Preached at Cornerstone Church in Cascade, IA on January 11, 2014
Open you Bibles to Philippians 1:3-11. Last week we began our journey through the book of Philippians, and we focused our attention on how the Church in Philippi began. In doing so we examined Acts 16 where we saw Paul, Timothy, Silas, and Luke setting sail and landing on the continent of Europe with the express purpose of sharing the Gospel to anyone they could find. This path of obedience led them to a Jewish business woman named Lydia. Upon God opening her heart, Lydia was the first convert in the continent of Europe. And from that point the Church in Philippi began. Today we are going to continue to examine this relationship. So let us read out text, pray and see what God has to say to our hearts this morning.
This intimate relationship that he has with these people is not a superficial one. It has roots, it has strength, it is authentic and it produces in Paul joy. Verse 3 and 4, “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy,” Every time he brings to mind, when he remembers these people he experiences joy in his life. No matter where he is, what he is doing, how hard his circumstances are, when he closes his eyes and remembers the people in Philippi his heart rejoices. Let me ask you, do you have someone in your life like this? Is there someone that no matter how bad of a day you are having, you can close your eyes and picture them in your mind and instantly joy washes over you? For many of you, you might say yes, but I am guessing the ones that bring you joy are your children, maybe your spouse. But what about your Church? Take a moment and look around at the people in this room. Do you yearn to be with them? Do you have an affection of Christ for them. Do you rejoice when you walk in these doors and see their smiling faces? I don't know about you, but I have been to some Churches that have broken my heart. You walk in, and everyone is mindlessly going through the motions, like robots. No one is conversing, no one is smiling, no one looks like they want to be their. They look like slaves tied the the pews; burdened by the requirement of attending Church. It is a sad, sad picture. For Church is not suppose to be that way. Church is to be alive, vibrant, flourishing, hopefully, exciting, and abounding in love, both towards God and towards each other. The assembly of God's people in worship should be like a shining city on a hill, whereby outsiders will be either repelled by it like cockroaches or drawn to it like moths to a flame. And the love of God and the love of others should be the fuel to that fire, as I hope we will see today. So with that, let us look at why did Paul love these people so zealously. Partnership in the Gospel
Which brings me to the question, how many of us have unsaved people in our household? I am guessing every single one of you. Perhaps they are not living in your house, but I am sure that everyone has aunts, uncles, cousins, and in-laws that do not love Christ; relatives that are destined to Hell if God does not open up their heart. What are you doing to save them? Are you praying every day for their salvation? Are you praying that God would open up their heart to receive the gospel? Have you proclaimed the gospel to them? Have you shared your testimony with them? Have you sat down and opened up the Bible and talked about who Jesus is and why they should care? I will be the first to admit that I have failed miserably. In fact, my lack of boldness and courage makes me sick! My lack of love for their souls makes me sick! When God saved you, he did not mean for you to be a hoarder of His grace. You are meant to be a conduit of his grace. He saved you to be about his work. You are the God ordained means to a God ordained salvation.
What is the next thing we see after everyone in her house was saved? She persuades Paul, Silas, Timothy and Luke to make her home their gospel headquarters. She didn't just ask them to come by for an hour to hang out, she asked them to stay. This was going to be the new home base. This was going to be the brick and mortar for the Church, and she did this without hesitation. Think about this. Lydia appears to be a single, jewish, business women and within a short time meets four random men down by the river and insists that they stay at her house. Who are these guys? Can you trust them? What baggage do they bring to the table? Are they wanted? What will people think? Is her house clean? Does she have enough food? What about her business? What about the mouths she has to feed? None of that seems to cross her mind. Once God opened up her heart and made Jesus preeminent in her life, everything else was trivial. She instantly leveraged what she had to offer for the sake of the expansion of the Kingdom, no matter what the cost. This radical love of Lydia, however, was not isolated. If you continue reading in Acts 16 we see a second story of conversion. Look at Acts 16:25-34. Paul and Silas found themselves in some hot water and ended up being beaten and thrown in jail.
After the jailer placed his faith in Christ what happened? He took them home, washed their wounds, feed them and introduced him to his household which, once again, led to his family being saved. Just like Lydia, we see instant partnership in the Gospel, right out of the gates. And once again, let's not forget that the jailer did this at a great risk. What do you think his Roman boss was going to think about this jailer taking the prisoners home and giving them a bath, feeding them, and having a big joy filled party? Don't forget that this was the same guy who almost killed himself because he thought he had let the prisoners escape, talk about pressure at work. That guy that almost committed suicide because he was having a bad day didn't exist anymore, he was now a new creation in Christ. God had taken out his heart of stone and replaced it with a heart of flesh. A heart that instantly loved God and loved his new brothers in Christ. He no longer cared about what people thought, or what consequences he would be facing tomorrow at work, his primary focus was on the good news of Jesus Christ. Partakers of Grace So let us ask why. Why do we see such a radical step of faith in the partnering of the Gospel in the lives of the jailer and Lydia? Flip back to Philippians 1 and look at verse 7.
