WEBVTT 1 00:00:11.800 --> 00:00:42.120 Last week I was thinking about Richard Rogers the Puritans book holy helps for a godly life and he uses he talks about what people today call means of grace certain things in the that provisions that God has for us that are rich and a blessing and and that leads us to salvation or is an important part of our salvation. 2 00:00:42.120 --> 00:00:53.140 Last week we talked about revelation and the word of God and these are the analogy I used last week. 3 00:00:53.140 --> 00:01:14.140 These are like gifts and so you know using a Christmas metaphor I mean you could picture these as Christmas gifts that you open up that you receive that you value or maybe not value so much should value perhaps certainly and maybe don’t always value. 4 00:01:14.140 --> 00:01:29.220 I was thinking about that every now and then I I know when I was a kid I got gifts that I learned to appreciate after I received them and not so much on the morning I receive them. 5 00:01:29.220 --> 00:01:44.220 I mean if you if Can you imagine a a little kid who was so excited this Christmas because he heard that his very very rich uncle had decided to give him a present that year. 6 00:01:44.220 --> 00:01:47.120 And so he kept imagining what he would get. 7 00:01:47.120 --> 00:01:49.920 Maybe a bicycle or something like that. 8 00:01:49.920 --> 00:01:55.600 But what he really is hoping for is a new computer game machine. 9 00:01:55.600 --> 00:01:57.560 Something really special. 10 00:01:57.560 --> 00:02:03.260 Maybe because he’s so rich maybe even an Apple vision type thing or something like that. 11 00:02:03.260 --> 00:02:23.640 And Christmas morning comes and he gets a card and the card is a Christmas card that informs him that his uncle has deposited an amount of money into a Roth IRA for him. 12 00:02:23.640 --> 00:02:28.160 Well, not exactly what he is wanting. 13 00:02:28.160 --> 00:02:42.660 A few years later, many years later perhaps when he really needs that money to start a business or to establish a home and b pay and and make the down payment. 14 00:02:42.660 --> 00:02:46.740 That gift would be the most precious thing that he has at the moment. 15 00:02:46.740 --> 00:02:51.360 You know, his mo one of his most valuable possessions. 16 00:02:51.360 --> 00:03:07.500 Sometimes God gives us great, wonderful, precious gifts and we may not Certainly, I would say we never are appreciating them to the value that that we should. 17 00:03:07.500 --> 00:03:12.180 That’s certainly true with the word of God we were talking about last week. 18 00:03:12.180 --> 00:03:23.720 The revelation of God, the fact that God has revealed himself to us in his word and in the person of Jesus Christ, that’s more than just a means of grace. 19 00:03:23.720 --> 00:03:25.320 It’s salvation itself. 20 00:03:25.320 --> 00:03:29.580 It’s, you know, we can’t minimize that. 21 00:03:29.580 --> 00:03:35.780 Well, this morning I’m going to talk about another one of these and it is life from the body of Christ. 22 00:03:35.780 --> 00:03:38.820 It is the church. 23 00:03:38.820 --> 00:03:48.660 You know, the church is one of those things that’s often not valued that so much, particularly in today’s society. 24 00:03:48.660 --> 00:03:52.820 It’s been true in centuries past from time to time. 25 00:03:52.820 --> 00:03:58.960 And we’re living through one of those times when it is particularly a problem. 26 00:03:58.960 --> 00:04:01.640 Church for a lot of people seems irrelevant. 27 00:04:01.640 --> 00:04:14.320 You know, they’re caught up in their own individualism and they don’t want anyone, you know, they don’t want any distractions from what they want to do. 28 00:04:14.320 --> 00:04:24.380 and then there is a growing sense of independence and self-directed spirituality. 29 00:04:24.380 --> 00:04:28.230 And so a lot of people think that they don’t really need the church for spirituality. 30 00:04:28.230 --> 00:04:36.860 There’s that and where they have they can they can they can find you know God on their own. 31 00:04:36.860 --> 00:04:39.590 They can experience God in nature. 32 00:04:39.590 --> 00:04:51.250 They can certainly find podcasts and all sorts of communications online to to satisfy what they need. 33 00:04:51.250 --> 00:04:57.540 And so they they you know they have no real need. 34 00:04:57.540 --> 00:04:59.160 They don’t think they have a need. 35 00:04:59.160 --> 00:05:16.600 And Then there is the rest of us who recognize the value of church but probably still in the most fundamental ways fail to appreciate it the way we should. 