1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:07,180 You’re listening to a sermon from Pastor Colin Smith of Open the Bible. 2 00:00:07,180 –> 00:00:15,680 To contact us call us at 1-877-Open365 or visit our website, openthebible.org 3 00:00:15,680 –> 00:00:17,580 Let’s get to the message. 4 00:00:17,580 –> 00:00:20,559 Here is Pastor Colin. 5 00:00:20,559 –> 00:00:26,280 The world despises the church, Jesus loves the church and we want to be like our Lord 6 00:00:26,280 –> 00:00:29,620 and Savior, Jesus Christ. 7 00:00:30,120 –> 00:00:33,500 Yeah, last week we began by asking the question what is the church? 8 00:00:33,500 –> 00:00:36,779 And we looked to Jesus for the answer. 9 00:00:36,779 –> 00:00:43,020 We saw that our Lord used the word church on just two occasions and that his use of 10 00:00:43,020 –> 00:00:47,139 this word church is really defining for us today. 11 00:00:47,139 –> 00:00:51,900 In Matthew chapter 16 the Lord Jesus used the word church to refer to all believers 12 00:00:51,900 –> 00:00:54,459 in every time and place. 13 00:00:54,580 –> 00:01:00,520 And then in Matthew chapter 18 our Lord used the word church to refer to a local congregation 14 00:01:00,520 –> 00:01:03,799 of believers just as we are today. 15 00:01:03,799 –> 00:01:11,419 A local congregation really is church and we saw this wonderful truth that we are not 16 00:01:11,419 –> 00:01:12,959 simply part of the church. 17 00:01:12,959 –> 00:01:15,480 The New Testament never says that. 18 00:01:15,480 –> 00:01:18,000 We are church. 19 00:01:18,000 –> 00:01:24,260 And we use this analogy that when you look at a crescent moon in the sky at night you’re 20 00:01:24,260 –> 00:01:27,000 looking at moon. 21 00:01:27,000 –> 00:01:32,360 And even though you do not see all of the moon what you see is moon and it is wonderfully 22 00:01:32,360 –> 00:01:37,720 and it is invisibly united with all the rest of the moon. 23 00:01:37,720 –> 00:01:41,919 So here we are a local congregation of believers. 24 00:01:41,919 –> 00:01:43,919 We are church. 25 00:01:43,919 –> 00:01:46,300 We are body of Christ. 26 00:01:46,300 –> 00:01:48,360 We are bride of Christ. 27 00:01:48,360 –> 00:01:51,739 We are family of God. 28 00:01:51,739 –> 00:01:59,180 And in Christ we are invisibly one with all that is church, all that is body of Christ, 29 00:01:59,180 –> 00:02:02,419 all that is bride of Christ and family of God. 30 00:02:02,419 –> 00:02:11,059 Now, when you see this and when it begins to sink in what it means to be the church 31 00:02:11,179 –> 00:02:16,080 you will view the local church in an entirely different way. 32 00:02:16,080 –> 00:02:21,259 And my prayer for this month as you know is that for many of us there will be a rethinking 33 00:02:21,259 –> 00:02:25,899 of the place and the priority of the local church and that we will come as a result to 34 00:02:25,899 –> 00:02:32,419 share in the passion of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 35 00:02:32,419 –> 00:02:37,460 Now the Bible’s teaching about the church is not easy to grasp. 36 00:02:37,460 –> 00:02:43,759 We read for example in Ephesians chapter 3 and verse nine that the church is a mystery. 37 00:02:43,759 –> 00:02:48,419 In other words it is really only with the help of the Holy Spirit that as Christian 38 00:02:48,419 –> 00:02:52,839 believers we can begin to understand it at all. 39 00:02:52,839 –> 00:03:00,380 But God wants us to know who we are and for that reason He teaches us this great truth 40 00:03:00,380 –> 00:03:05,940 that can sometimes be difficult to grasp by way of pictures, by way of images, by way 41 00:03:05,940 –> 00:03:07,460 of analogies. 42 00:03:07,460 –> 00:03:13,059 Now we are going to look at three of these pictures or analogies in this series. 43 00:03:13,059 –> 00:03:19,199 The church as the body of Christ, the church as the building of God and as the bride of 44 00:03:19,199 –> 00:03:20,580 Christ. 45 00:03:20,580 –> 00:03:26,660 But before we get into the first of these today I want to take just a moment to point 46 00:03:26,660 –> 00:03:33,919 out to you some of the false pictures that many Christians today have of the church. 47 00:03:34,440 –> 00:03:39,279 So let’s get rid of what’s a distortion so that our minds can be ready to receive 48 00:03:39,279 –> 00:03:42,279 the images that Christ gives to us. 49 00:03:42,279 –> 00:03:47,800 Tom Nelson who serves as a pastor in the free church is a good friend, has identified four 50 00:03:47,800 –> 00:03:51,759 distorted images of the church. 51 00:03:51,759 –> 00:03:55,000 I found them rather helpful because they’re so memorable. 52 00:03:55,000 –> 00:04:01,199 First he says there are many Christians who view the church of Jesus Christ as a gas station. 53 00:04:01,240 –> 00:04:03,779 In other words it’s a place where you fill up. 54 00:04:03,779 –> 00:04:08,000 Here’s my spiritual tank and it’s running a bit low and I’m getting near to empty. 55 00:04:08,000 –> 00:04:09,460 Let’s get a good sermon. 56 00:04:09,460 –> 00:04:12,039 Where can we go for that and so forth and so on? 57 00:04:12,039 –> 00:04:15,139 That’ll pep me up and keep me going and fuel me for the week. 58 00:04:15,139 –> 00:04:16,880 The church is a gas station. 59 00:04:16,880 –> 00:04:19,799 Maybe you’ve thought of the church a little bit like that. 60 00:04:19,799 –> 00:04:23,739 Second the church is a movie theatre. 61 00:04:23,739 –> 00:04:25,679 The place where we get entertainment. 62 00:04:25,679 –> 00:04:27,640 Here’s an hour of escape. 