The Four-Fold Purpose of the Church

I want to encourage you to open up your Bibles, if you would please, to Acts chapter 2.

Acts 2 · chapter mention

! Acts chapter 2, we're continuing our study as we look at this church, the new church that has begun

Acts 2 · chapter mention

! in the book of Acts. If you're using the Pew Bible, I would encourage you to turn to page 911,

so you can find us there. We have been moving through this book together, and we plan to continue

this study working through the book of Acts. I imagine it's going to take some time, but as we

continue to discover God's work in revealing himself to us through his word and helping us to

understand what the church means, that we as his church will be not only more informed, but will be

those who are better representatives of Christ himself. The story, or I should say the account

of the book of Acts, begins in Acts chapter 1, as the disciples are there with the Lord and Savior,

Acts 1 · chapter mention

Jesus Christ. What I absolutely love about the beginning of this movement, this church age, and

any of you who know about the church, anyone who is familiar with this work of God in this church,

will understand the epic nature of what Christ has accomplished. That Jerusalem, it started there.

It moved to Judea and Samaria and the ends of the earth. You and I are beneficiaries of a work that

started 2,000 years ago in Jerusalem. It might be easy to be overwhelmed. Overwhelmed by the sense,

the scale of what the church really means. It has gone through every age and is a part of every time

from the time of Christ to now, and it's spread across the globe. Maybe it's easy for us to be

overwhelmed until we come back to how it all started and we remember the nature of how things began.

Remember that Jesus gave his disciples two very simple commands. He said,

go to Jerusalem and wait for the Spirit. Two simple commands is what started this epic age

that we get to call the church. This new work of God in establishing a people to himself,

not just Jews, but also including the Gentiles. And remember the promise that Jesus gave to the

disciples if they would obey. Acts chapter 1, 8, there's two of them. It says, you will receive

Acts 1 · chapter mention

power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses. Now, so what do the disciples do?

So they go back to Jerusalem, just as Jesus has said, and they wait, just as Jesus has said. And the

fulfillment of God's promise through his son Jesus happened exactly as Jesus had said. Ten days later,

when they go to Jerusalem, ten days later, there is a time of Pentecost, and the Holy Spirit comes and

dwells his people and turns them into witnesses. He makes them witnesses. This was a time of Pentecost.

This is one of three times throughout the Jewish calendar when every Jewish male was supposed to

come to Jerusalem, was supposed to give their offerings in the temple. It was a way for them

to worship, a way for them to demonstrate their commitment to the Lord. Well, in this time of

Pentecost, on this day in Jerusalem in Acts chapter 2, we find that there are at least 16 different

Acts 2 · chapter mention

nations that are represented from across the Roman Empire, in as many as 18 different languages or more

that are represented. How in the world will this message go forth? How in the world will God begin

to start this church movement? What's going to happen through the work of his Holy Spirit? And that's

where I find incredible relief and comfort. You see, we find here, even at the beginning of this

church movement, that the beginning of the church does not rest on gifted leaders. It doesn't rest on

those who know everything there is to know about doctrine. It doesn't rest on individuals who bring

their charisma, who bring their vision, who bring their purpose, who can stimulate the crowd and can

pump them up so that a church is born. No, a church rests entirely upon the person of Jesus Christ.

It rests upon his word, obedience to his name, because Jesus himself has said, I will build my church

and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. And so these believers go out in the power of the

Holy Spirit. They speak. And what we find in Acts chapter 2 verse 11 is this. We hear them telling in

Acts 2:11

our own tongues the mighty works of God. Did you get that? They speak the works of God.

