Considering One Another - Part 1 of 2

The Baptist Bible Hour now comes to you under the direction of Elder LeSaire Bradley, Jr.

This is LeSaire Bradley, Jr. inviting you to stay tuned for another message of God's sovereign grace. I encourage you to write and let us know that you have listened to the broadcast, and if you can help us with support, we'll greatly appreciate it. We're in the midst of the summertime, which traditionally is a downtime as far as support is concerned. We're not the only broadcast that experiences that.

I hear others talking about the fact that the summertime is the time of greatest struggle for them. We may have to cancel some of our stations if we don't hear from more of our listeners and have the support necessary. Our address is Baptist Bible Hour, Box 17037, Cincinnati, Ohio 45217. For the past two Sundays, the message we have used on the broadcast is entitled, Never Alone. As I mentioned before, I decided to use the message after listening to Dr. Al Mohler on the briefing when he discussed a report by the Surgeon General of the United States describing loneliness as an epidemic and that it is a problem which is bringing devastating health consequences. So looking at Hebrews 13 5, the Lord said to his people, I will never leave thee. The promise doesn't belong to the whole human race, but to those who have been born again have come in faith to Jesus Christ as Savior. So the child of grace is never alone.

What a comfort. Furthermore, the Christian life involves activities which prevent loneliness. Christians are instructed to recognize the importance of human relationships, and if they follow biblical instruction, they won't have time to be lonely. So with that thought in mind, today we bring you the first part of a message entitled, Considering One Another. Maintaining good relationships is not only a blessing, it is often challenging, and we address some of those issues in this message. We're living in a time when there are many channels of communication available, but it seems there are fewer face-to-face meaningful conversations. I was in a restaurant having lunch recently, and there were four men at a table next to me, and I noticed through the entire lunch hour, all four of them looked at their cell phone and never spoke a word to each other. I went over to them and said, it appears to me that we have lost the art of conversation.

You men have sat here the whole time and did not speak a word to each other, and they had to laugh and say, well, yes, we have been a bit distracted with our cell phones. And that seems to be many situations today, many circumstances that people are sidetracked, looking at their phone and not talking to each other. But true Christianity involves interaction with other people. You can't really live the Christian life in isolation, and the Scriptures give instruction to tell us how to get along with people. There is specific instruction given about how husbands are to love their wives, and instruction given about how wives are to respond to their husbands, and detailed instruction given about how parents are to train their children, instruct their children, give their children proper guidance, and also instruction given to the children as to how they are to obey and honor their parents. Instruction is given to a worker in the workplace as to what kind of an attitude that individual ought to have toward those who are his superior, and instruction is given to those who employ others as to what is required and expected of them from a biblical point of view. Certainly there is instruction given as to how a pastor should interact with his flock, being concerned for them, praying for them, trying to minister to them, and there is instruction given as to how those in the church should respond and interact with the pastor. On and on the list goes, the point being made that while we have our first and primary relationship with our Savior Jesus Christ, that he then enjoins us both by way of agitation and by example as to how we are to interact with other people. Hebrews chapter 10 verse 24 says, And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works. Let us consider one another. We are not then to be selfish or self-focused, thinking only about what we want, what our needs are, what our desires are, but we are specifically instructed to consider others. Think about them, try to know them, know something about their burdens and their needs. We give out these prayer requests every week, hoping them that you will consider the needs of these who are sick and sometimes other types of requests are made, that you will consider them when it's possible to encourage them and minister to them as opportunity may avail itself. So if we are truly following Christ, we're not withdrawing, we're not pulling away, but we are moving toward other people.

What about you? Are you moving toward others or pulling away? Some assume that when Jesus says, Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavenly and I will give you rest, that that's all we need to do is rest. Overlooking the fact that there are many things he expects us to do and among those are this responsibility to be involved with other people. I'll just give you a brief list of the many Scriptures, over 60 of them really, that can be found in the New Testament using the term one another. Romans chapter 12 verse 10 says we are to love one another. That's pretty basic because Jesus says, By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, that you have love one to another. So a person can claim to be a Christian, go to church all the time, but if they fail to have love, there's no evidence of true grace. When a person is born of the Holy Spirit, they become a new creature in Christ Jesus and the fruit of the Spirit, part of it is love, that you love one another.

It's not just an emotional reaction, it's not just a feeling of the day, it's how you treat other people. It's an action, love one another. And in 1 Corinthians chapter 13 it says that love suffereth long. That means love puts up with a lot. Most people today are rather impatient and they don't want to put up with anything really. I expect to have my own way, I expect that things will go according to my plan and I don't want to have to put up with anything to the contrary.

But love suffers long. And then in Romans 15 verse 7 it says receive one another. And it declares that we are to receive one another as Christ has received us. How did he receive us? Did he receive us on the basis of some merit? Did he receive us because we were special and unique? Did he receive us because we didn't have any faults?

