Together | Elder Panel

This morning we have an elder panel. We're missing

Jeff and Tan. You can pray for their safe return

from Arkansas. Jeff led the memorial service

for Jared Dawson yesterday. In addition to that,

some of you might know it was Jeff's birthday

yesterday. And so that was a bit rough, but a

beautiful thing too. But if you didn't send him

a happy birthday message, it's just an appeal

from me. I'd encourage you, send something to

him and think about how you can express thankfulness.

for his life and for his ministry, something

you're thankful for. I'm sure that would be a

tremendous blessing for him to receive notes

from many of you. Now, our theme today for this

elder panel is together. Together. Together with

God, partaking of his goodness. Together for

God, partaking or partnering for his purposes.

And together with one another, participating

in life together. And our desire today is to

cover these three aspects of biblical community,

really to just encourage faithfulness, specifically

among our members, but among any believer here.

And we are a church that unapologetically and

we think biblically promotes meaningful membership.

Sometimes, though, our own personal backgrounds

in church or in life, our own experiences, or

even our own bad thinking, may misunderstand

what that means. We don't always understand what

being a meaningful member or being a participating

member in a local church means. But here's one

thing we can all affirm. There is always more

to learn in following Christ. No one's arrived

yet. If you had, you wouldn't be here. Right?

That's the graduation. That's the graduation

that Jarrett got. He gets to see Christ face

to face now. For us, we're still here. That means

in the song, the old hymn, there's something

still to do or bear. There's growth. There's

opportunity to grow. So we want to focus not

just on our church covenant this morning and

not just, hey, do these things, though it is

derived from God's word. We want to focus on

that theme, though, of being together. Oftentimes

we miss some of the purposes, some of the intention

of God's wisdom in drawing us together in a local

body, a real body. And we're here together today.

We're not with the church in Syria. We're not

with the church in Iran. We're not with the church

in Jerusalem. We're the church here at Oak Hill.

And there's good work for us to do together.

So as you think about that word together, the

most important together is with God. And that's

where we're going to start off this morning.

Every other relationship can fail, but if we're

with God, then we have hope. We have purpose

in this life. And that's foundational. It's the

key to walking as a faithful Christian. Every

believer is a partaker of God's grace. And Grant

is going to lead us and help us think biblically

about being together with God. Practically, communion

is going to be in view. That ordinance is intended

to help us remember and honor the sacrifice of

Christ. But the partaking of communion is something

more than just doing something. It's more than

just a checkbox to fill. It represents who we

are. People that have been bought and paid for

with the life, the death, and the resurrection

of the Son of God. And being with God is the

greatest gift. Everyone, everyone could fail

you. But we know that God won't. That's the most

important together. And that's why there's a

regular celebration of that unity together with

God at the communion table. I'm looking forward

to hearing Grant encourage us to worship well

in that regard and to consider communion as a

response of worship, as not just that rote thing

that we just do once a month, but it's a worshipful

response and it's good. Next, Ken is going to

help us think biblically about the implication

or the outworking of being saved. It's that believers

are together for God. So we're with God, but

now we're for God. We're together for him. Now,

a wrong way to look at salvation is to think

that once you're saved, you can just sit back

and relax. You got your get out of jail free

card, right? Yeah, that's called heresy. It is.

And it is a heresy, but there are countless pew

sitters. I'm calling them that. I'm not trying

to call you a pew sitter. I'm saying there are

pew sitters. They think that being saved is just

showing up to church. They said a prayer. They

have their name on a church roster and therefore

they are saved and they are good. Now, friends,

we know there is no earning of salvation. We

do not teach that because it's not biblical.

Grace is free and it's an undeserved blessing.

God saves based on his merit, not ours. And we

say amen because none of us would measure up.

However, if someone is saved, then they will

be transformed. If, then. And that transforming

will be for God's good pleasure. And it will

involve that saved person living not for themselves

anymore, but living for God. Believers are then

to follow the example of Christ, who came to

what? Serve. There we go. Bible class, remember

this. He came to serve. That's what Jesus came

to do. You might have heard seek and save the

lost. It's another one. But he came to serve.

He is the greatest servant. Philippians 2 gives

that model an example. That means faithful Christians,

little Chrites, those who follow Jesus, are going

to model his life. They're going to be marked

by service. Not because they have to, but because

willfully they have an inward desire to please

God because they're together with God. Then they're

together fully. For God. With fellow saints.

And Ken is going to help orient our hearts towards

service, not as a means of grace, but as an evidence

of having received it. And I pray that we have

ears to hear. And finally, Dave is going to help

us consider being together with one another.

Together with one another. And that's going to

be a timely reminder. Sometimes we get so focused

on our personal salvation and even on service

that we miss the forest for the trees. Being

saved and serving God really should ignite our

hearts toward genuine love for brothers and sisters

in Christ. That's what being saved should do.

That's the outworking of our faith, loving real

tangible people. You can't say that you love

God and yet hate your brother. That's what we

learn. So we don't just serve other saints because

we have to, but our new nature in Christ ignites

a fervor for us to care for others, to seek to

do good for others, to want to live life with

other believers. And as much as communion and

serving are part of the lifeblood of a local

church, so is being present and being a participant

in the community of faith. They all work together.

You can't ignore one. There's a lot to unpack.

I know Dave's going to cover a lot. He might

go over his time limit. We don't know. He is.

