Church

Hebrews 12.

But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festival gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

See that you do not refuse him who is speaking.

For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven.

At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heavens.

This phrase, yet once more, indicates the removal of things that are shaken, that is, things that have been made, in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain.

Let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.

Well, good morning everyone.

Good morning everyone.

today, please.

Good morning.

Good morning everyone.

Good morning everyone.

Good morning.

Hey, fun.

We're pré Ultimately.

easily superimpose our own thinking, our own framework on these key words.

Now, it may be for some Christians and some Christians in this church that we do that

because we actually haven't taken the time to listen to what God says about these important

issues. But more sadly, and I think also a reality in our church, is that sometimes we

superimpose our own views because we actually don't like what we hear God saying. We actually

want to superimpose a view until we have something that we're comfortable with, that sits easily

with us in these key areas. And that's particularly obvious, I think, when it comes to the word

that's our focus this morning, the word church. So what do you think of when you think of church?

Perhaps, like Don discovered this morning, perhaps you don't think it's just something

that's there. And most Christians, I think, would believe that church is linked to being

a Christian. Last week, Rob took us through the word salvation and looked at what God says

clearly about salvation. And out of that, then I think most Christians would say, well, once

you're saved, that has an inseparable link to the idea of church. Don brought that out in

a stone, saved Christians, church. Now, after that, there might be huge variance as to what that

connection looks like and what it means in practice. Is it just a nice theory? And I know so many

Christians who are in this camp. Well, they say the idea of church as the body or family of Christ,

it's a really lovely theory. But of course, it doesn't work in practice. Just look around.

And so out of that, then people often really sit loose to church and have as little to do with

the organism here, the community here, have as little to do as possible. Because after all,

they say, it really is just a collection of really annoying people. Even hypocrites.

Others will say, well, church is something I think is really important. I personally can take it or

leave it depending on whether it overlaps with my desires, my interests.

Others again will say, well, actually, I suppose to me, church is like a club.

I get involved in it because it reflects my personal interest in life. It puts me in contact

with nice people. I like to hang out with nice people, people who are like me.

It actually offers some enjoyable benefits when it works well, and so on and so forth.

So those are fairly common views, I think. Perhaps more common than we'd ever care to admit.

Or is church for you something that is at the heart of God's purpose for you as a Christian?

Something you would say is absolutely essential to your health and spiritual growth as a believer.

To your maturity as a believer.

Well, friends, once again, God has spoken very clearly about church.

And we need to listen.

We need to listen and we need to follow.

We must see God's church with God's eyes.

So let's jump into these verses from Hebrews.

There's any number of passages we could have gone to in the New Testament.

I opted for Hebrews.

We'll see how we go.

Any of these passages describe God's church in all its glory.

And that's a word that is appropriate to describe God's church.

It's glorious.

But let me give some background context to Hebrews chapter 12, without which we'll actually not be able to see the beauty of what's being said here in these verses.

Hebrews 12 · chapter mention

The letter was written to encourage small groups of Christians who had then, having been converted, abandoned into little churches, scattered around the Roman Empire.

Most of these people to whom it was written had a Jewish background, converted out of Judaism.

And what they discovered was, and quite contrary to expectation perhaps, that their newfound faith in Christ had actually made life harder, had actually made life more uncertain for them on a day-to-day basis.

Because it brought persecution from both Jews and Romans.

And so as a result of that, many were tempted to give up their Christian faith and resume their old Jewish religion.

Because they knew that the Jewish religion was actually accepted by the Roman Empire.

So it would mean an end to their persecution and suffering.

Because when they looked around their little churches, their little groups of Christians looked so pathetic, so insignificant, compared to the status enjoyed by the Jewish synagogues and by so many other pagan religions around the Roman Empire with their massive temples and their holy days and their holy people and their special rituals.

The church just didn't look to be worth anything.

And so they were tempted to turn back to what they had once been part of.

And the encouragement of this letter as a whole, leading up to chapter 12, is this.

