Who We Welcome and Why – 6

Who We Welcome and Why – 6

Subject – We Welcome What Father, Son, and Holy Spirit Have to Say

By Rick Welborne

John 1:1-5, 10-14 (NKJV)
¹  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
²  He was in the beginning with God.
³  All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
⁴  In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
⁵  And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
¹⁰  He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.
¹¹  He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.
¹²  But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:
¹³  who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
¹⁴  And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. 

Hebrews 4:12 (NKJV)
¹²  For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

2 Peter 1:20-21 (NCV)
²⁰  Most of all, you must understand this: No prophecy in the Scriptures ever comes from the prophet’s own interpretation.
²¹  No prophecy ever came from what a person wanted to say, but people led by the Holy Spirit spoke words from God.

--Again today we see how intertwined Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are by the Scriptures we just read. Today we are speaking about welcoming the Word of God into our lives and into our church.

--Many of us (hopefully all of us) say we love the Word of God and I hope that is true. Sometimes we seem so dedicated to what God has to say and other times not so much. Example.

--I have seen so many people who say they love God so much and they love His Word so much until you hit a nerve with them. You tell them according to Jesus’ Word, you have to forgive everyone.

Matthew 6:14-15 (NLT2)
¹⁴  “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you.
¹⁵  But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.

--Even though they have heard it preached, heard it taught, and undoubtedly have read it on their own, they still say, “I could never forgive that person, you just don’t know what they have done to me!”

--Is it in the Bible…Yes! Is it the Words of Jesus…Yes! Should Jesus’ Words be obeyed…Yes! It is almost like their countenance changes…I could never!

--Do we only welcome the Words of God, the Word of God, the Words of Jesus, the Words inspired by Holy Spirit (the entire Bible), when they promise us blessings and prosperity?

--What about when God’s Words are correcting us or instructing us or even rebuking us for something in our lives that we know should not be there (un-forgiveness), do we welcome God’s Word then?

2 Timothy 4:1-4 (NKJV)
¹  I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom:
²  Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.                                                                                                                                                           (NCV) ²  Preach the Good News. Be ready at all times, and tell people what they need to do. Tell them when they are wrong. Encourage them with great patience and careful teaching,                                                  (NLT2) ²  Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching.                                                                                                       ³  For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers;
⁴  and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. 

--Today I want us to look at welcoming our Father’s Word, our Son’s Word, and Holy Spirit’s Word. From Heb. 4:12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword…

1. We welcome the Word of God because it is living.

Hebrews 4:12 (NKJV) ¹²  For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword...

--The Word of God is living…let me give you an example that may help you understand this principle better.

--Jesus said He would build His Church and the gates of hell would not prevail against it. Was Jesus talking about buildings, bricks, wood, and other inanimate materials or something that is alive.

--Of course Jesus was talking about “The Church” as a living breathing entity made up of people who love God and who are filled with His Holy Spirit.

 Romans 8:11, 16-17 (NKJV)
¹¹  But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
¹⁶  The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
¹⁷  and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. 

--In other words, the church of Jesus Christ is made up of children of God, joint heirs with Christ, Jesus as the foundation, and Holy Spirit as the supplier of power. The Church should be very much alive!

--The Word of God is living…just like the church is a living breathing entity, so is the Word of God. Pastor, the Word is a book with paper and ink. I beg to differ.

John 1:1-2 (NKJV)
¹  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
²  He was in the beginning with God. 

--According to the Bible (the Word) has been around since the beginning of time. Mind blowing for sure. Listen to what John says about the Word proving that it (He) is filled with life.

--The Word has been here forever, The Word was with God, The Word was God! Watch this, He was in the beginning with God. Did it say “He”? Yes, it did. The Word is a person! Mind blowing again.

--All things were made through Him (the Word). Evidently the Word was the creator of everything.

Colossians 1:15-18 (NKJV)
¹⁵  He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
¹⁶  For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.
¹⁷  And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.
¹⁸  And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.

--The verses in Colossians say He and Him over and over again. He or Him Who? The creator, the Word, the Creator God. Who is He?