He's probably going to. But it will be foundational

to really consider that a transformed heart desires

to be with God's people. All those things then

will make sense. You prioritize being at a member's

communion night. You prioritize serving on a

regular basis, responding to planning center.

There's your plug, Laura. Responding to planning

center requests. Some of you didn't say amen

to that. Yeah, there we go. Prioritizing and

being present on Sundays and even just regular

life together, the things that just occur in

between Sundays. And when thinking of such things,

we may just focus on being present together,

but I think that Dave's going to encourage us

to really be participants with one another, participants

in the church, giving our time, giving our resources

to one another, not neglecting sacrificial worship.

And yeah, finances will be in view and that schedules

will be in view. I'm looking forward to hearing

what the Lord will bring us through Dave and

that focus of life together with one another.

So after Dave concludes his teaching, I'll wrap

us up with some closing encouragement. But without

further ado, Mr. Fonda, lead us off, brother.

Well, good morning, fam. It's so encouraging

every time we have an elder panel to hear not

just an echo chamber, but to hear consistencies

of the truths of God's word proclaimed. And so

much of what Adam has already shared are things

that I'm going to be talking about a little bit

this morning. And we didn't coordinate this,

but we did coordinate it, but not word for word.

So I have the privilege this morning of talking

about communion, what it means to partake together

with God. Friends, we have a unique privilege

to come together as the body of Christ on a weekly

basis for corporate worship, to hear the word

preached, and many of us in this room also find

great joy in coming together once a month to

gather around the Lord's table to celebrate his

death and resurrection in what is known as the

sacrament of communion. We come together with

God as one body, and as Adam has already said

so well, a people purchased by his blood for

his possession. In order to understand communion,

we have to rightly understand that there is both

a vertical and a horizontal relationship at work

at the table. And my hope today is to help us

understand a little bit more of how both the

mystery and mercy of this sacrament that has

been instituted by our Lord works and how we

should worship together through our participation

in it as a family. If you've been around Oak

Hill for a few years, you might remember that

four years ago, Pastor Jeff preached an extremely

impactful and helpful four -part series that

was actually called Mystery and Mercy. And this

is the brief plug for you to go and to listen

to that series sometime this week, either on

our YouTube channel or the podcast, because Jeff

digs into a plethora of passages, this is for

Adam, and historical context in much greater

depth than what we'll be able to do this morning.

And it's helpful to also mention that a lot of

what I'll be sharing this morning is a condensed

version of that because it's been so helpful

for myself and for many in our body understanding

what communion is and what the transaction is

that takes place. So as we dive in, I want you

to either turn or tap in your Bible to Matthew

26, as we'll be referencing it a couple times

this morning. First, it's crucial for us to understand

that communion both originates in Scripture and

it is to be prioritized and protected by Christians.

Communion is for Christians. We are to participate

in it. We are to prioritize it and to protect

it. In addition to the first communion that Jesus

shared with his disciples that we see in the

Gospels, God stresses the importance and significance

of this supper and the new covenant throughout

his word. We see the supper telegraphed through

the Passover meal in the Old Testament and then

subsequent references to and instructions for

it throughout the New Testament, not in isolated

instances. We see Acts 2, Acts 20, 1 Corinthians

10 and 11. And friends, this teaches us communion

is a big deal to God. Think about this. Jesus

himself instructed us to participate in this

ordinance to proclaim his death until he comes.

And yet, this simple but very profound instruction

to do this in remembrance of me is something

that we often have sterilized and minimized in

its importance. This command from the Lord to

take and eat, drink from it, all of you, is often

either viewed as a mere obligation and approached

with stiffness, with callous hearts and rote

practice, or we may instead swing the pendulum

and view it as a casual event that we can simply

attend to check a box. Neither one of these are

right approaches. It's crucial for us to remember

that communion should be approached with reverence,

with intentionality, and is to be prioritized

and protected. Jesus himself instituted the supper.

Not a priest, not a pastor, not a disciple. And

this should mean something to us who follow him.

If we take his commandments to love one another,

to go and make disciples seriously, then why

on earth would we take a similar command to do

this in remembrance of me as simply a casual

and optional event in the life of a believer?

Why would we say, Lord, I've got another commitment

that night, or I have plans that I forgot about.

when we are commanded to participate in this

sacred meal. Jesus set aside a particular place

in the upper room at a particular time in the

evening to be with his chosen particular 12.

It was purposeful, and it was a guarded family

time, and this is in part why we believe in a

guarded communion table at Oak Hill, and we can

talk about that later. But Jesus knew every single

person at that table deeply and intimately. Acts

2 shows us that after Jesus had descended into

heaven, the early church devoted themselves to

the sharing of communion with one another. Can

we say the same for ourselves? Do we devote ourselves

to the participation of communion? Each person

who is in Christ should prioritize and protect

the Lord's Supper in the same way that Jesus

set an example for us to do so. Secondly, We

must remember, friends, that Jesus is the host

of this meal and we are his guests. This helps

inform our attitude and posture of worship. He

is the giver and we are the receivers in the

same way on Sunday mornings that we come before

his throne. We offer our response to what he

has given to us. Matthew 26, beginning in verse

26, if you're there with me, it says, while they

were eating. Jesus took some bread and after

a blessing, he broke it, gave it to the disciples

and said, take, eat, this is my body. And when

he had taken a cup and given thanks, he gave

it to them saying, drink from it, all of you,

for this is my blood of the covenant, which is

poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

Friends, take a second and look what's happening

here. Jesus takes, Jesus blesses. Jesus breaks

and Jesus gives. He alone is the host. He is

the leader. He is the centerpiece of this meal.

