Sermon Tone Analysis

“*CONNECTED TO THE BODY OF CHRIST*”

(Foundations Discipleship Series)

 

Session #1                                                        Westgate Chapel                        

 

PROPOSITION:  That the Christian life is not lived in isolation, but in the context of a local Body of Christ, a unit, made of many parts, living in mutual dependence and honor.

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Alternative outline

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i.    introduction

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ii.

One body

!! (entry point)

!! It is the Church of God

!! Jesus is the Head

!! Each one of you is a part of it (Biblical injunction)

!! Pattern of Acts

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! iii.

YOu are baptized into that body (1 Corinthians 12)

!! By the Spirit

!! Immersed, saturated

!!! into God’s presence

!!! Worship

!!! Word

!!! Accountability

!!! Encouragement

!!! Fellowship etc

!!! Witness

!!! Mutual submission

!!! Preferring one another

!!! Unity

!!! Storehouse

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spurring one another on to love and good works)

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iv.

Minister into maturity (ephesians 4)

!! Leadership gifts

!! Leadership functions (deacons~/elders)

!! Equipping

!! Works of service (gifts at work)

!! Maturity unto the whole measure

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v. conclusion

!! Radiant church

!! Exactly what is it that they should do?

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Turn to I Corinthians 12.

 

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I want to share a foundational truth of the Christian life that you can’t make it without the Body of Christ.

I want to share the foundational truth of the Christian life that God has designed the Christian walk in such a way that we are to be interdependent in mutual relationship and ministry.

The Lone Ranger Christian Life has no place in the Bible to support it.

In fact, I don’t believe it exists.

If by force of necessity, like the Apostle John, you are cast out on the Isle of Patmos and have no one around to worship with and be dependent upon and accountable to, then I know the grace of God will be sufficient.

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I know that in preaching this sermon this morning I am going against the common cultural norm, that we Westerners have a certain philosophy about our independence: We are individuals and we have individual rights and are responsible for our own lives.

We are told to pull yourself up by your bootstraps, make a way for yourself, your future is in your hands, no one’s going to do it for you, do it yourself, and grab all the gusto you can.

These are all clichés that convey to you and me that your life is your own responsibility and you have to get hold of it and make the best of it yourself.

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You and I in many ways do not realize that our culture has indoctrinated us to believe that the individual is held up high—higher than the community.

If you don’t believe this, visit other countries, perhaps India.

In monetary ways they may be impoverished compared to the United States but in many other ways far richer than we are.

Richer because they prize community higher than individual rights or function, and that may seem un-American to us.

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But the reality is that the Christian life is designed to be lived in an organic relationship with you and other members of the Body of Christ lived out in the local church.

I know that if you’re visiting here this morning or perhaps if you don’t know me very well, you may be suspicious thinking, “He’s just the pastor and he’s trying to promote Westgate Chapel and involvement in the church, and he’s trying to increase attendance.”

I believe I will show you from Scripture that the Christian life, while it may begin as a personal, individual response to the convicting ministry of the Holy Spirit, and while it may be something nobody can do for you, the Church can’t impart saving grace to you.

A priest or a pastor cannot impart saving grace to you.

Romans 10:9 says, /“If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”/

That is a personal choice and decision that you make.

God’s Spirit convicts you.

Outside of Jesus Christ you are cut off from God, even from society and are isolated and on your own.

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I picked up my mom as I do every Sunday to bring her to church.

As I drove her this morning she said, “Son, just how long can this world keep on going?”

I think maybe she watches the news network too much.

It’s hard to have faith when you’re watching the news.

I know it’s difficult when you look at what’s going on—in the Middle East, Afghanistan, and our world today— you realize that we are in a very fragmented and divided world.

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But in this fragmented world the Spirit of God singles you out for salvation.

The grace of God comes upon you when he calls you to follow Jesus Christ.

The Spirit of God brings conviction of sin into your life and convicts you of the reality of Jesus, prompting you on the promise of God to respond to the invitation and bring everything that is in your life across the bridge that is created by the Jesus work on the cross.

You are faced with a choice, a God-given choice.

By faith you cross over into the kingdom of God.

I preached this in the First Steps Series and by the grace of God I’m going to move on to the next series which is the next area of discipleship.

I believe we’ll call this Foundations.

I want you to get this first foundation and even if it’s old hat to you it’s worth revisiting.

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The first foundation as a follower of Jesus Christ is that life in the Body of Christ is an indispensable part of your Christian life.

Yes, it’s not always a whole lot of fun.

I heard about a church that’s in our own fellowship that is facing foreclosure, maybe as soon as nine months from now.

I can’t imagine the emotion and turmoil that is going on if you are a member of that congregation.

Yes, church life is sometimes not a whole lot of fun.

Yes there are painful things to go through.

Yes, sometimes people in the church of Jesus are a pain in the neck.

Yes sometimes some of the people in this church are a source of irritation to you.

But lest you feel too smug this morning, sometimes you’re an irritation to other people!

So, yes, I know this is an imperfect thing—this church of Jesus.

Yet, in spite of it’s imperfections and in spite you and I might feel awkward about it or feel it’s not exactly necessary, thinking that you’re living with a “Jesus and me” way of life.

I’ve got to tell you that God is not waiting for your vote of the endorsement of your own principle.

He has already established that when you are born again and cross that bridge, you are by faith crossing over and an individual decision is made.

But in the family of God you are made to be organically part of His family.

His family is every local expression of the Body of Christ.

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!! Some people say, “All these denominations—God can’t be real, which one is true?” Probably none of us, because none of us have the perfect corner on the full revelation of God.

So God has a variegated, multi-colored, wonderful fabric that he has woven together called the Body of Christ.

There are some who could not stomach me or enjoy Pentecostal worship, or go to churches where there is not Pentecostal worship.

Hopefully if the gospel is preached and Jesus is preached, they are drawn to Jesus Christ regardless of the name over the door.

Denominations don’t matter a hill of beans.

The local church means everything.

So whether that local church is University Presbyterian, Shoreline Community, Edgewood Baptist, Esperance Baptist, Aurora Nazarene, or Westgate Chapel, is really irrelevant.

What is relevant and absolutely essential is that you get your roots down in something called the local Body of Christ.

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This is just the introduction.

I’m going to establish this for you from Scripture so that you can know this is not just the rantings of a pastor who is looking to bolster church attendance or church involvement.

My concern is that you make it to heaven.