The Church We Love Part 2

Wondering Jesus will be united with his church, a great marriage supper of the Lamb in heaven will be like is our focus on today's broadcast service ramps up to study the church is a key element of what we believe state from the Moody Church in Chicago this morning when Sir whose clear teaching helps us make it across the finish line.

I'm glad that in the end there really will be unity in the church well yesterday and that's the day that we are all looking forward to when finally we are unified defeated Jesus Christ, worshiping him and serving him until then of course we have conflict, don't we.

In the New Testament even anticipates this. It also anticipates the fact that they're going to be those who have false views about Jesus and I want to devote my life to helping us to understand how wonderful he is and why he is so unique.

For example, did you know that in Islam specifically teaches that Jesus was never crucified what I've written a book entitled slandering Jesus six lies that people believe about the man who claimed to be God. It can be yours for a gift of any amount here is what you do you go to RTW offer.com RTW offer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337 and that we go to the Scriptures where we learn more about our Savior, our Lord and ahead of the church in most weddings. The emphasis is on the bride.

Understandably, in this room. It's an awful lot of attention, you'll notice it says in verse seven. Let us rejoice and exalt and give him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, let us at that moment folks give him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, are you going to be excited to give Jesus glory. Someday are you going to be wretches that we are brought out of the pit. Now the wedding, you know, in the ancient culture you never saw the bride, the bride and groom sometimes didn't meet until their wedding day. Well, we haven't seen Jesus, but having not seen him, you love him.

The Bible says we love him that we haven't seen them but at that time will love him even more intensely because we will be there and will actually see him all right now or something else that needs to happen you need something to wear because it's the wedding feast right and you've got the righteousness of Christ that's brought to bear, but what you put on for the wedding. Well, let's read it. It was granted in verse eight to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure, for the fine linen are your Bibles open how many of you have open Bibles all God bless you. The rest of you.

You have to trust us, see that's what you should bring your Bible to church so that you can read along with this notice it says for the fine linen is the righteous deeds all the saints. When you arrive at the wedding of Jesus as the bride what you wear is a gown of your own making. The righteousness of Jesus Christ gets you there. But when you're dressed for the wedding is your righteous deeds. This is not the righteousness of Christ.

Notice it says the righteous deeds plural of the saints plural and make up your own clothes while you're here on earth now can you imagine how some people are going to be terribly terribly underdressed. You know, I think only once in my life that I remember clearly did I fret about whether or not I was underdressed. My wife would tell you that she wished I would fret a little bit more often about whether or not I'm underdressed, but if you ever showed up someplace and I remember once that happened was just woefully underdressed. This was something very casual and everything and everybody else was very formal I was. I was really feeling pretty silly, actually, there are some people who are more concerned about showing up in church, properly dressed than they are showing up at the marriage feast properly dressed know that notice. It is of our own making. Where weaving garments.

That's overdoing your teaching a Sunday school class. Your mentoring children you're working with young people you're giving to the ministry or giving to missionaries are giving to our CLC Christian life center you're doing all these things, what are you doing you're making garments so that you won't show up under close at the marriage supper, couple of observations. First, notice that there is but one church. There is one church there's one bride is not beautiful is not that Jesus marries one group of people and says what you're my bride you're my bride you're my right, not on I he's not in adulteries not going to be stuck in a have a number bride is one bride and it's one bride from is the book of Revelation says, from every nation and tongue and all the different colors of the world all brought together for that beautiful drive for the Lord Jesus Christ. One bride, and when were sitting on the throne in the Bible does say he who overcomes Jesus said to him, I shall grant to sit with me on my throne, even as I overcame and sat with my father while Jesus said you're going to sit with me and you're going to rule with me and I'm going to be marrying you and the engagement period is over, the marriage supper has now come and were going to celebrate and were going to be together for all of eternity and that my friend is along time along there is but one church.

