THE LOCAL CHURCH
Notes
Transcript
Series: Sacred Motives: 10 Reasons to Get up Tomorrow and Live for God
Date: October 14, 2012
Title: SACRED MOTIVE #6-The Local Church
Text: Acts 20:28
Series Introduction:
6 Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;
Living for God is not only our sacred privilege as Christians, but it is the most fulfilling, rewarding life possible. In the heart of every Christian, God has placed sacred motives-compelling reasons to live for Him and serve Him.
Sometimes in the midst of our service we lose sight of why we do what we do. We slip into a pattern of empty routines or misguided ambitions. Through this series of sermons you will be challenged to take a thorough spiritual inventory- to allow the Holy Spirit of God to explore the deepest motives of your soul and to reignite your passion for what pleases Him.
What drives you? What causes you to wake up every day and live the Christian life?
Are your motives pleasing to Christ, and are you driven by what drives Him?
Motives do matter-they are the foundations of our lives with God, our hearts are for Him, and our service unto Him.
Wrong motives produce an empty life and a ministry that is not sustainable. Pure motives sustain our passion for God and thus sustain our work for Him-even during the dry, discouraging or seemingly fruitless seasons of our lives.
Living the Christian life with less than pure and Biblical motives will produce fruitless, empty, and ultimately shipwrecked lives. Some examples of impure motives:
Guilt
Opportunity
Money
Duty
Affirmation
These motivators hinge on human resources (either our own or someone else’s) and fail to draw in the unlimited passion that God desires to give to His servants.
We need Biblical, Christ centered, and Holy motivations!!! The kind that flow from the heart of God and the pages of the Word of God!!!
The motives that we have studied so far:
The Glory of God
A lost World
My Acceptance in Christ
The Word of God
The Love of Christ
My Country’s Need for Revival
Christ is worthy of our all-our purest love from our deepest devotion!!
Series Text:
Ephesians 6:6
6- Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;
SACRED MOTIVE #6- The Local Church- Acts 20:28
Introduction:
I. Jesus Provides the Local Church For Us
I. Jesus Provides the Local Church For Us
Ephesians 5:25–27 “25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.”
Note: think of the passion with which the groom loves his bride. The attraction/commitment.
This picture is but a glimpse of the unspeakable love Jesus has for His church.
The hope of redeeming souls of men and establishing His church literally drove Him to the cross!!
What a privilege/responsibility to be a part of the body of Christ and a member of a local church called to serve Him and one another!!
A. Jesus owns the church-Acts 20:28
A. Jesus owns the church-Acts 20:28
Acts 20:28
28- Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
B. Jesus is the cornerstone- Ephesians 2:20
B. Jesus is the cornerstone- Ephesians 2:20
Ephesians 2:20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
Listen to the following writer’s quote:
A cornerstone was a massive stone cut at a right angle and positioned so its two sides aligned with intersecting walls, binding them together with such force that neither external pressure nor weather could separate them. This structural function made it far more than decorative—it helped align the entire building and tie it together, meaning the cornerstone’s integrity directly determined the stability of everything built upon and around it.
In Christian theology, this architectural principle becomes theological principle. While many precious truths form the church’s foundation, one truth—Jesus Christ—serves as the cornerstone on which the church reposes, and there is one cornerstone for all our hopes for the future: Jesus Christ. This chief cornerstone is the foundation of the church because there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. Just as a physical cornerstone’s compromise would fracture the entire structure, Christ’s centrality is non-negotiable—every other theological claim either aligns with him or destabilizes the whole system.
C. Jesus will protect the church- Matthew 16:18
C. Jesus will protect the church- Matthew 16:18
Matthew 16:18
18- And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Jesus Provides the Local Church For Us
II. The Place of Church in My Life
II. The Place of Church in My Life
Note- since the church is worthy of the shed blood of Jesus Christ, then the church is worthy of my commitment and time.
What could be a higher priority in your week than what is happening through the power of the gospel in our local church?
Thirteen Reasons I Don’t Go to Sporting Events Anymore
1. Every time I went, they asked me for money.
2. The people sitting in my row didn’t seem very friendly.
3. The seats were very hard.
4. The coach never came to visit me.
5. The referees made a decision I didn’t agree with.
6. I was sitting with hypocrites—they only came to see what others were wearing!
7. Some games went into overtime, and I was late getting home.
8. The marching band played some songs I had never heard before.
9. The games are scheduled on my only day to sleep in and run errands.
10. My parents took me to too many games when I was growing up.
11. Since I read a book on sports, I feel that I know more than the coaches anyway.
12. I don’t want to take my children because I want them to choose for themselves what sport they like best.
13. I can play sports anywhere, I don’t need to go to a stadium.
Do these sound familiar? Have you lost your passion for local church ministry?
