Why I Love the Church

He said I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.

You who knows his sheep whose names you wrote down before the foundation of the world ask a handful of church leaders why people love being in their congregation probably hear answers like great music, friendly people, an enjoyable atmosphere. It's fair to say those are the main selling points for many churches today. The reasons their leaders think you love to attend each week. What you no doubt enjoy good music and appreciate encouraging people who doesn't. But are those the main reasons to love a local church.

Frankly, the Bible gives other reasons, better reasons to love being part of a local church. John MacArthur looks at those reasons today on grace to you in a message he calls why I love the church and now with the lesson.

Here's John.

All of the church. I confess that I am an inveterate and incurable lover of the church.

It thrills me beyond anything and everything to serve the church. It is the supreme joy of my life. The labor for the church to spend my years on behalf of the church.

I wouldn't trade for anything and there are some reasons why that is true, and I will share a few of those with you and will look at some texts to undergird them. First of all I love the church because the church is being built by the Lord himself. The immutable sovereign, faithful, omnipotent, Lord of heaven whose word can't return void, but always accomplishes what he says, whose purpose always comes to pass, whose will is always fulfilled ultimately whose plan is invincible and unshakable has spoken about building the church in no less than extremely triumphant words in Matthew chapter 16 in verse 18. He said I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.

He who knows his sheep whose names she wrote down before the foundation of the world. He will build his church. The gates of Hades simply a Jewish expression for death if Hades is the place of the dead than the gate to Hades is what archers you into that. Just a simple picture of death, the most powerful weapon of Satan is the gates of Hades reminded in Hebrews chapter 2 that he holds the power of death, and by it keeps men in bondage all their lifetime, but even the power of death cannot prevent the Lord from building the church. It is the strongest weapon that Satan wields under the sovereignty of God, and it cannot touch the church. The church will be built. It is his church.

I will build my church. I want to go a little deeper into that and have you turn to Titus chapter 1. If you will in your Bibles. Titus chapter 1, as Paul opens up this marvelous epistle. He says Paul, a bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, and he identifies himself in those two ways. First of all, he is a slave of God in the very character of that slavery or the specific task that he bears is a slave is to be an apostle on behalf of Jesus Christ is God slave given the duty of being a messenger for Christ. With regard to that, he says this for the faith of those chosen of God and the knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised in the original language says before time began. Now these two verses outline for us the nature of all really biblical ministry, Paul as a servant of God and the messenger of Jesus Christ was set really to accomplish three things.

First ministry of salvation, the ministry of evangelism which he speaks of in these words for the faith of those chosen of God. He had the task of preaching the gospel so that the elect and hearing the gospel would believe he was preaching the gospel for the faith of those chosen of God had an evangelistic aspect to his ministry to bring about the understanding of the gospel in order that when faith would come as a gift from God. Sinners chosen by God might be justified. Secondly he says there was not only a salvation emphasis on evangelism emphasis but a sanctification and edification emphasis which he describes as the knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness. In addition to bringing the gospel to the elect so they might believe he wanted to bring the saved to the fullness of the knowledge of the truth so that they might become godly.

He was then committed to evangelism and edification and then the third aspect of his ministry would be consolation in the hope of eternal life. He was bringing to people the hope of glorification, which becomes for the pilgrims through this world.

The great source of consolation and saw his ministry focused on justification, sanctification, and glorification.

He preached that word of the gospel which mixed with faith produces justification.

He preached that word of truth, which mixed with obedience produced sanctification.

He preached that great hope of eternal life and glory, which mixed with hope produces consolation. In other words that's really God's redemptive purpose to save, sanctify, glorify to take us all the way from being chosen by him in eternity past to being glorified through salvation, sanctification, the glorification that is the great unfolding, comprehensive redemptive purpose of God that having said that the main thing I want you to notice is the end of verse two, he says which God this whole plan. This whole redemptive saving, sanctifying glorifying plan which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began. What this tells us is that in eternity past, before there was ever created.