63 00:04:27,640 –> 00:04:33,279 Here’s a place where you can leave the troubles of your life at the door and come out after 64 00:04:33,279 –> 00:04:37,859 an hour or so smiling and feeling better than when you went in. 65 00:04:37,859 –> 00:04:41,600 A lot of Christians think of the church like a movie theatre. 66 00:04:41,600 –> 00:04:44,940 Third, the church is a drug store. 67 00:04:44,940 –> 00:04:49,679 A place where you fill a prescription that’s going to deal with your pain. 68 00:04:49,679 –> 00:04:52,559 Where can I get something that’s going to deal with my pain? 69 00:04:52,559 –> 00:04:57,519 A lot of Christians view the church simply at that therapeutic level. 70 00:04:58,079 –> 00:05:01,359 Fourth, the church is a big box retailer. 71 00:05:01,359 –> 00:05:03,200 I like this one. 72 00:05:03,200 –> 00:05:04,859 Many people have this idea. 73 00:05:04,859 –> 00:05:10,040 The church is the place, like the big box retailer, that offers the best products in 74 00:05:10,040 –> 00:05:13,579 a clean and safe environment for you and for your family. 75 00:05:13,579 –> 00:05:18,779 What people are looking for in a church is often the same way as they think about the 76 00:05:18,779 –> 00:05:20,320 big box retailer. 77 00:05:20,320 –> 00:05:23,760 A great service, low price, and all in one stop. 78 00:05:23,839 –> 00:05:28,739 For many people, the church is a kind of producer of programs—what do you have for 79 00:05:28,739 –> 00:05:29,739 my kids? 80 00:05:29,739 –> 00:05:32,160 What do you have for young people? 81 00:05:32,160 –> 00:05:34,339 And so forth and so on. 82 00:05:34,339 –> 00:05:37,880 There’s something in all of these images, there’s reasons why people think in all 83 00:05:37,880 –> 00:05:39,359 of these ways. 84 00:05:39,359 –> 00:05:44,660 But seriously, as a community of people who want our minds, our hearts, and our lives 85 00:05:44,660 –> 00:05:50,720 to be shaped by the Bible, I want you to take in with me today that you won’t find 86 00:05:50,739 –> 00:05:54,320 any of these pictures in the Word of God. 87 00:05:54,320 –> 00:06:01,359 All of them are distortions, and if you think about it, they have one thing in common. 88 00:06:01,359 –> 00:06:04,619 They’re all about me. 89 00:06:04,619 –> 00:06:06,320 Did you notice that? 90 00:06:06,320 –> 00:06:08,079 Fill me up. 91 00:06:08,079 –> 00:06:10,160 Entertain me. 92 00:06:10,160 –> 00:06:11,640 Take away my pain. 93 00:06:11,640 –> 00:06:14,980 Give me the programs I’m looking for, for me and my family. 94 00:06:14,980 –> 00:06:16,040 It’s about me. 95 00:06:16,040 –> 00:06:17,559 It’s about what I get. 96 00:06:17,559 –> 00:06:25,779 Pure consumerism, which is not surprising, that is pervasive in our culture. 97 00:06:25,779 –> 00:06:30,940 I don’t know about you, but I don’t have any particular loyalty to a gas station. 98 00:06:30,940 –> 00:06:39,160 Or a movie theater, or a drugstore, or a big box retailer. 99 00:06:39,160 –> 00:06:44,559 I move around when it comes to these things, just trying to get the best deal at any given 100 00:06:44,559 –> 00:06:50,440 time, and there are a lot of Christians like that, too. 101 00:06:50,440 –> 00:06:54,320 They’re drifting around from one thing to another, seeing what they can pick up here 102 00:06:54,320 –> 00:06:56,160 and there. 103 00:06:56,160 –> 00:07:03,140 They find it hard to settle because they have never really understood what the Church is, 104 00:07:03,140 –> 00:07:05,320 and they miss so much as a result. 105 00:07:05,320 –> 00:07:11,079 So, let’s recognize that there are some very distorted and very destructive images 106 00:07:11,179 –> 00:07:16,279 of the Church that are at work in many minds and hearts, especially in our culture today, 107 00:07:16,279 –> 00:07:23,160 and I want us in this series to move away from a self-centered, consumerist way of thinking 108 00:07:23,160 –> 00:07:29,079 about the Church and to grasp from the New Testament what Christ says to us about what 109 00:07:29,079 –> 00:07:31,260 it is that he’s calling us to be. 110 00:07:31,260 –> 00:07:32,839 What it means to be the Church. 111 00:07:32,839 –> 00:07:38,799 So, I hope you’ll open your Bible then at Ephesians in chapter one, where we begin today 112 00:07:38,799 –> 00:07:43,239 with the Church as the body of Christ. 113 00:07:43,239 –> 00:07:45,320 Let’s start at verse 18. 114 00:07:45,320 –> 00:07:54,920 Paul is praying that God will open our eyes, the eyes of believers, to see, verse 19, his 115 00:07:54,920 –> 00:08:01,459 incomparably great power for us who believe. 116 00:08:01,459 –> 00:08:03,160 A wonderful phrase. 117 00:08:03,160 –> 00:08:04,880 Let’s pause there for a moment. 118 00:08:04,880 –> 00:08:07,600 God has power. 119 00:08:07,600 –> 00:08:11,480 God has great power, more than that. 120 00:08:11,480 –> 00:08:16,299 God has incomparably great power. 121 00:08:16,299 –> 00:08:19,260 There is nothing to compare the power of God with. 122 00:08:19,260 –> 00:08:24,519 The apostle says, you know, Satan has power, temptation that you experience has power, 123 00:08:24,519 –> 00:08:29,760 the government has power, the media has power but there is no power that you could ever 124 00:08:29,760 –> 00:08:32,760 begin to compare with the power of God. 125 00:08:32,760 –> 00:08:37,400 It is an incomparably great power that is his. 126 00:08:37,559 –> 00:08:41,960 It’s of an altogether different order and notice what he says, that this incomparably 127 00:08:41,960 –> 00:08:49,359 great power of God is for us, for us who believe. 128 00:08:49,359 –> 00:08:54,840 Now since God’s power is incomparably great, it follows of course that you cannot then 129 00:08:54,840 –> 00:08:57,880 liken it to anything except itself. 