ACTS 20:28-32 “HELP YOUR CHURCH – DON’T HURT IT” – PART 2
A) This morning we talked about how that the church is under attack.
* The devil doesn’t want us here ... He doesn’t want us to survive ... He wants
nothing more than to stop us and destroy this place of worship.
B) Paul’s intentions in preaching these words of warning to the church at
Ephesus was to let them know that trouble can be avoided .......
* And that the church can dwell in unity and blessing if they’re willing to listen to
what he has to say to them.
* And Paul gave us some great truths that will help us as we strive to serve the Lord.
(1) PAUL SPOKE ABOUT “THE VALUE OF THE CHURCH” IN v.28
A) He Talked About “It’s Inception.”
* The church was purchased with the blood of Christ.
B) Then He Talked About “It’s Impact.”
* The church has been used of the Lord since it’s inception at Pentecost to change
individuals, families, and whole societies.
C) Then He Discussed “It’s Importance.” – Do you know what makes the
church so important?
* It is God’s arm in this world – It’s the only organism in existence that God
Himself has designed .......
* Called and blessed to be the vehicle through which He works in this world.
D) And so many people don’t think of the church as all that important.
* But if people treated their place of employment as they treated the church, they’d
be out of a job in no time flat.
* May I remind you that those few hours you spend at church are the most important
thing you’ll do for your soul all week long.
(2) I TALKED ABOUT “THE VIOLENCE AGAINST THE CHURCH” IN v.29-30
A) There are two main areas where attacks upon the church originate .......
* One: There Are Enemies Around Us – v.29 ... Paul speaks of wolves which will
come in and try to devour the flock.
* #1: Wolves are pack animals ... They rarely work alone, but feel safer, and can do
far more damage when operating in numbers.
B) #2: They Also Typically Operate In The Dark.
* They are terribly afraid of the light because it exposes their errors and reveals
what they really are.
C) That’s why the wolves in the church will kick against old-fashioned
Bible preaching .......
* They don’t like it and don’t want it because it reveals what they really are.
D) #3: They Attack The Young, The Weak, And The Sickly.
* They go after those who can’t easily defend themselves against their attacks.
* They go after those who are spiritually weak – Eph. 4:27 says for us to “give no
place to the devil.”
E) And The Fourth Thing About These Wolves Is, They Never Attack Face
To Face – They Always Attack From The Blind Side.
* When you let your guard down is when the enemies attack.
* So One: There Are Enemies Around Us – Now let’s pick up from this morning.
* The 2nd main area where attacks upon the church originate is .......
(2) THERE ARE ENEMIES AMONG US – v.30
A) Paul warned the Ephesians that there would arise people from within their
own number who would try to destroy the Lord’s church.
* Things haven’t changed – When satan finds that he cannot mount an attack from
the outside .......
* He will look for someone on the inside through which he can devastate and
destroy the church.
B) A pastor came home one day to the sound of arguing coming from
the bedroom.
* He quickly climbed the stairs and entered his little daughter’s room and found
her arguing with her friends.
C) “What’s going on in here?” he asked.
* His five-year-old daughter looked up at him and smiled as she said, “It’s OK
Daddy, we’re just playing church.”
* That scene would be truly funny if it weren’t true – Because, sadly, this is
common practice in many churches.
D) Many fail to realize that when the church allows itself to be divided over petty
issues that it loses face with the community and with the lost all around.
* But what do we do when little issues arise in the life of the church?
* How do we handle conflict when it rears it ugly head?
* Well, the Bible gives us some pretty clear answers to these concerns.
E) One: We Are To Do Everything In Love.
* 1 Cor. 13:1-3; Matt. 22:39 “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”
F) Two: We Are To Have A Forgiving Spirit.
* Matt. 18:21-35 “How oft shall I forgive?” .......
* Eph. 4:32 “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another,
even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.”
G) It doesn’t matter if your brother ever makes it right with you .......
* You are to forgive him and not give the devil place in your fellowship.
H) Three: We Are To Place The Needs Of Others Ahead Of Our Own Needs.
* Phil. 2:4 “Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the
things of others.”
* Rom. 12:10 “Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love;”
* Not like Diotrephes – 3 John 9-10, running people away from the church because
of his attitude – Read the Scripture .......
THERE ARE DIOTREPHES’ IN MANY CHURCHES TODAY
A) Whenever there is division and strife in the church, there is always a
Diotrephes in the midst.
* This is someone who is willing to sacrifice unity, blessing, and the power and
presence of God just to get his/her own way.
* Diotrephes is always placing his agenda ahead of the Lord’s.
B) The Bible is very plain when it tells us how we’re to deal with a brother
who has gone bad.
* Rom. 16:17 ....... 2 Thess. 3:6b ....... 2 Thess. 3:14-15 .......
* Admonish: To caution or reprove gently; warn.
C) We are to watch out for them, avoid them, but at the same time we’re to pray
for them that they’ll get right with God and be restored.
* That may seem harsh to some, but which is more important? – Somebody’s petty,
little agenda or the presence and power of God?
