AS HIS CUSTOM WAS

Luke 4:16-20

Sunday Morning Sermon

September 27, 1998

Fair Avenue Baptist Church

Heart specialist Dr. George Sheehan said the weakest of us can participate in athletics, but only the strongest can survive being a spectator.  The reason being that as a spectator the wrong things go up and the wrong things go down.  Body weight, blood pressure, heart rate, cholesterol and triglycerides go up while oxygen consumption, flexibility, stamina, and strength go down.

Being a spectator Christian is just as dangerous.  Criticism does up, sensitivity to sin and the needs of others goes down.

The most deadly virus to strike our churches is the virus of indifference or “spectatoritis.”

Three simple points for us to consider:

1.       WE NEED TO ATTEND CHURCH

What we need is to learn from the life of Christ.  Luke 4:16 says, “...as his custom was, he went into the synagogue...”

Why should we attend church?

a.       education - to be taught

          “...and stood up for to read.”

b.      inspiration - to be motivated

          V. 20, “And the eyes of all them that were      in the synagogue were fastened on him.”

c.       association - to make friends

d.      cooperation - to do together what we     cannot do alone

          I Cor. 3:9, “For we are labourers together        with God...”

We need to attend church.

We need to make church attendance a habit.

Jesus did.

1.       We need to attend church

2.       WE NEED TO COMMEND

          THE CHURCH

By our lives and our deeds we either commend or condemn the church.

II Cor. 3:2, “Ye are our epistles written in our hearts, known and read of all men.”

Our church attendance habits are known and read of all men.

Your neighbors know when you go to church on Sunday mornings, they also know when you stay home on Sunday nights.

Matt. 7:20, “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.”

I read the other day where the Duke of Windsor told how that his father often reminded him to remember who he was, the child of the king!

How much more should we remember who we are.

1.       We need to attend the church

2.       We need to commend the church

3.       WE NEED TO EXTEND THE CHURCH

Mark 1:17, “And Jesus said unto them, come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.”

Acts 2:47, “Praising God, and having favour with all the people.  And the LORD added to the church daily such as should be saved.”

Acts 5:14, “And believers were the more added to the LORD, multitudes both of men and women.”

Acts 11:24, “For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith: and much people was added unto the LORD.”

What are we doing to extend the church?

What are we doing to add to the church?

What are we doing to see people saved?

1.       We need to attend the church

2.       We need to commend the church

3.       We need to extend the church

4.       WE NEED TO DEFEND THE CHURCH

John 2:15, “And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables.”

Jesus was defending the Father’s house against a perversion of its purpose.  It was the only time we see where Jesus used force.

Jude 3, “...it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.”

Phil. 1:27, “...with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.”

I Tim. 6:12, “Fight the good fight of faith...”

II Tim. 1:13, “Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me...”

It’s time that God’s people defended God’s house.

It’s time we defended the church against doctrinal error for sure, but we also need to defend against indifference.

Four things that we need to do.

1.       We need to attend church

2.       We need to commend the church

3.       We need to extend the church

4.       We need to defend the church