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.

• Matthew 16:15-19 - “ Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" 14 And they said, "Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." 15 He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" 16 Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 17 And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."
  
  

The word Church, ekklesia, is used only two times in the four Gospels. Both times it is used by Jesus himself. In the text we just read and in Matthew 18. So as we begin, we need to understand that the word Church began with Jesus, not with man. Jesus makes it absolutely clear who is the head of the Church.

• Matthew 16:18 – “I will build my church”
  
  

From the first moment the institution of the Church comes into reality, Jesus declares that it is His and He is the one who builds it, not man. This fact is important because a common phrase that many people love to say is that they love Jesus, but not the Church. Do you see the inconsistency with that statement? If you love Jesus, you will love his Church. Why? Because it is His and He builds it.

So how is it built? Jesus tells us.

• Matthew 16:17-18 – “And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church”
  
  

Many people misunderstand this text. Jesus says on “this” rock I will build my Church? The word is houtos in Greek, and it is actually in the Bible. So what does “this” mean? It does not mean Peter. Peter is not a “this”. Peter is a “you.” If Jesus wanted to say on Peter he builds his Church He would have said so, but he didn’t. In fact, he says the opposite. He says this. So what is the “this.”

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.

• Matthew 16:15 – “He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"
  
  

The answers given by the public to this question where all over the board: John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, one of the prophets. Obviously, all of those answers were wrong. Amongst the swirling opinions of who is Jesus, there was only one answer that was evidence that God had brought you into the Church.

• Matthew 16:16 - “Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 
  
  

And what is Jesus' response?

• Matthew 16:17 - “And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.”
  
  

The answer that Peter gave was the evidence that Peter was in the Church. If you can't answer the question of who Jesus is accurately, then you do not belong to the Church. For we know from Jesus himself:

• Matthew 12:34 – “...out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”
  
  

The way we know who is in the Church and who is not is based on what someone says about Jesus, and to know the answer to this question, we must 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.

• Acts 2:42-47 – “And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”

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.

• Hebrews 10:24-25 – “ And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. “
  
  

When you become a Church member, you are declaring to everyone else in the Church, that you commit your lives to them. That you desire to be associated with them. That you will sacrifice for them. That you will help them. That you will love them. That you are devoted to them. Come Hell or high water, you will be by their side. In light of memorial day, think of it this way. In battle, who do you want by your side, someone who is casual about their relationship with you or someone who would fight for you no matter what the cost? Being an attender does not proclaim this. It proclaims the what is in it for me mentality. We don't want to be self-centered, we want to be Christ centered, who laid down his life for His Church.

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.

Preached at Cornerstone Church in Cascade, IA on May 18, 2014.

Turn with me to Matthew 6:1-4. Today we are, once again, examining our hearts and we are looking at our motivation for doing good deeds. The timing of this sermon could not be better in light of Cornerstone's recent mission trip to Martin County, Kentucky.

As I was preparing for this week's sermon, I ran across a quote from CS Lewis who was responding to a critic concerning his lack of caring for the Sermon on the Mount. This is what Lewis stated,

“As to ‘caring for’ the Sermon on the Mount, if ‘caring for’ here means ‘liking’ or enjoying, I suppose no one ‘cares for’ it. Who can like being knocked flat on his face by a sledgehammer? I can hardly imagine a more deadly spiritual condition than that of a man who can read that passage with tranquil pleasure.”

What a great Illustration by Lewis. The moment in life we stand a little higher and stick out our chest a little more, God's Word comes along and puts us in our proper place, flat on our face before God. God's Word cuts us open like a surgeon's blade and and shows us our sinful flesh. Therefore, with that said, let us read the sharp words of Christ, pray, and let the great physician work upon our souls.

• Matthew 6:1-4 - “"Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. 2 "Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.“

In Chapter 5, we saw Jesus laying out what it looks like to be a real, authentic Christian. Each week as we have unpacked Jesus' sermon verse by verse, it has hopefully led us to one conclusion, we need Jesus. We can see this best in last verse of chapter 5.

• Matthew 5: - “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
  
  

The standard of God is perfection. If you are not perfect, you have no hope. God is a holy God and he cannot be in the presence of unholy sinners. We must be perfect. If you have sinned even once, it is enough to send you to Hell forever. This is why we need Jesus. He is the only one that was perfect, we need his righteousness to be given to us.

Thankfully, he gives it to us freely. We merely have to place our faith in Him, and it is ours. Hopefully, the last three months of preaching on the Sermon on the Mount has expressed that fundamental truth to you, over and over and over again, and you have accepted it.

Having said that, in chapter 6 we see a slight turning of the page. In chapter five Jesus proclaims to us no to be angry with a brother, don't lust, don't get a divorce, don't take hallow oaths, don't retaliate, love your enemies, be perfect, and then Jesus in our text today says. “beware.” Jesus, after pointing out how a true born again disciple lives, warns them. What does he warn them about? Jesus warns them to not to let the righteous pendulum swing too far. Why does Jesus do this? Because he knows the heart of man.

