When Beliefs Collide Part 2

Supper are two sacraments. All Christians observe in one way or another.

Today Erwin boozer tells us what we share as fellow believers, despite our differences, and gives us a big picture view of the church from God's perspective from the Moody Church in Chicago this morning with Dr. Erwin listserv whose clear teaching helps us make it across the finish line vasculature by the wide variance in how Christians observe these two ordinances will debut best very interesting question from a biblical point of view, it had to do with how literally should we take the Scriptures point is simply this one Jesus said this is my blood did he mean that literally, or did he mean this represents my blood now of course many of us believe that there are powerful reasons to believe that he did not mean that literally, but rather, this represents my blood. But that's one of the reasons for the division, the other has to do with church history itself. In the early centuries of the church. There was this drift toward what we call sacramental holism, which, of course, emphasize the role of the sacraments in salvation.

It gave the priests, incredible power and so all of that became involved in these divisions. It's important for us to understand that it's also important for us to understand the basics of the Christian faith. My wife and I have written a book entitled life-changing Bible verses you should know. It deals with doctrinal issues. It also deals with issues regarding Christian living is really intended to help believers as they go to the next step in their sanctification and their walk for a gift of any amount.

It can be yours.

Here's what you do go to RTW offer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337 and now let's go to the pulpit of Moody church as we continue our study on conflicts. Our attitude unites us our life unites us in verse four it says there is one body and one spirit, just as you were called to the 10 we are unified because were members of the same body, and when one part of the body hurts the other part hurts also.

We are a part of those who rejoice with those who rejoice, but it isn't just that we are committed to each other. It's because God has metaphysically connected us together. You had this experience as I had you can go to another part of the world and you can meet a believer in Jesus and even though you've never known him or her.

There is a whole area of commonality that you know instantly because they too have been born again of the same spirit.

They are part of the same body.

Paul says that you are one there is one body.

There's one spirit. There are many bodies there are many spirits. It's all one, there's one hope by which you were called. Believer here today in Jesus it's because God called you and the same call to salvation that I answered at the age of 14 is the same call to salvation that you answered at some point in your life when you believed in Jesus. So what you can see here is that what the Scripture is saying is we are one loaf we are members of the same body we share the same attitude we share the very same life were all connected to the head and were members of his body, of his flesh and of his bones. We are one. Even with people with whom we disagree. And people who it is difficult to love. We are also united because of our beliefs here. I'm thinking about the next passage where it says there is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one Lord, that is the Lord Jesus Christ, one faith that is the body of doctrine that has been given to the church and that's where the disagreements come folks because there are those who leave the one faith, some of us believe, and therefore divisions happen when you leave the faith and the faith that you have in Jesus, so you'll notice it says there is one Lord, one faith, one baptism almost had to smile because baptism has divided the church has it not you have infant baptism. You have believers baptism. You have different understandings of baptism.

There are those who believe that baptism is the entrance into the Christian family, there are those who believe it is simply a sign of the covenant you have different understandings of baptism. Isn't it interesting that something in the Scripture that should unite us, divides us.

The same can be said for the Lord's supper. That's why Melanchthon one of Luther's associates said regarding these divisions that they are deserving of tears and they are deserving of tears now.

Perhaps the baptism that he's talking about is not water baptism but spirit baptism. There's one baptism, second Corinthians chapter 12 verse 13 for by one Spirit we are all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Greeks, richer free and have been all made to drink in one spirit since the baptism of the spirit that puts us into Jesus. It's the baptism of the spirit that makes you one with him and therefore one with the rest of us that baptism is never commanded that we should be baptized with the spirit.

Why, because when you put faith in Jesus you are baptized with the spirit and you become the one body that Paul is talking about here. So there's one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and father of all who is overall and through all and in all united by our attitude by our common life by our common belief. The one faith that we have in Jesus and were also united by our service. It says in verse 11 and he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists the pastors the teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry there about 19 different gifts in the New Testament and that might not be the total there might be some things that aren't necessarily listed as gifts. And that's that's the whole purpose of gathering together we gather to worship most assuredly. But we also gather to serve. When I say that we have a parking need need for those who are willing to sacrifice and perhaps have to miss his service once in every four or five weeks there should be such an army of people and by the way, you don't need to be a member to do that there should be such an army of people willing to sign up that the folks over there at the kiosks that I hope you find safe enough already. We've got more than we can use when I say that we need children's workers. They should be saying there at the kiosk today. I should get a phone call this afternoon. Pastor we had so many people who wanted to work with children's ministry that we don't know where they all are going to fit when that be a wonderful phone call all wait for that one that's that's what the body is all about. It's to function is to volunteer. It's just sacrifice on behalf of others is to save I'm part of this, then by God's grace I am going to be united with believers exercising my gift for the work of ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ.

