The Glorious Church
Revelation 19 verses 7 and 8. And it says, and I'm reading from the New King James, let us be glad and rejoice and give him glory, for the marriage of the lamb has come and his wife has made herself ready. And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Now we go over to Revelation 21 and verse 2. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And then we turn and we go right back to Matthew chapter 28. verses 18 to 20, and this is as we know as the Great Commission, verse 18 of chapter 28 of Matthew. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you, and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Isn't it awesome having even more babies in church now? There you go. Awesome to see. Elise Wellsby? Right? Yes, I got that right. Awesome. And just so you know, we have a zero tolerance noise with children. So if you have... No, I'm kidding. We love children noise. Go noisy. That's fine. So we've been doing a couple of weeks through this series and we're at the end now. We're about to close it up. on this series about how do we as a church respond to the world? What do we do looking out at it? How do we deal with it? What do we do? And so, I thought we should finish where Jesus finished. His final advice to the disciples, to the apostles, as He went up into the clouds, He said, go out and make disciples. What do we call those disciples? We call them the Church. That's all of us. You can thank them that they listened because we're all here today because of it. And so, we're going to talk about four points. One, the glorious Church. Number two, we must be united. Three, the internal and external ministry of the Church. And four, Christ is head of the Church. Cool. So, let's jump into prayer and then we'll start. Father, we have come and gathered together now as your family, as your people ready to hear your word. We pray that we may be transformed, that we may be changed by the renewal of our minds, fellas. So open our ears, open our hearts, open our minds to understand and to hear your word. Let it be spoken with all clarity and let us hear it as your spirit would guide us. In Jesus' name, amen. So first thing you have to do with anything in the Bible, make sure you've got an accurate picture of what you're looking at. As people, We love to use our eyes, unless of course you're blind, then you probably use your fingers a lot more. But regardless, we love our five senses. That's how we experience, how we define just about everything. Do you even think that growing up as a kid, the reason that you know that that thing over there is called a door is because not you looked in the dictionary and figured it out, but because you heard your parents say it every time, you probably ran into one a couple of times while you're growing up. You learn through experience. That's how we all do it. very good thing. God made us that way. But we have to be very careful that it doesn't become the way that we define absolutely everything, or the foundational thing, because there are things in the Bible that you cannot understand through your five senses. And one of those things is the Church. So I'll read it again, just from Revelation, like Stan just did for us. Revelation 19, let us rejoice and exult and give Him the glory. For the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready. It was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure. For the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." So here is the pitch. This is the church it's talking about. The marriage of the Lamb. This is Jesus getting married to His people, the church. Sounds a bit funny. I remember when I was growing up, I always had this image in my head of the classic old white Baptist church with a big steeple with like a kind of gown on it. It was very hard to imagine what this marriage was like, because I didn't realize it's not a building, it's a people. But we're getting this here, this picture of a perfect bride, right? Dressed in white, perfectly holy, without spot or blemish. So there's no sin, there's nothing wrong. everything's good and clothed in good and righteous works. There's not just nothing wrong, there's everything good. Is that often when I just, if I was just to say, give me the first word that pops into your head when I say, what do you think of the church? It's probably not spotless or perfect or holy. All we see is a hot sinful mess most of the time. We're just... There's no end to the things we could say and they're not normally good, unfortunately. There are many good things, but they can often be over clouded by the bad. And so why is that? Two reasons in this first section here. One reason, we haven't been made perfect yet. If that isn't obvious enough, revelation is talking about the end. That is when we will be made spotless. At the last trumpet call, boom, all of you have new bodies, everything's perfect, there will be no sin anymore. God will get rid of all of it. This is gonna be my shorter point. There is another point to come. You see, we are not made glorious in an instant. God is still working this picture. This picture is the end destination. We will get there, all of us will, but we're not there yet. We're all a work in progress. Why doesn't he just do it straight away? Because for some reason he saw in his mind, he knew in his eternal plan that it would be far more glorious for it to be a slow work in progress than to just go and all of us be changed in an instant. But the second reason, the point that's a bit more something to labor is that we are blind. Like I was