Overcoming Isolation: The Power of Community

Devotional

Day 1: Created for Community

Description: The first crisis in human history was not sin but isolation. In Genesis, God declared it "not good" for man to be alone, emphasizing our inherent need for community. This foundational truth underscores the importance of relationships in our lives. God’s declaration that it was "not good" for Adam to be alone highlights that we were created for community, both with God and with each other. This need for community is deeply embedded in our nature and is essential for our well-being. [10:48]

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 (ESV): "Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!"

Reflection: Think about a time when you felt isolated. How did it affect you emotionally and spiritually? What steps can you take today to build or strengthen your community?

Day 2: The Isolation of Sin

Description: Sin's ultimate goal is to isolate us from God and each other. The devil wins not when we sin, but when we allow sin to drive us into isolation. This isolation prevents us from experiencing God's grace and community. When Adam and Eve sinned, they hid from God and each other, illustrating how sin leads to isolation. The devil's strategy is to use sin to create barriers between us and God, and between us and others, thereby keeping us from the fullness of life that God intends for us. [15:19]

Isaiah 59:2 (ESV): "But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear."

Reflection: Identify a sin or a habit that is causing you to feel isolated from God or others. How can you seek God's forgiveness and take steps to reconnect with your community?

Day 3: Healing Through Biblical Community

Description: Scriptures like 1 John 1:9 and James 5:16 highlight the importance of confessing our sins and being in community to receive forgiveness and healing. True community involves welcoming, entertaining, showing compassion, and contending with one another. Biblical community is God's solution to the crisis of isolation. By living in loving, supportive relationships, we can experience forgiveness and healing. This kind of community is characterized by mutual support, compassion, and a commitment to helping each other grow in faith. [17:34]

Galatians 6:2 (ESV): "Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ."

Reflection: Think of someone in your community who might be struggling. How can you reach out to them today to offer support and encouragement?

Day 4: Beyond Superficial Connections

Description: Technology fosters superficial relationships, but true community provides a sense of belonging and meaningful connections. We must prioritize real, face-to-face relationships to combat the crisis of isolation. While technology can help us stay connected, it often leads to shallow interactions that lack depth and meaning. True community requires us to invest time and effort into building genuine relationships that provide emotional and spiritual support. [21:13]

Hebrews 10:24-25 (ESV): "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."

Reflection: Evaluate your current relationships. Are there any that are primarily superficial? What steps can you take to deepen these relationships and create more meaningful connections?

Day 5: Quality of Relationships and Blessings

Description: The quality of our relationships directly impacts the quantity of our blessings. By living in biblical community, we align ourselves with God's original design and open ourselves to His abundant blessings. Psalm 133 describes how unity among believers brings God's blessings. When we invest in high-quality relationships, we create an environment where God's grace and blessings can flow freely. This alignment with God's design for community allows us to experience the fullness of His love and provision. [44:33]

Psalm 133:1-3 (ESV): "Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! It is like the precious oil on the head, running down on the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes! It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion! For there the Lord has commanded the blessing, life forevermore."

Reflection: Reflect on the quality of your relationships. Are there any that need nurturing or reconciliation? How can you invest in these relationships to align with God's design for community and open yourself to His blessings?

Sermon Summary

### Summary

Today, we embarked on a journey to understand the crisis of isolation and the importance of community, both with God and with one another. We began by reflecting on various crises throughout history, such as Y2K, the housing crisis, and COVID-19, to illustrate how crises often catch us unprepared. However, the most profound crisis we face today is one of isolation, which was the first crisis ever presented to humankind in Genesis. Contrary to popular belief, the first crisis was not sin but isolation. God declared it was "not good" for man to be alone, emphasizing our need for community.

In the creation story, God repeatedly declared His creations as "good" until He saw Adam alone and said it was "not good." This highlights that we were created for community, both with God and with each other. Sin entered the world and brought shame, leading to isolation from God and from one another. This isolation is the devil's ultimate goal, as it prevents us from experiencing the fullness of God's grace and community.