• John 2:24-25 - “But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people 25 and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man. “
  
  

Jesus was all to familiar with how His Words, the words He just spoke in Chapter five, could be distorted, so he says “beware.” He is telling them to watch out, to be on guard, to examine themselves. Later in Matthew 16, he says the say thing with a different slant.

• Matthew 16:6 - “Jesus said to them, "Watch and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

Leaven is an ingredient that is put into dough to make it rise. It is something that is foreign to the bread and works its way through the entire dough, and with the passage of time, this leaven reacts with the dough and produces gas, or air, and the bread becomes puffed up. It is still the same bread, but it now appears much greater than it really is, because it is now full of empty air.

Once again, what a great illustration of what Jesus was warning his disciples about. For the leaven of the pharisees is a man made, made centered, man pleasing religion. It puffs up the chest of a person and makes them look greater than they actually are. It included sitting in the best seat, praying the greatest prayer, giving the most money, hanging out with the right crowd. The pharisees were all about pleasing man, not God, and this was the primary problem Jesus had with the Pharisees. Jesus starts by saying:

• Matthew 6::1-2 -”Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. 2 "Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.”
  
  

The word hypocrites in Greek is hypokritēs, and was commonly used in Greek culture to describe an actor, or a person who wears a mask. This word fits considering what Jesus was warning against. For the hypocrite that Jesus is talking about is merely putting on a performance, a show. He or she does not care about the needy, he merely wants to look pious so that others will applaud him for his actions. So the visual that Jesus is giving is a simple one. If you are righteous for the wrong reason, then you are fake, your are a poser, your are a fraud, and the only benefit you will get out of your righteous acts is the short lived applause of man.

In this day in age, I fear our communities are filled with hypocrites, people performing for people. Not only that, I fear that Church is most fertile soil to produce this hypocrisy. We are a people who are told to be like Christ. We are to be pro-life, have a fish sticker on our car, listen to 101.9, and go on Mission trips. All of these things are good things, but the real question that should always be in our minds is why, why are we doing these things? Are we doing it for God's glory, or for my glory.

This question regularly runs through my mind as a pastor, but not often enough. For each minute I spend working on sermons, blogs, and Bible study preparations, is it because I love God, or is it because I love your accolades, the praise of men. Do I read God's word to impress you, or because I hunger and thirst for more of God in my life. I confess, there are times after posting a sermon on the website and sharing it on facebook, I look to see how many likes it gets. Who cares? The only thing I should be concerned about is was God pleased with what I said, and how I said it.

As I was thinking about examples of this in the Bible, the one text that comes to my mind is the scariest set of verses in the Bible. We have talked about them several times here at Cornerstone. Interestingly, it is how Jesus concludes the Sermon on the Mount. He says this in Matthew 7:22.

• Matthew 7:22 - “On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' 23 And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.“
  
  

Think about this. These people called themselves Christians. They prophesied in the name of Jesus. Perhaps had tent meetings and revivals all over the nation, prophesying. They cast out demons in the name of Jesus. Who here has done that? Not me. They did many might works in the name of Jesus. Perhaps missions trips, building Christian schools, providing clean water to thousand of people. If you were to the parents of these people, you would be proud, for their life seemed to scream Jesus. But Jesus said, get out of my face, I don't want to see you. Why?

They were doing all the right things, for all the wrong reasons. The prophesying, the casting out, the mighty works was for the applause of men, not the love of God. These people were list keepers. You can almost see them reaching into their back pocket ready to recite to Jesus how awesome they were. You almost have to wonder if Jesus was thinking about Isaiah 64:6 when he spoke these words.

• Isaiah 64:6 - “We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.”
  
  

If we go to Martin County, Kentucky or India, or read the Bible 200 times in your life, and you do it so that people see you, it is all garbage to God. The only reward you will get is the fading applause of man.

So what are we to do? Are we to be ninja Christians, sneaking around, lurking in the shadows, hoping that no one sees you do something nice. Absolutely not. Don't forget that Just several verses earlier, in the same sermon Jesus said this.

• Matthew 5:16 - “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. “
  

Is Jesus schizophrenic. Is he talking out of both sides of his mouth? No. Remember, Jesus' Sermon on the Mount is always about the condition of your heart. If you take our text today, and make it a rule to follow, then you are no different than the pharisees. For they were just rule keepers. Every teaching of God, they turned into a rule, and added it to the list. Jesus is not about rules, he is about your heart.

The issue before us today, is not who sees you help the needy. The issue is why are you helping the needy. What is the reason behind what you do? Are you helping the needy for your glory, or are you helping the needy because God's light has illumined your heart and it radiates out into everything you do?

