A Clear Picture Of The Church
GTCOTR/080402
Scripture: Matthew 16:18 “… upon this rock I will build My church …”
I. First A Family
* Song: We’re the people of God - 1 Peter 2:10
* We are blood bought, blood washed and blood kin
A. Make A Living
B. Make A Life
1. In an imperfect and flawed way, we are People with the Father’s presence. People of His Presence
2. There was witness that they had been with Jesus
3. He chose them to be with Him & to send them out
C. Make A Difference
1. The lost found
2. The found restored
3. The restored sent
II. Next A Force
* Matthew 11:12 “… now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.”
* Acts 1:8 “… you shall receive power … and you shall be witnesses …”
A. Not only a people of His presence, but also People Of His Purpose
B. It is not the arrow that determines the target
C. It is the Archer who determines the target
1. At times we are the target and at times the arrow
2. The arrow is
A. First chosen (hidden in a quiver)
B. Then set on a bow string
C. Next drawn back close to the eye & farther away from the target
(1) This creates tension around us
(2) This is transition time
D. Then it is released
III. Ultimately A Bride
A. A People of presence, purpose and People Of His Passion
1. Chaste (2 Corinthians 11:2 presented as chaste virgins to Christ)
2. Discreet
A. Titus 2:5 To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.
B. Greek Word: sophron (so’-frone)
1) of a sound mind, sane, in one’s senses
2) curbing one’s desires and impulses, self-controlled, temperate
C. Certainly if discretion is valued of earthly - temporal wives, much more the eternal heavenly wife of Jesus The King of Glory!
3. Prepared
A. Revelation 21:2 Prepared as a bride adorned for her husband
2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
B. Revelation 21:9 The bride, the Lamb’s wife
9 ¶ And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife.
10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
11 Having the glory of God …
C. Revelation 19: She dressed herself in white
7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
Let’s get ourselves ready. Clean and pure of heart, mind & body.
IV. Upon This Rock I Will Build
A. Jesus is still building the church
B. He is using people like stones (1 Peter 2:5)
C. Each person supplies the mortar (Ephesians 4:16)
D. He is the potter and we are the clay
1. Isaiah 64:8 But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.
2. Some clay is hard to work with
3. Jesus is still working on me
4. Will you offer yourself to His Hand today?
