Should You Love The Church? (part 3) - [Ephesians 5:25]

Father in heaven what a blessing it is to be here this morning among your people. To have your word to just focus on your goodness To us through your son Jesus Christ and his work in building the church.

Father I just pray that this morning's time would be Profitable for each one here that we would be encouraged and exhorted on how We ought to view the church and how we ought to love the church. I pray these things in Christ's name.

Amen. Well It wouldn't be. It wouldn't be appropriate for me to go too many weeks without mentioning Reverend Bob. As he's known in our household the Reverend Robert Shuler talk about loving the church.

How about this? I Just read this on the internet the other day. So, you know, it's true. Well, this is true. He's taking his former ministry to court. He's suing them. Seeking more than five million dollars from the ministry he built from scratch.

See he's going to start it they're gonna have a 10-day trial over copyright infringement intellectual property and contract violation claims. That stem from his ministries devastating financial collapse.

Crystal Cathedral ministries based in Orange Grove, California have filed for bankruptcy in 2010 with more than 50 million dollars in debt. The Shuler family claims that Crystal Cathedral owes them 12 .5 million dollars so.

Wow, and of course now it's the Crystal Cathedral is one of the more beautiful Roman Catholic churches in all of Southern California the Roman Catholic Church bought it. So there you have it how to love the church sue the church.

Especially if you're the former pastor, I guess. So we were last week we we finished our discussion about Biblical preaching about expository preaching we began talking about biblical theology. And really when you think about biblical theology you think about sound doctrine you think about right theology.

What that all means? And you can't Run a church. You can't even hope to run a church unless you have theology that is based on scripture and As I began saying last week if you think about some of the issues that are going about Being talked about these days, you know, you have Christians Questioning the idea of whether alleged Christians I'll just say Christians generically saying, you know well, maybe we should be more flexible on things like Abortion homosexuality even euthanasia, which will be on our ballot here in a few days and in every one of these cases interestingly the Bible Goes against what the culture says who knew and we talked about sound doctrine about the need for sound doctrine.

And we read let's just read it again 2nd Timothy Chapter 1 verses 13 and 14 Paul instructing again if you're talking about 1st Timothy 2nd Timothy Titus those are called the pastoral epistles because Paul wrote them to young men in ministry to really instruct them on how to run a church and He writes Timothy in 2nd Timothy chapter 1 verses 13 and 14 retain the standard of sound words.

Which you have heard from me in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus guard Through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us the treasure which has been entrusted to you the gospel this truth Must be guarded and We see it every day.

It's under assault. I mean the I I saw I won't get too political, but I saw a Political rally the other day and a woman was instructing us on what God wanted and it was everything that God doesn't want and You know like abortion on demand Homosexual marriage and all these that kind of things and I'm like, well, there is a God who wants it, but it's a small G.

So if you want to put on your little Satan collar, you know, then certainly that would be appropriate hmm, but the phrase the phrase sound words sound doctrine it it means biblical teaching or biblical doctrine and MacArthur says this says much of the professing church is a the odd a theological Atheological that is without any significant theological convictions like the world around them many people who go by the name of Christ.

Believe that to hold and teach absolute doctrines is to be unloving Antagonistic and even Unchristian. That's unchristian of you. How dare you exercise church discipline? How dare you do this? How dare you do that?

Instead of impacting the world and instead of impacting the culture of Christianity has become what? Molded and shaped by the culture and that's why many churches have basically ceased to be Christian like The Crystal Cathedral when you ask the people what they want.

I think I mentioned this last week. I don't know why the song rings my head. I think it's from the early 80s. There's a song called give the people what they want. And this is this is the cry of today's church.

If we want to grow if we want to get big we have to give the people what they want and never is. That suggested to Timothy or to Titus or to anyone who's running who was running a church in the ancient world.

Again the idea in verse 14 of 2nd Timothy chapter 1 guard the treasure which has been entrusted to you. Hendrickson writes this Timothy has urged once for all to guard this deposit. He must defend it against every attack and never allow it to be changed or modified in the slightest degree.

That this is it's difficult. Why is this difficult today for us to stand up? For truth to stand up even the definition of Christian. Somebody says that they're a Christian. What are we supposed to do?