130 00:08:57,880 –> 00:09:03,219 And so Paul says, let me give you an example of what this incomparably great power looks 131 00:09:03,219 –> 00:09:04,219 like. 132 00:09:04,739 –> 00:09:11,919 It’s like the working of the Father’s mighty strength which He exerted in Christ when He 133 00:09:11,919 –> 00:09:14,559 raised him from the dead. 134 00:09:14,559 –> 00:09:16,859 So you see what he’s saying as we put this together. 135 00:09:16,859 –> 00:09:22,599 He says the power that the Father exercised on the day when the stone was rolled away 136 00:09:22,599 –> 00:09:30,000 and the dead corpse of Jesus was raised to life, the Son of God raised up on that day, 137 00:09:30,000 –> 00:09:32,400 this is His incomparably great power. 138 00:09:32,400 –> 00:09:37,080 It’s for us who believe. 139 00:09:37,080 –> 00:09:39,500 Then he says something else. 140 00:09:39,500 –> 00:09:46,919 Not only did God in His incomparably great power raise Jesus from the dead but, the Father 141 00:09:46,919 –> 00:09:53,619 went on to seat Him at the right hand of the Father in heavenly realms, far above all rule 142 00:09:53,619 –> 00:09:58,640 and authority and power and dominion and every title that can ever be given not only in the 143 00:09:58,640 –> 00:10:01,500 present age but also in the age to come. 144 00:10:02,140 –> 00:10:06,880 Now, he’s building up to something here, that’s why I’m taking a few moments on it. 145 00:10:06,900 –> 00:10:12,979 Then he says, having spoken about the incomparably great power of God by which He raises Jesus 146 00:10:12,979 –> 00:10:17,599 from the dead and then causes Him to be seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven 147 00:10:17,599 –> 00:10:24,460 far above all rule and all other power, then he says, verse 22, do you see it there, 148 00:10:24,780 –> 00:10:28,140 God placed all things under 149 00:10:28,140 –> 00:10:36,099 His feet and appointed Him, Jesus Christ the Son, to be head over everything. 150 00:10:36,099 –> 00:10:38,419 Pause. 151 00:10:38,419 –> 00:10:40,020 Why? 152 00:10:40,020 –> 00:10:42,659 That’s the question. 153 00:10:42,659 –> 00:10:48,700 This incomparably great power of the Father exerted, demonstrated in the resurrection 154 00:10:48,700 –> 00:10:53,359 of Jesus Christ and in His ascension to the right hand of the Father. 155 00:10:53,659 –> 00:10:57,059 Everything is placed under his feet. 156 00:10:57,059 –> 00:10:59,159 Why did the Father raise Jesus from the dead? 157 00:10:59,159 –> 00:11:01,940 Why is Jesus exalted at the right hand of the Father? 158 00:11:01,940 –> 00:11:05,820 Why has everything been placed under the feet of Christ? 159 00:11:05,820 –> 00:11:08,940 Look at the astonishing answer in verse 22. 160 00:11:08,940 –> 00:11:17,140 God placed all things under His feet and appointed Him to be head over everything for—what 161 00:11:17,140 –> 00:11:19,000 does it say? 162 00:11:19,000 –> 00:11:21,559 The Church. 163 00:11:21,619 –> 00:11:26,280 Would you ever have thought that that would be there? 164 00:11:26,280 –> 00:11:44,979 For the Church, which is His body, the fulness of Him who fills everything in every way. 165 00:11:44,979 –> 00:11:47,099 Wow. 166 00:11:47,099 –> 00:11:54,159 Now the Bible uses this wonderful picture of the Church as the body of Christ in two 167 00:11:54,159 –> 00:11:59,299 distinct ways and it’s important not to confuse them. 168 00:11:59,299 –> 00:12:04,760 Most of you will be familiar with the image of the body in 1 Corinthians in chapter 12 169 00:12:04,760 –> 00:12:10,239 where the whole body including the head is working together in coordination and you the 170 00:12:10,239 –> 00:12:14,780 have the hand and the foot and the eye and the ear, they all play a distinct role and 171 00:12:14,820 –> 00:12:19,460 the main point of that picture of course is that we need each other and that we all have 172 00:12:19,460 –> 00:12:21,119 a part to play. 173 00:12:21,119 –> 00:12:25,500 The emphasis of that picture that image of the body that is used in 1 Corinthians in 174 00:12:25,500 –> 00:12:30,739 chapter 12 is primarily to teach us what is sometimes referred to as the priesthood of 175 00:12:30,739 –> 00:12:34,599 all believers it’s a great and a wonderful truth. 176 00:12:34,599 –> 00:12:38,700 But I want you to notice that in Ephesians in chapter 1 so you don’t become confused 177 00:12:38,700 –> 00:12:44,580 this is actually a slightly different picture it is distinct because here Christ is the 178 00:12:44,580 –> 00:12:52,580 head and we are the body and what we are being taught here in the scriptures is therefore 179 00:12:52,580 –> 00:12:55,020 distinguished and is also very wonderful. 180 00:12:55,020 –> 00:13:05,719 By the way every analogy of the church points to Jesus Christ, Ed Clowney puts it this way 181 00:13:05,719 –> 00:13:13,419 he says if the church is the bride then Christ is the bridegroom when the church is the flock 182 00:13:13,440 –> 00:13:19,700 Christ is the shepherd when the church is the temple Christ is the builder or he’s the 183 00:13:19,700 –> 00:13:27,859 foundation or he is the cornerstone and when the church is the body Christ is the head 184 00:13:27,859 –> 00:13:31,900 there’s no such thing in the new testament as a christless church. 