How to...Avoid Going it alone/Remembrance Sunday 2016 (MCB)

Rev. Ian M. Thomas

Oldfield Free Church (Baptist)

How to... • Sermon • Submitted 5 years ago • Presented 7 years ago

John 15:1–17

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Remembrance Sunday at Mount Calvary, Swansea

Welcome today to our Remembrance Sunday Service. If you could take your seats as the service is now beginning. We are starting a little earlier so that we can join the 2 minute silence at 11.

Remember Ypres, Gallipoli, the Somme, Mons and Verdun.

Remember the Western Desert, El Alamein, the Normandy beaches.

Remember Coventry, Dresden, Hiroshima and the Burma Road.

Remember Korea, the Falkland Islands, Northern Ireland, the Balkans, East Timor, Afghanistan and the Gulf.

Remember the courage, the comradeship, the ingenuity, the spirit of working together for a common cause, the planning together for a better world that would come with peace.

Remember the call to arms, the patriotic songs, the partings which were such sweet sorrow. The sound of the drum, the skirl of the pipe, the prayer that God would be on our side.

Remember the carnage; the colossal horror of war.

Remember the widows of sixty years and more, the old men and women who never knew their fathers.

Remember the love that was lost, the wisdom wasted, the minds that are still pained by memories.

Remember the families bereft by recent wars and conflict. Remember this day the children who will die while nation fights nation.

Remember the One who asked us to remember them.Father, remember us; and forgive us our sins against you and our fellow man.

Let us remember before God those who have died for their country in war; those whom we knew, and whose memory we treasure; and all who have lived and died in the service of one another.

Let those who are able, please stand.

[SLIDE]They shall grow not old as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning. We will remember them.

Two-Minute Silence

Almighty and eternal God, from whose love in Christ we cannot be parted, either by death or life: hear our prayers and thanksgivings for all whom we remember this day. Fulfil in us, as in them, the purpose of your love; and bring us all to your eternal joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Lord God of the nations, whose sovereign rule brings justice and peace, have mercy on our broken and divided world. Pour out your peace into the hearts of all, that all races and peoples may learn to live as members of one family in obedience to your law, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Let us sing:

HYMN: O God, our help in ages past

KIDS'S TALK

Who here has been to another Country? (Map) Where did you go? What was different differences between here and there?

I lived in Macedonia for a couple of years and they have their own language, Macedonian, they have their own food which mainly consists of peppers and they eat a lot of pasta too. They have their own folk music and pop songs, they do a lot of walking and going up the mountain that surrounds the Capital City of Skopje. Macedonians are definitely different to us and we are different to them.

The Bible says that as Christians we are different:

1 Peter 2:9, 11

New Living Translation Chapter 2

for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests,* a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.

1 Peter 2:11 (NCV) — 11 Dear friends, you are like foreigners and strangers in this world.

If you have said yes to Jesus and asked Him into your life then you are special in God’s sight, because you are chosen, because you are royal, princes and princesses, because you belong to God you are automatically different to everyone else – you are like a foreigner to them and they are like foreigners to you. You are a foreigner and a stranger the Bible says – because your home is in Heaven. As foreigners you are not supposed to be the same as others. As foreigners you have our own language, as foreigners you have our own culture, as foreigners you behave different.

This means that at school or at home or out with friends you are not the same as those who are not Christians. And you shouldn’t be. Sometimes this means that you feel alone. This is why it is important to come here Sundays and Mondays and meet with others who are Christians. Don't be ashamed to be different because God has made you different. Together, though, we are stronger. And Jesus Himself says He will never leave you alone. Isn't that great news?

NOTICES/OFFERING INC HYMN2

OFFERTORY PRAYER

HYMN3

READING

How to...Avoid going it alone

John 15:1–17 NKJV

“I am the true vine, and 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, 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, and 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 you will be My disciples. “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. These things I command you, that you love one another.

