THESE THREE…
I Corinthians 13:13
S: Church
C: Characteristics of an effective church
Pr: WE SHOULD BE A CHURCH WITH A MISSION.
?: How?
KW: Essentials
TS: We will find in our study of Scripture three essentials that we must have as a church with a mission.
Type: Propositional
The ____ essential is we are…
I. LIVING BY FAITH
II. KNOWN BY LOVE
III. A VOICE OF HOPE
PA: How is the change to be observed?
Version: ESV
RMBC 22 June 05 AM
INTRODUCTION:
ILL: Priority: She was my wife
Three avid golfers were playing at the Buffalo Country Club one beautiful June day. The game seemed to go along smoothly, the friends enjoying one another’s company. As they neared the 18th hole which is on Youngs Road, a funeral procession began to pass by.
One of the men stopped in his tracks, removed his cap, and placed it over his heart. His two friends were quite impressed! "Wow, I never knew you were such a respectful guy," said the first.
"Yea, it makes me feel kind of like a bum that I didn’t remove my hat," said the second.
To which the man who had made the courteous gesture said, "It’s the least I could do. She was my wife, you know!"
What are your priorities in life?
They do have a way of showing themselves, don’t they?
Our study today is not about our individual priorities.
It is about our priorities as a church.
When it comes to the church, how do we show our priorities?
What would the people that watch us say is important to us?
Is it what we would want them to say, or is it much different?
TRANSITION:
Before we go on, let me share a few thoughts about our studies during the first two weeks of June.
First, I believe that…
1. The church is designed to be unstoppable.
It is built into the church to be successful.
Now I am not thinking success according to the world’s standards.
I am thinking according to the terms of God’s design.
For the church is, in truth, an organism that is designed to reproduce.
As Christians, and as a church, if we are not reproducing ourselves, we are not functioning as God designed us.
Fruitfulness is the order of the day.
We are designed to be powerfully fruitful, passing on the truth of the Word to the next generation.
In so doing…
2. We are to be visionary.
When I think of vision, I do not believe any old vision will do.
For the use of this word vision in the biblical context means to see things the way God does.
We are to long for and look for God’s mind and direction for us as a church.
To have this, we must be vitally connected to the Lord.
It does not come any other way.
When our hearts are connected to the Lord’s heart, we know that the minimum effort is not good enough.
Out of a desire to glorify God, we will only settle for the maximum.
In other words…
3. We are to move toward the ideal.
We are to move toward perfection.
We are to move toward Christlikeness.
Two weeks ago, I shared with you my dreams about Randall.
I shared with you my heart about what kind of church God is calling us to be.
I shared with you principles from the Word.
And I shared with you areas that God has burdened me with, some of which have been churning for seven years.
I believe with my whole heart we need to refocus as a church family.
And while we laugh about change, we are all frightened by it, because it is alright if somebody else changes, as long as I can stay the way I am.
If we all do that as a church, our objective will become safety and comfort.
Does that sound to you like that is what a church is supposed to do?
This is why I believe…
4. WE SHOULD BE A CHURCH WITH A MISSION.
Many of you know that I am a big believer in the concept of Network.
I have really appreciated the time and effort ... have put into this to get it off the ground, and to keep it rolling and a part of the Randall landscape.
I believe knowing our spiritual gifts, accompanied by our personality and passion guides us to the right fit in the church.
There is, though, something even more fundamental to us than our spiritual gifts.
They are like the primary colors of Christianity.
They are our red, blue and yellow.
So…
5. We will find in our study of Scripture three essentials that we must have as a church with a mission (I Corinthians 13:13).
So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three…
OUR STUDY:
ILL Faith: "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade"
In the film, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Harrison Ford plays Indiana Jones, a daring archeologist who travels the world in search of treasures. In this film, Indiana and his father are searching for the Holy Grail, the cup reputed to have been used by Christ at the Last Supper.
Indiana’s father is shot just at the end of their quest. With his father dying, Indiana’s search for the Grail takes on new intensity, because the cup is said to bring healing to those who drink from it.
With his father groaning in the background, Indiana walks ahead, following an ancient book that gives clues to guide him through a maze of obstacles to the place where the Grail is hidden. He comes to the brink of a chasm deeper than the eye can see. There is no visible way for him to cross the chasm.
Indiana is faced with the impossible. All he sees is the sheer cliff edge and the vast gulf beneath him. Then, as he studies his guidebook, his face relaxes in realization, and he says, "It’s a leap of faith."
