The Church Is…
#BecomingTheChurchHeIntended
2000 years ago while in the region of Caesarea Philippi, Peter looked Jesus in the eyes and said…
“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!” And Jesus responded, “Simon son of Jonah, you are blessed because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the forces of Hades will not overpower it.”
- Matthew 16:16-18
Prayer…
OKAY MGCC – welcome to week 2 of our new series…
QUESTION…
DO YOU - think that Jesus has intentions for His church.
LIKE – do think, that when He told Peter 2000 years ago in Caesarea Philippi, that on the truth that He is the Christ the Son of Living God, He would build His church
DO YOU – think, that there was a church that Jesus had in mind… a church, He intended us to be?
NOW – I think we all know the answer…
OF COURSE – there was and is a church, that Jesus both intended and intends for us who meet in this building at 3210 Proffit road to be… to become.
AND – listen…
IT’S NOT THE CHURCH – that I intend, or the other elders intend, or you intend, or the person sitting next you intends, or the world intends…
BUT – the church that Jesus intends for us to become.
AND LISTEN – because we want to become that church…
AND – are not yet that church.
WE - are doing this series.
AND REMEMBER - as I said last week, for us to become the Church He intended will require us (will require both you and me) during the next several weeks...
It will require us
• to be open to what God has to say about His church (and listen there is a very high likelihood that God is going to say some things we may not like, agree with and that make us feel uncomfortable)
• to be honest about where we really are (collectively and individually) in regards to His Church
• to be humble and admit where we have been wrong, and to spend more time looking at ourselves rather than at others and how they need to change or fall short.
• to not make this about ourselves and our opinions and preferences, but about Him
• to be willing to change and do whatever it takes
• to be ready – ready for what? For the enemy to come at us in order to stop us.
Now last week we began by unpacking several 'The Church Is' statements...
AND LISTEN – it is really essential that we do this…
THAT WE – look at what the Bible (what God’s Word) says the church is…
OR ELSE – we may end up defining church in a wrong, incomplete or inaccurate way.
LIKE - the church is…
• a great place to take your kids to learn good values
• a place to meet nice people
• a good place to go for an hour a week – when it is convenient
•
YOU KNOW – this week as I was thinking about all of the church is statements that we will be unpacking…
I was like…
Man, God could not have made it any clearer about how awesome, unique, special and powerful the church is…
I MEAN – seriously… R U kidding me!
• The Church is Christ's (it belongs to Jesus)
On this rock I will build ‘My’ church
• The Church is The Called Out Ones
We are called out from the world by the Gospel, to go back into the world with Gospel, because the Church is the hope of the world)
• The Church is the Body of Christ
Just as the invisible God made Himself visible and tangible in Jesus Christ, so the now-invisible Christ is making Himself visible and tangible to the world through His church. We literally are the hands and feet of Jesus
QUESTION – why are we doing this series… for several reasons.
#1 – To help us understand just how beautiful, awesome, amazing, precious, powerful, incredible, indescribable, uncontainable, unstoppable and essential the church is.
#2 – To move us to take the church much more excitedly (being in a state of excitement, emotionally aroused, stirred)
#3 - To move us to take the church much more seriously.
“One of the major problems that the church faces today, is that it does not take itself seriously enough.” – Dr Roger Chambers
QUESTION – what do you think about that statement?
Do you agree? Disagree?
I MEAN…
IF – the church really is all that we have talked about last week…
IF – the church is…
• Christ’s (belongs to the Son of living God)
• The body of Christ
• The called ones who literally are the hope of the world
I MEAN – if people’s eternities are literally right now hanging in the balance…
THEN – the church (MGCC) really is a big deal.
LIKE – I don’t about you but I cannot think of any bigger deal out there.
OKAY – let’s do this.
LET’S – unpack some more the church is statements
NOW UNDERSTAND – we could spend weeks unpacking and teaching on each of these pictures, metaphors, images that Scripture uses to describe the church…
BUT – we do not have time to do this…
HOWEVER – I really want to encourage you to marinate on these truths about the church, about Maple Grove, about you…
Talk about them in your Life Groups (Life Group Sign Up)…
The Church Is…
I. Christ’s Flock
NOW – Paul uses this metaphor for the church in Acts 20:28.
Let me set up the passage…
• Paul is on the way to Jerusalem
• And he knows that when he gets there arrest and death are probably waiting for him. But he also knows that this is what God wants him to do (so he goes).
• Now, those who love him are concerned (especially the elders of the church at Ephesus where he served for 3 years)…
• So these elders meet up with him during this journey back to Jerusalem… to say their good byes because they know they will probably never see each other again…
So guard yourselves and God’s people. Feed and shepherd God’s flock—his church, purchased with his own blood—over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as leaders. – Acts 20:28
UNDERSTAND…
The church (MG) is,
God’s flock—his church, purchased with his own blood…
LISTEN…
THAT – is how important, how valuable, Maple Grove is the to Jesus. He purchased it with His own blood.
QUESTION - what pictures and images come into your mind when you think of the church being God’s flock?
NOW – one of the things that comes into my mind is the fact that I am a sheep.
Which is (btw) a pretty scary thing, especially if I do not have a shepherd. BECAUSE – sheep are pretty much defenseless.
I MEAN
Think about it: there are different ways animals react when they perceive some kind of danger.
The most common are - fight, flight, and posture.
Let’s thinking about fight.
OKAY – so a sheep gets frightened or sees that he is in danger. Maybe he sees a bear rambling toward him. What is he going to do? He doesn’t have claws, he doesn’t have fangs, he doesn’t have venom, he doesn’t have spines or quills or large talons.
