"The Church: An Introduction"

word association, you know the game?

I say dog, you say?

I say Marco, you say?

I say Jesus Christ, you say Lord and Savior.

But when I say church,

you might go, meh.

You might say, ouch.

You might say, what's the point?

You might say, what a mess.

This morning we're starting off on a series on the church.

Let me be up front with you on a definition of the church.

The church is the blood-bought people of God,

set apart by the Holy Spirit on mission for Christ.

That's the church.

The blood-bought people of God,

set apart by the Holy Spirit on mission for Christ.

We, the church, belong to the triune God.

Here's what I'm interested in over the next two months.

I'm interested in what you think about God's church.

I'm interested in what you feel about God's church.

I'm interested in how you prioritize God's church.

Well, that's not the real question.

The real question is,

what does God think about his church?

How does Jesus feel about his people?

Where does the church fall on God's priority list for the day?

So, over the next several weeks,

I am praying.

We're praying.

Would you join me in praying

that we would think about the church

more and more the way that God thinks about our church?

That truth shapes our minds

and our understanding of God's people.

Would you,

my prayer is that you would feel about the church

the way that Jesus feels about his church

more and more?

And my prayer, of course,

is that we would all prioritize the church

more and more

as God himself prioritizes the church.

And so, here's what it's going to look like

over the next several weeks.

This morning,

we're going to start off with an introductory sermon

on kind of five basic truths of the church.

And then we're going to get into New Testament images of the church.

The body.

The building of God.

The flock.

The family of God.

And what are all these things?

What is God saying to us about his people?

The goal, overall,

is that you and me

would love the church

the way that Jesus loves the church.

So, come the end of March,

that there would be an upwell

of spirit-given affection

for God's people.

That's the aim.

That's the prayer.

So, this morning,

five introductory truths

about the church.

This is by no means exhaustive,

but again,

I need your yes and amens.

That's what I'm talking about.

All right.

introductory truth number one.

The church

is the called out

people of God.

In Matthew 16,

Jesus is walking

into Caesarea Philippi

with his disciples,

and he says,

hey guys,

who do people say

that the Son of Man is?

He's talking about himself.

Who are people saying I am?

And his disciples

start shooting off

a bunch of different answers.

Some say JTB,

John the Baptist.

Others say Elijah.

Others still say Jeremiah

or one of the prophets.

But then Peter chimes in

in verse 16,

and he says this,

you are the Christ,

the Son of the living God.

And in the book of Matthew,

that is a mic drop.

And the reason why you know

it's a mic drop,

it's what Jesus says

in response to it.

In verse 17,

he says,

blessed are you,

Simon Bar-Jonah.

Blessed are you,

Simon,

son of Jonah.

For faith and blood

has not revealed this to you,

but my Father who is in heaven.

In other words,

he's saying,

hey Peter,

you didn't come to that

realization on your own.

It was a supernatural

revelation from my Father

to you

to know who I am.

Mic drop.

Jesus continues.

He says,

I tell you,

you are Peter,

and on this rock,

I will build my church,

and the gates of hell

will not prevail against it.

What is Jesus talking about

when he refers to this,

and on this rock,

I will build my church,

and the gates of hell

will not prevail against it.

Well,

if you've got a Catholic background,

you probably think,

well,

this is Jesus

institutionalizing

the Pope ship.

But I don't think

that's what Jesus is saying.

Jesus is addressing Peter,

but I believe

that the reference

to this rock

is actually a reference

to his profession.

You are the Christ,

the Son of the living God.

On this rock,

not a man,

but on Christ himself,

I will build my church.

When Jesus says,

I will build my church,

he's picturing himself

as a master builder.

He's building a people,

one person at a time.

That word church

is a lovely word

throughout your Bible.

It's the Greek word

ekklesia,

and it literally means

called out ones.

So Jesus is saying,

on this profession

of who I am,

I will build

my called out ones,

my people.

