Membership Means Life!

We're here once more to look into God's Word. This is the time when God speaks to us, and so let's ask Him to guide our thinking as we take some time to hear Him speak to us in His Word. Let's pray. Our God and our Father, we only call You Father because of what Jesus has done. We have no claim on You as our Father except that you have adopted us through Christ into your family.

We have no claim on you as Father except that your Spirit has given us new birth. We're here today, Father, because you gather your people together in local assemblies. You call them, like Brian, and bring them in and cause them to become part of a body. And, Lord, it is glorious in our eyes, and we thank you for such great mercy. Would you please now help us to understand more about what you accomplish in your church?

And we'll thank you in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, let's ask the question again. Does God require you to become a member of a local church? well you already know what answer i'm going to give don't you it's yes god does require you to become a member of a local church but that's that's not good enough for me to say it what does the word of god say well we saw last week that the church is more than a club it's more than a service organization it's more than a voluntary association In fact, as we looked at the scriptures last week, we discovered that Jesus has gone so far as to give the local church the authority to declare who is and who is not a representative of Jesus in this world.

Rather than a club or an association, the local church is more like an embassy of the kingdom of God. with the authority to give you the credentials of membership, the credentials of citizenship in that kingdom. We saw last week as we looked in the Scriptures that the local church has heaven authority for declaring who on earth is a kingdom citizen and who therefore represents the king so yes God does require you to become a member of the local church because it is the church that declares heaven's verdict that you are a citizen it does it through baptism and the Lord's table but is that all there is to membership is it just submission and credentials is the church only an embassy that authorizes my citizenship in Christ's kingdom? Absolutely not.

The Bible surely makes it clear that the church is God's authorizing agent in the world today. But in pictures and metaphors, it describes membership in the local church as a marvelous, abundant life. God calls you to embrace authority and life in church membership. let's say tomorrow's your big day right you're going to get married and your friend Chris comes over and says wow tomorrow you're going to be a married man tomorrow you step into a whole new way of life and you respond indeed tomorrow I begin a new life I'll be obligated to one woman for my entire life.

Now, is that a true statement? Yes, that is a true statement. But if that's all that it was, most of us would still be single. Right? It was just all about obligation, just all about that. Then we would still be single.

But marriage is much more than that. The marriage covenant is more than just a covenant obligation. It means living together. It means making a home together. It means engaging in marital intimacy. It means having children.

It means having the support of someone who actually loves you. It means sharing confidences. It means growing deeper and deeper and deeper in love. That's what marriage is too. Marriage is an obligation for sure, but it's much more than that. It's much more than that.

And so it is with church membership. It about a whole new life that is deep and rich and full a life that you can experience unless you part of a local church It about intimacy it about identity dependence promise preparation fellowship Is it about submission and authority? Yes, but it's also about life. So if you're going to understand church membership, you have to embrace both authority and life.

You see? You see, the marital covenant, for example, is like a skeleton. It holds everything together. Imagine what you'd look like without a skeleton. It's just almost too awful to even contemplate, isn't it? Just a lump of flesh kind of moving around the ground.

You know, you need the skeleton. The marriage covenant is like a hard surface goblet that holds the wine of marital activity in place. Get rid of the goblet and you lose everything. Well, the same thing is true of church membership. It is authority and life. But you can't have one without the other.

Without the authority, you can't experience the life that God has for you in the local church. lose the authority and you can't enjoy the life of membership so when we think of the church the local church think of it this way the church is an institution with authority but it's also an organism full of life you see that's how we need to be thinking last week we talked about authority and yeah we talked about it pretty heavily did we and i'm i'm sure i rattled some cages last week. I think what I said last week comes from the scriptures and it's true, but that's not all there is to it. We've lost the aspect of authority in our culture today, but I think we've also lost the understanding of church membership as a full, good, abundant, new kind of life.

So church membership is not so much about joining as it is about embracing a new abundant life. Well, let's talk about that this morning then. We need to embrace the life found in the local church. Turn to Matthew 12 for a moment. We're going to look at a number of different passages, of course, as we put together if you will a theology of church membership Matthew chapter 12 verse 46 While he was still speaking to the people, behold, his mother and his brother stood outside asking to speak to him. by the way um in the gospel of mark this incident is also recorded and they'd come to talk to him because they thought he was mad they thought he'd gone crazy and so they're kind of coming to collect jesus and take him home you know the poor madman it's interesting isn't it let's start again while he was still speaking to the people behold his mother and his brother stood outside asking to speak to him but he replied to the man who told him who is my mother and who are my brothers?

And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother. You see, this passage just, I remember several years ago as we were going through the book of Matthew, just like it was like a thunderstorm in my life where Jesus is actually saying, hey, we're family.