Some people think that now I know that we have differences. We have differences in theology with other folks were also going to be there and our differences are important to us, but that which unites us as members of the body of Jesus Christ is much stronger than that which divides us and so what we need to do is to minimize the differences and to accentuate the unity for those who trust Christ as Savior, mind you, this isn't for everybody. Everybody's invited in this life and I go to be extending an invitation in a moment, but but this is the bride, those who are in Christ. The church is but one church. Secondly, the church is very costly. Jesus died that he might present to himself the church so he could marry her so that he could clean her up from the gutter declare her to be totally pure and marry her, and do so rationally, morally, legally and in every way RN. Now think of how much it meant to Jesus to die for us. What do you think God thinks and Jesus thinks of people who are members of his body who take his people and commitment to the church and I'm talking about the local church so casually what you think God thinks of that and I could just name all kinds of things. For example, if you're going to meet the president of the United States, you'd be there an hour ahead of time that some folks bless them, are late every single Sunday to our church. You think for example of people who have never we we live in a time and I just read this this week that we live in a time when it is endemic. I hope I use that word correctly. I don't use it too often, but it's widespread how you like that I think that safer is widespread that we live in an era that has been called an era of commitment. Fold the people don't want to be committed to anything I will attend.

If it's good if I like the sermon all be there if I like the music but if someone else's got something going on all be there. I'm not going to commit. I will not put a stake in the ground and say here, I'm going to be a part of what's happening.

I will stay at a distance and do what's right for me and include the church when it seems to fit so I don't get regularly I date the church. Mind you, but I never think of really committing myself to the church and so I have no regular way to give.

If I have a couple of extra bills in my pocket.

I throw the men but there's no consistent plan to give. We have a childhood center I should say. Let me correct that we used to use that for the CLC. We have a Christian life center, I should say we have a Christian life center that that we are all building and thank God for the hundreds and hundreds that are helping us and God knows we need every single person, but the casualness with which we treat our treasures, our time and our talents when there are young people when there are children that need to be mentored. Whether it's here at the church or through kids club. That's the way in which we so garments you see, so that at the marriage supper of the Lamb will actually have something to wear is the righteous teeth you still none of my deeds are that righteous. Your give got that right. That's good theology. Here's what happens. We read the passage this morning actually. God takes our sinful deeds and through Christ. They are made righteous. So when we get to heaven and we have all of these mixed motives on earth.

God purifies all that and so in the eyes of God. These are righteous deeds because of our commitment to one another and our commitment to the church. Someone has written the church community is where we learn to love God and others were.

We are strengthened and transformed by truth from the word where we are taught to pray to worship to serve or we can be most certain that we are investing our time and abilities for eternity where we can grow in our roles as friends, sons and daughters, husbands and wives, fathers and mothers church is Earth's Single Best Pl., God especially designed this place.

It's the place to start over the place to grow and the place to change for the glory of God. That is, the church that God loves and you and I should love it to some of us this past week, heard Ravi Zacharias told an interesting story said that he was in Thailand and picked up the morning newspaper and found a story about a boy with down syndrome who had learned to weave cloth in such a way that was so artistic that these clauses were being sold and Ravi was so impressed with the article he actually tracked the boy down and visited him and his mother what Ravi discovered is that this boy who was taught to believe in here has this artistic talent when he sold his first piece of cloth that was woven. He was so impressed and so excited that he began to sell others, and so far he has sold 61 of his cloths is artistic clause to people when he gets paid this boy with limited ability and one reminder that in God's eyes. Nobody is limited use those words but this boy takes his money and he always gives it to his mother because he says I want mother to have all of it because were it not for mother or not for mother.

I wouldn't have the encouragement and the knowledge how to do this, so this boy very intent on giving all of the money to the mother's mother. You see, we're weaving garments.

Maybe they're not to artistic because Jesus said it is through my church. I have a eyes that can see human need through my church. I have feet that can go to places in need through my church. I have the opportunity to speak words of comfort and hope to the church. The church represents me on earth. I am still on earth. This is my body, and as they go into neighborhoods and communities. And as they give them go and pray and work and commit. That is my work that they are committing and going and giving and praying for. That's me, that's the way in which we we are close, so that will have something to wear at the wedding feast, your works are incredibly important. You know, as evangelicals because we stress that salvation has nothing to do with works. It is a gift. We stress that over and over again people think well you not get saved and then just drift along the pop in and pop out. God is watching God is watching these keeping track of even a cup of cold water. Whoever it is that put this up here given in my name you'll not lose his reward, especially today when I need it so badly.

And then what do we do like this boy with down syndrome when were standing there at the wedding feast and we are now closed by these white linens, holy and clean the been made clean by Jesus. What we do, we do like that boy with the down syndrome. We take our crowns we take what ever Jesus has given to us and that tremendous privilege and opportunity to be his and we cast our crowns before him, and we say Jesus you get all the glory.

