Thinking Biblically

Helping renew your mind with God's Word

Category: Devotional (Page 9 of 13)

These posts are from my personal Bible study. Some posts are from my own sermons.

Commit to the Church: Serve Faithfully

November 15, 2022 /
Sermon Series Graphic

I recently began a new sermon series called Commit at my church on what biblically committed church membership looks like. This post is based off of the eighth sermon in that series, which was not recorded.

This blog post is about the importance of serving within the church. You may not know it, but the verbal form of diakonos (the Greek word sometimes translated deacon) means to serve or to minister. However, serving in the church is not limited to deacons. We could go back to Acts 2:42-47 and see how the early Christians served one another. The call to serve one another is found all over the New Testament.

I would argue that anyone that claims to be a Christian must be a servant because Christ our Lord is the ultimate example of humility and service. We saw that in our Scripture reading from Philippians 2:1-11 and we’ll see it today in our Scripture text. If you would, turn in your Bibles to Mark 10.

As you’re turning to Mark 10, I want to give you some context. In Mark 10, Jesus and his disciples are on their way to Jerusalem where Jesus will be crucified within 1-2 weeks of when the events of our text took place.

Mark 8-10 is the largest text in the New Testament on discipleship. In Mark 8:34-36, Jesus spoke these challenging words:

“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. 36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?

In each chapter of Mark 8-10:

  • Jesus predicted his death and resurrection (8:31-32, 9:30-31, 10:32-34).
  • The disciples responded in a foolish way (8:32-33, 9:32-34, 10:35-41).
  • Jesus gave a lesson on discipleship and service (8:34-38, 9:35-37, 10:42-45).

In our text today, we’ll see just how much we are like Jesus’ first disciples when it comes to service.

Sermon Text: Mark 10:32-45

BIG IDEA: As followers of Jesus, we should humbly serve one another.

We know that we need to serve, but it seems to be hard at times. This text helps us see why serving faithfully is difficult for so many of us.

Serving faithfully will cost us (32-34)

Jesus knew what was going to happen (32-34) and he still went to Jerusalem. He loved and served us even when he knew he would suffer and that it would cost him his life. Even while His disciples were fearful (32), Jesus was focused on the mission that had been given to him by the Father.

Jesus’ mission was to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10). He came to bear witness to the Father and to die for the sins of the world. While it is unlikely that many of us will physically die in service to Christ, the reality is that God has given our church a mission – to make disciples of Jesus Christ by sharing the gospel, baptizing, and teaching people to obey Jesus in all of life for the rest of life (Matt 28:18-20).

Are you serving Jesus in this way? Are you, like Jesus, focused on the mission that God has given to us as a church? How are you serving the Great Commission? How are you serving the church?

Serving faithfully will cost you. It will cost you to:

  • serve in the nursery
  • teach a Sunday school class
  • show up for church clean up days
  • babysit for a young couple with children so they can have a date night
  • serve on the music team
  • clean up a widow’s yard
  • take a meal to a homebound or sick church member
  • pick up a homebound member and bring them to church
  • host another family in the church in your home
  • disciple that young believer by helping him/her to read the Bible, pray, and share the gospel

Jesus served us faithfully despite an unimaginable cost to himself. Like Jesus, we should faithfully serve the church despite the cost. Jesus bought the church with his own blood (Acts 20:28). Are we willing to give our blood, sweat, and tears to serve him by serving his church?

So, serving faithfully will cost us. Second, it will challenge us.

Second, serving faithfully will challenge us (35-44)

Serving faithfully goes against our human nature (35-37)

The way of the world: self-exaltation.

  • 35 – “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.”
  • 37 – “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory”

James and John are showing their human natures. Like these two men, we love ourselves and want others to love and honor us as well. Many of us think way too highly of ourselves. Isn’t it true that we tend to see the specks in others’ eyes while overlooking the log in our own eyes?

James and John also seem to have already forgotten Jesus’ teaching on what true greatness looks like. In the previous chapter of Mark, we read the words below.

Mark 9:35

And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.”

On the way to his death here in chapter 10, Jesus is talking about all that he is about to give. But the self-absorbed disciples are consumed with all they can get. When we see James and John, it’s like looking in the mirror. We see our own selfishness, and Mark hopes that we see how foolish we look. Once again, this is one of the reasons that serving is so challenging for us – it goes against our human nature.

Friends, the way of the world is to exalt yourself. The way of Christ is to serve others.

The way of the world is to exalt yourself. The way of Christ is to serve others.

Serving faithfully will challenge us because it goes against our human nature and because it comes at a cost. I’ve already discussed this in vv. 32-35, but let’s now look at vv. 38-40.

38 Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” 39 And they said to him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized, 40 but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”

Serving faithfully comes at a cost (38-40)

James and John know Jesus is headed for glory (37), but they don’t have a clue how that glory would come. They expected Jesus to overthrow the Romans and establish a political kingdom but Jesus’ kingdom was not of this world. His path to glory was paved with suffering. Look again at v. 38 – Jesus tells his disciples, “You don’t know what you’re asking…”

  • “Are you able to drink the cup that I drink?”
  • “Are you able to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?

Jesus compares His coming suffering and death to drinking a cup and experiencing a baptism. What does He mean by this? Drinking a cup with someone speaks of sharing in that person’s fate. The cup that Jesus is referring to here is that of God’s wrath.

When Jesus speaks of His coming baptism, He means that His coming suffering and death were all consuming. Just as baptism is by immersion, Jesus was immersed in the destiny that God had planned for Him. Jesus’ suffering and death were all consuming and He was immersed in His mission.

Luke 12:50

I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how great is my distress until it is accomplished!

In verse 39, James and John told Jesus, “We are able.” Their quick response, however, makes it clear that they did not understand what Jesus meant. Jesus knew that indeed one day each of them would suffer for the sake of Jesus.

  • James was the first apostle to be martyred (Acts 12:1-2).
  • John was exiled to the island of Patmos (Rev 1).

James and John had failed to see that the pathway to glory is paved with suffering. Before we receive the crown of life, we must be willing to drink the cup of suffering and be immersed in living for Christ.

Phil 1:29

For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake,

“The early church was married to poverty, prisons, and persecutions. Today, ‘the church’ is married to prosperity, personality, and popularity.”

Leonard Ravehnill

Serving faithfully challenges us because it is  contrary to the ways of the world (41-43)

In v. 41, the other disciples were indignant at James and John. In v. 42, Jesus says that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them and that they exercise authority over them. People in the world want more power, more position, more fame, and more influence. In the world, the more important you are, the more people you have that serve you.

But Jesus says in v. 43, “It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant.”

Once again, Jesus has changed the scorecard. The world says that power and authority are to be desired, but Jesus says if you want to be great, you must be a servant.

Serving faithfully challenges us because we must become like slaves (44)

Jesus says it’s not even enough to be like a servant, but you must become like a slave. In biblical times, slaves had very little rights and were taken for granted by those that they served.

Who are you more like? Are you like James and John seeking to exalt yourself? Are you like Jesus, a servant that is willing to pour out your life for others and to be taken for granted like a slave?

Serving faithfully will cost us. Serving faithfully will challenge us. But serving faithfully is the way of Christ.

Serving faithfully is the way of Christ (45)

Mark 10:45 is the key verse of Mark’s Gospel. Mark 1:15 is Jesus’ message; Mark 10:45 is Jesus’ mission.

Jesus has told us He is going to Jerusalem and that He will die. Now He tells us why. He did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many.

Jesus combines the “Son of Man” title from Daniel 7:13-14 with the “ransom for many” language from Isaiah 53:10-12. The Son of Man (Dan 7:13-14) will be given dominion and glory and a kingdom. He came to earth and gave his life as a ransom for many (Isa 53:12).

That’s the amazing truth of the gospel, that Jesus, the Son of God, became the Son of Man to pay the penalty for sin. We needed a ransom for our sin because we had all gladly and willfully sold ourselves into the slavery to sin. Jesus purchased us from our masters of sin, death, and hell to set us free.

By paying the ransom for our sins, Jesus made it possible for the children of Adam to become the children of God (John 1:12). Jesus, the Son of God, and the Son of Man, gave His life as a ransom for many.

We must respond in repentance and faith. After we come to Christ, we live a life of humble service to Jesus and others.

1 John 3:16

By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.

Conclusion

There are some of you that are members of our church but are not serving in any way. I want to challenge you today. Would you speak with me or someone else about how you can regularly serve in the church?

If Jesus was a member of our church, can you imagine that he would do nothing? Would Jesus simply attend the worship service and leave? We know the answer.

Many people today get married only when it’s convenient (when each person has something to offer), but they aren’t really committed to each other through thick and thin. We have a lot of Christians like that today. Some of you will serve in the church only when it’s convenient but you’re not committed to serving week-by-week in the body of Christ.

Donald Whitney writes, “The church needs soldiers who will enlist and fill the ranks, not people who will help only as last-minute reinforcements and if the battle won’t last too long.”[1]Spiritual Disciplines Within the Church, 113..

The way you serve the church reflects your love for Christ. Friends, Jesus is worthy of our service.

Will we believe the lie of the world that life is all about us or will we give ourselves away in service to Jesus, his Gospel, his church, and a lost and dying world?

“Jesus paid it all, all to him I owe.” Will you serve the one who gave it all for you?

References

References
↑1 Spiritual Disciplines Within the Church, 113.

Commit to the Church: Give Generously

October 27, 2022 /
Sermon Series Graphic

I recently began a new sermon series called Commit at my church on what biblically committed church membership looks like. This post is based off of the seventh sermon in that series, which was not recorded due to technical difficulties.

“There is more than one way to get to heaven, but this is a great way.”

Warren Buffet

Those are the words of billionaire Warren Buffett, after pledging to give at least 1.5 billion dollars per year to the Gates Foundation

With respect to Mr. Buffett, there is only one way to heaven and that is through Jesus Christ (John 14:6; Acts 4:12; 1 Tim 2:5). No amount of philanthropic giving will get you to heaven, but the way we handle money is an indication of what is most important to us.

Before we get to our sermon text in Matthew 6 I want to quickly look again at Acts 2. We’re currently in the middle of a sermon series on biblical church membership which is based on the pattern we see in Acts 2:41-47.

Acts 2:41 summarizes the response to Peter’s preaching on the Day of Pentecost. Those who were converted to Christ were baptized and added to the church. Acts 2:42-47 summarizes the commitment of these early believers. Not only were they committed to Christ, but they were committed to one another.

