This morning we tackle the doctrine of the church and the new community that God continues to build on the Rock of His Son Jesus. It is to be a warm, open, pulsating, dynamic, loving and attractive place that people can meet and experience family the way He desires. It has been said that the church is the hope of the world and so how do we embrace all that the Father desires for us? We will see ourselves for who we really are, oneness in unity, diversity of gifting and extravagant in love. We are here to turn this world upside down and it is my prayer that we will embrace becoming what He has designed us to be!
Our Foundation Is Jesus Matthew 16:13-19
It was Peter who correctly identified the truth that Jesus was the Rock on whom the church would be built on. The authorization to preach the forgiveness of sins through the Spirit empowered preaching of the gospel comes through the words of Christ when he taught us the truth that whatever you (plural) bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you (plural) loose on earth will be loosed in heaven (v18) We proclaim His forgiveness, His release, His freedom for all!
It is important that we realize this phrase, “I will build my church” Jesus is the architect and has the grand master plan.
"Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain... In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat--for he grants sleep to those he loves" (Psalms 127:1-2).
God has to build the house. It is His House, it is His name on the line. We can never become the caretakers of His house. Our love can ran dry, our spirit of hospitality can wane, our courage can only take us so far, but in His house we can “trust in God's unfailing love for ever and ever” (Psalm 52:8).
We are subject to fatigue, weariness, but God never sleeps and never slumbers and sometimes it is just enough to get people here like the paralytic’s friends in Mark 2. We don’t always have the right words, but He does. Sometimes it is powerful just enough for them to hear God’s Word and let it speak for itself.
We can stay awake with them in their pain and suffering, we can care for others like family, but the house in which the suffering find unfailing love is the Lord’s. This is the house to which we must bring them. This is the house in which we must live. We are talking about something bigger than a building built by human hands. Lead the soul sick and the weary to the house of Christ.Jill Carattini, a Christian writer states, it is…
a house built not by human hands, but held up by the beams of the Cross. Here our souls find a house with rooms prepared for them and a table set with room for our enemies. God has invited us into the kingdom ; the doors of a great house are opened wide. And it is a house where hospitality is an extension of Christ's invitation: Come to me, all who are weary and I will give you rest. Peter continues to give us the blueprints of this house as he writes in 1 Peter 2: 4-6
As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For in Scripture it says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.
You might think of living stones and be led to picturing a house here and the idea of bricks, but again the picture of what Peter had in mind were stones that were carefully shaped and placed into position much like the work of a stonemason that carefully sets them into place to complement each other paying great attention to detail and design.
You will never be put to shame. You see shame is the belief that I am defective, that I am wrong at the core. Guilt is different – it says I have made a mistake. Shame says I am a mistake.
It is such a powerful statement because the confidence of my hope does not rest in me. It rests in the trust that I put in Christ. My heart is secure and steadfast because He has told me I am precious to Him and I have a perfect fit in His House, I am part of a holy priesthood!
Unity in Diversity 1 Corinthians 12:12-24
The church in order to function properly means that we all have a part to play. We are not in the cloning business and so we all have unique giftings and passions that serve every area of the ministry here. All of us together make up the body and it takes the active participation of all of us. Should a foot or a hand become numb or paralyzed, it should and will affect the overall health of all of us.
Oneness is impossible if the constituent parts of the body are all the same. Sameness results in uniformity. The world hates diversity and seeks for everyone to be conformed to its standards and be branded by its labels.
Ephesians 3:10,11
His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.
We are to bring Christ’s presence to our world. Everyone who is a believer in Jesus and follower of Him is a minister. We are all called to minister and the way that it happens is through our acceptance of our God given gifts and talents. We are all needed. The variety of the gifts should be exploited for ministry for the benefit of all. We are here to defeat the enemy of our souls and pray for those still had captive, for their release into the true freedom and expression in Christ. There is no competition or comparison in the body. According to Paul the eternal purpose of God is for the church to become the supreme expression of His wisdom forever and ever. Our purpose and place in the church continues to solidify and evolve as we continue to be His workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God has prepared in advance for us to do.
We are all ONE or all in this together… 1 Corinthians 12:25,26
to steal a line from HS Musical, but the realization is that we are there for each other. We are to be one flesh like husband and wife, we are in Christ. We are His bride and so fully understand how intertwined we really are. Your sorrow, your pain, your joy, your healing is all of our sorrow, is all of our pain, is all of our joy and is all of our healing to claim in Christ.
but come back to John 17 because it is significant here in Jesus’ High Priestly prayer that as he prayed looked to his death. You see you discover something about someone facing their death. They normally want to have their family close enough to them to possibly express one last blessing. It is there that the very last thought of a person usually expresses the passion of their life. We want to be there to hear that word, to receive that blessing as I did with my father. It was in his last few days that I sought His blessing to marry Sharon and to see his smile, his affirmation, his desire to help pay for it which I course I told him wasn’t necessary. However in that he longed to be my provider.
