What Every True Church Should Be - Part 2 - Part A

Yes, we should be blessed as we gather together with the purpose is that we be pampered. The purpose is that we glorify God that we hear the preaching of the word all that equips us to go out and do something with an just so his disciples were clear. Jesus told them time. Jesus established a new community in the church.

He foresaw the church done in today on connect with Skip Heitzigs, Skip shares Jesus intended for the church's fasteners to know what to tell you about a recent walk in the Holy Spirit, especially difficult moments in life stands between more fruitful walk with Jesus. How four prominent women in the Bible thinks their struggles in teaching from my new thing called Queens of the Bible on the Queen of Sheba hearing is the first step toward spiritual life right now, hearing that blessing because faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God hear more from Lang, she explores the faith in the failings of four different queens in Scripture. The Queens of the Bible collection of teaching is our way of saying thank you $35 or more today to support this Bible teaching ministry. The cost of following Christ is to go wherever healing your copy of these unique teachings when you call 898 or give online securely connectwithskip.com/offer connectwithskip.com/offer John chapter 17 is rejoined Scripture to put today's experimental prototype community of tomorrow. Experimental prototype community of tomorrow.

Epcot that was Walt Disney's dream you have heard of Epcot center. Many of us have visited Epcot center.

We know it today is an overpriced themepark Orlando Florida. What you may not know is it was not intended by Walt Disney to be a themepark Orlando Florida was designed by Walt Disney to be an actual city of 20,000 people living together using the latest technology that's what his vision was Walt Disney died before his vision, his dream could become a reality, and no one in the Disney Corporation had a vision big enough like Walt Disney had for that future city they didn't get it they did never latch onto it so it never became what Disney intended it to become rather than a living, breathing city that Disney wanted to become. As you know, a themepark, it is become a place that people go to be entertained. It is a place that people visit Jesus also had a vision or dream you might say of a new community. He called it his church.

Matthew 16 I will build my church at Clay Sia, a group of people called out of the world who do life together. Jesus also died before his dream was realized, but he predicted it he anticipated this new community.

He prayed for it. In John 17 and then he rose again from the dead to ensure it would become what he intended to become the new community called the church we must be committed to not letting the church become another Epcot and entertainment place. A place where people visit occasionally but don't do life together.

We have to be committed to that which brings us to the central issue and that is what is the purpose of the church.

What function are we to fulfill what was Jesus vision. What was his intention and what are the characteristics that Jesus anticipated for his church to be what we began looking at that question and answering that question. Last time we were together in John chapter 17 and I gave you two of the four characteristics of what every true church should be.

We noted when we were together that every true church should demonstrate the glory of God, and that every true church should communicate God's truth. We looked at that.

We discussed that we kind of delved into that that number one when we gather God is on center stage.

It's all about him. He gets top billing and our lives, get re-oriented to true North. That's the glory of God. So we meet together in the purpose of our meeting is not to meet felt needs not to just be built up and encouraged, though those things should happen, but primarily to live for his glory and the best way we can live for his glory effectively is by that second thing we looked at to communicate God's truth to preach the word, and so the church you might say, is a textual community. Yes, we live our lives together. We have community but a very a very specific kind of community it's a textual community that is we take our cues from the Scripture from the text of the Scripture. So then do some op where we been last time, you might say that the church his church, the true church is both theocentric God centered and bibliometric Bible centered its center on God and his glory and to ensure that it is it is bibliometric centered on the Scripture which tells us how that can happen. According to Jesus, there are two more characteristics that he, the founder is praying for in anticipating his churches community to become in both of these qualities that were gonna look at today focus on our relationship to the world. Those who are inside the church and how we should relate to those who are outside the church.

So let me begin with the third characteristic and that is every true church should penetrate, penetrate God's world. Let's begin. In John 17, the 14th verse Jesus praying to his father said, I have given them your word in the world has hated them because they are not of the world. Just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that you should take them out of the world that you should keep them from the evil one.

They are not of the world. Just as I am not of the world, sanctify them by your truth. Your word is truth. As you sent me into the world. I also have sent them into the world and for their sakes I sanctify myself.

They also may be sanctified by the truth. So it's pretty obvious that Jesus anticipated that his followers would go out into the world and spread the message right. That's what verse 18 is all about you sent me.

I'm sending them later on he is going to send them to give them a command very very blatant command when before he ascended into heaven after his resurrection. He'll tell them go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Furthermore, if you look down verse 20 he says I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in me through their word again is pretty obvious. Jesus anticipated that his followers were going to go out and preach truth preach the word and there will be some people who will hear that message and will believe in Jesus.