36 00:05:16.600 --> 00:05:28.320 Many of us see church as a nothing more than what than a means to grow spiritually a tool that we can use for our good. 37 00:05:28.320 --> 00:05:40.640 Now you think You know, how many parents think, you know, I think I’m I’m going to I’m going to take my kids to to church and Sunday school and they can experience these things and it probably do them a little good. 38 00:05:40.640 --> 00:05:42.820 It’ll change their character. 39 00:05:42.820 --> 00:05:46.000 It’ll affect them in some way. 40 00:05:46.000 --> 00:05:55.480 If that’s the kind if if it’s that direction that our understanding of the church is, then we we don’t understand its value. 41 00:05:55.480 --> 00:06:07.540 And yet all of us having experienced church here do recognize I think to a great degree the preciousness of what we have here. 42 00:06:07.540 --> 00:06:08.740 It’s it’s unusual. 43 00:06:08.740 --> 00:06:10.440 It’s particularly precious. 44 00:06:10.440 --> 00:06:21.600 You know, when we when this when our church merged, I was expecting a lot of difficulties. 45 00:06:21.600 --> 00:06:23.820 I really was. 46 00:06:23.820 --> 00:06:42.000 When our church merged, usually what happens is you have two churches with very differing understandings and expectations and you get tensions between the two groups within within two weeks. 47 00:06:42.000 --> 00:06:43.860 It was like we were one family. 48 00:06:43.860 --> 00:06:50.840 I mean it was amazing to me how the unity that we experienced here from the from the very beginning. 49 00:06:50.840 --> 00:06:53.700 That is a gift of God. 50 00:06:53.700 --> 00:06:55.700 That is a gift of God. 51 00:06:55.700 --> 00:07:10.500 In fact, Psalm 133 is is talking about unity and fellowship and really the focus here is corporate worship though you may not just catch that immediately. 52 00:07:10.500 --> 00:07:12.740 This is a song with a scent however. 53 00:07:12.740 --> 00:07:19.240 So that’s exactly what this is talking about and the point of this psalm. 54 00:07:19.240 --> 00:07:21.380 I’m just going to give you the end right now. 55 00:07:21.380 --> 00:07:23.120 I probably shouldn’t do that. 56 00:07:23.120 --> 00:07:27.660 It should be more inductive and keep it mysterious for a while. 57 00:07:27.660 --> 00:07:37.980 But basically it’s saying that The kind of fellowship that we enjoy as a church that that’s described in this psalm comes from God. 58 00:07:37.980 --> 00:07:39.420 It’s the very blessing of God. 59 00:07:39.420 --> 00:07:44.100 It flows out from God as a great blessing from God. 60 00:07:44.100 --> 00:07:51.060 So that’s that’s the point of the song. 61 00:07:51.060 --> 00:07:58.420 and it’s a it’s a it’s an you know this is a crucial topic for us. 62 00:07:58.420 --> 00:08:11.140 I mean the first idea that we come to in this psalm is that the interdependence of God’s people is necessary and it’s good. 63 00:08:11.140 --> 00:08:15.840 The interdependence of the people of God is necessary and good. 64 00:08:15.840 --> 00:08:28.980 In that very first probably the reason that I chose this psalm to to express it would probably be easier for me to make this argument from the New Testament because it’s everywhere in the New Testament. 65 00:08:28.980 --> 00:08:31.180 It’s it’s in the Old Testament, too. 66 00:08:31.180 --> 00:08:46.200 But I chose the Psalm in particular because these the this phrase in the first verse, you know, there’s you know how certain words tend to couple themselves together. 67 00:08:46.200 --> 00:08:58.680 You know, you you hear the two words over and over again together like for example, coffee and donuts or bread and butter or milk and cookies, bacon and eggs. 68 00:08:58.680 --> 00:09:00.540 I don’t know why all these things or food. 69 00:09:00.540 --> 00:09:02.640 Maybe it’s the fragrance downstairs. 70 00:09:02.640 --> 00:09:15.360 I mean, I suppose I could be doing things like hammer and nails and law and order, but but certain words are a pattern and they go together. 71 00:09:15.360 --> 00:09:22.830 And that’s what you have is you find that with with two words in verse one, good and pleasant. 72 00:09:22.830 --> 00:09:30.180 Now, they often are found in the in the Bible together. 73 00:09:30.180 --> 00:09:42.660 the idea of of shared unity that that the phrase is repeated throughout the Psalms and you see it multiple times in Genesis. 74 00:09:42.660 --> 00:09:46.660 And so it’s a beautiful thing to see here. 75 00:09:46.660 --> 00:09:50.060 It’s the ver verse says, let me just read it. 76 00:09:50.060 --> 00:09:59.080 In fact, let me read the psalm and then pray and go back and read verse one again so we can have the whole thing in context. 