Community Church's Mission Statement Part 4- Surpassing Worth of Jesus Christ.
For the last several weeks the elders have been reviewing Community Churches Mission Statement. Each of our elders have taken certain parts of our Mission Statement and expounded upon it according to the Scriptures. This has been good to do this so that you get a chance to hear the elders and to be reminded of Community Churches Mission Statement. Our Mission Statement says, “As a people living side-by-side Community Church exists to pursue the transformation of hearts and minds through the treasuring and spreading of the surpassing worth of Christ.”
This week I have the opportunity to remind us that the focus of everything that Community Church thinks, speaks or does should be inseparably linked to the ‘surpassing worth of Christ’.
The focus of our attention upon the ‘surpassing worth of Christ’ should be our the ambition, purpose, and the priority, of every faithful protestant congregation. Therefore, it should not surprise us that the Mission Statements of other churches have this focus. For example,
One mission statement says, “To be a Christ centered community helping people faithfully follow Jesus both locally and globally.”
Another mission statement says, “We exist to glorify God by displaying the power of the gospel to change hearts in God's beautifully designed community - the local church - where the Bible is foundational and Christ is central.”
We just studied the Letter to the Hebrews and saw how easy it is for individuals, and entire congregations, to drift away from Christ and the Gospel.
Hebrews 2:1- “We must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.”
Hebrews 3:12- “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day…”.
Hebrews 5:12- “...by this time you ought to be teachers, but you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God.”
In Hebrews 10:19-25 the author of Hebrews speaks of the glory of Jesus our great High Priest and exhorts by saying, “...let us draw near...Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. Let us consider how to stir up one another ...not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another…”.
Hebrews 12:1-2- “...let us lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Even now as we study through the book of James we are seeing how important it is to ‘treasure the and spread the surpassing worth of Jesus’. For example,
James 1:12 says, “Blessed is the man remains steadfast (in the faith regarding Jesus) under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life (by grace through faith in Christ), which God has promised to those who love Him .”
James 2:5 says, “Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith (regarding Jesus and the Gospel) and heirs of the kingdom (of which Christ is King and LORD), which He has promised to those who love Him?”
In James 3:4 James will rebuke these Christians when he sees that they are loving other things more than Christ, “You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is emnity with God. Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”
Having now considered our mission statement we may be ready to engage in the exhortation to live side-by-side, to pursue the transformation of hearts and minds, and to seek to treasure and spread things of first importance.
Warning to heed: Before we are sent off to busy ourselves with these good things we must consider the most important part of our mission statement- ‘the surpassing worth of Christ’.
Apart from Christ the branches will be fruitless. (John 15:3-5) Do we really believe this?
It is not us (our work, programs, commitments, resources) that support the root, but the root that supports and nourishes us! (Romans 11:18)
Consideration: In Matthew 28:19-20 Jesus gives His church a mission statement, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”
This mission statement is inseparably linked to what He says next, “And behold, (hear what I am about to say, understand, get this!) I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
The only way the church can accomplish this mission statement is by the presence and power of Jesus Christ. Therefore, we can be strong and courageous as we engage in this mission. (Joshua 1:5-9)
If we attempt to fulfill this Mission apart from Christ we will not be nourished by Jesus Christ who is the head of the Church. (Colossians 2:18-19- “Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, is nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.”)
If we attempt to fulfill this mission apart from Christ we would have a form of godliness but have no real power. (2 Timothy 3: 1-5- “But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money...not loving good...lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power.”)
If we attempt to do this mission apart from Christ we would work hard, toil tirelessly, and labor night and day but Christ would not be formed in the hearts of the hearers. (Galatians 4:19)
Living side-by-side is not a group of people doing what they please. It is a congregation obeying the LORD and His Word. (Regulative Principle of Worship) We could attempt to pursue our mission statement apart from Christ and His Word but that endeavor would be fruitless and fraught with problems.
Illustration: Let’s look at a church who appeared to be on mission but Jesus confronted them because they no longer had love and affection for the ‘surpassing worth of Christ’. In Revelation 2:2-5 Jesus speaks to the church in Ephesus and says to them, “I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name's sake, and you have not grown weary.”
