Sermon Title: Mutuality, in our desire for Righteousness - “I am my brother’s keeper; I am my sister’s keeper.”
“Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,” (Ephesians 6:14)
Dearly Beloved,
Greetings in the Name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
To the Roman soldier, the breastplate is a key armour in his system of defense on the battlefield; and must be worn fittingly with the help a fellow soldier.
Before a battle, it is surmisable that soldiers would conduct mutual checks on the condition of each other’s armor, and provide the necessary help to tighten the straps that keep the breastplate secured to the body. A final pat on the back and a word of encouragement would fittingly conclude this pre-battle ritual.
Likewise, the mutually sacred role of Christian soldiers – is to be Righteous together
Burdens of remaining intentionally righteousness in God’s sight – to “fulfill the law of Christ”
Yes, life on life means the uncomfortable work of preaching, correcting, rebuking, and encouraging – the life of authentic discipleship in fellowship; where the Lord uses each of us to mutually manifest His discipline to persevere and commit to His gift of eternal life.
We each have the burden of remaining intentionally righteous in God’s sight together – to “fulfill the law of Christ.”
Discipline is elemental in discipleship.
Becoming God’s tool of discipline is to wholly embrace His discipline as His Children.
Remember.
God Only Disciplines Those Who Are His Children
Hebrews 12:4-11 reveals this precise reality:
4 In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.
5 And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says,
“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
6 because the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”
7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children.
For what children are not disciplined by their father?
8 If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all.
9 Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live!
10 They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness.
11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful.
Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
To the Apostle Paul’s allusion of our mutual, sacred role and responsibility to keep one another’s “breastplate of righteousness in place”, the implication is clear – righteousness is not only a private effort, it is a corporate endeavor.
Paul speaks clearly to our mutual, sacred role to be righteous before the Lord together; in conscientiously keeping one another on the narrow path to the Kingdom – through the reciprocal checks and mutual binding-on of God’s Righteousness upon our lives, in order that we may – together – be found in good standing with the Lord, and daily keep in step with Christ as one body.
The very nature of our corporate endeavor to be righteous through active accountability and responsibility is established in 1 Corinthians 12:25b-26:
“…its parts should have equal concern for each other.
If one part suffers, every part suffers with it;
if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.”
The Christian faith is both equally and simultaneously personal and communal.
No one runs this race alone; no one fights the battles alone; for this is a war we must fight together under the Sovereignty and Supremacy of Christ, our King.
In the imagery of fellow Christian soldiers marching into battle together, we must actively live out our role and responsibility to walk before, walk behind and walk beside one another – as we walk with our Lord as His body; His Church.
Walking before – Leading and Living by holy example to be righteous together.
“In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)
Our Lord Jesus Christ shows us the way:
Holy living cannot be taught; it must be led into, and lived through Holy example.
To walk before one another in the body of Christ is to lead and live by Christ’s Holy Example in our corporate endeavor to be righteous together.
His light shined before us; now, our light must shine before others.
He glorified the Father in Heaven, likewise, our lives must glorify our Heavenly Father.
Our good deeds – the result of the Holy Spirit’s power upon us – must be seen as His light in this dark world.
To borrow from Joe Biden in his speech last night, “The example of power; is the power of example.”
God’s power flows freely and mightily through us when we are resolute in living powerfully in Christ’s example to us; to shine as He is shining, to be ever truthful, ever hopeful, and ever joyous in Him alone.
(Prayer Note: To this we need to keep our neighbors to the South in prayer.
We need to keep the Church and the people of the United States in prayer.
We pray that wisdom, common sense and Your love will prevail - as they mitigate and recover from the effects of their current political challenges - in the current global landscape of a pandemic that has resulted in categorical turmoil and unrest; just as we pray for ourselves, our Church and our land.)
Walking behind – I love you; I’ve got your back.
Walking behind one another is to consistently and genuinely say to the other, “I love you; I am here for you; I desire Christ for you; I will pray for you; I’ve got your back.”
Our Lord Jesus commands us in John 13:34-35 -
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
When we love one another, in the way that Christ loves us – we enact His Kingdom, and evangelise to the world at the same time!