I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name – the name you gave me- so that they may be one as we are one. John 17:11
So, here in these final words of Jesus before going to the cross, the disciples listen in on His prayer and He didn’t just pray. He implored God the Father to protect the oneness of His followers. Jesus knew that this was central to the mission that there was an incredible sense of community in such a fragmented and community starved world. Jesus knew it was the church that properly functioned as a whole that would expand beyond the initial disciples.
Jesus taught us community by His prayers as well. He taught them to say, ‘Our Father, give us our daily bread, forgive US, deliver US. He had trained them to think of themselves as a community not as individual relating to a private God. Matthew 6:9-13
Galatians 3:26-29
There are no distinctions anymore when we become part of His church. The only differences that really matter are now those which pertain to ministry. The differences we have now are based on our gifting and where we fit into the whole.
Oneness is only as effective as there is free and total participation of each person in the body
We are Extravagant In Love John 17:23
The essential characteristic of this community is love in v23 Love is the divine reality that existed before time came into existence, before the world was created. It was in the heart of God that sent His Son to the world. We need to love each other well, go to bat for each other, go to the wall, stand in the gap for each other’s family.
We love each other into a
Shared faith and purpose – to bring people to the cross Philippians 3:10
Shared lifestyle – a lifestyle of purity Colossians 3:1-11, a life of compassion Matthew 9:36,37: James 1:27 a life of giving 2 Corinthians 9:13,
Shared authority – the authority to confront – Matthew 18; the authority to restore Galatians 6:1; the authority to baptize in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Matthew 28
Shared worship – John 4:24; 1 Corinthians 14:24,25; communion – we are called to remember 1 Corinthians 11
The Takeaway
When the church is done well, it is a community that is irresistible!
It is irresistible because its head, Jesus has done away with shame.
It is irresistible because it is shared and experienced together,
It is irresistible because the church gifts and empowers us
It is irresistible because it loves unconditionally and it is a love that gets messy
Questions For Discussion and Small Groups
1. What are some of the elements of authentic community?
2. Describe the differences between viewing the church as a hierarchy and as oneness.
3. What does the mission of Southside mean to you? Our mission is: To pursue Jesus passionately and connect people to their God given family
4. What is the most challenging part of loving someone into the body of Christ? Is it a shared lifestyle, a shared authority or a shared faith and purpose? Why?
Our Foundation Is Jesus Matthew 16:13-19
It was Peter who correctly identified the truth that Jesus was the Rock on whom the church would be built on. The authorization to preach the forgiveness of sins through the Spirit empowered preaching of the gospel comes through the words of Christ when he taught us the truth that whatever you (plural) bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you (plural) loose on earth will be loosed in heaven (v18) We proclaim His forgiveness, His release, His freedom for all!
It is important that we realize this phrase, “I will build my church” Jesus is the architect and has the grand master plan.
"Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain... In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat--for he grants sleep to those he loves" (Psalms 127:1-2).
God has to build the house. It is His House, it is His name on the line. We can never become the caretakers of His house. Our love can ran dry, our spirit of hospitality can wane, our courage can only take us so far, but in His house we can “trust in God's unfailing love for ever and ever” (Psalm 52:8).
We are subject to fatigue, weariness, but God never sleeps and never slumbers and sometimes it is just enough to get people here like the paralytic’s friends in Mark 2. We don’t always have the right words, but He does. Sometimes it is powerful just enough for them to hear God’s Word and let it speak for itself.
We can stay awake with them in their pain and suffering, we can care for others like family, but the house in which the suffering find unfailing love is the Lord’s. This is the house to which we must bring them. This is the house in which we must live. We are talking about something bigger than a building built by human hands. Lead the soul sick and the weary to the house of Christ.Jill Carattini, a Christian writer states, it is…
a house built not by human hands, but held up by the beams of the Cross. Here our souls find a house with rooms prepared for them and a table set with room for our enemies. God has invited us into the kingdom ; the doors of a great house are opened wide. And it is a house where hospitality is an extension of Christ's invitation: Come to me, all who are weary and I will give you rest. Peter continues to give us the blueprints of this house as he writes in 1 Peter 2: 4-6
As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For in Scripture it says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.
You might think of living stones and be led to picturing a house here and the idea of bricks, but again the picture of what Peter had in mind were stones that were carefully shaped and placed into position much like the work of a stonemason that carefully sets them into place to complement each other paying great attention to detail and design.
