Jack and Grace met through a mutual friend.
From day one, they seemed to be perfect for each other.
Grace was everything that Jack had always wanted.
She was beautiful and outgoing and caring,
always there when Jack needed her.
For the first...
I might get one of those other microphones, is that alright?
Grace was beautiful, outgoing and caring.
She was always there for whatever Jack needed her.
For the first five months, they were just inseparable.
Jack could hardly think of anything but Grace.
He didn't need to look further.
He told his friends.
He said, she's the one.
Now, almost three years have passed,
and Jack still enjoys the comfort and the familiarity of being with Grace.
But the spark's gone.
Grace's flaws are just a little bit more obvious.
He's not sure he finds her as attractive as he once did.
And he's beginning to resent all the time that she wants to spend with him.
One day, when she asks if they can define the nature of their relationship,
Jack blows up.
We're together, aren't we?
He says angrily.
Why is that not enough for you?
Obviously, Jack isn't ready for commitment.
He's not sure he ever will be,
nor ever wants to be.
I wonder if you've ever been in a relationship like that.
I wonder if you know of people who are in relationships like that.
I can think of a couple.
Let me say, if you are in a relationship like that,
that is not God's purpose for your life.
God wants you to be in a relationship
defined by both passion and commitment.
And the reality is,
there are millions of Jacks
walking around on the face of the earth today.
But before I go on any further,
let me just give you one more piece of information
that you should know.
Grace isn't a girl.
Grace is a church.
And this, unfortunately,
is the let's define the nature relationship talk.
The ethic of personal autonomy
shapes the minds,
the expectations,
and the worldviews of most Australians.
And regrettably,
this ethic has permeated
the Australian church.
There is little,
in fact,
it's not just the Australian church
in terms of the culture.
It's one of the things
that's happening with this pandemic
at the moment
as to why places like Singapore
and Hong Kong
can contain it so well.
But in the Western world,
it explodes.
In our minds,
there is little thought
given to our statement
from the Apostles' Creed today.
I believe in
one holy,
Catholic,
and apostolic church
and the communion of saints.
Now,
if you've just joined us
today,
then we're working our way
through the ancient statement
of Christian belief
called the Apostles' Creed.
And this short statement
captures the way
that Christians view God,
the world,
the life,
future.
It's our worldview,
if you like.
And so today,
I'm picking up
what Christians believe
about the church.
I've got three things
I want us to explore.
If you've got a phone
or an iPad
or a handout in front of you,
you'll see there
three main points.
What is the church?
What's the purpose
of the church?
And how to be
a purposeful church member?
So what's the first point?
What is the church?
The word church
in our New Testament
comes from the Greek word
ecclesia.
It's used just under 80 times
in the New Testament
and only on three occasions
in the New Testament
is the word ecclesia
not translated
into the English word church.
For instance,
in Acts 19,
an idol-making silversmith
named Demetrius
whips the whole city up
into a riot
because too many
of his customers
were turning from idolatry
to faith in the Lord Jesus
and therefore not buying
his produce.
And next thing you know,
there's this large crowd
that's gathered
and it says
in Acts 19,
32,
the assembly
was in confusion.
Some were shouting
one thing,
some another
and most people
didn't even know
why they were there.
So it seems like
a sensible kind of mob really.
The word assembly there
is the Greek word
ecclesia.
The word church
at its core
simply refers to
a crowd
of people
gathered together.
Sometimes in the New Testament,
churches used to
refer to the
gathering of Christians
around God
in heaven.
Theologians refer to this
as the invisible church.
Everyone
who knows Jesus
from every time
and
place,
those who are alive
and those who are dead
are gathered
spiritually
in God's presence,
united in Jesus,
magnifying God.
That's the invisible church.
And if you are in Jesus now,
if you're a Christian,
spiritually,
you're connected
to that universal church
currently gathering
in the throne room
around God.
That's the invisible church.
mostly,
however,
the words
in the New Testament
refer to the
local church
gathered in a particular
place,
like the church
that gathers
on the corner of
Fuller's Road
and View Street,
Chatswood.