He’s got nothing to protect himself.
Fighting is definitely out.
But that’s okay–there are lots of other animals that don’t fight it out.
How about flight, just turning tail and running away?
That’s a good defense mechanism. Unfortunately sheep aren’t fast; they certainly aren’t agile, especially when their wool is long, and even more so when their wool is long and wet. Last I checked they don’t have wings. A sheep is not going to outrun or outfly a bear.
The sheep will not fight and it cannot take flight. So far it is looking pretty good for the bear.
How about posture?
A dog will bark and growl and show his teeth to warn you away. A lion will roar. A rattlesnake will shake his rattle. A cat will arch his back and hiss. The best a sheep can do is baaa.
NO - I don’t think that bear is going be too intimidated.
YEAH – there are good reasons that no one relies on a guard sheep to keep their property secure.
Sheep can’t fight, they can’t run away, and they can’t scare away. Which is why it is good news that we have a shepherd who cares for us, watches over us, leads us, protects us and longs to give us life in all it’s fullness.
I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. – John 10:10,11
He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young. – Isaiah 40:11
YES - the church (MGCC) is God’s flock… (baaaaa)
HEY - let’s stand and take turns reading this powerful and well know Psalm about our Shepherd.
You can go first.
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness, for his name's sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
- Psalm 23
II. The Church Is…
The Bride Of Christ
IN - John 3:39 John the Baptist refers to Jesus as the bridegroom…
AND IN – Matthew 9:15 Jesus calls Himself the bridegroom.
AND – we see this powerful picture in Revelation 19…
Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:
“Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. – Revelation 19:6-7
AND PAUL – makes this powerful connection about the church being the bride of Christ Paul in Ephesians 5…
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. – Ephesians 5:25-27
QUESTION – is a bride important to a bridegroom?
I tell you my bride is still very important to me.
Ever been to a wedding…?
What is one of the most dramatic moments?
NOW – nothing against the bride…
BUT – as she walks down the aisle, I spend most of my time looking at the groom.
(Note - I grabbed some images online of grooms looking at their bride as she walks down the aisle)
BROTHERS AND SISTERS
That is how Jesus looks at the church.
That is how he looks at Maple Grove.
That is how he looks at every believer.
OH THAT WE – would see His church (MGCC) that way… with Jesus’ eyes.
OKAY - here’s the deal if this is not how you see MGCC than you are not seeing her as He does.
As the bridegroom rejoices over His bride so the Lord rejoices over you. – Isaiah 62:5
The Church Is…
III. The Family Of God
A few Scriptures…
So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. – Galatians 3:26-28
So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. – Ephesians 2:19
Although I hope to come to you soon, I am writing you these instructions so that, if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth. – 1 Timothy 3:14,15
MGCC – does it blow you away, does it excite you, that you are a member of God’s very own family?
THAT YOU – are a son or a daughter of the King of kings and Lord of lords.
Talk about a royal family….
YES - roll out the red carpet and bring on the paparazzi… the church is the family of God!
QUESTION…
• IS - your family important to you?
• DO - you love your family, despite their imperfections?
• HAVE YOU – and will you continue to make sacrifices for your family?
• DO – you have hopes and dreams for the members of your family?
• Do you get fired up, if someone messes with your family
• Do you rally around a family member when they are in need or facing a crisis?
AND LISTEN – the only reason that Bible passages like Acts 2:44-47 make any sense at all is because the church is the family of God…
All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. – Acts 2:44-47
All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had… there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need. – Acts 4:32-35
In his book 'Letters To The Church' Chan writes…
Pushing the Church to live as a family is not some gimmick, some flavor of “church” that would be fun to try; it’s commanded. And it’s offered. Crafting the Church into a truly united and supernaturally loving family is the very thing God is wanting to do. Do we believe God is capable? Do we trust that His design for His Church is what will be most effective? We have come up with countless strategies to reach the lost when God promises that unity is the method that will work. Think about that: God gave us instructions on how to reach the world, yet we abandon the one set of instructions He gave us even as we scramble to create classes and programs and events that promote everything but the strategy God gave us! HAVE WE GIVEN UP? When you read about the unity of the early church, does it make you jealous? Something in you wishes you were born two thousand years ago so you could be a part of a group like this. You can get depressed by the dual realization that this is the very thing you’ve always wanted and you’re not going to find this in the typical American church today. It’s sad that our churches look nothing like this. It’s devastating that we don’t believe it is possible.
What would happen if a group of people sought Jesus fervently, loved one another sacrificially, and then shared the gospel boldly? Sadly, there are a lot of people in our churches who aren’t interested in living out loving family like this. I’m going to say something that might be hard to hear: What if we let them leave? I know that goes against all the wisdom of modern church-growth strategies, but it’s exactly the kind of thing Jesus would do. While we design strategies to slowly ease people into Christian commitment and grow attendance at our services, Jesus called people to count the cost from the very start (Luke 14: 25–35). He didn’t expect His followers to be perfect, but He did demand that they be committed (Luke 9: 57–62). The people who leave your church because they’re turned off by the level of relational commitment will find another church that can provide what they’re looking for. You can’t shape the life of your church around who might leave if things start to feel too much like the New Testament.
MGCC
We are part of the family of God, members of God’s household.
QUESTION
Are you glad that you are part of that family?
Do you find comfort in being part of God's flock?
And are you rejoicing in the truth that you are the bride of Christ, and what a groom we have!