Numbers 11:14–17 NKJV

I am not able to bear all these people alone, because the burden is too heavy for me. If You treat me like this, please kill me here and now—if I have found favor in Your sight—and do not let me see my wretchedness!” So the LORD said to Moses: “Gather to Me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them; bring them to the tabernacle of meeting, that they may stand there with you. Then I will come down and talk with you there. I will take of the Spirit that is upon you and will put the same upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, that you may not bear it yourself alone.

PRAYER/LORD'S PRAYER

HYMN4

MESSAGE

Really, you are not alone!

[SLIDE]You cannot do it by yourself! And God planned it like that.

I know plenty of people who try to carry the burdens of other people, especially the disadvantaged but, frankly, we are not called to do this...on our own. Moses found it all too tough that he cried out to God: I CANNOT DO IT, please don't make me, it is too much! I'd rather die than do this alone! And God's answer was for him to find 70 who could carry the burden with him and in so doing take of the spirit that is on him and place the spirit upon them too. It is crazy to think that we can do anything on our own. If our burden is too heavy, it necessitates team-building. To do anything on our own is simply pride. The results are clear to see: it is to be burnt-out, to have emotional, nervous and mental breakdowns. Then who are we good for?

Paul Harvey, an American Christian broadcaster says, “We revere the airplane pilot who did it alone and the country doctor who never left the bedside. That spirit of independence served us well and caused us to grow tall. But we’d never have made it to the moon with that spirit; we’d never have eradicated typhoid, small pox, or polio without a cooperative effort. No person alone could fetch oil from beneath the ocean, or keep the city lights burning all night—that takes inter-dependence. We are all becoming increasingly inter-dependent!

We need each other. Moses learned the hard way that doing it by himself was impossible. After the advice of his Father-in-law, which was counted as the voice of God in Numbers 11, he gained 70 helpers. Together we can achieve so much more. We are only limited by what God can do through us. And that is true of every area of our lives. We are not called to 'go-it-alone'.

Indeed, we could never have defeated Hitler or other despots by going alone. To fight battles you need armies both for offence and defence. This is surely true of the Christian's life, too. No Christian is able, on their own, to fight the good fight. Central to a Church's theology should be:

Acts 2:42 NKJV

And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.

All these together help us in the spiritual battle that we are all in. We need each other's fellowship. Many Christians think that they can make it without the Church but actually the opposite is true. This reminds me of the story told about a famous pastor and evangelist:

D. L. Moody was visiting a prominent Chicago citizen. It was a chilly evening. The pastor found the man at home alone, sitting before a blazing fire. When the idea of church membership and involvement came up. “I believe I can be just as good a Christian outside the church as I can be inside it,” the man said. Moody said nothing. After some minutes, the pastor took the fire tongs, carefully picked up a brightly burning piece of coal and placed it to one side of the hearth all alone. Then he sat back in his chair, still silent. The man watched all this in quiet fascination. so the two men sat together and watched the ember's flame diminish and there was a momentary glow and then its fire was no more. Soon it was cold and "dead as a doornail." Just before the pastor was ready to leave, he picked up the cold, dead ember and placed it back in the middle of the fire. Immediately it began to glow once more with the light and warmth of the burning coals around it. “I see,” the other man said.

Spiritual battles require all of us together: Yes, we need inter-dependence as the body of Christ. Yes, we have to rely upon one another. Yes, we need each other as much as a hand requires an arm

but who is the head? Who is the head of the body?

Is it not Jesus Christ? A body without the head is dead.

Without Jesus we can do nothing

And what did He say in the passage we read today in

John 15:5 NKJV

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

He said that without Him we can do nothing. Have we ever really considered this? Nothing. All the things that we do it is either nothing or something.

How are we to understand this? On one hand we could not achieve anything unless He gave us breath and the natural giftings we have. For our life is in God for our life has been given to us by Him. He is our creator, our maker. The fact is, that without God we would not even be alive. We take everything for granted. We are here on this planet, breathing in and out. We have been given everything, Scripture says, for life and godliness. We need to consider our ways for without Jesus we could do absolutely nothing for it is by His powerful Word that we came to be:

Colossians 1:15–17 NKJV

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.

