The
Purpose Driven Life 3
You were formed for God’s family : Ephesians 2:11-22
You
made a healthy choice to be here this morning. According to medical research published
recently by the National Institute of Health Care Research you are better off
coming to Church than going to the gym.
An analysis of 42 different
research studies investigating the role of religion in health, in which 126,000
people were interviewed, reveals a simple but profound truth. Regular attendance
of a place of worship will seriously improve your health and increase your life
expectancy. Here are some of the other findings. Compared with those who do not
regularly attend Church you are more likely to live longer and you will be less
likely to suffer from stress, high blood pressure, heart disease, cancer, depression
or obesity.
Dr Raj Persaud, a consultant psychiatrist working at the
Maudsley Hospital in South London, notes that one particular study of 21,000 people,
found that those who never attend church are almost twice as likely to die in
the following nine years than those who attend church weekly. Life expectancy
for a 20 year old attending church regularly is seven years longer than those
who do not. But perhaps we should not be surprised. The findings of this major
study merely corroborate what the Bible has been teaching for thousands of years.
This is how God prepared his people:
“See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I
command you today to love the LORD your
God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you
will live and increase, and the LORD your
God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess. But if your heart
turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to
other gods and worship them, I declare to you this day that you will certainly
be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to
enter and possess. This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that
I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so
that you and your children may live.” (Deuteronomy 30:15-19)
We were formed for God’s family. And so do not be surprised that when we follow the ‘makers instructions’ and keep to the recommended weekly service intervals we remain covered by the manufacturers warranty. Jesus said "The thief only comes to kill, steal and destroy but I have come that you may have life abundantly." (John 10:10). He meant it because it is true. Satan is in the demolition business of wrecking lives. Jesus is in the construction business, rebuilding, remaking broken lives.
It is an eternal principle that we will live longer and enjoy a higher quality
of life if we obey the ‘makers instructions’ and keep to the recommended weekly
service intervals. You were formed for God’s family. And Ephesians 2 explains
why this is so. Paul uses three very important words to summarise life before
and after coming to know Jesus Christ. Separation, Reconciliation, and Unification.
1. Separation
: What We Once Were (Ephesians 2:11-12)
“Therefore… remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.” (Ephesians 2:11-12)
Paul starts by reminding them of what they were before they came to know Jesus. He dwells on their spiritual poverty.
Separated from Christ
Excluded from Citizenship
Foreigners to the Covenants (Aliens 2:19)
Without hope
Without God in the world
This is how the Bible describes those outside the Church. No wonder stress levels,
drug abuse, alcoholism, divorce, suicide, and mortality rates are higher and life
expectancy is shorter outside the Church.
My first experience in Holland last week was being asked if I wanted a McCrocket
at MacDonalds. Now I know what goes into them, I wish I hadn’t… Remember what
it feels like to be a stranger? An outsider? A foreigner? That is how the Bible
describes people living in God's world but without a personal relationship with
Him, without a home in his family, without a knowledge of the makers instructions.
That is why ones life expectancy is shorter, and quality of life lower.
No wonder people think happiness and contentment will come with the bigger
house, the higher salary, the latest car, the newer wife. Next time your friends
say religion is just a crutch for the weak invite them to your fitness gym. Separation
- what we once were.
2. Reconciliation : What We Now Are (Ephesians 2:13-19)
The "but now" of verse 13 parallels the "but God" in verse 4.
Both speak of the gracious intervention of God on behalf of the lost sinner. God has taken the initiative in Jesus Christ.
2.1 Reconciliation to one another (Ephesians 2:13-15)
“But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility…” (Ephesians 2:13-15)
As you read the story of the Church in the Acts of the Apostles you will see that the problems really begin from chapter 10, when the first Gentiles - the family of Cornelius became Christians. There was a lot of heated debate over whether the Gentile Christians had to become Jews first. The Church leaders held a conference recorded in Acts 15 and agreed that it wasn't necessary because in Christ God had broken down the historic barriers between Jews and Gentiles. There was no longer any difference. All accepted before God on the same basis. Grace not works. Faith in Jesus not racial pedigree. We were formed for God’s international family. What the United Nations seeks to strive for through legislation, the Spirit of God creates by reconciliation. Because there is now,
2.2 Reconciliation through Jesus (Ephesians 2:16-18)
“His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace… For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:16-18)
As the judge Jesus could have come to declare war but he didn't. He came instead to accomplish peace, and it cost Him His life. God has reconciled us to himself and that brings life changing consequences. At the cross, Jesus takes away our guilt, our sin,
our shame, our greed, our fears, our doubts. From now on nothing can separate us from the love of God. No wonder the experience of that love, that forgiveness, that peace has physical and psychological consequences in improved health and life expectancy. Unlike the Health Service, there is no waiting list for treatment. You don't even have to go private and pay for your treatment. Jesus has paid the price. Peace with God is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Claim it for yourself and share it with your friends. Separation - what we once were. Reconciliation - what we now are.
