Where Everybody Knows Your Name

(Hebrews 10:25) “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” 


Why Walk Alone? 


(Ecclesiastes 4:8) “There was a man all alone; he had neither son nor brother. There was no end to his toil, yet his eyes were not content with his wealth.” 


 Naivety. 
 Temperament. 
 Fear. 
 Past experiences. 
 Busyness. 



Where Everybody Knows Your Name


(Romans 12:5 NLT) “…Since we are all one body in Christ, we belong to each other, and each of us needs all the others.” 


1. Arena – I know and you know. 

 I need people who really know me. 


(1 Corinthians 2:11) “For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him?” 


2. Mask – I know but you don’t know. 

 I need people who will protect me. 


(2 Corinthians 4:2 MSG) “We refuse to wear masks and play games.… Rather, we keep everything we do and say out in the open…” 


(James 5:16) “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.”



3. Blind spots – I don’t know but you know. 



 I need people who will be honest with me. 



(Proverbs 27:6 NKJV) “Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.” 



4. Potential – I don’t know and you don’t know.


 I need people who will grow me.


(Proverbs 27:17) “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” 


(Proverbs 18:24) “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”


Video
https://www.churchofthehighlands.com/media/message/where-everybody-knows-your-name

Chris Hodges, Church of the Highlands

It's Time to Get Together

Repentance is a good word. It means that God has given us an opportunity to change; however, there is urgency. There is a better way for us to go.   

(Matthew 3:2 NKJV) “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”

What are we moving towards?  I don't know what lies behind you, but I know the promise in this verse below lies ahead of us.  

(Jeremiah 29:11-13) For I (God) know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

We can't get to where we are going without each other.  

It's a Group Project

(Hebrews 10:23-25) Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

• Together is God's Plan.  

Christianity is a group project.  Alone was never God's plan. If we are together, God can be in our midst.  (Matthew 18:20) 

• Together isn't always easy. 

Together may bring pain, but we must work it out. The enemy's plan for us is for us to be alone.

• Together takes a choice.

It's time to make a choice and believe God's plan by rejecting the enemy’s lies.

When We Get Together

(Acts 13:22) After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’

1. We are to call out

the best in each other like Samuel did for David when he anointed him to be King.

(1 Samuel 16:12-13) …Then the Lord said, “Rise and anoint him; this is the one.” So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David…

(Proverbs 27:17 NLT) As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.

2. We are to call out

to God for each other like Jonathan did for David when David fled from Jonathan's father, Saul.

(1 Samuel 23:15-16) While David was at Horesh in the Desert of Ziph, he learned that Saul had come out to take his life. And Saul’s son Jonathan went to David at Horesh and helped him find strength in God.

(Proverbs 17:17) A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.

3.We are to call out the truth 

in each other like Nathan did for David when David had adultery with Bathsheba and had her husband killed.

(3 Samuel 12:7) Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man!”

(Proverbs 27:5-6 NLT) An open rebuke is better than hidden love! Wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from an enemy.

Let’s Go!

“Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.” ~Corrie Ten Boom

Mark Pettis, Church of the Highlands

Video

https://www.churchofthehighlands.com/media/message/its-time-to-get-together

Better Together

We need people who really love us to keep us out of trouble.

John 13:1-8 (NIV)

It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.

2 The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 

3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 

4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 

5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”

7 Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”

8 “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”

Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”

1. We need to serve each another.

John 13:12-15 (NIV)

12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. 

13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 

14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 

15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.

1 Peter 4:10 (NIV)

10 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.

2. We need to encourage each other. 

John 14:1  (NIV)

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.

Hebrews 3:13 (NIV)

13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.

3. We need to Work with each other.   

John 15:4-5 (NIV)

4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

Deuteronomy 32:30 (NIV)

30 How could one man chase a thousand,
    or two put ten thousand to flight,

Prayer multiplies when you pray with each other.

4. We need to Protect each another.

John 16:1  (NIV)

16 “All this I have told you so that you will not fall away.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10  (MSG)

9-10 It’s better to have a partner than go it alone.
Share the work, share the wealth.
And if one falls down, the other helps,
But if there’s no one to help, tough!

You need a second set of eyes looking out for you.

5. Pray for one another. 

John 17:1, 9  (NIV)

After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed:

“Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 

9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours.

James 5:16  (NIV)

16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

We is always better than just me. 

Chris Hodges, Church of the Highlands

https://www.churchofthehighlands.com/media/message/better-together 

Jesus needed family

The Bible has some great biographies. 

You can see the entire arch of their lives.

Today, I want to look at Jesus's family.

Jesus was single, and didn't have kids. 

Luke wrote about it. He was a historian and a doctor.  He tells us this story about Jesus's childhood.

Luke 2:41-49 (NIRV)

41 Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Passover Feast. 

42 When Jesus was 12 years old, they went up to the feast as usual. 

43 After the feast was over, his parents left to go back home. 

The boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. 

But they were not aware of it. 

44 They thought he was somewhere in their group. 

So they traveled on for a day. 

Then they began to look for him among their relatives and friends. 

