Build the Church.

Steve Gentry

[0:00] Good morning. If this is your first time here, my name’s Steve. I’m one of the pastors [0:04] here at Village Church. And as always, I’m thankful and grateful to see each and every [0:09] one of you. On that video was a preview of an offering that we’re going to take up here [0:15] at Village Church on Sunday morning, December 20th. It’s something that we do every year [0:20] here as the church is taking part in the Lottie Moon Christmas offering. And what that offering [0:24] is, is our opportunity to partner with the International Mission Board and aid them in

[0:31] reaching the unreached peoples all over the world. In that video was a missionary from [0:37] Oaxaca, Mexico. And if you’ve been with us for a while, you probably recognize one of [0:42] our own members, Christy Willis, who’s been down there for quite some time now, serving [0:46] with the International Mission Board. And all of the monies that go into the Lottie [0:51] Moon Christmas offering go to sending missionaries to places in the world where people have [0:57] not heard the gospel of Jesus Christ, such as Oaxaca, Mexico, where one of our members

[1:02] is currently serving with the International Mission Board. One of my favorite things about [1:07] being in Church of Jesus Christ is being able to partner with other churches to reach more [1:12] than we would be able to reach on our own. It’s one of the great things about being [1:17] part of the Southern Baptist Convention and the cooperative program, which the International [1:21] Mission Board is part. But the Lottie Moon Christmas offering is a little different. [1:25] This is one time of year where we as the people of God take a look at our budgets and say,

[1:31] how much can we sacrifice this time of year to send missionaries, as 100% of this offering [1:37] goes specifically towards that. And so my challenge to you over these next few weeks, [1:43] because I wanted to talk to you about it a few weeks beforehand so that you could really [1:47] think about it. So you could really take a look at your checking account, really take [1:52] a look at your savings and really consider over this holiday season how you can take [1:58] part in reaching unreached peoples all over the world. Because that’s a great thing that

[2:04] we have as we can partner with other churches, is that your money, no matter how little, [2:10] no matter how much, some of you can do some, some of you can do a great deal. But you don’t [2:15] just have to depend on that. We can partner with Christians all over the Southern Baptist Convention [2:21] and give and give and give. Why do we do that? Well, that video showed some of the people [2:28] that are hearing the gospel in part because of the Lottie Moon Christmas offering. And I [2:36] can’t think of anything better to be a part of as a follower of Jesus Christ than to give

[2:42] so that more may be sent. I truly believe that some people in village churches, Christi Willis [2:48] surrendered her life, are ultimately going to surrender their lives and be sent on mission. [2:54] But just because you’ve not been sent to another part of the world doesn’t mean that you can’t [2:59] take part. If you’re not someone that’s being sent, then you are someone that is sending. [3:05] And so the call of God on your life is to take a look at the resources, [3:09] which 100% of the resources that you have in your life, even monetarily, is from God. And he has

[3:16] given you those resources to steward and worship him with. And the way that we worship him in this [3:22] life is we’re actually going to take a look at today, is that we steward our resources to send [3:28] others and to send ourselves even to reach people with the good news that Jesus saves. [3:35] And you heard him say that the way that they’re doing this is planting churches [3:39] among indigenous peoples. It’s one of my favorite part of being part of the Southern Baptist [3:44] Convention of supporting the International Mission Board and also being part of the

[3:48] Acts 29 network. Is that even though we do not represent the whole world right here, [3:53] we’re just a small people, but we are able to take part in reaching people all over the world [4:00] with the gospel of Jesus Christ. So over the next few weeks, get together with your family, [4:05] or if you don’t have a family and you’re just a single person, get together by yourself, [4:10] maybe with a group of friends even, and pray. Seek the face of God as to how he will use [4:16] your resources to reach the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Well, if you have your Bibles,

[4:23] go ahead and open them to Matthew chapter 16. We’re going to be starting in verse 13 this morning, [4:29] but we’re in week five of a seven-week series on the basic commands of Christ. [4:35] During this series, we have sought to unpack what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ [4:40] by really taking a look at all of the commands that Jesus gave us, but kind of summarizing them [4:45] and condensing them down to seven different commands that Jesus has been very clear about. [4:50] And what we’re talking about here is what it means to actually be a disciple of Jesus Christ.

