The sermon, based on the Second London Baptist Confession, emphasizes the importance of communion among saints, highlighting the obligation of believers to maintain fellowship and participate in worship. It stresses the necessity of church attendance and the significance of gathering with other believers. The sermon draws attention to the role of family in providing initial aid and stresses the importance of helping fellow believers both spiritually and materially. It clarifies that while believers should aid each other, individual ownership of property is retained. Biblical examples and teachings are used to illustrate these principles, underscoring the need for love, charity, and mutual support within the Christian community.

A reading today from the Second London Baptist Confession comes from chapter 27, paragraph two of the communion of the saints. 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 offers 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. Nevertheless, their communion, one with another as saints, does not take away or infringe the title or propriety which each man hath in his goods and possessions.

Last week we spent quite a bit of time focusing on being united with Christ. And since as believers we are united with Christ, we are also united to each other. We are in communion or fellowship with other believers, even when there are secondary differences between us. We begin today by focusing on those people who have professed faith in Christ, these people we call saints. We confess that if you are a saint, a believer in Jesus Christ, you are bound to maintain a holy fellowship and communion in the worship of God and serve the body of Christ to their mutual benefit.

Notice the word used here, we are bound. There is an obligation with the use of this word. This means we're supposed to be in church every Sunday. We're supposed to be in a local church and be a part of that body of Christ. The author of Hebrews tells us not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together in Hebrews 10.25.

We the saints gather each week on the Lord's Day to worship the living God. We are to maintain a holy fellowship in the worship of God. This is different than your daily family worship where just your family gathers to open the Word, to pray, to sing hymns, to read devotions. That's important, but we need also to gather with other believers in a local church in the worship of God. I mentioned last week that when you're on a business or personal trip, when you're on vacation or any other time you're away from home, you should still seek out a local church where you are and join with other saints there in the worship of God.

We should want to worship God. Our time together at worship should be one of the highlights of our week. Some though might say it's boring or irrelevant. Dr. Sproul offers some clarity on that.

If people are bored, they don't really have a sense of coming into the presence of God. No one has ever been confronted with the living God and walked away bored. There's nothing boring about God. Regarding relevance, either the preacher hasn't preached the word of God or the people haven't listened. There is nothing irrelevant about being in the presence of God and hearing His word.

Our heart's desire should be to go to church and to worship God. We should also desire to use the gifts we've been given in the service of Christ and his kingdom, to benefit the body of Christ, to benefit our local church. John encourages us, little children, let us love not in word and speech, but in action and in truth. First John 3, 18. We even find warnings in Hebrews 2 verses 1 through 3 for those who might fail to gather to worship or fail to support or edify one another.

We read, therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast in every transgression and disobedience received a just reward. How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? Matthew Henry comments here, Our minds and memories are like a leaky vessel. They do not, without much care, retain what is poured into them.

This proceeds from the corruption of our nature, temptations, worldly cares, and pleasures. Sending against the gospel is neglect of this great salvation. It is a contempt of the saving grace of God in Christ, making light of it and not caring for it. Not regarding either the worth of gospel grace or the want of it in our undone state without it. Even partial neglects will not escape rebukes.

They often bring darkness on the souls. They do not finally ruin. Let us mind this one thing needful and attend to the Holy Scriptures. We should not just obey God's commands. We should delight in obeying them.

But to obey them, we must know them. We must attend to the holy scriptures. We must constantly be in God's word, constantly refilling our leaky brains and hearts. Similarly, just as it is our duty to be in church and in fellowship with other believers, worshiping God and using the gifts He's given to us for the mutual benefit of the body of Christ, we should also delight in doing so. Let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works.

Hebrews 10, 24. At the end of the day, each of us is going to do what is the deepest inclination of his heart. We really just do what we want to do. And I hope and pray that each of you would really and truly want to be in church, that you would really and truly want to gather with other saints in the worship of God. But it's not just being in church for worship.

It's also performing spiritual services for the mutual edification of the body of Christ. We are to be attentive to our brother's spiritual needs as well as physical. There are times when we need to be encouraging, building up one another, building up our brothers. There are times when we might notice a pattern of sinning or carelessness by a brother and need to approach them privately and warn them of backsliding. Is someone starting to mischurch regularly?

As brothers, we must be interested in each other's affairs. We must be concerned for their spiritual well-being. There are many temptations and distractions from this world that can draw us away from the fellowship of the saints and even away from Christ. Are we distressed in spirit? Are we struggling inwardly?

Victor Claudio comments, should we bury our burdens when the Lord has given us legitimate means to unburden our souls? Of course not. We ought rather cast them to the feet of Christ and confide in mature brethren who may be able to help bear these burdens with us from Galatians 6-2. In this way, communion is enhanced for we commune in both directions in making the need known and then in relieving it. Scripture tells us, beware brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief and departing from the living God.