That word church,

ekklesia,

is used 100,

over 100 times

in the New Testament.

But interestingly enough,

in the Gospels,

it's just used twice.

Here,

Matthew 16,

and then in Matthew 18.

In the Old Testament,

the Old Testament

that was translated

from Hebrew to Greek,

it's called the Septuagint.

When the word ekklesia

is used,

it's referring to

the gathering

of God's people Israel.

Called out

from the nations.

And so when we get

into the New Testament,

it has the same sense.

The called out

of God.

Called out

through the blood

of Jesus

from the world.

Called to

God Himself

to be His people.

So when Jesus says,

My church,

I will build

my church.

That my

is a blood-bought

my.

My church.

Everyone

who would one day

believe in me.

Everyone

who I shed

my blood for.

They are the ones

I build

to form my people.

The church.

The church.

The church is the

blood-bought people

of God

indwelt by the Holy

Spirit

on mission for Christ.

Speaking of mission,

if you're looking

in Matthew 16

right now

and you're looking

at verse 18,

you have a metaphor

change.

Jesus is talking

about building

the church

like a building

and then he shifts

gears

and starts

picturing the church

in action.

I will build

my church

and he says,

in the gates

of hell,

literally the gates

of death

will not prevail

against it.

now the church

has gone

from a building

to a people

raiding

the gates

of hell

together

on mission

for Jesus

seeking to

rescue

those who

are in

dark death

and bringing

them to

the light

of life

through the

cross of

Jesus Christ.

Christ.

When you hear

the word church,

what comes

into your mind?

Hey,

look at the

building.

Look at that

steeple.

Open the doors,

see all the

people.

The church

is not a

building.

It houses

the church.

Maybe you

think of,

oh,

the church

is a bunch

of rules.

Oh,

the church,

oh man,

they hurt

my parents,

they hurt

me,

they're a

bunch of

losers.

The church,

they're so

irrelevant,

it's just

mired in

controversy.

Oh,

they're familiar

faces I see

every couple

weeks.

Brothers and

sisters,

when we talk

about the

church,

and when we

talk about

the church

biblically,

we are

talking about

the blood

bought people

of God,

set apart

by the

Holy Spirit,

called out

by God

himself to

be his

people on

mission for

Christ.

Now,

classically,

the church

has been

understood in

a couple

different ways.

It's how

this word

ecclesia gets

used throughout

the New

Testament.

So,

church is

used in a

broad sense

of the

universal

church.

We're going

to wrap up

the service

in a little

bit by

reciting the

Apostles'

Creed.

I believe

in the

Holy Spirit,

the Holy

Catholic

Church.

It's a

reference to

the universal

church.

church,

all of

the blood

bought people

of Christ

from all

ages and

times and

places.

That's the

universal

church.

And typically,

the universal

church is

understood as

being the

unseen universal

church.

Until you get

to Revelation

7, and then

you have the

snapshot of

the universal

church.

Blood

bought from

every tribe,

tongue,

and nation,

too many

to count,

all around

the throne

of God,

singing to

the Lamb

who is

risen,

who was

once slain,

salvation

belongs to

our God.

You see,

at the center

of the

church of

God is

the crucified

and risen

Christ.

Do you

know why

we exist

as a

church?

Jesus

shed his

blood for

us.

Now,

the church

universal,

we see

in Matthew

16,

there's

other passages

in the

New Testament,

it's what

Jesus is

referring to

here,

but then

we get

into the

understanding

of the

local

church.

And what

a local

church is,

it is a

visible

outcropping

of the

universal

church.

So,

the local

church is

time-bound

in a

particular

people,

in a

particular

time,

in a

particular

place.

They have

their own

local leadership,

we observe

the ordinances

of baptism

and the

Lord's

Supper,

they unite

us together

and they

unite us

with other

faithful

churches

from ages

past.

Christ the

King

church is a

local

outcropping

of the

universal

church.