In our last three posts, we’ve looked how to be faithful church members. So far, we’ve looked at the importance of regular attendance, being submitted to God’s Word, and fervent prayer. Today, we are going to look at the importance of generous giving.

As we get started today, let’s quickly look at Acts 2:44-45.

Acts 2:44-45

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.

These early Christians cared for one another to the extent that they were selling their possessions and belongings to care for the poor among them. In other words, they gave generously to one another.

For many, money is a very sensitive subject in the church today. There are many people outside the church who think that churches are all about money. Certainly, there is no shortage of false teachers that love money instead of Christ. However, most of the pastors I know love Christ and the churches they serve.

Just because there are false teachers that love money does not mean that we as a church shouldn’t talk about money. The Bible is full of teaching on money and Jesus spoke on it often. Howard Dayton, the founder of Crown Financial, once cataloged every Bible verse dealing with money. He says there are 2350 verses in the Bible that deal with money (or about 1 out of every 13 verses).

Why does the Bible say so much about money? The reason is that God knows that our attitude towards money is an indication of where our heart is with God. Before giving you the reasons for giving generously to the local church, I want us first to get to the heart of the matter. I say this, because I fear that some Christians have the wrong idea about why we give to the church (out of obligation or guilt) or what our attitude should be.

Our attitude towards money is an indication of where our heart is with God.

With that in mind, let’s turn to Matthew 6.

Matthew 6 is part of what’s known as the Sermon on the Mount, which is found in Matthew 5-7. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is teaching his disciples as well as the crowds that were present how to live as citizens of the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus is telling his audience that if you want to follow him and live in his kingdom for eternity, then you need to live as a kingdom citizen even while you’re here on earth. In Matt 6 Jesus speaks of the genuineness of kingdom citizens. He draws a contrast between those in the kingdom with the hypocritical scribes and Pharisees. The scribes and Pharisees had an external righteousness. They lived for the applause of men, whereas those who belong to Christ care more about true righteousness–they live for heavenly rewards given by their heavenly Father.

This is summarized in Matthew 6:1.

Matthew 6:1

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.

With that in mind, let’s read Matthew 6:19-24.

Sermon Text: Matthew 6:19-24

BIG IDEA: Our attitude toward money and giving reflects the condition of our hearts.

Our attitude toward money and giving reflects the condition of our hearts.

Be careful where you lay up treasures (19-21)

19

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal…

First, Jesus gives a warning to his listeners. He says, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal” (v. 19).

For many of us, we immediately wonder, what does it mean to lay up treasure on earth? It may be helpful if we first establish what Jesus didn’t mean. In Scripture, we read that it is fine to have possessions and to own property. In fact, two of the ten commandments assume that people will own possessions and property. The eighth commandment says, “Do not steal” (Ex 20:15). The tenth commandment says, “Do not covet” (Ex 20:17). If the Jewish people and later Christians were not allowed to own anything these commandments wouldn’t make any sense.

In addition, having savings, or what we might call an emergency fund is also encouraged in Scripture. In Proverbs we’re told to look to the ant who saves food for the winter (Prov 6:6-11). This could also take the form of a life insurance policy for our families.

Finally, we are encouraged in Ecclesiastes to enjoy the gifts of God. It’s okay to enjoy a ribeye steak or filet mignon on occasion. As Christians, we may have possessions. We may own property. We can run a business. We may prudently save for the future. We can enjoy God’s gifts.

What then, does Jesus mean when he says to not lay up treasures on earth? The answer is hidden in plain sight. Jesus says, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth.” Jesus is telling his audience that they are not to spend their lives laying up treasures for themselves. In other words, don’t accumulate possessions that you are not using for God’s kingdom work.

For example, when you are building or buying a house, the question you should ask is not simply, “What’s the biggest, nicest, house I can afford?” Instead, we should ask questions like these:

  • What is the best way for me to be a good steward of the resources God has entrusted to me?
  • How can this house be used for the kingdom of God through hospitality toward both other Christians and unbelievers?
  • Will the size of this house prevent me from giving generously to God’s kingdom work?

So, Jesus warns us to not lay up for ourselves treasures on earth. Then he tells us why – “Moth and rust destroy, and thieves break in and steal.”

First, Jesus warns about moths. In our day, we typically don’t buy super nice clothes. I know I don’t. I buy almost all of my clothes at Kohl’s. However, in ancient times, clothing was a significant part of someone’s wealth. Nice clothes were a considerable investment because they were handmade instead of mass-produced. Wealthy people would have golden threads woven into their clothing to display their wealth.[1]John MacArthur, Matthew (vol. 1), 411. These fine clothes were made of wool, and moths loved to eat it. Jesus warns about laying up treasures that can be eaten by moths.

Second, Jesus warns that earthly treasures can be destroyed by rust. Rust could destroy the value of coins and precious metals just as inflation destroys the purchasing power of our dollars.

Third, Jesus warns that earthly treasures can be stolen by thieves. The phrase “break in” literally means to dig through. Thieves could dig through the mud walls of a house. Today, we know that thieves are still a threat to break into our homes and steal our treasures.

We could sum it up this way: don’t lay up for yourselves treasures on earth because they don’t last! The same is true today. Houses perish due to tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, and fires. Vehicles break down. Our things are susceptible to theft, depreciation, and destruction.

Don’t lay up for yourselves treasures on earth because they don’t last!

A summary of Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 6:19

20

but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.

Instead of laying up treasures on earth, Jesus says, “but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.”

What does that look like? To lay up treasure in heaven is to do good works on earth. When Christians do good works on earth, we are laying up heavenly treasures. If you read the Sermon on the Mount, you’ll see that there is an emphasis on heavenly rewards. The Pharisees were living for earthly rewards – material prosperity and the praises of men. In contrast, Jesus says to those listening: “Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven.”

Any good work done by Christians leads to heavenly rewards. But in context (Matt 6:1-4, 25-34), Jesus probably means that we’re to store up treasures in heaven by using our earthly resources to bless other people. Like Abraham in Genesis 12, we are blessed to be a blessing. Randy Alcorn says, “God prospers me not to raise my standard of living but to raise my standard of giving.” This means that we are to use all our resources for the glory of God because we recognize they’re not really ours at all (Ps 24:1). Everything we have belongs to God and comes down from his loving hands (Jam 1:17).

Here’s the good news about heavenly treasure – it’s not susceptible to moths, rust, or thieves. Treasure in heaven is incorruptible (1 Pet 1:4)! The vaults are secure. The banker is altogether reliable. So, Jesus says, “Lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven.”

Like Abraham in Genesis 12, we are blessed to be a blessing.

21

Then, in verse 21, Jesus says, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Our treasures are the things that receive the focus of our thoughts and time. And Jesus says that our hearts belong to what our hearts most treasure.

My oldest son, Joseph, is three years old. The last few days, he has been carrying around a little shoe box full of his most treasured possessions. He guards it with his life. The things in this box get much of Joseph’s attention.

Here’s my question for you: What’s in your box?

  • What do you think about most?
  • Where do you focus your time and attention?
  • What is something you cannot live without?
  • On what do you spend your money?

Answer those questions and you’ll know what your heart treasures.

  • Your treasure may be money and the focus of your life is making more of it.
  • Your treasure may be beauty and you spend your time and money trying to be beautiful.
  • Your treasure may be video games and you play them endlessly.
  • Your treasure may be sexual pleasure.
  • Your treasure may be athletics or academics.
  • Your treasure may be your children. Perhaps you can’t give to God’s kingdom work because you’re spending extravagantly on your children’s birthday presents, Christmas presents, and extracurricular activities.

What are the things you cannot live without? What are the things that give your life meaning and purpose? Those are the things that your heart most treasures.

The things you cannot live without and the things that give your life meaning and purpose are the things that your heart most treasures.

So, we’re to be careful where we lay up treasures. We’re also to be careful to have the right perspective.

Be careful to have the right perspective (22-23)

22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, 23 but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

Jesus says, “The eye is the lamp of the body.” The purpose of a lamp is to emit light. A lamp emits light so that our feet can stay on the path, as Psalm 119:105 says. The prevailing thought in Jesus’ day was that light was emitted from the eye and this enabled them to see.

So, Jesus says, “if your eye is healthy, then your whole body will be full of light.” In the ESV, it says a “healthy eye.” In the KJV, it says a “single eye.” In Scripture and Jewish writings, having a single eye means that a person gives to others generously (Prov 22:9).

Prov 22:9

Whoever has a bountiful eye will be blessed, for he shares his bread with the poor.

So, the person with a single (or healthy) eye is open-handed rather than close-handed with his money and possessions.

The opposite of someone with a single (or healthy) eye is someone that has a bad eye. In Scripture, a person that has a bad (or evil) eye is someone who has a bad heart and is selfishly indulgent. He is like Ebenezer Scrooge, holding tightly to his possessions and saying, “Bah, humbug! To hell with anyone else’s needs.” I saw this with my three year-old just this week. He was given a little John Deere tractor by a couple at our previous church. A few days ago, I heard him crying in the backyard because the girls were playing on the tractor. I said, “Son, can you let the girls have turn on your tractor?” He replied “No, it’s MINE!”

The person with a bad eye, like Ebenezer Scrooge gripping his moneybag or a young child holding tightly to his toy, is full of darkness. Jesus continues, “If then the light in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” Here, Jesus uses irony to say that those who are in darkness think they have light. Thus, those with a bad eye think they have light, but they are full of darkness, and this darkness is even worse for those who fail to recognize it.

It’s kind of like someone that’s crazy. There are some people who call themselves crazy, but they’re not actually the crazy ones. The truly crazy people are those who think they’re fine, but everyone else knows they’re crazy. That’s what Jesus is saying here.

The people who are truly full of darkness are those who fail to even realize it. Consider again Ebenezer Scrooge–everyone around him feared him and even resented him because of his stinginess. And yet, Scrooge thought himself to be wealthy and prudent until the ghosts of Christmas convinced him otherwise.

That’s what Jesus is doing here. Like the ghosts of Christmas, He warns us that we need to have a healthy eye. We should lay up treasures in heaven by having generous hearts, especially when it comes to money and possessions.

As I read this passage this week, I couldn’t help but think about the importance of discipleship. Some of us are prone to think much too highly of ourselves. We think we’re generous when everyone around us knows us to be greedy and stingy. I know someone that is very active in church and was even a deacon in his church for many years. He gives only a very small fraction of his income to the church despite the urging of his wife to give much more.

