Community - The Redemption of Community.

Steve Gentry

[0:00] Thank you for being here. [0:01] Maybe seated. [0:03] My name’s Steve. [0:04] I’m one of the pastors here at the Village [0:05] if you’ve never been before. [0:07] So thankful to have you here.

[0:10] If you have never been here before, [0:12] after the service is over, we have [0:14] what’s called a connection card under your chair. [0:17] Please do us the favor of filling that out. [0:20] Let us know that you were here. [0:22] And we’ll be in touch with you.

[0:24] And hopefully you’ll be able to join in, [0:26] join a community group or something. [0:28] And if you didn’t like it, if you [0:29] don’t like what I have to say today, [0:31] please don’t fill out a community card. [0:33] I can only take so much criticism.

[0:35] I tell you. [0:36] It’s just, I got an ego problem. [0:38] That’s why I needed to be saved. [0:40] That’s why I need Jesus. [0:42] It’s all ego. [0:43] You’re seeing it.

[0:44] You’re going to see a lot of it this morning as I talk, [0:46] probably. [0:47] But good morning. [0:47] If you have your Bibles, go ahead and open them up [0:49] to John chapter 17. [0:51] We’re going to be in John 17 today.

[0:53] Over the past few weeks, we have been [0:56] talking about just our core. [0:58] What we are as a church. [1:00] Who we are. [1:01] What do we believe? [1:02] What do we exist for?

[1:03] What is our purpose? [1:04] And we spent a couple of weeks talking about the redemption [1:07] that we have in Jesus Christ. [1:09] And we saw that through the cross, [1:11] through the resurrection of Jesus, [1:13] through the fact that He died taking our sins,

[1:16] the actions which we have done against God, [1:19] the fact that we have rebelled against God. [1:21] And Jesus Christ, the Son of God, became a human being, [1:25] lived a sinless, perfect life, [1:27] died on the cross for our sins. [1:29] And the scriptures tells us in 2 Corinthians 5, 21,

[1:33] that God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf [1:38] so that we might become the righteousness of God. [1:42] And that Jesus, rather than condemning us [1:47] to complete and total separation from Himself, [1:50] from the Father, from the Spirit, [1:52] Jesus steps down into this world,

[1:56] becomes a human being, [1:59] and dies for us. [2:00] Even though He had never sinned, [2:02] even though according to the scriptures, [2:03] He didn’t even know sin. [2:05] The scriptures say He was tempted,

[2:06] but He never sinned. [2:08] He takes our sin, [2:10] the actions that we have willfully done against God, [2:13] onto Himself. [2:14] And then He dies for that sin, [2:16] paying the penalty for our sin.

[2:17] But then we know that the story goes on [2:19] and He rises from the dead, [2:21] claiming victory over sin, [2:23] claiming victory over death. [2:24] And through this resurrection, [2:26] we can experience this redeemed life,

[2:29] this redemption that takes deep root in our lives. [2:32] And God actually gives us His life, [2:34] fills us with His Spirit. [2:36] And we can walk in a brand new life, [2:39] according to Romans chapter 6. [2:41] And then for the past two weeks,

[2:42] we’ve talked about what does this new life look like [2:45] and what must this new life be based on? [2:47] And the fact of the matter is, [2:49] if God’s going to live through us, [2:51] well, then the new life is probably going to look [2:53] like what God wants.

[2:55] And that God fills us with this love for Himself. [2:58] And when we’re filled with the love of God, [2:59] when we’re filled with this desire for God, [3:01] when we’re given the capacity to obey God, [3:05] rather than rebel against God, [3:07] we will necessarily look to God and say,

[3:10] God, what kind of life do You want me to live? [3:13] And He tells us in Matthew chapter 28, [3:16] when Jesus is ascending up into heaven, [3:18] He looks at His disciples and He says, [3:20] go make disciples of all nations. [3:22] Or it’s also put in Mark 16,

[3:24] it’s put, go preach the gospel to all creation. [3:26] In Acts chapter 1, it says, [3:28] go to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, [3:30] and the ends of the earth be My witnesses. [3:33] Tell the world that I have brought redemption [3:36] and teach them to obey all that I have commanded you.

[3:41] Because we know that Jesus came to seek [3:43] and to save that which was lost. [3:44] And so He pushes us and He says, [3:45] now you go and take the message of redemption [3:49] and seek and save that which was lost. [3:51] And then last week we saw that we have been reconciled

[3:54] with God through this great redemption [3:56] and now He makes us reconcilers. [3:58] We are now ambassadors for Christ, [4:00] God making His appeal through us. [4:03] And Paul tells us in this message [4:04] that now the love of Christ controls us

[4:08] and God actually makes His appeal through us. [4:12] And we take this to people who don’t believe it. [4:17] We as the church of Jesus Christ, [4:20] as those who have been redeemed, [4:21] if you’re with us and you have been redeemed this morning, [4:25] God desires for us to take that redemption into the world

[4:28] because they don’t know. [4:31] They’re ignorant of this fact that we can be redeemed. [4:35] They don’t know the gospel. [4:36] We can’t assume that they do. [4:39] And God says, I’m going to make my appeal through you. [4:42] It’s not us making an appeal.

[4:44] It’s Him working through our lives. [4:47] And this morning we’re going to move on [4:49] to the next chapter of our core [4:52] because when we live a life of mission, [4:55] it’s going to do something [4:56] and it’s something that I’m very uncomfortable with.

