Sermon Tone Analysis

This morning, you may have noticed in the bulletin that it is coming time for our annual church business meeting.

As such, I felt it was important that our church members be reminded of a few things that relate to church membership.

Soon, we will be sending our church members a copy of the church bylaws.

Individuals are given a copy of the church bylaws when they join the church but I wonder, sometimes, if they actually take the time to read it.

Ill: Pastor Peacock - changes to constitution, snake handling

For that same reason, tonight, I wanted us to be remind of the church covenant.

Covenant: (Webster’s 1828) A mutual consent or agreement of two or more persons, to do or to forbear some act or thing; a contract; stipulation.

Simply put it is an agreement between two or more individuals to do certain things or not do certain things.

When an individual joins South Charlotte Baptist Church, this is an agreement that that individual makes with the corporate body of believers known as South Charlotte Baptist Church.

So, what did you get yourself into when you joined South Charlotte Baptist Church?

While the document in front of you does not contain “chapter and verse” it is, nonetheless, filled with Biblical principles.

The first paragraph reads...

Having been led, as we believe, by the Holy Spirit of God, to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Saviour, and, upon the profession of our faith having been baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, we do now, in the presence of God, angels, and this assembly, most solemnly and joyfully enter into covenant with one another, as one body in Christ.

The qualifications for church membership are salvation and baptism.

Have you been saved?

“Then they that gladly received his word...”

Have you been scripturally baptized?

“…were baptized...”

Scriptural baptism is by immersion and happens after an individual has accepted Christ.

Have you become a member of South Charlotte Baptist Church?

“…and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.”

I believe that it is God’s will that ever Christian be a member - not just an attender - of a local church.

Church membership is serious business.

“…we do now, in the presence of God, angels, and this assembly, most solemnly and joyfully enter into covenant with one another, as one body in Christ.”

In May of 2000 I moved my family from Pooler, Georgia to Charlotte, NC not simply so that I could begin a new job but so that we could become part of South Charlotte Baptist Church.

I hadn’t merely accepted a job offer from Pastor Scott.

I believe that God led me and my family to South Charlotte Baptist Church.

I know that, for most of you here tonight, church membership is serious business.

You probably would not have come back for a Sunday night service if you didn’t take it seriously.

For example, I remember how seriously church membership was/is to Roger and Tana Christian.

I very distinctly remember the afternoon that they came by the church shortly after they had moved to Charlotte.

They sat with Pastor Scott and Ms. Donna in the church library for what seemed to be hours talking and asking questions about South Charlotte Baptist Church.

If I remember correctly, they came the next service and have been coming ever since.

Why should we take church membership seriously?

Because the church was instituted by God.

The church was not a “man-made” invention.”

The church - this church - does not belong to any individual.

Because the church is precious in God’s eyes.

Christ died for the church.

Notice that Paul says...

If we are going to take the local church seriously then we are going to take sin seriously!

As Bro.

Van Gelderen said last week, we need to get serious about dealing with sin in our lives.

Roy Hession, who wrote a marvelous book on personal revival called, “The Calvary Road,” in talking about his own experience of personal revival said...

“However, by far the greatest cause of my experience in the wilderness was that I was not calling sin sin in my life...”

Is there sin in your life that you need to call “sin?”

Is there sin in your life that you need to get serious about and deal with Biblically?

How seriously does God look at our sin?

It was for our sin that Jesus died the cross.

What should we do?

The Church is One.

I would like to draw your attention to the last phrase of the first paragraph...

“...as one body in Christ.”

As I think of that phrase, I am reminded of a short but very accurate rhyme:

To live above with saints we love; oh that will be glory.

But to live below with saints we know; well that’s a different story.

We may chuckle at that but it likely also saddens our hearts some at how true that statement sometimes is!

“Psalm 133 is an example of an explicitly corporate psalm.

It is a picture of blessings that cannot be contained - descending, descending, and descending.

Such a picture is reserved for on of the greatest blessing that God can give His people - the blessing of unity.”

“Unity is absolutely essential because the church is the “body of Christ” (1 Corinthians 12:27), and a body cannot be in disunity or disharmony with itself.

If disunity occurs, it essentially ceases to be a body and becomes a disjointed group of individuals.

Jesus’ plan for His church is people unified in the faith.”

“All disunity in a church can be traced back to the simple truth that too often we act selfishly and consider ourselves better than others.”

Several years ago, as a church family we memorized Philippians 2:1-11 which, in a sense, shows us the attitudes necessary for us to be unified and “striving together.”

Turn to and read Philippians 2:1-11.

“Sadly, churches that experience disunity and are in conflict and turmoil are generally filled with people looking to their own needs, their own desires, and their own ambitions.

Such behavior is characteristic of unbelievers, not those with the mind of Christ.

Worldliness, not godliness, is the hallmark of the disunified church, as Paul reminded the Corinthians:”

We will not be able to go any further tonight.

There is a lot of Biblical truth that is packed into that first paragraph.

There is plenty there for us to “chew on” for the remainder of the week.

We should take tonight’s message and do as instructed by the Psalmist...

Selah - Meditate On This!