‘Do you know your Father’s Business’
Luke 2:43-52, Proverbs 11:30, Ephesians 4:2
June 16, 2019, 2018 –AM
Mexia Baptist Church
1. If you are about your Father’s business, you come to the Father’s house. Luke 2:46-47
2. Our Father’s business is seeking to win the lost. Proverbs 11:30
3. Our Father’s business is growing and building his Church. Ephesians 4:12
Open: My family & I are excited to be here. It’s with great joy I stand here today and begin my ministry with you. I feel very privileged to be able to preach God’s word to you. Each week, I plan to bring to you what I feel is a message for you, as a Church. As pastor, I want to love you and teach you the Word of God. I want to live these messages in my own life and help you as well. A church is a family and a family has a leader. The leader sets the tone for the church. This morning, I want you to know – Christ is the leader of our church. I take my cues from Him.
Since Christ is our head, today we must ask ourselves One question: what is the purpose of the church?
What’s the purpose of your business?
In Business school, they’ll tell you the purpose of a business is to make a profit.
To make more than you spend. To have a profit.
If you sell hamburgers & french fries, you wanna have more Cash coming in, than going out.
It’s that simple.
It’s important to know what business you are in and what’s the purpose of your business.
Teachers educate children. Coaches instruct & inspire a team to play & win.
Sales persons must make sales, of their product, to make a living.
If you’re a baker, you sell baked goods and need people to buy them.
If you’re an elected official you represent your people of your area and create policy & programs to improve commerce & living.
If you’re a church of the Lord Jesus Christ, you’re purpose is ….
What’s the purpose of the Church? To be about our Father’s business.
See the Lord’s Church existed long before you and I. And long after we’re gone, the Lord’s Church will thrive and grow. God established his Church to bring glory to Himself. He wants us to ‘make Much of Him.’ The purpose of the Church is to ‘bring Glory to God.’
In short, spread the name & the fame of Jesus.
So, we must know what our Lord’s business is, so we know how to be about it.
1. If you’re about your Father’s business, you come to the Father’s house. Luke 2:46-47
Jesus was on a trip with his earthly parents. During their visit, He went to His heavenly Father’s house. He had to. He wanted to discuss His Father’s Word and be around the people of God. He loves His Father and wanted to be about His Father’s business.
His parents were surprised Jesus was not in their group, as they traveled back home. Jesus did not disobey his parents. His priorities were his Heavenly Father’s business. He sat at the feet of the Teachers of God’s word and answered questions about God’s ways. This was food for his soul. He loved being in His Father’s house.
Ask: How many of you love coming to Church? You look forward each week to gather with your brothers & sisters, in Christ?
You want to be fed God’s word in Sunday school, in worship, in prayer. You long to hear from God and be with his people.
Scripture tells us in Hebrews 10:24-25, ‘Do not forsake the gathering of yourselves, as some are in the habit of doing.’
Scripture also says, ‘ I was glad when they said to me, let us go unto the House of the Lord.’
If you Love God, you love His Church. You love to be among His people. Sure on Sundays in our worship times & SS and on Wednesday night. But, you love to be around God’s people on Tuesday night and Friday. You forgive each other, pray for each other, bear one another’s burdens.
*On any given Sunday, at least half of our Church members aren’t here. Why is that?
Is worship with the Lord’s people not important? Should it be so important that it gets Top Billing in our life? It should.
Church stats in American:
52 Million people worship each week in 2005. Only 23-25% of Americans shows up to church at least 3 out of 5 Sundays.
Question: What if in 2019 you and your family recommitted yourselves to be faithful to our Church? Meaning, if this body gathers for worship, you’re here. Sunday morning, Sunday night, whenever.
What would happen, in our Church, if we all committed to be here and be about our Father’s business?
For starters, you show how much you love your God. Because Jesus calls us ‘not forsake the gathering of yourselves.’
Listen to the writer of
Hebrews,10:23
‘ Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.’
Hebrews 10:24-25, ‘And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works. Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another.’
God expects our best! He longs for us to gather and worship Him. If we, as Christians, don’t gather and worship our God, who will?
Question: If a lost person were to follow you church attendance pattern, would they say you’re Part-time or Full-time? God calls us to be ‘All IN’ and full time followers. This means we should love to Gather with His people in His Church.
Illustration: Church Attendance
Chip and I went to the same church as kids. I remember when he and his family joined our Church – FBC Prattville. Our pastor introduced Chip, his sibling and his parents and said, ‘The Colee’s are joining our church today. In their previous church, they never missed a Sunday in 6 years!’ I was like, Wow! That’s commitment. I knew Chip, his family went on vacations, they were sick from time to time, but you know what –attending the Lord’s church was a Top Priority and it showed in their participation. They showed when we had Church and contributed.