[4:58] He calls us, as we saw in week one, to repent of our sin and believe in the gospel of Jesus. [5:04] He’s called us to pray, be in relationship with God, abide in Christ. He has called us to love [5:10] God and love others through the truth of the gospel. He has called us to be baptized, to take [5:16] part in the symbol of what it means to have your life changed by the truth of who Jesus is and what [5:23] Jesus did. And this week, I want to take a look at a fifth command, which is that we are called [5:29] as a people of God to build the church of Jesus Christ. And the question that we all have to ask

[5:37] ourselves is, what is the purpose of obeying Jesus? Is this just an individual plan that he’s [5:44] called us to obey him and it will aid me as an individual? Or is there something larger? Is there [5:49] a bigger mission at play that Jesus has given us? Some years ago, I had the privilege while I was in [5:57] college of discovering what back then was the most amazing convenience store I had ever been to. [6:03] It was called Sheetz. I’d never been there. There’s two things that happened that night. First, I [6:08] met a Canadian. I’d never met a Canadian. This was back when I was 19 years old. And then secondly,

[6:13] that Canadian introduced me to Sheetz. It was a Thursday evening and curfew was early. I went to [6:20] one of those colleges and we went out to Sheetz and I walked in and there was no pre-made food. [6:27] Instead, there was this beautiful touch pad screen and I was able to customize my MTO. You got to be [6:35] in the know to know what an MTO is, but I was able to customize. Some of y’all are too classy. [6:41] I’m not that classy, so I love gas store food. And I was able to customize my smokehouse. I’ll [6:51] never forget it. It left that big of an imprint on me. I ordered a smokehouse chicken sandwich

[6:55] and I was able to customize it however I wanted to. It was all about me that night. [7:04] Then later, it was all about the hurt. But at that moment, [7:08] it was the greatest thing I’d ever seen in my life. And some of us, unfortunately, [7:15] we come into our relationship with Jesus Christ with that view of what discipleship is all about. [7:23] That discipleship is all about me. I bring in all of my wants, all of my preferences, [7:30] and I need discipleship catered and customized to who I am, to what I want, to what my preference is.

[7:38] And I want to know what my preferences are. So the question that we’ve got to ask ourselves, [7:42] is that where the scriptures point us about discipleship or is it about something bigger [7:48] than me? I want to submit to you this morning that discipleship, ultimately, in the words of [7:56] Rick Warren, is not about you. It’s all about Jesus. Jesus came with a mission to redeem for [8:04] himself a people that would be his church. No, not your church, his church. For all those who [8:15] repent and believe in the gospel, we are given a mission that’s foundational purpose is in building

[8:22] the church of Jesus Christ. So ultimately, if you follow Jesus, you will make it your aim with your [8:31] life to build his church. Look at what Jesus has to say in Matthew chapter 16. I’m going to start [8:39] reading in verse 13 this morning. Now, when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, [8:46] he asked his disciples, who do people say that the Son of Man is? And they said, some say John the [8:54] Baptist, others say Elijah, and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. [9:00] And Jesus said to them, but who do you say that I am? Simon Peter replied, you are the Christ,

[9:08] the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered him, blessed are you, Simon Bar-Honah, for flesh [9:16] and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, [9:23] you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail [9:33] against it. I’m going to tell you this morning, I want to unpack three basic truths about what [9:39] Jesus is laying out in this passage and what is laid out throughout the entire New Testament [9:44] after Jesus left. Number one this morning, Jesus came to build his church. Jesus came to build

[9:53] his church. Note that when Jesus is having this conversation with his disciples, he tells them, [10:00] he says, who do you say that I am? There’s all these rumors floating around about Jesus [10:06] because of the miracles that he’s doing, because of the wonderful teachings that he’s giving with [10:10] the authority that does not seem common to all of the teachers of that day. And they say, well, [10:15] some say you’re this guy, some say you’re a prophet of the Old Testament, some say you’re [10:19] the reincarnation of John the Baptist. And Jesus looks to his disciples, he says, who do you say

