CLOSE TO CHRIST AND COMMUNITY

(INTRO) WHAT IS COMMUNITY? WHY ARE WE SO LONELY?

[1]WELCOME: Good morning Church! If you’re new with us on campus or online, my name is Nic Cook and I’m one of the pastors here at Cornerstone along with Joe and the other elders. So glad you chose to be with God’s family together today! We’ve been going through a letter in our bibles called Hebrews and we’ve called the SERIES: ANCHORED. Today we’re going to be talking about what it means to…[2]

· LIVE AND COMMIT TO COMMUNITY: Community is a buzzword that gets thrown around a lot in our culture. It usually talks about a group of people with something in common. There are retirement communities. A group of people who are no longer working and are exploring what it means to enjoy life without the need for a job. There’s the LGBTQ+ community. A group of people based on shared views of sexuality and the promotion of those views. There’s the sports community. A group of people who all love baseball, basketball, football, and gather to enjoy them or play them. Then we have communities based on a shared location like the Auburn community. We live close to each other and have some shared desire to see good come to our town and its people. So, when you talk about community, which one are we talking about. Community based on interest, or location? What makes it even more difficult is when you include things like ONLINE COMMUNITY. Suddenly you can find yourself able to connect with not just the sports community in Auburn, or America, but Australia and All of the the world. We have all of these communities that we identify with and talk about, yet there is an…[3]

· IMMENSE LACK OF FEELING KNOWN, WANTED, AND LOVED: In 2019, 3 out of 5 Americans described themselves as lonely. And that was before the pandemic. In 2020, a study from Harvard found that half of new mothers and 6 out of 10 young adults (ages 18-25) said that they are “miserably” lonely. In fact, there is overwhelming medical evidence that loneliness results in mental, psychological, and physical illness. Yet we are the most “connected” society that has ever existed. We have thousands of followers, friends, and likes, and still struggle with feeling like we belong. Why is that? [4]Maybe, what we define as community is too shallow to meet the deep needs, we all have. Maybe true community is so hard to cultivate, that we settle for easier substitutes. The writer of Hebrews is saying, who Jesus is and what he has done isn’t simply lofty theological concepts but have profound implications for the practicals of life right here and right now. [5]Jesus didn’t just come to deal with sins, or make it possible to get into heaven, but also came to create beautiful, satisfying, and transformative communities. So if you’ll open your bibles to [6][Heb. 10:19-25], we’re going to see what God says about being part of a community is all about. Let’s pray!

(TEACH/APP) DRAWING NEAR TO GOD TOGETHER (God)

BACKGROUND: [7]So, chapter 10 is where the author of Hebrews is drawing together all the main elements they have been talking about since chapter one. Jesus is the better high priest that makes it possible to approach God knowing we are welcome and wanted. Jesus started a new covenant relationship that gave us new hearts capable of loving God and his way of life. Jesus has opened a better tabernacle, a place for us to meet with God directly one day in heaven. Jesus is the perfect and permanent sacrifice that makes us clean, holy, and forgiven, for all of time, past, present, and future. If you have missed the last few weeks, I’d encourage you to go back and watch those on our app or website. So as the author of Hebrews is wrapping up this amazing description of who Jesus is and what he has done, all of the sudden he takes an unexpected turn in verse 24 when he says [8]“24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” Look at Jesus, look at Jesus, look at Jesus, now look at other believers in Jesus. Look up, up, up, up, up…around. [9]

· IF WE WANT TO DRAW NEAR TO JESUS, THEN WE HAVE TO DRAW NEAR TO THE COMMUNITY JESUS CREATED: I know that in this day and age, this is going to rub against the grain and irritate people. They’re going to disagree with me. I don’t need the organized church. I feel close to God when I’m out in nature or hunting. I don’t need religion, I need a personal relationship with Jesus. I don’t need to be in a building once a week to grow as a Christian. I love Jesus, but I don’t love the church. The problem is that there’s just enough truth to these statements to make them believable. But they’re not complete or completely true. Yes, God’s presence is often felt in nature. No, he’s not confined to a single building, or a single hour and a half on Sundays. Yes, the family of God tends to get sidetracked or sideways with each other and not treat each other well, making people want to distance themselves from “the church.” The problem is that…[10]

