Title: The Perfect Church
Text: Multi-texted topical
Introduction: Continuing our lessons series Making the Most of Our Relationships
‒ The body of Christ, as the scripture calls us, is about people, and where there are people there are relationships.
‒ We’ve talked about two very important ones. “The Necessity of Godly Leadership” & “Godly Followship.”
‒ Today we will talk about the possibilities of “The Perfect Church.”
Remember the old child’s “hand church?”
‒ “Here is the church and here is the steeple, open it up and there’s all the people.”
‒ Really that is a flawed perception.
‒ “Open it up and there’s all the church.”
‒ I found the perfect church in Atlanta Georgia. (Tell Scott to show the slide)
‒ There it is. “The perfect church.”
‒ It has to be the perfect church because it says it is.
‒ I would like to know what they do and teach and the meaning behind the sign.
‒ I know if I joined that church, I would mess it all up.
1. Does the “perfect church” exist?
‒ Jesus said , (Matthew 16:18 NCV) “So I tell you, you are Peter. On this rock I will build my church, and the power of death will not be able to defeat it.”
1. Jesus built the church.
2. He does not make junk.
3. The concept of the church and it’s creator is perfect.
4. In a perfect world, the church would be and will be perfect.
‒ Some have said, “If we could only go back and be like the days of the church we read about in the first century, we would have the perfect church.
1. They say this because they assume that the 1st century church had no problems.
1. Yet we read, “And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews....”(Acts 6:1).
2. The more people the more the problems.
3. That’s just one example of many times where people are people.
2. Misconceptions of the perfect church.
‒ Finding the church that fits my needs.
‒ Finding the church that answers all of life’s problems.
‒ Truth is that the perfect church is imperfect because of imperfect people.
3. Maybe the question of having a “perfect church” is the wrong question. Maybe a better question is: What would be the ideal church? WHAT WOULD BE YOUR IDEAL CHURCH?
‒ A church where everyone stands on God’s word as the only source of truth.
1. Jesus put high stock in His word.
1. Jesus said, (Mark 13:31 NIV) “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”
2. In his prayer for the disciples, Jesus prayed, (John 17:17 NCV) "Make them ready for your service through your truth; your teaching is truth."
3. He said that His words would be the judge in the last day. (John 12:48 NCV) "There is a judge for those who refuse to believe in me and do not accept my words. The word I have taught will be their judge on the last day."
2. The word of God was so important to the apostles that at the very outset of the church the apostles chose deacons to help serve the widows so that they could "...continue to pray and to teach the word of God.""(Acts 6:4 NCV)
1. Seven more times in the book of Acts “the word” of God is mentioned as being that which was taught to the people.
3. Paul also said of the word that there was no need to go up into heaven and bring down Christ because we have the "The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart." That is the teaching of faith that we are telling."(Romans 10:8 NCV)
‒ A church where love is at the center of its work.
1. Jesus said, “By this shall all men know that you are my followers, that you have love for each other.” He also said that the law and commandments all hung on two facts. (Mark 12:30-31 NCV) "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ {31} The second command is this: ’Love your neighbor as you love yourself.’ There are no commands more important than these.""
1. Love is the true mark of real Christianity.
1. Helen Keller said, "It is wonderful how much time good people spend fighting the devil. But, if they would only expend the same amount of energy loving their fellow man, the devil would die in his own tracks of boredom.”
2. We love each other in spite of our flaws.
3. We love each other in spite of our differences and strive to help one another through them.
4. We love each other because when it gets right down to it, we all must rest only on the precious grace of God for our salvation.
‒ A church where Jesus is the only means of salvation.
1. This is where true perfection happens.
1. (Hebrews 10:10-17 NCV) “And because of this, we are made holy through the sacrifice Christ made in his body once and for all time. {11} Every day the priests stand and do their religious service, often offering the same sacrifices. Those sacrifices can never take away sins. {12} But after Christ offered one sacrifice for sins, forever, he sat down at the right side of God. {13} And now Christ waits there for his enemies to be put under his power. {14} With one sacrifice he made perfect forever those who are being made holy. {15} The Holy Spirit also tells us about this. First he says: {16} "This is the agreement I will make with them at that time, says the Lord. I will put my teachings in their hearts and write them on their minds." {17} Then he says: "Their sins and the evil things they do-- I will not remember anymore."
2. Praise be to God for the sacrifice of Jesus who makes possible salvation to us all.
1. (2 Corinthians 5:21 NCV) “Christ had no sin, but God made him become sin so that in Christ we could become right with God.”
2. When we are buried with Jesus in baptism we contact His blood, the Holy Spirit, and the saving grace of the Father! We also become a part of His church family.
Oh God, thank You for Your church family and the wisdom you had in making us a prat of it through Jesus
Conclusion:
The Perfect Church
I think that I shall never see
A church that’s all it ought to be;
A church that has no empty pews,
Whose preacher never has the blues;
A church whose deacons always “deke”
And none is proud but all are meek;
Where gossips never peddle lies
Or make complaints or criticize;
Where all are always sweet and kind
And all to other’s faults are blind.
Such perfect churches there may be,
But none of them are known to me.
But still we’ll work, and pray and plan
To make our church the best we can! If you could find the perfect church,
Without one fault or smear,
For goodness sake, don’t join that church
You’d spoil the atmosphere.
If you should find the perfect church,
Then don’t you ever dare
To tread upon such holy ground,
You’d be a misfit there
But since no perfect church exists, made of imperfect men,
Then let’s cease looking for that church and love the one we’re in
Of course it’s not a perfect church, that’s simple to discern
But you and I and all of us could cause the tide to turn.
--Anonymous
If you are visiting and looking for a place to worship God, I am here to tell you that you have not found the “perfect church.”
‒ You have found a church that struggles.
‒ One that is seeking.
‒ One that will mess up
‒ But one that has wonderful Christian people who will accept you warts and all so that you can use the gifts God has given you to help us with our warts.
1. It would be wrong in my mind for us to leave one another in the place where we are and not help each other grow.
2. Lets grow in love for the truths of God’s word, in love for each other, and in faith in Jesus Christ as Savior!
