The Sermon Matthew 22:36-40 by David McGee
Apr 25, 2010
Matthew 22:36-40 (38:35)
Referenced Scriptures: Matthew 22:36-40
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We are the church.
Song: You Are So Beautiful - Written by Jesse Rowell
Copyright 2001 Mercy/Vineyard Publishing
CCLI # 1783296
The scriptures below are from the WEB Bible.
Matthew 22:36-40
36) "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?"
37) Jesus said to him, "‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.‘
38) This is the first and great commandment.
39) A second likewise is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.‘
40) The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments."
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Him him him and him and Jean use. And I have known and I sing in a way now and June. I have# fifteen you have to add him as he is singing in my room. I am in a you and will and sightseeing in a bad in and will and being in this man had no knees. He is him, I mean a man will know and then on, I say, and I am not alone. I he is the# mean you no offense, and that the Nicene and when I gave is in and pain being in being a bad and new you and pain. Seeing that I and will stand behind me. I had a new and nineteen and being bad in need is a you and nineteen and will and at the moon, meaning and the children can we dismiss her children search, I found my first come up and everybody gets it. EBay is a key party ahead. That's not Boston-area to think what we've done. I finally decided to back down, pulled back apart. I now provided to teabag and not to know what it's for. Until the end of the service, but maybe you'll figure it out. Maybe while so well, so I will. Ayala props today. We'll see how it works out in your Bibles to Matthew chapter twenty two beginning at verse thirty four Matthew twenty two beginning in verse thirty four Matthew twenty two beginning in verse thirty four. No women talking about church membership and what is the church and what is the mission of the church and things like that so I would combine a couple of different things today. Matthew twenty two versus thirty four thirty nine hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together and one of them, an expert on the law, testing him with this question teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law. Jesus replied, love the Lord your God with all your heart with all your soul, with all your mind. This is the first in and the second is like, you love your neighbor as yourself. All along the Prophets hang on these two commandments. Now whenever we're looking at this particular verse, the ten Commandments that we are basically start out with with Moses on Mount Pharisees had classified into over six hundred and some say that the Verity had as many as twelve hundred lots in all, this was a very large ordeal for the Pharisees. They had taken what was given in a basic form and Emily talked about this incited a little bit. The Pharisees are basically a set that is called Pharisees were set apart and they were a group that before the time of Jesus Qaeda same Judaism because it was it was fading away, and people weren't paying attention to the laws or anything, and the second Pharisees came in and they brought attention back to the law, but as some people do with it a good thing they taken to an extreme that was never meant to be installed by the time that Jesus arrived on the Ellen time of Jesus in his life that Pharisees had gone to a point that they were extremely legalistic. They had kept all of the lost, so that's six hundred laws that they were keeping, and other labor, striving to keep all the ceremonial cleansing, Zen on a ceremonial rituals and they had classified their laws into your home. Most importance average importance in little importance may classify them all, so when they asked Jesus this question. It was kind of a legitimate question as to which of all of our six hundred plus laws is most important, in which one would you say is the most important of all, while Jesus clearly and precisely quoted to them. The Scriptures him, he says to identify the greatest man I love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind and the second longer neighbors yourself so it seems like it's a very easy thing to understand for us to look at that and it was quite a uncharted quite a shock to the Pharisees to see this take place, and Jesus is saying that if we truly love God, and that we truly love our neighbor that we will naturally keep the Commandments, and so rather than worrying about what we should do or what we should do that we were to concentrate on what we can do and out of the can show our love for God and for others since an individual can't have a relationship with Justin South. The relationships are at the heart of what it means to be a Christian. So whatever we are looking at what what is the greatest commandments were looking at relationships, relationship, relationship with God and relationship without we know that Jesus Christ has come to save us from our sins to break down the barrier between us and God. Salvation is the beginning. We caught salvation save from our sins, that Jesus Christ has paid the price, so that there would be nothing that stands between God and you. Everyone has said all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. So God has paid the price for our salvation, saving us from our sins, and so we have this relationship that is at the heart of our experience with Christ, so salvation begins as a relationship with God, and a Chevy express Van in our relationship with others to follow through the river relationship with God will. How does our relationship express itself while it expresses itself in our relationship with others what Jesus was talking to Peter who do men say that I am while Peter says, thou art the Christ and Jesus said to Peter, upon this truth. I will build my church, the truth that Jesus is the Christ, the son living. So it is not charged then that becomes the functioning body of Christ. We called many things, the bride of Christ, when Jesus returns for his bride, all those who are part of the church, not a denomination, all of those who accept and have accepted Jesus Christ as their personal savior. They become the Church the bride of Christ is called the body of Christ, the bride of Christ is an organization organization something like organizations, but every church in the early church had an organization. There are many reasons why we noticed in the last no thirty