of the community as being judgmental. 

Ortberg – “Go and sin no more.” Jesus’ acceptance is free, undeserved, unmerited—but it is also demanding. For the woman to fully examine her acceptance will require entering into a new way of life. The same grace that liberates her from past sins calls her to walk free of them in the future. 

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV) ¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

--If you have found acceptance and love here at Life Church Villages and have found that the community of God is what you have been looking for, live in freedom every day! LIFE!