Prayer Meeting 29/11/2022

• Caring And Sharing – Part 2

Tonight I will again be drawing from a sermon by Robert Traill. The sermon is part of a whole series of sermons entitled ‘The Steadfast Adherence To The Profession Of Our Faith’. As we said last week, it’s not exactly a catchy title, but it does tell you exactly what we will be addressing. He is drawing from Hebrews 10:20-24, where he preaches 21 sermons from.

Again, as it’s been two weeks, let me give a tiny biography of the man. Robert Traill was a Scottish covenanter, born in Elie, Fife, in 1642. He died in 1716, which is quite an age for someone to live to at that time. He studied at the college of Edinburgh. He was imprisoned on Bass rock for time during the era of the fateful killing times. He was part of those known as the ‘Pentland rebels’, who fought as the battle of Rullion Green in 1666.

Before I read the text, tonight’s prayer is from our prayer book ‘Into His Presence’. It’s on page 31 and is written by Samuel Rutherford, entitled ‘A Mass of Love’.

Lord Jesus Christ, what comforts you give to poor, broken-hearted believers! If heaven and earth were compressed into one mass of pure gold, it would not weigh the thousandth part of your love to a soul-even to me, a poor prisoner. You are the fairest Rose in all God's paradise, infinitely above all imaginable and created glory. For your fire is hotter than any other fire; your love sweeter than common love; your beauty surpasses all other beauty. Oh, that others would fall in love with you! Yet all of us together could not love you enough, who are the Son of the Father's love, and God's delight. Lord, grant that the meeting of your people may be a trysting-place where we may feast together, and drink that pure river of the water of life, that flows from the throne of God and of the Lamb.

- Samuel Rutherford

Let me read the text (Hebrews 10:19-24). I will read from verse 19 as it gives a better flow and context.

Hebrews 10:19

¹⁹Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the holiest by the blood of Jesus,

Hebrews 10:20-23

²⁰ by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, ²¹ and having a High Priest over the house of God, ²² let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. ²³ Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.

Traill preaches 21 sermons on these verses, yet he only does one specifically on verse 24:

Hebrews 10:24

²⁴And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works,

This is the sermon and verse we will be drawing from, as we did at the last meeting. We have entitled the sermons ‘Caring and sharing’, and by that I mean with one another in the household of faith. So we are talking of our relationship with one another as a church family.

Firstly, ‘let us consider one another’. Okay let me ask this question again. Have any of you ever considered Davie from North Motherwell? Do any of you think about him often? No…? Are you saying you haven’t spent any time considering him? Why? Because you don’t know them. That’s why. Correct? To consider someone they first and foremost must be known to you.

To consider in Greek is:

ΚατανοέΩ - kata-no-e-o - To perceive, to fix one’s eyes on, to fix our mind to.

How can we fix our minds to whom we do not know? How can we care for who we do not know? Traill clarifies and even pigeonholes whom Paul means by ‘consider’:

I do not mean them that go with the herd, that call themselves Christian’s out of compliment…. That would be no easy matter to know them.

He adds:

This considering, that implies these things, is spoken with respect to our Lord the head, with respect to ourselves, and with respect to our brethren.

In other words, our brothers and sisters within the church in which we are part of. Even more so those who are committed to the church; members, close brothers and sisters. 

Traill reminds us of its importance, but more than that – that it is our duty. Traill says:

This employment is a serious employment of the mind, this employment is about other folks, and this employment must be about everything in them and about them that we can discern.

The world would call that ‘nosey’. The world would call that ‘none of your business’. God calls it our duty as brothers and sisters. Traill states that ‘it’s a serious employment’, meaning it is something we must neither take lightly nor neglect. Personally, my experience is that it’s a deeply neglected part of the church. Often due to the lack of how little most consider their own walk: how then can they ever consider another’s? But also it is a lack of deep love for one another, a lack of unity.

I spoke on Sunday about accountability, and our need and duty to bring not our own version to people but the truth. I said, quote:

Let me ask you brothers and sisters, what else do you offer others as a means? Too often we give our own version of care. Which is evidence we have lost what we know only helped us. The church in Corinth was allowing their own flesh to twist the message, which in turn could only offer a twisted message.