3. Unification : What We Are Becoming 2:19-22
“In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:21-22)
Paul
uses three pictures to illustrate the unity of the Church as it continues to grow
inwardly knit together in harmony, upward toward heaven in holiness and outward
around the world in witness.
3.1 One Nation (2:19a)
Its strange to watch Europe seek greater integration while all over the world smaller and smaller people groups are seeking autonomy and independence from one another, even fighting each other to achieve it. Our citizenship in God’s family is more important, more secure and permanent than any nationality on earth. We are one nation.
3.2 One Family (2:19b)
You are called to belong, not just believe… We are created for community, fashioned for fellowship and formed for a family, and none of us can fulfil God’s purposes by ourselves. The Bible says we are put together, joined together, built together, members together, heirs together, fitted together, and held together and will be caught up together. You’re not on your own anymore… “While your relationship to Christ is personal, God never intends it to be private. In God’s family you are connected to every other believer, and we will belong to each other for eternity... Following Christ involves belonging and not just believing. One nation, One family.
3.3 One Temple (2:20-22)
The magnificent Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans in 66 AD. The massive Temple to Diana at Ephesus looked equally impregnable, but it is no more. The temple of God, by contrast, has been growing upward and outward for 2000 years and growing larger every day - indeed its growing faster than the birth rate. How? Because Jesus is its cornerstone. The apostles and prophets its foundations. The Holy Spirit is its life and we its bricks and mortar.
No wonder our life expectancy
is improved. No wonder our quality of life is superior. God is working his purposes
out in us and through us, building one nation, one family, one temple of God and
for God. Neither spiritual death, nor physical distance can separate us from His
love, nor defeat the power of His grace at work in and through us. Lets draw out
four principles about why we were formed for God’s family.
1. A church
family moves you out of self-centred isolation
Membership
in the family of God is neither inconsequential nor something to be causally ignored.
The Church is God’s agenda for the world. Jesus said, “I will build my church,
and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.” (Matthew 16:18). The church
is indestructible and will exist for eternity. It will outlive this universe,
and so will your role in it. The person who says, “I don’t need the church” is
either arrogant or ignorant. The church is so significant that Jesus died for
it… “Christ loved the church and gave his life for it.” (Ephesians 5:25). The
Bible calls the church “the bride of Christ” and the “body of Christ.” I can’t
imagine anyone saying to Jesus, “I like you, but I dislike your wife.” Or “I accept
you, but I reject your body.” But we do this when ever we think we can live in
isolation, “whenever we dismiss or demean or complain about the church…” “The
Bible says a Christian without a church home is like an organ without a body,
a sheep without a flock, or a child without a family.
It is an unnatural
state, an unhealthy condition. “The local church is the classroom for learning
how to get along in God’s family. Only in regular contact with ordinary, imperfect
believers, can we learn real fellowship.” We need more than the Bible
in order to grow; we need one another. A church family moves you out of self-centred
isolation.
2. A church family identifies
you as a genuine believer
As
we have seen, the bible insists that, “the church is
a body, not a building, an organism not an organisation… For the organs of your
body to fulfill their purpose, they must be connected to your body. The same is
true for you as a part of Christ’s Body. You were created for a specific role,
but you will miss it if you are not attached to a living, local church. You discover
your role in life through your relationships with others. If an organ is somehow
severed from its body, it will shrivel and die. It cannot exist on its own, and
neither can you. Disconnected and cut off from the lifeblood of a local church,
your spiritual life will wither.
This is why the first symptom of spiritual
decline is usually inconsistent attendance at Sunday services and other gatherings.
When we become careless about fellowship, everything else begins to slide too.”
“Biblical fellowship is being as committed to each other as we are to Jesus Christ.”
Most Christians can recite John 3:16. How about memorizing 1 John 3:16,
“Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for
our brothers.” (1 John 3:16). The Bible says
that you can’t claim to be a follower of Christ if you are not participating in
a church. So your membership in a church family identifies you as a Christ follower.
A church family moves you out of self-centred
isolation.
A church family identifies you as a genuine believer.
3. A church family
is our primary place of service.
We
will never grow to maturity
just by attending worship services, by being a passive spectator. Only participation
in the full life of a local church builds spiritual muscle.” “The difference between
being a church attender and a church member is participation. Attenders spectate
from the sidelines; members get involved in the ministry. Attenders are consumers;
members are contributors. Attenders want the benefits of a church without sharing
the responsibility.”