saying, we often rely far too much on our senses. We are blind to the glory of the church. Would you not say that each and every one of us has an inbuilt tendency to see the bad in things? I know there are some people out there, you're optimists, you see the good side, you always see the silver lining. But come on, how often do you really remember the 99 courteous drivers on the road? And instead you remember that one person that cut you off and you still see them with it for an hour? Or that one truck that just wants to always use the overtaking lane? There is just... We always remember the bad things. Compliments are easily forgotten, many times, but harsh words can stick around for decades. And so when we come to the church, the first thing that jumps into our minds is often what is wrong with it. Even when you're enjoying church, it just is an easy thing to complain about. I understand I'm part of the church too. But you see, we seem to be blind to the truth. What is the truth of the church? The truth of the church in Revelation. Have you guys ever been to some of those really big church buildings? Like if you go over to Europe, or even if you just go to some of the capital cities that we have around the big cathedrals, know, some of those, especially in, you know, other continents, been around for hundreds, if not thousands of years. And they're just absolutely massive. Normally beyond what's really necessary. So why did they build them like that? Why do they have these spectacular works of architecture? Because they were trying to tell you something. It wasn't just about how many people can we fit in the pews. That really wasn't the point of why they made them so big. But these massive, tall steeples and all these things was to communicate something. It was to communicate the reality of what was happening in that building when God's people gathered there. You see, the idea when you look up at it, it's so tall and let alone the amazing artwork in some of those places, you just take it you're like, there's something bigger going on here than just a bunch of randos gathering to sing some songs. There is something going on in this place. And so, what is going on there? You see, the amazing thing, and it's so hard because sometimes church, I get it, is hard, but this is the closest we get to heaven anywhere in the world. When you gather with God's people, what does he say? Where two or three are gathered, there I am with them. The God of heaven comes down. The divide between earth and heaven is paper thin in this building at the moment. but we see with our eyes and all we see is this people that we've known for 20 years and you're laughing at some of the things, dumb things you've seen them do or the sin before us. Ephesians 3 10 says this, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God is now made known to the rulers and the authorities and the heavenly places. So this from Ephesians. Paul talking to the church and he's telling them that the church in Ephesus was a hot mess, just like the rest of them. But then he said, this was God's plan. He's opening God's plan to them. He's saying through the church, God would make known his wisdom. As in just the plan of God to send his own son down to the earth, something no one could have ever seen, ever could have expected. How does he want to share that with the world? How does he want this marvelous thing to be revealed? through us, through the people in this building. You see, the church is something not of this world. In this place, people are transformed. Christ is held high. The God of the universe comes down and is in this place at this moment. and yet we treat it as unimportant. It's mundane, it's boring, not even worth getting out of bed for at times. I loved an old Keith Green song called Awake in the Light. He goes and he's just having an absolute rip on Christians for their just lack of passion in the church. But he just has one line where he says, Jesus rose from the grave, but you can't even get out of bed. I find it quite comical. I like it. It's a good comedic line, but how true is that? That sometimes we cannot even get ourselves out of bed and yet look at what Jesus did for us. And so, you see, when we see the church is boring, mundane, not something worth really putting any effort into, getting up for, the judgment isn't on the church. The judgment is on us who see it that way. You see, when the church seems boring, it's because we're blind to the truth. When you know what is really happening here, you cannot truly be bored. We only become bored because we forget what is going on. And so if we will always define the church by what we see with our eyes, the rest of this sermon is going to be pointless to you. You're not going to see any value in it because church will just be another thing to tick off on Sunday. Frankly, if this is something that's just on your checklist, I give you free permission. You do not have to keep coming. Absolutely pointless if it's just something on your to-do list. You will see no need to strive for the things I'm speaking of if you see it that way. But I'll continue on. for those who understand the truth of what's going on in this building and for who see the importance of the church. So, onto the second point, we must be united. So, what is most important for the church? Right, after Paul talks about the glory of the church in Ephesians 3, he goes on in Ephesians 4, 2 to 3. He says, this is a command from him, bear with one another in love. be eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. So, he's gone