Are you treating Jesus’ bride like a social club or an extra-curricular activity?
When you examine the high value of the local church to the heart of Jesus- it will motivate you. His bride will become one of your highest priorities.
We must come to a place where we are willing to invest ourselves in the precious institution of the local church.
A. Commit yourself to this local church.
A. Commit yourself to this local church.
The local church is God’s method to reach the world with the Gospel and to nurture Christians through Bible teaching and discipleship.
It is impossible to be fully involved in reaching others and the world without being a member of a local church.
Church membership is not only taught in Scripture, it is an important step of commitment and accountability to God’s Divine institution.
B. Set the local church as a determining priority.
Christ’s love for the local church was so passionate that it was a supreme motivator of His sacrifice.
When it comes to determining the regular routines of your life or the defining direction setting decisions, give the local church the priority which it deserves and which Christ demonstrated.
Ex.- work schedules, kid’s sports and activities, vacation days, family reunions, special events, sickness(would this sickness keep me from work?), weather, etc…..
Ex.-young people-college?, dating, marriage, moving, is there a good Independent Baptist Church that you can serve in?
C. Personally invest in your church
Matthew 6:21
21- For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Explain the tithe and then giving to missions…it is robbery to take from your tithe and give it to another work or even another fund!!!
By the way if there is no local church then there will be no missions programs…
Giving your time, finances, energy, prayer, attention to the local church and its ministries ties your heart to the church.
Investing yourself will bring a level of motivation that is heartfelt and energized by the Holy Spirit.
D. Faithfully engage in the work of the local church.
D. Faithfully engage in the work of the local church.
Acts 2:42–47 “42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. 43 And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. 44 And all that believed were together, and had all things common; 45 And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. 46 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, 47 Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.”
Being a part of a church that is accomplishing God’s work is a blessing; but being personally engaged in God’s work is thrilling!!!
Join with this church in the frontline ministries of evangelism and discipleship!!!
Witness to the lost, support the preaching and teachings of God’s Word, and pour your life into hands-on ministry through this local church.
Make this church and its ministries a priority for your life and God will surely bless!!
God Still Works in and through the Local Church
Note- yes we are living in a “lukewarm” age. It is true that compromise and complacency are everywhere. It is true that many so-called churches are failing to uphold the truth and develop devoted disciples of Christ.
But there are still a host of Bible-believing Christians all over the world who are growing in local churches-loving Jesus, loving one another, and loving lost souls.
Matthew 16:18
18- And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
III. The Church- the pillar and ground of the truth
III. The Church- the pillar and ground of the truth
1 Timothy 3:15
15- But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
Note- the pillar and ground of the truth…Jesus is truth…
Note-The local church (made up of it’s individual members) holds responsibility for reavealed truth, functioning as what Paul describes in 1 Timothy 3.15 as the foundation and support of the truth.
A. The Responsibility
A. The Responsibility
“Every great privilege comes with an even greater responsibility.”
“Every great privilege comes with an even greater responsibility.”
By God’s command this local church holds the eternal truth of God for a waiting world.
15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
There are three interconnected aspects to the responsibility.
We must guard truth against corruption.
We must declare truth to a watching world.
We must deploy gifted witnesses to proclaim these truths.
B. The resource- the truth
B. The resource- the truth
6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
30 As he spake these words, many believed on him. 31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
The truth was given to this church and it is our responsibility to become grounded upon that truth, and to hold it up high for a lost world to see.
The Word of God that you and I hold in our hands is the completed, revealed truth for us today.
The Word of God that you and I hold in our hands is the completed, revealed truth for us today.
This sheds a whole new light on why we attend church, why we give, and why we serve with our church family.
When this consideration finds its way into your heart it will truly become a sacred motivation.
The Bride of Christ will stir your heart and compel you to love Jesus, love the lost, and love one another with a pure heart fervently!!!!
The man refused to be sworn in as President on Sunday because going to church was more important.
James K. Polk spent his last day in office on March 3, 1849 and Zachary Taylor was scheduled to be sworn in on March 4, 1849. But he refused to be sworn that day because it was a Sunday. In, effect he said, “going to church was more important than becoming President of the United States.” He was sworn in to office on March 5, 1849.
Conclusion:
Conclusion:
God could have chosen to do the work Himself, or He could have sent angels to complete the task.
But He has graciously given us the privilege of participating with Him and our church family.
25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
It is Christ Who adds to and builds the church, but He has chosen to do so through our faithful witness.
There is nothing on Earth more important, more valuable, or nearer to the heart of Christ than what is unfolding each week through the ministries of faith Bible believing churches!!!
Let the local church become one of your most sacred motivations!!!
Hebrews 10:24-25
24- And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
25- Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