77 00:09:59.080 --> 00:10:03.300 This is a song of a sense of David. 78 00:10:03.300 --> 00:10:06.820 It is the excellency of brotherly unity. 79 00:10:06.820 --> 00:10:07.760 Psalm 133. 80 00:10:07.760 --> 00:10:11.600 This is God’s holy word. 81 00:10:11.600 --> 00:10:17.880 “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity. 82 00:10:17.880 --> 00:10:22.320 It’s like the precious oil upon the head coming down upon the beard. 83 00:10:22.320 --> 00:10:27.340 Even Aaron’s beard coming down upon the edges of his robes. 84 00:10:27.340 --> 00:10:29.000 It’s like the dew of Herman. 85 00:10:29.000 --> 00:10:32.240 coming down upon the mountains of Zion. 86 00:10:32.240 --> 00:10:38.200 For there the Lord commanded the blessing life forever.” 87 00:10:38.200 --> 00:10:45.640 —Psalm 133 We ask God to bless his word to our hearts. 88 00:10:45.640 --> 00:10:53.800 Father, I recognize how inadequate I am to talk about your word really. 89 00:10:53.800 --> 00:11:14.180 And Father, apart from the filling of your spirit and the blessing that you give through the study of your scripture and just the encouragement that you have given me through the teaching of others I’m able to say something this morning. 90 00:11:14.180 --> 00:11:20.100 But Lord, unless you speak to us through your word, there’s nothing to be said. 91 00:11:20.100 --> 00:11:26.840 We ask, Father, that you give us ears to hear and a heart to respond to the truth of your word this morning. 92 00:11:26.840 --> 00:11:29.920 Bless us this way in Christ’s name. 93 00:11:29.920 --> 00:11:38.140 Amen. 94 00:11:38.140 --> 00:11:45.920 Well, the idea here is behold how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity. 95 00:11:45.920 --> 00:11:53.500 And the idea of dwelling together is more than just being together in peace. 96 00:11:53.500 --> 00:11:55.380 It’s more than that idea. 97 00:11:55.380 --> 00:11:59.490 The that idea is the idea of working together. 98 00:11:59.490 --> 00:12:08.570 fit in a fitted way the a unity and everything working for the life of the of the of the of the group together. 99 00:12:08.570 --> 00:12:17.620 It’s the it has to the idea of shared responsibility and common interests and basically an extended family. 100 00:12:17.620 --> 00:12:21.320 That’s the picture that this begins with. 101 00:12:21.320 --> 00:12:26.280 And this is what God’s design is for his peoples. 102 00:12:26.280 --> 00:12:29.760 It’s God’s design for his church. 103 00:12:29.760 --> 00:12:34.770 We are to work together in unity. 104 00:12:34.770 --> 00:12:43.680 The church is is more precious than we tend to to think. 105 00:12:43.680 --> 00:12:48.930 It’s precious because it’s Christ’s design. 106 00:12:48.930 --> 00:12:54.610 It was Jesus himself who instituted the church who said, “I will build my church.” 107 00:12:54.610 --> 00:13:06.040 When when in Matthew chapter 16 when Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” And Peter said, “You’re the Christ, the son of the living God.” 108 00:13:06.040 --> 00:13:11.440 Jesus said, “I will upon this rock, I will build my church.” 109 00:13:11.440 --> 00:13:22.380 And he not only is building the church, but Jesus himself laid down his life for the church. 110 00:13:22.380 --> 00:13:26.940 He purchased the church with his own blood. 111 00:13:26.940 --> 00:13:29.800 He He sacrificed himself for it. 112 00:13:29.800 --> 00:14:02.340 is so valuable to him and I don’t have my notes in in any good order but and somewhere in my notes I point you know I said last week we were talking about scripture and scripture as a means of grace for our spiritual growth it is all that it’s wonderful but it but the revelation of God is more than that the revelation of God is salvation itself. 113 00:14:02.340 --> 00:14:33.400 The Lord Jesus prayer in John chapter 17 verse three the Lord Jesus said this is life eternal that they may know you knowing God and Jesus Christ whom you’ve sent the knowledge of God the revelation of God the received knowledge of God is salvation it’s the it’s an end And we think of church in a similar way. 114 00:14:33.400 --> 00:14:39.260 We think of church as if it’s a means for our to being built up in the body. 115 00:14:39.260 --> 00:14:43.010 But the church is an end in itself as well. 116 00:14:43.010 --> 00:14:51.060 When when we look to the church, it is the purpose and goal of our salvation. 117 00:14:51.060 --> 00:14:59.220 You know Jesus the Christmas, you know, one of the Christmas verses in Matthew 121, I think. 118 00:14:59.220 --> 00:15:02.180 you shall call his name Jesus. 119 00:15:02.180 --> 00:15:04.360 Jesus means savior. 