Am I My Brother's Keeper

There's a question that's posed in the very earliest parts of Scripture. And, brethren, it's a question that you and I need to clearly understand the answer to, because it affects very directly our relationships that we have with one another on the most fundamental level. I want to begin the message today by looking at that question. So let's go directly back now to Genesis 4. That was interesting. Mr. Will started in Genesis. We'll start there ourselves. Genesis 4. Here we find some interactions which took place very early on with the First Family to begin populating the earth. Genesis 4, beginning in verse 1, it says, Now Adam knew his wife Eve, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, I have acquired a man from the Lord. Then she bore it again, and this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of the sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord. Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flocks and of their fat, and the Lord respected Abel and his offering, but he did not respect Cain and his offering, and Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. Verse 6, so the Lord said to Cain, why are you angry? Why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door, and its desire is for you, but you shall rule over it. Now Cain talked with Abel his brother, and it came to pass when they went out, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him. Then the Lord said to Cain, where is Abel your brother? And he said, I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper? Am I my brother's keeper? That was the question that Cain asked, and if we kind of read into the context of it here, the manner in which he asked it would indicate, you know, he didn't really think that he was all that responsible for the well-being of his brother. Oh God, am I really my brother's keeper? Do I need to know what's going on with him at every moment of the day? You know, the fact that God asked him about Abel, I think indicates very strongly that, yes, yes, Cain, you are your brother's keeper. And for us, brethren, we come back to this question, and we read it today, and we ask for ourselves, are you and I our brother's keeper? Are we our brother's keeper? What does it mean to be your brother's keeper? If we go back to the original Hebrew, the word keeper means to watch, to guard, to preserve, to hedge about in order to protect and attend to. So if you're someone's keeper, you're going to be looking out for the best interest of that other person, for their well-being. And this isn't just a me-first attitude. This isn't me, myself, and I, each man for himself, but it's considering the other person as well. It's looking at the other person in a circumspect manner and considering their life and wondering, is there something that I can do, myself, to contribute to the strength and the ability and the well-being of my brother? How can I hedge about and guard and protect them in a way that uplifts them and edifies them in their life? That's what it means to be a keeper. Cain was to be his brother's keeper. He was to watch out for the well-being of his brother and vice versa, and yet he neglected that responsibility in a very profound way.

So again, brethren, what about you and I today? Are we our brother's keeper? Do we have responsibility for one another? Do we have responsibility for somebody else outside ourself or our immediate family and our needs and our wants? And the things that are of motivation to us. Are we our brother's keeper? Well, to begin answering that, we first need to understand who our brother is. You know, probably all of us have physical brothers and sisters, and we watch out for them most definitely. But beyond the direct physical relationships, who should we consider as a brother?

Who is it? Is it everybody? Is it sort of the whole brotherhood of man that we would consider as our brother whom we must be keeping? Or is it a little more specific even than that? In the book of Matthew, chapter 12, Jesus Christ gives us an answer as to who our brother is.

Matthew chapter 12, beginning in verse 46. Matthew 12, verse 46. And it says, While he was still talking to the multitudes, behold, his mother and brothers stood outside seeking to speak with him. And then one said to him, Look, your mother, your brothers, are standing outside seeking to speak to you. But he answered and said to the one who told him, Who is my mother? Who are my brothers? And he stretched out his hand towards his disciples and he said, Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.

And so Jesus Christ showed very clearly that our spiritual brother and sister and mother is somebody who is doing the will of God. It means that somebody that's living according to this word, they've made a relationship with God. They're in a direct commitment with him, the living according to this way of life, again, doing his will. And Jesus Christ said, That person is my brother, my sister, and my mother. As Christians, that distinction separates us from the rest of the world around us. Because this world, by and large, is not doing God's will, clearly. And as such, they are not our brothers according to the manner in which Jesus Christ used that term.

