In his sermon, Michael Templeton explores the concept of 'The Communion of the Saints' within the context of a confessional church. He begins by addressing the nervousness and excitement of delivering the sermon and emphasizes the importance of deepening relationships within the church community, regardless of its size. Templeton highlights the role of the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith, explaining that while the Bible is the ultimate standard, the confession aids in interpreting and applying biblical teachings. The sermon focuses on the union with Jesus Christ as the foundation of communion among believers, emphasizing that love is the essence of this union. Templeton discusses how this love overflows into imparting grace through words, encouraging members to engage in exhortation and support. He warns against the dangers of isolation and underscores the importance of community in spiritual perseverance. The sermon concludes with applications for living out these principles, such as expecting and working through conflicts, worshiping in a way that blesses others, and the dangers of gossip.

I am very, very excited and mixed of nervousness to be here. I looked forward to the day that I got to stand up before you guys on Sunday if Jason and James gave me the opportunity to preach and they brought that to me, I guess it was a couple of months ago or so, and it was something you want and long for and pray for and at least I was and then it came and I was like oh my goodness what was I asking for. So I pray that what I have to say to you all would be really, really helpful. It would be really helpful to the end of helping us love one another more deeply. I think as I studied and preparing for this, one thing that came to my mind because a lot of my study resources, it was pertaining to what's referred to as small group life and I think one one thing that we we may be a little guilty of is is thinking but purely because of our size this is This is not a concern or issue for us, and it very much is.

Just our size does not insulate us from not going deep in relationships with one another. So I want to start out by saying that this has been a family project. James prayed for me Wednesday night and for my family and It's been a family project. I may be the one up here standing and the one that did a lot of studying, but had a lot of support from my wife. So I have a renewed respect for my vocational pastors and a great gratitude for a uni, a vocational pastor that we have.

We benefit tremendously from having a ma'am that can focus and study God's Word Sunday or week after week and bring that to us so very grateful for that. Jason and James brought the topic of communion of the Saints to me. It's a topic that I preached on in Malawi. They were very gracious. I had a pretty healthy head start.

Although because my relationship with you guys is much different, more intimate, I see you a lot more obviously. It's taken a really different emphasis than what I preached on in Malawi. Preparing has been so helpful for me. Week after week I go home and my wife asks me, so did you have any good conversations today? And too often the answer is, not really.

That's not an indictment on you guys at all. It's me. And it's been really, really helpful. I don't stand and preach today on the communion of the saints because I've got this whipped at all. I struggle at least as much, if not more, than all of you in really going deep in relationships.

So I pray that this study for us and for me would be a great start at going deeper with one another. So before we go any further, let's ask for the Lord's blessing. Oh Lord God, set me aside now and fill up the cup of my brothers and sisters. God, may you pour your Spirit out upon me and flow through me and the words of my mouth to my brothers and my sisters, to my eternal brothers and sisters. So we're going to spend forever together.

Oh, and for those, God, that will not spend forever with us, Oh, wake them up today. Wake them up for there will come a day where blood is put aside and separated if they are not in Christ. Oh, may it not be so. Save and glorify yourself by saving and building your church this morning. I pray these things to you in Jesus' name.

Amen. So Sovereign Redeemer is a confessional church. Sovereign Redeemer Community Church is a confessional church. One question, and I have a couple of introduction points, is what does it mean to be a confessional church? And to answer that question I want to ask another question.

So what is even a confession? Kids, you know, clue in with me here. If you haven't been with me in teaching, I know the Father-Daughter retreat is very interactive. So I may ask you a question, and unless I say it's rhetorical, then give me an answer, please. But a confession, a confession is a formal statement of religious belief.

A confession is a formal statement of religious belief and it may come up in your mind, well, like, why do we need a confession? Isn't the Bible enough for us? And while the Bible is our standard, at any point the Bible and our confession have any discrepancies, the confession is chucked to the wayside and the Bible rules and reigns in our life, in our church life. The Bible is our standard but it requires interpretation and application And that's part of what the confession does, a confession does for a church. So what does it mean to be a confessional church?