Friends, Jesus gives us a sober warning here. The way we look at and use our money is a sure measure of our true spiritual condition.[2]MacArthur, Matthew (vol. 1), 413-14. Thus, we need to be careful to have the right perspective. And finally, we need to be careful to serve the right master.

Be careful to serve the right master (24)

Jesus sums up this section of his teaching in v. 24. He says,

“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money [some translations = mammon].”

Jesus, the master teacher, once again uses a word picture to make his point. This time, he speaks of a slave with two masters. By definition, a slave was to be totally dedicated to his owner. There is no such thing as a part-time slave or a partial obligation. A slave is to be totally committed to his owner and no one else.

It’s not just difficult but it is actually impossible for a slave to faithfully serve two masters. Remember Jesus’ words – “He will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.” We are all faced with a choice about which master we will serve. We can serve ourselves by pursuing money and possessions, or we can serve God with our money and possessions. Mammon is a word that means more than money – it refers to everything a person owns.

Jesus doesn’t just want your money. He wants your heart. He wants you to have a healthy eye. He demands that you serve him with your whole life – with all your heart, all your mind, with, with all your strength, and with all your soul.

Friends, we cannot do this in our own power. We are all born with a sin nature. We sin because we are sinners. We have selfish desires because we are selfish. We love money because we love the selfish pleasures it can bring us.

It is okay for a Christian to have money and possessions, but friends, be careful that they do not possess you. During his ministry, Jesus once encountered a rich young man (Mark 10:17-31). Here’s how it went: The rich young man asked Jesus, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Mark 10:17). Jesus knew that this man loved his money and possessions. Jesus said to the young man, sell all you have and give it to the poor (Mark 10:21). The Bible then says that the young man “went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions” (Mark 10:22).

Jesus’ disciples were amazed, and asked Jesus how anyone could be saved. They assumed that if someone was rich, he must be blessed of God. Jesus replied, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God” (Mark 10:27). Through Jesus, even selfish people can be saved. Even those with a bad eye can be saved because of the work of Christ.

I know this sermon is part of our sermon series on church membership. I want to very quickly tell you how generous giving relates to church membership.

Why give to the church and God’s kingdom work?[3]These were taken from Spiritual Disciplines within the Church by Donald Whitney, pages 117-33.

  1. We give as an expression of our love and gratitude for Jesus Christ (2 Cor 8:9).
  2. We give to help build Jesus’ church, the only eternal institution (Matt 16:18).
  3. We give to help fulfill the Great Commission (Matt 28:18-20).
  4. We give as an act of worship (Phil 4:18).
  5. We give to help others in the church (Acts 2:44-45; 4:32-37).
  6. We give to support the church by supporting its pastors who minister to us (1 Cor 9:6-14; Gal 6:6; 1 Tim 5:17).

There is much more we could say about giving. We could talk about whether or not tithing is required of New Testament Christians.[4]See this video for one perspective. But here’s the thing, if you have been saved by Jesus, you will value eternal treasure more than earthly treasure. I’m not concerned about the percentage of your giving. I’m concerned about the state of your heart and the condition of your soul.

Conclusion

Your treasure is either on earth or in heaven. Where are you laying up treasures?

Your eye is either healthy or bad. What is your perspective on money and possessions?

You will serve God or money. What master are you serving?

References

References
↑1 John MacArthur, Matthew (vol. 1), 411.
↑2 MacArthur, Matthew (vol. 1), 413-14.
↑3 These were taken from Spiritual Disciplines within the Church by Donald Whitney, pages 117-33.
↑4 See this video for one perspective.

Commit to the Church: Pray Fervently

October 18, 2022 /
Sermon Series Graphic

I recently began a new sermon series called Commit at my church on what biblically committed church membership looks like. This post is based off of the sixth sermon in that series. You can watch the sermon here.

Today, we continue our sermon series on biblical church membership based on the pattern we see in Acts 2.

We started our sermon series in Acts 2 and I want to again look at a couple of verses from there. If you would let’s look again at Acts 2:41.

Acts 2:41

So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.

This verse summarizes the response to Peter’s preaching on the Day of Pentecost which occurred a few days after Jesus had ascended back to heaven. Those present heard the gospel. Many responded by receiving Peter’s message, repenting of their sins (Acts 2:38), and trusting (believing) in Jesus. After trusting in Jesus, they were baptized and added to the church.

So, what happened next? Look at verse 42.

Acts 2:42

And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers

The rest of Acts 2 describes how the early Christians committed themselves to one another. This is the paradigm we see in the rest of the New Testament – conversion, baptism, committed church membership.

Earlier in this sermon series we saw the importance of baptism and church membership. Since then, we’ve been looking at how we can be faithful church members. In other words, what should we do after joining a church?

Look at verse 42 again. It says that the early Christians “devoted themselves” to four things: the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread, and prayer.

Last week, we saw that just as the early church devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, we should submit to God’s Word both as a church and as church members.

Today, we are going to see how we can be committed to the church by being people that pray.

During the week of his death, Jesus made this statement: “My house shall be called a house of prayer” (Matt 21:13). The temple is no longer standing, but the church of Jesus Christ is alive and well. We do not gather in a holy place. Instead, we gather as those who have been redeemed by Jesus, our great high priest. And when the members of His body gather, they should gather as a prayerful people.

Just as these early believers devoted themselves to prayer, we should devote ourselves to prayer.

BIG IDEA: In order for our church to experience the fullness of God we must be devoted to prayer.

What is Prayer?

There are two ends of the spectrum when it comes to prayer. On one end of the spectrum, we may think that prayer is all about us and our needs. In this way, God is a means to an end. We only pray when we need something – material provision, healing, etc.

On the other end of the spectrum, some people believe that God has already decided everything so they believe that prayer is pointless.

But really, what is prayer? Graeme Goldsworthy writes, “Prayer is our response to God as He speaks to us.” That definition makes sense when you think about it. God has spoken through the gospel and in the Bible, His written Word. Prayer is our response to God as He speaks to us through His Word.

  • We pray because we believe God hears our prayers. Why do we believe that? The Bible.
  • We pray because we believe God loves and cares for us. Why do we believe that? The Bible.
  • We pray because we believe God answers prayer. Why do we believe that? The Bible.
  • We are commanded to pray. Why do we believe that? The Bible.

We pray because we believe God has spoken through His Word. We believe that He hears us when we pray. We believe He cares for us as a loving Father. We believe He answers prayer in accordance with His will. Therefore, we pray.

The Model of the Early Church

We’ve already seen that the early church was devoted to prayer (Acts 2:42). If you read the book of Acts, you’ll find that the early church prayed about anything and everything.

  • They prayed as they waited for the coming of the Holy Spirit.
  • They prayed as they choose leaders for the church.
  • They prayed for Christians who were in prison.
  • They prayed while they were in prison.
  • They prayed for boldness to proclaim the gospel.
  • They prayed for the spread of the gospel.
  • They prayed for the sick.
  • They prayed for safety.

The early church understood two things. First, they knew they were totally dependent on God through prayer. Second, because they knew they were totally dependent on God, they set aside time to pray when they got together. They were not limited to two or three prayers in a worship service.

The early church could not have imagined not praying with one another. The truth is that if we want to see in our church what happened in the early church, then we need to pray like they prayed.[1]Donald Whitney, Spiritual Disciplines within the Church, 165.

Like the early church, we need to remember the necessity of prayer. We must realize that without prayer our labor is in vain.

The Necessity of Prayer

Ps 127:1

“Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.”

“Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.”

Psalm 127:1

One theme of Ps 127 is that without the Lord’s blessing, all human work is worthless. The same holds true in our church. If we change the word house to the word church, here’s what it says:

“Unless the Lord builds the church, those who build it labor in vain.” That is the clear teaching of the New Testament. Look at the following Scriptures.

Matt 16:18b

I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Acts 2:47b

the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

1 Cor 3:6-7

I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.

If you’ve ever tried to share the gospel or plead with someone in unrepentant sin, you know that none of us has any power to change someone’s heart. The Holy Spirit has to work before there can be spiritual fruit.

In the Bible, God has given us His plan for building the church. Through prayer, God supplies the power for building the church.

When we pray, we are acknowledging that we have no power in and of ourselves. In John 15:5 Jesus told his disciples that apart from a relationship with Jesus, they could do nothing of spiritual value. When we pray, we are acknowledging that we are helpless without God.

Many churches today think if they do certain things that their church will grow:

  • If we get an eloquent preacher who doesn’t speak too long.
  • If we do enough marketing.
  • If we change our music style.
  • If we design our services around unbelievers.
  • If we have flashy children’s and youth programs.

To that, God says, “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.”

Many churches are in steep decline and it’s in large part because they are operating without the power of God that is supplied through prayer.

Our sound doctrine, our good works, our money, and our seminary degrees can never accomplish what only the power of God can accomplish. And the power of God never comes upon a prayerless church. It’s been said that “Prayer is the slender nerve that moves the hand of God.”

Our sound doctrine, our good works, our money, and our seminary degrees can never accomplish what only the power of God can accomplish.

If our church wants to experience a movement of God, then we need to be on our knees in the presence of God. This is something that’s been on my heart since I’ve been a pastor and I want to grow in this area. I want us as a church to pray together. It is wonderful if you are a prayer warrior at home, but churches need to pray together.

At this point, I hope I’ve convinced you that we need to pray. I want to now help us know how to pray and whom to pray for.

How to Pray

If you’re like me, then prayer is hard. We know that we need to pray and because we often don’t pray, we grow frustrated because we are not praying.

There’s obviously a lot we could say about how to pray. Books have been written on the subject. I’ll mention two things.

First, we should pray constantly (or consistently).

1 Thess 5:17

Pray without ceasing.

This verse doesn’t mean that we are always praying. It means that we have an attitude of prayer and we’re ready to pray at any time.

Rom 12:12

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

Col 4:2

Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.

Phil 4:6-7

do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

It’s been said, “To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.”[2]Quoted in Prayer by John Onwuchekwa, p. 17.

As church members, we need to be constant (or consistent) in prayer. Second, we need to pray in the Spirit. This doesn’t mean that you have a private prayer language or that you’re speaking in tongues. It means that as you are praying, you are being controlled (or filled) by the Spirit (Eph 5:18; 6:18).

Eph 5:18

And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,

Eph 6:18a

praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.