120 00:15:04.360 --> 00:15:06.620 Why are you calling your son savior? 121 00:15:06.620 --> 00:15:10.940 Because he will save his people from their sins. 122 00:15:10.940 --> 00:15:14.720 His people from their sins. 123 00:15:14.720 --> 00:15:22.980 And that phrase his people repeats and those Christmas stories in Luke’s account as well. 124 00:15:22.980 --> 00:15:33.760 You know the the idea of Jesus coming to this world for the purpose of securing a people for his own name. 125 00:15:33.760 --> 00:15:36.240 That’s the church. 126 00:15:36.240 --> 00:15:38.980 And it it’s an end in itself. 127 00:15:38.980 --> 00:15:49.320 It’s it’s more it’s more than just it’s more than just a means of grace. 128 00:15:49.320 --> 00:15:54.780 If it’s just a means of grace, then maybe we can do okay on our own. 129 00:15:54.780 --> 00:15:58.120 Probably can’t, but we’d like to think so. 130 00:15:58.120 --> 00:16:05.190 But you see how that think makes that so much more superficial in a way. 131 00:16:05.190 --> 00:16:08.740 It’s if it’s if it’s just something to build me up. 132 00:16:08.740 --> 00:16:10.480 But what if it’s the end? 133 00:16:10.480 --> 00:16:11.560 What if it’s the purpose? 134 00:16:11.560 --> 00:16:18.360 What is the purpose of all salvation? 135 00:16:18.360 --> 00:16:22.720 I’m going to leave that for the moment and hopefully come back to it in a in a few minutes. 136 00:16:22.720 --> 00:16:27.540 But, you know, it is Well, maybe I can’t do that. 137 00:16:27.540 --> 00:16:31.420 Maybe I better just keep talking. 138 00:16:31.420 --> 00:16:52.440 No, God’s plan in bringing into existence a new covenant people through this work of salvation through Jesus Christ bringing the church, producing the church. 139 00:16:52.440 --> 00:16:56.200 We should never think of it as a means of an end. 140 00:16:56.200 --> 00:16:59.840 It’s it is the end. 141 00:16:59.840 --> 00:17:05.320 I mean it’s God is being glorified and ultimately will be glorified through his church. 142 00:17:05.320 --> 00:17:13.800 Ephesians 3:21 to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. 143 00:17:13.800 --> 00:17:27.260 The God saves people and when he saves them in 1 Corinthians 12 they are immersed into his body which is the church. 144 00:17:27.260 --> 00:17:29.280 You were saved into a church. 145 00:17:29.280 --> 00:17:30.840 and to the church. 146 00:17:30.840 --> 00:17:40.240 And when we say church, we’re talking about a calledout body, a pe a people of God called out. 147 00:17:40.240 --> 00:17:45.380 He saves you and makes you part of his church. 148 00:17:45.380 --> 00:17:48.820 Church and we use that word in the New Testament. 149 00:17:48.820 --> 00:17:54.280 It’s used ecclesia means called out body. 150 00:17:54.280 --> 00:17:56.520 It means a group of people. 151 00:17:56.520 --> 00:18:33.620 This when we talk about the church here, we’re talking about the people you know we we have in English we’ve lost that a little bit because the word church in English based on the word kirk kirk and church means the building the root idea is the building and so we when we think of the church we think of a building but in the New Testament when you think of the church you think of people and it’s the local congregation and it’s the church universal. 152 00:18:33.620 --> 00:18:50.960 And if you look at any of those confessional statements, the apostles creed or or any of those when it talks about the holy catholic church, it’s talking about the universal church of God. 153 00:18:50.960 --> 00:18:59.600 And the New Testament uses the church to talk about all the saints who live and about the local saints who live. 154 00:18:59.600 --> 00:19:00.420 both ways. 155 00:19:00.420 --> 00:19:07.800 He uses it for either one because but when you see one, you’re really seeing the church. 156 00:19:07.800 --> 00:19:16.520 We right here in this this little congregation that we are this morning, we are the church of God. 157 00:19:16.520 --> 00:19:18.480 We are the church. 158 00:19:18.480 --> 00:19:22.700 Even though we’re, you know, we’re just you only see a fragment of it. 159 00:19:22.700 --> 00:19:34.120 Well, at night when you look up at the stars and the moon a few days ago, you could see a bright full moon and it’s waning. 160 00:19:34.120 --> 00:19:36.960 So you see a little fragment of that moon. 161 00:19:36.960 --> 00:19:44.700 Whether you see the whole moon or you see a little tiny sliver, when you look up there, you say, “Oh, there’s the moon.” 162 00:19:44.700 --> 00:19:47.500 Well, this is the church. 163 00:19:47.500 --> 00:19:48.980 This is the church. 