DATE: 10-26-25

As always it’s a joy to be with all of you this weekend at Gateway Church. And there’s one thing I want you to know — and this is true if you’re worshiping with us for the first time — if you’re joining us at our North Main Campus or are with our friends in Bucyrus — I want you to know that God loves you and that I love you too.

SERIES INTRO

For two weeks — we’re taking a break from our series in Romans. And — we’re doing so to prepare for our evening worship service next week. During our evening worship service we’re going to welcome new members into our faith family. We’re also going to celebrate baptisms and take the Lord’s Supper together. Three practices that have been part of the life of the church since its beginning. Yet these are three practices for which there’s much confusion and misunderstanding.

So — to prepare ourselves for our evening together next week — we’re going to look at each of these practices of the church. Today we’re going to look at church membership. Next Sunday morning we’ll look at baptism. And then — on Sunday evening — before we take the Lord’s Supper together — we’ll see what God’s Word has to say about it.

Now — if you’re not a Christian — and maybe even if you are a Christian — sermons on church membership, baptism, and the Lord’s Supper may seem absolutely irrelevant to whatever’s going on in your life right now. Something I can totally understand. Yet I’d like to offer that ancient practices — like membership, baptism, and the Lord’s Supper — help us to see how the church of today is connected to the church of the past — going as far back as what we read on the pages of the Bible. Which means that — though these topics may seem irrelevant to your specific situation — when we step outside of our individual worlds and into this corporate world known as the church — we find three topics that have much relevance for us. True even if you’re not currently a follower of Jesus — as these sermons will give you a better understanding of what it means to follow Jesus.

So baptism and the Lord’s Supper next week. And — today — we’ll look at church membership.

INTRODUCTION

Quite possibly my most infamous sermon — while here at Gateway — is a sermon from 2018 titled Looking Ahead where I preached on church membership. Since then — every few years we return to this important topic. And — every time — I go into this topic with some hesitation because it — more than just about any other topic — is the one that seems to offend folks the most.

Yet — at the same time — I go into this sermon hopeful because it seems that the number of people who sign up for our membership class increases when I preach on this topic because — for many — it’s the first time they’ve heard about the importance of membership in a local church.

In 2023 we broke a record during my time as your pastor when — after I preached on church membership — around sixty of you signed up for the next membership class. Total shock. Who would’ve thought? Not me — that’s who.

Today we’re going to look at three aspects of church membership. I’ve covered each of these in previous sermons — so think of this as a reminder for many of us. Remembering — after all — is one of the most popular commands in the Bible. While — for others of us — today may be a day for action — by responding to what you hear by signing up for the next membership class.

Today we’re going to see if membership in a local church is a biblical expectation. Then we’ll look at the benefits of being a member in a local church. And — finally — we’ll look at the responsibilities that come with being a member here at Gateway.

Is membership a biblical expectation? What are the benefits of being a member? And what are the responsibilities of being a member?

IS CHURCH MEMBERSHIP A BIBLICAL EXPECTATION?

First, is church membership a biblical expectation? To know one’s surprise — my answer is yes. But I’ll concede that there’s no clear command in Scripture — like — “thou must become a member of a local church.” But we must also acknowledge that “thou must not become a member of a local church” also isn’t in the Bible. In fact, your view of church membership — if it’s a biblical expectation or not — is based — not on a clear command — but on what theologians have called “good and necessary consequences” of what we find in the Bible.

If that makes anyone uncomfortable — know that there are many church practices that fit the category of — “there’s no clear command in Scripture, but doing this practice is based on good and necessary consequences of what we do find in the Bible.”

For example, in the Bible we find no clear command that women are to take the Lord’s Supper. Neither is there an example of a woman taking the Lord’s Supper in the Bible. There’s no command and no example in the Bible. Yet we know that the church in Corinth — which received Paul’s instructions on the Lord’s Supper — was a church that included men and women. So even though there’s no clear command in Scripture — nor an explicit example of women taking the Lord’s Supper — by good and necessary consequence of women being part of the church in Corinth — we believe it’s biblical for women to take the Lord’s Supper.

So what do we find in the Bible that leads us to a similar conclusion about church membership?

First, there’s the amount of the New Testament that’s written to local churches. Nine of Paul’s letters were written to local churches. His other four letters were written to leaders of local churches. It’s believed that Hebrews was written to several local churches in Rome. Peter’s two letters were written to local churches. John’s three letters were as well. And the book of Revelation was written to seven local churches. That’s twenty books of the New Testament — all written to local churches.

Yet I know that this point — by itself — doesn’t justify church membership. But it at least highlights the importance of being part of a local church.

Which leads us to another defense of church membership. And that’s the many biblical metaphors used to describe the church. Such as…

1 Peter 2:4–5 NLT

4 You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honor. 5 And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple.

Here — individual people — who’ve come to faith in Christ — are compared to individual stones that God’s joined together to build his spiritual temple. Certainly, there’s a universal aspect to what Peter’s saying. But when we remember that he’s writing to local churches — we see that there’s also a local church application: We’re joined to God’s spiritual temple as found in a local church.

We’re also called members of the body of Christ. As Paul writes to a local church in Rome…

Romans 12:4–5 ESV

4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

Yes — these words are true about our membership in God’s universal — or global church — but that doesn’t mean that these words aren’t also to be applied to our membership in a local church. For they are words originally written to a local church.

Similarly — to the Christians in Corinth — Paul writes…

1 Corinthians 12:27 ESV

27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.

Nearly identical words to what we just read in Romans. Letters to two local churches — telling the individual Christians in the churches — you are part of the body of Christ as seen in local expressions of the body of Christ.

Whether the church is described as a flock of sheep, or a vine, or a city — these biblical metaphors describe something more than just the universal church made up of Christians from all times and places. These metaphors also describe something local. And — often — the Christians are called members in these biblical metaphors written to local churches.

Finally, there’s an expectation regarding leadership and submission found in Scripture that’s connected to the local church.

Peter writes…

1 Peter 5:1–5 ESV

1 So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder (implication — Peter’s an elder but is not among the elders of the churches he’s writing to…) and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: 2 shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; 3 not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. 5 Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

And as the author of Hebrews writes…

Hebrews 13:7 ESV

7 Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.

And…

Hebrews 13:17 ESV

17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.

And Paul writes…

1 Thessalonians 5:12–13 ESV

12 We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, 13 and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work.

Once again — when we remember that these words were originally written to local churches — we see that the original audience would’ve heard “shepherd the flock of God that’s among you” to mean the “local church that specific elders are responsible for.” And the command “be subject to the elders” to be specific elders in your local church. The same elders whose lives you’re to imitate. The same elders who keep watch over your souls, and who will give an account to God. Elders of local churches that individual Christians are responsible to obey and submit to.

Though there’s no clear command to be a member of a local church — the good and necessary consequence of the biblical evidence we’ve just looked at leads to questions such as:

• Who are the elders among you?
• Who are the elders responsible to shepherd you?
• Which elders are you subject to?
• Who are the leaders whose way of life and faith you’re imitating?
• Which elders are you obeying and submitting to?
• Which elders are keeping watch over your soul?
• Which elders will give an account to God for their care of you?
• Which elders are you esteeming highly in love because of their work?

Questions no Christian gets out of answering — at least not while being obedient to God’s Word. And this is why I think church membership ends up ruffling so many feathers. For it forces the issue of obedience to commands in Scripture that are hard to obey while not being a member in a local church.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF CHURCH MEMBERSHIP?

Now let’s turn to the benefits of church membership. 

Often — when I hear from someone who has concerns about church membership — one of the questions asked is, “What are the benefits of me becoming a member?” Sometimes it’s asked in the opposite way — wondering if I and the elders will care for people who get sick and aren’t members — will we show up to the hospital to visit them — will we provide marriage counseling for non-members — and so on. And the answer — in case you’re wondering — is yes. Yes we do all of those things for non-members as well as members.

Now knowing this — you — like the person who asks the question — may wonder, “Well, then I really don’t see any benefit to becoming a member. If you get all of the same benefits without being a member — why become one?”

So what I want to do is orient our focus in a different direction. Away from the individual who is or isn’t a member — and put our attention on the rest of the church. I know this is hard — but let’s take the focus off of you — if you’re you — and I’ll take the focus off of me — because I’m me — and let’s put all of our focus on everyone else instead — the other adults, youth, and kids of Gateway. 

And here’s our new question: What are the benefits for everyone else if you become a member of Gateway? 

How about that for an unexpected twist? 

Here’s the question asked a bit differently: What benefits are you keeping others from experiencing by not becoming a member of Gateway?

Remember — someone will show up to the hospital when you’re sick — we’ll provide marriage counseling when you need it — and so on — regardless if you’re a member or not — you benefit. So what about everyone else? What benefit are you offering — or keeping from — them?

One benefit of you becoming a member is that your membership spiritually protects everyone else at Gateway. What do I mean? When you become a member of Gateway — you agree to a set of beliefs that are called the Essentials of our Faith. I read our essentials not too long ago during a sermon. But here they are again.

All Scripture is self-attesting, and being Truth requires our unreserved submission in all areas of life. The infallible Word of God — the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments — is a complete and unified witness to God’s redemptive acts culminating in the incarnation of the Living Word, the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible, uniquely and fully inspired by the Holy Spirit, is the supreme and final authority on all matters on which it speaks. On this sure foundation, we affirm these additional essentials of our faith.

1. We believe in one God, the sovereign Creator and Sustainer of all things, infinitely perfect and eternally existing in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. To him be all honor, glory, and praise forever!

2. Jesus Christ, the living Word, became flesh through his miraculous conception by the Holy Spirit and his virgin birth. He who is true God became true man united in one Person forever. He died on the cross a sacrifice for our sins according to the Scriptures. On the third day he arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven where, at the right hand of the Majesty on High, he now is our High Priest and Mediator.

3. The Holy Spirit has come to glorify Christ and to apply the saving work of Christ to our hearts. He convicts us of sin and draws us to the Savior, indwelling our hearts. He gives new life to us, empowers and imparts gifts to us for service. He instructs and guides us into all truth, and seals us for the day of redemption.

4. Being estranged from God and condemned by our sinfulness, our salvation is wholly dependent upon the work of God’s free grace. God credits his righteousness to those who put their faith in Christ alone for their salvation, and thereby justifies them in his sight. Only such as are born of the Holy Spirit and receive Jesus Christ become children of God and heirs of eternal life.

5. The true Church is composed of all persons who through saving faith in Jesus Christ and the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit are united together in the body of Christ. The Church finds her visible yet imperfect expression in local congregations where the Word of God is preached in its purity and the sacraments are administered in their integrity, where scriptural discipline is practiced, and where loving fellowship is maintained. For her perfecting she awaits the return of her Lord.

6. Jesus Christ will come again to the earth personally, visibly, and bodily—to judge the living and the dead, and to consummate history and the eternal plan of God. “Even so, come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20).

7. The Lord Jesus Christ commands all believers to proclaim the gospel throughout the world and to make disciples of all nations. Obedience to the Great Commission requires total commitment to “him who loved us and gave himself for us.” He calls us to a life of self-denying love and service. “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).

Again — every member of Gateway formally says, “I believe these essentials. And if anything in my beliefs about the essentials changes — I agree to let the church know.” 

Now — let me say — because someone may be thinking it — yes — this isn’t a sure fire way to know for certain that someone actually believes and agrees with our essentials. The Bible warns of false teachers who will try to infiltrate the church to lead people astray. Yet I think it’s still good practice to have a theological line of entry that we know all members of our church have agreed to.

Especially when we read passages such as…

James 3:1 ESV

1 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.

A warning not just to pastors who preach — but to all who teach or help others understand what God’s Word means and how it applies to life. This would include our Life Group leaders, teachers of our Equip classes, those who serve as small group leaders in our youth ministry, those who serve as large group teachers in our Kidway ministry, those who are small group leaders in our kid’s ministry, and so on.

But the benefit — to all who receive such teaching — is that you know the person teaching you has agreed to the Essentials of our Faith. Meaning — you don’t have to wonder about what they believe about God’s Word, or God, or specifics about Jesus, or the Holy Spirit, or salvation, or the church, or the second coming of Christ, or our mission until he returns, and everything else we just read. That’s all clear in the Essentials of our Faith and every member of Gateway agrees to these beliefs.

• What a reassuring benefit — I hope — to all of you who are in a Life Group.
• What a reassuring benefit — for all who sit under my preaching. You don’t have to worry, wonder, or be concerned about where I — or others — stand on the Essentials of our Faith.

Yet — we do have some loopholes right now. Though we currently require all of our adult Life Group leaders to be members of Gateway — and thus — they’ve formally agreed to the Essentials of our Faith — we’ve yet to make membership a requirement for those who teach in our next gen ministry. We have a theologically solid curriculum that all of our volunteers use in our next gen ministries that gives us some peace about this membership loophole.

And let me acknowledge that I’m sure many of our non-members — who serve in our next gen ministry — do agree with our essentials — and that’s great! But I can’t help but think that it’d give more assurance — to the families you serve — if you made your agreement to the essentials of our faith formal — which is what happens when you become a member. 

I bring this up not to throw our next gen staff team under the bus — I don’t think this was ever their decision — it’s been a membership loophole for over a decade. My reason for bringing this up is to highlight an area where some of us have an opportunity to increase the benefits our families receive by you becoming a church member. 

Here’s another benefit the church receives when you become a member. You become an equal participant when you get baptized — or when your child is baptized or dedicated. What do I mean by that?

According to our church constitution — when an individual is baptized — the members of the church are to be asked…

Do you, the members of this congregation, take responsibility for the continued Christian nurture of those being baptized today and do you promise to set a godly example by your own life?

And when parents bring their children to be baptized or dedicated — the members of the church are to be asked…

Do you, the members of this congregation, acting for yourselves and on behalf of the whole Body of Christ, as far as you are able, assume responsibility with these parents for the spiritual nurture of these children?

And are asked…

Do you commit yourself to set a godly example before these children, to provide as far as you are able, all that is necessary to the end that these children may one day confess Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord?

I bring this up because — first — look at the benefits the individual, the parents, and the children receive from the members of Gateway.

• The members of the church commit themselves to the continued nurture and growth of the person being baptized.
• The members commit to setting a godly example to the person being baptized.
• The members commit to sharing in — with the parents — the responsibility of the spiritual nurture of the children being presented for baptism and dedication.
• The members commit to setting a godly example to the children being presented for baptism and dedication.

What benefits to those being baptized and to the parents of the children presented — a church full of individual members are committed to you and your children.

Yet — and this will be a rather strange sounding question — what’s the benefit for the church members?

The person being baptized — what benefit are you offering to the members? Parents of the children — what benefit are you offering to the members? After all — the members are making quite the commitment to you and your children. You benefit from us. So what are you bringing to the table?

