Second Look: The Chief of Sins, the Chief Shepherd and His Chief Objective
The chief of sins is pride, which is ultimately the root of all that separates us from God and makes us slaves of sin. Jesus is God incarnate, the chief shepherd, who humbled himself to buy us back from our slavery to sin. Now, his chief objective is restoring the world through His church that we might one day enjoy Heaven on earth.
The Chief of Sins
Matthew 18:1-14 (NIV)
1At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. 3And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me. 6 “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. 7Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come! 8If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. 9And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell. 10 “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven. 12 “What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? 13And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. 14In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.
There is a delicate balance between loving God with all of your mind and having the trust to receive instruction like a child. We are commanded to, and commended when, we do both. Pride towards God and others is what gets in the way of this.
"There is one vice of which no man in the world is free; which every one in the world loathes when he sees it in someone else; and of which hardly any people, except Christians ever imagine that they are guilty themselves ....The essential vice, the utmost evil, is Pride. Unchastity, anger, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are mere fleabites in comparison: it was through Pride that the devil became the devil; Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind...As long as you are proud you cannot know God. A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you..." - C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
Why the analogy of a child?
A child is a trusting soul. However, a child lost in a department store knows when they are lost. They have no trouble acknowledging it because they feel the fear, the anxiety, and the threat of uncertainty. Even if someone tries to help them, they are usually not open to a stranger's help, because they have been trained to be on guard. When they are found, they cling to their parent and won't let them go as long as the memory of that experience remains. This is how you will be when you have a true revelation of God.
Jesus said to cut off that which causes sin in your life. It is often pride when you have been forewarned of the detrimental effects of your sin but you refuse to cut off that which is destructive.
“If you ask me what is the first precept of the Christian religion, I will answer first, second and third, Humility.” – St. Augustine
Is Hell Too Heavy a Price to Pay?
In regards to hell, Jesus used the word Gehenna. Gehenna was a region where trash was taken and burned. When you talk to those who have been exposed to the church and the non-Christian alike, they bring up the idea of "hellfire and brimstone" preaching as if it is a slight on the church and part of why they have, in an enlightened way, opted out of such fear tactics to decide their fate. The popular opinion is that because the mass of our culture has rejected such an idea, it is no longer relevant or true, that it is an antiquated, outmoded, and primitive concept. You can deceive yourself into thinking that because the mass does not embrace it, you have the right, even the intellectually liberated obligation, to throw off such ideas or institutions that promote them. In doing so, you throw off Jesus, who spoke more about hell than any other teacher. The truth is that you will have to wake up to this reality no matter how long you put off the thought.
"Grace doesn't overlook sin, it empowers obedience." -Bill Johnson
It is ironic that those who ordered the crucifixion of Jesus were those who deemed themselves the most religious. They lacked humility and, therefore, missed the grace of God. The apostle Paul was initially no different, yet changed his speech from being a Pharisee without equal to the chief of sinners as he aged.
"Christ sends none away empty but those who are full of themselves." - C.H. Spurgeon
The Chief Shepherd
Why the analogy of the sheep?
We are like sheep, because we forget God's love and truths, wandering continually into the wolf's lair. Thanks be to God that we have a chief shepherd and under shepherds who fight for us!
The chief objective of God the Father expressed through his Son, Jesus Christ, is to reconcile a lost and dying world to Himself. This is the message of the cross where He is on a mission to create an ever growing community of worshipers whom He loves and who love Him! People often get offended about the talk of numbers in the church. Numbers are people, their stories and their lives, none of which are disposable to God. Jesus speaks in these terms and says very specifically as the good shepherd that He will leave the 99 going in search of the lost 1. He declares that there is more joy over the 1 found than the 99 not in need of His salvation. Make no doubt about it: We are here as a church to reach people with the love and gospel of Jesus Christ. He cares even when others do not. He is here to save and change your life today.
His Chief Objective
It is impossible to love Jesus fully without loving his bride, which is the church. It is difficult at times because of the pride in our hearts and the sin in our midst. Nonetheless, Jesus is building his church.
Matthew 18:15-20 (NIV)
15 “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. 16But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ 17If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector. 18 “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. 19 “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”
There is just as much religious, unregenerate behavior in the traditional church as the non-denominational church. They both represent cultures in which people can become comfortable and hide.
