Let's Work and Grow(From our 11-17-24 worship)
Watch The Video Version Here: https://youtu.be/2bhOPDeVg08
Transcript:
You ever want something better?
I mean, in the garden with Adam, Adam and Eve, that's kind of what satan told them. They had, they had it made and satan told them that they needed something better. Even when you got it made, we're often tempted and pulled towards doing something better. Example. Some of you Some of you in the room are old enough to remember this.
Others of you won't, but In 1985, The Coca Cola Corporation was approaching their 100th anniversary. And they got the bright idea that they needed something better. They did all the blind taste tests and they, they, they developed a new formula. They called it New Coke. Which kind of sounds wrong all by itself, doesn't it, New Coke?
Um, it performed better in all the studies than Coca Cola, Pepsi, anything they throwed at it, it was better. So in 1985, they stopped making Coca Cola, started producing New Coke, and for three months, you couldn't, you couldn't buy anything but this. And people revolted. Literally, when Coca Cola Corporation backed up and said they were going to go back to making the old flavor, which they for several years called Coca Cola Classic.
Literally, when they made the announcement that they were going to return back to the old flavor, the news stations, two, four, and five, stopped what they were doing and literally run a special announcement that they're going to go back and make original Coke again. Not the president has died. Not we've landed on the moon.
No, we're getting coke again.
So a lot of times we as human beings, we long for something more. We want something new. We want something better. I don't tell you that new new isn't always better. Depending on the situation, new may very rarely be better. And when it comes to a spiritual context, especially new is not better. There's all kind of ways that people try to to run churches and, and make worship that's engaging and, and all these things,
but
all these new things are not better. The way God said to do it. That's what's better. I had a whole sermon this morning. I had a lovely wedding yesterday and that brought my mind to Hebrews 13. If you got your bibles, go with me there. That's where we're going. I was gonna talk about all these things that were better, right?
Brotherly love is better. Uh, the love shared between a spouse is better, right? And it's almost like you keep seeing the words remember, remember over and over again through this, right? Um, We need to learn to say God is my helper, not trust in money, right? Uh, who we trust in, God, is better. We need to remember how we come to faith, right?
Remember your leaders, those that spoke to you the word of God. See the outcome of their way of life, right? Don't try to go some new way. You look at people who have been faithful to God. You follow their example. You do the same thing. New is not better. Jesus. Rather, we feel like we need programs and all these other things besides Jesus.
Jesus is better. We have an altar from which those who serve the tent had no right to eat for the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy place. We talked about that this morning in her Bible class, uh, to the holy place by the high priest as a sacrifice for seeing were burned outside the camp.
So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. Jesus. is better.
But this next part, verse 17 verse 17 has been on my mind and I can't I can't turn it loose. Or maybe I should say it won't turn me loose.
Obey your leaders and submit to them for they are keeping watch over your souls as those who have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you. God's system of leadership for the church is better than what we can come up with. But, as I come to this passage, I look at the thing that, the thing that won't turn me loose about it is this.
And I want you to understand before I say what I'm about to say that, I do it because I love you. I have never wanted anything but for this to be a church that Jesus will be proud of. And I think there's a willingness and I want to here and now to do just that. I look back over the history of this congregation and I've only been here a short time.
Been here seven years. It seems like forever and it seems like a moment. When I come here, this group of people was kind of beat down and rejected. They've been through some things and we kind of worked through that together. And we, it was almost like we were just about to hit the cusp and COVID hit. My gosh, COVID hit.
We went from one group trauma to another worldwide trauma and we didn't know what to do. We didn't know what was right and up, down, left, sideways.
And for a long time, it didn't bother us. And then in August, it hit us to 20 some odd of us was affected with this with this awful virus. Some people didn't survive it. Just when we were about to get over the cusp, this thing that come and rocked our world. But you know,
we didn't stay beat down forever. Did we? The mask kind of went away and the world kind of opened back up and We kind of, we get to this point where it's almost like we look around one day and it's like, well, we're not struggling that bad anymore. Sometimes the struggle is just the thought that, you know, sometimes you just, you're not really struggling as bad as you think you're struggling.