You ever had a discussion with an unbeliever about what a Christian is. To an unbeliever. What's a Christian? What's that? Every everyone or anyone who says that Christ cognitively or sorry anyone who says that Christ exists.

Okay, any other thoughts on that one if you go to church, okay, Brian. Anyone who's been baptized as a baby. Sometimes it's so somebody in the Western culture Western European culture or Western culture Generally speaking.

Yeah. Well and ultimately here's what I found if you're talking to an unbeliever, here's who this is what defines a Christian. Someone who says they're a Christian, right? So Who am I? To say that a Mormons not a Christian.

Well according to unbelievers. I have no right and this is why. Not only does Paul instruct Timothy that he has to guard that truth because this this thinking is pervasive in our culture. And we have to guard the flock the church from this idea.

We have to retain sound doctrine even when it's not well, it's certainly never going to be popular. But there's this this desire even in the church to become brought more broad-minded. I found it interesting that It hasn't Billy Graham basically sort of endorsed You know candidate and and if if he didn't exactly endorse him he certainly they removed Mormonism from their list of cults.

Now I think it's perfectly fine to vote for whomever you want if you want to vote for Mitt Romney. You want to vote for Barack Obama? You can do as your conscience will allow you but we shouldn't kid ourselves that.

Frankly either one of these men is a Christian. But as I was reflecting last night I think it and it would be interesting to study actually study the lives of every Presidency who was or was not a Christian.

But you know what's never been next to a president the United States when they describe it briefly his biography. There's never been one who said what? I'm an atheist. There's never been one who said I'm a Muslim.

There's never been one who said I'm a Buddhist. They've all said They're Christians, I Seriously doubt that more than a handful were. But that's this is the world that we live in so but biblical theology is a must you know.

Why do we have the IBS? Why do we have Sunday school? Why do we do the things that we do in a Juana? Why do we do all these things. Because we need to instruct in the Bible and the doctrine which The Bible propounds we need to guard that truth.

We need to keep it pure. Our third essential and and this is what we're doing we're going down. What makes what are the essential building blocks what much must any church have and if you move you know we've had.

This has happened, and I'm not singling anybody out this has happened often not just here. But I remember a grace community church this would happen people go out and they move for various reasons. They've got a different job.

They need to move for whatever reason and then what happens. They get to that place and they find out. There's no church, and so these are the nine essential ingredients. As put forth by Mark Devere and the nine marks people.

That you should be looking for if you have to find another church. Which hopefully you won't okay, so number three is a biblical understanding of the gospel a Biblical understanding of the gospel now this should be again.

These should be no-brainers but they Aren't no-brainers because this isn't easy to find you can go to a lot of places and get a lot of different ideas about what? The gospel is. Let's turn to Titus chapter 2 and if somebody would read verses 11 to 14.

Go ahead. Thanks Carmen now. This is.

This is something that we ought to hold dear to us even this passage here. This this has Certainly the gospel in it, but we would not. This is not what we would expect to see everywhere It is or in every church.

This is the grace of God no presence of works. Which lets out on any number of people who would consider themselves Christians even if you approach? Most Christians, and you ask them how you are going to you know how are you gonna get to heaven?

What do they say? Because they're a good person me is fascinating. You know what makes you a Christian even to people who call themselves Christians. Well, what makes me a Christian is I pray for other people.

I try to be nice to other people. I go to church most Sundays if there's not really a good football game on. Well, that's not true. But but if you went down the list of why they are a Christian what were they essentially would all boil down to this.

It's because of things I Do and we say this, but I think it bears repeating Christianity is not do-do-do it is done done done. We rest in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ. If you want a religion that is do-do-do, then I suggest you become a Muslim.

I said there are a lot of religions like you give you the Mormons would be a fine faith for you. This is Christianity is about the grace of God and that's what this passage is about. Now that doesn't mean That somehow we're unleashed and we can do whatever we want.

Because that's not the mindset of a Christian but again the gospel notice the the just the elements of the gospel here believers in Sick in Titus chapter 2 verse 11 or 14 believers deny ungodliness and worldly desires.

Believers reject what had previously been enticing to them. They see sin where they previously saw. Opportunity or maybe a good laugh. I remember one of the things that just really Changed in my life by the grace of God now.

