What have we learned? (Session 7)
Billy Milton - April 16, 2006
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If this is your first week here then I expect your thinking, “What on earth is going on in this weird church? And what are these shirts all about?” Well this week is a bit different than most other weeks, you’ll be glad to hear. For one it’s Easter Sunday and traditionally Christians all over the world have celebrated the rising of Jesus from the dead on this particular Sunday. So we are feeling in party mood already. As well as that we’re going to celebrate the conclusion of 40 Days of Community because we’ve just had a great time together! We’ve enjoyed being together, fellowshipping together, loving together, serving together, all of these things that we’ve done over the last 40 days. We are better together – aren’t we? Today we’re going to take a flying trip through the 40 days and celebrate as we go.
So, let’s take out our message outline. The Bible says in Deuteronomy 11:2 “Remember today what you have learned about the Lord through your experiences with him.” You know, it’s so true isn’t it? Somethings you only learn through experience. You can’t learn them any other way, and I could’ve taught you for a full year about the value of community, of fellowship, God’s family, but you just wouldn’t get it until you actually get into a group. And then, you experience it and say, yes – now I know. And if you decided not to join a group then… you still won’t get it.
Now, I want to know, how many of you would say, “I learned something new during 40 Days of Community”? Hands up. Yeah, of course we did. And the Bible says, if you look on the notes there, ‘remember’. It says “Remember what you’ve learned about the Lord through your experiences with him.”
So this weekend, as I said, we’re going to remember what we learned during 40 Days of Community. Let’s just start with what did we learn from Mike last week ABOUT WORSHIPPING TOGETHER. Well, we learned a couple of things. The first thing we learned is this: Matthew 18:20, “Wherever two or three of you come together in my name, I am there with you.” Now we learned first, worship can take place anywhere you’ve got two or three people together, corporate worship. A lot of people think the only time they can worship is when they come on a weekend to a church service but God says, “No, you can worship anywhere in a group.” In fact, he says, “Wherever two or three people are gathered in my name,” he said, “I’m there in the midst of them and you can worship me.” The risen Jesus Christ promises to be with us. That’s one of the great results of the resurrection – Jesus with us today as we meet together! Hallelujah?
Now the other thing we learned is that worship is to be a celebration. Look at the next verse: “O God, you are the one who rides on the clouds, and we praise you”. Your name is the Lord, and we celebrate as we worship you.” Circle that word ‘celebrate.’ God says, “I want worship to be fun. I want it to be a celebration. Worship is to be a festival, not a funeral.” Have you ever been in a church that believed you had to be sombre to really worship God? You know, if you raise your voice in church, God will somehow be offended so everything is spoken in whispers. You know? It’s God’s frozen chosen. When the disciples met together on the first Sunday after Jesus rose from the dead, what do you suppose the atmosphere was like? I can almost say with 100% certainty that it was joyful and excited and not the least funereal.
God says, “I want worship to be a festival. I want you to celebrate. I want you to enjoy me.” Why? Because God is a great God, he raised Jesus from the dead – how great is that? And when we understand how great he is in worship, everything else is put into perspective, including our problems. If God can handle the problem of his only Son being crucified and buried then he can handle anything so let’s worship him as we sing this traditional Easter hymn together.
So we learned about worshipping together that God is great and every time we express love to God that is worship. And worship is a whole lot more fun with other people than just by yourself.
Now number 2, what did we learn ABOUT FELLOWSHIPING TOGETHER? Well, we learned two of the most important truths in life: #1, That we belong to each other; and #2, That we need each other. And we covered this almost every week as we looked at being together in the Lord. Romans 12:5 says this, “Since we are all one body in Christ, we belong to each other and each of us needs all the others.” We emphasised this truth over and over. God never meant for you to go through life by yourself. Whether you marry or not is irrelevant, you need a spiritual family that’s going to be there in the tough times.
Remember when I used the illustration of the Redwood trees. That they don’t have very deep roots but they are the biggest things on the planet because they grow in groves and they interconnect their roots together, and they hold each other up in the storms of life. And so, we need each other and we belong to each other. Now, we learned a lot in being together in groups and fellowship.