Go back to the 18th verse that is sort of the hinge verse of this as you sent to me into the world. I also have sent them into the world to very important word word sent to say to you in the Greek and you gonna tell me what word comes from that op Costello, apostle of someone in the first service truck the soul and I know where he got that from guesser sort of the similarity there but op Costello is apostle and apostle simply means somebody sent out a sent out individual and ambassador and envoy somebody was sent out for a specific task by someone who is an authority. So Jesus plan was for his followers to penetrate the world around them with the truth so that more might believe that becomes one of the characteristics Jesus plan for, pray for his church that we would penetrate God's world. Someone once said the church is the only society on earth that exists for the benefit of nonmembers. We must never allow the church to become a bless me club here I am, you got an hour to bless me better be good. I want to be blessed. Listen, I want you to be blessed. We should all be blessed.

But a blessing from God, and the feeling we get a church is secondary to the primary purpose of gathering. Yes, we should be blessed as we gather together, but the purpose isn't that we be pampered.

The purpose is that we glorify God that we hear the preaching of the word. All of that equips us to go out and do something with it and just so his disciples were clear. Jesus told them it's always time to evangelize. Always. Time is not like well now is the time to get the message out. That'll come later. It's always harvest time.

There are always people who need to hear.

There are always people ready to respond Jesus in John chapter 4 said to them, do you not say there are still four months and then comes the harvest, behold, I tell you. Lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for heart that's an important word for believers because churches have a tendency over time. All of them have this tendency human nature that over time churches turn inward toward themselves rather than outward toward the world.

They may begin with an outward focus on evangelistic focus. We want to change our community and we want to change our nation but over time most churches. Most organizations start to turn inward, so that even though Jesus said, go into all the world, it seems that the message of the church is, come to church come in here the message and that's important.

We want people to come to church in common. Hear the message but the coming to church and coming to hear the message is simply a preparation for the we might go out and make a difference. There was once an old church in England. I read about that was a beautiful building and it had a great purpose statement, a sign on the front of the church and the sign said we preach Christ crucified the great section out of the New Testament we preach Christ crucified. That was the sign in the front of the church over time.

IV that was growing around the church building started growing up on the sign and over time as the years went by, the last word in this statement was so you'd look up and it said we preach Christ.

That's good. Still good, but as you can imagine over time. The IV Growing toe pretty soon it is that we preach and nobody cut it down so you know what's coming next. Over the years. The only word you could see over that church was and eventually the church died any church that turns inward and makes it all about.

We, us, me, mine will die. John Stott who pastored a church in England said if all churches had been faithful, the world would long ago have been evangelized. So how do we how can week.

How do we do it effectively, how to week. How do we penetrate the world effectively.

I give you three words in the show to you in the text. Three words we need to know we need to grow and we need to go there certain things we need to be knowing and then there's a certain way.

We need to be growing, but eventually would have to get going. So what we have to now while we have to know our position is our position. Verse 14. I've given them your word. The world has hated them because here it is, they are not of the world.

Just as I am not of the world. Back in verse 11 in praying for the church. He says they are in the world. Here he says they are not of the world again in verse 16. They are not of the world. Just as I am not of the world. So that's our position were in the world were not of the world. You've heard that before were in it, but not of it.

We live in the world were surrounded by people who have their belief system, but we are not of them. We have another home. We are just passing through this world is not our home, so were in it, but were not up now look at the word world. I brought this up to you before, I just want to underscore in the New Testament the word world cause loss doesn't primarily refer to the physical world, the earth, the biosphere, etc. it refers to a world system. A system of ideas, values, philosophies, morals, activities and people run by controlled by the devil Satan second Corinthians chapter 4 Paul writes, Satan, the God of this evil world has blinded the minds of those who do not believe so work in the world were not of that world earth, then, for us is simply a stopping off point.

On our way home.

Heaven and until then, we have a task to perform in this world were not of it. What we have to be careful about is not becoming too immersed in the world that we live and were in empanada. So if we get too immersed in our world.

It is as ridiculous as making a flight across the country and you stop in an airport to make a connecting flight. You're only going to be in that airport for an hour so you're flying from here to your destination.

You stop off in an airport you're there for an hour, you're making a connecting flight.

You going to the bathroom and you say this bathroom needs a remodel I'm get a remodel.

This bathroom your relative or friend who was with you. Go to remodel the bathroom in the airport going to be here in our I know this is this important okay but is not that important is that is not your destination.