Who can be a part of Jesus' church?
Those who have been born again, having repented of their sin and put their trust in Jesus' death on the cross, burial, and resurrection from the dead are part of God's church.
There is a difference between calling yourself a Christian and being a part of the church that Jesus is building. Podcast Christianity is not being a part of the church. Nor is sitting home watching your favorite TV minister or gathering together with your Christian buddies. Though these are wonderful outlets for receiving encouragement, they do not encompass Jesus' requirements or purpose for His local body of believers. You must be engaged faithfully as a consistent participant of the church.
There is both a universal expression and a local expression of the church.
Wanderers and vagabonds only identify with the universal church because it is more comfortable. It lacks any type of accountability or pruning capabilities because there is no commitment.
The church is:
1) A house of worship and prayer for all the nations. (Luke 19:19-48; Matt. 18)
2) A family where issues are worked out as we grow together into the image of Christ. (Matt. 18)
3) A place of instruction and teaching from the Bible. (Acts 2)
4) A series of local bodies of government and God-ordained leadership. (Acts 15)
5) A community of repentance and discipline. If you can't be excommunicated, it is a social club, not the church of Jesus Christ. (I Corinthians 5)
6) A gathering where the sacraments of baptism, communion, and holy marriage are practiced.
7) A haven of relational encouragement, fellowship, and accountability. (James 5:13-20)
8) A people on mission with Jesus. (Matthew 16)
How do you know where God has joined you?
You begin with prayer, but it does not end there. I did not pray to find out whether I belonged to the Fisher family. I accepted God's providence. I asked myself the question, who is feeding me, clothing me and paying my bills? Who is teaching me to grow into a man and equipping me to survive in the world. That is my family, that is my home. It is the place where you were born (again), where you are known, where you work to make yourself known and have been asked to contribute as a viable member of the household. It is very practical and more obvious than it seems, but all of these ingredients must be working together to find your place.
A selfish Christian looks solely to have the church serve their needs. Though this is a benefit, it does not end there. If that is all that church is to you, you will ironically, in the end, lose the very thing that you were searching for. Jesus repeatedly said if you find your life you will lose it, but if you lose your life for Him and the gospel, you will find it.
I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you. I have no one else like him, who takes a genuine interest in your welfare. For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel. I hope, therefore, to send him as soon as I see how things go with me. And I am confident in the Lord that I myself will come soon. (Philippians 2:19-24 NIV)
Laziness will be a killer in your walk with God. If you are only in the church as long as people keep you there, you will soon be out and find reasons to justify why.
Your love for God will be tested when you don't get your perceived needs met, but instead show up to worship God anyway.
“Do not be deceived, Wormwood. Our cause is never more in danger than when a human, no longer desiring, but still intending, to do our Enemy's will, looks round upon a universe from which every trace of Him seems to have vanished, and asks why he has been forsaken, and still obeys.” ― C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters
Don't look for things from people that should only come from God. This includes your security, fulfillment, value, and rest. Don't look for things from God that He has ultimately delegated to people. This includes your spiritual community, your accountability, and your practical outlet for service. You love God by loving His people and the world that He died to reach.
God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. (Hebrews 6:10 NIV)
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:23-25 NIV)
We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother. (1 John 4:19-21 NIV)
I encourage you to ask the question as to whether you show up to worship God because you feel that you are being entertained in the place that you are. Being a part of the church is about worshiping God the Father, Creator of everything seen and unseen, through His Son, Jesus Christ. However, in the West, with our consumer mentality, we shop for the best experience that will satisfy our whims and desires. Many bring the engrained marketing slogans of our culture into the church and act as if it is a shopping network, rather than a family to which He joins you. We don't choose our family. God chooses it for us.
Offense will expose the true object of your worship. If your church experience is about you, and not the Jesus who is building His church, there will soon be some relational disappointment or rub to give you reason to leave, inevitably worshiping the one you were there for anyway.
There is validity to hurts that have been experienced in the church, i.e. - money or sexual scandals. However, we only get knocked off course when we had the wrong person on the pedestal in the first place. The object of esteem should always be Christ Jesus, the perfect one. It is then that love for His imperfect bride will continue.
Second City Church- Second Look Sermon Series 2013