The Privileges and Liabilities of Membership

The point: Be aware of the unique privileges and liabilities that come with church membership.

The church is likened to a spiritual nation, separate from family and state, to explain that joining the church is becoming a citizen with unique rights (privileges) and obligations (liabilities).

However, we have drafted or proposed a draft of a statement on privileges and liabilities in our proposed revision of the Constitution, and I will be making reference to this this morning. Now, in order to set this in, I trust, the proper perspective, the Church is a very special society. The Church is separate from the family, it's separate from the state. It is a spiritual nation.

3:34 - 4:05 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not resent pastoral visitation, but see it as a great privilege to have a shepherd care for your soul.

Pastoral visitation is described as putting a 'spiritual thermometer' on the soul's temperature and a 'spiritual stethoscope' on the heart, to illustrate the elders' deep concern and personal inquiry into a member's spiritual well-being.

and also to have opportunity to ask you about your spiritual life and to seek to put this spiritual thermometer as it were upon the temperature of your soul and the spiritual stethoscope upon your heart and to deal with you as you really are. So that there is a looking and asking about your devotional life and your prayer life and whether you have assurance of salvation and about particular struggles that you might think that you need some help with and domestic life and how you see yourself involved in the life of the church and any particular feedback that you want to give to us as the pasto...

19:54 - 21:11 Read in full sermon

The point: If you have a problem with someone, do not spread it to others in the church, but go directly to the person who offended you.

Violating the Matthew 18 principle of resolving private grievances is described as a 'very handy tool in Satan's hands to rip the church apart,' emphasizing the destructive power of unaddressed conflict and gossip.

And I tell you, as those who are thinking about coming into the membership of this church, that the violation of this principle is a very handy tool in Satan's hands to rip the church apart. And he uses it well. And some of the common reasons for not going to someone respecting this right and privilege, the first one is, let us say it openly, fear, cowardice. The second one is grudge-bearing and malice.

26:35 - 27:08 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Because with privilege comes responsibility. And one of the great evils of our day is that men want the privileges of a relationship without the responsibilities of that relationship.

The modern trend of people wanting the privileges of marriage without its responsibilities (e.g., living together) is used as an example of a worldly mentality that should not be adopted by the church regarding membership.

That is why they live together. And this is a day when living together is okay. It is okay to have the privileges and forget about the responsibilities. Privilege and fun is what we want.

37:18 - 37:30 Read in full sermon

Driving home: It is when the church begins to cave in on a principle like this when the church begins to cave in on a principle like this this is when the seeds of destruction are planted in the church and the seeds of ruin.

The church's commitment to male leadership in office and worship is described as 'standing out like a sore thumb in the world,' highlighting its counter-cultural nature and the pressure to conform.

I will resist the temptation but recognize that this is a very important principle. And when you come into this church we are committed to male leadership in office male leadership in worship and drawing near to God. And in this we stand out like a sore thumb in the world. Churches are caving in left and right on this principle.

46:00 - 46:30 Read in full sermon

Driving home: It is when the church begins to cave in on a principle like this when the church begins to cave in on a principle like this this is when the seeds of destruction are planted in the church and the seeds of ruin.

When the church 'caves in' on a regulative principle like male leadership, it is described as planting 'the seeds of destruction' and 'ruin,' emphasizing the foundational importance of adherence to biblical principles.

Evangelical churches are finding ways to wiggle around these teachings in the passage that we just read and are saying well we can be just like the world we can do it the way they do it. It is when the church begins to cave in on a principle like this when the church begins to cave in on a principle like this this is when the seeds of destruction are planted in the church and the seeds of ruin. Caving in on a regulative principle is the beginning and the end. The beginning and the end.

46:30 - 47:01 Read in full sermon