years or so there was a big movement away from the structure church for the organizational church because there was no organizational church and that's not true. The early church had elections. The early church had appointments yearly church had elders. They had structure there has to be structured. We have a structure we have a board we have Sunday school teachers. We have people who practice the worship team don't have. There's a structure to it, but beyond the structure, which is an organization, there is the church, which is an organism to organism is something that is living the Bible says that the word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two edged sword that the spirit of God is a living spirit that lives within the church of the church. There is an organization of the church. Dan is an organism, the core values of the church are expressed in the Children's Court I know what children's chorus expresses the form value of the church and Jesus loves me this, Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so. It is the foundational principle of the church is the Scripture with Scripture becomes the organizational structure that the organism lives in this charge is the body of Christ. You and I we all make up the body of Christ. All those who have accepted Christ as their Savior make up the body of Christ were not so narrowminded as the things that are a little church is the only one of them make it happen. I'd frame you weren't little that are all church are all denominations, the body of Christ is made up of those who believe in Jesus and Anthony Mister personal savior, which are standing is an assembling of professing believer while at the SAARC region. This is that okay this is the sermon for today. We talk about church membership in being part of something. There is an organizational structure there is a reason behind our preaching and behind the receiving offerings in all this, there's a reason behind all this, which is our own personal growth and development. So the charge, then, is an assembly of professing believers if we profess a faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. There is structure to the organism you living organism. The price is based upon the structure and that structure is not about correcting everybody else at the cult called clerk in our group to try to correct Christianity. Christianity is the in principle, based upon Jesus Christ in our relationship with him, the Lamb of God takes away the sin of the world is virgin birth is sinless life is vicarious that he died in our place, his resurrection from the day 's ascension to heaven is seated at the right hand of the father ever interceding for us. And then he will come again, these are the principles of the structure of the organization we profess our salvation, our confession of our sins, but if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins. We proclaim the authority of the Word of God. This is the supreme authority of our life. The guidelines wireline. Sometimes people wonder why there's so many different denominations. While there are different denominations because we as people come to the Bible and try to interpret, but there's only one Scripture. Now I'm not saying we're the only ones interpreted correctly supposed to smile at that event is who I want you to know that I'm the only one who has the insight now it's ridiculous. We all have different approaches to a link with a look at it and we have fundamental truth in fundamental beliefs that fall from the Scriptures to give us want to get us a foundational understanding of our life and how the word of God is brought into our life that is assimilated into wildlife you don't get to heaven by osmosis. A when osmosis is one of the aisle for the person beside you, not getting to heaven because you rub shoulders with them a rundown old with them. My parents are Christian. Therefore, I'm Christian and I do not grab God as I have grandchildren. God only has children and you don't get to heaven because somebody else's relationship with God rub off on you at the dinner of the unit, which will always run with the evening to make it. I will give the word of God, believing the word to be the whole counsel of God. We live under its authority. That's why we teach and preach it, expound upon it saying about it in ousting the word of God. Jesus will come again is going to come back should wait you know the tragedy of the of these two women who were killed in the car accident. We don't understand why things happen when I mean, there's no way we can put this together and put some connect the dots. Maybe an eternity but not today. So we trust God that we are that in this life we are gods, and in the life to come. We are God, and were always safe in his arms whether we live or whether we die, we belong to God, so there are things that happen in our life and we don't understand what the Scripture gives us principles to hold us together. They are alive, living principles of the Scripture come into shape our thoughts and shape our expectations and give us hope whenever there certainly is no hope it's common today. It's common in our society than most people want to know God, but they don't want to know God through church, they want to know God, but they don't want to come to a established place finding God and their own now hitting. And again, wine, wine, I mean look at some of the scandals that have happened in some of the some of these scandals involve very high profile Christian leaders. Some of the as sexual escapades of leaders in the reports of pastors and priests molesting children and so on. In all, and England. This goes on and it is wrong in this, but there's no way that we can hide it, and you don't want to hide it. It's it's the truth. People fall from grace I society Armenia. They report on what's wrong with our world was wrong with the church was wrong with people at church. As I drove that some people see the church as its people who grew up in it, and they belong to it in and out out of a self-contained organization which is a bad thing happened that people are people and people run a fall and people were going to hurt you. And whenever we place our expectations in people, they will fail us, so it's not an excuse. It happens so we are to recognize that no one is perfect and every one of us can, but for the grace of God there to lie in, but for God 's grace, we haven't been there us why our faith is in Jesus Christ, who is the same yesterday today and forever. We follow Jesus and there are