During 40 Days we looked at the fact that relationships are what life is all about. If you had to summarise the whole Bible in a couple of sentences they could be, ‘Love God with all your heart’ and ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ There’s a vertical and there’s a horizontal part to life. You have a relationship to God and you have a relationship to others. You learn to love God, and you learn to love others. If you do that, God says, “You’ve got it,” because life is all about relationships, to God and to each other. Now we also learned that we have to work at relationships. They’re not always easy. And I’m sure that during 40 Days there were times that you didn’t feel like going to your small group. You thought, “I’d rather stay home and lie on the couch.” But you got up and you went anyway, and it not only blessed you, it blessed other people. It takes effort.
Look at the next verse, James 3:18 says this, “You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoys its results, only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other and treating each other with dignity and honor.” James says it takes hard work. Yeah, it takes hard work to build relationships. But the benefits are worth the effort because you have people that are in your life, walking through life with you, and you’re not alone. They care about you, and you care about them.
The Bible says it’s good and pleasant when God’s children dwell together in unity. When there is community, God says it’s good. That means it’s beneficial, and it is pleasant. It means it’s pleasurable. And today, we want to celebrate the fact that many people discovered community in ways they never knew possible.
So what did we learn ABOUT GROWING TOGETHER? Well, we learned that it takes participation. You just don’t grow by what you hear, by what you learn. You don’t grow just by going to Bible studies. It’s by putting it into practice that you grow. The Bible says, “Be doers of the word.” There is nothing sadder than a knowledgeable person who has not allowed it to affect their relationships. That person is invariably hard and judgmental. Give me a doer anytime.
Now I just wonder, how many of you either hosted a group for the first time, attended a group for the first time, prayed in public in a group for the first time or served in a small group project for the very first time? Can I see your hands? Look at that. That’s so encouraging.
See you all grew. You grew during that time because you were stretching muscles. You don’t grow muscles by sitting down and reading a book on bodybuilding, do you? You know, you could sit there and have your chips and burgers and study every page. You could underline a few chapters. You might even memorize a few verses of a bodybuilding book. It’s not going to build your body at all. The only way you build it is by putting it into practice and actually doing something about it.
So what did we learn about growing together? Well, we learned some really important truths: #1, We learned that we grow faster and we grow stronger together. In fact, it’s almost impossible to grow spiritually by yourself. Oh, you could get head knowledge of the Bible but that’s not what God says is growth.
Notice Ephesians 2:21, “We who believe and are carefully joined together with Christ as parts of a beautiful, constantly growing temple for God.” We grow by being connected. And remember we talked about if you cut off a hand, and it’s lying over there, it’s not going to grow. It’s not even going to survive. The body might survive but the hand won’t. It’s going to die, and if you get disconnected from the body of Christ, if you’re not connected to a group of other believers who are in your life and you’re in their’s, there is no lifeblood. You cannot grow apart from the body, which is the family of God, the body of Christ. You’ve got to be connected up, and we grow faster and stronger that way. Some of you have learned that over these 40 days.
The second thing we learned is that the goal of growing together is to become like Jesus Christ. Look at the next verse. Let’s read it aloud together: “This work must continue until we’re all joined together in the same faith and in the same knowledge of the Son of God. We must become a mature person, growing until we become like Christ and have his perfection.” Now it says we must become mature …and what is maturity? It’s not old age. I’ve met more than my fair share of immature old people. Maturity is becoming like Christ. And what is Christ? Perfection. Have any of you attained perfection? Okay, you haven’t? So you still need a small group of people around you who have the courage to say, “Actually that’s not how Jesus would have behaved.” Accepting that type of gentle rebuke is a mark of maturity.