You will never be put to shame. You see shame is the belief that I am defective, that I am wrong at the core. Guilt is different – it says I have made a mistake. Shame says I am a mistake.
It is such a powerful statement because the confidence of my hope does not rest in me. It rests in the trust that I put in Christ. My heart is secure and steadfast because He has told me I am precious to Him and I have a perfect fit in His House, I am part of a holy priesthood!
Unity in Diversity 1 Corinthians 12:12-24
The church in order to function properly means that we all have a part to play. We are not in the cloning business and so we all have unique giftings and passions that serve every area of the ministry here. All of us together make up the body and it takes the active participation of all of us. Should a foot or a hand become numb or paralyzed, it should and will affect the overall health of all of us.
Oneness is impossible if the constituent parts of the body are all the same. Sameness results in uniformity. The world hates diversity and seeks for everyone to be conformed to its standards and be branded by its labels.
Ephesians 3:10,11
His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.
We are to bring Christ’s presence to our world. Everyone who is a believer in Jesus and follower of Him is a minister. We are all called to minister and the way that it happens is through our acceptance of our God given gifts and talents. We are all needed. The variety of the gifts should be exploited for ministry for the benefit of all. We are here to defeat the enemy of our souls and pray for those still had captive, for their release into the true freedom and expression in Christ. There is no competition or comparison in the body. According to Paul the eternal purpose of God is for the church to become the supreme expression of His wisdom forever and ever. Our purpose and place in the church continues to solidify and evolve as we continue to be His workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God has prepared in advance for us to do.
We are all ONE or all in this together… 1 Corinthians 12:25,26
to steal a line from HS Musical, but the realization is that we are there for each other. We are to be one flesh like husband and wife, we are in Christ. We are His bride and so fully understand how intertwined we really are. Your sorrow, your pain, your joy, your healing is all of our sorrow, is all of our pain, is all of our joy and is all of our healing to claim in Christ.
but come back to John 17 because it is significant here in Jesus’ High Priestly prayer that as he prayed looked to his death. You see you discover something about someone facing their death. They normally want to have their family close enough to them to possibly express one last blessing. It is there that the very last thought of a person usually expresses the passion of their life. We want to be there to hear that word, to receive that blessing as I did with my father. It was in his last few days that I sought His blessing to marry Sharon and to see his smile, his affirmation, his desire to help pay for it which I course I told him wasn’t necessary. However in that he longed to be my provider.
I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name – the name you gave me- so that they may be one as we are one. John 17:11
So, here in these final words of Jesus before going to the cross, the disciples listen in on His prayer and He didn’t just pray. He implored God the Father to protect the oneness of His followers. Jesus knew that this was central to the mission that there was an incredible sense of community in such a fragmented and community starved world. Jesus knew it was the church that properly functioned as a whole that would expand beyond the initial disciples.
Jesus taught us community by His prayers as well. He taught them to say, ‘Our Father, give us our daily bread, forgive US, deliver US. He had trained them to think of themselves as a community not as individual relating to a private God. Matthew 6:9-13
Galatians 3:26-29
There are no distinctions anymore when we become part of His church. The only differences that really matter are now those which pertain to ministry. The differences we have now are based on our gifting and where we fit into the whole.
Oneness is only as effective as there is free and total participation of each person in the body
We are Extravagant In Love John 17:23
The essential characteristic of this community is love in v23 Love is the divine reality that existed before time came into existence, before the world was created. It was in the heart of God that sent His Son to the world. We need to love each other well, go to bat for each other, go to the wall, stand in the gap for each other’s family.
We love each other into a
Shared faith and purpose – to bring people to the cross Philippians 3:10
Shared lifestyle – a lifestyle of purity Colossians 3:1-11, a life of compassion Matthew 9:36,37: James 1:27 a life of giving 2 Corinthians 9:13,
Shared authority – the authority to confront – Matthew 18; the authority to restore Galatians 6:1; the authority to baptize in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Matthew 28
Shared worship – John 4:24; 1 Corinthians 14:24,25; communion – we are called to remember 1 Corinthians 11
The Takeaway
When the church is done well, it is a community that is irresistible!
It is irresistible because its head, Jesus has done away with shame.
It is irresistible because it is shared and experienced together,
It is irresistible because the church gifts and empowers us
It is irresistible because it loves unconditionally and it is a love that gets messy
Questions For Discussion and Small Groups
1. What are some of the elements of authentic community?
2. Describe the differences between viewing the church as a hierarchy and as oneness.
3. What does the mission of Southside mean to you? Our mission is: To pursue Jesus passionately and connect people to their God given family
4. What is the most challenging part of loving someone into the body of Christ? Is it a shared lifestyle, a shared authority or a shared faith and purpose? Why?
