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May 9, 2022 6:00 am
Why is doctrine on the first of the list simple because the word of God teaches us how to love teaches us how to pray teaches how to worship how to do missions teaches us how to serve people teaches us how to raise her. So then the preaching of the word is central to the very definition of things in the church worship and the word and today on connect with Skip Heitzig Skip shares how God makes the church and a conduit of God's truth to the world before we begin, we invite you to check out the connect with Skip mobile have access to a treasure trove of scripts messages right at your fingertips.
Find more information, connectwithskip.com/map let's dive into today's teaching will be in John chapter 17 is Skip Heitzigs against the study that is another reason why it's important to meet together because when we meet together. It allows us to magnify God uniquely something happens when I am part of a worshiping community.
It re-orients my life. It reorients my life. You know, I may come in for Lauren. I may come in and disparaged. I may come in angry.
I may come in selfish and then the song start being song, the people around me are closing their eyes were lifting their hands or bowing their heads and worshiping it reorients me. I start thinking yeah it's not really all about me really is all about him. Yes, God is on the throne.
Yes, he is in charge as he can handle this. Don Whitney, who wrote a book on spiritual disciplines, wrote this. There there is an element of worship and Christianity that cannot be experienced in private worship, or by watching worship there are some graces and blessings that God gives only in the meeting together with other believers. You believe that I know you believe that because you're here, you know, also believe that Martin Luther liquid. Luther wrote he said at home in my own house.
There's no warmth or vigor in me.
But in the church when the multitude is gathered together a fire is kindled in my heart and it breaks its way through you know what they're referring to in layman's terms positive peer pressure. We know it. Peer pressure is can be bad, but it can be good in this case it's good it's positive peer pressure. Everybody's orienting themselves toward God, putting the focus on him, so it helps media changes the way I think there's a great example of this in Psalm 73. Emerson read a couple verses to me just a background in Psalm 73. The author is a guy named Asaph. Asaph is hot and bothered about the world things are happening in his world to get him really really bummed out. So he begins by sink, truly God is good to Israel to such as are pure in heart. Now I think he started that way because he felt like he had to say that okay I'm a worship leader. I need to say this, God is good all the time so he said it. Listen to what he says right after that. But as for me, my feet almost stumbled my steps had nearly slept for.
I was envious of the boastful when I saw the prosperity of the wicked and the song goes on, where he describes no God. I follow you and I love you and my life seems so much worse than unbelievers who seem to be prosperous and at ease and not suffering like I'm suffering. I don't get that I don't like that so is bothered about that and he says this down in verse 16 when I thought to understand this. It was too painful for me and I'm bothered by the fact that those unbelievers seem to have it made. While I go to trial after trial after trial and God supposed to love me was too painful for me until now there's a shift until I went into the sanctuary of God.
Then I understood there and you know I came to church one day and there were worshipers there in that temple and all of a sudden when I was envious of unbelievers. Now in this place of worship. My life is reoriented. I'm reeducated and I started thinking about the end of the life of an unbeliever. I wasn't envious of them any longer to be in eternity without God. I understood there and what happened to Asaph.
He was in a crowd of believers in a place where God is worship and he was reoriented until I went into the sanctuary. So we glorify God by our declaration, we glorify God.
Also by our demonstration. What we do to go back to verse four in our Lord's prayer. I have glorified you on the earth.
I have finished the work which you have given me to do now look at that verse with your eyes. There are two sentences in it and this is what we call an appositional statement where you have one statement made a phrase or sentence followed by another one that is parallel to the first but explains the first.
So the first statement I've glorified you on the earth will how did you do that, exactly, Lord Jesus is the second statement I have finished the work which you have given me to do so. Now let me ask you the question, how do you glorify God by by finishing the work he's given us to do. I've glorified you on their I finished the work which you have given me to do.
You know the got is a task for you and only you can fulfill God has an assignment that only you can accomplish so that the goal of your life is not just happen. Heavens awesome and you can go there but but but don't think that okay. The goal is just to get to heaven is I have to live through another day, another week. I just want to go to heaven.
I'm glad you do and you will but you realize if heaven were the only goal for your life.
You know what would happen the moment you gave your life to Christ you keel over dead. Let's go now to correct before he can mess up again. But you're here for a while. Why, because God wants you to do something he is a task for you and the great joy of your life can be to discover why God put you here uniquely somebody once said the two greatest days of your life are the day you were born in the day you discovered what you were born for what were you born for what is your great task that God is uniquely carved out for only you to fulfill a put it to you this way if you live the glorify God you'll die having no regrets. If you make that your life's goal to glorify God.
You'll never regret that you'll never get to the end of your life.
I should've done this, I could have done that if you live the glorify God, you will die with no regrets. So number one true church demonstrates God's glory.