We're family. right? We are family. And in Matthew chapter 6, in the Lord's prayer, the Lord taught us to pray our Father in heaven. Now, we may not think much about that, except for the fact that he uses, in that phrase, our Father, he uses the word Abba, which is the term of endearment. Not a formal entreaty, but I want you to pray this way, that in a way that says, God is my dad, if you will.

God is my Father. Look over at Romans chapter 8 for a moment. Romans chapter 8, beginning in verse 14. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. Now in the context here, being led by the Spirit of God means you're putting to death sin in your life. That's being led by the Spirit.

So if that's what's happening, if you're being not conquering it, but you're struggling and fighting against it, for all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry. Abba, Father. The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.

And if children, then heirs. Heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him. What does this say? We have the spirit of adoption. We are the children. We are the sons of God.

We have the right to call Abba, Father. The Spirit witnesses with our spirit that we're children of God. And because of all these patterns, we could go to many more. In fact, I tried an experiment. And it's this. Take your Bible and open it anywhere in the New Testament and drop your finger.

And somewhere on that page or on those two pages, you're going to find the word brother. Somewhere. It's the most common phrase used of Christians in the New Testament. Brother or sister. All right? Now, why is that? because as the church, we are family.

As the church, we are family. So in this gathering of believers called the local church, we experience intimacy with one another as family members. Jesus died breaking the tyranny of sin and self and then gave us the indwelling spirit that witnesses to us that we are the children of God. And because of that, we treat one another as brothers and sisters in Christ, as mothers and fathers, as Jesus himself said.

We feel towards one another like we're family. We don't just have our names, you know, the same name as we're on a certificate. We actually feel towards one another. When you face heartache, the rest of us feel it as well. Because of what Jesus did, I see some of you as my sons and daughters. I see some of you as my sons.

You young folks, I see a lot of you as like my sons and daughters. You're very close to me. When you hurt, I hurt. Some of you are like my own father and mother, and I have a level of respect for you that approaches the same respect I had for my own mother and father. And some of you are like sisters and brothers to me. And I have a sense of joy when you experience good things because we're family.

We belong to one another as a family. and as a family we have a shared identity. Right We have the same family name We all belong to God through Jesus So we belong to the same family God family We all have the same last name Christian Right That's our name. That's our family name. I remember some years ago getting a report from a guy, from an employer in this town who had employed one of the guys from our church and had said to me that he was one of the best workers he ever had.

And I remember kind of thinking, yes! Now why? Because he's one of the family, man. He's doing well with the family name. And that reflects well on this family. There was rejoicing in my heart and pride.

Sorry, guys, we went through this last year, didn't we? Men of faith was a grueling experience in defining pride last year. But just thankfulness, right? Is that it? That that was the case. And you can only experience that in any meaningful way as a member of a local church.

Oh, you know, I sense an intimacy with my Romanian brothers and sisters when I'm there. There's something I feel towards them that I don't feel towards anyone else. and yet it's not quite the same as what I feel towards you. Certainly, we're our brothers and sisters in Christ, no matter where we are in the world, no matter who we are with anyone else, but you don't have that same sense of intimacy as you do with the people that you live with, right?

We live here together as a family, and so you experience that intimacy and that identity that comes with it. So membership is not so much about joining as being adopted into a family. You see? As the church, we are a body. Here's another metaphor the New Testament uses for the church and members in it. We are a body.

Turn over to 1 Corinthians 12. 1 Corinthians 12. I'll start reading in verse 12. Christ, for in one spirit we are all baptized into one body. Jews or Greeks, slaves or free, and all were made to drink of one spirit. For the body does not consist of one member, but of many.

If the foot should say, because I'm not a hand, I don't belong to the body, that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, because I am not an eye, I don't belong to the body, that would not make it any less part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? if the whole body was an ear where would be the sense of smell but as it is God arranged the members in the body each one of them as he chose if all were a single member where would the body be as it is there are many parts yet one body you see what he's driving at don't you it's great he's isn't this a great illustration for us the eye cannot say to the hand I have no need of you nor again the head to the feet I have no need of you on the contrary the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable.

And on those parts of the body that we think less honorable, we bestow the greater honor. And our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, given greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another.

If one member suffers, all suffer together. If one member is honored, all rejoice together. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church first apostles and second prophets, third teachers, then miracles and gifts of healing, helping and ministering in various kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? The answer is no.

Are all prophets? No. Are all teachers? No. Do all work miracles? No. do all possess gifts of healing?

Uh-uh. Do all speak with tongues? Nope. Do all interpret? Nope. But earnestly desire the higher gifts, and I will show you still more excellent way.