It's not just the gospel. It's not just doctrines. It's not just teaching. It is simply a goal of exalting

the name of the Lord Jesus. It's lifting up his mighty works. It's helping those in Jerusalem to

recognize the wonder of who he is, to testify to the glory of God. It begins, the church age begins

with a tension that is drawn to the wonder of who God is, his glory. And so that's where we began our

study by understanding the wonder of the glory of God and recognizing that if we're going to be God's

people, we too need to come to appreciate and understand God's glory. So what is glory? Well,

we defined it this way. We said God's glory is the visible manifestation of God's presence, power,

and authority. It's how you know that God is near. It's how you know what God has said. It's how you

know that God is in control. And so as we come to understand and see the glory of God, we come to

appreciate that his glory is written everywhere that we look because the heavens declare the glory of God.

You look into the heavens, you see the stars, you see the handiwork of what he has made in the

mountains, in the trees, and all the beauty of spring especially, the flowers that are blooming,

and you begin to understand the glory of God is evident in the things that he has made.

But then this, the greatest blessing of the Christian life is to come and have a personal

experience with the glory of God ourselves. In 2 Corinthians chapter 4 verse 6, it says this,

2 Corinthians 4:6

for God who said, let light shine out of darkness has shown in our hearts to give the light of the

knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. So it was the glory of God on display here

in Acts chapter 2. We hear them telling the mighty works of God. The glory of God is pushed to the

Acts 2 · chapter mention

forefront in the face of the face of the face of the face of the face of the face of the face of the

God. The glory of God is pushed to the face of the face of the face of the face of the face of the face of the

glory, speaking and confessing and witnessing to the glory of God. So then in Acts chapter 2 verse 21,

Acts 2:21

it says, it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

That's the focal point of their message. The focal point of their message is to draw

the listeners into wonder of who God is. To welcome them and invite them to enjoy

the glory of God for themselves and to do it by believing or calling upon his name so that they too

may have this experience of salvation and deliverance. I wonder this morning, do you know the son?

The son who the believers on that day of Pentecost were speaking about,

the mighty works of God, confessing the wonder of who he is and directing hearts to see the son.

I wonder this morning, have you called on the name of the Lord to enjoy salvation for yourself?

You see, that's where Peter begins his message and we see in the next several verses, beginning in

verse 22, going on to verse 24, that Peter will now speak about the son. He'll speak about the son being

fully man. He'll speak about the son being fully God. He'll speak about the son's death, his resurrection,

and the son being exalted to the right hand of the father. He preaches about Christ. And 3,000 souls

now respond to the message as we continue to work our way through Acts chapter 2. They respond to the

Acts 2 · chapter mention

message, not in a way that is simply acknowledging the truth that they've heard, but they recognize

that the truth that has been spoken, now they're responsible to respond to this truth. So what do

they do? They repent. They see their sin. They repent from their sin. And they're baptized as an expression,

a way to demonstrate that the work of Christ, his death, his resurrection, is now a work that is

illustrated in their own lives as well, as they come to be baptized. This is what Jesus had prayed

for the night before his crucifixion. He's prayed for a community of believers. He's prayed for

souls of those who would come to faith in him and would be now one with him because of his work

on the cross. John chapter 17 verses 20 and 21 says this. This is Jesus' prayer. He says,

John 17:20

I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word,

that they might be one just as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us,

so that the world may believe that you have sent me. You see, a church was born. But why does the

church exist? What is the purpose of the church? And that's now where we turn our attention

beginning in verses 42, moving on to verse 47. Luke will answer this question here in the book of

Acts, not by giving us a brochure and kind of telling us all about it, but he's going to give

us a picture, a picture of a people, a people who have been changed, a people who have been brought

together, a people who are now unified and are expressing that oneness as we work our way through

these next several verses. But before we get there, I want to just draw your attention to this fourfold

purpose that we're going to begin to see unpacked as we make our way through these verses.

This fourfold purpose is what God has called every believer to be part of. And you can see the

banners behind me that we have bow, build, bless, and belong. But these represent the four priorities

that God has given to every believer, and especially believers who are gathered as a church to fulfill

the mission that God has called us to. The purpose of worship that we'll talk about in just a moment.