185 00:13:31,900 –> 00:13:39,219 It all points to him our life is in him and comes from him now think about this picture 186 00:13:39,219 –> 00:13:49,059 here to then Ephesians and chapter one Christ is the head and we are the body. 187 00:13:49,059 –> 00:13:55,179 The whole body think about this is directed from the head and by the head through the 188 00:13:55,179 –> 00:14:06,500 central nervous system the head acts the head works through the body and the body itself 189 00:14:07,200 –> 00:14:17,320 life from the head without the head the body is lifeless so here I have a pen and what 190 00:14:17,320 –> 00:14:24,419 happens in the simple act of you picking up a pen or any ordinary act any day when you 191 00:14:24,419 –> 00:14:31,979 think of the complexity of the decision is made in the head I will pick up this pen the 192 00:14:32,299 –> 00:14:40,159 makes this purpose and then what happens the arm responds in being raised the fingers gather 193 00:14:40,159 –> 00:14:50,500 together the thumb presses against them in order to form a grip the arm lifts the pen 194 00:14:50,500 –> 00:14:58,840 is raised the head is operating through the body now you take that simple picture that’s 195 00:14:59,359 –> 00:15:06,260 is our own experience in a million ways everyday by describing himself as the head and 196 00:15:06,260 –> 00:15:15,520 describing us as the body jesus is telling us that he has chosen to operate to do his 197 00:15:15,520 –> 00:15:24,760 work through the church how else does a head operate except through a body now, of course 198 00:15:24,840 –> 00:15:29,559 you don’t need me to tell you that Jesus is well able to act without the church and sometimes 199 00:15:29,559 –> 00:15:35,340 he does for example when Sol of Tarsus was converted on the road to Damascus there wasn’t 200 00:15:35,340 –> 00:15:42,320 a Christian nor was there a local church anywhere in sight but you know that is not how Christ 201 00:15:42,320 –> 00:15:50,380 normally acts the analogy of the head working through the body tells us that Christ has 202 00:15:50,780 –> 00:15:59,260 himself to his people and that he is chosen and chooses to do his work through local congregations 203 00:15:59,260 –> 00:16:04,880 that are the body of Christ the fullness Paul says of him who fills everything in every 204 00:16:04,880 –> 00:16:13,460 way now just think about that let’s immediately apply it to ourselves since Christ is committed 205 00:16:13,460 –> 00:16:21,159 to work through the church why wouldn’t we do the same since Christ is building the 206 00:16:21,159 –> 00:16:28,919 church isn’t that what you should be doing since Christ loves the church shouldn’t 207 00:16:28,919 –> 00:16:36,280 we be loving her too since Christ works through the church would you not want to be doing 208 00:16:36,380 –> 00:16:43,900 what he is doing now. Some of us here might be thinking especially if we are used to church 209 00:16:43,900 –> 00:16:49,200 hopping and wandering around you might be thinking at this point now wait a minute that 210 00:16:49,200 –> 00:16:54,840 sounds a little bit a bit limiting I rather do my own thing for Jesus you would rather 211 00:16:54,840 –> 00:17:02,840 do your own thing for Jesus maybe you would but my question is then is that Jesus wants 212 00:17:02,840 –> 00:17:10,180 you to do you say I don’t want to get tied up with the church but what do you make of 213 00:17:10,180 –> 00:17:21,719 this Jesus chose to tie himself up with the church say why would our glorious head join 214 00:17:21,719 –> 00:17:29,160 himself to such a feeble body isn’t that amazing to you that he would do that and the answer 215 00:17:29,339 –> 00:17:35,640 is that in this way he chooses to display his glory you know that the glory of Christ 216 00:17:35,640 –> 00:17:40,140 is displayed in the New Testament in this world in two ways number one is the salvation of 217 00:17:40,140 –> 00:17:45,640 believers number two is the gathering of local congregations the first is in Ephesians chapter 218 00:17:45,640 –> 00:17:51,900 2 and verse 7 where Christ shows the incomparable riches of his grace in the salvation of individual 219 00:17:51,900 –> 00:17:57,579 sinners the second is in Ephesians chapter 3 in verse 10 where Christ displays the glorious 220 00:17:57,699 –> 00:18:06,060 spectrum of his wisdom in gathering congregations of believers and folks that is what we are 221 00:18:07,199 –> 00:18:14,060 that is how central this is to the purpose of Christ now Christ displays his glory through 222 00:18:14,060 –> 00:18:22,780 the gathering of believers why would you not want to be part of that to belong to the body 223 00:18:22,780 –> 00:18:30,300 of Christ to serve the body of Christ to give to the body of Christ to live and to die for 224 00:18:30,300 –> 00:18:42,260 the body of Christ there is no greater privilege for a believer in this world and when you 225 00:18:42,260 –> 00:18:47,079 grasp that we are the body of Christ that was the whole point of the message last week 226 00:18:47,079 –> 00:18:56,339 you will begin to see this in a whole new light see the gas station, the movie theatre, 227 00:18:56,339 –> 00:19:03,959 the druck store the big box retailer, they are all means to an end but the church is 228 00:19:03,959 –> 00:19:12,859 not a means to an end. The church is an end to itself because God places supreme value 229 00:19:12,900 –> 00:19:18,640 on the gathering of locally congregations of believers. In fact as we saw last week 230 00:19:18,640 –> 00:19:23,560 this has been his great purpose throughout history. What did we learn from the Heidelberg 231 00:19:23,560 –> 00:19:29,839 catechism? That out of the entire human race from the beginning of the world until its 232 00:19:29,839 –> 00:19:36,719 end, what is God doing? He gathers, He protects and He preserves for Himself a community of 233 00:19:36,739 –> 00:19:43,739 people chosen for eternal life and united in one faith. And the Father therefore has 234 00:19:45,680 –> 00:19:52,680 exalted Christ the Son over all things. Why? For the