The Make-up of the Church

I CORINTHIANS CHURCH 9-1-1 SERMON 1

THE MAKEUP OF THE CHURCH

INTRODUCTION:

IN 2012, A LADY NAMED SUSAN COX-POWELL DISAPPEARED.

AFTER A LENGTHY INVESTIGATION, WITH TWISTS AND TURNS SO NUMEROUS THAT I DON’T EVEN HAVE TIME TO GET INTO THEM, NO ONE WAS CHARGED WITH HER MURDER.

HER HUSBAND, JOSH POWELL, A MAN WITH NUMEROUS PERSONAL ISSUES, WAS SEEKING TO REGAIN CUSTODY OF HIS CHILDREN, BUT CUSTODY WAS AWARDED TO SUSAN’S PARENT, WHILE JOSHUA WAS ALLOWED ONLY SUPERVISED VISITS.

THESE VISITS WERE SUPERVISED BY A SOCIAL WORKER NAMED ELIZABETH GRIFFIN HALL.

ON FEBRUARY 5, 2012, MS. GRIFFIN HALL BROUGHT THE BOYS TO VISIT HER FATHER.

WHEN THEY REACHED THE DOOR OF THE HOME, JOSH RUSHED THE CHILDREN INSIDE AND LOCKED THE SOCIAL WORKER OUTSIDE THE HOME.

AFTER BEATING ON THE DOOR, AND THEN SMELLING GAS, THE SOCIAL WORKER CALLED 911, FEARING FOR THE SAFETY OF THE TWO BOYS.

HER FIRST CALL WAS, IN MY OPINION, A SERIES OF FUMBLED QUESTIONS BY THE 911 DISPATCHER.

BUT THE SECOND CALL SHE MADE IS EVEN WORSE.

THIS IS THE TRANSCRIPT OF THAT SECOND CALL. SOCIAL WORKER CALLS 911

THE SECOND 911 CALL

DISPATCHER: HELLO. WERE YOU CALLING ABOUT THE FIRE ON 189TH STREET?

GRIFFIN-HALL: YES, HE EXPLODED THE HOUSE. HE EXPLODED THE HOUSE.

DISPATCHER: MA’AM, DO YOU KNOW THE EXACT ADDRESS?

GRIFFIN-HALL: IT’S 8119 189TH COURT EAST IN PUYALLUP.

DISPATCHER: WHAT ARE YOU CALLING ABOUT?

GRIFFIN-HALL: IT EXPLODED, THE HOUSE.

DISPATCHER: DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOU ARE?

GRIFFIN-HALL: 8119 189TH STREET COURT EAST IN PUYALLUP.

DISPATCHER: DO YOU KNOW IF THERE’S ANYONE IN THE HOUSE?

GRIFFIN-HALL: YES, THERE WAS A MAN AND TWO CHILDREN. I JUST DROPPED OFF THE CHILDREN AND HE WOULDN’T LET ME IN THE DOOR.

DISPATCHER: STAY ON THE LINE WITH ME. I’M GOING TO GET THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. HANG ON. DON’T HANG UP. STAY ON THE PHONE HERE WITH ME MA’AM. FIRE THIS IS ROSE. I’M TRANSFERRING THE LADY WHO HAS THE EXACT ADDRESS.

GRIFFIN-HALL: I CAN HEAR THE FIRE TRUCKS, BUT THEY’RE NOT HERE YET. IT’S 8119.

DISPATCHER: WE HAVE AN ENGINE THERE.

GRIFFIN-HALL: PEOPLE ARE SAYING THERE IS NOT SOMEBODY HERE, BUT THERE’S A COUPLE OF BOYS, 5 AND 7, HE HAS SUPERVISED VISITATION AND HE BLEW UP THE HOUSE AND THE KIDS.

DISPATCHER: THE KIDS AND THE FATHER WERE IN THE HOUSE?

GRIFFIN-HALL: YES, HE SLAMMED THE DOOR IN MY FACE SO I KEPT KNOCKING. I THOUGHT IT WAS A MISTAKE, I KEPT KNOCKING AND THEN I CALLED 911.

DISPATCHER: YOU SAW HIM GO BACK IN THE HOUSE?

GRIFFIN-HALL: HE DIDN’T EVER LEAVE THE HOUSE, HE JUST OPENED THE DOOR, THE KIDS WERE ONE STEP AHEAD OF ME, THEY ARE 5 AND 7, THEY WERE ONE STEP AHEAD OF ME AND HE SLAMMED THE DOOR IN MY FACE.

DISPATCHER: DO YOU THINK HE MIGHT HAVE DONE THIS INTENTIONALLY?

GRIFFIN-HALL: YES.

DISPATCHER: COUNTY, GO AHEAD WITH WHAT YOU NEED.

DISPATCHER: WHAT IS YOUR NAME, MA’AM?

