Hebrews 10:19-25:

[19] Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, [20] by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, [21] and since we have a great priest over the house of God, [22] let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. [23] Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. [24] And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, [25] not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

1 Cor. 12:14-27:

[14] For the body does not consist of one member but of many. [15] If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. [16] And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. [17] If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? [18] But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. [19] If all were a single member, where would the body be? [20] As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. [21] The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” [22] On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, [23] and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, [24] which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, [25] that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. [26] If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. [27] Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.

Romans 12:1-13:

[1] I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. [2] Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. [3] For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. [4] For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, [5] so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. [6] Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; [7] if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; [8] the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. [9] Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. [10] Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. [11] Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. [12] Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. [13] Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

Ephesians 4:1-16:

[1] I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, [2] with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, [3] eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. [4] There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—[5] one Lord, one faith, one baptism, [6] one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. [7] But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. [8] Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.” [9] (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? [10] He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) [11] And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, [12] to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, [13] until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, [14] so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. [15] Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, [16] from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

Hebrews 13:7-17:

[7] Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. [8] Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. [9] Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to them. [10] We have an altar from which those who serve the tent have no right to eat. [11] For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp. [12] So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. [13] Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured. [14] For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. [15] Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. [16] Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God. [17] Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.

Introduction:

Good morning beloved, turn in your bibles with me to Hebrews chapter 10. If you did not receive the email I sent out this week, we will be examining several passages of scripture today which are listed in the bulletins this morning for convenience. It may be helpful to find those ahead of time so you can get to them easily during the sermon. I have been assigned the task by the elders of Sovereign Hope Church to take this Sunday, as we begin a new year, to explain what Covenant Membership is and why we have presented it before the body as something that is helpful. It is our desire that this will encourage all who call this church home to covenant with us through what we call covenant membership. For the purpose of clarity, allow me to first provide a definition of a covenant as it relates to the Church. A covenant is a purposeful sincere agreement between members of a church to act together in harmony with the precepts of the gospel. So, the goal of covenanting together is for the sake of aligning our hearts with the gospel so that we can “spread a passion for God in Jesus Christ for the joy of all peoples.” And what about the bibles teaching on membership? After searching the scriptures and seeking wisdom from other wise leaders in the global church, the elders of Sovereign Hope Church have come to the conclusion that membership, in regards to formal member roles and even signing membership covenants, is not a prescription of the bible. That means that the bible does not mandate that you become a member of a local church by signing up for membership.  However, we do believe that the bible does mandate that you be a “member” of a local church, in the sense that you are purposefully committed to life together in the local expression of the universal church.  Ultimately, then, our exhortation for covenant membership is primarily an exhortation to life together in the local body of Christ. So, before we actually answer the question, “Why a formal covenant membership?” I want to spend the majority of our time examining the scriptures to see the overwhelming call of the bible towards life together in the body. One of the most profound concepts in the bible is the teaching that the church collectively (universally) is The Body of Christ. As Pastor Doug read, in Ephesians 1:20-23, we see that after God, the Father raised Christ from the dead and “seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places” “he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.”  The church is Christ body and the fullness of Christ. And the scriptures also reveal that this is expressed in both the universal church and the local church. This is profound mystery. And it seems like the church continues to struggle with this reality and thus struggles to live like the body of Christ should. This is especially true in the American church and I wonder how many of the problems we face are due to this very struggle. So, our task for this morning is difficult on one hand because it is a profound mystery but simple on the other because the scriptures do not leave us to our own imagination. So, I invite you to carefully examine the scriptures with me and observe the challenging truths they reveal about Life Together. Let the Word guide your thinking.

