Delta Church - SPI

Psalm 127

1 Peter 5:1-5

If we go back to the first sermon we preached in this series we declared that Christ is the Head of His church. He has one, gospel-created, global people who gather visibly in local churches. But the Bible says Jesus isn’t merely the Head of His church. As 1 Peter 5 makes abundantly clear, Jesus is also the Chief Shepherd of His church. This raises an important question—How exactly does Jesus shepherd His people? Or to put it another way—How does the shepherding care of Jesus become visible in the life of the local church?

Answer—Christ makes His shepherding care visible through faithful elders in the local church. Main Idea—Christ shepherds His church through qualified elders who serve under the Chief Shepherd.

1 Corinthians 11:17-34

“How does the church remember Christ?” That’s the question that falls naturally in line with the questions we have been asking throughout this series. The Christian life does not begin with faith in Jesus, baptism, and church membership only for us to eventually move on and place Christ in the rearview mirror. Christ calls His people to regularly remember what He has done for us through His death and resurrection. Therefore, to help us remember, Jesus gave His church a gospel-shaped meal called the Lord’s Supper. Main Idea—The Lord’s Supper is a gospel meal where the church looks backward to the cross, inward at the heart, and forward to the return of Jesus.

Matthew 3:13-15; Romans 6:1-4; Matthew 28:18-20

Christ is the Head of His church. Those who belong to Him are one, global, gospel-created people. And these global people gather visibly in local churches. These are glorious truths. But praise God they are not merely theological ideas floating in the clouds. They have real-world implications for our lives such as the call from Christ to be baptized. So for our joy—Christ calls His people to publicly declare their union with Him through baptism.

Various Scriptures

We continue our series entitled ‘Stand There’. And as we do we come to some very practical application. In Christ, we are part of the global church which makes itself visible in the local church. But the question becomes—“How do Christ’ people in a local church show commitment to one another?” Answer—by committing themselves as members to that local church. If the next 20 years at Delta are going to matter…if we are going to link arms and do something for God…then on this we must knit our hearts together, that—for our joy, Christ’s people are called to commit to one another by joining a local church.

1 Corinthians 12:12-27

Christ is the Head of His church. And those who belong to His church are one, gospel-created, global people.But that’s not all that can be said about Christ’s church. Yes—His church is global. But—His church is also local. This is where 1 Corinthians 12:12–27 helps us by talking about the local church as a body. When you are saved by grace through faith in Jesus, you are united to Christ’s global church. But—you are not just a detached part of a global whole. In Christ—you are a vital part of a rooted, local body of Believers. This means something for us as we move forward into the new chapter God has for our church. Main Idea—The local church is the body of Christ in one place where every member is necessary, different, and called to care for one another.

Ephesians 2:11-22

Because Christ is the head of His church, we cannot build His church our way. This is why we must stand on Christ first and foremost. Last week we did that by noticing Jesus is supreme in everything. And this supreme Savior we have owns His church. But a faithful, Christ-grounded church does not stop there. Once we establish who owns the church, we must also ask—“Who belongs to the church?” Or to ask another way, “Who are Christ’s people? What defines them?” This is where Ephesians 2:11-22 shines bright because here Jesus effectively says—“These are my people!” They are a gospel-created people. They are one through the cross. And they are a global people gathered from every nation, tribe, and tongue. On this we must stand if the next 20 years at Delta are going to matter. Main Idea—Through the gospel, Christ creates one global people for Himself.

Colossians 1:15-20

In this new chapter of our church, we must be grounded in Jesus—supreme over all creation and over His church. On this Christ we must stand. As we look forward to more faithful ministry to come for Delta, how will we walk together? By not just assuming our way forward, but by declaring our need to stand on Christ who is the Head of the church.

Colossians 1:15-20

In this new chapter of our church, we must be grounded in Jesus—supreme over all creation and over His church. On this Christ we must stand. As we look forward to more faithful ministry to come for Delta, how will we walk together? By not just assuming our way forward, but by declaring our need to stand on Christ who is the Head of the church.

Psalm 34