This morning well be talking about Brotherly Love. When I was a student at Trinity, we used to try to find different ways to make money and do different jobs in the community. One particular job we had was a painting job. I could still take you to this house on RTE 41 and Clavey. It was a small house made out of little shingles. The roof and all these walls made out of these shingles. There were four of us, and we each had a bucket of stain: dark blue, dark green, dark orange and dark red. We would go around the house, find a shingle and paint it these awful colors. It looked as hideous as it sounds; but it was money, so we took the job. There was a woman there probably in her late 50s and a man probably in his early 30s who had a very unusual relationship. She complained a lot about things, and he yelled at her. She never really acknowledged him. It kind of went like this: shed be complaining about something, and hed look at her and say, Just shut up! Just shut your mouth, Tilley. Shut your mouth! Im tired of hearing you! She would just keep talking. Then he would continue to yell at her and say, Just shut your mouth, lips! Shut your mouth! Shut your pie hole, lips! Im tired of hearing it! She would go on and on, and this went back and forth all day. We were thinking, What kind of dysfunctional relationship is this? Im up painting a landing on a portion of the roof, and the guy climbs up the ladder and says, What do you want from McDonalds? I told him. He was climbing back down, and he looked through the window into the house. Tilley obviously was trying to communicate something to him from in the house. He was going, What? What? Huh? Aw, shut up, lips! He climbed down the ladder and was getting ready to leave. I said, Listen, I have to ask you a question. Can you tell me who Tilley is to you? Are you neighbors? Are you friends? Then he gets this look of shame on his face, and he says, Oh, yeah, thats my mom. I know I dont talk to her right, but if anybody else ever did that, Id get really mad at them. Okay, yeah [I thought to myself]. I got really mad at him, Thats no way to talk to your mom. There was something so unnatural and so wrong about him treating his mother like that because…thats his mom! Theyre family! There is a bond there that should not lend itself to that sort of behavior. Paul talks and Peter writes about brotherly kindness. Its so important because what they are saying is you and I are family. Were brothers and were sisters in Christ; were family. We should treat each other as family. We should honor one another as family. Lets turn in our Bibles to the Book of Romans 12 (page 1123 of pew Bibles). Were going to study a passage this morning that speaks about what brotherly kindness looks like, how it is lived out in the real world. In this passage, Paul tells us what the Christian life should look like, and then he gives us examples of it or defines what he means. For instance, in Verse 9, Paul says, Love must be sincere… or without hypocrisy. What does Paul mean by that? He means this, Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. So a love that is sincere will be characterized by a life that hates what is evil and clings to what is good. Then he goes on and says, Be devoted to one another in brotherly kindness… or Philadelphia. What does it look like to be devoted in love to one another? Hes going to explain that to us in this passage. I want to begin by talking about that word devoted and what that means. Its an interesting word. There are a lot of words in the Greek for love. We simply have love and we use it for everything. I love my child; I love God; I love pizza; I love the Bears; I love the fall. We just use that one word, love. These are things I love. In the Bible, in the Greek, there are all kinds of words for love. Theres agape love, which is unconditional love; there is phileo love, which is brotherly love; theres eros love, which is sensual love; and there is another kind of love expressed here in this word mutual. It is an intimate love that is expressed in the family: husband and wife; parent and child. Its that kind of love that its talking about here. Its an intimate, close love. In essence, what Paul was saying in this passage is, Like it or not, were family. There is a bond in us through Christ. We have the same Father; we have the same Spirit. In fact in the Book of 1 Corinthians 12:12-13 (refer to page 1137 of pew Bibles), Paul says, You and I are one body. Though we are many parts, were one body, and weve all been made to drink from the same Spirit. We all drink from the same Spirit. When I was in Sweden, I spoke at a conference there. After it was done, I had an opportunity to meet my family. I literally met first cousins that I didnt even know existed-total strangers. After we spent the day together, we looked at pictures of relatives. Wed say, I dont know you. I live in America. You live in Sweden, but this woman that were looking at here, thats our grandmother. You have the same picture in your living room that I grew up with in my living room in America. We have the same blood; we have the same DNA. Were family. It wasnt long before my cousin was putting my arm around my shoulder, putting her head on my shoulder, squeezing me and saying, My cousin, in her best English. My cousin. That bond-that affinity-happened because we were family. Paul says, You have the same spiritual DNA; the same Spirit that unites you; the same faith in Jesus; the same Father, and youre family. He says, As a result of that, you