Love the Brethren

Introduction

Is it my imagination? Or did the pews creak a little louder this morning? I assume from that you had a good Thanksgiving. I hope you had a good Thanksgiving. I hope it was one full of peace and harmony. Because this will come as no surprise to you that when you get people together, there may be strife. There may be disharmony. There may be just out and out strife and fighting. And to further the not so much of a revelation to you, that comes sometimes to bear in our Christianity as well, doesn’t it? That sadly, though it should not be this way, sadly, sometimes God’s people don’t get along. Strife and discord exist among even God’s people. And division results. Did you hear about the man that they rescued from the remote, deserted island?

He’d been there many years. When finally the ship had seen the smoke and went to inquire, they rescued the man off the island. And they inquired, one man’s been living on this island. Why are there three huts on the island for just one man? And the man began to explain. He says, it’s easy to explain. You see that first hut there, that was my house. That’s where I lived the whole time I was here. Well, that makes sense, but what about this other hut? He says, Well, I’m a religious man. That second hut is where I went to church. Okay, that makes sense. What’s the third hut? He said, That’s where I used to go to church.

Strife and discord among God’s people make that not so much of a joke as it does a reality. This morning I’d like to talk to you about love. The love that was enjoined upon us in the last two verses of the song that we just sung, that based upon God’s love for us, we of all people should be people of love. And above all people, we should be people of love toward one another. And so this morning I want to talk to you about my brethren. And I want to talk to you about love. First, let’s define some terms here that when we talk about my brethren, what am I talking about? Well, as far as religion is concerned, I can see that my relationship with people falls within one or five categories.

1. What Am I Talking About: My Brethren

The first category is simply my brethren in Christ. These are people. We’re talking about what we sometimes call the universal church. Everybody whose name is in the Lamb’s book of life. These are all the Christians of all the world of all time. Such that I could say that Barnabas is my brother, Lydia is my sister. I’m talking about all those who Christ recognizes as his. The second category, if we narrow that down, is simply my brethren in the local church. I’ve chosen to be a part of the South Bumby Church of Christ, and so everyone else who is a part of this church is a part of me. And these are the Christians with whom I’ll have the most to do because of our proximity and because of our joint work and participation together.

There’s a third category, though, those my brethren otherwise, who I may not worship with on a regular basis, but people whom I otherwise endorse their beliefs and practices, and to whom I would extend a right hand of fellowship. I may visit there when I’m on vacation. I may hold a gospel meeting there. I may in one way or another come in contact with these brethren and have some kind of interaction with them.

I view most of these people as being sincere. But their belief and our practices are so out of line with the scriptures that I simply cannot endorse their work. And so I can’t extend that right hand of fellowship. In fact, if given the opportunity, I’ll try to teach them the error of their ways. And then the last category is simply those who are completely irreligious, who make no claim to Christ or Christianity at all. This morning, when I talk about my brethren, I want you to know that I’m talking about categories number two and three, primarily number two, my brethren in the local church. Those with whom I have to deal on a regular basis. But I’d also include those otherwise to whom I might extend that right hand of fellowship.

2. Sometimes My Brethren Thrill Me, Sometimes They Disappoint Me

Well, what am I to do with these people? I’m going to see them a lot. I’m going to depend on them a lot. I’m going to ask things of them. They’re going to ask things of me. And so what am I to do with these people? Well, let’s just be honest. That sometimes my brethren thrill me. But sometimes they disappoint me. And you know, that’s nothing new. It must have been that way in the first century. I read the historical account of the beginnings of the church in the book of Acts, and I think and I read about some moments that must have been thrilling to be a part of or to witness. You imagine what it must have been like in those early stages in Acts chapter 4 and following when there were a need arose among the brethren.