· GOD CREATED US FOR COMMUNITY: We are made in the image of God, which means we’re like him in many ways. And God is a community of love. The Father, the Son, and the Spirit are all in perfect loving community that serves each other. The very first thing that God said wasn’t good when he created the world was for man to be alone. He needed a human community so he created Eve. He created marriage, he created the ability to create children, and families, and larger communities. As the writer of Hebrews is following the logical flow of God’s plan to draw us closer to him, to deal with our sin, it makes sense for them to point to God’s will for us to be in community because…[11]

o BEING IN COMMUNITY REVEALS AND CONFRONTS OUR SIN: We see this happen in marriage a lot. Two people meet and fall in love. They can’t see each other’s flaws because they’re sooooo in love. But then they get married, move in together. All the sudden, they’re together all the time and sharing the same space. And you start to notice that they leave their underwear on the back of the toilet or leave all the lights on in the house. (hypothetically) Neat freaks and slobs sharing a home. Impulsive spenders and spreadsheet nerds sharing their income. That’s not the way I want it done. Well, that’s not the way I want it done. I didn’t mean it that way. Well, that’s the way I took it. And friction arises. Selfishness meets selfishness. This is not only true of marriage, but of any set of relationships between human beings. We are all selfish. We all have blind spots. And they’re called blind spots precisely because we can’t see them. But other people can. Which is why we’re told to “stir one another”. [12]Did you know that the original word means to “provoke, agitate, or irritate.” I think that’s why the New International Version translation says to “spur” one another. Like when a rider on a horse digs their heals into the side of a horse to irritate it and get it moving. We need people in our lives who see the sin that we are blind to. That love us enough to annoy us and irritate us by telling us the things we don’t want to hear or like to hear. Ouch, that hurts, but it gets me moving towards Jesus and keeps me from getting stuck in my sin. So being in community reveals our sin and calls us to confront the sin that we’re blind to. But…[13]

o STAYING IN COMMUNITY HELPS US BECOMING MORE LIKE JESUS: We’re told that a Christian community is called to call out sin and annoy each other by not letting our sin go undealt with. On the other hand we’re told to [14]“encourage one another.” That word “encourage” is the opposite of holy irritation and spurring one another on. It’s the word “parakaleo” which is two Greek words. “Para” which means to “come alongside” and “kaleo” which means “to call”. Coming alongside someone and calling them to continue to do what they need to do. BESIDE THEM, SUPPORTING THEM! This is beautiful. Being close and sharing our strength. Holding people as they cry. Lending our strength when they’re weak. Picking them up when they stumble. Cheering them on when they’re struggling. Calling out the good you see in them. Reminding them of who they are to God when they’re unsure of his love. [15]It reminds me of the soldier running up next to his brother who is wounded and places their arm over his shoulder and helps him keep moving. Or for us Lord of the Rings nerds, Samwise gamgee who is alongside us on the journey, telling us we can keep going, helping us carry our burdens and not quit. This is the picture we’re given of Christian community. Holy Irritation and Holy Inspiration. Both…[16]

§ BOTH TRUTH AND GRACE: If all we ever do is speak truth to people, we treat them like projects to be fixed instead of people to be loved. If all we do is challenge people, then all they’ll ever feel like is they are failures. However, if all we ever do is show grace to people, they won’t truly change. Jesus didn’t die for sin just to gather a group of people who are content to live in their sin. Jesus loves us as we are, he treats us like people who are made in the image of God and invites us to be with him. But he doesn’t leave us where we are. He calls us and challenges us to become who he created us to be. And he does this through community. The simple fact is that WE WILL NEVER BECOME WHO WE WERE MEANT TO BE APART FROM CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY. God’s desire was to help us draw close to him. He wanted to deal with sin in our lives. And he has given his blood to make that happen. But he has also given us the community of Christ help us see our sin, and experience transformation and encouragement. Which helps us draw closer to him. [17]DRAWING CLOSE TO JESUS INCLUDES DRAWING CLOSE TO THE COMMUNITY OF JESUS. If you want one, you have to have the other. Dietrich Bonhoeffer in his book Life Together said this [18]“Let him who cannot be alone beware of community... Let him who is not in community beware of being alone... Each by itself has profound perils and pitfalls.” The idea is that there will be people who focus just on being with God and never engage in community. He says they end up being self-infatuated, vain, or in despair because they feel separated. They struggle to truly connect with God because they haven’t learned to connect with others. Then there will be people who only focus on being with Christian community, end up being dangerous to that community because they never confront their deep issues in the presence of God. They’re dependent on how people feel about them to make them feel valuable and significant. Those who don’t know how to be with God alone are dangerous to community. Both drawing near to Jesus and drawing near to the community of Jesus are necessary for our transformation. [19]Most people want to focus on verses 19-22 talk about the lengths God went to for us to be able to approach him boldly and with confidence, knowing that Jesus has made us clean and made it possible. But they fail to draw the connection that being in community is part of drawing close to God. Part of holding on to that hope and being in Christian community helps us to continue to draw close to him. Let’s get really practical. [20]

