January 26, 2003
Morning Service
Text: Luke 14:15-24
Subject: Christ’s Invitation.
Title: Looking for the Perfect Church: Part 3
The perfect church! What do we know about it? Well we know that it is not here yet. Jesus spoke to seven churches in Revelation. Some of them probably thought they were just perfect. Look at some of the things Jesus said to those churches, which I believe are representative of churches today.
To the church in Ephesus: I know your works, your labor, your patience - you have left your first love!
To the church in Pergamos: I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. And you hold fast to my name, and did not deny the faith. - You have those there who hold the doctrine of Balaam, Who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat the things sacrificed to idols and commit sexual immorality.
To the church in Thyatira: I know your works, love, service, faith and your patience. - you allow Jezebel to teach and seduce my servants to commit sexual immorality.
To the church in Sardis: I know your works, you have a name that you are alive - but you are dead.
To the church in Laodicea: You are rich and have become wealthy and need nothing. - You are wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked.
All these churches thought that they were doing pretty good. And yet, Jesus knew they weren’t perfect - not even close. Yet He told every one of them, "To him who overcomes" - there is blessing involved!
We’ve come to the conclusion that the church on earth will never be perfect - there will always be areas we need to work on - but our passage today shows us the type of church Jesus expects. Jesus doesn’t want us to be a perfect little church with a perfect little pastor with a church full of perfect little people. He wants an obedient church with a pastor who is called to be here with a congregation that is filled with sinners saved by grace and filled with the Holy Spirit.
Let’s look today and see what kind of church Jesus wants.
I. The church isn’t for the religious. (Verses 16-17) Jesus relates the call of God to the social practice of the time. First, when a man decided to throw a party they would send out invitations by the word of a servant to tell them they were invited. The servant would receive the response and that way the master would know how many to prepare for. Since there was no way of telling time exactly, when the banquet was ready the servants would be sent out again to tell the guests it was time. Then they would begin to gather for the feast. In this passage Jesus was specifically speaking to the Jews. Salvation - the call of God -first came to the Jews. In Romans 1:16 Paul wrote, "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Gentiles." Salvation came through Abraham’s seed. Abraham was the father of the Jews. The Jews were the caretakers of the word of God. Though they were to have first opportunity to be saved - they instead added to the law and in essence reduced it to tradition. Remember, Abraham was justified by his faith 400 years before the law was given. Before Christ came, they had already begun to reject God’s grace. But they were those who were invited to the banquet and they originally said they would come! In Joshua 24:15 Joshua challenged the nation of Israel, "Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house we will serve the Lord." Their response? "Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord and serve other gods." They were very sincere but how long do you think it could last? Joshua 24:31, "Israel served the lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had known all the work of the Lord which He had done for Israel."
Just a few of generations later, in Judges 17:6, "In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes." They had rejected God their King and did just what they wanted to do. This also refers to those who have or appear to have accepted the invitation to come to Christ. Their love for him has grown cold. Remember Jesus’ words to the church in Ephesus? "Nevertheless, I have this against you, that you have left your first love." Jesus spoke of that kind of church, "But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives with joy; yet he has not root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles." (Matthew 13:20-21) Matthew 21:28-32, "A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ’Son, go, work today in my vineyard.’ He answered and said, ’I will not,’ but afterward he regretted it and went. Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, ’I go sir,’ but he did not go. Which of these two did the will of his father? They said to Him, ’The first." How can you tell when someone has lost that first love? I want you to look at some statistics concerning church attendance. These are the top ten reason why people attend a church service.
#10. - The convenience of the times of the weekend service.
#9 - the quality of the adult Sunday School classes.
#8 - the denominational affiliation of the church.
#7 - how much you like the pastor.
#6 - the quality of the children’s programs.
#5 - how involved the church is in helping disadvantaged people
#4 - how friendly the people in the church are to visitors.
#3 - the quality of the sermons that are preached.
#2 - how much the people seem to care about each other.
#1 - the theological beliefs and doctrine of the church. (Barna Research) As I looked over this list I something hit me as lacking. Whatever happened to going to church because you love the Lord - Because He sent you a personal invitation to be a part of His family. Because Jesus died for you. Whatever happened to wanting to be in God’s house every time the doors are opened because you know that He is going to be here?