church. For the church and friends 235 00:19:56,680 –> 00:20:03,540 thinking this through that is why the primary strategy for evangelism in the New Testament 236 00:20:03,579 –> 00:20:10,579 is to plant churches. We should think about that. The primary strategy in the New Testament 237 00:20:13,319 –> 00:20:18,160 for evangelism is to plant churches. The book of Acts just read it, what does Paul 238 00:20:18,160 –> 00:20:23,579 do he goes into one city after another and he preaches the gospel and he gathers a few 239 00:20:23,579 –> 00:20:28,859 converts and he establishes a church and then he goes back to the same places a short time 240 00:20:28,939 –> 00:20:35,939 later and he establishes elders in all of these churches. Why? Because God’s great 241 00:20:36,119 –> 00:20:43,119 purpose is more than people should be converted it is to gather his church because the bringing 242 00:20:47,020 –> 00:20:52,979 together of this new community that one day will be glorified in Heaven as we thought 243 00:20:53,119 –> 00:20:59,099 last week about the great multitude gathered in the presence of Jesus this is his plan 244 00:20:59,099 –> 00:21:06,099 of salvation it is not a kind of detachable extra because the head works through the body 245 00:21:09,140 –> 00:21:14,439 and the great apostolic vision was that in every great center of population there should 246 00:21:14,439 –> 00:21:21,439 be a body through whom the head will work the head will work so Paul did more than lead 247 00:21:22,400 –> 00:21:29,400 people to Christ that is half a strategy he planted churches local congregations of believers 248 00:21:35,000 –> 00:21:42,000 gathered by God for worship and sent out by God to serve. now I hope this is stimulating 249 00:21:43,839 –> 00:21:48,920 you to think in the light of the word of God in a fresh way or perhaps a new way about 250 00:21:48,920 –> 00:21:55,920 the place of the local church in the great purpose of God. Now let’s at this point move 251 00:21:56,319 –> 00:22:03,319 from learning to application and I want simply to offer to you today five applications, five 252 00:22:05,319 –> 00:22:12,119 ways in which we can learn particularly from this analogy of the body of Christ the body 253 00:22:12,219 –> 00:22:19,219 of which Christ is the head. Here’s number one. Christ is the head of the church. I just 254 00:22:21,500 –> 00:22:28,500 want us to grasp that and to take hold of it. The church belongs to Jesus Christ. It’s 255 00:22:29,219 –> 00:22:36,219 Christ’s not because we decided to make him the head. It’s Christ’s because he is the 256 00:22:36,260 –> 00:22:43,260 head and he has decided to make us the body. Christ has gathered us as his people together. 257 00:22:43,979 –> 00:22:50,979 We are his people, absolutely. The body serves at the direction of the head. We draw our 258 00:22:53,500 –> 00:23:00,500 life from the head. We are utterly useless without the head. We can do all that the head 259 00:23:00,800 –> 00:23:07,800 purposes to do by the power that comes from the head, and we are called to be responsive 260 00:23:09,640 –> 00:23:16,640 to him. Christ is the head of the church. Second, every believer, every member of the 261 00:23:20,260 –> 00:23:27,260 body needs to be connected to the head. Now I hope you’re reading one of the books 262 00:23:27,739 –> 00:23:31,500 that we’ve been recommending or some book about the church in the course of this month 263 00:23:31,500 –> 00:23:35,040 so that we’re really learning and making some progress together. 264 00:23:35,040 –> 00:23:39,040 One of these books is by John Stott, and if you’re reading that one, you’ll have noticed 265 00:23:39,040 –> 00:23:46,040 on the very first page, he says this, he talks about the grotesque anomaly of an un-churched 266 00:23:47,099 –> 00:23:53,459 Christian. That’s strong language, isn’t it? He says, I hope that none of my readers are 267 00:23:53,459 –> 00:24:00,459 that grotesque anomaly an un-churched Christian. Now, we must be very careful not to press 268 00:24:02,920 –> 00:24:08,180 any analogy too far. Pictures are pictures, and how we understand them and what we draw 269 00:24:08,180 –> 00:24:12,800 from them must be controlled by other Scriptures. We must always remember that we are saved 270 00:24:12,800 –> 00:24:17,979 by grace, through faith in Christ and the thief on the cross, so often referred to, 271 00:24:18,400 –> 00:24:24,420 arrived in heaven truly, without ever having been part of a local congregation. But, that 272 00:24:24,420 –> 00:24:31,420 is an anomaly. It really is, and that is John Stott’s point. 273 00:24:31,619 –> 00:24:36,599 Just last week, and I gotta say, I hadn’t thought about it in connection with today’s 274 00:24:36,599 –> 00:24:43,599 message, but just last week, Karn and I watched the film One Hundred and Twenty-Seven Hours. 