Sunday 29 June 2025

Nollamara Church Of Christ Sermons.Raw transcript of meeting:

Date Of Sermon: 29 June 2025

Speaker: Michael Lochore

Sermon Title: disConnected

Scripture Reading: Philippians 2:1-11

 Starting at verse one. Therefore, if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any, common sharing in the spirit, if any tenderness and compassion I. Then make my joy complete by being like-minded, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, rather, in humility, value others above yourselves.

Not looking to your own interests, but each of you to the interests of others in your relationships with one another. Have the same mindset as Jesus Christ, who being in very nature, God did not consider equality with God, something to be used to his own advantage. Rather, he made himself nothing. By taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness and being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death.

Even death on a cross. Therefore, God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth. And every tongue acknowledged that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

You are taking action to protect yourself against one of today's greatest health challenges.

Loneliness.

The US Surgeon General describes the public health threat from loneliness as akin to smoking or obesity.

People des are using the terms an epidemic of loneliness. We may be digitally connected. But we're increasingly socially disconnected. More and more people are isolated and lonely. Can I say if you are feeling isolated and lonely, maybe feeling a bit, not so much part of the group and you've made the effort to be here this morning, well done and thank you.

I hope and pray that this morning will be a great blessing to you Now. Uh, all individuals, all different people are different, but on average when they do surveys, do you know which generation is the loneliest generation? Yeah, the Gen Zs these days. The generation I serve with at uni, when they've done surveys at previous decades, they found the oldest generation, what's the loneliest generation?

But the Gen Zs haven't waited for their turn and they've been jumping up and being the loneliest generation already. Um, here's an article from Psychology Today on why Gen Z are lonely, and the first reason is overstimulation. We live in a world where it takes very little effort to fill your time. This is not just an effort for Gen Z, is it?

It's for all of us. There are endless online activities and distractions. I mean, how much time do you spend looking at screens? I mean that there are phone screens. My students have, they've grown up looking at small screens. I, but it's not only the younger generation who do that, is it? Yeah, and then there are larger screens.

You know, you can watch YouTube and other videos, not just on small screens, but on medium sized screens. My, my father-in-law used to spend endless hours on YouTube. Then there are TV screens with the unending distractions that they offer today, and then we can get beyond screens as well. We are overstimulated, increasingly overstimulated, and increasingly lonely.

Now. Now I find social research into people's problems insightful. I find it fascinating, and sometimes it's helpful and sometimes it's just not. But I find the Bible's insights into our problems even more insightful. God shows us in His word. What is really helpful, so this morning I wanna share with you some of the many insights that the Bible gives us into the issue of loneliness.

But first, I know that some of you who are like me, if you read that there are three things making generation, gen Z, the loneliest generation. If I don't tell you the other two, you'll be bugged by that for the rest of the time. So I'll tell you the other two first. Um, so the other two are social media.

Online connections are very rarely quality connections. You have more connections, but they just don't have the same good effect on us. Um, psychologically, physically, all sorts of ways, and then also dependency shift. You know, when you wanted to know how to do something when you're younger, for most of us here, what did you do?

Had to ask somebody. You don't need to do that anymore. What do you do? You ask Google and. You don't get, yeah. Yeah. You could get by without talking to anybody. Just ask Google for everything. So this morning, instead of going to Google, as we think about loneliness, we're gonna do something radical. We're gonna go to the Bible.

So, uh, here's a simple summary of where we're going this morning. Actually, I put most of my verses up on the screen, um, from the very beginning of the Bible. We see that humans need connection. We were made for connection. But since the fall, since chapter three of the Bible, we've been scared about what might happen when we open ourselves up to human connection.

Then we'll look at the New Testament and see that Christ offers us eternal connection, secure connection. And we'll see that this can help us overcome our fears and reach out. So it's basically the four points, those four lines there. So let's start at the very beginning of the Bible. We are looking at Genesis one.

Oh, I was gonna ask people that if, if, if, if you're new to the Bible, welcome. I, I, I love these first few chapters of Genesis where God introduces himself. God introduces the creation where. God then introduces people and so yeah, Genesis one is poetic. It's panoramic. It's God, father, son, and spirit creating by His word.

And one of the often repeated phrases, it's God saw that it was good. God saw that it was good. God saw that what he is creating is good. Yeah, so some of you, this will be new. Some of you, this will be very familiar with these first few chapters. So then chapter one is a panoramic view, chapter two, we zoom in a lot more, and especially on the first humans.