II. The church isn’t for the absent. Who is excused? (Verses 18-20) Let’s do a little detective work. Verse 18, "I have bought a piece of ground and I must go see it." Real estate is a big investment. Something worth taking care of. Response: You bought a piece of ground without looking at it? Verse 19, I have bought five yoke of oxen and I am going to test them. What can I say? You should have looked at them before you bought them. Verse 20, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come. Bring her too! I don’t care if she is Catholic, Methodist, Presbyterian, or whatever - she needs to be in church too. In all three cases those invited put something else before Jesus. The fact is no excuse will be good enough when you stand before the Father and He asks, "Why didn’t you come and see Me on Sundays or Wednesdays? I was there. I waited for you. I missed you." I want you to understand something. We are saved by grace. Nothing can change that. No amount of church attendance can get us more saved. But we can be more solid. Jesus said in John 14:21, "He who has my commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him." Do you hear that? If we really love Him we will keep his commandments. That tells me if we don’t keep His commandments we don’t love Him. Hebrews 10:24,25, "and let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much more as you see the day approaching." I have been called here to be an Ephesians 4:11-13 pastor. "And He himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ." How can people be equipped if they aren’t in church. How can they be prepared for works of the ministry if they choose to do their own thing? How can they edify or be edified if they aren’t here?
III. Who makes up the perfect church? (Verses 21-24)
Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind. In Luke 7:22-23, Jesus said, ’Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard; that the blind see, the lame walk, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them." Why did the master say, "Go quickly?" Because Jesus has already done those things and we are doing them as well. Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these will he do, because I go to the Father. Go quickly because the feast is about to begin. Time is running out. I have already fulfilled the first part by ministering to the untouchables. Now, go out into the highways and hedges and to compel them to come in that my house may be filled. Why did Jesus say compel? He surely didn’t mean to force them against their wills. Compel means to convince. Webster = to oblige someone to do something / to call forth and secure something in others. A perfect definition. We share the gospel in a compelling fashion we underscore the urgency of the message and give a clear and complete presentation of the gospel. In doing so we call forth a response, prompted by the Holy Spirit and secure salvation in others. Jesus is saying, "you know the obvious; those who are sick, who are struggling with addictions, who are having a tough go just making it in the world. Now go out and tell everyone and invite them to come and partake of the supper." Fill the house. None who initially accepted the invitation shall taste the supper. That means the Jews to whom the oracles of God were entrusted, but failed to live by faith; Christians who first accepted and then have declined participation; Those who just sit in church and practice religion. The supper is not for you.
Conclusion:
So after three sermons of looking for the perfect church, what conclusion have you come to? Is there such a thing as the perfect church? Do you know where it is? How can we get there?
Well we know that the perfect church isn’t about the people who are or are not in it. Jonah showed us that because he thought the Ninevites didn’t deserve God’s grace, that was not what God thought.
Wednesday we saw that being somebody in the eyes of others in the church can cost you your life, especially when you lie to the Holy Spirit. The perfect church isn’t in the people themselves. But it can be in a people who present their bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God. It can be in a people who do not conform to the patterns of this world, but are transformed by the renewing of their minds. It can be by a people who prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
The church that answers Jesus’ call to salvation and then follows up with an obedient response to knowing and living in the will of God is close to perfection. The church that recognizes the urgency of the times and the seriousness of the message by reaching out to all people, compelling them to come in is getting closer to perfection. It’s the church that reaches out to the untouchables; that doesn’t judge a person’s value by what he can contribute or how hard he works or how much money they make. It is a church that has completely been washed clean by the blood of the sinless Lamb. It is the church that isn’t too afraid of failing, but is eager to celebrate its obedience to God’s will.
It’s a church that worships God for who He is. It’s a church that responds to the Holy Spirit and is not afraid to allow Him to take charge of a service. It is a church that humbly bows down and says, "According to Your word, be it unto me." It’s a church that gives itself and says, "Not my will, but Thine be done." It is a church that prays together, stays together, laughs together, and cries together.
It is the church of Jesus Christ, the body of Christ, the bride of Christ, who is clothed in fine linen; who has made herself ready for the marriage supper of the Lamb.
Have you been invited? Have you responded to the call?
The perfect church lives in holiness.
The perfect church models righteousness.
The perfect church responds with faithfulness.
The perfect church recognizes its brokenness.
Take my heart and form it.
Take my mind transform it.
Take my will conform it,
To yours, to yours O Lord.