And so,

when you

read through

the New

Testament

and Paul's

addressing

the churches

of Galatia

or the

church in

Colossae

or the

church in

Rome,

these are

local

churches,

specific

place,

specific

time,

with their

own

leadership.

Revelation

2 and

3,

the seven

churches are

local churches

in Asia

Minor.

Jesus had

something specific

to say to

each one.

So,

the local

church is

an outcropping

of the

universal

church,

all bought

by the

blood of

Jesus.

Now,

I just

want to

make one

more point

here.

there is

an emphasis

when it

comes to

the local

church.

The church

has a

rhythm.

We scatter

during the

week and

then we

gather

together on

the Lord's

day,

the day

that Jesus

was resurrected,

Sunday.

We scatter,

we gather.

And there

is this huge

emphasis.

You see it

played out in

1 Corinthians

14 in

particular,

where when

the church

gathers

together,

our Lord

Jesus Christ

is very

interested in

what happens.

He wants

to be

exalted.

He wants

his church

built up.

He wants

non-Christian

evangelized.

It is

the Super

Bowl of

the church

every week.

When we

get together,

it is a

unique time

for the

blood-bought

to come

together to

pray together.

to praise

God together

in worship.

Oh, it's so

sweet this

morning.

To hear the

public reading

of Scripture,

to speak

timely words,

to hear God's

word preached

faithfully.

There's nothing

like it

during the

week.

This is the

church,

universal and

local.

And at the

center of the

church is the

risen lamb,

Jesus Christ,

the center of

it all,

our reason

for being.

So the

first introductory

truth of the

church is the

church is the

called out

people of

God.

The second

truth is this,

the church

is the

converted

people of

God.

Just because

you gather

with God's

people doesn't

necessarily mean

you're actually

part of God's

people.

people.

In order to

become part of

God's people,

you first need

to be reconciled

to God through

the blood of

Jesus.

And when you're

reconciled to

God through the

blood of Jesus,

then he places

you into his

people.

He moves you

from one

people, the

world, into

another people,

his church.

For example,

let me try to

make this point

this way.

Let's say you

drive up to

Flambeau.

and you

happen to

get onto

Flambeau Field

and you're

standing on

the grass.

Just because

you're standing

on the grass

of Flambeau

doesn't mean

you are a

Green Bay

Packer.

Does it?

Or just

because you

drive up to

Carthage College

and you're

standing on

the college,

that doesn't

mean you're a

student there

or part of

the staff there.

Does it?

No.

Just because

you go to

someone's

family's

Thanksgiving,

that doesn't

mean you're

an official

part of

their family.

I experienced

that when I

first stayed

at Jenny.

Just because

you've been

going to

church your

whole life

doesn't mean

you're actually

included in

the blood-bought

people of

God.

Humanly

speaking,

conversion

is the

singular

moment a

sinner,

having heard

the gospel

of Jesus

Christ,

realizes that

they are

condemned under

God's just

wrath for

their sin,

and then

they turn

their tail

to their

sin and

head for

Jesus.

It's a

moment in

time.

Conversion

is when

you repent

and believe

the gospel.

It's what

Jesus talked

about in

Mark 1

15, where

he shows

up.

He says,

the time

is fulfilled.

The kingdom

of God

is at

hand.

Repent

and believe

the gospel.

The moment

a sinner

believes on

Christ for

the first

time, that

sinner is

justified by

the grace

of God,

redeemed

through the

blood of

Jesus, and

adopted into

God's family.

God's

sin.

That sinner

is immediately

transferred from

the domain of

God's beloved

Son, in whom

we have

redemption, the

forgiveness of

sins.

At that

moment in

time, a

sinner who

believes their

eternity goes

from being under

God's wrath

forever to

now having the

promise of

being numbered

in glory around

the throne for

everlasting peace

and joy in

the glorious

presence of

Jesus.

It's

conversion.

Conversion

consists of

both repentance

and faith.

