A Call for Commitment to Christ’s Church

In 1 Corinthians 15 Paul is battling the false teaching that believers do not rise from the dead. He uses the entire chapter to prove that because Christ has risen from the dead believers will as well. He ends the section with an appeal to faith and works.

Paul says because death has been defeated through Christ, believers should be:

“Steadfast, unmoveable”- This refers to theology. Paul is saying stand firm in the truth. Christ has risen from the dead. He has defeated death. We believe in the doctrine of the resurrection because Christ rose from the dead.

“Always abounding in the work of the Lord”- This refers to service. Paul says don’t stop serving Christ.

Be stubborn in your doctrine.

Be active in your service.

There are a couple of ways Satan tried to stop the early church:

1) False teaching. False teaching will stop a person from working for the Lord because there is no power in it. The power is in the gospel. If you believe lies, you will stop laboring for the Lord.

2) Persecution. When people love their own selves more than the Lord persecution will stop them from working for the Lord.

We have our own temptations to stop working for the Lord. The last couple of years have been difficult for the church in the US. Early 2020 hundred of thousands of churches closed their doors.

Pastors had no idea how to react to the Covid virus.

We had no idea how dangerous it was.

We had no idea how many might die.

We had no idea how long it would last.

Churches did their best to adapt to this new way of life.

Online services

Outdoor services

Social distancing inside the sanctuary

Sanitizing the sanctuary between services

We did not always do everything right, but we did the best we could based on the knowledge we had.

Some churches lost many members to covid and had many others get sick.

Some churches lost members due to how the leadership handled the situation.

We were blessed in that regard. I appreciate the unity of this church and I am thankful the Lord has so far spared us from any deaths from Covid.

Now we deal with the aftermath of the pandemic. What will the church do? How will Christians react now, some two years later? My intention this morning is to encourage you to a commitment to Christ’s church regardless of what our nation has or will experience.

Much of this message will be about the Lord’s Day. If we are not committed to the Lord’s Day we will not be committed to the Lord’s work.

1. We cannot allow fear and sorrow to keep us from gathering with the saints.

Sunday is still the Lord’s Day.

I’m not suggesting we be legalistic.

People get sick.

People find their ox in the ditch at times.

But reason and honesty with ourselves will show us when those days occur. I don’t think those days occur very often.

This has been the worst year of my life. My dear mother died of covid this year. She was too young to die. She was too important to my family to die. But she died.

She stayed home. She went very few places. She wore a mask. But she got covid and she died.

We buried her on a Saturday. The next day was Sunday. It was a workday. By God’s grace I was able to preach. I was able to be with my church family. I was right where I should have been.

Many of you lost people this year.

Brenda lost Mr. Dale

Pam lost Mrs. Joy

Bob Stevens lost Olivia

Juanita lost Mr. Robert

Robyn lost Joe

We have many people in our congregation who have experienced genuine sorrow, but we can’t allow that to keep us from church.

There are many who aren’t coming to church because of fear. If you say you are afraid make sure you are consistent in your fears.

Illust- In Tire shop overhearing lady talk to man about how she hasn’t been to a funeral or church in three years because she’s afraid of covid. Yet she was sitting three feet from me, I was unmasked, and three feet from another unmasked gentleman. The place was full of people, and she was there before I got there and after I left.

Evidently, she was only afraid of funerals and church. Everywhere else was safe for her.

I cannot say you will not get covid if you come to church. But I can tell you if you’re waiting for covid to disappear before you come to church then you will never come to church again. It is here. It will always be here.

Paul’s point in verse 58 is because Jesus has given us victory over death, we should not stop believing the truth or working for the Lord.

2. The command to gather on the Lord’s Day did not come from man.

Acts 20:7 they gathered on the first day of the week.

1 Cor. 16:2 they gathered on the first day of the week.

Hebrews 10:25 tells us not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together.

We are commanded to assemble together on the first day of the week.

Someone may say we are to obey the government. That’s true to some degree. But when the government’s commands contradict God’s commands, we are to obey God. Acts 5:29- “We ought to obey God rather than man.”

Listen closely-

The government doesn’t have the right to close churches.

The world doesn’t have the right to close churches.

If what you see on the news or read on the internet determines if you go to church or not, you’re in trouble.

If you want to know if you should go to church or not read the Bible, not the headlines.

I’m going to go even further. The pastor does not have the right to close the church down. I’m preaching to myself. This has been a learning experience for me as well.

God has given us liberty on our gathering. We don’t have to have two services each Sunday. We don’t have to gather on Wednesday nights. Those are things the church determines. I think if the services are available the church should come. We should want to come. We should support our church. But as far as the command goes. The command is for a Sunday worship service.

There is no negotiating on that. It’s a command from God. Man doesn’t have the authority to contradict that command.

That means that on a Sunday morning none of us have the authority to decide if we go to church or not. We either go to church or we disobey God. Again, I know there are times your ox gets in the ditch. Don’t try and trivialize this because that is exactly what Satan wants you to do. Be reasonable. We are commanded by God to assemble together on the Lord’s Day.

If you’re wondering what the future will look like at JSBC now you know. On Sunday we are having church. Regardless of what the government or the media says. The church will be open.

3. Virtual attendance is no substitute for attendance.

Online services exist for those who cannot come to in person services. They are not a substitute for services. We cannot do online what we do in person. The New Testament gives us a lot of commands concerning “one another”. The point being, believers should gather with one another.

