1. Let’s remember our primary identity and calling while protecting and advancing the church’s mission.

As Christians, our primary citizenship is in heaven (Phil. 3:20), therefore, in relation to this world, we are elect exiles (1 Pet. 1:1). We must remember that we ultimately don’t belong to this world. It is also true that we are earthly citizens of a nation in this world. But our obligations as earthly citizens must rightly be rightly qualified and prioritized according to our heavenly citizenship. As citizens of heaven, our ultimate focus is on the eternal kingdom of God (Jn. 18:36). This means that we as Christian reserve our highest allegiance to Christ and greatest affection for his church.

As citizens of heaven who have been rescued from the kingdom of darkness and been brought into the kingdom of the beloved Son (Col. 1:13), we have now been gathered into churches to continue the mission of Jesus of rescuing sinners from the wrath of God. Our mission as the church is to make disciples of all nations teaching them to observe all that Christ has commanded through the proclamation of the gospel and the planting of churches. The mission of the church has been clearly given to us by Jesus over 2000 years ago and will not change no matter who is elected in November. As citizens of heaven, we are ambassadors of Christ, sent into this lost and dying world, imploring others on behalf of Christ – be reconciled to God. (2 Cor. 5:20).

As you think about the election, don’t lose sight of our primary identity as elect exiles, and don’t lose focus on our primary calling as ambassadors of Christ who have been commissioned by Jesus to making disciples of all nations. This must be the governing reality of our lives, our priorities, and our devotion.

2. Let’s pray and steward our vote to restrain wickedness and promote righteousness
While our citizenship is in heaven, we are also citizens in this world, just like everyone else. As Christian called to love our neighbors, we should seek to be responsible earthly citizens who are salt and light (Matt. 5:13). Even as exiles in this world, we are called to seek the welfare of our cities (Jer. 29:5-7). This means that we should strive to wisely, humbly, and courageously represent Christ in the public sphere for the glory of God and the good of our neighbor.

• Pray
  The most important weapon we have in our arsenal is prayer. It is the means that God has ordained to bring about his purposes on the earth (Matt 6:10). We are also specifically commanded to pray for our political leaders (1 Tim 2:2). We should pray that our government would protect life (Gen 9:6), and preserve conditions that facilitate human flourishing in general, and the church’s pursuit of its mission in particular. We should pray for the government to cultivate conditions for peace (1 Tim 2:2) and a just moral order (Romans 13:3-4; 1 Peter 2:14) that restrains and punishes evil and promotes virtue. We should pray for wisdom for our leaders to make decisions and pass legislation consistent with God’s moral order. We should pray for their salvation if they do not know Christ. We should pray that wicked policies would not pass, and that righteousness and justice would characterize our nation’s laws and practices.

• Steward our Vote
  There isn’t a clear command in Scripture or general principle that says there is a moral command to vote or that it is sinful to not vote. However, if we consider Romans 13:1-7 from within the American context, in some sense, individual citizens in this nation are the ‘governing authorities’ who have been given political power through voting to place representatives in positions of government. In the context of history, this is a high privilege enjoyed by citizens of this nation. So voting is a means to steward the conditions in our nation towards just ends. Voting is an opportunity given in our American context to do good in the public sphere (Gal 6:10) and testify to God’s righteous standards (Dan 3:17-19). In other words, voting is one way by which we can love and seek justice for our neighbor. However, a reasonable case could also be made for principled abstention, third-party, or a write-in, if a person’s conscience was so burdened. But it is poor stewardship to not vote because of an indifference towards the political process or an unwillingness to enter the political fray.  

• Consider Biblical Principles when Voting
  When voting, it is important for us to consider some of the biblical principles that we need to keep in mind. Voting, in most cases, would be in the realm of disputable matters discussed in Romans 14 unless a person is voting for a candidate in support of their wicked character or policies. Each person much prayerfully and soberly weigh our choices and vote according to our conscience. However, it would be wise for each of us to consider the possibility that our conscience might be misinformed or malformed and requires to be calibrated according to what God has revealed biblically to be right and wrong. For a Biblical example of this, consider how Peter, who was convinced in his conscience that it was sinful for him to eat certain foods and had to calibrate his conscience according to God’s word (Acts 10:9-16). It would be wise for us to weigh each candidate’s character, principles and policies, and ability to wisely govern before making a decision to vote for them. Let’s consider each of these briefly.

 ----- Righteous Character
Kevin DeYoung argues here that the Bible says much more about the character of political leaders than anything  else. Since Proverbs deals with general principles that apply to all people at all times and in all places, verses in this book that deal with kings and princes give us a good idea of what good political leaders should be like. He considers the following five qualities that are commended in political leaders in the book of Proverbs.

     + Wisdom – knowing the way of righteousness and the path of justice.
     + Understanding – moral knowledge to know the difference between right and wrong.
     + Justice - fairly applying and consistently enforcing the law.
     + Humility – teachable and open to correction from wise counselors.
     + Self-Control – the ability to disciple one’s natural (or sinful) impulses and emotions. 

As far as the importance of character in our political leaders, DeYoung is right to observe that it is not a sufficient condition for good political leadership, but it is a necessary condition. As Christians, we should lament when our political leaders are foolish, morally ignorant, unjust, proud, and lack self-control. A lack of character will necessarily have damaging effects on the health of society.  

 ----- Righteous Principles and Policies
In addition to character, we must also consider the principles and policies of our political leaders. This is because political leaders have been put in place by God to approve what is good while restraining and punishing evil (Rom 13:1-7). The principles and policies recommended by our political leaders must be weighed according to God’s righteous standards which brings blessing to the people (Prov. 14:34, 29:2). Furthermore, we must consider the reality that there is an inextricable link between a person’s character and their principles and policies. A person’s principles and policies reflect their character in such a way that it is impossible to say that a person has righteous character yet wicked principles policies. A person that holds to wicked principles and promotes wicked policies simply reflects their wicked character.

There are a few issues that are of great importance in this election like the sanctity of human life, issues related to gender and sexuality, and the protection of religious speech. These are not simply political issues, but moral and theological issues rooted in God’s Word. We have tried to speak to these issues clearly and consistently in our sermons over the years. We pray that there would be a reversal in our culture against the promotion of these wicked policies that have incalculable damaging effects on our society. We must also do what we can to oppose political leaders who seek to expand abortion, promote ungodly views of gender and sexuality, and restrict religious speech to hinder the church’s mission to speak the truth of God’s Word.

 -----Wise Governance
Not only should we consider the character and policies of our political leaders when voting, we should also want leaders who are able to govern wisely. Our leaders are seeking to serve in a job that requires the necessary know-how of many complex and challenging issues that face our nation. While the Bible gives us some general principles that inform immigration policy, foreign policy, or economic policy, there is much the Bible does not speak to about these issues. Christians in good faith may disagree about many details in these policies. Yet, it is still appropriate for us to seek wise political leaders who are qualified to wisely and skillfully address complex issues facing our cities, our nations, and the world.

Now that we have considered the character, the principles and policies, and the ability of a candidate to govern wisely, here is a simple steps to consider taking before voting.

