Rhythm of Church
Life in Rhythm • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Introduction - The Great Dechurching
The Great Dechurching, Jim Davis and Michael Graham waste no time getting our attention. “We are currently experiencing the largest and fastest religious shift in the history of our country,” with forty million people who used to attend church at least once a month now going less than once a year (3). They describe these as the “dechurched” (xxii).
(Christian) sociologists have three categories:
Churched - Those currently engaged and connected to a church
Unchurched - Those who have not had and currently do not have a tradition of regular church attendance
Dechurched - Those who had once been engaged with church through regular attendance but have since become disconnected.
As they perceptively ask, “If church leaders are simply working to give attenders the best experience with the least amount of sacrifice, then why would they do anything more than drop in virtually when they have time?”
But then as we saw here from these last four stories, there's also these other people that just, they just had life and there's just the inertia and the patterns and rhythms of American life, just had them getting out of the habit.
“The way forward is not by creating something completely new, but by returning to something very old” (236).
Church is a people as much as it is a place
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.
DON’T GO TO CHURCH!
Not a smart introduction to a Sunday service
What do we think we mean when we say that statement?
“Stop going to a physical location on a Sunday morning to participate in a ritualistic tradition that we believe may or may not have any real benefit to our spiritual life”
The real question we are asking is, “Does being a part of a local church have any real benefit to my life?”
If the answer is “No:
We will likely not be a part of church.
What we are doing now is a waste of time.
We will attend based on pleasure or pressure - when it suits our desires or we are guilted into going by a family member or our own religious belief of God
If the answer is “Yes:”
Committing to and investing in the life of the church needs to be a priority.
Our evaluation of church becomes less about our preferences and more about what it produces in our lives.
I believe that deep down we all long for a place where we will truly believe, belong, and behave (like Jesus).
In our study I am not attempting to speak ill of the church - I LOVE the church - I’ve devoted my life to seeing disciples made and the church thrive.
What I am not saying today:
I am not saying that you need to go to church to be a Christian.
You don’t need to go to church to be a Christian, but a faithful Christian will go to church.
I am not saying that the local church hasn’t, at times, harmed the cause of Christ both in individuals and communities.
While the church has not been perfect, she can be redeemed by the One who is perfect.
I am not saying the full expression of church is only found on a Sunday morning (so wake up and be here early!)
While Sunday morning worship attendance is not necessarily a sign of your piety, it can be evidence of your priorities.
There are certainly those who are unable to attend a church service regularly (some are in my own family)
There are times you are out of town, sick, etc.
I am not advocating a legalism of church attendance. I am (Scripture is) calling us to a Rhythm of Church Community and Worship.
I believe the difference lies in our understanding about why the church gathers (both big and small)
We all have other things we could do on a Sunday morning
What is the church?
The local church is God’s plan, with His people, for his purpose.
I believe, through our passage today, God may want to change our thinking about church - away from the idea of consuming church to one where we participate in church.
When we belong to Christ we belong together.
No where in this passage will we see anything about the necessity of a building or style
Not that these things are NOT important, but they are to serve the church, the church does not exist through serving them.
Two Reasons for the Rhythm of Church:
Jesus forms the Church. (19-21)
Church forms us. (22-25)
Christ forms the church (19-21)
Christ forms the church (19-21)
Because of Jesus we have:
Because of Jesus we have: 1) New life in the church 2) a perfect leader for the church
Real life in the church (19-20)
Church should be a place where we find real life - not simply religious life.
*Confidence / Authorization* to the heavenly sanctuary (19-20)
We can have confidence to go through to God (19) because Jesus went through first and made a way (20)
the way made by Jesus is:
Exclusive
Continual
A way for life (The church is the only source of eternal life - we enter the church through the gospel)
When we gather, we refocus on the Real Life of which we are a part.
^^Do you have the confidence of heaven / the presence of God? Not the arrogance but the confidence? What a confidence!
What would change in your life if you had this confidence? Less / no fear, anxiety, etc.
This confidence can only come through the gospel.
A perfect leader for the church (21)
Great priest in charge of the church (21)
In OT, the priest brought people to God - Jesus has brought us to God once and for all
Without Jesus there would be no church
Jesus is the leader of the church
not me! not you!
I will disappoint you at some point. If I haven’t already.
The church is not human in origin (not a club) and not maintained or managed by human effort
* We are not a group of people with similar backgrounds or spiritual interests
* We are CHANGED people
* This is the Great Exchange
^^ How many of us need a place to belong?
We long for Cheers - “Where everybody knows your name. . .”
We struggle to find people who will accept us?
We feel we need to change our behavior, looks, economic status in order to fit in.
> Through Jesus’ work and our faith in him he has formed a family to belong
ILLUST - Adoption - Perhaps the biggest thing for my kids was that they would have a place where they belonged.
The Church forms us. (22-25)
The Church forms us. (22-25)
(WE ARE FORMED BY THE CHURCH)
Our delights / duties in church:
We have the obligation / opportunity to go to church
ILLUST - naps - used to hate when I HAD to, now I look forward to when I GET to.