But encourage one another daily while it is called today, lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin." Hebrews 3, 12 and 13. From another perspective, saints are to relieve or aid each other in outward or material things according to their various abilities and needs. After Peter's sermon at Pentecost where 3, 000 were baptized and added to the church, the saints concerned themselves, the disciples concerned themselves in helping one another. We read in Acts chapter 2 verses 44 and 45, Now all who believed were together and had all things in common and sold their possessions and goods and divided them among all as anyone had need. Now it doesn't say they sold all their possessions and goods, but sold some amount sufficient to meet the needs of other believers.

They gave according to their ability and the needs of others. And they did this voluntarily. They did this out of love for one another. What does Paul say? Let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver.

And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. Again, Dr. Sproul comments here, The confession here is developing the principle that when we see a person weeping, we weep with him. When someone in our fellowship is going through extreme need or want, it is the duty of the congregation to help that person. Many churches have special funds to help those in needs, whether from illness, injury, or other unexpected crises.

As a church, we want to make sure that not only are we attending to spiritual needs, but also to any outward or material needs that exist as well. We're here to help each other, to love one another. But it's not left just to the church. It starts at home within your own families. Paul writes to Timothy, but if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he is denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

Especially as Christians, we must not neglect the needs of our spouses, our children, our parents. Paul highlights why it is important for the initial source of aid to come from within the family. From 1 Timothy 5, 16, if any woman who is a believer has dependent widows, she must assist them and the church must not be burdened so that they may assist those who are actually widows. Any relief must first come from their family. If there is no family or they're not able, then it is the duty of the church to meet the outward needs.

What we don't see here, what I didn't mention anywhere in that discussion, we don't see the government. God's providing aid or relief to other believers is with the family and the church. Our confession emphasizes that the saints should especially exercise communion in relationships they have in their families and churches. Yet the rule of the gospel also directs them as God provides opportunity to extend their sharing to the whole household of faith, to all those who in every place call upon the name of the Lord Jesus. We have examples of this in scripture.

We read how the believers in Antioch responded to the needs of the churches in Judea, offering relief to their material needs in Acts 11, 27 through 30. And in these days, prophets came from Jerusalem to Antioch, and one of them, named Agabus, stood up and showed by the spirit that there was going to be a great famine throughout all the world which also happened in the days of Claudius Caesar. Then the disciples each according to his ability determined to send relief to the brethren dwelling in Judea. This they also did and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul. Also, when Paul and Barnabas went to Jerusalem to defend their spreading of the gospel.

We read from Galatians 2, 9, and 10, when James, Peter, and John gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. They desired only that we should remember the poor, the very thing which I also was eager to do. Barnes notes on the Bible comments here, Paul interested himself much in the collection for the poor saints at Jerusalem. And in this way, he furnished the fullest evidence that he was not alienated from them, but that he felt the deepest interest in those who were his kindred. The best way to unite all Christians and to prevent alienation and jealousy and strife is to have a great common object of charity in which all are interested and to which all may contribute.

Turning back to Paul's metaphor likening the human body to the church, the body of Christ, he writes, for in fact, the body is not one member, but many, that there should be no schisms in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it. Or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are the body of Christ and the members individually, 1st Corinthians 12, 14, and 25 through 27. Christ is the head of the church, the head of the body.

It is because we are united to Christ that we are united to all saints, united to all who profess faith in Christ. We can love our brother because Christ first loved us. What does Apostle John say? By this we know love, because he laid his life down for us. And we also ought to lay our lives down for the brethren.

But whatever has this world's good and sees his brother in need and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? 1 John 3, 16 and 17. Paul tells us, therefore, as we have opportunity, Let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith. Galatians 6 10. Yes, let us do good to all and let us not shut up our hearts to a brother in need, especially if we have the means.

The confession brings up one more important point in our discussions of the communion of the saints. Nevertheless, the communion, their communion with one another as saints does not take away or infringe on a title or individual ownership that people have in their goods and possessions. Paul in writing about a new life in Christ encourages the new believer, let him who stole, steal 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. He encourages a believer to work, to earn what he has, implying that he will have his own goods and possessions from that labor. What he earns doesn't go to the collective, but to him individually.

We see that point raised in Acts 5 with Ananias and Sapphira and how they handle the selling of a piece of property to support the brethren from verses 1 through 5. But a man named Ananias with his wife, Sapphira, sold a piece of property and with his wife's knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles feet. But Peter said, Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal?

Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man, but to God. When Ananias heard these words, He fell down and breathed his last and great fear came upon all who heard it. Peter clearly indicates here that the property was under Ananias' ownership and control, not only before, but after being sold. It was not part of a collective holding of the church or community.

Being or becoming a Christian does not free you from your own private property. You're not forced to give up your possessions. God has given you according to his will. He has given to each of us according to his perfect will. As good stewards of the manifold grace of God, each of you should use whatever gift he has received to serve one another.

This comes from 1 Peter 4 10. And we must not grow weary in doing good, 2 Thessalonians 3 13, not only to our families and to our churches, but to all the household of God. Amen.