To recognise that Jesus has established the salvation community which God had planned from eternity.

And which Judaism had only ever been able to point to.

So the encouragement of this letter is to say this.

In spite of what it might appear like, how it might feel on a day-to-day basis, these Christians were part of God's eternal community.

The church.

And in fact, we'll see here in these verses that the writers say, indeed, the church is the only secure eternal community in our broken and decaying world.

And that's a really big rap for the church, isn't it?

It's a really big rap.

But that is God's word on the matter.

And I would venture to say that unless we're seeing the church with the same centrality, the same certainty, the same security, the same glory, then we're not seeing the church with God's eyes.

Because the church has been central to God's purposeful gathering of his people into community.

The Greek word is ekklesia.

Ekklesia.

The primary notion of church is God calling out or gathering, congregating.

That's the word we get congregation from.

God congregating or assembling his people before himself.

And that notion is right across the whole breadth of the Bible.

The first picture of church is actually in Genesis 1 and 2.

Having created the universe to his own satisfaction, what does God do?

He immediately gathers, as it were, Adam and Eve from the world as a whole place into a special place, the Garden of Eden.

Into a special relationship with God.

God was determined to enjoy what he'd created with his image bearers.

And he was determined to do that for eternity.

In response, Genesis 1 and 2, particularly Genesis 2, God's people were to worship him.

A whole of life, whole of being response of love and trust and honor and obedience.

That was a picture of the church as God meant it to be.

Of course, sin wrecked everything, didn't it?

Forcing God to disperse his people.

But even in Genesis 3, as God disperses his people, that dispersion happened with the promise that one day God would act to fix the problem of sin.

And one day, once again, gather his people to himself in special relationship for eternity.

That's, we move into chapter 12.

That's what's been spoken about here in verse 18 to 22, 23.

It's the picture of Sinai.

We see that at Sinai.

Where God assembled or churched his people at Mount Sinai.

He gathered them from slavery in Egypt.

Gathered them to himself in relationship, in new relationship.

A relationship when he said, I will bless you.

I want you to worship me with whole hearts.

But rebellion and judgment still plagued the relationship.

And so, what we know as we look across the spread of the Bible is that Sinai was a great progression in God's purpose to gather his church.

But it wasn't the final entity.

It wasn't the final reality.

And for that, we need Jesus.

And we see that in verse 22, 23, and 24.

Let me just read them to you.

So, he says, you've not come, verse 18, you've not come to Sinai.

Right?

There's a contrast.

You've not come to Sinai.

But you have come.

This is speaking to Christians.

You've not come to this.

But you have come to Mount Zion.

To the city of the living God.

The heavenly Jerusalem.

And to innumerable angels in festal gathering.

And to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven.

And to God, the judge of all.

And to the spirits of the righteous made perfect.

And to Jesus.

The mediator of a new covenant.

And to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

There's the connection back to Genesis.

Jesus is now the fulfillment of that which God promised.

God's purpose has been fully realized.

With God's people gathered around Jesus.

That is a picture of the church.

That is God's purpose in eternity.

It is the death and resurrection of Jesus.

That achieves finally God's purpose.

Dealing with sin.

Restoring relationship with God.

Renewing from the inside out.

And thus qualifying sinners for heaven.

For eternity.

For the abundant life we heard of from Rob last week.

The abundant life that God intended for his image bearers.

Right from the get go.

Heaven itself.

So it's God's purposeful gathering.

And it's a permanent display.

The watching world.

Of God's wisdom and glory.

One writer said this.

That the church is God's verifying data.

Of his grace and salvation.

I think that's a lovely term.

It's God's verifying data.

Of God's character.

God's grace.

God's actions in salvation.

We see this again in the strong before and after contrast.

In these verses.

Verses 18 to 21.

Before Christ.

For you have not come to what may be touched.

A blazing fire and darkness and gloom.

And a tempest.

And the sound of a trumpet and a voice.

Whose words made the hearers beg.

That no further messages be spoken to them.

For they could not endure the order that was given.

If even a beast touches the mountain.

