Sermon Tone Analysis

Pray

Introduction

Over the last number of weeks we’ve been looking at what it means to have an encounter with Jesus - a life-changing encounter with Jesus…an encounter that is more than a passing conversation, but an encounter that makes you unsatisfied with the life you currently have to the point where you are ready and willing to accept a call from Jesus to give your life to him and leave your old way of life behind and enter into this new way of life in the kingdom of God.

Today we take this further, because after the encounter and the call there is community…and that’s what we’re looking at today.

What does it mean to be a community of believers - what does it mean to be part of the church?

And also, what is the purpose of the church?

Big questions, all to be answered in one sermon - so we’re really scratching the surface here - but this morning will help you get a flavour of what the church is all about.

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And when it comes to other communities, with a most of them, their purpose is clear.

For example, a golf club has a purpose to provide golfing facilities to its members and a place to eat and drink.

A bowling club is a group of people who gather and meet with the primary focus to play bowls.

Helping hands is a group of people who gather primarily to knit.

They meet under a common interest or focus and that’s the basis of the community.

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Now when it comes to the Christian faith, the church is extremely important, and it’s extremely important to know its purpose.

And we see that in our passages today, which make it pretty clear why there is a need to meet together and also the purpose for meeting together.

But before we do, we need to address the cultural issue of individuality...

Today we are quite an individualistic society.

We like to be left alone.

Even in my street, most people (myself included) like to keep themselves to themselves.

It’s the way society has changed.

We talk about a personal faith in Jesus, which is true.

Our salvation is NOT from the church it’s through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Now, Roman Catholics theology would say that salvation IS through being a member of the church.

They believe that once you’re baptised, that’s you saved and in the kingdom of God.

We don’t believe that, but in some cases the pendulum has swung too far, where people SAY they have a saving faith in Jesus Christ, but this is MY faith…and I do it MY way…and I don’t NEED church…and as a result they don’t come near a church.

I have visited many many people in the course of my training who are on the books in the church but who never darken the door of the church.

And that goes against the teaching of God through the words of Jesus and through the writing of Paul in Ephesians, which we read earlier.

Being a Christian is NOT an individual thing…and it stems RIGHT from Genesis…in fact, right BEFORE Genesis.

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In the creation story, God said that man shouldn’t be alone, and so he made woman.

Right there we see God’s intention for companionship…for relationship, but that was in a more intimate sense.

However, later in Genesis, after Adam and Eve sin, God is walking in the garden and they hear him walking in the garden in the cool of the day.

Now we can conclude from that that this was something that God did - there was fellowship between God and Adam and Eve before they sinned.

There was a community in the garden of Eden.

But even before THAT, God made man and woman in HIS image…and in the image of God there are three persons - Father, Son and Holy Spirit…Three persons, one God.

Three persons with different characteristics, but all three existing in unity with each other - despite their differences.

And we’re made in God’s image, so we, as a community of believers should reflect the image of God, by living together in unity…COMunity.

And so the Godhead - the Trinity - is a model of what a community of believers should be - different persons united together in God despite their differences.

And later in Genesis we see God starting the redemption process and he does it through families - through Abraham, through Jacob, through the tribes of Israel…each and every time God has a community of people for himself - a community of believers through whom he works his purposes.

So church isn’t a new thing…and it’s NOT an optional extra.

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I think it’s kind of ironic that Manchester United is called Manchester United.

It would be fine to call them Manchester United if they were the only team in Manchester…but they aren’t.

There’s Manchester City (and probably others, but I don’t know football).

But the fact that there is another team in Manchester means that Manchester IS NOT UNITED.

If they were united there would be one team…and one set of fans, despite their differences, all focused on the one goal - to be the best team in the country, to play the best football or whatever football fans look for in a team.

United means that people stand together, despite their differences, because they have a common goal - something that brings them together that transcends their differences.

