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Introduction:
Today marks the beginning of what I believe will be a great
relationship and a great future. As we look forward into the
future of the Franklin Church of Christ, we need to begin with a
great vision of the future. What does God intend this church to
be? What do we need to do to be what God intends us to be? When we
look into that future, our vision should be guided by the
principle found in Matthew
5:14. God means for us to be the light of the world, like a
city set on a hill which cannot be hidden. God wants us to stand
out. Too many churches today are willing to blend in with the
cities down in the valley. Too many are willing to just look like
everyone else with only simple variations of the mainstream
man-made religion theme. We must not be satisfied with blending
in. We must be devoted to standing out, unable to hide, shining
brightly for all to see. That is what we are to be and that is
what we will become. Discussion: I.
Why should the Franklin Church of Christ be like a city set
on a hill? A.
We must not strive to be a city set on a hill in order to
be seen and praised by men. There should be no desire to have
reputation among men. As Revelation
3:1 reveals, having a reputation means very little. B.
Instead, this church needs to stand out as a city set on a
hill to fulfill the teaching of Jesus in Matthew
5:16. People should see what this church is doing so God will
be glorified. 1.
The world needs to see us as a city set on a hill so that
they may be influenced by the love, faith, doctrine and teaching
of this church. Some, seeing us stand out, will want to be part of
us in order to serve and glorify the God who sacrificed His Son
for them, just as Peter taught in I Peter 2:11-12. 2.
Other churches need to see this church as a city set on a
hill in order to see that doing things God’s way does work.
Let’s face it, there seem to be two kinds of churches today. The
one kind does not believe God’s plan really works, so they
change it. The other kind does not really believe God’s plan
works, so they faithfully follow His guidelines but without
expecting success, so they rarely have any. The Franklin Church of
Christ is poised to be a third kind of church, blazing a trail of
unprecedented growth and success. We can be an example for other
churches, letting them see that God’s way works. II.
What should stand out about the Franklin Church of Christ? A.
Stand
out in doctrine—II John 9 claimed that we must abide in the doctrine of Christ. The
cities down in the valley do not care what doctrine is taught,
they teach their concoction of man-made, creedalized, self-serving
doctrine. And what they do is in vain (Matthew
15:8-9). We must never be satisfied to blend in with all the
churches around us. We must stand out and be different. B.
Stand
out in teaching—Romans 10:13-15 said no one will be saved if no one does any
teaching. Too many “sound” churches today want to ride a
fence. They want to maintain doctrinal purity. But they do not
want to say it out loud too much, lest they offend someone. The
early churches stood out as cities on hills and were accused of
turning the world upside down (Acts 17:6), but people were being saved. No one will be saved if
God’s people do not do some world-turning evangelism. We must
proclaim the gospel. Folks need to see us teaching. C.
Stand
out in love—John 13:34-35 said the world will know we are Christ’s disciples
when they see our love for each other. Too many churches are
willing to settle for a mediocre love that is hardly different
from that of any social organization. The kind of love we must
have for one another is described in John
15:12-13. We need to sacrifice ourselves for one another. We
must not put ourselves forward, but rather put others forward,
loving them. People will only know that we are Jesus’ disciples
when we stand out in love. D.
Stand
out in faith—I John 5:4 said our faith is what overcomes the world. If this
church is to be a city set on a hill, we must stand out in faith.
We must believe the promises of God. Accept that His way works.
Too many churches believe God needs our help and innovations. They
are not willing to just stand out by doing things God’s way. We
must surrender ourselves to God’s will living by faith (Galatians
2:20). We must let people see that we trust God and will do
things His way, because He does not need our help. He wants our
obedience. III.
What will it take for the Franklin Church of Christ to be a
city set on a hill? A.
If we are to be a city set on a hill, it will begin by
loving God and loving His truth. As Jesus said in John
14:23, when we love Him, we will keep His word. Paul explained
that it is by the love of the truth that we will be saved in II
Thessalonians 2:10. We need to remember Jesus’ warning in Matthew
10:34-37. We will only stand out when we love God and His
truth above all other things. If we allow our love for people or
things to exceed our love for God, then we will compromise and the
city will slide from the hill into the valley blending in with all
others and accomplishing nothing useful. But, when we love God
above all, He will accomplish great things through us. If we are
going to be a city set on a hill, we must being with loving god
and his truth. B.
If we are going to be a city set on a hill, it will take
personal sacrifice. Note how Jesus continued in Matthew
10:38-39. Those who love God more than anyone or anything else
will be taking up a cross and losing their own life. We read Galatians
2:20 earlier which pointed out that we are to be crucified
with Christ. We have put ourselves to death that Christ might live
in us. Paul also explained in Romans
12:1-2 that to be different, standing out from the world,
means being a living sacrifice. This sacrifice means no longer
living by our own personal will, but living by God’s will at all
times, no matter what we give up to do it. If we are going to be a
city set on a hill, we must love God, sacrificing ourselves and
our will for Him. C.
If we are going to be a city set on a hill, we must have
the courage to think, speak, act and look different. Standing out
is not easy. It takes guts. Look at Jesus’ words to the 12 in Matthew
10:16-26. While there are some specific issues meant for them
alone, the principles of persecution and courage apply to us as
well. When we stand out as Jesus did, we will suffer for it.
People will not like us. They will make fun of us. They will
attack us. The one problem with being the city set on a hill is
that every enemy who wants to prove his strength will attack to
claim that he is king of the mountain. We must be prepared for
this and never willing to back down. If we are going to be a city
set on a hill, it will take courage. D.
Finally, if we are going to be a city set on a hill, we
must be focused on the vision and the goal. We must not allow
ourselves to be distracted by everything that goes on around us.
We need to remember that everything we are doing is about going to
heaven. It is not about popularity contests or politics. It is not
about having the biggest church or the grandest facilities. It is
about serving God faithfully and going to heaven when this life is
over. That is what being a city set on a hill is all about. Paul
encourages us in Colossians 3:1-2, that we must keep on minds focused on things
above, not on things below. Consider Moses, a great example to us.
Hebrews 11:24-25
explains how he was able to stand out and be different. He was
focused on the reward, not on the passing pleasures in the world
around him. If we are going to be a city set on a hill, we must
have a focused vision, not allowing distractions to turn our eyes
away from the goal. Conclusion: I want you to know as we begin this relationship together, how excited I am. I want you to know what I see for our future together. I hope you will share this vision with me. The Franklin Church of Christ can be and must be like a city set on a hill, shining the gospel light for all to see, beckoning everyone to come to Jesus and follow Him with us.
Glory
to God in the church by Christ Jesus
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