It shall be stoned.

Indeed so terrifying was the sight.

That Moses said.

I tremble with fear.

See before.

When God gathered his people.

The context was always.

God's holiness.

And therefore.

Fear of judgment.

Proper fear of judgment.

God's holiness.

Their unresolved sin.

God's holiness.

Their debilitating fear.

As they stand gathered before this holy.

Just.

All saying.

God.

God's holiness.

God's holiness.

And before the scrutiny.

God's word.

That exposes sin to the depths of our hearts.

And promised justice and judgment.

God's holiness.

but now look what God has done in Christ verses 22 to 24. We see a whole list of just descriptions

here piled upon pile upon pile. The writer's struggling to grasp it and so he's just describing

he's pulling out all these pictures and just stacking them up one on top of the other to try

and capture the glory of what God has done for us in Christ in establishing the church.

God's church is in perfect personal relationship with God. No more is sin a barrier because of the

work of Christ. God's words no longer create fear but bring forgiveness, renewal and comfort to God's

people. The church is God's temple. The church is God's place of rule. The city where his family

resides in safety and security. It's even party central for as it says here innumerable angels.

What's the source of the big party the joyous occasion? These innumerable angels are looking

out over uncountable. Not being able to count whatever that right word is. Sinners who've now

been qualified for heaven and have been signed up for heaven secure, locked in. And they're just stunned.

How could God do that to bring all these sinners safe home to heaven to be with them forever?

And who's front and central to accept the credit? Well we're told here. It comes to God, the judge of all.

God the father, the just judge of all, has acted and found a way to save those he rightly could have condemned.

Wow. God the son with the marks of slaughter and blood on him. Showing evidence to the great cost,

the cost that the father asked the son to pay and the cost that the son gladly paid

to establish the church, the community of God's saved people. And God the Holy Spirit,

whose indwelling of each and every believer is a guarantee that that relationship, that new relationship,

will last for eternity and will actually make us like our Savior.

And then there's different imagery in verses 26, 27 and 28. It's as if the writer's saying,

look, this whole thing that we're seeing here, the church, is absolutely seismic in God's world.

And that's the imagery of these verses.

At that time, his voice shook the earth. But now he has promised, yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but the heavens.

Mount Sinai shook when God gathered his people as a sign of God's awesome saving presence in the world.

God's purpose would triumph, not sin.

But that shake-up was nothing compared to the shake-up of our world when Christ died.

Quite literally, the verses are saying that the Lord shook the world so much and put a condemned sticker

on all the apparently strong and lasting things in this world.

And on the other hand, he put an unbreakable sticker on his church,

which is currently despised and appears weak and unstable.

Testimony to God's glory.

It may be hard for us to believe, harder even still to grasp,

but the only really secure thing in this world is being part of God's glorious church.

This is the only community, the only entity that will span this world and eternity,

if I understand scripture right.

And all this is given expression in local assemblies or church families.

Clearly, verses 22, 23, and 24 are a picture of the absolute glory of heaven

with all Christ's people from all generations, all time, past, present, and future,

present and accounted for, and worshipping as they were created to.

But the language of these verses and the context in which they were written

to little groups of Christians scattered all around the Roman Empire

makes it clear that it also includes the Christians,

those ordinary men and women and boys and girls in local churches

to whom this was written as encouragement.

local churches are the visible expression of the reality of God's church in heaven.

We here, this morning, are a visible expression of the reality of God's church in heaven.

And that, in turn, then, has implication for us as a local church.

What is said about the church in heaven is said also about local church expressions here,

such as we are.

Because we are the church of Christ gathered here at Glendale.

What are the implications?

Well, there are a couple, and then I'll drill down into them.

Verse 25.

Say to it that you do not refuse him who is speaking.

There it is.

You see, God speaks.

We need to listen and align our understanding, our thinking, our commitment to the church

according to God's word, according to God's eyes, according to God's view of it.

And verse 29.

Frame this whole paragraph.

Therefore, let us offer to God acceptable worship.

With reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.

Same thing.

Listen at the beginning of the passage, and heed.

Align.

Respond.

Practical implications are clear.

When a local church like ours listens and follows God's word on the nature and importance of the church,

then, my friends, we will start to look like, and we should start to look like, the one we are following.

Reflecting his love, his commitment, his purposes.

His holiness.

His glory.

In some senses, I could stop there.

Because that's a pretty searching point of application in itself.

Can you find yourself in that statement?

Do you believe that you, as an individual in this church, look like the God you say you're following,

whose view of the church has just been expressed?

Together, do we look like that?

Do we look like the God we are following?

As a unit?

Do people say, when they look at us as a church,

something that's so radically different from what the world is?

They say, well, look,

we don't actually know how to explain it,

but these people are radically different.

They've got something that we don't see out in the world.

Or if they come in our doors, do they just hang around for a while and think,

yep, yep, yep, yep,

recognize all that sort of stuff,

all that crap,

all that nonsense.

Yep.

Yep.

Yep.

Following God's word

means gospel-shaped community.

That's what we need to be thinking about here as a church.

And that, I think, means,

and it's one of the big things in our society,

it means rejecting individualism.

You can't have a gospel-shaped community

and also have strong individualism and me-ism

operating in a church community,

our church community.

See, the church is God's big idea.

Contrary to what some people think,

it's not been dreamed up by pastors

as a means of controlling people

and manipulating people into doing what we want them to do.

Sadly,

over the years,

that's probably been used to that end,

but that's not what the church is.

It's God's idea.

It's not something,

therefore,

we can sit loosely to

just getting involved

when we decide it's convenient

or when we decide it's desirable

or when we decide it's personally beneficial.

Yet, so commonly,

that is our commitment level to the church.

The reality of our being gathered in heaven

as God's family

is expressed practically

in being organically integrated,

gathered in a local church family.

The relationships in our world

are so disconnected,

so dysfunctional at every level.

We're made for community.

We're made especially

to enjoy the eternal community

at Genesis 1 and 2.

Enjoy eternal community

with Father, Son, and Spirit.

We long for connection.

We long to be part of an organic whole,

and that's what our whole society longs for.

It isn't strange, therefore,

that even as Christians,

saved and gathered into God's eternal community

here,

in this place,

we actually fear true community.

We fear deep community,

and we default back to individualism.

Because individualism is safe

in lots of ways.

Meism allows a lot of freedom,

a wrong sort of freedom,

but it allows me to cherry-pick

what I want from this community

and what I contribute to this community.

And when we do that,

we actually then complain

because we don't feel connected

in the church.

Isn't that a bizarre twist?

We demand a freedom

not to be connected,

and then we complain

that we're not connected.

Hmm.

There you go.

See, the Bible knows nothing

of salvation

as a solitary,

individualistic experience.

God's purpose

in this world

has never simply

been to save people

from their sin.

Rather,

His purpose

has always been

to save people

from their sin

into a community

of people

who truly worship Him.

So following God

into church

is to delight

in being part

of the community

which God has planned

and acted

to make glorious

and permanent in heaven.

My friends,

it's the context

of seeing this community

as the community

in which you will grow

and which I will grow

and thrive

and come to maturity

and be the person

that Christ wants us to be.

and recognizing

we cannot do it

in isolation,

in individualism.

Our church here

should never just be

an organization

or a club

that you belong to

out of some sense

of Christian duty.

And my friends,

this organism,

this gathering

of Christ's people,

therefore,

hopefully you'll see,

can never be irrelevant,

can never be out of date,

can never be

reached its use by date.

The second thing

that I'm nearly down to finish,

following God's word

means gospel

revealing community.

It's a demonstrated reality

of the changing power

of the gospel.

Now friends,

I want to just say here

that community of itself

is not enough

to shape us properly

as God's church.

Community of itself

is not enough

to shape us

as God's church.

we must pray for

and work towards

and build

gospel revealing

community.

Now what do I mean by that?

Well let me try and explain.