Well, let's state the obvious. We have a confession. However, we're not a, Jason made this clarification Monday morning, I thought it was really helpful. We're not a, I think you said a strict, meaning, but what I mean by that is, you, to become a member of our covenant community, you don't have to lock, stock and barrel, sign up for every element of the confession in order to become a member. You have to submit yourself to it.

That's for a member. For elders And deacons, it's different. But to come into our community, you don't have to be in lockstep with every single paragraph in line of the confession. Just submit yourself. Just agree to submit yourself to it.

What are the benefits of being a confessional church? Because there's a lot of people that don't like the idea of having a confession. It's really, really helpful for accountability. Really helpful. And not just for members, but even for the leaders.

It really brings a significant amount of accountability to us as a church body. And secondly, a benefit is It's full disclosure. In our documents, we have more documents than confession, but in the confession, it's clear. It's clear what we embrace and teach as a church. And that's only fair.

That's only fair because the significant commitment that we're asking from one another it's fair and right that full disclosures made and how we interpret and understand the Bible and the teachings on the chapters that are covered in the Confession. So, what is our Confession? And actually, I forget I do have an outline out there. So, if you are filling out blanks, number one, under introduction, Sovereign Redeemer Community Church is a confessional church. Actually, I don't have a blank for that do I probably should give an outline I do okay you may give me so our confession, our confession is the 1689 there before Baptist, 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith.

And Communion of the Saints is chapter 27. New two blanks there. 1689, Baptist Confession of Faith, chapter 27. I know you don't have it in front of you, but I think it's really helpful for me to read the two paragraphs of the confession just for you to hear the depth and the richness of the confession on communion of the saints. Just listen, listen as I read.

Chapter 27, paragraph 1. All saints that are united to Jesus Christ, their head by His Spirit and faith, although they are not made thereby one person with Him, have fellowship in His graces, sufferings, death, resurrection, and glory. And being united to one another in love, they have a communion in each other's gifts and graces and are obliged to the performance of such duties, public and private, in an orderly way as do conduce to their mutual good both in the inward and the outward man." How much more could you pack into a paragraph? Let's read the second paragraph or listen to me read the second paragraph. Saints by profession are bound to maintain a holy fellowship and communion in the worship of God and In performing such other spiritual services as tend to their mutual edification, as also in relieving each other in outward things according to their several abilities and necessities, Which communion, according to the rule of the gospel, though especially to be exercised by them, in the relation wherein they stand, whether in families or churches, yet, as God offereth opportunity, is to be extended to all the household of faith, even all those who in every place call upon the name of the Lord Jesus.

And lastly, nevertheless, their communion, one with another, as saints, doth not take away or infringe the title or propriety which each man hath in his goods and possessions. Thank you. It goes without saying there's absolutely no way for me to, with any depth, to go into every element of these two paragraphs. Most of the confession is this way, just dense. Every single line, every single word chosen with intentionality.

I counted up, you know, how many sermons, how many maybe series of sermons could I crank out of these two paragraphs? You know, I just counted this morning, you know, maybe seven of them. So there's no way that I have any desire or intentions to try to dive into that because then it would just be skimming the surface on every single one of them. I have a couple of them that I really want to go deeper into. And let me highlight those for you.

Those are the numbers one, two, and three on your outline this morning after the introduction. So just to know where we're going, I want to first talk about the source or foundation of our communion with one another. Secondly, I want to look at the essence of our union and explain and argue that the essence of our union with each other is love. And then thirdly, I want to specifically look at one way that this love that we tap into by union with Christ, how this love overflows in me opening my mouth to you. Me speaking into your life and it being reciprocal, you speaking into my life.

And then lastly, closing out with some applications. So let's look at number one. Number one there on your outline, if you're filling in blanks, is union with Jesus Christ gives communion to the saints. Union with Jesus Christ gives communion to the saints. Listen to 1 John.