Again, our brothers and sisters, mother, are going to be those who are doing the will of God, living according to this word, just as you and I are. Now, we do have responsibility to this world, and if you look at the word of God, it is clear. So I'm not diminishing that in any way. We could give a whole sermon on who is your neighbor, loving your neighbor, your responsibility to your neighbor, to watch out for your neighbor, and we're to help the poor, to help the needy, look about and see what it is, not just within the body of Christ, but in the world around us, where it is that we can help. That truly is a biblical principle. We're not looking to diminish that in any way, but the relationship and the bond that we share with one another as brethren goes beyond even the physical connection. It's a spiritual brotherhood. You know, it's kind of the concept that blood is thicker than water, yes, but the Spirit of God that binds us together is thicker even than blood. And so as a result of that bond, our responsibilities to one another in the church go beyond what they even would be to those physical relationships around us in this world. As important as those relationships are and the caring for those individuals, we have a bond within the brotherhood of the family of God that exceeds even that. And we have a responsibility that goes along with that. Being your brother's keeper means that you walk, you guard, you preserve, you hedge about your fellow brethren in a direct and a personal way.

Again, it's different than the relationships we would necessarily have in this world.

I have good neighbors. I appreciate them very much. I consider it a blessing, the neighbors that we have. We have a neighbor that lives, one neighbor just passed us down the road. He's the one at the end of the road. He has a snowplow on his truck. So every time it snows, he's out there plowing from his house all the way out to the main road. And not only that, he goes above and beyond. He plows a little inroads into all the other neighbors' driveways as well. That's a good neighbor. I have a trailer. I go every year and get a load of gravel. I come along. I fill in the potholes on the road. We have another neighbor with a tractor, and a couple times during the year, he runs down along the road, grading it out. And that's just one example, but there's so many ways that as neighbors we watch out for one another, we help one another. We watch each other's place when the other's on vacation, take care of each other's animals. And we have a good relationship. And so, the relationships we have with our neighbors and our coworkers are important. But you know what? I'm not my neighbor's keeper. You know, if his house is on fire, I will call the fire department. I will try to put the fire out. But if I see my neighbor out mowing his lawn on the Sabbath, I'm not going to stop and say, you know, what are you doing? But you know it's the Sabbath. I'm not his keeper in that way. But if I was driving the services and I drove by one of your houses and I saw you in the front yard mowing your lawn on the Sabbath, I'm going to stop. And I'm going to say, you know, hey, brother, sister, this is the Sabbath. You need to be in church. This is what God has called us to do to focus on what it is that is truly important today. And I would be a keeper unto you, and I would hope you unto me in that way. So again, that relationship between us and those around us in the world do vary. Brethren, you and I in the body of Jesus Christ are our brothers' keeper.

What we're going to find as we go through the message today is that our accountability to one another goes beyond, again, that accountability that we have to those in the world, but even maybe our biological brothers and sisters who are outside the body of Christ. Because even through the physical ways that we are our brothers' keeper, there are spiritual ways that we keep one another in the faith as well. And so we're going to look at some of those principles as we go throughout the message today. Now Philippians chapter 2 shines light on the responsibility that we have for one another in the body of Jesus Christ. Philippians chapter 2, beginning in verse 1. Philippians 2, 1, the apostle Paul writing. And he says, therefore, if there's any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, he says, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord and of one mind. And so this relationship begins with our unified focus as the body of Jesus Christ. You know, who are we as a people? How do we live our lives? Who is it that we worship? Now these are all understandings that we have by studying God's Word and living according to this way, and it is a big part of what unifies us together as God's people. Verse 3, continuing on, says, Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in loneliness of mine let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. And that by definition pertains to being your brother's keeper. It's looking out for the interests of one another, seeing what the needs are, meeting those needs, understanding what it is that we have in terms of obligation to one another, and how it is we can meet that responsibility. Don't look out only for your own interests. How can I help my brother or sister? How can I support them? How can I protect and guard and hedge about them, and help them in their journey towards the kingdom of God? Verse 5, says, Well, it says, You know, the carnal mind is self-focused. You know, it's on my needs and my desires and what it is that I want here and now. And the fact is, the mind of Jesus Christ is different than that. The mind of Christ, ultimately, is the same as the mind of God. Jesus, when He was on the earth, said, My Father and I are one. And if you've seen Me, you've seen My Father, which didn't mean they were one in terms of being, but they were one in relationship, one in perspective and thought and purpose. God and Christ are one in character. And that's the mind, brethren, that's supposed to be in you and I.

