25-0727a Transcript

Preacher: Scott Reynolds

(1:13) Today I wanted to reflect on some of my past sermons as we contemplate our small but faithful number.

(1:23) The purpose, to encourage our small congregation to see ourselves as God’s holy temple, (1:30) equipped to reflect his love and truth and to inspire us to invite new people into our church family, (1:41) trusting God to build his house. (1:44) The focus in my sermons have been shaped by Del Tackett’s series of articles on the seven threats in our times. (1:53) I presented that series here beginning in July of 2023.

(1:59) All the way through February of 2024. (2:04) As a result, I developed my subsequent sermons on equipping the saints, a holy temple, a royal priesthood, (2:12) unio mystica, the mysterious union, and why are we losing them, (2:17) and my current series of Genesis chapters 1 through 11. (2:22) Plus, we also started and have now finished the Truth Project, (2:27) and we will soon begin on Wednesday, Del Tackett’s Engagement Project.

(2:34) My interest in these are all related to and stem from that seven threat series. (2:43) It’s worth going back and looking at. (2:44) There’s a ton of information.

(2:46) So since I used Grok to summarize all of our sermons from all of our soon-to-be, count them, six preachers, (2:58) can you imagine? (3:01) We have six men willing to preach here. (3:06) Anyway, Grok has summarized all of our sermons the last couple of years and has access to them in our, (3:14) and it’s in my history. (3:17) So I asked it to boil down my sermons, and when I asked it, I tried to bring to remembrance that, (3:25) hey, you know, over the last year and a half, couple years, you’ve summarized, (3:30) I’ve had you summarize all this stuff, and can you glean from this stuff something? (3:36) And it came back and it said, I can confirm that I have access to all that I summarized.

(3:44) So I asked it to boil down my sermons and give me material to use in a two-part lesson on growing our small church number. (3:54) And this, in a nutshell, in a single sentence, is what it came up with. (3:59) It says, rediscover your identity as God’s holy temple, a place where his spirit dwells.

(4:12) And my title for this lesson is A Royal Priesthood Reprise. (4:19) So now, let’s start with A Temple in the Storm. (4:23) Good morning.

(4:24) It’s good to see everyone. (4:26) It really is. (4:27) Picture a small, sturdy temple, standing on a hill, surrounded by a raging storm.

(4:36) Winds howl, waves crash, yet the temple holds firm, its stones locked together, its light shining within. (4:46) That’s our church, a faithful remnant, almost 20 of us on a good day, many with silver hair, (4:54) a few in the prime of life, and occasionally, our precious children. (5:00) Since the challenges of our past, and especially the COVID pandemic of 2020, we’ve felt the storm’s toll.

(5:10) Fewer faces, quieter pews. (5:13) But God sees us as his holy temple, a sacred dwelling place for his spirit, unshaken by the world’s chaos. (5:27) Ephesians 2, 19-22 tells us, (5:29) You are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people, (5:35) and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, (5:43) with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.

(5:48) In him, the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. (5:57) And in him, you too are being built together to become a dwelling place, a temple if you will, (6:07) in which God lives by his spirit. (6:11) In our seven threats in our time series, we learned of storms battering God’s people, (6:19) scoffers rejecting truth, human pride exalting itself in attacks on the biblical family and faith.

(6:28) Yet God is building his temple, us, to shine his light. (6:35) Today, let’s rediscover our identity as God’s holy temple, a place where his spirit dwells, equipped to stand firm. (6:44) And let’s find hope and courage to invite others to join the sacred work.

(6:51) Because unless the Lord builds the house, as Psalm 127-1 says, our labor is in vain. (7:00) So let’s trust the architect to rebuild his house. (7:05) Point number one, it’s God’s design.

(7:10) A holy temple reflecting his order. (7:12) Our sermon series on Genesis chapters 1-11 reminds us that God is a purposeful creator. (7:21) From the stars to the seas, he designed everything with order and beauty.

(7:27) In the Truth Projects Tour 7 on Sociology, the Divine Imprint, we learned that God’s order extends to his people. (7:37) Just as the Trinity is a perfect community of love, Ephesians 5, 22-33, (7:45) God shapes us to reflect his unity and his glory as his holy temple. (7:52) 1 Peter 2, verses 4 and 5 calls us living stones being built into a spiritual house.

(8:02) Each of you, whether you’re 80 or 8, is a unique and vital stone in God’s temple. (8:10) You may feel weathered by life’s storms or small in number, but God chooses you. (8:18) Think of our elderly saints.