Colossians 1:13-14 (NKJV)
¹³  He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,
¹⁴  in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.

--The Word that was in the beginning with God, the image of the invisible God, the Creator God, the Head of the Body, the Church, is the Son of His (the Father) love…Jesus Christ and He is living. The Word is living!

2. We welcome the Word of God because it is powerful.

Hebrews 4:12 (NKJV) ¹²  For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword.

Isaiah 55:11 (NKJV)
¹¹  So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.                                                                 (NCV) ¹¹  The same thing is true of the words I speak. They will not return to me empty. They make the things happen that I want to happen, and they succeed in doing what I send them to do. 

--We welcome God’s Word (the Words God speaks) because they are powerful, because they accomplish the will of God, and because His Word succeeds in accomplishing what God wants to happen.

--When you speak, speak the Word of God! When you pray, pray the Word of God! When you believe, believe the Word of God! When you preach, preach the Word of God because it is powerful!

3. We welcome the Word of God because it is sharper than any two edged sword. 

Hebrews 4:12 (NKJV) ¹²  For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword.

—Remember the sword here was the “Machara” the sharp two edged sword...this sword is mentioned many times in the NT. 

Renner - The Phrase "two edged" is taken from the Greek word distomos. It is a compound of the word ‘di’, meaning 2, and the word ‘stomos’, which is the Greek word for one’s mouth. The Word of God is a two mouthed sword?

—I understand the thinking of the two edges dividing good and evil in us, and also in the world, but I believe and Renner believes there is more!

Renner - One sharpened edge of this sword came into being when the Word of God initially proceeded out of the mouth of God. The second edge of this sword is added when the Word of God proceeds out of your mouth! This is the reason that the original text calls the Word of God a 'two mouthed sword".                           

--It was sharp and powerful coming out of Jesus' mouth, and as the Spirit comes on us (it is the sword of the Spirit), it will be powerful and effective coming out of our mouths.

—Too much is coming out of our mouths and most of it is anything but God's Word...negative, critical, breaking instead of building, we must stop it and speak God's Word over our church and each other! 

--Come on, Life Church, La Vida Church, Village Campus, let’s welcome the Word of God because it is living, powerful, and sharper than any two mouthed sword. 

Loving God’s Church – Community – 6

                                                 Loving God’s Church – Community – 6

Subject – Trust

By Rick Welborne

Luke 5:18-26 (NLT2)
¹⁸  Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a sleeping mat. They tried to take him inside to Jesus,
¹⁹  but they couldn’t reach him because of the crowd. So they went up to the roof and took off some tiles. Then they lowered the sick man on his mat down into the crowd, right in front of Jesus.
²⁰  Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the man, “Young man, your sins are forgiven.”
²¹  But the Pharisees and teachers of religious law said to themselves, “Who does he think he is? That’s blasphemy! Only God can forgive sins!”
²²  Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he asked them, “Why do you question this in your hearts?
²³  Is it easier to say ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Stand up and walk’?
²⁴  So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!”
²⁵  And immediately, as everyone watched, the man jumped up, picked up his mat, and went home praising God.
²⁶  Everyone was gripped with great wonder and awe, and they praised God, exclaiming, “We have seen amazing things today!” 

--It is quite difficult for me to get away from the community of the mat. This small group of men teach us so much about what community should be.

--This paralyzed man had true friends in their small community. Not people who were just friendly but people who are committed to you in a way acquaintances or paid service providers are not.

Jean Vanier – A community is never there just for itself or for its own glory. It comes from and belongs to something much greater and deeper: the heart of God to bring humanity to fulfillment. A community is never an end in itself; it is but a sign pointing further and deeper, calling people to love. 

--Today for a moment please imagine with me that you are the man on the mat. You are about to be lowered through the roof. This going through the roof is the biggest risk you have ever taken in your life. 

1. The trust issue with your friends.

--You wonder if you can trust your friends to keep you safe. What are these guys getting me into? Are they going to drop me? Ground level wouldn’t be so bad but from the roof…it could be bad!

--Whenever you venture out to share Christ with someone, are you a person who can be trusted to not drop them? Can you deliver on what you are promising them? Be careful what you promise people.