And in light of the love of God that he lavishes upon us, there is only one logical, consistent, fitting, or worthy response, and that is for the love of God to break forth like a river busting through a dam and washing everyone down stream. Who cares about your job, who cares about your business, who cares about what the neighbors are saying, who cares about what your family might think. You want everyone to experience Christ. And this is exactly what happened for Lydia and the Jail. The question is, has it happened to you, or are you just going through the motions? Paul's Prayer and My Prayer I do not want Cornerstone Church to go through the motions. I can't do it. I can't survive as your Pastor emotionally if we just play Church. Your partnership with me in the Gospel is a means of grace that flows straight to my heart, and produces in me joy. My prayer today, is Paul's prayer.
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Preached at Cornerstone Church in Cascade, IA on August 24, 2014
Today we are stepping away from our journey through the Sermon on the Mount to talk about something that I believe is fundamental to your sanctification, to your becoming like Jesus in your life, and that is baptism. Next Sunday, immediately following Church, all of you are invited and encouraged to re-congregate at Central Park to celebrate the work of Jesus Christ through at least two of our members. My hope for today is that this sermon will spur more of you to consider your need to be baptized, not as a baby, but as a born again Christian. Now with this said, there is not enough time for me to speak exhaustively about all the theology as it relates to baptism in one sermon. Therefore, I ask for your grace if he do not hear me saying something that you wish would be said. The hardest part of preaching is not coming up with 40 minutes of material; it is limiting it to only 40 minutes, which as you know I fail to do from time to time. Our text for today is Romans 6:1-14. As always, let us read our text and pray that God’s Word would shine on our hearts are reveal to us His truth.
Having said this, if baptism is not necessary for justification before God, why did Jesus himself implement it, and not only implement it, but command it? If you recall, baptism is a part of the great commission, which are the last marching orders of Jesus.
What is Baptism? To keep it simple, baptism is a symbol. What is a symbol? It is something that represents or stands for something else. A symbol is not the real thing, but it reminds you of the real thing. When you think about it, the Bible is full of symbols. The rainbow is a symbol of the covenant between God and man regarding not flooding the earth. Circumcision is a symbol of God’s covenant with ethnic Israel. The ark of the covenant was the symbol of God’s covenant presence with ethnic Israel. Communion is the symbol of the new covenant of the blood and body of Jesus. Our God frequently speaks to us by using symbols, and this is how I want you to think about baptism. I want you to think about it as God speaking. It is his ceremony, and he wants his ceremony to tell you and tell the world something. This is why I have titled my message today Baptism, the Visible Word. For those who are taking our systematic theology class on Sunday mornings you will recognize that I borrowed that word from Dr. John Frame. But this is how I want us at Cornerstone to understand baptism, it is God's visible Word to the World and to us. So with that said, what is God saying through baptism? What does this visible word proclaim? Simply put, it proclaims the inward reality of a believer’s union with Jesus Christ, and this union begins with your death. Baptized into Death Look at Romans 6:3-14 and see the times that death is mentioned.
What is the old self? Look again at verse 6. The best description of the old self is a slave to sin. Before my union with Christ, the best and most comprehensive way to describe who I was, was to say that Phil Parsons was a slave to sin. Sin had complete and utter authority in my life. I was chained to it. Nothing I did, glorified God. Listen to Ephesians 2:1-2 which is a great description of the old self.
Raised to Life The second part that God is proclaiming through Baptism is the newness of life.
And all of this happens at the moment of conversion. At that moment that you hear the true Gospel of Jesus Christ and you place your entire life in the hands of the son of God there is a cataclysmic change in your life. One minute you are dead, and the next minute you are alive. The old self is gone and a new life has begun, and this is what baptism is a symbol of. This is what baptism is pointing to. Baptism is an outward symbol of an inward reality of a born again, believer of Jesus Christ. However, the questions remains, why did Jesus implement a ceremony that points to this internal reality. Why does he command that each and everyone who becomes a disciple to find water, be dunked under and be lifted out? As I said earlier, baptism is a symbol of our justification but is for the purpose of sanctification. Sanctification
Having said that these people were not perfect. They were redeemed yes, but they still struggled with their flesh, there sin. These people were justified before the Lord, but they were not perfect. They struggled with living a holy life to the Lord. God had begun a good work in them, but He had not completed it. This struggle with sin is true for every Christians who has accepted Christ. We are eternally saved, but we are not instantly perfect. Listen to what Jesus prays for the night of his arrest I regards to his disciples.