The purpose of discipleship, which we'll also talk about next week. The purpose of evangelism,

and then the purpose of our fellowship or our unity. All of these things, these pieces,

are a part of the priorities that God has given to us as a church and should be true in the lives

of every believer. So what are these fourfold purposes? Well, let me just touch on them and then

we'll concentrate this morning on worship. But first, worship. Worship. We've said that

worship, we kind of want to make this memorable. So we have compared worship with bow or to bow your

heart in worship to God. Of course, God has created us for worship. That those who have come to a place

of recognizing the glory of God, the worthiness of God, it should immediately bring them to the point

of recognizing not only his worth, but in bowing, in worship, in reverence, in devotion to him.

We see that in Romans chapter 12, verse 1, where Paul will say,

Romans 12:1

I appeal to you, therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as living sacrifices,

holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Those of us who have enjoyed the benefits

of salvation. Those of us who have come to terms with the mercies of God. That while we are sinners

and because of our sin, we are hostile and enemies against God. That God still sent his son to us to

demonstrate his love. To Jesus, as Jesus walks in obedient life, and then he lays down his life

to pay for sin so that we can enjoy the benefits of his sacrifice and we can be forgiven.

Those who understand what Christ has done, his mercy for us, should be the first in line to worship him.

This is our reasonable worship, our spiritual worship that those of us who have come to faith

in Jesus Christ will do. This is what we were made for. So what is worship? Well, what we have said

that worship is living with a spotlight on Jesus. It's living with a spotlight on Jesus. And so it's

not just when you come to a morning service once a week that you come to worship. No, worship is meant

to be the expression of every part of every day. It's meant to fill the totality of your life. Every sphere

in which you live is meant to be a sphere in which you worship. Our work should be worship. Our family time

should be worship. Our leisure should be worship. Our sports activities, our academics, our time at school,

our gardening. Whatever we do is meant to draw us into a greater affection and a greater love for the Lord Jesus.

I love how the Apostle Paul puts it in 1 Corinthians 10 31 where he says, whether you eat or drink or whatever

you do, do all to the glory of God. That is worship. Recognizing the worthiness of God and bowing before him

in worship. The Apostle Paul expresses this well in Philippians 1 21. You have that at the bottom of this slide.

For me to live is Christ and to die is gain. So we recognize that every part of life is meant to draw us

deeper in love with Jesus and to put his life and his message on display so that others can see it as well.

Worship. The next is discipleship. And if worship is bow, then discipleship is build for us.

It's leading every person one step closer to Jesus.

Leading every person one step closer to Jesus.

And my guess is this morning

that we think about, when we think about making disciples,

disciples, my guess is that maybe you relate, you are familiar with a program, something formal

that helps you become a disciple. Maybe you're part of a Bible study. Maybe you're part of a small group.

Maybe you're part of some way to help you understand the Bible more. And so the formalized process of

discipleship is what we've become to be familiar with. And in each of those scenarios, there is a

discipler or a mentor or a teacher. Somebody who has more knowledge, who is helping those of us who have less knowledge

to be more like Jesus, to grow in discipleship.

But as we're going to see,

discipleship, while it does have a formal component,

is also meant to have an informal component.

It's about life on life.

It's about, it's meant to be about people who are together.

That discipleship can't happen without fellowship. And we'll learn about that more next week.

You know, we're familiar with Matthew chapter 28 verses 19 and 20.

Matthew 28:19

It says,

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations,

baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,

teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.

And behold,

I am with you always to the end of the age.

We tend to think that this verse is for the super Christian.

The ones who've arrived.

The ones who are really mature.

The ones who've been Christians for a while.

The ones who have all the answers.

Maybe the ones who we feel are really gifted.

But for the rest of us,

discipleship is just something we enjoy the benefits of.

But that's not how Jesus phrases this verse.

Notice, he's writing this verse to those who are disciples,

but those who will also be disciples.

And a disciple is simply somebody who is sent from Jesus to do his work.

