“The Family of God” - Pt 1
Notes
Transcript
The Basics #13
18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.
This morning, I want us to continue our study of “The Basics” by considering the Church that Jesus Christ is building!
Specifically, at the question, “What does a Church Jesus is building look like?”
And even more specific, “Does this SCF reflect or look like the Church that Jesus is building?”
The CHALLENGES in even answering that question is significant:
WHO DECIDES? The pastor, the elders, or the congregation?
WHAT METRICS do we use to answer this question? History and/or tradition? Denominational distinctives/Creeds? The Bible?
“How does the Lord Jesus Christ LEAD and BUILD Spring Creek Fellowship?”
I would like to provide a simple (and hopefully clear) answer these questions this week and next by focusing on TWO things: WHO and HOW!
WHO we are suppose to be as a church, and HOW we will achieve this goal.
I. WHO we are as a CHURCH Jesus is Building!
I. WHO we are as a CHURCH Jesus is Building!
Fortunately, the Word of God is clear as to what the church must be:
A. God wants us to be MAGNIFIERS of His NAME!
A. God wants us to be MAGNIFIERS of His NAME!
37 He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.
3 Proclaim the Lord’s greatness with me; let us exalt his name together.
7 Therefore welcome one another, just as Christ also welcomed you, to the glory of God.
8 For I say that Christ became a servant of the circumcised on behalf of God’s truth, to confirm the promises to the fathers,
9 and so that Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles, and I will sing praise to your name.
10 Again it says, Rejoice, you Gentiles, with his people!
First and foremost, we are to be a people who loves and praises God with all our being!
Love for the Triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit should motivate and empower all that we do!
B. God wants us to be MESSENGERS of His LOVE!
B. God wants us to be MESSENGERS of His LOVE!
19 That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and he has committed the message of reconciliation to us.
20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf, “Be reconciled to God.”
C. God wants us to be MODELS of His CHARACTER!
C. God wants us to be MODELS of His CHARACTER!
12 Don’t let anyone despise your youth, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity.
Notice that maturity is NOT measured by one’s learning, but by one’s lifestyle!
D. God wants us to be MINISTERS of His GRACE!
D. God wants us to be MINISTERS of His GRACE!
14 He gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to cleanse for himself a people for his own possession, eager to do good works.
Part of God’s re-creation in your life is that He made you a ‘Zealot for good works.’ It’s not something you DO or SHOULD DO, IT’S WHO YOU ARE!
10 Just as each one has received a gift, use it to serve others, as good stewards of the varied grace of God.
E. God wants us to be a MEMBERS of His FAMILY!
E. God wants us to be a MEMBERS of His FAMILY!
19 So, then, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints, and members of God’s household,
R. Warren – “The Bible is very clear that following Christ is not just a matter of believing – it also includes belonging! The Christian life is not a solo act. We are meant to live in a relationship with each other.”
10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us work for the good of all, especially for those who belong to the household of faith.
NIV – “…to those who belong to the family of believers.”
It’s not something we DO or SHOULD DO, it’s WHO YOU ARE!
It happened when you were born again! You become part of a much larger family, and with that reality, there are certain truths concerning our belonging to the family, and our responsibilities to the family.
“How many of you got to CHOOSE your brothers and sisters?”
When THEY or YOU were born (depending on the birth-order), there were immediate RESPONSIBILITIES on the entire FAMILY!
(Illustration: Vernon and Lee – ‘Bonus’ babies)
When you are a part of a FAMILY, you have certain responsibilities to that family.
You don’t just breeze in at meal-times, grab a bite to eat, mumble a few greetings, and off you go till the next meal!
Now that may be true in your house, but let me ask you, “Is that healthy? Is that God’s intention for a family?”
Now consider the Family of God. Do you think god’s intention was for His children to meet at meal times and say, “Hi. How are you? Good, good. I’m fine. That’s great. Okay, see you next week! Bye-bye!”
When you go home, your face may hurt from smiling, but a deeper hurt, and a terrible tragedy is that you go home feeling as lonely and hurting as when you came. Perhaps even more so, because the church is suppose to be the place where you find help and healing!
Would we consider that a healthy family? Is that what it means to be a part of the “household of faith?”– NO WAY.
“What is my responsibility before God to my brothers and sisters in Christ?”
“How does God want me to live in relation to the family of God?”
The answers to these questions are found in the Word of God and we will examine them more thoroughly NEXT WEEK as we look at HOW we become a Church that Jesus is building!
Key: If I am BORN AGAIN, then I belong to the household of God. It’s not a CHOICE I make, it’s part of God’s re-creation in my life.
CONCLUSION to Part 1
CONCLUSION to Part 1
The REASON I began with who you are is because our DOING is based on our BEING!
Who we are determines what we do!
In Christ we are MAGNIFIERS of His Name; MESSENGERS of His Love; MODELS of His Character; MINISTERS of His Grace; and MEMBERS of His Family!