First, the Word of God says: Life Together is Required

Hebrews 10:19-25 “(19) Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, (20) by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, (21) and since we have a great priest over the house of God, Therefore is a call to action and the twice used “since” draws our attention to the foundation of this action. Therefore, since we have, first, confidence to approach God (19: that is what it means to enter the holy places) and, second, since we have a great high priest (21: one who constantly mediates for us), we are called to act.And we only have both these things “by the blood of Jesus,” which made the way, through the curtain, to God. There is no more separation for those who are in Christ. We saw this in our study of the gospel of Mark. Now, what are we call to do? Verse (22), “let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” Don’t miss this, we are to draw near with full assurance, FULL ASSURANCE. Why? Because we have been sprinkled clean and our bodies washed with pure water. We are pure, holy, and righteous IN Christ. So, the first act we do is drawing near. Continue with me, Verse (23), “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.” The next act is to hold fast, or take possession of, our confession without doubting because Christ who promised is faithful. Beloved, see that your confession of faith is not what holds you, it is Christ! He promises to hold you and he is faithful. Now notice how this all connects to life together in verse (24) “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,” Do you see how it connects?  We are not called to just draw near on our own or hold fast on our own. We are to consider how to provoke the entire body towards full assurance in its confession which works itself out in love and good works. As believers we are to be constantly moving to more action, more love, and more good works. And one of the main ways we accomplish this is by purposefully considering how to stir up others towards this.  Let’s break down what this fully means. The word consider, here, is used 1 other time in the book of Hebrews, in chapter 3 verse 1, “Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession.” So, in Hebrews 3:1, we are to “consider Jesus,” to look at him, to study him, to let our mind be occupied by him. Now apply this to our text, we are called to “consider how to stir up one another,” to study what the body needs in order to be stirred up, to let our mind be occupied by this endeavor. This means we should not come to any gathering of the body solely seeking our own gain, but after thinking ON THE BODY during the week, when we gather together, we should focus our thoughts on how we can provoke others to love and good works. So, our confidence of faith and purification should employ itself through the desire to stir up the body towards true love and good works. Now, what is the simple way we accomplish this? Verse (25), “not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some,” The original language here caries a strong command towards regular, consistent, life together. First, we see the word for assembly, translated “meet together,” which suggests a customary conduct of assembling for corporate worship, but when used in conjunction with the word “forsake” it is too strong to simply imply corporate worship but means separation from the Christian community. This exhortation means not forsaking ones personal responsibility as part of the body of Christ to gather together and do what? Verse 25 continued, “but (rather than forsaking meeting together), but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” We are to encourage one another, to comfort one another, to help each other trust fully in Christ in the midst of struggle. We are to help each other rest in Christ until the day of his coming.  That is what it means at the end of verse 25. And this encouragement towards remain in Christ becomes more urgent because we see the Day is near. Beloved, Life together is required.

 Secondly, the Word of God says: Life Together is Essential 

1 Cor. 12:14-27. Prior to our text here, Paul has addressed the abuse of communion in the church at Corinth which was shown through pride and selfish desires. And he shifted in verse 1 of chapter 12 to the proper use of spiritual gifts. His goal is to inform the church on the purpose of individual gifts given to the church, namely being for the good of the body. And he does this by showing the Corinthians that life together is essential. For our purpose this morning, we will pick up the argument in Verse 14 “For the body does not consist of one member but of many.” The language is literally referring to a limb or body part. So, the picture is of a literally body. And in verse 27, Paul shows that we are members, or limbs, of the body of Christ.  The analogy is clear, individual gifts in the church are like individual body parts in a body. Next we see the analogy work itself out. Verse 15, “If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body.”  So, we start by noticing the relation of the body to feelings of uselessness. And the argument is fairly simple, the “foot” or “ear” cannot say to the “hand” or “eye” that it does not belong. And likewise, no one in the body of Christ can say this. Why can’t they say this? First, continuing the body analogy, because the body needs all of its senses to function properly. Verse 17, “If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell?” But more importantly, verse 18, “But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose.” God arranges, purposes, or designs the body of Christ exactly how HE chooses. In the Greek, chooses means the Lord presses it into action. Because, verse 19, “If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.” So, though we may feel it in our flesh sometimes, we should know that we are not useless in the body of Jesus Christ. Paul continues on to show next the necessity of life together by coming against self-sufficiency. Look now at Verse 21, “The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22 On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable,” No one can say they do not need the body of Christ because each part, even those that seem less necessary, are “indispensable.” And, as we continue in Verse 23, we see that we should strive to bestow honor on those that appear to be less needed, “and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, 24 which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, 25 that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. Do you see the exhortation of theses verses? We should strive to lift up those in the body who natural do not receive attention and honor (based on their gifts given by God), so that there is no division and all receive the same care. It is essential for every part of the body to be in life together with all parts of the body. And the reason comes in verse 26, “If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.” This means our mourning and rejoicing is connected to body life. I can say with confidence from the word of God that our joy is not complete apart from body life. The apostle Paul and apostle John confirm this is Philippians 2:2 and 1 John 1:4 when they call for the local bodies to complete their joy. Before we move on, let’s end this text noticing that, while all of scripture is for the church, Paul is writing to the local manifestation of body in Corinth, and he says in verse 27, “Now YOU are the body of Christ and individually members of it.” There is a real call in the bible for fully connecting to a local body because life together is essential.  Now that we have seen that life together is required and essential, why is life together is so important…