people who profess Christ. They do well and we want to listen to what they have to say is truthful, but the truth is, we know that will belong to an organization, we belong to an organism. We belong to the body of Christ in the body has a responsibility to itself and to Jesus Christ. We have a responsibility on responsibility to ourselves. Your responsibility to yourself to do to best fill it in school and things and working wherever we have a responsibility to ourselves to do our best. We can blame. We can't read Italian against the teacher. Because you know they're not good, but is still our grade. We can retaliate against work while still our work is still our responsibility to do our best before God as responsibility to grow to grow in our knowledge and maturity in nature. We have a responsibility to grow into the oh God gave us a mind than he gave us his Spirit and we don't check our brain at the door to have faith on our knowledge of God is to grow in our our spiritual development is to grow. I remember the good things of how the God has worked in our life to challenge and change us and to bring about a plan for us. There is a responsibility to serve one another. Sometimes we don't like to serve other people because in our society. I guess it is that if we serve somebody. That means were beneath them. But you know when Jesus washed the disciples feet, yell, they were there, and if you do not know what my feet and Jesus said final wash your feet, you have no part of making meaning that he that is greatest among you is the servant of all. And that we should never think it beneath us to serve in fact, it's an elevated position to be the servants of Jesus Christ and that we are here to serve one another and so so is the responsibility to serve in the purpose of the church is to serve God. The purpose of the church is to serve him and to worship him in spirit and in truth. So the church is a place the charges of life. This building that we are in is a place. The church is a place for the church as an organism. A church is alive. It is active, there is a living influence in our lives. There is a living influence on this word coming into our lives. That is not based upon the check marks up. I did this I did this. I didn't do that. I didn't know it is a living organism inside of us. It is the be the life of God and live in our hearts and our spirit that gives us strength for the day and a purpose for our life, the church body. Nine. Striving to grow and to achieve under the influence of the word where it comes our roadmap. Our guide spirit is what brings life to it. The church is a charm describing a real community of believers who meet in the presence of Christ. I highlight whenever we sing. I like to hear singing in the music and because is just good enough that's it's just it's in gets our focus. He gets our attention that expresses sometimes we have a hard time saying or feeling soul songs of worship have a way of coming together in expressing that into kind of putting out what's in our hearts. The church is not described by what Christians can do the charges described by whom they are the best. Why we each have such an important part because it isn't based upon what you can do is based upon who you are in each of us. We are important. The value of who you are is in and what you can do your value isn't in what you are inside, and that the value that God was saddened that God has created you for the very beginning of time for me before the foundation of the world. I knew you would need plan, who informed you and gave you a purpose in a heap of things inside of you that no one else has no one else has the ability and in the character that you have and the potential that you have available to do things the way that you do. No one has that ability. So God has put the individual that's specific person to gathering you and has brought you to a place in the body that only you can function only. You can fulfill the problem greatest problem happened in the church when Christians began to think of going to church, rather than being the church that whatever the name the real change, transition happen when people started thinking of church as an organism or or as a building rather than believers and individuals being the church. Many all side began saying the church was a place rather than a way of life. Sometimes they would want to invite people to church. That's right, we want to invite people to church, but the reality is we want to invite him into a relationship with Jesus Christ. We, the common bonds that each person in the church has the same profound experience that is uniting about our church the same profound experience. What is our profound experience meeting Jesus Christ as our Savior. Any community of believers as diverse and yelling at the string. Look to your right with your last two thirds of the people are not that beautiful. So what aren't you lucky you're not them a did you get that when I is evidence of the sunlight down on, but you see the church recognizes the values in the attitudes of others. The values of distinctiveness of each other, you know, it isn't that we all dress the same, and that we all act the same as we all do the same thing that we all think the same thoughts. We all know the same platelets were diverse were different, and it is supposed to be that way. But we know that all of the lot at various account for knowing Jesus Christ. We had this life-changing experience that knowing your law are domiciled. We say, knowing you, Lord, knowing you never know where they are knowing the Lord, serving one another, respecting one another, love one another as Christ is loved you. What is the greatest commandment love the Lord thy God with all my heart: greatest man. What's the second love others as yourself. There is afraid of in the community there is a oneness in the community. It's held together by a shared experience. I sure believe that we love God and love one another and this community. This community of believers help them nurture our faith in Houston nurture our understanding of who we are, our understanding of the underlying purpose of understanding of what it needs to be here not to give up your individuality, but to find nothing and don't find it as we lose ourselves in Christ, then find ourselves as part of the body of Christ, faith formation happens, and it's a community where young believers see all your believers are maturing believers following Jesus Christ as a place where we are responsible to serve God and to serve each