(JC) COMMUNITY IS CREATED BY “GIVING” (JC)

Now, let me ask a question. In this environment are you able to encourage and stir one another up? The answer is, some, but probably not the way this passage is calling us to. Part of following Jesus as part of a community means we gather on Sundays to be taught, worship, serve, and give. But it isn’t the best environment for encouragement and spurring one another. Unfortunately, it’s possible to show up on Sundays and be taught, worship, serve, and give, and not actually have a deep sense of community and to be lonely and not experience as much transformation as we’d like. For this kind of community to exist and to grow, it requires time outside of our gatherings on Sundays. It means inviting people into your life to know you and for them to be known. I wish that it just happened naturally, but it doesn’t. It takes effort. It’s simply not possible for what happens on Sundays to create that kind of community. We must realize that…[21]

COMMUNITY IS CREATED BY THOSE COMMITTED TO “GIVING”, NOT “GETTING”: The words used in Hebrews are action words. Encourage. Spur. Consider. This means we are called to take an active role in building communities. We must be willing to put in the effort of inviting others into our lives. We must go out of our way to involve them in our lives and to be involved in theirs as well. If we want community, we must be willing to create space for it to happen. Those who are least lonely, are the ones who have learned how to spend time with Jesus on their own and then seek out loving and serving others instead of waiting for others to meet their needs. Which is why we are called to…[22]

1. CONSIDER ONE ANOTHER: We’re told to “consider” others. The author of Hebrews uses that word one other time in his letter. In [Heb. 3:1] we’re told to consider Jesus. That word means to look at him closely. Contemplate. Think about deeply for an extended period. We are called to spend time thinking about or contemplating others. What do they like? What do they need? How can I encourage them? What are some things that I could do to help them grow? When you think about them, does it lead you to action? Maybe I should invite them over. Maybe I can send them a text or stop and pray for them. What can I do to show them they’re loved and important? Two of the simpliest ways create community and consider one another is SHARE A MEAL AND SHOW UP IN TIME OF PAIN.Next, we need to be…[23]

2. BE CONCIOUS OF THE CYCLE OF COMMUNITY: Idealization, Disillusionment, Break, Acceptance. I stole this from another pastor, but I felt like it was helpful. [24]One of the major problems that happens is that we have unrealistic expectations of Christian community. We enter into a new church and it’s awesome, and the people are great and kind and welcoming. But then over time there are disappointments. Disillusionment sets in. Someone hurts your feelings or lets you down. Then it happens again. Many times, it’s little things. Like a paper cut. Ouch, that word hurt. That look made me feel stupid. These little things add up and eventually there’s one last little conversation or interaction that hurts too much. Death by a thousand paper cuts. The temptation is to make a break. I’m done. I’m going to go to a different church where this won’t happen. I’m done with church. The problem is that because the church is full of humans, the same thing is going to happen somewhere else. And if you decide to accept that community for what it is, and commit to speaking grace and showing truth, it can and will get better. And that is usually a reciprocal process. We end up being changed by being willing to be part of the process of bringing change to a group of people. Lastly, community is created when we…[26]

3. HOLD FAST TO JESUS AND TO EACH OTHER: [Heb. 10:23] tells us, “23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.” That image of holding fast is one of clinging to something or someone as tightly as we can. [27]It reminds me of the meme of a kid on a roller coaster. He’s holding fast to the seat restraint and he’s holding onto the person next to him. Even though the restraint isn’t going to fail, he still needs someone to cling to. This is the beauty of Christian community. Jesus doesn’t fail. He’s steadfast and safe. But he intends for us to have people we can hold on to as well. People who will help tell us where we’re stuck or sinning. People who will stand with us when we’re hurting, and people who will encourage us when they see Jesus winning in us. Are you willing to give yourself to making that kind of community? Jesus created community by giving of himself. Jesus considered our needs and then came to earth to show us we were loved and valued. Jesus held fast to us even when he could have been disillusioned and made his break. IT WAS NOT ONLY JESUS THAT CHANGED THE WORLD, BUT IT WAS THE COMMUNITY OF JESUS THAT GOD USED TO MEET THE GREAT DESIRES THAT THE WORLD IS LONGING FOR. If we want to draw near to Jesus, we need to draw near to the community of Jesus. And when we do, the world will be drawn towards Jesus. Let’s pray!