[4:59] And if you grow up in this culture that we have, [5:02] especially in the South and you are a male, [5:06] I tell you, this is going to be a struggle for you. [5:08] But don’t think that you’ve got a guy talking to you [5:10] this morning that’s got it all figured out. [5:12] Don’t think that I’m telling you that I am living this.

[5:15] I am the epitome of this. [5:16] You need to do what I do because I’ll tell you [5:19] that of the core values that Scripture gives the church, [5:23] this is the struggle that I have. [5:27] This is something that I strive for, [5:30] but often find myself in need of a reminder of the gospel

[5:35] because I want to cling to my individuality. [5:38] I want to cling to my isolation from other people. [5:42] I want to flee from being in relationship. [5:45] And you might be here and you might be like that too. [5:48] And from what I’ve seen in my relationships with other people, [5:52] if you are a guy here today,

[5:54] this is a hard one for you to wrap your mind around [5:57] because we want to say things and I want to say things. [6:00] Well, relationships, my wife needs that. [6:03] She needs friends. [6:05] I certainly don’t. [6:06] I’ve got cable.

[6:09] What do I need friends for? [6:11] You know, I go to work. [6:13] I have to see people there when I come home. [6:15] I don’t want to see anyone. [6:17] I just want to hide. [6:18] I just want to watch TV, go to bed, get up.

[6:20] Then I have to go back into the world and talk to people. [6:25] And trust me, you haven’t been to my job. [6:26] I’m not going to build relationships with them.

[6:29] And we live this cycle, especially in this culture [6:34] where oftentimes we avoid people rather than running headlong into them. [6:40] But here’s the big key that I want to start with this morning [6:43] is that it’s going to be very hard to make disciples [6:46] and obey the mission of Jesus without running into people [6:52] because people tend to be the object of redemption.

[6:59] When 2 Corinthians chapter 5, what we talked about last week, [7:01] when we look at verse 21, it says for our sake. [7:05] And what I want to read is for Steve’s sake. [7:08] But it doesn’t say for my sake. [7:10] It says for our sake. [7:12] Paul is including people saying it’s about more than just you.

[7:18] I’ve heard people, especially inside of the church, they say, [7:23] it’s just me and Jesus. [7:24] That’s all I need.

[7:27] That’s true until you read the Bible. [7:31] And the Bible screams at you. [7:34] It’s not just you and Jesus. [7:36] It’s the church in Jesus.

[7:39] It’s people in Jesus. [7:41] I said something last week that really started to revolutionize my life [7:45] and the way that I look at the people in my life. [7:47] And that is the fact that people matter to God.

[7:51] And you say, how do I know that? [7:52] The gospel.

[7:56] You know, the big verse, John 3, 16, God so loved the world. [8:00] Not the circular Earth globe.

[8:05] It says the world is talking about people. [8:08] There are people in this world and they matter to God. [8:12] And so this morning, what I want to look at is the fact that community [8:15] is this thing that redemption takes us to. [8:19] Not because it is a brand new thing that God is doing, [8:22] but rather in redemption, what God is actually doing,

[8:26] God is drawing us back to the original creation order [8:31] in the way that the world was meant to be without sin. [8:35] That is what God is doing and that is why community [8:38] is a core value of the church of Jesus Christ. [8:41] Because it’s how we were created to live. [8:44] And we want to deny that, but it’s true.

[8:46] John 17. [8:49] Let’s start reading in verse 5 this morning.

[8:55] And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory [9:02] that I had with you before the world existed. [9:07] All right. [9:08] Let me stop right there for a minute, because I want you to see a couple of things.

[9:14] That’s taking place at the beginning of John 17. [9:16] First of all, John 17 comes after this long discourse, this long [9:21] speech that Jesus gives his disciples. [9:24] It takes place really between John 14 and John 16. [9:27] What Jesus is doing is he is basically informing the disciples [9:32] of what life is going to look like once he leaves them.

[9:36] Jesus is preparing them for his departure. [9:40] And he’s filling them in really with this symbolic language [9:43] of what redemption is going to look like in their lives. [9:46] Just for example, in John 15, we have this awesome and encouraging passage [9:51] where Jesus says, I am the vine, you are the branches. [9:54] If anyone abides in me, I will abide in him and he will bear fruit.

[9:59] There’s this object lesson that Jesus is giving. [10:01] And I imagine as they walk through the garden, there’s probably a vine [10:04] where Jesus is looking at the vine, looking at the branches that are shooting [10:07] off of this vine, saying, if you want to know what life in me [10:10] is going to look like once you’ve been redeemed, it’s this vine that’s going up [10:14] out of the ground with deep roots.

[10:15] And then the branches shoot off. [10:17] But if you cut one of those branches off out of the vine, what happens? [10:21] It withers and dies. [10:22] But when it’s connected into the vine, it now has a life source. [10:28] And it’s deeply rooted. [10:30] And you cannot really tell a difference between

[10:33] what is taking place on the vine and the branches, [10:36] because what is coming through the vine is going right out of the branches. [10:40] And the branches are an extension of the vine. [10:43] And Jesus is proclaiming this absolute oneness, this absolute unity [10:49] that the branches experience when they’re living life in the vine. [10:53] And that’s redemption.

[10:54] That’s what it looks like in our life. [10:56] Once we’ve been redeemed, is we’re connected fully into that vine. [11:01] We now have life.