GRIFFIN-HALL: I’M ELIZABETH GRIFFIN-HALL, I’M THE SUPERVISOR VISITATION (INCOHERENT NOISES AND CRYING).

DISPATCHER: WHAT IS YOUR LAST NAME?

GRIFFIN-HALL CALMLY SPELLS IT.

DISPATCHER: WHERE ARE YOU AT RIGHT NOW?

GRIFFIN-HALL: I’M AT 8112 ON THE SAME COURT.

DISPATCHER: SO YOU ARE AT 8112 189TH STREET COURT EAST.

GRIFFIN-HALL: YES.

DISPATCHER: ARE YOU IN THE CAR?

GRIFFIN-HALL: I WAS IN IT I’M STANDING OUTSIDE IT RIGHT NOW.

DISPATCHER: IS THAT YOUR HOME ADDRESS?

GRIFFIN-HALL: NO, I’M THE SUPERVISED VISITATION COORDINATOR.

DISPATCHER: WHAT IS THE PERSON’S NAME?

GRIFFIN-HALL: HIS NAME IS JOSH POWELL. JUST A MINUTE THE SHERIFF IS HERE.

DISPATCHER: GO AHEAD AND TALK TO THE OFFICER, MA’AM.

THIS IS HOW I PICTURE THE SITUATION IN THE CHURCH RIGHT NOW.

GOD’S WORD IS POUNDING ON THE DOORS OF PEOPLES’ HEARTS, AND CALLING TO THE CHURCH TO REPORT AN EMERGENCY, AND THE CHURCH IS ASKING SILLY, IRRELEVANT QUESTIONS AND FOCUSING ON THINGS THAT HAVE NO EFFECT ON THE EMERGENCY, WHILE THE WORLD IS BLOWING UP AND BURNING DOWN ALL AROUND US.

SO AS WE LOOK AT THE FIRST FEW VERSES OF 1 CORINTHIANS THIS MORNING, I WANT YOU TO NOTICE THE MAKEUP OF THE CHURCH.

BECAUSE THE MAKEUP OF THE CHURCH HAS MUCH TO SAY ABOUT THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH.

1. WHO’S WRITING TO THE CHURCH AT CORINTH?

a. V1 – THE AUTHOR’S INTRODUCTION – PAUL

b. SCRIBE – SOSTHENES

c. PAUL

i. CALLED TO BE AN APOSTLE.

1. WE CAN READ ABOUT PAUL’S APOSTOLIC CALLING IN ACTS, CHAPTER 9.

a. WE READ THERE THAT PAUL WAS ON A ROAD THAT LED INTO DAMASCUS, SYRIA…

b. AND THAT HE WAS ON THAT ROAD BECAUSE HE HAD BEEN DISPATCHED BY THE JEWISH AUTHORITIES TO DELIVER CHRISTIANS FOR PROSECUTION AND LIKELY TO BE EXECUTED FOR THEIR FAITH IN JESUS.

c. BUT JESUS HIMSELF APPEARED TO HIM THERE AND HE BECAME A CHRIST-FOLLOWER.

2. ONE OF THE COMMON EXPERIENCES SHARED BY EVERYONE WHO CAN BE REFERRED TO AS AN APOSTLE IS THAT HE WAS PERSONALLY CALLED BY JESUS HIMSELF.

a. NOT IN THE SPIRITUAL SENSE, BUT IN THE LITERAL SENSE.

b. THIS IS WHY MY POSITION IS THAT THERE IS NO PERSON OUTSIDE OF THE TWELVE APOSTLES OF SCRIPTURE WHO CAN BE REFERRED TO AS AN APOSTLE.

d. PAUL WAS AN APOSTLE BECAUSE OF HIS UNIQUE ENCOUNTER WITH JESUS AND JESUS’ SPECIFIC CALL TO SERVE HIM.

i. HE ALSO SAYS THAT HE WAS CALLED BY THE WILL OF GOD

1. THIS SPEAKS TO THE AUTHORITY WITH WHICH PAUL IS SPEAKING.

a. HE IS NOT JUST GIVING HIS OPINION ON MATTERS PERTAINING TO THE CHURCH AND TO CHRISTIAN LIVING.

b. HE IS SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF THE CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE.

2. PAUL’S WORDS ARE INSPIRED, MEANING THAT THEY ARE GOD-BREATHED, NOT PAUL-BREATHED.

ii. SO HE SPEAKS WITH AUTHORITY.

e. AND HE SPEAKS ON BEHALF OF GOD.

i. HE SAYS HE IS AN APOSTLE OF CHRIST JESUS.

f. SO THE WORDS OF PAUL ARE WEIGHTY.

g. THEY ARE NOT TO BE READ AND THEN DISCOUNTED.

h. THEY ARE TO BE READ AND THEN OBEYED BECAUSE THEY ARE PART OF GOD’S WORD.

i. THEN IN THE NEXT VERSE, WE FIND WHO IT IS THAT PAUL IS WRITING THESE WEIGHTY, IMPORTANT WORDS TO.

