Discipleship: Blest be the ties
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Being a Christian is being blessed
Being a Christian is being blessed
What do blessings look like? Do we really count all our blessings? Do we consider ourselves blessed people? As a Christian we are very blessed and tonight we are going to look at the tie that ties us together making us blessed people.
We are members of one another (Rom12:5)
5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.
We are in fellowship with one another (1Jn1:7)
7 but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.
(Transition) We are to be blessed and be a blessing to others, is that not a part of what discipleship is all about? Tonight we are going to look at the song we just sang (#76 blest be the tie) and how it works from the scripture. So, lets enjoy this journey together.
This song was written by John Fawcett in 1782, melody by Johann George Nageli, arranged by Lowell Mason in 1845.
First Verse
First Verse
Blest be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love; the fellowship of kindred minds is like to that above.
(insert blest be the tie picture here)
“Blest be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love. . .”
What the tie is not
(Insert some blank lines here on the handout)
Different from earthly tie, such as
(Expand on each of these, they are temporal)
Friendships
Marriage
Family
Each of these can be good, they are good, but they are not eternal and can be broken by separation, incompatibility and by death.
What the tie is:
It is love that is not easily broken (Col3:14)
Colossians 3:14 (NASB95)
14 Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.
Love that comes from the God of love (1Jn4:7-11)
7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
9 By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
Love learning from the example of Christ (1Jn3:16)
16 We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
It is love that serves as a mark of true discipleship (Jn13:34-35)
34 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
(expand on this one) disciples love as Jesus loved
“The fellowship of kindred minds is like to that above. . .”
The unity of the tie (Jn17:20-23)
This is the unity of the tie that Jesus prayed for the Apostles and would be lived out in the church because of the apostles
20 “I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; 21 that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.
22 “The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; 23 I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.
The unity of the mind (Php2:2; 1Cor1:10)
Unity of the mind, Paul prayed for (Php2:1-2)
1 Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, 2 make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.
Unity of the mind, Paul pleaded for (1Cor1:10)
10 Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment.
(Transition) Same mind, same judgment same christ, same fellowship of the Spirit, same fellowship with the Father through the Son. The tie that binds us is based upon love and unity which Christ made possible and now how it is shown in the following verses of the hymn.
Second Verse
Second Verse
Before our Fathers throne we pour out our ardent prayers; our fears, our hopes, our aims are one, our comforts and our cares
(Insert Before our Fathers throne picture here)
First, because of Jesus we have a privilege to come before His throne in prayer (Heb4:14-16)
14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.
16 Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
A privilege and it comes with a blessing (Php4:6-7)
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Is that not a blessing being able to take everything to the Lord in prayer knowing He hears and will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus
Prayer in and for one another (Jm5:16; Act12:5)
(Below not on the screen, just quote it)
16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.
and then
5 So Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer for him was being made fervently by the church to God.
As disciples of Jesus Christ we are encouraged to pray for one another, for we know that the prayers of the righteous avail much.
Praying with one another (Act21:5, 1:14, 2:42, 12:12)
5 When our days there were ended, we left and started on our journey, while they all, with wives and children, escorted us until we were out of the city. After kneeling down on the beach and praying, we said farewell to one another.
This was while Paul was on his way to Jerusalem at the end of 3rd missionary trip, they were praying with one another. It was nothing new.
Act1:14, 2:42, they were devoted to prayer and they did it when gathered together as noted also in (Act12:12)
(transition) From ardent prayers that are strengthening thing that adds to the tie that binds us together, let’s look at the next phrase.
(Insert our fear, our hope, our aim picture here)
“Our fears, our hopes, our aims are one, our comforts and our cares. . .”
We have common fears, similar fears, concerns desires
Sickness, suffering, death. we desire to be healthy and not to suffer and when death comes that it is quickly so there is no suffering.
We have concern hope for health, for employment, and common concern about joblessness and poverty.
We have common desire and hope for we are fellow citizens of the kingdom (1Pt1:3, 5:8-9)
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
(expand on this; start invitation here, born again, living hope; kingdom living people)
We do not live without trials, tribulations, struggles
8 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.
We have a common nature we share now as Christians (2Pt1:2-4)
The common nature not just because we are humans created in God’s image
But are partakers of God’s divine nature, check this out.
2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; 3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.
4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.
(Expand) are you a Christian, are you sharing in the divine nature of God? God is inviting the unsaved, and reminding the saved. of the great and precious promises we have in Him!
(Transition) our shared, common experiences, that are greatly enhanced by true knowledge of him of the spiritual blessings that we have help to strengthen the our tie to one another in Christian love.
Third Verse
Third Verse
We share our mutual woes, our mutual burdens bear; and often for each other floes the sympathizing tear.
(Insert we share our mutual woes picture here)
We share our woes, we share our burdens (Gal6:1-2)
1 Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.
Here we see a spiritual need, a need for restoration or a need for cooperation in helping to carry a burden with someone
We share through prayer for one another too (Jm5:16)
we read Jm5:16 a little while ago about praying for one another, it fits right here too. The burden of prayer.
We share by remember the prisoners in Christ (Heb13:3)
3 Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated, since you yourselves also are in the body.
Do you know people who are persecuted because of the gospel? are ill-treated because of it? Well there were then, and there are today, maybe not here in USA per se but we are right by them who are persecuted for the good news (expand on the good news; part of the invitation)
We share by seeing others needs and meeting the need (Jm2:16)
To keep in context Jm2:16 is great but we need to keep in context because it is more than see and meet a need.
14 What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food,
16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? 17 Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.
Faith, how is your faith? Do you have saving faith? Do you have growing, sanctifying faith. that kind of faith produces works that meets the needs of others not for faith but from faith..
(Transition) Working faith is a blessing that helps the tie between us be strengthened
(insert and often for each other flows picture here)
A common tear for one another because how God put the body together (1Cor12:24-26)
24 whereas our more presentable members have no need of it. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that member which lacked, 25 so that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another.
26 And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.
Or you may consider that we might weep with one another, weep with the one who weeps (ref: Rom12:15)
(Transition) Our final verse tonight describes the impact of the tie that binds
Forth Verse
Forth Verse
When we asunder part, it gives us inward pain; but we shall still be joined in heart, and hope to meet again.”
(Insert when we asunder part picture here)
When we asunder it can give us inward pain, as exampled by the Ephesians Elders (Act20:36-38)
36 When he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. 37 And they began to weep aloud and embraced Paul, and repeatedly kissed him,
38 grieving especially over the word which he had spoken, that they would not see his face again. And they were accompanying him to the ship.
(expand) - we will go through pain when those whom we are bound with asunder. As a christian if the person is a christian we have the blessed assurance we will be together again, look at the next phase.
(Insert when we asunder part picture here again)
Maybe separated in the flesh, but still united in the Spirit (Col2:5)
separated by death or by space we are still united!
With hope of the resurrection (1The4:13-18)
Just as Jesus died and rose again, we too will and we will be joined together with Him as well as with the ones who have gone on before us.
What great words of comfort and words of assurance because:
Resurrection made possible only because of the resurrection of Christ (1Pt1:3-5)
I think I should give this scripture before concluding this.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,
5 who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
I know I ready and discussed (vv.3-4) previously, but look at (v.5), the protection, the assurance we can have as disciples that are tied together, bound together in Christian love.
(invitation- bound in Christ’s love) (Song) (Prayer)