And people stepped up. Stepped up in a major way. Imagine how thrilling it was to be there and see people who were actually selling possessions and selling land and bringing that money and laying at the apostles’ feet so that that money and those goods could be distributed to those in need. That must have been thrilling. To be a part of that, whether you were the giver, the receiver, or just a witness of that. That must have been thrilling. It must have been thrilling that occasion when Aquila and Priscilla took Apollos aside and taught him the way of God more accurately. And to see Apollos’ humble response to that. It must have been thrilling. It must have been thrilling on other occasions. Look with me in the book of 1 Thessalonians, chapter 3.

I think in the first century there must have been so much to be excited about among the brethren. 1 Thessalonians chapter 3. Look beginning in verse 6. 1 Thessalonians 3, verse 6. Wouldn’t this have been thrilling to be a part of this? But now that Timothy has come to us from you and brought us good news of your faith and love, and that you always have good remembrance of us, greatly desiring to see us as also to see you. Therefore, brethren, in all our affliction and distress, we were comforted concerning you by your faith. For now we live if you stand fast in the faith. Paul had so many thrilling times in his life. These Thessalonian brethren just exalted his spirit. He would say of the Philippians and others that they had often refreshed his spirit by the things that they had done.

There were thrilling times among God’s people in the first century. But they were also disappointments. You talk about how exciting it must have been to see people bringing that money to those who are in need. They’d actually sold stuff so that they could have money to give to those who were in need. But let’s not forget about Ananias and Sapphira. That must have been so disappointing. To take such an exciting, thrilling moment and to have it marred with this deceit and greed. That’d have been disappointing. As exciting it was to see Apollos and him being taught the way of God more accurately and see his humble approach to that. How disappointing to see Peter pull away and not eat with those Gentiles. And to lead others, Barnabas including, astray in that strife, so that Paul would have to confront him to his face.

Remember what he tells Timothy? He talks about Demas, has forsaken me. Crescians and even Titus had left him. Alexander the coffersmith, he would go on to say, has actively done me harm. And then in that blanket, depressing statement, Paul would say, at my first defense, nobody was there. It would have been a disappointment to read in that letter, wouldn’t it? To think of all that Paul had done, and nobody was there to stand with him. And so it is today. There are thrilling moments, aren’t there? But disappointments come. If we had a marker board up here and I had a marker and I began to write the names of brethren who have disappointed me. I could write about people whose moral lives have just been disappointing.

Whose business dealings, I could write names of people whose business dealings have been questionable at best. I’d have to write the names of some that, in my estimation, have demonstrated a pharisaical attitude. The names of those who’ve been satisfied with the status quo. And probably the longest category of list would be just those brethren whose attitudes just otherwise make it impossible to live with.

3. I’m Not Ashamed to Acknowledge My Brethren

And I’m not ashamed to acknowledge them as such. You know, if somebody asked me about the South Bumby Church of Christ, I’m more than willing to talk to them about that. I’m more willing to talk about and defend our practices and even defend the people who make up this church. Oh, I’ll be willing to admit weaknesses and faults. But also I’m not ashamed to speak in defense of my brethren. To put it another way, I’m proud of this church. And I’m proud of my brethren. Isn’t that what Paul asked for? Look over in 2 Timothy chapter 1. Before he would give that list of those who had abandoned him, and before he would say that in my defense no one came. Notice Paul’s plea. 2 Timothy chapter 1.

Look what he says in verse 8, and then we’ll look at verse 16. 2 Timothy 1, verse 8, beginning, he says, Therefore, do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God. Verse 16, the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onociferus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my change.

And you know one of the main reasons I’m not ashamed of you? Turn over to the book of Hebrews to that point. Hebrews chapter 2. If my Lord, in his absolute perfection, is not ashamed to acknowledge me as his younger brother, then I’m not ashamed to acknowledge my brethren. Look what it says in Hebrews chapter 2, verses 11 and 12. For both he who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all one, for which he, speaking of Christ, for which he is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying, I will declare your name to my brethren, and in the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to you. Jesus is not ashamed to call me his brother. So how dare I ever be ashamed to acknowledge you with all your faults, with all your warts and wrinkles, of which I have the same.