One of the other things that we learned about growth during 40 Days is that growth is a choice. Remember I said, “You’re as close to God as you choose to be.” If you’re not growing spiritually, if you’re a spiritual baby, it’s your fault. It’s your choice. You are as close to God as you choose to be, and you can choose to grow. But, here’s the point, growth is a daily choice. Every day I have to make a choice to grow… I can’t just make one choice and say, “For the rest of my life, I’m going to keep growing.” No, I have to make that daily choice and say, “Every day, I choose to follow you.”
Now what did we learn ABOUT SERVING TOGETHER? Well, we learned two very important truths: #1, That we all need to be served; and #2, That we all need to serve others. First, you’ve got to learn to be served. You’ve got to learn to accept help from other people. If you can’t accept help from other people, you’ve got a pride problem. On the other hand, if you never help anybody else, you’ve got a selfishness problem. Either way, God says, “That’s not the way it was supposed to be.” You are designed to give and receive help all the time, to serve and to be served, to share and to be shared with. And during ‘40 Days’, we clarified a number of the responsibilities of belonging to the church family. During our daily devotionals, we looked at 40 of the ‘one anothers.’ Love one another. Care for one another. Help one another. Serve one another. Share with one another. Greet one another. Encourage one another. Counsel one another. And so on. The Bible clearly says we need each other.
Look at these verses from Galatians 6:10, “Every time we get the chance, let us work for the benefit of all, starting with the people closest to us in the community of faith.” That’s the family of God. It’s the church. Of course we need to care about everybody, but God says you start with those closest to you in the church family, in your small group.
Look at the next verse. Let’s read it together, “We work together as partners who belong to God.” Now many of you during 40 Days experienced the joy of serving for the very first time, and I say congratulations to you. I hope you acquired a taste for it? The two most dangerous words you can pray are the words, “Use me.” When you say, “God use me,” get ready to have your socks blessed off because God is looking for people to use.
But I’ve learned there’s a one word prayer that’s just as dangerous as the prayer “Use me,” it’s the prayer, “Whatever.” Whatever God. Whatever you want me to do, I’ll do it. Whatever you want me to be, I’ll be it. Whatever you want me to say, I’ll say it. Whatever you want me to give, I’ll give it. Whatever you want me to think or go or whatever, I will do it. And when you come to that point in your life, “God whatever,” then you begin to experience life as it was meant to be lived. Life as an adventure. Life as the rollercoaster ride of God saying, “Okay, you said ‘whatever’, here we go. Buckle up.” And so, this is how we learn to serve by just saying, “God, whatever.” I’ll serve in little ways, big ways, anyway in between. And that’s how we grow, and that’s how we serve. Let’s give your bottoms a rest by standing again to sing:
Now, what did we learn from Duncan ABOUT REACHING OUT TOGETHER? Well we learned some really important truths about that, and the first one is in James 1:27, “Real religion,” listen to this, “Real religion, the kind that passes muster before God the Father is this: Reach out to the homeless and loveless in their plight.” God says the test of your faith is not what you know. The test of your faith is not what you say you believe. The test of your Christianity is how you treat other people. Some of us fail right there! He says, “I’m looking to see not what you say you believe or what you know. The real test of your faith is this: Do you love people enough to help them when they’re down.”
Who can tell me KRC’s mission statement? “Serving Christ Together – Making Him Known To Today’s World” As a church, we want to do that. But, even more important than the words of our mission statement is this fact - most of all, God wants us to know him. He wants us to know the good news, that you are not an accident. That God has a plan and purpose for your life, and that he wants you to know him as well as He already knows you. The proof of that? He gave up his perfect sinless Son for you. He allowed him to be crucified on a cross. And on the third day he raised him from the dead. An empty grave shouts out how much God loves you! That’s the good news which gives us a definite purpose in life and we’re committed to sharing that with everybody. Why? Look at the next verse.
Romans 10 says this, “Anyone who calls in the name of the Lord will be saved. But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him and how can they believe in him if they’ve never heard of him, and how can they hear about him unless somebody tells them?” And the answer is: They can’t. They can’t. There are people living in your neighbourhood who will die without Christ if somebody doesn’t tell them. They have to be told that God loves them, that he has a plan and purpose for their lives.