I like to

call it the

two sides of

the conversion

coin.

There's

tails.

You turn your

tail to your

sin, and

then there

are heads.

You head

straight for

Jesus.

Have you

heard the

expression,

when the

penny drops?

It's a way

of saying,

hey, that's

when things

get real.

When the

conversion coin

drops in your

heart, things

get real.

You realize

that not just

everybody's

sinner, you're

a sinner

against the

holy God, and

his wrath is

against your

sin.

And with that

comes a working

of the Holy

Spirit in which

you are sorrowful

over that, and

that leads to

turning tail to

your sin.

And it

corresponds with

this faith,

newfound faith,

where you head

solely for

Jesus, who

alone can

deliver you

from your

sin.

So this

initial act of

repentance and

faith is the

moment a

sinner is

converted.

Truth in

advertising.

it's the

first time

one is

converted, this

exercise of

repentance and

faith, but it

just starts a

whole life of

repentance and

faith.

To be a

follower of

Jesus, be

numbered with

his people, the

church, is a

life of

repentance and

faith, a life

of turning tail

to your sin and

a heading straight

for Jesus over

and over and

over again.

We do this

together.

Now if

you're sitting

here thinking,

well that's

not exactly how

I became a

Christian.

I didn't have

that quote

unquote light

switch conversion

moment like

the Apostle

Paul.

Well many

people do

have kind of

a light switch

moment where

the conversion

is very clear.

They know

down to the

day, hour,

and minute

where they

were believed,

they turned

from their sin,

they believed

and they were

transferred into

the kingdom

of the beloved

son.

I went to

college with

a young lady.

On the

anniversary of

her becoming a

Christian, when

she was converted,

she started

wearing all

black because

she was like

mourning the

death of her

old self and

then she

realized, no,

no, this is a

celebration, so

she swapped to

all white.

that was a

light switch

conversion

experience.

But many

of the

people, many

Christians don't

have a light

switch conversion

experience.

They have a

dimmer switch

conversion experience.

In fact, I spoke

to four Christians

this week who

all had a

dimmer switch

conversion experience

and here's what I

mean by that.

It goes something

like this.

I grew up in

the church and I

agreed with

everything I

heard.

But there was a

season when I

basically walked

away from the

Lord and I

sowed my wild

oats.

I didn't give a

rip about God.

And then at

some point I

sensed a need

to go back.

And eventually

things got real.

So people

who experience

something like

tend to say

something like

this.

Between 2008

and 2011 the

conversion coin

dropped in my

heart.

In 2008 I was

not following

Jesus.

By 2011 I

couldn't get

enough of

Jesus.

So somewhere

in between

there something

happened.

And here's

what's happened.

I realized that

Jesus just didn't

die for the sins

of all mankind.

He died for

me.

That's how a

convert to

Christianity

talks.

You may not

know the

day, the

hour, or the

minute of your

conversion, but

you know a

time frame.

I know I

wasn't living for

Christ then, but

by this time I

couldn't get

enough of

Jesus.

Now if you

have a dimmer

switch conversion

story, what you

need to understand

is this.

That at some

point in that

time frame, you

actually went

from being dead

to alive.

From being not

justified to

justified.

From being not

redeemed to

redeemed.

From not being

adopted to

adopted.

you went from

being under

God's wrath to

be now an

object of mercy

and grace.

You went from

being outside of

God's family and

not of God's

people to inside

of God's family and

now you're part of

God's people.

You might not

know the specific

time and hour, but

it happened.

And you can live

there.

I do.

That's the story of

me.

I was a pastor

class dropout in

eighth grade.

Ironic.

But here's the

real question.

Let's say you're

sitting here this

morning and you

realize, hey, I've

been going to

church.

I don't think I've

ever been converted.

Don't be surprised

by that.

There are stories

all over the place

of preachers while

they're preaching

realizing they've

never been

converted.

Well, here's how

you respond if you

don't think you've

the conversion coin

has dropped, but

you're like, oh, I

want that.