As most of you know, this is not an expositional sermon, so don't even attempt. The number of places I'm going to take you in the Bible, just... You'd be more distracted trying to get there because a lot of them are just a couple of verses. So sit back, relax. I'll indicate if I want you to listen or try to turn there, obviously you can do what you want to do, but from my perspective to get the most out of this, let's listen to this one.

1 John, 1 John chapter 1 verses 3 and 4, It reads, That which we have seen and heard, we declare to you that you also may have fellowship with us. And truly Our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things we write to you that your joy may be full. Again, in talking about union with Jesus Christ, giving communion to the saints, our fellowship, our sharing in one another's life, communion of the saints is rooted first and foremost in our union with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. You see that in 1 John chapter 1.

You see that in verse 3. They say that they're declaring to you, we're declaring to you what we've seen and heard. So that, here's the reason why, so that you'll have fellowship with us. But actually, or truly it says, truly our fellowship is with the Father and with the Son. So as we declare what we've seen and heard so that you can have fellowship with us, we're just pulling you into a pre-existing fellowship with the Father and with the Son.

The root or the source of our communion with one another is our union to God through Jesus Christ by faith. We see this, we see this referenced in Jesus' prayer in chapter 17 of John. In verses 20 through 23, listen to this prayer that Jesus prays for us. Jesus is praying for us that you and I would be one. Like it's going to happen.

He will make it happen. He will make us one. Listen to verse 20, I don't pray for these alone. I'm not praying just for these, he's praying for us. I don't pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in me, future, as us, through their word.

And here it is in verse 21 Jesus praying that they all may be one as you Father are in me and I in you that they also may be one in us. That, the purpose of it, that the world may believe that you sent me, and the glory which you gave me I have given them, that they may be one just as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them as you have loved me." Again, we see in John, both John and then the Gospel and 1 John, we see the root and the source of our communion with one another, being in our union with God through Jesus Christ. Our union with Jesus by His Spirit and faith is so intimate. I hope you felt that as I read John and Jesus' prayer there in chapter 17. Like how intimate is the union between the Father and the Son.

I mean, it's perfect. And Jesus is praying. Make them one just like that. And the framers of the confession, I don't know if you heard it, but they said in paragraph one, they felt the necessity to make clear that in our union to God, in our union to God through Christ, that we don't actually become one person with Jesus. Like, raise your hand in the room if you've ever been tempted to think that you've become Jesus.

And to me, as I prepared for this in Malawi and as I prepared for this this time I've got a really long ways to go in feeling my union with God through Christ. It's the way the Bible talks about our union is so intimate our union with with Christ the way the Bible talks about our union with Christ, it's so intimate that to me, like I'm uncomfortable with it. It's almost like, it's almost dangerous, especially Like if you look at how Paul talks about this union in 1st Corinthians, 1st Corinthians chapter 6 and verse 15, listen to this verse just to get an idea of how vital, how intimate this is. Do you not know that your, he doesn't say spirit, what does he say? Your bodies.

He says, Do you not know that your he doesn't say spirit? What does he say your bodies? He says do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not.

That makes me a little squeamish. That makes me a little squeamish because physical, like the confession says I'm not one person with Jesus, but I'm not sure how it all works but I know what the Bible says and it's really really intimate really really close our union is so intimate and real it has physical ramifications. So in being careful, just like the confession is, that we don't become one person with Jesus, I don't want to dilute the teaching. I don't want to dilute the power of what Paul has said in verse 15 of 1 Corinthians 6 just because I'm uncomfortable with it. But we are teaching that as close and as intimate as it is, we don't become one person with Christ.

So let's close out this section, number one. Let's close out this section by turning to John. John chapter 15. In John chapter 15 we'll be reading verses 1 through 8. I want to close out this section by looking at how vital our union to Christ is.

John 15 verses 1 through 8, I am the true vine. My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, He takes away. And every branch that bears fruit, He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you abide in me and I in you as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me.

