Introduction:
Last week at the prison visitation program, before the session, one volunteer shared, "please pray for brother Mel, who is 94 years old. Lately he is been feeling very lonely living in that retirement home." This reminded me of my 89 year old mother-in-law who from time to time would call and tell us how terrible she felt because she was so lonely.
Of course elderly people do not have the monopoly of being alone. We hear similar words from those in their 50's, 40's 30's and 20's. and for many, this is one main reason why they want to get married.
No one likes to be alone. We all yearn to belong to some community where we can relate to others regularly. However, at times we also observe that soon after we become a part of a community, we become disillusioned. We may find ourselves being hurt by those whom we previously wanted so much to belong to. Of course, we often maybe the ones that hurt others, creating tension and misunderstandings. We don't want to be alone. But we are also uncertain about how to live with others.
Last week in our study of the Apostles' Creed, we discussed what it meant to believe in the holy Catholic Church. We learned that the church is the pillar and foundation of truth, city of the living God. At church, we've come into the presence of God, Jesus Christ and the angels. We also come into the presence of fellow believers.
This morning we'll take a look at the next sentence in the apostles' creed: I believe in the communion of saints. What does it mean and what is its
significance to us today?
I. Saints are ordinary people set apart for Jesus Christ.
First, who are the saints? If you have a Roman Catholic background, you'll think of saints as those who lived hundreds of years ago. Christians who made extraordinary contributions to the church and society. The title "saints" is reserved for some special people. The Chinese view saints as those who do no wrong, who kept all the
Confucius and Mensius' ethical codes. In a recent interview, Jackie Chan said, "I am no saint, so of course I made mistakes that other men also made." But what does the bible say about saints?
Let's turn to 1 Corinthians 1:2,"To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ -- their Lord and
ours. "The word holy in Greek is also translated as saints. Here Paul addressed the believers at Corinth, as Saints. So, what kind of people were they? What did they accomplished to earn and deserve the title: Saints?
1 Corinthians 6:9-10 provides us with more insight on this. "Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were." At Corinth, many Christians, before they believed in the Lord Jesus, were idol worshippers, sexually immoral, thieves, drunks, swindlers, and
practicing homosexuals. This is not a very clean group, was it? But, v11, "you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." This group of people was sanctified, that is made holy, and justified in Jesus Christ. What did they do after their conversion? Did they perform plenty of good deeds or accumulate numerous merits to earn the title: Saints? Not likely. Because in the rest of this letter, we can still see the evidences of many of their shortcomings. So, how did they become saints?
Let me try to explain. As human beings, we have all come short of God's standard. We are unable to keep his laws and commandments. The laws only reveal our sinfulness. And because of our failure to satisfy God's law, his wrath was upon us. Yet God loved the world and sent his son Jesus into the world. While on earth, he has kept and obeyed all the laws. Moreover, God placed our sins on him, and He died on the cross because of our sins. On that cross, God's wrath was transferred from us to him. So by his death, he delivered us from the wrath of God. Because he obeyed God's law completely, he was righteous in God's sight. Now, notice this. When we believe in Jesus Christ, God then took Jesus'
righteousness and put it on us. You see, he took our sins and placed it on Jesus Christ. And then took Jesus' righteousness and placed it on us. So when God sees us, he considers us as righteous. He considers us being sanctified, we are holy. We are called holy (saints), or being justified not because of our good works or
accomplishments, but because of our faith in Jesus Christ. We are considered holy by faith alone.
So you see, saints are ordinary people like you and me. Saints are those convicted of their sins, repented and put their faith in Jesus Christ. Then God in turn placed Jesus' righteousness on us. We are called saints because of Jesus Christ.
II. Saints are ordinary people who share a common bond.
The Apostles' creed states, "communion of saints". The word communion carries the meaning of fellowship, partnership and relationship. 1 John 1:3," We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ." It conveys the idea that the believers are not meant to live alone, to be individualistic.
What is common among us is that we are all sinners called by God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit and justified through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. Our common faith and salvation has brought us together. We belong to the community of the redeemed.
III. Outward expression of the common bond.
Then what are some of the characteristics of this particular community? What is unique about the community of the redeemed? What kind of fellowship are we talking about? The Bible gives us clear instructions regarding how we are to conduct ourselves, how we are to relate to each other in this community of the redeemed.
This morning we want to turn to those "one another" passages in the NT.
Be devoted to one another (Rom 12:10). To commit to one another, both during the good and bad times. Stand by each other through the waters and fires of life.
Honor one another (Rom 12:10). Honor means to give weight to the other person. No matter who the person is, with what education or profession, consider him/her as important. When we honor or respect someone, we will not speak evil of them.
Be of the same mind with one another (Rom 15:5 NASV). There is that oneness, unity among the believers. We're given that responsibility to maintain the already existing unity. Learn to discern the primary and important from the secondary and unimportant issues. Remember, styles, methods, programs are not absolutes; they can and should change from time to time. But the biblical truth is always the same. There must be the common vision of building up the believers in this church and the proclaiming of God's word beyond the four walls of this building.
Accept one another (Rom 15:7). We are to accept each other as Christ accepted us. When we were still sinners, Christ has already accepted us. Accept means to receive the other person without
judgment or condition. To accept a person does not mean we agree or condone the person's
behavior, but to love and care for who he is.
