THE CHURCH
HAS LEFT THE BUILDING
II Timothy 1.8-12
S: Mission – Evangelism
Th: His work, His power – in us!
Pr: IT’S TIME TO MOVE OUT!
?: With what?
KW: Messages
Type: Propositional
It’s time to move out with the message of…
I. FREEDOM (9)
II. FRIEND IN NEED (10)
III. FAITH (11-12)
PA: How is the change to be observed?
• Courageously speak the good news about Jesus.
• Receive the freedom from sin that God graciously offers to give.
• Follow Jesus, our friend in need, who gives us life.
• With conviction, live the truth.
• Commit to being a vessel for His work and His power.
• Move out with your mission – make committed followers of Jesus.
Version: ESV
PowerPoint available…
RMBC 14 October 07 AM
INTRODUCTION:
ILL Personal
The Decker family went to a concert together two weeks ago at Roberts Wesleyan where Elizabeth is now attending.
We went to see one of our favorite bands Denver and the Mile High Orchestra.
They are a Christian Swing band – a modern Big Band sound.
When they finished their concert, and they went off, the crowd kept clapping and whistling.
They wanted more.
They wanted an encore!
And Denver led his band back out gave one terrific encore!
Looking for an encore was the inspiration for the phrase…
1. “Elvis has left the building!”
ILL Change (S)
Al Dvorin, a concert announcer who traveled with Elvis throughout the performer’s career, made the phrase famous when his voice was captured on many recordings of Elvis’ performances.
"Elvis has left the building!" is a phrase that was often used following Elvis Presley concerts to disperse audiences who lingered in hopes of an Elvis encore.
The reason we bring this bit of history to our attention is to make a connection with a biblical understanding of the church.
For…
2. The church is not a building.
Even though there is a sign in the front of the building that labels us as a church, it is not the truest definition of a church.
We make a mistake if we think that when we describe the church that this building is the focal point.
For essentially…
3. The church is people.
What makes a church a church is not a building.
What makes a church a church is people.
It is you and me.
So…
4. When the service ends, the church leaves the building.
The building stays.
The church moves on.
The church moves out to our homes, our schools, and our places of work.
The church leaves the building.
There is an implication that goes with this then.
The implication is that the church is meant to be on the go.
It is not designed to be stationary.
We are designed to be a moving people.
And I believe, for Randall…
5. IT’S TIME TO MOVE OUT!
ILL Move (H)
This reminds me once when I was driving with JJ in the car when he was very young – probably about 4. We were caught in some traffic due to some road construction. As we crawled along, JJ kept saying, “Just go, Dad, go!”
Finally, the traffic started to move, JJ spied the construction equipment that had been causing the delay and said, “Wait a minute! I want to see this!”
Sometimes, I think that is just like the church.
We say we are willing to move, but then when it comes time to go, we are not so sure.
Sometimes, we get hesitant.
We don’t move forward.
Well, it is time for us to move.
It is time for us to move with the message we have been given.
You see, we are to…
6. Courageously speak the good news about Jesus (II Timothy 1.8-12; Romans 1.16)
Paul writes in I Timothy to his disciple…
Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord…
Earlier, Paul had written his own testimony about the good news to the church in Rome…
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes…
The Apostle Paul had a faith that was on fire.
Even as he writes to Timothy, he knows that he has come to the end of the road.
He knows that his life is on the line.
Nevertheless, he was on fire -- unfazed by the circumstances surrounding his life.
It didn’t matter to Paul if he was preaching to hundreds or starting new churches, or if he was sitting in a dirty, cold, prison cell – his faith was stoked, burning strong for his Lord, Jesus Christ.
We have great news.
It is a message that makes a difference.
It is a message that endures.
Do you have the message down?
In other words, can you express it in a way that is understood?
ILL Belief (S)
A man was once asked what he believed about God. He replied, “I believe what my church believes.”
“What does your church believe?”
He said, “My church believes what I believe.”
“What do you and your church believe?”
He said, “We both believe the same thing.”
We need to demonstrate a bit more certainty than that, don’t we?
It’s time to move out…
OUR STUDY:
I. It’s time to move out with the message of FREEDOM (8-9).
Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began…
Every one of us has the privilege to…
7. Receive the freedom from sin that God graciously offers to give.
There is a simplicity to the gospel about Jesus.
You may hear us use that word gospel.
Gospel is just another word for what we call the good news.
The gospel is the incredibly good news that God sent His Son Jesus to this earth.
Jesus lived a perfect life as man and died a terrible death on the cross as a man.
