Church Is…United with Craig Smee
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The Church is…United
Pastor Craig Smee
Sunday 10.11.2020
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Series Summary
The Church is… Commissioned (Vision Sunday)
The Church is…Equipped (What do we have in our hand?)
The Church is…Active (Rehoboth)
Final: Church is… United
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Church is united with in (each other)
Church is united with out (other churches)
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WHO NEEDS TO BE UNITED TO WHAT?
Church is not a social club
Church is not a place
Church is not a group meeting you have to attend.
Church is not a drive-through spiritual pick me up
Church is not an organization
Church is not religious tradition/roles and hoops to jump through
Church is not a self-help program
Church is not a quick hand out to pay rent when you are short
Church is not a place of entertainment
Church is not a money collection agency
Church is not the building
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CHURCH IS…
Church is a movement of people following a loving God and helping each other at very least attempt to walk out their God-given purpose.
The church is united – Who needs to be united? – YOU
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What are we to be united with?
There is a unity that you need to achieve that far surpasses getting along with some friends on a Sunday, or participating in other church activities, or simply praying for them. The ultimate unity that the church (you) needs to achieve is that of unity with Christ.
Religion is not unity with Christ but in fact, unity with human-made laws that dispel Holy Spirit led, unifying revelation of God through Jesus.
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The most supernatural incredible phenom since Jesus came.
There is no other way the church can be so diverse and so united, so welcoming and so corrective all at the same time without the Supernatural Revelation of Gods’ character in and through us.
1 Corinthians 14:33 – New King James Version
For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.
Confusion – akatastasia – instability, disorder, commotion, confusion, tumultuous, disunity
Peace – eirene – quietness, rest, exemption of rage, harmony between individuals, prosperity.
The churches success (prosperity) was defined in Genesis 26:22b
“At last the Lord has created enough space for us to prosper in this land.”
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Our prosperity is found in our UNITY with Jesus.
The fruit of our unity with Jesus is harmony… with all who, at the very least, need answers to the crazy confusion that this world delivers. Unity in thought that Jesus can and will help anyone who seeks him…
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Luke 11:17 – New King James Version
17 But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls.
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Ephesians 4:1-4 NLT
Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. 2 Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. 3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. 4 For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future.
As we grow in our unity with Jesus through the Holy Spirit, we will grow in our unity with others.
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Jesus casts a vision for a united Church.
He is about to usher in the Holy Spirit age of church…
Jesus knew of the schisms, divisions, and theologies that would divide His church. So He had to leave His church with the ability to unite with Him…
United did not mean a holy huddle
United did not mean a denomination
United did not mean an ecumenical cake sale
Unity meant a desire to join together, no matter our differences, and be united in worship of Jesus Christ
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John 16 5-15 New Living Translation
The Work of the Holy Spirit
5 “But now I am going away to the one who sent me, and not one of you is asking where I am going. 6 Instead, you grieve because of what I’ve told you. 7 But in fact, it is best for you that I go away because if I don’t, the Advocate[a] won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment. 9 The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in me. 10 Righteousness is available because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more. 11 Judgment will come because the ruler of this world has already been judged.
12 “There is so much more I want to tell you, but you can’t bear it now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. 14 He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine; this is why I said, ‘The Spirit will tell you whatever he receives from me.’
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Human understanding will always birth division.
Holy Spirit revelation will always unite.
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John 17:20-21 (New King James Version)
Jesus Prays for All Believers
20 “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; 21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.
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If the unity of the church is a sum total of its individual’s unity with Jesus. What behavior, thoughts, and attitudes draw you, sometimes unknowingly, into discord with Jesus?
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Three primary areas that we need to check our unity levels.
The Unity we have with Christ at the cross
The Unity we have with Christ at His resurrection
The Unity we have with Christ at His ascension ————————————————————————–
At The Cross…
“He canceled the record that contained the charges against us. He took it and destroyed it by nailing it to Christ’s cross.” (Colossians 2:14, NLT)
No more shame, condemnation, self-loathing, judgment of others, inferiority complexes, worthlessness, sense of being punished by God, generational curses. (vs. generational consequences)
“In him, we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.”
(Ephesians 1:7, NIV)
Life through a redeemed relationship with God.
(2 Corinthians 5:21, NLT)
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At the resurrection…
Jesus’ resurrection gives us power, the purpose, and passion to live the Christian life.
“And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit, who lives in you” (Romans 8:11).
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At the ascension…
When Jesus ascended and sat down at the Father’s right hand, the Father verified the accomplishment of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus and confirmed that the final payment for sin had been made (Hebrews. 10:11-14).
When Jesus ascended, the intercessory work of Jesus on behalf of His people began. We are assured that we will always have access to the Father forever (1 John 2:1).
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When Jesus ascended, His eternal reign over all enemies began.
Jesus is the King of the universe and there is nothing Satan can do about it. (Romans 6)
“Now that He has gone into heaven, He is at God’s right hand with angels, authorities, and powers subject to Him” (1 Pet. 3:22).
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When Jesus ascended, the church was empowered to accomplish its mission.
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Ephesians 2:2-10 – New Living Translation
Made Alive with Christ
2 Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. 2 You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world.[a] He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. 3 All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.
4 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) 6 For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. 7 So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.
8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
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Ephesians 1:22-23 “[God the Father] put everything under His feet and appointed Him as head over everything for the church, which is His body, the fullness of the One who fills all things in every way.”
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For the church to become what Jesus needs it to be, each one of us needs to be shamelessly chasing after our relationship with God through the presence of Christ, living under the direction and power of the Holy Spirit.
We are commissioned, equipped, active and we are united.
WE ARE THE CHURCH
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