I want to talk to you today about taking care of your brothers and sisters. We are all born into families. We all grew up in a family. God expects us to take care of our brothers and sisters.
In the first family ever on the face of the earth there was trouble. Adam and Eve had at least 3 boys: Cain, Abel and Seth. Two of those boys, Cain and Abel, were involved in the first recorded murder in the history of the world.
Cain became very jealous of his brother Abel so he killed him. The Lord then asked Cain:
“Where is your brother Abel?”
Cain replied “I don’t know,” “Am I my brother’s keeper?”
The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.”
The Lord was very angry with Cain because Cain murdered his brother. God expects us to take care of our brothers and sisters. He does not want us to harm them.
In the Book of Obadiah God is very angry with the country of Edom because it allowed Israel to be attacked. The people of Edom and Israel were cousins. In fact, when Israel was being attacked, Edom stood by and did nothing to help. Edom was actually happy that Israel was being destroyed.
God said to Edom: “Because of the violence you did to your close relatives in Israel, you will be filled with shame and destroyed forever.”
What violence did Edom do?
God said: “When Israel was invaded, you just stood by, you refused to help them.”
God says that if we just stand by and watch our brothers and sisters get attacked, and do nothing about it, then we are just as guilty if we were attacking them ourselves. God expects us to take care of our brothers and sisters.
God says in Ezekiel 3:18 that if we do not warn a wicked or evil person that they are in danger and that they should change their ways, God will hold us accountable, and their blood will be on our hands. If God wants us to warn someone that they are in danger because they are doing the wrong thing, and we don’t warn them, then God says that He will hold us responsible. God expects us to take care of our brothers and sisters.
What are we doing to help our brothers and sisters? God expects us to help them. We as Christians hold the truth about eternal life. We know that anyone can have their sins forgiven if they believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. We know that people who do not believe that Jesus died on the cross for their sins are in danger of going to hell. What are we doing to tell them and warn them that Christ is the Saviour and that Jesus is the answer? He can save them from hell and He can save them from their sins.
Jesus told us to go and tell everyone in the world that He is the Lord. He told us to pray for them to be healed. He told us to feed them and clothe them. He told us to take care of their spiritual needs.
Many of you are praying for your families. Many of you are involved in sharing the Gospel with others. Many of you are supporting ministries with your finances. Many of you are taking risks and sharing the Gospel with friends and family. You are telling them about Jesus even though you may put yourself in danger.
Whatever it is you are doing, remember that Jesus wants us to pray for and reach out to those who are not saved. He wants us to help those who are struggling with the bad effects of sin. He want us to help those who are lost. He wants us to help those who are crushed by the cares and the troubles of this life.
Let us all continue to do what Jesus came to this earth to do. We read about Jesus’ mission here on earth from His own words. Jesus said:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released,
that the blind will see,
that the oppressed will be set free,
and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.” (Luke 4:18-19).
We also have to be wise and careful how we do this. We do not have to be reckless or foolish with the way we reach out to others. We have to be smart and careful in the way we reach out so that we don’t bring unnecessary trouble to our ministries and cut short the work we are doing. We are in this for the long journey. We are like a ship sailing across the ocean. We move forward one wave at a time. Slowly we make our way across doing the work that God has given us to do. Helping those we see along the way.
We don’t run here and there and everywhere like a chicken with our heads cut off. We stay the course. We have the map and plan from our God. We have our Guide book. We are on course. We are doing what the Lord is asking us to go. We are building our house one brick at a time. We move slowly, cautiously, thoughtfully. We don’t put those who are seeking God in danger. We protect the sheep. We think about them and what is best from them.
We are taking care of our brothers and sisters. We are warning them of the dangers of not believing in Christ. We are warning them about the sins that they are committing. We are encouraging them to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour. We are helping them grow in their faith steadily, slowly, and completely.
May the Lord bless you as you continue to do His work. May the Lord bless you. Jesus said for us to pray to the Lord of the harvest that He would send labourers into the fields.
You have your field and I have mine.
You have your plow and I have mine.
You have your seeds and I have mine.
Take the time to pray and ask God how He wants you to reach out to others. Don’t give up. Keep serving the Lord. May the Lord bless your brothers and sisters as you minister to them as the Lord leads you.