A COVENANT WITH GOD
PART 2
“THE CHURCH COVENANT”
Date: May 26, 2002 A.M. Service
Place: Allendale Baptist
Text: Ephesians 5:14-21
Introduction
This message does not fit with the Memorial Day celebration that is coming up tomorrow and honoring those men & women who have served our country in the Armed Forces. We will do so on our June 30 “Celebrate America” Sunday.
This morning I would like to continue our study on the church covenant.
Review
I said last week there is a definition of covenant. It is a binding agreement between two parties with a promise on behalf of both parties. I said one of the main differences between a covenant & a contract is a covenant usually does not have an ending date.
All through out the Old Testament God has made covenant agreements with His chosen people; Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, & David. God demand to this people was for them to obey Him & keep His command. His promise to them was I will bless you & I will be your God.
I made mention God does not break His covenant, man has always disobeyed God and broke the covenant agreement bringing punishment upon the nation of Israel.
Lastly I mention the difference between the old covenant & the new covenant. The old covenant could never be fulfilled because of man’s disobedience. The new covenant will never be broken because of the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ. I said in a covenant there is always a sacrifice, Jesus is the ultimate sacrifice. Hebrew 7: 22 tells us Jesus is the surety or the guarantee of this better covenant.
*I would ask you to read Hebrews chapters 7 & 8 where this new or better covenant is greatly explained
I showed the Church Covenant last week and would like to begin to look at it today. But as we do so my prayer & I believe God’s challenge to us as members of Allendale Baptist church is to be reminded of our calling to the commitment we have made to God & to walk worthy of the calling He has called us to.
This church covenant deals with several aspects of our Christian life
1. Personal relationship with God through the Lord Jesus Christ
2. Personal relationship with our church
3. Personal relationship with our family & others.
4. Personal witness for Christ
This morning let’s look at the first paragraph of our church covenant
I. Personal relationship with the Savior.
A. “Having been lead by the Spirit of God to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.”
B. This is the first prerequisite of church membership.
C. This is the primary work of the Holy Spirit of God.
D. We cannot lead someone to a relationship with Jesus, we may have a part in it, the Holy Spirit does the leading.
E. The same applies to church membership. Why are you here at Allendale Baptist church. I pray because you are lead by the Holy Spirit.
F. Every day people ask me this question when they call about our church: “what do you have to offer me and my family?” I’ll answer any other question
1. What do you believe about the bible?
2. Ask me a question about the bible
3. Ask me what God has called our church to do
4. Ask me if I believe in evangelism & soul winning
G. When people ask me what does your church have to offer me I reply Bible teaching & preaching; fellowship with God fearing believers.
H. I pray you have been lead to worship God here at Allendale Baptist church and to serve Him in this body of believers by the Holy Spirit of God.
II. Profession of Faith
A. “On our profession of our faith”
B. We always offer at the end of all our services an invitation. An invitation to respond to the message.
1. To receive Jesus Christ as Lord & Savior.
2. To join this church by letter from another church of like faith.
3. By rededication of your life to Christ
C. Some churches offer an invitation after the close of services so no one will be embarrassed.
D. When you come to accept Christ & you come down this center aisle you are saying I have made a decision to place my faith & trust in the Lord Jesus.
*** I’m going to say this and I do so with boldness and with love.
Some have made decisions for the Lord in a private setting or at camp but you need to do so in the church.
*** If you can’t profess Him in church before Christians, you won’t profess Him before the world
III. Baptism.
A. “Having been baptized in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”
B. This is the 2nd prerequisite for church membership.
C. It is not a prerequisite for salvation.
D. Why must we be baptized?
1. we are identifying with the death, burial & resurrection of Jesus. When Jesus was baptized He was identifying with us as sinners even though He had never sinned.
2. Baptism is an earthly expression of a spiritual reality.
E. The original Greek word is baptisma means to dip or immerse. Example when I eat Oreo cookies I do not sprinkle them I baptize them, I totally immerse them in milk.
F. Baptism is an act of obedience following salvation/ or a profession of faith.
G. It has to be in that order: salvation then baptism.
H. Someone ask “why are we to be baptized in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit?”
1. Because that is what we believe.
2. There is one living & true God: He is an intelligent, spiritual & personal Being, the Creator, Redeemer, Preserver & Ruler of the universe.
3. He has revealed Himself to us as …
a. God the Father,
b. God the Son- Jesus,
c. God the Holy Spirit
1 Jn. 5:7, “There are 3 that bear witness in heaven; the Father, the Son & the Holy Spirit.
IV. One Body in Christ.
A. “And we do now in the presence of God & this assembly most solemnly & joyfully enter into covenant with one another as on body in Christ”
B. Read Romans 12:4-5
C. Just as the natural body has many different distinct parts the body of Christ, the church is made up of a unified diversity.
D. As members of Allendale Baptist church we gather in this place with different personalities, and different gifts from the Holy Spirit to glorify God through the Lord Jesus Christ….
Together…
Tonight we will celebrate the Lord’s Supper together… We will do it in a different way… our main focus of the evening is a recommitment of ourselves, and our families to the ministry God has called us to at this place of worship..
Invitation
