Sunday, August 19, 2018 am
WE ARE BRETHREN
Genesis 13:8
What I want us to notice about this event was how Abraham cherished
family and was willing to take measures to keep the peace.
He was willing to sacrifice for the sake of his family.
That is because family OUGHT to be that way.
“We
are brethren” is a saying that ought to be just as important to us. It
is one of the descriptions of the church.
We are the household of God.
And our spiritual family ought to be of such great value that we
would be willing to sacrifice, as Abram did, for one another.
It is with this in mind that this morning I want to remind us of
the blessing we enjoy as brethren
a.
This is a blessing from
God. From the very
beginning, after God created Adam, He realized that “It is not good that
man should be alone” and created a helpmeet for Him.
Eve, taken from his side became his wife (Genesis 2:18, 22-24)
and helpmeet.
Solomon in Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 noted that two are better than one and
described many reasons.
He spoke of the value of a friend in Proverbs 18:24 where he noted there
is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
In Proverbs 17:17 he spoke of a friend that loves at all times.
THIS same idea continues in the New Testament as Christians.
God desired that we have friends who would stand by us and with
us as we face the hostilities of this world.
That is what the church is about
(at least that is ONE purpose of the church). We edify each other (build
each other up – Ephesians 4:16).
God, in His eternal wisdom gave us the church (Ephesians 3:10-11), a
group of like minded saints who join together to build each other up
spiritually.
Yet, far too many dismiss the importance of the church.
b.
One of the ways we are
described is brethren. More
than 200 times in the New Testament we are referred to as brethren (or
brother) as fellow Christians.
The idea being we are family.
1 Timothy 3:15 speaks of the house (household) of God (also Galatians
6:10).
He gave us one another to be the family we need as we face a world that
is hostile to truth. In fact
consider Mark 10:29-30 – which notes what we leave in this life for Him,
we will receive “a hundredfold now in this time” and eternal life.
c.
So what does it mean,
when we say we are brethren.
What are some of the blessings of being brethren?
For the remainder of our lesson, let us be reminded of some of
these things.
a.
We find encouragement
and comfort.
At times we all become discouraged or frustrated.
Sometimes things seem hopeless to us and we want to give up.
We know we can’t. And
the world, in many instances doesn’t care.
The Greek word (παρακαλέω,
parakaleō) that is often translated encourage, or more often, comfort – is
a word that literally means “to call to one’s side”.
The idea being we stand beside each other.
That is what the Christian life is about.
1 Thessalonians 5:11 calls for us to comfort and edify one another.
Hebrews 12:12 tells us to strengthen the hands that hang down.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 – Paul begins his letter discussing how we are
comforted by God and we comfort one another.
As a family of “like precious faith”, we have similar goals, and are
likeminded (tonight).
Therefore we have an understanding of each other that the world doesn’t
understand. That is why we
can be a source of encouragement to each other.
b.
We find a source of help
in times of need
-
Certainly, words of encouragement are a source of help. But sometimes,
we need help, even beyond simple words.
We may need direction, or we may need help with physical or
spiritual concerns.
As brethren, once again, we are there for each other.
In its infancy, we find in the church numerous examples of brethren
helping each other. Acts
4:32-37 describes brethren selling land for their needy brethren.
In Acts 11:27-30 brethren in Antioch hear of a famine in Judea and sent
relief.
While these are more corporate examples, they show how we as brethren
are there for each other to help in whatever way we can.
Romans 12:10-15 describes numerous things we are called upon to
do for one another as brethren.
Also consider Galatians 6:1-2.
One observation we remind ourselves of – Galatians 5:13 – we should not
take undue advantage of one another.
c.
We find a source of correction
We don’t like to talk about discipline and being corrected.
Often it is because we are wrong or will face embarrassment as
our errors are dealt with.
Sometimes, we know that the steps involved in correction are unpleasant
so we prefer to be left alone.
BUT, that is not a good thing.
IF we are doing something wrong, we NEED to be corrected.