I am the vine, Jesus says, you are the branches. He who abides in Me and I in him bears much fruit, for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered, and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, My words abide in you. You will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.

By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, so that you will be my disciples." In John 15, 1-8, we see that God the Father is after fruit. We see the necessity of abiding in Jesus Christ and again I'm just I'm laying the foundation for communion of the saints. Without union to Jesus there is no communion with His saints. It may look like it, it may sound like it, you may be tricked and deceived, but if there is no abiding in Jesus Christ, you have no true communion with his saints and and here's the gospel if if you're if you're outside of Christ if you're outside of Christ this morning what are the consequences Like the consequences are a lot more severe than just not having communion with me as a child of God. If you're not United to God the Father through Jesus Christ by faith.

What's going to happen to you? Kids, you can get this. Look at me, kids. You can get this. You chop a vine off.

You chop a vine off of the, you chop a branch off of the vine, what happens to it? It dies. And you know, if you're a good gardener, you don't want to lay around and get diseased, you throw it in the fire. John 15, What are the consequences? The consequences of not abiding in Jesus Christ is that you are cut off from God and you are thrown into the fire.

The consequences of not abiding in Jesus Christ is eternal damnation. If you want more scripture for the closeness, the vitalness, the profoundness of our union with Christ, write down Colossians chapter 2 verses 9 and 10. Write down 2 Peter chapter 1 verse 4. These and many other passages teach us and explain to us how incredibly vital and profound our union with Christ is. Union with Jesus Christ gives communion to the saints.

In transitioning to number two on the outline, I want you to listen. Listen to 1st John chapter 4 verses 7 and 8. Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God. And every one who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

God is love, love is of God. We even are taught what love is. First John 3.16 says by seeing Jesus lay down his life, it gives us a frame of reference for what love is. What do you think we get when we tap into or when we are united to the living Son of God by faith. It's the same ideal of the branch and the vine in John 15 that we just read.

The branches draw, draw nourishment, draw life from the vine. And in the same way, we as branches being united to Jesus Christ, we draw life. And at least, I'm not saying that it's the only thing but it's definitely one of the major things if not the essence of our union. It's love. Love that flows from our communion with God overflows out to our communion with other believers there on your outline it says we are we are united to one another in love.

We are united to one another in love. The essence of our communion with each other is love. Let me read something to help you understand what I mean. John Piper in a sermon on Christian fellowship, he says this, and I read this to you in hopes that it will unpack for you what I'm after, What I'm after in saying that we are united to one another in love, the essence of our union is love. Listen to this, the mutual bond that Christians have with Christ, uniting us to Him, involves every Christian in this room.

It involves us in a deep, profound, eternal relationship of love with each other. Deep, profound, eternal. Just think of it forever. Like I said in my prayer, if you're in Christ and I'm in Christ, It's forever. It is forever.

Just think of it. You and me. That may stir up like, oh my goodness, what have I got myself into? But it's going to be forever. And Don't you think that we've got some things to get over with each other?

Amen. It's forever. There's no, I'm kind of mumbling in my thoughts into his quotes, so whatever upsets you, you can blame it on me. But There's no other way forward, he says, than this mutual bond that we have with each other in Christ. And this mutual bond that we have with each other in Christ, it expresses itself in joyful, affectionate.

None of this love is a choice stuff. Now I do want to insert a parenthesis. I think maybe that's an overstatement. Like I don't expect you to always joyfully, affectionately love me. You probably haven't already.

But most of the time, like, let's not let ourselves off the hook because of maybe some theology or ideals that we have about love that that we don't pursue and want this joyful affectionate expression of love between one another in our union with Christ the the Bible abounds with words about relationships among believers. That is way beyond this. I choose to like you, jerk. Like, I'm just gonna swallow, oh my, I just really don't like this person and just deal with it like sure that can happen sometime I'm not like I said earlier expecting us just to love each other all the time it like affectionately and joyfully but but it should rule the day for us and And he goes on to say that if that's not the case, if that's not the case, then we have a major problem. Don't you think that that's the point of 1 John?