And I feel like we're kind of on a verge of another great, I don't know, I hate to use the word great awakening, maybe that's a, that's a dumb thing to say, but I feel like we're on the verge again. But I wonder sometimes if we're satisfied with good enough. Are we satisfied with this new idea that we come and we assemble together and that church is like an event?
Man, we come and we sing and it's beautiful and we, we listen to a sermon and we, and they do the Lord's Supper and it's so wonderful and, and, and all those things are great. Worship absolutely is a vital part. of the christian existence. But it's the purpose of the church just to worship God.
Is that the only purpose that it has? That's a bit to you. That's not. If you hold your bibles right here and go back to Ephesians four with me
Ephesians four beginning in verse 11. He gave the apostles and the prophets and the evangelist and the shepherds and the teachers To equip the Saints For what? for the work of ministry for the building up of the body Until we all obtain the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God to mature manhood to the measure and stature of the fullness of Christ So that we may no longer be children Tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine by human cunning by craftiness by deceitful schemes Rather speaking the truth in love.
We are to grow up in every way Into him who is the head into Christ From whom the whole body joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped When each part is working properly makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love
You see, as, as awesome as the apostles are, as awesome as the prophets were, as awesome as some preachers are, their roles were given, what? To edify the body, to equip it, what? For the work of ministry. The work of ministry is the thing that edifies the body. It builds it up. It's the process through which it exercises its muscles and grows.
You say, Doug, how does that tie to Hebrews 13 17? Obey your leaders and submit to them where they are keeping watch over your souls is those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not groaning for it would be of no advantage to you. Listen, I'm not trying to accuse anybody and I'm not trying to tear anybody down.
I'm just asking you this morning to think, think about these things yesterday. Yesterday, an elder of this congregation put out a message. We need to clean up a house. We need to do this to help a family, a family in our congregation. And whether that family goes into that house or not, Still, at the same point, the house is owned by another brother in Christ.
Irregardless of of the people that we're trying to help in our congregation, it was still still a good work. We put out the call and I don't know how many people were here today, but compared to the number that's here today, a handful showed up. Now, before you get the thing with Doug, I had this. I had that.
I had I get it. I get not. Everybody can be involved in everything. I'm not talking really about this one specific event. I'm talking about a series of events. I'm talking about the fact that it seems like it's okay. Like we just act like it's okay for some people not to be involved. And the Bible says very clearly that that the purpose of the church It's so that the body works together to equip the saints for the work of ministry.
Not so that some can work, not so Doug and Tony can work, or Chris and Chandler, or the elders and the deacons. We're all supposed to work. I get that everybody can't do everything all the time, I understand that. But are we okay with some people not ever doing anything? When did we, when did we get that idea that it was okay?
It seems like the, the, the idea that the 21st century American culture and I get, we've got all this pressure on us. We've got all these things on the outside. You're busy. I'm busy. Everybody's busy. I get all that. But we get this idea that, that we're all individuals. It's, it's me and my life and my salvation.
It's you and your life and your salvation. And how did, how did the Bible describe the church described it as Jesus being the head and it being what his body? What if a foot says I'm gonna take a day off?
Right. I understand everybody can't do everything all the time. I get that. But sometimes it seems like we put a lot more effort and energy maybe into things that aren't as important. I got a call last night when I got home from a 17 year old girl. I called her name. You know her name. Her mother, her mother's in trouble.
Her mother was arrested and they don't know what's gonna happen next. And it's 17 year old girls calling me wanting to know what she can do to help her mother who won't basically help herself. And yet we're going to go round and round and round about a progression meal or about this thing or that thing.
Y'all the fields are wide under harvest. There are people with souls hanging in the balance. And yes, let's have a progression meal. Yes, those things are important, but we should be able to work together with one another and not and not be. So worried about our own opinions and our own desires and our own preferences
The Bible talks about the one sheep that went astray Jesus left the 99 and went to the war The thing is if you're the one you really want You really want the shepherds to come to you and do and get you don't you? But what happens when you're in the 99? Do you care as much about the war? We've got all kind of ministry opportunities going on around us Hebrews 13 right obey your leaders you back up into verse 16 What's the site do not neglect to do good and to share what you have For such sacrifices are pleasing to God Think about that Why should we want to work I Could read you Ephesians 2 team.
