Why We Exist As A Church

Amen. Thank you all very much. Just want to add the clays, words, my invitation for you to join us tonight at that prayer meeting at 7. We will be there and want to emphasize how critical this is in the life of this church and in particular at this juncture as we go to two services. Let me open our time and a word of prayer. Father, we come before you to listen to you. I have words that are going to come forth from my mouth, but Lord they are of no value eternally. Only if you, through the Holy Spirit, speak through me, is their meaning, is their transformation and power. And so we plead for that grace now. We give thanks in Jesus name. Amen. Well, as you are well aware now, we move to two services next week. And I recognize that some of you approach that with mixed emotions. Some of you are really excited about it for very noble reasons like get to sleep in a little bit later and come to the late service or maybe even less noble that you can go to church earlier and kind of get that out of the way so you can open up your Sunday a little bit more to all sorts of other things. Well, I'm in light of what Clay said about the Sunday morning classes. Obviously, we're discouraging both of those perspectives and we really want to ask that you think of extending your time just a little bit, not much, just a little bit on Sunday morning, starting next week. But others of you approach this time with some nostalgia. You think, boy, this is going to be the last time. This service right now is probably the last time that we will worship together in one room at the same time. And that's, you know, there's a certain degree of sadness to that. And I recognize that for those of you that have been with us especially a long time, that comes with a degree of sadness. It's not unlike something that I experienced the other day. I was lying in bed with our youngest Mary Caroline. She was getting ready to go to sleep and we were covering and talking about the great events coming up this next week, her birthday. She's turning eight years old and I told her as I tell her often, Mary Caroline, you're not going to get in the old room. I'm not going to let you turn eight years old. And you know, I just, I don't want to lose the sweetness and the beauty of this point in her life. But then we giggle and, you know, cuddle some more and realize the silliness of that being a true statement. Because in reality, what I want is God's very best for her. And it is normal and good that she grow and develop and move on to different stages in life. Same thing with the church. God has so richly blessed us over the last five years and would have joy to be able to gather in one room and worship God. But he's growing us. He's growing us more in him for his purposes. And the key is that you and I see things from his perspective that we understand his plan and we know why he is doing the things that he's doing at this church. So what I want to do in the few minutes that we have together is to help focus our attention on God's purpose behind all this and think a little bit more revisiting why we exist as a church. Because listen, I mean, it's it's okay to be nostalgic. It's okay to reminisce and have fond memories of the past, but we must not live there. This is the day the Lord has made. And we need to as God's people, right here in Christ the King, in Houston, rejoice and be glad in it and be instruments through which God powerfully extends his kingdom through this church and far beyond. Now we're going to look at this passage from Isaiah that Cody read for us a little earlier, the fabulous passage from maybe the best known of the Old Testament prophets. It's actually the last words that Isaiah spoke. And the passage that was included in the order of worship actually concludes without the last verse. And so we're going to look at that verse as well and my sermon will cover really all of 18 through 24. But we need to listen to this voice to the voice of Isaiah because he understood some things that were very important to the people of God in the Old Testament and to us as well in the New Testament. Isaiah lived about 700 years before Jesus came to the earth in human flesh and his book is one of the most quoted books in the Old in the New Testament as pointing to the fantastic work that Jesus Christ did on the cross. He gives to us in this passage a telescope understanding of the rest of human history. What I mean by telescope is you know how telescope can be extended fully out but you can also pull the telescope in. And that's sort of what the Old Testament does with respect to history. It it telescopes in the first and second coming of Jesus Christ. So it is mysterious and symbolic in the way that it often speaks and it's up to us with New Testament eyes to make New Testament reality out of those words. And he gives to us in this telescope fashion beautiful picture of God's purpose for his people. Many show us a fantastic plan that he's laid out for that purpose and finally leaves us with a rather startling perspective that should motivate us to be instruments through which God effectively powerfully perfectly carries out that purpose in plan. So open your Bibles if you have them or you can follow along in the order of worship in Isaiah 66 verses 18 through 24. The first thing that we see is in verse 18 God's purpose. So let's let's look at this and try and make sense of what is a very difficult verse. Verse 18 in the Hebrew is very difficult to translate but even when you are reading through this section of Isaiah the climactic section it's difficult to understand. One of the reasons is because the prophets characteristically Jackson posed judgment with redemption cursing with blessing and they didn't bother to tell us I'm stopping off here talking about one and moving on to the other. They didn't oftentimes do that. It's very artistic and poetic in the way that the prophets wrote and that's what we find I believe in verse 18 the first half of verse 18 where he says for I know their works and their thoughts is really to pull us back and link us with a very strong section on judgment that immediately proceeds this section we're going to