Sermon Tone Analysis

God Plus Something Else

By Shaun LePage, September 26, 2007.

Some of the huge redwood trees in California are over 300 feet high.

Compare that to the KU tower (Memorial Carillon and Campanile) which stands only 120 feet high.

Such monsters must have tremendous root systems that reach hundreds of feet down into the earth—right?

Wrong.

The redwoods actually have very shallow root systems.

The redwoods grow strong and tall because their root systems intertwine.

They lock into each other.

If a redwood stood out in a field alone, it wouldn’t take a very strong storm to knock it down.

The key word is “alone”.

The strength of a redwood is found in its dependence upon the other trees which stand beside it.

What a great picture.

The strength of a Christian is very similar.

The strength of a Christian is found in his dependence upon the other Christians which stand beside him.

Yes, yes, I know—the Lord is our strength and He is all we need.

But that’s not the whole picture.

God Himself gave us the New Testament.

God Himself gave us well over 50 “one-another” commands!

He is all we need for salvation.

For life.

But He has made it clear that for spiritual growth—we need God plus something else: our brothers and sisters in Christ.

The church.

For several months last year—as most of you will remember—we studied the One-Another’s together in our Community Groups.

This is such an important piece of the puzzle of Christianity that I’m going to ask you to take a refresher course.

I’m including a list here of every one of these commands I could find.

Would you take a minute and read this list?

Yes, it’s long, but I believe there is great value in re-reading it.

Mark 9:50—be at peace with one another

John 13:14—wash one another’s feet

John 13:34—love one another

John 13:35—love one another

John 15:12—love one another

John 15:17—love one another

Romans 12:5—you are members of one another

Romans 12:10—be devoted to one another in brotherly love

Romans 12:16—be of the same mind toward one another

Romans 13:8—love one another

Romans 14:13—let us not judge one another

Romans 14:19—build up one another

Romans 15:5—be of the same mind with one another

Romans 15:7—accept one another

 Romans 15:14—admonish one another

 Romans 16:16—greet one another with a holy kiss

1 Corinthians 11:33—wait for one another (fellowship meals)

1 Corinthians 12:25—care for one another

1 Corinthians 16:20—greet one another with a holy kiss

2 Corinthians 13:12—greet one another with a holy kiss

Galatians 5:13—through love serve one another

Galatians 5:15—if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another

Galatians 5:26—Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another.

Galatians 6:2—bear one another’s burdens

 Ephesians 4:2—show tolerance for one another

Ephesians 4:25—Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth each one /of you /with his neighbor, for we are members of one another.

Ephesians 4:32—Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.

Ephesians 5:19—speak to one another in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs

Ephesians 5:21—be subject to one another

Philippians 2:3—regard one another as more important than yourselves

Colossians 3:9—do not lie to one another

 Colossians 3:13—bear with one another and forgive one another

Colossians 3:16—teach and admonish one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs

 1 Thessalonians 5:11—encourage one another and build up one another

1 Thessalonians 5:13—live in peace with one another

1 Thessalonians 5:15—seek after that which is good for one another

Hebrews 3:3—encourage one another

Hebrews 10:24—stimulate one another to love and good deeds

Hebrews 10:25—(not forsaking assembling) encouraging one another

James 4:11—do not speak against one another

James 5:9—do not complain against one another

James 5:16—confess your sins to one another and pray for one another

1 Peter 1:22—love one another

1 Peter 4:8—love one another

1 Peter 4:9—be hospitable to one another

1 Peter 4:10—serve one another

1 Peter 5:5—clothe yourselves with humility toward one another

1 Peter 5:14—greet one another with a holy kiss

1 John 3:11—love one another

1 John 3:23—love one another

1 John 4:7—love one another

1 John 4:11—love one another

1 John 4:12—love one another

2 John 5—love one another

What did you think?

What went through your mind as you read this list again?

Let me share some of my thoughts:

§  Some of the “one-anothers” are repeated or very similar.

Various teachers have condensed them down to around a dozen categories.

But repetition in the Bible is always important.

It’s saying, “Don’t miss this—it’s important!”

§  Most of the “one-anothers” are commands.

They give us some things—lots of things—to do.

“*Love, serve, encourage, speak, pray for*…” These commands require our time and personal commitment to our church body.

§  One of the “one-anothers” is a statement.

“*We are members of one another*.”

That’s not a command to do anything.

It simply tells us a fact.

But listen to it in context—Romans 12:3-5: “*For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.

For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another*.”

Did you catch that metaphor?

“…*We, who are many, are one body in Christ*…” Paul used that metaphor repeatedly to describe the church.