1 Corinthians 12, John 13:1-20, 31-35

1 Corinthians 12

John 13:1-20, 31-35

Live Together

(Part 3 of 2007 Hopewell Lent 6 part series on Purpose Driven Life)

March 11, 2007

Is there a purpose to life?

Does life have purpose and meaning?

If so – what is it?

What is the purpose of life?

Why are we here?

More specifically – what is the purpose of my life?

Why am I here?

Is there something that can give meaning to my life?

Am I here for a purpose?

Did God have a purpose in putting me here?

Questions of purpose and meaning have haunted people since the beginning of time.

As Christians, we can say

“Yes –life has a purpose –

Yes –life has meaning.”

We can say:

“Yes – my life has a purpose –

Yes – my life has meaning.”

“Yes – God has put me here for a purpose.”

Lent – the 6 weeks before Holy Week and Easter — has historically been a time Christians have devoted themselves to reflection upon Christ’s sacrifice for us on the cross – and our response to Christ and His claim upon our lives. We are using Rick Warren’s book The Purpose Driven Life – studying the book itself on Wednesday nights and looking at themes from the book on Sundays – to help us look at what God’s purpose for us might be —

what God might have us to have as a purpose in our lives –

and how we can live in God’s purpose for our lives.

So – what is the purpose for our lives?

Two weeks ago we looked at how we can not find true purpose for our lives in

money

possessions

power

fame

or anything else people might use to find purpose or meaning for their lives when they focus on themselves.

We will never find meaning and purpose for our lives by looking for it within ourselves – what we want – what we might think is good or meaningful.

Only when we look to God for meaning and purpose for life – only when we look to God for His meaning and His purpose for our lives – can we discover the true meaning and true purpose for our lives.

Rick Warren — in his book The Purpose Driven Life – outlines 5 purposes for life that God has created us for:

1. Pleasing God

2. Loving others who believe in God

3. Becoming like Christ

4. Serving others with the gifts God has given us

5. Telling others about God

Last week we looked at the first of these — pleasing God – - and saw how we were created to live lives that are pleasing to God – living lives that are pleasing to God has to be a purpose for our lives.

One of the purposes for our lives is to live to please God.

Today I want us to look at the second of these purposes – loving others who believe in God. More specifically – I want us to focus on the family of believers we know as the Church – and the love God calls us to have for each other.

We’re going to look at 2 passages – the first one Paul’s beautiful illustration of what it means to be “the body of Christ” in 1 Corinthians 12 – and the second being the beautiful illustration Jesus gave of what it means to be “family” in John 13. As we look at these 2 passages, I believe we will discover that one of our purposes in life needs to be to live together.

Read Passages

As Christians, I believe we are created for relationships with God and with each other. Now — this “each other” of course includes our families and those we come into contact with every day – but I believe it means – in a particular way – the Church. And I don’t mean here Church with a little c – the church universal – or all Christians – although the relationships we have with other Christians and other Churches is indeed important – but what I want to focus on today is the Church with a capitol C – the members of a particular Church – the members of this particular Church – in this case the members of Hopewell Presbyterian Church.

You see – I believe that we were created for relationships with God and each other – and one important aspect of this is relationships we have within the Church — within this Church. God has called us into a special relationship with each other – a special relationship that makes us a family – a Church family – the Hopewell Presbyterian Church family.

The first purpose God created you for is to live a life pleasing to God.

The second purpose God created you for is to live together with other Christians in a Church family.

Live together.

Live together.

Part of living out God’s purposes for your life is living together with other Christians in a Church family.

Live together.

Live together.

God created you to love Him and others. God created you to live in a special relationship with Him and with those He has called you to join together with to be His Church – this Church – Hopewell Presbyterian Church.

Jesus commanded this love.

As He sat with His disciples at the Last Supper — just after Judas had left to betray Him — Jesus said to His disciples —

“A new command I give you: Love one another.

As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”

The Church is to be the expression of God’s love in the world.

This Church is to be the expression of God’s love in the world.

Hopewell Presbyterian Church is to be the expression of God’s love in the world.

Yes – one of your purposes in life is to love God and the Church. One of the purposes God has for your life is for you to learn how to

Live together.

Live together.

Jesus did not just talk about love and how He wanted His followers to treat each other in the Church. John 13 gives a beautiful picture of what it means to love each other – and how we as the Church should live together. Jesus illustrates the love He would have for us to have for each other – and the kind of life He would have us have together in the Church – by taking a towel and washing the disciples feet.

I believe this act of washing the disciples’ feet gives us a great truth about how Jesus would have us live together as a Church. Jesus’ taking the towel and washing the disciple’s feet actually dramatizes the whole of Jesus’ life on earth. Washing his disciples’ feet is no isolated event. What He did that night in the upper room vividly portrays the whole journey He made from the Father into the world and back to the Father. In the Upper Room that night, the eternal Son of God, the king of all creation, stripped off his garments and got on his knees to wash the dirt from the feet of men who should have been serving him.

One thing Jesus would have you do as you live together with others as the Church – one thing Jesus would have you do as you live together as Hopewell Presbyterian Church — is to serve. Part of what being the community God calls us to be as the Church means is:

Live together.

Live together.