[11:05] So he explains this to them, this redemption. [11:07] And then in John 17, we have what’s called the high priestly prayer. [11:12] There’s this transition where Jesus is preaching to them. [11:15] And then he just begins to pray for them. [11:17] It’s where Jesus begins to make his transition between his earthly ministry [11:21] and what we now consider as his heavenly ministry,

[11:24] where he intercedes on behalf of believers, those who trusted in him. [11:28] And he begins to pray for his people. [11:32] And at the beginning of John 17, he begins to pray this interesting prayer [11:35] that shows this connectedness, not between necessarily him and his disciples, [11:40] but between him and God the Father. [11:42] He prays right there.

[11:44] He says, now restore to me the glory that I had with you [11:47] before the world ever existed. [11:49] And in verses one through four, he prays, [11:51] God, I have completed the mission that you have given me. [11:56] Now, as I have glorified you, so glorify the Son. [12:01] And this connectedness is something that’s very interesting

[12:04] because you can see it throughout the book of John [12:07] and throughout the Old Testament, throughout the New Testament. [12:09] Because in the book of John, Jesus explains something. [12:12] He makes these weird statements that are very odd for us [12:16] and very hard for us to wrap our minds around. [12:19] He begins saying things like in John 10, 30, he says,

[12:24] I and the Father are one. [12:25] In 14, 9, he says, [12:27] Whoever has seen me has seen the Father, because that’s pretty odd. [12:31] My Father is actually in the building today. [12:33] And trust me, if you’ve seen me, you haven’t seen my Father. [12:37] All right.

[12:37] There’s a stature and a weight difference of vast proportions. [12:41] He’s blonde. I have red hair. [12:43] He’s like. [12:45] And I’m like, you know, he’s short, I’m tall. [12:48] And if you’ve seen me, you haven’t seen the Father. [12:51] There are similarities, mind you.

[12:53] But there are differences. [12:54] But what Jesus is saying here to the people that are listening, [12:57] he’s saying, if you’ve seen me, you’ve seen the Father. [13:02] And then in John chapter 14, he says, [13:07] You can’t come to the Father unless you come through me. [13:13] What the church fathers describe this as is that Jesus,

[13:17] what he is actually saying, if you look at the language, [13:19] is that the Father and I are of the absolute same substance.

[13:27] We are absolutely connected. [13:29] We do not separate. [13:31] We are together. [13:32] We are absolutely united in a way that you cannot possibly understand in an unredeemed life. [13:39] And he tells them, if you want to understand, you must come to me, [13:42] because if you come to me, you’ve come to the Father.

[13:44] And he says, nobody comes to me, though, unless the Father draws him. [13:47] And if the Father draws him, I won’t cast him out because I love what the Father loves. [13:52] All right. [13:53] So we have then, as Jesus saying, okay, so he’s God, the Father’s God. [13:57] We have two gods, but what Jesus says, no, we’re one. [14:03] Because if you go back into the Old Testament,

[14:04] it’s something that the scripture proclaims in the book of Deuteronomy. [14:08] It says, the Lord, our God, our Lord is one. [14:12] And that is something that Jesus actually affirms in Mark chapter 12. [14:17] When Jesus affirms and he repeats Deuteronomy chapter 6, [14:21] and he says, no, the Lord, he is one. [14:23] Because they’re questioning Jesus and people are saying, Jesus, you say you’re God,

[14:27] but then you start talking about the Father, so who’s God? [14:29] And Jesus says, well, the Lord’s one.

[14:32] I and the Father are one.

[14:38] So what do we have here? [14:40] We have what is referred to throughout church history as the Trinity. [14:44] Something so hard to wrap our minds around, but something that Jesus proclaims, [14:47] especially in chapter 48, when he says Jesus speaking, [14:51] says I come from the Father and I send the Spirit as well. [14:56] So we have God, the Father, God, the Son, God, the Holy Spirit.

[14:59] And it’s hard to wrap our mind around unless we understand the concept of community, [15:05] unless we understand the concept that God exists in community. [15:09] God does not exist outside of community. [15:12] God himself is the perfect definition of community. [15:15] And what we have done in our life of sin is we have separated [15:18] and we have not proclaimed community, rather we’ve proclaimed individuality.

[15:23] And you say, what do you mean? [15:24] In Genesis chapter 1 verse 26, God says this very interesting thing. [15:29] When he is creating humanity, he says, then God said, let us make man in our image [15:34] after our likeness. Who is he talking to when he says us? [15:38] Is he talking to the angels? No, he can’t be because we’re not made in the image of angels. [15:42] We’re made in the image of God.

[15:44] He says, let us make man in our image. [15:46] And so what we see is we see humanity is separated from all the rest of creation, [15:50] where then God scoops down and he takes out of the dust of the ground, [15:53] the scripture says, and he breathes life into man. [15:57] The only being that exists on earth that God has actually breathed life into. [16:02] He just spoke life into everything else.

[16:03] He said, exist, exist, exist. [16:05] But then man, he takes himself out and he gets his hands dirty [16:09] and he actually breathes a living being into existence. [16:14] And he says, let us make man. [16:15] But then in Genesis chapter 2, it’s very interesting that when he’s talking about [16:19] the specifics of this creation, he looks at Adam once he’s created him and he says, it’s not good.

[16:25] Everything else he says, good. [16:27] Then he looks at Adam, I guess he was ugly. [16:30] And he said, well, that’s not good.

[16:33] So then out of Adam, same substance. [16:38] He creates Eve.

[16:42] Then it is good. [16:45] If you’re a man in here, like, yes, it was. [16:49] Because it would be an ugly world without women. [16:52] But then, of course, women sinned and well, then we started rethinking things. [16:57] I’m just kidding. [16:58] Not really.