Psalm 2:8, says this, “If you ask me, I will give you the nations.” “If you ask me, I will give you the nations. All the people of the earth will be yours.” Now what does that verse mean? God says whoever is brave enough and is courageous enough and loving enough to ask him for the privilege of sharing the good news with other people, I will give them that privilege and they will be the ones that get to spread it all around the world. He says, “Ask me and I will give you the nations.” All you have to do is ask. If even one or two people here this morning had the courage to ask, I believe God would use this church to change our town and maybe even our nation. Maybe that’s why you’re here this morning. It’s no accident. All we have to do is claim God’s promises. He said, “Ask me.”
Do you realize what a privilege it is to be a part of God’s work in the world? That the God of the universe would choose you and me with all of our faults and our hang-ups and fears and problems, and say, “I’m going to use you for a cause greater than yourself that is going to have eternal implications for all of time.” If you know a more significant thing to do with your life, I would invite you to stand up right now and tell us because I believe there is nothing more important than first, doing what God’s called you to do, fulfilling his purposes in your life and then helping spread that news all around the world. There is no greater cause that – period! And that is what gives your life meaning and significance and everything else is trivial and petty and pointless by comparison. You were made by God and for God, and until you understand that, life will not make sense.
NOW WHAT are we going to do? What do we do next now that 40 Days of Community is over? Well, the Bible is very clear about that. There are three things he wants us to do. Look at these verses, Hebrews 10, would you read it with me? “Let us not give up the habit of meeting together as some are doing. Instead let us encourage one another all the more.” He says don’t stop doing what you’re doing, keep meeting together. You need to stay in a group.
Now Mike told us that he only wanted us to stay in our small groups for 6 weeks. And we’ve done that. So can we just stop now and get back into the rut we came from? No. No. No! We keep going – we keep building our relationships together. If your present group is not sustainable then you join another group that suits you better but we don’t stop meeting together.
You can’t go through life alone. Speak to Mike James and he’ll place you in another group if you want.
Now here’s the second thing God says I want you to do, Philippians 4:9, “Keep on doing the things that you’ve learned and received and heard and the God of peace will be with you.” So, don’t give up the habit of meeting together. But, what else have you been doing? Well, you’ve been having a daily quiet time, reading a little bit of the Bible every day. You’ve been coming to weekly worship. You’ve been trying to memorize a Bible verse every week. You’ve been working on projects of serving and sharing. He says just keep doing those things and the “God of peace will be with you.” God will help you.
God has chosen you and this church to do great things, and we should be grateful. And the Bible says we express our thanks to God by giving. See day 39 in your books for an expansion of this thought. ‘Thanks’ and ‘giving’ go together. We’re going to give our thanksgiving offering in a moment.
But as we end this 40 Days of Community, I want us to join in a prayer of thanksgiving to thank God not only for what he’s done in the last 40 days but in the last year. Would you bow your heads?
Dear Father, we thank you so much for all you’ve done for us in our lives. Thank you for life itself. Thank you that you created us. You saved us. You’ve given us a purpose. You’ve guaranteed us a home in heaven. We wouldn’t have anything without you. So today, on this special Easter celebration, we express our thanks to you for who you are, and we thank you for each other, for our church family. That we get to be a part of something so significant in the world. Thank you that we can have a small part together as we worship together and serve together and share and grow in fellowship together. And so, we offer our sincere thanks; first by giving you our own lives. Help us to have the courage to pray , “Whatever.” Whatever God. Whatever you want to do with our lives, we are yours. And we ask you to bless this thanksgiving offering now. In your name, I pray. Amen.
Now don’t rush upstairs for the food. The music team are going to lead us in singing the party song of all party songs because God is good. And as we sing about God’s goodness we will take up our special thanksgiving offering. Please look on this is a chance to say thanks to God and not just as a reluctant giving of money. If you have come unprepared just take a pen just now and write on a piece of paper what you’d like to give and sign it and put it in the offering tub. Our treasurer will chase you up later. Let’s lift the roof off this place now.