I'm still kind of dopey, but I Used to be worse. We used to do something us Deputy sheriffs, we used to do something where we just kind of delighted in insulting each other and The the quicker you were on the draw so to speak the better you were, you know and I had a few notches in my belt and Then the day came where God Transformed me and all of a sudden somebody was insulting me and I thought I can't say that.

What I'm thinking right now is not the right thing to say and all of a sudden I was no longer, you know top gun I Was going down the smokestack, you know. But that wasn't the point the point is I just it hit me and I just thought I have to change the way I behave In front of these people not because they're gonna get saved.

By the way, I act. But because I need to show them that Christ is at work in me. And besides that I don't want to do those things anymore. Then people would come up to me and say, you know senior I have a joke for you.

Would you like to hear it? You know what? I said, I just go hold it. Let me ask you is it sexual or racial in nature. You know how many people looked at me like I was a complete fool. Well, of course it is.

What kind of joke would it be if it wasn't sexual or racial in nature? So I just said well, then I don't want to hear it. What what is wrong with you? Don't you want to have a good laugh? No, not me serious Steve 24 -7 we experience this in a number of ways.

How do you guys have you ever have you ever had this experience? I there are some things I'll just never forget, you know inviting somebody to watch a movie because we love this movie. And then the movie starts you just go.

I Don't remember that. That's you know what? We've got Cinderella over here our sensitivity to things changes. The Way we view things changes the way we hear things changes. All those things that seem so fun just change going back to Titus.

Believers live sensibly. Righteously and godly. We're not perfect. But we have a direction in life. We know what we want to do and sometimes we fail and we kick ourselves. And we're sorrowful for what we've done, but we know ultimately that.

We're going to get going in the right direction again, not because we're good but because God is at work in us believers. On top of denying ungodliness rejecting what had previously been enticing living sensibly.

They look forward to the return of Christ like a verse 13 and Titus 2. What a great verse looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Christ Jesus. I Can remember thinking about certain things and just wondering well I wonder if the Lord will return before this happens or that happens and I can remember thinking there's part of me that thought oh I hope he doesn't come back before.

That was just stupid. Whatever event whatever it is. What could be better than the Lord coming back. The answer is nothing and so if we go to a as believers if we go to a church that is Putting forth something as the gospel and it's not what what's going to ultimately happen to us.

If we hear something that is close to the gospel. But it's not actually the gospel put forth to us week after week after week after week, and we love the Lord what happens? We can't stand it. We can't stay there Charlie.

Well, yeah, that's the other possibility is that we just sit there and we take it did it in a day. We kind of get dulled in our thinking. But I've been in churches where the gospel was almost preached where they almost got there.

It's pretty frustrating. You want to hear the unadulterated Word of God? Why. Because you're a child of God you love him and you glory in his glory. You're thankful for what he has done. You want him to be exalted?

That's the third element fourth one is a biblical understanding of conversion kind of tied to a biblical understanding of the gospel. Let's turn to Titus Chapter 3 verses 4 to 8 Titus chapter 3 verses 4 to 8 and would somebody read that please?

Go ahead Brian. Okay.

So again, there is an overlap here, but when we think about somebody undergoing the washing of Regeneration renewing by the Holy Spirit when we think about basically being born again We expect to see a transformed life.

I told this story years ago. Most of you probably forgotten it, but I was driving with a Christian one day who said From a completely different area of the country who said to me Well, he said some pretty startling things one was he said that he was sure that Judas Iscariot was in heaven and The reason for that is because God used him and I and I thought well on that basis I Think most everybody you know Pontius Pilate.

I guess you could say Satan. You know it's certainly being hit. God has used him. What do you I but I didn't want to argue with this person, but he said something else that I found very interesting he said that they'd had a Event where a bunch of people in the church had gone out in the neighborhood and preached the gospel to people and they'd seen a bunch Of people get saved.

Bunch of people had made professions of Christ, and he was super excited about it. And then there was a little but he said but a Funny thing happened a lot of those people who made professions well they they never came to church and the their lives never seemed to change.

I Don't understand that well. Why would that be because they don't have a biblical understanding of conversion. It's this idea that you can Make a profession of faith that you can sign a car that you can pray a prayer that you can walk an aisle and that somehow Presto change.