+ First, consider the character, principles and policies, and the ability for candidates to wisely govern at the local, state, and federal level.
+ Second, be informed about the pressing issues of our day and dialogue graciously with other believers to sharpen your thinking on them.
+ Third, pray and ask the Lord for wisdom.
+ Finally, vote according to your conscience for the candidate you think would do the most to approve what is good and righteous while restraining and punishing evil.

It is true likely that for most Christians that there will be something we dislike or disagree with the candidates on the ballot. This is a reason to lament and long for Christ to return and rule with perfect righteousness and justice. But even as we wait, let us pray that God would give us wise and just leaders and let us steward our vote to do our best to restrain wickedness and promote righteousness, however imperfect that looks like in this election season.  

3. Let us trust in our Sovereign God even as we wait for our blessed hope
Even as we seek the welfare of our cities by praying for godly leaders and stewarding our privilege to vote, we must ultimately trust in our Sovereign God even as we wait for Christ to return. It is easy to give lip service to the sovereignty of God while anxiety and worry fill our hearts and minds as we think about the future of this nation. God’s sovereignty is exhaustive over every atom in the universe. Nothing happens outside his exhaustive control of all things – including this upcoming election. This means we do not need to be anxious about the future of this nation which God is governing according to his wise and sovereign will. This means that we can have great hope that the gospel will be proclaimed to all nations (Matt. 24:14) and Christ will build his church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it (Matt. 16:18). Because he is sovereign and good, he commands us not to be anxious about anything because he cares for us (1 Pet. 5:7).

No matter what happens in this election, we know for certain that it will happen for His glory and our good. All things do in fact work together for good to those who love God and who are called according to His purpose (Rom. 8:28). This means, that no matter what happens in this election, we will still have reasons to give thanks (Eph. 5:20), because this is God’s will for us (1 Thess. 5:18). The reason we can give thanks is because of the hope that we have is ultimately not in our nation being transformed, not in increasing political power, but in our blessed hope - the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. (Titus 2:13).

It is right to have hopes for this election. It is good to hope that righteousness would increase, and wickedness would decrease in this nation. Yet, we cannot allow this temporal hope to eclipse or displace our blessed hope – the return of our King. We are among those who place our ultimate hope in the reality that here on this earth we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come (Heb 13:14).

---
This article was written by Dan Sundersingh with feedback incorporated from Steve Bice, Cale Benefield and a few other trusted pastors in Sovereign Grace Churches. Feel free send an email to pastors@sgcdayton.org for any questions, comments, or disagreements you might have :) 

Resources for Further Consideration
1. A Proposed Taxonomy of Seven Views on Religion and Government - Andy Naselli provides the spectrum of views within Christianity on the relationship between church and state. While our SGC statement of faith does not explicitly take a stance on any of these views, the general posture in most teaching in our churches would be closest to View 4. However, this does not mean there is a uniform view on these issues among our churches. There is a spectrum of emphases even within view 4 and it may also be possible for pastors and members to hold a different view if they hold it in a way that protects the church's mission and does not contradict our statement of faith.

2. The Pastor and Politics – Jeff Purswell, who serves on the Theology Committee of Sovereign Grace Churches, gave this breakout and this outline at the 2023 SGC Pastor Conference to help pastors and members within Sovereign Grace Churches to think biblically about our engagement with the political sphere.

3. Where the Political Parties Stand on Social Issues in 2024. This article helpfully summarizes the social principles and policies of the Republican, Democratic, American Solidarity, and Constitution Parties.

4. What Makes a Vote Moral or Immoral? The Ethics of Voting – Jonathan Leeman shares nine helpful principles about the moral responsibility and ethics of voting. This is not just a simple formula to help you decide who to vote for, but it is a helpful way to critically think through our decision on voting.

5. Politics, Conscience, and the Church: Why Christians Passionately Disagree with One Another over Politics, Why They Must Agree to Disagree over Jagged-Line Political Issues, and How – Andy Naselli and Jonathan Leeman articulate a helpful distinction between those political issues with a straightforward connection to biblical or theological principles (straight-line issues) and those with a more complex, multi-step connection (jagged-line issues).

Scripture gives many examples of godly, humble men and women bringing gut-wrenching questions to God in hopes that he will answer them. Questions much like ours mentioned above, "Has his steadfast love forever ceased? Are his promises at an end for all time?" (Psalm 77:8 ESV) or "How long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear?" (Hab. 1:2 ESV).  What I find remarkable is that God has graciously embedded these into his own Word as he shepherds us through situations that would cause us to cry out in much the same way.  What we can gain from these Spirit-inspired questions is not only the freedom to ask them ourselves but also an aid to renew our trust in our faithful God in the face of deep uncertainty. 

The following example is based specifically on Jacob's experience in Genesis 32-33 when he is crippled beneath a fear of his brother Esau's potential revenge. It seems that God will not fulfill his word to bring Jacob back to the land of Cannan as he promised (Gen. 28:15; 31:13 ESV). To put it lightly— Jacob is afraid. In the midst of his terror though, Jacob remembers and repeats God's stated promise along with God's proven faithfulness to him in the past (Gen. 32:9-12 ESV). He is then reassured by God's faithfulness but is still forced to move ahead with some level of uncertainty. This is where Jacob encounters God in a mysterious wrestling match and his name is changed to Israel (Gen. 32:22-32 ESV). With Jacob's name change comes the assurance that God is not done with him just yet and that more lies ahead for him beyond the threat of his brother. So, he acts in faith based upon that future promise and goes to meet Esau. Surprisingly, Esau does not kill him. Instead, by God's powerful mercy on Jacob, Esau hugs him, kisses him, and weeps over him. Jacob is stunned by God's ability to prove himself even in the face of such danger. Jacob's fitting response is to erect an altar (Gen. 33:20 ESV) in worship to God, memorializing these great moments of deliverance. 

Through this story we see Jacob move from great distress and fear to acting in faith and then finally responding to God in worship. Such is the pattern that takes shape multiple times over throughout the pages of Scripture:

As Christians, we can follow this pattern with a few key adjustments to aid us in remembering God's promises, acting in faith, and seeing God prove his faithfulness over time. For Jacob, he relied upon God's word of promise to Abraham and Isaac and himself as reference points. For Christians, our reference point for God cementing his promises and proving his future faithfulness all at once is none other than the cross of Jesus Christ.

When it seems as if God's not going to work things for our good (Rom. 8:28 ESV) or that he may not be able to present us blameless on that final day (1 Cor. 1:4-9 ESV) or that he certainly won't raise us up from the dead (1 Thess. 4:16-17) or that he can't do away with our tears and pain (Rev. 21:4 ESV), we often are left confused and fearful of what's next. We wonder if the longstanding trial will be there to meet us again tomorrow or whether our hope for relief is just a religious pain-killer.  While we are not guaranteed a specific answer to the "why's" and "when's" of our suffering, we are given a path to follow— one of consciously bringing to mind the faithfulness of our great God, proven at the cross, in order to press on in faith. 