How often do we not say what we ought to? We compromise truth, we hold back on having the conversation because we weigh things up too much according to our own flesh. We need to both consider our own walk and consider others’.  It’s our duty. We must not take it lightly, by fixing our eyes on other things. 

Traill then mentions three main things we have to consider about them. These three things are combined. One without the other would be inconsiderate. 

Firstly - their good.

Secondly - their bad.

Thirdly - their indifference.

This must be remembered throughout: the reason we consider, we keep our eyes on people, fix our mind, is that we may continue to stir up love and good works. Traill starts with the good.

The Good 

The good we must consider is the change in them. Traill makes it clear that if they are a true believer you will see the:

…grace of God in them, their shining in the image of their heavenly Father, and their partaking of the Spirit of Jesus.

Often brothers and sisters, we have to look beyond our own log in the eye to see this. Our own issues, our own negativity. Or as it is mostly: the bad and indifference that’s covering the good, often makes us not see it.

Often how we are personally affected has a great bearing on how we view others. Too often we see their lack as rejection of us. It’s not rejection of us, it is a lack of commitment, maturity and devotion to Christ that’s the issue. Every time we personalise it you will lose sight of any good in them. So no matter how little at times, we must encourage and build one another up in the changes we see in them, in the likeness of Christ we see. In the things we have a common bond in. We were all sinners lost, but brought near through the blood.

Honestly, without that setting of your mind on your brothers, where would and could we be? How many of us are grateful for those honest, caring conversations? Yet the world find them offensive, and prying and judgemental. This is what I said at the last meeting: If you’re a believer who has fell out with loving having friends who will come to you and speak to you, you’re in a worse spiritual state than you know.

Proverbs 18:24 (ESV)

²⁴ A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

We need meaningful conversations. We need conversations that hold us all to account. That remind us of all we are in Christ. In Thomas Boston’s teaching on communion he tells the more mature members to keep a close eye on those who are new, who have started taking the Lord’s table - just in case their commitment was not what they thought it to be. This is not to judge, but to help and support. 

Listen, if someone says they are a committed brother or sister we ought to not question that. I tend to say this: you asked for the advice. We can all have shallow relationships, but they won’t stop you going the wrong way, nor will they stir you to go the right way. To be offended by the truth and concern and consideration a brother or sister brings, is to already put yourself into a position of great weakness and danger. 

Often it starts with disagreement, or that you don’t understand. Or thinking they have a lack of concern for your personal dilemma. It’s not that at all. What we have that world doesn’t give us is godly perspective. Meaning it’s our spiritual walk that’s the most important. A church and a congregation who saturates themselves in each person’s struggle and drama is not near as much an asset to you as you think - even if that’s what you want. The last thing a believer needs is someone to join them in their drama. Or even if it is a situation. We must bring perspective, even in the empathy and compassion.

Secondly: The Bad

Traill writes:

We are to consider Christians in their bad things.

He then asks a question:

Can there be any provoking unto love and good works by considering their bad things?

He answers:

Yes, a great deal.

He then gives a list of some of the bad things, and the benefits of considering them. And that means caring and sharing with that person. None of this is to consider and do nothing. It’s to consider as in the point of action. Often we consider the danger, or the battle someone is in, or we look from afar, and have an opinion but do not turn that into action. That is not considering. That’s observing.

First Traill mentions:

Their sins and their infirmities.

He adds:

These are to be tenderly regarded and looked upon as weakness.

We must remember we are dealing with a brother or sister, one of our own. We are not to see them as some stranger, but as a wounded sheep. Therefore I have found and must always consider that: remembering the good is vital in considering the bad. Remember the tender-hearted High Priest messages. We never come therefore with anything but a desire to build them up, to love and good works.

Remember, we need to not come from our feelings of loss or rejection. Few things are less considerate or truly unhelpful or restoring to others than our own feelings of pain and loss. However, I must add this: we, in the totality of our faith, must consider one another. Do you know what that means? It means those who may be bringing something ought to be considered by those whom it’s been brought to.