--Probably the most important question we need to ask…are we truly a friend to the person we are witnessing to? Have we taken the time to develop a relationship with them?

--Do you know about their lives and their families…has there been enough connection with this person that they trust you? Are you a friend or just an acquaintance? Listen to what Jesus was accused of:                                                                            

Matthew 11:19 (NIV) ¹⁹  The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and "sinners."' 

--People want to know they are loved and that we truly do care for them. Love keeps showing up, love keeps listening, love keeps making sure that people are not hurt…love keeps directing people to Jesus!

--Because I am strong in evangelism, I often talk of leading people to Christ. But what about those who are already our brothers and sisters. Can they trust us not to drop them?

--It would be scary to find out how many people are out of church because they felt someone dropped them when they were on their mat. Now they feel they cannot trust the community of believers.

Galatians 6:9-10 (NIV)
⁹  Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
¹⁰  Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

--As a community of believers we must be able to trust that we have other’s good in mind. We do all we can to get each other to Jesus when someone finds themselves on the mat. 

2. Trust issues with the crowd. 

--The paralyzed man wonders if he can trust the crowd to be civil who had gathered to hear Jesus teach. After all, they had arrived early to get their seat. 

--Don’t you imagine that they came with their own list of things that they would love for Jesus to take care of for them. It may not be as serious as being paralyzed but it meant a lot to them.

--The crowd could have looked at this as a form of butting ahead and no one likes for anyone to jump in line in front of them. He was in no place to defend himself if people got physical. 

--Years ago I was on the platform watching as people were coming into the sanctuary finding a place to sit for the service. I thankfully saw a new couple come in. Thank you, Lord!

--Right after they got seated a couple comes in behind them who were regular attenders and they head for the same pew where the new couple was sitting. It was their pew…their permanent seat.

--I am sure there were impressions of their bottoms because they had sat there for so many years. I think…no they want…then, I think…yes, they will.

--I make a bee-line to the regular couple to try to intervene before something got ugly. I put my arms around them and gently guided them to another pew.

--They said to me…those people are in our pew and they need to move. They are guests and they did not know so you have to sit somewhere else. 

--They were not happy with the people or with me…what is wrong with people when we take ownership of certain seats. Just wiggle your big _____ until it fits in the new pew. I shall not be moved!

--Now that is funny (not really) but what about new converts or new people who come into the church and begin to take over positions you thought you should have? I have been here 20 years! My job or ministry!

1 Corinthians 12:11-12 (NKJV)
¹¹  But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.
¹²  For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. 

--I have had people want to argue with me that they should have seniority because of how long they have been attending or how long they have been saved. 

--The collective congregation (the crowd) needs to take a deep breath, swallow our pride, realize it is not about us, and just love people God sends our way. The lost or re-locating believers. 

--The crowd should rejoice with those who get to Jesus and find salvation or healing.

Romans 12:15-17 (NLT2)
¹⁵  Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep.
¹⁶  Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!
¹⁷  Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. 

3. Trust issues with Jesus.

--The paralyzed man has to be wondering if he can truly trust Jesus. What if it turns out that He cannot help me after all? What if He is making a really good point and doesn’t like being interrupted. We think that!

--He lies on his mat (or you sit on your pew) thinking of all these dangers. I could get dropped (hurt), I could get ridiculed, or I could be rejected if I stand or come forward. Does Jesus love me?

--On the other hand, if I don’t go thru the roof, it is certain that I will never be healed. This is your one shot at wholeness. He makes his decision and affirms with a nod or whatever that he wants to be a roof crasher too.

--This man’s friends must have wondered how Jesus would respond (we still wonder). Jesus looks up and sees the faces of the friends looking down at Him. The verse says He saw their faith.

--We have no indication that these men said anything to Jesus but he saw their faith. He saw men working hard to get their friend to Him and their only thought was…We must get our friend close to Jesus.

 James 2:17-20 (NKJV)
¹⁷  Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
¹⁸  But someone will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
¹⁹  You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe--and tremble!
²⁰  But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?

--How interesting…Jesus saw these four men’s faith…so what did He see. I think James makes it pretty clear what Jesus saw… I will show you my faith by my works. You show your faith by your works. Missions!

