I Love My Church: Love In Community

 I Love My Church: Love In Community

Opening Illustration:

Good morning friends. My name is Stuart Davidson. I am the pastor here at Eastern Shore Baptist Church. Thank you for worshipping with us this morning. If you are new or visiting with us today, we have just started a new sermon series entitled “I Love My Church”. This is the second week, the second Sunday of this new series. Today, I want to reveal to you one of the great joys of belonging to the church, the Body of Christ. When you are a member of the church, you are a member of a living, breathing, organic community. That’s right friends, the church is alive. The church has a beating heart and that beating heart starts with the Lord Jesus Christ Himself and it is made up of me and you. We friends are the living church. 

However, not every church is living. Sure there are some churches that are barely alive. There are some churches that are just bones. The other day I was watching the History Channel and I learned about the town of Sedlec in the Czech Republic. In that small town, there is a cemetery that dates all the way back to the 13th century. Some 40,000 people who died from the Black Plague are buried there. Around 1400, a Gothic style church was built at the center of the cemetery. A ossuary to hold all the bones of the deceased was constructed underneath the chapel. Today, that church is known as the church of the bones. 

What about this church? Are we a church of bones or are we a church of the blessed, a living breathing body of Christ? Are we seeing new members? Baptisms? Are we seeing people trading lifestyles of sin and addiction for sanctification and spiritual atonement through Christ Jesus? Is the church on mission? Are we telling others about Christ? The answer to these questions and many more is “yes”. No friends, this is not a dying a church. This is not a church built on bones. Eastern Shore Baptist Church is alive. 

Praise God! 

So, I love you and I love my church. We learned last week that God’s love is lived out through His Church. If you remember, I stated last week that the church is God’s primary conduit of revealing salvation to the world. It is God’s primary avenue of sharing His love, His mercy, His presence to every man, woman, boy and girl. In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus teaches us how to pray saying, “thy will be done, on earth as it is done in heaven”. Think about it friends, the church is God’s little piece of heaven here on earth. 

But you know better don’t you mature believer. You have been around and you are familiar with church culture. Sure, you have seen the good of church but you have seen the human element of church as well. How many of you have seen arguments in the church? Infighting? Backstabbing? God forbid a church split? What about all the hypocrites that go to church? If the church is so alive, so loving, so great, then why does the church suffer so mightily with sin?

Come in close church? Let me tell you a secret? The reason that the church struggles so with its humanity is because it is made up of sinners. The reason that the church struggles so with its humanity is because it is made up of humans. 

Jesus even knew this to be true about the church. In Mark 2:17 Jesus states the following, “Those who are healthy have no need of a physician, but [only] those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners [who recognize their sin and humbly seek forgiveness].”

God uses the church to change us, to transform us, to make us into something new. Brothers and sisters, fill in the blanks for “Today’s Thoughts”. The church is our source of encouragement, enlightenment, and engagement. The church is God’s gift to us. For the Christian, the church is the greatest source of love and encouragement. It is the primary place for discipleship and learning. It is the launching pad for missions and ministry. 

What Did We Learn Last Week?

God’s Love Is Lived Out Through His Church!

Today’s Thought:

The Church Is Our Source of Encouragement, Enlightenment, and Engagement!

One of my favorite writers and Christian philosophers is Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Bonhoeffer was a German pastor who spoke out against the Nazi’s and he eventually paid the ultimate price by being hanged in a German Concentration Camp. He dreamed of a community where peace and love would rule, guarded and sustained by the loving presence of Jesus Christ. Bonhoeffer understood the value of community found within the church. Listen to what he says about the church. “Christianity means community through Jesus Christ and in Jesus Christ. No Christian community is more or less than this. Whether it is a brief, single encounter or the daily fellowship of years, Christian community is only this. We belong to one another only through and in Jesus Christ.”

Today’s Quote:

“Christianity means community through Jesus Christ and in Jesus Christ. No Christian community is more or less than this. Whether it is a brief, single encounter or the daily fellowship of years, Christian community is only this. We belong to one another only through and in Jesus Christ.”

-Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Background and Context:

Today we will be reading from the book of Hebrews. There is a lot of debate as to who wrote Hebrews. Some think that Paul wrote it as it is similar length, tone, and structure to the letter to the Romans. Who wrote it does not matter nearly as much as what is contained in the Scripture itself. Today we will be reading from Hebrews 10:19-25. The Scripture reminds us that we can now come to the throne of God The Father because of what Jesus Christ has done for us on the cross. No longer is there a veil separating us from the love and majesty of God. No longer do we need an intermediary to pray for us on our behalf. We now can approach God as a child wold approach a loving Father. You see friends it is all about a relationship with Jesus. Our relationship with Christ is encouraged by gathering together, worshipping with one another, and pressing on together to do good works. When we are together, living in one accord as the church, we experience the amplified presence of God. 

Statement of Belief:

We believe the Bible to be inspired, God breathed, infallible, and authoritative. We believe the Bible is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training believer’s in righteousness. God’s Word gives life. It provides peace in trouble and protection in tribulation. It is alive, active, and cuts to the core of the human soul. Since there is no other book like it, let us stand to show our reverence and respect.  

Today’s Scripture:

Hebrews 10:19-25 ESV

19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 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.

Since We Are A Community of Faith…

Let Us Draw Near To God vs. 19-22

Hebrews 10:19-25 ESV

19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

Our first point this morning is simple. Since we are a community of faith, let us draw near to God. That is what verses 19-22 commands. “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith”. Who are we drawing near to? We draw near to one another and we draw near to God. In fact, the closer that we get to one another the closer we get to God. 

As you remember from last week, we talked about the Greek word for “church”. That word is “Ekklisía”. The word means “temple, church, sanctuary, shrine or tabernacle”. The context in which the word is used in the New Testament refers to an “assembly or a people”. In fact, the New Testament never speaks of the “ekklisia” in terms of a building but it always speaks to it in terms of a people. Last week we talked about the church being more than sticks and bricks. The church is more than pews and paint. The church is people. In fact, you could destroy this church building now and Eastern Shore Baptist Church would continue to function, live and breathe. To prove the point, Eastern Shore Baptist Church, in her earliest inception met in several buildings. We met in the Lake Forest Yacht Club. We met in the old Econo Lodge. It didn’t matter what building we gathered in, it didnt even matter the time in which we gathered, the church never changed because of location. The church exists as long as we gather together no matter where we gather together. 

Friends, do you know why it is so important to exist weekly, daily, as a community of faith? Do you know why this church and all churches like this church, are an integral part of your spiritual growth in Christ? 

You might answer that question like this: I come to church because my friends are here. Church, this is extremely true for our children and youth. One of the driving forces that they feel compelled to come here weekly is because their best friendships exist here at this church. One of the main reasons I came to church as a young man is because I met a young girl that I had eyes for. We were in the same youth ministry together. What started out as friendship transitioned into dating. Dating became engagement and engagement turned to marriage. Church filled a necessary role in my life for helping me determine who my life partner and mate would be. Church was not just about finding a girlfriend, but my most important friendships came from the youth ministry. Johnathan Woodham. David Wilson. My very best friends. 

As I got older, the sphere, the breath and depth of the community provided to me by the church grew. Friendships became focused accountability and that accountability transformed into spiritual discipline and discipleship. 

What do I mean by that? Church was not just a place for me to be social but it advanced my spirituality. 

Another way to put it is that the closer that I allowed myself to be to the church, the community of faith, the closer I came to God. 

Brothers and sisters, let me share with you a pastoral secret. This is something that I have learned in some 20 plus years in full time Christian ministry. Now understand that what I am about to tell you is not necessarily a hard and fast rule, but I have seen this in my own life and I have seen this born out in the lives of others. 

As a pastor, I can generally tell those who have an active walk with Christ and those that do not. I can generally tell those who have a Christ centered marriage and those whose marriages are struggling. I can tell those who are battling sin and temptation on a daily basis and those who have given way to sin and fallen head over heels into temptation. How can I tell? What is the tale tell sign?

Church attendance. 

That’s right friends, coming to church, participating in ministry, serving the Lord Jesus Christ through ministry, taking part in a small group, a Sunday School or Life Group Class, is a clear signal of an alive, thriving, active walk with the Lord. 