To ease anyone’s concerns — here are the benefits on my mind:

• What if the person being baptized commits to becoming a member — so that — the congregation’s commitment to your spiritual growth is intertwined with your — the one being baptized’s — commitment to spiritual growth?
• And what if the person being baptized commits to becoming a member — so that — the congregation’s commitment of setting a godly example for you becomes a commitment you — as a member of this congregation — agree to set for others who are baptized after you?
• What if the parents presenting their children become members — so that — the congregation’s commitment to the spiritual nurture of your children — which is a benefit and blessing — is directly linked to your commitment to your children’s spiritual nurture through the ministry of this church?
• And what if the parents presenting their children become members — so that — the congregation’s commitment of being a godly example to your children is a commitment you make to us — and to you children — as members of this church?

Then there are benefits — not only to those being baptized — and not only to the parents of children being presented for baptism or dedication — and not only to the children — but also benefits for the members of this local church. Benefits that can be ours — and abundantly so — when — instead of making our decisions based on the benefit we’ll receive — we instead see the benefit others may be missing out on by us not being a member.

WHAT ARE THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF BEING A CHURCH MEMBER?

Finally — and briefly — what are the responsibilities when one becomes a member of Gateway Church? Two passages from Ephesians will do.

Ephesians 4:11–16 ESV

11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 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 in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 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.

And in the next chapter we read…

Ephesians 5:18–21 ESV

18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, 19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, 20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

The path that leads us towards the spiritual maturity that Paul describes — is summed up in our discipleship process of Worship, Connect, Serve, and Go. Where — because of our submission to one another — not just the leaders — who we’re to submit to — but in our mutual submission to one another’s spiritual growth and maturing — every member of Gateway commits to our discipleship process of Worship, Connect, Serve, and Go.

Where we each recognize the personal responsibility we have as a member of this faith family to prioritize weekly worship with our local church. Which means part of the weekend is already booked on your calendar. Because — as a member — you have a weekly event you plan on being at and you schedule the rest of your weekend accordingly.

Of course sickness happens — and we’re not against vacations — we know that college students may go home for the summer and snow birds may be gone for the winter — but what I’m saying is that all too often worshiping God in a local church can become more of an “option we’ll do if our calendar is open” instead of a “priority we plan all of our other weekend activities around.”  

And members of Gateway know it’s their responsibility to make weekly worship a priority.

As the author of Hebrews writes…

Hebrews 10:24–25 ESV

24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

The next step in our discipleship process is Connect. And the primary way we connect to one another is in our Life Groups. Life Groups are where we meet regularly with fellow Christians to discuss how the Bible applies to life and to practice care for one another. And members of Gateway agree that it’s their responsibility to be in a Life Group. 

The third step in our discipleship process is Serve. And — by serve — we mean serve each other in the church. One of the questions all new members are asked is…

Do you promise to serve Christ in his Church by supporting and participating with this congregation in its service of God and its ministry to others to the best of your ability?

And members of Gateway know it’s their responsibility to serve in our local church.

And — finally — we Go. For Jesus said…

Matthew 28:18–20 ESV

18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Every Christian has been called and commanded to go and make disciples. And — the members of Gateway — have accepted the responsibility to make disciples here in Findlay, in our nation, and to the ends of the earth.

These are the responsibilities every member of Gateway has freely accepted: To make worship a priority, to be an active participant in a Life Group, to serve the people of this congregation, and to go and proclaim the gospel. 

If you’re a member — now’s a great time to ask yourself — how am I doing with these responsibilities I agreed to when I became a member? 

CONCLUSION

Now I’ve preached enough sermons on church membership to know that I haven’t convinced everyone that it’s a biblical expectation. I also know that the benefits I presented didn’t persuade everyone. And I’m sure that — for some current members — there’s a reason why you’re not fulfilling the responsibilities we just covered.

Yet — I hope — that for some listening today — you were convinced of the biblically good and necessary consequence of church membership. And that you’ve seen the benefits you’ve received from others — even while not being a member — and now desire to be a benefit to others. And that — for some — you’ve been nudged to reengage in some of your responsibilities that you’ve allowed to be lacking in your life.

And I have this hope because — every time — thus far — the Lord’s been faithful in maturing us — just a bit more — after we’ve been reminded of the importance of church membership. May he do so once again — for all of our good — but more importantly — so we make him look glorious to the world. Let’s pray.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, use your Word — to increase in all of our hearts and minds — the love you have for your church. 

Holy Spirit, you’re the Spirit of unity. Unite our hearts together so that — individually — we commit to being an even greater benefit to those around us.

And — Jesus — any benefit we receive from each other is because of what we’ve first received from you and all that you’ve done — in love — for us as individuals — and as your church.

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — draw us closer to you and to one another. For your name’s sake we pray. Amen.

BENEDICTION (Prayer teams / Resource Center to sign up for membership class)

May God use his Word to you today to grow us into the church he desires us to be. Amen.

God loves you. I love you. You are sent.

DATE: 10-19-25

As always it’s a joy to be with all of you this weekend at Gateway Church. And there’s one thing I want you to know — and this is true if you’re worshiping with us for the first time — if you’re joining us at our North Main Campus or are with our friends in Bucyrus — I want you to know that God loves you and that I love you too.

SERIES INTRO

We’re continuing our series in Romans this weekend and we’re in the practical application section of Paul’s letter where — after eleven chapters of rich theological truths — Paul’s now in the “so what” section of his letter. Meaning he’s showing us how all of the theology — that’s found in the first eleven chapters — is to play itself out in how we live. 

But — before we turn to our text for today — I want to let you know what to expect in the coming weeks. Starting next week — we’re going to take a break from Romans — just when we’re almost at the end — and we’re going to take three sermons to look at three important practices in the life of our church: church membership, baptism, and the Lord’s Supper — also called communion.

In a few weeks we’ll have a combined evening worship service here at our County Road 9 Campus. And during this evening service we’ll welcome new members into our faith family, celebrate baptisms, and take the Lord’s Supper together. So I thought it’d be good for us to spend some time looking at all that will be happening during that evening worship service ahead of time.

So next week we’ll look at church membership. The following week we’ll look at baptism. And then — during the evening worship service — we’ll look at the Lord’s Supper.

Then — after our short break — we’ll jump right back into Romans for the final two sermons we have left in the book.

But — today we’re in Romans — we’re not on break from it yet. And our final three sermons in Romans may end up being the most unique. For Paul — as he ends his letter — becomes quite personal in his final words. Let me show you what I mean.

Here’s what Paul writes in Romans chapter fifteen — beginning in verse fourteen.

Romans 15:14–33 ESV

14 I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another. 15 But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God 16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. 17 In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God. 18 For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed, 19 by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God—so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ; 20 and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation, 21 but as it is written, “Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand.” 22 This is the reason why I have so often been hindered from coming to you. 23 But now, since I no longer have any room for work in these regions, and since I have longed for many years to come to you, 24 I hope to see you in passing as I go to Spain, and to be helped on my journey there by you, once I have enjoyed your company for a while. 25 At present, however, I am going to Jerusalem bringing aid to the saints. 26 For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make some contribution for the poor among the saints at Jerusalem. 27 For they were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have come to share in their spiritual blessings, they ought also to be of service to them in material blessings. 28 When therefore I have completed this and have delivered to them what has been collected, I will leave for Spain by way of you. 29 I know that when I come to you I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ. 30 I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf, 31 that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, 32 so that by God’s will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company. 33 May the God of peace be with you all. Amen.

As I said — this is a very personal section of the letter for Paul. And in this part of his letter we find two ideas: The call that God had on Paul’s life — and the call that God has on us — individually and as a church. Paul’s call and our call — that’s what we’re going to explore together today.

PAUL’S CALL

We’ll begin with Paul’s call — but know that there’s overlap even with the specific call God had for Paul and God’s call for us. But we’ll do our best to focus on Paul’s call — beginning in verse fifteen — where he writes…

Romans 15:15–25 ESV

15 But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God 16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. 17 In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God. 18 For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed, 19 by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God—so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ; 20 and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation, 21 but as it is written, “Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand.” 22 This is the reason why I have so often been hindered from coming to you. 23 But now, since I no longer have any room for work in these regions, and since I have longed for many years to come to you, 24 I hope to see you in passing as I go to Spain, and to be helped on my journey there by you, once I have enjoyed your company for a while. 25 At present, however, I am going to Jerusalem bringing aid to the saints.

And skipping to verse twenty-eight we read…

Romans 15:28–29 ESV

28 When therefore I have completed this and have delivered to them what has been collected, I will leave for Spain by way of you. 29 I know that when I come to you I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ.

In these words, Paul helps us understand how he viewed his call. And he describes his call — and I rarely do this — but we’re going to go for it today — he describes his call as that of a priest, of power, of preaching, and of planting. For those of you who’ve been waiting for some preaching alliteration — today is the day the Lord has made for you. Paul’s calling was one of priest, power, preaching, and planting.

Part of God’s call on Paul’s life was to be a priest. We see this beginning in verse fifteen where Paul writes…

Romans 15:15–17 ESV

15 But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God 16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. 17 In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God.

And in verse twenty-eight we read…

Romans 15:28–29 ESV

28 When therefore I have completed this and have delivered to them what has been collected, I will leave for Spain by way of you. 29 I know that when I come to you I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ.

Paul was called to be a priest. Where a prophet speaks on behalf of God to the people — a priest intercedes on behalf of the people to God. We’ll get to Paul’s prophetic role in preaching the gospel — in just a moment — but I want us to focus on his call which he describes as a priestly service. 

When I think of this priestly call on his life — I can’t help but think of his prayers for the Christians he writes to. Think of some of the words he wrote to others that are an expression of this priestly call on his life.

To the Christians in Thessalonica Paul wrote…

1 Thessalonians 1:2–3 ESV

2 We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, 3 remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

And…

2 Thessalonians 1:11–12 ESV

11 To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, 12 so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

To the Christians in Ephesus he wrote…

Ephesians 1:16–21 ESV

16 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, 18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.

To the Christians in Colossae he wrote…

Colossians 1:3–5 ESV

3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven.

To Philemon he wrote…

Philemon 4–6 ESV

4 I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers, 5 because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints, 6 and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ.

To Timothy…

2 Timothy 1:3–7 ESV

3 I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. 4 As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. 5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. 6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, 7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

I wonder how God might want you to enter into a similar kind of priestly service for others by praying for them in this way? In our most recent membership class, I was asked what’s the best way to encourage me as the pastor of Gateway. My answer was to pray for me. To pray for my family. And to let me know that you’re praying for me.

A recent addition to my list of life resolutions came from the sweet joy of realizing how many of you are praying for me. I worded my new resolution this way. Remember: God’s people are praying for you. I’m encouraged every time I read these words.

You may or may not be aware — but before every worship service a group of men pray with and for me. One of these men is Dave Vaas. I didn’t warn Dave that I’d be mentioning him — so Dave — warning — I’m about to pastorally brag on you. Knowing Dave — he’s probably already read this anyway. You’ll know what I mean in a second. 

As I said, Dave’s one of the men who meets with me to pray for me and my sermon before I preach. And — what I so appreciate about Dave’s prayers — is how he comes having read through my sermon manuscript. He — Randy Casper also does this — to pastorally brag on someone else — Dave and Randy will pray for a specific point in my sermon, or a section that stuck out to them — and they often pray that God will use that point or section to speak to you all. They’re fulfilling a priestly service for me and you. To Dave and Randy — and to all of the men who pray with and for me before I preach — thank you for fulfilling such an important priestly ministry that God has called you to.

Paul was called to be a priest.

Additionally, part of God’s call on Paul’s life was to be a vessel of God’s power. We see this beginning in verse eighteen where Paul writes…

Romans 15:18–19 ESV

18 For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed, 19 by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God—so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ;

Paul was called to be a vessel of God’s power. Earlier this year we spent quite a few weeks looking at the spiritual gifts that Paul mentions in chapter twelve. In those sermons we saw how the Holy Spirit empowers every follower of Jesus with a spiritual gift that’s to be used to build up and strengthen the church. And here — in our verses — Paul tells us that living by the power of the Spirit was an important part of God’s call on his life.

A call — not only on Paul’s life — but on all who follow Jesus — is a call to be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. Regardless if we’re preaching, evangelizing, greeting people when they enter our buildings, enjoying the giggles and screams of terror by our toddlers, or whatever you may do around here. We’re called to live by the power of the Holy Spirit and to recognize that what goes on around here isn’t natural — but is a supernatural work of God. For — when we’re served by each other — we’re being served by the Spirit of God who’s working through each of us.

Yet don’t miss that — when Paul points to what Christ accomplished through him — he says it came about by “word and deed…by the power of the Spirit of God.” This is why part of God’s call on Paul’s life was also that of being a preacher. We’re back in verse eighteen again…

Romans 15:18–20 ESV

18 For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed, 19 by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God—so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ; 20 and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation,

Paul was called to be a preacher of the gospel. And when we take these two calls on Paul’s life — calls of power and of preaching — we come to one of the characteristics we desire to see in every follower of Jesus here at Gateway. We call this being Word and Spirit Christians. Where our desire is to live under the authority of the Word of God and by the power of the Spirit of God so that we make our saving God look glorious to the world.

Obviously not all of us are called to preach the Bible — but all of us are called to proclaim the Good News. Every follower of Jesus should know the basics of the gospel — the Good News of what Christ accomplished in his life, death, and resurrection — so that — you can share it with others. 

Do you see this call on your life — to share the gospel? Are you fulfilling this call that God has on your life?

Finally, part of God’s call on Paul’s life was that of planting — or starting — new churches. We’re in verse twenty…

Romans 15:20–25 ESV

20 and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation, 21 but as it is written, “Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand.” 22 This is the reason why I have so often been hindered from coming to you. 23 But now, since I no longer have any room for work in these regions, and since I have longed for many years to come to you, 24 I hope to see you in passing as I go to Spain, and to be helped on my journey there by you, once I have enjoyed your company for a while. 25 At present, however, I am going to Jerusalem bringing aid to the saints.

Paul was called to plant new churches. Paul had a passion for taking the gospel to people living in places where the gospel had not yet been heard. So he planted — or started new churches — which would be an outpost for the gospel in their community. This was part of God’s call on Paul’s life.

Obviously, not all Christians are called to be church planters. But we’re all called to go in some way. After all — Jesus’ final words before ascending into heaven were…

Matthew 28:18–20 ESV

18 “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

And as Luke records in the book of Acts…

Acts 1:8 ESV

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Something I love about us as a church — is our commitment to taking the gospel to places where it’s currently not believed. We just had our Go celebration this past week and it was great to see so many of you come together to hear stories of how we’ve been going this past year. 

We call this our commitment to being Kingdom-minded around here — more on that in a moment. But I want to acknowledge that I know how hard it can be to imagine that there are still places on this planet where the gospel isn’t heard or believed. We live in a bit of a Christian bubble here in the US. Obviously, not everyone in our country is a Christian — but it’s hard to live in the US and not hear about Jesus — there are churches everywhere! But that’s not the case across the globe.