Oh, I was at What do you call those things those big? It wasn't a Billy Graham deal, but it was one of those big kind of like a crusade deal. Don't it's not important that we go through all the reasons why I was there, but I was there to be a counselor and I was just so Amazed because if you lower the threshold long enough, I this was some time ago, but the Lead singer for foreigner was their rock group of my youth.

And he's saying, you know a slightly modified version of I want to know what love is right, and then there was a woman introduced and You know, not only is she a member of the singing group and Vogue she's also a Christian.

And I thought I don't know how many of you are familiar with that group a singing group from the 90s. But I I just remember Late 80s. I don't know when they were but 90s I guess but I just remember I saw a few of their videos and I just thought okay if those are Christian ladies, I don't understand what you know being a Christian is because Not not there but this is how a Lot of people see conversion.

It's just a matter of it's like changing your voter registration. I want to be an independent boom. You're an independent. I want to be a Christian boom. You're a Christian No cost No transformation and that's not how the Bible describes it never describes it that way.

But the dropout rate of these kind of Crusades is pretty startling as Many as statistics show that as many as 50 of those who come forward At those kind of events are never heard from again. Well, why do you suppose that is?

Any thoughts on why they just never heard from again, Lou? They're not saying that's a pretty easy one. I Mean just think about if you're sitting there It's like I read the book By Laura Hillenbrand unbroken Louie Zamperini the World War two he was in actually in the Army Air Force and his ship his plane got shot down and he eventually gets saved and he does get saved in a Billy Graham crusade and How do we know that he got saved?

Well because we can look at his life, you know, 40 years later. And we can see a transformed life. That's how we know. It's not the coming forward that saves you. It's God's work at you know in your life that that's what the issue is.

But as many as 50 are never never heard from again because they're not saved and why do you suppose that they're. That they're not saved. It's an emotional event. The pressure is on right? The organist is playing just as I am people are coming forward, you know, you're not a Christian.

And so what do you do? I don't want to get left out. I don't want to be left behind. So you come forward Charlie. Well, that's a great point. You know when you're preaching the gospel people supposing first of all don't get back to this in a minute supposing first of all the gospel is preached.

Then it it's almost inevitable that it's going to impact two kinds of people and those two kinds of people parable the soils would be actual believers in whom the Word of God takes root and transforms their lives and we see the fruit of that and People in whom the the seed seems to take root and they shoot up really fast and then the cares of the world.

Come along and choke them out and they they fade away. Well, and so in these Crusades we have people coming forward some people for the right reasons some people not for the right reasons they just want to they don't want to anybody to think that they're not part of the.

The group in fact, you know what? I find most peculiar is I would venture to say that most of the people who come forward that these things are already saved. I Found that myself, you know dealing with people come forward and they go.

Well, we're already Christians. We just wanted to come forward. We were excited but getting back to. You know why? So few actually have a transformed life. Well part of it is because they don't actually preach the gospel a lot of these events.

The gospel is not God takes 99 steps towards you won't you take one step towards him because what's that doing? That's suggesting? Hey, if you want to get saved get up out of your chair and walk up there.

It's maybe not an overt statement that it's the walk that saves you. But if God's taking 99 steps towards you and you have to take one step, well, I can't sit in my chair. I have to I have to do something.

I The The most gospel filled moment Wasn't the music and sadly it wasn't the preaching it was the opening prayer that was done by another man when it came time to preach the gospel, we got right up to the edge of preaching the gospel, but Didn't make it and If you don't preach the gospel.

It's it seems to me unlikely that you're not going to see a transformed life and what we're talking about is a transformed life a change. Now there's not a test to determine whether someone has been converted.

But we do have the word and what it says about the recipients of grace those who have been saved. Believers are changed. Anyone who has the same desires and actions. But clings to a one-time profession is very likely deceived.

After all in that passage, we just read Titus is told by Paul that the Holy Spirit has been poured out upon us richly. The Holy Spirit is poured out upon those that God is saving richly and yet their lives never change.

God is at work in you and he produces no fruit. What did Jesus say in John 15 about those who produce no fruit? Those are the branches they're gonna be cut off and There is no such thing as a Christian who does not have the Holy Spirit dwelling in Him or her and he the Holy Spirit changes lives.