4. Love Born Out in Action: Tell Your Brethren

So these are my brethren. Sometimes they thrill me, sometimes they disappoint me. But they’re my brethren. And I’m not ashamed to acknowledge them as my brethren. And above all, I love my brethren. Now, what does it mean to love the brethren? Let’s talk about that. What does it mean when I say I’m going to love the brethren? Well, first of all, it’s not going to be empty words or just some passive emotion, but it’s going to be love born out in action. Let’s understand this clearly that that’s the only true love there is. That is love, not just passive emotion, but love that is actively engaged in. Interestingly enough, the first action, the first real action of love that sometimes we have difficulty with, is the words involved with that.

Look over with me, if you will, in the book of 2 Corinthians. 2 Corinthians chapter 6. Notice what Paul says to this group of brethren that he’s had to reprimand very sternly in that first letter. Look what he says about why he did that. 2 Corinthians chapter 6. Look at verse 11. At Paul’s openness.

We have spoken openly to you. Our heart is wide open. I want to issue a few challenges to you this morning. Here’s the first one. Tell somebody. Tell your brethren that you love them. Say it. Now that’s hard sometimes, isn’t it? It’s harder for some of us than others. My generation was raised by a generation who taught us, who at least taught me, that if you’re going to be a man, there were three things you couldn’t do. That a real man doesn’t do these three things. A real man doesn’t cry. A real man doesn’t show pain.

5. Appreciate and Magnify Their Good Qualities

And a real man doesn’t say I love you. And I think they were wrong on all three accounts. I’m not ashamed to smash my finger while watching old Yella and setting by my wife. And destroy all three of those false stereotypes. But it’s still tough. And don’t allow the context. Don’t allow the number of people in the audience to diminish. Me telling you that I love you. And be patient with me as I do a better job of telling you that face to face. And allow me the time to not just say that, but to act upon it. To truly love my brethren. And one of the ways I’m going to do that is that I’m going to appreciate you, and I’m going to magnify your good qualities.

I think one of the key elements of love is that we appreciate and magnify the good qualities in someone. You ever notice that when you become negative towards somebody, all you can ever see is the bad. That can happen in an employer employee relationship. You’re in a receiving end of that, the boss gets negative towards you, and you can’t do anything to satisfy. Please. I’m not asking for a show of hands, please. But have you ever seen that in your marriage? Where you get negative towards somebody. And all you can see are the negative qualities. And you begin to view everything through that lens.

His wife could do nothing to please him, though she broke her back try. She would wake up every morning and cook him breakfast. And one morning she fried the eggs, and he looked down at his plate and said, I wanted scramble. So she got up the next morning, scrambled the eggs this time, and the husband looked down at his plate, and all he could say is, I wanted fried. Bless her heart. She got up the next morning, got two eggs out, fried one, and scrambled the other one. He looked down at his plate and said, You fried the wrong one. It’s that way sometimes, isn’t it? And so I want us to flip the script, if you will, and begin to appreciate the good qualities and to magnify them.

Because I’m going to tell you that there’s a great danger, both as a body of people, and to your soul individually, when you can just see the negative. Turn over to the book of Hebrews, the warning issued in Hebrews chapter 12. We’ve all known people like that. Maybe we’ve been people like that. You turn over to Hebrews chapter 12. And I’m going to tell you, nothing. Here’s the first warning. Nothing wears upon people who are trying to serve God more than constant overbearing negativity. Several years ago, place that I was preaching. We had a man that, in my estimation, was in the root of bitterness. After every service, he could find something negative to say. Either about the song leading, about the building. Even, as hard as it is to believe, even about the preaching.

And one morning, as he went into his negative diatribe again, I said, Come with me. We came up to the podium and we had a white marker board. And I grabbed the black marker and I made a little mark in the middle of that white board. And I said, What do you see there? He knew it was a trick question, but he stared at it a while and said, just some black mark. And I said, humbly. That’s your problem. All you see is the black mark. You don’t see all of that whiteboard that surrounds it.