Doesn’t it sound like this congregation is on mission?
For example, Jesus says, “I know your works...”. This congregation is a hard working church that gets a lot of things done. As we will see, they work so hard that they neglect to sit at the feet of Jesus and receive His teaching. (Warning to some of us here?)
We read about this in Luke 10:38-42. We read, “Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.’ But the Lord answered her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”
Note carefully what Jesus says, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary.”
Is your heart troubles and anxious today?
Are you like Martha? )
Jesus says to Martha, “Mary has chosen the good portion…”. Martha prepared temporal meals but Mary was eating good spiritual food. As Martha busies herself she fell into the trap of looking to others for the help, strength, support, and encouragement instead of coming and sitting with Jesus to find rest. Jesus’ priorities were always different than ours: people over provisions, Father’s will over the commands and desires of people. (John 4:31) Martha wouldn’t admit it but her job seemed more important than Jesus’ ministry.
Our jobs, our plans, our hobbies, our responsibilities, priorities, and our obligations are always a temptation to keep us from coming to Jesus and gathering with His church. (Hebrews 10:25)
Jesus goes on to say to the church in Ephesus, “I know your works, your toil…”. This congregation not only attempts to do the easy, quick, and the convenient things, but they toil, painfully labor, they engage in hard and difficult activities. Paul knew what this type of toil was like and he speaks of it in 2 Corinthians 11:23-27, “Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.” As a good and faithful servant of Christ Paul endured these things by the grace and power of Christ working in Him. (1 Corinthians 12:9)
If God’s grace was sufficient for Paul is there not enough grace for us to do the ministry that we are called to do in our hearts, our families, our church, our community?
Jesus also says to the church in Ephesus, “I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance…”. This congregation works, toils, and patiently endures like a hard working farmer. James 5:7 says, “Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains.”
To endure patiently we need to consider Christ at the cross (past faithfulness), Christ at work in us (present faithfulness), and Christ who will one day return for His bride (future faithfulness). I read these words this week, “A Christian can be discouraged easily because they fail to have a robust eschatology (Theology regarding the final things {LBC32}). Because of this they see every battle as the entire war.” (Meditate on this and see if you need a more robust eschatology.)
Jesus then says to the church in Ephesus, “I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false.”
This congregation works, toils, and patiently endures like a farmer. A farmer knows that if they are to be successful they will need to protect their crops and flocks from danger. Gardens need walls; so do churches, flocks need loving shepherds; so do congregations, crops need fertilizer; so do God’s people. We are to be like the men in Nehemiah’s day, “Those who carried burdens were loaded in such a way that each labored on the work with one hand and held his weapon with the other. And each of the builders had his sword strapped at his side while he built.” Nehemiah 4:17-18-
After saying these things Jesus further encourages this congregation by saying, “I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name's sake, and you have not grown weary.” (cf- Nehemiah 1:9-11) This congregation is full of faithful stewards who have not given into the pressure of our three great enemies: indwelling sin, sin in the world, Satan. They have not cowered in fear and begun to bow the knee. They have not shrunk back or been intimidated. They have not compromised the faith. These Christians are even bearing up under all these things for the sake of Christ’s name!
Doesn’t all of this sound like this congregation is fulfilling their mission?
However, after saying these things Jesus says, “But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.” Jesus says to them, “Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.”
These words remind us that it is very unfortunate when a person, a church, or a denomination does not maintain her love and affection for Jesus Christ.
It is a very sad thing if an individual or a church, which is Christ’s bride, does not speak often and passionately of the glories of her bride-groom. If they do not magnify Jesus for His strength, His beauty, His majesty, His righteousness, His holiness, etc.
Any church, like the church in Ephesus or like Martha, can be busy doing many things and fulfill many duties but the important things are being neglected.
Aren’t we grateful that Christ will come and address this because the church and the world will often honor and promote these churches as the model for all other churches. Jesus, however, will tell us the truth for our good.