Those who have come into relationship with him.

If you know Jesus Christ as your Savior,

and you've given your life to him,

then you are a disciple.

So this verse is for you.

It's for me.

And in our going, it says,

Go, therefore, and make disciples.

We have a responsibility.

All of us in this room,

who are believers in Jesus Christ,

have this mandate.

Go and make disciples.

And yet,

why is it that so few of us are doing this work?

I think it's because we misunderstand what discipleship is all about.

And we think that discipleship always has to flow downhill.

It has to flow from those who are more spiritual to those who are less spiritual.

And because we don't feel qualified,

we don't feel like we've arrived yet,

we're not that super Christian yet,

then we have nothing to offer.

But that's not what Jesus is saying here.

Somehow, all of us need to be involved in this process.

And how does it happen?

Well, I think it happens simply.

It happens simply as we understand the call that God has put on our hearts

to lead every person one step closer to Jesus.

How does that happen?

Well, that happens as God is working in your life.

And as you share how God is working in your life

with somebody that you're in relationship with.

Maybe that's a co-worker.

Maybe that's even one of your children.

Maybe that's a friend in your family.

Maybe that is somebody that's in your circles

who comes to this church

and they may be more spiritual

and have been a Christian for a long time.

They may be a baby Christian

and have only known Jesus for a couple of months.

They have something to offer you.

I think about this even for myself.

I've been a Christian now for,

well, I'm 53, I'll be 54 this year.

I got saved when I was five years old.

So what, is that 48, 49 years I've been a Christian?

And it's interesting that the longer you're a Christian,

the easier it is for complacency to rest on your heart.

There is something about the freshness of a new believer

that makes my heart warm.

And helps me, I'm kind of a fuddy-duddy, an old guy.

It helps me to realize the wonder of what the gospel can do.

It reignites in my heart an affection for Jesus.

It sparks within me a desire to be about discipleship and evangelism.

It does something for me.

And that's by design.

We belong together.

We need each other.

There are things that we have to offer each other.

It happens through mutual relationship and community that God has placed us in.

Every one of us needs to be about intentionally and incrementally

helping to encourage others around us to look more like Jesus.

Paul explains this well in Colossians 1, verse 28, when he says,

Colossians 1:28

Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom.

Why?

That we may present everyone mature in Christ.

If you're a believer here today, and you're part of this fellowship,

the people who are here belong to you.

They're your responsibility to help lead them one step closer to Jesus.

Jesus, in your conversations.

That our conversations are adorned with the gospel of God.

And the wonder of what Christ is doing in your heart,

so that you can encourage them to take one more step.

Evangelism is next.

In making disciples, we have to share this good news.

How do the disciples happen?

Well, they happen as we are proclaiming the mighty works of God to the world around us.

And this is what happens in Jerusalem.

And even this is not reserved for the elite believer.

We're instructed to share the news of the gospel wherever we go.

And this can seem quite intimidating.

You might say, I don't have the gift of evangelism.

This is not something I'm good at.

But, you see, we've found that something is helpful.

It's helpful to remember that God has called us all to two commands, right?

What is the first and great command?

It is to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.

And you know what happens?

When that becomes true of you, it flows out into something else.

It flows out into the second command.

That you're going to love your neighbor as yourself.

You see, loving your neighbor will naturally lead to telling them about Jesus.

And the more you love Jesus with your heart, soul, mind, and strength,

the more all-encompassing that love will become.

And the more your identity will reflect the image of Jesus.

And so, the conversations and relationships that you're a part of,

the one thing that's going to stand out in that conversation is that you love Jesus.

So, rather than seeing evangelism as a transaction,

rather than seeing evangelism as an agenda or something that we need to do on a Saturday,

we see evangelism as an expression of our love for the Lord.

We live like Jesus to bless the world,

not to make converts.

We don't make converts.

God makes converts.

We have the responsibility of sharing the good news

so that God can then do His work of building His church.