We become so negative that all we can see are the fault and the flaws. And notice the Hebrew writer’s warning. Hebrews chapter 12. Look at verses 14 and 15. He says, Pursue peace with all people and holiness without which no one will see the Lord. Looking carefully, look at this. Looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God, lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble. And by this, many become defiled. I believe the Hebrew writer is saying that one of the first signs that somebody is going to fall away is a bitter spirit. You’ve seen it, haven’t you? We often just see it through the vantage point of hindsight. That somebody’s fallen away from the Lord. They’re no longer serving the Lord, they’re no longer assembling with the saints, and we can go back and say, you know, we should have seen it coming, because they were so negative all the time.

All they could do was run down the church, all they could do was run down their brethren, negative this and negative that.

6. Help Them, Expecting a Good Response

Sign of apostasy. And so for that reason alone, I want to love my brethren. I want to appreciate and magnify their good qualities. In fact, I’m going to do everything that I can to help them. Pointing out the dangers. Warning, pleading, encouraging. But doing so the while expecting a good response from people who care. Are you still in the book of Hebrews? Back up to chapter 6. One of the most stinging rebukes against the fellow brothers and sisters in Christ is in Hebrews chapters 5 and 6. When the Hebrew writer is in the middle of his sermon, that’s really what the book of Hebrews is. He’s in the middle of the sermon and he abruptly stops and says, you know, I can’t really talk about that.

Because you’re too dull of hearing. I think time and translation has softened what an insult that was. That you’re too dull of hearing. We might have some other choice words that we would use to describe an audience that abruptly. You’re too dull of hearing, so I can’t talk about this. In fact, he says, you ought to be teachers, and you still have to be spoon fed, the fundamentals of, and he tears into them. But look what he says in chapter 6, verse 9. But beloved, we are confident of better things concerning you. Yes, things that accompany salvation. Though we speak in this manner. Did they need to be admonished? Did they need to be corrected? Yes, but it was done so in a spirit and an intent that I know you’re going to do better.

Because you see, Paul taught us that love bears all things, believes all things, and hopes all things.

Conclusion

I love you. I truly believe my brethren to be some of the finest people on earth. And I mean that. Now, do I know more of their faults than I do other people? Probably so, because I’m closer to them. But if I ever get into my head the notion that somehow the grass is greener somewhere else, I need to be reminded that my Lord was not ashamed to call me his brother. These are my brethren. And I love them.

To be more expressive in that loving. And I’m going to tell you, you’re going to notice two or three things happening almost instantaneously. You’re going to notice that people are going to be nicer to you in return. It’s funny how that happened. You’re going to notice that your own faith is going to grow. It’s going to become more stable and secure.

And then before you know it, you’re going to notice that this church is starting to grow. That that love has spread. And it’s encouraged and it’s emboldened. And so love. As Christ has loved you. He loved you so much that he gave his life as a sacrifice for your sins. So that you who were once strangers and pilgrims and enemies can now be brought near. And not just be called friends, but to be called family. And he loved you so much that he put you with a group of other people who have come out from the world. That are fighting the good fight of faith against sin and the world and temptation. And said, I want you to be with them. Encourage them and be encouraged by them and do everything you can together to make your way home to heaven.

Are you outside of the body of Christ this morning? I want to introduce you to some of the best people on earth. People who are waiting. Waiting for you to come forward and to name his name in obedience and to be baptized for the mission of your sins. Of people who will line up and miss their lunch date to hug your neck and to tell you congratulations. Of people who will thrill you. Oh, they’re going to disappoint you at times. But they’re going to love you. They’re going to care for you. But more than them, I want to introduce you to a loving Father. Who will always thrill and never disappoint. Who is like that father in the prodigal son who is waiting with outstretched hands, looking down the road, waiting for you to come home.

Would you obey him this morning? Would you become a part of his body this morning and encourage and be encouraged as you make your way to heaven? If we can help you in any spiritual way as you respond to the gospel call, let it be known right now as together we stand and as we sing.