Do not assume that your actions come from pure motives. The heart is desperately sick, nothing good dwells in our flesh. I believe it would be wise if we regularly checked ourselves and asked ourselves some hard questions before we become a good Samaritan to our neighbor. As a Church, I think we need to ask this question before we reach out into the community. Are we doing it because the love of God compels us, or are we doing it because it is good marketing? Don't get me wrong, I look forward to the day when our Church picks up their shovels and their rakes and goes from door to door in this town helping those in need, but I want nothing to do with if it is all about us.

I want it all to be about Him! I do not want the people to come in contact with the darkness of man in the wretchedness of our pride. I want them to be blinded by the light of Jesus pouring out of our hearts and into their homes. I want to them to say one thing and one thing only. To God be the Glory!

With that said, how do we achieve this? What should be our motivation to achieve this? The reward of God.

• Matthew 6:3-4 - “But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.“
  
  

Now some of you may be saying to yourself that if we are motivated by a reward, the reward cheapens the righteous act. Perhaps you believe if we are paid to be good, we are not courageous soldiers, we are mercenaries, earning a wage. If that is your belief, then you don't understand the reward, and you don't understand why God created you.

First let's star with the reward. What is the reward that Jesus is talking about? To answer this, let us look at Jesus himself and see what his motivation was to giving to the needy, specifically giving to the needy by dieing on the cross for us.

• Hebrews 12:2 - “looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.“
  
  

Jesus was not altruistic, selfless, when he gave himself up to die on the cross. There was a motivation behind his actions. There was something in it for Jesus, namely joy. Joy was the motivation to his actions. It was the prize that lured Jesus deeper and deeper into obedience. To the point he endured the cross. I believe you see this happening in real time in the Garden of Gethsemane the night of Jesus' arrest.

• Luke 22:41 - “And he withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and knelt down and prayed, 42 saying, "Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done." 43 And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. 44And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”
  
  

I don't know exactly how the angel strengthened him, but I have to believe that Jesus was somehow reminded of the will of the Father and the greener pastures on the other side of the cross. He was reminded of the joy that lies ahead. The reason Jesus did what he did, is because he wanted to please his Father. Being in the presence of God, when is a symbol of acceptance, is what produced joy in Jesus' heart, and it should likewise produce joy in our hearts.

The reward for you and for me is for God to be pleased by our actions. This is the greatest joy available to us in the Universe. The joy you feel when someone on this earth slaps you on the back and says nice job, is mathematically immeasurable compared to the eternal joy of the Creator of the Universe saying, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” To exchange the praise of God for the praise of man, is pathetically illogical, so don't do it!

Which leads me to what you exist. By this time, regular attenders of Cornerstone should know what I am going to say. We exist to glorify God. This is why God created us. This is why you breath. This is why you work. This is why you graduate. This is why you get married. This is why you have children. This is why you eat and why you drink, to give God glory. If you don't like what I just said, then you are not a Christian, and Hell is waiting to receive you. God made you to give Him glory.

Having said that, nothing is more glorifying of God, then to live your life with the ultimate purpose to please Him. There is no greater glory that can be given to God than to perform for an audience of One, God. This is why God has cast you in his play. You are created and designed to live for Him. He has placed you on this planet to do His will, not the will of you and not the will of people.

Living for Him, pleases Him, and it not only pleases Him, but it gives you the greatest joy imaginable. So let us examine our hearts this morning and ask ourselves, why are we here? Are we here for others or are we here for the Sovereign God.

Preached at Cornerstone Church in Cascade, IA on Mary 11, 2014.

Turn with me to Matthew 5:38-48. Today we are turning our attention back to the Sermon on the Mount. Prior to Easter, we were examining the words of Jesus' famous sermon verse by verse. I have to admit, as much as I loved to preach the explicit Gospel over the last three weeks, I have missed finding the deeps treasures in Matthew 5-7.

In our text today, Jesus shows us what Kingdom love looks like. We will very quickly see that this love Jesus is describing is foreign, or alien, in this fallen and broken world. We will see that this love is a radical love. So as always, let us read our text, pray that God would open our hearts, and then allow God to mold us into Christ-likeness.

• Matthew 5:38-48 - "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' 39 But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.41 And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42 Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.43 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers,what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. ”

Your biggest problem in this world is not your circumstances, it is not your finances, it is not your relationships, it is not your government. The biggest problem that you have in your life is you. You are the problem. Likewise in my life, my biggest problem is me. To use a common phrase, “I am my own worst enemy.”

Why can I say this? Why do I feel comfortable pointing the finger? Because the Bible is my source. We have examined these text many, many times.

• Genesis 6:5 - “The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. “
  
  
• Matthew 15:19 - “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.”
  
  
• Romans 1:29 - “They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Though they know God's decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them. “

At the center of all of these versus lie our hearts. At the core of your heart is your self. We are the problem.

The question is, what is going on in our hearts when we do the sinful things we do? Yes, we know that we are sinners, and we are separated from God and we are desperately sick spiritually, but what is happening? I think the best verse to explain this is James 4:1.

• James 4:1-2 -”What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you. You desire and you do not have, so you murder , you covet and you cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel.” 