Not a disciple, not a priest, not a pastor, not

you, and not I. Thomas Watson rightly said, to

institute sacraments belongs by right to Christ

alone. It is the flower of his crown. Friends,

Jesus' disciples received from the Lord. They

brought nothing to the table, but they simply

received the gift of his body and his blood in

remembrance of the forgiveness of their sins.

His body was broken for your benefit and for

mine. For all those who partake of the bread

and the cup by faith, the disciples were not

commanded to do anything except to receive from

the Lord that night to eat and to drink. And

in this, we see this beautiful downward motion,

this picture of God reaching down and giving

to mankind. We don't see a portrait of man reaching

upward, of trying to reach towards heaven, but

simply receiving what Christ has offered freely.

It's critical for us to remember this picture

that each believer has received from the Lord.

And we see this throughout the New Testament.

In the same way that no disciple at that first

supper could offer any gift to the perfect lamb

who would be offered up on their behalf, they

and we are clothed in whose righteousness? Christ's

righteousness. Friends, remember, no amount of

our body broken, no amount of our blood poured

out then or now or in eternity could forgive

sins, but only the blood of a perfect sacrifice.

He who is fully God and fully man. This great

gift of the blood of Jesus, the bread and the

wine was not subject to the feelings of the disciples.

Jesus offered and instructed that they take and

they eat and they drink. He is the teacher. He

is the giver. He is the Lord. Jesus sets the

terms. When we choose to reject partaking in

communion because of how we feel about ourselves,

how we feel about someone else in the room, how

we feel about the Lord's command even, instead

of simply responding in obedience and faith,

we turn the tables and we actually suggest that

we have some greater gift to offer him than what

he has already offered once and for all to us

as his true disciples. That, as Adam said rightly

earlier, is heresy. Instead, when we willingly

receive and obey, we individually and we corporately

receive his ministry of mercy towards us through

the Holy Spirit as we remember his death and

the forgiveness of sins. Friends, picture this.

We have been invited by the Lord of hosts to

his table to receive both individually and as

one body, the grace that he has poured out for

those who he. When we gather together, we see

Christ as the head. We recognize him as the head

of the church, and we see one another as a people

corporately in need of nourishment. We remember

when we gather that we have no life in ourselves.

We instead need a savior to rescue us. Is there

a more beautiful picture than that? Third, we

must believe in faith. that there is something

that occurs in the celebration of the Lord's

Supper that is outside the bounds of our intellect

in both uniting us with Christ and uniting us

as one family. And walk with me with this in

a moment, because this is crucial to us understanding

both the eschological premise of what is happening

in both the here and the now, and what we talk

about at Oak Hill a lot is the already not yet

of communion. In John 6, Jesus proclaims that

he is the bread of life. and says, truly, truly,

I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the

Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life

in you. For my flesh is true food, my blood is

true drink, and whoever feeds on my flesh and

drinks my blood abides in me and I in him. Now,

before you freak out and think that we are going

Catholic, we are not. Those are Jesus' words

in John 6. And so we need to take a second and

acknowledge that this is a challenging passage.

And by God's grace, we've already unpacked this

at length in our study in John's Gospel commercial

for the podcast and also in the second sermon

of the Mystery and Mercy series. But friends,

it's a crucial passage for us to come back to,

to remember to understand how it fits into our

theme today of being together with God. Jesus

is helping us when he says this to understand

that in him and in him alone, there is true spiritual

nourishment. Apart from him, there is no life

at all. When we share in communion together,

we must remember that Jesus' physical gift to

us is not simply a physical memorial or a remembrance,

and likewise, it is also not simply a spiritual

ritual, but it's in fact both. It's a time where

together we receive Christ in the elements by

the Holy Spirit, who unites us to Christ in heaven

by faith. This invitation should lift our eyes

and hearts heavenward, where we are able to mysteriously

commune in the presence of the King. John Piper

helps us understand by saying, we eat and we

drink, that is, we take into our lives what happened

on the cross. By faith, by trusting in all that

God has for us in Jesus, we nourish ourselves

with the benefits that Jesus obtained for us

when he bled and he died on the cross. Jesus'

gift of communion unites us as one body, not

as one person. Yes, that is true. He has saved

each person individually, but he has also saved

us as a people. 1 Corinthians 10 reminds us that

the cup of blessing that we bless, is it not

a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread

that we break, is it not a participation in the

body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we

who are many are one body because we all partake

of the one bread. The first communion was shared

with 12 disciples from different walks of life,

different levels of faith and understanding and

trust in Jesus, different ages, different levels

of spiritual maturity. Jesus extended the bread

and cup to each of them, knowing each of these

differences. Friends, this should be a great

encouragement to us because we, in many respects,

are no different. We each come to the table as

a broken people. in need of a savior. Jesus'

gifts to us transcends the boundaries of age,

race, intellect, ability, and unites us as one

bride. So before you go and think that you have

something to offer or something better than the

person next to you at the communion table, check

yourself and think again and fix your eyes on

Jesus. Revelation 7 -9 says, after I looked at

this, behold, a great multitude that no one could

number from every nation, from all tribes and

peoples and languages, standing before the throne

and before the Lamb. Friends, communion prepares

us for that scene. It is an already not yet moment.