other where we find a way of fitting in and in that we belong. We inspire each other. We support. We encourage we develop values and develop attitudes that live in the church community and the church is a community of mentoring the church is a community of venturing one another that we have a responsibility to God and to each other. It's a simulating the values that we that are present. We see what others have become what is the purpose that we can to Brolin, nurture and develop an neck got has a change bringing in our life. So the church community itself becomes a mentoring agent. It challenges us for new believers. It tells us that we can grow and we have Sunday school and we are sure and we have the only adults studying them. The lady studying on on Saturday and the genetics in the Rangers and health are part of the organization in which the organism layers of the church ready for the day. Now the story is. I become your laptop. I went to never break up. I'm not washable cups now Dennis then church is an organization churches of organism church is alive and active. You we are influenced upon one another. Now there's a story about this young girl who came to her grandmother and she said, your grandmother that our life was not that good, and she was complaining about all her problems and so what the grandmother deadlines took her to the kitchen and while she was in the kitchen. She puts down three paths on the stove and honesty. Five oh seven began to boil water and whenever simple water. She put in a in one plot the characters and plot that eBay and the blood out saying a word he not been there for about fifteen minutes and let them boil and what happens whenever you put an egg falling water in hard to see the church is about nurturing the charge is about helping us understand who we are as a person and sometimes the church is so eye Canadian individuals are like in a Higgins in boiling water. They look the same on the outside than on the inside they are hard hard-boiled. They have lost their fluid. This sometimes and whenever we get in difficulties. God wants us to remain the same or did not become hard on the inside look the same on the outside London. Add carrots, while carrots that are not in boiling water carrots are pretty crunchy and so on and what happens the carrots. The water is their books, flexibility, and they can only knows what they are. But you know what happens to the bag and water. It changes one you see in our life is about how that Christ will like response. We like the teabag, we find ourselves in hot water. We don't change, we change our surroundings we change the things around us because of what we are becomes part of what's around us. We said that being part of the church is a simulated that we can't do it all. We don't get to heaven by rubbing shoulders with one another and osmosis. You can't do that, but the character of the church is one that whenever you put yourself together and you put yourself in hot water, you change the water right, so we had choices to make in our lives. We have to license is what a price I want to drop this is this is not hard while and I'm not dropping this one. This is not hard while it's all outputted down, but we don't. We want to begin out when we put innate in the hot water on the inside exchanges in in our life and character. Ms. God is part of us. We don't want to change on the inside. We were remain the same and don't become hardened in the heart because of the hardness of the situation you find yourself characters. Hopefully we have a choice, and of course not be like the tea bag so on. But you know I got something else here, I want everyone of you to take your teabag out everybody happier teabag you not to set an attribute to stand up for this one. Everyone take your teabag out and do I want you to do. I want you to come up here and put an end and stay out here guys so long up the locks on the floor plays. I want us very deliberately to write and recognize we are the body of Christ, etc. the body of Christ, we get the black teabags in with your back down into glory in our drinking nations, sugar reasons;-) now that I get a really sleek and put your finger here, all eighties run either at what happened while the change you think that removing one tea bag makes a difference or two Tbytes S it will change the string. The team. And you know what it is we if we would drink the tea, we would be able to tell whose feedback was what put you see the influence we had the simulation of our faith. The way that we influence one another. It is so subtle and it's it. It's like how do we change everybody around us. How do we change how we make a difference in everybody's life just by being here putting in our eBay. Just be here singing and worshiping and hiding in being part of the body and it changes us as we change others. It's an organization, but it's an organism is alive and this is what God does in us. This is what God does through us and age of us have this purpose, each of us have a responsibility to ourselves to be here for our teabags in. We shall respond you need the energy back in Québec. Your feedback. Yet I fear Lucas is with United to because no matter what the Littles from the littlest of the mothers, fathers, I do him and there is it that John is always one is not important which is not important. They all are each of us have a purpose for God. The purpose in the body of Christ, and every time. If any time we would doubt that. Remember, this phenomenal. It is said here to next week now and will see the effect. The city of ninety one, a drinking UK are not but you'll see the effect of all these teabags in this water, how strong it can become the longer it stays in there, the longer it takes on the water takes on the characteristics of all of the bags is we are together we take on the characteristics of one another, but most of all, we take on the characteristic of Jesus Christ, the love the Lord thy God with all your heart and soul and mind and to love your neighbor as yourself. These are the two greatest amendments and to the Pharisees. They had six hundred and Jesus said, these two are greatest love God, love others as yourself will make a difference growing and changing. What is the great thing were able to do here but be together and serve already in just a few moments were making a difference in just a few moments were making a difference. Say what what young come the church were there in our hour fifty minutes twenty nine thirty nine and this, I wanted it after look what the difference. We