The Church - Part 8 — Les Wheeldon

I love this to be with you again this week and tonight I want to continue to talk about the ministry of preaching which I started a little bit talking about preaching and also about the context of preaching in the whole church.

The Church as God’s Eternal Work

Now when we ask ourselves what is the primary function, what's the primary reason for the church? Let's turn back into the Old Testament just for a moment into the book of Ezra and into chapter one of Ezra.

If you haven't brought your Old Testament don't worry I shan't be there very long. Now Ezra is the book on the house of God and the building of the temple and in chapter one verse one it tells us in the first year of Cyrus the king of Persia that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled.

The Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and put it also in writing saying thus saith Cyrus king of Persia the Lord God of heaven has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah.

Now you notice there the prophetic element this man Cyrus who was prophesied of by Isaiah and Isaiah prophesied various things about Cyrus but that he would lay the foundation of God's house. Tremendous prophecy there's some incredible prophecies back there in the Old Testament and it's fulfilled Cyrus built the house or he made the proclamation that led to the rebuilding of the temple at Jerusalem.

Cyrus gave the proclamation and he gave the proclamation because God had told him and in verse two he said the Lord God of heaven has given me all the kingdoms of the earth just like Jesus was given all the kingdoms of the earth in order to build a house.

So we have here one of the foundational elements of the church and the church is being built by God not because of something in time but because of something in eternity. What do I mean? What I mean is that there are things that are to do with time to do with what is now.

For example there may be a war or there may be persecution for example in you may love hymn singing I love hymn singing I love singing all together but in Russia during the time of persecution when they got together they would sing like they would sing like that so the neighbours wouldn't notice they were singing hymns and no one would report them to the police they couldn't sing and that's something to do with time situations but the church is not being built because of one situation or one set of circumstances it's being built by the command of God from all eternity.

The church is fulfilling the heart of God from all eternity and the command has gone forth from eternity and sin has come in to hinder the fulfillment of God's plan. Satan has done his best to hinder God's plan but God always will fulfill and return to and abide in what he said in the beginning and God will always fulfill it.

Remember that no matter what Satan does or sin does God will never deviate from his original plan and his original plan is that the church be built. What is the church? Well the church comes from the heart of love of God it's his people it is made by love it is made for love the whole purpose of the church is the love of God born from the love of God and for the love of God.

Christ’s Love for the Church in Ephesians 5

Now let's turn into the New Testament and let us see something about this also there in Ephesians chapter 5 and this will introduce you into the context of preaching and the church here's Ephesians chapter 5 and we have here um verse 25 husbands love your wives.

Wonderful isn't it? Do you like that one? This is the command of scripture husbands love your wives. Now you'll notice it doesn't say make them submit to you that would be the word dominate. I remember once a man quite seriously saying to his wife when she gave her opinion and she was not quite agreeing with him he said Ephesians 5 and I've forgotten the verse 25 no he didn't say that verse he said 22 Ephesians 5 22 wives submit and I thought well I think you ought to also read or perhaps only read Ephesians 5 25.

The Bible doesn't say dominate it says love and if you want your wife to submit to you the best thing you can ever do is love her. Isn't that wonderful? So that's the way of God. His commands are clear wives must submit that's your command from God not your husband.

Husbands must love that's your command from God. It doesn't say dominate. It says love and then it says love your wives even as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for her or it that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word that he might present her to himself a glorious church not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing but that she should be holy and without blemish pray the Lord now that is God's will for the church.

And you'll notice in verse 25 that the reason for everything that's to do with preaching is this Christ loved the church. That's the reason there are preachers because Christ loved the church. The reason that God is doing things and we'll look at what God is doing is because of the love of God.

And every preacher must know that the reason he is preaching is because Christ loved the church and that is his reason where the reason we're here tonight is because Christ loves you and he wants to do things in you for you that he may present you to himself.