(8:21) Their prayers and wisdom are like granite, strong and enduring, grounding us. (8:26) Those of us in your 40s, you are like pillars of strength carrying the load with faith. (8:38) And our children, though few, are like bright mosaics adding joy and hope.

(8:43) Together, we’re not just a building. (8:47) We are God’s home where his spirit dwells. (8:52) But storms threaten this design and the world around us often feels chaotic.

(8:58) In seven threats, we saw the rise of the scoffer and depraved mind, threat number one from July of 2023, (9:06) where culture rejects God’s truth for a depraved mind, Romans 128. (9:12) The Truth Project warns us about cultural lies like self-centeredness or skepticism (9:18) that pulls youth away from God’s truth as we explored and why are we losing them from October of 24. (9:28) Even our adults are tempted by a world that says truth is relative, (9:34) that I have my truth and you have your truth and somehow magically we’re both right.

(9:43) We also learned of the attack upon the biblical family, threat number seven, eroding God’s order for relationships. (9:54) The Truth Project’s tour four on theology counters this by affirming God’s attributes, (10:01) his holiness and love revealed in scripture. (10:04) Our church, though small, is called to reflect this order, not the world’s chaos.

(10:11) The loss of the noble male and the rise of malevolent compassion, threat number three, (10:17) distorts God’s design for men and women, replacing strength and truth with misguided nurture. (10:25) And that is malevolent compassion, misguided nurture. (10:30) Yet God’s design stands firm and resolute.

(10:34) Ephesians 2.20 says, Christ is our cornerstone, the unshakeable foundation aligning every stone. (10:46) No storm, not a pandemic, not cultural lies can shake his foundation or topple what he builds. (10:53) Again, Psalm 127.1 says, unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain.

(11:02) God is the architect and he’s still at work. (11:06) Consider the temple in Jerusalem when Nehemiah rebuilt its walls. (11:13) The workers were few, the opposition fierce, yet they trusted God’s plan and the temple stood.

(11:19) Our small size doesn’t limit God. (11:22) Your faithful prayers, your love for each other are stones in his eternal design. (11:28) Let’s hold fast, knowing he’s building something beautiful.

(11:34) Point number two, get equipped to stand and resist cultural threats. (11:39) If we are God’s temple, and we are, how do we stand as God’s temple in a stormy world? (11:46) Our Equipping the Saints series from April through June of 24 taught us that God provides everything we need. (11:56) 1 Corinthians 3 verses 16 and 17 says, don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s spirit dwells in you? (12:06) If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person.

(12:11) For God’s temple is sacred and you together are that temple. (12:18) You are sacred to God and he equips you to thrive. (12:24) First God equips us through his word.

(12:28) Genesis chapters 1 through 11 grounds us in creation’s truth, (12:33) countering the rise of demonic worldview, which twists God’s design with lies. (12:39) The Truth Project’s tour six on history urges us to remember God’s works like Israel did (12:47) when they collected memorial stones from their crossing of the Jordan River in Joshua 4. (12:54) Remembering God’s works anchors us against historical revisionism. (13:01) Second, he equips us through his spirit.

(13:05) Our Unio Mystica sermon, that mysterious union Christians have with the Trinity living in us, rooted in John 15.5, (13:14) I am the vine, you are the branches, show that our union with Christ empowers us. (13:21) When we abide in him, we bear fruit, even against the rise of Homo Deus, threat number two. (13:29) When humans exalt themselves above God, as we study and learn more of Jesus and his worldview, (13:37) and then obey and practice what we learn, that is, if we remain in him, (13:45) then we as branches will draw life from Jesus, our vine.

(13:53) Third, God equips us through our church community, or as Del Tackett says in his Engagement Project, (14:01) God equips us through relationships. (14:04) Our 20 or so members are a family, reflecting the Trinity’s unity, tour seven, the divine imprint. (14:12) The consolidation of massive earthly power, threat number four, (14:16) tempts us to rely on human systems and institutions.

(14:22) But the Truth Project’s tour nine on the state reminds us that only God’s authority endures, (14:30) Romans 13. (14:32) When you share meals, prayers for the sick, or teach our kids a Bible story, you’re building God’s temple. (14:41) I think of Nehemiah, who rebuilt Jerusalem’s walls despite opposition.

(14:47) His small team worked together, trusting God’s plan, and they finished the job, not alone, but together. (14:57) And we too can rebuild by loving one another and welcoming others together. (15:05) But let’s be real.