The local church.
Us.
This is the church
visible.
never
in the New Testament
is the
word
ecclesia
used
to describe
a location,
a building,
or an institution,
or even
a collection
of local churches.
And so,
you could say,
well,
the church is just
a mob
on one level.
But,
the church
is not just
any mob
or crowd
gathered together.
The Greek word
ecclesia
is made from
two other
Greek words
and joined together.
These words
mean
to call
out.
The word
church
really refers
to those
called out
by God,
called out
by God,
joined
together
as his
people,
the followers
of his
son,
Jesus.
And
Matthew 18,
which Peter
read out to us,
is where we see
the foundation
of the church.
We see this
theology
starting there.
This is
what separates
this particular
gathering of people
from all other
gatherings of people.
Matthew 16,
13 to 19,
people,
Jesus
asks his
disciples,
who do
people say I am?
And they come up
with all sorts
of different
answers.
Jesus says,
well,
what about you?
And Peter
confesses the
identity
of who
Jesus is.
Peter says
that Jesus
is more than
a prophet,
he's more
than a teacher,
he is
the son
of the living
God,
the Messiah.
He is
the promised
seed of the
woman from
Genesis 3.
And Jesus
then responds
with an
announcement
that will
change the
course of
human history.
He says,
upon
Peter's
word,
not
Peter the
person,
but upon
his word,
his confession,
he will
build his
church,
his gathering.
Why is
Peter's
word not
Peter the
person?
Because the
whole context
tells you
it's about
who Jesus
is,
not who
Peter is,
it's about
the identity
of Jesus.
Who do
people say
I am?
And in the
very next
section,
Peter gets
it totally
wrong and
tries to
stop Jesus
from going
on the
cross in
the first
place.
So Peter
hasn't
fully
grasped it.
Upon
Peter's
confession,
he will
build his
church.
Where
Peter's
confession
of the
true
identity
of Jesus
Christ
is found,
the church
is found.
Where
this
confession
is
proclaimed,
you find
the communion
of saints.
Entrance
into God's
church,
his crowd,
his mob
begins
with the
confession
that Jesus
Christ is
Lord,
Son of
the living
God.
All who
make that
confession,
by God's
grace,
become his
people and
unite themselves
to Christ
and his
body,
the church.
It's by
God's grace
because Peter's
confession
was gifted
to him
by God
himself,
as Jesus
said.
This all
means that
when a
church
fails to
hold to
this truth
and declare
this truth
and embody
this truth,
they forfeit
their status
as a
church of
Christ.
And they
become a
mob,
a crowd.
As
theologian
J.R.
Packer
puts it
in his
very short
book,
Affirming
the Apostles
Creed,
he says,
the church
is a
supernatural
society
of God's
redeemed
and baptized
people,
looking back
to Christ's
first coming
with gratitude
and on to
his second
coming with
hope.
That's the
first point,
that's what the
church is.
So what's the
purpose of
church?
Matthew
16
would also
suggest the
church has a
specific purpose.
It alludes to
it in the
second half of
verse 18
where we read,
the gates of
Hades will not
overcome it,
I will give you
the keys of
the kingdom of
heaven,
whatever you
bind on earth
you will be
bound in
heaven and
whatever you
loose on
earth will be
loosed in
heaven.
So Peter's
confession
insists that
the church be
built on the
truth of the
gospel,
but Jesus
also endows
his body
with an
insurmountable
power,
a power that
Satan himself
cannot
overturn
even by
death.
And this
authority is
given to the
church that
the church
might carry
out its
God-given
duties and
that is to
shine the
light of
the glory
of Jesus
Christ to
a lost
and dying
world.
That's his
purpose.
So let's
unpack that
purpose a
little bit.
We'll see,
and I want to
jump into
Ephesians chapter
1.
So if you've
got your
Bibles in
front of you,
you're going to
run through
some of
Ephesians to
see some of
what God's
intention is
for his
church.