Now, what do we see here? Jesus left behind a body to carry on his work, and every local congregation is that body. Let me say that again. Every local congregation is that body. God uses people to build his kingdom but not people alone people in a body people with differing roles who depend on one another He displays Jesus and builds his kingdom through a body But we have to understand that.

He displays Jesus to the world and builds his kingdom through a body, not through some particular people who have the gift of teaching and speaking. but the whole body is involved in that ministry i think about the counseling class that we're teaching right now we've met once at the end of this month we'll meet again we're going to meet three times all right there's a bunch of people coming from richwood and marysville that are in this class we have 40 people in this class now i started thinking about this there were some folks particularly Sharon with some help who worked real hard at putting together a nice notebook that had you know should I put a table of contents in it how should I put the lectures how do we arrange this how do we format the lectures putting all that together so the students each would have a notebook they walk in they grab a notebook they don't think anything of it but some people have worked real hard to give them a notebook that really can help them learn and then there were folks who labored at cleaning the church before all those people arrived and then there were other people who set up in the back and set it up in such a way and thought about it in such a way that that everybody could see the the the powerpoint and everybody could be comfortable and learn in a nice environment and still others prepared food and then served it in a way that was inviting and efficient in fact so that the students could sit down and eat not think about bringing their own food and everything and they could sit there and discuss the biblical truth they just learned and then the mouth showed up to speak for a few hours okay now i'm telling you i can't even begin to think of what would have happened if all that depended on me it wouldn't have happened i'll tell you that right now all right and if it would have happened there'd be no sermons any other for for several weeks because that takes a lot of work and it takes a whole bunch of people with different gifts working together the mouth shows up and gets a lot of the credit but that's not right that's not right the whole body moved together i'm telling you This is something that the Lord has really taught me in my years of ministry here. I was afraid of this concept. I thought, you've got to have your hands on everything, or you don't know what's going to happen.

Is it the Holy Spirit's going to let his church go nutty, you know? As if I had better insight than the Holy Spirit. But boy, I tell you what, I found something fast. And that is, if it's up to me, it gets bottled up and nothing happens. You know what? I am a one-string banjo.

Maybe two, I don't know. I don't have enough pride to think I'm a two-string banjo. My wife says one. Okay? So, just got that signal. I am a one-string banjo.

And if it depends on me, things get bottled up and they don't happen. And I've learned that quickly. And I thought, the Lord taught me, let people do what they can do. And I think we're seeing a lot of good fruit from that. Because the body, with all these different people working together, accomplishes great things. And you can experience that only in a local body.

You say, but pastor, in verse 12 or verse 13, he's not talking local. He's talking universal. For in one spirit, we were all baptized into one body. All were made to drink of one spirit. That's true. But listen, the whole body is represented here.

LaRue Baptist Church is not just the ankle for the universal body. Okay? Every part of the body is here. And so this is the body of Jesus in this place to accomplish what Jesus wants accomplished. So membership is not so much about joining as it is about finding your place of service. You see?

As the church, we are the temple. We could go to many places, but let's turn to 1 Peter chapter 2. 1 Peter chapter 2, beginning in verse 4. as you come to him that is to jesus a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of god chosen and precious you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ all right we are being built up as a spiritual house now if I wanted to extend the sermon for another two hours we could take apart every single one of these phrases because we are all these things in this and in verse nine let's just stick with this one.

We are the temple of God. We are like living stones being connected to one another, being built up into a spiritual house where God is. In the Old Testament, the temple was where God made his presence known, where God's people would come to commune and to communicate with him. And it's the place where God would display his glory so that the nations would know he was God.

In fact, turn back to first kings this is my this is my own personal reading as i'm reading the bible for myself i i started noticing this theme at um in first kings and it's the theme of the old testament first kings chapter 8 this is solomon's prayer of dedication first kings chapter 8 verses 41 through 43 likewise now he's he's praying this in the dedication likewise when a foreigner who is not of your people israel comes from a far country for your name's sake for they shall hear of your great name and your mighty hand and of your outstretched arm when he comes and prays toward this house here in heaven your dwelling place and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to you in order that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you as do your people of israel people israel and that they may know that this house that I have built is called by your name. You see what he's saying there? The temple was the place where if a foreigner come, he would see the glory of the true God there, and God would make manifest his reality to the pagan nations around them.

Now that happens here, not this building. But you and I are stones being built into the temple where we offer our spiritual sacrifices and where God displays his glory. You know, if we would meet at my house or in the woods behind Levi's house or at Andy Green's pool or anywhere else that where the temple would be We need to not think of this building as temple of God We need to eliminate from our vocabulary and from our prayers we are meeting here in the house of God No, we are not.