Our anxiety over a particular situation or our fear of what's to come are ultimately rooted in unbelief. We are not so sure that God will come through for us as his children and wonder if he will suddenly abandon us or slowly turn on us.  Just as the problem lies in our hearts, so does the solution. The turning point of many lament psalms comes when a psalmist chooses to hyper-focus on the concrete moments of God's proven faithfulness in Israel's history (See Psalm 73:16-17; Psalm 77:10 ESV). In a similar way, we can recall not only God's proven faithfulness in our own lives but specifically in something grander than our own lives, the story of God's redemption which hinges upon the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. We can look back through the pages of Scripture and see so many promises fulfilled in Christ:

• The seed of the woman will crush the head of the serpent (Gen. 3:15; Col. 1:15-20)
• The offspring of Abraham will bless the nations (Gen. 12:7; Gal 3:15-18)
• The Anointed Servant of God will suffer and be pierced for the sins of his people (Isaiah 52:13-53:6; Col. 2:14)
• The descendent of David, the root of Jesse, will be established on his throne forever. (2 Sam. 7:12-17; Acts 2:33)

Built into our Bibles is page after page of promise after promise and prediction after prediction that all center upon Jesus Christ. He is the one to whom we look for certainty as to whether God is going to continue to be true to the promises he has yet to fulfill. Was he true to his promise to bless the nations, pay for our sins, crush the head of the serpent, and sit on the throne of David? Yes. He was!

This "remembering" process is like a basic science experiment. We start with a question: which paper airplane will fly further? (or is God going to be faithful or not?). We come up with our hypothesis: This particular plane will fly further (or God will not be faithful). Then we check ourselves with the facts of our findings: the hypothesis was incorrect (or contrary to my own thoughts, God has proven himself faithful to his promises time and time again in the past). Our relationship with God is not mechanical like a science experiment, but the point is that putting ourselves through these intentional paces with Scripture as our guide and the Holy Spirit as our helper can prove to be vital when we are lost in the fog of suffering and fear. 

It's only after being assured of God's past faithfulness that we can find fresh resolve to act in faith for whatever's next. Sometimes acting in faith means waiting patiently for an answer to our prayers. Sometimes it means doing what God seems to be prompting us to do. Other times it means continuing on and persevering in what we're already doing. Regardless, we move ahead, intentionally placing our trust in our faithful God and not in what we see. 

No matter the person or the circumstance, God has made promises to us that have yet to be fulfilled in Christ. These are the things that we long to take place and yet may not happen until God restores all things through his Son and by the power of his Spirit. We long for an end to our suffering and we long for seeing God face to face, but the only way that those future promises hold any weight in our hearts is because we have witnessed God's faithfulness in the past! I think many of us can attest to the fact that repeating future promises means little if not backed by the gold standard of God's consistent, unchanging, committed love for us as his people since the beginning. 

Many of God's promises to Christians will only come to fruition on the last day, however, as you experience his protective keeping (Psalm 121) or his turning a horrible situation to your good (Rom. 8:28; Gen. 50:20), you are exposed to opportunities to worship God and give thanks to him for proving his faithfulness. Even if we don't experience those moments often, we can always return to the cross to "see his love forever proved" as one song says. We will forever worship him for his trustworthiness proven at the cross and we can do so even while our questions linger. 

This pattern is not one that we engage in without the help of the Holy Spirit. We are unable to see the value of God's promises or trust his faithfulness without his help. Nonetheless, I pray that this path becomes a well-worn one for all of us as we continue to "Fight the good fight of the faith. (and) Take hold of the eternal life to which [we] were called..." (1 Timothy 6:12 ESV).

A Biblical Mandate

Scripture tells us that love for other Christians shows us to be true Christians (1 John 2:10–11). Love for other Christians demonstrates the power of the gospel to the watching world (John 13:35). Love for other Christians makes for an eternally rewarding investment (Luke 16:9). Love for other Christians is primarily how we live out the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22–23). Love is a relational term can only be understood properly in the context of interpersonal relationships. This can seem hard to introverts like me because these commands imply that it is impossible for a true Christian to be isolated, to not open to others, to not be interested in their lives – their joy and sufferings.  In our church, we want to see relationships where it is normal to talk about spiritual things and intentionally encourage one another towards Christ.

A Gospel Motivation

If we are to grow in our love for one another, we must look at the gospel as our motivation. Specifcally, our disposition toward one another ought to be foundationally rooted in and flow from considering Christ and his disposition toward us.

Therefore, welcome one another as Christ as welcomed you, for the glory of God. (Romans 15:7)

Our heart toward one another ought to be one of welcoming one another, embracing one other, being patient with one another, listening to one another, encouraging one another. Why? Because Christ has welcomed us, he has embraced us wholly (in spite of our sins and weaknesses), he listens to us, he encourages us, he strengthens us. The nature of Christ’s welcome came as great cost to himself. His very body broken for our sins, his soul crushed under the wrath of God – immense sacrifice. So it should not surprise us that our welcome of one another will cost something – cost us our comfort, our preferences, our tendencies avoid those we find difficult, our inclination to only care about our needs instead of others. Brothers and sisters, this ought not be the case for the people of God, we ought to welcome one another AS Christ has welcomed us, for the glory of God.

How Can You Grow?

1. Pray – We need the Holy Spirit to fill us and motivate us to welcome one another as Christ has welcomed us. There is no other place to start since the Spirit is the source of our love for others.
2. Act – We must take steps to obey Christ. Below are a few ideas of how anyone in any season of life can grow in welcoming one another by welcoming one another into our lives as Christ has welcomed us.

Ideas for Welcoming One Another

For Families

1. Invite another family over for a meal or coffee. One of the simplest ways to get to know other families in the church on a deeper level. If finances are tight, consider having people over for coffee or making something very simple/cheap.
2. Invite a single person over for a meal. Single people can often be overlooked in the church. Consider how you can welcome a few college students or an older single person in the church by inviting them over for a meal or taking them out for a meal.
3. Invite yourselves over but bring the meal. This is a good idea if you are aware that it is hard for the other family to go out. This is a great idea for singles to consider as well!
4. Invite more than one family over at once. Not only is this a great way to work on relationships between you and others, but you can also facilitate relationships between others.
5. Invite a new church visitor over for lunch after the church service. You could Make a meal (crockpot or timed bake) that will be ready after church and have extra servings. You could also invite a new visitor to our church to lunch with you if you already plan to go out to eat after church. You could also ask What a wonderful way to welcome a guest the first time they visit our church!
6. Use the food from Common Pantry Room for hosting an event. This ministry has already been a blessing to many families in the church. Reach out to Joy Bice for an event you are planning to host and she will be able to help save items for meals for your event. 

For singles - young and old

1. Ask an older person in the church if you can go out for coffee or a meal to hear about God’s faithfulness in their lives. Our hope is that younger believers would feel comfortable asking older mature Christians to encourage them in the faith.
2. Invite a younger person in the church to regularly meet and read the Bible together. We desire older mature Christians to be looking for ways to intentionally invest in younger people in the church.

These are just a few ideas. What other ideas do you have? I would love to make this list longer!

Intentional Spiritual Conversations

We desire to be a church where it is normal to talk about spiritual things. This does not mean we cannot talk about sports, politics, football, or kids – but that it would be unusual to have a conversation about anything without a spiritual grounding from which all our life ought to flow. We want relationships to go deeper and feel comfortable speaking about spiritual things but spending time just getting to know others and showing interest in whatever they want to talk about is not wasted time. However, if our conversations consist of everything except spiritual matters, we would want to encourage you to take things deeper. Below are some questions to consider making a part of conversations as you seek to grow in relationship with one another. Think about some of these questions before getting together with people. Think about what you would like to know about them. What do you think would encourage them? How do you think you could serve them?