275 00:24:44,239 –> 00:24:51,239 Have you seen that one? Oh my. It is the story, the true story, of Aaron Ralston from Indiana, 276 00:24:54,920 –> 00:25:01,920 who back in 2003, got himself trapped in a canyon in Utah, when a falling rock trapped 277 00:25:04,079 –> 00:25:11,079 his right arm. Nobody knew where Aaron was, and the reason the film is called One Hundred 278 00:25:13,780 –> 00:25:20,780 and Twenty-Seven Hours is that this man was trapped and stuck there for 127 hours, can 279 00:25:21,839 –> 00:25:28,839 you imagine this? With his arm trapped behind an unmovable rock. And in the end, there was 280 00:25:33,180 –> 00:25:40,180 only one solution. My wife left the room when we got to this part of the film. He had only 281 00:25:40,839 –> 00:25:47,839 a dull knife with him. But you may remember this story from these years ago being so widely 282 00:25:48,020 –> 00:25:55,020 reported, Aaron cut off his own arm. It was the only way to survive. He’s gone on to be 283 00:26:01,859 –> 00:26:08,439 a motivational speaker. He’s an extraordinary adventurer this fellow. Aaron can get along 284 00:26:08,579 –> 00:26:15,579 without his right arm. But he surely would be glad if there was any way for him to get 285 00:26:15,900 –> 00:26:22,900 that arm back. And that image is very vivid having seen the film in my mind right now 286 00:26:24,599 –> 00:26:31,599 because that is how it is with the church. One writer talks about amputated saints, that 287 00:26:32,119 –> 00:26:39,119 is, Christian believers who are severed from the body of Christ, detached, belonging nowhere 288 00:26:42,599 –> 00:26:49,219 and they have, therefore, neither the capacity to grow nor the opportunity to serve. How 289 00:26:49,219 –> 00:26:55,780 can you grow or how can you serve if you are detached from the body? I challenge you, I 290 00:26:55,859 –> 00:27:02,859 ask you today, have you committed yourself to be a member of a local church, if not, 291 00:27:03,180 –> 00:27:10,180 why not? Why would you want to stay detached? Why would you think that being detached is 292 00:27:12,560 –> 00:27:19,339 something that Christ would want you to do? You know, thinking about this image, the gospels 293 00:27:19,579 –> 00:27:26,579 tell us the story about the night that Jesus was arrested, and you remember on that occasion 294 00:27:27,439 –> 00:27:32,900 as that group came with clubs and so forth to arrest our Lord Jesus Christ, do you remember 295 00:27:32,900 –> 00:27:39,900 how Peter drew his sword, and he cut off the ear of the servant of the high priest, a man 296 00:27:40,400 –> 00:27:46,540 by the name of Malkus. Now I’m absolutely convinced that cutting off this guy’s ear wasn’t 297 00:27:46,540 –> 00:27:52,599 what Peter had in mind. I mean, this would have been a two-handed sword, and this man’s 298 00:27:52,599 –> 00:27:56,959 called Malkus. I think he was going to try and split him down the middle, you know, before 299 00:27:56,959 –> 00:28:03,959 one side and cuss on the other, and he missed. And what he did was he cut off the man’s ear, 300 00:28:04,780 –> 00:28:11,780 and so this ear is lying on the ground, it was severed. And what use is an ear when it 301 00:28:18,560 –> 00:28:25,560 is severed from the body? The body needs the ear, and the ear needs the body. And Luke 302 00:28:26,380 –> 00:28:36,380 tells us that Christ touched the man’s ear and healed him. Can you imagine Jesus 303 00:28:38,199 –> 00:28:45,199 picking up from the dust, this limp piece of flesh, and sealing it to the body. 304 00:28:50,800 –> 00:28:55,199 I’ll tell you folks, that is what I’m praying Christ will do for some of 305 00:28:55,239 –> 00:29:00,300 us here today. You’re a detached Christian, you’ve been a Lone Ranger for far 306 00:29:00,300 –> 00:29:05,319 too long. You’ve thought that all that really matters is me and my salvation, 307 00:29:07,219 –> 00:29:10,680 me picking up the products that are out there in the spiritual market. 308 00:29:12,979 –> 00:29:16,760 And I’m praying that in his great mercy as you understand what the body 309 00:29:16,760 –> 00:29:22,239 of Christ is and how central it is to his purpose, that Christ, 310 00:29:22,239 –> 00:29:28,160 as it were, will wonderfully and invisibly in your heart be sealing you 311 00:29:28,180 –> 00:29:32,280 into the body and that you will know through the scriptures that the Holy 312 00:29:32,280 –> 00:29:37,260 spirit of God is saying to you, this is where you belong. 313 00:29:38,599 –> 00:29:43,180 And I am placing you here to do my will. 314 00:29:46,300 –> 00:29:47,619 Here’s the third application. 315 00:29:48,099 –> 00:29:54,579 Every member of the body not only must be connected to the head, 316 00:29:55,939 –> 00:29:59,479 but every member of the body must be responsive to the head. 317 00:30:00,140 –> 00:30:01,739 This is also an important point. 318 00:30:03,040 –> 00:30:08,660 You may be a member of the church, but not functioning in any living way. 319 00:30:10,380 –> 00:30:14,500 Now, there is a story in the New Testament again, about a man who 320 00:30:14,760 –> 00:30:17,979 had a shriveled hand. 321 00:30:18,180 –> 00:30:19,579 Do you remember that story? 322 00:30:19,859 –> 00:30:24,680 Jesus met this man and he had a withered, the Bible says hand. 323 00:30:25,180 –> 00:30:28,020 There was no function in this man’s hand. 324 00:30:28,060 –> 00:30:29,500 Now it was connected to the body. 325 00:30:31,219 –> 00:30:36,199 It was part of the body, but it wasn’t doing anything useful for the body. 326 00:30:36,199 –> 00:30:38,939 It had lost the capacity to function. 327 00:30:38,939 –> 00:30:46,819 There was some breakdown, between the commands of the brain and the function of this particular limb. 328 00:30:50,300 –> 00:30:54,260 Do you remember the Lord Jesus Christ said to this man, stretch out your hand? 329 00:30:55,459 –> 00:30:58,939 I always find that fascinating because that was the one thing in the world that this man couldn’t do. 330 00:30:59,819 –> 00:31:02,040 Jesus, what are you saying, stretch out your hand. 331 00:31:02,060 –> 00:31:04,260 That’s the one thing I can’t, I can’t stretch out my hand. 332 00:31:04,260 –> 00:31:04,939 It shrivelled, you know. 333 00:31:05,020 –> 00:31:05,900 I don’t have any function. 334 00:31:05,900 –> 00:31:08,540 Jesus says, stretch out your hand. 335 00:31:09,859 –> 00:31:15,780 And the Scripture simply says, and he stretched out his hand and he was healed. 