See, we live to present the beauty of our Lord Jesus.

And He is beautiful.

And that's what Jesus did.

We see that in Acts chapter 3, verse 26, it says,

Acts 3:26

God, having raised up His servant,

sent Him to you first to bless you

by turning every one of you from your wickedness.

That's the joy that we get to have

as those who love Jesus

is wherever we go,

we get a chance then to express our love for Christ

to the world around us,

whether or not they ever come to faith in Jesus Christ.

Because it's about the glory of God

and affection for God

and entrusting to God

the results of that message.

Finally,

we come to fellowship.

What is fellowship?

Well, fellowship is this space

in which we belong together.

It's this space where we understand

we're connected together,

we're unified together.

And that's what we see in this church.

Acts chapter 2, verse 42.

Acts 2:42

And they devoted themselves

to the apostles' teaching

and the fellowship

to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

This word for fellowship

is the word koinonia.

It's the word for sharing.

It's the word for community.

It's the word for togetherness.

They were of one heart,

one mind.

It was almost as if

they were like one person.

They're described as like one man

there in Jerusalem.

They're so connected.

And we realize

it's not just about being

in the same room together.

It's not about just sharing

the same space.

But it's growing in our affection

for one another.

And I use the word affection

because it's so much more direct

and fitting, I think,

than growing in love

with one another,

which is also true.

I really want to love you

by showing you

that I have an affection for you.

Not just general,

but very specific.

And this will show up

in our conversations.

It will show up

in our ministry to one another.

It will show up in our service.

It will show up

in the one another's that we do.

The bearing of one another's burdens.

The praying for one another.

The loving one another.

All the one another's

we find through the scripture

are taking place

through this fellowshipping aspect.

As we work through this passage,

we find in verse 42,

they're breaking of bread.

We find in verse 42,

they're praying for one another.

It prompted generosity

in verses 44 and 45.

All who believed were together

and had all things in common.

They were selling their possessions

and belongings

and distributing the proceeds

to all as any had need.

This was a community of individuals

who had real,

authentic affection

for one another.

It showed up.

So this is our fourfold ministry.

This is what God has called

every believer

to be involved in.

So let's turn our attention

just for the next few moments

back to chapter 2, verse 42.

And we're going to focus

and drill down

just a little bit more

on worship

and answer this question,

what is worship?

So that we know

how to be better worshipers.

So what is worship?

Worship begins

with knowing God truly.

It begins with knowing God truly.

We see that in verse 42.

It says,

And they devoted themselves

to the apostles' teaching

and the fellowship,

to the breaking of bread

and to prayers,

and awe came upon every soul.

And many wonders and signs

were being done

through the apostles.

And all who believed

were together

and had all things in common.

And they were selling

their possessions

and belongings

and distributing

the proceeds to all

as any had need.

And day by day,

attending temple together,

and breaking bread

in their homes,

they received their food

with glad and generous hearts,

praising who?

Praising God

and having favor

with all the people.

And the Lord added

to their number

day by day

those who were being saved.

Worship is defined

in several different ways,

but I find two

that are helpful.

John Piper says this,

It's treasuring God

above all else.

MacArthur has said,

it's to honor,

it's honor and admiration

that's directed to God.

Worship is the God-centered response

of the whole person.

It directs the whole person

to love Him the way

and worship Him

the way that He deserves.

And we find here

this atmosphere.

Did you notice it?

As we're working through

and read through these verses,

did you see

and get a sense

of the electricity

that's happening,

the enthusiasm

that's taking place

in these new believers

who are all together,

they cannot get enough

of one another.

Do you sense that at all?

This vibrance

that's taking place?

I think we can understand

and appreciate

what's happening.

I remember

my own conversion

that took place

when I was five years old.

And I remember

that Sunday morning,

it was an early Sunday morning

that my father

was waking me up

for church

for that morning.