For People You Are Initially Getting to Know

1. How did you become a believer?
2. Tell me about your family and upbringing?
3. How did you end up deciding to come to our church?
4. What is something I could pray for you for in this season?

For People You Know Well

1. How have you seen the Lord’s faithfulness in your life recently?
2. How has the Lord used the sermons recently to encourage you and challenge you?
3. What is an area of your life that you are asking the Lord to help bring change in your life?
4. What is something I could pray for you for in this season?

Praying, Reading, and Singing Together

We desire it to be normal for people in our church to pray together and sing together in a variety of everyday life contexts they find themselves in together.

1. Sing a song or read a psalm before eating your meal together.
2. Read a Daily Meal Liturgy from Every Moment Holy before the meal and then using the discussion prompts to transition into talking about ways you see God working.
3. Ask how you could pray for each other and spend time praying for each other and encouraging one another with God’s promises from
   his Word.

Conclusion

One aspect of our mission statement is that we want to display in a small way the beauty of the gospel. Our sacificial and joyful love for one another ought to be a mark of this church and may it be a means by which visitors and guests would see a compelling community of Christans and give glory to God.

"On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.” (John 20:19-23 ESV)

MAIN POINTS

Big Idea: We participate in the mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ as those sent by Jesus himself and empowered by his Spirit to save and mature those who are his.  

1. God has a mission. (John 20:21a)
2. We are being sent into his mission (John 20:21b-22)
3. Some will be saved as we participate in this mission, and some will not. (John 20:23)

REFLECTION AND APPLICATION QUESTIONS

1. What is God's mission? How is that different than our mission as Christians?
2. What relationships and situations are you already in where you could make efforts to introduce others to Christ or to help them grow in knowing and obeying him?
3. In what ways may God be calling you to participate in his mission for the first time? (relationships that you don't already have, ways in which you're not already making disciples).
4. Why does it matter that you have the promised Holy Spirit in you as you set out on the mission of making disciples?
5. Where might you need boldness or fruther equipping to move forward in helping other know and follow Christ?

WHAT IS THIS NEW SERIES?

"AfterWords: Lives Affected by What We Believe"
is a brief series that is meant to connect our
Statement of Faith (from the We Believe series) with other key aspects
of the Christian life as we enter this new year of 2023. 
___________________ 

PRIMARY TEXT

“Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.” (Titus 3:1–2 ESV)

INTRODUCTORY THOUGHT AND GUIDING QUESTION

Titus 3 tells us about the follower of King Jesus. In verses 1 and 2, we are provided with a list of seven distinguishing characteristics for Christian conduct amid what was certainly a wicked, evil culture in Crete. And we can learn from this church that Titus led for our own conduct amid an ever-increasingly wicked, evil culture like ours today. What is it that Paul tells Titus to remind the church of there in Crete?

Take some time to re-listen to the sermon to be reminded of what the church, whether in Crete or in Dayton, needs to be continually reminded of.

1. Followers of King Jesus are to be characterized by SUBMISSION.
2. Followers of King Jesus are to be characterized by OBEDIENCE.
3. Followers of King Jesus are to be characterized by INTENTIONALITY.
4. Followers of King Jesus are to be characterized by ENCOURAGEMENT.
5. Followers of King Jesus are to be characterized by PEACE.
6. Followers of King Jesus are to be characterized by GENTLENESS.
7. Followers of King Jesus are to be characterized by COURTESY.

CONCLUSION

Followers of King Jesus engage with the culture steadfastly and obediently speaking truth with humble grace and gentle courtesy.

QUESTIONS

1. What questions did this sermon leave you with as it pertains to our cultural engagement (or, as mentioned towards the end of the sermon, any of your relational engagements)?
2. How does your heart/mind respond to the first two points? Any thoughts come to mind? Frustrations? Agreements? How might you grow in these two areas as it relates to cultural engagements?
3. How do the last four points land on you as it pertains to your engagement with the culture, with government, with others?

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The Grace and Truth Paradox: Responding with Christlike Balance

What should the world see when it looks at us? Christ. But we've come up with hundreds of principles and thousands of rules attempting to be Christlike. It's too complicated to wrap our minds around. And Christ gets buried under lists, rules and formulas.

John 1:14 boils down for us what it means to be Christlike. It means to be full of only two things: Grace and Truth. Instead of a dozen, this gives us just two balls to juggle. It's succinct, a two point checklist of Christlikeness. Everything we do can and should be measured by the test of grace and truth.

Christlikeness means living by grace and truth, extending both to others. Instead of the world's apathy and tolerance, we offer grace. Instead of the world's relativism and deception, we offer truth.

If we minimize grace the world sees no hope for salvation. If we minimize truth, the world sees no need for salvation. To show the world Jesus, we must offer full-orbed, unabridged truth and grace, magnifying both, never downsizing or apologizing for either.

To Purchase the book (Hardcover, Kindle, Audio)
Click HERE

_________________________________

TOOLS/RESOURCES THAT MAY PROVE HELPFUL IN CONNECTING WHAT YOU BELIEVE TO CULTURAL ENGAGEMENT.

1. A BOOK REVIEW ON "THE CASE FOR CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM" - A helpful review on a newer book that has gained some level of clout among some followers of Christ.
   
   
2. BLOG POST FROM ACTS29 ON CULTURAL ENGAGEMENT: A relatively brief post covering "6 Rules of Cultural Engagement," by Joe Thorn.
   
   
3. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE "WINSOMELY REFORMED?" - A post by Michael J. Kruger that was quoted in part during the sermon.

WHAT IS THIS NEW SERIES?

"AfterWords: Lives Affected by What We Believe"
is a brief series that is meant to connect our
Statement of Faith (from the We Believe series) with other key aspects
of the Christian life as we enter this new year of 2023. 
___________________ 

PRIMARY TEXT

“Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall! My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me. But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD. It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.” (Lamentations 3:19–27 ESV)

INTRODUCTORY THOUGHT AND GUIDING QUESTIONS

Lamentations provides hope while we wait for that final day when all will be restored. And we’ll see that this morning. Yet this book is also simply realistic about the days before that final restoration. There is no resolution, no happily-ever-after in Lamentations. All that is left at the end of the book are questions and tears. Lamentations speaks of the path of sorrow, or hardship…believing and trusting God while the darkness is often overwhelming; growing in knowing how to trust when the immediate future remains entirely uncertain, absolutely fearful, and exceedingly sorrowful.

• What do we do when we are faced with sorrow and loss in our life?
• How do we keep from sinking down under it all?
• How do we keep the sorrow and troubles of the past from poisoning the present and darkening the future?
• How do we find the hope to carry on while we wait for that final day?
• If the author of this book finds hope amid the horrific suffering he and his people are enduring, how might I learn from him?