2. HE IS WRITING TO THE CHURCH.

a. BUT WHAT IS THE CHURCH?

b. WELL, WE FIND SOME WORDS IN VERSE TWO THAT HELP US UNDERSTAND NOT JUST THE DESCRIPTION OF THE CHURCH, BUT ALSO THE EXPECTATION GIVEN TO THE CHURCH.

c. PAUL SAYS “TO THE CHURCH.”

i. THE WORD TRANSLATED CHURCH IS THE GREEK WORD “EKKLESIA.”

ii. AND IT LITERALLY MEANS “A CALLED OUT ASSEMBLY.”

iii. IT WAS ACTUALLY A SECULAR TERM THAT REFERRED TO A POLITICAL GATHERING IN PAUL’S DAY, BUT IT WAS ADOPTED BY NEW TESTAMENT WRITERS BECAUSE IT BEST DESCRIBES THE NATURE OF GOD’S PEOPLE, IN A COLLECTIVE SENSE.

iv. THE CHURCH IS MADE UP OF CALLED OUT PEOPLE.

v. HE GOES ON TO REFER TO THESE CALLED OUT PEOPLE AS SANCTIFIED.

1. NOW THAT WORD “SANCTIFIED” IS IMPORTANT, SO I WANT TO SHARE WITH YOU THE ORIGIN OF THIS WORD ALSO.

2. IT THE GREEK WORD “HAGIAZO” - SANCTIFIED - MADE HOLY , CONSECRATED

3. G37 SET APART FOR HOLY PURPOSES

vi. NOW I WANT YOU TO HANG ON TO THIS, BECAUSE IT’S VERY IMPORTANT, BECAUSE PAUL CONTINUES HIS DESCRIPTION OF THE CHURCH WITH THESE WORDS.

vii. “CALLED TO BE SAINTS”

1. SAINTS - HAGIOS G40

2. HAGIOS - HOLY THING

3. AS IN THE INSTRUMENTS IN THE TEMPLE.

viii. AND WHAT HE IS SAYING IS THAT GOD’S PEOPLE…PEOPLE WHO ARE SAVED…PEOPLE WHO CONSTITUTE THE CHURCH, BOTH LOCALLY AND UNIVERSALLY, ARE CALLED TO LIVE AS HOLY INSTRUMENTS.

ix. INSTRUMENTS TO BE USED FOR GOD’S PURPOSES.

x. AND NO MATTER WHAT YOUR GIFTING MAY BE, NO MATTER YOUR TALENT…

xi. YOUR GIFTING…YOUR TALENT…IS TO BE USED FOR GOD’S PURPOSES.

d. IT IS A VIOLATION OF OUR CALLING WHEN WE LIVE UNHOLY LIVES.

i. WE ARE, THEREFORE, IN DIRECT OPPOSITION TO GOD’S COMMAND…

ii. WHICH IS, IN THE SIMPLEST WAY OF DEFINITION…SIN…

iii. WHEN WE IGNORE, OR REDEFINE, OR VIOLATE GOD’S CALL TO HOLINESS.

e. THIS IDEA OF HOLY LIVING IS MUCH MORE THAN JUST HAVING THE PRIVILEGE OF FORGIVENESS.

i. AS A MATTER OF FACT, HOLY LIVING IS NOT ABOUT THAT AT ALL.

ii. HOLY LIVING HAS TO DO WITH THE SUPPRESSION OF THE SINFUL DESIRES IN OUR LIVES.

1. IT HAS TO DO WITH US LEARNING HOW TO LIVE MORE IN LINE WITH THE EXAMPLE OF CHRIST AND LESS IN LINE WITH THE EXAMPLE OF THE WORLD, THE FLESH, AND THE DEVIL.

f. SO WE ARE CALLED TO HOLINESS

g. TOGETHER WITH THOSE WHO IN EVERY PLACE CALL UPON THE NAME OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST...

i. WE ARE PART OF A LARGER BODY,

ii. THE CHURCH UNIVERSAL

1. ALL THOSE

2. IN EVERY PLACE - WE DO NOT HAVE THE MARKET CORNERED ON THE CHRISTIAN FAITH

CONCLUSION:

AND WE ARE CALLED TO MAKE DISCIPLES OF ALL NATIONS…

…BAPTIZING THEM…

HELPING THEM TO IDENTIFY WITH CHRIST…THROUGH BAPTISM.

TEACHING THEM TO OBSERVE ALL THAT CHRIST COMMANDED.

HELPING THEM BECOME DISCIPLES WHO MAKE DISCIPLES.

LET’S COMMIT TO NO LONGER BEING THE CHURCH THAT IS MORE CONCERNED ABOUT PROCEDURE AND SEMANTICS THAN WE ARE REACHING A WORLD THAT IS HEADED FOR THE FIRE.

LET’S BE THE CHURCH THAT GOD HAS CALLED US TO BE…