Again, when Paul says to be filled with the Spirit, he means to be controlled by the Spirit. He says don’t be filled or controlled by wine, but instead be filled by the Spirit. If you are filled with the Spirit  then you will pray according to the will of God which is of course found in the Word of God.

So we’re to pray constantly and in the Spirit.

What and Whom to Pray For

Pray for other church members (Jam 5:14-16)

I hope that someday we’ll again have a membership directory so that we can regularly pray through it. Pray for those on prayer list. Pray for those in your Sunday school group (or small group). As you begin to pray for those in the church, you will grow to love them more.

Pray for the preacher and his sermons (Eph 6:18-20)

Pray that the preacher will speak God’s Word accurately and in the power of the Spirit. Pray for those listening, that they would have ears to hear and obey God’s Word.

Pray for revival and reformation (Acts 1:14, 2:1)

Pray for a movement of God in our church and our community. Pray that we would be bold to share the gospel and that God would prepare the hearts of those who need to receive it. Pray for people to repent and trust in Christ.

Pray for gospel laborers (Matt 9:36-38)

Pray for missionaries that are sharing the gospel. Pray that many will receive the gospel and come to know Christ. Pray for God to raise up more pastors for our church and pastorless churches. Pray for other churches.

Pray for those in authority (1 Tim 2:1-3; Rom 13:1-2)

In Scripture, we’re told to pray for our government officials. This includes national, state, and local government. Pray that they would seek the good of all people. Pray that they would govern in accordance with God’s Word and that we as a church would be free to share the gospel without hindrance from the government.

Pray for those who persecute the church (Matt 5:46-47)

We are even called to pray for those who persecute the church. Pray for those who are persecuting the church and for the persecuted church.

I hope in that by now you’re seeing the importance of prayer. We need God to move in our lives and others’ lives. John Piper says this about prayer:

“Prayer is a walkie-talkie for warfare, not a domestic intercom for increasing our conveniences.” [3]John Piper, Desiring God, 147.

The most obvious way to lose a war is to not realize you’re in one. Friends, we’re in the middle of a spiritual battle for the souls of men. If you were in a war and you desperately needed supplies, you would be on your walkie-talkie trying to get them. Let us never forget the power of God that we can only access through prayer. We’re in a battle and we desperately need God’s help.

Conclusion

Friends, how’s your prayer life? Are you seeking God daily through prayer?

How can we be more faithful in prayer?

  • Discipline yourself for prayer.
  • Plan times of prayer in your life.
  • Pray with others.
  • Attend church prayer meetings.
  • Be informed as you pray.
  • Pray God’s Word.

If we long for the blessing of God upon our church, then we must seek the face of God.

References

References
↑1 Donald Whitney, Spiritual Disciplines within the Church, 165.
↑2 Quoted in Prayer by John Onwuchekwa, p. 17.
↑3 John Piper, Desiring God, 147.

Commit to the Church: Submit to God’s Word

October 11, 2022 /
Sermon Series Graphic

I recently began a new sermon series called Commit at my church on what biblically committed church membership looks like. This post is based off of the fifth sermon in that series, which unfortunately was not recorded due to technical difficulty.

Sermon Text: Acts 2:42; Col 1:18; 1 Tim 3:15; Rom 12:1-2

Our attitude toward God’s Word has eternal consequences. I want to begin this morning by reading two passages. One is from 2 Tim 4 and the other is from Acts 17.

2 Tim 4:3-4

For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.

Acts 17:10-11

The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.

I would submit to you that these two passages illustrate the difference between true and false churches. True churches love the Word of God. False churches turn away from sound teaching.

Brothers and sisters, like those in the early church, we have a choice. We can turn away from sound teaching and find false teachers who will coddle us, or we can be careful students of the Scriptures who know and love the Word of God. If we as a church choose to not endure sound teaching, then we will cease to be a church. If we as a church will submit ourselves to God’s Word, then we can be used of God to further His kingdom.

If a church chooses not to endure sound teaching, then it ceases to be a church.

Today, we continue our sermon series on biblical church membership. We started our sermon series in Acts 2 and I want to again look at a couple of verses from there. If you would, turn to Acts 2.

If you’re reading this, I want you to know that the bulk of my preaching is expositional in nature. That is, my preaching aims to make the main point(s) of the message based the main point(s) of the passage. It is also my normal practice to preach through books of the Bible. I say all of that to give you all time to get to Acts 2 and explain that I’m not being hypocritical since I’ll be advocating expositional preaching today even while preaching and blogging in a more topical way. Let’s again look at Acts 2:41.

Acts 2:41

So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.

This verse summarizes the response to Peter’s preaching on the Day of Pentecost, which occurred a few days after Jesus had ascended back to heaven. Those present heard the gospel. Many responded by receiving Peter’s message, repenting of their sins (Acts 2:38), and trusting (believing) in Jesus. After trusting in Jesus, they were baptized and added to the church. So, what happened next? Look at verse 42.

Acts 2:42

And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers

We’re not going to read the rest of Acts 2, but Acts 2:42-47 show how the early Christians committed themselves to one another. This is the paradigm we see in the rest of the New Testament – conversion, baptism, committed church membership.

Last week, we looked at the importance of regularly gathering with other believers to worship God and encourage one another. Today, we are going to look at the importance of submitting to God’s Word.

Look at the first phrase of Acts 2:42 again. It says that the early Christians “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching.” The apostles were those who had been set apart by Jesus for ministry. Jesus had given the apostles His authority in Matthew 16:18-19 and Matthew 28:18-20. Ephesians 2:20 says that the church was built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets.

So, when the text says that these early Christians devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, it means that they were devoting themselves to the authoritative teachings of the apostles, the authoritative teachings of Christ, and the authoritative teachings of the Old Testament.

Today, there are no apostles. Instead of modern-day apostles, we have the completed canon of Scripture written down. We have the teachings of Christ, the apostles, and the Old Testament. They are found in our Bible, which is one book that is composed of 66 books – 39 in the OT and 27 in the NT.

Just as these early believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, we should devote ourselves to God’s Word. Said another way, we are to submit to God’s Word.

BIG IDEA: We must submit to God’s Word both as a church body and as individuals.

We must submit to God’s Word both as a church body and as individuals.

Why is this so important? In 1 Timothy 3:15, Paul calls the church a pillar and buttress of the truth. One application of this text is that the church is called to proclaim the truth and to protect the truth. As I preach today, I stand here as one who believes that the Bible is God’s Word – that all Scripture is God-breathed and authoritative for life and ministry (2 Tim 3:16-17).

To be a faithful church, we as a church must submit to God’s Word. To be faithful church members, we must personally submit to God’s Word.

As a church, we must corporately submit to God’s Word (Col 1:18)

What does it mean to submit to God’s Word as a church? To submit to someone means that you are yielding to their authority. A church that submits to God’s Word is a church that is therefore ruled by God’s Word.

Col 1:15-18

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.

Colossians 1:18 says that Christ is the head of the church. Therefore, as a church, we are not ruled by a pope. We are not ruled by pastors. We are not ruled by deacons. We are not ruled by church members. Ultimately, we are to be ruled by Jesus Christ, who is the head of the church and Jesus rules the church through His Word.

The only authority we have as a church is from Jesus himself. He is the one who purchased the church with His own blood (Acts 20:28). He is the head of the church (Col 1:18). The apostles had been called and equipped by Jesus and that is why the early church devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching (Acts 2:42).

The apostles had been sent out with the authority of Jesus to make disciples (Matt 28:18-20; Acts 1:8). The early Christians took the apostles seriously because they took Jesus seriously. They knew that Jesus was indeed God in the flesh. On multiple occasions, Jesus prophesied His own death and resurrection. Only God can do that!

If Christ rules the church and He rules it by His Word, then how can we as a church be submitted to His Word?

(1) We submit to God’s Word over tradition

This was the point of the Protestant Reformation. Not only did the reformers seek to recover the gospel – that salvation came not by good works but by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. They also sought to regulate the church according to God’s Word – not the pope, the Roman Catholic Church, or any other tradition.

We must do the same. Every church has traditions. The point is that if our practices and traditions contradict God’s Word, we must submit to God’s Word.

(2) We submit to God’s Word in our teaching and preaching

We teach and preach Christ and Him crucified (1 Cor 2:2). In my preaching ministry, I seek to mostly preach expositional sermons, where the main point of the biblical text is the main point of the sermon. Topical sermons and series are okay from time to time, but context is still important.

In every teaching ministry of the church, we need to be faithful to God’s Word. Sunday school and Wednesday night teachers should be prepared to teach.

This also includes our music ministry. We teach by the lyrics of the songs we sing as well as our approach. We sing to honor God and encourage others, not to entertain and attract lost people.

We are called to teach and preach the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27). We do not water down the truth or apologize for it. If you’ve read the New Testament, you know that Christians were at odd with the culture (see for example Mark 6:14-29). The same holds true today but we must not fear those who can destroy the body – rather, we are to fear the one that can cast our souls into hell (Matt 10:28).

(3) We submit to God’s Word in our polity and governance

God has given us His Word to show us how the church is to be governed. The church is to be ruled by Jesus. The church is to be led by pastors (elders). The church is to be served by deacons. And finally, the church is to be governed by the congregation.

Our pastors and deacons should meet the qualifications of Scripture. We should have biblical standards for church membership and be willing to administer church discipline to those who are in ongoing, unrepentant sin (Matt 18:15-20).

Our constitution and by-laws should reflect God’s Word. Our decision-making processes should seek to be faithful to God’s Word.

(4) We submit to God’s Word in our statement of faith

Our statement of faith should be based on God’s Word. If you don’t know, our statement of faith is the Baptist Faith and Message (2000).

(5) We submit to God’s Word for our mission

Jesus has given His disciples a task – to make disciples by evangelizing, baptizing, and teaching (Matt 28:18-20). We must never deviate from evangelism and discipleship. Jesus’ kingdom is not of this world. While we care about social issues, the way we address social issues is mainly through evangelism and discipleship.

We also help fulfill the Great Commission through our giving. We give to international missions through the IMB. We give to church planting, college ministry, disaster relief, pregnancy centers, jail ministry, theological education and more though the Cooperative Program of the SBC.

Obviously, we could go on and on. A true will church will hold fast to God’s Word. Therefore, as a church body, we must submit to God’s authoritative Word over our traditions, our culture, and our denomination if it comes to that.

