Church Covenant Part 3: Before the World

Our series this morning, we we started couple weeks ago. We with a message about the church in general. What is the local church? It isn't this building by the way. It isn't this place where the local church meets.

The local church is us. The local church is you. We are a congregation of the saints of Christ Jesus. Given wonderful privileges and great responsibilities to represent the will of Jesus Christ our savior here on this Earth to be his his hands and his feet to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world to represent him in everything we do and say to bring glory to to his name. We we spend a good deal of time on the local church looking at the aspects of us being one body in Christ.

The necessity of edification, edifying, and lifting up one another. God has given us to each other, so that we might encourage each other, so that we might help each other, as we seek to serve our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He has made us stewards. This is not my church. This isn't your church.

This is his church but we are stewards of this church, of this ministry, and of the gospel of Jesus Christ and it God has given us the responsibility of of of choosing its its direction of sustaining its its ministry of taking part in the ministry and reaching out to the world with the gospel message. And it is a privilege to be part of that here at Missouri Avenue Baptist Church. This morning, we want to look at the section in our covenant entitled Before the World. Before the World. What does that mean?

Do we as a church have a responsibility before the world? We looked at our responsibility in large respect to one another. We'll look at that further in a couple weeks as we finish up again but do we have a responsibility before the world and the answer to that is yes, we do. Yes, we do. Look if you would in Acts chapter two and we'll begin reading in verse 41.

We're going to look particular this morning at verse forty six and forty seven. But then again, verse 41, they that gladly received his word were baptized in the same day they were added unto them about 3,000 souls. That means that those who receive Jesus Christ as savior and Lord by faith and were saved were then baptized as a declaration that they had been saved and were desiring to follow the Lord with their life. Thus, 3,000 souls were saved and then baptized and became part of the church of Jerusalem on that day. Verse 42, what did they do?

Well, they continued steadfastly in the apostle's doctrine and fellowship and breaking of bread and in prayers and fear camp on every soul many wonders and signs were done by the apostles and all that believed were together and had all things common, sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men as every man had need. In other words, they took care of each other. Verse 46, and they continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bed from house to house to eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God, and having favor with all the people and the Lord added to the church daily such as should be or were saved. Let's go to the Lord in prayer once more. Dear heavenly father, thank you Lord for your word today.

Pray Lord as we read it, as we expound upon it. Lord, that you would open our understanding today to receive your message. Lord, to be challenged as your servants, to be more faithful, to you before a lost and dying world that desperately needs you. Pray Lord that you bring conviction where we need it. Pray Lord if there's one here today that doesn't know you as savior, that they would see the love of Christ.

Clearly demonstrated in our lives and even more so in the word of God that we preach. That Jesus might be exalted. That they might see him. Their only hope of eternal salvation. That they might see his love and his mercy and grace.

That they might be saved even today. In Jesus name, we do pray. Amen. I have another verse up here that sort of dovetails with verse 47 there and that's this, this is Jesus command to his disciples. His disciples were the apostles that were the leaders of this first church that we read about here in Jerusalem.

It said in verse 47 of them, it said, praising God and having favor with all the people and then the Lord added to the church, those who are being saved. Matthew five sixteen, Jesus gave these same apostles this command. He said, let your light so shine what? Before men, before men, before others, that they may see your good works and glorify your father which is in heaven. In the verses preceding that, Jesus said, it's silly to take a candle and light it and then set something over it so that its light can't be seen.

Why do you light a candle? Well, you light it so it'll shine out so you can see what you're doing, see where you're going, that's why you light a candle. As Christians, our candle has been lit, okay? We have been given God the Holy Spirit who lives inside of our heart has changed us. Has given us new desires, has made us a new creature in Christ Jesus, has given us a new standing, and a new hope before God, eternal life in Christ Jesus.

Please, don't put it under a what? Don't put it under a bushel. Let that light shine brightly. Before others. Y'all are getting tired of hearing this, I know.

