Exodus - Part 12- Stop " Going" To Church Series

Exodus- “The story of God’s presence”

Part 12

“Be the Church “

Exodus chapters 25- 26- 27-28-29- 30

Galatians 5

Good morning

Today we are going to pick back up in our study of Exodus

The teaching in this series continues to be hard

Some of you may feel like you just got bucked off of a good horse and you are sitting in the dirt saying what just happened?

I have fully committed myself to God’s word and the proper instruction of it

God’s word is powerful

Life changing

And it is important for us to understand it in order for us to apply it

Often times when we truly study God’s word

In context

We discover that we have been taught wrong or that we have understood wrong

It is never my intent to prove anyone wrong

It is simply my intent to rightly teach God’s word

Let’s look at 2 Timothy 2:15

“Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.”

Paul is speaking to Timothy – an aspiring preacher and teaching him the importance of his call to ministry and his responsibility to teach the word of God correctly

You see God’s word is designed to make us think

Designed to make us study so that we can correctly apply his word to our lives

Hebrews 4:12

“For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.”

Many want to say that the Old Testament is just an out dated book of wore out old laws about wore out old people and that it has no place in our lives today

Let’s see what the bible says on that subject as well

2 Timothy 3:16

16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.

In context Paul is teaching Timothy to hold true to the scriptures

And use them to teach

Sometimes we tend to get confused about the Old Testament

Often times the teachings don’t seem to make sense or have relevance in our lives

But

Listen

All scripture has a place in our lives

How we read it and how we understand it and how we use it

Determines just how much influence it has on us

I can tell you from my perspective last week

I saw lots of different reactions to the topic of the 10 commandments

This was hard teaching

And may have been a different teaching then you have heard in the past’

Today is going to be similar

You are fixing to hear something that you may have never heard a preacher say before

I want to issue a challenge to you today

First let me shock you a bit

Please don’t shut down on me

Because you need to hear the rest

I want to challenge each of you to

“Stop going to church”

The finance team just fell out of their chairs

The Elders just shuddered and grabbed their chests

Many of you just asked yourself “is he completely crazy”

Has he lost his mind?

Did I hear him right?

Just so the last doesn’t apply here – that you did not hear wrong

Let me repeat my self

I want to challenge you to “Stop GOING to church”

Hang on

Before you get wadded up or walk out

Please continue to listen to me

Notice I did not say

I want you to stop coming to church

I said I want you to stop going to church

Because I want to challenge each of you to become the church

-----Pause----

I want you to become the church

We tend to think of church as a building

And that building as the HOUSE Of GOD

Somewhere to go on Sunday and Wednesday

In the Old Testament

It was

Exodus chapter 25 verse 8

“Have the people of Israel build me a holy sanctuary so I can live among them.”

God though Moses is giving the people instructions on how to prepare a place for his presence

Remember here Guys

The nation of Israel had already been delivered

Building the tabernacle and all of the items involved in worship did not deliver them

It was grace

God’s mercy that delivered them

Now he was teaching them how to worship him

How to prepare his dwelling place