(15:08) It’s tempting to feel weary. (15:10) Since 2020 and before, actually, for us, we’ve lost members, and some of you may wonder if we’ll survive. (15:19) The Truth Project’s tour six on history reminds us that God’s plans are eternal.

(15:26) Our role is to trust him and keep building. (15:31) Let’s lean on him, knowing he’s working even when we can’t see it. (15:37) And point number three, inviting others, growing God’s temple.

(15:43) So, how do we as a small church grow and bring in new people? (15:49) As God’s temple, we’re called in his love and truth to grow, inviting others to join his family. (15:56) The Truth Project’s tour 12, community and involvement, calls us to care as God cares. (16:05) And 1 Peter 2, verse 9, from a royal priesthood sermon of September of 2024, says, (16:13) But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, (16:21) that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.

(16:30) In a post-2020 world, and this is really important, because 2020, although it was tough on the church, (16:38) is actually providing a huge window for Christianity. (16:48) In a post-2020 world, people are lonely, battling America Addicted and Soft Threat 6’s dependency (16:59) and the attack upon the Biblical Family Threat 7’s brokenness. (17:04) Our town has families, neighbors, and co-workers searching for hope.

(17:10) Our mission is to invite others into his light, especially in a world searching for hope. (17:21) Fields are white, ready for the harvest. They really are at this point in time.

(17:31) Our series, Why Are We Losing Them?, showed us that people, especially youth, (17:37) need a real, loving church community grounded in truth. (17:44) Genesis chapters 1 through 11 teaches that God created us for relationship with him and each other. (17:52) The Truth Project’s tour 7, sociology, the divine imprint that’s stamped on us, (17:59) emphasizes the church as God’s design for fellowship, Ephesians 5, 22 through 33.

(18:07) Even 20 or so people can be a lighthouse for our elderly saints. (18:13) Invite a neighbor to coffee or share a testimony with a caregiver. (18:18) Those in your 40s, reach out to co-workers or friends with kids.

(18:22) Invite them to a church event. We used to have potlucks, you know. (18:29) That might not be a bad idea.

(18:32) Let’s be that church community. Start small. (18:36) Next week, invite one person to church or an event.

(18:39) Share a story about our church. (18:42) Maybe how someone’s prayer was answered here. (18:47) Or share something you’ve learned here that has made a difference in your life.

(18:51) Or come to the Engagement Project starting on Wednesday because that’s what the Engagement Project is all about. (18:59) How to engage in a society like ours. (19:05) So here’s another practical idea.

(19:08) Let’s pray as a church for five new families to join us this year. (19:14) Write down the names of one or two people you could invite. (19:17) And let’s commit to regularly pray for them.

(19:23) God builds his house, but he uses our hands and hearts to open the doors. (19:29) The Truth Project’s Tour 10, the American Experiment, (19:33) reminds us that Christian virtue built America through small acts of faith. (19:39) Your invitation could spark a revival.

(19:44) And our conclusion, trusting the architect. (19:49) So as we close, picture that temple on the hill again from the beginning of our lesson. (19:55) Storms rage, scoffers, pride, and broken families, but its cornerstone, Jesus, holds firm.

(20:04) You, our faithful 20 or so, are God’s holy temple, his dwelling place. (20:10) The Seven Threats reminds us the world is dark, but the Truth Project and our series, (20:17) A Holy Temple, Unio Mystica, that mysterious union we have with Christ (20:22) and Genesis chapters 1 through 11 show us God’s light shines through, (20:29) just like it did when he said, let there be light. (20:35) And today, his light shines through us, his church, his temple.

(20:43) Let’s trust the architect. (20:45) Again, Psalm 127 says, unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. (20:53) And after 2020’s losses, we may feel small, but God is big.

(20:59) Pray for new members. (21:01) Invite with courage and love each other deeply. (21:05) And remember our identity.

(21:08) We are not just a part of God’s plan. (21:12) We are his living temple, built to shine his truth and love in a broken world. (21:21) Trust his design and let him equip us to stand firm.

(21:27) Let’s pray. (21:29) Heavenly Father, thank you for building us into your holy temple. (21:36) Strengthen our little church and equip us to stand against cultural threats with your spirit.

(21:44) Give us courage to trust your plan and invite others into your family. (21:50) Rebuild our church, Lord, for your glory. (21:55) In Jesus' name we pray it.

(21:58) Amen. (21:59) Come, together we stand and sing.