Some of, some of you are not because this is the first time you've been here. So, praise God. Some of you have heard this many times. What am I about to say? If the only reason Jesus saved you was to take you to heaven, where would you be?

You'd be in heaven. Are you in heaven yet? Why aren't you in heaven yet? That Christ died to save you from your sins so you might go to be with him for all eternity. That is true but that's not the only reason that God saved you.

God saved you and me that we might be a light in a dark world that we might bring glory to him, that we might through the preaching of the gospel, through our lifestyle, and living for Jesus Christ, that we might point other people's attention. To him. That he might be glorified. He's left us here that we might shine brightly to a lost world and Missouri Avenue Baptist Church needs to shine brightly. Missouri Avenue Baptist Church needs to shine clearly.

To a lost and dying world out there. Jesus Christ He is the light of the world. We reflect his light to a world around us. Who needs him dearly? And he has left us here.

He has brought us together that together we might shine that light in Clearwater and Largo, Florida. And even around the world. As we discussed briefly earlier, the church represents the interest and character of its head and who is the head of the church? Jesus. God looks on the heart but man can only go by what he perceives from the outside.

Like it or not, people are going to judge you by what they what they see. It's not a matter of right and wrong. Well, they shouldn't judge me. You shouldn't judge a book by its what? You know, I thought about that the other day and I thought, why do we say that?

Well, yeah, you can't necessarily judge the content of the book by the cover but think about it for a second. Why does the publisher put the cover on the book that he does? Okay. Isn't he trying to send a message? Yes, he is.

People look at the cover of our life. Most people never get to the content and like it or not, they judge us. By what they see. It's just a fact. Likewise, as you may have noticed, for better or for worse, they also judge our God by what they see In us.

If they perceive us to be hypocrites, then they may think our God to be a phony. Talk to people out there. If they perceive us to be prejudiced and unjust, they may very well think the same thing of our God Who we claim to represent when we call ourselves what? Christians. If they perceive us to be unloving and unkind, they may think that our God is like that too.

If they perceive us to be selfish, they perceive us to be angry. And out of control They perceive us to be insensitive They may conclude the same things. About the God that we claim to serve and represent. They may not say it to you. But you can tell it sometimes by how they respond when you try to tell them about the Lord.

I don't know how many times I have tried to witness to somebody about Jesus and the first thing they throw up is, well, I've known some Christians and they're just a bunch of what? Hypocrites. They're just a bunch of hypocrites. Now, you say, well, they're responsible, however, for their own selves to respond to God and that's true but isn't it sad that to some extent, They lack interest in God sometimes because of us. Sadly, it maybe that more people are turned away from God by Christians today than are brought to him.

Paul was concerned about this. His his own personal self in first Corinthians chapter 10 and of the church at Corinth, he he says here in first Corinthians 10 beginning in verse 31, whether therefore you eat or drink or whatsoever you do, wherever you are, whatever you do, do all to the what? Glory of God. Remember who you what? Represent.

The world. Give none offense neither to the Jews nor to the Gentiles nor to the church of God. Even as I please all men and all things, not seeking mine own profit but the profit of many that they may be saved. Paul says, please follow my example. I am concerned about my testimony before the world.

I want men and women, boys, and girls to be saved. And if I am selfish, and if I am unconcerned, about what they see in me. Then it's going to hinder. If not, destroy the preaching of the gospel. So, Paul says, please, think who you represent before the world around you.

And act accordingly. In advancing the testimony of the church in our community and are among our acquaintances, we also advance the testimony and kingdom of our Lord. We must glorify him. We must seek to rightly and accurately represent his holiness, his justice, his love, his mercy to those who need him. Mentioned this before too.

There was a song I listened to when I was a young person and the end of the song went like this, you're the only Jesus that some will ever see. You're the only words of life that some will ever read. So, let them see in you the one in whom is all they'll ever need Because you're the only Jesus some will ever see. At least that is until the day that they stand before him. Some of them will never pick up this book to read it.