Now you notice the tense there says Christ loved the church. You know that the bible says that God so loved the world. Who said that Jesus said it. John wrote it quoting Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ said those words to Nicodemus.

They were sitting together in upper room and Jesus said to him he'd gone through the new birth. He talked about the lifting up of the serpent in the wilderness. And then he said well the son of man must be lifted up.

And then he said because for. And he looked at Nicodemus and he said for God so loved the world. This is Jesus speaking to Nicodemus for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth on him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Now notice again the tenses. He didn't say God loves the world that he will give his son. You notice that he said God so loved the world that he has given his son. But Jesus wasn't crucified at that point.

He hadn't been crucified. That was yet a future event. But Jesus speaking to Nicodemus said God so loved the world that he gave. And the reason we know the love of God tonight is because God loved the world.

You only know that God loves you because he loves you. What do I mean the love of God is not something that he will do tonight. Oh I love you tonight. For example when I met my wife for the first time and got to know her I began to love her.

I could not have said of her that I had loved her before I met her. I had never couldn't even imagine I knew she existed didn't know her name. I had not loved her before I met her because I did not know her.

And so I met her and I fell in love with her. Beautiful lovely. But you see the danger of that is and this is always a danger with human love is that as easily as you fall in love you fall out of love.

You can start loving. You can start loving. So God doesn't look at you and say oh I love you tonight because you've come to this meeting and you're a good boy good girl well done. I love you. God doesn't sing like that.

God loves you because loved you. Now my wife sometimes said to me I'm pleased you didn't need me before before you did. Because if you'd known me when I wasn't a Christian you would never have never looked at me twice.

And I say to her well it's a good job. You didn't know me when I was otherwise you wouldn't have looked at me. And the truth is that she would not have loved me. But God loved me. You begin to understand what I'm saying.

God loved me. Therefore he loves me. God loved the prostitutes in this city tonight. He loved them. He loved them so much that he gave his son for them. They don't know it. But when when you go and witness to a person who is in desperate need and their life is in a mess you're not going to say to them God will love you if you turn to him.

You're not saying that. You're not going to say to anybody. If you believe in God God will begin to you know do things you were saying. God has loved you from before you were born. God loved you in your worst state.

God loved you in your deepest rebellion. God loved you in your deepest sin. He loves you. And because God loved me he loves me. And the Bible lays great emphasis on this that what God did before the foundation of the world determines what he does in time.

And the Lamb of God was slain from the foundation of the world. God so loved the world that he gave. And when Jesus was stood before Nicodemus and said God has given his son he was the son that was given.

He was given in the incarnation and he was given on the cross. But Jesus did not say he will give me. He said he has given me. It's done. It's settled. It only awaits the moment of fulfillment. But it's done.

God loved us and has given his son for us from before the foundation of the world. Now this means for you and me this wonderful truth that there is nothing that you or I can do to increase the love of God for us.

Isn't that wonderful. Because it also means that nothing you and I can ever do to decrease his love for us. You cannot change the love of God. He loved you because he loved you. It's it's what he is from the source of eternity in time.

And when we begin to look at the church we are not looking at the products of Paul's imagination in the first century. We are looking at the products of God's will and heart from before the creation of the world.

This is what God created the world for we are the reason that this world exists. The church he loves us. And that command there goes right from the beginning. He loved us. He loved all men and would that all men should be saved.

And so he tells us here also that husbands ought to love their wives as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it. And then it takes us on to the next step in this that he gave himself for it that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word.

Washing, Humility, and Love in the Church

So you now know that the love of God means that he wants to wash wants to make clean. Love wants to purify. Love wants to sanctify. Love wants to wash you. Now let's turn to another uh scripture this time in john chapter 12.

Sorry chapter 13. This is Jesus washing his disciples feet. What i am coming to tonight is this that the the church is a place of washing. It's a place of washing. If the church is not a place of washing it is not the church.