made it just a few moments as cold water him and I give y'all a bag that no` oh my God, did I think all leader. Remind yourself when you get in hot water change the circumstances not want drop with Nick and regularly ahead that I do, but that is the only automatic take-home when all water know you change your circumstances around you and that's how we deal with church Him him him and him and Jean use. And I have known and I sing in a way now and June. I have# fifteen you have to add him as he is singing in my room. I am in a you and will and sightseeing in a bad in and will and being in this man had no knees. He is him, I mean a man will know and then on, I say, and I am not alone. I he is the# mean you no offense, and that the Nicene and when I gave is in and pain being in being a bad and new you and pain. Seeing that I and will stand behind me. I had a new and nineteen and being bad in need is a you and nineteen and will and at the moon, meaning and the children can we dismiss her children search, I found my first come up and everybody gets it. EBay is a key party ahead. That's not Boston-area to think what we've done. I finally decided to back down, pulled back apart. I now provided to teabag and not to know what it's for. Until the end of the service, but maybe you'll figure it out. Maybe while so well, so I will. Ayala props today. We'll see how it works out in your Bibles to Matthew chapter twenty two beginning at verse thirty four Matthew twenty two beginning in verse thirty four Matthew twenty two beginning in verse thirty four. No women talking about church membership and what is the church and what is the mission of the church and things like that so I would combine a couple of different things today. Matthew twenty two versus thirty four thirty nine hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together and one of them, an expert on the law, testing him with this question teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law. Jesus replied, love the Lord your God with all your heart with all your soul, with all your mind. This is the first in and the second is like, you love your neighbor as yourself. All along the Prophets hang on these two commandments. Now whenever we're looking at this particular verse, the ten Commandments that we are basically start out with with Moses on Mount Pharisees had classified into over six hundred and some say that the Verity had as many as twelve hundred lots in all, this was a very large ordeal for the Pharisees. They had taken what was given in a basic form and Emily talked about this incited a little bit. The Pharisees are basically a set that is called Pharisees were set apart and they were a group that before the time of Jesus Qaeda same Judaism because it was it was fading away, and people weren't paying attention to the laws or anything, and the second Pharisees came in and they brought attention back to the law, but as some people do with it a good thing they taken to an extreme that was never meant to be installed by the time that Jesus arrived on the Ellen time of Jesus in his life that Pharisees had gone to a point that they were extremely legalistic. They had kept all of the lost, so that's six hundred laws that they were keeping, and other labor, striving to keep all the ceremonial cleansing, Zen on a ceremonial rituals and they had classified their laws into your home. Most importance average importance in little importance may classify them all, so when they asked Jesus this question. It was kind of a legitimate question as to which of all of our six hundred plus laws is most important, in which one would you say is the most important of all, while Jesus clearly and precisely quoted to them. The Scriptures him, he says to identify the greatest man I love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind and the second longer neighbors yourself so it seems like it's a very easy thing to understand for us to look at that and it was quite a uncharted quite a shock to the Pharisees to see this take place, and Jesus is saying that if we truly love God, and that we truly love our neighbor that we will naturally keep the Commandments, and so rather than worrying about what we should do or what we should do that we were to concentrate on what we can do and out of the can show our love for God and for others since an individual can't have a relationship with Justin South. The relationships are at the heart of what it means to be a Christian. So whatever we are looking at what what is the greatest commandments were looking at relationships, relationship, relationship with God and relationship without we know that Jesus Christ has come to save us from our sins to break down the barrier between us and God. Salvation is the beginning. We caught salvation save from our sins, that Jesus Christ has paid the price, so that there would be nothing that stands between God and you. Everyone has said all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. So God has paid the price for our salvation, saving us from our sins, and so we have this relationship that is at the heart of our experience with Christ, so salvation begins as a relationship with God, and a Chevy express Van in our relationship with others to follow through the river relationship with God will. How does our relationship express itself while it expresses itself in our relationship with others what Jesus was talking to Peter who do men say that I am while Peter says, thou art the Christ and Jesus said to Peter, upon this truth. I will build my church, the truth that Jesus is the Christ, the son living. So it is not charged then that becomes the functioning body of Christ. We called many things, the bride of Christ, when Jesus returns for his bride, all those who are part of the church, not a denomination, all of those who accept and have accepted Jesus Christ as their personal savior. They become the Church the bride of Christ is called the body of Christ, the bride of Christ is an organization organization something like organizations, but every church in the early church had an organization. There are many reasons why we noticed in the last no thirty years or so there was a big movement away from the structure church for the organizational church because there was no organizational church and that's not true. The early church had elections. The early church had appointments yearly church had elders. They had structure there has to be structured. We have a structure we have a board we have Sunday school teachers. We have