164 00:19:48.980 --> 00:19:52.600 You may be just a little part of it, but we are the church. 165 00:19:52.600 --> 00:20:01.220 And this is where the church finds its truest expression for us together. 166 00:20:01.220 --> 00:20:08.640 It’s important that we we recognize that we are together. 167 00:20:08.640 --> 00:20:19.600 The idea of brothers dwelling together in unity is the functionality work working perfectly, working beautifully together, supporting each other. 168 00:20:19.600 --> 00:20:25.160 The way a church is supposed a group is supposed to function. 169 00:20:25.160 --> 00:20:27.680 And that’s the way a church is supposed to function. 170 00:20:27.680 --> 00:20:59.710 Do you remember in 1 Corinthians 12 when the apostle Paul says the spirit gives you know gifts to his people as he chooses severally as he will and then it describes the gifts of a of the spiritual gifts that’s given to a congregation and it describes all of that as the body of Christ and it gives a powerful analogy there because each person. 171 00:20:59.710 --> 00:21:15.320 Each person is a functioning member of that body who works necessary part of that body to without without that person the body wouldn’t be complete. 172 00:21:15.320 --> 00:21:19.380 You know the his analogy is eyes and ears and feet. 173 00:21:19.380 --> 00:21:26.340 You know that those analogies work far better for a local congregation than they do for the church universal. 174 00:21:26.340 --> 00:21:29.360 I mean because we are arms and legs and ears. 175 00:21:29.360 --> 00:21:43.850 after all of man and the church universal were probably like you know molecules or little we’re down in the cellular level. 176 00:21:43.850 --> 00:21:59.800 So but but the analogy is functioning being able to work together to the necessity and the foolishness of thinking you can do without it that that’s basically what he says. 177 00:21:59.800 --> 00:22:09.960 And there he says, you know, the one person in the in that group in 1 Corinthians 12:21, he says, “I have no need of you. 178 00:22:09.960 --> 00:22:11.880 I’m an independent guy. 179 00:22:11.880 --> 00:22:14.440 I can take care of myself. 180 00:22:14.440 --> 00:22:19.800 I I’m I don’t need anybody else.” 181 00:22:19.800 --> 00:22:22.260 Good old American independence. 182 00:22:22.260 --> 00:22:30.100 We have lots of that. 183 00:22:30.100 --> 00:22:44.020 We are we we’re we don’t understand the blessings of the unity of the congregation and the necessity for it. 184 00:22:44.020 --> 00:22:47.120 But it’s the end. 185 00:22:47.120 --> 00:22:50.820 It’s the goal of our salvation. 186 00:22:50.820 --> 00:22:55.020 The the church is the bride of Christ. 187 00:22:55.020 --> 00:23:03.560 And the bride of Christ is the culmination, you know, the cul ation of salvation when the the whole whole saving process. 188 00:23:03.560 --> 00:23:06.400 Where do you see that in the in the Bible? 189 00:23:06.400 --> 00:23:16.510 It’s it’s when the day comes for the bridal feast of the lamb. 190 00:23:16.510 --> 00:23:19.700 You see, that’s the church. 191 00:23:19.700 --> 00:23:23.860 That’s the union of the church and Jesus Christ. 192 00:23:23.860 --> 00:23:27.840 And it’s the culmination of salvation. 193 00:23:27.840 --> 00:23:34.690 This is the end of all of church is far more important than you think. 194 00:23:34.690 --> 00:23:46.700 It’s it’s incredibly important and it’s important for us in the New Testament. 195 00:23:46.700 --> 00:23:54.900 The the emphasis is always plural when we get commands or exhortations or blessings. 196 00:23:54.900 --> 00:23:57.380 I don’t know if you realize it’s almost always plural. 197 00:23:57.380 --> 00:24:10.040 Hardly ever do you see something singular You don’t have you don’t have you know lone ranger saints in the Bible. 198 00:24:10.040 --> 00:24:16.060 Everybody works together in a unity and and and community. 199 00:24:16.060 --> 00:24:25.780 In fact, the word saint, I think it’s used 64 times in the New Testament in the plural saints. 200 00:24:25.780 --> 00:24:29.140 One time it’s used singular. 201 00:24:29.140 --> 00:24:40.220 And that’s as a command to the in a command to the congregation to greet each saint. 202 00:24:40.220 --> 00:24:50.360 You see the idea of unity and working together and the in the in the way the body is to work together. 203 00:24:50.360 --> 00:24:52.320 It’s fitting. 204 00:24:52.320 --> 00:24:53.500 It’s beautiful. 205 00:24:53.500 --> 00:25:10.300 It works in in such an appropriate way and it’s necessary and it’s necessary for us because we think that we’re strong and we’re spiritual and we can get off on our own and do as we please and still be honoring to God. 206 00:25:10.300 --> 00:25:16.680 But the reality is probably far different than that. 207 00:25:16.680 --> 00:25:22.080 In fact, we live in an incredibly hostile world. 