[10:26] that I am? And Peter makes the confession that is life changing. Jesus makes that confession that [10:35] we all make the moment that we repent of our sins and believe in the gospel. And that confession [10:41] is that Jesus, you are the Christ. He’s saying, Jesus, you are the one that was promised. [10:47] You are the Messiah that the prophets of the Old Testament promised would come to redeem his people. [10:53] And then he goes one step further and he says, you are not even man. You are the Son of the [10:58] living God. And so in that moment, Peter is making the confession that is the most confession that

[11:04] most important confession that you will ever make in your life. That is Jesus is the Redeemer and [11:10] Jesus is God himself who’s come to save his people from their sin. And in that moment, [11:19] I believe Jesus gives what is the turning point of the book of Matthew. And in that turning point, [11:25] he says, that is true. And understand that on this pronouncement, on the fact that I am the Redeemer, [11:34] on the fact that I am the Son of God, on this confession that all who follow me will make, [11:40] I will build my church. And he says, you, you are Peter. And on this, and it’s a term that’s very

[11:50] similar to Peter, it means rock or stone. And I believe he’s saying two things there. [11:58] The first thing is about the pronouncement on that confession that I am God. I’m building my [12:02] church. But then secondly, I think he’s giving a message to his disciples that when you make [12:07] that pronouncement, you join that church and then you take part in building that church.

[12:18] The word church here is a term that literally means called out assembly. And this term was [12:27] of any type of assembly. But when you use this term, ekklesia, at that point in time, [12:33] what was happening is, is that it wasn’t just an assembly of people that came together for no [12:38] purpose, but instead it’s a term that means that you are brought together and you come together [12:42] for a specific purpose. Even in this culture, they understood that Jesus was choosing to designate [12:51] his people as being called out for a specific purpose. But what is that purpose?

[12:58] I believe he tells them what the purpose is. The purpose is the gospel. The purpose is the [13:04] confession of who he is and what he came to do. And what would happen is when you’re making that [13:11] confession, it builds the assembly larger and larger. I said, Jesus wants his disciples to [13:18] understand that he did not come just for them as individuals. He came to do something larger [13:29] than any of them. He came to give them a mission that was not to be catered to their tastes, [13:36] their preferences, their wants, but instead he was giving them a mission that they would have to

[13:41] sacrifice their very lives for. That would be what it meant to submit to his authority. And what [13:49] that was is taking part in building the very church of Jesus Christ. To help you understand this, [13:56] I believe Matthew chapter 16 aids us in understanding the context of the Great Commission [14:03] in Matthew chapter 28, the text that we took a look at last week. In Matthew chapter 28, starting [14:08] in verse 18, Jesus tells them he came and said to them, all authority in heaven and on earth [14:14] has been given to me. Note that this should remind you of what Jesus said at the end of Matthew

[14:20] chapter 16, verse 18. He says, on this confession, I will build my church and the gates of hell [14:28] shall not prevail against it. What does it take to make that type of pronouncement? It takes [14:33] authority. It takes ultimate authority. Jesus is saying the mission that I’m here for and the [14:39] mission that I’m going to give you, this is a mission that will never be defeated. This is a [14:44] mission that must be submitted to, and this is a mission that will ultimately be victorious. And [14:50] how do we know it will ultimately be victorious? Because of Matthew 28, 18. Because Jesus looks

[14:56] at his disciples and he says, understand that all authority both in heaven and on earth has [15:03] been given to me. And because of that authority, you go therefore and make disciples of all nations, [15:10] baptizing them in the name of the father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to [15:15] observe all that I have commanded you and behold, I’m with you always to the end of the age. [15:22] Jesus says, I will build my church. And then he looks to his disciples, those who believe, [15:29] those who trusted in him. And he says, I will be with you in this pursuit to make disciples.

