Why Are We Here?
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Introduction:
Why are we here this morning?
Philip Ryken wrote a book several years ago A City on a Hill. The first chapter is titled “The Church in the 21st Century.” He says that we are now living in post Christian times. In fact, he says we're living in a time when the barbarians are now in the gates. He quotes one Christian culture watcher Charles Colson who said,
“Today in the west, and particularly in America the new barbarians are all around us. They are not hairy Goths and Vandals, swilling fermented brew and ravishing maidens; they are not Huns and Visigoths storming our borders or scaling our city walls. No, this time the invaders have come from within. We have bred them in our families and trained them in our classrooms. They inhabit our legislatures, our courts, our film studios, and our churches. Most of them are attractive and pleasant; their ideas are persuasive and subtle. Yet these men and women threaten our most cherished institutions and our very character as a people. There are many ways to prove that American culture is under attack from this new barbarism. One is to review the titles of the books that thoughtful people are writing: Amusing Ourselves to Death, Slouching Towards Gomorrah, The Culture of Disbelief, No Place for Truth, The Twilight of American Culture, The End of Democracy. Needless to say, the authors of these books are not optimistic about the future of American culture. Another way to see what is happening is to watch television, with its voyeuristic presentation of sexuality and suffering. Still another way to show that our nation is in trouble is to study the cold, hard statistics: the breakdown of marriage and family, the rise in crime and violence, the decline in community involvement. Then there is the callous disregard for life at the margins—in the womb and at the nursing home. Meanwhile, we are moving faster and faster, always buying more products and constantly demanding better entertainment.
And as we live in this Late Great Planet Hollywood, we are too distracted to notice what is happening to us spiritually. “Don’t you understand, Richard?” asks a character in Douglas Coupland’s Girlfriend in a Coma. “There is nothing at the center of what we do. . . no center. It doesn’t exist. All of us—look at our lives: we have an acceptable level of affluence. We have entertainment. We have a relative freedom from fear. But there’s nothing else.” The reason there is “nothing else” is that the new barbarism leaves no place for the soul. The new barbarians do not look very threatening, at least from the outside. They do not wear animal skins or bang on the cultural gates with wooden clubs; instead, they talk on their cell phones and drink designer coffee. And, of course, they would not think of themselves as barbarians. But what is on their minds and in their hearts? Whether they admit it or not, their minds reject absolute truth, and in their hearts they love themselves more than anyone else, especially God. To use more precise terms, these post-Christian times are characterized by relativism and narcissism. And this is barbaric to the extent that it signals the death of a culture based on objective truth and civic virtue (compassion).
So what should we do in the face of such barbarism this is the kind of world we have inherited-- to carry our ministry forward out of the 21st century?
The best thing that we can do is to bring ourselves back into the heart & soul, the ministry & mission of the first century church, and commit ourselves to be a first century church in our 21st century world. They made a radical impact for the call of Jesus Christ in their first century world. And they were sent in a pre-Christian world, much like our world, theirs was pre-Christian-- our world post-Christian. Which means that both our worlds suffer from the same maladies because both our worlds are non-Christians.
Dr. McLachlan loves to talk about the 1st century church’s progress he says:
In the midst of that immoral, intellectual, theological climate--much the same as our world in the 21st century--in the midst of it they survive against the massive machinery of the Roman Empire. The paganism of the Roman Empire and the Judaism of Israel which opposed the church so graphically and powerful in the first century--they survived. More than that, they prospered! Everywhere they went, they were gossiping the Gospel. They were chattering about Jesus Christ. They were leading people to personal faith in Christ, planting New Testament local churches equipping pastors lead them. They survived and they prospered. They did more than that, they conquered: in the space of two centuries Rome was no longer considered a pagan polytheistic empire. It was considered a Christian, monotheistic Empire. They survived and they prospered and they conquered. In the midst of that climate and beyond that, they endured--because the Roman Caesars are all gone, but Jesus’ followers are still here today.
The only hope for a culture in the throes of this kind of barbarism is a God focused, Christ-centered, Spirit-filled, biblically shaped, and mission driven network of dynamic New Testament local church Believers. Philip Ryken is right to say that this is not traditionalism: thinking our way back into that first century church and imitating all the components that made them tick an enabled them to carry out the ministry so effectively. This is not traditionalism, it is not living in the past. It's not dancing with dinosaurs. Rather it is timeless transcendent Christianity which founded in Jesus Christ. Who happens to be the same yesterday, and today, and forever-- Hebrews 13:8.
