Saints and Brothers - Philippians 4:21-23
Saints and Brothers - Philippians 4:21-23
By Pastor Lee Hemen
July 26, 2009 AM
When I was younger, my mother had nicknames for all of us kids. She used “Jeep” for my sister, which was my mom’s way of saying she could jump or run over anything. For Ed, my brother, it was “Snuffy” because he had allergies and would sniffle all the time. It was before there was easy access to the myriad of allergy medicines we now have for children. And then, there was the name she had for me. Like my siblings, I hated her nickname for me as well. Not all names we are given do we necessarily like to hear. Oh, I suppose you want to know what my mother’s name was for me, right? While she had several, the one that was used most often was “Doc.” It came from a toy I had when I was very little that had the nursery rhyme Hickory-Dickory-Dock printed on it. My mother thought that I looked like the mouse on the illustration. Interestingly, the earliest recorded version of the rhyme is found in Tommy Thumb's Pretty Song Book, published in London around 1744 and is thought to have originated as a counting-out rhyme. Westmoreland shepherds used the numbers “Hevera” (8), “Devera” (9) and “Dick” (10). But whatever the reason, “Doc,” sadly, became my nickname.
What do you call those whom you care about the most? Friend? Partner? Fellow? Companion? Paul used two monikers for his companions and for those he was writing to, and both of the terms he used give us insight as to what it means to follow Jesus Christ. Let’s discover what it means to be called “Saints and Brothers.”
READ: Philippians 4:21-23
I do not mean to be disrespectful, but growing up in a Catholic household I soon learned how to tell if a person was truly important or not. Just find their name listed on the Catholic Saints Calendar! These folks were designated “saints” because of their status of reaching a point in their lives whereby they had lived worthy enough to be called a “saint.” You know, holy and good, kind of like Saint Nicholas or Saint Ignatius or something like that. By the way today, July 26th, is devoted to the Saints Ann and Joachim who made it on the list simply because they are the supposed grandparents of Jesus’ mother Mary. Is this really true concerning the designation of the term “saint”? We discover that…
I. Paul called his fellow Christians “saints.”
1. When the saints go marching in is more than a great jazz tune! Interestingly believers were first called saints in the Book of Acts (Acts 9:13), but why? Paul gives us an idea when he writes to the Roman Christians with this opening remark: “To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 1:7) Christians are “called to be saints.” Christians are called to be this because the word used for “saint” refers to something morally blameless, physically pure, and that which is set apart. And this describes Christians perfectly! Not that we as individuals are pure or perfect, however, through the shed blood of Jesus lavishly applied to our sinful condition we are cleansed by His holiness and made pure! We are “called to be saints” because it is God who calls each of us to Himself! Paul reminded his readers that “The One who calls you is faithful and He will do it.” (1 Thessalonians 5:24) God not only keeps His word, He keeps His saints! We also know that it is God “who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.” (Romans 8:27) God’s Spirit intercedes for us because we are His saints! And, that as God’s chosen saints, we will one day “judge the world”! (1 Corinthians 6:2) Paul also wrote: “I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparably great power for us who believe!” (Ephesians 1:18-19a) As God’s saints we have a glorious inheritance of eternal quality and we enjoy His incomparably great power to save us from all our sins! Wow! This is why Paul called his fellow Christians “saints.”
EXAMPLE: When Denise was little she knew a little girl down the street that wanted to become a “snowman” when she grew up. While many of us wanted to be doctors, lawyers, firemen, policemen, teachers, or some other high-minded and fancy occupation, few of us, when we were little, responded to the question “What do you want to be when you grow up?” with: “A saint!” In fact, if we had responded in that way, we would have been thought of as either immature or odd. Yet if we call ourselves “Christians,” this job designation ought to be our highest priority in life. The essence of sainthood is simply to be like Jesus. Paul said that “For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son.” (Romans 8:29) Christians are to be saints and saints are to be like Jesus. This is why Paul called his fellow Christians “saints.”
When I first decided to became a “Baptist,” after first becoming a Christian, I learned that you had to enjoy certain things: Food, fellowship, and calling another Christian either “brother" or "sister.” This was kind of uncomfortable for me since I had been raised a Catholic. Catholic families have a lot of brothers and sisters in them, both familially as siblings or religiously -- where the term “brother” could refer to an unmarried man who has devoted his entire life to some aspect of the Catholic Church or “sister” which might refer to a “nun.” A celibate single woman who is married to the Catholic Church. Both used to wear robes, but not now. So, you can see why I became confused and was guarded about anyone calling me “brother.” However, this distrust soon wore off when I realized that…