right from... the first chapters, three chapters of Ephesians are all just laying out the glories of the gospel, just everything. From God choosing us, our salvation, the thing we've been saved from, the mystery of the church and how it's revealing the wisdom of God, and then the first thing he goes to is the unity of the church. But yet, how it is something we must aspire to. You see, because the glory of the church, this glorious image from Revelation is directly related to the unity of the church. If the church is not unified, then it's tarnishing that image. Just like the image of God that we have that's been tarnished by sin, when disunity comes in, which is always a result of sin. it tarnishes the beautiful image of that church as well. And so the unity of the church would be something immensely important to us. So I have to clarify what type of unity. This is not that pathetic type of unity that says, we just have to get everyone together in one room and just lay aside everything so that everyone's happy and there's just no arguments. That's a pointless unity. If you're just binding yourselves together over the fact that we should be united. We don't unite around unity. we unite around the truth, the truth of the gospel. Now, obviously the problem being with churches, they tend to take secondary things and throw that in the most, you know, the important stuff. But we unite around the gospel. That is the life, the death, the resurrection of Jesus, what He did on this earth, what He came to do and who He is. It is not about whether kids can watch Harry Potter or whether, I don't know, there's a bunch of secondary issues that are... Some important, some not so, but those are not the things that should stop our unity. So you see the desire for unity is good, but it isn't about being unified with anyone who claims the title of Christian, but it is with those who truly believe in the gospel. Okay, so what ought we to do? Understanding that the unity we have is around the truth of the gospel. How do we help that? What are some of the things in the church that are stopping that? One, the first thing to address is that unity in the church is difficult, but it is not impossible. Jesus commanded it. He wouldn't have commanded it if we couldn't do it. We're not going to reach perfect unity until eternity, but we always have to be striving for it. We're either moving backwards or we're moving forwards in it. And so the first thing I want to talk about, something we like to call the rumor mill. It's probably older than the church itself, I'd say, older than the gospel. this idea that we all know, grudges, division, I've got a problem with that person. These kinds of things have just been around since the dawn of time, since the first Cain and Abel. That was the first grudge. Actually, I guess Adam and Eve would technically be in the first grudge, but you see the problem with these things is obviously they come into the church. They don't, it's not an overnight thing, but they fester over days, weeks, months, even years. and slowly but surely they drive a wedge between people and the church. And so now I'm going to offer something. This is like a piece of advice that I just think if everyone was on board with it, all the churches throughout all time and history, it would have solved 95 of all unity problems. From Matthew 18, 15, if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his faults between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. Says brother, you can throw sister in there too if you want. It's not just for fellas. The main thing being, if you have a problem with someone, go and talk to them about it. This might seem like practical advice, know, it's how is this biblical advice? Because this is the thing that stops unity. When suddenly I have to take a scenic route before I go and talk to the person, tell every Tom, Dick and Harry on the way what happened. You see, because if it is a big enough issue, you should be able to pluck up the courage to talk to that person. And Betty, it should be out of love. You should want to help. You should want to get rid of the division between you two. If you can't pluck up the courage, probably wasn't something worth talking about in the first place. Now, for this, I understand church is hard. We all need a space to vent. And I think venting is okay. But very few people will sit there and genuinely think about when is the line from where venting goes from being helpful to unhelpful. Very quickly we cross that line and think very little about it. And so vent, but realize. you must forgive. And normally it is not just a one-time thing. Normally the people we're really venting about are people that are really hard, that have done things against us that really hurt. That forgiveness is a continual process. Each day, each time it comes back into our minds, we say, I'm not gonna hold onto that. I'm not gonna do it. And so you may think this grudge, this problem that I have with this person, it's just between me and them though. It doesn't impact anyone else. That's not what the Bible says. Otherwise, Jesus wouldn't be, say, bare to maintain the unity. He wouldn't put such an emphasis on this. Because understand that we're not just friends, we are family. So if mum and dad are fighting, or if the brother and sister are going at it, it affects others. Even if it's unknown, hidden in the background, you can tell when someone's grumpy. You can tell when something's going on. And it causes these problems. So you see it affects everyone but better yet, because you affect the