--Jesus saw these men doing everything they could, working with their hands, to get their paralyzed friend to Him. They could have had faith that Jesus would come by the man’s house but that wasn’t enough.

--Usually healing stories speak of Jesus seeing the faith of the one asking for healing for themselves or their child. Here it’s the faith, not of the man, but the faith of his friends. 

--Do we, in our wonderful community, have any idea what the faith of one person can do for a friend? What did Jesus see in the faces of those four friends who brought this guy to Jesus? A big hole and four faces but more.

Ortberg – Jesus sees four guys who are sweaty, dusty, anxious, hopeful, thinking only of their friend and trusting somehow Jesus has the kind of heart that will respond. Jesus sees a little of what God intended when He made human beings. He sees a little island of shalom in a sea of brokenness. He thinks to Himself that this is humanity at its finest. He sees their faith.

--What does Jesus see when He sees you?

Hebrews 10:24-25 (NCV)
²⁴  Let us think about each other and help each other to show love and do good deeds.
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.

Who We Welcome and Why – 5

                                                         Who We Welcome and Why – 5

Subject – Welcoming Everyone into the Community of God

By Rick Welborne

Genesis 2:18 (NKJV) 18 And the LORD God said, "It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him." 

Matthew 18:20 (NKJV) 20 For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them." 

–Today I want to speak about the community of God and His invitation for all of us to be a part of it. The small elementary book The All Better Book children are asked to solve some of the world’s toughest problems. 

1. “With billions of people in the world, someone should be able to figure out a system where no one is lonely. What do you suggest?”

Kalani (age 8) - People should find lonely people and ask their name and address. Then ask people who aren’t lonely their name and address. When you have an even amount of each, assign lonely and not lonely people together in the newspaper. (Administrative gift)

Matt (age 8) - We could get people a pet or a husband or a wife and take them places. (Makes you wonder about his understanding of marriage).

Brian (age 8) - Sing a song. Stomp your feet. Read a book. Sometimes I think no one loves me so I do one of these. 

“With billions of people in the world, someone should be able to figure out a system where no one is lonely.”

–This thing of being lonely is why we attend churches, join hunting clubs, have girls shopping days out.... why so many are joining on line...Find Me Somebody.com. King articulated the need we have for community.

Martin Luther King - "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. I have a dream today!".

 

2. There is no pain like the pain of loneliness.

–We would be shocked to know those around us who are so lonely or maybe we would not be surprised because we are. Home makers to CEOs are lonely and hurting. Lots of lonely people in the Villages. Friendliest?

John Ortberg - If loneliness is common for women, it is epidemic among men. One survey indicated that 90% of the male population in America lack a true friend. “No one wants to admit they are lonely, “writes psychiatrist Jacqueline Olds. “Loneliness is something we associate with losers.” Loneliness has such a sting, in fact, that people will admit to being lonely in anonymous polls, but when asked to give their names they will say they are independent and self-sufficient. 

Mother Teresa - Loneliness is the leprosy of modern society.  And no one wants anybody to know they’re a leper.

“With billions of people in the world, someone should be able to figure out a system where no one is lonely.”

–We do everything we can to try to avoid being lonely...we stay busy, we marry someone less than our standard, we join clubs, we do things that are crazy to not be alone. Loneliness hurts.

–Anyone who had great success in life and accomplished great things but never had friends died with bitter regrets. Every one of them.

–Other side, I have never known of anyone who succeeded at relationships–who cultivated good friendships, devoted to their families, who mastered the art of giving and receiving love–yet had a bad life.

–We learn that what really matters to us is not how high on the totem pole we get; it is people who matter the most. This beautiful idea of community and oneness. 

3. We were made for oneness. 

Genesis 2:18 (NKJV) 

18 And the LORD God said, "It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him." 

–Man needed someone to be one with...not a monkey, dog, cat, horse...someone made in His image.

Matthew 19:5-6 (NKJV) 

5 and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? 

6 So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, let not man separate." 

 

–We were made for oneness. Loneliness is so painful. In v.18 it says man was alone and God said, “not good”.