According to Joshua Project — an organization that tracks people groups that lack the gospel — there are a little over 7,000 people groups who are considered unreached — which means they have no access to the gospel. This represents over three billion people who have little or no access to the gospel — which we rightly believe is the only means of salvation.

And — like Paul — God has uniquely called us — Gateway Church — to go where the gospel is currently not known. In fact — this calling on us is so great — and our commitment to fulfill this calling is so known — that we’re viewed as a very missional church in our denomination. If you don’t know — missional basically means spreaders of the gospel — locally and globally. Like me, you may be thinking, “Really? Aren’t we the Bible church? Or the kid’s ministry church? Or the church with rocking worship music?” All I know is that the further removed you are from us — the more we’re seen as the church who takes seriously the call to take the gospel to the ends of the earth. And I hope that you — like me — are happy to claim this reputation.

OUR CALL

Having looked at Paul’s call, we’ll now look at our call a bit more. I know we’ve done so already — but there are few more aspects of our call found in our text. We’re back in verse fourteen.

Romans 15:14 ESV

14 I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another.

Skipping to verse twenty-six we read…

Romans 15:26–27 ESV

26 For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make some contribution for the poor among the saints at Jerusalem. 27 For they were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have come to share in their spiritual blessings, they ought also to be of service to them in material blessings.

And in verse thirty Paul writes…

Romans 15:30–33 ESV

30 I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf, 31 that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, 32 so that by God’s will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company. 33 May the God of peace be with you all. Amen.

When it comes to our call — as a faith family — though this doesn’t encompass all that we’re called to — in these verses Paul reminds us of our call to be disciples who make disciples, our call to be generous, our call to be a family, and — again — our call to be Kingdom-minded. All — I hope — are familiar ideas for you — for these are four out of the five characteristics we hope to see in all who follow Jesus here at Gateway. The fifth being Word and Spirit Christians — which we looked at earlier.

First, we’re called to be disciples who make disciples. Paul writes this in verse fourteen…

Romans 15:14 ESV

14 I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another.

Paul praises the Christians in Rome because he knows that they’re filled with goodness, with knowledge, and — thus — are able to instruct — or disciple — one another. The call to make disciples of all nations — which Jesus gave us — is a call locally as much as it is globally. And it’s a call on us corporately — as a church — as much as it is individually. For every disciple of Jesus is called to make disciples of Jesus.

How are you fulfilling this call on your life — and how are you helping us fulfill this call as a church?

• I’m so thankful for those who make disciples by serving as a Life Group leader. 
• And for those who serve in our Kidway ministry — helping us make disciples of the youngest in our church. 
• For those who make disciples among our youth. 
• Who lead equip classes. 
• Who meet one on one over coffee or a meal to help someone else grow in their faith — that’s being a disciple who makes disciples. 
• For parents who read God’s Word to their children, and teach them to pray — making disciples in your home.

If you’re not currently a disciple who’s making disciples — and you want to become one — stop by the Resource Center before you leave. They’ll take down your name and I’m sure we can find a way for you to step into this call God has on your life.

We’re also called to be generous. In verse twenty-six Paul writes…

Romans 15:26–27 ESV

26 For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make some contribution for the poor among the saints at Jerusalem. 27 For they were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have come to share in their spiritual blessings, they ought also to be of service to them in material blessings.

How lucky are you, right? Everyone loves when the preacher talks about money — not! When it comes to our desire — for us to be a generous people — generosity must include our finances. The old “time, talent, and treasure” mantra unintentionally shifted to the idea that we have a choice — “I’ll be generous with my time, or my talent, or my treasure” — when the Bible calls us to be generous with all of it.

And here — in our verses — the Christians living in one area of the world were pleased to be financially generous with Christians living in Jerusalem. Twice Paul tells us that it pleased the Christians to be financially generous. And he tells us that it pleased them because their financial generosity was birthed out of the spiritual blessings they’d been recipients of.

I wonder how the spiritual blessings you’ve received have made you into a more financially generous person? For it’s not just in these verses — but throughout the Bible — that you’ll see a connection between recognizing and appreciating the spiritual blessings you’ve been given and how financially generous you are.

We’re also called to be a family. We’re in verse thirty…

Romans 15:30–33 ESV

30 I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf, 31 that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, 32 so that by God’s will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company. 33 May the God of peace be with you all. Amen.

These verses also show us our call to be Kingdom-minded. We see our call to be family in Paul’s description of this striving together — implying a unity among these Christians in their prayers for Paul. A family like unity birthed from Jesus being our Lord and the Holy Spirit filling us with love for one another.

And we’re called to be Kingdom-minded. We saw this earlier, but here Paul mentions Judea and Jerusalem — two of the areas Jesus mentioned in our call to be his witnesses.

CONCLUSION

Paul’s call and our call. God’s call on us as a church and his call on you as one of his followers. May we — like Paul — fulfill the calling to which we’ve been called — so that — we strive together in unity, and pray for one another, and find refreshment and joy by one another’s company — because — Jesus is our Lord and Savior — and because we’ve been filled with love for one another by the power of the Holy Spirit. Let’s pray.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, thank you for your call upon us — both as a church and as individuals. For those you call as individuals you call into your church. May we never try to separate your call upon our lives — individually — with your call upon your church.

Holy Spirit, you’re the One who awakens deaf ears, blind eyes, and dead hearts to the Good News of the gospel. You give new life and we believe. This is the very first call in any of our lives. May you make this call — right now — to many who hear my voice and yet don’t believe in Jesus. Call them. Awaken them. Give them life so that they believe.

And — Jesus — for those who respond — you call to a life of purpose. That of being a disciple who’s a Word and Spirit Christian. Who’s generous. Who makes disciples. Who’s Kingdom-minded. And who fulfills his or her call as part of your faith family. What a gift it is to be called by you. What a purpose. What a thrill.

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — may you use each of us to fulfill your calling upon us as a church. And may the result be unity, and refreshment, and joy among us. And we pray all of this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

BENEDICTION (Prayer teams available)

May you respond to God’s call upon your life as we will fulfill his call for us as a church. Amen.

God loves you. I love you. You are sent.

DATE: 10-12-25

As always it’s a joy to be with all of you this weekend at Gateway Church. And there’s one thing I want you to know — and this is true if you’re worshiping with us for the first time — if you’re joining us at our North Main Campus or are with our friends in Bucyrus — I want you to know that God loves you and that I love you too.

SERIES INTRO

We’re continuing our series in Romans this weekend and — I don’t want to get you all too excited — but we’re down to our last four sermons in Romans. I believe that today’s sermon is the seventieth one I’ve preached during our time in Romans. And — if you think that’s a bit much — pastor John Piper preached around two hundred and twenty-five sermons when he took his church through the book. We literally could go through Romans two more times to equal that number. So — yeah — you’re welcome for the speediness at which we’ve made our way through the book.

If you’ve been with us in recent weeks and months — you know that we’re in the practical application section of Paul’s letter where — after eleven chapters of rich theological truths — Paul’s now in the “so what” section of his letter. Meaning he’s addressing how all of the theology — that’s found in the first eleven chapters — is to play itself out in how we live. Or at least how it should influence the way we live.

And we just finished a three part mini-series within our series in Romans — as Paul just concluded a lengthy section on how Christians are to disagree with one another regarding secondary issues — or what are sometimes called non-essentials.

For over a chapter Paul has stressed how uniting around the essentials that we believe — beliefs about God, salvation, sin, the Bible, and so on — along with our love for one another — will create an atmosphere of unity even when we disagree with each other over non-essential beliefs or behaviors. And this kind of unity is a signal to the unbelieving world that our faith in Christ actually affects and shapes the way we live.

For we live in a world where division is the norm. Where even the smallest and most minor of disagreements is reason for judgment, name calling, questioning of character, and so on. God dishonoring behaviors that have found their way into the church and among God’s people as we’ve taken our cues from the world instead of the Word. And — any behavior that dishonors God — brings joy and delight to our enemy and foe — the devil. And he’d much rather we fight against our fellow Christians than unite together to fight against him.

Thus the question Paul’s put before us is this: Who will we fight against? One another or our real enemy?

Now — though the mini-series on how to disagree was only a three parter — today’s sermon does reveal to us a result of what happens when we disagree biblically with one another. What result is that? That as a faith family we’ll experience and display hope-filled, Christ-exalting living. For hope-filled, Christ-exalting living is a characteristic of God’s people when they’re unitied together on the essentials of the faith and disagree — biblically — when it comes to non-essentials.

This is what we find in our text for today — which is Romans chapter fifteen — verses eight through thirteen. So if you have your Bible — please turn with me there — to Romans chapter fifteen — we’ll begin in verse eight. There Paul writes…

Romans 15:8–13 ESV

8 For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, 9 and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, “Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles, and sing to your name.” 10 And again it is said, “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people.” 11 And again, “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples extol him.” 12 And again Isaiah says, “The root of Jesse will come, even he who arises to rule the Gentiles; in him will the Gentiles hope.” 13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

Hope-filled, Christ-exalting lives — that’s our focus for today. For hope-filled, Christ-exalting lives will be a result of our commitment to being united and unified on the essentials of the faith. Hope-filled, Christ-exalting lives fueled by knowing that…

• One — Christ came to reveal God’s truth.
• Two — Christ came to confirm God’s promises.
• Three — Christ came to show God’s mercy.
• Which leads to Christ being our hope.

That’s where we’re headed today — today — like every time we gather together — is all about Jesus. For he came to reveal God’s truth, to confirm God’s promises, to show God’s mercy, which results in him being our hope.

CHRIST CAME TO REVEAL GOD’S TRUTH

Let’s begin by seeing how Christ came to reveal God’s truth. We’re back in verse eight. There Paul writes…

Romans 15:8 ESV

8 For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness…

Here Paul tells us that Jesus came to earth to be a servant to the circumcised — that’s the Jewish people. And Paul tells us that Jesus became their servant to show them God’s truthfulness. 

Now — before we get to how Jesus did this — we need to remember that — part of the reason there was disagreement and conflict in the church in Rome is because there were Christians coming from Jewish backgrounds along with Christians coming from Gentile — or non-Jewish — backgrounds. The examples of what they were disagreeing over — that Paul used in the previous chapter — show us how their different backgrounds — even different religious backgrounds and upbringings — was causing division and disunity in the church.

I bring this up as a reminder because — here in our verse — Paul reminds us that Jesus came to earth as a Jewish man to show the Jewish people God’s truthfulness. Why would Jesus need to come to reveal God’s truthfulness to the Jewish people? Because the Jews had drifted from God’s truth. 

There are all kinds of reasons for their drift from God’s truth — but they’d drifted so far that — when Jesus came to earth — the Jewish people — especially the Jewish religious leaders and experts in the law — or the Old Testament — thought Jesus was a rebellious law breaker when all he was doing was revealing to them how far they’d drifted from God’s truth.

Think of how far one must drift from the truth in order to see Jesus — not as revelation of God’s truthfulness — but the opposite. I wonder how accurately your view of Jesus aligns with God’s truth? The only way to know is to compare the Jesus you believe in with the Jesus found in God’s Word.

The apostle John — in his gospel — his account of the life of Jesus — emphasizes the connection between Jesus and God’s truth.

For example, in some of the first words of his gospel — John describes Jesus this way.

John 1:14 ESV

14 And the Word (that’s Jesus) became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

A few verses later — John adds…

John 1:17 ESV

17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

A few chapters later John records Jesus’ conversation with a Samaritan woman who he met at a well. In his conversation with her — the topic of worship comes up — to which Jesus replied…

John 4:23–24 ESV

23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

True worshipers of God will worship him in spirit and in truth. Truth matters — for Jesus came to reveal truth.

And pay close attention to what we read in a lengthy encounter that Jesus has with a crowd of people. The crowd was split in their opinion of Jesus. Some believed him — others didn’t.

John 8:31–47 ESV

31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide (or stay) in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 33 They (these are the folks who didn’t believe in him…they…) answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?” 34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. 35 The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. 37 I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you. 38 I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.” 39 They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works Abraham did, 40 but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. 41 You are doing the works your father did.” They said to him, “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father—even God.” 42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. 43 Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. 44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. 46 Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? 47 Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.”

Jesus tells the crowd — and us — that the words he speaks are words of truth. Then he adds that — in believing his words of truth — one will find freedom. Freedom from what? Freedom from being enslaved to sin. Freedom from being ensnared by the lies of the devil. Freedom from self-salvation and other false forms of salvation — for there’s only one way of salvation: faith in Jesus Christ.

• We’re not saved by our opinions about Jesus.
• We’re not saved by our political affiliations.
• We’re not saved because we attend church.
• We’re not saved because the popular vote happens to agree with Scripture.
• We’re not saved because they — the other side of whatever division we find ourselves in — welcomes worse sinners than our side.
• No — we’re saved when we repent of our sins — the big ones and the small ones — and turn to Jesus Christ in faith for our salvation — for he is the only way of salvation.

Well that sounds awfully intolerant. Is Jesus the only way of salvation? This is exactly what Jesus said to his disciples when they were troubled. Jesus said these comforting words to them.

John 14:1–7 ESV

1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

Jesus is the only way of salvation. He is the revelation of God’s truth. And he is where life — the “abundant and overflowing with joy for all eternity” life — is found.

And — in his tenderness towards us — those who follow him today — Jesus says…

John 14:15–17 ESV

15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

In his love for us — Jesus — who reveals to us God’s truth — with the Father has sent the Spirit of truth to live in his people. And the Holy Spirit lives in us to lead, guide, and direct us according to the truth.

Yet Jesus is still not done revealing to us the truth. For Jesus prayed this prayer.

John 17:14–19 ESV

14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.

Sanctify means “to make holy” — the word can also mean to be “set apart.” And — here — Jesus says that he’s set his disciples — those who believe in him — apart from falsehoods and apart from lies and has set them in the truth. 

And where is this truth found? According to Jesus — now that he’s in Heaven — truth is found in God’s Word to us — the Bible — and in the Holy Spirit — who dwells in us. Thus we long to be Word and Spirit Christians here at Gateway — followers of Jesus who are being made holy by the truth — for Jesus came to reveal God’s truth.

CHRIST CAME TO CONFIRM GOD’S PROMISES

Which leads us to another reason why Jesus came — to confirm God’s promises to his people. This is what Paul tells us in verse eight when he writes…

Romans 15:8 ESV

8 For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs,

Here Paul echoes back to something he wrote earlier in Romans. Way back in chapter nine we read…

Romans 9:1–5 ESV

1 I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— 2 that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. 4 They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. 5 To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.