Second true church communicates God's truth not go down to verse six again and let's read this in a few verses I have manifested your name to the men you have given me out of the world they were yours. You gave them to me and they have kept your word. I said to them what you told me to say to them, they listen to that and they're obeying the kept your work. Now they have known that all things which you have given me are from you, for I have given to them the words which you have given me and they have received them and they have known Shirley that I came forth from you and there believe that you sent me let me unpack Jesus gave to his followers. Words of truth that the father gave to him. His followers listen to those words. This new sermons listen to his conversations all the things you reveal for three and half years and they received that truth. They believe that truth and eventually they wrote down that truth for you and I call the New Testament. The words of God so that true believers are those who receive God's communicated truth which happens to be the business of the church to communicate God's truth. So the most important things about the church are not the parking lot in the nursery.
They may be important but they're not the most important, the most important things of the church are worship and the word worship and the word you know people will grade churches go to church and then they may take a little yelp surveying grade what what they like and dislike.
But usually when we grade churches. We grade on what they do for me today make me feel good.
They make me are they friendly to me to their programs.
For me, etc. that's all we grade when God grades churches. He has two simple questions do they glorify me and do they preach my work to the glorify me do they preach my work.
That's part of the great commission. Matthew 28 some the last words Jesus said to his followers make disciples of all nations listen teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you how the disciples heard that and as we keep reading on. They did that in acts chapter 2 and the church was born they made out a priority.
Teaching people, teaching the truth communicating God's revealed truth, the words of God. And so we have a summary statement of the activity. The church in the book of acts.
In chapter 2, verse 42 that says this they continued steadfastly or another translation they devoted themselves wholeheartedly.
They continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine fellowship, breaking of bread and prayers.
Those four activities. They devoted themselves constantly. The apostles doctrine, fellowship, breaking bread, prayer first on their list was the apostles doctrine that's noteworthy because that would not be first on a lot of people's list lot of people's let's say the church should be all of number one love that's important.
But it's not the top that list or number one missions export but is not on the top of the list or or or teaching your family that's important not on the top of the list.
The apostles doctrine is on the top of the list. They were devoted to Dr. they devoted themselves to the apostles doctrine honestly how many Christians you know that are devoted to Dr. you may want to find little exercises we go to person you know and say push. Quick question. Are you devoted to Dr. you get some strange looks guaranty and maybe even stranger requests or sees me on responses are you devoted to Dr. no, why is doctrine on the first of the list in acts chapter 2 it simple because the word of God teaches us how to love teaches us how to pray teaches how to worship, teaches us how to do missions teaches us how to serve people teaches us how to raise our kids so then the preaching of the word is central to the very definition of the church. This is why when missionaries generally go into an area that has been unleashed with the gospel. The first thing they do is get a translation of the Bible in the language of those people spend years doing and want to take and get out a written copy in the language of the local people all of the New Testament in the very least a gospel because that they want to communicate the truth and show them what the Bible says about life now.
If you've ever come to church here for a few more than a few times you notice that we have a pretty predictable pattern, and you got used to it and in most of you come to love it, but you know it's possible to common think things like well every time I, sort of the same big sing some songs guy gets out there open the book talks and talks and talks about what that book says and you do that every week. Couldn't you just change it up a little bit.
Could we have a puppet show one week. I know our raffle and interpretive dance.
Short answer no. If you want to stay biblical and we want to stay biblical when Paul spoke to Timothy, one of it. Okay, let's give God glory to that. The last letter that Paul gave to Timothy very last thing he wrote was second Timothy and this what he said I charge you Timothy before God and before Jesus Christ will judge the living and the dead preach the word was his last command to preach the word that that's what we need, preach the word don't preach to me your opinion. Don't give me some little aphorism that can be tweeted later because it sounds cool, preach the word be instant or ready in season and out of season, convince rebuke and exhort with all long-suffering and teaching for the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine so preach the word.
Now when we do that when the word is preached when God is glorified and when the word is preached and we listen to it and we receive it.
Something happens to us first thing that happens to us is joy.
Truth produces joy. Truth produces happiness.
I want to see how Jesus correlates joy and truth within verse 13 but now I come to you. That is, in prayer, and these things that I speak in the world. I these things I speak in the world that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them your word in the world's hated them because they are not of the world.
Just as I am not of the world. So Jesus spoke truth to his disciples in sermons in conversations with the lost in conversations with people from all walks of life. The disciples for 3 1/2 years.