* Call me crazy, but I’d rather have Jesus and His marvelous presence than to see
any one person get their way and see the church forfeit the power of God.
D) May I remind everyone under the sound of my voice that our battle is
with the devil and not with each other?
* While the church is attacked from without and from within, we will survive the
outward attacks far more readily than we will the inward ones.
E) Jesus said in Matt. 12:25, that when the house is divided, it will not stand.
* 1 Cor. 1:10 “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that
ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.”
F) Divisions: The Greek word is “schisma” and means to cleave and carries with
it the idea of butchery.
* When there is division among the members of the Lord’s church, there is a butchery
of the Lamb of God taking place.
G) I challenge you to always be on guard for trouble at the house of God.
* v.28 is a call to be watchful – Both of self and of others.
* When trouble and division rears its ugly head in your midst, take whatever steps are
necessary, regardless of how extreme they are, to see that it is stopped in its tracks.
H) 1: The Value Of The Church – 2: The Violence Against The Church .......
(3) THE VICTORY OF THE CHURCH – v. 31-32
A) I thank the Lord that we can enjoy the victory tonight.
* Our church doesn’t have to become grim statistics.
* These verses teach us exactly where the victory lies.
* We will find our victory in 2 main areas:
ONE: IN DEPENDENCE UPON GOD
A) Remember His promise in Matt. 16:18?
* The church is His responsibility, not ours – If we’ll walk in love, practice
forgiveness, obey Him in all things and glorify Him in the church .......
* Then He’ll see to it that this church survives the battles and remains a blessing
in the world.
B) The primary thrust of this section is that Jesus Christ, and not us, must be
the centerpiece of everything done in the church.
* Col. 1:18 which basically says, “In all things, above all things and before all things,
Jesus Christ, His will, His glory and His Person must be first and foremost.”
C) It isn’t about the preacher or the deacons – It isn’t about who did this,
or who gave this, that or the other ... It’s all about Jesus.
* As long as He remains the apple of the church’s eye, then there will be victory.
* You see, church must become far more than “my need, my enjoyment, my
edification and my spiritual satisfaction.”
D) Jesus said in Matt. 18:20, that when 2 or 3 were gathered together in His
name, that He would be in the midst of them.
* So, let us recognize His presence and give Him the preeminence He demands
and deserves.
* True victory for the church will only be found in Jesus and in Him alone.
AND TWO: ANOTHER PLACE OF VICTORY IS:
IN A DEEPENING RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD
A) How does this come about?
* First: Through Prayer – Our prayer lives must be rich and regular.
* We need to bathe our churches and all their ministries in prayer.
B) I know our church has existed through the prevailing prayer of her
members touching God than from any other thing we could name.
* Oh, God has done it all, but He has moved in response to the cry of His children.
* James 5:16 “The effectual prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”
* God wants His people to be a people of prayer.
C) Second: In The Word Of God.
* The Bible is our source of strength in the day of battle.
* There are many who have been led into error and into sin and false doctrine
simply because they are not grounded in the Word of God.
D) They have failed to feed on this blessed Holy Book .......
* And as a result, they are weak and anemic, they are easily lead astray, and they
are prime targets for the attack of the devil.
E) There is a great need for believers to be grounded in the Word of God.
* Not the opinions of preachers, or the ideas of men, but the pure, unfiltered, unaltered
Word of the living God.
* That’s why Paul encourages us in 2 Tim. 2:15 to “Study to shew thyself approved
unto God, a workman that .......”
F) What is sad is the fact that anyone of us is only one step away from being
the spark the devil uses to blow the church apart.
* Anyone in this building who refuses to walk in humble submission before the Lord
is capable of being used by the enemy to destroy this fellowship.
G) Don’t let it be you – Search your heart and see if there is the beginning
of that spirit of divisiveness that can do so much harm.
* May I remind you that the closer you get to Jesus, the less likely it is that you will
be the center of trouble?
CLOSE:
A) Divisions happen all too often, and because of our ignorance, the name of
the Lord Jesus Christ is slandered among the lost world.
* Folk, the church is far too vital and important for us to allow anything to destroy
the Lord’s work right here at Cross Hill Community Church.
B) I challenge you to make your way to these altars, to renew your commitment
to the Lord and to His church .......
* To vow that before you’ll allow yourself to be used of the devil as an instrument
of destruction .......
* That you’ll make things right with God and with your fellow Christian.
C) I challenge the lost who are here or are listening by way of Facebook to
stop allowing everything in the world to stand between you and Jesus.
* Come to Jesus right now and be saved.
D) I challenge everyone here today to take whatever stand is necessary to
guarantee the continued victory of our great church.
* Maybe there’s a division between you and another brother or sister, and you
want to make that right today.
* Why not go to them right now and get it settled?
E) Do you want revival?
* If so, then there will be a price to pay – Will you pay it? – Will you do what the
Lord is moving on your heart to do right now?
* You know how – Now, will you take the necessary steps to help your church?