Anything that is created before time began, God determined to begin and to finish his redemptive plan. People were chosen. Their names were written down, that they might be brought to faith, to godliness, and to glory. God promised this before time began. Another question that struck me as I read that is, to whom did God make the promise.

There weren't any people around and the best understanding of the creation of angels would place their creation sometime near the creation of the rest of the universe and so if we are behind creation free creation to whom did God make this promise.

That's a very compelling question to whom did God make this pledge. This covenant turned to second Timothy chapter 1 and we find there very helpful insight. Verse eight ends with the word God. God becomes the antecedent to verse nine God who has saved us. Second Timothy 19 God who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus. Here's the exact same phrase in the Greek before time began this whole promise. This whole pledge.

This whole covenant this whole purpose of redemption, salvation, holy calling this whole gracious, saving enterprise was granted by the father to the sun before time began. What that tells us is this that the promise that the father made the promise that God made he made to the Lord Jesus Christ.

This is a staggering reality. Absolutely staggering in the Trinity and the mystery of the Trinity. There is an ineffable love, an indescribable and inexplicable of that, those members of the Trinity share Jesus alludes to it in his high priestly prayer when he asked the father to love his own. The way he loves him and asked that they might share in the mutual love between the son and the father that love must find its expression. You can give without loving but you cannot love without giving the father in a demonstration of this indescribable supernatural perfect love expressed to the sun, the desire to manifest that love in a very unique way. This is certainly were. You have the origination of what Hebrews 1320 calls the eternal covenant with the father makes a pledge to the son because of his love for him and what is that pledge promises to the son that he will give to him. A redeemed humanity, justified, sanctified and glorified that in fact he will bring that humanity to glory, to dwell in the very place where they dwell before time began. A timeless place and uncreated place very realm of God.

That's the promise why because the father loves the son so greatly he wants to grant this redeemed humanity to him as an expression of his love. With that thought in mind turn to John chapter 6 and this becomes even more profound than John chapter 6 and verse 37 Jesus identifies for us right here, the crucial heart of his ministry.

John 637 Jesus says all that the father gives me shall come to me beloved there in that one statement is the invincibility of the church. All that the father gives to me will come to me every individual ever redeemed every individual ever granted the gift of faith every individual ever forgiven and justified before God by grace is a gift from the father to the son, everyone. It isn't that you are bouncing down the street one day and got smart enough to get yourself saved. It is that you consider all your options and pick the best one by your human ingenuity rather every individual.

Whoever comes to faith is a love gift from the father to the son part of a redeemed humanity, who is given to the sun for a very expressed purpose and what is that purpose well that's easy. All you have to do is moving to the book of Revelation and look into heaven and see what people are doing their one of the one of the glorified saints doing worshiping the Lamb and glorifying the Lamb and praising the Lamb in serving the Lamb.

And that is the fullness of God's purpose God in eternity past before creation determined that he would give to the sun.

A redeemed humanity, who ultimately would be brought into the uncreated glory where the Trinity dwells for the express purpose of glorifying and praising and honoring and worshiping the sun forever and ever and ever and serving him.

That was the father's expression of love, the most wonderful way that he could do it only created the Angels they to worship the sun but this is unique because this is a redeemed human and their purpose is to glorify the sun forever and saw he says in verse 37. Although the father gives me shall come to me and obviously the one who comes to me I will certainly not what cast out to me is he going to turn down a love gift from the father. Is he going to say no to one in the father gives him no. In verse 38.

He says I've come down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. Now, in this covenant, the sun had a part to play. It wasn't just the father. Father said I want to give you this redeemed humanity as an expression of my love and I'll bring them all the way to perfection all the way to glory and they'll spin forever and ever and ever and ever, glorifying and praising your name. There's just one thing I need you to do that it's going to the world become one of them pay the penalty for their sins. And when Jesus says in verse 38 of come down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of him was sent me. He does not mean that he's against this, that it's not his will. Visa is unwillingly or reluctantly submitting all he means is I'm coming to fulfill a plan that the father has devised.

He doesn't mean here on Thursday him to do this next Tuesday him to do this next Friday.