Some of them will never enter the doors of doors of a church. But they work with you. They're related to you. They live beside you. What do they see in us?

What do they see in Missouri Avenue Baptist Church? You don't cease to be Missouri Avenue Baptist Church when you walk out those doors. We are still this congregation. We are still his children. What do they see?

As we live among them. In our church covenant, that section that's entitled before the world reads like this, we covenant to walk circumspectly in the world. To be just in our dealings, faithful in our engagements, and exemplary in our department. To avoid all tattling, backbiting, excessive anger, to abstain from the sale of and use of destructive drugs, intoxicating drinks as a beverage. To shun pornography, to be zealous in our efforts, to advance the kingdom of our savior.

Now, we're not going to cover all of that this morning. I'm going to cover the first three points. From the scriptures today before the world. What is our responsibility as a church? Look if you would up here on screen again at first Peter chapter two verses eleven and twelve.

First Peter two and verses eleven and twelve. Says, dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims. What is he talking about? Strangers and pilgrims. Is he, is he saying, I'm beseeching you as somebody that I don't know.

That's a stranger to me. No. What he's trying to communicate is that we are strangers and pilgrims where? In this world. As Christians, our home is in heaven.

We are just passing through this life in order to get to that one. Okay? That is where our home is. That is our destination. We're just traveling, traveling through.

At Thanksgiving, I travel to Virginia to my parent's house for our family reunion. We travel through North Florida. We travel through Georgia. We travel through South Carolina. We travel through North Carolina.

We don't stay there a long time. We don't have anything to do there. We just gotta get from point A to point B, okay? And we're just passing through. This world is a place as Christians now that we are passing through to get to the place that we now call home.

Heaven. And that's what Paul is trying to communicate here. Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims abstain from fleshly lust which war against the soul. Having your conversation or your conduct honest among the Gentiles. That whereas they speak against you as evildoers that they may by your good works which they will behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.

Paul says, Peter says here to those he's writing, I beg you, fellow Christians, who are just passing through this world. Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus. Don't get caught up and succumb and yield to the lust of the flesh. Have your conduct, your behavior, your lifestyle. In accordance with the will of God and before the Gentiles and Gentiles, he's talking about those who are unsaved.

That as they see who you really are At first, they may not respond very well to you. But be consistent. Be faithful. Some of them will begin to see that there's something different about you. Some of them will begin to see that your God is real.

Some of them will rejoice on the day that they stand before God because they saw Jesus in you and it caused them to stop and to listen. To the gospel message and be saved. That's what Peter is saying here. That is the privilege and responsibility that we have as children of God. And as Missouri Avenue Baptist Church.

Three things here I want to look at. The first is it says in our covenant to walk circumspectly in the world. What does that mean to walk circumspectly? Let's read the verse. Ephesians five fifteen and sixteen.

See then that you walk circumspectly not as fools but as wise, redeeming, redeeming the time because the days are evil. This means to conduct our lives in a careful, cautious, thoughtful manner with our eyes wide open and our minds and hearts engaged. Our time here is what? Long or short? Our time here is short.

We're just passing through. We better not take it for granted. We better not take the opportunities. We have to represent Christ for granted. We better not take those around us.

That we interact with and their lives in their souls for granted. We need to think as we make decisions. Are we representing our God well before others. First Peter one thirteen to 15. It says, wherefore, gird up the loins of your mind pick up the the loose ends so to speak of your mind.

Be focused. Be sober. Hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Looking to where? The day when I'm going to stand before God in heaven.

Live with heaven. In mind. As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lust in your ignorance but as he which hath called you as holy, so be you holy in all manner of conversation all manner of conduct. God is watching. Others are watching.

What do they see? God knows your heart. They only know what they see. Do they see someone who is striving each day to become more like Jesus Christ? Do they see Jesus in us?

We need to be careful not to fall back in the worldly patterns of thought and actions like the unsaved world around us or our former ways before we met Christ. There is too much at stake. We must strive daily to be more like Jesus. As Luke says, take up your cross daily. He's quoting Christ and follow me.

