Hope For A Glorious Future
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Introduction
Introduction
Greetings…
Last Sunday evening I preached a lesson, that I know you all remember perfectly and every word of…
That lesson was titled “The Glorious Church” based off of Ephesians 5:27 wherein we read…
27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.
That particular sermon was actually just the first point of a sermon I had developed and when I realized that I was simply going to be covering far too much information to preach in a single sermon, I decided to start with that and continue with the rest tonight.
That is why it was as bit awkward sounding as I navigated it a little differently as its own individual sermon, preparing for this one.
In that sermon I mentioned that the reason the church is so glorious is because…
It has a glorious origin, in Christ.
It has a glorious relationship as the bride of Christ.
It has a mission to unite in fellowship all the saints and help as many others become united with God and us along the way as well.
As I said that was supposed to be the opening point to our lesson this evening.
Because the church is glorious it is incumbent upon us, the church in Ramona, to keep it glorious.
So this evening we are going to examine what we are to do as a congregation to not only protect the church here from being tarnished, but also how to keep our light shining brighter and brighter so God can be glorified all the more.
With that in mind let’s look at tonight’s first point…
Self Examination
Self Examination
This Can Be Very Frightening
This Can Be Very Frightening
Illustration:
All my life you could hear talking to herself about one thing or another.
My dad used to say, it doesn’t matter if Ellen has anyone to talk to because she will talk to herself.
When I got older I remember asking mom, why are talking to yourself, and she would always say the same thing. “The only way to get the answer you want to hear to answer talk to yourself.”
The reality is self examination is very difficult for us individually.
It isn’t easy looking for ways we might be failing or ways in which we simply are not as good as we should be spiritually speaking.
Every congregation that does not spend the time, as we are seeing in our study of Revelation 2-3, examining themselves will likely find themselves not living up to where God expects them to be.
Elderships and leadership within the local church must not be afraid of looking at where the congregation will be in the future, just because of what they “might find.”
I have known of elderships that knew they had a problem in the church, but instead of addressing it they tried to ignore it with the hope that it would just go away.
Every congregation, including the church here in Ramona, must be willing to look into the deep recesses of the hearts of its members and ask, “Are we heading in the right direction to be pleasing to God, or are we just going a long to get a long?”
Possible questions that could stem from such a question are…
Is attendance with the assembling of the saints as God desires it to be?
24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. 26 For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins
Is the church spiritually strong here, does its future look bright or is it struggling?
Is work getting down as it needs to be done?
11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,
14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
Does every member of the church here have a job for the Lord based on the health of the church here in Ramona or do we have members that need work?
Is there effort being made to build up the congregation as a whole?
12 So with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church.
4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith;
7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.
What lies ahead for the church here in Ramona.
Neither you nor I can accurately see the future, but all of us can honestly make an assessment, compare notes, and then look forward to the future.
The reality is the future of any congregation can be glorious or miserable depending on the focus and awareness of its future.
Summary
Summary
Every congregation must be willing to perform a self examination of themselves and determine where they excel so as to continue in such, and where they are not up to par and need to work on.
Though this can be scary it is necessary for the future of an local congregations survival.
So then…
What Is Ramona’s Future?
What Is Ramona’s Future?
A Glorious Future Lies Ahead If…
A Glorious Future Lies Ahead If…
We continue to love the truth, preach the truth, and accept the truth of God’s word.
A glorious future lies ahead for us if we continue to love the truth.
97 Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day.
2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.
16 I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word.
A glorious future lies ahead for us if we continue to love the truth preached.
2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.
105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
13 And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.
A glorious future lies ahead for us if we continue to loving accept the truth of God’s word.
31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
11 I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.
We continue to stand against sin and up for righteousness.
A glorious future lies ahead for us if we continue to stand up against sin.
We stand against immorality.
10 O you who love the Lord, hate evil! He preserves the lives of his saints; he delivers them from the hand of the wicked.
14 Seek good, and not evil, that you may live; and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you, as you have said. 15 Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.
We stand up against false doctrine that stems from uncomfortable doctrines.
9 He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.
17 I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. 18 For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.
We stand up for living a righteous life in contrast to the world.
4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”?
6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
Summary
Summary
What is the future of the church here in Ramona?
I must say, I believe with all my heart that the future looks glorious here.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Are we perfect, NO.
Do we have things we must work on…you better believe it.
Does our future look promising, bright, and faithful to God.
I believe so and l look forward to watching how the Lord’s church, here in Ramona, OK, seeks to become more and more glorious in the future “for Christ.”
To grow all the more closely in our relationship with our husbandman, the Christ.
Invitation
1 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; 2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.
6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
