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[1624.22 --> 1625.14] the relationships
[1625.14 --> 1626.50] that are forming
[1626.50 --> 1627.76] here within our church,
[1628.40 --> 1630.04] that you would bear
[1630.04 --> 1630.72] good fruit
[1630.72 --> 1631.96] out of these relationships,
[1631.96 --> 1633.32] that we would be able
[1633.32 --> 1633.96] to encourage
[1633.96 --> 1635.20] and support one another
[1635.20 --> 1637.02] to build one another up
[1637.02 --> 1638.14] in our faith journeys,
[1638.34 --> 1639.94] to stand firm,
[1640.06 --> 1640.78] to contend
[1640.78 --> 1641.78] for our faith
[1641.78 --> 1642.62] in doctrine
[1642.62 --> 1643.92] and our character
[1643.92 --> 1645.62] as we live,
[1646.22 --> 1647.20] as we strive,
[1647.56 --> 1648.38] as we struggle
[1648.38 --> 1649.76] to be real disciples
[1649.76 --> 1650.38] of yours.
[1651.86 --> 1652.74] Help us
[1652.74 --> 1653.84] in our weakness, Lord.
[1654.68 --> 1655.42] Guide us
[1655.42 --> 1656.38] continually.
[1657.88 --> 1658.30] And Lord,
[1658.40 --> 1659.28] may we continue
[1659.28 --> 1659.86] to pray
[1659.86 --> 1661.50] as you will hear
[1661.50 --> 1662.18] our prayers.
[1663.98 --> 1665.18] We thank you again
[1665.18 --> 1666.18] for this time, Lord.
[1666.18 --> 1666.52] Thank you.
[1666.52 --> 1667.18] Thank you.
[1667.18 --> 1667.24] Thank you.
• The importance of being a community committed to one another in a world of isolation and loneliness
• The Bible passage of Hebrews 10, which encourages believers to draw near to God with sincere hearts and hold unswervingly to hope
• A story about a young man who feels disconnected from Christ, his church, and his faith, and how a pastor helps him reconnect through community
• The idea that community is essential for human connection and spiritual growth, and that loneliness is a painful reality in modern society
• Statistics on the prevalence of loneliness among Americans, particularly young adults and mothers with young children
• The need for people to have meaningful relationships in real-life bodies and communities, rather than just through screens and technology
• Persecution by Roman society against the church
• Encouragement from the writer(s) of Hebrews to hold fast to faith in Jesus Christ and community
• Invitation into God's presence through Jesus' sacrifice
• Importance of hope in persevering through challenges
• The church as a community of hope in a world of despair and isolation
• Wars between nations and people
• Jesus' return and the end of sin and death
• The importance of community and gathering with other believers
• Personal growth and maturity through communal living
• Isolation leading to weakness and temptation
• The need for encouragement and support from others in faith and obedience
• The importance of community and maturity in Christian walk
• Season of growth often comes through community involvement
• Small group ministry at Hope Church: successes and challenges
• Encouraging aspects of small groups:
+ New believers participating and asking questions
+ Celebrating diversity among small groups
+ Support during crisis and prayer for one another's needs
+ Witnessing God answer prayers
+ Accountability through shared growth and journeying together
• Challenges in small groups: flakiness, cancellations, and idealizing the perfect group
• Encouragement to stick with small groups and find ways to make them work despite challenges
• Encouraging one another through community and vulnerability
• The importance of mature Christians surrounding and nurturing younger generations
• Fostering a sense of urgency to encourage each other due to external pressures against the church
• Invitation to take hold of Christ by faith and enter God's presence with confidence
• Hope for Jesus' return and restoration of all things
• Journeying together as the body of Christ for maturity, growth, and battling sin
[0.00 --> 6.24] committed to sleep. You are committed. It is a gift to worship together, and this morning we get to
[6.24 --> 11.16] finally close out our sermon series on being a contrast community, and we're going to focus
[11.16 --> 15.56] actually on what it means to be community and our need for it. And you'll notice in the title that
[15.56 --> 21.52] the title of this sermon is Being a Community Committed to One Another in a World of Isolation
[21.52 --> 27.20] and Loneliness. And so if you have your Bible, turn with me to Hebrews chapter 10. I'm going to
[27.20 --> 32.90] read encouragement and exhortation to a church that's struggling with actually people leaving
[32.90 --> 37.44] the church in the book of Hebrews. So this is starting in verse 19, Hebrews 10.
[40.16 --> 46.98] Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the most holy place by the
[46.98 --> 52.40] blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened up for us through the curtain, that is his body,
[52.40 --> 59.98] and since we have a great high priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with sincere
[59.98 --> 65.66] hearts in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from guilty conscience
[65.66 --> 73.66] and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess for he
[73.66 --> 82.02] who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good deeds,
[82.02 --> 88.10] not giving up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other daily,
[88.40 --> 93.48] all the more as you see the day approaching. This is God's Word.
[97.58 --> 103.88] Well, I want to begin with a story about a young man who visits his pastor's house unannounced one
[103.88 --> 108.84] evening. The pastor sees him at the door and welcomes him, and the two of them sit together in front of the
[108.84 --> 115.12] fire. And they then have this conversation where the young man shares his heart, that he feels
[115.12 --> 120.04] disconnected from Christ, he feels disconnected from his church, and he feels cold in his faith.
[121.06 --> 124.92] And as the conversation unfolds while the young man is sharing, the pastor stands up and he gets
[124.92 --> 131.44] tongs from beside the fire, and he grabs a red ember from the fire, and he places it on the stone in front
[131.44 --> 136.98] of the fire. And they continue the conversation, and then they notice as that little ember moves from red
[136.98 --> 143.56] to gray to black. And then silently, really without saying anything, the pastor then grabs the tongs
[143.56 --> 149.28] and puts that black ember back into the fire, and as they talk, they see it go from black to gray
[149.28 --> 155.62] back to red. And without really saying much at all about the young man's story, the pastor was
[155.62 --> 161.12] interacting very powerfully with what he was sharing. And what this pastor is trying to communicate is
[161.12 --> 168.02] that that ember represented that young man himself, that disconnected from community, disconnected from
[168.02 --> 172.42] the family of faith, leaves us cold, leaves us feeling isolated, leaves us feeling distant from
[172.42 --> 178.16] Jesus himself. And that inside the community there is heat, there is warmth, there is the presence of
[178.16 --> 187.20] the Spirit. You and I were created for community. You and I are designed to be in meaningful
[187.20 --> 192.74] relationship. And it's not just a good idea, it's something we need. In Genesis 1, the creation