If the mind of Christ is in us, we're going to look on our brothers and sisters in the same way that God and Christ do. And there'll be positive action as a result of that relationship. Continuing on here in verse 5, again, Which was also in Christ Jesus, Who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God. You know, He didn't consider that relationship and that position, which He held to be something to be grasped at or held onto.

He gave it up willingly, willing to become our sacrifice, that sacrifice on our behalf.

Being in the form of God didn't consider it robbery, being equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in the appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

There's no greater example of being your brother's keeper than that of Jesus Christ.

He was willing to lay down His life on behalf of those He called His brother and His sister and His mother. A willing and a complete sacrifice, it was an expression of outgoing love and concern, and brethren, it's one that you and I must emulate in our relationships as well. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, a life of laying down your life and sacrifice your brothers and sisters, watching for their well-being, taking care of their needs, in addition to your own.

Clearly, the foundational element to being our brother's keeper is to love them.

You and I must love our brother in the faith. God so loved the world that He gave His Son as a sacrifice. Yes, Jesus Christ loved us. He was that willing sacrifice, but that love as well stems from the Father who loved us as His children so much. He offered the sacrifice. That mind within us is the foundation. Love is the foundation to then how we'll care for one another and how we'll interact in this relationship as brethren.

All other elements of our service to each other stems from love and outgoing concern. It's out of that love that we'll be compelled to keep one another as God keeps us.

First John 3, verse 11.

First John 3, 11.

What I like about this message is we're actually going to go across the board of authors. Sometimes there's a focus that is maybe more specific to one author of the Bible record than the other, but it's interesting here. Watching out for the brethren, sacrificing, being your brother's keeper is something that is written about all across the pages of Scripture. First John 3, 11.

John says, For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brothers righteous. You know, the effect of loving our brother is going to be the opposite of Cain's response towards Abel, because love produces the desire to see your brother succeed, to see him do well and to be grateful, and to actually want to contribute to his benefit. Cain became angry when Abel's sacrifice was accepted and was righteous before God, and his conduct was righteous and Cain's was not. He became angry, he became envious, and his response was not out of love.

In fact, he killed his brother, just the opposite of what John is talking about here. So again, clearly that foundational element of love must be in place. Verse 13, it says, Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you. Again, this world, by and large, is not your brother. This world is not consumed with seeing that your goal of attaining the kingdom of God is fulfilled. That's not their focus. It says, We know we have passed from death to life, verse 14, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death. Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. And by this we know love because he laid down his life for us, and we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

An example Jesus Christ set for us motivates us to love one another as He loved us, which means laying down your life as a sacrifice for one another. It's giving up of yourself. Again, your personal wants, your personal needs, even, and desires, in order to see that your brother is cared for both on the physical level and the spiritual level as well.

Brethren, God has called us into a body. He brought us out of this world, brought us, we're called brethren, into this body of fellowship. And so we're not to be off on our own somewhere, kind of off in the corner, doing our own thing alone, but we've been assembled for the purpose of encouraging and strengthening one another in our common calling. And so this relationship is about building one another up. It's about edifying each other and keeping each other and picking up your brother when he is down and pointing him in the right direction, helping him on his way to the kingdom of God.

Again, we know love because he laid down his life for us, and that was the example that was set.

This kind of love requires action.

Again, love's a foundation, but it can't be just, you know, be warm and filled and have a nice day. It requires that we actually do something in support of one another. Verse 17, whoever has this world's goods and sees his brother in need and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or tongue, but in deed and in truth.

So show forth that love. Express it to one another in ways that are helpful and beneficial. And frankly, if we're all doing that, it's not like we're missing out because we're only giving outwardly. It comes back in return from our brethren as well.

The answer to the question that we began the message with, am I my brother's keeper? The answer is yes, obviously. You know, clearly we probably could have just cut to the chase right at the beginning, but the point is we need to understand what that means. We need to understand how it's applied, why it is so important. So what are some of the ways that we can go about being our brother's keeper specifically?

