Good morning. (Read Matthew 5:14-16) “1”
For the past few weeks, we have been looking at the 2 lamps behind me and trying to figure out the connection breakdowns that are causing the one lamp not to burn brightly like it was meant to do. Before we move on this morning, let’s do a quick review of the past couple of weeks:
We began by looking at the fact that the light must be connected to the source. For us, the source is God, which means we need to look Upward in order to see and Eternal Connection. We also looked at how apart from God we can do nothing, and how people try to hook into the wrong sources some times.
Last week, we moved to the switch of the light. We said that the switch is Self, which means we need to look Inward in order to see the Internal Connection. This sermon dealt with the idea of making a choice, because of free will to follow God and to shine for Him. And we ended last week by looking at a few things that can turn our switch off.
This week, I have a feeling that we can get this light working right, but before we begin, let’s open with a word of prayer.
So far we have covered the Eternal and Internal Connections. This week we move to the External Connection. The Socket is Others, which means we need to look Outward in order to see the External Connection.
For this, turn with me to Acts 2:42-47. Here in Acts 2:42-47 it says, “2”
So, What is Fellowship?
When you hear the word Fellowship, what do you think about? What is the first thing that comes to mind? To some people fellowship means just a good meal, or the time that we go places together anywhere from shopping to going to retreats.
For some people fellowship means no more than coming together for church events. We meet in our “fellowship” halls. The word in the New Testament literally means “a communion”, a participation of people together in God’s grace. It means to have something in common.
It describes a community in which individuals willingly pledge to share in common, to be in submission to each other, to support one another and bear one another’s burdens, to build up each other in our relationship with Jesus.
Romans 12:16 says, “Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation.” What Paul is saying here is that we are all the same here at church. How often do you support someone that you don’t always hang out with? When we come to church we are to be one big family, and we should be there for one another. And that is everyone, and not just our own little groups that we hang out with while we are here.
I John 1:7 says, “But if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.” If we are in the light of Christ, then we must have fellowship with all of those that are in the light as well. Notice that if we do not accept what the Bible says about Jesus, we cannot have fellowship. Notice that if WE are not walking in the light, we cannot have fellowship.
Now that we know what fellowship is supposed to be, What is the Objective of Fellowship?
The reason that we have fellowship is to help each one of us to grow in Christ. We are to help one another grow in Christ. We are to encourage each other to live for Jesus. In The Living Bible in Ephesians 2:19 it says, “Now you are no longer strangers to God and foreigners to heaven, but you are members of God’s very own family, citizens of God’s country, and you belong in God’s household with every other Christian.”
We are called to belong, not just believe, we are not meant to live on an island by ourselves. We are called to belong to a body of believers. What is the purpose of a healthy family? To build up, to encourage, and to equip. The same is true for the family of God.
We also have fellowship so that we can grow together in Christ. We have fellowship with one another so that we can be there for one another.
We cannot help each other if we do not know each other. We cannot have true fellowship if we do not spend time together. We cannot help each other if we are afraid to open up to one another. I imagine that if you would ask those who have been willing to let others get to know them, most of them would say they have been encouraged or helped through a tough time in life because of this.
Fellowship is an important purpose of the church. It is one of the things that people will be attracted to. If the world doesn’t see a church that is one in heart and one in purpose, they will not take us very serious. So I want to challenge you as we look at the idea of being connected through fellowship with other to not just hear the messages, but think about how you can fellowship with others better.
The good news is that people are looking for fellowship. People want to be around other people like them and be able to share with them. It is something that God has put inside each of us. It is through good Godly fellowship, that we can begin to build strong friendships with others. Turn with me to Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 and hold that spot for a moment.
Charles Swindoll has made a powerful observation. He has said, “The neighborhood bar is possibly the best counterfeit that there is to the fellowship Christ wants us to give his church. It’s an imitation, dispensing liquor instead of grace, escape rather than reality – but it is a permissive, accepting and inclusive fellowship. It is unshockable. You can tell people secrets, and they usually don’t tell others or even want to. The bar flourishes not because most people are alcoholics, but because God has put into the human heart the desire to know and be known, to love and be loved, and so many seek a counterfeit at the price of a few beers.”
Perhaps there is no better example of this than the older TV show “Cheers.” The theme song says, “Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name, and they’re always glad you came; You want to be where you can see, Our troubles are all the same; You want to be where everybody knows your name!” Isn’t it sad that this song was written about a bar instead of the church?
When we read these words of Solomon we tend to think in terms of marriage, and there certainly is that application. But I believe the author had a much wider application in mind. This is for people who are humans on this lonely earth who are wondering how to survive in our dog-eat-dog type culture.
The writer of Ecclesiastes wants us to understand that Friendship is a good investment. When the author says in verse 9, “Two are better than one, because they have good return for their work.”
The very best investment you will ever make in life will not be a financial one, but rather the investment made in relationships with others. We will get the best return on that investment over any other investment that we will ever make.