unity of the church, it affects the spread and the effectiveness of the gospel. We are hurting our main mission. And so you see the world is not going to be amazed that we gossip as good as they do. What will amaze the church, the church or the world? What will show them that there is something different here? from further on in Matthew 18, after Jesus has just said this, that they had to go to their brother and to forgive him, Peter comes up to Jesus and says, Lord, how often will my brother sin against me and I forgive him? As many as seven times, Jesus said to him, I do not say to you seven times, but 77 times. If you understand, that's hyperbole, or as in exaggeration. He's saying, you just keep forgiving. Now, that is not something the world understands, because there is always a limit on the love of the world. Now, I understand people do things that hurt us, and you're like, I don't know if I can just keep doing that. Realize you've been forgiven by Jesus, and you're still doing stuff against Him, and He is still... forgiving you each and every day. And so you see if Christ has forgiven us, we have no right to hold back forgiveness from others. I understand it may take a bit of time, but understand the end goal is forgiveness, though it is hard. So a second thing I want to talk about, just a quick point. We have this thing called the universal church. You know, we have local churches, Chinchilla Church of Christ, Dolby Church of Christ, Country Hope. There are all these little local churches. but there's this thing called the universal church, which is all believers throughout all time and all the world, all of them gathered in one. That's what the church is talking about in Revelation. It's one church all brought together, many people. And so, realize we're a part of that church too. So, I make this quick point in terms of the need for forgiveness is not nullified by the fact someone we have a grudge against is in another church or somewhere else. We still have to forgive them too because it still impacts the church. It's not just about us. There are others too. There is a whole church out there that is spreading the gospel and we do harm to it. when we don't, when we hold onto our anger. And so my final point in this section, this was by far my biggest section there, the two will be a bit shorter. Unity means we must address error and sin. See, like I said at the start, right, unity isn't about including as many people as possible. Obviously, if they wanna come in, then yeah, throw them in. But it's not about them being no criteria on this unity. You see, so as a church, we must be willing to address first error. As in, to be a Christian, you can't believe whatever you want. You can't say, I believe there's a God and then go and tell someone else, I don't believe there's a God. We obviously have... essential things that you have to believe. Jesus Christ was the Son of God. Jesus Christ came to forgive sins. Sins are bad. Simple things like that. And so we have to address these things because otherwise we're compromising the truth. The unity is around the truth so we can't compromise on that. And so where people are erring, in love, we address that, wanting them to know the truth because it's the truth that saves. When we compromise on the truth, we lose salvation. And so we also address sin. Because we have to do this because the gospel of forgiveness does not make sinning okay. Jesus didn't come and die on a cross so that we could just keep slapping more sin on that cross every time. Is His forgiveness and mercy endless? Absolutely. But that does not mean He went to the cross and died because sin was so bad, because it had to be dealt with. If it wasn't such a bad thing, He wouldn't have had to come. And so we have to deal with it, especially because sin at the core corrupts all that is good and it creates the division within the church. It is what causes the problem and not just the public sins, but those behind closed doors as well. So I label this point, unity is so central to the church because the gospel is central to the church, because the spread, its mission, our mission is to spread this gospel. And we cannot think that it just means I have to go out in the street corner and preach the word. There's more to it than that. Because if you are at odds with people in here, you're not going to be much good out there. So we must strive and labor because you see God's chosen vessel is the church, not just you. And so we must strive not to corrupt the church, but rather to bolster the effectiveness, not hinder it. And so now my third point we're going to come into is this is the internal and external ministry of the church. I couldn't think of a flashy name for it. So anyway, this is what it is. So as a church, we have a ministry. This is what we are called to do. A ministry to those inside the church and a ministry to those outside the church, hopefully to bring them into it. So first, let's talk about the internal ministry to the other saints around us, to our brothers and sisters. And so essentially we're asking the question here, what makes a healthy church? Now I'm pulling here from Acts 2.42. This is something we call the ordinary means of grace. drawn from this passage. So, this is in the early church, right? Pentecost has just happened, the Holy Spirit has descended. This is just after Peter's first sermon, 3,000 people have come into the church in one day. And after that, it tells us what they devoted themselves to. They devoted themselves to the Apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. You