We're his workmanship creating Christ Jesus There we move Walk in the walk in the works that he's created for us to do. Let's say it's not a lack of scripture problem. I'm just asking this morning if you don't, if you've not been doing the work of ministry, do you want to? How can we help you? How can we plug you in?
How can we give you an opportunity to serve God? Because that's what we want to do. We come here with, we, we sing and, and we all look, look beautiful and, and everything's good. I try to try to give you a thought provoking lesson. I try to help you hang on and help you grow. But a lot of ministry is not done inside these four walls.
It's done outside these walls. It's done outside the walls. It's done in meetings and it's done on the street corners and we need, we all need each other to do it. None of us can do it alone. You back up even even further. We talked about Jesus being outside the gate. Jesus went outside the city and suffered and die.
Therefore, let us go to him outside the camp. Let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured. For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. Through him, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God. That is the fruit of the lips, that acknowledgement, his name, that acknowledges his name.
All I'm asking you this morning is, do you want, do you want a sacrifice? Do you want to go meet him outside the camp? Maybe you don't know how to do that. Maybe you don't know how to plug in and to serve God. We work with people all the time and they'll say, well, I don't want to, I don't want to tell anybody I need any help.
I don't want to bother anybody. Now I look at him and I say, you're denying somebody else the blessing of helping you. You don't understand that when you need help and there's all these people over here that may want to serve God and they don't know what to do. If you don't tell them you need help, you're denying them a blessing.
I don't know. Maybe this hasn't made any sense this morning. Maybe I've Maybe I've just rambled on, but I want us to be a group that's working together. I want us to be this group in Ephesians 4 11 and 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry for the building up of the body until we obtain the unity of the faith and the knowledge son of God to mature manhood to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.
So we may no longer be Children tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness and deceitful schemes, rather speaking the truth in love. We are to grow up in every way unto him who is the head into Christ, from whom the whole body joined and held together by every joint with which it is clipped when each part is working properly.
Makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. I love you. And God loves you and all I want us to do is grow. I don't know what you need this morning. I don't know what's on your heart. But if we can help you, would you come while we have this invitation song?
Transcript:
You ever want something better?
I mean, in the garden with Adam, Adam and Eve, that's kind of what satan told them. They had, they had it made and satan told them that they needed something better. Even when you got it made, we're often tempted and pulled towards doing something better. Example. Some of you Some of you in the room are old enough to remember this.
Others of you won't, but In 1985, The Coca Cola Corporation was approaching their 100th anniversary. And they got the bright idea that they needed something better. They did all the blind taste tests and they, they, they developed a new formula. They called it New Coke. Which kind of sounds wrong all by itself, doesn't it, New Coke?
Um, it performed better in all the studies than Coca Cola, Pepsi, anything they throwed at it, it was better. So in 1985, they stopped making Coca Cola, started producing New Coke, and for three months, you couldn't, you couldn't buy anything but this. And people revolted. Literally, when Coca Cola Corporation backed up and said they were going to go back to making the old flavor, which they for several years called Coca Cola Classic.
Literally, when they made the announcement that they were going to return back to the old flavor, the news stations, two, four, and five, stopped what they were doing and literally run a special announcement that they're going to go back and make original Coke again. Not the president has died. Not we've landed on the moon.
No, we're getting coke again.
So a lot of times we as human beings, we long for something more. We want something new. We want something better. I don't tell you that new new isn't always better. Depending on the situation, new may very rarely be better. And when it comes to a spiritual context, especially new is not better. There's all kind of ways that people try to to run churches and, and make worship that's engaging and, and all these things,
but
all these new things are not better. The way God said to do it. That's what's better. I had a whole sermon this morning. I had a lovely wedding yesterday and that brought my mind to Hebrews 13. If you got your bibles, go with me there. That's where we're going. I was gonna talk about all these things that were better, right?
Brotherly love is better. Uh, the love shared between a spouse is better, right? And it's almost like you keep seeing the words remember, remember over and over again through this, right? Um, We need to learn to say God is my helper, not trust in money, right? Uh, who we trust in, God, is better. We need to remember how we come to faith, right?