There are certain things that make the church what it is. But the church is above all a place of washing. And it's the washings of love. It's a place of refreshing. It's a place to be said oh wonderfully refreshed again your your life is renewed.

You know that people should not come dragging their feet on a Sunday morning to the meetings. They can only do one reason they should ever do that it's because they do not know the refreshings of the Holy Ghost.

Once you know the refreshings of the Holy Ghost you you want to be in the church. But you see this is why as we're coming to it you have to see that the preaching ministry is a central ministry. We're going to come to it the preaching ministry.

And we i don't know the elders aren't here tonight but maybe they'll listen to the tape. I don't know but the thing is that whatever about the preachers in every place the preaching ministry is of vital importance in the life of the local church.

Because it's told us there in Ephesians that he's going to wash it with the water of the word. That is one of the primary functions in the church the washing of the saints with the water of the word. I hope you'll be washed tonight because you see what we're seeing here is that the preaching ministry or that we're talking now about ministries.

There's no gifts of the spirit in one way. There's no gifts called preaching. Is there doesn't say there's a gift of the spirit called preaching. It's strange isn't it. There's a gift of prophecy various gifts.

We know about ministries we know about. But preaching is really a means of various ministries and various functions. Evangelists preach and pastors preach and teach and all kinds of things. Apostles preach.

What they are doing is declaring something from the heart of God that is a means for God to come to his people and wash us. And we are we are. We have to see this vital realm of preaching. You see if you went to the modern 20th century i know we know the 21st century we have to change our thinking a little bit.

But the 20th century man loves discussion. Discussion will not wash you. The church will not be washed by discussion groups. And in although you may find a place for discussion groups maybe an evangelistic context or whatever.

Fine. But the truth is there is a ministry of God for the washing of his church. And it must go on if we have discussion groups fine in their place. All right. But they do not. Nor can they replace the preaching ministry.

Now here in john chapter 13 we have the washing of the disciples feet. Now you would say this is not preaching. And that's absolutely true. Because nobody is washed by preaching alone. We're not washed by preaching on its own.

We're washed by the love of God in the power of the Holy Spirit. And that is something that is wider than the preaching ministry. Do you know that you could wash each other's feet by the humility of love towards each other tonight.

Those are elements of the love of God. If there is humility and there is love then people will be washed. The greatest power to wash each other is love. And when we consider the church. So if i want to describe what the church is the church is a labor of love.

That's how i describe the church. It's a labor of love. I didn't say a labor of love. I said a labor of love. All right. There may be loves labor. But there's a labor. What is this great place of washing.

And here in chapter 13 jesus verse 3 knowing that the father had given all things into his hands you'll notice again the tense he uses. He doesn't say that the father was going to give all things into his hands.

The bible uses incredible tenses. It says he has chosen us from the foundation of the world. God is not making his mind up in time. God has made his mind up in eternity. He has chosen us. Now you can get tied up in knots.

What all that means. And if you've got that kind of mind that wants to have everything worked out. I am sorry for you. I am not a calvinist. I am not an armenian armenian. I'm not armenian either. But i am not a calvinist.

I am a believer in new testament truth. I believe in predestination because the new testament. I believe in free choice. Man has free will. How far it goes. We could explore sometime. But i am not a calvinist and i am not armenian.

But god has chosen us from the foundation of the world. And it tells us here that he is jesus knowing that the father had given all things into his hands. It was done before it was done. Isn't that wonderful.

When you are saved you are entering into what was done from before the foundation of the world. This means that my salvation is not dependent on a something that happens in time. It's it's depending on something that is settled at the bedrock of eternity.

It's wonderful to realize i am coming through salvation to touch with eternal reality and power. Jesus knowing that all done all settled. How else could he have faced the cross except knowing it was all done in the will of god.

You know that the one thing that will rob you of rest is to doubt that god is in control. Once you doubt that you will lose rest. Because if god is not in control what is who is. Is it sickness. Is it chance.