This building is not the house of God. You are the house of God. You together are the dwelling place of God. Now, if that's the case, think of this. Do you hear people around you saying things like, God seems so distant, and I'm not sure if He exists, you know what I say to you? Invite them to where God's people are gathered.

Where they will see God. You are the temple of God. And He displays His glory in us as we gather. And He displays His glory in the love and fellowship we have for one another. As we sing praises to our Father who has saved us through His Son, Jesus. and as we cheerfully give to the one who gave himself for us, and as the crucified Lord is displayed in all his glory in the preaching of the word and the Lord's table, presence of God will be evident.

People say, where is God? Bring him here. He's here. When we get together, there's God. And I say again, you can only experience that in a local church where you're a part. How do people see God's glory in the universal church?

The universal church to most people and to us really is an abstraction. Now, it will happen one day on a universal scale where we will all, the redeemed of all the ages, will be around the throne of the Lamb of God singing the hymns to him. And the universal church will at that moment display the glory of God. But until then, we express that future glory here and anywhere that we meet and gather.

So membership is not so much about joining as it is about building. That is, being joined to others as God builds you into His temple. You see it not so much about joining it about building Now there all kinds of metaphors but I going to look at one more We only going to look at four today As the church, we are the bride of Jesus. Ephesians chapter 5.

Ephesians chapter 5, very familiar verse. Verse 25, husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way, husbands should love their wives as their own bodies.

He who loves his wife loves himself, for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. Therefore a man shall cleave to his father, shall leave his father and mother, and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This mystery is profound, and I'm saying that it refers to Christ and the church.

However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband. As the church, we are the bride. That is to say, we are the supreme object of Christ's love. I want you to let that sink in. We are the supreme object of Christ's love. Now we rightly think of Jesus as Lord and King and that we must give our whole heart to Him in obedience.

And we can get so tuned into that picture of His Lordship and His rule that that becomes the only picture of Jesus that we have. But can I say to you this morning that Jesus has given His complete allegiance to His church and His complete love. Not only does He command and demand our complete allegiance and love, but He does it on the basis that He has given us His complete love and His allegiance is only to us.

Wow. Wow. He loves his betrothed. You know how much he loves this body? It says in this text that he loves her this way. He wants her to be spotless and blameless and glorious on the day of the wedding.

Now ladies, do you remember the day you got married? Right? You spent all your waking hours on the day you got married looking good. I mean, like you've never done it before or since like that. Right? And all the bridesmaids are flittering around trying to get you to look just right.

And this goes on for hours. Okay? Why do you do that? Because here's what you want to happen. You want, when you come through those doors, that that guy who's standing up here waiting you is just going to go, yeah right is that what it's all about you know that's right all right now by the way there's nothing wrong with that I mean we don mind doing that either us guys that is but here the thing I want you to see see you want to look so beautiful on that day And Jesus wants that for us And so He's working now, preparing us for the day of the wedding so that we will, His bride, will be glorious and beautiful on that day.

Now look how He's doing it. This is key now. Do you know how He's doing that? he's doing that by the washing of water with the word he's doing that by the ministry of the gospel in our lives that's how he's preparing us to be beautiful on that day and let me say it again you can only experience that in the local church you say but pastor tim this is not just about the local church this is about the whole church and i would say yes you're right that is true but please note how does he prepare us for that day through the ministry of the word of god and i say to you where does that happen it happens here in this place when we gather as a local church and it can only happen there It can only happen there.

So membership is not so much about joining as it is about preparing, you see? Preparing for a future day. You've joined up, if you will, for the purpose of getting ready. You can only do that here in a local body. Get ready for that day. So, membership means authority.

But membership also means life. As we've welcomed the Cousins and the Harpers into our body last week, and as we welcomed Brian this morning, we welcome them into a congregation that, yes, does expect submission, but also offers a new kind of life. You see? Offers a new and better way of living. A new way of approaching life. You see?

This is the Lord's doing. Let's rejoice in it. Father, thank You for Your Word. We thank You that You have taken the disciples of Jesus and have gathered them together into these communities where the Gospel rules and where they can become what You want them to be. You've gathered us together as family, as a body, as a temple. Father, Father, as Your bride, God, our prayer is that in this place, as your people, we would accomplish those things.

Give us your grace to do it. This is what you intend for us. Help us to become what we are. Thank you for your marvelous grace in Jesus. Thank you for bringing to us the people who are in need. that you thought was necessary for us to be a well-functioning body. Father, we thank you for your goodness and your grace to us in Jesus in gathering us together in these ways.

Help us now to experience what you have for us. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.