[16:59] But here’s the key you got to understand. [17:02] God makes Adam, says he’s not good by himself, creates Eve, now it’s good. [17:07] And then he says, this is why a man shall leave his father and mother in Cleveland [17:13] to his wife and these two become what? [17:17] One.

[17:20] Because man, individually, cannot display the image of God to creation. [17:26] That’s why God created man. [17:28] We are to be the gatekeepers or the dominion over the world. [17:32] We have this responsibility to steward the earth. [17:35] We are the reflection of the authority and glory of God over this world. [17:38] It says that in the book of Genesis.

[17:41] But here’s the key. [17:42] God looks at Adam and says, you don’t reflect my glory. [17:44] It’s going to take someone else combined with you to do that. [17:47] Because God exists in community. [17:49] God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. [17:52] Experiencing perfect community from eternity past to eternity future,

[17:56] all time, together, completely united, under the umbrella of glorifying himself. [18:03] And perfect union, perfect connectedness, never separate, always together. [18:09] Jesus proclaims, I and the Father are one. [18:11] When he says that, he’s saying, we are perfect in community. [18:15] Then he creates Adam and Eve and says, now in community, together, [18:18] you display my glory to creation and everything’s great.

[18:22] But then sin mars that.

[18:26] And ever since then, we have had problems in community with each other. [18:30] Because when we don’t act like God, we don’t care about each other.

[18:35] And so as soon as Adam and Eve sin, they start blaming each other for that sin. [18:39] Oh, you had me eat that apple. [18:41] Well, you’re an idiot. [18:42] You should have thought it through.

[18:45] I blame you. [18:45] I blame you. [18:46] It’s the snake.

[18:48] So we have this blame game in community ripped apart. [18:51] We are separated from God. [18:53] That unity is broken. [18:55] Then husband and wife start separating from each other [18:57] because then we blame each other for our own problems. [19:01] And community’s marred.

[19:03] But that image, we can still see it a little bit because, well, we get lonely. [19:08] And we’re like, man, I really wish I had a friend.

[19:11] We still marry.

[19:15] And we don’t run around eating each other like cannibals. [19:19] So in those very things, we see that we still have this image of God. [19:23] But Jesus comes to restore it fully.

[19:28] But what Jesus is going to tell us in this high priestly prayer, though, [19:32] is that we cannot display redemption fully by ourselves. [19:36] All right, let’s continue reading in verse six.

[19:41] Jesus talking, he says, I have manifested your name to the people [19:45] whom you gave me out of the world. [19:47] Yours they were, and you gave them to me. [19:50] Look at this continued connectedness. [19:53] Yours they were, you gave them to me. [19:55] The Trinity is basically keeping all of humanity.

[19:59] We still belong to God, even if we’re rebellious from God. [20:02] That’s how he sends us to hell because he does what he wants.

[20:07] You gave me, excuse me, whom you have given me out of the world. [20:11] Yours they were, and you gave them to me. [20:12] And they have kept your word. [20:14] Now they know that everything you have given me is from you. [20:19] For I have given them the words that you gave me, [20:23] and they have received them and have come to know in truth

[20:25] that I came from you, and they have believed that you sent me. [20:29] Jesus is saying redemption is taking root. [20:32] They believe they’re being redeemed.

[20:37] And then he says, I came from you and they believed you. [20:39] He sent me in verse nine. [20:40] He says, I am praying for them. [20:43] The redeemed, your people, God, [20:47] is I am not praying for the world, but for those whom you have given me, [20:51] for they are yours.

[20:52] Jesus is restoring our connectedness back to God.

[20:59] Jesus is giving us that union back, that relationship back, that intimacy back. [21:05] And then he says in verse 10, all mine are yours and yours are mine, [21:09] and I am glorified in them, and I am no longer in the world, [21:12] but they are in the world, and I am coming to you, Holy Father. [21:16] Then listen to this, keep them in your name, which you have given me,

[21:22] that they may be one, even as we are one.

[21:30] Jesus is not redeeming persons. [21:32] Jesus is redeeming a people.

[21:36] Jesus is building himself a people after his own heart, [21:42] in which we can see that redemption restores community.

[21:47] We can see that in our fallen state, community has been ripped apart, [21:53] and we flee from it, and our relationships break. [21:55] It doesn’t take you very long to understand that our relationships [21:59] are not all that they could be. [22:02] You get to like kindergarten, and you start stealing plates, [22:04] and you steal the play-doh from each other.

[22:09] It doesn’t take very long. [22:11] Then throughout our lives, we connect with people, [22:14] and then sin enters in, and we disconnect.

[22:20] But we continuously seek to build this community apart from God, don’t we? [22:26] We seek it. [22:27] So we build communities around all types of things. [22:31] We build communities around sports. [22:33] We build communities around fashion. [22:35] We build communities around remote-controlled cars.

[22:38] We build community around baseball cards. [22:41] And some people even build community around like comic books and video games. [22:46] Really weird people. [22:48] We build community around all of these things, [22:50] but in that fallen state, if you do anything against me inside of our community, [22:55] well, that community is off.

[22:58] Because when we’re not basing community on God, [23:01] what are we basing community on? [23:03] Me. [23:05] It’s all about me. [23:06] So let’s enter into an agreement of community where we’ll shake hands, [23:09] and we’ll be buddies.

[23:10] But as soon as you do something I don’t like, well, that community is over. [23:13] All community is temporary.

[23:18] As long as everybody’s doing it our way, well, everything’s good.

[23:26] And honestly, that’s how many of us have learned to do church.