“With billions of people in the world, someone should be able to figure out a system where no one is lonely.”

This oneness leads us into life giving relationships which makes us whole.

Alameda County Study - A Harvard study of 7000 people over a 9-year period found that the most isolated people were 3 times more likely to die younger than those with strong relational connections. People who had bad health habits (such as smoking, poor eating habits, obesity, or alcohol use) but strong social ties lived significantly longer than people who had great health habits but were isolated. In other words, it is better to eat Twinkies with good friends than to eat broccoli alone. 

–What is this saying...we were meant for oneness in the framework of community...we desperately need each other. We need each other, Life Church! Life Church Villages! La Vida Church!

–There has been a steady decline in our American society of what sociologist call “social capital”– a sense of connectedness and community.

Robert Putnam - Bowling Alone: The level of community in America is at its lowest point in our lifetimes, and this loss of social capital results in lower educational performance, more teen pregnancy, greater depression, and higher crime rates.

4. The Answer: The Divine Community.

“With billions of people in the world, someone should be able to figure out a system where no one is lonely.”

Someone did. That system is called community.  

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.

Dallas Willard - God’s aim in human history is the creation of an inclusive community of loving persons, with Himself as its primary sustainer and most glorious inhabitant.

–To show how important community was to God we can go back further than when man existed and see what life was like for Him. This is the doctrine of the Trinity.

--The Trinity turns out to be vitally important because it tells us that God Himself has been experiencing community throughout eternity. Community is rooted in the being of God.

5. Life within the Trinity - The Great Invitation!

–Frederick Bruner in an essay on the Trinity begins with discussing Holy Spirit.

Bruner - One of the most surprising discoveries in my own study of the doctrine and experience of the Spirit in the New Testament is what I call the shyness of the Spirit...What I mean here is not the shyness of timidity but the shyness of deference, the shyness of a concentrated attention on another; it is not the shyness (which we often experience) of self-centeredness; but the shyness of an other-centeredness.

–Holy Spirit is constantly drawing attention not to Himself but to Jesus. Holy Spirit comes in the Son’s Name, bears witness to the Son, and glorifies the Son.

–It is as if Holy Spirit is hiding but saying…Look at Him, listen to Him, learn from Him, follow Him, worship Him, be devoted to Him, serve Him, love Him, be preoccupied with Him.

–Jesus has this shyness too...He didn’t go around promoting Himself...If I glorify Myself, My glory means nothing. He didn’t come to be served but to serve. Jesus submitted to the Spirit and was led in the wilderness.

–The Father has this shyness...this otherness as He says at Jesus baptism...This is My Son in Whom I am well pleased...Listen to Him. The Trinity has this shyness...they point faithfully and selflessly to each other.

Dallas Willard - The Trinity is a self-sufficing community of unspeakably magnificent personal beings of boundless love, knowledge, and power.

–So what about this great invitation? Imagine with me the Trinity in a circle in perfect love and unity. We get God’s invitation to come into the circle. Listen to Jesus explain this:

John 17:20 23 (NLT) 

20 “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. 

21 I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me. 

22 “I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. 

23 I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.  

 –We have been invited into this fellowship of love...this community of love.  Why Jesus says:

Matthew 18:20 (NKJV) 

20 For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them." 

Ortberg - At enormous cost to every member of the Trinity, you and I have been welcomed to the eternal circle, to be held in the heart of the Father, Son, and Spirit. Therefore, to fail to prize community; to tolerate disunity with the people God loves–particularly disunity in the body of Christ; or to do things that could lead to disunity is unthinkable.

Loving God’s Church – Community – 5

                                                 Loving God’s Church – Community – 5

Subject – Roof Crashers

By Rick Welborne

Luke 5:18-26 (NLT2)
¹⁸  Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a sleeping mat. They tried to take him inside to Jesus,
¹⁹  but they couldn’t reach him because of the crowd. So they went up to the roof and took off some tiles. Then they lowered the sick man on his mat down into the crowd, right in front of Jesus.
²⁰  Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the man, “Young man, your sins are forgiven.”
²¹  But the Pharisees and teachers of religious law said to themselves, “Who does he think he is? That’s blasphemy! Only God can forgive sins!”
²²  Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he asked them, “Why do you question this in your hearts?
²³  Is it easier to say ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Stand up and walk’?
²⁴  So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!”
²⁵  And immediately, as everyone watched, the man jumped up, picked up his mat, and went home praising God.
²⁶  Everyone was gripped with great wonder and awe, and they praised God, exclaiming, “We have seen amazing things today!” 

