YOU CAN'T DO LIFE ALONE
Notes
Transcript
Pastor Ray Ortlund writes, "The kind of God we really believe in is revealed in how we treat one another. The lovely gospel of Jesus positions us to treat one another like royalty, and every non-gospel positions us to treat one another like dirt. But we will follow through horizontally on whatever we believe vertically."
Ray then goes on to identify the "One Another's" he could not find in the N.T.:
Sanctify one another, humble one another, scrutinize one another, pressure one another, embarrass one another, corner one another, interrupt one another, defeat one another, sacrifice one another, shame one another, judge one another, run one another's lives, confess one another's sins, intensify one another's sufferings, point out one another's failings …
The primary activity of the church is one-anothering one another.
Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”
If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.
John 13:25, 15:12, 17; Romans 13:8; 1 Thessalonians 3:12, 4:9; 1 Peter 4:8; 1 John 3:11, 23, 4:7, 11, 12; 2 John 5
Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.
Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.
Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.
Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.
I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another.
Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.
1 Corinthians 16:20; 2 Corinthians 13:12; 1 Peter 5:14
For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.
But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.
Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
Therefore encourage one another with these words.
1 Thessalonians 5:11, Hebrews 3:13, 10:25
Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.
And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,
Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.
Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door.
Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.
As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace:
Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
THE ONE ANOTHER’S SHOW US OUR NEED FOR INTIMACY NOT ISOLATION.
THE ONE ANOTHER’S SHOW US OUR NEED FOR INTIMACY NOT ISOLATION.
I chose the word intimacy over involvement in order to stress the heart of one-anothering. One-anothering calls us to intimacy which I define as “into me see”. Most, if not all, of us hide from true intimacy because of the fall. Adam and Eve hid from the Lord and we continue in that same pattern today. We run from the light instead of walking in the light.
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
Freedom is found in the light. Real fellowship is found in the light. We leave our inhumane lives and step into what it means to be human. We were not made to live in isolation. Jesus only lived three hours of his life in isolation. Paul never travelled alone. No true follower of Christ written of in Scripture lived in isolation.
One-anothering is where help and healing are found. Its where we are encouraged not embarrassed. Its where we come clean without being condemned. It’s where love covers a multitude of sins. Covers does not mean condone. Covers means to confront because is seeks to cure. Its where we carry not cast out. Its where we admonish not attack.
One-anothering moves us from imitating Christ’s life to participating in it.
THE ONE ANOTHER’S SHAPE OUR LOVE BY DEFINING OUR ACTIONS.
THE ONE ANOTHER’S SHAPE OUR LOVE BY DEFINING OUR ACTIONS.
One-anothering defines Jesus words in
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.
This is what love is!
Our one-anothering gives credibility to our message. Ralph Waldo Emerson said; “Who you are speaks so loudly I can’t hear what you’re saying”. Our lifestyle will not win anyone to Christ it can only win an audience for Christ.
By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
THE ONE ANOTHER’S SUSTAIN AND SANCTIFY US.
THE ONE ANOTHER’S SUSTAIN AND SANCTIFY US.
One-anothering denotes reciprocity - the idea of mutual exchange. Spiritual growth is as much public as it is private. We sustainability and strength within our community. Our private devotion with the Lord must be balanced by our public devotion with the Lord’s people.
One-anothering creates a spiritual energy that provokes and carries us. It builds us up.
After the Paris massacre, we heard some unexpected wisdom from an unlikely source—the singer Madonna. During a recent concert, Madonna paused in between songs and said, "The way we change the world is that we change the way we treat one another on a daily basis," she said. "We must start treating every human being with dignity and respect."
Christian’s have not been called to change the world. We have been called to convey a message through our words and witness.
Jesus one-anothered His disciples and now His Spirit lives in us He one-anothers us through one-another. When we enter into the one-another wardrobe we enter a world our suspicions hoped existed. Not a world free of friction but a world free to live not for its own self interest but the interest of others. Not a world free from cross-bearing but one in which bearing our cross means to become fully human again. Our first parents denied the Lord at a tree. The Second Adam, Jesus, triumph on the tree. Let us not repeat the sin of our first parents. Let us gone on daily to repeat the triumph of our Savior by picking up our tree.