With his father whispering, "You must believe, boy, you must believe," Indiana looks straight ahead, gathers his courage, and slowly raises one foot into the empty air in front of him.
With a thud, his foot lands on solid ground. The camera pans back to show Indiana standing on a narrow rock bridge, deceptively carved to match the exact outline of the ravine beneath it.
Overcome with relief, he quickly crosses the chasm and discovers the Grail on the other side.
This is an example of…
I. The first essential is we are to be LIVING BY FAITH.
In Hebrews 11:1, it says…
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
Understand this…
1. Faith sees spiritual reality when others do not.
To see spiritual reality, we must be in tune with God.
We must be able to believe what He has said and act on it.
In Scripture, the man that is the truest example of faith is Abraham.
Abraham truly believed God could do what He said He would.
He came to a point in his life that when God asked him to do the most barbaric act, sacrificing his own son.
He took his son to the mountain to do the unheard of.
He did it because he knew Isaac was the fulfillment of God’s promise to him.
Abraham was going to become a great nation through Isaac.
He believed the promise so much that if Isaac as to die, God would raise him up from the dead.
Now that is faith!
You see…
2. Faith is the courage to obey.
David believed in God when he faced Goliath.
For David to go against Goliath was insane.
For a ruddy youth to face the Philistine’s greatest warrior was mad.
And perhaps what was even more outrageous is Saul letting him go face the battle-hardened giant.
But David had faith.
David had conviction.
David had the courage to obey.
David had a confidence in God’s presence.
And he acted on that confidence.
The famous missionary to India, William Carey is known for this particular challenge:
“Expect great things from God, attempt great things for God.”
If you ever questioning what great things you should be doing for God, may I suggest that the will of God is not so far away.
It starts in the book.
We already know a host of things we are to do – pray, serve, make disciples.
As we act on what we know, more and more we have a sense of God’s leading.
He starts filling in those gaps.
But to get there, it takes faith that has the courage to obey His word.
For…
3. Faith understands God is more interested in His purpose than our convenience.
I know that I am repeating myself (and forgive me if I am being annoying), but please realize that safety is not our goal.
Comfort is not our goal.
Prosperity is not our goal.
Our goal is to be filled with God’s purpose.
Living by faith…is that an essential to you?
I believe it is one of our primary colors.
It is what makes us remarkably different than the world.
II. The second essential is we are KNOWN BY LOVE.
A most wonderful aspect of God’s love is what happens to us as believers.
You see…
1. God’s love makes us whole.
He does things to us and for us that we could never do on our own.
He unites us.
He makes us one in heart and mind.
He takes the broken bones and fragments of our lives and makes us into new creations.
And then He tells us to be different (John 13:34-35):
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
We can do this.
We can love one another.
And when we do, it can be seen.
For…
2. When God’s people love, they serve.
ILL Service: Flight Attendant Serves for Christ’s Sake
Author and educator, Howard Hendricks, sat in a plane that was delayed for take off. After a long wait, the passengers became more and more irritated. Hendricks noticed how gracious one of the flight attendants was as she spoke with them. After the plane finally took off, he told the flight attendant how amazed he was at her poise and self-control, and said he wanted to write a letter of commendation for her to the airline. The stewardess replied that she didn’t work for the airline company, but for Jesus Christ. She said that just before going to work she and her husband prayed together that she would be a good representative of Christ.
When we love like this…
When it is on our heart to serve…
It brings change to a person’s soul.
It speaks to the heart.
ILL Personal
At the graduation yesterday, the high school principal, ... asked us to think about our favorite memory about school. Mine went back to that teacher I told you about a few weeks ago, that teacher I did not want to have, Mrs. Johnston. She is my favorite memory. Do you know why? She cared about me, and I felt it. And here it is, thirty-odd years later, and I still remember.
This is why the apostle Paul tells us if we don’t have love, we have nothing.
Being known by love…is that an essential to you?
I believe it is one of our primary colors.
It is what makes us remarkably different than the world.
III. The third essential is we are A VOICE OF HOPE.
You know…
Faith is the key that opens up God’s promises.
And it is hope that is the tool by which we hold on to them.
Let’s face this truth…
1. We live in a world of desperation.
Please note this…
A Christless world is a hopeless world.
There are so many out there that are facing the day to day routine without hope.
Step by step, day after day, their lack of hope is turning into despair.
ILL Courage: Return of the King
If you have seen the last of the Lord of the Rings film, you may understand that the best way to defeat an army is to take away their hope.