Obviously not. We were sinners by nature, but he received us on the basis of his grace. And so he says in like manner, you are to receive one another. Romans chapter 15 verse 14 says admonish one another. And that follows a declaration that God is the God of hope. So if you're going to admonish someone on the basis that you believe that God is the God of hope, you're going to be able to give them an encouraging word. There are many, many things that we all encounter in life that discourage us. And you certainly don't want to be a discourager. You don't want to be spreading gloom. You want to speak that which is edifying, that which lifts up. And so if we're admonishing one another, encouraging one another with full confidence that the God of whom we speak is the God of hope, then no matter how difficult the situation that you're presently encountering, you cannot feel hopeless.

Impossible to say I'm hopeless if you believe in the God of the Bible who identifies himself as being the God of hope. And then Ephesians chapter 4 verse 32 says, be ye kind one to another. Well certainly if you love one another, you're going to be kind. This is an additional admonition just to remind us that as Christians there is never an excuse to be unkind to anybody. Sometimes husbands and wives are not kind to each other.

And the interaction between parents and children gets a little rough. And sometimes among those who claim to be friends in Christ, differences of opinion arise. And things are said which are unkind. Be kind one to another, tenderhearted.

Have a tender heart. And then 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 verse 18 says to comfort one another. Now that follows what starts in the 13th verse to talk about the return of Jesus Christ. And that those who are alive when he comes back will be caught up in the air to meet the Lord and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

And the dead in Christ shall rise first. And after giving us this wonderful information about what to anticipate when Jesus comes back, he says comfort one another with these words. He has given us the specific words that are necessary to give comfort.

Comfort in a time when a loved one has been claimed by death. And while he says you sorrow, you sorrow not even as others. The reason you do not sorrow as others is because of this wonderful truth that Jesus Christ is coming back. And the dead in Christ shall rise first. And then Hebrews chapter 3 verse 13 says to exhort one another. Exhortation should certainly be with a positive spirit. It might be that you want to exhort someone when they have expressed a point of view that you recognize to be contrary to scripture.

You want to do that in kindness and in love but exhort them in a way of truth and righteousness. And then Romans 14 the 13th verse says do not pass judgment on one another. Now the passage is talking specifically about the difference that may exist among Christians about the eating of meat and the observing of days. One person says this day is special to me and I observe it and recognize it.

And somebody else says I don't recognize that day. And somebody says well I think it's alright to eat meat and somebody else says I don't think it is. And he's saying that the bottom line of all of this is that you must not judge one another. If there is something in scripture that is strictly forbidden, something that is identified as sin, certainly that is not open for discussion and for compromise. But when it comes to these other areas which may be matters of personal preference and personal opinion, he says that we are not to pass judgment on one another. And then the passage we read as our text Hebrews 10 24, let us consider one another to provoke to love and to good works. Not only are we to love, we are to encourage others to love. We are to encourage them to good works and not forsaking the assembling of ourselves to gather as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another and so much the more as you see the day approaching. So one of the ways in which we consider one another is that we not forsake the assembling of ourselves together.

Not only is it a benefit to you to come to God's house and worship Him and sing His praise and hear His word proclaim, but your very presence is an encouragement to others. Let us consider one another. James chapter 5 verse 9 says, grudge not one against another. Do not hold a grudge. If you are hurt over some matter, you get over it. You don't hold on to resentment.

You're not holding a grudge. And then James chapter 5 verse 16 says, pray for one another. Do you do that faithfully? Certainly, husbands and wives ought to pray for each other. I remember counseling with a man years ago and he was complaining about the difficulties he was having and how unreasonable his wife was about many issues and I just asked the question, how often do you pray for her?

And it started him. He just never had considered the importance of praying for his wife. And I said, I want you to promise me that this next week you will pray for her by name at least three times a day. He came back and said, I did what you said and I can't say that I can see any big difference in her, but it certainly has made a big difference in me. It's changed my attitude toward her.

Instead of feeling like I'm the opposition, I feel like I'm on her team. I'm concerned for her spiritual growth and welfare. I'm praying for her. Parents certainly ought to pray for their children. Christians praying for each other and even to pray for your enemies, Jesus has taught us. Pray for your pastor that we might have the message that is needed and that you would have the open mind and heart to receive it. And Ephesians chapter 4 verse 2 says, be humble toward one another in love.

Never have a boastful arrogant spirit, but have a humble spirit. Grace moves us then toward each other, but sin separates. Sin divides. Certainly that was the case when Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden, that beautiful paradise, and sin entered. There was a separation. They disobeyed God and therefore they were driven from the garden.

And we suffer the consequence of that sinful action even today because we're born with that Adamic sinful nature. You find Jacob leaving home. What was the problem? Sin. He had deceived his brother and he had to leave home. You find that Saul was separated from his own son Jonathan and from David who would be the next king.

What was the problem? Sin. Jealousy. Saul envied David, was jealous because of his victory over Goliath. And then we read in the New Testament about the prodigal who comes to his father and said, I want my inheritance. I'm ready to leave home.

I'm ready to go out on my own. Went to a far country. Spent his substance and riotous living. Exhausted all of his resources. He came to himself and said, how many hired servants of my father are in better shape than I am?

Here I am in such a low condition. What had brought about this division? Why was the son separated from the father?