It is the visible Word of baptism that Paul is telling those is Rome to remember as they struggle with their sin. He wants them to look back and remember who they are. He wants them to remember that they are no longer of the World. They are no longer slaves to sin. Paul wants them to consider themselves dead. They must instead live their life as if sin has no dominion over us. They must walk in newness of life and present ourselves to the Lord, not to Satan. And this is why Jesus commands that all disciples to immediately participate in this act of baptism, not because Jesus is all about rituals, but because he is all about sanctification. For some reason, we in our weakness tend to forget who we are in Jesus. We, at times, struggle to act in a way that matches our identity in Christ. Baptism helps us to remember. When we accept Jesus into our hearts it happens on the inside. Baptism brings that internal reality to the outside so that you can look back and understand that the old self is dead, so leave him dead. And this is why all believers should participate in a believers baptism, not just an infant baptism. You are undermining the gift of God's visible word. Infant baptism carries no message for you. It is not a symbol of your conversion, it is a symbol of your parents religion. If you have given your life to Christ, allow that visible Word of God to be proclaimed so that when Satan comes knocking on your door you can look back and remember who you are in Christ. Preached at Cornerstone Church in Cascade, IA on May 25, 2014
For several weeks now I have been promoting our upcoming four week church membership class that will begin next Sunday evening at 6:00 p.m. Because of this upcoming class, I have decided to take another break from preaching on the Sermon on the Mount to talk about the Biblical foundation of Church Membership. At this point, I would guess that there are some of you who are inwardly groaning and you are thinking to yourself, why didn’t we skip today, and this is exactly why a sermon on Church Membership is necessary. As I was pondering this topic, I decided that there are at least three groups of people in our Church when it comes to membership. The first group of people are the ones who do not like the idea of membership. It rubs you the wrong way. In fact, today you may leave and discuss whether Cornerstone is the place for you. For you prefer the loose connection, autonomy, independence. You would rather be a lifelong attender, but never a member. Perhaps you see membership as old school, that we have moved beyond membership, and to something better in this day and age. Or perhaps you believe that Christ is worth following, but you could take of leave the Church. The second group of people are those who believe that Church membership should be automatic, that anyone and everyone should be on the roles. Or that if your parents were members, then you are a member. That membership is free for everyone, almost like a rotary. If you pay your dues, you should be welcomed. The third group of people are the ones who don’t care. If I were to guess, this would include the majority of you. These are people who haven't really thought about Church membership. It is something that you could take or leave it. Church membership is not something you have thought much about. You are not for it or against it. You have a “whatever” mentality. Maybe you will be a member, maybe you won't You will just wait and see how you feel next Sunday night. If you were to ask me, I would say that over my life I have found myself in all three groups at one time of the other, but I want everyone to know that all three of those groups are wrong. Church membership matters, and it plays a significant role in the New Testament. With that said, I want to spend a Sunday talking about the Biblical design of Church membership for Christians, and to argue that it is not optional for born again believers. That's right, I said not optional. In my reading of God's Word, I do not see where one can make an argument that Church membership is voluntary. I believe the evidence of the necessity of Church membership is overwhelming, and as I say over and over again, here at Cornerstone we want to be Bible people. We want to submit to all that God says, and we want to do it not because we have to, but because we love God and want to obey Him, for His Glory and for our good. The text I will use to launch our discussion is Matthew 16:15-19, however, like always, I will be all over the New Testament. Therefore, let us read our text, pray that God would soften our hearts to His will, and see what Christ has to say about this topic.
So how is it built? Jesus tells us.
The “this” is Peter’s answer to the question of who do you say Jesus is. This is the main point of the entire passage. Jesus is explaining this new thing called Church and telling them that the Cornerstone of this structure is the understanding of who Jesus is. So right away, we see that being a Church member is not automatic. It is not something you can sign up for like you sign up for a card club. Being in the Church is determined by God revealing to you who Jesus is. If you deny Jesus is the Son of God, then you are not in the Church. If you do not believe Jesus is the Christ who came to take away the sin of the world, you are in the Church. If you believe Jesus is one of many ways to God, then you are not in the Church. A church member is not determined by walking in these doors, it is determined by Christ himself. Remember, it is he who builds His church. Jesus is not talking about building, he is talking about people. Having said all this, here is the tricky part. Who has God chosen to reveal His Son to? When God turns the light on in someone’s heart and they place their trust in Christ alone for their salvation and submit to Him as their Lord, there is not a halo that all the sudden, appears above their head. Jesus does not hand out jerseys that say, “The Church” that we can wear around town. How do we know who is in and who is out? The same way Jesus did. You ask.
