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Sermons

November 11, 2018

The Blood-Bought Family of Christ: Meaningful Membership

Dave Zuleger (South Campus) | Acts 4:31-35

And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.

Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.—Acts 4:31–35

Introduction: Bought by Blood, Baptized Into the Body

As we enter into this new season of life together in this new building, I want to spend these next two weeks looking at the idea of church. This week, we’ll look at the call of blood-bought family. And next week we’ll look at the call of blood-bought leaders. Today, let me start with two foundational pillars that speak to the priority of the church of Christ.

First, the church was purchased by the blood of Jesus:

Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.—Acts 20:28

If Jesus loves the church so much that he obtained it, he purchased it with his own blood, if Jesus gave his life for the sake of the church, certainly, we ought to be willing to prioritize our lives for the sake of the church. 

And second, we were baptized into the church by the Holy Spirit and need each other:

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body.—1 Corinthians 12:12–13

We are members of the body of Christ, because we are purchased by his blood and were baptized into it by the Spirit. And if your read on in 1 Corinthians 12, you see that each member has different gifts and that there is no part of the body that is less important than the other. We can’t say, “I need my hands, but I don’t need my eyes.” 

The Bible paints this picture of believers gathered in certain places and led by elders. And in these local places the elders are called to keep watch on the souls and the believers are called to love one another as they walk through life together. This is what we call a local church. And at Bethlehem, the way we know whose souls we are accountable for as elders and the way you know who you are called to love and serve is by membership.

We sign a covenant together that says, “I’m in. I want to follow Jesus and I want to do it in this family. I want these elders to watch over my soul. I want to use my gifts and generosity in this blood-bought family.” Now, this doesn’t mean you don’t love other Christian—or non-Christians, for that matter. It just means we have a particular joyful burden to love the brothers and sisters we covenant with here. It gives definition and purpose and clarity to our lives and our mission together.

Why talk about this? Because in our individualized culture, in our culture of packed schedules, in our culture of keeping track of one another on Facebook instead of face to face, we may be missing some of the ways that Christ means for our flourishing in the church and his glory.

Comfort One Another in the Comfort of Christ (2 Corinthians 1:3–7)

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we are comforted by God. For, as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.

Paul is writing to the Corinthians and starts with praise to God for being a “Father of mercies” and “God of all comfort.” Now, if you read down to verses 8–11 you’d find out that Paul is praising God this way after coming through a time of extreme suffering.

So, Paul is not calling God a God of all comforts and Father of mercies from a place of ease. He’s saying that in his worst moments, in moments when he “despaired of life itself,” the Father of mercies poured out enough mercy to meet him in his need. The idea of comfort here is the idea of intervention on behalf of one who can’t do it by himself—to help him, to strengthen him, and to walk with him through the hard stuff. And here, Paul says that one of the reasons God comforts us in our affliction is so that we “may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction” with that same comfort.

Now, so often we spend so much time trying to cover up what is hard in life. We don’t want people to know our struggles. We want to look like we have it all together. But, that has three horrible, unintended consequences. First, it robs God of the glory he should get when others see how he has entered into our mess and comforted us and upheld us. Second, it robs you of the opportunity to receive comfort from the body of Christ because no one knows. Third, it robs others of the opportunity to be comforted through your comfort in Christ. 

You see, one of the main ways God comforts his people is through his people. As we admit our weaknesses and receive comfort from God, we can receive comfort from others who have walked through similar things and we can provide comfort to others struggling in life.

You see, we can see struggles and sufferings as subtraction, like they are taking away from our life or value. But, here, Paul says we should see them as multiplication. As we suffer, God comforts us, he multiplies our dependence on him, and then multiplies our ministry as we pass on that comfort to others, and then they pass that comfort on to others.

If God has met you and sustained you in despair, shame, brokenness, sadness, fear, or suffering, then you have experience that is valuable to bring to the table. It’s like someone that has suffered an injury and knows what it takes for recovery—that person is able to come alongside others with that same injury and walk with them on the journey.

The body of Christ is meant to bind up the wounds of the body. You see, the comfort we receive from the body of Christ isn’t just pointing to the comfort of Christ, it is the comfort of Christ, because we are really his body! And as the struggles come to the light, the body goes to the Lord in prayer, and as he answers with sustaining grace for those struggling, he gets the glory!

The body of Christ is meant to rally around the hurting members of the body and point each other to Jesus in the hard times. So let me encourage you if you’re struggling to reach out for help. Let me encourage you if you’re suffering, that God is multiplying your ministry for others. And let me encourage you to lean into the body here to receive and to share the comfort of Christ.

(See Janet Hutton’s testimony.) 