You know — when you think of the Son of God on His knees before His followers it can humble you. If Jesus served in this humble way, then you can serve others in the Church in humility also.

Live together.

Live together.

If I were to ask you what the purpose of our Church should be — what would you say?

To preach repentance and salvation?

To grow in membership?

To show outward signs of a dynamic ministry?

To be a “popular” church — attracting lots of attention and never doing anything that may in the least bit offend others?

H. Richard Niebuhr was a Theologian who — like most Theologians – and — for that matter — most people — had a lot to say about what he believed to be the purpose of the church. I believe that one of the more important things Niebuhr wrote was:

“The purpose of the church and its ministry

is to work for the increase among humankind

of the love of God and neighbor.”

The purpose of the church is to work for the increase of a love of God and neighbor.

Love of God and neighbor.

“I give you a new commandment,

that you love one another.

Just as I have loved you,

you also should love one another.”

Jesus says.

Sitting with his disciples for what will be his last supper with them before He dies on the cross — Jesus has a message for His disciples.

Love

As I have loved you.

Love.

What is our purpose as individual Christians – and as a Church?

Love

By this everyone will know you are my disciples.

Love.

One of the purposes of our lives as Christians .

Love

Love for God.

Love for others.

Love for members of the Church – this Church.

One of your purposes in life is to love God and the Church.

This living in love is what it means to live together as the Church God would have us be. Serving each other – humbly working together – living together as the Church in humble service and love – working together for God’s glory in the world – is part of what it means to be the Christians God calls us to be. It is to be one of the purposes for our lives. It is to be one of the purposes for your life.

Live together.

Live together.

One of the purposes of your life is to be to live to please God.

Another purpose is to be to live together.

But — it is not easy to have living together in love and humbly working together as a purpose for our lives or our Church.

Love is not easy.

It can lead to your giving of yourself.

It can lead to sacrifice.

Look at where it lead Christ — to death on a cross.

But – death on the cross is the greatest act of love – and is not defeat – but victory.

For Jesus – the victory was in loving –

even giving of Himself —

even dying on the cross —

even rising again.

“I give you a new commandment,

that you love one another.

Just as I have loved you,

you also should love one another.”

“The purpose of the church and its ministry

is to work for the increase among humankind

of the love of God and neighbor.”

To work for the increase of the love of God and neighbor.

One of our purposes in life is to love God and the Church. It is to learn how to live together.

One of your purposes in life is to love God and the Church. It is to learn how to live together.

Live together.

Live together.

Living together in love is to be your goal.

But — how can you — as an individual Christians – as an individual church member — achieve this purpose in your life?

Only by being truly loving people.

Only by being a truly loving member.

Only by building a truly loving Church.

In our lesson from 1 Corinthians Paul gives some very specific advice and a beautiful illustration of what it means to be a Church – “the body of Christ”

In families we all have our jobs and responsibilities.

The same holds true for the Church.

To fulfill our purpose as God’s people –

To fulfill our purpose as a Church –

we all have to do our job – and fulfill our responsibility

To fulfill your purpose as am individual Christian and an individual member of this Church – you have to do your job. You have to fulfill your responsibility.

When we do our part – humbly serving God and others – we begin learning how to live together.

When you do your part – humbly serving God and others – you begin learning how to live together.

We all have particular gifts and particular things God has given us abilities to do.

We all have to use the particular gifts God gives us –

our particular abilities –

to fulfill our purpose as a Church as individual Christians.

You have particular gifts and particular things God has given you abilities to do.

You have to use the particular gifts God gives you –

your particular abilities –

to fulfill your purpose as a Church member and as an individual Christian.

Live together.

Serve each other – serve others.

Use your particular gifts to accomplish God’s will in the Church.

That’s what it means to have living together as a purpose for your life.

Live together.

Live together.

A minister wrote of an experience he had while flying over the Grand Canyon with a friend.

“Do you see that bright spot on the ground that follows the plane in its flight?”

The friend asked.

Looking down, the minister noticed that it did appear that a bright spot was following the plane.

“Pilots call that the planes doxa — it’s glory.”

The friend advised.

“It’s really a reflection caused by the sun as it bounces off the plane.”

The minister thought about how our purpose as individual Christians and as a Church — is to reflect the love of God to the world.

Our purpose is to act on the love that Christ has for us and for the world.

Your purpose is to act on the love that Christ has for you and for the world.

Using your gifts is your individual reflection of the love of God – and your fulfillment of your purpose to love other Christians – particularly in the Church. When you use your gifts you show your love in the specific way God has called you to do.

Each of us have different gifts and abilities – just as Paul points out that each part of the body has a different function.

But we need each part of our bodies – and miss it if we lose a part.

In the same way we need each member of the Church doing their part – and we miss them if they do not.

We need you doing their part – and we miss you if you do not.

Live together.

Live together.

Whatever your role is – play it.

Whatever your part is – do it.

Whatever your gift is – give it.

Whatever your ability is – use it.

In that way you are fulfilling your purpose of loving God and the Church.

In doing this you are on your way to discovering and fulfilling your God given purpose in life.

One of the purposes God has for your life is for you to live a life pleasing to God.

A second purpose God has for your life is for you to learn to live together in the Church.

Live to please God.

Live together.

Live out these purposes God has for your life. Amen.