First reason why: Life Together reveals the glorious will to God

Romans 12:1-13. Many of us may be familiar with the doctrine of Romans and some will become more familiar through our upcoming Men’s study. However, while the letter is rich with doctrine, it was written to correct the practice of the church in Rome. Proper understanding of doctrine leads to proper church practice. So, after thoroughly showing that all are in need of the saving grace of God, revealing that is accomplished only through Christ’s death and resurrection, and bursting out in song as he ponders the depths of the wisdom and knowledge of God, Paul then appeals to the church for practical application, Chapter 12, verse 1 “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Paul makes his appeal and he makes it by the overwhelming mercy of God.  And what is that appeal? Offer your entire self as a sacrifice which is holy and acceptable in Christ.  Paul calls this reasonable service, which we have translated spiritual worship. The root of the word used pertains to reason. With intelligently reasoned meditation upon the great mercy of God, we are to give the entirety of our lives to be used by Him for His glory. Paul’s appeal does not end there, verse 2 “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind,” Literally change your condition, by the renewal of our mind. To what end? Continue in verse 2, “that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” The goal of our change of condition is that, by testing, which is done through the renewal of our mind, we may discern (or more specifically “prove worthy to be received”), what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God. Our transformation in other words reveals the worth or value of the glorious will of God. Now, notice the way Paul continues in verse 3 “For” (This is not a new subject matter) Paul is assigning reason, he is making an explanation of intensification. “For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.” Grace was given to Paul, the former pharisee bent on eradicating the church, in order that HE could encourage everyone to humbly consider the grace of God. And look at the further intensification that comes in verse 4, “For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.” So, the intensification of the appeal to offer our bodies as living sacrifices and be transformed is because we are “one body in Christ, and individually members of one another”, with different functions. The body, then, as it functions properly, reveals the glorious will of God. The body, functioning as a whole, proves the will of God worthy to be received. Paul then moves to make a conscious effort to explicitly show individual differences that are created and willed by God’s grace. Verse 6 “Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.” Remember that each gift is representing a limb on the body. This means our individuality, our identities, as God has created us to be, cannot be realized except in serving one another in Christ. And in using them properly, we bring attention to the surpassing value of the will of God. Finally, listen to what this should look like. Verse 9, “Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.” And this is all as a response to the great mercies of God for the purpose of glorifying God by revealing the glorious will of God. In Romans 15:5-7, we see a prayer of Paul for this church, “5 May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, 6 that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Beloved, we are not a people who are earning favor but a people revealing the favor freely bestowed on us to the world, collectively, as the body of Christ. Life together reveals the glorious will of God.