[15:37] So when you take a look at everything that Jesus starts saying at Matthew chapter 16, [15:42] and then how he concludes Matthew’s gospel in Matthew chapter 28, I believe everything in [15:48] there is about the church of Jesus Christ and Jesus’s passion, Jesus’s commitment to his body [15:54] and what he is going to build. And then when he leaves this earth, he looks to them and he says, [16:00] I have accomplished my mission. I have saved you. I have redeemed you. Now go make the confession [16:07] of who I am and teach others what it is to follow me. And I will be with you. I will be in you. And

[16:14] I will be building my church through the great commission. So Jesus came with a specific mission. [16:24] Therefore, if you want to live the mission of Jesus in your life, it must be with a vision [16:32] and commitment to building Jesus’s church. So ultimately what that means is that apart [16:40] from the church, you are not living Jesus’s mission. The mission of Jesus is not about you [16:47] as an individual. It’s not something that you can go out into this world as a lone ranger and just [16:52] do whatever you want, however you want it, because it’s all about you and I’m going to live Jesus’s

[16:56] mission. I’m going to do it on my time. I’m going to do it my way and I’m going to build my life the [17:00] way I want to do it. And if anything gets in the way of my mission, well then it’s got to go to [17:04] the side because I’ve kind of made my mission primary in all of this because it’s about me [17:08] as an individual. No, it’s not about you. It’s about Jesus. And then you got to ask yourself, [17:17] what is Jesus about? Jesus is about building his church. Therefore, if we want to follow Jesus, [17:25] we necessarily must do what he’s doing. We must be a part of what he’s being a part of.

[17:33] We must walk the path that he is walking. Otherwise, are you following Jesus? Of course not. [17:39] You’re just out on a walk and ultimately you’re following yourself.

[17:45] So number two this morning, understand that you can’t grow in the gospel apart from the church. [17:52] You can’t grow in the gospel apart from the church. You are to have a life that is anchored [18:01] in the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Living a life that is centered on the gospel [18:06] and growing and following Jesus is the goal of every disciple of Jesus. Otherwise, you are not [18:12] a disciple. But to do that, we must be focused on what Jesus wants. Our focus then must be on [18:20] committing our lives no matter what it costs us to make every pursuit, every aim about what Jesus’s

[18:31] suits and what Jesus’s aims are. You cannot follow Jesus apart from the church because the [18:36] church is what he promised to build by saving sinners. I mean, he did not go through this world [18:43] and just say, I’m going to save people. Leave them where they are. Leave them how they were. [18:50] Just go tell them and then that’s it. No, he said make disciples, make followers. He said teach them.

[19:00] This is not like some new thing where it’s online discipleship. [19:05] Where you can do it privacy of your home, buy yourself. No, this is relational. Jesus is saying [19:10] when you reach someone with the gospel, you make a commitment to them, you have a responsibility [19:14] to them, you join with them, you build a relationship with them and you teach them to observe all that [19:20] I have commanded you. And when you do that, Jesus is gathering saved sinners together [19:29] to form his church. Jesus then is the head of the church. I want to go through the book of

[19:37] Ephesians real quick with you. You okay with that? Well, in Ephesians chapter one, [19:44] the apostle Paul begins to take what really is a 15,000 foot view of the church of Jesus Christ. [19:51] And then as he progresses through the book of Ephesians, he gets closer and closer and closer. [19:56] And then he’s kind of on the street level by the end telling you what part you play [20:01] and the narrative that Jesus is telling the world through the building of his church. [20:06] Well, in Ephesians chapter one, starting in verse 22, he says, and he put all things, he’s saying

[20:12] God has put all things under the feet of Jesus and given him as head over all things [20:19] to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

[20:30] He’s saying that this great mission that Jesus is taking part in, you are integral to that mission [20:35] because Jesus has chosen, understand the privilege of this, that God the Son, the Redeemer, [20:43] has chosen to find his fullness in his people.