[23:31] And we attempt to do church in our sinful state. [23:36] And well, as soon as something doesn’t go our way, we’re out. [23:41] We are out. [23:43] On to the new community.

[23:47] But what Jesus is proclaiming here, he’s saying, God, I am redeeming them back to community. [23:52] God, you created them in community, and in redemption, community goes back into [23:59] what it was created to be. [24:02] Oneness. [24:04] Oneness. [24:05] This is why marriage is such a beautiful display of the gospel.

[24:08] Because two become one. [24:11] But it only works when it’s under God.

[24:16] You can get married for a lot of things, and trust me, [24:20] if it’s not under the covenant of God through the hope that’s found in the gospel, [24:26] you’re going to get really, really sick of each other.

[24:30] You’re really sick of each other. [24:32] We don’t have a huge divorce rate in this country because we’re not good at marriage.

[24:41] We have a huge divorce rate in this country because we’re just not good at life.

[24:46] Because we are fallen, we are sinful. [24:48] The problem is not me and you, the problem is just the fact that we need God. [24:54] The problem is that we need the gospel to restore us. [24:57] Problem is we don’t believe the gospel.

[25:01] So what do we do? [25:02] We blame each other.

[25:05] Hey, I’m married. [25:07] I know how it goes.

[25:10] A lot of people probably want to think that their pastor has a perfect marriage. [25:14] Guys, I still leave my underwear on the ground sometimes. [25:18] She still does not like that. [25:21] Sometimes I pretend I’m asleep so she’ll let the dogs out.

[25:26] I’m not telling her anything new. [25:27] She knows my tricks.

[25:29] All right. [25:31] But here’s the key. [25:32] If she and I base our marriage on how nice we are to each other, [25:41] how obedient we are to each other’s set of rules, [25:45] on how good we are to each other, on how romantic I am,

[25:50] on just a number of things, guess what? [25:51] At some point, both of us are going to get disappointed [25:54] and we’re both going to get pretty mad at each other and we do [25:57] because I still have sin problems and so does she.

[26:01] So how do you make it work, Steve? [26:04] I believe the gospel.

[26:08] I believe that I’m being restored into that redemptive community [26:12] to where my security is not in her. [26:16] My hope is not in her. [26:18] My basis for joy is not in her. [26:20] It’s in Jesus. [26:22] It’s in that redemption that we talked about a few weeks ago.

[26:24] It’s in that mission that we talked about a few weeks ago. [26:26] And so I try my hardest to believe the gospel [26:30] and God grants me his grace and his mercy [26:33] and guess what? [26:34] God loves her through me because if all she got was love for me, [26:38] man, I feel sorry for her.

[26:41] You guys just don’t even know me.

[26:44] I’m not that, you know I’m not that good looking, [26:47] but I’m not that good looking on the inside either. [26:49] So what do I need inside of me? [26:51] Jesus. [26:52] That’s what you need. [26:54] Because here’s the key.

[26:55] We are called and redeemed back into community [26:57] and Jesus is saying, [26:59] God, I am in perfect community with you through the gospel. [27:02] Put them in perfect community. [27:03] This is what baptism represents.

[27:07] Sometimes we just see baptism as just the symbol of our faith [27:09] and it’s just an exercise that God wants us to go through [27:11] and we don’t even think about it. [27:13] But baptism represents community. [27:15] What do you mean? [27:15] Go back to Matthew chapter 28.

[27:17] You don’t have to turn there, [27:18] but he says, [27:18] go make disciples baptizing them in the name of the Father [27:21] and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. [27:23] We glanced over this in the mission [27:24] because it fits more in community.

[27:26] But you see that this gospel proclaims [27:28] they be baptized in the name of the Father, [27:31] the Son and the Holy Spirit, [27:33] the three in one. [27:34] God is one. [27:36] Jesus is God.

[27:37] The Spirit is God. [27:39] The Father is God. [27:40] So what we have is this perfect community [27:43] and we are being baptized into its name. [27:47] So in baptism, we have the gospel. [27:51] We are buried in the likeness of his death,

[27:53] raised in the likeness of his resurrection, [27:55] given a new life. [27:57] This represents the death of sin. [27:58] And then the water represents this purification [28:00] that the death of Jesus gives us, [28:02] where he dies for us and he takes our sin away from us.

[28:05] And then we are raised to newness of life. [28:07] We’re brand new. [28:08] We’re given a brand new life. [28:10] But who are we baptized into? [28:11] We’re not raised in the newness of life. [28:13] So we just walk through life as an individual,

[28:15] but rather we’re buried in the community, [28:18] raised in the community, [28:20] and we’re given a new life in community with God, [28:23] this connectedness with God. [28:27] And we are redeemed to community with others. [28:32] God says, may they be one as I am one.

[28:38] We’re redeemed to community. [28:40] Baptism says that because in the baptism, [28:42] you’re saying to the church, [28:43] I believe the gospel.

[28:46] Disciple me. [28:48] And the church is saying, yes, we will.

[28:52] Yes, we will.

[28:55] That’s why you’re baptized in a church. [28:57] That’s why you’re baptized in front of people. [28:58] So you can proclaim the gospel to them [29:00] through your baptism. [29:02] And then as you’ve been baptized, [29:04] what the church is saying is

[29:05] you are in community with us. [29:07] And what you’re saying to them is, [29:08] I want community. [29:10] I want discipleship. [29:11] I want into the mission of Jesus. [29:14] Help me.

[29:16] Because when Jesus says, [29:18] make disciples, that is hard to do [29:20] unless you have relational intentionality.