The Apostle Paul exhorts us in Ephesians 4:15-16 - “Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”
Love one another! Desire the best for one another! Seek to build, and grow, one another to become in every respect the mature body of Christ!
Walking beside – Hand in hand, heart to heart, life on life.
As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
The sharpening process requires immediate and dynamic contact, and the resulting friction will bring forth heat, and the loss of material; but it would also sharpen.
To sharpen another person who is genuine about being Christian is to be sharpened – and to become the knife’s edge required to enter the Kingdom of God; by way of cutting victory through darkness in this lifetime.
To live as Christian is to live intimately, together in Christ – hand in hand, heart to heart, and life on life; to walk beside one another as fellow Christian soldiers, resolving and willing to live as a family of God.
To this, the Apostle Paul provides the framework of fellowship – a group of people living in a war zone – tasked with a mission that is greater than the collective; corporately preparing to live full and finish well, keeping absolute and utter faith in Christ Jesus.
The Mission:
1 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge:
2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. (2 Timothy 4:1-2)
The War Zone:
3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine.
Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.
4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. (2 Timothy 4:3-4)
The Framework of Fellowship:
5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. (2 Timothy 4:5)
The End-Game:
6 For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. (2 Timothy 4:6-7)
Brethren. Listen well.
We are to walk beside one another in this life – to fulfill our charge to stand before Christ in righteousness and enter His Kingdom – through discharging our ministry duties to preach, correct, rebuke and encourage.
Are you prepared to embrace this framework of fellowship?
Are you prepared to fight the good fight and finish the race, keeping faith in Christ – keeping in step with Him every step of the way?
You cannot achieve this alone.
You cannot run this race, much less, finish it – apart from God, and the body of Christ.
We must carry one another’s burdens.
We must be alert to restore those amongst us who fall into sin.
The Apostle Paul teaches us this in Galatians 6:1-2:
“Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently.
But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.
2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
Burdens of remaining intentionally righteousness in God’s sight – to “fulfill the law of Christ”
Yes, life on life means the uncomfortable work of preaching, correcting, rebuking, and encouraging – the life of authentic discipleship in fellowship; where the Lord uses each of us to mutually manifest His discipline to persevere and commit to His gift of eternal life.
We each have the burden of remaining intentionally righteous in God’s sight together – to “fulfill the law of Christ.”
Discipline is elemental in discipleship.
Becoming God’s tool of discipline is to wholly embrace His discipline as His Children.
Remember.
God Only Disciplines Those Who Are His Children
Hebrews 12:4-11 reveals this precise reality:
4 In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.
5 And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says,
“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
6 because the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”
7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children.
For what children are not disciplined by their father?
8 If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all.
9 Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live!
10 They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness.
11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful.
Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
Just for being Christ’s disciples, we have found ourselves completely alienated from this world – a life of hardship in a world of hurt.
It must be painful; as every smidgen of wickedness is forcibly and utterly severed from our beings, leaving only the part of us which has been consecrated and sanctified; “in order that we may share in his holiness.”
Endure His discipline of hardship; and His discipline manifested within His body through our mutual life lived upon one another; for “wounds from a friend can be trusted” (Proverbs 27:6) – and perseverance through this discipline of hardship will indeed produce “a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”.
In closing… …Mutuality, in our desire for Righteousness - “I am my brother’s keeper; I am my sister’s keeper.”
To be God’s righteousness – requires intimate and passionate mutuality: in checking up on one another, and in binding onto one another the breastplate of righteousness through dedicated encouragement and discipline; in order that we may be in good standing with the Lord, in step with Him – as His corporate and holy body.
To be Righteous together – we need one another.
We have been called by God, and sent by Him - to walk before, walk behind and walk beside one another.
Our lives intersect today; because God has brought us together.
We do not choose who our siblings are, for in the love of God, He has chosen us to belong to His family.
This perspective is not merely important; it is divine.
It is not a matter of working out issues amongst ourselves, but a sacred matter of working out issues that we face in this world together – whilst simultaneously standing on the righteousness of God and living as His beings of righteousness.
This is God’s sacred and true role for each of us to the other.
And this role has a name; as we will discover in Genesis 4:2-9:
2 Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil.
3 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord.