1 John 4.20 says, if someone says, I love God and hates his brother, my kids you hear this all the time. You come to me and you've just taken the head off of your sister or your brother just eating them up. And what do I exhort you with I my younger ones I exhort you like if you don't if you can't if you can't love the person right in front of you like how in the world do you think you can love the Lord? First John, finishing First John 20, if someone says, I love God and hates his brother, he is a liar. For he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?

You and I, we are deceived if we think we love God whom we can't see and we don't love our brother who is a member of Christ's body whom we can see. The essence of our union to one another is love. What would we expect given that that that our communion with each other is our shared union? With the Savior who is who is first John says is love and And even teaches us what love is like The essence of our union with each other is actually our love for God. Our love for God, as I said earlier, that just overflows to each other.

If you're listening to me this morning, and I've felt it for weeks now, especially this week as my study intensified, if I have a problem loving you, the root of it is a God problem. It's a God problem if I can't love you. John calls you a liar if you wanna argue with me. He says if you can't love Michael, like quit lying, You don't love me. If, I think it was Robert, somebody prayed this morning or said something about drawing out of a whale.

But that's it. Our love for each other. Like, if you try to fake this and have no union with Christ, if you try to fake this, you're going to run out of gas fast and then you're going to eat each other up. But it's, we're drawing our love for one another from our love for God. You want to love each other more?

Go to the source. There is a direct correlation between our love for God and our ability to love each other. Let's move on to number three. Number three says the love, this love that We draw down from our union with God through Christ and then spills over, this love overflows to impart grace to each other. So if you're filling out blanks, big long blank for a short little word, this love overflows to impart grace to each other.

So let's turn to Ephesians 4.25 as we start digging into this one. Ephesians 425, that's where I draw the second part of that sentence, the importation of grace. Ephesians 425. Therefore, putting away lying, let each of you speak truth with his neighbor, For we are members of one another. Be angry and don't sin.

Do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil. Let him who stole still no longer, but rather let him labor working with his hands what is good that he may have something to give him who has need." Verse 29 is the nub of it. Verse 29, let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth. So it gives us a negative here. Don't let corrupt speech come out of your mouth, but instead let this come out of your mouth, what is good for necessary edification?

And what's the purpose? The purpose in verse 29 says that it may impart grace to the hearers. Like really? My words can impart grace to you like it isn't that is it God just isn't he the dispenser of it And this is where this is really the the heart of what I want to try to communicate to you. The foundation of our communion being union to God through Christ and And the essence of it being love, but this is where the rubber really meets the road and where I want to spend the remainder of our time on is, is you and I, if you are in Christ, You and I are means.

We're means of imparting grace to each other. You ever thought about it that way? It's just like God has ordained to spread the gospel through preaching, through talking, through sharing and teaching the gospel, the means that God uses. If you don't open your mouth to preach the gospel, who's going to get saved? So if I don't open my mouth, whether you're in Christ, but especially if you're outside of Christ, but especially if you're in Christ, if I don't open my mouth to you how am I going to impart grace to you the essence of verse 29 we impart grace to one another through our words we see this as well flip over and we'll this is at least turning wise, flip over to Hebrews chapter 10.

We see this, this same ideal, this same ideal of our, of our words imparting grace. Of God using the means of my words to you. And guess what? In about 45 minutes, I'm going to get an opportunity to practice this. I'm going to get an opportunity to make more of my time with you.

Like in 45 minutes, I could impart grace to you. Like who in the room doesn't need more grace who in the room doesn't need to be stirred up to love and good deeds who in the room doesn't need help persevering in 45 whatever the time frame is we're gonna get an opportunity to to be involved in something incredible and And not just on Sundays Wednesday night prayer meetings Breakfast at Griffin's in my home in your home Now you guys know me. I like joking. I like cutting up with you. This is not Mr.