What does it mean when Christ says, ‘You have abandoned the love they had at first’?
What do they need to repent of and begin to do again?
View #1
Interestingly, the last verse Paul writes to the Ephesians emphasizes loving the Lord Jesus Christ with an incorruptible love. Ephesians 6:24 says, “Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible.” It is possible to be very active and very involved in church and yet not really love Jesus Christ. Many churches are filled with dead and lifeless orthodoxy.
View #2
This could also mean that this congregation no longer loved the Scriptures as they had done in the beginning. This church was known for its great commitment to the Scriptures which were taught by many great Bible teachers. For example,
When we read Paul’s two letters to Timothy, who was in Ephesus, it is clear he stresses the importance of carefully teaching the Word. In 1 Timothy 1:3-7 he warns them about receiving false teachers and listening to different doctrines. (2:11-12; 4:6, 11, 13-16; 5:7, 17; 6:3, 17, 18) In 2 Tim. 1:13 Paul tells Timothy, “Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.” And we all are familiar with what Paul says in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All scripture is breathed out by God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (2:14-15, 24; 3:10, 14; 4:1-3, 15)
John emphasizes the scriptures at the end of Revelation 22:18-19, “I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.”
John’s other writings, which he wrote from Ephesus, also stresses the scriptures. For example John says in 1 John 2:21&26, “I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth…I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you.” (1 John 1:4; 2:1, 7, 12, 13, 14, 26; 5:13; 2 John 1, 2, 4, 9, 10, 12; 3 John 3, 4, 12, 13)
View #3
It could be that as the church in Ephesus began to drift away from Christ they also began to loose their love for each other. Ephesians 1:15-21 says, “For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.”
In John’s other letters, the author of the book of Revelation, stresses the importance of loving our brothers and sisters in Christ. For example,
John 13:34-35- “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
I John 2:9-10- “Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling.”
Other Cross References: 3:14,23, 4:7,11,20-21; 2 John 5-6; 3 John 6)
I’d like to begin to close this morning with making a simple observation. In the Baptist Confession one of the largest sections pertains to the ‘Church’ (26). This section contains 15 paragraphs and Jesus Christ is mentioned in all of them but one. The only section in which Jesus is not mentioned is the section that discusses the obligation of the ministers of the church to preach the Word and fulfill their office prepared by the Holy Spirit. Most of the time Jesus is mentioned in the first or second sentence of those paragraphs and then He is mentioned throughout.
The implication of this is that Christ is central, vital, and irreplaceable in the life of every church in every generation. We have a responsibility and an obligation to honor Christ, direct all our affections to Christ, and to meditate always upon the surpassing worth of Christ. Because of our three great enemies: indwelling sin, sin in the world, and Satan; we must be diligent to not fall short of this as so many other individuals, churches and denominations have.
Community Church we have a high and noble mission: “As a people living side-by-side Community Church exists to pursue the transformation of hearts and minds through the treasuring and spreading of the surpassing worth of Christ.”
Our mission statement reminds us that we ought to strive to be a congregation who loves the LORD with all of our hearts, with all our souls, with all our minds, and with all our strength. With our hearts and our mouths we ought to cultivate and speak like the Psalmist does in Psalm 45:1-7b. This psalm has a superscription which tells us that it is a love song. This psalm is a love song from the church about their King and they proclaim,
My heart overflows with a pleasing theme;
I address my verses to the king; (Love of Christ)
my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe.
2 You are the most handsome of the sons of men; (love for Christ)
grace is poured upon your lips; (Love for His word)
therefore God has blessed you forever. (Surpassing worth of Christ)
3 Gird your sword on your thigh, O mighty one,
in your splendor and majesty! (Surpassing worth of Christ)
4 In your majesty ride out victoriously
for the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness;
let your right hand teach you awesome deeds! (Surpassing worth of Christ)
5 Your arrows are sharp in the heart of the king's enemies;
the peoples fall under you. (Surpassing worth of Christ)
6 Your throne, O God, is forever and ever.
The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness; (Surpassing worth of Christ)
7 you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness.
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