--Last week we talked about the community and how Jesus related to it. This week we are referring back to the community of the mat. We need more roof crashers.

--These four friends get word that Jesus was there in their town and, of course, they want to hear this famous Rabbi. One of them says, “We have to get our friend to hear Jesus!”

--This could really be encouraging to him and if everything we have heard about Jesus is true…maybe, just maybe our friend will be healed. We have to get him there!

--To do what they are wanting to do will not be easy logistically but it is so important to understand that they were not thinking about themselves, they were thinking about their friend.

Philippians 2:3-4 (NKJV)
³  Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.
⁴  Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

This is key to community - True friends get their friends to Jesus!

--They tell their friend that he is going to see Jesus. They tell him they will be there at 9:00 to pick him up. He really doesn’t have much choice because when his friends pick him up, they really pick him up.

--They arrive at the house where Jesus is teaching and the house is packed…standing room only. There was no room left, not even outside the door. Jesus is so close but they can’t get to Him.

--You see, this happened before the American churches adopted the unwritten verse…Thou shall place a bulletin on the pew to reserve your seat and anyone who sits there on shall be cast into outer darkness. Amen!

--These friends had not counted on the crowd. One of them (the management guy) says how can we get him to Jesus…let’s brainstorm. Remember, no idea is a bad idea. 

--Soon one of them gets an idea…probably the youngest, the tattooed and pierced guy…I have an idea, Dudes! What if we make a hole in the roof and lower him down? Whoaaa! Any other ideas? There were none.

1. Roof crashers are desperate to get their friends to Jesus.

--This can be for salvation, deliverance, or healing but holy desperation is necessary to get people to Jesus. Community recognizes that the only hope people have is Jesus.

--They are so desperate to get to Jesus that they decide nothing was going to get in their way…not even a crowd or a roof. They were motivated by their love for their friend and their trust that Jesus could do something.

Proverbs 3:5-8 (NKJV)
⁵  Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;
⁶  In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.
⁷  Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil.
⁸  It will be health to your flesh, And strength to your bones. 

--Catch how these verses tell us that our trust in the Lord will bring us to the healing we need. Your trust in the Lord will be health to your flesh and strength to your bones. This man needed that.

--So they get ropes to lower him and they head up on the roof. Many house had outside stairs which led up on the roof which was used like a patio area. 

--I am sure people outside the house were asking them what were they doing and were told how ridiculous of an idea it was. When you are truly desperate, you do not care what people think. 

--Years ago as I was fulfilling my call to restaurant ministry…I met a young lady by the name of Hollie. For about two years I felt such a holy desperation to get her to Jesus.

--She met my entire family and we would encourage her to come to church and to come to Jesus. She would disappear for a while and then, show up at another restaurant. Jesus had a plan for her life.

--Again she disappeared but I kept praying for her salvation. Desperate people do not become weary in reaching out to people who need Jesus. 

Galatians 6:7-9 (NKJV)
⁷  Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.
⁸  For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.
⁹  And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

--After church one Sunday we were going into Moe’s and guess who was coming out…Hollie and her mother. She introduces me to her mother as the preacher trying to get her to church.

--Her mother said, we will be in church next Sunday and that is a promise. She kept her word. During the prayer time, Hollie runs forward and gives her heart to Jesus. She is gloriously saved. I was so happy! So was heaven!

--The story does not stop there…the following Thursday she breaks up with her boyfriend because of her new found relationship with Jesus. She determined nothing would keep her from serving Jesus.

--Her boyfriend explodes in anger, drags her into his car, drives over 80 miles an hour, and purposely crashes into a tree killing her instantly. She made it to Jesus! Desperation paid off. Her mom was so thankful.