Second reason: Life Together Moves The Body to Maturity

Ephesians 4:1-16. As we begin to examine Ephesians, we first find an appeal similar to the one we saw in Romans 12. Starting in verse 1 of Ephesians 4, “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,” Paul first calls for a self restraint of the mind that is long suffering, bearing with the body of Christ. A this is walking in line with our calling. But it is not only patience and long suffering that we are called to. Verse 3, we are to be “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” We are also called to be eager to maintain unity, or “labour to maintain unity.” Because verse 4, “There is one body and one Spirit-just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call- 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. The reason for our laboring towards unity is there is only one body, one Lord, one faith.  Jesus Christ is over all things and through all things, as we saw in Ephesians 1:23. We are his fullness and because of this we are to bear with one another and endeavor to maintain unity. Now notice how individuality is not lost in unity but neither is simple diversity the goal. Verse 7 “But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.” God gives particular grace to each member of the body and through that grace Christ fills all in all. But, the gifts do not end there. There is more that God gives to his body. Move down now to Verse 11, “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers,” God has also specifically given types of people to the church. The apostles, prophets, evangelist, shepherds or pastors and teachers are all given as a gift from God. And all for a purpose. We see this is verse 12 “to equip the saints” which means “to supply what is lacking, to fix, or perfect”. Continue on in verse 12, this is “for the work of ministry, for (the purpose of) building up the body of Christ,” And this is to continue to take place, verse 13, “until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,” Notice that though individual gifts and particular people have been given to the church, the goal of unity is not a passive call to diversity. It is not accept everyone for who they are, be tolerant and just work to get along.  The “work of ministry” that “builds up the body of Christ” is for a very specific purpose, which is a unified faith and unified knowledge of the Son of God, and a mature stature as one body, which is Christ, the perfect man. The goal for us, is all to be moved toward a unified faith in Christ so that the church is the full representation of Christ.  The church, collectively, is the fullness of Christ, not us individually. We are meant to be unified in knowledge and mature as a body together. Yet, it is our individual gifts that do this. This is the filling up with Christ. This understanding is further solidified by the goal shown in verse 14, “so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.” The goal is doctrinal unity. John Piper gives a wise exhortation here, he say “Any efforts at unity in the body of Christ that minimize the unity of knowledge will not build up the body.” And The Word shows us how in  Verse 15 “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” The growth of the body is first from Christ. Jesus Christ is the source and the aim. But the church is the cause of that growth. The body is held together by every joint, every point of connection, so that each individual limb, when working property, will make the body grow. Listen, if our church is not being built up in love, it is because each member of the body is not working properly. Notice that the pastors do not ultimately cause the growth, the entire body does. And the body does this primarily through speaking the truth in love. That is the truth about doctrine and the word. Listen to how Hebrews 3:12-14 describes this, “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, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.” Life together moves the body to maturity.

The Final Reason: Life Together Gives Strength for The Mission

Hebrews 13:7-17. “7 Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.” The word of God says first (in verse 7), remember  the result or outcome of your leaders conduct. Notice that it does not say, “Remember their conduct.” It says, “Remember the outcome”, literally, the end of their behavior.  This is more than likely pertaining to those who have passed. Ponder how they ran and specifically how they held fast till the end. Did they finish well? Did you see their joy to the end? Imitate that faith. This is a good reason to make your main hero’s those that have died in the faith. Then, as you are pondering their life and faith, remember that, verse 8, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Christ held them and will hold you too. And because of this, verse 9, “Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to them. 10 We have an altar from which those who serve the tent have no right to eat. This is referring to strange teachings at that time which were pertaining to food used in sacrifices.  So, the encouragement for us is don’t get led away by strange teachings, like thinking some kind of food will benefit your faith, instead by remembering the faith of your leaders, and the unchangeable character of Christ, be fed by Grace.  Because our alter is one that those who serve the temple, or those that have not trusted in Christ and are still trying to trust in their righteousness to save them, do not partake in. Verse 11, “For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp.12 Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood.” Just as the bodies of animals sacrifices were burned outside the camp to represent the atonement of sin to all. Jesus Christ suffered outside of the gate, in order to signify the perfect atonement of His blood.  And the goal of our meditation on our leaders faith and being strengthened by grace is found in verse 13, Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured.” We are called to go outside of the camp, the language means the encampment or barracks. We are to go outside the protection of the barracks and bear the same reproach of Christ because, verse 14, “For here we have no lasting city but we seek the city that is to come.” And the aim of our life should be to bring the elect into that city. We are not seeking to build that which pertains to this life but that which pertains to the kingdom. We are called to bear the reproach of Christ in order to save His bride. Our goal is missions. Now, you may be wondering how this pertains to life together. Notice first that is it the example of our leadership faith that aid in our strength.  Next, look at verse 15, “Through him then let us (as a body) continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.” The Word for acknowledge-confess, profess, or celebrate with public praise. This is a public spectacle for the world to see. And, verse 16, “Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have.” “Share what you have” is one word and may be familiar to you. It is koinonia-fellowship. Do not neglect to do good and fellowship, sharing all things in common. Verse 16 continued, “for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.” Life together is what pleases God because this strengthens the body for the mission.  Life together provides strength for the Mission. Finally, notice the way our text ends in verse 17 “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.” The final call is to submit to the leaders of the church because they keep watch over your souls.  And it is an advantage to the body if leaders do this with joy. The word of God calls or us to obey our leaders.  Now, listen to Peters charge to elders in 1 Peter 5:1-3, “So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.” Elders are called to shepherd the flock, to exercise oversight and be examples.  And we will give an account on the last day for our care. This moves us well to my final task for this sermon.  Why are the elders of Sovereign Hope Church encouraging you towards Covenant Membership?

