Sermon Tone Analysis

The Church

(Insert a slide of the church- already saved on computer)

“We’re going to church!” How often have you heard that or said that?

But the church is not a building it is the people.

The Church is God’s plan to be used to save sinful man.

Are we playing church or are we the church?

We do not want to be a people who slow down God’s plan, misunderstand God’s plan, or have a misconception of God and His plan.

So tonight we are going to look at a few things.

The Church - there is no perfect church

The Church - it is to be different (don’t be a striped candy church)

The Church and the cross

The Church and it’s doctrine

The Church and it’s unity

The Church-it’s not perfect

We were created in perfection, but are imperfect by sin and this fallen world, so there is no perfect church, but we are being perfected in Christ Jesus.

We may not be perfect, but we have work to do.

Be perfected - by admonishing and encouraging (1The5:14)

So what is the instruction here?

How can we do it?

Be perfected - by being tender-hearted (Eph4:32)

Why are we to be kind, tender-hearted and forgiving?

Be perfected - by don’t do this, but do that (Gal5:15-16)

Don’t do what?

And in turn what are we to do?

So in the imperfect church is perfection not possible?

We may not be perfect but we are being perfected when we believe God and His Word and apply it to our lives.

The Church: Be different

In a time when the church looks like the world it is hard to tell who the church really is, isn’t it?

We are called to be different from the world.

Be different - by being separate from the world (2Cor6:17)

This does not mean be we are not to be a part of the world, but we need to be protective of the church and not be conformed to the world.

Be different - don’t be conformed to the world (Rom12:2; Rom8:29)

Not conformed to the world, but to the image of His Son

Be different - you be a transforming power, by the cross!

The cross of Christ changed everything and changes everything within us.

We cannot discount nor compromise the cross.

Jesus didn’t, the Father didn’t, the apostles message didn’t and you didn’t when you came to believe, did you?

The Cross was the tool God used for the Son to be the perfect and acceptable sacrifice that made the way for sinful man to be forgiven and transformed.

All this so that we may have the same goal as Jesus.

Be different - have the same goal as Jesus (Lk19:10; Mt16:16, 18)

and add to that

For here the Lord defines the church and the promise!

The church is the called out, the one’s called to be different for we operate under the real authority, so not to be tricked to be a striped candy church.

Be different - know the authority and don’t be a striped candy church (Act2:42; Jn4:14)

They, the apostles, they the disciples were devoted, we need to be devoted too.

Jesus did not come to entertain, but to explain and to encourage.

The solution to the striped candy church that gives people something sweet and no meat and truth is found there in (v.14) - drink of the Living water and it will spring up to eternal life.

I mentioned the cross a few minutes ago, but want to develop on that some now.

The Church and the Cross

The church is more than members wearing a cross or carrying a cross.

The church is about the message of the cross, the message seems to have changed for many.

The message of the cross includes repentance, without it there is no conversion.

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Without a changed direction there is no changed destination.

Repentance is a part of the conversion from sinner to saint, from condemned to conformed, from darkness to light.

The message of the cross includes confession, belief, faith, obedience and a lifestyle that includes suffering.

The message of the cross, the Good News, includes the things we know so well (hear, believe, confess, repent, be baptized and then live obediently until the end) but sometimes we don’t like to think about the suffering that may come because of the cross.

A quick look at the old cross and the new cross (Gal6:14)

The old cross slew men - new cross entertains them

The old cross brought men to their knees - new cross to theatrics and laughter.

The old cross saves man - the new cross deceives man

The old cross bears a burden - the new cross claims no burden

Which Cross are we as a church going to show to the world?

In this world where in the church, it has gone from maximum instruction to maximum entertainment and minimum instruction.

From 15 minutes of worth to 30 -60 minutes of preaching, instruction to 30 -40 minutes of songs and 15 minutes and heaven forbid 20 minutes of preaching, instruction.

No longer is the word of God the attraction, it is the programs, the events, the food.

Again, which way do we want to be known, seen?

It matters eternally.

So thus far I think you can agree that the church, the body of believers all too often look like the world and not disciples of Christ.

Gospel meetings of the past have turned into concerts for today all in the name of Jesus.

There is a competition to get peoples attention and keep it.

Worship has lost it’s priority, I think you can look around you and see that.

For us to stay the course that Christ set for us, for us to not be a striped candy church with a new cross before us, we need to continue on.

The Church and its doctrine

The doctrine is the teaching, the teaching needs to be what the Bible says.

And what we believe and do with what the Bible says, including our concept of God and the teaching of the Bible.

Have you ever heard the expression “me and the man upstairs?”

or maybe “The God of my understanding?”

The Church and its concept of God (Psm89:6-7; Jn1:1, Gen1:1, 3, 6, 11, 14, 20, 24, 26, 31)

In the beginning

Created light (v.3)

Created the expanse and the waters (v.6)

Separated the waters (v.9)

Created all the vegetation (v.11)

Created the light of night and day (v.14)

Created the creatures of sea and land (v.20, 24)

Created man (v.26)

Then He looked and said it was very good.

We need to keep our reverence of God and our awe of God

The Church and being in awe of God (Act2:43)

Maybe at times our concept, our sense of awe may diminish because we have not seen the signs, the wonders, the miracles.

Don’t be swayed by the world in thinking “I believe what I can see” for that is the wrong concept, we believe and then we see, it is by faith!

Don’t diminish the right concept of God.

One way to keep the right concept of God, to not be diminished in our concept of God is to know the doctrine and do the right thing with the doctrine of God.

The truth, the whole truth, the uncompromising truth

Stay to the sound doctrine (2Tim1:13-14)

we are going to be judged one day by God’s standard that is laid out in God’s Word.

So, stay to the sound doctrine and guard it.

For you have been given what you need to be able to endure the sound doctrine

Endure the sound doctrine (2Tim4:3-5)

When we gather as the church, do we come with the right expectation?