DWELLING ON YOUR SORROW WILL ONLY INCREASE YOUR SORROW

It is good and right for you to express your sorrow. Jesus knew tears of sorrow. God created us with emotions and tears to go with them. So, cry when you need to, talk about it with others, pray about it, journal, write a poem or a song, draw a picture. Whatever it takes, express your sorrow and grief. And give yourself, and others, lots of grace and patience along the way. With that said, we shouldn’t DWELL in our sorrow – live in our sorrow, soak in our sorrow. 

1. Dwelling on your sorrow will poison your life with bitterness
2. Dwelling on your sorrow will eventually lead you to depression and despair
3. Dwelling on your sorrow cannot bring you hope

CHOOSING TO REMEMBER GOD’S FAITHFULNESS WILL BRING YOU HOPE

This severely troubled, afflicted, and grieving man believes without any doubt that God is not only faithful but that his faithfulness is great. How so?

1. God is faithful in his great love for you.

   The author had seen the faithfulness of God in Israel. He had known it himself. And for him, as he considered the steadfast faithful love of God towards him even when all around him was dark and difficult and God seemed so very silent and perhaps even distant, God and all his promises were more than enough for him so the precise location where hope was found wasn’t in the varied and difficult emotions or circumstances but in the unshakable God, the God he believed in. He knew that though the days were dark, that not only would the Lord stay by his side in the sorrow, but because of his faithfulness and his love, there was a day coming when the sorrows will be no more. He believed that the Lord was worthy and sufficient to be his hope-producing portion even in these shadow lands while he awaited the glories of the age to come.

   What/who is your portion? What is it you are waiting for this morning? Are you waiting for a healing? A change in circumstances? A better job that will pay the bills? For whatever is causing your sorrow to simply go away? Or are you waiting for the Lord? All the other things you are waiting for are fine, and certainly take them to the Lord in prayer, but might you make God your portion? Wait for him. Look to him for His compassions never fail. 
   
   Isaiah 40:31; Romans 8:31-39

2. God is faithful in his goodness to you
   
   We can trust the Lord in our difficulty because He is Good. Wholly good. Without stain or blemish. Don’t let anyone tell you differently. Don’t let your circumstances cloud the goodness of God. Even when you may be tempted to think otherwise when your situation is so very difficult. Again, the one who is going through such sorrow like Jeremiah, unbelievable sorrow and difficulty, states amid all the loud sorrows and pains – and they’re loud, aren’t they?!! – he states that God is good to the one who waits for him and the one who seeks him even as he, or she, pours their lament out to the Lord and cries out to him for deliverance.
   
   It is good to wait quietly for deliverance from the current situation you find yourself in. From sickness, from enemies, from unwanted thoughts, from difficult memories… whatever is causing your sorrow or grief. Each one of us want deliverance yesterday, but God calls us to trust him and his purposes and his faithfulness and his timing rather than succumbing to the fear of unbelief and our sense of good timing. God’s timing is always good. He’s never sleeping, never arriving early, never arriving late…he’s always precisely on time.

CONCLUSION

God uses the difficult times in your life for good to make you strong in him. Far from God being vindictive, there simply is a sweetness to be had in trusting God even through significant pain and sorrow. Testimony after testimony plays out the reality that the sweetness of God and his comforting presence has been greatly experienced in those who endure suffering in this life.

A Quote by Andy Squyres for your thoughts...

Take all the infected splinters of practical atheism and put them up on the altar of God's silence and let God send his river of fire whenever he gets around to it. Is God silent? Let us receive him in his silence! Is God absent? Let us receive him in his absence then! And by all means let us also receive him in signs and wonders and revivals and miracles as well! But maybe you are too tired to anticipate anything like that. It's okay. Jesus has a history of cursing unfruitful fig trees. Just stand still and wait for him to walk by. He will speak to your branches. He will speak to your roots. And if he says "shrivel up and die", fear not because what he is really cursing is the revelry of unbelief that has snuck its way like a snake into our hearts. I used to be afraid of judgement but now I know that the judgements of Christ are what heal me of my wounds, self-inflicted or otherwise.

Damn the life of unbelief and drink from the well of Christ himself. What other place is there for us to go? What other recourse could we possibly find? A deconstructionist's podcast? A nationalist's political movement? Someone's graduate degree in psychology? Please. I never want to be so clever that I lose my humanity, and by that I mean my hunger and thirst for God. So whether I am in brokenness or wholeness I confess that the Man Christ Jesus is my Lord and I confess that he is Lord over all things, and all things are from him and through him and to him, and you can believe and confess otherwise but I really don't care. I'm sticking with this old fashioned and out of touch admission, and to steal from the poet Rich Mullins I'll add, "I did not make this confession, no, it is making me." (Andy Squyres)

TWO TOOLS/RESOURCES THAT MAY PROVE HELPFUL IN CONNECTING WHAT YOU BELIEVE TO SUFFERING.

1. A HELPFUL WEBSITE ON SUFFERING - A wealth of help amid suffering is available on this website. Consider reading, listening, and watching all that is available here.
   
   
2. A HELPFUL BOOK ON LAMENT: From the website: "Lament is how you live between the poles of a hard life and trusting God’s goodness. Lament is how we bring our sorrow to God—but it is a neglected dimension of the Christian life for many Christians today. We need to recover the practice of honest spiritual struggle that gives us permission to vocalize our pain and wrestle with our sorrow. Lament avoids trite answers and quick solutions, progressively moving us toward deeper worship and trust.

   "Exploring how the Bible—through the psalms of lament and the book of Lamentations—gives voice to our pain, this book invites us to grieve, struggle, and tap into the rich reservoir of grace and mercy God offers in the darkest moments of our lives."

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SONGS FOR ENCOURAGEMENT

WHAT IS THIS NEW SERIES?

"AfterWords: Lives Affected by What We Believe"
is a brief series that is meant to connect our
Statement of Faith (from the We Believe series) with other key aspects
of the Christian life as we enter this new year of 2023. 
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PRIMARY TEXT

“And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”” (Luke 18:1–8 ESV)

INTRODUCTORY THOUGHT AND GUIDING QUESTIONS

Each of us want to grow in our prayer life, in our talking with God, depending on God, asking God to move, and to simply sit and enjoy him along the way of life – but while there are certainly exceptions to this, most of our prayer lives are not what they ought to be – and we know that. Each of us are prone to losing heart in prayer and we give up. We begin to believe praying is fruitless. Empty. Perhaps even meaningless. Often when we consider the topic of prayer, we can tend to feel bad about ourselves. We often see our impoverished prayer lives and grow despondent as we continue finding a life of prayer to be something that evades us.

The question is, “why?” Why do we find prayer so difficult? And how might that change?

We are Hindered in Prayer by the Enemy of Our Faith

We have a mortal enemy of our faith. An ultimately defeated enemy to be sure, but one who is out to steal, kill, and destroy the faith, the trust, the active belief of all those who profess to have entrusted their lives to the Lord. But the devil is not our only enemy – we also have the enemy of the world and the flesh. And the three seem to work together as the unholy trinity that disrupts prayer, alters our focus, and threatens to steal our faith.