Now he simply saying I've come down to do the one thing necessary, and that is provide the atoning sacrifice that this humanity might be redeemed and you know as well as I that that atonement of Jesus Christ, stretched all the way back to cover all the sins of all who believe. Before he died, as well as all who believe after you and then in verse 39 and this is the will of him who sent me that of all that he has given me. I lose what the father says to them, don't lose any of and Jesus says I won't and I will raise him up on the last day for this is the will of my father that everyone who beholds a son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I myself will raise him up on the last day you want to know something all the saints are ultimately going to be glorified, not because God said so only but because Jesus will make it so that's plan down to verse 44 no one can come to me unless the father who sent me draws him and I'll raise him up on the last day every individual whose ever come to faith is a love gift from the father to the son where caught up in something so monumental so fast so transcendent, it is almost as if my salvation in your salvation is somewhat incidental. The real issue here is not to get us to heaven, but to express love from the father to the son, where where where just the gift when I want to show my love to someone I might give them a gift. My give my wife a gift that might give my children to give my friends they don't love the gift they might enjoy the gift but what matters to them is the love of the giver is not it. And that's exactly this were somewhat like the gift I mean the whole issue is not us.

The issue is this Trinitarian love relationship in which we are privileged to participate. Now the father isn't done with just that there's something more to be said. Romans eight 2930.

Someone told me long time ago.

I guess it's sort of axiomatic that the supreme complement the supreme form of flattery is imitation and we we know that today when what somebody has a hero they imitate the in verse 29 want you to notice this, for whom he foreknew he also predestined to become conformed to the image of his son. This is incredible. The father determined before time began in his foreknowledge and predestination that he would bring together a redeemed humanity, he would save them, sanctify them, glorify them and bring them to heaven.

So the forever and ever and ever. They could say worthy is the Lamb worthy is the Lamb worthy is the Lamb and praise the son forever and ever and serve the sun forever and ever and there's one more component they would be made like this as much as it is possible for redeemed humanity to be like incarnate deity. We will be like Jesus Christ, so that verse 29. He might be the proton across among many brethren.

The prosodic cost meaning not the first one born in chronology, but the premier one so that he might be the supreme one over a whole brotherhood of those who are like them and we know that's what John said when we shall see him, we shall be what like the apostle Paul said, I press toward the mark for the prize of the upward call. What is the prize of the upward call when you're called up. It's pretty simple to understand. When you get called up. What's the prize Christ likeness of Christ likeness is the prize. Paul is saying I press toward the goal right now, which is the prize later on. In other words, if the prize for my life is one called up is to be like Christ.

That's the goal right now to if that's the purpose for which God redeemed me to make me into the image of his son, then that should be my goal right now and that's why Paul says, for example, to the Galatians I I am in travail, until Christ is fully formed in you. That's why he says for me to live is Christ twice is that I may know him. The one thing in his life that he pursued was Christ likeness because that was the reason God saved them. That was the whole point. In fact he says in Philippians chapter 3 that I pursue that for which God pursued me.

Why did God pursue him to make him like his son. So what is the goal of his like to become like his son. That's the goal. Eternity that becomes the goal in time. The goal is to make an election redeemed humanity like Jesus Christ and God will bring it to pass. Nose like a guy said to me, who was commenting about Christianity triumphing. He said simply. I read the book and in the end we all went through the church is invincible. It's absolutely invincible. The purposes of God cannot be thwarted as a kind of a conclusion to this just to condense little bit turn to first Corinthians 15 first Corinthians 15.

Let's go kart of the end and see the Lord is going to bring about a verse 24 for a moment when the sun has done everything verse 24 first rent is 50. Then comes the end, when he delivers up the kingdom to the God and father. In the end, Lord's gonna say okay I raise them all up. I provided salvation. I provided the spirit for sanctification, and I raise them all up here they are. Father, I given to you is going to deliver them all to the father and the father is going to at that point, give them to the son is a love gift, they're yours to praise you forever and ever. Go to verse 27 here we come to the very end.