You may know the name Chip Colee. He has served as Minister of Music at FBC Montgomery with our friend Ed Cleveland. Chip now serves with the Alabama Baptist Children’s home as
Vice President.
You don’t have to be ‘in ministry’ to be full time in God’s church. It’s for everyone. God requires our very best…full time. You’ll find the summer of 2019 will be more enjoyable, if you commit yourself to the Lord’s Church full time.
2. Our Father’s business is seeking to win the lost. Prov. 11:30
The Bible tells us ‘Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit!’
One of the greatest joy in the Christian life is to lead someone to faith in Christ.
Proverbs tells us ‘witnessing is wise.’
Where does it say that? ‘And he who wins souls is wise.’ (Proverbs 11:30)
Soul winning is the Father’s business. He wants us to bring as many souls to heaven with us as we can.
Jesus could have told his friends a hundred things before he ascended back to his home in heaven. He could have told them to ‘Wash each other’s feet every week.’ He could have told his disciples, ‘Be a good parent to your children.’ He even could have said, ‘Do unto others, as you want them to do unto you.’
But, here’s Jesus talked about the Family business – Soul Winning! He said,’ Go, make Disciples!’
Where? – across the street, at the ball field, at your job, around the state and around the world. Be a soul winner – wherever you go!
*Our Father’s business is seeking to win others to Christ!
That’s our ministry. Soul winning. Just share what God has done in your heart & life. Share how He saved you and changed you. And ask them, have you ever had a life-changing experience with Jesus?
Illustration: Witnessing
The Blind, Illiterate Soul Winner
A missionary to Africa told the story of an elderly woman who was reached with the gospel. Though she was blind and could neither read nor write, she wanted to share her new found faith with others. She went to the missionary and asked for a copy of the Bible in French. When she got it, she asked the missionary to underline John 3:16 in red and mark the page it was on so she could find it. The missionary wanted to see what she would do, so one day he followed her.
In the afternoon, just before school let out, she made her way to the front door. As the boys came out when school was dismissed, she would stop one and ask if he knew how to read French. When he said “Yes” she would ask him to read the verse that was marked in red. Then she would ask, “Do you know what this means?” and tell him about Christ.
The missionary said that twenty-four of the school boys that lady led to the Lord became pastors.
Ask: What stops you from sharing your faith?
If we wanna be about the ‘Father’s business’ then we gotta begin to share our faith. It’s the DNA of a healthy church.
Ask: Seriously, when was the last time you shared Christ with someone? If it’s been more than a week, it’s been too long.
Church stats say that less than 10% of Christians will ever share their faith, in their lifetime.
If that’s true, then most of us, aren’t serious about winning the lost.
Let’s get about our Father’s Business – right now - & get concerned about lost souls.
Will you join me in winning the lost for Christ?
3. Our Father’s business is growing & building His church. Eph. 4:12
Winning souls is our Father’s business. Once we win folks to Christ, we must grow them in the Lord.
IN our church family,, Jason & Christy McLelland welcomed their newest child, Emma Jean on October 31st into this world. They are excited to have their new daughter as a part of their family. We’re happy for them and their family.
But, the work of parenting has just begun, right?
How foolish would it be to just be excited about the baby’s birth, but never feed their girl? Or ever change her diaper? What if you had a newborn and just figured the child grow on her own?
It wouldn’t happen, would it. Newborns need constant care & nurturing. After 6 months, they may be sitting up on their own, but still need tons of help.
Grow in a newborn is a lot on the parent and some on the child. As they grow & develop, they learned what they need, even learn foods they don’t like. Preschoolers can tell you when something hurts or bothers them. You can listen to their hurts and help them.
Our Father’s business is about growing up newborn babes in the Faith.
‘As newborn babes desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,’ -! Peter 2:2
Newborns need milk, but after time they will grow – they graduate to meat.
The meat of God’s word is what nurtures us.
Question:. Are you still drinking the basic spiritual milk? Or are you growing daily & need the Spiritual meat of the Christian life?
Paul was encouraging his friend Timothy and wrote this to him: ‘All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete. Thoroughly equipped for every good work.’ -2 Timothy 3:16-17
Ask: To be about our Father’s business, we must be helping other Christians to grow, in their faith.
Ask: Who are you helping grow in their faith? Who’s the last person you prayed with over their need? Who’s the last person you’ve invited over to your home for a meal?
How can you invest in other brothers/sisters in the Lord – to build up the Kingdom?
Close:
We all need to drop our own agenda. Drop your friends’ agenda or your groups’ agenda & get ‘on board’ with our Father’s business.
1) Be in the Father’s House – we’ll have Church.
2) Share with the lost – win souls for Christ.
3) Build up & train fellow believers in the Word and through a prayer time.