We often make devastating errors that affect us and others around us. When we're flying by the seat of our pants, when we're reacting to the stimuli around us rather than thinking things through. When we walk in the flesh and not in the what? And not in the spirit. You walk in the spirit, you'll not fulfill.

The lust of the flesh. If our mind and heart isn't on the mission that God has given to us. Then often we will walk in the flesh and not in the spirit and others around us won't see the light as they should. Others are watching. Think about what you're doing in the message you are sending.

They give you a couple examples. We'll just do one. Abraham, now, what would you say about Abraham? Man of great faith? That what you would say about Abraham?

A hero of the faith? A man of God? But a man who failed when he took his eyes off the Lord. Twice in his life, it is mentioned in scripture that he went to different cities where there were pagan kings who ruled and he feared that those pagan kings would kill him for his life because she was so beautiful. And so, he told her to tell them that he was his, she was his sister.

And not his wife. Essentially, he told her, you lied for me. Well, yeah, she was his half sister or something like that but it was still a deception. It was a lie. To cover himself.

Because he didn't trust God to take care of him. And it was very selfish because obviously, he wasn't thinking about who? Wasn't thinking about her either, was he? In this case, Abraham did not show great faith. He showed great weakness.

You know something? When his son, Isaac, grew up, we read in scripture that Isaac went back to one of these same towns where Abraham had been years ago when he had told Sarah to lie? You want to know what Isaac did? He did the very same thing. He told his wife to say something very similar.

Where did Isaac learn that? He learned it from his father. He was what? He was watching. You know, people are watching you, not just your children.

What message are we sending? There is much at stake. Number two, we must be just in our dealings. Just, fair, honest in our dealings with others. Romans chapter 13.

Romans chapter 13, we'll read verse one. Start with, let every soul be subject under the higher powers or authorities for there is no power but of God, the powers that be are ordained of God. How should we respond to authorities that God has placed over us? With respect and obedience. Say but but but look, look, look what kind of crazy things those authorities do.

Yeah? Well, there's only one authority that's perfect. Who's that? That's God. Every other authority is like you, imperfect.

Some of them more imperfect than others. But authority, government authority, home authority, school, church, there those are ordained by who? By God. So, respect them. He continues on.

For this cause, pay you tribute also or what's another word for tribute? Taxes. Taxes. For this pay, cost pay tribute or taxes also. For they are ministers of God attending attending continually upon this very thing.

Render therefore to all their dues. Tribute to whom tribute is due. Custom to whom custom fear, to whom fear, honor to whom honor, owe no man anything but to love one another for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. We must learn to be just in our dealings. With the authorities in this world, with our fellow men, neighbors, coworkers, employers, how we deal with them is telling them about how we deal with who?

About how we deal with God. They're watching. We need to be just in our dealings. To be righteous and honest in our interactions. Obey God's ordained authorities.

Don't cheat or steal from others. Pay back your debts. Don't treat others unfairly but give them what they deserve and sometimes more than they deserve. I I was a teenager, I was in college actually, I was with a friend. We were at an amusement park called Kings Dominion in Virginia and we got back to the parking lot and I and a friend and another friend of his were playing in the parking lot, the two, my friend and his friend were throwing rocks at each other for little pebbles.

You know just little tiny pebbles. They're picking up handfuls and just slinging them at each other. Well one of those pebbles hit the back of a minivan and when it did, the back window just shattered and fell to the ground. Now, why do you think the young man that threw the stone, what would you think his initial response was? Let's get out of here.

Let's get out of here. That wasn't the right thing to do. Instead, we chose to hang around. That was the right thing to do. It was the hard thing to do.

It's the right thing to do. I was talking to my friend of mine the other day. He was traveling up the road one morning with his daughter. She noticed, they drove by and there was a dollar bill flying through the air and she saw another one. She said, hey, dad.