Hebrews 12:5-12 describes the chastening of God (the Lord)
Brethren, who lovingly correct us are a blessing!
Galatians 6:1-2, James 5:19-20 – both point toward the responsibility of
brethren to correct us. BUT
they also note it is a good thing for us – a brother who cares will save
a soul from (eternal and spiritual) death and cover a multitude of sins.
We ought to thank God that we have brethren who will come to us and help
us get back on the right path.
AND we must also make this possible by being receptive!
d.
We find a source of prayer for each other
–
Prayer is part of the solution in virtually everything we face as
Christians. We need to turn
to God and honestly we need others to pray with us and for us.
As we have continually noted, Jesus prayed often.
So did Paul. He
was continually praying for his brethren and continually solicited their
prayers for him – cf. Ephesians
6:18-20, Romans 15:30.
We need to be praying for one another - James 5:16
1 Peter 3:12 tells us For the eyes
of the Lord are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their
prayers; But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.
It is a genuine blessing to know that when we need strength and are
struggling, we can turn to our brethren and together lift up our voices
to God in prayer.
NOTE: Sometimes brethren are praying for you, even when you don’t know
it.
e.
We find a source of inspiration
–
By inspiration in this instance, I mean someone that we can look up to
and use as motivation to become better.
Our society uses the term mentor to describe someone who is
training you. We speak of
role models and again these are the ones we look up to.
As Christians, our ultimate “role model” is Jesus – Hebrews 12:1-2 – in
the race for eternity, He is at the finish line and we are to be “looing
unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith”
BUT, godly brethren are also worthy role models – they are our peers or
perhaps those who have been where we are headed.
We see their faith, spiritual strength, maturity, knowledge, etc.
– and we are “inspired” to do better.
Paul, was an “inspiration” to others by his good conduct – cf.
Philippians 1:12-14. Philippians
3:17 he would later note, “Join in following my example…”
He challenged Timothy to imitate him.
Hebrews 13:7 calls for us to look to the example of our elders, “whose
faith follow”. When you
consider the qualities of an elder, they are to be men worthy of
imitation.
What a blessing it is to know that in this life, we don’t have to deal
with our troubles alone.
f.
We find a source of knowledge -
Nobody has the answer to every question.
The young in the faith especially need those who are mature to
direct them. We know that
are expected to grow in knowledge (2 Peter 3:18).
Hebrews 5:12-6:1 finds a rebuke against those who have not grown
the way they ought to.
2 Timothy 2:2 – even Timothy was entrusted with teaching others so that
they could teach.
Both elders and preachers must have a level of knowledge with which they
can build up the flock.
Titus 2:1-4 describes how the older teach and lead the younger.
So are those who have been Christians for years, or perhaps decades.
They are an incredible source of knowledge and WIDSOM in dealing
with problems and whatever you are facing.
The point is always, you have resources available that can help you
better understand God’s will for you.
Will you accept their help?
g.
We find a source of
genuine love and care
–
This really is the motivation behind who we are and what we do.
True brethren love you and want to see you go to heaven.
They want to see you do the right thing and will stand with you
when you do that.
Continually we are called upon to love one another and to care.
John 13:34-35 – Jesus described it as a new commandment.
Romans 12:10 calls for us to be kindly affectionate toward one
another with brotherly love. 1
Corinthians 12:25 – in describing how we are the body of Christ, he note
that when we are functioning properly we “have the same care for one
another”.
Even when the world turns its back on us, godly brethren are there.
Do we appreciate that blessing?
Friends, we can only show that genuine love for each other if we know
each other and are a part of each other’s lives.
The church is a blessing, not an mere obligation.
These are some of the blessings we enjoy as brethren. I am convinced
that God wants us to prefer one another and be there for each other
regularly. We do this
throughout the week, but we also do this when we come together.
Think about it: When we join ourselves to a group of God’s
people, and come together to worship God – we are also building each
other up – encouraging one another, edifying one another, praying for
one another and showing our genuine care and love for each other.
Your brethren are a blessing from God.
Are we a blessing to one another?
Think about it.