people who practice the worship team don't have. There's a structure to it, but beyond the structure, which is an organization, there is the church, which is an organism to organism is something that is living the Bible says that the word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two edged sword that the spirit of God is a living spirit that lives within the church of the church. There is an organization of the church. Dan is an organism, the core values of the church are expressed in the Children's Court I know what children's chorus expresses the form value of the church and Jesus loves me this, Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so. It is the foundational principle of the church is the Scripture with Scripture becomes the organizational structure that the organism lives in this charge is the body of Christ. You and I we all make up the body of Christ. All those who have accepted Christ as their Savior make up the body of Christ were not so narrowminded as the things that are a little church is the only one of them make it happen. I'd frame you weren't little that are all church are all denominations, the body of Christ is made up of those who believe in Jesus and Anthony Mister personal savior, which are standing is an assembling of professing believer while at the SAARC region. This is that okay this is the sermon for today. We talk about church membership in being part of something. There is an organizational structure there is a reason behind our preaching and behind the receiving offerings in all this, there's a reason behind all this, which is our own personal growth and development. So the charge, then, is an assembly of professing believers if we profess a faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. There is structure to the organism you living organism. The price is based upon the structure and that structure is not about correcting everybody else at the cult called clerk in our group to try to correct Christianity. Christianity is the in principle, based upon Jesus Christ in our relationship with him, the Lamb of God takes away the sin of the world is virgin birth is sinless life is vicarious that he died in our place, his resurrection from the day 's ascension to heaven is seated at the right hand of the father ever interceding for us. And then he will come again, these are the principles of the structure of the organization we profess our salvation, our confession of our sins, but if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins. We proclaim the authority of the Word of God. This is the supreme authority of our life. The guidelines wireline. Sometimes people wonder why there's so many different denominations. While there are different denominations because we as people come to the Bible and try to interpret, but there's only one Scripture. Now I'm not saying we're the only ones interpreted correctly supposed to smile at that event is who I want you to know that I'm the only one who has the insight now it's ridiculous. We all have different approaches to a link with a look at it and we have fundamental truth in fundamental beliefs that fall from the Scriptures to give us want to get us a foundational understanding of our life and how the word of God is brought into our life that is assimilated into wildlife you don't get to heaven by osmosis. A when osmosis is one of the aisle for the person beside you, not getting to heaven because you rub shoulders with them a rundown old with them. My parents are Christian. Therefore, I'm Christian and I do not grab God as I have grandchildren. God only has children and you don't get to heaven because somebody else's relationship with God rub off on you at the dinner of the unit, which will always run with the evening to make it. I will give the word of God, believing the word to be the whole counsel of God. We live under its authority. That's why we teach and preach it, expound upon it saying about it in ousting the word of God. Jesus will come again is going to come back should wait you know the tragedy of the of these two women who were killed in the car accident. We don't understand why things happen when I mean, there's no way we can put this together and put some connect the dots. Maybe an eternity but not today. So we trust God that we are that in this life we are gods, and in the life to come. We are God, and were always safe in his arms whether we live or whether we die, we belong to God, so there are things that happen in our life and we don't understand what the Scripture gives us principles to hold us together. They are alive, living principles of the Scripture come into shape our thoughts and shape our expectations and give us hope whenever there certainly is no hope it's common today. It's common in our society than most people want to know God, but they don't want to know God through church, they want to know God, but they don't want to come to a established place finding God and their own now hitting. And again, wine, wine, I mean look at some of the scandals that have happened in some of the some of these scandals involve very high profile Christian leaders. Some of the as sexual escapades of leaders in the reports of pastors and priests molesting children and so on. In all, and England. This goes on and it is wrong in this, but there's no way that we can hide it, and you don't want to hide it. It's it's the truth. People fall from grace I society Armenia. They report on what's wrong with our world was wrong with the church was wrong with people at church. As I drove that some people see the church as its people who grew up in it, and they belong to it in and out out of a self-contained organization which is a bad thing happened that people are people and people run a fall and people were going to hurt you. And whenever we place our expectations in people, they will fail us, so it's not an excuse. It happens so we are to recognize that no one is perfect and every one of us can, but for the grace of God there to lie in, but for God 's grace, we haven't been there us why our faith is in Jesus Christ, who is the same yesterday today and forever. We follow Jesus and there are people who profess Christ. They do well and we want to listen to what they have to say is truthful, but the truth is, we know that will belong to an organization, we belong to an organism. We belong to the body of Christ in the body has a responsibility to itself and to Jesus Christ. We have a responsibility on responsibility to ourselves. Your responsibility to yourself to