So Ephesians
1 verse
8, we
see, if
you like,
the end
of the
plan of
the gathered
church.
With all
wisdom and
understanding,
he made
known to
us the
mystery of
his will
according to
his good
pleasure,
which he
purposed in
Christ, to
be put into
effect when
the times
reach their
fulfillment.
Here it
is, to
bring unity
to all
things in
heaven and
on earth
under
Christ.
That's the
end of it
all.
That's the
goal.
That's where
everything is
going.
Everything
gathered
together
around
Jesus.
There's that
word gathering
again.
Gathered
together around
Jesus.
It's been
God's plan
all along.
In the
Garden of
Eating,
there's a
real sense
right at
the beginning
that things
are gathered
to God.
He has
made the
garden and
all is at
peace and
ordered and
everything is
in perfect
relationship
with God.
And then
the first
people make
the decision
to live
their way
and make
everything
about them.
And the
Bible calls
this attitude
and this
action sin.
And the
consequence of
sin is that
everything is
disordered.
There's no
more harmony.
There's no
more peace.
Relationship
is broken.
And where
there was
unity and
closeness,
now because
of sin,
there's
distance and
disunity.
God judges
sin by
scattering
his people.
Scattering
people from
himself.
And this is a
principle that
you'll see right
throughout the
entire Bible.
Bible, when
humanity sets
itself up
against God,
he scatters
them.
Whenever
humanity sets
itself up
against God,
he scatters
them.
When he
rescues them,
he brings
them to
himself.
He gathers
them to
himself.
In
Isaiah 11,
700 years
before Jesus,
Isaiah is
looking forward
to the day
when everything
is finally
ordered and
harmonious and
peaceful and
right relationship
like it was in
the beginning.
And he refers
to a particular
person who
will accomplish
God's grand
plan.
God's grand
and he calls
the Messiah,
a son of
King David.
And this is
what he says
in verse 12
of Isaiah 11.
He will
raise a banner
for the
nations and
gather the
exiles of
Israel.
He will
assemble the
scattered people
of Judea
from the
four quarters
of the
earth.
And a
little later
in Isaiah
chapter 56,
God declares
that it's
not just
for his
people,
but this
promise is
expanded beyond
Israel.
When he says,
I will gather
still others
to them
besides those
already gathered.
And the
climax of
God's plan
is revealed
in Isaiah
66.
And I,
because of
what they
have planned
and done,
am about to
come and
gather the
people of
all nations
and languages
and they
will come
and see
my glory.
You see,
God's
plan
is to
gather
people from
all nations
and tribes
and languages
and people
groups and
cultures to
himself that
they might
see his
glory and
live
forever.
And what
Peter confesses
in Matthew
16 is
that Jesus
is the
one that
Isaiah
talked about.
Jesus is
the focal
point of
God's
gathering of
people that
they might
see the
glory of
God.
Jesus is
central to
God's plan
of bringing
people back
to each
other and
to their
creator.
And Ephesians
2, if you're
working with
through
Ephesians
with me,
is the
long-awaited
plan being
worked out
with Jesus
at the
heart of
it.
Verse 11,
we read,
therefore,
remember that
formally,
you who are
Gentiles by
birth and
called the
uncircumcised by
those who
call themselves
circumcision,
which is done
in the body
by human
hands,
remember that
at that
time you
were separated
from Christ,
excluded from
citizenship in
Israel, and
foreigners to
the covenants
of the promise
without hope
and without
God in the
world.
What Paul
does there in
Ephesians 2
is he highlights
this massive
division between
Jews and
Gentiles, but
also between
them and
God.
Deep, deep
hostility.
And then in
the very next
verse he shows
how that
hostility is
overcome.
Now in
Christ Jesus,
you who
once were
far away,
scattered from
God, have
been brought
near by the
blood of
Christ.
For he
himself is
our peace,
who has
made the
two groups
one,
destroyed the
barrier, the
dividing wall
of hostility,
by setting aside
in his flesh
the law with
its commandments
and regulations.
