Sermon Tone Analysis

Sermon: The Five Purposes for the Church

Good morning, everyone!

I hope you all feel awake after partying all night into the new year.

My night was spent hanging out with my three kids under 5, and yes, they all made it past 12:00AM.

But we are awake and glad to be here!

My name is Beau Lindsey; I work as the 4th-5th and fifth-grade director in Lynden.

My wife and kids are also here today, Kiana, Theodore, Hadassah, and Finneas.

But we like to call them Teedo, Beebo, and Babs.

I might look familiar because about 5 years ago, I used to be the Youth Director up here in Kendall.

It’s a blessing to be back, I love being here with you all, and if I don’t do bad today, maybe Pastor Bill will invite me back!

And if the sermons are bad, maybe I can do worship.

When Pastor Bill gave me the sermon topic, I was super excited because this is something close to my heart.

The Church- Us, our relationship with Jesus and the rest of the Body of Christ.

Today we are going to be talking about the five points that our church believes, produce fruit from God that helps us grow together as the Church.

The church is good because it belongs to God.

It is the company of individuals who pray to the Lord with a pure heart.

So, just as Paul implores Timothy, I implore you to join the church and invest in God's Kingdom.

The church is good because of what God has done and will continue to do through it, not because of what we do.

Confusing-Many churches, those

2. The marks of a church 1) Sound ministry of the Word (I chose this description because I think that if can properly interpret scripture and you are "theologically sound", yet that insight doesn't produce action, that it’s all in vain.

Proper interpretation of the Word, should also produce proper action.

2) And the administration of baptism and the Lord's supper.

These are the two sacraments Christ left us with, and when it comes to Church structure, the Bible doesn't give a direct answer to how to build a Church.

Which I believe is because God intended for every church to look different.

With that said, I wanted to talk today about our 5-Purposes for our Church.

I mean this as Kendall and Lynden Campus, we have 5 pillars -

Fellowship-

Worship-

Discipleship -

Evangelism-

Serving-

PILLAR ONE: WORSHIP

I’m currently attending seminary and I only have one more class until I graduate, but there is one thing that has stood out to me the most.

THERE IS NO SALVATION OUTSIDE OF THE CHURCH- I don’t mean that those who don’t attend aren’t Christian, but that Jesus died for the Body of Christ, and as Christian’s that is where we are found.

1 Corinthians 12:12-13 “Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ.

For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.”

Just as the body is the total sum of it’s many parts, the collection of many believers makes up the whole Body of Christ.

The Church is the confessing community of people who believe in Jesus Christ, which in turn forms one Body.

The church is the Body of Christ, and Christ died for the whole Body.

Our salvation is found within this community.

God is putting a huge emphasis on unity, and oneness.

We are not all individually saved through Christ, but when we receive our faith, we get brought into the Body of Christ.

It’s a beautiful example of adoption, we are being brought into God’s faimily.

After salvation, we are brought into a unified Body.

We are not alone.

Which makes perfect sense that the foundation for our Christian lives should be community.

Our new life in Christ is found in this community- The CHURCH.

We are not called to be devout Christians in isolation, we are called to live out the Great Commandment in Matthew 28:18-20-

“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.

And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

I myself, alone am not a whole representation of the Body of Christ, which means that we need the whole entire body.

Just as Jesus isn’t the full representation of God, but the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit- unified as one is the perfect expression of who God is.

Our identity is as many members making up the Church.

The way God has structured His creation is based off of who He is.

If God is Triun than we must live within community as well.

Before the foundation of the world the Trinity was in perfect fellowship.

God did not make us in order to express who he was.

He didn’t need us in order to express His character.

God didn’t make us because he was bored or lonely.

The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are in perfect community with eachother.

And because of this relationship, our lives and salvation our model after God’s relationship with Himself.

J. C. Ryle once said- “It was the whole Trinity, which at the beginning of creation said, “Let us make man”.

It was the whole Trinity again, which at the beginning of the Gospel seemed to say, “Let us save man”.

We cannot know God unless we know each member of the trinity, and as we were made in the image of God (Not just the Father, or the Son, but the Trinity as one), we were made man and woman, we were made for community.

We were made for family, friends, and our local church.

Essentially, our church should be the center for fellow Christians to gather, and function as active members of the Body of Christ.

As many of you might recall, the past few years were that of isolation for many many people.

Some still today are struggling with bringing themselves back into community.

But I don’t think I have to convince anyone, that being isolated from community wasn’t good for ous souls, especially for the youth!

Many kids are still suffering today, because of the isolation they grew accustomed to.

Isolation was the deepest pain Jesus felt, the nails and feet that pierced His skin was the worst pain possible, the crown of thrones pressed into His head, none of it compares to the pain that Jesus felt as His Father turned His face away.

“All sorts of people are fond of repeating the Christian statement that “God is love.”

But they seem not to notice that the words ‘God is love’ have no real meaning unless God contains at least two persons.

Love is something that one person has for another person.

If God was a single person, then before the world was made, He was not love.”

– C.S. Lewis

First point- Our fellowship with each other is suppose to reflect the perfect relationship between the Trinity.

A gift, God was sharing his love.

2. PILLAR TWO: WORSHIP

Worship is intended to "sanctify" the faithful.

We call this sanctification- Which is a word that at times needs to be restored to it’s original Biblical meaning- Simply expressed, sanctification is the biblical concept of making God's people holy.

HOLY means SET APART.

As Christian’s, we are called to be set apart from earthly desires and live for God.

As a result, the objective of worship is to mold us into people who are distinct from others, set apart for God and His purposes.

EXAMPLE: Here is our dilemma, our example is Jesus Christ, sinless and the perfect man.

We are called to be mini- Christs, called as His disciples.

And Matthew 28- Commands us to be representations of Christ on earth, until He returns.

We have Jesus Christ, who is completely holy and righteous, yet we are called to representent and model ourselves after Him.

How could I, a great sinner ever represent Christ on earth?

Worship.

Worship shapes and conforms us into the Image of Christ.

Through the active work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of every Christian, through worship we are able to sanctify our hearts, and point to Jesus.

We often think of worship as us to God, experience- Meanings we are praising, thanking God, expressing who God is to us.

And yes this is apart of worship, but we often forget that worship is about God pouring into us.

It’s the work of the Holy Spirit in everyones life that makes us Holy- And as we are worshiping together, the Spririt is tending to the needs of the Body and each member.

As a church we believe that one of the best ways to praise God is to gather every Sunday, sing, hear the Word of God, and fellowship with othe believers.

Ancient Israel had a very broad concept of worship, offering worship in the home as well as in the temple several times a day, not merely on the sabbath and at great festivals.

Worship involved both the individual family and the whole nation.

But the primary acts of worship with communal.