Both here — and in our chapter — Paul’s wanting to remind the Christians with Jewish background that Jesus is the fulfillment of the promises God had made to their ancestors — the Israelites. Promises that God made to his people are often called covenant promises. In fact, one definition of the word covenant is a “relationship God establishes with people on the basis of his promises.” (Lexham Survey of Theology)

• Examples of covenant promises would include the covenant God made with Abraham — when God promised Abraham that he would be the father of many nations. 
• A covenant promise is what God made with the Israelites after he rescued them out of their slavery in Egypt. 
• God made a covenant promise with David — for God promised to David that — from his line will one day come a King whose reign and rule will never come to an end. Paul even alludes to this covenant promise with David in some of his first words in the letter when he writes…

Romans 1:1–4 NLT

1 This letter is from Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, chosen by God to be an apostle and sent out to preach his Good News. 2 God promised this Good News long ago through his prophets in the holy Scriptures. 3 The Good News is about his Son. In his earthly life he was born into King David’s family line, 4 and he was shown to be the Son of God when he was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is Jesus Christ our Lord.

And what may be the most familiar covenant promise of all — is what’s called the new covenant.

Jeremiah 31:31–34 NLT

31 “The day is coming,” says the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. 32 This covenant will not be like the one I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and brought them out of the land of Egypt. They broke that covenant, though I loved them as a husband loves his wife,” says the Lord. 33 “But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel after those days,” says the Lord. “I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 34 And they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they need to teach their relatives, saying, ‘You should know the Lord.’ For everyone, from the least to the greatest, will know me already,” says the Lord. “And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins.”

And — in Jesus — we see the confirmation of all of God’s promises come to fruition. In Christ — God shows us that he can be trusted to fulfill every promise he’s made to us. For from his birth through his death and resurrection — and all that comes in between — Jesus reveals to us the faithfulness of God in fulfilling his promises to his people. 

CHRIST CAME TO SHOW GOD’S MERCY

Which leads us to another reason why Christ came — to show God’s mercy. Let’s go back to verse eight again.

Romans 15:8–12 ESV

8 For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, 9 and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, “Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles, and sing to your name.” 10 And again it is said, “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people.” 11 And again, “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples extol him.” 12 And again Isaiah says, “The root of Jesse will come, even he who arises to rule the Gentiles; in him will the Gentiles hope.”

In these verses Paul quotes from the Old Testament a lot! For example, “I will praise you among the Gentiles, and sing to your name” — in verse nine — is a quote of…

2 Samuel 22:50 ESV

50 “For this I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations, and sing praises to your name.

And…

Psalm 18:49 ESV

49 For this I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations, and sing to your name.

David sang these words of praise to his God who had rescued him from the hands of his enemies. Though the “waves of death” nearly overwhelmed him — and the “torrents of destruction” terrified him — David called upon his God for his rescue — for his salvation — and believed that God would deliver him. And it’s in response to being saved that David praises God — and sings songs of praise to God’s glorious and mercifully saving name — and longs for these songs of praise to be sung by people of all nations.

In our verses Paul also quotes…

Psalm 117:1 ESV

1 Praise the Lord, all nations! Extol him, all peoples!

And…

Isaiah 11:10 ESV

10 In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious.

The nations, the nations, the nations! 

• People from all nations praising the God who saves. 
• Praising the One who’s a descendant of Jesse — King David’s father. 
• Praising the One who fulfills the promise that God made to David — that he would have a descendant sitting on an eternal throne as King of kings forever and ever. 
• This is the One whom people of all nations will turn to in praise.

And — in this church in Rome — the nations were represented. For many in the church were believers in Jesus who came from Gentile backgrounds. Paul acknowledges this near the beginning of his letter when he writes…

Romans 1:16 ESV

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

The gospel — the Good News that God is merciful and saves sinners who put their faith in his Son — the gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. People of Jewish background as well as people from all nations.

This is why you’ll often hear that one of our desires — for those who follow Jesus here at Gateway — is that we’d all be Kingdom-minded. Where our desire is for the gospel of Jesus Christ to not only change our community, our state, and our country — but that the gospel would be Good News that changes our world. For that’s what God intends his news to do. For the gospel is news of God’s mercy towards sinners who turn to his Son in faith.

Mercy for all who turn to Jesus. No matter your race or gender. No matter your nationality or socio-economic background. No matter all of the ways the world tries to divide us. Christ came to show all people the mercy of God.

CONCLUSION

And where does all of this lead? That Christ came to reveal God’s truth, that he came to confirm God’s promises, and that he came to show us God’s mercy — where does all of this lead us? What destination have we arrived at? 

To hope-filled, Christ-exalting lives.

In verse twelve Paul writes…

Romans 15:12–13 ESV

12 And again Isaiah says, “The root of Jesse will come, even he who arises to rule the Gentiles; in him will the Gentiles hope.” 13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

The root of Jesse — the descendant of King David — Jesus Christ — is the hope of all who believe in him. For Jews who believe — Jesus is their hope. For Gentiles who believe — Jesus is their hope as well. And — in being our hope — those who believe in Jesus are filled with joy and peace — echoing back to what Paul said earlier are characteristics of what it means to live according to the values of the kingdom of God.

Romans 14:17 ESV

17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

For the Holy Spirit — who lives in the people of God — fills us with joy, peace, and hope — a hope that abounds — or overflows — in our lives because of what Christ has done. And — by hope — Paul doesn’t mean wanting something to be true while being uncertain if it’ll come to pass. No — hope — according to Paul — and all the authors of Scripture — is a confidence in God’s faithfulness to his people. A confidence that his words are true and trustworthy. A confidence that every promise he’s made will be fulfilled. A confidence that he is merciful to all who believe in his Son. A confidence that overflows in a person’s life — changing how they live and how they view the world. Leading to a life that is hope-filled and that exalts — or magnifies — the worthiness and beauty of Christ.

The way we describe this kind of hope-filled, Christ-exalting life — here at Gateway — is a life that worships, connects, serves, and goes.

Though a hope-filled, Christ-exalting life of worship is much more than just gathering on Sundays with God’s people — it’s no less than that. Meaning — rare is the individual who doesn’t prioritize weekly worship with God’s people who still prioritizes hope-filled, Christ-exalting living in the rest of his or her life.

And though a hope-filled, Christ-exalting life of connecting to others — or fellowship, as it’s sometimes called — is much more than gathering with God’s people in small groups — what we call Life Groups here at Gateway — it’s no less than that. Meaning — rare is the individual who doesn’t prioritize regularly gathering with God’s people to apply God’s Word to life and care for one another — who still prioritizes hope-filled, Christ-exalting living in the rest of his or her life.

And though a hope-filled, Christ-exalting life of service is much more than serving God’s people in a local church — it’s no less than that. Meaning — rare is the individual who doesn’t prioritize serving God’s people in a local church who still prioritizes hope-filled, Christ-exalting living in the rest of his or her life.

And though a hope-filled, Christ-exalting life of going is much more than a local church’s missions program — it’s no less than that. Meaning — rare is the individual who doesn’t prioritize going with people in their local church to proclaim the gospel who still prioritizes hope-filled, Christ-exalting living in the rest of his or her life.

And — like Paul — for in just a few verses he’s about to start name dropping in his letter — naming people who model a hope-filled, Christ-exalting life of worshiping, connecting, serving, and going in this church in Rome — it’s tempting for me to want to get ahead of Paul and start name dropping the many of you who are examples of what it means to live hope-filled, Christ-exalting lives here at Gateway. To praise the good works you’re doing to make your Savior look glorious to the world. To tell others of your commitment to God’s truth as revealed to us in his Word. To share stories of your trust in his promises to his people even in the midst of sorrows and tragedies of life. To thank you for displaying God’s mercy to those suffering and in need of care in life’s most sensitive moments.

But — like Paul — I’ll resist name dropping for now. That’ll come when we get to chapter sixteen. Instead — a general thank you will have to suffice for now — a thank you to the faithful ones of our Gateway Church family.

Thank you for worshiping, connecting, serving, and going. Thank you for your commitment to the truth which is God’s Word. Thank you for your trust in God’s promises. Thank you for displaying his mercy to one another. And thank you for living hope-filled and Christ-exalting lives. Thank you — for you are making your Savior look glorious to the world. Let’s pray.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, thank you for always and only speaking words of truth. For this makes you absolutely and unwaveringly trustworthy. Thank you for guaranteeing that every promise that you’ve made to your people will be fulfilled. This also makes you absolutely and unwaveringly trustworthy. And thank you for being merciful towards us — your people. Mercy is not what we deserve — but mercy is what you’ve chosen to give — making you absolutely and unwaveringly trustworthy.

Holy Spirit, for the truthfulness of your Word to be seen and believed — we first need you to open our eyes and give us hearts to receive. For without you doing so — we remain spiritually blind and cannot see — with spiritually dead hearts that cannot respond. This act of mercy — you giving us eyes to see and hearts to respond — is the fulfillment of a promise given to your people. Open more eyes — give life to more hearts — we ask — so that more might respond and experience your mercy.

And — Jesus — we can confidently and expectantly pray such a prayer because of all that you’ve done for us. You came to seek and save those who were lost. To reveal truth to those who’d fallen for the lies of our enemy. To fulfill promises that would cost you your life — so that — we might live. For the life we live is because of the mercy we’ve received which came at the cost of your death.

But not even the grave could keep its hold on you — for there was another promise to be fulfilled. The resurrection. The defeat of death. The defeat of sin. The defeat of the devil. And the defeat of hopelessness. For your resurrection is the reason why we can live lives full of hope that make you look glorious to the world.

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — thank you for truth. Thank you for fulfilling your promises to us. Thank you for mercy. And — friends — “may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Amen.

BENEDICTION (Prayer teams available / How to Grow booklet)

May you go living hope-filled and Christ-exalting lives. Amen.

God loves you. I love you. You are sent.

Release date: 2/5/2024

Chapter 25: The Church

1. Catholic — here — means universal. Not Roman Catholic.

2. We’ll get to the sacraments in a later chapter. But — right away — we see the issue of children and the church come up. A great question for our listeners to wrestle with is this: What is the relationship of the children — who come to Gateway — and the church family known as Gateway? Do we consider them as guests? Regular attenders? Members? Children in this faith family of ours or something else?
   1. Sproul 541 and 542 (quotes have nothing to do with children, statement above, but connect back to the WCF paragraph)

3. The Scriptures, and the sacraments — baptism and the Lord’s Supper — have been given to the church to continue the ministry that Christ began when he was here on earth. For the church is who Christ came for. Far too often, we’ve allowed others to do what God has ordained the church to do.

4. Like Christians, churches come in various degrees of sanctification and faithfulness.
   1. My football field analogy works for churches just like it does for individual followers of Jesus.

5. What hope: God will always make sure that a remnant remains.

6. Jesus is at the top of the org chart. That’s why we practice a plurality of elders (as opposed to me — Josh — being the president/CEO of Gateway).

Chapter 26: The Fellowship of the Saints

1. This statement shows the importance of every believer in a local church.
   1. Sproul 558 (both quotes above #2)

2. Notice the use of the word “bound” in this paragraph.
   1. By our profession of faith (“I’m a Christian”), we are bound to maintain a holy fellowship in the worship of our God.
   2. By our profession of faith (“I’m a Christian”), we are bound to help meet each other’s needs.
   3. Both of these, without using the word, highlight the importance of church membership. Otherwise, which Christians are you bound to worship with and meet the needs of? 
   4. Sproul 558, 559, and 560

3. Our communion/fellowship with Christ doesn’t make us divine.
   1. Our communion/fellowship with fellow Christians doesn’t make us socialists.

Release Date: April 18,  2023

Questions

What does faith like a child really mean and how do we live that way? (6:10)

What are some practical and tangible ways that we, the body of Gateway, can grow our love for God and one another. (10:00)

Josh’s thoughts/questions for the guest

How familiar are you with First John? (21:10)

What circumstances, questions, or relationships in your life do you find cause you to doubt your faith? (21:40)

Can you remember, during the sermon, what you were thinking or feeling when you heard me say, “Christians experience something that should be impossible for us as a sinner — we experience joyous fellowship with God and each other.” (28:00)

Of the “one another” commands, do you find any easier for you than others to obey? (32:15)

SCRIPTURE: Romans 8:9-11 (ESV)

DATE: 7-5-20

It’s great to be with all of you this weekend at Gateway Church. And the one thing I want all of you to know — no matter if you’re worshiping with us in person or online — the one thing I want you to know is that God loves you and that I love you too. 

REOPENING NEXT WEEKEND

Now hopefully you’ve heard that next weekend — July 11 and 12 — we’re beginning Phase 2 of our reopening process. For worship, Phase 2 will include live worship services at our North Main and County Road 9 campuses. I’m not going to get into all of the details now as they’re posted on our website and have been communicated in emails, video announcements, on social media, and our app.

But here’s what I do want to say. I want to say thank you. Thank you to those of you who have been patient with us in this whole reopening process. 

When we closed back in March — the first thing I thought was, “Well reopening is going to be an advantage to the small church because us larger churches won’t be able to open up as fast as they do.” And I was right. You see — there are a ton of benefits of being part of a large church. 

• Your teenager has a bunch of other teens in the youth program. 
• The kids ministry is something your elementary and preschoolers want to go to. 
• Multiple service times and campuses that fit your schedule.

But there are benefits to being part of a smaller church. 

• For instance — in a small church you may have direct access to the pastor. 
• Or you know everyone’s name in the church. 
• Or when your state starts to reopen after a pandemic — you can reopen quickly.

The smaller churches are like the small businesses in our community. As soon as they were able to reopen, they were able to bring the majority of their staff back on location — in the office or in the store. But think about some of the larger businesses in our community. They haven’t brought back all of their employees into the office yet — at least not all at once. Many still have employees working from home or they have odd schedules where some people are in the office while others are still working from home. And that’s because it takes longer for a large business to reopen whereas a smaller business can bring all of its employees back into the office much more quickly.

And — I think — Gateway’s the biggest church in town. So things are slower for us. It’s just the nature of being a big organization. Even churches that are half our size have been able to do things we want to be doing, but haven’t been able to move as quickly due to all of the complexities of being — well — bigger.

So all that to say thanks to those of you who have been so gracious and patient with us as we’ve been navigating reopening. I promise you that the elders have spent hours talking through, reading up on, discussing, and praying over what each phase should look like as we reopen. We’re trying to do our best to do what our job is as your elders — to represent the mind of Christ as we lead you.

But mark your calendars for next weekend and be sure to RSVP. Cause I sure hope to see people as I preach next weekend.

SERIES INTRODUCTION

Now let’s get to the sermon. After a short two week break, we’re jumping back into the book of Romans. And I want to thank pastor Ben — Gateway’s founding pastor — and Shaun Meloy — our worship director — for preaching God’s Word to us the last two weeks. But after a quick break we’re back in Romans. 