And I don't know

what I'd been thinking

about that whole day,

but I do know

that my dad

and my mom

faithfully taught me

the scripture.

I knew what the Bible said.

I knew what the Bible

said about sin.

I knew that sin

separates us from God.

And I knew

that I was a sinner

because all have sinned

and come short

of the glory of God.

So as a sinner,

I had set myself

against God

and against His glory

and decided

to do things my way.

But God in His grace

sent His Son,

Jesus.

Why?

Because God so loved

the world

that He gave

His only begotten Son

that whoever

believes in Him

should not perish

but have everlasting life.

That's possible

because of Jesus'

righteousness.

Jesus'

perfection.

perfection.

Jesus fulfilled the law.

He did it perfectly.

He was the God-man.

And as man,

He could die

for my sin.

As God,

that sacrifice

that Jesus paid

applied to everyone

who believed.

And I wanted to enjoy

the benefits

of that invitation

to recognize

that Jesus

in His death

paid for my sin.

We find that

in Romans 6,

Romans 6:23

verse 23,

the wages of sin

is death.

That's what I deserve.

But the gift of God

is eternal life

through Jesus Christ

our Lord.

So you have to know

Jesus.

And so I asked

my dad

in those quiet moments

if he would lead me

in a prayer

so that I could come

to know Jesus

as my own personal

Lord and Savior.

In that morning,

I gave my life,

my heart,

to Jesus.

And I appreciate

what my dad

wanted to remind me of

is that coming

to faith in Christ

doesn't mean

that everything's

going to be okay.

Matter of fact,

sometimes coming to Christ

makes things harder.

But having Jesus,

having Jesus

is all that we need.

Jesus has been sufficient.

Jesus has been

all that I need.

And for me,

there was

an energy

and a zeal

that happened

of fresh electricity

in my heart

because of the work

of Christ

in my life

in that moment.

Even as a five-year-old,

I was going bananas.

I couldn't help.

I wanted to rush

to all of my friends

in children's Sunday school.

I wanted to tell everybody

about what Jesus

had done for me.

And my next-door neighbor

the next day,

I ran across the street.

I wanted to tell her

what Jesus had done for me.

So you can imagine

the electricity

of this moment,

this church,

3,000 men.

Who knows how many

women and children

coming to faith in Jesus.

And the testimony

of knowing Jesus

not only led them

to worshiping Jesus,

but it led them

to community

with one another.

This electricity.

And this new joy

leads to sincere devotion.

And it's devotion.

You see that in verse 42.

Devotion to the teaching.

The apostles' teaching.

The apostles were teaching

about who Christ was.

The apostles were communicating

that word they heard

first from the Lord Jesus.

In John chapter 1,

John 1 · chapter mention

we understand that

the word of God

was made flesh.

He dwelt among us

so that he could communicate

to a people

who needed to hear him.

Who needed to hear his word.

So they could know him

and worship him.

You cannot worship a God

you do not know.

And so God has communicated

himself through his word

so that we can not just

know him,

but we can be drawn

into relationship

and we can come

to worship him.

And that's why the gospel,

it's where the gospel begins.

And now flowing out

from this space,

now you see a people

who are changed.

They know God.

They're worshiping God.

And it leads to this next part.

Worship then also leads

to loving God supremely.

To loving God supremely.

You see this

in verses 46 and 47.

Notice.

And day by day

attending the temple together

and breaking bread

in their homes,

they receive their food

with glad and generous hearts.

Praising God

and having favor

with all the people.

Their affection for God

is reflected

in their affection

for one another.

God has changed them.

They're no longer

individuals.

Now they belong together.

And this affection

is spilling over.

The work of God

in their hearts

is drawing them

to one another.

This corporate nature

of their worship

is telling.

They recognize

that God had done something

and it had changed them.

And now they're not

just attending temple

individually.

Now they're attending temple

day by day together.

Hey, would you go with me

to the temple?

Let's do this together.

Let's worship the Lord together.

We're in this.