should be devoted to one another in love and honor one another above yourselves. You express that devotion through your honor: the way we speak to one another; the way we treat one another should be reflective of how a healthy family would treat one another. There should be a level of respect and honor there. Im kind of dating myself here, but I started attending church in the ‘60s and the ‘70s. The church I grew up in-though I continued on in that church into adulthood and followed that pastor to his next church-[we had] this tradition we kind of got away from, but in the early days of our church, and nod if you did this too-we would speak to one another as brother and sister. Did your church tradition do that back in the day? Anybody else? Nobody else? Okay. This wasnt a cult thing. This was the way churches back in the days-thats the way we talked. Wed walk into church with my step-father and mother, and wed say, Good morning, Brother Dibble. Good morning, Sister Dibble. Theyd say, Well, good morning, Brother Benson. Good morning, Sister Benson. I just thought that was the way all churches and Christians talked. The old-schoolers, when we got into the new church in the new building, when I saw Brother Benson, it was still, Good morning, Brother Benson. We referred to our pastors by Pastor. When I see Pastor Lyon when he came for our dedication, I didnt say, Hey, Don. I said, Hi Pastor, just like when I was a kid. I have little kids coming up to me on Sunday mornings saying, Hey, Jeff! When I was a kid, man, you didnt do that. We just spoke with such respect for one another. I think Paul talks about that in Galatians. He says, If youre not careful of the way you speak to one another, you keep biting at one another, then youre going to devour each other. Youre family, he reminds us in Galatians 5 (refer to page 1154 and 1155 of pew Bibles). Youre the church. So Paul reminds us by saying [in Romans 12:9], Listen, honor one another as family. Be devoted to one another in love. He says, Never lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. One of the things I saw about this video with Mike and the youth group is the contagiousness of what they did. Now with the money being gone, were going to continue it because its not just what it does for the people-the flowers have wilted, and the gas is used up (probably that day)-but what the children will remember from that experience, they will take with them as well as the inner-joy that kindness brings. Have you noticed that when you do something kind or say something kind to your brother and sister in Christ, you can get choked up sometimes? Anybody else get like that? Do you feel goose bumps sometimes? You just get this inner reward because God has wired us that way. God has wired us to reinforce acts of kindness. I had a person come up to me this week, and he said something kind about… I was talking to the owner of Lighthouse, Dean. I said, Thank you for your ministry in our church. Were sorry to hear youre closing your doors. He said something very kind about me and about our church; and as he did that, he got a little choked up. Why is that? God has wired us that way. God reinforces that behavior because thats how He wants us to live. Thats what He wants us to do. When I think of keeping fervor, Im thinking of our missions team. Im reading these emails back and forth as theyre preparing to go to the D.R. Stop by their fundraiser table on the way out too if you get a chance. Theyre selling some elegant farmer pies. Their enthusiasm comes as they plan and as they work hard to raise money for what? Why are they working so hard? Why are they planning so much? Why are they serving to raise money to work hard and serve? Thats what theyre trying to do. Normally if youre in Scouts or a school fundraiser, [youre] working hard to get the prize. Maybe at work youre working hard to get promotion or a raise. Maybe at school, youre working hard to get good grades or a reward that is coming to you. These people are working hard and serving in order to continue to work hard and serve. Whats going to happen when they come home? Are they going to come home to, How was the D.R? It was awful. It was hot. I got blisters. My back hurts; my feet hurt. I got sweaty and dirty. It was just hard work! No, theyre going to come home with enthusiasm and joy because all week long, these inner buttons are going to be pressed. Theyre going to be doing works of kindness and speaking words of kindness to their brothers and sisters in Christ in the D.R. Theyre going to come back, and theyre just going to be even more enthusiastic about what they did because theyre going to feel good about the part they played, about the part our church played in helping their brothers and sisters in the Dominican. Paul says to maintain that enthusiasm; maintain that fervor spirit as you serve one another. In Verse 12 [of Romans 12, page 1123), Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Hes talking about that in the context of loving one another. Hes saying, Look, stand with one another in your afflictions. Rejoice in hope with one another. Remember the promises; remember His presence. Hope in the Bible is different than hope in our everyday vernacular. When you and I say hope, we use it in the context of wishful thinking. Its kind of you crossing your fingers. Baseball season started; I might say, I hope the Cubs can win the World Series this year. I hope its not a winter like last year. I hope the pastors sermon isnt as long and boring as it