And in previous years we’ve already gone through the first seven chapters — but now — we’re slowing things down — and taking nearly 20 weeks — over the course of two years — to work our way through Romans chapter 8. And we’re taking this much time because this is a pivotal chapter in Paul’s letter to the Christians in Rome and — in many ways — this is a pivotal chapter in all of Scripture. So we’re slowing things down and soaking ourselves in the wonderful truths that we find before us. 

ANNOUNCE THE TEXT

So if you have your Bible please, turn with me to Romans chapter 8. We’ll be looking at verses 9-11 together today. We’re in Romans chapter 8. Beginning in verse 9. 

You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. (Romans 8:9-11 ESV)

THE DESIRE TO BELONG (INTRODUCTION)

One of the bigger questions in life — that people are wrestling with these days — is “Where do I belong?” How would you answer that question? 

• Some of us might think of the family we belong to or our church. 
• Maybe it’s your hometown or your college fraternity or sorority. 
• Maybe it’s a club or organization you belong to — or the company you work for. 
• Where do you belong?

Author and professor Brené Brown has said, “A deep sense of love and belonging is an irreducible need of all people. We are biologically, cognitively, physically, and spiritually wired to love, to be loved, and to belong. When those needs are not met, we don’t function as we were meant to. We break. We fall apart. We numb. We ache. We hurt others. We get sick.” 

I think we all feel this innate desire to belong that she’s speaking of. And — let me say — I think this desire to belong is good. Christian or not — belonging is fundamental to what it means to be human. But — obviously — if this desire is something wired in us — where we can’t function as we’re meant to without this need being met — then obviously what or who we belong to is extremely important. 

Now — in our search to belong — we’re really searching for an identity. A purpose. A something beyond ourselves that we’re living for — that we belong to. But that’s a lot of pressure to put on — say — a spouse or a child or a sorority, right? 

• Where you look to your spouse for your identity. 
• Or to your child for your ultimate purpose in life. 
• Or to your friends in your sorority for an unshakeable sense of belonging. 
• They just can’t handle that kind of pressure. You’ll smother your spouse or child or sorority friends if you put on them the weight and responsibility of giving you an unshakeable identity or sense of belonging.

And that’s the problem for most of us. We try to find an answer to this desire we have to belong in people and things that can’t give us what we’re looking for. For a while, we may think, “Well this is it. I’ve finally found where I belong” only to discover disappointment or emptiness as we discover — yet again — that we still haven’t found where we belong.

And this is where something counterintuitive comes in. What do I mean? Well — honestly — the path that most of us naturally want to avoid is actually the path that leads to an assurance of belonging that we’re all longing for. You see — even though we’re all fairly open to finding a sense of belonging in a spouse or in our children or in different organizations — belonging to God — finding our identity and purpose in God — though unnatural to us — though often the last place that many will ever look — belonging to God is the only belonging that comes with an assurance that’s unshakeable. You see the gospel shows us that belonging to God — through our faith in Christ — belonging to God — which is confirmed to us by the Spirit of God indwelling in us — which we’ll look at in a moment — but belonging to God is where we find a sweet, unshakeable assurance for our souls. 

So let’s go back to our verses and see how we find this assurance — this belonging we’re all looking for — a sense of being known and loved and welcomed. Let’s discover how this belonging is possible in Christ.

IS THE SPIRIT OF GOD IN YOU? IF YES, THEN YOU BELONG!

Now as we return to our verses — in many ways — and especially with us having had a two week break from our chapter — we need to remind ourselves of what Paul has already said. Especially as our verses begin with the words, “You, however…” as that implies that we’re comparing something — in our verses — with something that was said prior. So since it’s only eight verses — here’s what we’ve already encountered in our chapter. We’re back in verse 1.

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. (Romans 8:1-8 ESV)

And that’s the transition statement — verse 8. Verse 8 contains words that make us uncomfortable because they’re offensive to our inclusive loving ears — “those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” But in contrast — to those disturbing words — Paul writes assuring words…

You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. (Then back to some uncomfortable words…) Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. (Romans 8:9 ESV)

Now there’s a big “if” here. “You are not in the flesh” implying that — unlike people who are in the flesh — who cannot please God — you being not in the flesh — can please God. How so? Because instead of being in the flesh you are in the Spirit. But there’s a big “if.” You are in the Spirit “if” the Spirit of God dwells in you. So there’s Paul’s point. As someone has said, “The accent falls on God’s Spirit residing — or dwelling — in the believer. Which is in contrast to sin residing — or dwelling — in our flesh.”

And then Paul gives us a “belonging” statement. If you don’t have the Spirit in you — you don’t belong to Christ. The implication being that if you do have the Spirit in you — you do belong to Christ.

So a big “if” here — a huge “if.” If the Spirit of God dwells in you then you belong to Christ. So does the Spirit dwell in you? No Spirit in you — no belonging to Christ. Also — so we’re clear — if the Spirit is in you — there’s no not belonging to Christ — that’s a double negative. If the Spirit is in you — you cannot not belong to Christ. Which — as it’s been said — means that “the normal state of the believer…is [being] Christ’s possession.” Being a Christian means belonging to Christ.

This is why — to a different group of Christians — Paul writes, “Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, 20 for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.” The issue in Corinth was sexual sin. And Paul’s argument against various kinds of sexual sin is that the Christians in Corinth had the Holy Spirit residing in them — living in them — taking up residence in them. And because the Holy Spirit is in them — well that means they don’t belong to themselves — they can’t just do whatever they want — sexually — with whomever they want. They must honor God with their bodies. Why? Because they belong to God. Why? Because he bought them with a high price — the blood of his beloved Son. 

Now I know “belonging to God” can sound oppressive — but it shouldn’t. It should sound like glorious freedom. Why? Because of all that God’s done for us in order to make a “there is therefore now no condemnation” life possible. Your spouse hasn’t made that no condemnation life possible for you. Your kids haven’t. Your sorority hasn’t. No one else has done what God has done for you. So your belonging to him — isn’t bad news — it isn’t oppressive news — it isn’t restrictive news — unless him restricting you from self-destructive, harming others, sinful ways sounds oppressive to you. Your belonging to God is great news! It’s hopeful news!

If you follow our devotionals on Facebook, this past week you saw some devotionals I did with my kids. And in one of them — I asked this question from the catechism I do with my kids. Catechisms are short questions and answers that teach simple truths of the Christian faith. The question I asked you was this. What is our only hope in life and death? Do you remember the answer? What is our only hope in life and death? That we are not our own, but belong to God.

You see, hope — real, lasting hope — is found in belonging. But it’s who we belong to that’s key. It’s not belonging to a particular club or group or having a certain employer or alma mater — it’s belonging to God that gives a person hope — both in life and in death. 

Some of us are searching and searching for that one person or group that will give us purpose, give us worth, give us an identity. And — in the search — we believe that there’s a perfect belonging out there somewhere — that something or someone — out there in the world — is going to give you that perfect sense of belonging. And you’ve searched and searched and searched and you can’t find them. In fact, you’re pretty certain you’re never going to find them — at least not in this world. Know that — though the belonging you’re looking for isn’t of this world — it can be found. It’s found in Christ. It’s found by turning to him in faith — believing and trusting that he loves you and has proven his love for you by giving his life for you on a cross. And his arms are open wide and he’s ready to welcome you into his embrace — right where you belong. Your search can be over — turn to Christ and belong to him.

Others of us — in our desperation to belong — we look at others and think we see everyone else finding purpose and meaning and an identity — a sense of belonging — from the things this world offers — and because that’s what we think we see — we feel like we’re the only one missing out — so we get envious of others. But it’s all a lie — none of it’s true. Nothing this world has to offer can fulfill our need to belong. That’s why we need to look elsewhere — not to this world — but to Jesus — the one who sees you, and loves you, and values you because he made you. Jesus is the one in whom your need to belong finds its fulfillment.

And still others of us — when we think of our need to belong — all it does is make us feel inadequate — incompetent — even embarassed that you have such a dependence on someone other than yourself. Your need to belong may even feel unsafe to you because it means you have to trust someone else — and trusting isn’t exactly your strong suit. Know that Christ can be trusted. He’ll protect you. He won’t make you feel incompetent — though you will be dumbfounded by who he is. And there’s an assurance you’ll discover when you come to him — trusting that he will always be good and faithful and kind to you.

But we still haven’t discovered what it means to have the Spirit dwell in us. Well — as you may know — dwell — in verse 9 — means something like “live in” or “make a home in.” So the Spirit dwells in Christians — lives in Christians — the Spirit makes a home in followers of Jesus. 

Think of the Old Testament and how God’s presence dwelled in the Temple. And — as Paul told the Christians in Corinth — now Christians are the temple in which God’s presence dwells. As one theologian has said, “Those in whom the Spirit comes to live are God’s new Temple. They are, individually and corporately, places where heaven and earth meet.” If you believe in Jesus — you are a place where heaven and earth meet, isn’t that amazing. And what’s so incredible about being part of a church is that we get to see heaven and earth meet in fellow Christians as well. We get to see what God is doing in others and be in awe of — be dumbfounded by his grace and mercy and kindness as he tells us and others, “You’ve found where you belong — you belong to me.”

So how do you know if the Spirit dwells in you? Have you experienced the new birth — what Jesus talks to a man named Nicodemus about in John chapter 3? “Well how do I know if I have, Josh?” Evidence that you’ve experienced the new birth is faith and repentance. Faith and repentance are the results of a spirit that’s been born of the Holy Spirit. As I’ve said in other sermons, we’re all born spiritually dead — not sick — not partially good and partially bad — but dead — and in need of God’s Spirit to resurrect our spirits. Three examples from Scripture that show this truth.

Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. 2 You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil — the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. 3 All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else. 4 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) (Ephesians 2:1-5 NLT) 

Paul’s point is that — prior to faith in Christ — a person is spiritually dead. Again, not spiritually sick. Not spiritually on life support. Spiritually dead yet physically alive. Thus we lived — but in sin. We lived — while obeying the devil. We lived — yet we were following the passionate desires of our sinful nature. 

But God gave us life when he saved us. 

As I mentioned earlier — Jesus explains this giving of spiritual life to a man named Nicodemus. 

There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee. 2 After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.” 3 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.” 4 “What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?” 5 Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. 6 Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. 7 So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.” (John 3:1-8 NLT)

So in our humanity all we can give birth to is human life — not spiritual life. But the Spirit of God can give life to our spiritually dead spirits. And Jesus says there’s a mystery to this new birth — theologians also call the new birth regeneration. But this new birth — or regeneration — always results in repentance — turning away from sinful ways and desires — so the new birth always results in repentance and faith — turning to Jesus and living for him. Faith and repentance is what we mean when we say conversion — or that a person believes in Jesus Christ — but conversion comes after the new birth. Paul explains it in another letter this way.

Remind the believers to submit to the government and its officers. They should be obedient, always ready to do what is good. 2 They must not slander anyone and must avoid quarreling. Instead, they should be gentle and show true humility to everyone. 3 Once we, too, were foolish and disobedient. We were misled and became slaves to many lusts and pleasures. Our lives were full of evil and envy, and we hated each other. 4 But — When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, 5 he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. 6 He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. 7 Because of his grace he made us right in his sight and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life. (Titus 3:1-7 NLT)

Paul says that there’s a way we used to live — prior to this new birth — and a way that we’re to live now — having been given new life by the Spirit of God. So there’s a response to the new birth — where we live in faith and repentance. But this new birth is an act done solely by God. It’s not something we participate in making happen — it’s simply God’s gracious gift to us. Conversion — we participate in — but not regeneration. And because of this gift of the new birth — we now live with confidence — with assurance. Why? Because God’s Spirit is dwelling in us which gives us confidence that we will inherit eternal life. For the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead will raise us up from the grave on the last day.

A GUARANTEED RESURRECTION (AKA BELONGING FOR ALL ETERNITY)

And this leads us to a guaranteed resurrection — a belonging that will last forever. Verse 10.

But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. (Romans 8:10-11 ESV)

Did you catch the guarantee? “If the Spirit…dwells in you” you will experience a resurrection. For that same Spirit — the Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead — is the Spirit dwelling in God’s people today. And the Spirit of God gives life to all in whom he dwells. And not just life — he gives them eternal life — a resurrection life. 

Paul’s asking the Christians in Rome, “Do you need some assurance about life after death?” — because things were hard back then. Persecution — like real life and death persecution — was a thing. Remember the guy writing this letter — prior to his faith in Jesus — he chased down Christians. He had them imprisoned. He even watched their execution. So he knows a thing or two about persecution. And he knows that the whole “life after death” was a question on their minds — maybe it’s a question on your mind as well. 

And sometimes thinking about life after death can just suck all of the assurance out of us, can’t it? “So here’s some assurance,” Paul says. “If you believe in Jesus’ resurrection then know that your resurrection is certain. It’s guaranteed. It’s gonna happen.”

And there are implications of Jesus’ resurrection that should shape how we think about our resurrection. For instance, Jesus’ resurrection was physical. Jesus wasn’t some sort of spirit or ghost after his resurrection — he had a body. He could show the disciples the scars on his body from the crucifixion. He ate fish. He ascended to heaven with his body. And when he returns — he’ll be in his body and he’s going to raise up — physically from the grave — everyone who believes in him. So — as Matthew Anderson writes, “The resurrection of the body means that to be human with God is to be with him not as disembodied souls, but as people with noses, faces, arms, and legs.” Jesus’ resurrection was physical and our guaranteed resurrection will be physical as well.

Second, Jesus’ resurrection is called the first — implying that there are more resurrections to come. Paul says this — to those same Christians in Corinth. He writes, “But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died.” Jesus’ resurrection is the first of a great harvest — meaning there’s a multitude of people who will experience a resurrection in the future. And — again — this is a guarantee. If you have faith in Christ — God’s Spirit dwells in you. And if God’s Spirit dwells in you — you will experience a resurrection. 

But — and this is one of those mysteries of our faith — sort of like the mystery of the Spirit giving us new life — the Bible describes the Christian as already being resurrected. Paul mentioned this earlier when he said that we died with Christ on the cross. And we were raised with him in his resurrection. The Christian is described as being here on earth while — simultaneously — being seated in the heavenly realms with the resurrected Christ. So we’re able to live a resurrected life — now — because God’s Spirit is in us. 

You see — the Spirit — though often neglected — often misunderstood — often ignored by Christians — the Spirit is key to living a life that honors God. And this too is following in the footsteps of Jesus. Jesus — though God — in order to meet the requirements of the law on our behalf — emptied himself of his Godness — meaning he was still God, but he didn’t use his “I’m God trump card” — but instead — he lived in his humanity empowered by the Spirit of God in order to be our perfect substitute. At his baptism, the Spirit of God descended upon Jesus in the form of a dove — anointing and empowering him to do the work that God had called him to do. 

And that same Spirit — that empowered Jesus — dwells in every Christian — empowering us to do the work God has called us to do. Thus the “presence of the indwelling Spirit is central to living the Christian life.”