So many churches

have really strong

community

at their heart.

I think this church

has a really strong

community

at heart.

But it's not necessarily

a gospel revealing

community.

It's not a community

that arises

directly as a consequence

of gospel change

in our lives.

So it's common

to mistake

one for the other.

In Ephesians 2

the church

is described

as a radical

new humanity

which is displayed

in relationships

freed from

the normal divisions

and distractions

of our sinful world.

The picture

in Ephesians 2

is enemies

Jew

and Gentile

coming together

in the wonderful

new relationship

where their identity

of each

is no longer

found in their race

or their national

background

but in Christ

and that brings them

together.

And the fact that you see

a Jew and a Gentile

Ephesians 2

sitting together

in church

is a gospel

revealing

community.

It's a relationship

that wouldn't happen

apart from

gospel change

in each of the lives.

in our church

there are so many

relationships

centered on things

other than the gospel.

That is

we form relationships

quite naturally

because of similar

life experience.

Older people

those with kids

you know

younger people

young professionals

who don't have kids

we naturally

gravitate to people

who are like us

similar life experience

or similar stage of life

or similar

personal identity

we actually

orientate ourselves

to people who

like the things

we like

and dislike

the things

we dislike.

We orientate

to people

and form friendships

with people

who have similar

causes to what we do

whether political

or social

or economic causes.

We orientate

to people

who have

similar felt needs.

because we

gravitate to people

who understand

our feelings

understand our

situation.

All of those

relationships

are good things

they're all

community building

things

but they're not

gospel revealing

relationships

necessarily

because they would

probably exist

even if the gospel

didn't.

We need to push

further

and demonstrate

the wisdom

and power

and glory

of God

and relationships

that exist

only because

of the gospel.

That is

relationships

that happen

across the

age

difference

across

interest

difference

across

economic

differences

social

differences

racial

differences

divides.

I want our

church to be

known

and so

obvious

when people

come in

the door

that our

identity

is in

Christ

and therefore

we can

fellowship

with people

that out

in the

world

we wouldn't

actually

associate

with

let alone

have a

rich

relationship

with.

So what

do visitors

see when

they come

in to

visit us?

do they see

relationships

that are

truly

framed

Ephesians 2

again

by genuine

reconciliation

out in the

world

they'd expect

people to be

fighting the bit

out

standing on

their dig

and holding

their crutches

but when they

come in here

do they see

that those

things don't

exist

or do they

say yep

recognize

them all

do they see

us pursuing

relationships

that are

actually really

costly to

pursue

because the

relationships

across such

obvious human

divides if I

can call it

that

and do they

see us then

pursuing those

relationships

at all costs

or do they

again do they

see the

natural

clicks

you'd see

at any

other point

in society

surely my

friends we

often wonder

why the

church

doesn't have

a great

deal of

influence in

our world

surely if we

had relationships

like I've

just described

surely that

would make the

world sit up

and look and

say man oh

man that's

different

surely that

would be a

compelling

community

at least

to ask the

question what

drives them

well perhaps

you've never

thought of

church like

this before

this might

be new to

you or

perhaps you've

grown weary

perhaps you've

been hurt by

bad experience

of church

and you're

now seeing

your view of

church through

your own

experience

your own

feelings

your own

biases

rather than

seeing it

through God's

eyes

so I'll just

finish with this

sentence

the old

saying I

think remains

true

beauty is

in the eye

of the

beholder

so what do

you see when

you look around

at our local

church expression

beauty that

draws you in

or just a

collection of

annoying people

that allows you

to be self

righteous

and sit on

the sidelines

and snipe

let me pray

Lord help us

to hear your

word again

as we've

prayed this

over the last

five weeks

help us to

hear your

word

you've spoken

clearly

help us to

listen

and heed

and respond

radicalise us

Lord in the

truest sense

of being

servants of

the Lord

Jesus

so we

might be a

compelling

community

gospel shaped

and gospel

revealing

I pray this

in Jesus name

Amen

Amen

Amen

Thank you.