On the third day, Jesus rose from the grave.
It is through His death that the punishment for our sins was satisfied and it is through His resurrection that we now possess eternal life with God.
ILL Call (S)
You all know the show “The Price is Right” from which Bob Barker just retired. Your name is called out and you have the opportunity to be a participant to win lots of prizes. Can you imagine sitting in that audience and hearing your name called out, only you don’t answer that call? No, you would jump up screaming and run down that aisle. You would respond in front of everyone, not caring what you looked like or what you said. Your name was called!
Each one of us has his/her name called and by someone a lot better than Bob Barker or Drew Carey. The prizes are more valuable than any new car or any exotic vacation. There are times in our life when God calls our name and we have opportunity to win prizes that last forever with our Lord Jesus Christ.
God calls us out our name, so that we can know freedom.
We can know freedom from sin.
But it is our choice to answer the call.
It is our choice to receive the gift.
ILL Salvation
Suppose you are taking a trip across the ocean and the ship sinks. People are drowning all around but all of a sudden a raft shows up. A rescuer has arrived. He offers to pull you aboard – to save your life.
Would you say, “No thanks I think I can make it on my own? It’s only two thousand miles from shore. I think I can swim that far.”
How insane that would be! But that is just exactly what some people do. They think they can save themselves. But that is not true.
Only Jesus can save you. He has come to save us – because we can’t save ourselves. We must believe in Him – we must accept His help – we must trust Him if we are to live.
We are drowning in our sin – and unless we accept His help WE WILL DIE.
That is the message we need to move out with…
Also…
II. It’s time to move out with the message of FRIEND IN NEED (10).
We continue with what Paul is saying to Timothy…
…and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel…
You see, we need to…
8. Follow Jesus, our friend in need, who gives us life.
It is our privilege to walk in His ways
He works powerfully in our lives.
He allows us the experience of new birth and then gives us more – continuing growth and transformation.
We are able to turn away from the hurt and shame and ugliness of a sinful, unfulfilling life.
And then we are able to turn to a fruitful, joyful and fulfilling life.
That’s a message worth telling, isn’t it?
That’s a message we need to move out with…
And…
III. It’s time to move out with the message of FAITH (11-12).
Paul continues…
…for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me.
We are to live the truth with conviction.
9. With conviction, live the truth.
Paul trusted in Jesus.
Was he ashamed?
No way!
He would say, “Are you kidding? I know Him!”
He knew the one who had called his name and revealed Himself to him on the road to Damascus.
He knew the One who had seen him through every trial and persecution.
He knew the One that had preserved him in his present difficulties while awaiting trial in Rome.
Do you live with conviction?
Are you ashamed of the message you have been given to share with others?
Perhaps we need to consider the questions another way…
Perhaps we need to ask ourselves, “Is God ashamed of me?”
Is God embarrassed by my actions and behavior?
Would God want to be seen with me in public?
He will not be ashamed though, if, with conviction, we live the truth.
You see, it is time to move out with the message.
It is a message about a freedom from sin.
It is a message about a friend in need who gives life.
It is a message about a faith to be lived.
CHALLENGE:
We do discipleship emphasis every year because we are, essentially, disciples.
As disciples, it is time to move out and be fruitful.
It is time to move out and make more disciples.
It is time to move out and see that more people become believers of Jesus.
It is time to move out and see that more people become committed followers of Jesus.
It is time to move out and truly be a “voice of hope” in our community.
So are you ready to move out?
Are you ready to…
10. Commit to being a vessel for His work and His power.
I hope you share with me the conviction that it is time to stop doing church.
I don’t want to waste anymore time in what is not working.
It is time to stop doing things as we have, simply because we are spending energy on what is not fruitful.
We are not seeing people come to Christ.
We are not making new disciples of the Lord Jesus.
It is time for us to let go of our maintenance-moded leadership, structure and spirituality.
It is time to move out and be the church.
It is time to be true disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Look with me at the commitment card that is in your worship folder.
COMMITMENT CARD
Let’s read the opening paragraph together…
As one who has believed in Jesus Christ for salvation, and who is part of the His Church, I acknowledge that I am under Jesus’ authority and have a personal responsibility to work on and pray for my spiritual growth and for that of Randall Baptist Church, and that such spiritual growth includes the making of disciples. I further acknowledge and believe that God is able to do more than I ask or imagine according to His power that is at work in me and in the Church. Therefore, as a disciple of Jesus Christ and out of obedience to Him, I willingly commit to the following:
1. I will submit to Jesus’ plan for His Church, remembering that the Church is, and therefore I am, under His rightful direction.