208 00:25:22.080 --> 00:25:29.720 We live in a world that is is pretty hostile. 209 00:25:29.720 --> 00:25:35.980 Well, The psalm says it’s like the precious oil upon the head coming down upon the beard. 210 00:25:35.980 --> 00:25:40.040 This is what this functioning in the body is like. 211 00:25:40.040 --> 00:25:42.240 The unity working together. 212 00:25:42.240 --> 00:25:44.920 It’s like the precious oil. 213 00:25:44.920 --> 00:25:58.190 The picture is the first high priest Aaron being anointed with the oil that that special oil that the recipe is given in Leviticus. 214 00:25:58.190 --> 00:26:30.200 And I think it’s a little bit and and it’s fragrant spicy oil that’s used just for this purpose and for the anointing of the priest and it’s poured out lavishly on Aaron’s head and it flows down over Aaron over his beard over his collar down over his his robe lavish rich frag. 215 00:26:30.200 --> 00:26:33.280 wonderful his anointing. 216 00:26:33.280 --> 00:26:36.460 The emphasis is on Aaron the priest. 217 00:26:36.460 --> 00:26:44.620 The picture is of the anointed one looking forward to the one who is the anointed one. 218 00:26:44.620 --> 00:26:53.080 You know Christ means anointed. 219 00:26:53.080 --> 00:26:55.780 It’s a blessing. 220 00:26:55.780 --> 00:27:03.020 What an incredible blessing if you were there and to feel the fragrance of that oil as it was poured out. 221 00:27:03.020 --> 00:27:03.760 It’d be unique. 222 00:27:03.760 --> 00:27:05.140 It’d be unusual. 223 00:27:05.140 --> 00:27:06.370 It’d be wonderful. 224 00:27:06.370 --> 00:27:19.440 And to and see the blessing of the institution of a priesthood which means salvation for his people ultimately provision for salvation. 225 00:27:19.440 --> 00:27:20.960 That’s a blessing. 226 00:27:20.960 --> 00:27:21.600 It’s rich. 227 00:27:21.600 --> 00:27:24.940 It’s wonderful. 228 00:27:24.940 --> 00:27:30.300 Produces the harmony, the the the working together. 229 00:27:30.300 --> 00:27:38.060 It’s like the dew of Herman coming down upon the mountains of Zion. 230 00:27:38.060 --> 00:27:41.660 It’s a beautiful picture. 231 00:27:41.660 --> 00:27:48.340 Mount Herman in the north part of the kingdom was a mountain that’s 9,000 that’s more than 9,000 ft high. 232 00:27:48.340 --> 00:27:52.820 And around the cap there’s always clouds. 233 00:27:52.820 --> 00:27:56.920 There’s always a lot of moisture coming down from the mountain. 234 00:27:56.920 --> 00:28:07.900 The the valley below is desert or would be desert except the moisture coming down makes it a a rich garden. 235 00:28:07.900 --> 00:28:10.180 Beautiful picture of blessing. 236 00:28:10.180 --> 00:28:16.100 The outpouring of such of of of all this moisture, all this life. 237 00:28:16.100 --> 00:28:17.260 It’s bless. 238 00:28:17.260 --> 00:28:25.140 It’s a picture of blessing poured out. 239 00:28:25.140 --> 00:28:27.280 That’s what this fellowship is like. 240 00:28:27.280 --> 00:28:31.880 You see, It’s like that desert. 241 00:28:31.880 --> 00:28:33.680 It’s harsh. 242 00:28:33.680 --> 00:28:39.800 It’s hard to comprehend how wicked this world is. 243 00:28:39.800 --> 00:28:44.520 We get caught up in it and enjoy the wickedness. 244 00:28:44.520 --> 00:28:47.590 That’s how how awful it is. 245 00:28:47.590 --> 00:28:50.460 You can be it can pull you away. 246 00:28:50.460 --> 00:28:54.080 It’s a harsh place for Christians to live. 247 00:28:54.080 --> 00:28:57.680 They don’t survive in this wilderness. 248 00:28:57.680 --> 00:29:02.660 I a I read had a beautiful illustration this this past week. 249 00:29:02.660 --> 00:29:16.530 It was had to do with the the the the Antarctica, this polar ice cap in Antarctica and the conditions there. 250 00:29:16.530 --> 00:29:27.720 You know, six months out of the year it’s total darkness and the winds get up to sometimes 100 miles an hour real often. 251 00:29:27.720 --> 00:29:29.640 65 mph wind. 252 00:29:29.640 --> 00:29:32.060 That would be comfortable, wouldn’t it? 253 00:29:32.060 --> 00:29:40.560 The the temperature in the wintertime regularly drops to 70° below zero. 254 00:29:40.560 --> 00:29:43.600 How’d you like to live there? 255 00:29:43.600 --> 00:29:45.590 Pretty harsh. 256 00:29:45.590 --> 00:29:49.140 Can Can you imagine anything living there? 257 00:29:49.140 --> 00:29:53.820 Well, that’s where emperor penguins make their home. 258 00:29:53.820 --> 00:29:55.760 They live there. 