II. Paul called his fellow Christians “brothers.”
1. Brothers in Christ are kin to one another! I had mentioned that Paul had said, “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son,” but the second part of this verse tells us “that He [Jesus] might be the firstborn among many brothers.” (Romans 8:29) As Christians we immediately become the “brothers,” or the “sisters” of Jesus by our faith in Him. We are reminded: “Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God--children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.” (John 1:12-13) So, as believers we are known as “brothers” in the Lord. The word literally means “of the womb,” as in sharing the same birthing place as siblings do. Christians all share in the same way of being born again in Jesus. Also, as spiritual brothers in the Lord we are to be “holy and living sacrifices,” (Romans 12:1). We are to “fix our thoughts on Jesus” (Hebrews 3:1) and remember we are to “think about… whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable!” (Philippians 4:8) And, we are to “Keep on loving each other as brothers.” (Hebrews 13:1) James would remind us that as brothers we are not to show favoritism, remember our good deeds, watch our mouths, be patient with one another, not grumble, and if one of the brothers “should wander from the truth,” we are instructed to “bring him back.” John reminds us that the “world will hate” us because we are “brothers” and “We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers.” (1 John 3:14) In fact, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.” (1 John 3:16) This is why Paul called his fellow Christians “brothers.”
EXAMPLE: There is a spiritually schizophrenic notion that God considers all people everywhere “brothers.” While this may be true in the sense we all come from the same distant parentage of Adam and Eve, we all do not share in the same spiritual heritage. Paul told the Athenians, “From one man He made every nation of men… God did this so that men would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him.” (Acts 17:26-27) But not every turns to the Lord and thereby becoming His “brother.” Certainly, Christians are to respect all people, to have compassion, and to be at peace with everyone as is humanly possible. However, not everyone we come into contact with is our spiritual brother or sister. To think so reduces what Jesus did for us on the cross to the sameness as all other religions of the world. Yet, we are to treat fellow believers as brothers, womb mates, in the Lord. In fact, those who are our spiritual siblings can be closer to us than our own brood we grew up with. I remember my own brother trying to convince me that I was “adopted out of pity.” We are reminded in the Bible that “there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” (Proverbs 18:24) Paul knew this to be true and this is why Paul called fellow Christians “brothers.”
Conclusion:
Paul called his fellow Christians “saints” and “brothers.” Now, let me ask you: Are you a saint and a brother in the Lord?
---
This article is copyrighted © 2009 by Lee Hemen and is the sole property of Lee Hemen, and may not be used unless you quote the entire article and have my permission. You now have my permission to use the entire article.
By Pastor Lee Hemen
July 26, 2009 AM
When I was younger, my mother had nicknames for all of us kids. She used “Jeep” for my sister, which was my mom’s way of saying she could jump or run over anything. For Ed, my brother, it was “Snuffy” because he had allergies and would sniffle all the time. It was before there was easy access to the myriad of allergy medicines we now have for children. And then, there was the name she had for me. Like my siblings, I hated her nickname for me as well. Not all names we are given do we necessarily like to hear. Oh, I suppose you want to know what my mother’s name was for me, right? While she had several, the one that was used most often was “Doc.” It came from a toy I had when I was very little that had the nursery rhyme Hickory-Dickory-Dock printed on it. My mother thought that I looked like the mouse on the illustration. Interestingly, the earliest recorded version of the rhyme is found in Tommy Thumb's Pretty Song Book, published in London around 1744 and is thought to have originated as a counting-out rhyme. Westmoreland shepherds used the numbers “Hevera” (8), “Devera” (9) and “Dick” (10). But whatever the reason, “Doc,” sadly, became my nickname.
What do you call those whom you care about the most? Friend? Partner? Fellow? Companion? Paul used two monikers for his companions and for those he was writing to, and both of the terms he used give us insight as to what it means to follow Jesus Christ. Let’s discover what it means to be called “Saints and Brothers.”
READ: Philippians 4:21-23
I do not mean to be disrespectful, but growing up in a Catholic household I soon learned how to tell if a person was truly important or not. Just find their name listed on the Catholic Saints Calendar! These folks were designated “saints” because of their status of reaching a point in their lives whereby they had lived worthy enough to be called a “saint.” You know, holy and good, kind of like Saint Nicholas or Saint Ignatius or something like that. By the way today, July 26th, is devoted to the Saints Ann and Joachim who made it on the list simply because they are the supposed grandparents of Jesus’ mother Mary. Is this really true concerning the designation of the term “saint”? We discover that…