That’s what it means to be united in Christ…that we all have differences, different gifts, abilities, interests, but we come together and we work WELL…we ACTUALLY WORK WELL as a single unit because we are united in our faith in Jesus Christ.

And that is Christ’s prayer for the church.

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In John 17, Jesus prays for his disciples and all who will believe in him...

But the gist of this prayer is in verses 21-23...

Jesus wanted his disciples to be as one, just as Jesus is one with the Father in the Godhead.

There’s the trinity coming back into play…Jesus has a vision for his disciples and ALL WHO WOULD BELIEVE, which means US TOO, that we would be one like Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one.

He has a vision that we would be united, despite our differences, through our faith in Jesus.

Now, that sounds nothing like a personal individualistic faith where I believe in Jesus in MY way and I don’t NEED to come to church.

That sounds nothing like that.

And so to those people who don’t come to church but who are able to, I’m thinking, why aren’t you attending church?

If Jesus’ final prayer before he died was that we would be one, together, united together, as one body, then why are you not obeying the dying-desire of the person you say you follow?

And for those who AREN’T able to come to church, I also have to ask the question - what are we doing as a church to help them remain part of this community?

Because the world is looking on - we talked about this last week.

And the reason why Jesus prayed this prayer of unity is on the screen - look at the last sentence...

Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them.

We are to be united to show the world what the love Christ looks like as we demonstrate it to each other.

Now, how well do we do that?

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In Ephesians 4 Paul says that God gave different people, teachers, evangelists, pastors and so on, for a reason.

And it’s in verses 12 and 13...

So we have our ministers to equip God’s people - that’s you - for works of service.

My job as a minister is to equip you as God’s people so you can SERVE him…to love each other, to go and make more disciples - that’s my job.

And the ultimate aim of that is that the body of Christ may be built up until we ALL reach unity in the faith…there’s the oneness again…and in the knowledge of the son of God and become mature.

So, to equip you, to help make you mature in Christ, to reach maturity in your faith we have our Sunday services, where we come, as A BODY - ONE BODY - to worship Jesus together as ONE BODY…to pray together, as ONE BODY, and it’s why we have a sermon every week.

The equipping, the maturity, the faith comes from a knowledge of Jesus which comes from studying the word of God...

…which is why we preach from the bible and the bible alone, because it is THE VERY word of God himself, given to us for our maturity and teaching and correction…so that we can be built up in unity.

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Now, Paul has used this metaphor of the body before.

He uses it in 1 Corinthians 12 when talking about spiritual gifts...

We are ONE body and each member has a gift, but also each member is needed.

Paul says...

So we need each other in this body of Christ.

There is not one person who is not needed, but if they don’t come to the church to be part of this worshipping community then the body is fragmented.

We’re trying to walk without feet or see without eyes.

We NEED EVERY BELIEVER to be part of this church community - that was Jesus’ prayer.

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In Galatians Paul says this...

This is what it means to be part of a community in Jesus - we are a family, a covenant family who have made covenant vows.

Remember the vows at baptism to parents and to the church?

We stand up and make a vow, before God Almighty, to look after, to teach, to bring up our children in the ways of Jesus, to support our parents and our church children in their walk with God.

Now HOW can we do that if we are absent from the community of Jesus here in church?

We can’t!

If people have given up meeting together, which we have been told not to do (Hebrews 10:25)...

…then we are neglecting a vow made to GOD HIMSELF - and we cannot take that lightly - we’ve neglected a vow to God to support our family members within the church.

And if we aren’t actively part of this worship community then we’ll have to answer to that.

We are to bear one another’s burdens…which means both parties are involved.

I bear your burdens and you bear mine - it’s needs to be a two way street.

And the only way to do that properly is when everyone is together as one community.

And when we do that we see the love of Jesus Christ in action - and the world, who is looking on, will see a difference in us.

That’s why Jesus prayed for this unity, so that the world might believe.

We all need to journey with other Christians in our Christian life, and what seems to work best, especially in a large congregation, is when a group of like-minded people get together to study the bible and pray with each other.