You are here for yourself today, but you're not just here for yourself.

You are here for other believers who were sitting next to you and for the whole work of God that God has graciously given us the privilege to be involved in, and with the new building and new opportunities to extend the gospel in God's glory were going to need more people than we ever had were going to need more people to give.

Can you imagine what that new building adds to our budget and so together we work.

What's the bottom line the bottom line is this, the church is not just a group of people who gather together because they've decided to follow Jesus.

That's not just what we are. The church is the father's family.

As we emphasized the church is the son's bride. He's going to marry us at the marriage supper of the land we show up clothed in the good works that we did. Yes, the good works that we did good works. Don't save you. But if you want to be dressed appropriately at the marriage supper of the Lamb. You'd better do good works because that's what the Bible teaches, and so what you have is it is the father's family. It's the son's bride is the home of the Holy Spirit.

It's a unity created by God miraculously. That's what the church is with all of its imperfections and all of its divisions and all of its headaches from time to time. If you're the kind of person who says I don't want to be involved in a church.

I do want to join. I don't want to have any responsibility. I don't want to have any accountability I like to be a free floater like it here depends on the length of the sermon go somewhere else. If it's more suited to my taste.

If that's what you were thinking you have to at least ask the question as to whether or not you are saved, whether or not you are a Christian you should ask that question, you say well is not possible to be like that and be a Christian.

Yes, it is, but biblically it's an anomaly it's an exception can't find it anywhere in the New Testament, there is no believer who did not attach himself onto some local assemblies some visible church with all of its problems, whether it's Corinth or the church in Philippi or wherever. Because the unity that God created is the unity that has to be lived out in our own lives and that is so critical, so critical. Are you connecting with my heart today about this or my all alone appeared today.

Are you getting what I want to tell you you know if you've never been to Ravinia. You should go up there. It's in one of the northern suburbs.

Forget which one but here's the deal. There's a bandshell there and they have Symphony Orchestra. The Symphony Orchestra comes in place and you don't have to buy an expensive ticket to get into the bandshell because it's open so what you do is you buy a cheaper ticket like my wife and I do and then you sit on the lawn with hundreds of other people on a wonderful summer evening listening to the best of music. Number of years ago we were up there and brought some lunch with us and finish that sat on the blanket that we brought in a chair that we brought in just to enjoy the beautiful outdoors and beautiful music next to us was a man who also brought his blanket and he fell asleep and that proof of this was the fact that he snored very loudly. My wife and I wondered you know should we actually moved well. We move everybody around will see. Hey, they moved because he snoring so we can put up with a little bit of snoring. From time to time.

Your mate has done that. So I said dad yeah will just stay here and we did. But when Schubert was finished, and by the way, that's where you get Mendelson on Schubert, Strauss, all of that good music when Schubert was finished, which was the end of the program. Everybody jumped up and gave them a standing ovation.

This guy woke up, looked around some what everybody was doing popped up and clapped along with everybody else.

Hence, the way some believers are spiritually speaking sleep through life uninvolved unwilling to sacrifice distantly related and then when Jesus comes to receive his saints when Jesus comes to to receive us and at the marriage supper of the Lamb that was for emphasis. I worked on that a long time before they're going to be one up there in the front row saying well here I am. I'm clapping to, but they snoozed through the war. This morning I woke up with the song in mind I gave my life for the my precious blood I shed that thou might strand some B and quickened from the dead. I gave, I gave my life for the past given for me. That's when I woke up thinking about this morning and a few moments were going to have communion and were going to say this cup is the cup of the new covenant in my blood and this bread represents my body which is broken for you. Jesus is saying this is what I've done for you and by the way if you've never received benefits from what he has done you except your sinfulness recognize it and come to him and trust him. And as the choir sang my sin not in part but the whole has been nailed to the cross. You can have battles but Jesus is saying to those of us who know him.

I gave myself for the what hast thou given for me. What is your contribution to my body in terms of time, talents, treasure involvement, that's the question that I have burned into my heart this morning and I wanted to be burned into your heart as well. Let us pray father receive us, despite our imperfections and our sins receive us as a church despite her limitations, despite the fact that there are those who perhaps have been disappointed with various aspects of ministry we haven't lived up to everything that we could've lived up to.

We acknowledge that Lord we have nothing to hide.