It was sin. The young man decided, I'm my own person. I'm independent. I don't need any counselor advice. I'm going to go my own way.

I'm going to do what I want to do. Sin separates. And then we read about Demas, who had labored with the Apostle Paul. And Paul writes those sad words, Demas hath forsaken me.

What was the problem? Sin. What was the sin? It said he loved this present world. He was attracted by the world. He was influenced by the world. He wanted to be a part of the world.

And so he left the place of service with the great Apostle. Gossip is a sin and gossip separates. Proverbs 16 verse 28 says, A whisperer separateth she friends.

Gossip is such a deadly tool to divide people, to confuse people, to give people the wrong information, and then they act upon it. And then anger. Anger is certainly divisive. Proverbs chapter 22 verse 24 says, Make no friendship with an angry man. Person is angry and will not admit their error in the matter.

You can't reach it with them. They're acting on the basis of emotion. They feel perfectly justified to continue with anger. But that passage to which we previously referred in the fourth chapter of the book of Ephesians tells us that we're to put away wrath, anger, evil speaking, malice. It's to have no place in the heart and life of the child of God. Then bitterness. What a sin is bitterness. Bitterness divides.

It separates. Hebrews chapter 12 verse 15, Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God, lest a root of bitterness springing up trouble you and thereby defile many. That bitterness goes down deep.

There are roots and then it springs up and it becomes a plant and it defiles many. Sometimes a person doesn't want to admit that bitterness is a problem. They feel so determined to hold on to it.

They feel so justified. I have been terribly harmed. I have been spoken against.

I've been misrepresented. I've had a person that was a dear friend and I relied upon them and they have been dishonest with me. They have forsaken me. And so bitterness sets in. And the strange thing is that sin is such a deceitful thing that the person who is bitter gets the idea that I'm really letting the other person have it. The fact that I'm bitter means that they're suffering and they may not even know about it. The person that's suffering is the person who is bitter. You hold bitterness in your heart.

It hinders your prayer life and it certainly hinders your relationship with other people. Put away bitterness. Pride is also a sin. Pride brings a man low and deceives him according to Proverbs chapter 29 verse 23. Then in Obadiah verse 3 it says, The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, been overcome with selfishness and self-pity. Pride, arrogance, a person that decides I'm always right.

I've got it all together. Any problem that's out there, it's the other person's fault. Have you ever seen people like that?

They've never admitted that they had a fault or were wrong about anything. It's always the other person's fault. That's pride. And pride separates. Sin divides. It divides friends. It divides families.

It divides churches. But our text says we are to consider one another. Think about our human response under a variety of circumstances. When you've been treated unfairly and somebody has been unkind to you, they've said some hurtful things, what is your reaction? The human response is, I want to move away from that person. I don't want to have to speak to them.

I don't want to have to be around them. If this is ever resolved, they're going to have to come back to me on their knees and admit they were 100% wrong and really beg for forgiveness before I'll be ready to give it. In fact, you might even reach the point that you desire revenge. You just feel, I hope that somehow they get what they deserve. I hope they get what's coming to them. And I've talked to a few people who didn't want to wait to see if God would take revenge on them.

They got ahead of the game and tried to do it themselves. And then that's a double sin. In vengeance is mine, says the Lord, I will repay. Or somebody is going astray. You see a family member or a brother in Christ who's starting down the wrong path.

What's your reaction? They say, well, somebody ought to speak to them, but I don't think I'm the right one. I don't want to get involved. For one thing, I really don't know what to say. Somebody who's more knowledgeable than I am needs to take on that responsibility. Well, if you admit that I don't know what to say, you need to prepare yourself.

You need to apply yourself in the study of God's Word that you know what to say and how to help somebody that's going in the wrong direction. Or you may say, well, I'm afraid of their reaction. I'm afraid they may get upset.

I'm afraid they won't like me, so I'll just pray for them. Well, that's the human reaction, but that's not the biblical reaction. Or when somebody is going through a difficult time, you just know that they're having a heavy heart. You might not exactly know the reason.

You might. It might be that someone is grieving over the loss of a loved one. Somebody has had severe financial reversals. There's a lot of things that can bring a person down. And so you say, well, I just think they might prefer to handle it alone. They probably don't want anybody to speak to them.

They'd rather just suffer silently and not have anybody speak to them. Or again, they say, I don't know what to say. And that being the case, we need to prepare biblically. I hope this message today, considering one another, has been a blessing to you. We'll continue next time with part two of the message.

We'd love to hear from you. Our address is Baptist Bible Hour, Box 17037, Cincinnati, Ohio 45217. Until next week at the same time, may the Lord richly bless you all. Let self be crucified and slain and buried deep, and all in vain may efforts be to rise again, unless to live for others. The Baptist Bible Hour has come to you under the direction of Elder LeSaire Bradley, Jr. Address all mail to the Baptist Bible Hour, Cincinnati, Ohio 45217. That's the Baptist Bible Hour, Cincinnati, Ohio 45217. Let self be crucified and slain and buried deep, and all in vain may efforts be to rise again, unless to live for others.