Another word for what James 4 is describing is entitlement. We believe we are entitled to stuff. We believe we are entitled to comfort. We believe that we are entitled to respect. We believe we are entitled to honor. We believe we are entitled to respect. In fact, we don't just think we are entitled to all these things, we demand it. When we don't receive these things we are upset. We are offended. We kick and scream and complain and retaliate. It is as if we are spoiled little Kings and Queens yelling, “Off with their heads.” And this is the problem that Jesus is addressing in our passages today. It is the problem of self. It is the problem of self-centered-entitlement. It is the problem of the world.

Now that we know what problem Jesus is addressing, let us now take step back and understand who Jesus is preaching to. Let's start by looking at verse 45.

• Matthew 5:45 - “ so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.”
  
  

Jesus is not preaching this sermon to the World, he is preaching it to his disciples, to his followers, Peter, John, James, Mathew and so on. Yes, the crowds surrounded him, but this was a messages for Kingdom people. When reading the Sermon on the Mount you always need to remember, Jesus' opening remarks, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, and those who are persecuted for theirs is the kingdom of heave.

These descriptions are not description of the citizens of the world, they are descriptions of citizens of the Kingdom of God. Jesus is preaching not to those who dwell in the dominion of darkness, but who dwell in the dominion of the Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, and make no mistake, these two groups of people live differently, or at least should live differently. There should be something very distinct about followers of Jesus.

What is interesting about these two groups of people, those who are worldly and those who are children of God, is that geographically they live in the same physical territory. The Kingdoms simultaneously coexist. For example, this sermon was for the disciples, yet on that mountain that day there stood both believers and unbelievers. There was a mix, and this is is still true today. This reality is all part of God's plan.

• John 17:14-15 - “I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.”
  
  

The King's plan has always been that his subjects would live and breath and work and play in the midst of the Kingdom of Satan. Picture it as God's children having a citizenship in Heaven, but they are given a temporary work visa here on Earth. Because these two Kingdoms live side by side they come into conflict. We can see that in our text for today.

• Matthew 6:39 - “But I say to you, 'Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.”
  
  

There are two people involved in each occurrence, the person who initiates and the person who responds. They represent to types of behavior, good behavior and evil behavior. The evil behavior, the Kingdom of the World, behavior is the James 4 type of behavior: slapping, suing, forcing, and begging. Jesus is painting a picture of self-centered entitlement, and demand to cater to selfish needs. Now don't read to much into this list. Jesus' main point is not the evil, but the response to the evil.

The response stands at a stark contrast to the initial action: turn the other cheek, give him your cloak as well, go with him two miles, give your money away. These responses are night and day different from the evil response. They are almost the opposite. Explicitly, Jesus tells us that we are not to resist the evil. We are suppose to accept what is dished out.

And if that was not enough, not only do we have to not resist the evil that is dished out, we are to love and pray for the people who dish it.

• Matthew 6:44 - “But I say to you, 'Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”
  
  

Has Jesus lost his mind? He is telling us that if we are hit in the face, we are to give our assailant a second chance, love them and then pray for them. This is drastically different than everything we have been taught in society. We have been taught to stand up to bullies, to get our pound of flesh, that revenge is sweet, or to ignore them and they go away, keep our distance. Jesus is teaching the citizens of His Kingdom to to the exact opposite. Christians are told to not flee from the evil but to embrace it.

What is crucial for us to understand is that Jesus is not asking his disciples to do something that he is not willing to do. This is exactly the life of Jesus when he walked the earth. He is the ultimate example of this lifestyle. His own town rejected him and attempted to throw him off a cliff, but he did not retaliate. He was mocked by Herod, Pilate, Roman guards, the Sanhedrin, and he opened not his mouth. With holes in his hands and feet, thorns in his brow, his flesh torn open, slowly suffocating on a cross, he prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” How wild is that? Jesus was praying for the people who, not only struck him on the right cheek, but who were accomplices to his murder. This is radical love. This is love that the world does not have. This is love that is blinding as compared to the darkness of revenge, and this is their King of the Kingdom.

I love that we have a King who fearlessly leads the way. He does not sit back and tell us to do something that he has not already done. He is a King who rides into battle, leading the charge. He loved to the fullest, even unto death. This love is a love that the world had never seen. It is a scandalous love. It is an explosive love. It is a radical love, and it is the love that our King wants us to have filling our hearts.

How? How can we display the same radical love as our King. How is it possible to be like Christ? There is only one way, we must be born of God.

• 1 John 4:7-12 - “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.  “
  
  

The only way that anyone can live in accordance to the radical love that Jesus requires if the love of Jesus lives inside of us. It is impossible to meet the standard of Christ apart from Christ. He must be the power that controls you in the midst of being struck in the face, stolen from, and inconvenienced in time and money. When Christ comes and takes up residence in your heart, you are left with no option but to love. For when we are born of God, we are born into a new Kingdom, a Kingdom of God, a Kingdom of Christ, a Kingdom of radical love.