4 And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock.
The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, 5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor.
So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.
6 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7
If you do what is right, will you not be accepted?
But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”
8 Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.”
While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.
9 Then the Lord said to Cain,
“Where is your brother Abel?”
“I don’t know,” he replied.
“Am I my brother’s keeper?”
God looked upon Abel and his offering in favor because he brought before God his tithes - the “firstborn of his flock”. Abel’s righteousness was manifested in the tithes that he brought before the Lord in acknowledgement of His Sovereignty and Supremacy.
Cain was taught ( “if you do what is right, will you not be accepted?”), and then, warned (“But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you,”) and encouraged (“but you must rule over it.”) personally by the Lord.
When asked by the Lord after the vicious deed, Cain replied with a defiant question that betrayed the reality he already knew to be his true role to Abel – that he was, indeed, his brother’s keeper.
And yet, not only was he not his brother’s keeper, he became his brother’s murderer.
Are you your brother’s keeper?
Are you your sister’s keeper?
It is doubtless that we will stand before God in account for our own lives; but there is an integral component of accountability and responsibility for our brothers and sisters in Christ that we must embrace.
You are responsible spiritually to God for people in your church family.
Just as I am responsible for you, you are responsible for me – such is the divine mutuality in our desire and quest to be God’s righteousness.
If I were to turn away from God, everyone around me suffers.
If I allow you to fall into, and live in sin, everyone around us suffers.
Remember 1 Corinthians 12:25b-26:
“…its parts should have equal concern for each other.
If one part suffers, every part suffers with it;
if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.”
If you allow worldly selfishness, emotional carelessness, moral ambivalence and spiritual weakness to prevail in my life, you will suffer – along with everyone in your life.
Your strength, wisdom and resolve to remain in true fellowship – in holy encouragement, in the most sacred of standards, and the strictest of discipline – comes from God alone (2 Corinthians 3:5).
The standards we must live by, is Christ.
If that be true - the love, affection, and responsibility for members of our spiritual family must be forged from the standards of Christ who loved us with His life.
Righteousness is not a personal endeavour; we must work out our salvation together and live in His Righteousness together.
It is to declare and pray:
Our Father in Heaven,
Hallowed be Your Name.
Your Kingdom come, Your Will be done; on earth, as it is in heaven.
Heavenly Father, the faces I see before me are those whom You have placed into my life.
In this, Lord Jesus, I receive Your sacred charge in my life to be my brother’s keeper and my sister’s keeper – to keep them in my heart, in my prayers, in my thoughts and in my life – to check, to tighten, and to encourage in love - my brother and my sister to remain in good, righteous standing before our God together.
Embolden me to be used as Your sacred tool of discipline in order to gently restore those amongst us who have fallen into sin.
Holy Spirit, guide me to do only what is righteous in Your sight.
As Your children, may we never make light of Your discipline; but keep us disciplined in utter sacredness and strictness as we bear one another’s burdens of remaining intentionally righteousness in God’s sight – to “fulfill the law of Christ".
Lead us to live hand in hand, heart to heart, and life on life within Your Holy Body; and grant us the courage and resolve to passionately do the uncomfortable work of preaching to, correcting, rebuking, and encouraging one another – in living out the life of authentic discipleship in true fellowship found in a spiritual war zone; tasked with the mission of inbreaking Your Holy Kingdom.
Heavenly Father, we ask that You would use each of us to mutually manifest Your discipline as we persevere in this holy hardship, and commit to Your gift of eternal life; and ultimately share in Your holiness – producing a harvest of righteousness and peace for us who have been trained by You.
Empower me with Your love for my brothers and sisters in Christ.
Increase my desire to be a true and eternal sibling to them.
I am responsible for each of them; I am accountable to, and for, each of them.
For I am my brother’s keeper; and I am my sister’s keeper.
Deepen my affection for them, deepen my wisdom to live and lead them – to exemplify Christ – by Your love; and embolden me to reject the lies of the world perpetuated by the fallacy of private and anonymous faith.
In the face of this spiritual war against the forces of evil; may I stand with each of my brothers and sisters – on You, Lord Jesus, the Rock of our Salvation.
May we fully embrace our sacred, and mutual role to be Righteous together.