So to get too immersed in the world is as ridiculous as remodeling a bathroom in the airport we are making a connecting flight. Romans chapter 12 verse two pulses. Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. See the position of the Christian is sort of like an astronaut in space. Space is not the natural habitat for the astronaut if he is up there.

He's gonna need special protection because that is not his natural environment or a scuba diver in the ocean.

The ocean is not the natural element, so unless we realize our position in the world but not of the world were going to get swallowed up by the world. You know why. Verse 14 tells you what I've given them your word in the world is what what is essay hated them Mark that is not like the world just like tolerates you they hate you. The system of values and philosophies that make the world system run by Satan and his minions is against you. The world has hated them, hated them because they are not of the world. This happens to be an occupational hazard. Get used to get used to when you follow Jesus Christ and you make that your aim your ambition. The occupational hazard of that is the world's hatred so we need to know our position. That's number one number two after knowing his growing we need to grow in preparation verse 15 he continues. I do not pray that you take them out of the world that you should keep them work. Keep means preserve them. Don't let them go preserve them from the evil one. They are not of the world. Just as I am not of the world.

Now he tells you how he keeps you how he preserves you sanctify them by your truth.

Your word is truth. That's how you survive. That's your spacesuit that your scuba gear.

The word of God. The truth of the principles of Scripture that you immerse yourself in allow you to be in the world but not of the world allow you to walk through this crazy place called earth without being tainted by Paul even even pictured the Christian life. In Ephesians 5, you'll recall, this is I tell you he he he wrote about the Christian experience here as a battle. He wanted you to know that this is a playground.

This is a battleground. And so Paul writes put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

Think of the spaceman the astronaut in the spacesuit put on the armor of God, that you might be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

Many lists all the art pieces of armor, but he finally says, and the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God.

So Jesus says, sanctify them by your truth.

Your word is truth as the Bible. The Bible read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, practice it to be holy.

Or as Peter put it as newborn babes, desire the sincere or pure milk of the word that you might grow thereby so you need to know and you need to grow we need to be knowing your our position. We need to be growing in preparation, but at some point we have to be going, because if all we do is no and grow. You know what happens to people just accumulate a lot of knowledge and and keep growing and growing and feeding and feeding on truth. They get fat spiritually obese site. I got all this great knowledge. Okay so go work it out work it off. You gotta go out and so after knowing our position and growing in preparation we have to be going for penetration, and that takes us back to verse 18. The word sent you sent me into the world.

I've also sent them into the world. That is the goal of knowing that is the goal of growing I made a list of five things I discover there are five different responses that Christians have historically had the world around them.

There may be more but just to make it easy. There are five basic responses that Christians in any era at any time in any age have toward the world system around response number one and is not the best response is to isolate the isolate themselves become isolationist.

Their whole goal is to escape the world to live in a monastery. I want to get away from all the bad things are happening. The world is evil. It is fallen. There have even been attempts in American history to create Christian communities, Christian villages, town cities are only occupied by Christians because this would be great.

Just have all your neighbors is born again Christians you're describing heaven now, but but I get it or people say would be great to work around Christians all day long off. The only people you work with the believers.

Take it from somebody works with Christians all day long. It ain't what you think it is worth still fallen human being sinners saved by grace like anybody else any place else so response number one and is not the right responses to isolate.

Here's another response. Historically, Christians have had for the world not to isolate but to insulate the become insular, it's all about protecting themselves. I'm in this bad place called the world so I need to protect myself and to protect my children and protect my family so I'm to be way over here and I'm gonna notice the bad things in the world and I'm point at them and and and say that a bad person at the bad thing. Look out bad. That is are some people, all they do is spew negative bad comments about all the bad things around that Skip the message from the series use to tell you about.

You can keep encouraging messages like this. You way others to God's word.

The apostle Paul said that all Scripture is God breathed, meaning God inspired and wants us to understand it, even in today's day and age, that's why I teach line upon line through every book of the Bible and that's why this radio program exists to share biblical teachings with friends like you across the country and around the world. You can help further that mission by sharing your gift today. Here's how to do that you can give online@connectwithskip.com/donate. That's connectwithskip.com/donate or call 800-922-1888, 800-922-1888. Thank you. Tune in tomorrow escape height six years.

How do as part of the church. Continually God's love and your words and actions. Listen carefully, Jesus is praying for unity based on truth unity based on truth unity based on what true you get that unity based on truth and in particular, unity based upon the true price