259 00:29:55.760 --> 00:30:02.470 You take one emperor or penguin and send him out on his own, not going to survive. 260 00:30:02.470 --> 00:30:16.380 Know they group together by the hundreds and thousands and they they form a tight group and that those harsh winds blow and the temperature is incredible. 261 00:30:16.380 --> 00:30:20.320 But together there’s warmth. 262 00:30:20.320 --> 00:30:27.950 In the center of those groups of penguins, the temperature gets up to as much as 100 degrees. 263 00:30:27.950 --> 00:30:34.060 you know, they’re warm on the inside there and the in and the inside of that group. 264 00:30:34.060 --> 00:30:38.200 Now, these guys are on the periphery. 265 00:30:38.200 --> 00:30:43.780 So, something interesting happens with the group and they they rotate. 266 00:30:43.780 --> 00:30:44.740 They move in. 267 00:30:44.740 --> 00:30:50.720 And so, some the warmest ones move to the outside, the coldest ones move to the inside. 268 00:30:50.720 --> 00:30:55.300 And a slow, very beautiful dance. 269 00:30:55.300 --> 00:30:56.740 It’s like it’s choreographed. 270 00:30:56.740 --> 00:31:04.650 If you can look up this sometime on I’m sure you can find it on YouTube where they do a time lapse of watching that group. 271 00:31:04.650 --> 00:31:13.540 It’s it’s beautiful to watch the group together is the protection. 272 00:31:13.540 --> 00:31:21.160 Ephesians chapter 6, when you see the armor of the saints, we look at that passage and we think of this as individual things for us. 273 00:31:21.160 --> 00:31:27.500 But you look at the passage again today and you’ll see all the we it’s our armor. 274 00:31:27.500 --> 00:31:29.060 It’s our armor. 275 00:31:29.060 --> 00:31:31.560 We pray for the saints. 276 00:31:31.560 --> 00:31:34.880 The look at it’s it’s corporate. 277 00:31:34.880 --> 00:31:44.580 And the point of using all that Roman armor, the picture of that isn’t so that we go off armored singlehanded. 278 00:31:44.580 --> 00:31:46.740 The Roman soldiers never did that. 279 00:31:46.740 --> 00:31:49.340 If they did, they didn’t survive. 280 00:31:49.340 --> 00:31:52.860 They came together exactly in a failax. 281 00:31:52.860 --> 00:31:59.280 They came together and they had their patterns to make their all their shields. 282 00:31:59.280 --> 00:32:12.940 into a tortoise shell that covered them over so that they could they could take on that reign of countless arrows and not and not feel the point of them. 283 00:32:12.940 --> 00:32:18.840 It’s it’s powerful picture but you don’t do that. 284 00:32:18.840 --> 00:32:21.220 It’s not separate. 285 00:32:21.220 --> 00:32:30.220 We we get confused about things like you know we don’t want to be dependent, we want to be independent. 286 00:32:30.220 --> 00:32:34.920 But we we fall short of the whole picture. 287 00:32:34.920 --> 00:32:46.120 See, when you think about that, you have a baby and we know something about babies in our family. 288 00:32:46.120 --> 00:33:11.740 You know, you have a baby and you pro provide it milk and you spoon feed them and you change their diapers and they’re dependent on everything and they grow up and as they get a little older they become slightly more independent and then as they get into their young adult years they grow into some significant independence and that’s a good thing. 289 00:33:11.740 --> 00:33:14.480 We want those that to happen don’t we? 290 00:33:14.480 --> 00:33:17.160 And who wants to be dependent? 291 00:33:17.160 --> 00:33:17.760 Nobody. 292 00:33:17.760 --> 00:33:20.060 You don’t want to be like a baby. 293 00:33:20.060 --> 00:33:21.700 You want to be independent. 294 00:33:21.700 --> 00:33:25.820 But we don’t want to stop with adolescence. 295 00:33:25.820 --> 00:33:29.170 No, there’s something more. 296 00:33:29.170 --> 00:33:33.900 more mature than independence and that is interdependence. 297 00:33:33.900 --> 00:33:39.240 Interdependence is higher and better than independence. 298 00:33:39.240 --> 00:33:50.820 It’s where you are using your giftedness and and the blessings that God gives you to strengthen other people and at the same time you benefit from them. 299 00:33:50.820 --> 00:33:59.560 You’re far far stronger far stronger than any than you could ever be in any other way. 300 00:33:59.560 --> 00:34:02.160 Now, that’s a higher level. 301 00:34:02.160 --> 00:34:04.520 That’s what God calls us to. 302 00:34:04.520 --> 00:34:06.460 God calls us to community. 303 00:34:06.460 --> 00:34:19.700 A community where we come in as sinners who need grace, find love in community, and we find other things because we’re with other sinners. 