Verse 8 goes so far as to say that if you don't have love, then you don't know God. And we are not talking about intellectual know, but intimate know. Meaning that if you don't love, then you are not his child. It is impossible to be God's child without having love. Being born of God and loving as Christ loved are inseparable.

So this begs the question, how do we become born of God? We must deny ourselves and trust Christ.

• Luke 9:23 - “And he said to all, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. 25 For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?”
  
  

If you recall, earlier I stated that our biggest problem is ourselves, so what is the solution? It is the denial of self. We must stop pursuing our desires, our passion, our purposes, and we must turn and pursue Jesus' desires, Jesus' passions, Jesus purposes. We must follow him.

We must lay down our lives, so that we can save our lives. We must die to self and live for Christ. When we stop living for ourselves, we will stop acting like the world and stop feel entitled. No longer will there be fighting and quarreling, because it takes two to tango. If one person refuses, the fight is short lived. When Jesus becomes you greatest treasure, someone stealing your coat is insignificant.

A guy by the name of George Muller, who was a mighty follower of Christ said this: “There was a day when I died, utterly died, died to George Muller and his opinions, preferences, tastes and will; died to the world its approval or censure, died to the approval or blame of my brethren and friends and since then I have studied only to show myself approved unto God.” If you get a chance do some study on George Muller. This man wreaked of love.

This is what people don't get. People love to proclaim love, and hold up peace signs, and sing songs like “We are the World,” and “All We Need is Love” yet they don't get it. Love is not something that is manufactured by jingles and ad campaigns. Love is not something that can be conjured up in a sinners heart. The heart is desperately sick. No matter how hard you try to love, you can't. The only way this world is filled with love is through repenting and placing your faith in Christ Jesus. Love is a fruit of abiding in the vine of Jesus Christ.

So what happens when people start to love like Jesus loved? Simple, hearts are changed. When we live like Christ and radically love those who are unlovable, mountains are moved and sinners become saints. Why? Because when the citizens of the Kingdom of God act like their King, the world is coming into contact with the King himself. And it is the love of Christ that can break hearts of stone.

I can't recall what book I read this story from, but it moved me. There was a young man in a village who became a Christian. As you can expect he was full of joy and excitement and he wanted to share the Gospel with his family and his village. He went to his village and began to share the message of Jesus Christ with them. The immediately began to beat him. The beat him so bad that they knocked him out and drug him outside the village. He awoke and thought to himself he must have wrongly shared the Gospel or perhaps they just misunderstood, so he went back to them and shared the Gospel again. They did the same thing. They beat him up and drug him outside the village again. Once again, he woke up and went back a third time to share Christ. They began to beat him again, and then they stopped and they began to cry, for they recognized that whatever had captured his heart and gave him the radical love that compelled him to come back over and over again, must be worth listening to, so they did, and his entire village was saved. Why? Because of the love of Christ that dwelled in his heart and was poured out onto the lives of his family and friends.

Have you done something like that? Could you do something like that? What if all of us lived a life as radical as that young mans? What do you think would happen? Revival is what would happen. If we denied ourselves and followed Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit then hearts would break and people would not only hear the Gospel, but they would see the Gospel. They would not be able to deny the evidence that the God of radical love dwells in our hearts.

So let us commit to follow Christ. Let us die to self and live for Christ. Let us lay down our entitlements and be filled with the love of Jesus Christ and let us live like him.

• Philippians 2:3-8 - “ Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant,being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. “
  
  

Preached it Richardson Missionary Baptist Church in Martin County, Kentucky on May 7, 2014.

This evening I would like to preach from John's Gospel, chapter 17, starting in verse 13 and going through verse 20. If you have your Bible's, please turn with me there. We will read our text, pray that God open's our hearts, and then we will feed upon His Word.

• John 17:13-20 - “But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. 14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth. 20 "I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word “

What is our purpose? What does Jesus want from us? What is his will for our lives? In this text Christians find the answers to these questions. We see the plans that Christ has for us.

When you dwell upon what is unfolding in John 17 it is somewhat overwhelming. In this section of the Bible we are seeing an amazing picture of the Trinity in action. Jesus is with his disciples on the night of his arrest in the upper room. He has already washed their feet, dismissed Judas, spoke of the new covenant, implemented the Lord's Supper, encouraged his followers, and preached an amazing sermon. John spends five chapters writing about this special evening. One has to wonder if this was one of the greatest nights in John's life. I suppose for John it was bitter sweet.

In chapter 17 we see Jesus finish the evening in prayer. It is the longest prayer of Jesus' that is recorded in the Bible. We know that Jesus prayed frequently, usually late into the night and early in the morning, but we are never given a window into the prayers themselves, that is until now.

What do we see? We see intercession. Jesus is speaking to God for us. The Son of God is addressing His Father on our behalf, for our good. In that moment, if you have placed your faith in Jesus Christ, he is praying for you.