And for the first time, God sees something that is not good. This is before the fall, while God is still creating something is not good. Does anyone know what is not good as God is creating first loneliness? Yeah, that's good. It is not good for man to be alone. One of the very first statements said about humans ever is that it is not good for us to be alone.

We are social beings. God made us for connection. Right from the start, we were intended to be in loving connection with other humans. I mean, this shouldn't surprise us in chapter two because right, even earlier in chapter one, we've been told that God has made us in his own image. God said, let us make mankind and our own image in our likeness.

God is three in one. God is relational in his very being and his eternal being. He always has been within himself, God the Father, God the Son, God the spirit in loving relationship. So when God creates humans in his image, God makes us relational beings. We were made for connection. And so by the end of Genesis two, we see a beautiful set of relationships, firstly between God and people.

Then between. Um, personally between God and people, God's been good to these people. The first people are trusting and obeying their good God. Secondly, between people and creation, people are enjoying and caring for the wonderful part of creation God's given them responsibility for. And finally, between people, things we good and open and unafraid between the first man and the first woman.

Adam and his wife were both naked and they felt no shame. There is no need to hide from one another. They could trust each other physically. They could trust each other emotionally. Connecting with one another was safe and satisfying. They could trust the other person not to hurt them. It is so beautiful, but soon it goes wrong.

Fear comes when humans reject God. The first humans refuse to trust God and they eat the fruit. God told 'em not to eat. It only takes a few suggestions from Satan for the first man and woman to start doubting God. Start thinking that no, maybe God doesn't really want what's best for me. Instead of trusting God, when God says some things are good and other things are evil, they decide they want to decide for themselves what is good and what is evil.

These people wanna be the ones who say what is right and what is wrong, not God. So not totally unfamiliar to what we have inside ourselves. Is it? Yeah, that's right. So the man and the woman eat the fruit. God told them not to eat. And we read that immediately after they did what God told them not to do.

The eyes of both of them were opened and they realized they were naked. So they sewed fig leads together and made coverings for themselves. Who were they covering up against? Yes. So later on, when God comes into the garden, they go and hide behind trees. But even before God's come in to be close to them, they're covering up.

The fig leaves seem to be to protect them from each other. Suddenly being naked in front of one another is a problem. If they're each deciding, if the other one is deciding what is right and what is wrong, she there is good reason to be scared about being open and exposed. She might decide. That it's okay.

She might cite it's fun to mock and ridicule him. He might grab what he wants without being considerate of her. He might blame her for everything instead of taking responsibility. Actually, that's exactly what he does before the end of this very chapter. Amen. He might decide it's okay to hurt her. Or their chil one child might decide it's okay to hurt.

The next murder happens in the next child between their children and the next chapter, the first people are not safe being exposed to one another anymore. They need to cover up. People see a need to protect themselves from one another, physically, emotionally, relationally. People now have reason to be afraid.

When people reject God, they have reason to be afraid of one another.

We all reject God in many ways, so all of us have reason to be afraid of one another. God's word presents this as our origin story. This is where all of us, all humans came from. Really? This is what all humans are like. This is what I'm like, isn't it familiar to you? We all need connection, but to some degree we're all scared of opening ourselves up.

Do you feel it? The hunger for genuine human connection. I'm not just talking about romantic or sexual connection through human marriage, through healthy marriage. I'm talking about genuine friendship across peers, genuine friendship between age groups.

God intends us to be part of connected communities. Now, I've gotta say it is clear from the New Testament that God intends us all to be connected. But God does not intend us all to be married in First Corinthians. Another place we see it's very clear that God intends there to be single people in his church, but God does not intend there to be lonely people in his church.

In God's church, there is meant to be a beautiful mosaic of rich relationships. We all need connection, but we also fear connection because to really connect, we need to open up to connect where we need to share things that are important to us. And if in this world, since the fall when we open up and share something important, it can get trampled all over.

People hurt us.

Be honest. You and I, we, we hurt other people too. So it's tempting to cover up, to shut down, to shrink back from connecting and relationship. It's tempting to confine ourselves to a small band of relationships where we feel less afraid. It's tempting to never take that risk to reach out to others who are different.