As we share in remembrance together, we are the

same people. who are purchased by the blood of

the Savior, that will also one day worship together

at the marriage supper of the risen lamb. When

we come together at the Lord's table, we are

that people. We are already, as Ephesians tells

us, a part of the great multitude from every

nation and tribe and people and language who

have been seated with Christ in the heavenly

places, and we should delight in that gift that

brings us together. I understand that most of

us at this moment in time have a zip code that's

within five zip codes of one another, but we

are also at the same time Italian and Irish and

Egyptian and Greek and German, and our roots

understanding comes from all corners of the globe,

and we are united at once by Christ. So how do

you wrap your mind and heart around this great

mystery? Some of us... like my wife, are wired

as more intellectual processors. And we tend

to excel in the exhortation to examine ourselves

before coming to the table. As we see in 1 Corinthians

11, we do right to think, to be able to understand

our need for mercy. But if left unchecked, we

also may tend to fall into a pattern of thought

that we haven't confessed enough. or bought enough

offerings before the Lord, or be worthy enough

to participate in the supper because our minds

cannot conceive the mysterious of grace that

is at work. We can see everything that is stacked

against us. This perspective, if left unchecked,

can also lead to self -righteousness, seeing

everything that's stacked against every other

person at the table. Some of us in the body,

like me, and this may come as a shock to some

of you, are more emotional processors. And I

tend to excel in the exhortation to proclaim

the Lord's death until he comes. It's easy for

us to dwell on the joy set before him that we

see in Philippians 2 that carried Christ to the

cross on our behalf. It's easy for us to see

the big picture of Jesus who was crucified, buried,

resurrected, and coming again. But be careful

because this thinking, also left unchecked, can

easily cause us to forget that we are prone to

wander. And we can neglect to rightly prepare

our hearts and can just stumble into communion

without intentional heart preparation and endangering

us of eating and drinking in an unworthy manner.

But friends, in God's great providence, look

around the room for a moment. Only about 12 of

you are looking. Actually, look around. God has

given you, providentially, every single person

in this room. He has given us his spirit, his

word, and one another to help us remember how

and why we should come to the Lord's table. To

understand that in our difference, there is beauty.

That there is balance. We are supernaturally

joined together as one body for the possession

of our Savior and none of us. No one is spiritually

strong enough to say that we are worthy of being

at the table on our own or even collectively.

The essence of communion is a gracious God giving

to sinners. Not just one, not just a few, many,

many sinners. Us. Jesus did all the work. His

friends simply received. Communion, guys, should

defy our intellect. It is beautiful and glorious,

and it is about broken people coming together

to hear Jesus repeat to us, you are forgiven.

That makes no sense. And yet, it is a continual

reminder of an immense gift to each of us. We're

reminded that God has made us alive together

with Christ and seated us in the heavenly realms.

Friends, this is mysterious. It is hard to take

hold of. But Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians

13, now we see in a mere dimly, only in part.

Someday we will fully grasp it. Every time we

gather around the Lord's table, we practice,

we get a glimpse of our future at the marriage

supper of the Lamb. So an application for us,

how should we come to the table together, partaking

together? First, we should come humbly. Ephesians

2 reminds us that we are saved by grace through

your works. No, by grace through faith, and it

is absolutely of yourselves. No, it is not of

ourselves, but it is the what? Gift of God. Jesus

reminded his friends at the first communion that

it was the blood of his covenant poured out many

for the forgiveness of sins. Only by the blood

of Jesus can we come to the table. Only by the

blood of Jesus can we enter his presence. And

when we come in humility, It puts in perspective

that that meal is a gift from our Savior to us,

his bride. It will help us to treasure it, to

celebrate it, and to prioritize and protect it.

Secondly, we should come prayerfully. We should

pray that the Lord would help us to see him and

ourselves as we ought. We should pray for one

another to be able to have faith in the Lord's

meeting us, to understand that there is something

mysterious and wonderful about this transaction.

to be able to receive his gift in the ministry

of the Holy Spirit. We should pray not that we

would be freed from sin, for one day we will

be if we are in Christ, but that we will instead

flee from sin to rightly honor the sacrifice

of Christ, who we come to celebrate. Third, we

should come in unity. Friends, don't forget there

is one giver at the communion table. There are

many who receive. There is one savior. There

are many who are saved. Jesus is and should remain

the center of the supper. When we allow our petty

preferences and our personal prejudices to join

us at the supper, we actually place ourselves

at the middle of the table and we obscure the

beauty of the greatest sacrifice that we have

ever known. Our sin and self -righteousness has

no place. at the table of the one who became

sin for us so that we would become the righteousness

of God. And lastly, we should come worshipfully.

Consider this scene for a moment that the prophet

Isaiah lays out. On this mountain, the Lord of

hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich

food, a feast of well -aged wine, of rich food

full of marrow. of aged wine, well refined. He

will swallow up death forever and the Lord God

will wipe away tears from all faces and the reproach

of his people he will take away from all the

earth. Friends, the Lord's Supper is really an

appetizer feast, if you will, that prepares us

for the marriage supper of the Lamb. Now we remember

the sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins and

Christ's victory over death and the sustenance

that we receive through him. Then, we will receive

the victory of the conquering king and we will

celebrate with all the nations. Both the here

and now and the already not yet should stir our

hearts and our intellect to love Jesus more.

And so with worshipful hearts, as you look across

the table the next time that you come to communion,

see the faces of who he has redeemed. Sinners

saved by grace. Friends, the first communion,

The wedding feast and every Lord's Supper in

between should draw our gaze outward and upward

and should help us to celebrate the family that

God has brought together. This is a great mystery

and a great mercy. And Ken's going to come up.