I. Paul called his fellow Christians “saints.”
1. When the saints go marching in is more than a great jazz tune! Interestingly believers were first called saints in the Book of Acts (Acts 9:13), but why? Paul gives us an idea when he writes to the Roman Christians with this opening remark: “To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 1:7) Christians are “called to be saints.” Christians are called to be this because the word used for “saint” refers to something morally blameless, physically pure, and that which is set apart. And this describes Christians perfectly! Not that we as individuals are pure or perfect, however, through the shed blood of Jesus lavishly applied to our sinful condition we are cleansed by His holiness and made pure! We are “called to be saints” because it is God who calls each of us to Himself! Paul reminded his readers that “The One who calls you is faithful and He will do it.” (1 Thessalonians 5:24) God not only keeps His word, He keeps His saints! We also know that it is God “who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.” (Romans 8:27) God’s Spirit intercedes for us because we are His saints! And, that as God’s chosen saints, we will one day “judge the world”! (1 Corinthians 6:2) Paul also wrote: “I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparably great power for us who believe!” (Ephesians 1:18-19a) As God’s saints we have a glorious inheritance of eternal quality and we enjoy His incomparably great power to save us from all our sins! Wow! This is why Paul called his fellow Christians “saints.”
EXAMPLE: When Denise was little she knew a little girl down the street that wanted to become a “snowman” when she grew up. While many of us wanted to be doctors, lawyers, firemen, policemen, teachers, or some other high-minded and fancy occupation, few of us, when we were little, responded to the question “What do you want to be when you grow up?” with: “A saint!” In fact, if we had responded in that way, we would have been thought of as either immature or odd. Yet if we call ourselves “Christians,” this job designation ought to be our highest priority in life. The essence of sainthood is simply to be like Jesus. Paul said that “For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son.” (Romans 8:29) Christians are to be saints and saints are to be like Jesus. This is why Paul called his fellow Christians “saints.”
When I first decided to became a “Baptist,” after first becoming a Christian, I learned that you had to enjoy certain things: Food, fellowship, and calling another Christian either “brother" or "sister.” This was kind of uncomfortable for me since I had been raised a Catholic. Catholic families have a lot of brothers and sisters in them, both familially as siblings or religiously -- where the term “brother” could refer to an unmarried man who has devoted his entire life to some aspect of the Catholic Church or “sister” which might refer to a “nun.” A celibate single woman who is married to the Catholic Church. Both used to wear robes, but not now. So, you can see why I became confused and was guarded about anyone calling me “brother.” However, this distrust soon wore off when I realized that…
II. Paul called his fellow Christians “brothers.”
1. Brothers in Christ are kin to one another! I had mentioned that Paul had said, “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son,” but the second part of this verse tells us “that He [Jesus] might be the firstborn among many brothers.” (Romans 8:29) As Christians we immediately become the “brothers,” or the “sisters” of Jesus by our faith in Him. We are reminded: “Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God--children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.” (John 1:12-13) So, as believers we are known as “brothers” in the Lord. The word literally means “of the womb,” as in sharing the same birthing place as siblings do. Christians all share in the same way of being born again in Jesus. Also, as spiritual brothers in the Lord we are to be “holy and living sacrifices,” (Romans 12:1). We are to “fix our thoughts on Jesus” (Hebrews 3:1) and remember we are to “think about… whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable!” (Philippians 4:8) And, we are to “Keep on loving each other as brothers.” (Hebrews 13:1) James would remind us that as brothers we are not to show favoritism, remember our good deeds, watch our mouths, be patient with one another, not grumble, and if one of the brothers “should wander from the truth,” we are instructed to “bring him back.” John reminds us that the “world will hate” us because we are “brothers” and “We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers.” (1 John 3:14) In fact, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.” (1 John 3:16) This is why Paul called his fellow Christians “brothers.”
EXAMPLE: There is a spiritually schizophrenic notion that God considers all people everywhere “brothers.” While this may be true in the sense we all come from the same distant parentage of Adam and Eve, we all do not share in the same spiritual heritage. Paul told the Athenians, “From one man He made every nation of men… God did this so that men would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him.” (Acts 17:26-27) But not every turns to the Lord and thereby becoming His “brother.” Certainly, Christians are to respect all people, to have compassion, and to be at peace with everyone as is humanly possible. However, not everyone we come into contact with is our spiritual brother or sister. To think so reduces what Jesus did for us on the cross to the sameness as all other religions of the world. Yet, we are to treat fellow believers as brothers, womb mates, in the Lord. In fact, those who are our spiritual siblings can be closer to us than our own brood we grew up with. I remember my own brother trying to convince me that I was “adopted out of pity.” We are reminded in the Bible that “there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” (Proverbs 18:24) Paul knew this to be true and this is why Paul called fellow Christians “brothers.”
Conclusion:
Paul called his fellow Christians “saints” and “brothers.” Now, let me ask you: Are you a saint and a brother in the Lord?
---
This article is copyrighted © 2009 by Lee Hemen and is the sole property of Lee Hemen, and may not be used unless you quote the entire article and have my permission. You now have my permission to use the entire article.
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