We explored how biblical community is the solution to this crisis. Scriptures like 1 John 1:9 and James 5:16 emphasize the importance of confessing our sins and being in community to receive forgiveness and healing. The devil's plan is to isolate us through sin, but God's prescription is for us to live in loving, supportive relationships. Jesus' command to "love one another" is not just a suggestion but a prescription for overcoming isolation.

We also discussed the difference between superficial connections fostered by technology and meaningful, close relationships that provide a sense of belonging. True community involves welcoming, entertaining, showing compassion, and contending with one another through life's difficulties. This kind of community brings God's blessings into our lives, as described in Psalm 133.

In conclusion, the quality of our relationships determines the quantity of our blessings. By choosing to live in biblical community, we align ourselves with God's original design and open ourselves to His abundant blessings.

###

Key Takeaways

1. to-face relationships to combat the crisis of isolation. [21:13]
5. Quality of Relationships Determines Blessings: The quality of our relationships directly impacts the quantity of our blessings. By living in biblical community, we align ourselves with God's original design and open ourselves to His abundant blessings.

### [21:13]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[01:25] - Taking a Selfie
[02:15] - Introduction to Community Project
[03:01] - Understanding Crises
[06:08] - Examples of Modern Crises
[07:34] - The First Crisis: Isolation
[10:00] - God's Relational Intent
[10:48] - It Is Not Good for Man to Be Alone
[12:03] - Broader Sense of Community
[13:14] - The Problem of Sin
[15:19] - Isolation as the Devil's Goal
[17:34] - Biblical Community as the Solution
[21:13] - Superficial Connections vs. Meaningful Relationships
[24:18] - Jesus' New Command
[30:35] - Cheat Code to Overcome Isolation
[32:12] - Unity and God's Blessing
[36:42] - The Role of the Church
[44:33] - Quality of Relationships Determines Blessings
[45:24] - Invitation to Relationship with God

Bible Study Guide

Observation Questions

According to Genesis 2:18, what did God declare as "not good" in the creation story?
What does 1 John 1:9 say about the process and result of confessing our sins?
In James 5:16, what are believers instructed to do for one another, and what is the promised outcome?
How did the sermon describe the devil's ultimate goal in relation to sin and isolation? ([15:19])

Interpretation Questions

Why does the sermon suggest that isolation, rather than sin, was the first crisis faced by humankind? ([07:34])
How does the act of confessing sins to one another, as mentioned in James 5:16, help combat isolation and promote healing within a community? ([17:34])
What is the significance of Jesus' command to "love one another" in the context of overcoming isolation, as discussed in the sermon? ([23:36])
How does the quality of our relationships impact the quantity of our blessings, according to the sermon? ([44:33])

Application Questions

Reflect on a time when you felt isolated. How did it affect your relationship with God and others? What steps can you take to reconnect with your community? ([15:19])
In what ways can you practice confessing your sins to others in a safe and supportive environment? How might this practice help you experience God's forgiveness and healing? ([17:34])
Think about your current relationships. Are they more superficial or meaningful? What specific actions can you take to deepen these relationships and foster a sense of belonging? ([21:13])
Jesus commanded us to love one another. Identify one person in your life who might be feeling isolated. How can you show them love and support this week? ([23:36])
The sermon mentioned that true community involves welcoming, entertaining, showing compassion, and contending with one another. Which of these areas do you find most challenging, and how can you improve in that area? ([25:56])
How can you ensure that your relationships align with God's original design for community and open yourself to His abundant blessings? ([44:33])
Reflect on the analogy of Mount Hermon and Mount Zion. In what ways can you bring the "dew" of community and connection to the "dry" areas of your life or the lives of others? ([41:13])

Sermon Clips

1. "The crisis that we're dealing with today is the very first crisis ever presented to humankind. It's back in Genesis. Anybody want to take a guess on maybe what that was? Most people would say sin, but that's not it. Let's go to the story of Christ. Creation in Genesis. If you don't know, maybe you're not a, you know, hadn't been in church. You don't know much about Christianity. You probably still even have heard of this. The creation story is what Christians believe. And we are a creationist. Our theology is that." [06:45] (36 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

