The Power of the Church
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Intro and Tension
Intro and Tension
Embessy | When in a foreign Country | Find the Embessy | Cross Embessy Gate - Countries Laws the embessy is from | Embessy is Safe | The Church, is God’s Embessy here on Earth | We are suppose to be governed by the Rule of God | Problem is when Culture, starts determing how the embessy should run | Let’s talk about it.
New Message Series - Week 3 | The Gift Jesus Gave | Absolutely Phenomonal | Conclusion before the Cross of Earthly Ministry > Foreshadows Heavenly Ministry - Talk about it.
First Week = Prayer between Jesus and Father about Jesus
Second week = Prayer TO the Father ABOUT The Disciples, and Us
This week = Prayer for those that are beyond the Disciples, US, and HIS CHurch.
Title: The Power of the Church
My Hope: It will open your eyes to the Power of being with fellow believers | Yearly theme of “Come Together” and today is the climax - Sick of hearing about it, this is good news - Not sick of hearing about it - This is good news.
**Prayer**
So we are the Embessy not just in a foreign country | History = The Church | This world = Foreign Territory | This world is not home BUT God has set up shop | not to represent the country it’s in, meant to represent Kingdom of HEAVEN | God Orchastrates from HEAVEN - the Homeland in HISTORY, through the CHURCH what he wants for foreign land.
Unfortunately - Too often, Church has adoped world view of Country, Instead of representing views of Homeland - Heaven. God wants us to know something about unity in His though - Do we believe in the power of unity? The power of the church? Power to break strongholds?
Let’s see what JESUS said about how WE should be and then dive into where HE mentions Church for the first time and see if we can LEARN SOMETHING.
Context of John 17 - Pick up in verse 20
“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word,
These only | Prays for YOU | Jesus knew the work would not die with them | He knew his work would ENDURE.
that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
Unity has a pattern - Pattern between father and Son.
Unity in WHAT? Unity in denomination? Unity in Language? Unity in Worship Style - no, Unity in SPIRIT.
God the Son had a different Mission to God the Father, and God the Spirit and Yet, We serve One God who is UNIFIED - Who Fellowship together in PEACE.
The Local Church is the Hope of the World.
The local church? Where ever you have chosen to fellowship.
I don’t think it’s a blessing if we all gathered under one big super denomination or instution - It didn’t happen in NT - God blesses the differences in Body of Christ all through NT -
Why? It would be difficult to fulfill the commands of Christ about living in community.
There are between 50 and 60 “One Another” passages in NT - 1 John 3:11
For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.
Does that mean love all christains, absolutely - But as we continue to see this played out it would be diffcult in a million person church; After All, Jesus had a following, and yet ministered to the 12 in close community.
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
How can we bear anothers burdens, Forgive them, know them, love them, be with them, fellowship with them, if we don’t truly know them? There is power here - We gonna find out.
Don’t under-estimate the power of unity, in community.
In what other place can people from all different backgrounds come together, and worship and build deep connections | Each unique Body has their own mission given to them by Christ, that only that Body can fulfill.
The unity that Jesus is asking for is not Uniformity, it’s not Institutionalised, It’s not Race, colour or language - It’s Unity of the SPIRIT.
eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Sport analagy of a great soccer team - All have different strategies, all gel - that’s why world cup has great players, not always great football. They don’t know each other - Leicester City FC - Few Years ago - Won.
Do not under-estimate the power of unity in community.
end of verse 21 - Wow so rich.
The purpose of it all; So the world would believe you sent me |
The Church - Empowered by the SPIRIT is a witness to the REALITY of Jesus in our Lives.
4 dimensions to this unity; God with Jesus - God with BELIEVER, Believers with ONE ANOTHER - UNITED MISSION TO THE WORLD.
When the world looks at unity - Jesus wanted the world to SEE Himself.
The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.
This is not easy - One in Spirit, not Uniformity - but there is power here - It’s all for God’s glory- but there is something more - Back to when Jesus First Mentioned the word Church.