Not only should we submit to God’s Word as a church, but we must also do this as individuals.

As individuals, we must personally submit to God’s Word.

Once again, to be submitted to God’s Word means that Scripture is the authority for our lives. We recognize that the Bible is God-breathed, and is useful for teaching us, rebuking us, correcting us, and training us to live in a way that pleases God.

A church will only hold fast to God’s Word if its members are committed to God’s Word. So, how can we as individuals commit ourselves to God’s Word? The answer is actually quite simple. We must know God’s Word and we must obey God’s Word. We could turn to many passages of Scripture, but I’ll limit myself to one.

How can we as individuals commit ourselves to God’s Word? The answer is actually quite simple. We must know God’s Word and obey God’s Word.

Rom 12:1-2

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

In this passage, Paul appeals to the Roman church to live holy lives because of God’s mercy. Paul gives the basis for holy living – God’s mercy. Then he gives us a plan for holy living:

  1. Do not be conformed to the world. (holy living, obedience)
  2. Be transformed by the renewal of your mind. (knowing God’s Word)
  3. By having our minds renewed with God’s truth, we’ll be able to discern God’s will. (holy living, obedience)

Don’t be conformed to the world. Renew your mind. Discern God’s will. In other words, know God’s Word and obey it.

Quickly, I want to give you three ways you can know God’s Word and obey it.

(1) Grow in your knowledge and obedience of God’s Word through personal study

This is easy to say but harder to do. If you want to live a life that is pleasing to God, you must study the Bible for yourself. Get a good study Bible. I prefer the ESV Study Bible, but there are so many good ones out there. If you need help picking one, let me know and I would be glad to help.

Get a Bible reading plan. If you’ve never read the New Testament, start there. Eventually, read the whole Bible. I’ve also found it very fruitful to read books of the Bible repeatedly for a certain amount of time. One great book on how to do this is a book called How to Eat Your Bible.

(2) Grow in your knowledge and obedience of God’s Word through small groups

It’s great to study the Bible in your personal life. It’s also very helpful to study the Bible in small groups. We do this in Sunday school. We do it on Wednesday nights. You can also do this with men’s and women’s groups. Proverbs 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” We need each other’s help to understand God’s Word and we need others alongside us to help us obey it.

(3) Grow in your knowledge and obedience of God’s Word through listening to biblical preaching

I spoke earlier of our church’s responsibility to teach and preach the Word of God. But it’s not just my responsibility to preach the Word. It is your responsibility to receive it. On at least one occasion, Jesus told His audience to be careful how you hear (Luke 8:18).

When you come to church, expect God to speak through His Word. Have you thought about that? If the preacher is preaching the Bible correctly, then God is speaking through His Word. Therefore,  listening to preaching is an act of worship. As you listen, expect the Holy Spirit to convict you of sin.

Before you come to church, pray for the preacher. Pray for yourself, that you would have ears to hear God’s Word. Get enough sleep Saturday night and eat enough breakfast so that you can better focus on the message instead of your growling tummy.

The regular preaching of God’s Word does more for your soul that you realize. I’ve heard the preaching of the Word compared to the growth of children. I don’t notice my children growing every day, but I can look back at pictures and see how much they’ve grown. You may not realize that you’re growing in God’s Word each day, but over time I hope you can see how far you’ve come.

When you put all three together – personal study, small group study, and preaching, you have a recipe for spiritual growth. Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matt 4:4).

Is that you? Are you submitted to God’s Word or are you starving yourself of its lifechanging power?

Conclusion

True churches love God’s Word. False churches turn away from it.

True believers love God’s Word. False believers turn away from it.

We saw in Acts 2:42 that the early believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching. Likewise, we should devote ourselves to God’s Word.

The church is to be a pillar and buttress of the truth. We are called to proclaim and protect the truth of God’s Word. If we’re to be faithful to this task, we must devote ourselves to God’s Word both as a church and as individuals.

We must give God’s Word its proper authority over us and submit to it gladly. Let’s be committed Christians and church members by knowing God’s Word, loving God’s Word, and obeying God’s Word, all to the glory of God.

Commit to the Church: Attend Regularly

October 4, 2022 /
Sermon Series Graphic

I recently began a new sermon series called Commit at my church on what biblically committed church membership looks like. This post is based off of the fourth sermon in that series, which you can watch here.

Sermon Text: Acts 2:46-47a; Heb 10:24-25

Introduction

You had to admire his commitment. He made the decision to attend. He would not miss it. The weather was terrible that day—steady rain, temperature in the forties. He still got out in that weather.

Because of the bad weather, he did not quite make it on time. It was difficult to get to his seat as well. But he persevered. His seat was not comfortable, but he neither left nor complained. His presence vividly demonstrated his love and commitment.

He was joyous the entire time. He enjoyed the presence of fellow believers. His attitude, his attendance, and his enthusiasm all reflected his deep and abiding commitment.

He was at a college football game on a Saturday afternoon. By the way, he did not attend church worship services the next day. He was tired from the ball game. And there was a 40 percent chance of rain.[1]Thom Rainer, I Will!, 25.

A few weeks ago, I began a new sermon series called Commit. This sermon series is on the importance for us as Christians to commit to Jesus by committing to a local church. So far, we’ve looked at the importance of baptism and church membership.

The rest of our Commit sermon series is about how we can be faithful church members. Of course, first and foremost we are to be dedicated followers of Christ. We are followers of Jesus first. But, as we’ve seen so far, faithful followers of Christ also love His people.

Having your name on the membership roll of a local church doesn’t save you from hell, but the fact remains that you cannot be faithful to Jesus apart from a local church. Remember our paradigm from Acts 2:41.

Acts 2:41

41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.

The Jews spoken of in Acts 2 had heard the gospel. They received Peter’s preaching, repented of their sins and trusted (believed) in Jesus. They were then baptized and added to the church. Acts 2:42-47 show how the early Christians committed themselves to one another. That is the paradigm we see in the rest of the New Testament – conversion, baptism, committed church membership.

After joining a church, what is the most obvious way to express our commitment to the local church? It’s by regularly attending. Just show up! We see this in Acts 2:46-47. These newly converted Christians attended the temple and broke bread in their homes.

Acts 2:46-47a

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.

Of course, Christians outside of Jerusalem could not attend the temple and we know that the temple was destroyed in 70 A.D.

New Testament Christians primarily met in homes. We know this from church history as well as Scripture itself. One example is Philemon 2, where Paul refers to the Colossian church meeting in Philemon’s house.

In our American context, most churches typically gather in a church building. In many other parts of the world, due to persecution and other factors, many Christians still meet in homes. Some churches do both, meeting together for Sunday worship in a building and meeting in smaller groups in homes.

The principle that is most important is that Christians regularly come together. The word translated church in our English Bibles is the Greek word ekklesia, which means an assembly or a gathering. In other words, a church that doesn’t ever gather is not a church in any sense of the word. There is no such thing as an online church.

Today, I want to first show you that we are required by Scripture to gather with the church. Second, I want to show you why we gather with the church. And finally, I want to give you some practical advice for gathering with the church.

Here’s what I want us to see:

BIG IDEA: After joining a church, we are to commit to regularly gathering with that church.

Hebrews 10:24-25

24 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.

We gather with the church because God commands us to (24-25)

In verse 25, the author of Hebrews says that Christians are not to neglect to meet together. The author is referring to the public meeting of the church body. He tells believers not to forsake the regular meeting of the church.

The author of Hebrews is pointing out something that we all know. Until “the Day” comes (the day of Jesus’ return), it will be difficult to follow Christ in this world. As we anticipate His return, there will be false teachers and persecution. The world will hate us if we speak the truth of God’s Word because the darkness hates the light (John 3:19).

When Hebrews was written, these early Jewish Christians faced persecution and possible imprisonment. The author of Hebrews was concerned about those who were neglecting to meet with the church.

Friends, when someone quits attending church, it’s one of the first signs that they are in grave spiritual danger. If you quit attending church, you in danger of drifting spiritually. It makes sense. When you are not hearing the Word preached and being prayed for and encouraged by others, you’re going to start drifting. To be clear, I’m not talking about homebound folks. I’m talking about those who are perfectly capable of attending but refuse to do so for whatever reason.

If you quit attending church, you in danger of drifting spiritually.

The author of Hebrews says that we need to meet together. We meet to “stir up one another to love and good works.” We are not to neglect meeting together, but rather are to “encourage one another,” and “all the more” as we see the Day of Christ’s return drawing near.

I am going to say this as clearly as I can. Gathering with the church for corporate worship should be the highest priority in your life.

Gathering with the church for corporate worship should be the highest priority in your life.

As Christians, we are commanded to make weekly attendance a priority. Men, I want to speak to you for a moment. It is your responsibility as the head of your home to set the tone for your family in this area. If you can watch football for hours on Saturday but not make it to church for a couple hours on Sunday, then your priorities are wrong.

Brothers and sisters, make church a priority. Don’t just go to church when nothing else is going on. Don’t just go when you happen to be in town. Cut your weekend trips short so you can be back in time for church. I’m not trying to be legalistic here. Church attendance doesn’t save us. What I’m saying is this – we need fellowship and encouragement more than we know and we need it every single week of our lives.

We need to build our week around the Sunday and not the other way around.

We need to build our week around the Sunday and not the other way around.

So, we gather with the church because God commands us to. But we shouldn’t just go out of a sense of duty! Another reason that we gather with the church is to love and encourage others.

We gather with the church to love and encourage others (24-25)

So often, when we think of church, we think of our wants. I want to hear the songs I like. I want the pastor to preach only 30 minutes. I want the pews to be softer and the temperature to be cooler or warmer.

The truth is that we don’t come to church to get our needs met. We don’t come to church to be entertained. Instead, we come to church to worship the one true God and to love and encourage others. I’m not saying that you won’t be encouraged. I’m saying that shouldn’t be your sole focus.

Notice again what the author of Hebrews says in these verses:

24 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.

We are to consider how to stir up one another to love and good deeds. We are to encourage one another. As we gather to worship God, we are also to build one another up.

Howard Marshall says the worship gathering is like a “service station” where Christians are “serviced” so that they may serve God better and to worship Him with all of their lives.

In NASCAR, the cars have pit stops every so often. If the the cars are not serviced with fresh tires and fuel then they will not finish the race. How many professing Christians are in danger of hell and will not finish the race in part because they refused to meet together with other Christians?

