HOMEAUDIO SERMONSTRACTSSERMONS

THE CHURCH

OF THE

LIVING GOD

 

Matthew 16:18, "And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."

 

     This is a day when the word “CHURCH” is used lightly, disrespectfully, and of little or no concern to most people.

· Many who do not profess to know the Lord as Saviour will not go to Church and will give excuses why they don’t.

· Many who profess to be a child of God will not go to Church and will give excuses why they don’t.

· Others go occasionally and profess to love the Lord with all their heart.

· Others go on a regular basis and don’t know why they go.  They never seem to grow in the Lord.  It becomes a ritual they go through.

· There are some who go on a regular basis because they truly love the Lord and enjoy going.  Their lives are blessed and they are productive in the work of the Lord.

 

How does the Church fit in your life?  Do you enjoy going every time the doors are open?  When you go, do you attend a real New Testament Church as described by the Word of God?  Would you be able to spot a true New Testament Church if you saw one?  Are the activities where you attend in accordance with the Word of God?

 

CHRIST IS THE HEAD OF THE CHURCH

 

Ephesians 5:23, "For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body."

 

CHRIST GAVE HIMSELF FOR THE CHURCH

 

Ephesians 5:25, "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;"

 

The church was not instituted to be:

· A social club.

· An entertainment center.

· An amusement park. 

· A recreation facility.

Christ established the Church to perform four major functions:

 

1. THE CHURCH IS TO PREACH THE WORD OF GOD.

 

· Jesus set the example,  Matthew 4:17, "From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

· Jesus charged the Church, Mark 16:15, "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature."

· Paul charged Timothy,  II Timothy 4:2, "Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine."

· Preaching is the primary purpose and obligation of the Church,  1 Corinthians 1:17, "For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect."

· God’s divine method is to preach the gospel, Romans 10:13-15, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.  How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?  And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!"

 

     So with these scriptures in mind, it is very important that the Church have a man of God who has a Divine call and who will preach what “thus saith the Lord”.  Our pulpits are filled with those who have chosen preaching as a profession for monetary reasons.  We need more in our pulpits than a good mixer or an orator with sweet swelling words, we need real men of God with the Holy Ghost upon them to deliver what God wants the congregation to hear, not what they want to hear.

 

2. THE CHURCH IS TO PRAY.

 

· The Church is to pray for sinners, Psalms 126:6, "He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him."

· The Church is to pray for the sick and the afflicted, James 5:13-15, "Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.  Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:  And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him."

· The Church is to pray for each other, 1 Thessalonians 5:25, "Brethren, pray for us."

· The Church is to pray constantly, 1 Thessalonians 5:17, "Pray without ceasing."

· The Church is to pray without wrath and by faith, 1 Timothy 2:8, "I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting."

 

3. THE CHURCH IS TO PRACTICE AND SET THE EXAMPLE OF GODLINESS.

 

· The Church is to present itself to Christ as a living sacrifice, Romans 12:1-2, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."

· The Church is to be pure, 2 Timothy 2:19, "Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity."

· The Church is to be separated from sin, 2 Corinthians 6:17, "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,"

The Church is to not love the world, 1 John 2:15-17, "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.  And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever."

 

4. THE CHURCH IS TO PRESENT THE GOSPEL TO THE WORLD

 

· The Church is to go into all the world, Mark 16:15, "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature."

· The Church is to bring in the lost, Luke 14:23, "And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled."

 

     In this present day, the Church has involved herself in so many things that she has forsaken the real purpose she was established for.  While we are building our big buildings, doing our fund raising for our activities, inventing things for youth activities to keep them interested, and trying to keep ourselves involved by entertainment, the world is going to hell without God.  The Devil has side-tracked us from the real vision of the Church. Ephesians 5:14-16, "Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.  See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,  Redeeming the time, because the days are evil."

 

WE AS INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS OF THE  CHURCH OF THE LIVING GOD

WILL GIVE AN ACCOUNT OF OUR DEEDS

 

2 Corinthians 5:10, "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad."

 

     It is the responsibility of the Child of God to affiliate himself with the proper Church that preaches the Word of God and takes a strong stand upon it.  To continue in a place where there is a liberal or worldly view of the Scriptures is sin and should be repented of.  The place of worship for ourselves and our families should not be taken lightly.