His purpose
was to create
in himself
one new
humanity out
of the two,
thus making
peace, and
in one body
to reconcile
both of them
to God
through the
cross by
which he
put to
death their
hostility.
Sin and
death and
hostility between
Jews and
Gentiles is
finally dealt
with by the
Messiah, the
son of the
living God,
Jesus on a
cross 2,000
years ago.
Jesus is the
one who
gathers these
diverse groups
of people
together into
one new
humanity in
relationship with
their creator
God.
God's purpose in
all of this?
What is the
idea?
What's his
plan?
Ephesians 3,
10, read
out to us by
Tom.
His intent
was that now
through the
church, that's
us, that word
there, Ecclesia,
is talking about
us, local
gathering,
God's
manifold
wisdom of
God should
be made
known to
the rulers
and the
authorities in
the heavenly
realms according
to his
eternal purpose
that he
accomplished in
Christ Jesus
our Lord.
God's great
and glorious
plan is to
bring a very
diverse group of
people together
and to himself
in such a
way that his
greatness and
his glory is
made known
everywhere
including the
heavenly realms.
There is a
sense where
God calls
over the
rulers and
the authorities
of the heavenly
realms, gets
them to look
over the
balcony of
heaven if
such a place
exists and
says look
at that,
look at
that.
See
St.
Paul's
Chatswood?
That is
what I've
been working
on for
all of
history.
My son
Jesus has
made that
possible.
United
Nations
can't do
it.
He's the
one who's
brought down
those dividing
walls of
hostility and
brought diverse
people together
and he
turns to
Satan,
hey,
enemy,
get over
here.
He says,
see that?
You cannot
prevail against
that.
You cannot
stop that.
My son is
building his
church out of
every tribe and
language and
peoples.
people.
And so let
me just
say,
as a
society of
individualistic
thinkers where
personal autonomy
rules and a
highest value,
this is very
important for us
to grasp.
Before
church
has
anything to
do with
you and
me,
before
church is
about us
serving one
another or
even before
church is
about us
learning more
about God,
it is about
him and his
glory.
It's why we
start with
singing and
singing in such
a way that we
actually believe
it.
this is so
fundamental for
us to grasp.
It's critical
even.
Before church
is about me
or about you
or about us,
it is about
God.
It is about
his design,
his plan for
all of time
and eternity.
A
multi-ethnic,
multi-generational,
socially,
socio-economically
diverse gathering
of people,
declaring that
Jesus is
Lord and
King for
the glory
of God
is the
reason
St.
Paul's
Chatswood
exists.
And it's
about more
and more
people being
added for
that purpose,
for the
glory of
God.
And all
of our
resources are
to be deployed
in that
direction.
this
building,
you've got
to get
this deep
down into
your souls.
This
building is
not a
church.
This
building is
a tool.
It is
nothing more
than a
tool.
It's a
resource to
help the
church,
us,
to pursue
its mission
for the
glory of
God.
God,
this
building is
not even
our
clubhouse
where we
gather.
It's not
about us
having a
nice place
for us to
gather and
facilities and
room to
spread out and
kick back and
enjoy.
It's our
mission
headquarters to
see God's
reason for
us gathering
fulfilled.
Okay.
number
three,
how to be a
purposeful church
member.
So how do we
as individuals
be members of
a church on
purpose?
Firstly,
let me say,
you don't
become a
member of
God's church
by completing
a membership
course or
going to a
Welcome Sunday
event.
Although I'm
not suggesting
you don't
go at
all.
you don't
become a
member of
a church
by sitting
in a pew
for a very
long time
either.
Longevity's
got nothing to
do with your
membership of
a church.
You become a
member of
God's church
by doing
what we saw
in Matthew
16,
by repenting
of living
independent of
God, by
putting your
trust in the
Lord,
Jesus Christ
declaring that
he is the
son of the
living God
and receiving
the Holy Spirit
who unites you
with God and
all other
Christians from
time and
eternity.
That's how you
become a
member of his
church.