Transition:
One great text that defines what a timeless and transcendent true ministry should look like is in particular verse 15. Very familiar scripture and I want to talk about “Why Are We Here?” why do we come to church? That's my subject: the body of Christ--the body we cherish—or should cherish, particularly in its local church manifestation. The local church context with pastors, leaders, and church laymen. I want to talk about the importance and necessity of this local body that we should cherish. Paul says in verse 14 of
Scripture Reading:
14 I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you in a short time. 15 But if I am delayed, I am writing in order that you may know how one must conduct oneself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and mainstay of the truth. 16 And most certainly, great is the mystery of godliness:
Who was revealed in the flesh,
was vindicated by the Spirit,
was seen by angels,
was proclaimed among the Gentiles,
was believed on in the world,
was taken up in glory.
1 tim
15 But if I am delayed, I am writing in order that you may know how--the particle of moral necessity-- how one must conduct oneself (or ought to behave yourself literally) in.. -- then he gives us 3 pictures of a local church --(1st)in the household of God, which is (2nd) the church of the living God, (and finally) the pillar, and mainstay/ground/buttress of the truth.
15 But if I am delayed, I am writing in order that you may know how--the particle of moral necessity-- how one must conduct oneself (or ought to behave yourself literally) in.. -- then he gives us 3 pictures of a local church --(1st)in the household of God, which is (2nd) the church of the living God, (and finally) the pillar, and mainstay/ground/buttress of the truth. And then he says in verse 16: “ And most certainly/without controversy great is the mystery of godliness:
And then he says in verse 16: “ And most certainly/without controversy great is the mystery of godliness:
The truth of which we are to be the pillar and mainstay the ground. Is a truth that is marked by a radical Christ centeredness and it's very obvious there in verse 16. The literary style of almost lyrical sound of that verse has many scholars believing that this was an early Christian creedal statement.
Transition:
Why are we here? When Paul thinks of the purpose and the function of the church, he thinks in terms of 3 distinct pictures. Each of which gives us a reason to celebrate and cherish the body of Christ of which we are part in particular the local local assembling where we do our work for Christ in the real world where the rubber meets the road. The 3 pictures come to us in just verse 15. What is Paul saying to us? He says why we are here
Philip Ryken wrote a book several years ago A City on a Hill. The first chapter is titled “The Church in the 21st Century.” He says that we are now living in post Christian times. In fact, he says we're living in a time when the barbarians are now in the gates. He quotes one Christian culture watcher Charles Colson who said,
“Today in the west, and particularly in America the new barbarians are all around us. They are not hairy Goths and Vandals, swilling fermented brew and ravishing maidens; they are not Huns and Visigoths storming our borders or scaling our city walls. No, this time the invaders have come from within. We have bred them in our families and trained them in our classrooms. They inhabit our legislatures, our courts, our film studios, and our churches. Most of them are attractive and pleasant; their ideas are persuasive and subtle. Yet these men and women threaten our most cherished institutions and our very character as a people. There are many ways to prove that American culture is under attack from this new barbarism. One is to review the titles of the books that thoughtful people are writing: Amusing Ourselves to Death, Slouching Towards Gomorrah, The Culture of Disbelief, No Place for Truth, The Twilight of American Culture, The End of Democracy. Needless to say, the authors of these books are not optimistic about the future of American culture. Another way to see what is happening is to watch television, with its voyeuristic presentation of sexuality and suffering. Still another way to show that our nation is in trouble is to study the cold, hard statistics: the breakdown of marriage and family, the rise in crime and violence, the decline in community involvement. Then there is the callous disregard for life at the margins—in the womb and at the nursing home. Meanwhile, we are moving faster and faster, always buying more products and constantly demanding better entertainment.
And as we live in this Late Great Planet Hollywood, we are too distracted to notice what is happening to us spiritually. “Don’t you understand, Richard?” asks a character in Douglas Coupland’s Girlfriend in a Coma. “There is nothing at the center of what we do. . . no center. It doesn’t exist. All of us—look at our lives: we have an acceptable level of affluence. We have entertainment. We have a relative freedom from fear. But there’s nothing else.” The reason there is “nothing else” is that the new barbarism leaves no place for the soul. The new barbarians do not look very threatening, at least from the outside. They do not wear animal skins or bang on the cultural gates with wooden clubs; instead, they talk on their cell phones and drink designer coffee. And, of course, they would not think of themselves as barbarians. But what is on their minds and in their hearts? Whether they admit it or not, their minds reject absolute truth, and in their hearts they love themselves more than anyone else, especially God. To use more precise terms, these post-Christian times are characterized by relativism and narcissism. And this is barbaric to the extent that it signals the death of a culture based on objective truth and civic virtue (compassion).