So when I was a kid, many weekends were filled

with home projects with dad. I was the only boy

in a family with three sisters, so I liked that

I could get outside and be with him. I was probably

four or five when I first received my first tool

belt. And I would follow after him with nails

and a little hammer and a little combination

square. And I helped with the building of a barn

for our sheep and our goats and our chickens.

I helped with the building of a retaining wall

around the garden. I helped with the building

of the deck that stretched across the back of

the house. In those moments, I would often feel

like I was a big help to my dad. I would hand

him nails. I would hold on to the measuring tape

as he would make marks or I would snap the chalk

line. In reality, without my dad being there,

those projects would have never started. Those

projects would have never finished. But my dad

was pleased to be with me. I grew in my understanding

of how things worked. I grew in confidence. I

grew in my appreciation of him. Though I thought

I was being the one. Though I thought I was the

one helping, I was being helped far more. Adam

opened us up, and we're looking at the theme

of together. With the time that we have, I want

to highlight together for God, or how believers

are partnering with God for his glory. This partnering

is a dual -sided blessing. We are blessed when

we get to serve God and one another, and we are

blessed when we are cared for by the service

of others. So let's dive into each of those two

points and look at the biblical principles surrounding

them. So Christ perfectly modeled sacrificial

service for us. Matthew 20, 28 says, just as

the son of man did not come to be served, but

to serve and to give his life as a ransom for

many. When people are given power or authority

in this world, our default is to lord it over

those who are under. or to exercise authority

that's given to them. But Christ, though he had

every right as the God in human form, did not

do that. Rather, he submitted to the Father in

perfect obedience and loved and served the people

around him. We see further examples of this from

Paul in his letter to the Philippians, verses

2, verses 5 through 8, says, I have this way

of thinking in yourselves, which was also in

Christ Jesus. who, although existing in the form

of God, did not regard equality with God a thing

to be grasped, but emptied himself by taking

the form of a slave, by being made in the likeness

of man, being found in appearance of man, he

humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point

of death, even death on a cross. So how do we

as followers of Jesus respond to this? Paul continues

in Philippians 2, verses 12 through 13. Just

Philippians 2:12–13

as you have always obeyed, not in my presence

only, but now much more in my absence, work out

your salvation with fear and trembling, for it

is God who is at work in you, both to will and

to work for his good pleasure. Our responsibility

is to follow after Christ in being humble and

seeking to love and serve others. Verse 13 tells

us that we can do this because God is at work

in us. both to will and to work. This verse does

not only imply our dependence, but actually assures

us that we can work or serve because God is at

work in us. Is that not encouraging and fortifying

for our faith that God is working through us

to bring about his blessing in others? Paul,

while giving the goodbyes to the elders at Ephesus

in Acts 20, 35, says, remember the words of the

Lord Jesus that he himself said, it is more blessed

to give than to receive. We often think about

that when it comes to Christmas or maybe birthdays,

but do we often run to this when it comes to

serving one another? I can personally tell you

that God has used service in the church to grow

my love of him and my love of others. From serving

in youth ministry to clicking the slides to morning

setups to men's ministry, all of these are opportunities

to worship God and to love his people. One of

the blessings with that is those whom you serve

with, if you're doing it out of love, typically

you're going to grow in friendship with them

as well. And you're going to be more fulfilled

because you're using the gifts that God has given

you to worship him and he's pleased with that.

On the contrary, on the other side of that, often

when we're tempted to sin, it's because we are

seeking our own desires. We want to fulfill what

makes us happy. Rather, put that thinking off.

Remind yourself that I have been bought with

a price. I seek to serve God and his people and

then follow through with serving. Serving others

practically helps us not to think of ourselves.

And when the whole community of the church is

sacrificially serving one another, that makes

for a very tight -knit and beautiful community.

And the rest of the world sees that. It was sweet.

This last Thursday, we had a men's event called

Chilling and Grilling. Guys came over. We're

sharing barbecued foods. Adam was sharing a story

about East Africa, totally Muslim village that

welcomed Christians. Why? It's because of their

love and care for all people. When COVID hit,

many people didn't have enough food for themselves

or even their families. The Muslims couldn't

even care for their own. But the Christian church

came in, they shared, they cared for these people.

Many have now come to saving faith because of

God working or doing a work in their hearts and

using his people who are willing to serve for

his glory. It's beautiful. So the second point,

of blessing of serving one another is when we

get to be served. Now, caveat, we're not supposed

to seek that out, right? That's not what it's

for, but it's a byproduct. But if we are properly

a part of a healthy body, we're gonna be served.

What a blessing it is to have others around you

who pray for you, who want you to grow in your

understanding of God's word and practically serve

you each and every week. There's many great examples

here at Oak Hill who serve you each and every

week from Jeff, to the Women's Council, to the

elders, to the Kellys, to Alex, to Blake, to

Connor, to Meredith, to Cassie, to Micah. The

list goes on and on. Then it is sweet to hear

on a weekly basis when you see Church Center

pop up and it's like, hey, I need a ride to LAX.

And yet you guys fulfill it. That's wonderful.

It's a blessing to be a part of a church that

serves one another. God gets all the praise.