336 00:31:15,780 –> 00:31:19,540 And I want to say to someone today, I don’t know who you are, 337 00:31:19,540 –> 00:31:21,780 but my prayer is that the Holy Spirit would apply this. 338 00:31:23,260 –> 00:31:27,500 You’ve come to think of yourself as someone who has nothing to contribute. 339 00:31:28,979 –> 00:31:33,780 You’ve come to think of yourself as someone who is unable to function. 340 00:31:34,680 –> 00:31:39,479 And I say to you today that connected to Jesus Christ, 341 00:31:39,479 –> 00:31:41,880 you draw life from him. 342 00:31:43,739 –> 00:31:46,660 And in as much as his spirit lives within you, 343 00:31:46,660 –> 00:31:50,300 in as much as you are indeed joined to the body of Christ. 344 00:31:50,300 –> 00:31:53,359 He says to you today, stretch out your hand, and 345 00:31:53,359 –> 00:31:57,219 you are able to fulfill the work that he has for you to do. 346 00:31:57,219 –> 00:31:59,140 That’s our calling together. 347 00:31:59,140 –> 00:32:02,680 Look, folks, we are gathered by Christ for worship, 348 00:32:02,680 –> 00:32:05,760 we are sent out by Christ for service, 349 00:32:06,760 –> 00:32:09,439 and he works through his body. 350 00:32:09,439 –> 00:32:12,260 If people are to experience the love of Christ, 351 00:32:12,260 –> 00:32:13,359 how are they going to do it? 352 00:32:13,359 –> 00:32:15,119 Yes, he can do it directly, 353 00:32:15,119 –> 00:32:18,619 but people are first going to experience the love of Christ 354 00:32:19,719 –> 00:32:21,920 as they experience it mediated 355 00:32:21,920 –> 00:32:23,359 through the members of his body. 356 00:32:23,359 –> 00:32:25,239 That’s why it is often said, 357 00:32:25,239 –> 00:32:27,439 we are in the sense his hands, 358 00:32:27,439 –> 00:32:30,400 and we are in the sense his feet. 359 00:32:31,260 –> 00:32:34,020 What a privilege to see that vision. 360 00:32:36,760 –> 00:32:38,640 Every member of the church, 361 00:32:39,500 –> 00:32:40,560 connected to the head, 362 00:32:40,560 –> 00:32:43,579 every member of the body responsive to the head, 363 00:32:43,579 –> 00:32:46,420 here is a fourth application. 364 00:32:47,660 –> 00:32:51,660 Every member of the body will 365 00:32:51,660 –> 00:32:53,979 suffer with the head. 366 00:32:55,459 –> 00:32:57,160 I have to say it because it’s true 367 00:32:57,160 –> 00:32:59,520 and it’s all the way through the New Testament. 368 00:33:01,359 –> 00:33:06,359 I’m calling you today to reconsider service for Christ. 369 00:33:07,060 –> 00:33:08,780 Engagement with the body. 370 00:33:10,040 –> 00:33:12,439 And I have to be honest to say to you, 371 00:33:12,439 –> 00:33:14,239 you cannot be a pastor. 372 00:33:14,239 –> 00:33:15,819 You cannot be a missionary. 373 00:33:15,819 –> 00:33:18,520 You cannot be a faithful member of the body of Christ 374 00:33:18,520 –> 00:33:20,979 without suffering wounds. 375 00:33:23,000 –> 00:33:25,760 The body of Christ will always have scars. 376 00:33:28,119 –> 00:33:30,040 Think about the incarnation. 377 00:33:31,079 –> 00:33:33,479 The physical body of Christ, 378 00:33:33,479 –> 00:33:37,400 he takes a physical body, born there in the manger. 379 00:33:37,400 –> 00:33:40,339 And what happens to that physical body of Christ? 380 00:33:40,339 –> 00:33:43,599 It is lacerated, it is pierced, it is broken. 381 00:33:44,439 –> 00:33:47,339 It was the body in which he suffered. 382 00:33:48,339 –> 00:33:50,800 And it was the world, the unbelieving world 383 00:33:50,800 –> 00:33:53,160 that inflicted this pain on the body of Jesus. 384 00:33:53,160 –> 00:33:54,920 And if you read Christian history 385 00:33:56,380 –> 00:33:59,219 you will see that for 2,000 years 386 00:33:59,219 –> 00:34:02,099 the world has overwhelmingly hated the church 387 00:34:02,099 –> 00:34:03,500 which is the body of Christ, 388 00:34:03,500 –> 00:34:05,140 it always has and it always will. 389 00:34:06,760 –> 00:34:08,800 Jesus says if the world hates you 390 00:34:08,800 –> 00:34:10,340 keep in mind that it hated me first. 391 00:34:10,340 –> 00:34:12,360 Don’t expect the world to love you 392 00:34:13,620 –> 00:34:15,360 for serving me, Jesus is saying. 393 00:34:17,879 –> 00:34:21,500 So I’m saying to you that if you devote your life 394 00:34:21,500 –> 00:34:23,300 to serving Christ in the body 395 00:34:23,300 –> 00:34:26,199 you will have wounds to show for it at the end. 396 00:34:29,780 –> 00:34:33,739 Paul says we always carry about in our body 397 00:34:33,739 –> 00:34:37,219 I carry about in my body the death of Jesus 398 00:34:37,219 –> 00:34:38,939 and I do so that the life of Jesus 399 00:34:38,939 –> 00:34:40,679 will be manifest in others. 400 00:34:43,060 –> 00:34:44,439 I’m giving you a challenge. 401 00:34:46,219 –> 00:34:48,580 We all want to be part of a healthy body 402 00:34:50,260 –> 00:34:52,540 but the body of which Christ is the head 403 00:34:52,540 –> 00:34:54,219 is also a despised body 404 00:34:54,219 –> 00:34:56,360 and it is a suffering body in this world, 405 00:34:59,219 –> 00:35:01,280 and some of you do suffer from scars 406 00:35:01,280 –> 00:35:02,639 that came to you in the course 407 00:35:02,639 –> 00:35:04,379 of serving Christ in the body. 408 00:35:06,979 –> 00:35:09,020 Scars suffered in the body 409 00:35:09,020 –> 00:35:13,760 are evidence that you are joined to the head. 410 00:35:15,500 –> 00:35:17,739 Whose brow was crowned with thorns 411 00:35:19,379 –> 00:35:21,080 and whose hands were pierced 412 00:35:22,459 –> 00:35:25,139 and whose feet were pierced 413 00:35:26,139 –> 00:35:28,459 for no other reason than 414 00:35:28,459 –> 00:35:33,080 that he was doing the will of the Father in heaven.” 