So what should we do in the face of such barbarism this is the kind of world we have inherited-- to carry our ministry forward out of the 21st century?
The best thing that we can do is to bring ourselves back into the heart & soul, the ministry & mission of the first century church, and commit ourselves to be a first century church in our 21st century world. They made a radical impact for the call of Jesus Christ in their first century world. And there were over pre-Christian as much like our world their were pre-Christian our world post Christian. Which means that both our world suffer from the same maladies because both our worlds are non-Christians. In the midst of that immoral, intellectual, theological climate--much the same as our world in the 21st century--in the midst of it they survive against the massive machinery of the Roman Empire.
I. We are the Family of YHWH
I. We are the Family of YHWH
He says the church is the family of God. It's the household of God and this is a critical institution among a world of fractured families.
But if I am delayed, I am writing in order that you may know how one must conduct oneself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and mainstay of the truth.
The church is the family of God—this is the meaning of οἶκος house/household/family. It can refer to either the physical structure, the building or it can refer to the inhabitants, the family that lives inside the building. We know what Paul means by οἶκος because this is the third time in this one chapter that he has used it. And on each occasion that οἶκος is used it refers to the people. In verses 4 and 5 οἶκος is of the pastor's family members. And in verse 12, the οἶκος of the deacons is his family members — the people. So here in verse 15, Paul is talking about the people in church.
Transition:
Anthropologist Margaret Mead, who was no friend of the Christian faith, said,
Not only is our church the family of YHWH, it is also the community of life.
“No matter how many communes anybody invents, the family always creeps back.”
Exactly. And why is that? It’s because it is a family where we experience nurturing love. That's one reason why YHWH put us in the world. The church is His special family to help His children grow because Christians grow best in an atmosphere of familial and biblically shape and theologically rich love. How do we become a part of this family? We are born into it! We all know how it begins by new birth of the Spirit. We become regenerated, we're born again, we experience the impartation of spiritual life to the spiritually dead--that's what regeneration is. The moment we trust in Jesus Christ as our own personal Savior, our dead human spirit is made alive instantly with the life of the divine Person, the Holy Spirit and we're born again into the household of God. Thereafter related to YHWH as our Father. And also the fellow believers in Jesus, our sisters and brothers, in the dynamic network of support and love especially in this local manifestation as a local church. The very names “father and family” changed the whole atmosphere of our relationship to YHWH and to one another. Wonderful terms family and father.
Suddenly our relationships become very warm and relational. Of course, there are other ways of referring to our relationship with YHWH: we're subjects of the King and He is a benevolent Despot, we thank God for His sovereignty over us. We are sheep of a Shepherd, we are servants of a Master —the Creator of all that is ans was and ever will be. These are ways of describing our relationship to YHWH, but I think over all, we are the sons and daughters of an all loving Father.
Our heavenly Father is a very unique Father. He's not an ogre who terrifies and abuses children with hideous brutality and cruelty that we hear about every night on the news. He's not a malevolent dictator--all the time barking out orders to underlings. Thank God He is not a playboy with devious sexual interest--marked by infidelity with his bride and abandonment of his family and children. He's not a drunkard or workaholic who ignores his family out of self interest and insensitivity—He is not like that! This is why our family is so wonderful! Because our Father is our Savior and our Comforter--the Triune Godhead. He's kind and approachable, He's instantly accessible, He's constantly available, He's never out of touch and never out of reach. He is a loving father.
This is good news especially to those who grew up in less than ideal/dysfunctional families. And I already know that there are some here who had many difficult experiences growing up. For these people especially, this is even more precious. The glorious truth is that since you are now in God’s family, you are no longer a slave to your past —which makes me say with Paul, “I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ because it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith as it is written, “The just shall live by faith”
Lots of people go through life with huge emotional deficits because they missed the support network of a loving father and mother --a loving family and they become depressed over the disintegration of their families and relationships. What a wonderful opportunity we have in this world today to provide the love and support of the family which lasts for eternity.
Transition:
So we are the family of God, but we are more that just a family:
II. We are the Community of Life
II. We are the Community of Life
It's the church the world actually sees as the assembly or community of the Living God who's made us alive. It's not only the family of YHWH in a world of fractured families in the community of life in a world with an obsession with death.