want to break that down, to preaching and teaching the gospel, to gathering together, the sacraments as in baptism and communion and praying. That is what they devoted themselves to. When they sat down and they figured, okay, right, we're really starting to have some people flow in here. What are we going to devote ourselves to? What are we going to focus our time on? What is most important to the health of this church, to these people? What is important for their souls? These four things. So you see, these are what God has given for His grace to be given to us. So they're called ordinary, you know why? Because they're really quite ordinary. It's bread and grape juice. It's a book, it's talking to each other, it's gathering together in a room. We're not performing miracles here, it's quite ordinary. That's not a bad thing. It's approachable, it's accessible by all people. That's how God wanted it. And it's also ordinary because it is the usual way in which God reveals Himself to us. It is the way that God has given for us to grow as Christians. So when we're asking questions like, how do I grow as a Christian? How do I deepen my relationship with God? There are many different answers to that question, but it always comes back to these foundational things. And so, and this is very much one of the most important parts of my job, my calling, that if we want to grow as a church, not just numerically, not just in numbers, but also spiritually in depth, we must remain committed to these things. We let them go, we're losing it. These things have to be at the core or we'll fail. We can give up these things and we might get the numbers. but we're not gonna get any spiritual good out of them. You see, there's often this saying that's used to refer, especially to the American church, but really to the Western church as a whole. They say we're a mile wide and an inch deep. Right? You imagine that puddle. That's like Lake Broadwater, basically. Right? It's broad, but there is no depth to it. Right? And so, it's the idea that there are many Christians, it seems like there are Christians everywhere. There are so many of them and yet they are so shallow. There is no depth. Just think back to the parable of the Sower. Was it a good thing to have shallow roots? No, it was not. They will be tipped over in the final day. And so now this is an important thing to understand. These are at the central part of what the church is because we can get sucked into thinking we have to do more. The church is not going to survive if we don't have Again, I love the Sunday School, but if we don't have Sunday School, if we don't have a youth group, if we don't have a fancy building, if we don't have three cameras or I don't know, whatever, add in your whole thing. We can add in all these different ministries that without which the church will die. It will not. God has given the things that should be at the center of the church, that if everything is falling apart, what do we hold onto? It is these things. The preaching of the Word, the sacraments, the fellowship and the prayers. And so you see, many things in this church will come and go. Things will have their season. They're not bad things. They're good. We should support things while they're working. But we have to understand what is central because so many churches have died basically trying to resuscitate a dead corpse of a ministry. Sometimes things have to go the way of the dodo. But we must remember what is important to us. What is central? What are we committed to? What are we going to make sure never falls? And so now these are the things that keep our church healthy. But what is our mission? What is the external ministry? You see the preaching of the Word, all these different things, the fellowship, these are for the saints. These are for us. So what is our mission to those out there? This comes from a verse many will know, like we've already said at Matthew 28. 18 to 20, Jesus came and said to them, all authority in heaven and earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I've commanded you. And behold, I am with you always to the end of the age. So he gave this commission to the apostles and through them, all of us. As in this isn't just the job of like the select few, this is the job of every Christian. to go and make disciples. And what does that mean? You start off with baptizing people, that's normally how a lot of people enter into the church, and then continue to teach, to understand how the gospel goes out to every aspect of our lives and changes everything that we do. And those people are continually matured and grown. Churches fall into either extreme. It can be all about evangelizing the outside world. But it's basically like they say of a lot of churches, they only read the first half of the Great Commission. Once we got them baptised, they're in, they're done, we're good. Our job is finished. That is definitely most not the case. But then other churches can be so focused in on the congregation, building the people up, just what's going on in the church? The church dies because no one's here in the gospel, no one's coming in. And so as a church, we have to understand that we have to hold both of these things in balance. and have a deep passion for them both. We have to be thinking, how can we be building the people up in here? But also how can we be preaching and sharing and evangelizing to the world out there? think this is the calling of each and every person in this church. From the youngest to the oldest, all of us have giftings in areas. For some of