The best analogy that I have seen for this is by a guy named Jonathan Leeman in his book Church Membership. He compares the local church to an embassy. If I am in India and I lose my passport, I have to go to the American Embassy. The embassy is an outpost of America. It is in the midst of foreign soil, but inside the gates is US territory. For me, the purpose of the American Embassy is not to make me a citizen, but to vouch for my citizenship. They testify to the reality that I am a US Citizen. The local Church acts in the same way. Cornerstone Church does not grant people citizenship in Heaven; this is not the local Church’s role. The local church’s role is to be an outpost for God’s People in the midst of foreign soil. The local Church is to vouched for Heaven’s citizens. When God saves a person, and they are wondering around in the world, the begin to look for fellow citizens. One day they arrive out our front doors and they realize that there is some commonality, so they want to join our Church. The Church then asks them, who do you say Jesus is? If they answer like Peter, then we vouch for them. We declare to the world that this person is one of us, that they speak like us, they think like us; they love like us; they are part of our family. We testify that they are a citizen in Heaven. The way we achieve this conversation, is through Church membership. For everyone who wants to be a member, you will have to proclaim who you say Jesus is. Just like Jesus, we are not taking it for granted. Peter had to speak it, and you will have to speak it. If this is enough to scare you off, then that may be evidence of your lack of citizenship in Heaven. Having said this, the local Church's acceptance of your citizenship in Heaven is only one side of the coin. Not only does Church membership give an opportunity for the local Church to proclaim something, but it also give the individual something to proclaim also. Turn with me to Acts 2:42-47. This is the first picture we are given of the early Church.
Right away what do we see in this text? Devotion. The Greek word for this is proskartereō. In addition to meaning devoted it can also mean adherent, steadfastly attentive, to be constantly ready. The early church was not casual, or nonchalant, about Church life, they were serious. It was important to them in their life. So what were they devoted to? First of all they were devoted to the apostles' teaching. The people in the early Church committed themselves to be Bible people. By joining the Church they were enrolling in God's University. That meant they were submitting to authority in their life. They were agreeing to be students under a teacher. When you become a member of a Church you are committing to the same. You are enrolling in the class that meets regularly in this building, taught by Elders of this Church. You are saying teach me, guide me, help me know more about the immeasurable riches of Jesus Christ. This is a hard thing for many people to do, because it requires humility. For you are saying that when I am wrong, you need to correct me, you need to admonish and rebuke. The word we use in Church lingo is accountability. Unfortunately, in many Churches accountability has gone out the window, with the rest of the Bible. But this is one major aspect of Church, teaching people to think and live in a way that is consistent to who you are in Christ. I think it is interesting that the only other time Jesus talks about the Church, he talks about Church discipline. He does this in Matthew 18. He says that if a person is sinning and they won't repent after one person confronts them, and they won't repent after a small group confronts them, the the matter must go before the Church and if they still won't repent, then the Church is required to kick them out. Once again, when you become a Church member, you are telling a local body of believes to help be Christ-like, even to the extent of Church discipline. Second, we see them devoted to fellowship. The early Church was together. Verse 46 says they were together every single day. The shared not only a common interest in Christ, but they shared themselves. They literally sold their stuff, so they could give to to others in the Church. This was a group of people who deeply cared for each other. Doesn't it sound awesome? Unfortunately, for many Churches, this is not the picture. Churches are regularly plagued with apathy. People show up late and rush out early. Some people go weeks, and sometimes months without coming to Church. Very few people every socialize with others in your Church, perhaps you will invite you neighbors over, or your co-workers, but someone at Church? No thanks.
Third, we see prayers. How many of you are praying for this Church? Why not? Because you are not committed to a people, you are instead committed to a schedule. Church is about Sunday morning, it is not about the faces you see. When we look around this room you should not see acquaintances, you should see your brothers and sisters. This is your family. Pray for them. This is another thing we see in the life of Christ. He prayed for his flock; early in the morning and late at night. Praying for their protection. We must do the same. Once again, when you commit yourself to a local Church you are saying that I will pray for you. I care for you. I want the best for you. I love you. Becoming a Church member is so much more than than a title. It is so much more than a certificate. It is so much more than a line on a resume. It is devotion to pursing an awesome God with those you love. Acts 2 as it relates to membership is just the tip of the iceberg. Becoming a Church member is about using your gifts that were given to you by God to build up and encourage the body of Christ. Being a member is about crying and rejoicing. Being a Church member is about rebuking and admonishing. Being a Church member is about being a family. A Christ-exulting, Bible believing, devoted family. Doesn't that sound good? I hope it does, and I hope all of you see that Church membership is not about committing to an institution, but to a people. |
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