The Bible says, ”As each part does its own special
work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing
and full of love.” (Ephesians 4:16).
Over 50 times in the New Testament
Pray for one another
Encourage one another
Admonish one another
Greet one another
Serve one another
Teach one another
Accept one another
Honour one another
Bear one another’s burdens
Forgive one another
Submit to one another, and
Be devoted to one another.
That is why our memory
verse for this week is Romans 12:5.
“so
in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.”
(Romans 12:5)
A church family moves you out
of self-centred isolation.
A church family identifies you as a genuine
believer.
A church family is our primary place of service.
4. A church family
enables us to reach the world for Christ.
“As members of Christ’s body, we are His hands,
His feet, His eyes, and His heart. The Church filled and empowered by the Holy
Spirit is the principle means by which God is made visible in the world today.
The quality of our relationships will determine the effectiveness of our witness.
For what we do either confirms or undermines what we say. “We are created for community,
fashioned for fellowship, and formed for a family, and none of us can fulfill
God’s purposes by ourselves. The Bible says we are put together, joined together,
built together, members together; heirs together, fitted together, and held together
and one day - will be caught up together. You’re not on your own anymore.” So,
while your relationship to Christ is personal, God never intends it to be private.
In God’s family you are connected to every other believer, and we will belong
to each other for eternity.
We
were formed for God’s family, and appropriately today, we invite you to express
that by signing our new membership covenant. In your CC-News you will find a copy.
Please take it out.
Christ Church Membership Covenant
Easter
is traditionally the time when we are challenged to respond to all that Jesus
has accomplished for us in his death and resurrection. It is often the time when
people were baptised and confirmed.
Every year at this time we have
in the past invited people who have joined the church family during the previous
year to join our electoral roll by signing the electoral roll form. And we would
invite you to do this as it is one of the means by which the Church of England
determines whether we can have clergy and calculates our financial contribution
to the Diocese. It is a nominal expression and you don’t even need to regard yourself
as a Christ-follower to join the ER.
If you have not yet done so, please do. This Easter, for the first time ever,
we want to go much further. During January and February we taught morning and
evening, a sermon series on what it means to be a member of Christ’s church. We
are now inviting everyone who considers themselves a member of Christ Church to
put their name to a simple declaration to covenant, with God’s help, to work together
to fulfil our vision. We believe this is how we can best grow together as followers
of Christ.
Why a Covenant?
The
Apostle Paul mentions two different types of commitment in 2 Corinthians 8:5:
“First they gave themselves to the Lord; and then, by God's will, they gave themselves
to us as well.” (2 Corinthians 8:5) You commit yourself to Christ for salvation
and then you commit yourself to other Christians for membership in a local church
family.
The word fellowship (koinonia) means being as committed to each
other as we are to Jesus Christ. We live as New Testament, or New Covenant believers,
and so we will be inviting you to express it annually at Easter time each year.
Why these seven statements?
We have chosen these seven statements to reflect what it means to be a follower of Jesus. We believe that they reflect what the scriptures tell us about how we can grow together as Jesus’ disciples. I want you to know that Ulla, and Colin, James and I along with most of the Church Council have already endorsed this covenant, that,
My Covenant
By
God’s Grace…
If you identify with Jesus Christ and his church family here,
and can affirm these promises, I would ask you to sign the covenant and place
it in the collection as you leave, or the box in reception. If you want to think
and pray about it some more, please sign it and return it next week in the same
way.
It
is not by accident that you are here today. God created the church to meet your
five deepest needs; a purpose to live for, people to live with, principles to
live by, a profession to live out, and power to live on. There is no other place
on earth where you can find all five of these benefits in one place.
God’s purposes for His church are identical to His five purposes for you. Worship
helps you focus on God, fellowship helps you face life’s problems, discipleship
helps fortify your faith; ministry helps find your talents; evangelism helps fulfill
your mission. There is nothing else on earth like the Church! This is why it is
so important to be a member of a local church family. It proves you are committed
to your spiritual brothers and sisters in reality, not just in theory. God wants
you to love real people, not ideal people. “so in Christ we who are many form
one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” (Romans 12:5).
Let us express our commitment to God and to his body in this community through
this covenant. The benefits of sharing life together in this way far outweighs
the costs and in the end, prepares us for heaven and eternity together. Lets pray.
Adapted from a sermon by Rick Warren togtether with material from The Purpose Driven Life (Zondervan), with grateful thanks, as part of the 40 Days of Purpose series. See www.purposedrivelife.com for more information