Templeton's going to turn into a bear. Every time Mr. Templeton comes around, he's gonna hammer me. Like, brace yourself. No, not at all.

But I need to do a better job. I'm imbalanced. And some of you are the same way. I'm very imbalanced in this. Let's look at Hebrews chapter 10.

Hebrews chapter 10 verses 24 and 25. Let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another. And so much the more as you see the day approaching we see in Hebrews 10 in verse 24 let us consider one another are are you and I are we actively studying one another? Are you and I, are we thinking? What does Gary, he's not in the room.

I was looking for him. Gary, you came to my mind. What does Gary need? Like am I studying Gary? Am I thinking of him?

Is he thinking of me? Are we intentionally studying and thinking about each other in this way? Do we give any thought or effort to thinking, I don't care if it's 10 minutes before we get here, but Does it even enter our minds to think, what does that particular brother, what could I say to him to encourage him today? What could I say to him like, instead of thinking like, man, I can't believe he's doing that. And then I turn it into some prayer requests which you know a lot of times just gossip like go to him, me, the door is open.

Like do we do we give any time during our week thinking and preparing what can we say that would be helpful so what what are we supposed to be doing this for what's the purpose of us thinking and considering one another and you see there in in verse 24 to stir up love and good works in one another. Like I've only heard, I won't say I've only, but a lot of times I hear this passage as a guilt trip to get in church, right? Like don't forsake meeting together. But what's the whole point? Just to go?

What a royal waste of your time if you think you've satisfied, verse 24, by just showing up. The whole point in showing up at church or not just at church, see even my mind I'm like programmed like it's it's Sunday morning it's Sunday morning it's Wednesday night it's don't forsake assembling yourselves together here. Like this can apply to other heirs. It's especially concentrated on our corporate times together. But may we not isolate this to just Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights.

So what's actually the reason that we shouldn't forsake assembling together? It's to exhort one another. Not get through the service, fill our bellies, and run home to get my nap. I love my naps just as much or maybe more than a lot of you. But our assembling together is exhorting.

And I've already alluded to this a little bit, but exhorting, Like some people think the essence of me loving Jason is me just hammering him every time I seeing him The essence of love is not rebuke It's part of loving if I need rebuking or a swift kick in the pants give it to me But it's not the essence of it. Like sometimes it needs to be, brother that was fantastic or brother I see God doing this in your life and and I thank God for it. Keep keep going. Whatever you're doing, what are you doing? Keep it up.

But the purpose of us coming together is this exhortation this this encouraging this this strengthening one another this instructing or teaching not simply correcting or rebuke rebuke jumping over to or back to Hebrews 3 turn to Hebrews 3 and look at Hebrews 3 with me. Another place in Hebrews where we see, we see the importance of speaking. We see the importance of this love for one another overflowing. It can overflow in a lot of ways. Physical means, helping you with this or that, but I'm specifically after this morning, in this section, I'm specifically after it overflowing this love that we draw down from God and that we have to share with one another of it overflowing out of my mouth in exhortation to you.

Listen to verses 12 through 15. Hebrews 3, Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God, but exhort one another daily while it is called today, lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold fast the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end and then he then he practices what he's telling us to do in verse 15, while it is said, today if you will hear his voice, don't harden your hearts as in the rebellion. Like you don't have to think of exhortation as a, let me pull out my three point outline, Like if I don't have that, I can't exhort you, Connor. Like, it's simple.

It doesn't have to be complicated. Sometimes, like, it does take some premeditation, like I was encouraging you to, to think about this, to, Or at least not me, but the writer was in chapter 10 of Hebrews. This exhortation, but it doesn't have to be complicated. Verses 12 through 15, I don't know if you saw the consequences in verse 12. What's the consequences?

What is he telling us to beware of? What is he telling us to take care of? Our fellowship, our gathering together, Our assembling together has tremendous significance in light of this passage. I am upping the ante on our fellowship together today. I am, I am not raising the bar, I'm saying it's significant.