I mentioned Hebrews 3:13 last week. It says that we are to exhort one another so that none of us may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

When people neglect the worship gathering, they become hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. They are not receiving the encouragement and accountability from other Christians and the teaching of God’s Word.

Thus, the author of Hebrews says that we are not to neglect the corporate worship gathering. If someone consistently neglects the corporate worship gathering, that is sin. If they continually neglect it for an extended period of time, they need to be contacted and encouraged to attend. If that fails, then they need to disciplined by the church and eventually removed from membership.

When you refuse to meet with the church, you are not being filled up to worship God with your whole life. You are not serving others. At best, you are spiritually dry. At worst, you may not even be a Christian at all.

The great preacher Adrian Rogers said it like this: “If your faith can’t get you to church on Sunday, I doubt if it will get you into heaven.”

“If your faith can’t get you to church on Sunday, I doubt if it will get you into heaven.”

Adrian Rogers

No one should have to beg you to come to church if you’re truly a believer. If you are a true believer, you will want to worship God and encourage others more than anything else.

We gather with the church because God commands us to. We gather with the church to love and encourage others. Finally, we should prepare to gather with the church.

We (should) gather with the church in a deliberate manner.

Before we go, I want to give you some practical tips for gathering with the church. The tips I’m giving will focus mostly on our Sunday worship service, but Sunday school groups, Wednesday nights, and business meetings are important as well.

1. Spend time with God during the week.

Spend time in God’s Word and in prayer. Listen to music that glorifies God. Worship with your family during the week through Bible reading, prayer, and singing.

Matt 4:4

“Man shall not live on bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

2. Rehearse the gospel.

Meditate on God’s love, mercy, and grace. As we think about God’s gift of grace through Jesus, we are reminded of God’s love. We are also reminded that we should forgive others as Christ has forgiven us. This will help us to love others in the congregation. It’s hard to be mad at someone when you see how gracious God has been to you.

3. Make corporate worship the highest priority of your life.

Men lead your wives and family in this. Do not wait until Saturday night or Sunday morning to make the decision to come to church. To consistently neglect church is to disobey God. We are not to neglect meeting together.

4. Eat breakfast and show up early.

You may have heard it said, “Attending church on Sunday is a Saturday night decision.” Go to bed early enough to wake up, eat breakfast, and get ready. Make sure you give yourself enough travel time. If you get here late, you’ll be stressed and anxious and you probably won’t be as encouraged as you would have been. You will have missed fellowship before the service. Arrive early and stay late to encourage others.

5. Pray for the service.

Pray that you will hear God’s voice through His Word and experience the love of God through His people. Pray through your church’s membership directory. Pray that those who attend (including yourself) would have ears to hear from God’s Word. Pray for the preaching of the Word and for souls to be saved.

6. Come ready to hear from God’s Word.

If your church provides the upcoming biblical texts for sermons, read through the biblical text in advance. Come ready to take notes.

7. Seek to serve.

Seek to build others up. We come together to stir one another to love and good works and encourage one another. The Holy Spirit gives spiritual gifts to us to build up the body of Christ (1 Cor 12-14). When you come to church, seek to serve someone.

8. Seek to respond.

Reread the sermon text and your notes after the service. Discuss the sermon with your spouse and family.

John MacArthur: “If the corporate worship in the church leaves people unchanged, the church is not really worshiping. If what goes on in the church service does not propel the saints to greater obedience, call it what you will, it isn’t worship. Worship always results in transformation, and the church is edified by it.”

James 1:22

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

Conclusion

Brothers and sisters, have you committed to the local church?

Where does church attendance rank on the list of your weekly priorities?

Are you shaping your week around Sunday or are you giving God the leftovers of your time and energy?

Often, we are tempted to believe there is something better than meeting together to worship God with His people.

We are tempted to do many things on Sundays:

  • We are tempted to sleep in.
  • We are tempted to study for a test.
  • We are tempted to play golf.
  • We are tempted to go to the lake or the river.
  • We are tempted to go to a ball tournament for our kids or grandkids.
  • We are tempted to catch up on housework.

Folks, don’t believe that these things are more important than gathering with your local church. There are no normal Sundays. Every Sunday is an opportunity to behold the glory of God and to be transformed by His grace.

References

References
↑1 Thom Rainer, I Will!, 25.

Commit to the Church: Join a Church

September 27, 2022 /
Sermon Series Graphic

I recently began a new sermon series called Commit at my church on what biblically committed church membership looks like. This post is based off of the third sermon in that series, which you can listen to here.

Sermon Text: Acts 2:41-47; 1 Corinthians 5:9-13; Heb 13:17; others

Two weeks ago, I began a new sermon series called Commit. This sermon series is on the importance for us as Christians to commit to Jesus by committing to a local church. Last week, we saw that baptism is the first step of obedience for a new believer and is a prerequisite for church membership.

Today, I want to speak on the importance of joining a church. When I say that you need to join a church, I do not mean that you attend a church. I mean that you formally become a church member. If the church has a church covenant and you agree with it, then sign it and join.

Church membership has in some ways fallen on hard times. Many people have begun to question whether church membership is even biblical.

As I mentioned in the first sermon of this sermon series, there are several factors that have contributed to a low view of church membership. I want to briefly remind you of three – easy believism, emphasis on a personal relationship with Jesus, consumeristic view of the church.

Easy believism is the unbiblical view that salvation is a one-time decision and thus there is no need for personal holiness or good works. This essentially makes church membership irrelevant because salvation is simply a decision with no need for a changed life. Jesus is simply fire insurance.

Others are apathetic toward church membership due to an emphasis on a personal relationship with Jesus. Some people are so tired of church conflict that they’ve given up on the church and instead believe that personal Bible reading and perhaps listening to a TV preacher are sufficient means to grow spiritually.

And finally, some people view church like consumers view a shopping mall.[1]For more on this, see Franchising McChurch by John Mark Yeats and Thomas White. They only attend the church when they think it can give them something (e.g. encouraging sermon, good music, fun youth group). These folks attend services with no sense of commitment. They don’t care to be known to be known by anyone and they contribute nothing to the church. Many of these people dropped off during Covid and have not returned.

Thom Rainer writes the following in the Foreword of Membership Matters:

“Most churches view their constituencies in one of two ways. One group of churches has minimal expectations of its members, if any expectations at all. Membership is meaningless in terms of commitment and accountability. These churches typically see significant fallout of members to inactivity. When membership does not matter, the members will care little about their levels of commitment. Another group of churches does not even encourage attenders to become members. For them, membership is an unbiblical concept that they refuse to impose on the local church. This group of churches also sees low levels of commitment among those who regularly attend.” (p. 12)

Thom Rainer, Membership Matters, 12

If you have low expectations of your members, you’ll get low commitment. Neither of the two positions mentioned in Rainer’s quote above are biblical. Jesus calls us to follow Him. The New Testament calls us to join a church and commit to it. We must recover a biblical view of church membership and we as Christ followers are called to glorify God through a local church.

In another book, Rainer writes, “I [believe] that congregations across America are weak because many of us church members have lost the biblical understanding of what it means to be a part of the body of Christ.”[2]Thom Rainer, I am a Church Member, 5

Today I want to do four things. First, I want to convince you that committed church membership is in fact biblical. Next, I want to tell you why you need to formally join a church. Third, I want to help you know what to look for in a church. Finally, I want to help you know how to be a faithful church member.

While there is no command that says, “Thou shalt join a church,” church membership is implied and assumed throughout the New Testament. I want to give you three reasons that church membership is biblical.

(1) Church membership is biblical

First, we see the pattern of the early church.

Reason One – The pattern of the early church (Acts 2:41-47)

Let’s once again return to Acts 2. After Peter’s sermon on the Day of Pentecost, recall Acts 2:41, which is kind of a summary verse that we’ve read several times already in this sermon series.

Acts 2:41-42

So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

Here’s the paradigm we see.

  • Those who heard Peter’s preaching about Jesus (vv. 14-36) repented of their sin and trusted in the person and work of Jesus.
  • These same folks were baptized and then “added” to the church (v. 41).
  • Verses 42-47 show how these new believers “devoted” or (committed themselves) to one another.

Acts 2:41-47 is enough for me to see the importance of church membership, but I will give you two more reasons why church membership is biblical.

Second, the practice of church discipline assumes church membership.

Reason Two – The practice of church discipline assumes church membership

In 1 Corinthians 5, Paul condemns the Corinthian church because they are associating with a sexually immoral man.

1 Cor 5:9-13

9 I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10 not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. 11 But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. 12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? 13 God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”

Notice in verses 12-13 that Paul differentiates between those who are inside and outside the church. There are plenty of people in the world today that are living in sexual immorality. But Paul says that we aren’t to judge outsiders, meaning that we should expect those outside the church to be living in sexual sin. Rather, Paul says we should judge those inside the church, because they should be living holy lives in obedience to Christ.

You cannot remove someone from the church unless they belong to the church in the first place. It seems obvious that the Corinthians knew who was a church member and who was not. Church discipline assumes church membership.

Third, we see that the relationship between pastors and the flock assumes church membership.

Reason Three – The relationship between pastors and the flock assumes church membership

Elders (or pastors) are called to shepherd certain people. In 1 Pet 5:2, Peter tells the elders to “shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight.” As a pastor, I am commanded to shepherd the flock of my local church. I am not commanded to exercise oversight over every Christian in my town or my county. Rather, I am called to shepherd FBC Harrisburg. In the same vein, Christians are called to submit to their leaders.

Heb 13:17

Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.

Christians can only obey this command if they know who their leaders are. Obviously, we could say more about this verse, but the point is that Christians know who their leaders are. Donald Whitney writes, “A flock of sheep isn’t a random collection of ewes, rams, and lambs. Shepherds know their flocks. They know which sheep are theirs to care for and which are not.”[3]Spiritual Disciplines within the Church, 48.

Pastors are called to shepherd the people in their specific flock. Those in the flock are called to submit to the leadership of their shepherd-leaders. This relationship only makes sense when pastors know which Christians are members of their flock.

By now I hope you see that formal church membership is indeed a biblical idea.[4]For more, see Church Membership by Jonathan Leeman. Consider once more:

  • Church membership can be observed in the early church throughout the book of Acts.
  • Church membership is assumed in the practice of church discipline. You cannot remove someone from the church if they were never inside the church.
  • The relationship between pastors and the flock assumes that pastors know who they are supposed to shepherd and members of the flock know which leaders to follow.