And that is
the fundamental
first step.
There will be
people, just to
emphasize this
point, there
will be people
in heaven who
have not done
a pathways,
a course,
who have
never been
to a
Welcome
Sunday
event, but
there won't
be anyone
in heaven who
hasn't repented
of their sins
and trusted in
Jesus Christ as
son of the
living God.
Not a single
one.
And potentially
you're here
today and
this is the
fundamental first
step that you
need to take.
and if that
is you, then
come to the
Welcome
Center.
We would
love to
speak to
you.
Secondly, and
this is going to
sound somewhat
ironic, being a
purposeful church
member means that
you gather because
that's what you've
been called to do.
You've been called
to gather.
together.
Because you are
spiritually gathered
by God.
One of the core
values that helps
us think about the
sort of gathering
that we are and
inspire to be is
our core value of
treasuring Jesus
together.
It says this,
having been led
individually by the
Spirit of God to
receive Christ Jesus
Lord, Savior and
supreme treasure of
our lives, we now
most solemnly and
joyfully enter into
covenant with one
another as one body
in Christ.
We believe the
people whom Jesus
has called into
relationship with
himself are his
church and not an
institution or a
building.
In an age of
individualism, we
value vigilance and
accountability.
In treasuring Jesus
together.
In Ephesians, Paul
spends extensive
time on what God's
new humanity, his
gathering, his
church looks like in
their life together.
And our value of
treasuring Jesus
together is a value
that tries to capture
some of that in terms
of the quality of who
we are as God's
people.
It's about our life
together.
It's about our
relationships.
It's about our
togetherness as a
dynamic spiritual
community under the
lordship of Jesus.
It says things like
this as a church, we
are committed to
making corporate
worship a weekly
priority, unless of
course I shut them
all down.
In the Bible, to
magnify God always
requires the regular
gathering of God's
people.
And so, if or maybe
when that decision is
made for us not to
gather, that is not the
normal pattern for us.
That will never be the
normal pattern for us.
It will be out of love
for our community.
And we're working on
specific ways where we
can still gather, even
if it's via a screen, in
order to declare the
praises of God as his
people and to hear from
him.
So I want to ask you,
first of all, have you
ever calculated how many
gatherings you miss in a
year?
Ever done that?
Regular attendance now for
churches has become
somewhere between 30 and
40 percent
attendance
across a year.
Now, I don't need a rule
here.
And I'm not looking to
implement a rule here
because you'll just go to
the next church that
doesn't have that rule.
The only way for there to
be radical change is
radical change in the
heart.
What we need to see is the
greatness and the
gracious plan of a great
and a gracious God.
We need to see that all of
history is about God's
glory and the church of
Jesus Christ is central to
that.
We need to see what it
cost him to gather us
together and to gather us
to himself.
Frankly, nothing else will
motivate us.
Second point, under point
three, is to build
supernatural community.
Treasuring Jesus
together not only says that
we value being together,
but how we value being
together.
We're committed to
gathering in small
groups, remembering one
another in prayer and a
aiding one another in
sickness and distress and
cultivating sympathy,
Christian sympathy and joy
and being slow to take
offense and always seeking
reconciliation and mindful
of the need and of the
fact that command of our
Savior to secure it
without delay.
We want to be a church
that's welcoming of people
of every blackout.
We don't want to have
cliquishness in our groups.
We want to purge our lives
of sin that cause division.
We want to pursue
increasingly visible and
authentic practical ways of
loving each other and our
community.
But frankly, the best thing to
do is to look at what the
New Testament says about our
supernatural life together.
John 13, a new commandment I
give you.
This is Jesus.
Love one another as I have
loved you so that you must love
one another.
By all this, by this, all people
will know that you are my
disciples if you love one
another.
Romans 12, be devoted to one
another in brotherly love.
James, do not slander one
another.
Don't grumble against one
another.
Confess your sins to each
other.
Pray for one another.
And that's just a snapshot.
What is obvious from the New
Testament is the prominence of
loving, Christ-exalting, other
person-centered personal
relationship in the local
church.