He is the one who is working in our hearts to

grow. He is the one who is giving us opportunities

to love and to serve one another. We are just

like the story of that little kid at the start

who holds the tape measure, but God's doing all

the work, but he's pleased with our worship of

him. So as we recap these blessings, God uses

his people to partner with him to bring about

his grace, to bring about his mercy, to bring

about his goodness. Think about it. Are we not

blessed that Oak Hill has a team that comes in

two to three hours before you get here to set

all of this up, to set up poles and drapes and

run cords, to set up the kids ministry or the

band who gets in early to practice and they're

practicing throughout the week, but then they

come together to practice or the children's ministry

team that spends hours prepping crafts and Bible

stories. It's a blessing that we don't just get

saved. and then sit around, but we get to be

used by God for his glory. God doesn't need us,

but rather he chooses us to be ambassadors of

Christ to the world and to the followers of Christ

around us. So let's seek the blessing of partnering

by serving others, and let's be thankful that

we get to receive that blessing when others care

for us as well. Dave, you want to come up? Well,

thank you, Grant. And Ken, that was a blessing.

So I'd like to spend a few minutes talking about

what it means to be an active church participant

and how do we live life together. So our member

covenant tells us to not forsake the assembling

together of the saints. This is taken from Hebrews

10 .25, and this verse tells us that we should

be in regular fellowship. But sadly, many Christians

don't see much value in regular fellowship. and

developing deep relationships in church. And

this can be especially true in large churches

where it's easy to get lost and have no accountability

and few meaningful relationships. But Christ's

design for the church is for all of us to be

very connected with one another. There is so

much more to Christ's design for the body than

just Sunday morning attendance. So getting back

to our question, what is an active church participant

and what should it look like? There's a great

model for us to follow, and it's found in Acts

2. We read it during our call to worship. So

if you could turn in your Bibles to Acts 2. In

Acts 2, we find a great description of the early

church right after Pentecost and how they lived

life together. So Acts 2, we're going to start

in verse 42. 2 .42, they, meaning the early church,

early Christians, were continually devoting themselves

to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship,

to the breaking of the bread, or communion, and

to prayer. So note that they were continually

devoted to these things. Church life together

and building community through deep fellowships

was a high priority, as it should be for all

of us. Verse 43, everyone kept feeling a sense

of awe and many wonders and signs were taking

place through the apostles. And all the believers

were together and had all things in common and

they would sell their property and possessions

and share with them all to the extent that anyone

had a need. Day by day, continuing with one mind

in the temple and breaking bread from house to

house, they were taking their meals together

with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising

God and having favor with all the people. And

the Lord was adding to their number day by day

those who were being saved. This is an incredibly

practical model for us to follow and gives us

so much insight should look like. It's our example

to follow. Going back to verse 42, it says that

they were continually devoting themselves to

the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to

breaking of the bread, and to prayer. Fellowship

was very important to them. Their attendance

at meetings was consistent and regular, and they

were spending a lot of time together, even going

from house to house and sharing meals together.

Going down to verses 44 and 45, it says there

that they had all things in common with each

other. Imagine that kind of community. They were

acting self -sacrificially and were even selling

their property and possessions and using the

money to meet each other's needs. They were so

committed to each other that they had all things

in common so that if anyone had a need, the need

was met. Covenant number eight of our member

covenant says that we will contribute cheerfully

and regularly to the support of the ministry

and the expenses of the church and the relief

of the poor. Notice that the early Christians

had glad and generous hearts. They gave of all

of their resources, their time, their possessions.

Financially, they gave gladly and generously.

And why did they do this? A couple of reasons.

One, because they were born again and God had

given them new and generous hearts. They were

totally different people. And two, because they

understood that they had died to self and they

knew that their lives belonged to Jesus. Their

time, their homes, their money, everything belonged

to him. And this practice of generous giving

spread throughout the early church into different

regions of the world. Here's what Paul has to

say in 2 Corinthians 8 about the church in Macedonia.

Speaking of the Macedonians and the financial

gifts that they gave to the Christians in Jerusalem,

Paul says, have overflowed in a wealth of generosity

on their part. Wow. For they gave according to

their means, and as I can testify, beyond their

means, of their own accord, begging us earnestly

for the favor of taking part in the relief of

the saints. And this, not as we expected, but

they gave themselves first to the Lord and then

by the will of God to us. Note that even though

they were afflicted and they lived in extreme

poverty, they gave financially beyond their means.

And they did it joyfully and generously. Why?

Because the text says that they gave themselves

first to the Lord. And all that they had belonged

to Jesus and they wanted to share it with others.

But in the preamble to our member covenant, it

says that we joyfully covenant with one another.

All of us giving of ourselves, including our

financial resources, it gives us joy to give.

As church members, we have an ongoing obligation

to contribute financially to the needs of the

body. And what compels us to give is a new heart

that finds joy in giving generously. So going

back to Acts 2, verse 46 says that they were

Acts 2:46

of one mind, so that there was also unity in

their fellowship. Notice that they took unity

and sharing a common life together seriously

because of the depth of their love for Jesus

and for each other. Their commitment to each

other was a high priority in their lives. Verse

46 says that they were sharing meals together

from house to house with gladness. This is why

our member covenant says that we joyfully covenant

with one another. To the early church, their

commitment to fellowship was a joyful experience,

not simply a duty to follow, but one where they

experienced true joy in their fellowship with

one another, their unity with one another. and

their generosity toward each other. So it's obvious

from this passage in Acts that the early Christians

placed a high priority on church life that extended

well beyond just attendance on Sunday mornings

or once a week. This is our model to follow today.

