““If we If we are The are The Body…Body…

““The The Eternal Eternal

Purposes Purposes of the of the

Church”Church”

• If We Are The Body• It's crowded in worship today

As she slips in trying to fade into the facesThe girls teasing laughter iscarrying farther than they knowFarther than they know

• Chorus:But if we are the bodyBut if we are the body

Why aren't His arms reaching?Why aren't His arms reaching?Why aren't His hands healing?Why aren't His hands healing?

Why aren't His words teaching?Why aren't His words teaching?And if we are the bodyAnd if we are the body

Why aren't His feet going?Why aren't His feet going?Why is His love not showing them there is a way?Why is His love not showing them there is a way?

There is a wayThere is a way• A traveler is far away from home

He sheds his coat and quietly sinks into the back rowThe weight of their judgmental glancesTells him that his chances are better out on the road

• Chorus• Jesus paid much too high a price

For us to pick and choose who should comeAnd we are the body of Christ

• Chorus• Jesus is the way

If we are If we are the the

Body…Body…

The The

ORGANISORGANISMM of the of the ChurchChurch

““The church is The church is an eternal an eternal

organismorganism in in the earth, the earth,

doing the will doing the will of God and of God and

accomplishing accomplishing the purpose of the purpose of

God.”God.”

• Matthew 16:18 - “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon

this rock I will build my church; and the

gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

• John 1:1 – “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was

God.”

• John 1:14 – “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us,

(and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of

the Father,) full of grace and truth.”

Hebrews 10:6-8 – “In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin

thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of Me,) to do thy will, O God. Above when He said, Sacrifice and

offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest

not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the

law”

• John 1:12 – “But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of the sons of

GodGod, even to them that believe on His name”

• Ephesians 1:22-23 – “And hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is His body, the fulness of Him

that filleth all in all.”

1 Corinthians 12:12-17 – “For asas the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so

also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For the

body is not one member, but many. If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not

of the body; is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I

am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing,

where were the smelling?”

1 Peter 4:10 – “As every man hath received the gift, even so

minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.”

1 Corinthians 12:27 – “Now ye are the body of Christ, and

members in particular.”

• Ephesians 4:11-12 – “And He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and

some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying

of the body of Christ”

If we are If we are the the

Body…Body…

The The OVERLOOKOVERLOOK

INGING of a of a peoplepeople

If we are If we are the the

Body…Body…

The The OVERTHROWIOVERTHROWI

NGNG of the of the enemyenemy

• Isaiah 14:12-15 - “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou For thou hast said in thine hearthast said in thine heart, I willI will

ascend into heaven, I willI will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I willI will sit also upon the

mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I willI will ascend

above the heights of the clouds; I I willwill be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.”

If we are If we are the the

Body…Body…

The The OBLIGATIOOBLIGATIO

NN of the of the ChurchChurch

““The The Eternal Eternal Purposes Purposes of the …of the …

• Deuteronomy 6:20-23 – “And when thy son asketh thee in time to come,

saying, What mean the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments,

which the LORD our God hath commanded you? Then thou shalt say

unto thy son, We were Pharaoh's bondmen in Egypt; and the LORD

brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand: And the LORD shewed signs and wonders, great and sore, upon Egypt,

upon Pharaoh, and upon all his household, before our eyes: And He And He brought us out from thence, thatbrought us out from thence, that

He might bring us in, to give us the land which he sware unto our fathers.”

““The The Eternal Eternal Purposes Purposes of the …of the …• To To proclaimproclaim

the eternal the eternal richesriches

of Christof Christ. . Ephesians 3: 8Ephesians 3: 8

““The The Eternal Eternal Purposes Purposes of the …of the …• To To RevealReveal the eternal the eternal MysteryMystery of of

the churchthe church. . Ephesians 3: 9Ephesians 3: 9

• Colossians 1:25-27 - “Whereof I am made a minister, according to the

dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; Even the mystery which hath

been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made

manifest to his saints: To whom God would make known what is the

riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ

in you, the hope of glory”

““The The Eternal Eternal Purposes Purposes of the …of the …• To To DISPLAYDISPLAY

the eternal the eternal wisdomwisdom

of Godof God. . Ephesians 3: 10-Ephesians 3: 10-

1111

““The The Eternal Eternal Purposes Purposes of the …of the …• To To ManifestManifest

the eternal the eternal gloryglory

of Godof God. . Ephesians 3:Ephesians 3:

2121

•Romans 11:36 – “For ofof Him, and throughthrough Him,

and toto Him, are all things: to

Whom be glory for ever. Amen.”

1) Christ came to live in me so I could be the person God wants me to be.

2) Christ came to live in me to bring glory to Himself.

3) Christ came to live in me to carry on His work here.

““Are Are YOUYOU fulfilling fulfilling the the Eternal Eternal Purposes Purposes of the …of the …