You've got to

realize that God

in His grace is

prompting you to

take this step of

repentance and

faith.

So here's what you

do.

You pray.

You say something

like this.

You say, Lord

Jesus, risen

Jesus, I have

been living for

myself, and I've

been doing smoke

and mirrors when it

comes to you.

You say, Lord

sin.

I repent of

living a life for

myself and living

for my sin.

I turn my tail on

that, and I head

to Jesus alone

because He alone

on the cross died

for my sin.

I know it.

It was for me.

That's what you say.

That's what you say

to the risen Christ.

You put a stake in

the ground, and you

say, I am that no

more.

I will not go back

to that.

I am for Jesus

now.

And based upon the

Word of God, you

are saved.

If you haven't

taken that step,

come talk to me

after the service.

I'd be glad to walk

with you through

that.

And it's just the

beginning.

The conversion

coin needs to drop

because you've got to

be reconciled to God

first before you can

be placed into the

people of God.

But the church is

the converted people

of God.

Do I have an

amen?

The church,

three,

introductory truth,

is the Bible

saturated people

of God.

One of the telltale

signs that a sinner

has been genuinely

converted is that

now there is this

new spirit-generated

desire for the

Word of God,

the Bible.

It goes something

like this.

Matthew 4,

Jesus talked about

it this way.

Man can't live by

bread alone,

but by every word

that proceeds from

the mouth of God.

And you're like,

I just can't get

enough.

I can't get enough

of God's Word.

I can't live without

God's Word.

2 Timothy 3,

316,

all scriptures

breathed out by

God and profitable.

You're like,

give me some of

that.

I can't get enough

of that.

That's not you.

That's the Spirit

of God in you,

changing your

affections,

giving you a new

desire for something.

Before you were

converted, you had

nothing wanting to

do with it.

Psalm 119,

Thy Word is a

lamp to my feet

and a light

into my path.

Here's what

happens when

someone gets

converted.

They have a new

set of desires,

and God's Word

becomes the final

governing authority,

giving all clarity

and direction to

every square inch

of your life.

It defines,

God defines who

you are.

So as a church,

we don't approach

the Bible like this.

Yeah, I think I'll

obey that.

I don't think I'll

obey this.

That's of God.

That's not of God.

We don't live that

way.

We believe every

Word of God.

Everyone came from

God's mind

originally, and so

we place ourselves

as a church under

the Word of God.

Every word.

And not just

because we have

to, we want

to.

Because this

gives us life.

Shows us the way

to walk.

And the Spirit

empowers us to

walk according to

His Word.

That's why

1 Timothy 3.15

says the church

is the pillar

and foundation

of the truth.

The truth.

God has revealed

how things really

are through this

book.

And we get to

be the purveyors

of it.

The protectors

of it.

The delighters

in it.

When you come

across a passage

in Colossians 3.16

it says this.

It basically

says, let the

Word of Christ

dwell richly

among you.

Let the words

that Jesus said

dwell richly

among you.

Let the words

about Jesus

dwell richly

among you.

It's all about

Jesus.

And that word

dwelling is the

idea of taking

up residence.

God wants

His Word

dwelling in

every square

inch of

your person.

He wants

His Word

dwelling in

every square

inch of

His people.

A Bible

saturated

people.

We could say

more.

But let's

move on to

point four.

The church

is the

distinct

people of

God.

God.

In John

17, Jesus

is praying

for His

disciples.

And Jesus

prays that

God His

Father would

not remove

them from

the world,

but because

they're no

longer of

the world,

that God

would keep

them in

the world

and protect

them from

the evil

one.

We're not

of the world,

brothers and

sisters,

anymore because

we've been

converted.

We've been

called out

by Jesus.

Called out

from the

world.

We are His

people now.

And in

verse 17,

Jesus prays,

sanctify them

in the

truth.

Your word

is truth.