Let's turn to Romans 8. Romans 8 verses 12 to 16 and would yeah, go ahead Eric. Good now we could go down and I could try to give you a list of you know. Actually, I would just recommend that you read first John, you know, here are the evidences that you are a Christian that you believe.

But there's so there's an objective way that we can tell there's certainly an objective way that we can tell that we're not in Christ. And what would that be? Objectively if. Well, if you deny Christ true.

Okay, what else no change of your desires? I'm sorry. Acting like just everybody else, right? If if you kind of take inventory your life and you go, okay before I knew Christ. This is what my life was like and then you go.

Wait a minute. That's exactly what my life's like today. Then there really is no before and after. There's no change. But there's also a so that's objective. Here's the subjective in verse 16 the Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.

How do you know that you're a child of God? Well, you can examine your life. You can measure yourself by 1st John and other passages of Scripture and you can think well. This is what a Christian is supposed to do.

I don't do that, but I want to and you could say, okay. Well God still at work in me. We'll get there, you know by the grace of God someday. But there's a subjective element to this. Which no one can explain to you.

How do you know that you belong to God? I just know. Well, why do you know I just do why because the Holy Spirit testifies in my spirit. Well, how do I explain that? How do I quantify that? You can't.

You can't but if he is resident in you, you know this. You know it he testifies to you in that, you know, maybe it's just in the heightened conscience you have. Maybe it's some other way, but there are just elements about it that you just know that you know.

So there's objective Christianity. There's subjective Christianity, but they're all brought about by the same thing a biblical understanding of conversion if you are Converted that is if you believe your life is transformed and we will start on point number five here biblical understanding of evangelism.

Let's look at 2nd Timothy Chapter 2. 2nd Timothy chapter 2 verses 8 to 13. And can I get a volunteer?

Yeah, go ahead Tom. Now Paul's in prison.

Facing certain death in light of Nero's persecution of Christians and yet his first exhortation to Timothy is Timothy. I want you to pray for my release. I'm miserable here in prison Timothy. You Didn't come visit me last Sunday, you know.

We had guys who would complain about that all the time in the jail visiting was only on Saturday and Sunday. So that was a big deal. I mean there are a lot of things he could be concerned with. Look if I was in jail I'm not gonna lie to you.

I Would really be bugged. Jail is not a place I ever want to be. I've been there on the good side of the of the bars. It is not a fun place to be. Well, let me just tell you about a friend of mine one who I I don't write as often as I should but this brother.

He was a an inmate. He worked for me and I Could give you a lot more information than I will but I'll just say this. That he helped the sheriff's department generally solve a murder that they didn't that they hadn't been able to solve.

He got some information he gave it to him and they said well What do you want? Because he was looking at I think for some pretty petty crimes, but this is, California. He was looking at I think he was got sentenced to Some ridiculous amount of time like 35 years or something like that basically for being a drug addict.

It's a little bit different here in Massachusetts. I I was talking to a cop in West Boylston who told me they have a very strict 15 strikes and you're out policy. So all he asked for was he said don't put my name in the reports.

Because the defense attorney will tell The murderer and I'll be in trouble when I get to state prison. That's all I wanted. Not time off a sentence. Not, you know anything else. So, of course they Knowing that these reports are confidential and only can go to the district attorney and the attorneys and no attorney would ever break Their vows or do anything untoward they put the man's name in the report.

So he got up to state prison and Was beaten severely and he could have thought here I am in prison. I've come to know you Lord. You've allowed this to happen to me. My life is in peril. How could you do this to me and his response was?

This has really opened up ways for me to preach the gospel to people. This is opened up as it were the floodgates for me to testify of why I would do this. What could motivate me as a criminal? To do the right thing and to get nothing out of it except for a beating.

And in the same way look what he prays what Paul prays. He doesn't pray for the Lord to have mercy. The Lord would spare me woe is me. I don't want to die at the hands of Nero. He says I endure everything for the sake of the elect.

He's looking for ways even in prison. To preach Christ in him crucified. He tells Timothy to keep on remembering Jesus Christ, this is what you need to do focus on Christ. Why. Because Christ has risen from the dead.