CONCLUSION: Why Covenant Membership?

As we have seen the scriptures reveal that God’s design is for the church to be ONE BODY. And we are called to devote our lives to building up the body in love. We are called to deny ourselves for the sake of others and even endure hardships caused by the church. We have seen that we are called to labour to maintain unity and outdo one another in showing honor. And the Word reveals that in order for the church to be functioning properly, every joint must be working towards unified faith and knowledge. And we have seen that this means we must pursue purposeful, consistent, life together with the body to accomplish all of this. All of these things that we have seen go directly against the grain of the natural tendencies of our flesh, especially in our American culture. We learn from a young age to devote ourselves solely to the pursuit of individual fulfillment and satisfaction.  The rampant sins we see in society confirm this (pride, lust, anger, selfishness, laziness, the list could go on and on). The idea of devoting our lives to the building up of the church, so that the church AS A WHOLE looks like Christ, so that the church AS A WHOLE has a strong faith and unified knowledge, so that the church AS A WHOLE acts like the mature man, is a difficult concept to grasp and requires purposeful, consistent, long lasting, labor intensive work on our part. One of the primary reasons, we, as elders, have put forward Covenant Membership is because we believe, due to these tendencies, it is helpful for us to take membership in the local body more formally.  We believe it is helpful for us to make formal and public promises to one another that we will commit to life together.  Covenant Membership has a similar function, if you will, to that of baptism.  Just as baptism is a public proclamation of the reality of salvation in Jesus Christ, Covenant Membership, then, is a public affirmation of the relationship that is already present. You are members of the body of Christ.  Covenant Membership merely publicly affirms your love for the body around you and your commitment to life together with them.  Listen, Covenant Membership is not primarily for us as shepherds, it is for the body.  Many of you, who are not yet covenant members, have voiced to the elders of Sovereign Hope Church that you are committed to this church and have chosen to place yourselves under our care.  Those have been wonderfully sweet conversations for the elders, as we are humbled that you see us fit to shepherd you.  But have you proclaimed to the church that you are committed to life together?  Why not formally publicly proclaim a covenant to remain committed? There will more than likely be a time when this body hurts you. We are still working out our salvation with fear and trembling.  Make a covenant with us so that when that happens, you are reminded of the call to labour towards unity. Just as we do in marriage, there have be times in my 8 years of marriage that I have not fully cared for my wife as as I should. And because of this I have hurt her.  But it is our vows, our covenant, that reminds us to continue to strive, in grace, toward the call of God through our marriage. Our desire is that Covenant Membership will be a similar aid for this body.  This is not just done by becoming covenant members though, that simply proclaims verbally to the body a commitment to life together. Actual life together is required.  This means that if you have become covenant members but are not in body life with ALL of the body, you have missed the point of membership entirely. Hear the exhortation of the Word and your elders this morning, Covenant Membership on its own is not the point. The word calls for action and laboring through consistent life together with the body. Have you shown the church that you are committed to life together with them? One way this is accomplished is small groups. But it is also accomplished through every connection available to the body.  How can you consider how to stir up one another without knowing the body? How can you use the gifts God has given to you without making connection to the body beyond just Sunday morning?  How will this body be fully built up in love without purposeful consistent life together? Our exhortation IS to affirm, through Covenant Membership and consistent life together, that you are commitment to building up this local expression of the body of Christ. Beloved, we believe the Word does not give the option to not be FULLY committed to a local body of Jesus Christ. The promises we make to one another are nothing beyond what the scripture demands of us. As Pastor Doug mentioned, we will be holding a covenant membership meeting on January 24th. This is a time for you to hear the elders hearts for this church and ask questions you may have. This meeting does not commit you to becoming covenant members so we encourage everyone who is not a covenant member to come even if you are still uncertain of of covenanting with this body through membership. Allow me to end our time with the words of 1 Thessalonians 3:12-4:1,  “12 may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints. 1 Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more.”