[20:52] And he says that he is the head over all of it and then we are his body carrying out his mission. [21:00] Now, if your body parts begin to defy you and your arm just starts flailing doing its own thing, [21:09] your legs just start kicking all over the place, you’re probably going to go to the doctor because [21:14] something’s wrong with your central nervous system. You’ve got a medical condition, you’ve [21:18] got a disability and you need to have that checked out. And the analogy that’s being given to us here [21:24] is that Jesus is the head. He’s central command. The body is to take its cues from how it acts

[21:34] from the head. It’s to do what it says. But too often we see ourselves as the head. We customize. [21:42] Well, I don’t really like that part of the scriptures. I don’t really like that part. [21:45] I don’t really like what he’s calling me to here. So you start touching the touchpad of your MTO, [21:50] your personal discipleship plan, and it’s catered towards you. And pretty soon you are [21:56] that limb that’s just kind of going haywire doing its own thing. That’s a disability.

[22:03] You see, what we are called to do is we are called to function as a healthy church listening to the [22:10] primary commands of the head who is Jesus Christ. And in any way when my life comes into conflict [22:19] with what he has called me to do, who’s got the problem? Jesus or me? Me. Jesus is perfect. [22:28] He has nothing to repent of. He never has. He never will. That’s why the book of Hebrews says [22:34] he’s unchanging. But trust me, you’ve got issues. I’ve got issues. I have never seen a perfect day [22:44] in my life. I cannot think of a time where I made it through the first hour without sinning.

[22:53] And neither have you. Yet oftentimes in our lives as people who are trying to take every thought [23:00] captive to following Jesus Christ, we find conflict with what we want and what Jesus wants. [23:07] What do we do? Well, by God’s grace we repent. Or that inner defense mechanism [23:16] starts talking to us, that inner lawyer, and we kind of find excuses. Well, [23:25] I don’t need to be an extremist here. I mean, I’m not called to totally repent, right?

[23:32] That’s my favorite thing that all of you say to me. [23:36] If you ever come to my office for a counseling session, please don’t say nobody’s perfect.

[23:43] That’s the biggest cop-out. Like I don’t know that.

[23:50] Trust me, you wouldn’t be in there if you were.

[23:57] But when God by His grace, and understand this is a grace, the beauty of God’s grace and the [24:05] power of His grace, by His grace uncovers a place in your life where He wants more submission than [24:11] He already had. Understand that that is the work of God saying, I want to give more of my life [24:18] into you than you already had. So don’t excuse yourself from a moment of grace where He wants [24:24] furthered obedience. Instead, praise God that He’s active. Praise God that He’s involved [24:30] personally in your life, calling you to submit more and more to His plan than He was yesterday,

[24:38] unveiling more of who He is to you today than you knew about yesterday. And in a moment of [24:43] that amazing grace, the answer is, I’ve got to change. Friends, understand that for you and I [24:53] to be a part of building the church of Jesus Christ, changes must be made in every one of [24:59] our lives. Because one of the root issues that sin causes in my life, the root issue is [25:06] selfishness. Believing that I’m smarter than God is, ultimately that’s pride.

[25:14] And so you and I are on a great journey of repenting of sin day in and day out to align [25:20] our lives closer to His vision. And when we align our lives closer to His vision, [25:25] you know what happens? We begin to view ourselves as the church of Jesus Christ, [25:31] and we begin to use our lives to build the church of Jesus Christ. Note what the apostle [25:36] Paul goes on to say. He says that if you’re being discipled, you’re going to build the church. In [25:41] Ephesians chapter 2, starting in verse 20, he says that the church is built on the foundation

[25:46] of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone, and whom the whole [25:55] temple in the Lord in Him. You also note this, you also are being built together into a dwelling [26:05] place for God by the Spirit. So when Jesus says, I’ll build my church, this is an ongoing thing [26:13] that we have the privilege of being a part of that Jesus is building us. Jesus is working in [26:19] our lives. And if you’re being discipled, you will build the church because that’s the vision. [26:26] Ephesians chapter 2, he starts talking about the fact that the wall of hostility even among people

[26:33] has been torn down by the truth of the gospel. So now people of all races, now people of all [26:38] ethnicities, people of all languages are being drawn in to be a part of the church that God is [26:46] building through the confession of the gospel, through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in those [26:52] lives of those who believe in Jesus. He’s building a work that’s unparalleled. He’s building a [26:58] historic work. It’s the greatest work of all history, the greatest vision that you could have [27:02] ever have for your life. And then in verses 20 through 22, he says, I’m building it through you.