But if I am delayed, I am writing in order that you may know how one must conduct oneself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and mainstay of the truth.
We offer the world a living God. A world of who lived through the consequences of Roe V. Wade--the first generation to be legally expelled from their mothers wombs and discarded in the dumpster out back and that was a profound statement to our culture about the value of their lives. So understandably they are pessimistic in reporting about the future. Shifting for many in that generation, a fascination with a preoccupation with death. Swallowing Tide tablets for fun. “Live fast, die young, and leave a good looking corpse” is the watchword of many secular campuses according to Christian culture watchers here. They seem really to believe that the light at the end of the tunnel is an oncoming train, not a way out of their misery”
In the Old Testament, Solomon personifies wisdom in . He portrays wisdom as a lovely lady. And she stands there by the side of the road and she makes her appeal to the sons of men, perhaps the sons of Adam. And then to the simple and even to the fools who passed by. And what did she say? She says in "Whoever finds me finds life. But he who sins against me, wrongs his own soul. All those who hate me love death.” That's the kind of world in which we live. And how does this happen? How did we get here? I think we got here like this: Wherever there's an elimination of God and an abolition of truth, there always follows a deification of man and the justification of sin. The elimination of God always leads to the deification of man because we are very religious creatures, we will worship something else when we eliminate God — We usually worship ourselves and loose the source of what is right and the source of life.
In contrast to this love affair with death, is us—the church! We are the assembly of those obsessed with eternal life from the living God. All throughout OT scripture, YHWH is defined as “the Living God.” And always as a deliberate contrast to the lifeless, useless idols which plagued every generation and every culture on earth and they plague our generation as well. It is a problem of today, not simply a problem from the primitive world. It is a problem of the modern contemporary society in our high tech, everything now, kind of world where idolatry prevails by money, sex, and power-- the premier gods to the contemporary world. We cannot be like our world and worship stuff! The attitude of buy more, more, more cannot exist here if we are to remain the beacon of abundant life. This God of Life lives in us! Where else could we possible find refuge from the overflow of death and find the overfill of life?
Where does the living God live? Well we all know one thing for sure: First, He lives in us believers individually because our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. And second, He lives in the church corporately, because the gathered community--the church--met together as a congregation in local assembly and is the habitat or the habitation And “Where 2 or 3 are gathered together in my name there I am”
Transition:
We are the Family of YHWH, We are the Community of Life, and finally Paul shows why were are here:
III. We are the Sanctuary of Truth
III. We are the Sanctuary of Truth
The pillar and the ground of the truth. And this is critical in a world in the thick of falsehood and anti-truth.
But if I am delayed, I am writing in order that you may know how one must conduct oneself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and mainstay of the truth.
1 Tim
There is always more supply then demand when it comes to the lies of this world. All one would have to do to verify this is to read the news. The news has the incredible ability to report the destruction of lies all the while using lies in the report to embellish the story. Truth is the fundamental moral category in the universe. When Jesus stood before pilot, just before he was crucified. He stated clearly the purpose for the incarnation.
Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”
Jesus proves that truth is the fundamental moral category in the universe--it is a big deal! Truth is regeneration!
So we as the church are the gatekeepers to the truth! Truth is important not only to unbelievers, but believers as well. Believers can be deceived by lies and by sin, and it is the job of the church to keep one another from the lies of sin! says:
But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
Sin is deceit! Sin causes us to become embittered! We need each other to show us the truth about us! This, at times, includes rebuke and a call to repentance—and what should follow is a swift, humble response of self-examination and a return to our God. If we fail at this one job, then we risk loosing the truth!
So What?
So What?
So as Paul says, this is so that you may know how you must conduct yourself/behave yourself in the household of God. This passage this morning is not just a justification as to why we are here but also a call to practice godliness within these walls and within this community. We also can read of the rising importance of the church as this age comes to a close:
And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
Coming to church becomes even more crucial as it nears Jesus’ return.
Conclusion:
So what is the point? Why are we here? We offer what no other gathering can. We live in and we do ministry in a world of fractured families. It's deep conviction--that Jesus Christ can change all of that huge emotional deficit. The tragic void of hopelessness due, first, to the depravity of our fallen nature and often, second, to the decay of our families -- all of that, Jesus Christ can and does fix! And better yet, He's chosen to fix it through His local church bodies--through you and me. He rescues us from our sins and save our souls, He delivers us from our emptiness, our hopelessness and radically imparts to us forgiveness to extend forgiveness to others. He then implants us into His family to live and stay forever—and that is what a local church should be, and that is why I am here!