Way, way too often we make it hard for the bringer, because we ourselves are not considering them. If we were all considering each other and for the purpose of stirring up love and good works, then we have to at times ask: am I making it hard for them to stir up love and good works in me, due to how I’m receiving it in the first place? Am I easy to approach when it may be bad, in order to stir up love and good works? For me it’s our duty to consider both what is brought, and how we receive it in a way that stirs up love and good works. Listen to this what Apostle Paul wrote when writing to the church in Philippi. Again, I will use the ESV, as it specifically uses the word in question.

Philippians 4:10 ESV

¹⁰ I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity.

The New King James Version says:

¹⁰ But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again; though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity.

Paul is actually encouraged and strengthened, and grateful for the concern. In fact, he sees it as a testimony of their growing faith. They had slipped from it, and Paul says ‘I’m glad your concern is revived. It’s a sign of your love and a sign of your maturing’.

Often we say we care, but we never do anything about it. But also notice how Paul does not say ‘I don’t care about your concern’. He praises them for it. He makes it easy for them to be concerned. Do we? We must be grateful, we ought to be grateful, for that brother or sister who comes to us, not to rebuke only, or correct, or to challenge, but we must see that it is not to tear down but to build up. Again I must say this. From experience, it helps a great deal if its acknowledged. Often the tempted and afflicted, when approached, act like they are not. Which truly is not considering your brother or sister who is bringing it.

We who bring the concern and those who are receiving the concern, must have the same loving, caring duty. It’s what makes us robust. Amen. Because it brings strength to the afflicted, but also it brings joy, strength and love to those who are doing the considering. It stirs them up to continue to do good works. And it stirs those who needed built up to love and go forward.

Okay, lastly on this part, Traill says the third thing we should consider is:

Indifference

On this, I ran out of time last time. However, I think its maybe the most important. So yes, for me indifference is often the greatest hindrance.

Jesus, when He surveyed the churches in the book of Revelation chapters 2-3, was in fact considering the church, He was challenging them. What was one of the worst considerations He found? Was it not the church in Laodicea? The lukewarm church. Jesus said, as He considered:

Revelation 3:15 NKJV

¹⁵“I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot.”

We would be better one or the other, but indifference is a slow death, it’s a slow spiral downhill, its one that keeps people at bay. It doesn’t do nothing, but it doesn’t do enough either. It often does enough to keep the concern at bay, but not enough to turn that concern into action.

Indifference is also the least helpful, because indifference says ‘stay away from me’. It says ‘we are not of the same mind’. It is also the least considerate to others.  We must, as brothers and sisters, be concerned with indifference. Spot indifference, and go and speak to that indifference, in order to stir them up again, to fan that flame again.

To stir, to provoke - Παροξυσμός- paroxusmos

It means: to contend with, to sharpen, to forge, and if negative, to convict. To jolt, to provoke a reaction.

That surely is what we ought to desire for our brothers and sisters who are not in a place of deep devotion and commitment. To sharpen their walk, and also if need be - convict them in their apathy and lack. Why? Well ask yourself when are we truly at our best? - When we are forging our faith, when we are not slacking. Our brothers and sisters are shadows of themselves when they are not leaning into God’s Word, and sharing in His goodness.

Indifference is also indifference to others, not just ourselves. All believers miss out and are affected by indifference, because in that we lose out on what they bring to our world.

Traill says:

A Christian who is very high, and rich in the world, and a poor Christian, is very bad company.

He adds:

They are apt to not duly consider one another.

Indifference loses sight of not just who we are in Christ, but what we bring to others. Therefore its truly impossible to have love, when we have no time for good works. I think over the years I’ve seen this in spades, the indifference of brothers and sisters, that leads to more indifference within the body. I always used to hear this: ‘no one called, no one cared’. I often ask: ‘did you call, did you care?’

Trail writes, as I close:

You find love and good works joined together. Good works, or holiness, will never thrive amongst Christians, where love in under decay.

Ephesians 4:15-16

¹⁵ but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— ¹⁶ from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

Notice this point here: that the body is joined and knit together by what every joint supplies. We need each other brothers and sisters, we may not all be at our best at times, but when we are not, we must rally each other. We must bring others back in. We all need to play our part if the body is to be healthy and robust, and effective.

We need to care and share.

Amen.