Matt 27:39-40

Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads 40 and saying, "You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself!

Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!"  NIV

There will always be voices tempting you to not fulfill the plan of God 

          Jesus could have been saved from suffering – but chose to do the will of God

Wherever there’s potential for suffering & difficulty – save ourselves

          That’s why many people stay away from church

                    Avoiding suffering… whether a bad sermon or hurt feelings

Why you should never stay away from church:

You must know who He is and who you are and what His plan is

You are of this world; I am not of this world.  (17:14)

1. He got his directions from the heavenly realm – John 12:49; 5:19
2. His food was from another world – John 4:32, 34
3. He taught the principles of the other world
4. He demonstrated the power of the other world

Jesus leaves & returns to the heavenly realm

He sends His Spirit back to live in us

But I chose you out of the world

  Now, we are Creatures from the Heavenly Realm

1. He gives us a new heart and puts a new spirit in us – Ezek 36:26
2. We are to renew our minds – think from another world – Rom 12:2
3. We are to live from our heavenly position
4. We are to act from our heavenly position

As Creatures from the Heavenly Realm, we are multi-dimensional

We are His Church:

Matt 16:18.  On this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.

Ekklesia “called out ones; to assemble together; to congregate”  

If you don’t come when Jesus calls, what are you?

1. The first thing the new creatures did was meet continually, with their own kind – Acts 2:46

Excuse:  I don’t have to go to church to be saved

You’re supposed to BE the church, connected to other called out creatures

          Or why go to heaven?

If you don’t go to church because of an offense or hurt…

You’re trying to ‘save yourself and avoid suffering

       Rather than submitting to His will

We are His Building – on another dimension

1 Peter 2:5.  You also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house

Can you imagine a building without all of the construction material?

         No one would want to use that building

We are His Body – Not “like” a body

Rom 12:5.  We, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.

We are supposed to be a functioning member in the body

          Connected to each other

He is the head – How can we be connected to the head

        But disconnected from the other members?

1 Cor 12:25-26

There should be no division in the body, [and] the members should have the same care for one another. 26 And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.

How can you care for other members without being connected?

Well, they don’t care for me!

We don’t exercise the principles of the heavenly realm

          Forgiveness, longsuffering, patience, aggressive love

We are His Army

He is a warrior – Ex 15:3

Eph 6:11-12

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

We cannot fight this enemy alone

        We must stand soldier-to-soldier, and shoulder-to-shoulder

Endure hardship like a good soldier.  2 Tim 2:3

          Be able to go through something

Protect the church – that Jesus died for

Protect your members – members of us and members of His body

Who’s voice is it saying, “You don’t need to go to church”?

          The same one that told Jesus to come down from the cross

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