Introduction:  Each and every one of us has our individual responsibilities toward God, toward our fellow man, and in the interest of our self. 

Matt. 22:34-40, “But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together.  Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asking him a question, tempting him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law?  Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.  This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like unto it, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.  On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

1 John 1:7, “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.”

Micah 6:8, “He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?”

In our thoughts today, I wish to place emphasis upon our responsibility to our great brotherhood.  The Apostle Peter at First Peter 2:17 emphasized that we are to:  “Honor all men.  Love the brotherhood.  Fear God.  Honor the king.”  In this particular sermon, let us concentrate on the responsibility of loving the brotherhood.  When we speak of those of like faith, our prayer is that our great brotherhood within the church of our Lord will strive to place its trust in the inspired Word of God and to allow it to be our only guide in matters of faith (Rom. 10:17; Jude 3; 1 Tim. 4:1).  However, my primary emphasis in this study will be upon individual Christians toward fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.

In thinking about our relationship with others, especially fellow Christians, let us apply what is commonly called The Golden Rule (Matt. 7:12).  It has been paraphrased:  “Do unto others as you would have them to do unto you.” 

Discussion:  

I.                   WHAT RESPONSIBILITIES DO YOU AND I HAVE TO OUR FELLOW CHRISTIANS?

A.    You and I must learn to dearly love and appreciate our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.

John 13:35, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”

Rom. 12:10, “Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honor preferring one another;”

Psalm 133:1, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!”

Psalm 122:1, “I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord.”

B.    You and I must overlook imperfections of others, rather than to be a mote hunter.

Matt. 7:1-5, “Judge not, that ye be not judged.  For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged:  and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.  And why beholdest thou the mote that is in the brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?  Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye:  and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?  Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.”

C.    You and I must ever strive to restore any brother who may have fallen by the wayside, or otherwise become unfaithful.

Gal. 6:1-2, “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.  Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”

1 Tim. 2:24-26, “And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.”

D.    You and I must worship with other members of the body of Christ and encourage one another to be faithful.

Heb. 10:24-25, “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another:  and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”

1.        It is needful and essential that Christians come together in participating in the worship service.

a.       We sing to one another.

Eph. 5:19, “Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;”

Col. 3:16, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”

b.      We should pray in behalf of one another.

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.”

c.       You and I commune together in partaking of the Lord’s Supper.

1 Cor. 10:16-17, “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ?  The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?  For we being many are one bread, and one body:  for we are all partakers of that one bread.

Acts 20:7, “And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.”

d.      We study God’s Word together.

(See the passage above)  

e.       By having one common treasury, the local congregation can carry on an effective work.

1 Cor. 16:1-2, “Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye.  Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.”

E.     You and I must learn to comfort and console one another in such matters as sickness, the loss of loved ones, and in respect to other matters that trouble us.

Rom. 12:15, “…weep with them that weep.”

1 Cor. 12:26, “And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it,…”  

F.     When occasion arises for us to do so, we should honor and rejoice with one another.

Rom. 12:15, “Rejoice with them that do rejoice,…”

1 Cor. 12:26, “…or one member be honored, all the members rejoice with it.”                 

G.    You and I must be merciful to other Christians in their weaknesses and in their time of need.

Matt. 5:7, “Blessed are the merciful:  for they shall see God.”

Gal. 6:10, “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.” 

1 Thess. 5:14, “Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.”

H.    You and I must ever be ready and anxious to forgive others so that we may obtain forgiveness.

Mark 11:25-26, “And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any:  that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.  But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.”

I.       You and I must warn the unruly.

1 Thess. 5:14, “Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly,…”

2 Thess. 3:6, “Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us.” 

                                  1.  We should be heart broken when it is deemed necessary to withdraw fellowship from an erring brother or sister in Christ.  Our effort is to bring them unto repentance.

                              1 Co1 Cor. 5:3-5, “For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed, In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.”

J.      You and I must strive ever to be a good example for others to follow.

2 Cor. 3:2-3, “Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men:  Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.” 

Matt. 5:13-16, “Ye are the salt of the earth:  but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted?  It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.  Ye are the light of the world.  A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.  Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

Conclusion:   We should love our brothers and sisters in Christ and strive to build them up in the faith. 

Rom. 14:19, “Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.”

1 Thess. 5:11, “Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.” 

Eph. 4:15-16, “But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:  From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.”

--Dub Mowery