Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction:

Our series on the one another Commands Jesus Gave the church is vital to our church’s mission of Making and Equipping Disciples of Jesus in our community and around the world.

Now in our church - we have three categories of People who join us on Sundays for Worship

We have visitors - People who are checking us out to see if we are a church that they would like to be part of

We have regular attenders- People who regularly attend and participate in our services.

Most of these individuals have accepted Jesus as their Savior

and then we have

Church Members-

A church member is not the same as a church attender- to be a member of the church you are making a commitment to a local body of Believers.

- to a church - like Clear Lake Baptist Church.

You are committing to not just attend church services but to actively serve the body of Christ,

And the way that church members commit to serving one another is that we make a promise that we will be faithful to the teachings of the church, and to faithfully serve one another in the church.

This promise that members of a church make is to God, to one another and to themselves .

We call this Promise our call a church covenant.

A church covenant is a summary of how we as members of a church agree to live in accordance with God’s Word.

Basically, its a commitment to live a life that Pleases God.

Many of you have never seen our church covenant and So I want to read it for you this morning before we jump into our next one another command in Scripture.

And As I read it I believe you will see how this Commitment that we make to one another matters in a church family.

CHURCH COVENANT

Having been brought by divine Grace to repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and having been baptized by immersion on the basis of our faith, by the aid of the Holy Spirit we now joyfully covenant with God and with one another.

[1]

We will walk together in brotherly love; this love will be demonstrated by the way we serve one another, care for one another, watch over one another, encourage one another, admonish one another, forgive one another and seek reconciliation with one another whenever it is necessary.

[2]

We will consistently pray for ourselves and for each other, sharing in one another’s joys and bearing one another’s burdens.

[3]

We will make Christ first in all things both spiritual and temporal; we will be diligent in our personal study of the Word of God, faithfully trusting God and obeying His commands both privately and publicly.

[4]

We will seek to live wisely in this world; denying ungodliness and worldly desires, abstaining from addictive behaviors that harm our bodies, our spiritual growth and hinder our testimonies as we pursue holiness in the fear of God.

[5]

We will seek to teach our children and all those placed in our care in the wisdom of the Lord;  and by our example, in both our words and our actions, seek the salvation of our family, friends and community.

[6]

We will actively participate in the worship, ordinances, discipline and evangelism of the church.

We will also faithfully attend and contribute financially to support its ministries and the spread of the gospel to the World.

[7]

We will, when we move from this place, unite with some other church where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant.

This is the promise we make to One another in this church.

Did you see the theme that runs through out the text of our church covenant?

Its all about living for God with our lives, and committing to buildup one another in the church.

Everything we commit to doing as a member of the church is what God has asked us to be as the church.

We are not committing to extra rules and regulations to keep us from Sinning.

We are committing to being the Christians God intends for Christians to be.

The term “One another” is one of the key phrases in the Christian’s vocabulary.

As Members of a church, We are committing to live out the One another commands Christ has given us as His church.

and that is why this series that we are in is vital to the spiritual health of our church.

( USE COVENT TO HIGHLIGHT THE NEXT LINES AS YOU TALK ABOUT IT)

LOOK AGAIN AT OUR COVENANT WITH ME.....

We began our series with the first One another command we see in our church covenant

We began by looking at How we can Love One Another in the Church.

then we looked at Serving One Another,

Last week We studied what it looks like for us to care for One another

and this brings us to our next commitment to the body of Christ - Watch over One another.

I believe that As we grow together as a church.

we need to be reminded of who we are called to be as the church.

We are called to make and Equip Disciples of Jesus.

and oNe of the main ways we do this is by functioning as a church that Exemplifies the Character of Jesus in all we do.

And when our lives are in line with Jesus the result is that the One Another Commands are lived out in the church,

Let’s Jump into our study today on the Command to Watch over One Another.

Now this command to watch over one another is not specifically found in one verse but the Bible is anything but short on passages of scripture that tell us as the church to keep a watch over one another's spiritual; lives.

This morning what I want us to do is look at 8 Reasons why we are instructed to watch over one another.

1. Watch Over One Another so that your brother doesn’t fall into sin

Galatians 6:1 (ESV)

1 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness.

Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.

Paul paints a picture of a man who is overcome by a sin in his life.

And He says church you have a responsibility here.

If you see your brother being overtaken by sin, dont just sit back and be happy that your not caught in that sin or even sit back and think they finally got what they deserve, Instead we are called to step into our brother’s life with the purpose of restoring their relationship back to God.

Did you notice the two key ingredients we must have when we step into our brother or sisters life in this situation.

We must do it in a spirit of gentles and we must watch out for our own selves that we dont fall into that sin as well.

Church - We watch over one another by gently and loving stepping into one another’s lives when that brother or sister is overtaken by sin.

And we dont do it to make a spectacle of their sin, but to restore their relationship with their Savior.

2. Watch Over One Another so that your brother is not devoured by Satan

not only do we struggle with our own sinful desires.

that want to pull us away from Christ, But the Bible tells in 1 Peter 5:8 that Satan wants to destroy Christians.

1 Peter 5:8 (ESV)

8 Be sober-minded; be watchful.

Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

Satan is the most cunning the most deceptive Creation ever to roam this earth.

And He hates Jesus Christ and the church more than anything.

and there is nothing he is not willing to do to destroy its effectiveness in reaching lost sinners for Christ.

Church family -Satan hates you and He hates the salvation that Jesus Christ bought for you with His life.

And His greatest desire for your life is to make you doubt your Savior so that you live for yourself and not for His glory.

He loves it when you turn your back on Jesus and live your life for your own glory..

And this is why we must watch over one another in the church.

We must be ever on guard watching and looking for the deception of Satan that creeps into each of our lives.

3. Watch Over One Another so that your brother is not consumed by the World

Luke 12:15 (ESV)

15 And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

Luke 12:16–21 (ESV)

16 And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, 17 and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’

18 And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.

19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”

’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool!

This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’

21 So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”

Not only can your brother’s own sinful desires lead him astray, not only is Satan constantly trying to devour him, But we also live in world that wants to make your brothers in Christ its slave.

Jesus in this passage said “Be watchful against the pleasures of this world”, dont let them grab your heart.

In verse 20 Jesus called the man who was chasing after the things of this world a fool

- He was a fool because he lived for things that he could not keep instead of storing up treasures that would be eternal.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, God has called you out of this world.

He has placed you in his eternal kingdom.

You no longer have to seek your own pleasures, you no longer have to try and gain your own happiness, because you are now in Christ.

It is so easy for us as Christians to look back at the pleasures this world offers and fall prey to their lies.

We look at the possessions of this world, and we start to believe the lie that they will make us happier if only we have them in our lives.

Church family we are all susceptible to this worldly deception, and this is why we need one another watching over our lives.

Paul in Heb 12:1-2

New Living Translation (Chapter 12)

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up.