• John 17:20 - “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word “
  
  

Let this sink in. Jesus, the Author of Life, the Lamb of God, the Prince of Peace, the Lion of Judah, the I Am is praying for you. On the night of the climax of redemptive history where the wrath of the almighty God is about ready to be poured out on Jesus, he is praying for each one of you: Bruce, Tina, Will, Jan, Kim. Do you feel loved? You should.

So what does Jesus pray for? First he prays for protection.

• John 17:15 - “I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. “

Oh how we need this prayer. We are in a state of war, and our enemy the devil is prowling around us like a Lion waiting to devour us at any sign of weakness. Looking for a small little foothold to sink his claws into and bring you to the ground. No one is immune to the attacks of the Devil, not even Peter.

• Luke 22:31 - “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you,that he might sift you like wheat, 32 but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers." 
  
  

Peter stumbled. He denied Christ three times, but because of Christ interceding for him, he did not fail. His faith in God and in Christ remained. Despite the trials and tribulations of that night, and the days and weeks to follow, Peter was able to rebound, to get back up, to persevere. Why? Because Christ had prayed for Him.

Oh, the power of prayer. We have a God who hears us, do we not? He desires us to call out to him. To lift up our voice for our brothers and sisters. To intercede on their behalf. So are you? Are you praying for your spouse, are you praying for your Pastor, are you praying for your children, are you praying for your fellow Church members. Satan desires to sift every single one of them, don't sit by idly and watch, hit your knees and pray before you hear the roar of the lion.

The second thing we see in the prayer of Jesus is sanctification.

• John 17:17 – Sanctify them in your truth, your word is truth.”

This word, sanctify, is just a fancy way of saying being Holy, or being like Christ. At the time of Jesus departure, the disciples were far from who they needed to be. There was still work to be done in their hearts. Yes, they were followers of Jesus, and yes they had left there homes, and yes they had walked side by side with Christ for three years, but perfect they were not. Just a few hours after this prayer, their scattering upon Jesus arrest was evidence of this. No there was work that needed to be done, and Jesus knew it, so he prayed for it. He prayed that God would sanctify them in his truth.

What an interesting prayer. Jesus desires his disciples to be more like him and he says the key to being more like Him is to have knowledge or understanding of what is true. There is something about “getting it” that makes you behave in a way that Jesus behaved. Why is this?

I think the best way to understand this is a parable that Jesus used in Matthew 13:44-45

• Matthew 13:44-45 - “"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.45 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, 46 who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.”
  
  

The man in the parable had found something that caused him, with joy, to make some very radical life decisions. He sold everything. Why did he do this? The quick answer is because he had found a treasure, but it actually goes deeper than that. The reason he sold everything is because he understood the value of the treasure and the pearl. It wasn't that he found these things, it was that he knew the truth of their worth. His understanding of the value of the treasure and the pearl made everything in comparison pointless. Everything else was garbage compared to the surpassing worth of this treasure, which Jesus tells us is the Kingdom of God.

And this is why truth, knowledge, understanding is so crucial in sanctification, in becoming more like Christ. Because the more you mine the riches of the Gospel, the more you lay aside every hindrance and weight and more freely run the race that God has set before you. The more you see Jesus clearly, the more you wake up to the reality that Christ is all you need.

How do we do this? How can we be sanctified in the truth? Jesus tells us as plain as day, “Sanctify them in your truth, your Word is truth.” Where do we find the truth, the knowledge, the understanding of the worth of being a child of the King? The Bible.

This is why Jesus says in Matthew 4:4, “"'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" This is why the author of Psalm 119:11 says, “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” This is why Paul tells the Church in Colossians 3:16, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” This is why Paul tells Timothy and Titus to rightly handle the word and teach what accords to sound doctrine.

They key to sanctification is the Bible. This is what Jesus prayer for you, to read you Bible. Jesus wants you to read your Bible. Every day, multiple times a day. Soak in it, study it, wrestle with it, grow in it. Do not be spiritually malnourished, eat the bread of God daily.

• 2 Timothy 3:16 - “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.”
  
  

The Bible is there to sanctify us, to equip us, so let us heed the prayer of our King, and do it. 

Of course this begs the question, for what purpose. Why do we need to be sanctified, why do we need to be equipped? What good work are you talking about? This is the third thing we see Jesus pray for.

• John 17:18-20 - “As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.”
  
  

The purpose of Jesus leaving us here on Earth, the purpose of sanctifying us, the purpose of equipping is to be sent. We are to be sent as soldiers of Christ. We are to expand the lines of the Kingdom one heart at a time. Our Commander, Jesus, himself is sending us, and it appears that sending is primary. It appears that it is the main task at hand for his disciples. In fact the obedience of being sent is what leads to other believing.

If those 11 disciples in the upper room did not obey Christ and go and make disciples, we wouldn’t be here today. Them being sent and subsequently obeying is the beginning of all Christianity on the planet. I don't say this in vain when I say, Thank God that they obeyed. If they had instead saw the great commission as the great suggestion, we would all be doomed to Hell.