I thank You and pray all these in the Name of our King, Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
“Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,” (Ephesians 6:14)
Dearly Beloved,
Greetings in the Name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
To the Roman soldier, the breastplate is a key armour in his system of defense on the battlefield; and must be worn fittingly with the help a fellow soldier.
Before a battle, it is surmisable that soldiers would conduct mutual checks on the condition of each other’s armor, and provide the necessary help to tighten the straps that keep the breastplate secured to the body. A final pat on the back and a word of encouragement would fittingly conclude this pre-battle ritual.
Likewise, the mutually sacred role of Christian soldiers – is to be Righteous together
Burdens of remaining intentionally righteousness in God’s sight – to “fulfill the law of Christ”
Yes, life on life means the uncomfortable work of preaching, correcting, rebuking, and encouraging – the life of authentic discipleship in fellowship; where the Lord uses each of us to mutually manifest His discipline to persevere and commit to His gift of eternal life.
We each have the burden of remaining intentionally righteous in God’s sight together – to “fulfill the law of Christ.”
Discipline is elemental in discipleship.
Becoming God’s tool of discipline is to wholly embrace His discipline as His Children.
Remember.
God Only Disciplines Those Who Are His Children
Hebrews 12:4-11 reveals this precise reality:
4 In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.
5 And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says,
“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
6 because the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”
7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children.
For what children are not disciplined by their father?
8 If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all.
9 Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live!
10 They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness.
11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful.
Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
To the Apostle Paul’s allusion of our mutual, sacred role and responsibility to keep one another’s “breastplate of righteousness in place”, the implication is clear – righteousness is not only a private effort, it is a corporate endeavor.
Paul speaks clearly to our mutual, sacred role to be righteous before the Lord together; in conscientiously keeping one another on the narrow path to the Kingdom – through the reciprocal checks and mutual binding-on of God’s Righteousness upon our lives, in order that we may – together – be found in good standing with the Lord, and daily keep in step with Christ as one body.
The very nature of our corporate endeavor to be righteous through active accountability and responsibility is established in 1 Corinthians 12:25b-26:
“…its parts should have equal concern for each other.
If one part suffers, every part suffers with it;
if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.”
The Christian faith is both equally and simultaneously personal and communal.
No one runs this race alone; no one fights the battles alone; for this is a war we must fight together under the Sovereignty and Supremacy of Christ, our King.
In the imagery of fellow Christian soldiers marching into battle together, we must actively live out our role and responsibility to walk before, walk behind and walk beside one another – as we walk with our Lord as His body; His Church.
Walking before – Leading and Living by holy example to be righteous together.
“In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)
Our Lord Jesus Christ shows us the way:
Holy living cannot be taught; it must be led into, and lived through Holy example.
To walk before one another in the body of Christ is to lead and live by Christ’s Holy Example in our corporate endeavor to be righteous together.
His light shined before us; now, our light must shine before others.
He glorified the Father in Heaven, likewise, our lives must glorify our Heavenly Father.
Our good deeds – the result of the Holy Spirit’s power upon us – must be seen as His light in this dark world.
To borrow from Joe Biden in his speech last night, “The example of power; is the power of example.”
God’s power flows freely and mightily through us when we are resolute in living powerfully in Christ’s example to us; to shine as He is shining, to be ever truthful, ever hopeful, and ever joyous in Him alone.
(Prayer Note: To this we need to keep our neighbors to the South in prayer.
We need to keep the Church and the people of the United States in prayer.
We pray that wisdom, common sense and Your love will prevail - as they mitigate and recover from the effects of their current political challenges - in the current global landscape of a pandemic that has resulted in categorical turmoil and unrest; just as we pray for ourselves, our Church and our land.)
Walking behind – I love you; I’ve got your back.
Walking behind one another is to consistently and genuinely say to the other, “I love you; I am here for you; I desire Christ for you; I will pray for you; I’ve got your back.”
Our Lord Jesus commands us in John 13:34-35 -
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
When we love one another, in the way that Christ loves us – we enact His Kingdom, and evangelise to the world at the same time!
The Apostle Paul exhorts us in Ephesians 4:15-16 - “Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”
Love one another! Desire the best for one another! Seek to build, and grow, one another to become in every respect the mature body of Christ!