look at and then beginning with the word and at least in my translation it may be but it might be better translated but or now in your translation the the word there's flexible to include any of those and now or but the time is coming to gather all nations and tongues and they shall come and shall see my glory that is not a statement of judgment it is a statement of extraordinary blessing that Isaiah speaks to us God speaking through Isaiah the prophet it's interesting because what God is saying is that he's the one that's going to do this but God is the one who is really the missionary the one who is has a heart for the nations not just in the Old Testament for the ethnic people of Israel not just for American Christians but for all the nations God has a heart and he is declaring now is the time to gather the nations now we understand that at the second coming of Christ that will happen fully that every need will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord but we also understand that we're in the middle here in that intermediate time that already not yet where God is about the business of declaring his glory before the nations calling people to faith and repentance to worship the one true God and notice how he puts it that they will see my glory at the end of verse 18 and we've talked a lot about the concept of glory here at Christ the King and so I'm not going to go into a bunch of detail but really when you imagine in your mind the most beautiful thing you could ever imagine the most beautiful sunset perhaps magnify that by a zillion times and you have the beauty of the Lord which is an aspect of his glory when you think of the most the largest and the most perfect diamond in all of the universe the value of that precious jewel then magnify the value that value an infinite number of times and you have the value or the worth the glory of God the brilliance of the sun when you've just walked outside from darkness into the light of the day again just a hint at the brilliance of God and these and so many other pictures give us a window into understanding God's glory and it's really the most wonderful thing you could ever imagine the most weighty thing that you could ever imagine that should provoke both fear especially upon those that did not know the Lord but also love and adoration all of those words and so many more can be gathered together in the concept of worship worshipping the Lord as we see and behold his glory listen to other passages in the scripture that the talk about this God's obsession was showing forth his glory before all the peoples psalm 96 declare his glory among the nations his marvelous works among all the peoples say among the nations the Lord reigns psalm 67 let the nations be glad and sing for joy psalm 97 the Lord reigns let the earth rejoice let the many coastlands be glad and earlier in the book of Isaiah chapter 12 verse 4 give thanks to the Lord call upon his name make known his deeds among the peoples these are just very beginning this is a predominant theme that runs throughout the scriptures god calling forth not only his ethnic people Israel to worship him not just those of us now who are believers but the nations to come and worship him so what is God's purpose for human beings any human being anywhere God's greatest purpose man's chief end is to glorify God and enjoy him forever to put it differently that people would worship him that they would love him and or adore him think of the first commandment that God gave to his people you shall have no other gods before me put in the positive since the ten commandments are placed in the negative you shall not put that in the positive come and feast upon me give yourself to that which is the greatest end in all the universe delight yourself in the Lord that's the refrain of that first commandment runs through the Bible you see it also in the Hebrew Shema which was the central tenant of Judaism from Deuteronomy 6 which Jesus used when he was cornered as to what all of the law would be summarized in love the Lord your God with all your heart soul mind and strength that is everything that makes you up as a person in your thought life in your vocation in your relationships the way you simply spend your time everything that you do as a human being should be done for the central purpose of loving God Paul said whatever you do whether in word or deed do it all to the glory of God and in the name of Jesus Christ see this is the obsession with the Bible that's the purpose God has for human beings know what about God's purpose for his church well of course this is where worship takes place and so his purpose for the church is that great end of worshiping him but not just by ourselves that we might as we worship declare his praises before the nations that's the idea to every human being naturally worships don't we now let me give you just a couple of examples to stimulate your own thinking and this is in line with what the Christian throughout the ages has thought John Calvin for instance called the human hearted idol factory in that of vivid description our heart is just like their massive conveyor belt as soon as you deal with one false worship false obsession or desire here comes a whole nother stream of them along the way here's some questions what do you really want in life what do you really want in life what do you get excited about what helps you to feel better about yourself maybe it's things like gossip I mean you don't think of gossip too often as an idol it's not like you're bowing down to this carved image or something but what we're talking about is what you give your heart to and in one instance gossip may be really an evidence of the fact that you want to have others think better of you as you share that secret information about a third party what do you get angry or discouraged about what do you feel guilty about you ever thought it that way or maybe you complete this question if only I had fill in the blank then I'd be happy see we're basing happiness as the greatest end and so if I have that promotion if I had that friendship that spouse then I'd be happy I'd be fulfilled see how subtle and easy it can be I mean it can take