CONCLUSION

Are you still trying to figure out where you belong? Do you want an assurance in knowing, “Man this is it — this is where I belong?” Well you find that assurance by belonging to God. And you belong to God through faith in Christ, which is a wonderful gift of the Spirit of God. Because the Spirit gives you a new life with new desires and a new purpose with a new identity. In Christ, the search that all of humanity is on — the search for purpose, and identity, and being known and loved — is found by belonging to God.

But this belonging is experienced by faith. For it’s by believing in Jesus Christ — believing in the gospel that declares that Jesus has done for you what you could never do for yourself — he defeated sin and death by giving his life for yours — believing in Jesus and turning from your sin is where belonging begins.

But there’s more to belonging than just believing. You have to settle down. We live in a world on the move — not so much for the past few months — but we’re all anxious aren’t we — to get back on the move. But — to really belong — you have to decide to stay. Put down some roots. Now hear me — there’s nothing sinful about moving. But often — in the name of moving up the corporate ladder or moving to a new job or moving to a new community — often our moving never allows our roots to grow deep and this is detrimental to our souls. And belonging to God means we belong to his body the church. And a lack of commitment — a lack of belonging to a church — results in a lack of assurance when it comes to our sense of belonging to God.

And know that as you choose to stay — like the Spirit of God who dwells in you has chosen to stay — know that as we stay we’re to move in and live and dwell with God and his people. And as we begin to reopen next weekend, please don’t get back into the old habit of just coming and going — sneaking in late and sneaking out early — remaining unknown — not really belonging. And — instead — choose to belong. 

Join a Life Group. Find a place to serve. Be known and know others and see what God’s doing in their life and share with them what he’s doing in yours. And watch and see and be dumbfounded by what God’s Spirit does in you — as you find assurance in knowing that you’ve finally found where you belong — because you belong to God — in life and in death — both now and forever. Let’s pray. 

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, thank you for your grace and kindness to us in giving us all a place to belong. Where the search we’re all on — to be known and loved — to have a purpose and identity — that true belonging is possible by belonging to you. For belonging to you is our only hope in life and in death. 

Jesus thank you for making our belonging possible by giving your life for ours. You came to give us what we couldn’t give ourselves — freedom from our loneliness and the search for fulfillment. Forgiveness for our sin so that we could be reconciled with God. Thank you for the hope we have because of your resurrection. 

Finally — Spirit of God — thank you for taking up residence in us. How awesome it is to think that we — through our faith in Christ and your presence in us — that we are a place where heaven and earth meet. Spirit give everyone who hears me assurance in knowing that they belong to God — both now and forever — both in this life and in death. And for anyone desiring to belong — may you give them the new life that we’ve learned about today. Resurrect their spirits so they turn to Christ in faith as they turn away from their sin. And we pray all of this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

BENEDICTION

May you go in full assurance — knowing that you’ve found where you belong — that you belong to God.

God loves you. I love you. You are sent.

SCRIPTURE:  1 John 3:11-24 (ESV)

DATE: 9-17-17

It’s good to be with all of you at Gateway Church this weekend. And if there’s one thing I want you to remember — no matter if it’s your first time with us, if you’re worshiping with us at our North Main campus, or watching this online — I want you to know that God loves you and I love you too. 

Today we’re continuing our series “What’s Happening Now” as we look at some things that aren’t changing around here at Gateway. 

We know that lots of things are changing — change is natural in a season of growth or transition — and we’re experiencing both right now — and change is inevitable, but progress is optional. So in the midst of lots of change we want to take a look at what’s… happening… now. What’s remaining the same at Gateway. What’s not changing.

We’ve seen that our commitment to the Next Generation isn’t changing. Our commitment to missions isn’t changing. Our commitment to a successful transition between pastor Ben and myself isn’t changing.

And another thing not changing here at Gateway — is our commitment to connect to one another. We’re a church that connects to one another.

ANNOUNCE THE TEXT

If you have your Bible, please turn with me to First John chapter three. We’ll be looking at verses eleven through twenty-four today. And, if you’re a guest with us, something we like to do here at Gateway is hear from you. So if you have a question during the sermon, you can text your question into the number on the screen or you can submit it on the Gateway app.

SCRIPTURE INTRODUCTION

Now while you’re finding First John chapter three, let me quickly tell you what this letter is all about. The letter is written by the apostle John — one of the twelve disciples who learned from Jesus. And John has written this letter so that “those who believe in Jesus can know they have eternal life.” 

Those are his words in First John chapter five, verse thirteen — the key verse of the letter — where John writes — “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.” (1 John 5:13 ESV)

So John’s goal is for his audience to know with certainty whether or not they have eternal life. He wants them to have confidence that they have eternal life. 

• He doesn’t want them to be guessing about their eternity,
• He doesn’t want them to be basing things on a hunch, 
• He doesn’t want them to make assumptions — John wants them to know — he wants them to be certain — that they have eternal life.

And throughout this letter, John gives us a variety of tests that help us know if we have eternal life. 

• His goal isn’t to make us doubt our faith,
• He’s not writing to make us confused,
• John wants us to know — he wants you to know — whether or not you have eternal life.  

Yet, John knows that there’ll be pretenders in the church — people pretending to be followers of Jesus when they’re not — and John’s letter may lead these pretenders to doubt, or be confused and wonder why his message is so different from what they believe. 

So this letter brings assurance, hope, and joy for the true Christian as it affirms what you believe and the life change you’ve experienced. But for pretenders — this letter contains a message that may wake you up from your false sense of security.  

And if I preach this passage well — it should be doing both of these things among us. 

Assuring true Christians that your faith is real — while challenging those who haven’t been changed by the gospel. And here’s why this is kind of change is important for all of us.

SERMON INTRODUCTION

We live in a day and age where hatred runs deep. 

• This is true for our country — as we see racists use their cars as weapons to drive into crowds. 
• It’s true around the world — as we see terrorists strike out at others. 
• And hatred is even found in many churches. 

And for those who doubt the validity of the Bible — one thing the Bible makes brutally clear is that this world is broken — things aren’t how they’re supposed to be — something’s gone terribly wrong — and one way we know this is because there’s hate in our world.

Now immediately when I mention hate, most of us think of “those people.” And usually those people are not like you — whether it’s extreme Muslims jihadists, the KKK, or the husband who beats his wife — but what you and I usually don’t do is reflect on our own hate. Areas in our lives where we aren’t loving. Areas in our hearts where we’ve justified our hateful attitudes. Particular ways in which we contribute to the hate in our world.

But for a follower of Christ — for those who believe in Jesus — the gospel promises us freedom so we no longer have to hate — we’re given freedom to love. 

We’re changed so we have no need to hate and are free even to love those who hate us. 

But even more challenging is that the Christian faith teaches that not only do Christians have the freedom to love, but we have a responsibility to love. And our motivation to love others — this change so we can be people of love — is possible because of Christ’s sacrifice.  

What John makes clear to us is this.

PROPOSITION

“Since Christ laid down His life for us, we must love one another.” We must love one another. We see this in verse eleven — and when you see a word in all caps, yellow, and underlined — no matter where you are — go ahead and say those words out loud with me — in verse eleven John writes, “For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should LOVE ONE ANOTHER.” (1 John 3:11 ESV)

Since Christ laid down His life for us, we must love one another.

Now the “message” that John refers to is the message of the gospel. That Jesus came to our world to save sinners from Satan, sin, and eternal death by living a perfect life in our place, dying the death we deserved, and by being resurrected from the grave.  

And verse eleven shows us that one of the ways you “know” you’ve believed the message — the gospel — is by your love for other people. So that’s where we’re headed today. Since Christ laid down His life for us, we must love one another. 

And in our verses we see three things. We see who we’re to love. How we’re to love. And promises to those who love. Who, how, and some promises. Let’s begin with the who. Who are we to love?

MAIN POINT 1

“We must love the brothers.” Since Christ laid down His life for us, we must love the brothers — which means fellow Christians. 

Now other passages in the Bible focus on loving all people, but we’re not in one of those passages today. And because we’re talking about connecting to one another — connecting to the people of this “one church in two locations” — we’re going to be very specific and talk about loving the people of Gateway Church. 

But please don’t think that this means we’re not to love all people — we are. I’m just not focusing on that aspect of our faith today — today our focus is on the love we’re to have for one another. 

That we are to connect to the people of Gateway Church. Look with me in verse twelve.  

“We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous. 13 Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the BROTHERS. Whoever does not love abides in death. 15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.” 

(1 John 3:12-15 ESV)

Since Christ laid down His life for us, we must love the brothers.

Now John uses some strong language to show the importance of love and the power of hate. But in these verses we see some reasons why we must love the brothers — our fellow Christians. And the first reason is this.

There’s a war going on. In verse twelve John writes, “We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were EVIL and his brother’s RIGHTEOUS.” 

(1 John 3:12 ESV)

You see there’s a war going on between evil and righteousness — between those who are enemies of God and those who are friends of God — between the children of darkness and the children of light. And this war has been going on much longer than you or I have been alive. 

We can look back through history — or with a discerning eye look at the world around us — and see the war going on. And it’s a war driven by hate.  

And this hate fueled war produces all kinds of evil things. Things like racism and abortion, the sex slave trade and pornography. This hate fueled war produces terrorism, murder, adultery, and gossip. 

This war goes back to the first pages of the Bible — where two brothers bring sacrifices to God. Abel presents his sacrifice to God in faith — Cain doesn’t. We know this because the author of Hebrews writes, “By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, 

God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks.” (Hebrews 11:4 ESV) 

Cain hated Abel because of his faith — so much — that he murdered his own brother. And Cain’s hatred continues today. Because we also see that…

The world hates Christians. We see this in verse thirteen. “Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world HATES you.” 

(1 John 3:13 ESV)

“Don’t be surprised” — the only command in our passage — the only thing John tells us to do is this — “don’t be surprised that the world hates you.” 

Now — in our verse — the word “world” means the unbelieving world — people who are opposed to God.  

So don’t be surprised when the world hates you. And this is important for us to remember because this should drive us to love our fellow Christians — to connect to one another. Why? 

Because in knowing that the world hates us — and if you’re a Christian it hates you just as it did Jesus — we should be driven to love each other more deeply and not treat each other the way the world already treats us. We should connect to one another to love one another because we all need a place of refuge from a world that hates us.

Finally, we see that…Hate is murder. 

In verse fourteen John writes, “We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. 15 Everyone who HATES his brother is a MURDERER, and you know that no murderer has ETERNAL LIFE abiding in him.” (1 John 3:14-15 ESV) 

Do you see the formula? Hate equals murder. And murder equals not having eternal life. So to hate others means you do not have eternal life. 

Now don’t misunderstand me. Not hating doesn’t save you — Christ saves you. But when Christ saves you — He saves you to a life of love not hate. In fact, hate for others is proof that you don’t love God. Because your hate is proof that you’re not spiritually alive. 

And to not be spiritually alive means you’re dead to God. You haven’t passed from death to life. You’re still under the judgment of God.

And for those who call Gateway your church — here’s how this applies to you. To really love the people in this congregation you’ve got to spend more than an hour with them on the weekend. I don’t know how — in response to Christ laying down His life for you — how you can be loving your fellow Christians in this church and connecting to them if you’re not spending quality time with them.  

And this is why we beat the drum of Life Groups. And one constant — one thing not changing — is our desire for all of you to be in a Life Group. 

Because we’ve seen that — in response to Christ laying down His life for us — we’re to love our fellow Christians. And at Gateway, our Life Groups are where we show love for one another. Our Life Groups are our refuge from a world of hate. They’re where we connect to one another.

This is true for our adults, but this is also true for our students. So college students, if you’re not in a Life Group you need to get connected to one of our college groups. And parents, you need to make sure that you bring your middle and high school students to their Life Groups on Sunday nights. This weekend they meet at our North Main campus at 6pm.

The point is this. 

If you’re not in a Life Group — it doesn’t matter if you’re an adult, a college student, or in middle or high school — get in a Life Group. Go to the What’s Next Wall at your location and sign up to join a group today.

Because Christ laid down His life for us, so we must love the brothers. 

That’s the who. Now to the how — how do we love one another?  

MAIN POINT 2 

“We must love in deed and truth.” Since Christ laid down His life for us, we love in deed and in truth. Look with me in verse sixteen.  

“By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17 But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in DEED and in TRUTH.” (1 John 3:16-18 ESV)

We love in deed and truth. So how do we do this — how do we love in deed and truth? First, we…

Love with our lives. In verse sixteen John writes, “By this we know love, that he (Jesus) laid down his LIFE for us, and we ought to lay down our LIVES for the brothers.” (1 John 3:16 ESV)

This verse tells how we love one another — we love others how Christ first loved us — He gave His life for us — so we give our lives for each other. So how do we lay down our lives? One simple way is to make time for others. Don’t over-schedule, overburden, or overload yourself so you don’t have time to connect to others. To connect to others you must have control over your time. 

Also, we…

Love with our goods. In verse seventeen we read, “But if anyone has the world’s GOODS and sees his brother in NEED, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.” (1 John 3:17-18 ESV)

So by “goods” here, John means material possessions. The “goods” are neutral, but they can be used for either love or hate.  

And the humbling thing for us to consider is that we “have the world’s goods.” We’re the wealthy people of the world. The poorest of us are doing better off than 80-90% of the rest of the world. 

So we’ve got the world’s goods in our country — in our church — in our bank accounts. And John tells us that if any of us sees a fellow Christian in need and closes our heart against them — meaning we make a decision to not respond to their need — what does John say this reveals about our heart? 

It reveals that God’s love does not abide — or live — in us. And those should be shocking words to us.

Now John isn’t teaching salvation by works — meaning to get God to love you, you’ve got to do certain things — no — John is saying that for people who’ve truly embraced the love of God — as displayed in Jesus giving His life for them — a person who’s received God’s love will use their goods to show love towards those who are in need. 

Because it’s impossible to close off your heart towards a person in need — and here we’re specifically talking about a fellow Christian in need — and legitimately claim love for God. You just can’t. Why? Because Christ’s love for us cost Him dearly and Christians respond to His love by loving others no matter the cost. 

So we must love in deed and in truth — by laying down our lives and by using our goods to help meet each other’s needs.  

You see — Christ laying down His life for us — teaches us an important truth about love. It tells us that love always starts with God. In the next chapter of this letter John writes, “In this the love of God was made manifest among us (God’s love was revealed to us in this way), that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation (the  sacrifice) for our sins.” (1 John 4:9-10 ESV).  

Christ’s love for us is greater than all other powers — including racism, hatred, addictions — and Christ’s love for us includes a great promise to those who may not be a Christian. For John tells us that even unbelievers can know God’s love through Christ’s sacrifice.  

Because you can see the selflessness. You can see the love. You can see the beauty in a man sacrificing Himself for people He loves. You can feel the hope of things like racism being defeated by the kind of love Christ displayed on the cross.  

