Introduction: The theme for this morning is fellowship. There are many kinds of fellowship in the world, but the fellowship we are going to think about is Christian fellowship, which is distinct and different from other kinds of fellowship. What specifically is Christian fellowship? Ephesians chapter 2 reminds us that we have been brought together as one body by the blood of Christ. A man who lives over 200 years ago expressed in poetic lines the beauty of Christian fellowship. The song begins, Blest be the tie that binds Our hearts in Christian love; The fellowship of kindred minds Is like to that above. This is a song that expresses the beauty of Christian fellowship and how the ties that we have together are not of this earth. Our ties together come from our Lord. The next verse says, Before our Fathers throne We pour our ardent prayers; Our fears, our hopes, our aims are one Our comforts and our cares. When we approach God in worship, we dont do it as a loose collection of individuals. We do so as one body. Our one-ness, unity, and mutual care and service to one another is a reflection of the character of our Lord. Together, we blend our voices and thoughts when we come together to worship. The next verse says, We share each others woes, Our mutual burdens bear; And often for each other flows The sympathizing tear. As the body of Christ, we rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. We not only pray together, but we share one anothers burdens and fulfill the law of Christ. The law of Christ, the royal law, the fulfillment of the law, the central characteristic of our Lord that binds us together is...love. The next verse says, When we asunder part, It gives us inward pain; But we shall still be joined in heart, And hope to meet again. A fact of life is that we do not continually live together. While we come together for worship, work together in ministry, get together to just enjoy being in each others presence in the Lord, we sure hate to leave. We linger for awhile at the end. However, we know that we will meet again, if not in this life, then in eternity. The next verse says, This glorious hope revives Our courage by the way; While each in expectation lives, And longs to see the day. We know that a special day is coming. We all have this same hope. Jesus will return and take us home to live with him together in the home that he is preparing. We remind each other of this hope and it encourages and strengthens us. It is our ultimate longing together as the family of God. The next verse says, From sorrow, toil and pain, And sin, we shall be free, And perfect love and friendship reign Through all eternity. While the fellowship of the saints and their prayers are wonderful and helpful, it can never fully remove our pain, toil, sorrow and sin; however, the day is coming when Jesus will return and completely destroy death and all of the misery associated with it. It will be a day of joy, a day of healing, a day of fellowship, a day of reunion, a day without end. What a wonderful hope and expectation we have! And what a wonderful fellowship we have in the meantime! Let us sing this song....... Blest Be the Tie that Binds This kind of fellowship that we have just sung about is only possible through our Lord. Fellowship between our Lord and us is the desire of his heart. It is our ultimate hope.~~~~Unknown~~~ Let us recommit ourselves to Him today....if you hear His voice harden not your heart. The Savior is waiting to enter your heart Why don’t you let Him come in? There’s nothing in this world to keep you apart What is your answer to Him?
Posted on: Thu, 06 Mar 2014 12:02:20 +0000