As brothers and sisters in Christ, we should

place a priority on forming deep relationships

in the church as an expression of our love for

each other, where the needs of other church members

become our needs, where we love and serve one

another. Our relationship with each other is

a spiritual relationship that manifests itself

in tangible ways. We read earlier in Romans 12,

Romans 12, 5 says, So we, though many, are one

body in Christ and individually members of one

another. We share in a spiritual union with Christ

and each other, and this is the basis of our

fellowship. We are one body and individually

members of one another. We are knit together

or joined together as members of Christ's body.

We need to let that sink in. We are, as Jesus

prayed in John 17, unified with each other. as

the Father and the Son are unified. That's an

incredible thought. But the spiritual aspect

of our relationships also has a very practical

or has practical implications. We are actively

involved with each other's lives. It means that

we suffer when one of our members suffer. It

means that we rejoice with one another. It means

that we share the gospel ministry with each other.

That we share in church life together and we

share in humble service to each other and pray

and study the word and take communion together.

We live life together. How do we do any of this

if we have low expectations for the church and

ourselves? It's easy to write off the early church

and to write off what I'm saying. as those were

unique times. But this is today, and certainly

we couldn't be expected to live this kind of

life today, could we? And the answer is absolutely

yes. The passages here in Acts 2 and Romans 12

and 2 Corinthians 8 all serve as examples for

us to follow. But sadly, in some church circles,

the word fellowship means little more than a

church social activity on Sunday or Sunday service.

But church is not an event that you go to and

watch happen. It's not a spectator activity.

Church involves fellowship. And fellowship requires

building relationships and sharing the common

life that we have together as believers. And

not just one morning a week. Fellowship is so

fundamental to our faith and the design of the

body of Christ that the church wouldn't be the

church without it. And kids? We've got a lot

of kids here. Kids, I'm talking to you. This

message is for you, too. Please listen to this.

Kids, you are a part of the Oak Hill Church family,

and we want you to be part of Oak Hill's church

life. That means you're in fellowship, too, and

you love and serve and care for others. These

are things that we all do joyfully. Here's some

more things that we do as part of our church

life. We carry each other's burdens, like Chris

was talking about earlier. Galatians 6 .2. We're

patient with each other, bearing with one another

in love. Ephesians 4 .2. We are kind and compassionate

to one another. Ephesians 4 .32. We submit to

one another out of reverence for Christ. Ephesians

5 .21. In humility, we consider others better

than ourselves. Philippians 2 .3. We build up

each other, 1 Thessalonians 5 .11. We encourage

one another daily, Hebrews 3 .13. We confess

our sins to each other and pray for each other,

James 5 .16. We offer hospitality to one another

without grumbling, 1 Peter 4 .9. We use whatever

gift we've received to serve one another, 1 Peter

4 .10. These things should describe us here at

Oak Hill. How do we fulfill these responsibilities

if we're not in deep fellowship and intentional

building relationships with each other? How do

we fulfill our membership covenant to care for

each other, to serve one another, to use our

spiritual gifts to build up each other if we're

not building relationships and spending time

with each other? How do we rejoice with those

who rejoice and weep with those who weep if we're

not dedicated to times of committed fellowship?

We come together corporately as worshipers of

Christ, bound to each other spiritually, and

that relationship shows itself every day in practical

ways. Being a member of Christ's church is a

great gift. As fellow believers, we are joined

together. We are joint heirs with Christ, all

of us, having been adopted as God's children

into his family. As believers, we're all members

of God's eternal family. We are all brothers

and sisters eternally. This is the foundation

of our deep relationships with each other, that

though we are many, we are one body in Christ

and individually members of one another. We are

all eternally connected with Christ and with

each other. Fellowship is a responsibility, which

includes giving our time, our possessions, our

money, our resources, and we need to be faithful

in those things. But it's not a responsibility

that's a drudgery, but it's an expression of

the joy that we have in Christ. Our care and

concern for others flows out of thankful hearts

because we are fellow partakers of the body and

the blood of Christ. Our care for one another

will not let us forsake either the spiritual

or the physical well -being of our fellow family

members. We love and encourage with words, but

we also love sacrificially and in tangible ways.

This is how Christ designed the church to function,

that we would love and care for one another as

we care for ourselves. These are some of the

most important elements of what it means to be

an active church participant and what it means

to live life together. If a Christian loves Jesus,

then they will love his church. As covenant believers

at Oak Hill, we need to have a very, very high

view of fellowship and of serving the church

body. It's absolutely essential to our own spiritual

health and the health of our church body. Adam,

back to you. Amen. Thank you, Dave. Thank you,

Grant. Thank you, Ken. These are great encouragements

this morning. I mean, you think about the foundation

of gratitude and worshiping from a sincere heart

of praise, seeking to serve as a response of

that thankfulness and then pursuing. faithful

fellowship with one another in every part of

our lives. Each of those was a mini meal that

you guys gave. We're grateful for that. And isn't

it a grace to have teaching elders who love the

body, who love Christ and honor the word and

who desire to see every single member in this

body equipped to grow in Christ likeness. Now,

as we wrap up today, I wanted to give one encouragement

regarding what you've heard. to give some perspective

on what you've been listening to this morning.