do to best fill it in school and things and working wherever we have a responsibility to ourselves to do our best. We can blame. We can't read Italian against the teacher. Because you know they're not good, but is still our grade. We can retaliate against work while still our work is still our responsibility to do our best before God as responsibility to grow to grow in our knowledge and maturity in nature. We have a responsibility to grow into the oh God gave us a mind than he gave us his Spirit and we don't check our brain at the door to have faith on our knowledge of God is to grow in our our spiritual development is to grow. I remember the good things of how the God has worked in our life to challenge and change us and to bring about a plan for us. There is a responsibility to serve one another. Sometimes we don't like to serve other people because in our society. I guess it is that if we serve somebody. That means were beneath them. But you know when Jesus washed the disciples feet, yell, they were there, and if you do not know what my feet and Jesus said final wash your feet, you have no part of making meaning that he that is greatest among you is the servant of all. And that we should never think it beneath us to serve in fact, it's an elevated position to be the servants of Jesus Christ and that we are here to serve one another and so so is the responsibility to serve in the purpose of the church is to serve God. The purpose of the church is to serve him and to worship him in spirit and in truth. So the church is a place the charges of life. This building that we are in is a place. The church is a place for the church as an organism. A church is alive. It is active, there is a living influence in our lives. There is a living influence on this word coming into our lives. That is not based upon the check marks up. I did this I did this. I didn't do that. I didn't know it is a living organism inside of us. It is the be the life of God and live in our hearts and our spirit that gives us strength for the day and a purpose for our life, the church body. Nine. Striving to grow and to achieve under the influence of the word where it comes our roadmap. Our guide spirit is what brings life to it. The church is a charm describing a real community of believers who meet in the presence of Christ. I highlight whenever we sing. I like to hear singing in the music and because is just good enough that's it's just it's in gets our focus. He gets our attention that expresses sometimes we have a hard time saying or feeling soul songs of worship have a way of coming together in expressing that into kind of putting out what's in our hearts. The church is not described by what Christians can do the charges described by whom they are the best. Why we each have such an important part because it isn't based upon what you can do is based upon who you are in each of us. We are important. The value of who you are is in and what you can do your value isn't in what you are inside, and that the value that God was saddened that God has created you for the very beginning of time for me before the foundation of the world. I knew you would need plan, who informed you and gave you a purpose in a heap of things inside of you that no one else has no one else has the ability and in the character that you have and the potential that you have available to do things the way that you do. No one has that ability. So God has put the individual that's specific person to gathering you and has brought you to a place in the body that only you can function only. You can fulfill the problem greatest problem happened in the church when Christians began to think of going to church, rather than being the church that whatever the name the real change, transition happen when people started thinking of church as an organism or or as a building rather than believers and individuals being the church. Many all side began saying the church was a place rather than a way of life. Sometimes they would want to invite people to church. That's right, we want to invite people to church, but the reality is we want to invite him into a relationship with Jesus Christ. We, the common bonds that each person in the church has the same profound experience that is uniting about our church the same profound experience. What is our profound experience meeting Jesus Christ as our Savior. Any community of believers as diverse and yelling at the string. Look to your right with your last two thirds of the people are not that beautiful. So what aren't you lucky you're not them a did you get that when I is evidence of the sunlight down on, but you see the church recognizes the values in the attitudes of others. The values of distinctiveness of each other, you know, it isn't that we all dress the same, and that we all act the same as we all do the same thing that we all think the same thoughts. We all know the same platelets were diverse were different, and it is supposed to be that way. But we know that all of the lot at various account for knowing Jesus Christ. We had this life-changing experience that knowing your law are domiciled. We say, knowing you, Lord, knowing you never know where they are knowing the Lord, serving one another, respecting one another, love one another as Christ is loved you. What is the greatest commandment love the Lord thy God with all my heart: greatest man. What's the second love others as yourself. There is afraid of in the community there is a oneness in the community. It's held together by a shared experience. I sure believe that we love God and love one another and this community. This community of believers help them nurture our faith in Houston nurture our understanding of who we are, our understanding of the underlying purpose of understanding of what it needs to be here not to give up your individuality, but to find nothing and don't find it as we lose ourselves in Christ, then find ourselves as part of the body of Christ, faith formation happens, and it's a community where young believers see all your believers are maturing believers following Jesus Christ as a place where we are responsible to serve God and to serve each other where we find a way of fitting in and in that we belong. We inspire each other. We support. We encourage we develop values and develop attitudes that live in the church community and the church is a community of mentoring the church is a community of venturing one another that we have a responsibility to God and to each other. It's a simulating the values that we that