All the praise because if it wasn't for you I wouldn't be here. I'd still be in the gutter and I'd be somewhere you still pastor Luther I don't love the church because the church is so imperfect. I was hurt by the church. If you are hurt by us, and tell us so that we can apologize were sorry. Yet the church is imperfect but Jesus loved the church. When we were very imperfect. Why don't you and I love the church. He loved us before we were redeemed and is loved us since that time, and will love us throughout all of eternity.

So what keeps us from committing and loving and giving and going and becoming a part of something that means so much to God, I conclude with these words of Scripture it says blessed are those this is now verse nine. Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.

Blessed are those and did you know that you don't get an invitation. After you die, your either invited here on earth and you accept the invitation.

While you're alive, in which case then when you die you are indeed in but you can't change course after your dad is in this life were those decisions are made and that's why I and by urging those of you have never trusted Christ as Savior you've never believed on him. I'm saying if you turn from your sins and trust Christ alone. You can join us at the wedding and after you have received Christ your good deeds are being woven and will turn out to be linen, white and clean. While all that, for terrible sinners I think is pretty good, praise God. My all alone appear or is he also fathered. We thank you today that you love the church. May we love it to May we cease our criticism. May we cease our critical spirit because were all filled with faults, may we cease father all of the experiences that have kept us from wholehearted commitment and we ask that this church that you love would be a church that we love that we might love your people, even as you do that we as husbands might love our wives as you loved us and make this transforming we ask in Jesus name. Now before I close this prayer have you trusted Christ as Savior, are you sure that you're going to show up at the wedding feast. What you must do is to say Jesus I'm a sinner you died for sinners and I except your death is my substitute.

Would you tell them that thank you father for your mercy toward us in Jesus name, amen my friend today. It is my desire to always exalt Jesus. My mother, who guided 103 told me as my ministry was beginning always make much of Christ and I've tried to live up to that. I've written a book entitled slandering Jesus six lies. People tell about the man who said he was God and in this book I deal with some of the contemporary issues about Jesus like is he the only way to God.

Does he have a dark secret. Is it true that he was not crucified, these of the kinds of questions for which you and others need answers for a gift of any amount.

This book can be yours.

Go to RTW offer.com RTW offer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337 ask for the book, slandering Jesus because were living at a time when Jesus is being proclaimed he's being talked about and read about, but it may not be a Jesus who was actually able to save us. We trusted Christ, who is represented in the New Testament as God of very God slandering Jesus six lies.

You need to be able to refute. It's time again for you to ask pastor looks or a question about the Bible or the Christian life. Those who have lost loved ones find themselves asking questions they may have never thought about before Peggy emailed us this question not long ago, my husband of 40 years, died on March 26, 2006 I'm having trouble adjusting to life without him. He was saved. So I know he's with Jesus. What happens to you when you die you actually go to be with Jesus and the spirits of loved ones see their families.

Can they communicate with them. Will Peggy, I just want to say first of all that I send you my sympathy in my prayers very difficult when you love someone, and you lived with them for so many years to suddenly find that you're a widow or widower, but in answer to your questions. The answers yes the spirit of your husband if he knew Christ as Savior is with Jesus. And when I say that I mean, it's your actual husband.

Now, of course, he is without his permanent body. The body has gone to the grave. But it's the real man whom you knew who is with Jesus his mind to his thinking who he is, has gone to be with the Lord. Kenny see you, probably not.

There's nothing in the Bible to suggest that but have often speculated that if he's interested in how you are doing, and I'm sure that he is. He could also think about asking Jesus how you're doing. And Jesus would tell him, and by the way, he loves you with the same love that he had on earth, only more so because obviously he's not going to no less than he did when he was on earth, nor is he going to love lasts, but even love more. But finally the answer to your question is no. There can be no communication between you and him you're gonna have to wait until you die and go to heaven and join him and at that time. The Bible says we shall be all together with the Lord. Thank you for those words of comfort Dr. Luther if you'd like to hear your question answered. Go to our website@rtwoffer.com and click on ask pastor looks or or you can call us at 1-888-218-9337 that's 1-888-218-9337 you can write to us running to win 1635 N. LaSalle Boulevard Chicago, IL 60614 one things for sure Christians don't need crystal balls to see into the future. The Bible gives tantalizing details about a heavenly kingdom beyond all description a new Jerusalem with streets of gold. Next time I'm running to win Miss Pastor Luther's final message in this series the future.

We anticipate will take a peek through the mist of time into the timelessness of eternity running to win is all about helping you understand God's will for your race of life. This is Dave running to win is sponsored by the Moody church