My students know that in the online world, since social media, if you open up, you could have had the risk of getting trolled or shamed or canceled. And when they see this, it increases their fear of reaching out for connection and trained them not to reach out for connection. It is sad. Gen Z may be the loneliest generation, but they're not the only lonely generation.

Don't you see it amongst your own peers? It takes such a lot of effort to reach out and open yourself up, and especially those times when you really need it. After a significant event like moving house or the death of a partner, or a relationship breakdown or serious sick illness, there are. Lots of sensitivities here that I'm not gonna stop and address right now.

Touched a whole lot of sensitive areas. I simply wanna make the point that there is a lot in our culture that increases our fear of opening up ourselves to connection. Technology means we can physically survive without much human connection. Don't even need to deal with shopkeepers anymore. And all sorts of things build up our fear of opening ourselves up to others.

So it is no wonder that loneliness is increasing,

which is why we all need Jesus. Praise God that Christ offers us eternal connection that overcomes fear. Listen again to some of the passage that Denise read earlier, starting from verse six, Christ Jesus, who being in very nature, God did not consider equality with God. Something to be grasped, something, to be used to his own advantage.

Jesus is God himself. He was there in the creation. He has this unbelievable power really. But this, Jesus uses his power to serve others instead of for his own advantage, and rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant being made in human likeness. This is what we celebrate at Christmas.

It's not just cute. It's amazing. The all powerful son of God humbled himself to come as a vulnerable human baby. He knows vulnerability and pain. Jesus is someone you can trust with your vulnerability, with your hurt. You are safe with Jesus and being found in appearance as a man, Jesus humbled himself and became obedient to death, even death on a cross as.

Christians believe that the reason Jesus willingly suffered and died on the cross was to, because Jesus was taking the punishment we deserve. You and I deserve. Jesus took this punishment that really we should be getting for all the ways we were reject and ignore God. Jesus took the punishment for all the ways that we hurt and ignore other people.

Jesus sees you completely. He sees the beautiful side, and Jesus also sees the wounds and the guilt and the shame that you hide from others. The fig leaves don't stop things for him. Jesus sees your sin and the way you hurt others, and still, Jesus loves you so much. He gave his life for you. Jesus went to the cross so you can be forgiven.

And truly connect with God. Jesus sacrificed himself for you so you can know God, so you can know life and be secure with God forever. And Jesus did not stay dead. God raised Jesus to life again and gave Jesus the place of highest honor and power that the name of Jesus every niche should bow and tongue confessed that Jesus Christ is Lord.

When Jesus returns and triumph, everyone who trust in him and welcomed him as their ruler will rejoice with him forever. As we were remembering around the communion table, Jesus' office's connection that is greater than our fears. If you are trusting Jesus, know that in Christ you are secure and can reach out.

Look with me a bit earlier at the verses from the start of the reading Denise brought to us. Therefore, if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, think about it. If you've trusted Jesus, God sees you as united with his all powerful son. If you have any comfort from his love. Jesus loves you.

Jesus sees all your sin and shame and pain and sacrificed his life for your healing. Jesus loves you that much. If you have any common sharing with the spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, when you trust Jesus, God send its own spirit to live in you. Isn't that a awesome brothers and sisters of Christ?

We have all these things. We are secure in Christ. This means we don't have to feel like we once did secure in Christ. We can reach out to others in Christ. We have a secure base from which to love

This message from the Apostle Paul that he writes to the Christians in the early church in Philippi, it's still directly applicable to us. This applies to everyone here. Who trust Jesus to the people of this church, to lost Latinos, to the Spanish speakers who meet in the afternoon to the students on campus to all who trust Jesus.

And it's open invitation to everybody who, who has yet to trust Jesus, to know that you are loved and securely united with him and have all these things in Christ. So listen to how Paul continues. If you have all these amazing things, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.

Do nothing out of selfish ambition. Whoa, do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, rather, in humility, value others above yourselves. Not looking to your own interests, but each of you to the interests of others. In your relationship with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus.

Stop for a moment and think about this In our lonely world where people are increasingly isolated, think how beautiful. I think how attractive it is when our church communities, when our times where our Christian brothers and sisters are places where we love one another. In this one spirit of Christ. It is beautiful and attractive to invite others into community where people can see Seeth looking to the interests of others.

You may remember what Jesus said just before he was crucified. After he'd washed the disciples feet. Jesus told his first disciples that he expected people to be able to spot his followers. By this. Will everyone know you are my disciples? If what? If you have love for one another? Let me read it in just a little bit of context.