Jesus mentioned church first time “Who do people say I am” - What’s word around town? Some say Elijah, John all powerful Men - but who do YOU Say I am - You can read about it in Matthew 16 - Plural - Texan “Ya’ll” - Peter says - You are the Son of the Living God - Messsiah - Whole Sermon here- Jesus Compliments - Father has revealed this to you - With this - Jesus says
And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
“Upon this rock” - Greek word = Petros (masculine) - Different to Peter - Peter = Petra (feminine) - (Collection of rocks) Now we know Jesus Christ is the CORNERSTONE right, He is the ROCK that the church will be built on - and it’s on this revelation for all that believe and CHRIST as the cornerstone - HE WILL BUILD HIS CHURHC.; There is a bigger picture here;
Where is is Petra Used? Argh, we use the Bible to prove the Bible;
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split.
and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away.
So Jesus Christ is the Cornerstone of this Structure, and there are other Rocks that come togetehr and form something so strong;
you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
We are a collection of Stones - Believers in name of Jesus Christ that represent the Kingdom of God who act as a Rock - a Solid location for the Kingdom of God.
Then Jesus says He will build HIS CHURCH - Ekklesia - Called out Ones - On this BEDROCK I am going to BUILD MY CALLED OUT ONES. BUILD THEM, TOGETHER, LIKE A HOUSE.
On this rock - On me, the cornerstone, and all those that BELIEVE I AM THE SON- CREATE THE ROCK.
Church is not somewhere you go, It's who we are. Coming together is what we DO as the Church, so we can serve the world
This is what Jesus is going to use to draw Heaven into History, God’s Viewpoint into the Culture - I am going to bless the Church, and it’s going to Flush out into Community.
GET THAT RIGHT, THEN WHAT? GET THIS HOUSE RIGHT THEN WHAT? Pumped.
And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
GATES OF HELL SHALL NOT PREVAIL = Notice church is not playing Defence - we are playing Offence - Enemy is playing Defence - I will build my church - not, I will defend my church.
And when we are HIS CHURCH, WHEN WE HAVE UNITY What Happens?
I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
Ever lost keys? Not going anywhere, or if you have keys but no idea what they do, keys - plural, there are keys and gates. Work to do - We have to obtain the keys, so we can open the gates!
Kingdom Keys are issues in divine authority that when exercised based on God’s WORD through the righousness of God’s People, unlocks strongholds. We must listen to what HE wants US to do - NOt tell him what WE WANT TO DO and ask HIM TO BLESS IT - That’s absence of authority.
The Church is God’s official embessy - Set up in NT - Should Aim to be Kingdom People, Disciples, reflect the rule of Jesus Christ - head of our church - We will be a church that God can rule and over rule.
Bound on Eerth, Heaven, Loosed in Earth, HEaven - Binding and Loosing - Restricting and Releasing Binding and losing summed up in Kingdom Authority - we have backup - God said, I am going to give you the AUTHORITY, Someone higher gave us the RIGHT to EXERCISE AUTHORITY. to break strongholds.
Bound in Division, you’ll loose unity.
Bound in Unity - You will loose Division
Bound in Love - You will loose Hate
and who gives authority? JESUS CHRIST AND GOD.
Illustration - Rope represents what we are getting wrong in the church.
Where does Binding and Loosening happening? Amongst, God’s People.
Isn’t it amazing? We are God’s Embessy here on Earth - Ruled by Heaven, not by Man, by God and Jesus, in this prayer, is trying to tell us the POWER OF UNITY. The power of LOVE, the power of SELF-SACRIFICE in the BODY. He says to peter - Build HIS CHURCH - Then in this prayer - PLEASE LORD MAY THEY BE ONE.
How does he end it?
Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.
O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”
Inspo and Close
Inspo and Close
Please Melt in these words - MELT in them - Come back and ask - Lord Fill me in your LOVE - His love in US, and his love AMONG US - We are all messed up - We need His Sacrificial LOVE, so we might sacrifically love.
The local Church is the hope of the world - There is power in unity, within community. We are called;
To have grace with one another | Self Sacrifice for each other | Be generous to each other | to give TRUTH to one another | And we need HIS LOVE, to do it.
Take Love from Joy - Pursuit of Pleasure | Holiness without Love - Self rightousness | Truth with no love, bitter arrogance | Mission withour Love is just Conquest | Unity with no love is just Tierny.
And this is where we stumble, if we forget to love. because when LOVE FILLS US - All those things are present and God’s mission can be fulfilled, we can take the keys, we can push back darkness, and we can bring revival to God’s People.
Let’s be a loving church - Who are devoted to the apostles teaching, fellowship, to breaking of bread, to prayer, to Christ and to each other and let’s change the world.
**Maybe read out prayer** - See for Time.
***Altar Call***