God has done something for us.

Let's celebrate this work

and do it.

Do it together.

And we understand

that worship

while it's amplified

on a Sunday morning

it's not restricted

to Sunday.

As a matter of fact

Sunday morning

isn't accomplishing

the objective

if it's the only time

that you worship

through the week.

See, we have failed

as a church

if worship doesn't

spill into every part

of your every day.

We have failed

in our purpose

as a body

if we're content

with just an hour

with God

once a week.

And that's what we

say when our worship

on Sunday

when it fails

to show up

on Monday

then worship

really isn't taking

root in your life.

And we see worship

in this church

worship that pervades

every dimension

of life.

They enjoyed worship

because they were

growing in love

with the Lord

and growing in love

with one another.

And finally

worship results

in obeying God

sincerely.

In obeying God

sincerely.

As we work

through this passage

we're going to

notice immediately

that all of the

patterns that we

see reflected

in this church

are first

patterns that

showed up

in our Lord Jesus.

That Jesus

himself was

a teaching

prophet.

That Jesus

fellowshiped

with his disciples.

He fellowshiped

with others.

Those intimate

times we get

to see even

at Bethany

as Jesus is

fellowshipping

with Mary

and Martha

and Lazarus.

He's also

breaking bread

with his disciples.

He's attending

temple with his

disciples.

Jesus is

fulfilling

the commands

that God

has instructed

him to do.

All of those

commings we find

throughout the

Old Testament

Jesus fulfilled

every single

one.

He is the

fulfillment

of all that

God expected.

And he's

establishing

that worship

to God

requires

obedience

to God.

We find in

Philippians

Philippians 2:8

chapter 2

verse 8

this statement

in being found

in human form

he humbled

himself

by becoming

obedient

to the point

of death

even death

on a cross.

So the

apostle John

will say

in his letter

in 1 John

1 John 2:3

chapter 2

verses 3

and 4

and by this

we know

that we have

come to know

him

if we keep

his commandments.

Whoever says

I know him

but does not

keep his commandments

is a liar

and the truth

is not in him.

Now does that

mean that our

salvation

is contingent

upon obedience?

No.

It's contingent

upon the work

of Christ's

obedience.

He was

obedient

so we can

enjoy the

benefits of

that but

the assurance

of the

faith that

we have

is confirmed

by our

obedience to

the Lord

Jesus himself.

Our love

for him

spills out

in obedience

to him.

You see

at Maranatha

there are

some lanes

that we want

to try to help

kind of nurture

worship in

your life.

We want you

to see that

worship isn't

just something

that happens

here on Sunday

but it should

spill into

every part

of your week.

And I just

want to draw

attention to

a couple

very briefly.

First I

trust that you

notice that

our singing

is meant

to draw

you in

to worshiping

Jesus.

It draws

attention to

him.

It's living

with him

in the

spotlight.

And so

Pastor John

does some

things very

intentionally

to draw

attention to

Jesus

and not

distract

from him.

Things like

picking songs

that speak

about Jesus.

Picking songs

that use

the word of

God as a

foundation

for our

singing.

That draw

your affection

to him.

That help

you grow

and wow

this Jesus

is amazing

I want to

know him

more.

That's the

goal of the

songs that

we sing.

It's not

to draw

attention to

you and

all of

your

troubles

and all

of your

pains.

It's to

help you

understand

that in

your pain

you can

look to

Jesus

who's able

to resolve

them in

himself.

Maybe not

send them

away perhaps

but to

strengthen

you in

the process

of recognizing

that he

is this

friend that

sticks closer

than a

brother even

when you're

facing opposition.

We sing

songs that

are meant

to direct

your attention

to Jesus.

But even

in the way

that we sing

songs here

it's to

draw attention

to the

wonder of

Christ.

And that's

why John

has been very

careful to

kind of keep

the lights

up so that

we can see

one another.

We can enjoy

the benefits

of being a

part of this

community.