Kiss the mucker says the implied comfort is this Timothy if you and I and all other believers have died with him. We shall also live with him if we endure we shall also reign with him. Could also look at it this way Timothy.

Constantly remember that as living and reigning Lord. Jesus Christ is able and Willing to help you to carry through. Not Nero. But Christ Jesus has the reins of the universe in his hands and will continue to govern all things.

In the interest of the church and unto the glory of God. Whatever happens never lose courage. No matter what happens to me Timothy. Don't be discouraged. I'm here doing what the Lord has appointed me to do.

I'm here looking out for the elect. I'm here and I'm gonna preach the gospel. You do the same thing. Paul may be in prison, but the Word of God cannot be in prison. It says in verse 9. What's the principle here?

We can look at it this way that the Word is going to go forth and therefore the work is going to go forth with or without Paul. With or without Charles Spurgeon, you know oftentimes I just I think of the men who are leading, you know.

The the leading lights of the evangelical world and I'm like Lord where are we gonna get another almole or he almost died a few years ago or MacArthur who died several years or who almost died several years before that.

Complications from a knee surgery and these men all are getting older. RC Sproul. You know, you see him and you can't use flash photography or he he has this thing where he'll actually fall over he says don't please don't use flash photography because it turns me into an Arminian, but These are frail and fragile men and we just go well, what what are we gonna do?

Well, I'm sure the man in the time or the church in the time of Spurgeon thought We'll never be able to find another Spurgeon. Well, that's true. But you know, it's like college football they say about some programs they don't rebuild they Reload.

Well, God doesn't need any individual. He's perfectly capable of doing anything with anyone. It's not about us time and time again. The work goes on regardless of what happens to the People that we just think oh, they're indispensable.

This is a reality of any evangelist Evangelistic efforts. It's not dependent upon cleverness of speech. The slickness of the brochure or Even your level of sincerity. Look at verse 10. It says for this reason why because scripture is not imprisoned Paul endures all things that and that is he suffers trials afflictions of persecution.

He endures them it means more than mere acceptance. It means going right ahead believing testifying exhorting. Though the load under which one is traveling on life's pathway has become very heavy. In other words, no matter what comes into my life.

No matter what afflictions. Come my way. I'm going to keep focused on one thing Christ Jesus and testifying of him. Why. Because I know that when I preach the gospel to people God is going to use it to save some people.

I'm sure pastor Michael be saying something more about this, but he emailed me the other day and a good friend of his a man that he's been. He's spoken at conferences with been a faithful man started a seminary up in Northern, California he found out six weeks ago that he's got a brain tumor that is going to kill him in another two weeks and You know you're in your initial reaction was mine, you know, it's just kind of breathtaking.

But on the other hand you have to think well. This is true that. How merciful it was this man's time to go and not two years of chemotherapy and you know. All these kind of grinding down things, but eight weeks he was gone.

Or he will be gone Again. It does not depend on us. We need to be we need to be in the mindset though that we could be gone at any time. My favorite thing to say is you know people say well I don't know how to give the gospel of strangers and I'm like, it's the easiest thing to do.

Why. Because you're never gonna see him again. So what if they don't like you? Right. Go ahead and offend them. It's a whole different. I mean, it's it's it right? I mean here here would be the ideal thing I bring my neighbors over to you and you bring your neighbors over to me, right?

Hey, I have somebody I'd like you to meet, you know, this is my neighbor and you go. Oh, I get it, you know. We need to be willing to think. I mean, what is our tendency even as believers? Our tendency is to become weighted down.

With our own cares and our own concerns. Instead of thinking. Okay, the Lord has given me this and I don't know the purpose or the ultimate purpose behind this. I do know Romans 8 28 that is for my good.

But in the midst of this I'm not going to focus on my problems. I'm gonna focus on Christ Jesus and what he has done for me and maybe in the midst of this I'll have the opportunity to share Christ with someone else.

Maybe someone else has suffered through this or they are suffering or they're about to suffer through exactly what I'm going through. That could be a personal situation. It could be an illness could be the loss of a job.

Whatever it is God works all things together for good to those who love him and are called according to his purpose. And you know what? Maybe one of those people that he's working together all things together for good, isn't you?