Remember your leaders, those that spoke to you the word of God. See the outcome of their way of life, right? Don't try to go some new way. You look at people who have been faithful to God. You follow their example. You do the same thing. New is not better. Jesus. Rather, we feel like we need programs and all these other things besides Jesus.
Jesus is better. We have an altar from which those who serve the tent had no right to eat for the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy place. We talked about that this morning in her Bible class, uh, to the holy place by the high priest as a sacrifice for seeing were burned outside the camp.
So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. Jesus. is better.
But this next part, verse 17 verse 17 has been on my mind and I can't I can't turn it loose. Or maybe I should say it won't turn me loose.
Obey your leaders and submit to them for they are keeping watch over your souls as those who have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you. God's system of leadership for the church is better than what we can come up with. But, as I come to this passage, I look at the thing that, the thing that won't turn me loose about it is this.
And I want you to understand before I say what I'm about to say that, I do it because I love you. I have never wanted anything but for this to be a church that Jesus will be proud of. And I think there's a willingness and I want to here and now to do just that. I look back over the history of this congregation and I've only been here a short time.
Been here seven years. It seems like forever and it seems like a moment. When I come here, this group of people was kind of beat down and rejected. They've been through some things and we kind of worked through that together. And we, it was almost like we were just about to hit the cusp and COVID hit. My gosh, COVID hit.
We went from one group trauma to another worldwide trauma and we didn't know what to do. We didn't know what was right and up, down, left, sideways.
And for a long time, it didn't bother us. And then in August, it hit us to 20 some odd of us was affected with this with this awful virus. Some people didn't survive it. Just when we were about to get over the cusp, this thing that come and rocked our world. But you know,
we didn't stay beat down forever. Did we? The mask kind of went away and the world kind of opened back up and We kind of, we get to this point where it's almost like we look around one day and it's like, well, we're not struggling that bad anymore. Sometimes the struggle is just the thought that, you know, sometimes you just, you're not really struggling as bad as you think you're struggling.
And I feel like we're kind of on a verge of another great, I don't know, I hate to use the word great awakening, maybe that's a, that's a dumb thing to say, but I feel like we're on the verge again. But I wonder sometimes if we're satisfied with good enough. Are we satisfied with this new idea that we come and we assemble together and that church is like an event?
Man, we come and we sing and it's beautiful and we, we listen to a sermon and we, and they do the Lord's Supper and it's so wonderful and, and, and all those things are great. Worship absolutely is a vital part. of the christian existence. But it's the purpose of the church just to worship God.
Is that the only purpose that it has? That's a bit to you. That's not. If you hold your bibles right here and go back to Ephesians four with me
Ephesians four beginning in verse 11. He gave the apostles and the prophets and the evangelist and the shepherds and the teachers To equip the Saints For what? for the work of ministry for the building up of the body Until we all obtain the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God to mature manhood to the measure and stature of the fullness of Christ So that we may no longer be children Tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine by human cunning by craftiness by deceitful schemes Rather speaking the truth in love.
We are to grow up in every way Into him who is the head into Christ From whom the whole body joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped When each part is working properly makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love
You see, as, as awesome as the apostles are, as awesome as the prophets were, as awesome as some preachers are, their roles were given, what? To edify the body, to equip it, what? For the work of ministry. The work of ministry is the thing that edifies the body. It builds it up. It's the process through which it exercises its muscles and grows.
You say, Doug, how does that tie to Hebrews 13 17? Obey your leaders and submit to them where they are keeping watch over your souls is those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not groaning for it would be of no advantage to you. Listen, I'm not trying to accuse anybody and I'm not trying to tear anybody down.
I'm just asking you this morning to think, think about these things yesterday. Yesterday, an elder of this congregation put out a message. We need to clean up a house. We need to do this to help a family, a family in our congregation. And whether that family goes into that house or not, Still, at the same point, the house is owned by another brother in Christ.
Irregardless of of the people that we're trying to help in our congregation, it was still still a good work. We put out the call and I don't know how many people were here today, but compared to the number that's here today, a handful showed up. Now, before you get the thing with Doug, I had this. I had that.