are present. We see what others have become what is the purpose that we can to Brolin, nurture and develop an neck got has a change bringing in our life. So the church community itself becomes a mentoring agent. It challenges us for new believers. It tells us that we can grow and we have Sunday school and we are sure and we have the only adults studying them. The lady studying on on Saturday and the genetics in the Rangers and health are part of the organization in which the organism layers of the church ready for the day. Now the story is. I become your laptop. I went to never break up. I'm not washable cups now Dennis then church is an organization churches of organism church is alive and active. You we are influenced upon one another. Now there's a story about this young girl who came to her grandmother and she said, your grandmother that our life was not that good, and she was complaining about all her problems and so what the grandmother deadlines took her to the kitchen and while she was in the kitchen. She puts down three paths on the stove and honesty. Five oh seven began to boil water and whenever simple water. She put in a in one plot the characters and plot that eBay and the blood out saying a word he not been there for about fifteen minutes and let them boil and what happens whenever you put an egg falling water in hard to see the church is about nurturing the charge is about helping us understand who we are as a person and sometimes the church is so eye Canadian individuals are like in a Higgins in boiling water. They look the same on the outside than on the inside they are hard hard-boiled. They have lost their fluid. This sometimes and whenever we get in difficulties. God wants us to remain the same or did not become hard on the inside look the same on the outside London. Add carrots, while carrots that are not in boiling water carrots are pretty crunchy and so on and what happens the carrots. The water is their books, flexibility, and they can only knows what they are. But you know what happens to the bag and water. It changes one you see in our life is about how that Christ will like response. We like the teabag, we find ourselves in hot water. We don't change, we change our surroundings we change the things around us because of what we are becomes part of what's around us. We said that being part of the church is a simulated that we can't do it all. We don't get to heaven by rubbing shoulders with one another and osmosis. You can't do that, but the character of the church is one that whenever you put yourself together and you put yourself in hot water, you change the water right, so we had choices to make in our lives. We have to license is what a price I want to drop this is this is not hard while and I'm not dropping this one. This is not hard while it's all outputted down, but we don't. We want to begin out when we put innate in the hot water on the inside exchanges in in our life and character. Ms. God is part of us. We don't want to change on the inside. We were remain the same and don't become hardened in the heart because of the hardness of the situation you find yourself characters. Hopefully we have a choice, and of course not be like the tea bag so on. But you know I got something else here, I want everyone of you to take your teabag out everybody happier teabag you not to set an attribute to stand up for this one. Everyone take your teabag out and do I want you to do. I want you to come up here and put an end and stay out here guys so long up the locks on the floor plays. I want us very deliberately to write and recognize we are the body of Christ, etc. the body of Christ, we get the black teabags in with your back down into glory in our drinking nations, sugar reasons;-) now that I get a really sleek and put your finger here, all eighties run either at what happened while the change you think that removing one tea bag makes a difference or two Tbytes S it will change the string. The team. And you know what it is we if we would drink the tea, we would be able to tell whose feedback was what put you see the influence we had the simulation of our faith. The way that we influence one another. It is so subtle and it's it. It's like how do we change everybody around us. How do we change how we make a difference in everybody's life just by being here putting in our eBay. Just be here singing and worshiping and hiding in being part of the body and it changes us as we change others. It's an organization, but it's an organism is alive and this is what God does in us. This is what God does through us and age of us have this purpose, each of us have a responsibility to ourselves to be here for our teabags in. We shall respond you need the energy back in Québec. Your feedback. Yet I fear Lucas is with United to because no matter what the Littles from the littlest of the mothers, fathers, I do him and there is it that John is always one is not important which is not important. They all are each of us have a purpose for God. The purpose in the body of Christ, and every time. If any time we would doubt that. Remember, this phenomenal. It is said here to next week now and will see the effect. The city of ninety one, a drinking UK are not but you'll see the effect of all these teabags in this water, how strong it can become the longer it stays in there, the longer it takes on the water takes on the characteristics of all of the bags is we are together we take on the characteristics of one another, but most of all, we take on the characteristic of Jesus Christ, the love the Lord thy God with all your heart and soul and mind and to love your neighbor as yourself. These are the two greatest amendments and to the Pharisees. They had six hundred and Jesus said, these two are greatest love God, love others as yourself will make a difference growing and changing. What is the great thing were able to do here but be together and serve already in just a few moments were making a difference in just a few moments were making a difference. Say what what young come the church were there in our hour fifty minutes twenty nine thirty nine and this, I wanted it after look what the difference. We made it just a few moments as cold water him and I give y'all a bag that no` oh my God, did I think all leader. Remind yourself when you get in hot water change the circumstances not want drop with Nick and regularly ahead that I do, but that is the only automatic take-home when all water know you change your circumstances around you and that's how we deal with church