you that might look like, I'm gonna go and read a book with someone or mentor someone or for someone it might look like I'm gonna help serve in some way. For some, you might be given the most important ministry of all, praying. That thing without which the church absolutely dies. No ministry has any power in this church if people are not praying for it. Absolutely nothing at all. And so you see, we all have a part to play. The ones up the front are not the important ones. Every single person is important. Every person plays a role. And you see, so now we have to be thinking about these things. You know, how are we sharing the gospel? How are we helping the spread? How are we helping to build up the church? we have to be thinking about these things before the opportunities arise, before the numbers may come pouring in, whether they do or don't. How can we be faithful with what we are given? And so, let us pursue this commission, for without it the church dies. And so, I want to finish with my final point. A bit more of an uplifter, Christ is head of the church. You see, I've given us in this sermon much to strive after, but I'd be wrong make you think the survival of the church is dependent on you. Because otherwise, if I ended there, it's just this weight of I've got to keep up the unity of the church. You have a part to play, yes. Or, I've got to make sure we stay committed to the ordinary means of grace. Or, I've got to make sure we're staying to the Great Commission. Yes, you should be making sure we do, but you are not the one with which the buck stops. Jesus said in that verse 18, Matthew. Jesus came and said to them, all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. So, what does He mean? I am King. I am the one in power over everything. Right? So, He is what we call the Head of the Church. So, the glory of the Church, its unity, its ministries are all sustained, not primarily at the foundation by us, but by Jesus. So we do not need to worry about these things so much, which Jesus has commanded us. See, Hudson Taylor said it well. He said, on this. God's work done in God's way will never lack God's supply. You see, God has shown us the work. God has shown us the way in which He does it through His word. So we remain committed to those things which are central. We will never lack the things we need. for those ministries that may not be explicitly laid out as commands in the Bible. As long as Jesus needs them, they will always have what they need. But the encouragement here is that you do not need to hold it up yourself. The buck stops with Jesus, like I said. We feel like certain things in the church will fall without us. If they feel like they are falling, like they are gonna die, one may be considered the fact that it is time for those things to die. That God and Jesus may be doing a new thing, a new thing we don't expect. But those things which are central, be encouraged they will never fall. Because Jesus has commanded them, they will always have what they need. It is not our church, it is Jesus' church. And He will ensure it reaches its destiny. That destiny and revelation where it is perfect, where everyone is there, counted. And so we understand that He who has all power stands at the church's foundation. This church is built on Christ, not on any one of us at the foundation. And so, as we wrap up, understand this. The church is God's chosen vessel. It is the way He has chosen. He hasn't changed parachurch organizations or individuals. He's chosen all of us together as one. to be the means through which the light of the gospel is spread into the darkness of this world. Each of you have been chosen to participate in this wondrous mission, but we've also been reminded it does not depend upon us. If we should fall, if we die, it keeps on going and it always will because Christ stands at its foundation. And so, a read from this final passage in Hebrews 1, 1-2. God says, long ago at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets. But in these last days, He has spoken to us by His Son. You see, the final word of God, the gospel, has been spoken through Jesus. And now you've been given the job to spread that message. This message which defeats the powers of this world, which helps the Christian to overcome the world which declares that we are liberated from slavery to this world. This message has power and we must share it. That is our job, to make this gospel lived out in our lives and to help others live it out in theirs, whether they know the gospel yet or not. And so you see, that's really the most important thing that as we finish up this series, you understand the world seems dark. but Jesus has overcome the world. The gospel overcomes the world. It will each and every time as long as Christ stands and He will always stand. And so now we'll finish up in prayer. Father, we thank You that You have given us this time. This time to remember that You are in power. Lord, that You stand as head of the church and Lord, You are working. working that we may be made into a glorious bride, that we all may be there in glory, perfect without spot or blemish, together as one people. Unite us, Father, we pray by your Spirit. Lord, help us to remain committed to that which truly matters, those things which you have given up for our building up in our nourishment. And so, Father, Lord, encourage us this week that you are doing a mighty work through us and in us. Lord and that it does not rest upon us but we have been given the joy of participating in it. We thank you for these things in Jesus name, amen.