45 They did not find him. 

So they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. 

46 After three days they found him in the temple courtyard. 

He was sitting with the teachers. 

He was listening to them and asking them questions. 

47 Everyone who heard him was amazed at how much he understood. 

They also were amazed at his answers. 

48 When his parents saw him, they were amazed. 

His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? 

Your father and I have been worried about you. 

We have been looking for you everywhere.”

49 “Why were you looking for me?” he asked.

 “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?”

Jesus had a family with a tradition of going to Jerusalem.  

Every family should have traditions.  

His parents made a mistake. It was the first Home Alone story. He was left in Jerusalem by Himself as a 12 year old.  

His parents were not perfect. 

When you are wrong, tell your children. 

"I was wrong".  

"Will you forgive me?" 

It's not too late to call and apologize to your grown kids. 

Back to our story about Jesus.

After three days, they found Jesus. 

His mother said why have your treated us like this?  

Jesus didn't go to school, but Jesus was very unusual from the beginning.  

His parents were good to their kids.  

His parents had prepared Him.  

He was left behind for three days. 

He did just fine.
  

A parent's job is to raise competent  adults one day, and that's exactly what they did.  

In our day and age, we have tried to keep our kids safe, but we can overdo it.  

We want our kids to be strong, but we've got to take risk.  

If we don't, they won't be strong.  

The risks gets bigger the older that they get.  

Risk brings confidence and reveals competence.  

Jesus knew He could handle His situation. 

How are you raising competence in your kids? 

When you have an issue, is it a problem to solve or a tension to manage?  

In our day and age, we have all this access to credit.  

We need to solve our problems with a budget not with credit. 

We need to adjust down and live within our means. 

Another area of concern is over scheduling. 

Budget your time as well as your money.  

Mary and Joseph raised Jesus, so He could thrive as a 12 year old. 

About 10 years ago, the I-phone was invented.  

How old is the right age to have a phone? 

Kids start getting phones around 10.  

About the age of 11, we noticed that our child was losing her friends because she was being left out without having a phone.  

The smart phone came around.  

The promise was that we could be connected in various ways.  

The truth was it isolates.
  

We can stream three seasons of our favorite shows instead of interacting with our friends.  

We can just sit by our self and watch our phone. 

In social media, there is bullying. 

We can see an increase in bullying especially with girls.  

Boy's bullying is physical.  

Girls bully with words.  

That's why the girls are getting hit harder with social media than boys. 

In social media, we show our best self. 

We only show what we're proud of sharing.  

If we've stayed at a great hotel, we show it on facebook; however,if we stayed at a lessor hotel, we don't show it. 

It creates a fear of missing out.  

You see all the things that you're not invited too.  

We can see all our friends at someone house, but we're not there.  

It can happen three or four times a week with teens. 

This is creating a perfect storm in our teen's life.  

Among adults it is showing a 40% level of lonliness and suicide.  

Where suicide is peaking is getting younger and younger.  

This is a tension to manage.  

As a parent, we should educate our children to be the expert of these things. 

Teach them how to manage it.  

Train them to make great decisions.  

Like Vaping.  

One more thing real quick.  

Have the conversation. 

If you claim the name of Christ, you're kids must not practice bullying. 

Back to the story about Jesus. 

This day in Jesus' life in Luke's story was the last day we hear of Him as a child.  

Most scholars believe that Joseph died while Jesus was a kid.

We serve a God who understands our pain.  

He had to care for His mom.

Later in Jesus's life, He had begun His ministry, and this happened.

Mark 3:31-35  (NIRV)

31 Jesus’ mother and brothers came and stood outside. 

They sent someone in to get him. 

32 A crowd was sitting around Jesus. 

They told him, “Your mother and your brothers are outside. 

They are looking for you.” 

33 “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” he asked.

34 Then Jesus looked at the people sitting in a circle around him. 

He said, “Here is my mother! 

Here are my brothers! 

35 Anyone who does what God wants is my brother or sister or mother.”

Jesus lived at a very dangerous time.  

His family realized what Jesus was teaching could cost Him His life.  

Jesus had begun to shift to a new community of faith whom He too considered family. 

Jesus at that point no longer had a home. 

He needed family.  

He didn't even have a place to stay.  

Matthew 8:20 (NIRV)

20 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens. 

Birds have nests. 

But the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”   

Some times you have a family like Jesus did.

Most adults won't talk about their disappointments and dreams because their dreams didn't work out. 

We get one spin around what we call life. 

We don't control what happens to us.  

We can influence it.  

We can influence whom we go through this life with.   

We need family to go through this life with.  

We need someone to pray with us.  

Someone to celebrate with us.  

Don't walk through this life by yourself. 

We were never meant to be in a big crowd who just sits next to each other.  

We were meant to be in a faith family.  

We've got to figure it out.  

I believe that it can happen.  

Lord will you help us to forge great family together.  

Lord will you help us to invite our church family into our lives.  

Lord please let us be connected to each other.  

We lift this prayer to heaven in the name of Christ.   

Steve Gillian, Willowcreek Church