was last time he preached. These are things you cross your fingers and hope for. I hope when I leave the house in such a hurry, I dont get stuck by a train. I hope. You have no control over that. You have no way of knowing whether its going to happen or not; its just wishful thinking. When the Bible says hope, its not talking about crossing your fingers and hoping for the best. The Biblical hope is a confident expectation that what youre desiring is going to come to pass. When I get stuck by that train, Biblical hope can happen. Biblical hope doesnt wonder whether something is going to happen. It wonders when its going to happen. Thats Biblical hope. I get by the train, and I say, Well, I hope this train ends soon. Im looking off in the horizon, and I dont see the train anymore. Maybe its done. It turns out its just those trailers going by. Then it resumes again. I hope this one is the caboose. I hope it ends soon. Now, do you know the train is going to end? Absolutely. You have a confident expectation that its going to end. Youre just not sure when. You know its going to eventually happen. Thats Biblical hope. Were reminding one another in the context of our family relationships. Remember the hope; remember the promise; remember His presence; remember His power, and we rejoice in what God has said and what God has done. We remind one another of that in the context of these loving relationships. Paul says that should characterize the Christian family. He tells us another example of what it means to be devoted to one another in love. He says [in Romans 12:13], Share with Gods people who are in need. If you are devoted to one another in love, you will share of your resources, your time, your talents and your treasures. I was privileged to know about a situation in our church. We have a brother in our church who has a physical condition that is beyond his control. Its caused his health to deteriorate, and its caused an adverse effect on his finances. As a result, he fell far behind in his mortgage and was going to lose his house. Foreclosure proceedings had begun. Without him asking, his small group that he is a part of went to work. They started to pool their resources together and gather funds together-thousands of dollars, and they saved his house through [generous people in] our church. They said, Here you go. We want you to know God loves you, and we love you. We want you to keep your house. Thats this in action; thats this being lived out. We give to one another. Pastor Sean and Heather Christensen are preparing to leave for Haiti. They said, We have some needs. I said, Whats going on? He said, Well, we have a shortfall. We need a new vehicle. The terrain is very rough, and its very expensive to repair used cars. They really stick it to you, so we need something new with a warranty. I asked, How short are you. Well, were $7,000 short. I said, Were going to get it done, Sean. Just relax. Im going to have Tim make a display for us. Were going to talk to the congregation and receive a love offering. Were going to get it done. It sounds like a lot of money, and it is a lot of money-$7,000! Within about three weeks, we were about $500 from our goal. I emailed Sean and Heather and said, Just count on it. Its going to be done. They were so joyful of your generosity. Thats the church being the church. Its not just in money. Its giving of your time. Its being a listening ear. Its giving of your talents. Its serving one another and looking for opportunity. If you lift the blinders-its so easy in our society and with the way life is right now-its so easy to just be concerned with myself, my situation. If I ask God, Lord, lift the blinders off my eyes. Help me to see the needs around me. Help my ears to be attentive. Help me to know ways that I can demonstrate brotherly kindness. Youd be surprised at the opportunities God sends your way. He will send you so many opportunities that youll have to say, Stop. Thats enough. Thats all I have time for. In the next part of the verse here, Verse 13, it says, Practice hospitality. Now that does not mean inviting friends over to your house. That word literally means to remember strangers, to be hospitable to strangers. Paul is saying here that brotherly kindness has to go outside of our four walls. We should extend to those outside the church as well who are strangers to us. I want to share a story with you on that, and Id like you to turn in your Bibles if you would please to the Book of Hebrews 13 (page 1194). Were going to read Verses 1-2 of Hebrews 13. The author to Hebrews says this: Keep on loving each other as brothers. Whats that word? Whats that verb? Philadelphia. That's what the word is. Keep on loving one another as brothers. Do not forget to entertain strangers. By the way, what we translated of practice hospitality in Romans 12 is the same word as entertain strangers here. Its the exact same verb. Entertain strangers for by doing so, some of you have entertained angels without knowing it. Do you think thats true? Ive heard some weird angel stories in my life. You probably have too. He says, You dont even know whether God is sending you an opportunity [or not or if] God is testing you, because God will test you. This life is a preparation for eternity. Thats why faith is so important. Why is faith so important? Because God is preparing us for the life to come, and He wants us to use faith. The world doesnt understand that. Bill Maher has a new movie out. He doesnt understand why faith is so important. Why do we have