[27:11] What a great history we have. Because ultimately the fellowship that we so long for and the [27:20] fellowship that we so need in our lives is only found in the reconciliation and the gospel of [27:26] Jesus Christ. The work of Jesus on the cross gives us a right relationship with God. That’s what [27:33] reconciliation is. It takes a relationship that was broken and it reforms that relationship. [27:41] Sin had broken our relationship with God. We had offended him. And Jesus then took the penalty for [27:49] our offense against God and then reconciled us to a new relationship with him. And that

[27:56] reconciliation with God, if you’re a follower of Jesus, if you are his disciple, that reconciliation [28:02] is to mark our lives and give us a new identity as the people of God. And it’s to mark who you are. [28:10] It’s what you’re supposed to find your identity in if you trust in Jesus. [28:14] Pastor and good friend of mine, Doug Ponder, puts it this way. He says, the role of the church [28:19] in the mission of God, which is to make his goodness, love, grace and glory known to the [28:32] world, is to be separately connected to the lives of his people. Practically, this means that we

[28:38] should probably think of our lives in terms of we and us and not I and me. If the point of the [28:46] gospel is the creation of the church, then some things have got to change. We must begin to see [28:51] that active membership in a healthy church is one of the key signs that someone is in right [28:57] relationship with God. We must see that living together in community to edify each other and to [29:02] glorify God is not a nice bonus, but rather it is the entire point of the Christian life. [29:11] You see, even in saying that, I know that some of you have had hard experiences in local churches.

[29:22] That some of you have been hurt. Some of you have been offended. Some of you have seen [29:28] sin from leadership that disgusts you. Some of you have really been hurt and I don’t want to [29:37] discount any of those experiences because I have talked to many of you and I understand it and I’ve [29:43] probably given some of you a bad taste in your mouth on accident. I hope I didn’t do it on purpose. [29:48] Just kidding. But the reality is, is that our lives are to be marked not by just our experiences, [30:00] but rather it’s to be marked by faith. A trust that God is doing something even in light of

[30:09] fact that when sinners get together, you know what sometimes happens? Sin.

[30:18] It doesn’t take a genius to figure that one out. You get enough sinners in one room, [30:23] somebody’s going to be sinning. Probably most of the body’s going to be sinning.

[30:29] But the reality is that we are called to see above the fray. We are called to see above some of our [30:38] unfortunate experiences with sin and people in this life to the ideal of what God says about his [30:45] church. And we are to believe God more than we believe ourselves. Friends, I have been in church [30:52] my entire life, 35 years. You think I’ve made it 35 years without seeing some bad folks? [31:01] Without being in relationships with some pastors who blew it? About serving without serving under [31:06] some pastors that blew it? I’ve done it. I’ve been there. I’ve seen it. But I am called by God

[31:13] to see what he has a vision for, not what I have a vision for.

[31:21] See, sometimes in life I’ve got to believe that God is good and that he is in control [31:29] and he is reigning on his throne even in moments where I question it.

[31:38] Even in moments where I say, not this again.

[31:42] You see, friends, we are not a disconnected group of people who come together for nuggets of wisdom [31:50] to return to a life in which we are isolated on mission by ourselves. Nor are we a group of [31:57] people who gather and cater to every whim that we all have. We are to be changed by the gospel [32:05] through reconciliation with God and live to learn how to be changed by the gospel to align our [32:12] values and passions with God’s values and passions. See, in Ephesians chapter 4, he begins to get [32:19] closer and closer to street level where we are. And he says that God has given the apostles, the