[29:26] Unless you set out in your life saying, [29:28] I’m going to go be a reconciler. [29:30] And then when you reconcile, you baptize. [29:32] And then when you baptize, you say, [29:34] you’re in.

[29:37] Welcome to the community. [29:39] Be a part of us. [29:40] And we struggle so hard with that [29:42] because it is not what we want [29:45] in our sinful state. [29:48] But we must be profound

[29:52] in our commitment to community [29:55] because without community, mission fails. [29:59] See, we talk about the mission of Jesus so much [30:01] because it’s what we exist for. [30:04] Once we’re saved, that’s our purpose. [30:06] It’s the mission of Jesus

[30:07] is going from reconciled to reconciling, [30:10] from redeemed to redeeming, [30:12] from believer to believing in our actions. [30:16] That’s the purpose. [30:17] But it only takes place in community.

[30:20] You can’t do it. [30:22] Skip down to verse 18 because of time.

[30:27] In verse 18, Jesus says, [30:31] as you sent me into the world, [30:33] still praying to the Father, [30:35] so I have sent them into the world. [30:38] And for their sake I consecrate myself, [30:42] and that they also may be sanctified in truth.

[30:47] I do not ask for these only,

[30:53] but also for those who will believe in me [30:57] through their word.

[31:02] Jesus says, and here’s our problem as church people. [31:06] We love getting together sometimes, [31:08] especially women. [31:09] You know, it’s so much easier to have women’s small groups [31:11] than men’s small groups. [31:13] You just announce an author and 36 women show up.

[31:16] For men, it’s like, we’re going to go through this new book. [31:20] Three of us.

[31:25] But let a woman in that has nothing in common [31:28] with those other 36 women. [31:29] It’s like, oh, well, our community’s ruined.

[31:34] Because what do we typically base community on? [31:36] Our likes and our dislikes. [31:38] We carry a lot of that sin nature [31:40] right into the church with us. [31:43] And so our community is typically based on what we want. [31:45] And if somebody else comes in and wants something else,

[31:48] well, forget them.

[31:52] I have nothing to do with them.

[31:55] In all actuality, everybody’s wrong.

[31:58] This community must be built around the gospel. [32:01] What brings community? [32:03] The gospel. [32:04] Why does community exist? [32:06] For the purpose of the gospel.

[32:09] What does the gospel make us? [32:10] The gospel makes us messengers of reconciliation. [32:13] The mission of Jesus.

[32:17] What does that reconciliation cause? [32:19] Well, it causes us to talk to people. [32:22] Because it’s pretty hard to tell someone the gospel [32:24] without opening your mouth. [32:26] It’s pretty hard. [32:26] So you have to talk to people.

[32:28] And here’s the big problem we have with talking to people [32:30] is that they might like us and we might like them. [32:34] Oh, no. [32:35] Now I’ve got a friend.

[32:39] But what do you base that friendship on? [32:41] If you base it on what you have in common, [32:44] you will find something you don’t have in common.

[32:50] And if the church bases the community [32:54] on what they like as a church, [32:55] I don’t care what type of music you like. [32:57] Because a lot of people base their church on the music.

[33:02] What if somebody comes in that doesn’t like your music? [33:05] It’s gonna be tough to bring them into community. [33:08] What if somebody comes in that doesn’t like button-up shirts? [33:10] They only like pullovers. [33:12] Well, if you’ve based your church on button-up shirts, [33:14] well, you might have a problem.

[33:17] What if somebody comes in that doesn’t own a pair of jeans [33:19] and only has slacks? [33:20] What if you’ve got a church built on the fact [33:22] that everybody wears jeans? [33:24] Well, it’s gonna be pretty hard for them [33:25] to get in the community and they might be out.

[33:27] What if you build a church around the concept of family [33:30] and children and marriage? [33:32] What happens when a single guy or a divorced guy shows up [33:34] or somebody that’s a widow or a widower? [33:37] Well, they’re out of luck. [33:39] If you base your community on children,

[33:41] what if they don’t have any children? [33:43] What if the fact that they can’t have children [33:45] is a huge burden for them? [33:48] And they need to be redeemed from the pain [33:49] that that’s caused them in their lives. [33:51] Well, if you base your entire ministry

[33:53] and your entire church on children, [33:54] it’s gonna be pretty hard to talk to them.

[33:58] See, there are tons of things that we start churches, [34:01] plant churches, continue churches on. [34:04] For some people, it’s like choir robes. [34:06] I don’t get that. [34:07] The only thing I get that for [34:08] is I can wear dirty clothes to church

[34:10] and just put my choir robe on and nobody knows.

[34:13] In that reality, it’s pretty attractive. [34:17] All right, because then it just doesn’t matter what I wear.

[34:21] But for some people, why don’t you have choir robes?

[34:26] They’re expensive and they’re kind of weird.

[34:31] But let’s move on. [34:32] But what I’m trying to get across is, [34:35] what are you basing your community on [34:37] as a messenger of reconciliation? [34:39] If you don’t base it on the gospel,

[34:43] your community is gonna fall apart [34:45] where other people are concerned [34:47] and you cannot be a messenger of reconciliation to everyone. [34:50] But if you base it on the gospel, [34:54] that’s something everyone needs.

[34:57] That’s something that we’re all desperate for. [35:00] That’s something the whole world needs. [35:03] That’s something that’s… [35:04] Here’s the thing about the gospel. [35:05] People say it’s exclusive. [35:06] No, it’s absolutely inclusive.

[35:09] Because we all need it.