We do see we need to do so, but how do we exercise that? How do we do these things? How do we watch and guard and preserve and hedge about our brethren in a specific way? I want to spend the rest of the message kind of going through a number of scriptures that illustrate how we do this. Frankly, each one of these scriptures that we hit can be the source of a sermon altogether. So we're just going to hit the highlights and go as an overview. But I would encourage you this next week, if you're looking for a personal Bible study topic, to go through the Bible and just see what it tells us in terms of how we're to watch one another and care for one another and serve one another in this way. So we consider these areas. Let's think about how we might apply them to you and I right here in this room. Remember, again, the purpose for being our brother's keeper is not simply to help somebody have a good life, not just sort of pad this physical existence, but it's to help them on their journey down the road to the kingdom of God. And they us. Because this is a common calling that we have together, and it separates us, makes us distinct from the rest of this world. And that's why we have all of us around us.

For our first example, let's go to Hebrews 10, verse 23.

Hebrews 10 verse 23. How do we go about being our brother's keeper?

Hebrews 10, 23 says, Let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another and so much the more as you see the day approaching. Said, Let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works. The New Living Translation puts it this way. It says, Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And so being your brother's keeper means that you are looking for ways to be a positive influence on that brother, and you're actually working to bring it to pass. Cain wasn't concerned, was he, about promoting the good works of his brother Abel? In the end, he was, again, envious and jealous. But as our brother's keeper, we actually want to encourage our brother to show forth the fruits of God in their life, to do the things that God has called them to do. And we do that through our words, through our actions, through the example that we set. Those things don't come about by accident. Stirring up our brother requires a close working relationship. After all, how can you influence somebody that you rarely interact with? And so we do need fellowship. We do need time and activities and things that bring us together as a body, so we can have that interaction. So we can have that iron sharpening, iron relationship, and know what are the things that we need to help our brother and sister accomplish and to stir up in their life. This is a positive relationship. This isn't, you know, I'm looking for the weakness in my brother so I can bring it to their attention. This is, how can I help my brother succeed? And it's an outgoing love and concern. Again, we need time together to be doing those things. We need to fellowship together and eat together and play volleyball together and slide down the hill in the snow together and whatever it is that we do together, it's more than just simply the physical activity. It is the spiritual relationship that we have as we assemble as God's people. This passage also said we're not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together. Again, that's, we would take that, I would say, primarily as come together for church services, but it's not exclusive to that. It's to be our way of life. Assemble the body, assemble the house of God. As Christians, it can be a struggle to keep our chins up, to keep a positive perspective, because we live in a world that's going in the complete opposite direction and is running as fast as it can away from anything pertaining to godliness. And so the anchor is right here. It's the words that we study, and it's the words that we live, and it's the relationships that we have. That's sort of what brings us back to center in this upside-down world in which we live. We need one another very clearly and directly. So again, as it says, let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works. How can I help my brother in a positive way, but it takes consideration. It's looking, it's thinking, it's interacting, and then it's acting on what it is that we know to do.

Hebrews chapter 3, just back a few pages.

Hebrews 3 and verse 12.

It says, Beware, brethren, lest there be in any view an evil heart of unbelief and departing from the living God, but exhort one another daily while it is called today. Lest any view be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end. You know, there's always going to be some sort of trial or temptation or something in this life that tries to take our focus away from the kingdom of God if we allow it. And we need the encouragement from one another in the faith, and we need it continually. It said, Exhort one another daily while it is called today. Don't cease from that encouragement that we offer one another. Don't stop visiting those who are sick and afflicted. Don't stop visiting the shut-ins or calling them or sending them a card. Our responsibility to encourage one another in the faith is paramount, and yet it parallels very closely as well our responsibility to comfort one another. Just turn one another up to love, to edify, to encourage, now to comfort. 2 Corinthians 1.

2 Corinthians 1, verse 3.

Paul says, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble with the comfort which we ourselves are comforted by God.

So God does comfort us in our times of need, but we in turn need to involve ourselves in the comfort of one another as well, in the time of need of our brethren. It's easy to be there when times are good. Somebody's having a big old party. We all want to be there. It's fun. It's encouraging. We can have a good time, but you know what? A lot of this comes through the process of simply walking through the difficulties together as brothers and sisters. So don't forsake the opportunity to visit somebody who's afflicted, to just pick up the phone and call and give an encouraging word and a comfort. Those things are important.

