Sermon Summaries

	Who
	What
	When
	Where
	How

United In Christ · Growing In Grace · Reaching Out In Love

Sunday Morning Sermon Summary

Note to the visitor: These are Pastor Paul’s sermon notes from Sunday Morning. They probably won’t make much sense if you weren’t in the service. Feel free to contact Pastor Paul if you’d like more detailed information.
For past sermons, please visit the Sermon Archive.

►“UNITED IN CHRIST”

Ephesians 4:4-6

Sunday, August 2, 2009

ME: Unity biggest issue I was asked to deal with

Told consensus was impractical at best, impossible at worst

WE: Mission - Vision – Strategy – Values = paragraphs that snore!

More words less interest;

COMMUNITY MEETINGS: 2” stacks of paper (hip boots for wading)

United – Growing – Reaching AT LEAST FLOATS (if not soars!)

GOD: Ephesians 4:4-6 There is one body and one Spirit- just as you were called to one hope when you were called- 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

►UNITED IN POSITION

►One Lord, one faith, one baptism, ►one God and Father of ALL – ►over ALL, through ALL, in ALL.

►Romans 12:4-5 Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

UNITED IN CHRIST starts with “in Christ” (Interdependent: He’s depending on us!)

►1 Corinthians 1:26-30 Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. ►He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things-and the things that are not-to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God-that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.

ILLUSTRATION: Community (FBO) activist tearfully relating inadequacies: exactly the person God has chosen “for such a time as this!”

►UNITED IN PURPOSE

One body…called to one hope.

►2 Corinthians 5:17-21 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And ►he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Difference between PURPOSE and FUNCTION! Easy to see one and not the other.

Working in isolation is the source of most disagreements

BODY: Perhaps may be to wash the dinner dishes. Don’t use my feet or my teeth. That’s not their function!

Jule and I: She inside, me outside.

I need to connect my function with the church’s main purpose

NEED TO KNOW WHAT IT IS! (Glorify – Extend – Reconcile)

I should have the freedom to perform my function when I understand how it fits with the purpose)

JOHN LAST WEEK: Cruise ship: WE’RE THE CREW

►UNITED IN PASSION

…over all and through all and in all.

►Romans 6:16-18 Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey-whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 ►But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. 18 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.

If there is anything lacking in today’s culture it’s common passion

We’re all passionate about different things. Get “passionate” about our own stuff.

We need to get on the same page when it comes to passion

SO WHAT?

►What’s your position? Are you “in Christ” Do you see your place in the Body?

►Have you bought in to the purpose? Do you agree that we know what it is?

►How passionate are you? Does the church exist to meet your needs or…

THESE THINGS NEED TO COME IN ORDER: Start with your position, when you “position” yourself you contribute to the purpose with the passion of Paul in Colossians 1

Colossians 1:27 Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. 25 I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness—the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. ►To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

NOW WHAT? Ephesians 4:15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.

UNITED IN CHRIST

Position – in Christ

Purpose – all on the same page, everyone contributes, all have a function

Passion – Interdependent, common values and vision, nurture and accountability

Legend:

Green: Mission and Vision
Blue: Illustrations and quotes
Red: Scripture

E-MAIL THIS LINK TO A FRIEND
Enter recipient's e-mail:

"I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes..." Romans 1:16 (New International Version)