On the converse, people who are struggling in their spiritual walk, people who have given way to sin, people whose marriages are in jeopardy, those are the ones who have pulled away from the church. You would think it would be opposite wouldn’t you. You would think that if you were struggling spiritually that you would come and practically set up a second home at church but Satan is crafty. He convinces us that the more we struggle, the more we need to pull away from church. He tells you that you can handle it. You don’t need anyone’s help. Just pray more. Read the Bible more. All the while you are falling further and further away, just digging yourself a deeper hole. 

I am going to make a bold statement here friends and I am not trying to offend you. Trust me I do not wake up on Sunday morning and think to myself, “how can I offend people at church today”. Here is the statement. 

It is absolutely impossible to have a true relationship with Christ apart from the church. Friends, Jesus bled and died for the church and one day He will return and collect His bride. Jesus loves the church. The church is His passion. Jesus is the head of the Body of Christ. How can one love Jesus and hate the thing that Jesus loves the most?

If you want to draw near to God. Come to church. Actively serve. Participate. 

If you want to find community with others, come to church. Actively serve. Participate. 

I love what James 4:8 says because it models what I have been talking about this morning. Listen to James, the brother of our Savior. 

James 4:8 NLT

“Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.” When we seek God with all of our hearts and draw near to Him, we will feel His presence once again.

Since We Are A Community of Faith…

Let Us Hold Fast To Truth vs. 23

Hebrews 10:23 ESV

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.

Here is our second point this morning. Again, our first point was…since we are a community of faith, let us draw near to God. Our second point is…since we are a community of faith, let us hold fast to truth. 

“Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope”.

Ok, therapy time for some of us this morning. Let’s pretend that you are in my office. You have set up an appointment. You are sitting down on my couch. I am listening to you, taking notes. You came to talk to me about a struggle of yours. Here is your problem. 

It is March 5th, we are 63 days in to 2023. You are frustrated. Maybe even a bit depressed. Why? Here’s the reason. You made resolutions, New Year’s resolutions and you’ve not kept one. You said that you were going to lose weight but you can’t put down the double stuff Oreos. You said that you would keep the house clean but you’ve forgotten where you put the vacuum. You said that you were going to do a better job walking the dog but you’ve forgotten where you’ve put the dog. You made all these promises to yourself, maybe you promised your spouse, and you’ve broken all the promises. Your resolutions are shattered. 

Now you are frustrated. 

Brothers and sisters, do you know why people fail to keep their resolutions? By the way, I recently saw a statistic that only 16% of people are able to keep their resolutions. I think that stat is a bit high but I digress. The number one reason why most people are unable to keep their resolution is because they lack accountability and motivation. 

Accountability and motivation are linked. Think about it. I have a friend of mine from college named Chris Hanes. He is one of the few people that I know that is able to keep his resolutions. Here is a couple of resent New Year’s resolutions that he made. One year he said that he was going to run a mile every day. That’s 365 miles. Another resolution that he committed to was doing 50 burpees everyday. For those of you who do not know what a burpee is…well…Im not going to show you but you can google it. It is a terrible exercise. No matter. 

Chris kept his resolutions. Do you know how he did it. He told all of his friends that he was going to do it. He asked for their help. He then told all of his friends on social media what he intended to do and he asked them to help keep him accountable. Suddenly Chris had created motivation through accountability. 

Maybe you have different goals. Maybe you want to read through the Bible. Maybe you want to pray daily. Maybe you want to memorize Scripture. You want have the motivation but you lack the accountability. You have told God but you have not shared your desire to grow with the community…the church. 

You see friends that’s what church offers us. The Scripture tells us to “hold fast to the confession of our hope”. The hope that we have is the salvation that we have in Jesus Christ. The writer of Hebrews is tells us that it is not enough to rest in the knowledge of our salvation, no way. We must live that salvation out on the streets and at our jobs and in our homes. The way we hold fast to this hope is motivation through accountability. 

If you have struggled in the spiritual phases of your life, I can guarantee that you are missing out of the accountably and motivation that the community of the church offers. 

“Preacher, are you saying that I have to be here every week? Are you looking for that type of commitment? I mean Im coming to church at least 2 Sunday’s a month. Im giving every now and then. I will serve if convenient for me.”