Like what could be more significant than you being deceived by sin and your heart becoming hard and one day you throwing it all away. Like you're in danger of it. You are. I am. Now you may be saying in your mind, well where's your perseverance of the saints doctrine go Michael?

I have it. But if your doctrine of perseverance of the saints doesn't have categories for a fight, for language like, beware, I'm afraid for you. I am afraid for you. You are in great danger. The Bible's full.

The Apostle Paul. Fight the good fight. He's telling Timothy, fight it. The Christian life, like you can't coast. If we coast, we, I'm not saying you will, but if you coast, you are in danger of throwing it away.

Like, like how do I know you're for real? Let's take it off you. How do you know I'm for real? I keep believing. Verse 14, how do you know if you're a partaker of Christ?

You hold fast. You hold fast what? To the end. The proof that you are born again is that you hold fast to the end. So, why am I bringing this up?

It's because I need you. And no matter what you think, you need me. What does the writer tell us in verse 12? Beware, Take care of what? I immediately think of posted signs on a piece of property like you're walking through the woods and and you see them or or walking through the woods with somebody and you you see a Snake and like watch out like like be careful.

Take care Don't take another step. How much How much more urgency should we have with one another in relationship of the consequences of an evil heart of unbelief that leads us to depart from the living God. The Christian life is a fight. It's war. If you and I are not swimming upstream, we will float downstream we will be carried away we we can be I won't say we will be we can be like do you guys know people that profess to know the Lord and threw it all away we all do we all do what's what's different between them and and you?

What's different between them and me? We've got to fight and it's not an anxious fighting like, oh I'm going to lose it. I've got to work and earn it. It's not that at all. It's a fighting to continue believing.

The stakes could not be higher. Fight the fight of faith. Do not depart from the living God, but instead, exhort one another. Our doctrine, as precious as it is, the perseverance of the saints, It's not an inoculation. We've got to fight to persevere.

And this fight, it's a group effort. Our sanctification, think of it, it's a community project. Like I need you. I desperately need you. And you desperately need me to make it to the end to hell with the the deadly ideal of lone ranger Christianity, you know I'm being strong there because that's what's going to take you if you're not careful.

If you think it's just me and Jesus and this lone ranger ideal of Christianity, you are, I'm not saying you will, but you are in grave danger. Just like the writer says, beware. Beware. We as a culture, as a church, meaning universal, and then even we as a church locally, we are way too independent and self-sustaining. Oh, may God help us to feel our desperate need for each other.

Applications. I have three of them and I'll go quick. The first application is, is covenant together expecting to get hurt and to be disappointed by each other? Covenant together expecting to get hurt and to be disappointed by each other. Covenant together expecting to get hurt and to be disappointed by each other.

It's encouraging, isn't it? But we're messed up people, aren't we? Like if you're in this room and you don't think you're messed up, you're in the wrong place or you're confused, self-deceived. We're messed up. We've just got to get over that and stop pretending that we're not messed up.

And what happens when messed up people get together and start trying to live life together? Like, we're gonna hurt each other. We're gonna offend each other. I'm gonna get my little pet ideal that I think everybody should love, and I'm gonna come and I'm gonna drop a hammer on Jason's head and I'm going to hurt him. But isn't this where supernatural love kicks in and Jason is able to lean into me, not tuck his tail and go home with his toys and just be like, Genin, can you believe what he said to me today?

No, he leans into me because he loves me. Like, we won't do this without that. We will eat each other up if we don't draw from that well of God's love that we are experiencing. There's not one single person who will ever darken these doors who is not messed up. We are going to offend.

The gospel is on display when we get hurt, offend, disappoint, and sin against one another, and then love presses us into one another. Not does what the world says and pouts and gets his feelings hurt and goes home or or or goes over to the neighbor in the church and starts talking about the next you know the person. I can't believe what they did to me. Isn't that what what what Jesus was praying? Like Have you ever thought of the significance of the communion of the saints and us failing or succeeding at it and it being connected to the gospel?