Is it satan. Is it. Is it the government. Is it bill clinton. Is it president yeltsin. I pray god that the world does not lie in their hands. Remember a photograph of president nixon meeting malticum the daily express 1971.

I think it was or 73 something like that. I can't remember all those years ago. And there he was. They were shaking hands. It was a big sheet there in those days. And there it was. They were shaking. And they were those traps the whole world in their hands.

I didn't know then how foolish that word was. I wasn't a believer but i i the whole world is not in the hands of men. It's in the hands of god. Praise god. They have not got the power to push the button or whatever.

They don't have it. And we have to know it. We have to know who god is. He's sovereign. He's loving merciful kind. And here he is knowing these things that he was come from god and went to god. He rises from supper laid aside his garments took a towel and girded himself like a slave.

Is this a preparation for the preaching ministry. Lay aside your garments and dress yourself like a slave. Embrace poverty in the preaching ministry. If you want to make a lot of money don't enter the preaching ministry.

Is there no money to be made in it. Oh yes. You know how to get money out of people. You can do it but you will betray your ministry. He embraced poverty. You know have you ever thought of embracing poverty.

A preacher may have to do it. You know when they walk through the cornfields on the sabbath day they pluck the ears of corn. They rub them and they eat them. Do you know what that means. They were hungry.

It means that they have nothing to eat. They were with jesus and he had not fed them. You may say oh doesn't. He feed people. Of course he feeds people. And there are days when he lets us we may trust him.

Doesn't mean to say he's cruel. He's doing things with us. He let them feel poverty. Why. Because he became poor for our sakes. That we may be made rich but not that we may be made millionaires and have gold taps.

And you know he wanted us to know the wonder of grace. Jesus became poor for our sake. He embraced it gladly. Now he's there dressed as a slave. By the way you can embrace poverty in the way you live to make others rich.

Did you know that you might have a fantastic salary. You might have a job that enables you to have a great big car and a great big house. And you can say no. I'm going to have a small house. I'm going to have a modest car.

I'm going to tailor my income to my needs. And i'm going to give everything else away. You can embrace poverty and serve the lord. We haven't talked about money in the church yet. Have we. We'll do that one time all right.

We'll talk about your money and my money. We're going to have a collection that night. Don't worry. I'm not after your money. But you see people oh god can make me rich. And you know i remember hearing on the on the news in the morning about a nigerian preacher had a fleet of great big cars and all this and houses.

And i've heard of preachers in america with gold caps and swimming pools. And i think god made them rich. Why does he make men rich so that they may give it away as jesus would give it away. God's given you money.

He's given it to meet your needs and the serpent to do his will with it. Praise god. So you can embrace poverty. Or you can embrace your riches and say this is great. God's made me rich. Full stop. We're in a rich nation.

We are rich. I listen to the news and i listen to various things about wages rising and this thing happening and that thing happening. Anyway there he is. Verse four. He's put on the garments of the slaves.

He's poured water into a basin. This is the church. And he's begun to wash the disciples feet and to wipe them with the towel they're with. He was good. He was dressed like a slave and washed their feet.

Isn't it wonderful. What was he doing. He was washing them with his humility and with his love. I've been to a church where this was practiced foot washing. And there are churches where they practice foot washing as regularly as we practice communion.

I remember when i went to that church they didn't wash my feet. They didn't do it that night. Uh thank you very much. Aren't i glad you haven't. Well it's good if i can't hear what everybody's saying there.

The thing is that there were certain people there who got they had to do it. They got their bowl out at the end of the meeting and they washed their feet at the back of the hall. They were so convinced of this being part of church life.

They had to wash each other's feet. They wouldn't leave unless they'd done it. But of course this is not the real purpose is that the actual physical washing of feet is not the thing it's the humility.

You know when you're together you are to notice each other and be observant of each other's needs and meet them. Do you know i tell you how no one of the things one of the great prayers that we can pray is lord speak to me.