The Church is God’s plan.
It is His design.
And there is no other plan.
There is not an alternate design in case this one does not work.
The church, which is you and me, is the vehicle that He has chosen to make His power and His work known in the world.
2. I will consider myself to be one of God’s people, one person but part of a community of faith whom God has called out to do His Kingdom work.
As a church, as God’s people, we are asked to be a living advertisement of God’s greatness.
So, as members of this community, we must be intentionally missional, searching out for new disciples of Jesus, and living out the unity God has already given us.
3. I will fall in love with Jesus again, (and again, and again, and ...) continually seeking after and desiring Him with all my heart, soul and mind and before and above all things.
Too often, we forget the joy of knowing Christ.
We let ourselves be distracted by the things of the world.
We let ourselves get caught in the routine of doing the Christian life and doing church.
Instead, we need to remember and recapture the joy of knowing Jesus – to celebrate it – to rejoice in it – and share this love with others.
4. I will love all my brothers and sisters in Christ, obeying His command to do so, constantly loving them in practical ways.
We are models of God’s love to the world.
If we cannot love one another, then we certainly cannot love God, love our neighbors, and love our enemies.
As a church, if we do not love one another and model God’s love, we may as well forget sharing His love with the lost in this community.
What we communicate won’t make sense.
But we can have a big heart that will make sense if we learn to prefer others over ourselves.
5. I will conform my dream for the Church to Christ’s dream, intentionally letting Him unleash His power through me for the witness of His gospel.
It was Christ’s dream for the church to be a fire that would never go out, that it would make a constant eternal difference wherever it went.
Jesus has designed us to be propelled by the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit that is effective in its outreach to others.
Jesus has always wanted the church to be missional, but not only to know its purpose, but always to be thinking strategically.
In other words, we are never to be stuck on methods.
The message is timeless, but the methods are always to be timely, so to be effective in reaching every culture and generation.
6. I will worship Jesus by all means, methods and forms, putting my preferences to the side for the effective and purposeful worship life of the whole Church.
We have the opportunity, when we gather as a community, to powerfully express God’s great greatness.
We have exciting news.
We have a great God!
We have a fantastic Savior!
We have a tremendous Lord!
We need to express this powerfully and not allow ourselves to be distracted by our own personal likes and dislikes.
We need to worship powerfully, because that kind of worship more than adequately express the power of God and the power of His salvation.
People will be attracted to a community that lives out the unity God has given us.
7. I will re-focus my life outward, reaching out to the lost in my community in whatever ways I can, working to witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
In a moment, we will take a moment of silence to allow you to pray through the statements on this car and sign it if that is your conviction to do so.
But finally, let me say this, to you, my brothers and sisters in the Lord.
It is time to…
11. Move out with your mission – make committed followers of Jesus.
The mission is the message.
It is to be spoken.
It is to be lived.
And please, let us remember that this building is only a tool…
…that the programs are only a tool…
…that the methods are only a tool…
…that our leadership structure is only a tool…
And when they no longer help us get the mission done, they need to be set aside, and replaced with things that will help us do it better.
If we don’t do this, we will become self-centered and maintenance-minded, stuck on what we want, placing our mission as secondary instead of primary.
The message is the mission, to be spoken and lived.
It is time to move out.
Time of silence…
If you signed this card, would you join me down in the front right now.
Come on down!!!
Let’s be dedicated to seeing His power and His work to be done in us.
Prayer…
Hymn 718
FOR FURTHER STUDY: II Chronicles 7.14; Psalm 37.3-5; Matthew 9.37, 16.18, 28.18-20; Mark 8.38; Luke 19.10; John 3.16; Acts 1.8; Romans 10.9; Philippians 1.21-23; Hebrews 11.16; I Peter 4.16; II Peter 3.9; Revelation 3.20
BENEDICTION:
Connection sign up
Just Because International dinner sign up
Aaron and Rebecca
Reception following…
Read benediction together page 4…
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
RESOURCES:
SermonCentral
Allen, Bruce I Know Whom I Have Believed
Jones, John Famous Last Words
Meadows, Dean When God Calls Your Name
Newton, Glenn I Am Not Ashamed of the Gospel
Santasiere, Chris Do Not Be Ashamed
Shepard, Tom Evangelism – It’s What We Do!
Stedman, Ray C. The Call to Courage
Other Sources
Elvis Has Left the Building. Wikipedia, Accessed October 11 2007. Available from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elvis_has_left_the_building.