415 00:35:35,260 –> 00:35:38,159 The body of Christ will always be known by its scars. 416 00:35:41,620 –> 00:35:44,620 Many years ago, a pastor by the name of Joseph Parker 417 00:35:44,620 –> 00:35:49,300 spoke about the occasion when doubting Thomas 418 00:35:49,300 –> 00:35:53,000 came to faith in Christ after the resurrection of Jesus. 419 00:35:53,760 –> 00:35:56,739 And you remember that Thomas said these famous words. 420 00:35:56,739 –> 00:35:58,820 He said to the disciples, 421 00:35:58,820 –> 00:36:03,820 unless I see the prints of the nails in his hands, 422 00:36:05,239 –> 00:36:06,639 I will not believe. 423 00:36:08,000 –> 00:36:09,979 I’m not gonna believe unless I see the prints 424 00:36:09,979 –> 00:36:11,260 of the nails in his hands. 425 00:36:11,260 –> 00:36:14,719 And Joseph Parker’s comment was this. 426 00:36:14,719 –> 00:36:16,979 What Thomas said of Christ 427 00:36:17,860 –> 00:36:20,860 the world is saying of the church. 428 00:36:21,860 –> 00:36:25,699 Unless we see in your hands, 429 00:36:25,699 –> 00:36:28,600 the print of the nails, 430 00:36:28,600 –> 00:36:31,139 we will not believe. 431 00:36:33,159 –> 00:36:35,699 The body, the physical body of Jesus 432 00:36:35,699 –> 00:36:38,139 was broken for the life of the world. 433 00:36:38,139 –> 00:36:39,820 Broken for the life of the world. 434 00:36:39,820 –> 00:36:42,120 So how then as the body of Christ, 435 00:36:42,120 –> 00:36:43,060 the church, 436 00:36:43,060 –> 00:36:44,820 can we get to the place of thinking 437 00:36:44,820 –> 00:36:47,699 that we should be living within cautiously safe limits? 438 00:36:47,699 –> 00:36:49,100 Where did we get the idea 439 00:36:49,159 –> 00:36:51,219 that the highest good for the body of Christ 440 00:36:51,219 –> 00:36:54,179 is ministry marked by comfort and convenience? 441 00:36:54,179 –> 00:36:55,459 How does that fit? 442 00:36:55,459 –> 00:36:56,459 It doesn’t. 443 00:36:58,719 –> 00:36:59,560 One writer says, 444 00:36:59,560 –> 00:37:03,939 Christ still wants to say to men, 445 00:37:03,939 –> 00:37:06,620 this is my body broken for you. 446 00:37:08,260 –> 00:37:10,179 And for this to have any credence, 447 00:37:10,179 –> 00:37:13,979 the church which is his body must become broken bread 448 00:37:13,979 –> 00:37:17,360 and poured out wine for the life of the world. 449 00:37:18,280 –> 00:37:19,239 Ready for that? 450 00:37:21,239 –> 00:37:23,300 Are you a living member of the body of Christ 451 00:37:23,300 –> 00:37:25,260 or are you a consumer of programmes? 452 00:37:27,620 –> 00:37:31,520 The last thing simply to say is this very briefly, 453 00:37:31,520 –> 00:37:33,419 that as every member of the body 454 00:37:33,419 –> 00:37:34,959 will share the suffering of the head 455 00:37:34,959 –> 00:37:37,280 so gloriously every member of the body 456 00:37:37,280 –> 00:37:39,719 will be glorified with the head. 457 00:37:40,879 –> 00:37:44,439 One day the scarred body of the church, 458 00:37:44,439 –> 00:37:47,120 the body that has so often been weak 459 00:37:47,120 –> 00:37:50,379 and feeble, the body that has been so despised 460 00:37:50,379 –> 00:37:53,040 in the world and hated and persecuted, 461 00:37:53,040 –> 00:37:57,739 that whole body is going to be taken up together 462 00:37:58,899 –> 00:38:01,780 into the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ 463 00:38:01,780 –> 00:38:06,260 and that scarred body will become like his glorious body. 464 00:38:06,260 –> 00:38:08,780 Think of it, the head of Jesus, 465 00:38:08,780 –> 00:38:11,959 the head that once was crowned with thorns 466 00:38:11,959 –> 00:38:14,360 is crowned with glory now. 467 00:38:15,719 –> 00:38:16,699 And this body 468 00:38:17,959 –> 00:38:20,520 the body of Christ in the world, 469 00:38:21,639 –> 00:38:26,639 known by its scars will on that day be known by its glory. 470 00:38:29,739 –> 00:38:32,620 And you will say, I am so glad 471 00:38:34,600 –> 00:38:39,479 that I am part of the body of Christ. 472 00:38:40,760 –> 00:38:42,219 Let’s pray together, shall we? 473 00:38:43,219 –> 00:38:47,479 Father, forgive us for our shallow thinking 474 00:38:47,479 –> 00:38:50,179 and our self-centered consumerism 475 00:38:53,159 –> 00:38:58,159 and for our intensive individualism 476 00:39:01,060 –> 00:39:04,560 and for our self-opinionated bearing. 477 00:39:06,860 –> 00:39:09,179 And as we confess these sins in as much 478 00:39:09,179 –> 00:39:11,199 as they are appropriate to any of us, 479 00:39:12,860 –> 00:39:17,540 I want to say thank you Lord Jesus Christ 480 00:39:17,540 –> 00:39:19,840 that you the glorious head would join yourself 481 00:39:19,840 –> 00:39:21,260 to such a feeble body 482 00:39:22,820 –> 00:39:25,760 as a local congregation of believers like us 483 00:39:27,100 –> 00:39:28,739 who you’ve called out for worship 484 00:39:28,739 –> 00:39:30,780 and you’re going to send out to serve 485 00:39:33,300 –> 00:39:36,260 and that our life should therefore be in you 486 00:39:36,260 –> 00:39:39,060 and that our purpose and our future 487 00:39:39,060 –> 00:39:41,560 is all about being united with you 488 00:39:42,379 –> 00:39:45,620 that our life in and of itself is hidden in you. 489 00:39:46,939 –> 00:39:48,600 In this, we rejoice. 490 00:39:49,939 –> 00:39:52,939 Hear our prayers for Christ’s sake, amen. 491 00:39:59,479 –> 00:40:00,320 You’ve been listening 492 00:40:00,320 –> 00:40:02,739 to a sermon with Pastor Colin Smith of Open the Bible. 493 00:40:02,739 –> 00:40:07,739 To contact us, call us at 1-877-Open-365 494 00:40:08,020 –> 00:40:10,399 Or visit our website, OpenTheBible.org