As we go through life there are 2 kinds of things we can give our lives to. Some people try to accumulate possessions. They are constantly trying to get more or better stuff. It is attributed to the late Malcolm Forbes to have said, “He who dies with most toys wins.” However, since he has died, he knows that not to be true. If we spend all our lives trying to accumulate more and more possessions, we will never truly be happy and fulfilled. On the other hand we can decide to focus on building relationships, trying to make friends and to be a friend. The first half of Proverbs 18:24 says, “A man who has friends must himself be friendly…”
Now I want to spend the time left this morning looking at 4 characteristics of a real friend.
First, A Real Friend Helps You When You’re Down.
Verse 10 says, “If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the who falls and has no one to help him up.”
Now you may have a lot of people in your life you could call acquaintances. But you may only have a small few that you would call “real friends.” Some one has suggested that we have been successful in life if we have enough close friends to act as pall bearers at our funeral.
You may wonder, “How can I tell the difference between acquaintances and friends.” That’s easy, just get in trouble, the people that are still around are your real friends, and there may not be as many left as you would have thought.
A friend is the kind of person that if you call them at 2:00 in the morning and tell them you need them, they don’t ask, “So what’s the problem” and then decide whether or not to come. They simply ask, “Where are you?” as they are getting dressed. That’s a real friend. How many people do you have like that in your life?
Now I’m not saying that you have to be in real trouble to find out who you friends are, what I am saying is that when things aren’t so great in you life, you have someone to fall back on and to help you get back up. The writer of Proverbs 17:17 says, “A friend loves at all times, And a brother is born for adversity.” So, a real friend helps you when your down… and
Second, A Real Friend Is Someone Who Provides Emotional Or Physical Warmth In A Cold, Cruel World. verse 11 says, “Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone?”
Some times we have a tendency to take a passage so literally that we miss the point. This is more than just about keeping each other physically warm. We need help to face circumstances beyond our control, we need to be able to gain emotional strength when we don’t have enough of our own. Sometimes it’s cold out there in the world.
These are those circumstances where we are facing a battle of “How am I going to make it through this right now!” That is the time we need a friend to give us emotional strength.
We all know that the reality of life is that we encounter a lot of people, who, when we spend time with them, they send our emotional gas gauge all the way over to empty. We leave their presence absolutely drained. But there are other people, and these are our true friends, that when we spend time with them, our emotional gas gauge goes all the way over to full. There are two kinds of people in the world encouragers and discouragers. Which group characterizes you?
You know, I think that many of those discouraging people have no idea that they are discouragers. But all you need to do is take a look at what you say. If every word out of your mouth is setting someone straight or telling them how they can improve themselves or their performance, you probably have a problem in this area. Why not decide to be an encourager today? A Real Friend Is Someone Who Provides Emotional Or Physical Warmth In A Cold, Cruel World And …..
Thirdly, A Real Friend Is Someone Who Will Fight To Protect You Or Your Reputation.
Verse 12 says, “Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. a cord of three strands is not easily broken.”
When these words were written, they were based on the military strategy of the ancient world. Almost all combat was hand to hand combat. Soldiers went into battle with a partner, someone that could be counted on and trusted to watch their back. The soldiers stood back to back of one another, and they always keep their backs in contact and fought whatever enemy came from any side.
Friends not only never stab you in the back, they guard your back. A friend never puts up with gossip about their friends. Let me give you a definition of Gossip. Gossip is when someone says something negative or unkind about someone who is not present, whether it is true or not. It doesn’t have to be a lie for it to still be gossip. But, A Real Friend Is Someone Who Will Fight To Protect You Or Your Reputation and …
Finally, A Real Friend Is Committed To Helping You Grow Spiritually.
In Proverbs 27:17 it says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”
The greatest gift you can give someone is the gift of an invitation, an invitation to a relationship with God. Some of you are here today because a long time ago a friend invited you. Well I want to tell you that they are your true friend because they are letting you know of the greatest gift anyone could ever get and that is a personal relationship with God. Forgiveness for your sin, fellowship with a body of believers, and a place in Heaven for eternity.
True friends want to see us continue to grow. The writer of Proverbs has said, that friends help to sharpen us, to become sharp spiritually a little bit at a time. He compares this type of friendship to iron that is sharpened by other iron. Think of a blacksmith who makes swords. He takes a hammer and takes out a piece of iron and works on it slowly and continuously until it takes the shape and sharpness of a sword.
Friends are always challenging us and even pushing us to be all that God wants for us to be. You may be saying to yourself, “I wish I had a friend like that!” Well I am so glad you asked! The second half of Proverbs 18:24 which we looked at early says, “… But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”
The song so wisely says, “What A Friend We Have In Jesus, All Our Sins And Griefs To Bear. What A Privilege To Carry Everything To God In Prayer. Oh, What Peace We Often Forfeit, Oh, What Needless Pain We Bear, All Because We Do Not Carry Everything To God In Prayer.”
So, now that we realize that the socket is the church. It is the relationships that we have with those around us this morning, we can get plugged into the socket and hopefully we will shine. Now lets apply the knowledge of the socket to the lights behind me.
Now I am not going to fool with the lamp that has been burning, because I don’t want to burn my hand, so we go strait to the one we have been working on for the past few weeks. As we connect the bulb to the socket, there is the bright light we have been waiting for.
You see, we are just like this light. When everything is connected properly, we can shine light into the darkness.
Let’s Pray
(Invitation to join the socket here at Fly Branch Church Of Christ) |