There is no such thing as
isolated, individually sick,
meet-my-needs consumer
Christianity in the Bible at
all.
Not even a glimpse of it.
You can't even play exegetical
gymnastics and come to any form
of conclusion on that.
Anywhere.
What we are seeking to do at
St. Paul's is build a gospel-
centered community.
Another way of putting that is
we are seeking to build a
supernatural community, not a
natural community.
A natural community is where
people feel connected because of
demographic closeness and
connectedness.
They gravitate to each other and
they find a sense of belonging
because they've got similarities
and irrespective of whether the
gospel is true or not, you can do
that.
Now, that's not a bad thing.
All of my friends that I've got, I
share common interests with them.
Not a bad thing to have those
connections and affinities here at
St. Paul's.
But I want us to caution about
thinking that somehow that that is
the total sum of gospel community.
At the end of the day, you can have
natural community without Jesus.
The heavenly realms look on and see
the wisdom of God when they gaze upon
supernatural community.
Gospel community.
And so we seek diversity.
We seek shared discomfort in all of our
corporate gatherings.
This is the kind of community that
could really only exist when Jesus
is Lord of all.
And we have the indwelling power of
the Holy Spirit to drive us away from
self-centeredness.
It's when people who would not
gravitate to each other or people
groups who have open hostility towards
one another are drawn together in
peace and love because of the work of
Jesus Christ in their hearts.
Thirdly, having said that,
about that, third thing about being a
purposeful church member is to
purposely fracture community.
Bear with me here.
It is great to be part of a gospel
community that God is growing.
And one of the painful realities of God
growing a community is that we have to
keep fracturing in order to make space
for others who are being welcomed in.
We should see that as a joy.
In the same way, I remember having one
child and not sure how I was going to
work with two children.
And then you discover the joy of having
two and then a third.
And not sure how.
It resulted in all kinds of different
changes.
But the joy of welcoming more people in.
And so we've got to be a church
that's building deep relationships,
but also seeing that deep relationships
in themselves are not the goal.
People being connected to their God
is the goal.
And therefore, we need to fracture some
of those relationships to allow room for
more to come in.
There are a few metaphors that the Bible
uses to describe the intimate way that
Jesus views his church.
He calls it his family, his body, his bride.
He loves his church and he gave himself
over to death for it.
He looks forward to the day when his bride,
in all its perfection, will be presented to
him and be with him forever.
And as I said at the beginning,
today is one of those commitment
conversations.
If you're a Christian,
you have a crucial part in God's plan
for eternity.
Your life, and I think this is what I want
to get hopefully in showing you how the Bible,
all the Bible views the idea of gathering
as his people.
I want you to get this picture.
Your life is so much bigger than a good job,
an understanding spouse,
non-delinquent kids or even having kids,
good friends and active social life.
It is so much bigger than beautiful gardens
and nice holidays and fashionable clothes.
If you're a Christian,
you are part of something immense
that will never end.
Something that began before you were born
and continued long after you die.
God is rescuing fallen,
scattered humanity
and gathering to him himself
and progressively shaping them
into the likeness of his much-loved son,
Jesus.
He gathers you to himself
so that you may take part in his glory
and find your joy in his glory.
The church matters because God chose it
to show and tell the universe
his wisdom and love.
And this message is our world's only hope.
And so we must fight the toxicity
and the poison of modern church culture
that says that you can walk this Christian life
without the church.
It is not true.
Individualism not only betrays the church,
it betrays the gospel,
it takes glory from God,
it insinuates that the glorious good news
of the Lord Jesus Christ
is only about saving people,
it's only a gospel of sin management,
there is such a bigger story.
God is creating an eternal people.
God's design throughout history
from beginning to end
is about him creating an eternal people
from every tribe, tongue, language and group.
one people are people for his pleasure.
So let me ask you,
if I ask you to tell your story
of your journey to
and growth in
faith in the Lord Jesus,
how central
is the church to that story?
Amen.