He has put all things in subjection under his feet when he says all things are put in subjection, it is evident that he is accepted who put all things in subjection to him. That is God's not going to be in subjection to Christ and when all things are subjected to Christ, then the son himself also will be subjected to the one who subjected all things to him, that God may be all you know what no rosettes in it saying this when the sun brings the whole redeemed humanity to glory and the father gives them all to the son is a love gift son will turn around and give it all, including himself back to the father. This is a mind-boggling thing. This is what we're all caught up in books and immense transcendent and comprehensible expression of love within the Trinity, of which we are the gifts exchanged. I love the church because the Lord is building it himself. It's his. That's enough for me. Frankly, to just be a part of it. Small church, big church medium-size church happy church, said church just enough to be a part of. I feel like all its ingredients to know you so sad. In that letter.

But he says God always causes us to triumph in Christ, it's enough to march in the triumphing since enough to be in the parade folks miss enough to wear the uniform. That's all I'm out of here and frankly, the end is already determined.

I just privileged to be marching with the troops.

That's grace to you with John MacArthur. John serves as Chancellor of the Masters University in seminary and the title of today's lesson why I love the church will John after today's lesson.

I can't think of a better topic for our conversation, then church membership, you believe it's a biblical idea than the church you pastor practices it, but a lot of professing Christians don't hear people argue that church membership isn't in the Bible.

And so we don't have to. In effect, we shouldn't worry about it today.

So how you answer that argument. While I think there are number of ways to answered first of all, on the day of Pentecost when the church began the record of the book of acts is that 3000 people were basically joined to the church.

The church started with 3000 people.

They identify themselves to confess Christ and they were baptized.

That first day somebody was counting somebody was identifying these people. Few chapters later in the book of acts another 5000 men are added to the church and says they are added to the church, the number of people was known. The people were known they were personally baptized, individually baptized so that this is not just a bunch of people showing up somewhere in the event these are people who profess Christ. These are people who were baptized by the apostles and whoever else needed to be a part of that to get through 3000 5000. They were known people.

We also know in the New Testament that when believers travel from place to place.

They went with letters from their own church commending them to the church. If there was a church in another city. They were committed as members in good standing, so that that church could embrace them and I think another thing is when you read, for example, in the 13th chapter of Hebrews that we are to respond and follow the example of those who are over us in the Lord and the same thing is said in first Thessalonians 5 in different words, we have people who are over us in the Lord.

If you understand that a pastor is a shepherd of a flock that he knew, he knows his flock. He knows his sheep if you understand that a pastor is also a bishop or an overseer. He has the responsibility to oversee the life and growth in and of service of the people in his care. You understand all of this speaks to the issue of knowing your flock knowing your sheep and identifying these people.

They have profess Christ they have been baptized. They have been added to the church there under the watchful care of pastors and elders and overseers to watch for their souls and then you add what it says in Hebrews 13 that they have to give an account to God for how they care for your soul.

So respond to them in such a way so they can do it with joy and not with grief you really understand that this is committing myself to the care of men who before the Lord, are responsible for my life that's essentially what it means to be a member of the church and is clearly a biblical concept of biblical reality along this line. Let me let our listeners know about a free booklet titled your local church and why it matters free of charge. Just let us know you want one will send it to you. Yes, this booklet is absolutely free to get this resource. Your local church and why it matters. Just call or go to our website. Contact us today. The toll-free number here is 800-554-7223 and that number is easy to remember as 855 grace.

You can also go to our website. GT my.or that's our website. GT Y.or your local church and why it matters how God designed the church and the role that it's supposed to have in your life. Booklet also answers questions like what is the mission of the church. How can I serve my church and how do I increase my love for the church.

This is a great resource for a new believer were for someone who might not understand what the body of Christ does and how you are. She is a part of it again to get a copy of your local church and why it matters, call 855 grace will go to GT Y.now for John MacArthur. I'm Phil Johnson. Thanks for making grace to you part of your day and make sure you're here for our next broadcast is going to look at God's love for the church and how that love should change the way we live. John continuing his lesson why I love the church. Tune in for another 30 minutes of unleashing God's truth one verse at a time on racing