Jesus said, A new commandment I give you love one another. As I have loved you just after his feet, just before he goes to the cross, as I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this, will everyone know your motorcycles if you love one another? Jesus Christ, the mighty king loves you so much. He gave his life for you.

And when you accept. His love and security this mighty king brings. Jesus calls you to go out in his love and love others, and Jesus has a particular focus here on loving other believers. By this will everyone know you are my disciples? If you love one another,

loving C Christian community is beautiful. A loving Christian community is attractive before church. I've been talking to a number of you and asking you, well, what brought you to this church? What struck you when you first came here? And so many people said, the people are so friendly, so welcoming. I heard that again and again.

Um, now that's not to say there's not dramas here. I haven't got to know you that well, but I'm very confident that this is. To every church is a hospital for sinners and a school for saints. And sometimes we need a lot more healing and a lot more schooling. Um, but praise the Lord that the God's spirit is at work.

And we could see that. I could hear that. And what people are saying, and I'm not saying it's always gonna be easy, loving others is hard. Love loving other Christians is hard. The New Testament is full of instructions to believers to forgive one another and bear with one another. What does that tell you about what it's like?

Don't give up when it's hard. You've been loved with Christ's love. When we know Jesus love and we share Jesus love with one another, it is truly beautiful and it is attractive In this lonely world where people are increasingly isolated, loving Christian communities are a powerful apologetic. They are loving.

Christian communities are a beautiful place to invite lonely people in and we hope and pray that they get to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. But you know, even if you have, if they don't, they've been blessed in this world, haven't done 'em harm, and they, when people are doing surveys, they're actually finding that.

They found for a number of years that people are far more open to an invitation to church than most Christians think they are. And then surveys over recent years is finding that that's even more the case. And actually two demographics, that's particularly the case for these days, which is actually younger guys, the Gen Zs.

Um, my generation isn't particularly good, but then, and then the older retirement generation as well. Particularly when people are going through transitions in their life or challenges, there is a huge, just from the way I love the way that you've been speaking about the way you love your community, there is a huge opportunity for inviting others to come along and see the communities for inviting others to consider Christ.

Whether that is coming to the movie nights, whether that is just coming to church. Church is weird, but it's good. Weird. It's the thing I talk about with my students. Christianity, following Christianity is weird, but it's really good weird, and we see this on campus this year. As I mentioned, our stalls and our meetings are in public places and students are often attracted to the group because they see the way we are loving one another.

Students vaguely interested in Christianity. Become more interested in Jesus because they see we care for one another and also that we care for them.

So my encouragement would be in any church you can see the holes, you can see the challenges, but can you see the opportunities here for reaching out to your peers? So many people are lonely. We all crave relationships and we're all scared. But you have Jesus and you know his love, so you can reach out to your friends.

Just step across the pain barrier, reach out to the friends and, and invite them. Just love them. Just care for them. Care for your neighbors. You could reach out to those suffering loss new to the area, going through transitions. Just care for them with the love of Christ. And then invite them to gatherings with your church friends.

Maybe church, maybe film night, maybe just getting together for a barbecue. Give them a chance to see the beauty. A Christian community in the midst of a loneliness epidemic loving Christian community is so beautiful. It's so good for us. Can I encourage you to keep connecting into the community? So tempting not to these days.

And it's also a powerful apologetic, and it is attractive. All humans need connection. And since the fall, we're all scared too, but know that Christ offers us eternal connection that overcomes fear. Christ offers us eternal connection that enables us to reach out. So I hope and pray that all of us here today will trust Jesus and will know how much we have in him, and that one thing that will flow from that is reaching out to others with love like Jesus does.

So let me close by reading those first four verses of Philippians two. Again, therefore, if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ. If any, comfort from his love, if any, common sharing with the spirit, if any tenderness and compassion. Then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love being one in spirit and of one mind.

Do nothing outta selfish ambition or conceit, rather, in humility, value others above yourselves. Not looking to your own interests, but each to the interests of others. And your relationships have the same mindset as Christ Jesus. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you for Jesus. We thank you for the severe life and love that you offer in him.

Lord, help us by your spirit to trust Jesus and to remember the life and the love we have in him and to sacrificially love others like Jesus does. We ask this in the name of a mighty loving Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Amen.