Maybe it’s circumstances that have you doubting. Maybe it’s the seeming lack of answer from God to your tear-stained prayers. Maybe you’re just so very tired – your mind, your body all weary and you just feel faint in prayer. Maybe it’s the state of the world around you. So much vying for your attention and stealing the time you might pray away from you. The reality is that we have enemies of our faith who conspire against us to strip us of faith, question the God we love, doubt that which we have said we believe, and we are left with nothing to say, nothing to pray because deep down we’ve become relatively convinced that prayer feels generally useless.

How do we thwart our enemies' plans?

We are Given Power to Overcome Every Hindrance to Prayer

1. We Must Decide to Believe in the Object of Our Faith: You must decide to look to the object of our faith and pray, believing his promises, and always trusting his wisdom and his goodness and his will. 
   
   
2. We Need to Decide that Prayer is Unquestionably Necessary: You must decide that there really isn’t anything more important than sitting with the Lord quietly or in vocal prayer and taking time to hear from him primarily from this book. If you do not, then prayer will always be something that doesn’t make the cut in your life for you have decided something else, namely that other things are more important.
   
   
3. We Must Decide to Pray Primarily When Disruption is Less Likely: Once you’ve decided that there isn’t anything more important than sitting with the Lord in prayer, you will need to learn to pray at a time and a place where the disruption is less likely. We need to set boundaries in our lives, that means you need to decide that there can be nothing else more important in your day than meeting with God, reading your Bible and praying to Him, having communion with him. When is it going to be? Where is it going to happen?
   
   Examples: Might you be willing to fight the fight by putting your phone on airplane mode for that time? Might you be able to take those moments before bed, when you’re so tired, to just thank God for the day and to intercede for a few people that he brings to your mind? Maybe it is getting up early for you before others in your family are up. Maybe for some of you very busy moms it’s taking advantage of the few moments of quiet that seem so hard to come by in your day. Perhaps it’s moms and dads spotting one another in your responsibilities that each of you might be able to enter a time of prayer for a bit.
   
   
4. We Must Decide to Not Be Controlled by External Circumstances: How many of us are controlled by the pull of social media or the most recent news bulletin. Your curiosity gets the best of you and next thing you know, you’ve spent 30 minutes reading the comments section of the most recent social media provocation (or whatever else it is). Time isn't an issue, really, as we consider prayer. Our use of it is. If we give into being controlled by these things, you can be assured that the world, the flesh, and the devil is going to keep more of the same coming.

CONCLUSION

Perhaps you’ve decided that prayer is key to your spiritual life, and you have no desire to disregard it, so you set a time and place to pray when disruption is less likely and you prioritize it in your schedule choosing to not be controlled by any number of external circumstances…but you get before the Lord and you don’t know entirely what to say. You pray well enough; you thank the Lord, you ask of the Lord as you intercede for others, but it all sounds the same and frankly, it gets a bit boring and becomes drudgery rather than fresh and lively and invigorating.

TWO TOOLS THAT MAY PROVE HELPFUL IN OUR FIGHT AGAINST HINDRANCES TO PRAYER

1. PRAYING THE BIBLE: Pick up the free book at the back of the church entitled, “Praying the Bible,” by Donald Whitney. It's a short book with specific helps to direct your times of prayer throughout your life. If you didn't pick it up today, it will be located at the back of the church for you to take for free.
   
   
2. ECHO PRAYER APP: Two years ago, some of us began using an app to help us pray individually. I wanted to take the opportunity to introduce (or reintroduce) you to THIS APP that is for both iOS and Android and can be used to organize your prayer times, give needed reminders, etc... There are also opportunities for us to share prayer requests as a church family.
   
   This app doesn't take the place of our Church Center Intercessory Prayer group that sends out notices for immediate prayer needs, but it is so much more, as you can see HERE. 

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SONG FOR ENCOURAGEMENT

This hymn was written as a testament to a difficult time in John Newton's life. He and his friend William Cowper (mentioned in the sermon today) had embarked on a project that was to become the Olney Hymns Collection, but not long into the project, Cowper "went insane." (Listen to a biography of Cowper here.)

Newton wrote that it seemed as though God was going out of his way to make life difficult for him then realized that even through adversity, God continues to work.

TWO GUIDING QUESTIONS DURING THIS SERMON SERIES

Are you growing in the knowledge of God?
Are you growing in loving God and loving people?
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PRIMARY TEXT

“Oh sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things! His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him. The LORD has made known his salvation; he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations. He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises! Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody! With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the LORD! Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world and those who dwell in it! Let the rivers clap their hands; let the hills sing for joy together before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity.” (Psalm 98:1–9 ESV)

PRIMARY POINT

The absolute delight mankind can experience in this age is only found in the eternal promises of the age to come that Christmas points to.

We Delight in the Truth that the Lord Is Come

In the birth of Jesus, in his first appearing, in the first advent, his first coming we celebrate what is promised for our future in his second advent, his second coming and all that it entails. In Philippians 2:7-11 the Apostle Paul shows us the glory of the first coming in the humility of Christ. The obedient life, atoning death, victorious resurrection, and exalting ascension of King Jesus before whom every knee will bow before on that final day, being proclaimed King and Lord by everyone.

We sing the lyrics “Joy to the world the Lord is come” because we know he has come to make his blessing flow…not just now in a time when those blessings are mixed with the curse of sickness and death, but the “then,” at his second coming, the second advent, when he finally comes to end all groaning – both ours and all of creation itself.

We Delight in the Truth that the Savior Reigns

We can delight in the truth that the Savior will one day reign, the day he returns, and every knee bends, and every tongue confesses him as Lord.

Amid the tears and sorrows of this life, the Lord reigns. And we are able to sing with certainty that “the Savior reigns” at Christmas as we celebrate that which is true now though seen through a mirror dimly in the sure and certain hope of what will be so clearly and joyfully true in the age to come.

We Delight in the Truth that He Rules the World with Truth and Grace

In his first coming Jesus hadn’t come to bring judgment. Rather, he brought the joyful truth of the grace of forgiveness and the gift of salvation (John 12:47). It's for this grace and truth we delight, we sing for joy. But that rejoicing comes also at the truth that at Jesus’s second coming he will come to judge those who have rejected him. The threat of judgment isn’t to make one mad and self-defensive…rather, it’s meant to cause one to recognize their need of a Savior. And because of Jesus’s birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension in his first coming, our Savior has, indeed, come. And if a person would simply place their trust in Jesus in the present, he will not be the righteous judge towards you, but he will be the righteous one who declares you blameless and forgiven and facing no condemnation in the age to come.

We Delight in the Truth of the Wonders of His Love

The only way we can sing the song “Joy to the World” with genuine joy and hope is because of everything Jesus’s first coming means to us. Jesus came to bear the sins of many, and he will come again to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. Are these not the wonders of his love? Is not the greatest wonder of the season what the most famous scripture states? ““For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16 ESV).

CONCLUSION

Christmas isn’t the end. The joy and wonder of Christmas are not meant to be primarily found in the gifts or the trees or the songs. The enduring joy and wonder of the season is found in the understanding that Christmas is the beginning of the end that we all long to see and enjoy in the age to come. The pain and sorrows for some that the days of Christmas represent will be swallowed up in the future, eternal joys of the age to come.

Christmas really does bring joy to the world because of what it promises for the world – eternal salvation and joy in the blessed hope of heaven where sins and sorrow no longer grow, where thorns no longer infest the ground and where the eternal King comes to make his blessings flow for ever and ever.