With that said, how many of us have been obedient? Jesus is sending you, just as he send them. How may of you have taken the Gospel of Jesus Christ to your family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, schools, state? If you haven't, what are you waiting for?

Jesus has prayed for this moment. Jesus has prayed has asked God to protect you, sanntify you and has already sent you, so let us go.

 

Preached at Cornerstone Church in Cascade, IA on May 4, 2014

Turn in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians 15:1-11. Today will be the third week we look at this particular text. Some of you may be asking why? The reason is because it is saturated with piercing and convicting truth, and at the core of this passage is the Gospel, and there is no end to the unsearchable riches of the Gospel. Today we are looking at 1 Corinthians 15 with the lens of evangelism and missions. So let us read it, pray, and ask God to give us His vision.

• 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 - “Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you--unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. 11Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed. “

The person who wrote this text is the Apostle Paul. I cannot think of anyone else in the Bible that is more Biblically radical than the Apostle Paul. You can get a sense of this in our text today. Look at verse ten.

• 1 Corinthians 15:10 - “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.”
  
  

Paul, and everyone else, knew that no one, except Christ himself, worked harder than Paul. He was a man on a mission. He was relentless. He was a man without limits. It was as if Paul was trying to complete the great commission single handedly. I have always wondered how often people told Paul to slow down, you are doing too much, you can't do it all. I am guessing that it was quite frequent, and perhaps understandable. Listen to the resume of Paul in 2 Corinthians 11:23-28.

• 2 Corinthians 11:24-28 - “ Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one.25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27 in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. 28 And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.”
  
  

Paul lived, what we would call a reckless life; totally out of control and borderline irresponsible. I don’t know who Paul’s mother was, but if she was alive during Paul’s journey’s I am guessing he didn’t fill her in on all his adventures.

The question then becoems why? Why was Paul the way he is? Why did he risk so much? Why was he so driven, so radical? Paul tells us why: God’s Grace.

• 1 Corinthian 15:10 – “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. “
  
  

It was God’s Grace that coursed through his veins like fire. It was God’s Grace that compelled him. It was God’s Grace that drove him to the extremes, to the limits, to be radical. Paul was blaming God for who he was and what he did.

But what does Paul mean when he says it was the grace of God that was within him? Is he simply waxing poetically? No. When you receive the gospel through believing the Gospel, something changes in you. Jesus calls it being born again. Paul calls it being a new creation or passing from death to life. In the moment of having faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, God comes and lives in your heart. Let me say that again in case it didn't sink in. The Sovereign God of the Universe, who makes stars explode, comes and lives in your heart. Listen to these verses:

• John 14:15-17 – “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.”
  
  
• Galatians 2:20 – “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
  
  
• Philippians 2:12-13 – “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”
  
  

I am finding that many “religious” people have never heard this. They have only seen Christianity as a set of rules and buildings and pomp and circumstance. What a shame this is. Because this is not at all what being a Christian is about. Christianity is about unity with God through the death of Jesus Christ. It is about God and man living together, and this begins at the moment of one’s belief in the Gospel.

When we repent and believe in the sufficiency of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, God comes into our lives in a way that flips our world upside down. We go from being a slave to our sinful passions and pleasures, to slaves of God. And yes, I truly mean slaves of God. We are His possession, we are his people.

• 1 Corinthians 6:20 – “for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”
  
  
• Revelation 5:9 – “And they sang a new song, saying, "Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation,”
  
  
• Titus 2:14 – “who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.“
  
  

And this was why Paul was the way Paul was. This is why Paul was so zealous, so passionate, so radical, because he had been purchased by Christ and God now lived in his heart and compelled him to be who he was. He was living out Titus 2:14, he was zealous for good works.

With all this said, what did Paul do? What were his works? What was his primary purpose of his beatings, shipwrecks, and stoning? It was preaching the Gospel.

• 1 Corinthians 15: 1- “Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you”
  
  
• 1 Corinthians 15:2 – “if you hold fast to the word I preached to you”
  
  
• 1 Corinthians 15:11 – “so we preach and so you believed.”
  
  

Paul’s primary mission in life was to preach the Gospel. Everywhere he went he proclaimed Christ and him crucified. He preached the Gospel in the synagogues, on boats, in prisons, before Kings, beside rivers, in the middle of town square. Wherever there was an ear to hear, he preached the Gospel.

I am not trying to be mean, or polarizing with this comment, but how many places in the Bible have you read of Paul or any of the other disciples partaking in mission trips digging wells, or building schools? Perhaps they did, and it never made it into the Bible. Don't misunderstand what I am saying, those things are not bad. We should be good Samaritans, no doubt about that, but is that the main things, or the only thing we should be doing in this world? Is this what Jesus meant when he said go and make disciples, did he really mean go and make schools? Absolutely not! Remember what we talked about two weeks ago. What is the most important thing to every human on the planet, the Gospel.