Comforting someone involves standing alongside them with compassion and understanding. Being an ear that listens to their needs, their concerns. Comforting someone's being the shoulder to cry on. Comforting someone might involve staying up all night until the situation's resolved. Might involve sitting with somebody in the hospital for hours on end. Might require driving great distances. And frankly, being a comfort to someone might even require doing things that are uncomfortable to us.

Is it comfortable sitting in a situation with somebody who's in great distress?

There's probably other things we would rather do if we're just looking at having a good time. But the fact is, as brethren, we walk through these things together in the good times and in the difficult. And offering comfort is an important part of guarding and protecting and hedging about your brother in the faith. 1 Corinthians 4.

Actually, I'm going to make a change here. Let's go to 1 Thessalonians 5, verse 14.

It says, Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the faint-hearted, and hold the weak. Be patient to all. See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good, both for yourselves and for all. Again, as our brother's keeper, we have a responsibility to be in tune with what is going on in the body. And I'm not talking about prying into other people's business and things that would be private affairs, but we need to be keeping our ear to the ground and knowing what the needs are, so that we can in turn then respond to those needs. If we're outward focused, we're going to be looking for, again, how we can care for one another. So what are the needs? They'll become apparent if you watch for them. Romans 12, verse 9. Romans 12, 9. Here Paul says, Let love be without hypocrisy. The poor what is evil cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, and honor giving preference to one another, not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord. Rejoice in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer, distributing to the needs of the saints. Well, if you're going to distribute to the needs, you kind of need to know what those needs are, given the hospitality. Bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. We're to be there in the good times. We love weddings.

But we assemble for funerals as well.

Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. This is where this bond is created and maintained, and this is where you and I have an active part in being our brother's keeper. Again, it comes back to our focus and perspective. Is it inward? Is it outward? Are we seeking the needs of others and taking actions where necessary? Being our brother's keeper also involves praying for one another. Praying for one another. Praying for your brother is not just a passive event. It's not just saying, God, there's a lot of people sick. Watch over them. Take care of them. You know what's going on.

Praying for our brother, sister, and the faith in many ways requires personal investment. Our prayers are a sincere petition before God seeking His will, seeking the best interest of that person. I read a couple of prayer requests today. What do we do when we get those? Do we kind of, you know, we drop the name down in our notebook, but does it go beyond that? I would hope we spend time on our knees before God laying our petition before Him, seeking His intervention on behalf of our fellow brethren. We're invested in their life, and so this isn't just some far-off thing. Part of being our brother's keeper is remembering one another in prayer.

This comes down to relationships, and as you probably noticed through all these points that we're looking at today, the foundational point is having a relationship with one another. How can you uplift somebody you don't know, you don't spend time with? How can you know what the needs are? Relationships among us and the people of God are what we need to grow and work to expand continually.

Some of these matters are private matters when it comes to prayer, and so, you know, this isn't necessarily you have to pry into everybody's business to find out what it is that are the private things. But I am talking about having an intimate relationship in which we share with one another the things that are on our mind, the things that are going on in our life on a daily basis, so that we, as our brother, can lift those up before God in the fullest possible manner. So, this is James 5, verse 16. James 5, verse 16. Here, James says, Confess your trespasses to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Now, we may not be too comfortable with confessing to one another. You know, really, what does that mean? It's not something that we're maybe in that big of a routine of doing. It's not a regular practice. We're not getting up and openly acknowledging our sins before one another. And I don't think that's what James is saying. He's not saying, you know, we have an open microphone at church now. You can come up here and tell everyone what your sin of the week was. You know, there's a right way and there's a wrong way to do this. We don't need to know every detail of what's going on in each other's life. That does lead to trouble. We don't need to be gossips and busybodies in other people's lives. We don't need to be sharing around with others what is a private and confidential circumstance, okay, in somebody's life. But there are often times when we will confide in one another. We will confess things to one another if we're in a close relationship. You know, there's probably people who you will tell things to that you will not tell somebody else even in the body, because you have a close and personal relationship with them and they're like a brother or sister to you. And that's okay. If somebody's confided in you, though, take those things before God and use that relationship you have with them well to assist on their behalf, but again, bring these things before God in a more intimate manner. So what are some of the things that we might share in a proper setting? You know, somebody might tell their friend, before God called me, I abused substances for 30 years. Now I'm dealing with the physical and the emotional and the mental consequence of doing that. That's not necessarily something we've announced at the whole congregation, but you might confess that unto a brother and say, would you please pray for me? You know, somebody might come to a brother and say, you know what, I'm having some trouble. I'm hitting the bottle just a little too hard on the weekends and I can't seem to stop. Please pray for me.

