To Build His Church Series

INTRODUCTION

• SLIDE #1

• We welcome you this morning.

• We are in the middle of a series entitled, “Reasons For My Heart To Beat.”

• This series is designed to give us reasons to have passion about our faith. As we examine each of the reasons for our heart to beat, we will come to realize how exciting it is to be able to possess and live out our faith in Jesus.

• We have already looked at three reasons for our heart to beat, To Praise His Glory, To Know His Power, and to Show His Grace. If you missed these messages, go to our web site to the Sermon Audio link or go to ITunes link on the same page to download the podcasts.

• Today we add reason #4, To Build His Church. This one can come across as self-serving because of my position with FCC, but I assure that is not the case, we need to realize that FCC is HIS church, not mine.

• The Church is something special to God and Jesus.

• SLIDE #2

• Ephesians 5:25–27 (HCSB) Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her to make her holy, cleansing her with the washing of water by the word. He did this to present the church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or anything like that, but holy and blameless.

• When we look at how things were compared to the way things are now, it should excite us at the prospect of being a part of His Body, the church.

• Jesus is coming back for the church and we need to do all we can to make sure as many people are a part of HIS church, not just FCC, the body of Christ is much larger than just FCC, FCC is a part of the body.

• At FCC we want each person to feel like and play an important part in body of Christ, the church.

• Today let’s look at some reasons why we can be and should be excited to Build HIS Church!

• Let’s begin in verses 11-12.

• SLIDE #3

• Ephesians 2:11–12 (HCSB) 11 So then, remember that at one time you were Gentiles in the flesh—called “the uncircumcised” by those called “the circumcised,” which is done in the flesh by human hands. 12 At that time you were without the Messiah, excluded from the citizenship of Israel, and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.

• SLIDE #4

SERMON

I. You were excluded from His Church.

• Have you ever been excluded from some club or organization?

• Did a group of people you knew when you were young have a club that involved as clubhouse or tree house that you wanted so desperately to be a part of only to be told no?

• WE do this in college with Fraternities and Sororities. 

• Augusta National Golf Club is one of those exclusive clubs that is very prestigious. It is located in Augusta Georgia. This place was so tight African Americans were not allowed to join until 1990 and the first two women were not allowed to join until August of 2012 Condoleezza Rice and Darla Moore were allowed to join.

• I am not going to say too much about Augusta other than do you all know what century we live in now? 

• Today we find people being excluded from groups or organizations based on skin color or sometimes gender to be reprehensible.

• DO you know there was a time when GOD sort of excluded people because of NATIONALITY? There was a time when only the nation of Israel was chosen by God for favor.

• Follow me here.

• Who was God’s CHOSEN people? The Nation of Israel. Where were not chosen? Everyone else.

• Now as a side note, the Nation of Israel was to be an example of how great it was for God to be your God and they were to influence the other nations, but many times throughout history, the Jewish nation fell short.

• Well, Paul is writing to a predominantly Gentile (non-Jewish audience) and he is reminding them of the past.

• Verse 11 reminds them that at one time the Jews (circumcised) would label the non-Jew as uncircumcised and it was not meant to be taken in a positive way.

• Pretty much all of us in this room today at one time would not have been able to be here.

• In the Temple there were places where those who were not circumcised could not enter. So what is the big deal about not being to be in the club, I can just start my own and then EXCLUDE THEM! 