This week, read through the book of Acts. The book of Acts is the story of the early Church and its significant growth in the first 30 years of existence. In the 28 chapters of Acts, you see one common and strategy for Church growth, preaching of the Gospel.

• Acts 2 - Peter preaches the Gospel at Pentecost,
  
  
• Acts 3 - Peter preaches the gospel at Solomon's Porch
  
  
• Acts 4 - Peter and John preach the gospel to the Jewish Council
  
  
• Acts 5 - Peter and the apostles preached the gospel in the Temple
  
  
• Acts 6 - Stephen is arrested for preaching the gospel
  
  
• Acts 7 - Stephen preaches the Gospel to the Council and High Priest again
  
  
• Acts 8 - Philip preaches the Gospel in Samaria, Azotus, all the way to Caesarea
  
  
• Acts 9 - Paul preaches the Gospel in Damascus and Jerusalem
  
  
• Acts 10 - Peter preaches the Gospel to Cornelius the Gentiles
  
  
• Acts 11 – The disciples preach the the Gospel in Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch
  
  
• Acts 12 - we are told the word of God increased and multiplied
  
  
• Acts 13 - Barnabas and Saul preach the Gospel in Salamis, Paphos,and Perga
  
  
• Acts 14 - Paul and Barnabas preach the Gospel in Iconium and Lystra
  
  
• Acts 16 - Paul preaches the Gospel in Philippi
  
  
• Acts 17 - Paul preaches the Gospel in Thessalonica, Berea, and Athens
  
  
• Acts 18 – Paul preaches the Gospel in Corinth and Apollos preaches the Gospel in Ephesus
  
  
• Acts 19 – Paul preaches the Gospel in Ephesus
  
  
• Acts 22 – Paul preaches the Gospel in Jerusalem
  
  
• Acts 24 – Paul preaches the Gospel to Felix the governor in Caesarea
  
  
• Acts 26 – Paul preaches the Gospel to King Agrippa
  
  
• Acts 28 – Paul preaches the Gospel in Rome where it is believed he eventually is killed for preaching the Gospel.

Perhaps you have heard it said that the book of Acts should be retitled the book of the Holy Spirit or the Acts of the Holy Spirit. This reason for this is because it is in the book of Acts you see for the first time the power of the Holy Spirit indwelling believers.

With that in mind, what you see in the book of Acts is not a book filled with speaking in tongues, or miracles in every chapter, or wells being dug, and schools being built. What you see all over the place is the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And this makes sense, because the Gospel is the Holy Spirit's favorite topic. Listen to what Jesus says in John 15:26.

• John 15:26 - “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. “
  
  

In the book of Acts the grace of God was poured out into the believers lives and what did they do? They spoke about the most important thing in their life, Jesus. And what happened when they proclaimed the gospel? People believed. Paul sums it up best in 1 Corinthians 15:11.

• 1 Corinthians 15:11 - “so we preach and so you believed. “
  
  

This was his Church growth strategy summed up in seven words, “So we preach and so you believed.” Oh what I would give for each one of you in this Church to embrace this motto. If we here at Cornerstone lived like they did in the books of Acts, I am convinced we would see a revival like no other. To use one of my favorite verse, Romans 1:16.

• Romans 1:16 - “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes “
  
  

The Gospel has power. It has power to call people out of darkness and into light. It is a sounding of a trumpet awakening the hearts of lost sheep all over the world. However, the sad truth is that we never take the trumpet out of the case. We instead hide behind the verse “They will know we are Christians by our love.” Which is true, but so is Mark 16:15.

• Mark 16:15 - “And he said to them, "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.“

I think it comes down to, do we trust the Gospel. Do we believe 1 Corinthians 15, do we believe Romans 1:16, do we believe the entire book of Acts, do we believe Jesus. Our King does not hide the ball from us. He tells us what our mission is. He tells us how to expand the borders of his Kingdom, it is not by digging wells, or building schools. It is by testifying about Jesus Christ and him crucified. 

We must proclaim it in our homes, in our work places, in our neighborhoods, on facebook, in Kentucky, in India. If you are a Christian, this is the primary reason that God has left you here on this planet, to proclaim the Gospel.

• 1 Peter 2:9 – “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”
  
  

At this point, some of you may now be saying, I don't know how. First of all, you do. You just don't know that you do. If you are a true Christians, one who has repented and have made Jesus your greatest treasure, then you know how to proclaim the gospel. All you have to do is tell someone about the best day of your life, when Jesus came and took up residence in your heart.

However, in addition to your testimony, on your seats is what is called a tract. In my opinion, this tract is one of the simplest and perhaps best ways to explain the Gospel. It is simple, it is true and it is easily learned. Take this tract home and memorize it. Memorize every word of it, the scriptures, the pictures, and the explanations. Then practice. Practice in the mirror, practice with your brothers and sisters, practice with me. Then go and do it. Look for opportunities to weave threads of the Gospel in your conversations and see what stage God sets for you. I think you will be amazed how simple and how powerful it is.