08.23.10 - Two Fellows In A Ship

Two Fellows In A Ship

Prov 27:17 Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend. KJV

Monday, August 23, 2010

10:03 AM

1. 1. Why Is Fellowship So Important?

1. a. 1 John 1:6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. KJV

1. i. Fellowship defined -  associate, partner, from two words that means literally shared by several or shared by more than one.

1. 1. Follow up the Scriptures from last week:

1. a. Eccl 4:9 Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. 10 For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. 11 Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone? 12 And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him KJV

1. b. Lev 26:8 And five of you shall chase an hundred, and an hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight: and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword. KJV

1. c. Gen 3:1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? KJV

1. i. Where was Adam?

1. ii. Satan came to attack, to tempt, to deceive when Eve was alone

1. 1. Consider what might have happened if Adam and Eve were together when Satan came.

1. 2. How much more are we tempted when we are alone, or when we are not in fellowship with others?

1. 2. The Devil Made Me Do It

1. a. Gen 3:12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. 13 And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. KJV

1. i. The man blamed the woman, the woman blamed the snake, we blame the government, the government blames the economy and on and on and on it goes.

1. ii. One of the reasons no one wants to take responsibility for wrongdoing is that we understand the penalty for sin.  Adam and Eve quickly got it and deep down inside most realize when we do wrong that there is a price to pay.

1. 1. Gen 3:21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them. KJV

1. 2. Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. KJV

1. a. Sin, simply put, brings death.

1. b. Consequences of sin include but are not limited to:

1. i. Separation from God

1. ii. Guilt

1. iii. Shame

1. iv. Sickness

1. v. Interruption of fellowship not only with God but with each other

1. vi. Lack of intimacy (to hide our sin, we lie and deceive so we won't get caught, then do the same when we do)

1. 3. Fenced In

1. a. Fellowship creates accountability, accountability creates boundaries, boundaries create a safer place to live.

1. i. Track for a bit:

1. 1. You are in the red light district in Amsterdam, an area well known for lewd behavior, legal prostitution, public intoxication and just about anything else that can make you feel good.  Sin Central.  Whatever your vice, you can find it there.

1. a. How might you handle yourself if you were there alone? (Don't be noble, don't give "good" answers, be REAL.) 

1. i. Consider what this passage really means "Matt 4:8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world , and the glory of them" KJV

1. ii. Do you think what Christ saw was "G" rated?

1. b. Now, how might you handle yourself if your mother were there, or your pastor, or your daughter?  What about your best friend?  What about someone from church?

1. i. Those people would create boundaries that you would not dare cross in their presence.  Problem is they won't likley be there when temptation comes, worse, your mother or daughter is not likely to come to you after a weekend business trip alone and ask you did you have sexual thoughts of someone other than your spouse, did you get high? What did you look at on the internet?

1. c. Boundaries are good, if they are watched and the gate is checked, that is where church fellowship and accountability comes in

1. 4. 'Fess Up!

1. a. We are to CONFESS!

1. i. We are to confess first and foremost to God, who forgives.

1. 1. 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. KJV

1. ii. We are to confess our sin to each other! 

1. 1. James 5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. KJV

1. b. Confessing to God is one thing, but spilling it all to someone with skin on is entirely different, more difficult and VERY humbling.  For this very reason some do not go to church or choose to assemble with other believers.  Think about this:

1. i. Why would you choose to NOT confess your most secret sin?

1. ii. Have you ever been in a church service, among maybe hundreds of others, and felt that the sermon was being preached about YOU? Why do you think that is?

1. 5. The Challenge

1. a. On the back of this sheet you will find a list of questions, some will pertain to you and some won't.  I challenge you to find someone, of your gender, that you can be truly completely HONEST with and every day, or at least every few days, get in contact with that person and ask each other these questions.

1. b. This is not meant to be "fun" or "safe" and it wont' be comfortable. It is meant to bring about genuine intimate fellowship with each other and accountability to the point of setting boundaries and when those boundaries are crossed assisting each other back into right fellowship

1. i. Vertical 
1. a. Have you spent quality time building your relationship with God
2. b. Have you prayed as you should?
3. c. Have you read the Bible as you should?
4. d. Have you been a testimony to the greatness of Christ in both words, actions and thoughts?
2. ii. Horizontal
1. a. Have you honored God in your relationships?
2. b. Have you honored God in your personal finances?
3. c. Have you damaged another person  by your words or actions, either to their face or behind their back?
4. d. Have you allowed yourself to forgive others for faults you find in them or their actions or words against you?
3. iii. Round & Round
1. a. Have you given into any addictive behavior?
2. b. Have you been exposed to sexually alluring material?
3. c. Have you been pure in your thought life? In your actions?
4. d. Have you repented before God of sins?
4. iv. Inside Out
1. a. What have you struggled with spiritually this week?
2. b. What temptations have you overcome?
3. c. Where/when  do you find temptation strongest?
4. d. Have you been completely honest with your answers?