I had I get it. I get not. Everybody can be involved in everything. I'm not talking really about this one specific event. I'm talking about a series of events. I'm talking about the fact that it seems like it's okay. Like we just act like it's okay for some people not to be involved. And the Bible says very clearly that that the purpose of the church It's so that the body works together to equip the saints for the work of ministry.
Not so that some can work, not so Doug and Tony can work, or Chris and Chandler, or the elders and the deacons. We're all supposed to work. I get that everybody can't do everything all the time, I understand that. But are we okay with some people not ever doing anything? When did we, when did we get that idea that it was okay?
It seems like the, the, the idea that the 21st century American culture and I get, we've got all this pressure on us. We've got all these things on the outside. You're busy. I'm busy. Everybody's busy. I get all that. But we get this idea that, that we're all individuals. It's, it's me and my life and my salvation.
It's you and your life and your salvation. And how did, how did the Bible describe the church described it as Jesus being the head and it being what his body? What if a foot says I'm gonna take a day off?
Right. I understand everybody can't do everything all the time. I get that. But sometimes it seems like we put a lot more effort and energy maybe into things that aren't as important. I got a call last night when I got home from a 17 year old girl. I called her name. You know her name. Her mother, her mother's in trouble.
Her mother was arrested and they don't know what's gonna happen next. And it's 17 year old girls calling me wanting to know what she can do to help her mother who won't basically help herself. And yet we're going to go round and round and round about a progression meal or about this thing or that thing.
Y'all the fields are wide under harvest. There are people with souls hanging in the balance. And yes, let's have a progression meal. Yes, those things are important, but we should be able to work together with one another and not and not be. So worried about our own opinions and our own desires and our own preferences
The Bible talks about the one sheep that went astray Jesus left the 99 and went to the war The thing is if you're the one you really want You really want the shepherds to come to you and do and get you don't you? But what happens when you're in the 99? Do you care as much about the war? We've got all kind of ministry opportunities going on around us Hebrews 13 right obey your leaders you back up into verse 16 What's the site do not neglect to do good and to share what you have For such sacrifices are pleasing to God Think about that Why should we want to work I Could read you Ephesians 2 team.
We're his workmanship creating Christ Jesus There we move Walk in the walk in the works that he's created for us to do. Let's say it's not a lack of scripture problem. I'm just asking this morning if you don't, if you've not been doing the work of ministry, do you want to? How can we help you? How can we plug you in?
How can we give you an opportunity to serve God? Because that's what we want to do. We come here with, we, we sing and, and we all look, look beautiful and, and everything's good. I try to try to give you a thought provoking lesson. I try to help you hang on and help you grow. But a lot of ministry is not done inside these four walls.
It's done outside these walls. It's done outside the walls. It's done in meetings and it's done on the street corners and we need, we all need each other to do it. None of us can do it alone. You back up even even further. We talked about Jesus being outside the gate. Jesus went outside the city and suffered and die.
Therefore, let us go to him outside the camp. Let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured. For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. Through him, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God. That is the fruit of the lips, that acknowledgement, his name, that acknowledges his name.
All I'm asking you this morning is, do you want, do you want a sacrifice? Do you want to go meet him outside the camp? Maybe you don't know how to do that. Maybe you don't know how to plug in and to serve God. We work with people all the time and they'll say, well, I don't want to, I don't want to tell anybody I need any help.
I don't want to bother anybody. Now I look at him and I say, you're denying somebody else the blessing of helping you. You don't understand that when you need help and there's all these people over here that may want to serve God and they don't know what to do. If you don't tell them you need help, you're denying them a blessing.
I don't know. Maybe this hasn't made any sense this morning. Maybe I've Maybe I've just rambled on, but I want us to be a group that's working together. I want us to be this group in Ephesians 4 11 and 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry for the building up of the body until we obtain the unity of the faith and the knowledge son of God to mature manhood to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.
So we may no longer be Children tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness and deceitful schemes, rather speaking the truth in love. We are to grow up in every way unto him who is the head into Christ, from whom the whole body joined and held together by every joint with which it is clipped when each part is working properly.
Makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. I love you. And God loves you and all I want us to do is grow. I don't know what you need this morning. I don't know what's on your heart. But if we can help you, would you come while we have this invitation song?