We have nothing to to say except that we need you as a leadership and as a congregation we pray for those who've never trusted Christ and for those who have we asked today that you might challenge us and transform us through connecting with your body that cost you so dearly. In Jesus name, my friend, this is Pastor Luther. Let me ask you a question today. Should we fear the Lord, there are those who say no. We should have no fear of the Lord because we are under grace and it is now safe to sin really fear the Lord is mentioned many times in the New Testament in the Old Testament we have a very interesting story when God came on Sinai. The Bible says that the people feared and yet the Lord says do not be afraid God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning. If you ever heard an exposition of that why it is that on the one hand, God tells us to fear and on the other hand he says do not be afraid in the book entitled life-changing Bible verses you should know, my wife and I discussed those kinds of issues we discuss these topics to help you make it all the way to the finish line 40 different topics.

As a matter of fact now for a gift of any amount. This book can be yours. Here's what you do go to RTW offer.com that's RTW offer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337 I believe very deeply that this resource will be a blessing to you. It will help you in your discipleship. It'll also help you to disciple others.

So remember, you can go to the phone right now is a matter of fact you can call 1-888-218-9337 thanks in advance for helping us because together were making a difference. It's time once again for you to ask Pastor Luther a question about the Bible or the Christian life church history holds the interest of Dennis the listener who lives in Inverness, Florida. Here is his question. Since the church was split between Catholics and Protestants after the Reformation who is right and who was wrong is the Catholic Church occult will Dennis, thank you so much for your question and I'm glad that you are willing to reach back in history to help us to try to understand the importance of the difference between Catholicism and Protestantism in answer to your question who was right and who was wrong. I want to answer it by saying that the person who was most biblical is right, of course, as you know we are Protestants, and even Catholics admit that during the time of the Reformation, the church stood in great need of reform. The selling of indulgences. For example, which had taken place for centuries now was in high gear because the Pope wanted to have money to finish St. Peter's Basilica and if you remember the context before when indulgences were sold. It was for the living.

Now it was extended to the dead and the idea is that most of the people who died actually died, unable to go directly into heaven because they weren't holy enough so they went to purgatory.

Nobody knew how long purgatory was all that they knew was that it could be shortened or possibly even a soul could be taken out of purgatory.

If a gift were paid and when that abuse took place. Luther of course responded, but the real issue is simply this, what is the requirement to go to heaven. In Roman Catholicism. It is believed that God gives people grace and especially through the sacraments. They receive grace and when they have enough grace, they are able then to go to heaven if they cooperate with God and allow that grace to grow in their hearts.

The problem with that particular point of view Dennis is that no one can have real assurance of salvation because after all nobody knows whether or not he or she has enough grace and of course because we always fail our contribution to salvation is very flawed.

What Luther discovered and what we believe the Bible clearly teaches is that salvation of necessity is a free gift, and it is given to those who believe in Jesus Christ alone.

And the reason that we can have assurance of salvation is simply because of the fact that salvation doesn't rest with us.

It rests totally and completely on what Jesus Christ did.

His death was sufficient his death and resurrection, paid our debt and therefore our faith is in him. We bring nothing to the table except our great need.

We come to receive and of course because we receive the righteousness of Jesus Christ.

What we receive is a free gift. It has to be free because it's the kind of righteousness of which you and I have none. We can't contribute to God's righteousness to make it better.

We can subtract from it and it is that righteousness that we need to be acquitted and justified before God that was basically the message of the Reformation and so in answer to your question as to who's right and who's wrong. I do believe that Luther's proclamation of justification by faith alone is consistent out of the biblical teaching and grows out of the text of the New Testament. Now you go on to ask another question is Roman Catholicism occult. Normally when we think of occult we think of those who have a wrong view of Jesus I we think of those groups that do not believe in the divinity of Jesus.

Well, Roman Catholicism does believe that Jesus was God in the flesh. They also believe that the Bible is the word of God though they also accept tradition. So in answer to your question, I would simply say it depends on how you define the meaning of the word cult. We believe that Roman Catholicism has a correct view of Christ and even looked at from one point of view correct view of the Scriptures, at least historically, but on the matter of salvation. There is great divergence so depends Dennis on how you define that word. I'll leave that to you except to say that the matter of salvation is incredibly important.

God's best – I hope you continue to listen.

Thank you Dennis and thank you Dr. Moser if you'd like to hear your question answered. Go to our website@rtwoffer.com and click on ask Pastor Luther or call us at 1-888-218-9337 that's 1-888-218-9337 you can write to us have run into when 1635 N. LaSalle Boulevard Chicago, IL 60614 running to win is all about helping you understand God's roadmap for your race of life.

Someone has said the church is wonderful. It's the people in the church, but I can't stand when disagreements and personal agendas rise to the surface.

Frictions can occur. Next time I'm running to win.

We expose a not so secret secret Christians don't always get along. Don't miss a message on what to do when personalities collide for Dr. Erwin Luther this is Dave McAllister running to win is sponsored by the teacher