Obviously, as a brother and a faith sister, we would want to pray for them, and hopefully we would want to go beyond and even intervene ourselves directly in some manner if we saw a way that we could help. But again, this concept of confessing to one another is through the process of relationships, brethren, that we come to each other in this way.

Confessing your trespasses might even involve going to your brother and admitting that you sinned against them in some manner, asking them for your forgiveness, asking them to pray for you. And what's interesting is if you're praying for someone who has offended you, who has hurt you in some way, that kind of has a way of softening your attitude towards them. Because if you bring them before God on your knees, you're reminded of the forgiveness that God has extended to you. While we were still in our sins, Christ died for us. And so that forgiveness has been extended to us should be the manner in which we're willing to extend it to one another. In our prayers, we pray for those who are sick. We pray for those who have had relationship issues. Maybe we're praying for people who are struggling financially, somebody who's unemployed. We're praying for people who have suffered loss. And those are important ways in which we care for one another. But on the flip side of the coin, we also pray for each other on the bright side of the note as well.

What sort of things are we praying for on the bright side? Well, maybe somebody started a new job. We say, God, thank you for providing for them and their family. Please bless them with favor with their employer and their fellow employees. We pray for those who are entering into the marriage relationship. We pray for those who have just been baptized. We pray for those who are serving God.

We pray for the Council of Elders. We pray for the administration. We pray for the ministry. All these different aspects in which we pray for one another, not only in the difficult times, but for God's blessing in the good times as well. Something that's incredibly encouraging to me on a personal note, it was when somebody comes to me and says, you know what, I'm praying for you every day. And I think, really? Wow, somebody's praying for me every day. They're investing their self in my life. And people that come to me as well and say, you know what, I'm praying for you every day that you're in Africa. They say, well, thank you. I'll take that as well. Lifting one another up in prayer before God is a very private and personal thing, but don't underestimate the blessing and the strength that it adds to our relationship with one another.

Praying for each other involves time and energy. Actually, it's making a sacrifice in your life, taking what is maybe a priority to you, something that you want to do, and placing that other person in the forefront. So as our brother's keeper, prayer is an essential element.

Now, as we consider all the various responsibilities to one another, probably the heaviest responsibility we can carry as our brother's keeper is that of going after a brother who has fallen into sin.

Going after a brother who has fallen into sin. And we probably all agree this is one of the most difficult responsibilities that we carry. We have a brother that's straying from the truth in their life. If we see someone that's making a series of decisions that's taking them down the wrong path, as their keeper, we have a responsibility to intervene on their behalf if we have the ability to do so. Notice Jude 20.

Jude 20.

Here Jude says, But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And on some have compassion, making a distinction, but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.

There may be times when we simply have to go after a brother who is sinning and pull them out of the fire. And I almost kind of envision that like they're running towards the flame and you grab them by the back of the collar and you pull them out.

Notice what it doesn't say. It doesn't say, Is there a brother in the faith who's sinning? Go and tell your pastor so he can deal with it.

That would be the easy solution, wouldn't it? That's not what it says. It says, You go after the brother. That's the first level of instruction. You do it. Again, our ability to do that has to be based on a personal relationship with that person. Why would they even listen to you if you never interact with them unless it's something negative? We need to build those relationships over time so that when the difficulty does arise, we can go to them and say, Look, you are my brother. I love you. Please hear me. Please hear me. That responsibility first and foremost lies with you.