There's this idea in 1 Thessalonians 4, verses

1 Thessalonians 4:9

9 and 10. You don't have to turn there if you

don't want to. I'm going to read it. Paul says

this, Now listen to this. Brothers, excel still

more. Excel still more. Now, I think that's interesting

because Paul emphasizes the people are doing

a good job. They're loving one another. But then

he says they're urged to excel still more. Now,

as a kid growing up, whether it was in school

or sports, I always wanted to feel like something

could be finished, be done, right? You want to

work towards something. You want to see it done.

It would almost be a motivation, right? To finish

something. You finish the drill. Ah, now we can

rest. You complete the assignment. Now my brain

can turn into mush again, right? Be done with

the chore. My kids always want to be done with

the chores, right? The dishes are never done.

But as a believer, that dynamic in life is different.

It's different. There's no aspect of being done

this side of glory. There's no figuring it all

out, becoming a super Christian and everything

is easy and makes sense. It's not how it works.

But there is an aspect of being a follower of

Christ where we are considering ourselves in

process or even as our call to worship reminded

us, a living sacrifice. You know what sacrifices

are? I know we have children in here, but sacrifices

are animals that are being put to death. Friends,

living sacrifices is what we are called to be.

And let's not ignore these truths for our young

ones, but teach them that this is following God.

We are putting to death our way so that we can

live God's way. Now, this reality of excelling

still more, let me just encourage you. Are you

good? Are you good at celebrating life in Christ?

Are you good at celebrating communion? I hope

so. But if you are, excel still more. Are you

good at serving? Do you always say yes on Planning

Center? Laura knows if you do. Do you always

show up when there's a need? Are you the driver

that Kenny was talking about to LAX? Somebody's

racking up those miles. You can excel still more.

Are you faithful at being with one another, desiring

to be present, to give of your time, to give

of your finances? Are you always saying yes on

those needs that pop up, the meals that pop up,

the child watching that pops up? We have a lot

of children. Don't you hear them in here? Excel

still more. Now, if you're not great at any of

those, if you recognize there are shortcomings

in your understandings or the outworking of your

faith, then guess what? You can excel still more.

Isn't that marvelous? Now, we don't pursue this

to try to prove anything. We don't do this to

puff ourselves up or to pretend like we're okay

and have it all figured out. In fact, in that

same passage, First Thessalonians chapter four,

Paul continues. He makes it clear why this is

happening. He says, make it your ambition to

lead a quiet life, to attend to your own business,

to work with your hands, just as we commanded

you that you would walk properly toward outsiders

and not be in any need. And the last part is

clear, to walk properly toward outsiders and

not be in any need. Now, as you think about what's

been taught today, and I would encourage you,

go back and listen again, but consider that a

faithful response as a believer is not to make

you look good, but to represent Christ well,

to be a light in a dark world, to not be a burden

to others. Now, yes, as Dave noted, we can share

our needs. We can receive help, and that's not

bad. That's a gracious thing, but we're encouraged

to focus on being a blessing. not just receiving

them. A faithful walk with the Lord ensures that

we, whether we have much or whether we have little,

we will be able to walk and to live according

to His ways, excelling still more in every aspect

of our lives. And I just want to finish with

this, to underscore the nature of the encouragement,

verse 1 of this passage, this chapter, gives

us the greatest clarity. He says, Finally then,

brothers, We ask and exhort you in the Lord Jesus

that as you receive from us how you ought to

walk and to please God. Pause. What's the goal?

Is the goal to please ourselves? No. We're called

to please God. We should consider questions like

this. Am I living a life that pleases God? Are

my priorities in order? Or is my life consumed

with myself and what I want? How am I using my

gifts, my abilities? Am I using them in service

of the Lord or in my own service? Am I living

a God -centered life or a life centered around

self? Why is it so important? Why should this

type of sacrificial life be pursued? We follow

the one who sacrificed himself for us. We follow

the one who gave his own life in order to bring

us to God. That's at the root of why we obey

these things. We should thank the Lord. We should

thank Jesus that he was not selfish when he came

to this world. He was not focused on his desire.

He willingly laid down his life for our redemption,

our forgiveness, our future. So may we imitate

him in that kind of love to others. So thank

you, Grant, Ken, Dave, for bringing these topics

to us today, giving us a perspective on being

together for God, with God, with one another.

And in light of that, friends, let's pray as

we orient our hearts to sing praises. God, we

are grateful for Jesus Christ. We are grateful

to consider that our motivation is not to gain

something, but the reality of having been given

something. We thank you that our communion is

first with you through Christ and also with one

another. So we're thankful for a church body

that is growing in the likeness of Christ. We're

thankful to see areas of service, whether it's

on a Sunday set up or serving with our acorns.

whether it's giving rides to the airport or meals,

whether it's spending time with one another in

the midweek, being part of a small group, giving

of our tithes, our offerings, giving of our time,

and all these things, we are grateful, and yet

we ask, Father, help us to excel still more.

Help us to be zealous, to be with you. to be

zealous to work for you, and to be zealous to

love other believers. So we ask, help us to lift

our voices, not just in the singing today. Yes,

help us to do that well for your glory, but help

us to lift our voices day in and day out, to

both sing and to extol your magnificent grace

in Christ Jesus. We recognize that you have saved

a people, not just a person, but a people for

your own pleasure, for your good purposes. And

we praise you. So ignite our hearts to desire

your glory above everything else and to submit

our ways to you. Your ways are best. So lift

our eyes that we would see your wisdom in the

gospel. and that we would see the beauty of your

bride, the church. Help us to love you and to

love others and lift our hearts as we sing praises

to your great name in Christ, whose name we pray.

Amen.