But there’s a response to God’s love that’s required of each of us. In response to God’s love, we’re to love God and love others in deed and truth. In our actions and in our words. With our lives and with our goods. 

And obviously this kind of selfless love would change our society. The kind of love that lays down its life for the sake of others is a love that can be trusted — it’s a consistent love because the words of the person are in line with their actions. And a society full of people who love others selflessly is a society that both Christians and non-Christians long for.

But — and listen closely — for the Christian, this kind of love for others isn’t optional. 

• It’s who you are in response to Christ laying down His life for you. 
• It’s who you are in response to “for God so loved you.” 
• It’s who you are in response to being connected to Jesus Christ — you connect to others. You love others. 
• You lay down your life for the sake of others because of God’s great love for you — and them. 

And for those of you who are part of this congregation, you must ask yourself “How am I doing at laying down my life for the sake of my brothers and sisters here at Gateway? How am I loving them in deeds and truth? And how are we — as a church — demonstrating this kind of love to our fellow Christians in our community and around the world?

You see, when you and I begin to dig deep into what Christ’s love towards us means, we see that there’s only one response that proves that we “know God” and have truly “believed in Him.” 

And this changes us drastically from the unloving, self-centered, hate-filled people we were before we believed the gospel, into men and women who love in deed and in truth. Who are willing to lay down our very lives so that others may experience God’s love through us as we connect to them and to one another.

During the first part of the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge, no safety devices were used and twenty-three men fell to their deaths. Obviously something needed to change. Not only were the deaths tragic, but the men who continued working on the bridge were rightfully scared for their safety.  

So during the last half of the project, a large safety net was used, which cost a hundred thousand dollars — which was an incredible price to pay at the time — but a price that saved at least ten men who fell into the net. 

But something else happened. Once the safety net was in place, the workers accomplished twenty-five percent more work in the same amount of time. Once the men were assured of their safety, they were able to complete the job much more quickly.

If you’ve been changed by the gospel — your eternal life is guaranteed. God has said, “You’re mine forever” — so that’s your safety net. And in knowing you have that as your safety net you can now set out to accomplish what Christ has for you to do. And what are you to do? 

• Well part of what you’re to do is love your fellow Christians selflessly by laying down your life for them. 
• To connect to them outside of our worship services. 
• And to love them in deed and in truth because you have the most certain, and secure, and confidence stirring safety net that anyone could ever hope for:  Christ laid down His life for you because He loved you. And His love frees you to be a radically loving person in a world full of hate.

We’ve seen who and how we’re to love. Now to the promises. But — remember — to receive these promises…

MAIN POINT 3 

We must keep His commandments. We must keep His commandments to experience these promises. In verse nineteen John writes, “By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; 20 for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. 21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; 22 and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS and do what pleases him. 23 And this is his commandment, that we BELIEVE in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and LOVE ONE ANOTHER, just as he has commanded us. 24 Whoever KEEPS HIS COMMANDMENTS abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.” (1 John 3:19-24 ESV)

John couldn’t have been more clear about the commandments he’s talking about. First, believe in Jesus Christ — that in Christ God became man to defeat Satan, sin, and death, so that whoever believes in Him — and turns from their wickedness — will be saved. And second, we must love one another. 

Believe and love. Believe in Jesus and love one another. Believe in Jesus Christ — the one who laid down His life for you — and keep His commandment to love others.

And two things happen — these are the promises — when we keep His commandments. First…

We have confidence before God. 

In verse nineteen John writes, “By this we shall KNOW that we are of the truth and REASSURE our heart before him; 20 for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. 21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have CONFIDENCE BEFORE GOD; 22 and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.” (1 John 3:19-22 ESV)

Keeping God’s commandments let’s us know that we’re of the truth. It reassures our heart for the Day when we’ll find ourselves in the presence of the most Holy and Powerful God. 

And in the difficult days of life when our own heart condemns us — when it tells you that you’re a terrible person, unworthy of God’s love, or that you’ll never be the Christian you’re supposed to be — you’ll have confidence in knowing that God’s love is greater than your own condemnation.

And this is good news for those of us who struggle with our Christian walk. You long to be more obedient — to be a better Christian — but you just can’t seem to get it right. So you beat yourself up. You put yourself down. You let your heart condemn you all while your Heavenly Father is saying “I love you.” 

Do you hear Him saying those words to you right now? “I love you. I the Creator of the universe, the Maker of all things, the Beginning and the End, the One who breathes life…I…love…you.” Have confidence. God loves you. 

Additionally… 

Keeping God’s commandments gives us assurance of His Spirit. In verse twenty-three we read, “And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. 24 Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and GOD IN HIM. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the SPIRIT whom he has given us.” (1 John 3:23-24 ESV)

We find here an amazing promise. You can know that God lives in you and that you live in God. How? Because God’s Spirit is given to us who believe so we can keep His commandments without them being a burden, but a joy. 

And God’s Spirit in you — is His seal upon you — His promise that you are His “forever loved child.” And the assurance of God’s Spirit let’s you know — with confidence — that you have eternal life.

And one implication of this promise is that without God’s Spirit you can’t keep God’s commandment to love others. Try as you might — but without faith in Christ — you’ll never be as loving as you should. You’ll always be contributing hate to our world.  

And this means that our nation and world won’t ever get over its hate problem — we’ll never be able to experience the kind of love that brings peace and prosperity among all people without first experiencing the love of Christ. There will always be racists and child molesters, porn watchers and wife beaters, and all the others ways we show hate for others in our sickened world unless we — God’s people — show them Christ’s love.

This also means that the only way we become a church that leaves a lasting legacy for God’s glory is by loving each other as Christ first loved us. For this kind of love compels us to connect to one another. This kind of love transforms the way we treat one another. And this kind of love can change the way the world views us followers of Jesus —  if we respond to Christ’s sacrifice — by loving one another.    

CONCLUSION 

Now the most spectacular thing of all is this: Jesus not only gave us these commands — He perfectly fulfilled them. He succeeded where we’ve failed. And although we’re more like Cain than we’d ever dare to admit and are undeserving of God accepting our sin tainted sacrifices — though we are like Cain — Jesus is the perfect Abel. He was murdered by us hate-filled people on the cross. And His blood still cries out today with a message of Good News about God’s love.

For in shedding His blood, Christ secured victory for His side of the war between love and hate. He laid down His life for us, so we could lay down our lives for each other. And Jesus gave up not only the world’s goods — but all of Heaven’s goods — so that we could experience His love.  

So now we have confidence before God — because we know that our eternal reward is based on Christ’s perfect obedience. And we’ve been given God’s Spirit so that — as the world hates us — we can find a place of refuge as we connect to one another.

What an act of love for you and me — for all people. Jesus giving His life so you might believe in Him and receive eternal life. That in this world of hate — you can have confidence in knowing that you are loved.  

Since Christ laid down his life for us, we must love one another. Let’s make it our goal to connect to one another so we show this world full of hate what it means to be a people full of love. Let’s pray.

PRAYER 

Heavenly Father, I pray that today would be the day of salvation for many who are listening. That those who started today as Your enemy, would receive the gracious gift of Your love by believing in Jesus’ sacrifice for them, turning away from their self-reliance, and by placing their faith in Your hands.  

I pray that today would also be a day of great encouragement for the Christians who are prone to doubting Your love for them. They’ve evaluated Your love based on their performance instead of Christ’s sacrifice. And God they believe — but their heart has been condemning them. So I pray that they would feel no more condemnation, and instead would know Your great love for them. 

Give them the assurance that comes from knowing that Christ gave His life as proof of Your love for them.

And God for all of us, I pray that we would see that the only heart changing, affections stirring, priorities shifting appropriate response to Christ laying down His life for us, is that we would love one another. A love rooted in the gospel. A love grounded in Your love for us. A love built upon Your love for all people. For this kind of love — a love that connects us to Jesus Christ — is a love that connects us to one another.  

May we submit ourselves to trusting in the eternal safety net You’ve provided us — Your love as displayed in Christ’s sacrifice — so we love one another for Your name’s sake. Amen.

SCRIPTURE: Acts 20:1-16 (ESV)

DATE: 9-4-22

It’s a joy to be with all of you this weekend at Gateway Church. And there’s one thing I always want you to know — I want you to know that God loves you and that I love you too. 

SERIES INTRODUCTION

If you’re new to Gateway — we’ve been journeying through the book of Acts — which tells us the history of the early church. And we’ve been seeing how the early Christians came together to be the church. Last week we saw their commitment to both the Word of God and the Spirit of God — a key commitment that all churches hold to. And — today — we’re going to remind ourselves of something we’ve looked at in previous sermons together. What’s that? Some of the other key characteristics that all true Christian churches have always had. 

ANNOUNCE THE TEXT

So — if you have your Bible — please turn with me to Acts chapter 20. We’ll be looking at verses 1-16. We’re in Acts chapter 20. Beginning in verse 1. 

“After the uproar ceased, Paul sent for the disciples, and after encouraging them, he said farewell and departed for Macedonia. 2 When he had gone through those regions and had given them much encouragement, he came to Greece. 3 There he spent three months, and when a plot was made against him by the Jews as he was about to set sail for Syria, he decided to return through Macedonia. 4 Sopater the Berean, son of Pyrrhus, accompanied him; and of the Thessalonians, Aristarchus and Secundus; and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy; and the Asians, Tychicus and Trophimus. 5 These went on ahead and were waiting for us at Troas, 6 but we sailed away from Philippi after the days of Unleavened Bread, and in five days we came to them at Troas, where we stayed for seven days. 7 On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight. 8 There were many lamps in the upper room where we were gathered. 

9 And a young man named Eutychus, sitting at the window, sank into a deep sleep as Paul talked still longer. And being overcome by sleep, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead. 10 But Paul went down and bent over him, and taking him in his arms, said, “Do not be alarmed, for his life is in him.” 11 And when Paul had gone up and had broken bread and eaten, he conversed with them a long while, until daybreak, and so departed. 12 And they took the youth away alive, and were not a little comforted. 13 But going ahead to the ship, we set sail for Assos, intending to take Paul aboard there, for so he had arranged, intending himself to go by land. 14 And when he met us at Assos, we took him on board and went to Mitylene. 15 And sailing from there we came the following day opposite Chios; the next day we touched at Samos; and the day after that we went to Miletus. 16 For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so that he might not have to spend time in Asia, for he was hastening to be at Jerusalem, if possible, on the day of Pentecost.” (Acts 20:1-16 ESV)

SERMON INTRODUCTION

There are certain events in life where we expect specific experiences to happen. In fact — without these experiences — it feels like the event wasn’t authentic because it lacked those key qualities — the key markers — that make the event what we know it to be.

For example…

• You go to a baseball game, but if they’re out of hotdogs — were you really at a baseball game?
• Or can you imagine going to a Mexican restaurant and there being no chips and salsa? Chips and salsa distinguishes a Mexican restaurant from an Italian one.
• Or Thanksgiving with no turkey. Now I know some of us may be vegetarians — but for most of us it’s not Thanksgiving if there’s no turkey.
• That’s like going to a birthday party and there being no birthday cake.

In any of these situations, if a key element or an essential quality is missing — it feels inauthentic.

So what about the church? What are the key qualities — the essential characteristics — what historically have been called the marks of the church — what makes a church a true church? What distinguishes the church from other community organizations — even other Christian organizations? If you’re not a Christian you may have never even thought to ask this question — you figure all churches are the same. So how do you know if a group that calls themselves a church is actually a church?

Historically — there have been three marks of the church with a few folks advocating for a fourth. The three agreed upon are — one — the faithful preaching of God’s Word — two — the faithful administration of the sacraments — that’s the Lord’s Supper and baptism — and three — church discipline. The fourth mark — that some include — is the fellowship of the saints — saints meaning Christians. 

These markers can be used to identify whether or not a group gathered together is a true church or not. Is the faithful preaching of God’s Word present? Are communion and baptism administered? Is church discipline acted upon? Is there fellowship — a family-like bond — among the members of the church? If so, you indeed have a true church. 

Today, we’re going to look at some of these marks of the church. And — I want all of us — Christian or not — to be aware of these marks — these indicators — so that we don’t confuse personal preferences — which we all have — with what God’s Word says are the characteristics that matter most when it comes to the church we’re part of. These marks aren’t optional — these are God ordained. In fact — if you’re ever part of a church and these marks aren’t present — you should sense that something’s off. 

FELLOWSHIP OF THE SAINTS

And we’ll begin by looking at the disputed mark — the fellowship of the saints. A quality that should still be found in the church — regardless if it’s an official mark or not. We’re back in verse 1.

“After the uproar ceased, Paul sent for the disciples, and after encouraging them, he said farewell and departed for Macedonia. 2 When he had gone through those regions and had given them much encouragement, he came to Greece. 3 There he spent three months, and when a plot was made against him by the Jews as he was about to set sail for Syria, he decided to return through Macedonia. 4 Sopater the Berean, son of Pyrrhus, accompanied him; and of the Thessalonians, Aristarchus and Secundus; and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy; and the Asians, Tychicus and Trophimus. 5 These went on ahead and were waiting for us at Troas, 6 but we sailed away from Philippi after the days of Unleavened Bread, and in five days we came to them at Troas, where we stayed for seven days.” (Acts 20:1-6 ESV)

Now — what we’re reading is a description of the early church. And descriptions should not be confused with prescriptions — or commands that are to be obeyed. We’re reading Luke’s account describing what the early church was like — what they did, how they lived, what their priorities were. And there’s much for us to learn from them — while being cautious to not make commands out of things that were never meant to be more than a description of what the church can be.

But — in these opening six verses — we see a sweet fellowship among the Christians. It starts in Ephesus — the city we were in last week — where — after the riot in the city — that’s the uproar referred to in verse one — Paul calls for the Christians in the city to gather with him. And — after they’ve done so — he spends time encouraging them. And then he heads out — traveling back through areas that he’s visited before. And what does Paul do in these cities? He encourages other Christians. 

Then Luke lets us in on who’s traveling with Paul. And I want to impress upon you the evidence — in this list of names — of the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit at work. 

• There’s Sopater — a Berean Jew who had believed that Jesus was the promised Messiah. 
• There’s Aristarchus — a Greek believer who was dragged in front of the town clerk by the angry mob in Ephesus. 
• There’s Secundus — we don’t know anything about him. 
• Gaius — who most likely was Aristarchus’ “get dragged by the angry mob” buddy in Acts chapter 19. 
• Timothy — who we’ve met a few times in Acts. 
• Tychicus — who will hand deliver Paul’s letters of Ephesians and Colossians to their churches. 
• And Trophimus — a Greek believer. 

Here’s the point of reviewing all of these names. 

These guys — along with many others — were Paul’s friends and ministry partners. And they represent quite a diverse group for this time period — an uncommon kind of group. People from different cities, different backgrounds, even Jews and Gentiles working together — and not only working together — but friends, spiritual brothers, family members.