And that

word sanctify

means to

set apart,

to be

holy.

As God's

people called

out from

the world,

we are to

be holy,

set apart

in the

world.

We are to

be distinct

as God's

people.

people.

Now,

when John

talks about

the world

in John

17,

he's not

talking about

the planet,

he's talking

about a

group of

people.

Let me

try to

illustrate.

Have you

ever been

to a

stadium

during a

huge football

game or

sports event,

maybe a

concert,

and you're

actually outside

the stadium,

but the

event is

over,

you have

mobs of

people streaming

out of the

venue,

but you

need to

try to

get in.

Do you

know how

crazy that

is?

It's really

hard,

because you

have this

mass of

humanity

coming at

you in the

opposite direction,

and you

need to

try to

make your

way to

your goal

through

them.

The world

is the

mass of

unregenerate

humanity,

not moving

towards God,

moving away

from Him.

and so

a Christian

is called

to be set

apart by

God's Word

to go

against the

grain of

the world

for living

for Jesus.

Now,

the Holy

Spirit,

on the moment

you're converted,

comes and

dwells within

each of us,

and He

empowers us

to live

according to

God's Word

against the

grain of

the world.

If you

turn in

your Bibles

to 1 Peter

1 Peter 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1,

we read

this,

As obedient

children,

do not

be conformed

to the

passions of

your former

ignorance,

what you

were like

before you

were converted,

but as He

who called

you is

holy,

you also

be holy

in your

conduct,

since it

is written

in holy

book

scripture,

you shall

be holy

for I

am holy.

God has

called us

out of the

world to

be distinct

from the

world,

according to

His Word,

by the

power of

the Holy

Spirit.

If you

look at

chapter 2,

verses 9

through 12,

we read

this,

but you

are a

chosen race,

a royal

priesthood,

a holy

nation,

a people

for His

own

possession,

that you

may

proclaim

the

excellencies

of Him

who

called

you

out

of

darkness

into

His

marvelous

light.

Once

you

were not

a

people,

but now

you

are

God's

people.

Once

you

had

not

received

mercy,

but now

you

have

received

mercy.

Beloved

church,

I urge

you as

sojourners

and exiles

to abstain

from the

passions of

the flesh

which war

against

your soul.

Keep

your

conduct

among

the

Gentiles

honorable

so that

when they

speak

against

you

as

evildoers

they

may

see

your

good

deeds

and

glorify

God

on the

day

of

visitation.

We

are

to be

distinct

from

the

world.

The

church

is

the

distinct

people

of

God

in

our

holiness.

We

just

don't

do

what

we

used

to

do.

It's

not

who

we

are

anymore.

And

God

has

given

us

his

word.

He's

given

us

the

Holy

Spirit

and

he's

given

us

each

other

so that

we

can

press

against

the

grain

of

the

world.

Now

there's

one

thing

to

move

against

a

mass

of

humanity

on

your

own.

It's

another

thing

when

you

have

a

counter

mass

of

redeemed

humanity

with

minds

full

of

the

Bible

empowered

by

the

Holy

Spirit

locked

arms

together

and

you're

like

we're

going.

That's

the

church.

And what

the

scriptures

say is

we're just

not arms

linked to

each other

we're

one

person

together

we're the

body

of Christ

which brings

me to

a second

distinction

of the

church

our

unity.

in

the

same

passage

in

John

17

Jesus

prays

and I

think

it's

verse

20

and

22

I had to

mark all

these down

because there's

so many

Jesus

prays

this

verse

22

the

glory

that

you

have

given

me

I

have

given

to

them

that

they

may

be

one

even

as

we

are

one

I

am

them

and

you

and

me

that

they

may

become

perfectly

one

so

that

the

world

may

know

that

you

sent

me

and

love

them

even

as

you

love

me

now

flip

over

to

John

13

in

verses

34

and

35

we

read

this

a

new

commandment

Jesus

says

I

give

to

you

that

you

love

one