May this Christmas Day, and every day for that matter, be lived delighting in the promises of the age to come.

PRIMARY QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

1. How will you begin/continue preparing him room in your heart? 
2. How do the promises of the age to come inform your answer to the first question?

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RESOURCES

Section 12 of the Sovereign Grace Churches Statement of Faith 

TWO GUIDING QUESTIONS DURING THIS SERMON SERIES

Are you growing in the knowledge of God?
Are you growing in loving God and loving people?
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PRIMARY TEXT

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” (Titus 2:11–14 ESV)

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How should the Christian live in this world? In the private moments, in the mundane moments, in the quiet moments, in the loud moments, in the “at church” moments, in the suffering moments, in the moments of temptation, in the sad moments, in the happy moments? If you profess to be a follower of Jesus, what is it that motivates you day after day?

THE GRACE OF GOD HAS APPEARED.

The grace of God that has appeared teaches us that if you have believed on and trusted in Jesus to forgive you through faith, you are right with God – your sins…all of them both those sins you’ve committed and those things you should have done but failed to do, have been atoned. Paid for. Your sins have been washed away. They are thrown as far as the east is from the west. And not only that, who is it that actually “performed” well for you? Does not the gospel of grace tell us that Jesus lived a perfect life in my place? And His righteousness…every last bit of it was transferred to me as one who has entrusted my all to him.

That is where our heart must run. When we start to wonder if we’re going to make it, if this life is too difficult, if you just can’t seem to get a grip on things… God is going to take care of us, he has reached out to us. He sent His Son, Jesus as our Savior to trust in completely. This is our life in Christ.

THE GRACE OF GOD TRAINS US

The grace of God trains us to turn away from godlessness and put on godliness. We renounce our own sin and tendency to follow the way of the world in its ungodliness. Not just the actions of unrighteousness, but the lack of godliness or godward thinking in a life. You abandon a life that is, practically speaking, a life that really doesn’t include God all that much, if at all. And you also turn away from the passions, the longings, and lusts that the world is inundated by. The grace of God that has appeared trains us to do this.

The grace of God trains us to turn away from the passions of this world and to love one another, to care for our families, to be self-controlled in our thought life and in our actions, to care graciously and kindly with our kids, with our spouse, to speak with gentleness, being slow to anger, abounding in every good work, etc… – not as a duty or out of some sort of guilt or pressure but because we’ve been freed from sin, and it has become a privilege to live for Christ. This is our life in Christ.

THE GRACE OF GOD WILL TRIUMPH

The grace of God will ultimately accomplish the goal of the training. Grace will prevail and we will become all that God intends for us to be when Jesus appears again at his second advent – the second coming. We know that the grace of God has appeared in the past in the person of Jesus who gave himself on the cross. And we know the grace of God is also with us in the present, training us to renounce ungodliness and live a certain way. But that's never completed in this life. All of that is just temporary. There's always something wrong with it, in this present age. But the day is coming, when all the sin will be removed and the training in godliness will be complete. This is our life in Christ.

PRIMARY POINT

Delighting in your life in Christ is the only reality that will rightly motivate you to a Godward life.

APPLICATION

• Look to Christ - consider the grace of God repeatedly. Read, sing, meditate on the grace of God. Consider reading "The Gospel for Real Life," by Jerry Bridges.
• Ask yourself if you grieved over your sin. Do you seek to live a holy life? if you find yourself apathetic towards sin, your lack of a godward life, if you're not striving for holiness and godliness, that's a sign that you don't really understand this grace of God that has appeared. If this is you...consider the previous point.
• When the reality falls short of the ideal, may we remember that we have a Savior who has appeared. He is no figment of our imagination. He is our Savior. He will save us and keep us and be with us and one day present us to the Father blameless with great joy. We will get there by his grace. May we rest in this glorious truth and live this life compelled by the grace of God, delighting in our life that is found in Christ.

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RESOURCES

Section 11 of the Sovereign Grace Churches Statement of Faith 

All believers, by virtue of their union with Christ, are progressively transformed into his image. Although the ruling power of sin in our lives has been broken, remnants of corruption remain in our hearts that we will fight throughout our lives. This lifelong process of growth takes place as the Spirit empowers us to abide in Christ and strive for holiness in every area of life. Resting in Christ’s finished work never renders our effort unnecessary but rather enables the joyful pursuit of loving and pleasing God. Compelled by grace, believers grow in the knowledge of God, obey Christ’s commands, walk by the Spirit, mortify sin, and pursue God’s priorities and purposes. Although such actions are not the ground of our salvation, they demonstrate the authenticity of our salvation and are a means by which God keeps us faithful to the end. Among the many public and private means of grace, the Word of God, prayer, and fellowship are primary instruments of our sanctification, fostering communion with God and training us together to glorify him, love others, and testify to Christ in the world

Living the Christian life involves longing and waiting for the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. Although believers are new creations in Christ and presently enjoy the blessings of his resurrection power, their sanctification remains partial and incomplete in this life. Furthermore, they continue to live in mortal bodies in a creation subject to futility, opposed by the world, the flesh, and the devil. The Word of God assures us that we are his beloved children, yet such an assurance does not remove the reality of suffering, sorrow, and persecution in this present age. The gospel enables us to rejoice in the midst of tribulations, assured that his purposes are working for our good even in circumstances we do not understand. Fixing our eyes on Jesus, we endure in faith and abound in hope, confident that a day is fast approaching when sin and sorrow will be no more.

Sovereign Grace Churches Statement of Faith, Section 11

TWO GUIDING QUESTIONS DURING THIS SERMON SERIES

Are you growing in the knowledge of God?
Are you growing in loving God and loving people?
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What do we believe about the church? This has always been an important question to answer, but today it’s just absolutely vital. The idea of church for many, if not an antiquated idea that needs to just pass away, is that it’s generally optional and unneeded. Thirteen years ago, Kevin DeYoung tried to put in plain words the cultural view of the church was at that time:

Community is hip, but the church is lame. Both inside the church and out, organized religion is seen as oppressive, irrelevant, and a waste of time. Outsiders like Jesus but not the church. Insiders have been told they can do just fine with God apart from the church.” – Kevin DeYoung, (Why We Love the Church)

Many have their own view of the church, including those who are in the church. But the question we're in need of considering isn't first "what is your view of the church," but...What is God’s view of the church? And then consider if our view resembles his.

PRIMARY TEXT

“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 ESV)

GOD VIEWS THE CHURCH AS THE OBJECT OF HIS LOVE.

1. What could be more telling of his love than the truth that God obtained the church with His own blood! “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13 ESV)
   
   
2. Who specifically is this church that God loves and obtained with his own blood?
   
   The universal church is the true, worshipping community of God’s people, composed of all the elect from all time. Throughout salvation history, God by his Word and Spirit has been calling sinful people out of the whole human race to create a new redeemed humanity, whom Christ purchased with his blood. With the giving of the Spirit at Pentecost, God’s people were reconstituted as his new covenant church, in continuity with the old covenant people of God but now brought to fulfillment by the work of Christ. All of God’s people are united in one body—with Christ as the supreme, sustaining, and life-giving head—and set apart for God’s own possession and purposes (Sovereign Grace Churches Statement of Faith, Section 12)
   
   As an expression of Christ’s universal church, the local church is the focal point of God’s plan to mature his people and save sinners (Sovereign Grace Churches Statement of Faith, Section 12).
   