Galatians 6.

Galatians 6, verse 1.

You know, the situation, I do want to let us know that it is important. The pastor does have a place, and there is time where they do need to intervene in these things. So we do need to be aware and understand when those things are. And, you know, a situation may rise to the level that the pastor needs to get involved, but let's not just automatically assume that it starts there. You are your brother's keeper. Galatians 6, verse 1. It says, Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. Paul said, you who are spiritual restore such a one. You do it. You go after that brother. You pull them fight in the fire. You go in and do those things. It says, if indeed you are spiritual. If you have the strength to do so. As your brother's keeper, that is your responsibility.

But again, we need to understand when it is that we can go forward and do those things with the strength that we have from God, and when it is that maybe we're just a little bit over our heads. It says, we need to do this in a spirit of gentleness. There may be a degree of firmness by which you pull your brother out. If somebody's running straight for the flame and they're going to burn to death in the fire, you're just going to grab them. It's not going to be a wimpy grab. You're going to grab them firmly and you're going to pull them out of the fire. But you do it in love and kindness, not looking to beat up on your brother in the process, but helping to bring them to the truth, helping to bring them to repentance. But it says to do it in a spirit of gentleness. And finally, it says, considering yourself, lest you also be tempted. Again, you need to know your limits, whether or not you're in danger of being overcome by that same sin or not. Maybe it is a situation that is best handled by somebody who doesn't have that particular weakness. You know, if your brother says, I'm having trouble drinking, can we get together and discuss it? You're not going to go meet them at the bar if that is your weakness. And they're not hopefully going to be there either if you're watching out from them. But the point is this, there are certain weaknesses that we all struggle with. And it doesn't mean you have to be perfect in order to be in the right condition to go after your brother. But do know where it is that you can help responsibly and where it is that perhaps you need to call in backup as well. And God will help you to know those things. Lean on God. That's where our strength comes from. Again, you don't send, for example, somebody out into the lake to save a drowning victim who can't swim themselves. You'll end up with two dead people in the water. So understanding our limits, knowing what it is that we can do to help and what it is that we cannot, and understanding who else we need to involve, perhaps the pastor, is important to know. Sometimes two are better than one.

Getting comes back to that relationship. This is a situation that came up at summer camp this year in Nigeria, and it was at the end of camp. And kind of, in my mind, ties in directly to what Galatians 6 verse 1 is telling us. We've been light and I, one day it was towards the end of camp. We were out swimming around in the ocean, as we Americans did most every day at summer camp. And, you know, it's just too inviting. You're camping right on the beach, and the waves are crashing in.

And kind of the way the surf was on that particular beach, you had an inner set of waves and an outer set of waves, and kind of some middle ground in between. And so most every day we Americans would go swimming, and we'd generally swim in the vicinity of, you know, the first breakers and maybe some of that middle ground.

But kind of the maximum limit we would ever go out would be to that, where that second line of breakers was breaking in. And so Ben and I were out swimming one day in the ocean, and we were getting tired, and we decided it was time to head in. And we swam back for the beach, and we got out. And just as we're getting out of the water, one of the young adults comes running down, and he's wearing a life jacket, one of the young adults from Nigeria. And, you know, it's this disappointed look on his face. Because he put the life jacket on, and he was coming in the ocean with us. And so we kind of looked at each other, and we said, all right, we'll go back in with you for about five minutes or so.

And so we spent a little time just kind of swimming around, doing a little body surfing and playing right where those first breakers were crashing in. And after about five minutes of that, we were getting pretty tired, and so we said, all right, you know, it's time to head in. And right about that time, a big breaker came over, and it crashed over this young man. And the back pull of the current, which was very strong, started pulling him out.

And because he's wearing a life jacket, he's kind of, you know, like a cork floating in the current. And he's not a strong swimmer. And we can see he's trying to kind of kick and break free from the current, but it's carrying him outward.

And we're sort of, so we're hollering to him, telling him, you know, you need to kick, you need to, you know, swim toward shore, but the current has a hold of him. And so we go back in the water and start to go after him. And I'm swimming towards him, now past the first set of breakers in that middle ground. And as I'm swimming, I'm realizing I'm not getting any closer, because, again, the degree that that current is taking him out is matching my speed.

