Sermon Tone Analysis

Mark 16:15-20

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stephen Caswell © 2001

Mission Of The Church

 

Frederick the Great, King of Prussia, won a strategic battle with comparative ease and little loss of men.

When asked for explanation of his victory over the enemy, he said, The enemy had seven cooks and one spy, but I had seven spies and one cook.

/Probably the Church lacks power because it majors on the minors and minors on the majors.

/

 

Introduction

 

In today's society Christians have many different ideas about what a Church should be.

Many see the Church as the place they should go to worship God each Sunday.

They believe that the Church will minister to them.

Many believers are unaware that collectively Christians */are the Church./*

/But, why did God found the Church in the first place?/

This morning we begin a series on God's purpose for the Church.

We will look at various passages in the New Testament that explain why Christ founded the Church.

The word */Church/* ejkklhsia means */the called out ones, an assembly or congregation/*.

God's purpose is to call out a special people for Himself from every nation, tribe, kindred and tongue.

These people belong to God; they live to serve Him.

Initially God sent His Son to begin this work.

He began by calling people to follow Him, to be His disciples.

Jesus Christ Himself has completed our salvation, but He commissioned the Church to make known God's salvation to the world.

The apostles first received the Great Commission directly from Christ.

This has since been passed on to us.

The task is great and the laborers are few.

There are many obstacles and adversaries, but we also have the promise of God's help./

How important is the Great Commission to you? Are you involved in it?

/

 

On Page 6 of our Church constitution we find this statement under *Goals and Objectives.*

The program of this Church must be the Great Commission.

Matthew 28:19-20.

Evangelism, soul winning, Bible teaching, fellowship, and edification of the Church are the soul reasons for its existence.

The Church's aim is to show forth Christ through the local Church which is His body.

Administration will be kept to a minimum as will secular and social activities which may absorb the physical and spiritual energies of the members.

The resources of the Church both monitory and physical are to be directed toward fulfilling the great commission.

As we study God's purpose for the Church we soon realize that there are at least five parts to God's purpose.

In Acts chapter two we find the birth of the Church on the day of Pentecost.

Jesus had previously announced its coming in Matthew chapter 17.

In Acts chapter two we find its beginning.

The pouring out of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost commenced the Church Age.

After the Holy Spirit had filled the disciples they were empowered for service.

God enabled them to speak in tongues.

A crowd gathered to find out what was happening and they heard of God's wonderful works in their own language.

Fifteen different language groups heard what God had been doing.

Then Peter stood and preached the life, death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ to the crowd.

I will read from *Acts 2:37-47:* /Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, men and brethren, what shall we do?

Then Peter said to them, repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

/

/For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.

And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, be saved from this perverse generation.

Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.

And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.

Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.

Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.

So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people.

And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.

Turn on *1st O.H.P. */

 

Five Purposes For The Church

 

I believe that there were five things that the early Church concentrated on; */Evangelism, discipleship, worship, fellowship /*and*/ ministry./*/

/Down the ages Churches have majored on one, two or three of these points, but rarely all five.

When Churches focus on all five of these things God blesses.

To fulfill all five purposes requires total commitment from the Church.

*Today I want to start at the beginning, with evangelism.*

/Why is this the beginning?/

Because the early Church started with evangelism on the Day of Pentecost.

In fact without evangelism you can't even start the process of making a disciple of Jesus Christ.

*All four Gospel's and the Book of Acts contain an account of the Great Commission.*

Each Gospel emphasizes a particular aspect of it.

Matthew's Gospel commands us */to make disciples of all nations./*

Mark's Gospel commands us */to preach the Gospel to every creature/*.

Luke commanded the disciples */to tarry in Jerusalem/* until they receive the Holy Spirit.

John commanded the disciples */to receive the Holy Spirit/*, which they did at Pentecost.

This morning I want to look at Mark's account.

He highlights evangelism.

*Mark 16:15-16* /And He said to them, Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.

He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.

/

/ /

Apathy Towards Evangelism

/ /

One Sunday, a minister began his sermon this way: I'd like to make three points today.

First, there are millions of people around the world going to hell.

Second, most of us sitting here today don't give a damn about it.

After a lengthy pause he continued: My Third point is that you are more concerned that I, your pastor, said the word damn than you are about the millions of people who are damned to hell.

Marks Gospel contains only */one command/*,/ *Preach* the Gospel.

/The word */preach/* khruvssw means */to proclaim as the king's herald,/* */to proclaim or publish something openly with authority./*

Yet, it has been estimated that probably 95% of all church members have never led anyone to Christ.

God can use anyone that is available to Him!!! *James Strachan said: */Saving knowledge is diffused over the earth, not like sunlight but like torch light, which is passed from hand to hand.

/God calls us to witness to others what He has done in our lives.

* *

*Acts 1:8*/ But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth./

Various Channels God Used

 

In a late publication, Dr. Basil Miller says that Dr. Reuben A. Torrey was won to Christ through the witnessing of a godly mother; Sam Jones, by his own father; George Mueller, by a friend; John R. Mott, by a teacher; George Whitefield, by a book; and Count Zinzendorf, through a certain picture.

There is no prescribed type of testimony, except that it be Christ - centered and Spirit - directed.

/Are we in the place where God can use our testimony?

Are we making the most of our opportunities of witnessing for Him?/

 

Mark shares 3 things about preaching the Gospel; /the Content/, /the Crowd/, /the Consequences./

/a.

The Content/

 

The */content/* of the message is the Gospel, the good news of salvation.

Christ has not asked us to proclaim social reform or a particular creed.

He commissioned us to preach the Gospel.

/Jack Hayford/ said: *I don't perceive my call as one to protest the culture but to proclaim the Savior.

*/Charles Haddon Spurgeon/ said*: I take my text and make a bee-line to the cross.*

Since this is the message we are to make known, it would be good to refresh ourselves with the details of the Gospel.

The Gospel actually begins with bad news.

It starts by informing us that we are all sinners bound for an eternity in hell.

We must believe this to be saved.