Let’s put this in other terms. If you put the same amount of commitment into your marriage as you do your commitment to the church, would your church life be healthy or need help? Friends, let me share with you a perspective that I have seen here at Eastern Shore Baptist Church. Did you know that we actually have two churches that meet here on Sunday mornings? We do. We have the church that gathered here last week and we have the church that gathered here today. Did you know that if everyone came at the same time, our sanctuary would be full? It’s true. 

We are called to “hold fast”. The Greek words for “hold fast” is “kráta gerá”.  It means that we are immovable. Unbendable. This word is only used here, this singular time in Scripture. It means to not bow, to not bend. We are not to compromise or surrender. When the world tries to tell us that church, our community that motivates us to new spiritual heights and holds us accountable to our faith, is just not that necessary, we so “no”. 

When we hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, we find the strength and the energy to do things that cannot be explained with Jesus. He can make our life defy understanding. As we hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, we find strength to go above and beyond. His character and his promises are the reason we can serve people that do not appreciate us. We can work jobs that aren’t perfect fits for our giftedness. We can invest in and even give more than is expected of us. 

Since we are a community of faith, let us hold fast to the truth. 

I Timothy 4:16 ESV

Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.

Since We Are A Community of Faith…

Let Us Consider One Another vs. 24-25

Hebrews 10:24-25 ESV

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.

Here is our last point this morning. Let us draw near to God. Let us hold fast to the truth. Since we are a community of faith…let us consider one another. 

Again the Greek word for “consider” is kat-an-o-eh'-o (Kat-an-a-oh). What does it mean to consider one another. Well the word means more than just a passing thought of another person. It goes far beyond, “I wonder what so and so is doing today”. The definition of the word is to consider attentively, to fix one’s eyes or mind upon. It also means to deeply understand another person. I suppose if you really want to get an understanding of the word, you have to go to remarks made by Paul in Philippians 2:4, “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” 

The author of Hebrews states in verses 24 and 25, “let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together”. 

Brothers and sisters, church is not something that you have to do, it is something that you get to do. 

Brothers and sisters, serving in the church is not something that you have to do, it is something that you get to do. 

How many times have I told you this morning that it is never my intention to offend. Its not. Still, as I prepared this message, I felt God leading me to write these words and speak them. I really don’t want to speak them because I fear making people angry. That is not at all my desire but I have to be obedient to God. 

Do you want me to be obedient to the Lord? Well, I guess it doesn’t really matter, I feel that God is wanting me to say this this morning so I am going to say it. 

Ok, here we go. Friends, if all you do is come to church on Sunday morning, you are missing out. You are not receiving God’s best. You are depriving yourself of community, of joy, of deep friendships. There is so much that the Lord has in mind for you to do and if all you do is come here every 7 days, you are missing out on God’s fullest, richest, presence. 

Now understand that I am not talking to people who are infirm, people who are struggling with serious illness. I am talking about strong healthy people. 

Brothers and sisters, we should be considering one another. We should be looking to serve one another. We should wake up daily and think how can I serve the Lord and how can I serve my fellow Christian brother and sister today?

Let me put it in practical terms for you today. Why are we having to struggle to find people to help serve in the children’s ministry? Did you know that we need Life Group teachers for our children? We do. Why are we having to struggle to find help in the Preschool? Did you know that we are in need of help in our preschool. We do. 

“Preacher, I put in my time”. 

“Im old, and I have reached my quota on serving.”

Enoch walked with God, serving him daily until he was taken at the ripe old ate of 365 years old.

Noah was 120 years old when he finished the ark.

We think that Job was 140 years old when God interrupted his life. 

Abraham turned from idols and STARTED serving the Lord when he was 75 years old. He then served the Lord for the next 100 years. 

My point is that there is not age limit to serving the Lord. Brothers and sisters, some of you need to get in the game and get into serving. 

I want to make a deal with you. I want you for the next month to pick a ministry in the church and serve in that ministry for a month. I want you to put the needs of our church, your brothers and sisters, ahead of your own for a month. The deal that I make with you is this, if you serve others for a month, you will receive blessings from God that you never knew existed. You will receive joy, peace, purpose and fulfillment. 

How can you consider the needs of other today? How can you spur others on to good works? 

After all…

We Are The Church…A Community Dedicated To Christ!

Philippians 2:4 ESV

Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

We Are The Church…A Community Dedicated To Christ!