to have faith? he asked the question. We have to have faith because faith is preparation. God tests us in this life in preparation for the next. When I was a youth pastor, World Vision started a new ministry called The Plan Famine. The idea was a brand new ministry, and I think weve done this in our church too. You go 30 hours without food, and you get people to sponsor you so much an hour. You gather that money, and then you give that to World Vision, and they use it to feed the poor. Now, thats a great idea, but the greatest benefit is what its going to teach the young people about responsibility and about brotherly kindness and how it can be used to build character in their lives. Thats the lasting benefit of that. So, we gathered at the church on Friday night at about 6 oclock. We did all kinds of activities during the evening. At midnight, I was so cruel, I even showed them a video that had pizza, cheeseburgers and shakes in it. Then during the night, we had activities planned; and then in the morning we woke up and wrapped things up. I cant be sure of the events; this was like 1983 or 1984. I couldnt tell you what we did, but I do remember how it wound up. We were down in our prayer room, and I was preaching on this passage. The Bible is open to Hebrews 13, and Im telling our kids about this verse, about entertaining angels unaware and showing hospitality to strangers. Im teaching on that verse, and there is a knock on the door. I am irritated. Im thinking who in the world [could that be]? We were the only people in the church at the time. It is two or three in the afternoon. We were the only ones here. Whoever that person is, they know that Im preaching. They can hear me outside the door. Why would they interrupt the sermon? So I kept preaching. They knocked again a second time. Excuse me, I say to the youth, Ill be right back. I go answer the door, and a young girl is there named Sue. I say, Sue, Im preaching. You shouldnt knock right now. She said, Pastor Jeff, you really need to come out of there. Somebody needs to talk to you. I said, Ill be done soon, and Ill come out and talk to them. She said, Really, I dont think it can wait. I think you need to come right now. Im wondering what in the world it is that cant wait. I go back to our youth, and I say, Excuse me. Ill be right back. I go upstairs and there is a man there who looks like he has not changed his clothes in days. He looks very dirty, unshaven, unkempt, and he says, Im really sorry to bother you. Im out of work, and Im on my way to a town down south. I have not eaten food in three days. Is there anything your church can do to help me? Im very hungry. I cant believe it. I go downstairs to our youth group, and I say, Listen, there is a man here who has not eaten in three days. I want you to know this is not a setup, kids. I didnt plan this out, but he needs food. Now what are the odds? Think about that. As far as I know that has never happened in the history of that church before, and it never happened since. We had been in the church building almost 24 hours. The moment this homeless man comes, this hungry man comes to our church, is the exact moment I am teaching on this on this text. What are the odds of that? You do the math. Its not very good. This is divine intervention, friends. God is saying, Listen, you want opportunities to put Me to the test? You want opportunities to show brotherly kindness? Ill bring you one. So while Im teaching about entertaining angels unaware when strangers come to your door, this man knocks and says, Can you give me food? Its been three days. So our kids go upstairs; they make this guy the best meal they could find in that kitchen: a sandwich, fruit, juice boxes, and they were just loading this guy up. He had a big old knapsack. [He left and ] walked down the highway, HWY 2, walking south. We all step outside the building watching him. We were kind of expecting him to disappear like in Touched by an Angel. Hes was going to walk, and pretty soon he was just going to be gone (congregation laughing). I look back and it was amazing when it happened; and when I look back over the years, I just say, Did that really happen? It did; it really happened. Friends, if you say to the Lord, Lord, I need to grow in brotherly love. I need to grow in brotherly kindness, thats a dangerous prayer. Hes going to tap you on the shoulder. Hes going to bring opportunities along your way. God expects you to act upon them, to do something to make a difference in the life of a brother or sister. We are very gifted in our church to have some talented people who are gifted in different areas. One of them is multi-media. There is a song called The Twenty-First Time which speaks about that very thing. I want you to listen to the words of this song, and then Ill come up and tell you something that we can do tangibly. Lets watch. (To listen and read the lyrics, click here and scroll down: http://www.jesusfreakhideout.com/cdreviews/TheTwenty-FirstTime.asp). All right, lets pray together. Father, thank You for what Youve challenged us to do through Your Word this morning. Lord, we have seen brotherly kindness lived out in the words of the Apostle Paul, and weve seen what it looks like. We see it lived out in our church, and, Lord, I pray that it be lived out in each individuals life. We pray now this dangerous prayer-that You would help us to see how we can demonstrate brotherly kindness and love to our church family and to our world. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.