We are commanded to:

Love one another – John 13:34;

Build up one another – Romans 14:19

Be of the same mind toward one another – Romans 12:16

Give preference to one another – Romans 12:10

Greet one another – Romans 16:16

Esteem others as better than yourself – Philippians 2:3

Serve one another – Galatians 5:13

Receive one another – Romans 15:7

Be devoted to one another – Romans 12:10

Rejoice or weep with one another – Romans 12:15

Admonish one another – Romans 15:14

Care for one another – 1 Corinthians 12:25

Tolerate one another – Romans 15:1-5;

Be kind and forgiving to one another – Ephesians 4:32;

Submit to one another – Romans 12:10

Comfort one another – 1 Thessalonians 4:18

Encourage one another – 1 Thessalonians 5:11

Be compassionate with one another – 1 Peter 3:8

Pray for one another – James 5:16

Confess your faults to one another – James 5:16

Accept one another – Romans 14:1; 15:7

Be truthful with one another – Colossians 3:9

How can we do that if we are not with one another?

Virtual services cannot give you what you need spiritually.

I don’t know if you have seen them or not, but they have virtual fireplaces. It’s basically a video of a fire burning in a fireplace, and it fills the entire screen. They even have the sound of the popping flames. It transforms your TV into a fireplace.

Is it really a fire? Gather your family around it and see if it keeps them warm. It won’t. It serves a purpose. It looks good. But it has limitations. It’s the same thing with virtual services.

The word church itself, “ekklesia” means an assembly. It describes those who have been called out of darkness and assembled together in God’s light. For that reason, it’s not correct to say I am the church. It’s only correct to say “We are the church.” I am the Temple of the Holy Spirit, but I am not the church. God’s people gathered together; they are the church.

When you are watching a service online you are not at church. You are watching a church service.

4. The devil loves an empty church.

There is a reason we have church on Sunday. It is because of the resurrection of Christ. Jesus rose on the first day of the week. We gather to celebrate that. As we gather to celebrate we are also proclaiming to a watching world there is something special about this day. It is when Christ rose from the dead.

We want the world to drive by and see people outside the building.

We want the world to see a parking lot filled with cars.

Your presence at church is a witness to a lost world to the resurrection of Jesus. What does an empty parking lot and an empty building proclaim on Sunday? Nothing.

I remember many years agio reading a poem that moved me. It was called “I am an empty pew”. The author is unknown.

I am an empty pew.

I vote for the world as against God.

I deny the Bible.

I mock at the preached Word of God.

I rail at Christian fellowship.

I laugh at prayer.

I break the Fourth Commandment;

I am a witness to solemn vows broken.

I advise men to eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die.

I join my voice with every atheist and rebel against human and divine law.

I am an empty pew.

I am a grave in the midst of the congregation.

Read my epitaph and be wise.

It is the devil’s intention to empty every pew. Why is this sanctuary so big? It’s big because at one time we needed this much space to hold all the people.

From 2009-2019 JSBC had a net loss of 250 people. That means we lost 250 more people than we gained.

We lost 324

We gained 74

You may think most of those were lost by death. You’d be wrong. 197 of those people were alive and well when they left this church. That’s only counting people who changed their membership. The devil is actively trying to empty this church. How is he doing with you? He empties the church one person at a time. One family at a time. He’ll not quit until there is a for sale sign out front.

Listen to me friend, here’s a good rule of thumb. You ought to hate what the devil loves. If the church is empty, you ought to hate it.

5. Our theology teaches us there is never a reason to stop working for the Lord.

The threat of death should not stop us because we have victory over death through Christ. That’s the theological point that inspires our faithfulness.

You can’t separate the work of the Lord from the church. When Christ calls us to Himself, He sends us to church. What God is doing in this world He is doing through His church.

Paul is speaking to the church when he says to be unmovable and always abounding in the work of the Lord. Folks, we cannot forsake the church. We cannot stop the work.

1. The need is too great. You say, “People are dying!” That’s the reason the church should keep going. I got news for you; people are going to die of something. They’re just as dead if the die of Covid or an automobile accident. For that reason, the church must stay open. We must keep going. We have the only cure for death, the gospel of Jesus Christ.

2. The time is too close. I believe Jesus is coming back soon. I believe the patience of God is about run out. The Bible says as we see the day approaching we should gather together more often (Hebrews 10:25).

3. Our debt is too great. I’m not suggesting we can pay the Lord back. We can’t and we shouldn’t try. But we are indebted to Christ for all he has done for us. We owe the Lord everything we are and everything we have. We have a duty to be faithful until the end.

Christ labored for us. We are indebted to him for:

Every mile He walked for us

Every Law He Kept for us

Every tear he shed for us

Every drop of blood He shed for us

4. What we do matters. Paul said our labor in the Lord is not in vain.

He didn’t say anything about results. He said our labor. Staying faithful to Christ and His church is not in vain. There is great reward awaiting the faithful.

Even if the church is dwindling

Even if no one is getting saved

Our work is not in vain.

I read a story many years ago about a pastor who went to visit a church member. The man had not been to church for some time. The two sat in front of a fireplace while the pastor shared his reason for coming. He was concerned about the man because he hadn’t seen him in church in some time. The man explained that he could be just a good a Christian at home as he could be at church. The pastor said nothing but sat quietly in the dark room. The two stared at the fire. Then the pastor went to the fireplace. He took some tongs and grabbed a burning ember form the fire. He placed it outside the fire on the hearth. He sat down and the two men stared at the member. Slowly it burned out. The man looked at the pastor and said, “I understand.”

A burning ember left to itself will burn out. If you are not in fellowship with your church it will affect you spiritually. You will grow cold and distant.

This first Sunday of the year let’s renew our commitment to attend church every time we can. It is our duty, it is beneficial to us and it is a witness to a lost world.