You ever said that lord speak to me. And god could say well les why should i speak to a whinging whining selfish man. Les. What do you want me to talk to you about yourself. What do you need more assurance.

What do you want to hear me say. Les i want to talk to you les about others. Do you want me to talk to you about yourself. There's only one way to hear god's voice to be in tune with god. And god is not selfish.

And if you're selfish you'll be deaf. As opposed to god speaking to you will rebuke you your selfishness in one way or another he will have to seek to bring you from it. God wants to minister life and washing and cleansing.

Now if a person is a rebel and is far away from god he'll speak to them in loving entreaty. They'll do all kinds of things. But if we're his people and we're saying speak to me speak to me speak to me.

I said what do you want to talk to you about. Because he's saying i want to speak to the world. I want to speak to my church. I have things to say and i want to channel. You want to hear me speak then be a channel of love.

I will speak to you but i will want you to obey. What i ask you to do will be to go and love people. Go and love them. Why do people not hear the voice of the lord. Is he not able to speak. Oh there are many reasons.

But here is one of them. God speaks in accordance with his nature. He does not speak according to our nature. You understand what i'm saying. If he has to speak against it then he will speak against it.

But you can't tell me. You hear and know the voice of the lord. If you're against god's nature you don't know. He has to shake you and rattle you. God is a speaking god if only there is a humble repentant heart willing to go before him and say lord show me what to pray today.

Who do you want me to pray for. Who do you want me to pray for. Because when you go to the lord i can guarantee you that i know who you'll pray for. You'll pray for one or two people that you love. Very wonderful.

But you have to pray for lots and lots of other people whom god loves. Our list for short is a long speak to me lord. Show me how to pray. I want you to listen to me says god. I will teach you to pray.

I will teach you to preach. I will teach you to prophesy. I will teach you to hear my voice. I want you to be an instrument of love in the hands of god. I don't want you to be an instrument of selfishness for your own end.

You know the the easiest way to find yourself in a dead-ending prayer is to ask selfish prayers. You will get nowhere. And the fact that you get nowhere is to you an indication not that god is not with you but that you are asking the wrong prayers for the wrong reasons.

And you need to go back to basics and say lord what am i doing wrong. Why do i have no joy in prayer. Why do i get nowhere in prayer. Why don't i find any. Why is everything closed to me. God is saying because your heart is not right with me.

You are not an intercessor unless you love people and are prepared to lay your life down to love them and listen to god for them. He's pouring water and washing humility. Do you know that when they got to the supper room there was a bowl at the door.

It was all made ready. Everything was ready. But the astonishing thing is here. No one washed anybody's feet until jesus did it. Why i suspect it was because they all thought he should do it. She should do it.

Somebody else should do that job. Best thing is laying in your heart. You say i will do it. Everything you see that needs doing. You should have in your heart this statement i will do it. I will do it.

Peter, Cleansing, and Continual Washing

He come up to simon peter and said. Peter said to him lord do you wash my feet. Jesus answered and said to him what i do. You know not now but you shall know hereafter. Peter said unto him you shall never wash my feet.

Jesus answered him if i wash you not you have no part with me. Simon peter said unto him lord not my feet only but also my hands and my head. A radical man he was always thinking from one section to the other.

No no no. Oh yes yes. Well i get out of it all then. He's radical. He wanted first nothing and everything. Jesus said to me he that is washed needeth not say to wash his feet but it clean every wit. And you are clean.

But not all of you spoke of jesus. What a tremendous statement that when god has really washed you with the baptism in the spirit and cleansed you there's blood. There's the spirit of god. There's purging.

There's cleansing. When you've been made clean you need continual washing. You do need it but not the same radical way you needed in the beginning. Isn't that tremendous. Every one of us needs the continual washing.

But we don't need new birth every day. Praise god. There is a radical washing and there is a continual washing. I hope you know the radical washing the purging of your life from sin. But there's the love of god.