[35:12] And Jesus died so that all can have it. [35:15] And so when we base our community [35:18] on the gospel of Jesus Christ, [35:20] guess what? [35:20] Everybody’s in.

[35:22] 12-year-olds, 80-year-olds, 50-year-olds, [35:26] unemployed, employed, [35:28] faux hawk, bald, I don’t care. [35:30] Black, white, Asian, ethnic, not ethnic, [35:35] southern, northern. [35:36] You like country music.

[35:38] You like rock music. [35:39] You like rap music. [35:40] I don’t care about any of that. [35:42] We care about the gospel. [35:45] And when you base your community on the gospel, [35:49] guess what happens?

[35:50] A biblical community starts being built [35:53] and we start being redeemed [35:55] back to the original creation order [35:57] because what we do is we say, [35:59] I want to go make disciples [36:01] because my life is based on the gospel.

[36:03] And then you make disciples [36:04] and guess what they get? [36:06] They get a passion for the gospel [36:07] because the guy that discipled them [36:08] had a passion for the gospel. [36:10] And then they make a disciple

[36:11] and then they make a disciple [36:12] and then they make a disciple. [36:14] And pretty soon you see redemption [36:16] start taking root in everyone’s life [36:18] because you are not living life [36:20] based on selfish self-fulfillment.

[36:24] But instead you are basing your life [36:27] on the gospel.

[36:30] And then anybody can come in [36:32] and be a part of that.

[36:37] See, that’s gospel community. [36:41] But here’s the key, without community. [36:44] Mission fails.

[36:47] Because what does Jesus say here?

[36:54] He says,

[36:58] I do not seek for these only, [37:02] but also for those who will believe in me [37:05] through their word.

[37:11] It’s so interesting that Jesus never says [37:15] His word, her word. [37:19] He never uses singular. [37:22] He always uses plural.

[37:26] Because if you are by yourself, [37:29] you are not the church.

[37:32] And He says, verse 21, [37:36] That they may all be one, [37:40] just as you, Father, are in me, [37:42] and I in you, [37:44] that they also may be in us, [37:48] so that the world may believe

[37:51] that you have sent me.

[37:56] The world will only believe the gospel [38:01] when it’s lived in community.

[38:06] Is that not what Jesus just said the hope is [38:09] for the world to believe in the gospel?

[38:13] He says, when they’re one, [38:16] united around the gospel, [38:18] people will believe that you sent me.

[38:24] See, many of us live our lives in denial [38:28] of our desire for community.

[38:34] Because we’re so insecure in our sin. [38:37] Because we struggle to believe the gospel.

[38:41] But what the gospel does is [38:42] it unites us all under one banner. [38:45] And I hope this doesn’t offend you. [38:48] But the gospel unites us under the banner [38:50] that we suck.

[38:53] It does.

[38:55] It does.

[38:58] It does. [38:58] The gospel unites us under the banner [38:59] that we’re sinful. [39:01] The gospel unites us under the banner [39:03] that we are self-destructive. [39:06] The gospel unites us under the banner

[39:07] that we are not enough. [39:10] And I am not enough. [39:11] And I can’t get enough. [39:12] I can’t get no satisfaction. [39:16] That just came out. [39:17] I don’t even know where it came from.

[39:18] Hopefully you’re a Rolling Stones fan. [39:20] If you are, [39:22] Rolling Stones, there you go. [39:23] But here’s the key, the gospel unites us under the banner [39:26] that our hope is not in how cool we are, [39:29] how hip we are,

[39:30] our hope is not in how pretty we are [39:32] or how ugly we are. [39:34] Our gospel is not based on our dislikes, [39:36] our likes, our gospel is not based [39:38] on how smart and how good [39:40] I can speak, because it’s not that good.

[39:42] Our gospel is not based on how well we play instruments. [39:45] Our gospel is not based on anything. [39:47] Apart from Jesus and the fact that [39:50] He has taken our sin onto Himself. [39:55] He has redeemed us through taking the penalty of sin onto Himself [39:59] and then rising and giving us hope of new life.

[40:04] That’s the gospel.

[40:06] That’s what we have to base our lives on if we believe. [40:11] Because if we believe it will unite us. [40:13] And if it unites us, guess what? [40:15] People will start getting discipled [40:17] and we will start getting over the burdens of our sin [40:20] and into the mission of Jesus.

[40:25] Because the church signifies God’s kingdom.

[40:33] Because when the gospel unites us, it builds a church. [40:37] Look in Matthew chapter 16, you don’t have to turn there, [40:39] it will be on the screen. [40:41] In Matthew chapter 16, Jesus is talking to the disciples [40:44] and He looks at Peter and He says [40:46] I tell you, you are Peter.

[40:48] The word Peter means rock or stone.

[40:54] He says you are Peter, you are a rock. [40:57] And on this rock, and He uses a different word there. [41:02] He says you are just one little rock. [41:07] And He says on this rock, speaking to Himself,

[41:14] I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against me. [41:21] What is He telling Peter? [41:22] Is He like Peter, you are a loser, I am not? [41:24] No. [41:25] Because then look over at Ephesians chapter 2. [41:28] Ephesians chapter 2, it will be on the screen.

[41:29] Ephesians chapter 2, it says, [41:32] For through Him we both have access in one spirit, [41:36] look at the unity here, in one spirit to the Father. [41:39] So then you are no longer strangers and aliens. [41:42] You are no longer individuals hiding out in your sin, [41:45] covering your insecurities with your nice outfits and your cool hip self.