We regularly experience the presence of God. (22)
22 let us draw near ...
Hebrews 4:16 (ESV)
16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
The presence of someone at a location can be a serious draw for you to that location.
ILLUST - Going to a Star Trek movie because of a girl - I hated Star Trek.
Exodus 40:34
34 Then lthe cloud covered the tent of meeting, and mthe glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 35 And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 36 Throughout all their journeys, nwhenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out. 37 But oif the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out till the day that it was taken up. 38 For the cloud of the Lord was on the tabernacle by day, and fire was in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel throughout all their journeys.
2 Chronicles 7:1–4 (ESV)
1 As soon as Solomon finished his prayer, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. 2 And the priests could not enter the house of the Lord, because the glory of the Lord filled the Lord’s house. 3 When all the people of Israel saw the fire come down and the glory of the Lord on the temple, they bowed down with their faces to the ground on the pavement and worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying, “For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.” 4 Then the king and all the people offered sacrifice before the Lord.
Matthew 27:51 (ESV)
51 And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split.
1 Corinthians 3:16 (ESV)
16 Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?
Ephesians 2:22 (ESV)
22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
We only truly come into the presence of God through our faith - otherwise, we stand on the outside looking in.
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.
This is what truly forms the church.
We are formed as a church through Jesus.
* The church is not made up of buildings, bylaws, or budgets. It is formed by believers.
(BTW, if this is true, then the only legitimate way to build the church is by making disciples)
hearts sprinkled clean. . . our bodies washed with pure water.
* V22 - reference to baptism?
Delight / Duty
1. Presence
* Prepared for the presence
^^ How would your life change if you routinely experienced the presence of God? Less fear, less shame, less anxiety, less “struggles.”
^^ We have FULL access to God! We are called to draw near - which means it is possible! So, what prevents it?
We are reoriented toward our hope. (23)
## Let us hold fast. . . (faithfully to our confession) (23)
23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering,
* /Our week can cause us to waver!/ We need to be reminded of our hope which happens when we hold fast to our confession.
* Without a regular reorientation we tend to waver.
* How does this happen? Through hearing and experiencing.
* Under the Word and around the Table
> ILLUST:
> When we gather for sports events we become more excited about our team - we are reminded why we spend time, energy, money, dignity for them.
Delight / Duty
* 2. Hope
* Hold fast
The anchor for our hope is not found in each of us individually, but in the faithfulness of God:
for he who promised is faithful.
* The reason we hold so tightly to our confession (the ‘die fors’) is that if they disappear so does our hope (Ex., if Jesus is NOT God we are still in sin, if there are many ways to God, then how can we truly know God?, etc)
> ILLUST:
> ‘New York Times’ recently ran an article which described Rutgers Presbyterian "At Rutgers Presbyterian in Manhattan, a belief in God isn't strictly necessary."
We give and receive uncommon love. (24)
## Let us consider. . . (motivate and encourage together) (24-25)
24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,
‘Consider’ = we are looking at each other
usually church does this to instigate gossip and anger
What if this church was known for whispering words of encouragement?
The writer did not say, “Since Jesus formed the church. . . Let us consume a ‘service’ once a week. . .”
“motivate” = we kick each other’s butts
* “I don’t need the church” - Yes, you do!! But perhaps more importantly, there are others who need you!
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.
Strengthen each other (25)
[The reference to “custom” or “habit” (ἔθος) implies a situation of indifference and apathy, which is consistent with other indications throughout the sermon (2:1–3; 3:7–15; 4:1; 5:11–14; 10:23) (cf. Mora, La Carta a los Hebreos, 50). It is natural to think that the neglect of the meetings was motivated by fear of recognition by outsiders in a time of persecution, or by disappointment in the delay of the parousia, or by some other acute concern. It is sobering to discover that in the early second century in Rome it was simply preoccupation with business affairs that accounted for the neglect of the meetings of a house church]
[Whatever the motivation, the writer regarded the desertion of the communal meetings as utterly serious. It threatened the corporate life of the congregation and almost certainly was a prelude to apostasy on the part of those who were separating themselves from the assembly (so H. Montefiore, 177–78; Williamson, Philo, 261; Thompson, Beginnings of Christian Philosophy, 34). The neglect of worship and fellowship was symptomatic of a catastrophic failure to appreciate the significance of Christ’s priestly ministry and the access to God it provided.
Would it be fair to say that the more that we connect with other believers (Sunday worship, Life Group, LABs, Impact Teams, etc) the more we would look like and live like Jesus? Then what would be the reason we would not?
My motivation is not to build the numbers of Granger Missionary Church - This isn’t my church - It’s Jesus’ church. As an under shepherd of the flock of God, I want to see that you are connected to a body of believers for these benefits and responsibilities.
Delight / Duty
* 3. Uncommon love
* Considering each other - watching and being in space.
### What is the purpose of church?
* What should be the result of being a part of the church?
* What is the church’s role in the life of the believer?
The duties and benefits of the church can be summarized by these three things:
Faith (22), Hope (23), and Love (24)
You’re here today
— Do you need the presence of Jesus?
— Do you need the power of Jesus?