When the final battle for Gondor is taking place, there is wave after wave of enemy coming against their walls. And as this happens, the city begins to lose hope.
In the same way, this is what is happening in the world today.
People are trying to make their way through, trying to find that secret ingredient that will make their lives content.
So they strive for more money, more possessions, more fame…but they are still desperate for an answer.
Yes, a Christless world is a hopeless world.
But a Christ-filled world is a hope-filled world.
You see…
2. We have a message of grace.
We have a message of repentance and change, but that is not the whole story.
Don’t forget grace!
God offers us forgiveness and healing, and gives it to us when we humbly ask for it.
This is the good news that we have, and we are to share.
So, we become God’s voice of hope in the land of desperation.
Even when it does not seem to be working like it should.
For…
3. We are not overwhelmed by failure.
As Christians, we are never stuck when things are not working like we think they should.
Why?
Because we have hope.
We have confidence.
Our future is secure (Jeremiah 29:11):
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
ILL Faith: Hostage Missionaries in God’s Care
John and Kay Tallman had prayed daily for hostage missionaries Martin and Gracia Burnham during the Burnham’s captivity in the Philippines. As missionary colleagues, they interceded for the Burnham’s safety and release. When word of Martin’s death arrived at New Tribes headquarters in Sanford, Florida, the Tallmans were stunned. They had asked the Lord to cover them with his strong and mighty hand. Yet, as details emerged about the ambush in which Gracia was wounded and yet freed, it was obvious that God answered their prayer.
In a prayer letter to her supporters, Kay described the final hours of the Burnham’s captivity:
Martin and Gracia and the guerrillas had been on the run for about 7 days with little or no food. Both felt this was the end. Neither would get out alive. They had been running in terrible weather, tropical torrential downpours, slipping and sliding and falling. Martin strung a hammock for himself and Gracia on the top of a little knoll. Then they prayed together-the last thing they did together. You know what they prayed through this whole ordeal? "God, thank you for the privilege of serving you. Please help us to serve you with gladness."
Then the bullets hit. Gracia was hit first and rolled down the hill away from the fighting. Then Martin was hit and rolled down right beside her. By God’s own hand he laid Martin down; right by his precious bride of 19 years. They were together until he drew his last breath.
As I poured out my heart to the Father I said, "God, this isn’t how I would have written the last chapter."
And his very gentle reply was, "Kay, this isn’t the last chapter."
As I shared this with an older friend from church, she added, "And it’s not your book!"
We are given the power to move forward, even when things are not okay.
This is the amazing thing about the Christian faith.
For when the seasons of change suggest a promise won’t come true, we hold on anyway.
Because hope tells us we have a reason for being.
We have a future.
And thus, we become less concerned about what the world has to offer, and more about the things that are coming.
Being a voice of hope…is that an essential to you?
I believe it is one of our primary colors.
It is what makes us remarkably different than the world.
APPLICATION:
1. Faith, love and hope are essentials.
We cannot afford to lack in any of these.
Paul saw them very much at work in the church in Thessalonica, when he writes (I Thessalonians 1:2-3):
We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
Might I share with you that I would be absolutely delighted if we were known for these three…faith, love and hope.
Wouldn’t it be great if the people at Randall were known for their faith?
Wouldn’t it be great if the people at Randall were known for their loving service?
Wouldn’t it be great if the people at Randall were known for being a voice of hope in the midst of trouble?
It is, I believe, absolutely worthwhile to pursue.
For…
2. When we live by faith, we prove that God can be trusted.
3. When we are known by love, we demonstrate God’s sacrificial love for the world.
And…
4. When we are a voice of hope, we show there is purpose in life, now and forever.
These are essentials.
These are the essentials that will help us fulfill our mission.
These are the essentials that will help us fulfill our mission to make disciples – committed followers of our dear Lord Jesus.
BENEDICTION: [Counselors are ]
Might we live by faith…being a people that truly believe in the promises of God, that have the courage to follow through, showing that God is worthy of our trust.
Might we be known by our love…being a people that would do the unusual, that would truly love one another, serving one another and a world that needs us.
Might we be a voice of hope…showing that no matter what our circumstances, we have a future that is absolutely certain, we do not need to fear for we are secure in the love of our God and Savior.
Now…May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.
RESOURCES:
The Unstoppable Force, Erwin McManus
Sermoncentral
Faith, Hope and Love, Mark Holdcroft
Faith, Hope and Love Are Synergistic, Paul Fritz
Faith, Hope and Love, Timothy Edwards