2. "What's interesting about all of this as well is that at this time in life, man had perfect relationship with God. You read the story. It talks about how man, Adam, and God, they walk together. They talk together. I mean, God was like, hey, Adam, what do you want to name these? And Adam's naming all the plants. And he's naming all the birds and the fish and the animals. He's naming everything. They had perfect relationship together. I want you to know something, by the way. This is very important to your theology when it comes to God, is that God is a relational God. He wants to have relationship with us." [09:19] (39 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

3. "The reason why I submit to you that the crisis was not sin, it was actually isolation. Sin is not the devil's ultimate goal. It's for us to sin so that it isolates us from God and from one another. That's his goal. The devil doesn't win when we sin. He wins when we isolate because of sin. And we see the result of it right here. It's because of shame. I see it happen in church all the time. This is the devil's plan. It happened as soon as they sinned in the garden. What did they do? They isolated from one another and they isolated from God. And it still happens today." [15:19] (46 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

4. "Sin leads us to our crisis if it's not handled the right way and it causes us to go in isolation. But the Bible is very clear that biblical community is the solution to this crisis. Look with me in 1 John 1, 9. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and purify us from all, everybody say all, unrighteousness, all sin. Confess. In order to have a relationship with God and for him to forgive you of your sins, you have to be in community, in conversation with God." [17:05] (41 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

5. "Jesus already provided grace, right? For us to receive, forgiveness for our sins. It's already been paid for. But grace doesn't happen because of what he did on the cross. It happens because we approach him to receive it. That was good. Thank you, Lord. All right. It says it right there. Okay. James 5, 16. Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed, so that you may be whole. It's not just, it's not just us sinning is the devil's goal. It's getting us to isolate. That's the crisis we're in." [18:33] (46 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

6. "The quality of your relationships determines the quantity of your blessings. Quality of your relationships determines the quantity of your blessings. Church, it's God's original design. It's the devil's plan through sin to cause us to isolate. We have the prescription. We see the promise. I just need you to own it. Because I can't do it for you. But I promise you, we will do the best we can to pastor you. And this community, which we live in, which you are a part of, which doesn't just mean others, it includes you, could be the greatest place on this planet to live. Because we have chosen to live in biblical community." [45:01] (50 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

7. "When you and I choose to live in community like this is talking about, the blessings that God brings your life because we're collectively all together, that's how we love one another. We invite one another. We welcome one another. We entertain one another. We cry with one another. We contend with one another. And that's how the blessing of God flows through all of us. But it doesn't happen when you're living in the loneliest bayou in Louisiana. By yourself. It doesn't happen there." [41:46] (32 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

8. "I want to declare to you today that the potential of what God wants to do in your life is still there. It's just lacking something. It's like this photo I saw not too long ago from Death Valley. Death Valley is not the football stadium in Baton Rouge where the LSU Tigers play. Go Tigers. there's a desert in California called Death Valley. I think they got up to like 140 degrees or something this year. Like the worst heat they've ever had there. And it's dry there. It's a desert." [42:28] (31 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

9. "The seeds of what God has put in your life as promises and purposes and plans that you want to have. Maybe it is barren. But all you need is a connection with God through community to bring the resources that is needed for you to have a super bloom as well. Here's, okay, here's what I was hoping that I could get you to believe in all day today. Hopefully, I did my best to get you to the place where you will believe in this. I only got one takeaway for you today. And if you don't buy this, you don't believe this, then the rest of the weeks is for naught." [43:53] (40 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

10. "When God created mankind in the earth, the original intent was Eden, right? This relationship with God that was not hindered by sin or anything. That's God's original plan. Sin happened, which caused shame and caused isolation. So God says, okay, sin has to be paid for. So he set up the law, you know, with Moses. Like, here's all the things that you do now to have to do in order to be in relationship with me. And if you do those things, if you do this, then you can have relationship with me. God's relationship with man was, was an interaction. It wasn't relational. It was transactional." [22:23] (38 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

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