[32:25] prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds, and the teachers. Why? To equip the saints for the work [32:31] of ministry for building up the body of Christ. You see, in chapter 2, he says, God, through what [32:39] he’s doing in your life, he’s building the church. The foundation is set. The walls are being [32:44] constructed through you and I. And then he says in chapter 4, and he says, understand that every [32:50] moment of discipleship, every sermon, every time we’re in the Word, every time we’re in village [32:56] group, every time we’re in personal discipleship group, every time that we are together as the

[33:00] people of God, we are being equipped for a specific purpose, for the work of ministry,

[33:11] the building of the body of Christ. I see a lot of times when we look at the work of ministry, [33:17] we say, okay, well, that’s the pastors. Good luck with that. But note what he does here. [33:27] He actually says, I’ve given you the shepherds and the teachers to equip the saints. You probably [33:34] don’t think about yourself that way. Well, some of you might,

[33:41] but you are the saints. You are the ones who are being equipped for the work of ministry.

[33:55] You see, friends, one, two, three, four, five guys can make an impact in the world that’s [34:03] pretty small. When we think about the life of village church, think about a few hundred people [34:11] being equipped for the work of the ministry. And that is what we’re here for. That is our aim. [34:18] And you can’t grow in the gospel without that being the aim of your life. God has given us a [34:32] way to the world to build up the body of Christ. Friends, the church is where real life change [34:40] and growth actually happens. You know, that throughout the New Testament,

[34:46] there are 59 different one another commands. This is what I’m talking about here is love one [34:53] another, instruct one another, forgive one another, eat with one another, serve one another, [34:57] et cetera. You see, friends, you need and I need intentional environments [35:03] committed to living out those one another’s and that is what the church is for. [35:10] That’s what the church is for. Thirdly, this morning, understand that building the church [35:14] is how we further Jesus’s mission. Building the church is how we further Jesus’s mission.

[35:23] We are discipled through being and building God’s church. You know, you cannot hope [35:30] to grow and following Jesus where his interests aren’t.

[35:36] But that’s where many of us find our interests. We’re interested in other things. We’re busy [35:43] with other things. And then oftentimes we then ask the million dollar question, [35:48] why is my relationship with God not growing? Well, if I ignored all of my wife’s interests, [35:55] my marriage wouldn’t grow either. But you grow in relationship with God by being interested in what [36:02] he is interested in. Trust me, he is not going to cater to your interests. Again, Jesus has nothing [36:09] to repent of. But I do. Oftentimes in our lives, we must turn from the things that we are actually

[36:21] living for so that we can fully engage in God’s glorious mission. He sends us out into the world [36:30] to tell people of what God has done. And we share the hope of Jesus in the life of the church so [36:39] that the world can know who he is. You see, in John chapter 13, starting in verse 34, Jesus told us [36:49] this. He says, a new commandment I give to you, that you love one another. Just as I have loved [36:56] you, you also are to love one another. But then note what he says in verse 35. By this, all people [37:02] know that you are my disciples if you love one another. There is an interesting

[37:09] life that he is forming there. He is saying that there are people in the world that need to know [37:13] what love is. And so your first thought is, I am going to go show them love. And Jesus says, [37:18] wait a second. You want them to know about my love? Then love the people of the church. [37:26] He is talking to his disciples. He is talking to believers there. He is saying, if you want [37:31] to reach the world, you have to start by having something to bring the world to. [37:36] And when we are out there as individuals, we have nothing more than our very lives to connect them

[37:42] to. And Jesus says, you are not enough. You need to learn how to love. You need to learn what love [37:50] is. So in that light, he tells us in Hebrews chapter 10 verse 24, he says, let us consider [37:56] how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, [38:03] as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another and all the more as you see the day drawing [38:11] near. He says, if you want to have a life that is filled with love, then you need to consider how [38:18] to stir each disciple’s life up so that you make your life all about the work of Jesus.

[38:25] And you cannot do this apart from the local church. You cannot do it. A lot of people will [38:32] say, oh, I love the church, the universal church, the invisible church. I love the idea of the church. [38:41] And they say, well, what church are you personally committed to? Because I want to be a part of love [38:44] in that church too. Well, I go here sometimes and I go over there sometimes. I just kind of hop along.