Listen to those words and it produced joy in them. Even though the world around them, hated them counted impassable. There were joyful so let's apply that how can a person have joy in a world that hates God how can a person have joined a world that hates Christians how can a person have joy in a world that is falling apart. Answer God's word produces joy. God's word produces happiness is filled with promise after promise to sustain you in the worst times of life. Last week we noted how mental health in our country and other countries in the world is suffering the last 10 months due to the lot down there. Several studies on this week shared some of them with you. Talk about how depression is on the rise, suicides are on the rise. All because of isolation.
What I didn't tell you is the flipside of that truth. Numbers of studies have been done showing that going to church on a regular basis is good for one's mental health. A new poll suggests that though mental health has tanked. It is tanked with the exception of one group and guess who that group is y'all regular churchgoers gallop organization put out an article entitled Americans mental health rating sing to a new low in her talk about the last 10 months of lockdown around the world and in our country in particular, the article says Americans assessment of their mental health is worse than it has been at any point in the last two decades the last 20 years.
Right now were at the lowest level of mental health, and it says this those who seldom or never attend religious services have the lowest ratings were as frequent attenders ranked highest in excellent mental health now I'm in a be risky here, take a little risk. I'm gonna divide the whole world into two groups we have on one side people of the world and we have over here people of the word people of the world. People of the word people of the world who don't have the word of God. The promises of God, the truth about the Scripture, God, people of the word who do have the truth of God. The Scriptures of God, the promise of God. People of the world are happy when happy things happen to them when the happenings are happy there. Happy going so happy. Could you just did something nice to me and made me happy there's a happy happenings around me, so I'm happy. But it's up-and-down up-and-down up-and-down up-and-down right now it's really really really really down people of the word have a fixed point there reoriented to glorifying God there shaped by the word of God, and they have a joy whether things are, or things are down. David wrote this in some hundred and 19 verse one and two recent happy are the people who follow the law of the Lord. Happy are those who obey his decrees and search for him with all their hearts down in verse 35 of that Psalm make me walk along the path of your commands, for that is where my happiness is found so truth produces happiness produces joy. There's a second shot at this and that is truth produces holiness.
Look at verse 15 within the close on this. I do not pray that you should take them.
My followers out of the world that you should keep them from the evil one.
They are not of the world. Just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by your truth. Your word is truth is you sent me into the world. I have also sent them into the world and for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth word sanctify is a word that means make holy. It's the word hockey so and it means to be holy to be different or to be separate the Scriptures make you clean.
This is the best bar of soap.
I know of. This will clean you up like nothing else. Jesus said to his followers. Now you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. That's how you get clean some hundred 19 verse nine how silly young man cleanse his way by taking heed according to your word and let me just press this a little bit. That's true especially as we gather together to hear it now, why, why you keep in gathering together because I was Jesus intention reasonable to build my church. Matthew 16. But here's why when we're together hearing truth there is a public accountability I'm hearing the same thing your hair I saw you in the room when that truth when at work.
It's a public responsibility of public affirmation. Again, it is positive peer pressure.
Tim Keller wrote this sanctification can happen on the spot. As we sit under gospel preaching and engage in corporate worship.
There are times when the Holy Spirit takes the Scripture read the prayer spoken. The chorus song or the truth, preached and presses it right to the point of our need and not merely informs our Christian walk but heals us in that moment. This is the value of hearing truth together.
So why do we exist what is the purpose of the church. What did Jesus have in mind when he said I'm in the build my church were a group that demonstrates God's glory and were a group that communicates God's truth. What is that mean to you personally number one learn to glorify God. Here's a simple question.
As you leave, what if from this day forward from right now on this is the line put down, and now working a lot on the other side of that line and what it from now on everything we said and did, and planned went through the filter of his this glorify God.
Would we Tweet the same way. Would we text the same way. Would we talk the same way. Would we whisper to her wives and husbands the same way, when we plan our lives the same way. Probably not, we live for the glory of God. If our goal was to make God famous in the follow-up learning to respond to God's word. Learning to respond to something that produces joy and holiness want to really be happy and filled with purpose, shame, word of God that includes six message from the series 2020 we want to let you know about a resource that will encourage you as you explore the faith and feelings of prominent women in the Bible stands between you and a more fruitful walk with Jesus health for prominent women in the Bible thinks they are struck with new teaching theories from my high-tech companies of the Bible on the Queen of Sheba hearing is the first step toward spiritual life right now, hearing that blessing because faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God hear more from she exploits the faith in the feelings of four different queens in Scripture. The final collection of teaching is only saying thank you $35 or more to support this type of teaching ministry following Christ is to go wherever healing your copy of these unique teachings when you call hundred 98 were given online securely connectwithskip.com/offer connectwithskip.com/offer tomorrow Skip Heitzig six years how Jesus intended for the church and you to be his ambassadors to the world. Yes, we should be blessed as we gather together with the purpose is hampered. Purpose is glorify God word on that. Go and do something with an just so it is clear