The gospel is at stake in how I love you. If I don't display love towards you even when you offend me, what difference does the world do? Like it's no different. But if you wrong me, and I press into you, and I pursue you, and I love you, like the world is just going to be like, what in the world? The gospel will be on display.

This is our eternal home, the body of Christ. This is our eternal family. Second application, worship God in such a way that others are blessed by your worship. James, you've alluded to this. I don't know if you went somewhere and heard it preached on about singing.

Write down Ephesians 5, 18 through 21. This is the passage about don't get drunk with wine, but be filled with the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 5, 18-21. Don't be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit. And here's this one another language coming in, verse 19, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.

Like I'm supposed to sing to you? Brace yourself. It's not pretty. So what's my point for Jason to perform so I can look over and see him performing in his work? Not at all, but but but but we should have such a love for God that overflows in our worship that overflows in our prayers that when I look up and I see my brother worshiping the Lord it makes me excited like like I'm not saying all the time but at least some of the time seeing and look around You may notice me singing and looking around and that may like freak you out but get over it let's see it right here I'm just I'm walking in obedience to the Bible I'm singing to you Like when I sing songs and certain lines and I'm looking at you being courage.

I'm praying that for you. I am Do this with one another May May our worship be so full of passion and desire that I look up at you and, man, I want more. I want that. That helps me. And If you say you don't need that, beware, like Hebrews says, beware.

Lastly, don't gossip. Don't lie to one another. You should be hearing Ephesians 5. We are members of one another. Edify.

Impart grace to each other. Exhort. Say things to me. If you see me preferring something else other than Jesus, come and say, Michael, Jesus is better than that. I hear you talking about this or I I see this in your life and and Jesus is to be preferred above that.

Isn't that what Hebrews 3 is talking about when it says the exhort one another against the deceitfulness of sin because we are being assaulted by a million different things that come in and say this is better, that's better, this is better, this is more beautiful, this will satisfy you, come to me. Michael Jesus is better than that. Don't let sin deceive you, brother. Michael, if you don't turn and fight this, you're going to perish. If you just give yourself over to this, Like you could wake up one day and have thrown it all away.

Don't go there or like I was saying it doesn't always have to be something negative. Like brother I thank God for you. I see the Lord's work in your life and I want to encourage you press on keep running keep Fighting don't lose heart Last comment an example of edifying imparting grace to one another is sharing our struggles with one another. This is kind of under this speech. That last application was about using our speech to encourage one another.

Part of using our speech to encourage one another is not acting like we've got it all together. Because you know and I know that we don't. The sooner that we all stop acting like we have it all together, the better off we will be. This is exactly what we saw this week. I texted Jim and Allie and I said, can I say your name?

Can I quote your email at the end of the sermon on Sunday? And she's like, what are you gonna quote? And I told her what I was going to quote, so if you listen, then, Ali, I got your permission, but you got the email. If you didn't, here's what was at the end of the email, and Ali asking us to pray for her. She says, and I quote, I also think that as hard as it is, sharing your struggles with the people who you love, or who love you, and who you love, but she said who love you and know you best is so important.

That's why I'm sharing with all of you. Thank you for your love and prayers. May God be glorified. And oh, He will be. End quote.

And Oh, He will be when we practice this with one another. So in 20 minutes, 30 minutes, you have an opportunity. I have an opportunity to practice these things that I've encouraged you towards. Let's pray. Oh, Lord God, I have so, so long to go, so far to go Lord, but I thank you.

I Thank you for a little more light from my path. I pray, Father, that this has been a little more light for my brothers and sisters, my eternal brothers and sisters here that are in Christ. Oh, may you knit our hearts together more. May you help us to go deeper with one another, for in that we will find joy eternal and the gospel will be on display. Oh do this, Lord grant Your Spirit and do this for the sake of Your name.

In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.