Walking beside – Hand in hand, heart to heart, life on life.
As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
The sharpening process requires immediate and dynamic contact, and the resulting friction will bring forth heat, and the loss of material; but it would also sharpen.
To sharpen another person who is genuine about being Christian is to be sharpened – and to become the knife’s edge required to enter the Kingdom of God; by way of cutting victory through darkness in this lifetime.
To live as Christian is to live intimately, together in Christ – hand in hand, heart to heart, and life on life; to walk beside one another as fellow Christian soldiers, resolving and willing to live as a family of God.
To this, the Apostle Paul provides the framework of fellowship – a group of people living in a war zone – tasked with a mission that is greater than the collective; corporately preparing to live full and finish well, keeping absolute and utter faith in Christ Jesus.
The Mission:
1 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge:
2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. (2 Timothy 4:1-2)
The War Zone:
3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine.
Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.
4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. (2 Timothy 4:3-4)
The Framework of Fellowship:
5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. (2 Timothy 4:5)
The End-Game:
6 For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. (2 Timothy 4:6-7)
Brethren. Listen well.
We are to walk beside one another in this life – to fulfill our charge to stand before Christ in righteousness and enter His Kingdom – through discharging our ministry duties to preach, correct, rebuke and encourage.
Are you prepared to embrace this framework of fellowship?
Are you prepared to fight the good fight and finish the race, keeping faith in Christ – keeping in step with Him every step of the way?
You cannot achieve this alone.
You cannot run this race, much less, finish it – apart from God, and the body of Christ.
We must carry one another’s burdens.
We must be alert to restore those amongst us who fall into sin.
The Apostle Paul teaches us this in Galatians 6:1-2:
“Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently.
But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.
2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
Burdens of remaining intentionally righteousness in God’s sight – to “fulfill the law of Christ”
Yes, life on life means the uncomfortable work of preaching, correcting, rebuking, and encouraging – the life of authentic discipleship in fellowship; where the Lord uses each of us to mutually manifest His discipline to persevere and commit to His gift of eternal life.
We each have the burden of remaining intentionally righteous in God’s sight together – to “fulfill the law of Christ.”
Discipline is elemental in discipleship.
Becoming God’s tool of discipline is to wholly embrace His discipline as His Children.
Remember.
God Only Disciplines Those Who Are His Children
Hebrews 12:4-11 reveals this precise reality:
4 In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.
5 And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says,
“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
6 because the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”
7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children.
For what children are not disciplined by their father?
8 If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all.
9 Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live!
10 They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness.
11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful.
Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
Just for being Christ’s disciples, we have found ourselves completely alienated from this world – a life of hardship in a world of hurt.
It must be painful; as every smidgen of wickedness is forcibly and utterly severed from our beings, leaving only the part of us which has been consecrated and sanctified; “in order that we may share in his holiness.”
Endure His discipline of hardship; and His discipline manifested within His body through our mutual life lived upon one another; for “wounds from a friend can be trusted” (Proverbs 27:6) – and perseverance through this discipline of hardship will indeed produce “a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”.
In closing… …Mutuality, in our desire for Righteousness - “I am my brother’s keeper; I am my sister’s keeper.”
To be God’s righteousness – requires intimate and passionate mutuality: in checking up on one another, and in binding onto one another the breastplate of righteousness through dedicated encouragement and discipline; in order that we may be in good standing with the Lord, in step with Him – as His corporate and holy body.
To be Righteous together – we need one another.
We have been called by God, and sent by Him - to walk before, walk behind and walk beside one another.
Our lives intersect today; because God has brought us together.
We do not choose who our siblings are, for in the love of God, He has chosen us to belong to His family.
This perspective is not merely important; it is divine.
It is not a matter of working out issues amongst ourselves, but a sacred matter of working out issues that we face in this world together – whilst simultaneously standing on the righteousness of God and living as His beings of righteousness.
This is God’s sacred and true role for each of us to the other.
And this role has a name; as we will discover in Genesis 4:2-9:
2 Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil.
3 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord.
4 And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock.
The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, 5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor.
So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.