--Here’s a thought about community we must understand…when you witness to people and share Christ with them, you are probably answering the prayer of someone in the community of God. We were her mom’s answer

2. Roof crashers break through.

--These words (Break thru) were used much more when I first came into the Kingdom of God than they are now and I have a theory of why that is true. You may not like my answer.

--I believe the answer is that we have become quite lazy in our Christian walk and since a break thru implies effort and work, we are less likely to go after the things we say we need from God.

--Prosperity has made us lazy…why struggle or labor in prayer when I can buy an earthly solution to my need?

Revelation 3:15-17 (NKJV)
¹⁵  I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot.
¹⁶  So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.
¹⁷  Because you say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing'--and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked--

--Jesus is teaching and because He is the greatest teacher ever, people are listening. Suddenly there is a distraction…a sound from the roof and then, a little dust falling.

--Dirt, dust, and small parts of the roof begin to fall into the meeting messing up people’s hair and their concentration. Then bigger pieces begin to fall. The owner is getting a skylight he did not ask for.

--The owner steps outside to call Allstate to let them know about the damage to his house. Jesus is here so can I clam it as an act of God? People begin to see four sets of hands laboring hard to break through. 

--These men are not going to allow anything to stand in their way…they are going to get their friend to Jesus. They become roof crashers because they love their friend and this is his only hope. 

--When was the last time you determined to break thru for a friend or someone in this community who needed a miracle? Communities pray for one another and we fight for one another. May stay up all night praying.

--Remember if this man does not have these friends he does not get to Jesus, he doesn’t have his sins forgiven, he doesn’t get healed…he doesn’t have a break through.

Ortberg – Community gets built by servants. Great community gets built by roof-crashers.  

3. Roof crashers are committed to community.

--This paralyzed man had true friends in their small community. Not people who were just friendly but people who are committed to you in a way acquaintances or paid service providers are not.

Urie Bronfenbrenner – A family or community is a group which possess and implements an irrational commitment to the wellbeing of its members.  

--The key word here is irrational. In great communities, people carry mats and crash thru roofs without asking the question…What’s in it for me?

--How often do you do roof crashing? You do not have to destroy someone’s home. Mostly it involves doing two things. Noticing and doing. See a need and fill a need. 

Hebrews 10:24-25 (NCV)
²⁴  Let us think about each other and help each other to show love and do good deeds.
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.

Loving God’s Church – 4

                                                             Loving God’s Church – 4

Subject – Jesus and His Love for Community

By Rick Welborne

John 17:20-26 (NLT2)
²⁰  “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message.
²¹  I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.
²²  “I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one.
²³  I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.
²⁴  Father, I want these whom you have given me to be with me where I am. Then they can see all the glory you gave me because you loved me even before the world began!
²⁵  “O righteous Father, the world doesn’t know you, but I do; and these disciples know you sent me.
²⁶  I have revealed you to them, and I will continue to do so. Then your love for me will be in them, and I will be in them.” 

--Today we are continuing the series Loving God’s Church. I do love Life Church and the people who have dedicated themselves to this community. 

--This subject has surely stirred my heart and I believe this idea of community is so important especially in these last days. That is actually what the writer of Hebrews was saying.

Hebrews 10:24-25 (NCV)
²⁴  Let us think about each other and help each other to show love and do good deeds.
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.

--These verses go to the very heart of community…we love each other so much that we want to help each other when it comes to living for Jesus. Encourage one another to be faithful. 

--Also, community is only lived out when we meet together. Don’t stay away from church when you can be here and when you are here, figure out how to encourage your brothers and sisters.

--Do this even more as you see the Day approaching. What Day? The return of Christ! If we believe He is coming soon, we should be getting our hearts ready and helping others do the same.

--Last week we shared about the community of the mat and how those guys were intentional about being friends and caring for each other. Without friends this man never makes it to Jesus…forgiven and healed.

--Today, I want us again to look at Jesus and His love and dedication to this whole idea of community. Please follow me today and see how this idea of community flows through all of scripture.