I see money over here along the road. So, they stopped and pulled over. Dollars 800 and a purse laying beside the road. Fortunately, the lady's ID was in the purse. No phone number or anything.

It took him a while to contact somebody that contacted her so he could return her money. And he did. Do you think that made an impression? Most people, a lot of people would have just said, hey, well, I don't have any chance. Just take it and go.

Look, God's raining down money. We have a responsibility to be just in our dealings. Little things like that can go a long way And then finally, be faithful in our engagements. Be faithful in our engagements. As required in stewards that a man be found what?

Faithful, trustworthy, dependable. Proverbs 20 verse six Proverbs 20 verse six, most men will proclaim everyone his own goodness but a faithful man who can find. They're rare today. They were rare in that day. A faithful person, a trustworthy person, an honest person, a dependable person who will keep their word.

Now, that. That's if you find one of those, hang on to Second Timothy two two and the things thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men who shall be able to teach others also. Paul said to Timothy, you find others who are faithful. They may not be the most talented. They may not be the best looking.

They may not be the most charismatic but you find faithful people. And you trust to them the ministry I have entrusted to you. God is looking for faithful men and women, boys and girls. Keep your word. Do what you say you are going to do.

Don't say you are going to do something if you're not sure that you can and will do it. There's been a few occasions when in my haste to be helpful, in my haste to advance a cause, I went out on a limb and I said I'll do this without counting the cost, without making sure ahead of time that I could or I would. When it fell through, guess whose testimony it hurt? Not mine. Not mine.

So much as his. Be careful what you say to do it and to follow through. Truly, God is looking for a faithful man and a woman. To be his disciples For that matter, churches and pastors are looking for faithful men and women too. And they're few.

Faithful to be here regularly not just conveniently. How many Christians today are convenient Christians? We show up when it's convenient. How do you judge if you're faithful, if you show up when it's not convenient? You show up when the devil throws obstacles in your path.

Be faithful to be here. Be faithful to do the ministry you have volunteered for. Be faithful in other aspects of your life such as home and work. So, your testimony and ministry be not hindered. Close with one more illustration this morning Some of you have met my parents.

You have met my dad. My dad worked for General Electric as a wireman for thirty years. He went into work every day and he wired jobs. That is what he did for a living. He isn't a rocket scientist.

He is not blessed with many great talents. He is not real outgoing, doesn't really like to be up in front of people all that much. But I can say this, my dad is faithful. My dad was faithful to his work. My dad was faithful to his family and my dad was faithful to his church and to the Lord.

In the eyes of some that may not matter all that much. But in the eyes of God that makes him a giant. And in the eyes of his son. I saw Jesus and my dad and in my mom who are faithful. God is looking for faithful people.

Is that you? God is looking for a faithful church to be that light before a lost and dying world. People are watching us to see if we will be faithful to him. That we will be faithful to what we preach. If we walk circumspectly in the world in which we live.

With our eyes fixed upon on Jesus. If we are just in our dealings. That if we keep our word even when it hurts. I know somebody that's more faithful than my dad. His name is Jesus.

He came to Earth. He died for you. He took upon himself your sins on the cross. He is in heaven waiting for you today. He pleads with you this morning.

Trust me. I'm faithful. Trust me with your soul. Repent of your sins. Put your faith in me.

I'll save you. Have you done that? If you haven't, then all the rest of this is for naught. Jesus loves you. He, you can count on to be faithful.

Will you trust him with your soul today? Will you come? As we give this hymn of invitation. If you're unsure today, don't put it off, I pray. Let's pray.

Dear heavenly father, thank you Lord for this day. Thank you for Jesus Christ, our savior, the ever faithful one. Pray Lord as we leave this place that we would remember that other people are watching and that we have a responsibility to be a bright and shining light, to bring glory to our savior, to live in such a way that they'll see Jesus in us and be drawn to him. And Lord, I pray if there's one here today that's never trusted in you as savior. I pray Lord today, they come.

As we give this hymn of invitation in Jesus name.