more dramatic forms there's an excellent book that I just read as we were gone this past month called addictions disorders of worship by Ed Welch fantastic book and it really is great reading for everybody but especially as we think about addictions like alcoholism drug abuse addiction to pornography on the internet eating disorders the list runs on and on but the idea is shouldn't we be thinking biblically about these things these things fundamentally are disorders of worship worshipping the wrong thing and so we become the most useful church in the Lord's hands when we recognize that it is we first you and I that must confess and admit we are idolaters that we run off to the wrong things and give ourselves to the wrong desires and therefore we need this great God to welcome us back and call us back into his presence a fresh and that makes us useful in his hands to call others into his presence to worship because you know what I believe I believe that most unbelievers most people who do not come to an evangelical church like this on a regular basis most of them believe that if they walked in these doors we would look down our nose at them can't believe what that person's involved in what are you doing here you haven't cleaned up your act yet that mindset and maybe you're here this morning you just happened to stumble in here and you kind of feel that way let me tell you you are in the very best place you could possibly be you are surrounded by hypocrites by sinners by people who run up run after other gods but we are here at the great king the god invitation who calls us to come back into his presence and worship him so that if our hearts are idle factories as Calvin says what should the church be shouldn't it be another kind of factory a factory with a conveyor belt going the other direction that draws in people involved in false worship all over the spectrum and says throw off those worthless idols and come and worship the true God and find that deepest and richest delight that your soul has been longing for all along that's what our church needs to be that's what I believe God's purpose is for our church now what about the plan that God would have for us well I think he uses very inigmatic language and it's difficult to understand at points but he says in verse 19 and I will set a sign among them let's just stop there for a second that is how is it that God is going to use you and me the church the body of Christ to be this factory where we draw in idolaters and turn out God worshipers how is he going to do that he has a plan for that and that plan begins with and it is central to this plan that there is a sign and you know where I'm going what is the sign that all of the Bible moves towards the Old Testament leads up to it the New Testament records it and reflects back upon it at every point it is the sign of the cross and as the hymn said that we saw earlier and we'll sing in a few minutes as we lift high the cross still today that sign is the most inviting the most welcoming sign in all the universe because it says everyone is alike in one respect we are sinners we are idolaters we run after the wrong things and yet God is gracious enough to have sent his son the Lord Jesus Christ who never turned away who never worshiped any other God though tempted to the greatest extreme he lived a perfect life for us died the death you and I deserve to receive the punishment we deserve and has been resurrected to eternal glory that we might enjoy that same glory with him place your faith in Christ this morning may I urge you maybe for the first time turning from trusting in self to be good enough to be accepted by God or turning from this thought that God could never love me for what I've done we are all the same in that respect and we need the Savior who comes to us in the sign of the cross that's why Paul called the gospel which is the message of the cross the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes first the Jew it went first to the Jew but also to the Gentile that is everyone else it is this great sign and it's what the apostle Paul said he resolved to do first and foremost and last to preach Christ and him crucified and nothing else that's the sign that certainly Isaiah was hinting at in verse 19 now how is this sign going to be disseminated how are others going to come to see this sign he says in the middle of verse 19 and from them that is from the nations I will send survivors to the nations and he goes on and lists a number of different countries these countries symbolize the outposts of the the Israeli empire in that day that is these words these locations would have really stretched the Israelite mind to think to the furthest ends of the earth that God would call unbelievers Gentiles people like you and me to this sign to repent of our idolatry to embrace Christ as he's offered in the gospel but then that we would go back out and be used of him to call others in as well what a beautiful picture Alec Moteer who's an excellent commentator on Isaiah says he thinks this is the clearest Old Testament statement of the theme of missionary outreach available but have you ever heard of sermon on this passage I haven't what beautiful climactic words Isaiah uses to end his gospel that we would be and it is a gospel the good news of salvation that we would be instruments to carry forth the message of salvation and there's so much more in just those few verses that follow there that would be wonderful to go into we don't have the time to do it it's beautiful symbolic imagery that's talking about are being used of God to lead others into God's presence to declare his glory and so the challenge there for us is to ask the question how is God using me right now how is God using me each one of us asked this question to link the nations with the worship of this one true God to whom are you being an easy conduit through which they come to see this God and to see his glory when people see you at work do they do they see the glory of the Lord or do they see Durglory I love the way that he puts it to all of those verse 19 that are far off that have not heard my fame or seen my glory in our lives do people see our fame