[38:55] That’s not love. That’s not love. You see, Jesus is saying you need a home base. [39:02] You need to be connected into the lives of others. You know, if you don’t know me very well [39:07] and you come up to me and you don’t, maybe you don’t know me at all. And you come up to me and [39:10] say, Steve, I need to stir you up to some good works. If I don’t know you, that’s going to be weird.

[39:17] Have you walked up to a total stranger and tried that? Hey, buddy, I need to stir you up to some [39:22] good works. They might run. Actually, they should. You’re weird. Don’t do that.

[39:33] But you do that if you’re actually committing to one another. That’s why some of you, [39:39] you need desperately to get in a village group. You need desperately to get in relationship [39:45] with other people in the church. You desperately need to form a personal discipleship group. [39:50] People you can go through the word together with, people you can pray together with. [39:54] You need relationships that have an agenda of actually challenging you, pushing you, [40:00] and pulling you to actually follow Jesus. Well, I’ve got to have boundaries.

[40:10] New Testament, that’s all I’m going to say.

[40:14] Friends, the Church of Jesus Christ acts as analogy from Steve Temes, both a centripetal [40:25] and centrifugal force in our lives. It is centrifugal in the fact that the gospel pushes [40:34] us out into the lives of people in culture. We go out into the world to take the good news of Jesus [40:41] to people who need to be redeemed from their sin. That is our mission in the world, but sometimes [40:46] that’s all that we see. So we’re just being pushed out, and so we just keep going and going. [40:52] But it’s also what they call a centripetal force. We have an anchor somewhere. We’re going out into

[41:00] the world, but we’re also being pulled back into the life of the church. And that’s where some of [41:09] the people who are in the church are pulled back. Friends, you need to be pulled back. I need to be [41:13] pulled back. We need to be anchored into the Church of Jesus Christ. This is the community [41:18] of the church. It’s where we are discipled as well as where we are connecting those who have been [41:26] redeemed. You are not the ultimate mission that Jesus is on in this world. His church is. Therefore, [41:36] when we connect people to the hope of Jesus, we also then necessarily connect them to His body.

[41:44] But to do that, you have to be connected to His body. We need a home base and a definable [41:54] purpose. Because we’re the people of God, and we connect those who have been saved as bodies. [41:59] In Matthew 16 verse 18, Jesus means to inform us that our lives need to be centered upon something [42:08] and constantly being pulled to something. And that something is His mission for the church. [42:15] I think the weekly meal of the Lord’s Supper helps us understand the push and pull [42:22] of the Church of Jesus Christ. Before the cross, Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper to reflect on

[42:30] and ensure our remembrance of the cross and resurrection for all things. It’s a meal that [42:36] we share together. Note that we don’t eat it by ourselves, but rather we come together to partake [42:41] in it. It pulls us together through the reconciling work of the gospel. And in doing that, it reminds [42:50] us of why we’re even together in the first place. You see, friends, we’re not a social club,

[42:59] nor do we bring outside interests in. This meal reminds us that we’re together for the purpose [43:08] of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and that purpose builds the church of Jesus Christ. [43:16] You know, as the band comes up, I want us always to understand

[43:23] that we are the church. We. Not you, not I. We. And this morning, if you’re a follower of Jesus, [43:37] if you trusted in Him, I want to invite you to take part in the purpose to the thing that [43:44] draws us together to the action of what Jesus wants us to constantly be reflecting on together. [43:52] And that is the body and blood of Jesus, the death that paid the penalty for our sins, [43:58] because the bread represents the broken body of Jesus. The cup represents his shed blood. [44:03] And when we eat and when we drink, what we’re saying is we’re proclaiming, I believe in the

[44:09] gospel of Jesus Christ. And it represents the life of Jesus inside of our lives. [44:16] And then when you turn and you walk away from this table, understand that you are being sent [44:21] as an ambassador for Jesus, someone who’s called to pull others into the life [44:29] of the church of Jesus Christ. If you’re a follower of Jesus this morning, when you’re ready, come.