(2) Why should you join a church?

When you join a church through formal church membership, what does that mean? For most congregational churches, it simply means that you get a vote at business meetings. But biblically, does it mean more?

Put simply, church membership means that a local church takes responsibility for you and you are take responsibility for others within that local church. The church commits to helping you grow as a disciple of Christ, and you commit to helping others in the church grow as disciples of Christ. We are taking responsibility for one another’s spiritual growth.

When you join a local church, you are responsible to the other believers in that local church in a way that you are not responsible for other believers that you know. We could think of it like the county police. Poinsett County police has jurisdiction in Poinsett County but not in Craighead County. Both are county police departments. Both have the same function. While the Poinsett County Police is concerned about the safety of Craighead County, it’s ultimately responsible for promoting safety in Poinsett County.

Similarly, while we care about Christians in other churches (even in our own town), we are formally responsible only to those Christians in our local church. Even if we see someone living in unrepentant sin (such as adultery), we only have jurisdiction over members of FBC Harrisburg.

Five Reasons to Join a Church

  1. When you join a church, pastors watch over your soul. (Heb 13:17; 1 Pet 5:2-3)
  2. When you join a church, other believers help you to not be deceived by sin. (Heb 3:12-13)
  3. When you join a church, you have other believers to regularly assemble with. (Heb 10:24-25)
  4. When you join a church, you can build others up with your spiritual gift(s). (1 Pet 4:10)
  5. When you join a church, you commit yourself to “one another” ministry. (For example, see Rom 12:10; 14:19; Gal 5:13; 6:2; Eph 4:15, 25, 32; Col 3:13; Jam 5:13; 1 John 4:18-19.)

So far, we’ve seen the biblical case for church membership and that joining a local church helps us grow in spiritual maturity. In the rest of my post, I want to briefly explain what to look for when joining a church and how to be a faithful church member.

First, what should you look as you seek to join a church?

(3) What to look for in a church[5]Also see these articles from G3 and 9Marks.

Obviously, what to look for in church could be a sermon or even an entire sermon series. I want to boil it down to three non-negotiables.

First, join a church that submits to the Word of God. By this, I mean the church draws a line where Scripture draws a line. The church will be marked by expositional preaching through books of the Bible. The church knows and preaches the gospel. The church has a clear statement of faith. The church’s music is faithful to the Word of God.

Second, join a that has biblically qualified pastors (elders) who will shepherd you. After attending for a period of time, get to know the pastor(s) and their families. As best you can tell, do they meet the pastoral qualifications found in Titus 1:5-9 and 1 Timothy 3:1-7? Pastor(s) should be approachable and willing to care for you.

Third, join a church that will help you grow in spiritual maturity and equip you for ministry. We are called to grow in spiritual maturity (Col 1:28). We are called to be actively ministering to other believers as well as nonbelievers (Eph 4:12-16; Matt 28:19-20).

I’m begging you, don’t choose a church because your kids like it. Don’t choose a church because the music is hip. Don’t choose a church because you think the pastor is funny. Choose a church that is faithful to Christ and His Word!

I want to finish today by giving you some encouragement to be a faithful church member.

(4) How can you be a faithful church member?

Once again, in Acts 2:41 we saw that after people were converted and baptized that they were added to the church. After they were added to the church, we saw in Acts 2:42-47 that these new believers devoted themselves to one another.

That’s what church membership is in a nutshell. You are committing yourself to Christ and His people. I’m not going to spend a ton of time telling you how to be a faithful church member because I’m going to do that the next several weeks in this sermon series. However, I will quickly go over several ways to be a faithful church member.

First, you must be a follower of Jesus. Church membership means nothing without a personal devotion to Christ. Church membership does not save you. Christ does.

Second, you need to be baptized. Baptism is the first step of obedience for a Christian. For more, listen to my sermon from last week.

Third, be involved. So often, our lives are oriented around the wrong things. Our lives revolve around our work and our leisure time. It’s been said that, “We worship our work, work at our play and play at our worship.” Brothers and sisters, this should not be. In Acts 2:42-47, we see the early believers oriented their lives around Christ and His church.

Acts 2:42-47

42 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.

We need to recover this. Our lives should give priority to Christ and His people. Jesus said, “I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it” (Matt 16:18). Our big houses, nice cars, academic achievements, and sports trophies won’t mean anything in eternity. C.T. Studd said, “Only one life, twill soon be past. Only what’s done for Christ will last.” Give yourself to the local church!

How do you prioritize the local church?

  • Attend regularly.
  • Be a student of God’s Word
  • Pray fervently for the church and its leaders.
  • Give generously to God’s kingdom work.
  • Serve faithfully.
  • Fellowship joyfully with others in the church.
  • Rescue lovingly those who are being deceived by sin.
  • Promote unity.
  • Disciple younger believers to maturity.

Did you catch the last phrase of Acts 2:47? And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Perhaps the reason we don’t as see many people saved as we used to is because we’ve given our lives to other things. Our calendar revolves around our work and children’s sports and activities. Friends, if you want the church to grow, commit to the church. Get built up in the faith so you will be equipped to share the gospel.

  • When was the last time you attended church Wednesday and Sunday in the same week?
  • When was the last time you attended Sunday School?
  • When was the last time you hosted other church members in your home?
  • When was the last time you prayed for the church?
  • Do you regularly support the church through giving?
  • When was the last time you lovingly confronted someone in their sin?
  • When was the last time you reached out to someone to see how they were doing?

Are you in Christ? If not, repent of your sins and trust in the person and work of Christ.

Have you joined a local church? If not, find a biblical church to join. See the articles I linked below for more help.

Are you prioritizing the local church? For more, see Donald Whitney’s book linked in the footnotes.

References

References
↑1 For more on this, see Franchising McChurch by John Mark Yeats and Thomas White.
↑2 Thom Rainer, I am a Church Member, 5
↑3 Spiritual Disciplines within the Church, 48.
↑4 For more, see Church Membership by Jonathan Leeman.
↑5 Also see these articles from G3 and 9Marks.

Commit to the Church: Be Baptized

September 20, 2022 /
Sermon Series Graphic

I recently began a new sermon series called Commit at my church on what biblically committed church membership looks like. This post is based off of the second sermon in that series, which you can listen to here. I was helped by two books as I prepared this sermon: Understanding Baptism by Bobby Jamieson and Going Under by Jim Elliff.

Sermon Text: Various Scriptures

In our last post, I argued that the local church is not optional for a believer and that we are required by Scripture to join and commit to a local church. We saw this paradigm in Acts 2:36-47.

We saw that the preaching of the gospel creates the church. As the gospel is preached, it demands a response. Those who are convicted of their sin are commanded to repent of their sin and trust in the person and work of Christ. After trusting in Christ, these new believers receive the Holy Spirit and are baptized. Those who were baptized were “added” to the church’s membership.

Acts 2:41

So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.

After trusting in Jesus, the first step of obedience is to be baptized. And that’s what we’re going to talk about today.

BIG IDEA: The first step of obedience to Christ after salvation is to be baptized.

In my post today, I have three objectives. The first, is that if you are a professing Christian but have not been baptized, then I want to show you from the Scriptures that you need to be baptized. The second objective is to help all of us better understand what baptism is and why it’s required for church membership. Third, I want you to be able to understand when baptism isn’t really baptism.

We must be baptized because Christ commands it (Matt 28:18-20)

Matt 28:18-20

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of 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.”

After Jesus was resurrected and sometime before He ascended back to the Father, He gave His disciples what we call the Great Commission. First, He told them that all authority in heaven and earth has been given to Him (v. 18). Then, He commissioned them to make disciples by going with the good news of the gospel, baptizing those who respond in faith, and then teaching them to obey the commands of Christ (vv. 19-20).

Surely anyone can read this passage and see that the first act of obedience for a new convert is to be baptized. After a new convert is baptized, he is to be taught (or discipled) to obey Jesus in all of life for the rest of life.

Throughout the book of Acts, we see the apostles obeying this command of Christ. They spread the gospel and as they see people converted to Christ, those people were baptized. That’s exactly what we saw last week in Acts 2.

Acts 2:38 – Peter to those Jews gathered in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost.

“Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ.”

Acts 2:41

So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.

If you read the rest of Acts, you’ll see this same pattern:

  • The gospel is proclaimed.
  • People are converted.
  • These converts are baptized.
  • These new believers are organized into churches.

So, the first thing we see is that we are commanded by Christ to be baptized. Next, I want to teach you about baptism.

What Baptism Is – A Definition of Baptism

What is baptism? Here’s a definition of baptism from a book called Understanding Baptism by Bobby Jamieson:

Baptism is a church’s act of affirming and portraying a believer’s union with Christ by immersing him in water, and a believer’s act of publicly committing himself to Christ and his people, thereby uniting a believer to the church and marking off him from the world.

Baptism is a church’s act of affirming and portraying a believer’s union with Christ by immersing him in water, and a believer’s act of publicly committing himself to Christ and his people, thereby uniting a believer to the church and marking off him from the world.

Bobby Jamieson, Understanding Baptism

What I’m going go to do for the rest of our this post is to unpack this definition and hopefully help you more fully understand baptism and its importance for individual Christians as well as the church.

What if you were in a swimming pool and your friend came up and dunked you in the water and said, “You’ve been baptized.” My guess is that you would probably have some reservations. You would rightly suppose that your friend is wrong. But why?

The first part of our definition says that baptism is a church’s act.

Baptism is a church’s act of affirming and portraying a believer’s union with Christ by immersing him in water, and a believer’s act of publicly committing himself to Christ and his people, thereby uniting a believer to the church and marking off him from the world.

Typically, we think of baptism as more of an individual act – “You need to get baptized in order to publicly identify with Christ.” Baptism is not something that you do to yourself. There are two parties involved and both parties proclaim something through the act of baptism. Certainly, baptism is a believer’s act, but it’s also a church’s act.

Matt 16:18-19

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. 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.”

Jesus tells Peter and the rest of his disciples that he will build His church upon them. Ephesians 2:20 says that the apostles are the foundation of the church. But notice also, that Jesus gives the keys to the kingdom to his disciples. He goes further and says that whatever they bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever they loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven.

What Jesus is doing here is giving authority to his apostles (and by extension, true biblical churches). Jesus is in heaven right now, but the apostles, and later local churches have the authority to make judgments based on the Word of God. Said another way – Jesus governs the church through His Word and churches are to be faithful to follow Jesus’ words.