And while we

are individuals

and while we

do have a

responsibility

to worship

God one-on-one

with the

Lord,

Sunday morning

is a way for

us to be

together.

Pastor John

has often

said,

and I agree,

that when you

have a chance

to look around

the room

and you know

that somebody

in the room

is really

struggling

and yet there

they are

singing to

the Lord

praises to

God.

I trust that

that helps

to encourage

you to know,

you know what,

if they can

sing to Jesus

when things

are really

bad,

what a great

lesson for

my heart

to know

that Jesus

is able

to help me

even in

this pain

that I'm

feeling.

John also

wants to make

sure that we

don't spotlight

the giftedness

of our

musicians

or our

singers.

And by

God's grace

we have a lot

of really

gifted people

here.

I am so

thankful for

how God

has assembled

that.

But it's

not about

showcasing

people,

it's about

drawing attention

to our

Savior.

And so when

we sing

songs and

the way

we sing

songs,

we want

to make

sure that

Jesus is

the center

of all of

those things,

not a

musician who

is really

gifted in

what they

do.

We also

want to draw

attention to

the wonder

of who God

is through

our preaching.

So we're

going to

preach the

text.

We're going

to get you

into the

Word of

God.

And we're

going to,

by design,

normally we're

going to teach

expositionally

through books

of the Bible.

That's our

goal.

And what that

helps me to

do is

make sure

that I'm

not just

telling you

the things

that are

easy and

comfortable

for me to

say or

things that

are easy and

comfortable for

you to hear.

We want to

prioritize the

Word of God

and we want to

prioritize the

teaching so

that Jesus is

in the spotlight

through good

things and

hard things to

know, you know

what, here's a

church that's

going to tell me

the truth whether

or not it's

easy for me to

hear.

So we're

going to go

through books

of the Bible.

We're going to

teach in a way

that's expositional

verse by verse,

book by book,

that's the goal.

We also want to

be a people who

are drawn together

in prayer.

Pastor David has

done an amazing

job in putting

together something

every single week

called the

Powerhouse Prayer.

It is a little

telegram article

and it is

phenomenal.

It walks you

through not only

the prayer requests

that are current

in our body but

also walks you

through a passage

of scripture to

know how you can

pray more faithfully.

How can you use

the Word of God

to pray in a way

that you're not

distracted, that

helps to align your

heart to what God

wants to do.

Praying God's

words back to Him.

In prayer we also

have small groups

that incorporate

prayer as a main

element of their

time together.

prayer in giving.

We want to call

you to give not

because we need

money.

We want to call

you to give because

we want you to

enjoy the blessing

of recognizing that

God is able to

provide for your

needs.

And to enjoy the

blessing of knowing

Him for yourself

and seeing that in

your expression of

giving you're

trusting Him with

your stuff.

Fellowship.

We want our

fellowship to be

Christ-centered.

We'll talk about

that more next

week.

We want to draw

our attention not

just to the things

that are going on

in your life.

We care about those

two but we want

your fellowship to

be the kind of

fellowship we see

in Hebrews where

you're stirring one

another up to love

and good deeds.

And finally,

service.

Service to God.

In your service

here at Maranatha

that your service

is directed to

Him.

You see,

worship happens

when we gather

and sing and pray

and hear the word

of God.

We fellowship

and we praise

but worship is

meant really to

direct your hearts

to Him.

And I trust

that as we grow

in this together

that God will help

us to be faithful.

Let me pray.

Father, I thank

you.

I thank you for

your word and for

the challenge we

get from this

scripture.

how you put the

church together.

It's incredible.

Thank you that the

work of the church

does not rest on us.

The work of building

this church rests on

you.

So steer our hearts

towards you, Lord.

Help us to know you

more, to love you

more, to depend on

you more so that we

can show Christ

through our lives

more clearly day by

day.

In Jesus' name we

pray.

Amen.

God bless you.

Have a great week.

Amen.