Title: THE GATES AND FOUNDATIONS OF THE CHURCH
Focus: Imperfect people (forgiven sinners) make up the church; they also lead the church.
Function: To encourage people to take another look at themselves and the church—through the prism of God’s grace in Christ.
Text: Revelation 21:9-27
It happened again the other day. Classis Niagara had given me the task to visit a neighboring church and, along with another elder, take the pulse, or measure the spiritual health of that church and her Council. “Pastor,” said one elder, “I wonder if Classis Niagara could discuss what seems to be such a common problem among the churches, namely, how to get qualified people on the nomination list for elders and deacons. So many good people decline to serve the church as officebearers today!”
As a
Council at Providence, we are very familiar with this phenomenon. We, too,
struggle to present a full list of nominees. Why is this? There are as many
reasons as there are people being asked to stand for nomination, I suppose. But
one reason stated frequently is that the person is unworthy, or unqualified, or
unfit for the task. One of the most common responses over the years is this: “I’m
not good enough to be an elder or deacon, that is, I’m not officebearer
material.”
When I began ordained ministry in 1982, an experienced elder told me that the work of elder and deacon had become real difficult these last few years. If that was true 22 years ago, it certainly is true today. The work of an ordained officebearer is indeed challenging, to say the least.
This is also true for pastors. Do you know that over the last 20 years, about 300 ordained ministers have left the CRC for various reasons: either having been kicked out, or burnt out, or dropped out, or simply split up? This thing is happening all over the church scene in North America. Clearly, being an officebearer, providing leadership to the church, is challenging today.
As we
install newly-elected elders and deacons this morning, I wish to encourage each
one of us to take another look at ourselves and each other. Do so through the
prism or glasses of God’s grace in Christ, remembering that imperfect people
(yes, forgiven sinners) make up the church and also lead the church.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
LIGHT FROM THE PERFECT(ED) CHURCH
In Revelation 21 we find an
astonishing picture of the church on the renewed creation. It’s a picture of
beauty and harmony, showing clearly that God, in Christ Jesus, lives in the
midst of his people. Heaven and earth will be fully united. As we ponder the
significance of the church today and raise questions about serving as members
and officebearers, lets note some features of the church. To be sure, we see
the church here as a perfected, glorified community. And we see the Christian
church as God envisions the future of his people. Take note:
·
Bride: The church is the bride of
Christ. “Come, I will show you the bride…,” says the angel to the apostle John. Anyone who comes
to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, therefore, is engaged to Christ. That is,
the church today looks forward to the day of consummation—when our relationship
with Christ shall be “face to face,” “all in all,” and without blemish. Church
members and officebearers are set apart, engaged; we make up the bride of
Christ. Yes, take note! The angel tells us that the church is
·
The Wife of the Lamb: The reference to the Lamb
underscores our relationship or engagement with Jesus. We are the bride of
Christ because of his work as the Lamb
of God. By shedding his blood at Calvary, paying the price for our sins, the
Lord Jesus has bought us—body and soul. We are set free from the power of sin
and death; and we have come under the dominion of Jesus. We belong to him. We
are his bride, his wife, purchased with divine love paid with the coins of
Jesus’ blood. Take note of who we are in the sight of God! The church of Christ
is a
·
Jewel: Listen: “…its brilliance
was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal” (vs.11). Or listen to vs. 19 ff.
A whole cluster of precious stones make up the luster or glory of the church:
jasper, sapphire, chalcedony, emerald, sardonyx, carnelian, chrysolite, beryl,
topaz, chrysoprase, jacinth, amethyst. In the eyes of God, his church is a
treasure house. You and I, as members and officebearers make up, work in, and
lead this treasure trove called the church.
God
hands us a precious jewel. Let’s make sure, we do not squander, neglect, and
trample on the church. It’s precious in God’s sight. Take a good look at the
next feature of the church. The church is a
·
City: with 12 gates and 12
foundations.
We find the names of the twelve Israelite tribes inscribed on the gates. And
the names of the 12 apostles appear on the foundation walls. You know what that
means? (Peterson, p. 175) Our flawed and faithless ancestors give access and
foundation to heaven. God used sinful, stubborn, broken patriarchs such as
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to build his city, the church. Think about these O.T.
figures and their stories. I like what this one commentator says: “The marvel in the stories of those 12 sons of
Israel was not their sanctity nor their heroism but that God willed to use such
intractable and unattractive human lives to lay the groundwork for the great
salvation work that he completed in Jesus…God persistently brought about the
salvation of wretches that didn’t deserve to be saved, and revealed his glory” (p. 176).
God used dimwitted fishermen, a tax collector, a persecutor
of the church and others—who demonstrated flaws and sins and lack of courage in
the midst of danger—God used a Peter, a Matthew, and a Thomas, and a wreckless
Saul to build his church. If God can use these people to spread the good news,
and to form his people into a glorious city that will live for all eternity,
then God can also use you and me, with all our flaws and sins and brokenness,
to spread good news, and to lead his church. So, take a good look at these
gates and foundations of the church. Recall their stories. Take delight in
God’s sense of humor and patience and deep love, for calling us to be part of,
and stewards of his precious jewel, the church of Christ.
SOME APPLICATIONS
When I consider the gates and the
foundations of the church of Christ in all its splendor, I find a message there
for all of us who are restless, frustrated, and, at times, disappointed with
the church.
Some wish that this church were more
“charismatic”—like the church of your friends. Some wish that we were more
informal—like the church where your friends can carry their cup of coffee into
the sanctuary and just be cool. Some wish that we have more dynamic youth
programs, more this, more that, and more of that (and I could add my own list
to this as well). Some wish that we would go back to the fifty’s style of
worship. Others would like to see more drama, more artistic expression, better
preaching, shorter sermons, more indepth messages that can be understood by all
the ages that are represented here. And the list goes on and on.
But what would happen to our
discontent, frustrations, and attitudes if we look through the glasses of grace
and consider the church as God sees it and portrays it to us in Revelation 21?
What if we act in faith upon what we learn about the church and
·
View
the church as a precious jewel in the eyes of God?
·
Join
the angels in praise for God calling us to be part of that community of faith
where salvation comes to us in Christ Jesus?
·
Draw
strength from God’s powerful Spirit to use us even though we are prone to “blow
it” and fall into sins of which we must repent?
What if
we stop singing the song of “I am unfit, unqualified” and sing the song of
faith that says: “By the power of God, I am a new creation”?
What if we accept the fact that the church is a “messy”
place, where healing grace ought to be the balm or ointment applied to all who
come and join? What if we love the church as Christ loved the church?
Sacrificially!? Wholeheartedly!? Persistently!?
Let’s get real: imperfect, broken
people, cracked-pots, forgiven sinners make up the church of Jesus; they also
lead the church—officially as officebearers and unofficially, as unassuming
volunteers giving of their time, talents, and treasures. God treasures us as
jewels. We should do no less.
Those of us who must carry on today
as officebearers: consider this:
·
You
and I are part of the church; we must also serve the church as stewards
accountable to the Lord Jesus Christ. Cherish the church.
·
You
and I have a task to do: do not shirk from that task. Don’t be intimidated by
criticism. Learn from it and call the members of the church to faithfulness and
accountability themselves.
·
You
and I must lead. Make decisions in light of God’s Word, not in light of the
latest popularity poll taken in the congregation. Do what’s mandated in God’s
Word. Be courageous. Be equippers. Be modelers. Be cheerleaders. And always
fall back on the grace and love of God shown in Jesus for all the world. God
loves us. God values us. God calls us; God empowers us. To him be the glory
both now and forever. Amen.