304 00:34:19.700 --> 00:34:22.940 The church is a hospital after all. 305 00:34:22.940 --> 00:34:34.440 And yet, here is the spirit of God and the giftedness of God and And when it works, and it does work, it’s incredible. 306 00:34:34.440 --> 00:34:36.220 It’s it’s strengthening. 307 00:34:36.220 --> 00:34:37.960 It’s empowering. 308 00:34:37.960 --> 00:34:47.340 And it gives us all all that we need to serve God to worship him and bring glory to him. 309 00:34:47.340 --> 00:34:49.500 We strengthen one another. 310 00:34:49.500 --> 00:34:53.080 It’s a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful thing. 311 00:34:53.080 --> 00:34:57.200 We can’t live Christians really without it. 312 00:34:57.200 --> 00:35:01.860 We need it. 313 00:35:01.860 --> 00:35:03.500 It’s precious to us. 314 00:35:03.500 --> 00:35:16.320 Well, there’s an awful lot of points that I’m not going to say today, but I do want us to think about this. 315 00:35:16.320 --> 00:35:21.340 I want us to unwrap this little present and appreciate it. 316 00:35:21.340 --> 00:36:04.500 If we appreciate it, we will value it and protect it you know one of the bicycle companies Van Moof you familiar with the Dutch bicycle company Van Mouth I don’t know he knows all the bicycle companies of honey they were they were shipping out their bicycles and they got most so many of them were damaged in shipping that it got it got to be a real problem and they noticed that their Their bicycle case was about the same size as a flat screen TV case. 317 00:36:04.500 --> 00:36:14.360 And so what they did is they printed a picture of a flat screen TV on the box and the damage fell by 80%. 318 00:36:14.360 --> 00:36:26.420 Because if you think something is valuable, you’ll protect it, you’ll look after it. 319 00:36:26.420 --> 00:36:28.900 See the church of Jesus Christ. 320 00:36:28.900 --> 00:36:30.180 It’s precious. 321 00:36:30.180 --> 00:36:31.340 It’s precious to Christ. 322 00:36:31.340 --> 00:36:34.340 We should value it because Christ does. 323 00:36:34.340 --> 00:36:41.220 The church of Jesus Christ is wonderful because it protects us in the body. 324 00:36:41.220 --> 00:36:42.460 It protects us. 325 00:36:42.460 --> 00:36:44.420 We need it. 326 00:36:44.420 --> 00:36:46.800 It is a means of grace for us. 327 00:36:46.800 --> 00:36:47.380 Yes. 328 00:36:47.380 --> 00:36:53.840 For our spiritual growth, but it is what we’re saved into. 329 00:36:53.840 --> 00:36:58.000 It is an end of our salvation as well. 330 00:36:58.000 --> 00:36:59.160 It is precious. 331 00:36:59.160 --> 00:37:00.420 to us. 332 00:37:00.420 --> 00:37:04.640 Let’s value it and let’s make the most of it. 333 00:37:04.640 --> 00:37:15.240 And since we are such a community, let’s learn to live and within the responsibilities of this community. 334 00:37:15.240 --> 00:37:25.720 I’m going to stop here and and begin celebrate the Lord’s table this morning. 335 00:37:25.720 --> 00:37:27.540 It’s a little over. 336 00:37:27.540 --> 00:37:28.360 I’m sorry. 337 00:37:28.360 --> 00:37:44.480 But I think we can we still have time to do that and we’re going downstairs to share a fellowship time together which is part of the church. 338 00:37:44.480 --> 00:38:00.300 Let’s ask God’s blessing on his word today and on the elements and this time of sharing that we have… Father we thank you for the preciousness of your word. 339 00:38:00.300 --> 00:38:05.060 We thank you for the work of salvation that you’ve done for us. 340 00:38:05.060 --> 00:38:10.900 We thank you for making us part of your family, the family of God. 341 00:38:10.900 --> 00:38:16.720 Your holy temple, precious stones building up the edifice of your house. 342 00:38:16.720 --> 00:38:21.820 The body of Christ, the limbs, the organs, the parts of the body. 343 00:38:21.820 --> 00:38:24.770 You you take us and make us into that. 344 00:38:24.770 --> 00:38:28.630 You you take us and make us part of your very family. 345 00:38:28.630 --> 00:38:36.100 the the bride of Christ, Father, it’s more than we can comprehend. 346 00:38:36.100 --> 00:38:42.700 It is so precious to us and we don’t even know the half of it. 347 00:38:42.700 --> 00:39:05.460 We ask Lord that you grow us in our understanding of our salvation and the community that you’re calling us into or have called us into and help us, Father, to live up to all the all the all the blood live up to the to the full blessing of interdependence in Jesus Christ. 348 00:39:05.460 --> 00:39:07.940 Help us with this, Lord. 349 00:39:07.940 --> 00:39:10.320 Bless us, I pray. 350 00:39:10.320 --> 00:39:15.520 Thank you for your mercies and bless us, we pray in Christ’s name. 351 00:39:15.520 --> 00:39:17.520 Amen.