Where once there was division and hostility — due to religion, race, ethnicity, geography, and so on — now there’s fellowship and love for one another. There’s a bond that unites them together — a bond bought in blood — Christ’s blood — which has destroyed “the dividing wall of hostility” that we naturally erect between each other. Where now — because of our faith in Jesus Christ — all of the ways the world tries to divide us — and cause hostility — all of these walls of hostility have been destroyed by the blood of Christ — resulting in peace and harmony and fellowship and unity and love for one another among Christians. Where — no matter what may attempt to divide us — our common faith in Christ is stronger in bringing about unity. 

And it’s this unity — this fellowship — this love for one another — that we’re to be working towards for it is our blood bought right. We’re not to live in hostility. We’re not to live in division. We’re not to live in disunity, disharmony, dissension, and distrust. We’re to live in peace with each other. For — as Paul has written, “Now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ. 14 For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us.” (Ephesians 2:13-14 NLT)

Later writing, “Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. 2 Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. 3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. 4 For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. 5 There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all, in all, and living through all.” (Ephesians 4:1-6 NLT)

Dear Christians, do you see the unity that’s ours because of what Christ has already accomplished on our behalf? This unity — this bond — this fellowship — this sweet love for one another — is possible — if we lead a life worthy of our calling — both individually and as a church. What calling? Our calling as Christians — as members of one Christ-blood-bought family. And this unity requires all of us to practice humility. It calls for gentleness. It takes patience and intentional effort — unity does. It requires us all binding ourselves in peace with one another. For there is one body — one Church of Christ. One faith — one truth that we confess. One baptism — one sign of entrance into God’s family. Just as there is one God. 

Test yourself — right now — are you living worthy of the calling that’s yours — bought with Christ’s blood? Or is their division in your life with a fellow Christian. Hostility. Maybe you call it a grudge or something else in order to appease your conscience. This is not what you’ve been called to — you’ve been called to something so much more — something guaranteed in Christ’s blood — unity with your fellow Christians — fellowship with the family of God.

And these truths — that Paul wrote in a letter and entrusted to his friend Tychichus to deliver to the Christians in Ephesus — would be passed onto other churches. Who would preserve it so that we — today — would have these words of God as our guaranteed promise. Gateway — this promise of unity and sweet family fellowship is ours if we live worthy of our calling. 

Do you want to be loved — to be loved in a way you may fear to dream is possible because all you’ve ever experienced is betrayal? I hope you’re still open to being loved.

Do you want to be cared for? And — again — this may be hard because you’ve trusted others before and they let you down. Do you see the promise given to us? When the people of God fulfill their calling — together — we will care for each other.

Do you want to have friends? People who are humble and gentle and give grace for your faults. People who will need your humility and gentleness and you to extend them grace for their faults. 

True friendship — biblical fellowship — isn’t cheap — it’s costly — but it’s been made possible through Christ’s work on the cross.

If you’re a Christian your desire is to be loved and to love others, is to be cared for and to care for others, is to have friends and to be a friend to others — even if you have hurt and pain in your past. Why? Because the Spirit of God in you desires this fellowship for you. 

And how does this sweet fellowship become our reality as a church? By us all choosing to love each other as we’ve first been loved by Christ. By us all choosing to care for others because we’ve first been cared for by Christ. For us to be friends with others, and to be humble, and gentle, and be grace givers because Christ has first called us his friends, has been gentle towards us, and extended us grace when — in humility — he allowed himself to be hung on a cross. He did all of this so our fellowship with God — and each other — would be restored. And he’s given us the Spirit of God — who empowers us — so we can lead lives worthy of our calling as the people of God. 

To claim to be a Christian is an easy thing — but to live a life worthy of your calling as a Christian — is no easy task. It’s an impossible task, in fact. But with God all things are possible. Do you desire sweet fellowship in this lonely and isolated world? Do you feel disconnected — or hear others say they feel disconnected? If so, know that we’ve discovered the root cause. It’s because we’re not walking worthy of our calling. Fellowship happens when we — you and I — live worthy of our calling as part of this family of God. For when we all do — sweet fellowship will be an undeniable marker that we are a true church of Christ.

PREACHING AND COMMUNION

Now — let’s turn to two other marks of the church. We’re in verse 7.

“On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight. 8 There were many lamps in the upper room where we were gathered. 9 And a young man named Eutychus, sitting at the window, sank into a deep sleep as Paul talked still longer. 

And being overcome by sleep, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead. 10 But Paul went down and bent over him, and taking him in his arms, said, “Do not be alarmed, for his life is in him.” 11 And when Paul had gone up and had broken bread and eaten, he conversed with them a long while, until daybreak, and so departed. 12 And they took the youth away alive, and were not a little comforted.” (Acts 20:7-12 ESV)

Notice that Luke lets us know this gathering of the church is taking place on the first day of the week — Sunday. This is the first time we read of the church gathering together on Sunday instead of on the Sabbath — which was Saturday. Up to this point — Christians — especially Jewish converts — saw their faith as a continuation of Judaism. Instead of waiting for the Messiah to come — they worshiped Jesus — the Messiah who had come. But now — in worshiping Jesus — some changes start to take place — like a change in the day they gathered to worship. Now they gather on Sunday — the day Christ rose from the dead. 

And — in our verses — the Christians are gathered together in a home as there weren’t formal church buildings at this point in history. And they eat a meal together — they break bread is how it’s described. We’ll be breaking bread together later in our service as we celebrate the Lord’s Supper. But what we see described in Acts is a bit different than what we do today. Once again — a good time to remind ourselves of the difference between description and prescription. We’re seeing something described — not a command on how things in the church must always be done.

With that being said — let’s see what we can learn from their time of breaking bread together. Though not a prescription — is there anything we can gain from their example? Here’s what one scholar writes. “In the early church there were two closely related [meals]. There was what was called the Love Feast. To it all contributed, and it was a real meal. Often it must have been the only real meal that poor slaves got all weak. It was a meal when the Christians sat down and ate in loving fellowship and in sharing with each other. During it or at the end of it the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper was observed.”

So there was a meal that the church ate together — like the old church potluck — followed by the Lord’s Supper. The writer goes on to say, “It may well be that we have lost something of very great value when we lost the happy fellowship and togetherness of the common meal of the Christian fellowship. It marked as nothing else could the real homeliness, the real family spirit of the Church.” 

Do you see what happens when one mark of the church — fellowship — is missing even when another mark of the church — the Lord’s Supper — is present? You end up losing both. The question for us isn’t, “Should we have a potluck before we have the Lord’s Supper?” Rather the question is, “How is our practice of fellowship uniting us to one another prior to us coming together to eat the Lord’s Supper?” How intentional are you at connecting with others at Gateway rather than waiting on a church program, ministry, or worship service to provide the connection for you?

Now the Lord’s Supper isn’t the only sacrament — it’s just the one mentioned in our verses. The other sacrament is baptism. 

We’ve preached and teached on both of these sacraments before at Gateway. If you’re interested in learning more about either sacrament I’d encourage you to go to our website — gatewayepc.org — and search for “Understanding the Sacrament of Baptism” or — if you want to understand communion better — search for the sermon from March 27th of this year — on the Lord’s Supper from our series on the gospel of Mark. Both of these resources will help you understand this mark of the church — the faithful administration of the sacraments — of the Lord’s Supper and baptism.

The other mark — we find in our verses is — preaching. One of my favorite preaching books is titled “Saving Eutychus: How to Preach God’s Word and Keep People Awake” — all based on this poor fella who falls asleep during Paul’s sermon. Now — in our verses — we’re not told what Paul’s preaching on — we don’t know his topic or verses or if he used clever sermon titles — but one thing we can safely deduce is that whatever he’s preaching on wasn’t being addressed at a shallow level. The guy preaches through the night — and you thought my sermons were long — and the congregation stuck around all night with Paul — all except poor Eutychus. 

Quick reminder — Luke — our author — is a medical doctor. So when he describes Eutychus as “dead” — he means dead. Now — this is somewhat confusing because when Paul runs down the three flights of stairs to the boy — he picks Eutychus up and says, “Everybody relax. He’s not dead.” Which — like I said — is kind of confusing. Is he dead or not? Let’s take doctor Luke’s word for it — that the boy is dead — while remembering the miraculous power of God we’ve seen work through Paul to heal others. Thus — the most likely scenario is that Eutychus did die from the fall and God used Paul to resurrect the boy from the dead.

Now — I make no such claims as having the gift to raise people from the dead. So if you fall asleep during one of my sermons…

But here’s even more craziness to this church gathering we’re witnessing. After Eutychus’ death and resurrection interruption to his sermon — Paul gets right back at it! He keeps conversing with the people until the sun rises. The preaching of God’s Word — for Paul — and the hearing God’s Word — for the congregation — was this highly valued. 

According to Pew Research, more than 80% of church goers say the quality of the preaching affects their decision in choosing which church they attend. “No pressure, Josh!” And — yet — there’s often confusion regarding what preaching actually is. What would you say preaching is? If the faithful preaching of God’s Word is a mark of the church how do you know if you’ve heard faithful preaching?

One person has defined preaching as “the manifestation of the Incarnate Word (that’s Jesus) from the written Word (the Bible) through the spoken word (that’s preaching).” What does that mean? It means that when the Bible is faithfully preached — you’re given a taste of Jesus. One way to know if you’ve heard a faithful sermon is to ask: Did it give me a taste of Jesus?

Centuries ago — it was common to hear phrases like, “When a minister faithfully preaches the Word of God, Christ is pleased to speak through him by the Holy Spirit.” Where — to hear God’s Word faithfully preached was to hear a word from Jesus himself — there’s the taste of Jesus we’re talking about. Afterall — preaching is a gift of the Spirit of God — as we learned last week. So preaching is more than one person — me — sharing my thoughts and opinions about the Bible and how it applies to life — to you — or at least preaching should be more than that. Preaching is a gift from the Holy Spirit to the people of God where Jesus uses the written Word to speak to his people through the one preaching. And we just don’t tend to think of preaching this way anymore. 

We think of it as hearing some (hopefully) wise advice from the preacher. Or think it’s a good sermon when we learn something new from the Bible guy. Or get some help with parenting or money or a relationship that’s stuck. But do we come expecting to hear from Jesus — for that’s ultimately what happens when God’s Word is faithfully preached — we get a taste of Christ. 

All that to say, preaching is significantly more than information transfer. Preaching involves way more than just our minds. It involves our whole being — mind, soul, spirit, body, and will.

Of preaching — it’s been said, “I can forgive a man for a bad sermon, I can forgive the preacher almost anything if he gives me a sense of God, if he gives me something for my soul, if he gives me the sense that, though he is inadequate himself, he is handling something which is very great and very glorious, if he gives me some dim glimpse of the majesty and the glory of God, the love of Christ my Savior, and the magnificence of the gospel. If he does that I am his debtor, and I am profoundly grateful to him.” This is what faithful preaching is — it gives you a sweet taste of your Savior.

As one pastor has said, “If I only had one more sermon to preach before I died, it would be about my Lord Jesus Christ. And I think that when we get to the end of our ministry, one of our regrets will be that we did not preach more of him. I am sure no minister will ever repent of having preached [Jesus] too much.” 

Let me take this quote and spin it in your direction as the hearers of preaching. If you knew you were hearing your last sermon — today — what would you want the focus of it to be? Jesus Christ or something else? If you knew this was the last sermon you’d ever hear preached, how attentive would you be?

Which leads us to ask: If the faithful preaching of God’s Word is a word from Jesus to us — a word giving us a taste of him — how then should we respond to the preached Word?

First, we should respond expectantly. We gather together to hear from God about his Son and our Savior — and this should excite the people of God. Throughout the week, be praying for me — and the others who preach — to be faithful in our preparation. To take seriously our call to proclaim God’s Word to you. To point you to Christ each week. Come with expectant hearts, minds, and souls — expectant to hear a word from God. 

Second, we should come hungry. As Jesus said, “Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4 NET) 

God’s Word is our food — our spiritual nourishment — what sustains us in this spiritually dry and barren land. And we should come hungry to be fed the Word of God — hungry to feast on Christ. Not because we’ve starved ourselves of the Word between Sundays but because we can’t get enough of God’s Word in us.

Third, we should come with attentiveness. Do you come prepared to focus as the sermon is preached? Before you arrive on Sunday, as the sermon is about to begin, even during the sermon — pray, “God, I’m listening, speak to me. Spirit, help me to stay attentive to your word — for I’m hearing from you right now.” 

And — finally — respond faithfully. 

If what you’ve heard is the very word of God — you’re then obligated to respond in faith and obedience. And — better than being obligated — Christ has set you free from your bondage to sin so that you can respond faithfully to his Word! The prayer here is “Lord, you have spoken — help me to respond in joyful obedience.” 

Now — hear me — because I know that this way of viewing the preached Word of God may be new — as I said last week — one of our tendencies is to make supernatural gifts — like preaching — into something we view as purely natural. So — know that the guardrail in place — for the preaching of God’s Word to be received as a word from Christ himself — is the written Word of God. 

The reason why I keep pointing us back to Scripture again and again in my sermons is because I want you to see that what I’m preaching comes from God’s Word. 

The reason why — if you’ve noticed lately — we’re reading a lot of Scripture in our services — is because the best part of our time together isn’t the songs we sing. Isn’t the prayers we pray. Isn’t the announcements we give. Nor the coffee or the hanging out that happens between services. And it isn’t what you hear Josh say in the sermon. The best part of our time together is the reading and hearing of God’s Word. 

What should make all of our hearts sing with gladness and find encouragement — what should cause us to repent and be joyful and find comfort — is God’s Word. The best part of any sermon you’ve ever heard — no matter how good or bad you thought the preacher was — is God’s Word. And the best part of our time together is hearing from God through his Word. This is why our time together is — and always will be — saturated by God’s Word. For it’s through God’s Word that we get a sweet taste of our Savior. 

CONCLUSION

And our verses end with Paul traveling — once again — continuing on his missionary journey to spread the gospel. We’ll continue with him next week — looking at a final mark of the church. Let’s pray together. 

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, thank you for your Word to us. Thank you for being a speaking God — a God who is not silent. Holy Spirit, give us ears to hear, eyes to see, hearts that are alive, and wills that desire to obey. And — Jesus — how sweet it is to feast on you — to hear from you — to know that you are always with us. 

Father, Son, and Spirit — may you help us to walk in the freedom that you’ve made possible — the opportunity to be your true church. To demonstrate love, care, and friendship with one another through fellowship. To remember, celebrate, and receive the grace you offer to us through communion and baptism. And to hear from you as your Word is faithfully preached. May it be evident to all that we are your people — that we are your church. It’s in Jesus’ name that we pray. Amen. 

BENEDICTION

May you go having tasted Jesus — having heard from him through his Word. Amen.

God loves you. I love you. You are sent.