So, in a very basic way we could do nothing without Jesus unless He gave us life, our brains, our natural gifts. But is this what Jesus is really talking about in John 15. Yes, and no, however we should not stop reading Colossians here, the next verse says:

Colossians 1:18 NKJV

And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.

So, what is Jesus talking about in John 15? Well our life is in the Spirit now that we are Christians and we need to nurture that life. This means we need to put off our dead works. Dead works are things that we do with no consideration of Jesus. After all we cannot access God without the Son so, our work has to be in Christ and for Christ. Anything that is not, that is, anything done without a consciousness of Jesus in what we do is a complete waste of time for we can do nothing without Him - we can almost hear Solomon down through the ages: Vanity! Vanity! All is vanity!

And indeed it is if all we are doing is breathing in and out, living life in this world as if this is all there is. Instead, we should be heavenly minded. I've heard the saying that you can be too heavenly minded to be of no earthly good. Well, my brothers and sisters, this is a lie. To be heavenly minded surely means to have the things of God at heart and God's heart loves the world. Let us, instead, with the encouragement of hear what the Apostle Paul said:

Colossians 3:17 NKJV

And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

1 Corinthians 10:31 NKJV

Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Let all be done for Christ. We are called to live in Him. Abide in Me, Jesus says. And as we just heard this includes the basic things of our lives such as eating and drinking as well as what we might call our sacred duties.

Let me share a story about what it means to abide in Jesus:

Nelson’s Complete Book of Stories, Illustrations & Quotes Abiding in the Presence

One day Jacqueline’s Bible opened to Philippians 4:5 and four words struck her forcibly: “The Lord is near.” If so, thought Jacqueline, I should be more aware of it.

“Lord,” she said, “I’m going to pretend you’re here all the time. No, forgive me for using that word; there is no pretending to be done. I’m going to use my God-given imagination to visualize how very present You really are. Help me ever remind myself of the reality of Your nearness.”

That evening as she retired, she said, “I’m going on to bed now, Lord. Will You please watch over me as I sleep.” The next morning on awakening, she said, “Good morning, Lord. This is the day You have made.” Sitting down with her hot tea, she read through the book of Philippians again, underlining verse 5, then she prayed aloud for a very long time. At noon, she said, “Now, Lord, let’s watch the news on television, so you can show me things in this world I can pray for.” Jacqueline and the Lord watched the news together, then she prayed for flood victims in the Delta, a newly-installed president in an African country, and for a man sentenced to life imprisonment.

Is this not abiding in Him?

There are consequences for not abiding in Christ...we start trying to do things on our own. We start to rely upon our own strength, It is here when things begin to go wrong starting: we'll find frustrations build up, that we are getting angry easily, treating people without due respect and working against the rest of the body of Christ who should be our number one team: if this is already happening there needs to be a change in our outlook.

We need to get back on track and that means putting Jesus first again in our lives. If our love for Him has waned then we need to go back to the foot of the cross and survey the wondrous thing that was done there. Then, we should be open to serve others and every time it should be done with the renewed knowledge that what we do is God's work in Christ Jesus. In so doing we are demonstrating God's love towards our each other and the world, for when we love one another then others will know we are Christ's disciples. Whatever we do together in the name of Jesus has His promise:

Matthew 18:20 NKJV

For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”

Not only for Church meetings but for all the work we do together in His name.

Let me conclude by saying: we are not called to be go-it-alone Christians. We are called to work and be together for it is truly amazing what God can do through us. We cannot bear the work alone so we are called into membership of God's Church to fulfil the responsibilities that entails so that we can be an effective witness in the world.

Of course, none of this is possible if we are trying to do this in our strength for we are just the body, we require the head, the Lord Jesus Christ, and what He says we must do. When we come to the end of our lives and we stand before the Judgement Seat of Christ we will simply say:

Luke 17:10 NKJV

So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.’ ”

After all we only bore fruit by abiding in Him.

I will finish as I started:

You cannot do it by yourself! And God planned it like that!

HYMN: THE LORD'S MY SHEPHERD 1008

This evening I will be preaching, God willing, on How to...Plan for the Future, so come along for 6 O'clock...