A COVENANT WITH GOD
PART 4
THE CHURCH COVENANT
Date: July 7, 2002 A.M. Service
Place: Allendale Baptist Church
Text: Philippians 1: 27-30
Introduction
Someone asked me the other day if we were going to continue in our study of the church covenant or did I forget. No I did not forget and yes we will continue this morning and for the next few weeks to study our church covenant.
Let’s start by reviewing:
A covenant is an agreement between two parties. Both parties making a commitment and a promise.
God’s promise was to protect and bless the nation of Israel & be their God. Israel’s promise was to completely obey God.
We saw in the O.T., God made covenant agreements with His chosen people, the nation of Israel. We said at least 7 covenants in the O.T.
1. Edenic
2. Adamic
3. Noahic
4. Abrahamic
5. Mosaic
6. Palestinian
7. Davidic
Each of these covenants was broken. Not because of God’s unfaithfulness to the covenant, but because of the disobedience of the people of Israel.
We also looked at the New Covenant that can never be broken and is offered to all people & all nations.
Hebrews chapters 7-8 tell us of the “Better Covenant” which Jesus is the Mediator.
I have said over & over again, in a covenant there had to be a sacrifice. Jesus was that sacrifice. The perfect Lamb of God.
Hebrews 7:22; “By so much more Jesus has become a surety of a better covenant.”
We also said that we as a church have come into covenant with one another as a church. (SHOW FIRST PARAGRAPH OF CHURCH COVENANT) Being lead by the Spirit; Profession of Faith; Baptism; and the last week before we left for the convention, we looked at the 2nd paragraph (SHOW SECOND PARAGRAPH) and talked about how we as Christians and church members are to walk in love.
This morning I would like to pick up on the next line; “to strive for the advancement of this church, in knowledge, holiness and comfort;”
I. Strive for the Advancement of the Church.
A. The word strive means to labor fervently; labor meaning a suffering or pain.
1. For some of us getting up on Sunday morning coming to church is suffering and painful. Not to mention coming for the evening service, and Lord forbid we should come back in the middle of the week for the Wednesday evening bible study & prayer time
2. There is a story of the boy that asked his mother why there are flags in the church. The mother said to remember those who died in the service. The boy asked which service the morning or the evening service.
B. The word that best describes this word strive in our church covenant is the Greek word in our text this morning “sunathleo” which means to labor fervently together.
C. Each one of us are made with different personalities, different likes & dislikes. But also as Christians we also each have different spiritual gifts to be used for the sole purpose to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ and edify the Body of Christ.
D. The advancement of this church not only means to build the ministries of this local church but to be about building the kingdom of God.
1. Let me stop and ask this question, you have heard it from this pulpit before, “what are you doing for the cause of Christ?
But as a church what are we striving for in the advancement of this church
II. Knowledge.
A. In 2 Peter 3:18 the apostle closes his epistle with the challenge to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ.”
B. Knowledge of what you might ask. A knowledge of …
1. God
2. God’s Son
3. God’s Word
4. God’s will for my life
C. Some one has once said if you spend an hour a day each day for 7 years on one particular subject you would by the end of those seven years be an expert in that subject.
D. I have been a Christian for some 18 years now. I have read this book from cover to cover, several times. I don’t have it all memorized. But I cannot stand here and say I am an expert on God’s Word. But I can say His word has never lead me astray.
E. Show old bible. Someone told me not long after I was saved if I applied God’s Word to my life and read it daily, my Bible might fall apart but my life never would.
Next we are striving for…
III. Holiness
A. Holy means spiritually pure.
B. None of us will ever be perfect. But the desire of every Christian, every member of God’s family, and might I add, every member of Allendale Baptist church, should be to live a holy and blameless life before the would we live in.
C. Can I also add, one of the most horrible things to I see is those who claim the name of Christ but continually bring dishonor to His holy name.
D. 1 Thessalonians 4:7; “For God did not call us to uncleanness but to holiness.”
E. 1 Peter 1:15, “But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct.”
Not only are we striving for the advancement of this church in knowledge, holiness but also in…
IV. Comfort.
A. I do believe we should have nice facilities that make folks feel comfortable & welcome. We should do our very best in everything we do for God. We should make folks feel welcome & comfortable when they come to God’s house to worship.
B. But we must remember we are not building a country club for the Christian, this is a hospital for the hurting.
1. If a church is always focused on the caring only for those on the inside, in-reach I like to call it, caring only for our own.
C. The best definition I have found for the word comfort regarding the church covenant is to lend aid.
D. As a church we are to care for one another and to help those with burdens.
E. Galatians 6:2; “Bear on another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ.”
Close
So many come to this church Sunday after Sunday carrying the burdens of life. This church is here to lend aid to you today.
The greatest aid we can help you with today is with the burden you may have of not knowing where you will spend eternity.
You may be here today and need someone to pray for or with you.
Can I tell you this today; God is only a pray away.