   We don’t just gather on Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights because it’s something on our calendar but because the only wise, ever present, all-knowing, all-powerful, unchanging, holy, good, faithful, sovereign, just, merciful, loving, gracious, patient, eternal, supreme, Creator God obtained THIS church by spilling His blood for us! God LOVES Sovereign Grace Church Dayton!! God is pleased when we gather united in this location to grow in our love for Him and to glorify Him! Jesus died to obtain that!
   
   
3. What makes up a local church?
   
   Standing over all the other important messages that we stand firmly on, is the one, vital message that we want more than anything to be known for…the grace-soaked message of the pure gospel of Jesus Christ. It is this message that is the power of God for salvation for all who trust in Christ. We sing of Christ, we pray to Christ, we trust in Christ, and we proclaim Christ and him crucified.
   
   [The church does not]…consist of three guys drinking pumpkin spiced lattes at Starbucks talking about the spirituality of the Violent Femmes and why Sex and the City is really profound. [The local church is one] that meets – wherever you want it to meet – but exults in the cross of Christ; sings songs to a holy and loving God; has church [leaders], good preaching, celebrates the sacraments, exercises discipline; and takes an offering. …a church that combines freedom and form in corporate worship, has old people and young, artsy types and NASCAR junkies, seekers and stalwarts, and probably has bulletins and by-laws. – Kevin DeYoung (Why We Love the Church)
   
   if we understand the implications of Acts 20:28, Christ died on the cross, not just to add us to the universal church as individuals going our own way until we get to heaven, but he died on the cross to add us to local churches – to local manifestations of the universal church that proclaim one primary message with grace and truth. He shed his blood not to save us so we would remain isolated from one another, but to save us INTO a community of believers called the body of Christ. 
   
   Therefore, all Christians are to join themselves as committed members to a specific local church (Sovereign Grace Churches Statement of Faith, Section 12).

GOD VIEWS THE CHURCH AS THE SETTING FOR HIS CARE.

There is an assumption that this text reveals about believers. It’s the fact that we, as the church of God, bought with the precious blood of Christ, need care! We are not self-sufficient. We need help!

1. God shows us his care through Pastoral care
   
   Christ has given the offices of elder and deacon to the church.  Elders occupy the sole office of governance and are called to teach, oversee, care for, and protect the flock entrusted to them by the Lord.  Deacons provide for the various needs of the church through acts of service. God gives these and other people as gifts to serve and equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ. (Sovereign Grace Churches Statement of Faith, Section 12).
   
   
2. God shows us his care through each other.
   
   “And 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.” (Hebrews 10:24–25 ESV)
   
   According to this verse one of the means to do this is to meet together. Certainly, this “meeting together” includes doing so in homes and coffee shops but throughout God’s word, God’s people have always gathered together, as our Statement of Faith says…
   
   … for the teaching of the Word, prayer, the sacraments, congregational singing, fellowship, and mutual edification through the exercise of spiritual gifts (Sovereign Grace Churches Statement of Faith, Section 12).. 
   
   We gather to rejoice, to celebrate the gospel together, to enjoy one another, to encourage one another, to sing with each other to our Lord, to pray, to hear the word preached, to enjoy the gifts of baptism and the Lord’s Supper that the Lord Jesus himself instituted. And we do so week after week, and sometimes day after day, to grow together in dependence on our Lord, to care for each other, and to protect one another from our tendency to grow hardened to the things of God. As we gather, the Holy Spirit utilizes the manifold gifts he has given to the church for the church to be built up and strengthened.

APPLICATION

Grow in Loving the Local Church

• Grow in making the Local Church a Primary Priority in your life. Prioritize attendance at what this local church provides. Sundays, Wednesdays, men’s groups, women’s groups.
• Consider how you might serve one another. The needs are plentiful…from kitchen help to greeters to nursery workers…there are plenty of ways to serve together and to serve each other.
• Consider how you might grow in looking across at another person here you don’t know well and get to know them. Each of us have stories that are rich with wonder and difficulty, pain, sorrow, and rejoicing. And we have been loved and redeemed by God.
• And as you get to know each other, consider how you might pray for one another when you’re together, when you’re in your prayer closet, when you’re at work or school or at play. Wear each other on your heart.
• Consider how you might grow in being hospitable to one another, sharing lives, playing together, and enjoy meals together.

How patiently and lovingly might we interact with one another even in the middle of significant disagreement or difficulty if we would only recall that each of us are loved and purchased in mercy and love by our gracious God.

Know that God’s Purpose for the Church is Clear.

Our mission statement echoes the last portion of our statement of faith regarding the purpose and mission of the church when we say this:

We exist to glorify God by maturing and multiplying disciples (followers of Jesus) who enjoy, declare, and display the good news of Jesus Christ for the joy of all peoples.

We are part of something eternal here.

• By the Spirit and the Word of God we are being transformed into the image of Jesus together.
• Our message is the gospel of Jesus Christ, and it is this message that we want to share unceasingly with both grace and truth.
• We can be assured that as we proclaim the gospel of Jesus, that some will come to believe, and we will have the privilege to take them deeper into the glories of Jesus even as we continue in the same.
• We can be assured that as dark as the days around us may get, the Lord promises to build, guide, and preserve those whom he obtained by his own blood to the end of the age.
• We can be assured that on that day when Jesus returns, he will complete that which he began and gather the church from every tribe, every tongue, and nation as a people for his own possession to dwell with forever and ever.

SGC Dayton is an imperfect place made up of imperfect people that point each other to the perfect Savior in imperfect ways through the perfect word of God in the power of the Spirit.

And it’s just simply glorious!

RESOURCES

Section 12 of the Sovereign Grace Churches Statement of Faith 

Sermon by C.H. Spurgeon - The Best Donation - Consider taking time to read this full sermon for your encouragement this week (below are two excerpts...)

• "I remember the difficulty that I had, when I was converted, and wished to join the Christian church in the place where I lived. I called upon the minister four successive days before I could see him; each time there was some obstacle in the way of an interview; and as I could not see him at all, I wrote and told him that I would go down to the church-meeting, and propose myself as a member. He looked upon me as a strange character, but I meant what I said; for I felt that I could not be happy without fellowship with the people of God. I wanted to be wherever they were; and if anybody ridiculed them, I wished to be ridiculed with them; and if people had an ugly name for them, I wanted to be called by that ugly name; for I felt that unless I suffered with Christ in his humiliation, I could not expect to reign with him in his glory."
• "You that are members of the church have not found it perfect, and I hope that you feel almost glad that you have not. If I had never joined a church till I had found one that was perfect, I should never have joined one at all; and the moment I did join it, if I had found one, I should have spoiled it, for it would not have been a perfect church after I had become a member of it. Still, imperfect as it is, it is the dearest place on earth to us."

PREPARATION FOR NEXT SUNDAY

Familiarize yourself with the following song...
Light of the World (Sing Hallelujah)