[41:50] You are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, [41:56] built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets. [42:00] Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, [42:03] in whom the whole structure being joined together [42:05] grows into a holy temple in the Lord. [42:08] In Him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

[42:14] Notice when he talks to Peter, he looks at Peter and he says on this rock, [42:18] Peter you are part of it too.

[42:22] Peter was part of it because he says on the foundation of the apostles, [42:26] saying Peter you have a great part of building my kingdom, [42:29] but it is not based on you. [42:32] It is based on the rock of Jesus. [42:35] The corner stone, when you are building a building,

[42:39] you have foundation. [42:41] And I am not an architect, if you are and you are like that is so wrong, [42:45] I am sorry.

[42:48] It has a foundation, but it also has a corner stone. [42:52] It has a place where they start.

[42:56] As the weight is distributed, [42:58] if you don’t have a good corner stone, [43:00] if you don’t have a good beginning point, [43:02] you are going to have shrink swells oil problems. [43:05] Around here we know all about those.

[43:09] But Jesus says Peter you are part of the foundation, [43:12] but I understand it is built on me.

[43:15] I am the sureness of this foundation. [43:19] And I am building my church and you are a part of it. [43:21] But then look at what it says, it says that we are too, [43:24] because the foundation is set, but the walls are being built. [43:28] And guess who the walls are? [43:29] The walls of the church.

[43:31] They are being built into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

[43:39] The way that we reflect community to the world [43:44] is the picture that the world has of God.

[43:50] And the reason that a lot of people in our culture [43:54] and in our outside community struggle with the gospel [44:00] is because of the gospel we are preaching as churches.

[44:05] How we tear each other apart.

[44:09] How we base our churches on a cause rather than on the gospel.

[44:16] Hey man, I am all for saving dogs.

[44:23] I am for the humane treatment of animals. [44:27] I have two dogs, I love them, I treat them very humanely. [44:31] My wife thinks I treat one of them more humanely than I treat her.

[44:36] She accused me of being in a relationship with my dog last night, [44:38] it was really weird. [44:40] But here is the key. [44:43] What if we built the village on our love for pets?

[44:50] That is not the structure that God is building, is it? [44:54] Sometimes we build our churches on our love of pews and carpet.

[45:01] That is not a community that the world is going to understand. [45:04] But when we as a community join together and rally around the gospel [45:09] and base it on the gospel, guess what is going to happen? [45:12] The world is going to look at us and say something is wrong here. [45:16] Because they are different. [45:19] And then 1 Peter says, and they will ask us of the hope that is in us.

[45:25] And we must be ready to give an answer of what is different about us. [45:30] So the question I asked you this morning, what is different about you?

[45:38] What kind of kingdom does your life say is being built? [45:43] What kind of community are you experiencing with people? [45:47] Are you experiencing community at all?

[45:50] Let me tell you, it is a struggle I have. [45:52] I want to think that I am enough. [45:55] I want to. [45:57] Guess what the gospel yells at me, hey guess what dummy, you are not enough.

[46:02] On my best day of my righteousness this is filthy rags compared to God’s glory. [46:06] God’s holiness.

[46:09] What kind of community is your life telling the world that the gospel looks like? [46:16] Are you being discipled? [46:17] Do you need to be discipled? [46:18] If you are breathing in here today you need to be discipled by the way. [46:21] I preface that. [46:22] Guess what, this guy needs to be discipled.

[46:26] Discipleship is never something you grow out of.

[46:31] Because guess what, you cannot read a book for discipleship. [46:33] Does it help to read books? [46:34] Absolutely, I read lots of them. [46:35] I love reading. [46:37] It is one of my hobbies.

[46:39] But guess what, discipleship only happens life on life.

[46:45] Because discipleship is basically an outreach of the gospel. [46:50] And the gospel didn’t happen from afar, Jesus became a human. [46:53] So you are only going to grow in your knowledge of the gospel when you are joining together with someone else that believes the gospel to help you. [47:01] That is why we value community groups here. [47:04] Because it is really hard with a room full of people to see relationships taking root. [47:09] But when you break it down to about 8-10 of us together, going through the word, going over the message, guess what?

[47:16] Discipleship starts happening. [47:17] Lives start changing. [47:19] And I have heard stories from some of you about how your life is changing through the community that you are experiencing.

[47:26] So my question to you, look at Ephesians chapter 2. [47:30] Can I get that on the screen one more time?

[47:34] It says you are no longer strangers and aliens. [47:40] But you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God. [47:48] So my question to you, first, if you don’t believe the gospel, community is not going to make any sense to you. [47:56] Because you are a stranger.

[48:00] But you don’t have to be.

[48:04] Jesus wants to redeem you today. [48:08] Second, if you are a believer, are you still living like a stranger and an alien?

[48:17] Or are you believing the gospel has made you a fellow citizen?

[48:24] Do you believe that you are a member of the household of God? [48:31] Because how you live your life screams to the world what you actually believe.

[48:41] Screams it. [48:43] Believe the gospel. [48:45] Because if you do, it will drive us into relational intentionality with each other. [48:54] Then it won’t stay there. [48:55] Here’s the big key. [48:57] Because then in the end of John 17, the passage I read, what did he say?

[49:01] He says, I’m not praying for them only, but for those whom they redeemed with their lives.

[49:07] That’s huge.

[49:10] Let’s pray. [49:11] Father, we come before you right now. [49:16] Lord, help us to believe your gospel.

[49:21] Help us to hope in your salvation. [49:26] Drive us into community with one another.

[49:32] In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.