Now here's the love of god when you meet with one another when you serve one another when you help one another. And this is true not only of the church but also the wider church. You know that god has many sheep.

In fact as you look around you you can see sheep everywhere. Some of them are found some of them are lost. But he looks on them all with a shepherd's heart. He doesn't say oh no no no i don't want this one.

He wants everybody. And there is a ministry to gather his sheep. And there is a ministry to feed his sheep and so on. But the shepherd's heart use everybody as a sheep or as a potential one. When you say oh it's lost it needs to be found.

Here he is. This is the church being washed. You are to go wash and serve and love. The foundation of the church is love. The reason for the church is love. When there is love there is washing all right.

Preaching as a Community Ministry

Now let's look a little bit at the preaching ministry. And i i've got a number of things here that i've written down about the preaching ministry. And uh what can i say. What are the important things about the preaching.

I've got a lot of points here. We don't necessarily go through them all. But um you know that paul said for example christ sent me not to baptize but to preach. I'd love to preach. That in the baptist church you understand christ sent me not to baptize to preach.

And uh jesus did not baptize with water. He got instructed his apostles to do it for him. He preached. Jesus said these words i must preach the gospel to others. It is also use those words i must preach.

Tremendous to think that jesus was a preacher. And um you know it tells us for example that the apostles were sent forth to preach. Jesus came forth to preach. And uh you know that one of the things about the preaching ministry now and this is the it's all founded in this ministry of love and humility and washing of the saints.

But it is a ministry conferred by god. Not all are apostles of the scripture not all preach. And as i said last week the preaching ministry needs to be nourished by the church not just by those who have the ministry.

So we are not all preachers but we are all involved in preaching. You know one of the things about this involvement of us all in preaching is that when someone comes to hear the preaching of the gospel amongst us it is not simply the preacher they listen to.

It is the atmosphere of the congregation listening that they enter into. Any preacher will tell you that a lot of his preaching is determined by the congregation. With me that's a very common phrase. But you can find this if you go if you've ever taught anybody anything.

It's true. It's the attitude of the the people listening to. You know somebody doesn't want to learn if you i teach german french uh and you know sometimes if i've got a student who doesn't want to learn german and they don't want.

You say do this for your homework. And they come next week and they haven't learned a word and they do it. What's the past tense in german. And they explain it. And then three minutes later said now can you repeat it for me.

They said no. They get it all wrong. And you explain it again and again. And it's discouraging. It doesn't seem clear to you anymore. You think well it's complicated. Then you find other students who's with you wants to understand listens goes over learns it say it once and they've got it.

I have students like that not all of them. But you know that when we come together preaching is a community action. It's an action of the church not just of the preacher. You are involved in the preaching ministry.

Well if not we could always have a set of microphones and you could stay at home and tune in. You can't do it. You know that people think i can just go and listen to a tape. I'll get the tape afterwards.

What if we could all get the tape afterwards. You know sometimes i think that if people stopped coming to meetings because they could get the tape i would say don't stop the taping. If they don't come here because they can get the tape then they should not be taped.

If it stopped people coming now i get blessed by tapes. But preaching is an act of in the church. It will act wider than the church as well. But you'll find this that where there is preaching ministry and the power of the holy ghost and god raises up preaching.

People are drawn. People bring their friends people want others to come. There is something happening in the hearts of people where there is preaching. So we are not to neglect the ministry of preaching.

It is a essential function of the church. We are to nourish it we are to pray for it we are to we are to cover the washing of our own lives and of other lives with preaching ministry. Men who are called are to give themselves to it.

The Oracles of God and the Labor of Preachers

It says in this is the second point. The first point was we're not all preachers. But it is a joint act of us all we're all involved in. It's my first point. The second point out here in 1 peter 4 verses 10 and 11 it says.

If any man speak let him speak of the oracles of god. So he doesn't just jump up and say well i never heard a good story and i'll just read a verse and tell that story. That'll be all right. I've got my testimony to fall back on.