Instruct one another (Rom 15:14). To learn from each other. The older Christians have much to learn from the younger ones in their love and zeal for the lord, their sensitivity to right and wrong. The younger Christians learn from the older ones their insight and wisdom.
Greet one another (Rom 16:16). Surprise, isn't it. Yes, greet one another. Talk to them, see how they are doing. No one should leave this church with the feeling that no one has approached and talked to him or her. The thinkers and the analysts among us, like to be by themselves. We don't like to talk to others, especially people we don't know well. Scriptures remind us that in the community of believers, don't forget to greet one another. The best example of this is found in Romans 16. The entire chapter is about Paul sending his greetings to the individuals in the Roman church.
Serve one another in love (Gal 5:3). To serve means to do things for others. It could mean cleaning, cooking, and helping out in the nursery and many other ministries. As we come into God's family, we all have the responsibility of serving one another. No one is a bystander, waiting to be served. Serving will not be easy. It's time consuming, it's exhausting. People may not even notice your service.
Carry one another's burdens (Gal 6:2). We are to stand by those who are hurting. Learn to see through their eyes, feel and touch through their skin. Pray for them and let them know you care, and will do whatever you can to ease their pain. Having said this, we also need to learn to let others carry some of our burdens. When we keep to ourselves, it will be very hard, if not impossible for the other person to bear our burdens.
Bearing with one another (Eph 4:2). It means to be tolerant towards other Christians. To patiently endure their immaturity, idiosyncrasies and weaknesses. It also includes their personalities and ways of doing things.
Submit to one another (Eph 5:21). To listen and be willing to be led by others. We don't like this. We want to consider our ideas as the best, our methods or style as the most effective. We want things done our way. It's our refusal to submit to one another pulling Christians apart from each other, and husbands and wives from each other.
Encourage one another (I Thess 5:11). To affirm others, to stand by them, urging them to move on, don't give up. Be a cheerleader to others. We are all good at seeing others' and the church's weaknesses and to be criticial. What is even more important is to help them go on and be strong.
We are to pray for each other (James 5:16). We pray for individuals' spiritual walk with God. Pray for harmony in relationships. Pray for special needs, such as sickness and financial difficulties.
Then in John's epistles, we read repeatedly that we are to Love one another. Not just in words but in actions. It includes no hatred towards others. We are to eliminate any bitterness and resentment we may have towards another person. To love also means that for your well being, I am willing to sacrifice my time and finance.
Have you ever thought of why there is so much emphasis on how to relate to one another?
You know, when God first created man, he was not meant to live alone. So God created a helper for him. Human beings are meant to live in community, relating to each other in harmony. But because of sin, this harmony is broken. We have become selfish beings, not knowing how to live in a community, how to relate to others. We prefer others to love us, encourage us, bear our burdens, tolerate us, serve us, greet us, accept us, submit to us, honor and be devoted to us than for us to be devoted to others, to honor others, submit to others, accept others, greet others, serve others, tolerate others, bearing others' burdens, encouraging and love others. A selfish person does not know how to live in a community. Selfish persons can only destroy community life.
So when God redeemed us, he also brought us into his community, his family. Then he also showed us how to relate to each other.
If we look closely at these "one another" passages, what do we see? Isn't this how God relates to us? He is the one that honors us, treating us with respect and value. He is the one that bears our burden and is always forbearing towards us. He came into the world to minister to us, even unto death. He accepts us right where we are and then instructs us so we can be where he wants us to be. His spirit is constantly encouraging and praying for us. He first loved us completely and unconditionally. He never pulls us down, making us feel bad about ourselves. Within the triune God, there is always the perfect submission and unity.
God demonstrates to us how he loves and relates to us. So when we come together, to the community of the redeemed, to the household of God, he simply asks us to imitate him, to love others as he has loved us. By doing so, we are in fact telling the world this is how God loves us. You know, sometimes it's hard for the world to see God's love directly. So when they see how we love each other, they begin to catch a glimpse of how God loves us. And you know what, it has always been God's desire for us to be like him. So, as the Holy Spirit helps us to love each other in the way God explained to us, we are also becoming more and more like him.
Conclusion:
Saints are ordinary people. Saints are not like what Jackie Chan said that they make no mistakes. On the contrary, saints are like you and me, sometimes, more often than not, still making mistakes. We are saints not because of our merits or good behavior, but because of faith in our lord Jesus Christ. God considers us as saints because of Jesus Christ.
God knows how terrible it is to be alone, so he brings us into his household, the community of the redeemed. But he also knows how difficult it can be for us to live with others. Therefore, God shows us how we can live in a community that is full of sinners. He calls our attention to the need that we are to become unselfish men and women, individuals who put others first. He wants us to be loving persons just like him.
Last Tuesday evening, after learning about brother Mel's situation, people in that room asked, 'what is his phone number, where does he live?" God puts us in a community so that we can love each other just as he has loved us.
I am so glad that you are here in this community of the Redeemed. Very often I find myself as the recipient of your love, prayers and service. It is also my prayer and desire that each one of us would continue learning to love as God has loved us. So that when others see how we love each other, it will help them to understand a little better of how God has loved them. I would like to close with a familiar prayer by St. Francis of
Assisi: O Divine master, Grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand and to be loved as to love......."
Rev. William
Hsueh Jan 16, 2000 Houston Chinese
Church, Houston, Texas |