Correct One Another in the Truth of Christ (Ephesians 4:15–16) 

In chapters 1–3 of Ephesians, Paul has spoken of the great salvation that we have in Christ. We are chosen, predestined, adopted, lavished with the grace of Christ, and sealed by the Spirit. We are saved by grace. Chapter 4 goes on to talk of the unity we have in Christ and the maturity we are supposed to seek in Christ as we walk worthy of the gospel. Paul speaks of the dangers of being tossed around and led astray by false and foolish things. So, how do we as a blood-bought family grow in our maturity and keep ourselves from being tossed around?

Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ. From whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.—Ephesians 4:15–16

So, how do we do this practically? Well, first, you can love your blood-bought family by being someone that knows the truth. Meet with the Truth himself every day in his word. Pray for grace to see things clearly. Be a person who knows and loves the truth.

Then, be a person willing to speak the truth in love. You have to know you’re secure in Jesus to do this because speaking the truth can be hard. Sometimes we are a people that fear speaking the truth to others because it will be hard to say, and then we are not really loving them. Sometimes we are a people that fear hearing the truth, because it will hurt. Sometimes we are a people that eagerly speak the truth, but without any real love for the other person. We just say it and don’t think about how to say it and when to say it so that will land on them with the most grace and help them live for the glory of God.

But, if we want to be a blood-bought family that is “building itself up in love” and growing toward maturity in Christ, and not tossed around, we need to speak the truth in love to each other. This doesn’t just happen during Sunday morning sermons. It’s to one another—often. 

Sometimes, this will mean speaking words of the love of Christ to someone downcast in their sin. Sometimes, this will mean speaking words of the hope of Christ to someone depressed in their struggle. Sometimes, this means speaking words of the holiness of Christ to someone who is casual about their sin.

Sin and Satan will seek to harden and weaken Christians.

But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called today, that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.—Hebrews 3:13

Speaking the truth of the love, hope, holiness, and wisdom of Christ to one another will soften and strengthen Christians.

This should happen often. My wife is regularly speaking words of correction into my life. Correction of encouragement and of exhortation. She’s pointing me to Jesus, showing me where I’ve lost sight of him, and getting me back on the road of freedom to following him. I have others that speak this truth into my life as well. And it hurts sometimes, but I know they love me and more than that, they love the glory of Christ and want to see me walk in freedom toward him and for his glory.

It is much better to realize you made a wrong turn early in the mistake, rather than end up lost out in the middle of nowhere when your GPS doesn’t even work anymore. In the same way, we keep each other safe and secure in Christ when we point each other to Jesus early and often by speaking the truth in love. Because we have been saved by grace and there is nothing ultimately up for grabs and our identities are secure, we can speak truth gently into each others lives in loving ways and receive it as love so that we walk in a manner worthy of the gospel together. Find some of these relationships in this blood-bought family!

Compel One Another in the Love of Christ (Hebrews 10:24–25) 

Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 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 author of Hebrews has just finished speaking of Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice. He’s spoken of the complete forgiveness we have in Christ and therefore the complete confidence we have to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus.

Therefore, we live as a forgiven people between the sacrifice of Christ for our sins and the Day when he returns. And as the blood-bought family of God the author calls us to compel one another toward love and good works “all the more” as we see that Day of his return drawing near. In other words, as those who are redeemed, we are meant to redeem the time we have by compelling one another to more love and more good works that will bring more glory to God.

The author of Hebrews says we ought to “consider one another.” That’s the literal translation, “consider one another.” How much time do you take during your days and weeks thinking about other believers in this family? Praying for them?

We are to know and think about other believers so much that we actually begin to have ideas of how to “stir them up” to love and good works. Do you do this? With your spouse? With your kids? With your believing friends? Know them. Consider them. Think about them. And then ask yourself how you could particularly and specifically compel them to love and good works? Are there gifts that you could call out that you see? Are there ways you could encourage them to love more sacrificially? Is there a ministry you think that they’d be good at? Is there something you could partner with them in and do together? How could you encourage them to use their time, talent, and treasure for the glory of Christ?

We need each other in order to be stirred up to love and good works for the glory of Christ and to remember to keep leaning into the church of Christ as the Day draws near.

(See Jonathan Schroeder’s testimony.)

Application: One Heart, One Soul, One Mission 

Now, listen, I know this is scary and intimidating in some ways. It takes transparency. It takes accountability. It takes humility. It takes courage. It takes time. So, let me remind you that the church has been purchased by the blood of Christ, which means it is precious to him and worth your time, and it means you’ve been purchased by that same blood and can therefore rest in him. And as you rest in him and know you are loved and nothing is up for grabs, you can lean in for mutual comfort, correction, and compelling that glorifies the Savior you love.

This is what the body is for. We are baptized into one body of Christ by the Spirit because we need each other to keep our eyes focused on Jesus and keep our lives focused for Jesus.

This mutual comfort, correction, and compelling will only happen as we spend time together and pray together (vision of what could be).

And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.

Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.—Acts 4:31–35

There are physical, spiritual, and emotional needs in this room that need meeting. And this body is called to lean in to meet those needs and be of one heart and one soul for the one mission of testifying to the reality of King Jesus until the day we see him.