In shorthand, Jesus is saying that local churches have authority from Him to bind and loose. One decision that churches make is who to baptize.

Churches have been given the authority to baptize, not individuals.

The main point here is that churches have been given the authority to baptize, not individuals. The only exception is when you are a missionary on the mission field, and you are the only Christian in a particular area. This is what we see in the case of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8.

Even though baptism is performed by an individual such as a pastor, he is acting on behalf of the local church and under their authority.

So, baptism is a church’s act.

Baptism is a church’s act of affirming and portraying a believer’s union with Christ by immersing him in water, and a believer’s act of publicly committing himself to Christ and his people, thereby uniting a believer to the church and marking off him from the world.

When a church baptizes someone, the church is affirming a believer’s profession of faith in Christ. As far as they can tell, the person being baptized has truly repented of his or her sin and placed his or her faith in Jesus.

Very few if any church gets it right 100% of the time. There will always be goats among the sheep and tares among the wheat. But Jesus knows who truly belong to Him and He will sort them out at the final judgment (Matt 25:31-46). As a church, we should do our due diligence to discern whether or not someone has truly been united with Christ. Therefore, as your pastor, I will personally meet with anyone before baptizing them.

So, the church affirms a believer’s union with Christ through baptism. In addition, baptism portrays a believer’s union with Christ.

Rom 6:3-5

3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.

In this passage, Paul is saying that believers, because of their union with Christ, experience their own death and resurrection. As Christ died for sin, we have died to sin because we are in Him. As Christ was resurrected, we are raised to walk in newness of life.

Does this happen because of baptism? No. It is our spiritual union with Christ that brings about these benefits, but water baptism provides an outward sign of an inward reality.

Water baptism provides an outward sign of an inward reality.

Because we have come to know Christ, we have died to sin (Gal 2:20). Because we have been united to Christ, we have new life and one day we will experience a physical resurrection. By going down into the water, we act out the death and burial of our old selves. By coming up out of the water, we act out our being raised to new life in Christ. This beautiful picture is lost by those who sprinkle rather than immerse, which is our next topic of discussion.

Baptism is a church’s act of affirming and portraying a believer’s union with Christ by immersing him in water, and a believer’s act of publicly committing himself to Christ and his people, thereby uniting a believer to the church and marking off him from the world.

Why do we as Baptists believe that immersion, rather than sprinkling or pouring, is required for baptism?

Three Reasons Baptism Requires Immersion[1]Jim Elliff’s book Going Under helped me here.

First, there is the meaning of the word “baptize” in its original language (Gk. baptizo). Baptizo has been transliterated instead of translated. The word baptizo means to immerse. So why was baptizo transliterated instead of translated? The reason is that when the Bible was translated into English in the 14th and 16th centuries, too many powerful people (one being King James) had already been sprinkled. Therefore, the translators didn’t want to offend King James, who paid for the translation into English.

John Calvin, a leader of the Protestant Reformation (and supporter of infant baptism) said this about the word baptizo:

The very word baptize, however, signifies to immerse; and it is certain that immersion was the practice of the ancient Church.[2]Allen translation of Calvin’s Institutes, p. 599.

It wasn’t until 1311 that the Catholic Church officially changed the form of baptism from immersion to sprinkling and it wasn’t until 1644 that the Presbyterians approved sprinkling instead of immersion. Even when they approved the change, it only passed by one vote (25-24).

The very first act of sprinkling on record happened in A.D. 250. A man was on his deathbed and wished to be baptized. Since he was too sick to be immersed, they poured a bunch of water on him. They didn’t just sprinkle, the poured water over him profusely.

So, the first reason we immerse is because of the meaning of the word baptize, which comes from the Greek word baptizo.

Second, we see clearly that immersion is what happened in the New Testament.

Much water was used (John 3:23)

John 3:23

John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptized.

People came to the water (Acts 8:36).

People went down into the water (Acts 8:38).

People came up out of the water (Mark 1:9-10; Acts 8:39).

Acts 8:36-39

And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” 38 And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. 39 And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing.

Mark 1:9-10

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.

Third, immersion rightly pictures what has happened to the believer spiritually.

This is what we just talked about when we discussed Romans 6. Baptism by immersion is a picture of us dying to sin and being raised to walk in newness of life. This picture of a death and resurrection is only possible through immersion.

So, baptism is done by immersion. We previously saw that baptism is a church’s act. Now, we see that baptism is also a believer’s act.

Baptism is a church’s act of affirming and portraying a believer’s union with Christ by immersing him in water, and a believer’s act of publicly committing himself to Christ and his people, thereby uniting a believer to the church and marking off him from the world.

Baptism is only for those who believe in Jesus. It is the first act of obedience for a new Christian. Some churches teach that you are not saved until you are baptized. Friends, baptism does not save you. Water baptism has no power to change us spiritually. I want to show you quickly that in the New Testament, believers were baptized.

Matt 28:18-20 – Once again, we’re told to make disciples by going with the gospel and then baptizing those who respond.

Acts 2:41

So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.

Those gathered at Pentecost who repented (Acts 2:38) and believed (“received his word”) were the ones who were baptized.

Acts 9:17-18

So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized;

Before Paul was baptized, he was called brother and filled with the Holy Spirit.

Acts 10:44-47 – Gentiles are converted and receive the Holy Spirit.

44 While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. 45 And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. 46 For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared, 47 “Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?”

We see the same thing we see in Acts 2. Peter preached the word. The Holy Spirit fell on these folks and they were converted. Here in Acts 10, Peter and the rest of the Jewish believers were astounded and immediately recognize that these are new believers. Therefore, they should be baptized!

The consistent witness of the New Testament points to the fact that believers in Jesus are the ones being baptized. You don’t get baptized to become a believer. You get baptized because you are a believer. The physical act of baptism doesn’t save us, but the mercy of God. Look at Titus 3:4-5.

Titus 3:4-5

4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,

Baptism doesn’t wash away our sins. Regeneration of the Holy Spirit does. Baptism pictures outwardly what has happened inwardly.

Baptism is a believer’s act. But what does baptism accomplish for the believer? That’s the next part of our discussion.

Baptism is a church’s act of affirming and portraying a believer’s union with Christ by immersing him in water, and a believer’s act of publicly committing himself to Christ and his people, thereby uniting a believer to the church and marking off him from the world.

When a believer is baptized, he is going public with his faith. When a big-name professional athlete signs with another team, the first thing that happens is the team has a press conference and gives him a jersey with the team’s name on it. That’s what is happening in baptism.

Baptism is a believer’s public declaration that he belongs to Jesus. Friends, there are no secret disciples of Jesus. We are to follow Jesus in plain sight and the world should know who we belong to. Baptism is where we publicly declare and commit to Christ and his people.

Baptism is one way that we acknowledge Jesus before men in obedience to Matthew 10:32. When we are baptized, we are in a sense swearing an oath of allegiance to King Jesus. Recalling the Great Commission, we have heard the gospel. We have received the gospel. We have been baptized. Now, we are to observe (obey) all that Jesus has commanded.

Notice also, that we are not just committing to Christ. We also are committing to his people.

Recall once again Acts 2:41.

Acts 2:41

So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.

To be united to Christ is to become a member of His body. To join ourselves to Jesus is to join His people and commit to loving, serving, and submitting to them. Baptism is where a believer publicly commits to Christ and his people.

Finally, through baptism, believers are united to the church and marked off from the world.

Baptism is a church’s act of affirming and portraying a believer’s union with Christ by immersing him in water, and a believer’s act of publicly committing himself to Christ and his people, thereby uniting a believer to the church and marking off him from the world.

When someone is baptized, both the believer and the church are making a statement. The believer is declaring that he belongs to Christ and he is willing to submit to Christ’s people. The church is declaring that they believe that the person being baptized is truly a Christian and that based on that credible profession they are receiving him into their membership.

As a church baptizes a new believer, he is marked off from the world. When the church baptizes a believer, they are saying to the world, “Look here! This one belongs to Jesus!” He is given the jersey of Christ. He no longer belongs to the kingdom of darkness. He has joined the kingdom of light. He belongs to Jesus.

Conclusion

This morning, we’ve seen that baptism is commanded by Christ for believers. If we profess faith in Christ, then we’re commanded to be baptized.

I’ve given you many Scriptures to give you a biblical view of baptism.

As we conclude today, I want to give you some examples of when baptism isn’t really baptism.

The first is if you were “baptized” as an infant. We’ve seen that baptism is by immersion and is for believers. Even though churches might use the word baptism, by definition, it was not a baptism.

Second, perhaps you were “baptized” before you truly became a Christian. Some people were “baptized” at a young age but later come to realize that they were not saved when they were baptized. Remember, only true believers are to be baptized. Therefore, if you were not a Christian at the time of your “baptism”, your “baptism” wasn’t baptism. But you should only be “re-baptized” if you are strongly convinced you were not a Christian when you were baptized.

Third, perhaps you were baptized at a church that does not preach the true gospel. We are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. If you were baptized at a church that doesn’t preach salvation by grace through faith, then a “baptism” by a gospel-denying church is not really baptism.

The fourth example is when your baptism has no connection to a church. Where there are gospel preaching churches, new believers should be baptized in connection with one of those churches. The location of the baptism, whether it’s in a church building or a pool or a river isn’t important. What is important is that the gathered church is affirming this believer as a Christian and that the believer is making a public profession before the believers he will be committing to as a member.

If one of these four scenarios fits you, then I would encourage you to visit with your church’s elders (pastors) and receive their counsel.

In closing, baptism expresses several truths.[3]Donald Whitney, Spiritual Disciplines within the Church, 35-39 When we’re baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, we are proclaiming that God is triune and that all three persons of the Trinity share in the work of salvation.

When we are baptized, it is a visible picture that our sins have been washed away. The water that washes the body is a picture of the cleansing that the soul has experienced.

When we’re baptized, it is a picture of our union with Christ. We have been united with Christ in His death and His resurrection. It’s a picture of the new life we have in Jesus. We have died to ourselves and we have been raised to walk in newness of life.

Have you trusted in Christ?

Have you publicly committed yourself to Christ and His church through believer’s baptism?

As a church, we need to take great care regarding who we baptize.

References

References
↑1 Jim Elliff’s book Going Under helped me here.
↑2 Allen translation of Calvin’s Institutes, p. 599.
↑3 Donald Whitney, Spiritual Disciplines within the Church, 35-39
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