And by this point now, he's out toward the second set of breakers that's coming in. And the difficulty that you run into is between the first and second is the wave breaks over, but then the current is going back out from the other set of waves that have crashed and go out. So it's almost like a washing machine effect in between those two. So as I'm swimming towards him and he's getting out to the second set of breakers, I realize we're in trouble here if we don't catch him pretty quickly.

And I just started swimming, for all I was worth, to him. And I managed to catch him right outside the second breaker, but now the problem is I'm tired. You know, I kind of spent all I had before swimming, and I told myself this is a one-shot deal when I caught him. Unfortunately, I could kind of hang on to him, and his life jacket would keep me afloat as well, but now we're both heading out and quite a distance out. And I said, we're in trouble here, and you have got to start kicking, for all your worth.

And we just kicked, and I would pull on him, and I actually had to get pretty firm and almost yelled at him a couple of times that you have got to kick. And it's like when the stagecoach has to run away horses and, not run away, but they're running away from the outlaw that's pursuing them, and the guy driving the stage has to whip out, and he's kind of encouraging those horses faster. I said, if we're going to break out of this, you have got to kick.

And so we're kicking and pulling, and we manage to break out and get back to where the second set of breakers out there was. And as we're making it into the middle ground, again, it's just turbulent, and another wave breaks us apart, and he's going back out again.

And I'm thinking, this isn't good, and I'm trying to swim towards him, and now I'm just caught in this turbulence, and I can't go out, and I'm tired. And suddenly out of the corner of my eye, I see Ben, Ben Light, and he's swimming at another angle, straight for this young man, and he grabbed him.

And so I said, okay, he's got him. I need to get to shore. And now I'm stuck, because the current's going out, and the wave's crashing in, and I'm swimming for shore, which is a way he's over, and I can't move, and I'm exhausted. And I can barely keep my own head above water. And I said, you know what, Paul? You're more in more trouble than he is.

Because he has a life jacket, and you don't. And I just started praying to God. I said, God, help me. I'm in trouble here. And I knew there had been a sandbar somewhere, because the last few days that we had gone out and swum, we had found a sandbar that would develop between that first and second set of breakers on occasion. Sometimes it was there, and sometimes it wasn't. And I said, God, help me find that sandbar.

And I would just try to swim toward shore. I'd get about a dozen strokes, and I would kind of poke around with my foot. And on the third or fourth try, eventually I found it. And it was just this little narrow strip of sand about ten inches wide. And if I stood on my toes, I could just keep my nose above the water.

And a wave would crash in, it would knock me off, and I would scramble back on this sandbar. And I was able to stand there long enough to at least catch my breath and a little bit of strength. And I could see Ben and this young man made their way back to shore. And eventually, when I got my strength, I was able to fight my way back in the shore as well. Brethren, again, Galatians 6 and verse 1 says, If any man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.

And all I can say is, know what you're capable of doing and what you are not. Go after your brother if you can, but recognize when it is that you need help and two are better than one. Brethren, it's God's blessing that we are together and we have relationship. We can support and comfort and strengthen one another. It's not just a theoretical thing or a nice thing that happens when we come together on the Sabbath. This is our way of life.

And God has called us to build our relationships in this way. Galatians 6 verse 2 says, And so as Christians, we at times need to help shoulder the physical, the emotional, the spiritual burdens that others are carrying.

Again, that's not always fun, but don't begrudge it. Don't run away from it. Don't show up only when there's a party, but have a heart of a servant unto your brother. Brethren, you and I are not on this journey to the kingdom of God alone. God has called us out of the world and into the body, and we are brothers and sisters, and we are called believers. We are a brotherhood of believers. And as such, God gives us the responsibility to watch over, to guard, to protect, and to hedge about one another for our good.

Let us do so in a spirit of love and gentleness, knowing that our efforts are not simply to help someone succeed physically in this life, but again, ultimately, the effort is to help our brother and sister on the same journey which we are on, which is obtaining eternal life in the kingdom of God. Brethren, we are our brother's keeper.