6 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7
If you do what is right, will you not be accepted?
But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”
8 Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.”
While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.
9 Then the Lord said to Cain,
“Where is your brother Abel?”
“I don’t know,” he replied.
“Am I my brother’s keeper?”
God looked upon Abel and his offering in favor because he brought before God his tithes - the “firstborn of his flock”. Abel’s righteousness was manifested in the tithes that he brought before the Lord in acknowledgement of His Sovereignty and Supremacy.
Cain was taught ( “if you do what is right, will you not be accepted?”), and then, warned (“But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you,”) and encouraged (“but you must rule over it.”) personally by the Lord.
When asked by the Lord after the vicious deed, Cain replied with a defiant question that betrayed the reality he already knew to be his true role to Abel – that he was, indeed, his brother’s keeper.
And yet, not only was he not his brother’s keeper, he became his brother’s murderer.
Are you your brother’s keeper?
Are you your sister’s keeper?
It is doubtless that we will stand before God in account for our own lives; but there is an integral component of accountability and responsibility for our brothers and sisters in Christ that we must embrace.
You are responsible spiritually to God for people in your church family.
Just as I am responsible for you, you are responsible for me – such is the divine mutuality in our desire and quest to be God’s righteousness.
If I were to turn away from God, everyone around me suffers.
If I allow you to fall into, and live in sin, everyone around us suffers.
Remember 1 Corinthians 12:25b-26:
“…its parts should have equal concern for each other.
If one part suffers, every part suffers with it;
if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.”
If you allow worldly selfishness, emotional carelessness, moral ambivalence and spiritual weakness to prevail in my life, you will suffer – along with everyone in your life.
Your strength, wisdom and resolve to remain in true fellowship – in holy encouragement, in the most sacred of standards, and the strictest of discipline – comes from God alone (2 Corinthians 3:5).
The standards we must live by, is Christ.
If that be true - the love, affection, and responsibility for members of our spiritual family must be forged from the standards of Christ who loved us with His life.
Righteousness is not a personal endeavour; we must work out our salvation together and live in His Righteousness together.
It is to declare and pray:
Our Father in Heaven,
Hallowed be Your Name.
Your Kingdom come, Your Will be done; on earth, as it is in heaven.
Heavenly Father, the faces I see before me are those whom You have placed into my life.
In this, Lord Jesus, I receive Your sacred charge in my life to be my brother’s keeper and my sister’s keeper – to keep them in my heart, in my prayers, in my thoughts and in my life – to check, to tighten, and to encourage in love - my brother and my sister to remain in good, righteous standing before our God together.
Embolden me to be used as Your sacred tool of discipline in order to gently restore those amongst us who have fallen into sin.
Holy Spirit, guide me to do only what is righteous in Your sight.
As Your children, may we never make light of Your discipline; but keep us disciplined in utter sacredness and strictness as we bear one another’s burdens of remaining intentionally righteousness in God’s sight – to “fulfill the law of Christ".
Lead us to live hand in hand, heart to heart, and life on life within Your Holy Body; and grant us the courage and resolve to passionately do the uncomfortable work of preaching to, correcting, rebuking, and encouraging one another – in living out the life of authentic discipleship in true fellowship found in a spiritual war zone; tasked with the mission of inbreaking Your Holy Kingdom.
Heavenly Father, we ask that You would use each of us to mutually manifest Your discipline as we persevere in this holy hardship, and commit to Your gift of eternal life; and ultimately share in Your holiness – producing a harvest of righteousness and peace for us who have been trained by You.
Empower me with Your love for my brothers and sisters in Christ.
Increase my desire to be a true and eternal sibling to them.
I am responsible for each of them; I am accountable to, and for, each of them.
For I am my brother’s keeper; and I am my sister’s keeper.
Deepen my affection for them, deepen my wisdom to live and lead them – to exemplify Christ – by Your love; and embolden me to reject the lies of the world perpetuated by the fallacy of private and anonymous faith.
In the face of this spiritual war against the forces of evil; may I stand with each of my brothers and sisters – on You, Lord Jesus, the Rock of our Salvation.
May we fully embrace our sacred, and mutual role to be Righteous together.
I thank You and pray all these in the Name of our King, Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.