Rough draft sermon notes for Sunday June 1, 2014.
Saints and friends, I am today again providing a copy of my sermon notes from which I will preach today. These notes are in an effort to help you study further during the week. The actual sermon may differ from what is written here. It is my hope that you will be like the Berean church who took to task the preaching of God's word in comparison with the written Word.
Why Be a Church
member: Members are Disciples
Mt 16:13-27
Last week: the seriousness of being a member, not faking
your spirituality, Ananias and Sapphira as well as the Laodicean church of Rev
3.
The word church is
Ekklesia, which means called out ones.
Members are disciples, like bricks in a building (1
Peter) We play a role, but all need to
do their part.
I. Membership in
the Church involves Revelation from God
13 at Caesarea Phillipi
“Who do people say I am?”
14 John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah all expected forerunners of the Messiah.
15 “Who do you say
I am?” Important question for us all.
Confession and Belief
Confession can be only head
knowledge, but Belief is evidenced by action.
16 Peter “You are the
Christ.” This is a confession made
by a revelation from God.
Peter’s
eyes were opened by the Holy Spirit. He understood
the signs of Jesus.
Petros=
pebble Peter= rock A play on words Jesus is alluding to Peter becoming a changed
person. 1 Peter 2:5-7
17 Blessed are you Rock, Is 51:1-2 making peter a founding
father.
From here on Jesus begins fully teaching who He is.
18 On this rock (Read as change, confession) I will build my church.
Jesus says I not Peter will build HIS church. Jesus alone is the architect, builder, and
owner. Ephesians 2:20-22
having been built on
the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the
corner stone, in whom the whole
building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into
a dwelling of God in the Spirit.
Further: Evidence that the church is not built on
Peter,
Who is the greatest in the Kingdom, and Jesus summoned a
little child.
At that time the
disciples came to Jesus and said, "Who then is greatest in the kingdom of
heaven?" And He called a child to Himself and set him before them, and
said, "Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like
children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. "Whoever then humbles
himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. (Mat
18:1-4)
Who is the greatest?
James and John, the
two sons of Zebedee, *came up to Jesus, saying, "Teacher, we want You to
do for us whatever we ask of You." And He said to them, "What do you
want Me to do for you?" They said to Him, "Grant that we may sit, one
on Your right and one on Your left, in Your glory." But 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?" They said to Him, "We are able." And Jesus said to
them, "The cup that I drink you shall drink; and you shall be baptized
with the baptism with which I am baptized. "But to sit on My right or on
My left, this is not Mine to give; but it is for those for whom it has been
prepared." (Mar 10:35-40)
Gates of Hades will not prevail, Job 38:17, Is 38:10. Death
has no hold on those who belong to Christ. But there is eternal damnation for those who
build their kingdoms apart from God.
Not even death stops the church. Persecution seems to weed out the Ananias’
and Sapphiras and the Laodiceans of the church, and it thrives by those seeing
the True church.
19 I will give you the keys.
IS 22:22 reference. Here
authority is given to the leadership of the church. The church is given authority to deal with
sin, John 20:23. The church is to
discern and teach the scriptures.
20 Tell no one. God
is revealing to hearts who He is, this is a time for intense discipleship for
those who have been following Jesus. The
cross is eminent, for the declaration of the revelation has proven that the
Kingdom of God is at hand.
II. Membership in
the Church involves the Cross
Jesus begins to speak
of the cross.
22 Peter takes Jesus aside and rebukes Him for speaking of
His death.
23 Peter in turn gets rebuked with a correction to how
foolish his mindset was.
To think of the flesh is death, but the Spirit is life and
peace. Romans 8:6
Peter was resting in his own assumptions.
“You are not setting your mind on God’s interests but on man’s.”
We must guard the mind, this is where the Laodicean church
failed.
If He is the Messiah, we must logically follow Him, all else
ends in judgment.
Ananias and
Sapphira did not follow the Kingdom of God
The
Laodicean church was in great danger of misrepresenting God
III. Membership in
the Church involves Discipleship
24 “If anyone wishes to come after me”
Wishes equals desire (Heart issue)
Come equals a calling
After Me equals an exchanged life, complete
commitment
Deny Self is the
antithesis of self-esteem. If you cannot
turn from the pursuit of your own kingdom then you will never be a citizen of
Christ’s.
Take up the cross-this
is not what we often think it is in ‘cross bearing” (inconveniences, troubles,
irritations) often we misconstrue the
problems of life in pity parties and woe is me drama. Taking up the cross deals greatly with our
heart attitude about life and the pursuit of Jesus. It is not a show foe others to exalt us as Ananias
and Sapphira did. If we have to put our
Christianity on display or tell people what a strong Christian we are then the
odds are strong that we are not so spiritually mature. Keeping a list of your record in the church
is merely evidence of how you think highly of yourself and that you are indispensable
in the kingdom of God.
Follow Me- Abide
in Christ, active discipline of desiring God.
You will always follow what you love. (Sports teams, celebrities,
hobbies, family, dreams, dream homes, status, accolades, rest, the crowd or
approval from people you don’t even like)
Those who..
Wish to save their life will lose it (read as you cannot save yourself)
Lose their life for Christ’s sake will find it (Read as life
is only found in Christ, all else is death)
Mt 10:38, 16:24, Mk 8:34, Lk 9:23, 14:27
3 Final question
based on God’s work in this passage
I ask you all today, Who do you say that Jesus is?
Is your life backing up His conditions of following as a
disciple?
In judgment, are we being the church?