do they see our glory do they hear Leo or they directed through us to see the fame and the beauty and the glory and the majesty of their creator that's the idea that he has here and I would just encourage you to to begin to see our move to two services in this light that we are moving to two services to make room for the nations now I would expect who knows what's going to happen next Sunday but I would expect there's going to be a lot of empty seats and that's good because we are sending the message that God is at work among us and through us to draw in those who do not yet worship this great king that conveyor belt is now aggressively moving in the opposite direction well I know this for a lot of us places a heavy burden upon us you've heard maybe many messages over the years that are guilt laden to get out there and share the good news that incidentally doesn't become good news experientially when you think if a burden now that I've got to share but God gives us perspective here finally not only is he given us purpose and a plan but he's given us finally perspective in the last couple of verses here that should motivate us I think to be excited about being used of God in this way what's that perspective well there's a positive and a startlingly negative side to it the positive first that the final resting place of every human being who is connected to the great God of heaven and earth through the work of Jesus Christ and across every human being that fits into that camp well one day worship God in his glory in what the Bible calls the new Jerusalem the new heavens and the new earth he talks about Jerusalem here his holy mountain in verse 20 but we recognize this isn't talking about physical Jerusalem first and foremost because the New Testament spiritualizes Jerusalem in a pretty radical way you only need to look to the book of Galatians chapter 4 for that or the Hebrews chapter 12 where he says you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God to the heavenly Jerusalem and to innumerable angels and festival gathering to the assembly of the firstborn who are enthroned in heaven and to God the judge of all and to the spirit of the righteous made perfect and to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant to the sprinkled blood that speaks of better word than the blood of April it's talking about heaven or if you will heaven on earth the renewed heaven that will be here I believe on earth one day when Jesus Christ comes again in all his glory to separate the sheep from the ghosts those who are connected to Christ and those who are not and that my friends is what all of us have been created to enjoy the eternal bliss of worshiping God face to face think of the greatest thrill in your life think of what you really enjoy magnify that by 10,000 times 10,000 and you've only begun to understand experientially the joy that we will find in heaven don't you want others to know that as well don't you want your friends your family the people that you work with people that you enjoy participating in maybe social gatherings with or civic events the Bible encourages us to see people in one of two camps either people who are connected to God through Christ are people who are not it's not how good and how nice they are it's not their ethnic background how rich or poor but it's whether or not they know Jesus Christ as Savior and worship him as Lord and that's where Isaiah ends a stinging note in verse 24 it says and they shall go out that is you and I as we go out from worshiping they shall go out and look on dead bodies of men who have rebelled against me for their worms shall not die their fire shall not be quenched and they shall be an importance to all flesh and Isaiah ends I don't know about you but this was a huge surprise for me as it really began to sink in here is I don't know probably my favorite book in the Old Testament certainly one of the most influential books in all of the Bible magnificent and it's glory and it ends in a graveyard have you ever been to England perhaps where you see so many of the churches they're just standard you have the church and what's right next to the church graveyard it's not a bad picture is it I mean the positive side of it being certainly the saints are right there next to the physical place where they knew the presence of the Lord in their life but there's also the picture that is the worshipers going in and out as people wander by they recognize that stark sobering reality that there is a day of judgment that will come every human being who has ever lived or will live must face God before his eternal throne of judgment and he will indeed separate those who are idolaters from those who have come to him by faith in Jesus Christ clinging to his righteousness alone he will separate them and there is that startling truth that there will be an eternal punishment where that fire will never go out now I recognize that in itself may seem like we're getting a guilt motivation to do what God has called us to do but you know what maybe that's not all that bad particularly when it's couched in so much grace for God comes to us and says here's the truth and you need perspective on it you need to recognize how important this is otherwise you're you're going to buy in to the cultural view of things and that is extremely dangerous you need to see things as black and white as they are in eternity and when you and I see that and when we begin to taste of the goodness of God as we worship

there is no other greater purpose that we would rather live our lives for than to give ourselves to being an instrument through which our neighbors our friends and even those that we've never met the nations might come in and worship would you come tonight and pray with us further about this and would you make the point this week of inviting someone maybe many people to come in and declare God's praises with us as we lift high the cross of Jesus Christ for his glory and fame father thank you that you are good to give to us the privilege not only of worshiping you but of being used of you may this church indeed be a factory that turns idolaters into God lovers through Jesus Christ our Lord we pray oh man