1. Jesus was in community with the Trinity from the beginning of time. 

John 17:21 & 24 (NLT2) ²¹  I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.
²⁴  Father, I want these whom you have given me to be with me where I am. Then they can see all the glory you gave me because you loved me even before the world began! 

--The Father, the Son Jesus, and Holy Spirit have been enjoying beautiful community since before the world began…they are One in everything…love, purpose, unity, mission. They glorify each other.

Bruner - One of the most surprising discoveries in my own study of the doctrine and experience of the Spirit in the New Testament is what I call the shyness of the Spirit.

–It is not a shyness of timidity but it is a shyness of love...Because they are One and because of their constant love for each other, they are always drawing attention toward each other, not themselves. 

2. Jesus was in community with His family.

--We all know Jesus was born into the family of Joseph and Mary. Imagine having a son or a brother who is the Son of God. He thinks he is so perfect! Well, yes He does because yes He is!

--Please do not think there were not issues with Jesus in this family community. Remember when He was twelve they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast. His parents head home. Not Jesus!

--They went a day’s journey before they realized He was not with them. How do you lose the Son of God? Imagine, it took them three days to find Him…my parents would have laid hands on me. He was in the temple.

Luke 2:48-52 (NKJV)
⁴⁸  So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, "Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously."
⁴⁹  And He said to them, "Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father's business?"
⁵⁰  But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them.
⁵¹  Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart.
⁵²  And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. 

--Let me show you how subject He was to His mother…let’s look at His first miracle at the wedding in Canaan. His mother had influence and knowledge about when He should begin His ministry. Community.

John 2:1-5 (NKJV)
¹  On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there.
²  Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding.
³  And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, "They have no wine."
⁴  Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come."
⁵  His mother said to the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it." 

--When we submit to one another in this community called family, blessings and miracles can follow. His mother had the power to bless Him because of His submission (subjection) to her…community works.

3. Jesus started building community with His disciples. 

Matthew 4:17-22 (NKJV)
¹⁷  From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
¹⁸  And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.
¹⁹  Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men."
²⁰  They immediately left their nets and followed Him.
²¹  Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them,
²²  and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him. 

--Jesus had wonderful community with Father and with Holy Spirit but the Trinity wanted more…they wanted their community to expand…to grow and to be built one disciple at a time. 

--I have said over and over that this community (when you start adding people) is not perfect. Thomas doubted, Peter had a big mouth and was unstable, Judas betrayed Christ for 30 pieces of silver. Nevertheless:

Matthew 16:15-18 (NKJV)
¹⁵  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"
¹⁶  Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
¹⁷  Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.
¹⁸  And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.

--God’s community is built like God’s Kingdom, one soul at a time. Jesus is building the church and He is building a community that can withstand whatever Satan throws at us. Greater is He!

--Jesus wanted so much to build this community that He gave everything so that it would be born. He laid down His life. He was the seed that was planted to grow the church…the community of God.

John 12:23-27 (NKJV)
²³  But Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified.
²⁴  Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.
²⁵  He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
²⁶  If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.
²⁷  "Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? 'Father, save Me from this hour'? But for this purpose I came to this hour. 

--Jesus wanted so much for this community of believers to grow (to actually multiply) that He was willing to die, to be buried, and to be resurrected by the Spirit of God.

--Listen to the wording in verse 24, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. Only when it dies does it multiply. Stay with me…

John 12:24 (NLT2) ²⁴  I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives.

--The reason churches struggle to grow and multiply is because we have independent kernels who are unwilling to die. Jesus, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.”

--The kernel of grain must be willing to be placed where it will not be visible, where it will have to be willing to get dirty, and has to be willing to die…if it doesn’t die…it doesn’t multiply. 

--If God’s community will grow, it will be because we deny ourselves (serve others), take up our cross (whatever lot God gives us), and follow Him (not our own ways and desires). 

--If we eat the seeds (Jamestown) or the grain instead of planting them…we will see no multiplication. I read of cannibalism during Jamestown’s starving time. When we do not plant we devour one another.

--Community requires a higher standard:

Hebrews 10:24-25 (NCV)
²⁴  Let us think about each other and help each other to show love and do good deeds.
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.