The Purpose of the Church (Ehp. 3:14-21)

Introduction to the Series and the Church's Identity

0:01 The following sermon was delivered on Sunday morning, October 8, 2000, at the Trinity Baptist Church in Montville, New Jersey. Now will you turn with me, please, to Ephesians chapter 3, the portion of the Word of God on which this hymn of Watts is based, and which will form the focal point, one of the verses in it, of our study this morning. Ephesians chapter 3, Paul has written of our great salvation that is in Christ, provided by His redemptive work, applied by the Spirit,

0:43 a salvation that comes to Jew and Gentile, constituting them the one new humanity, God's present spiritual temple. The Apostle is conscious that he has been given a peculiar stewardship in opening up this, that had been hidden for ages and generations, not that God would save Gentiles, but that Gentiles and Jews in Christ, through the gospel, in the new covenant blessings, would stand on equal footing. Gentiles would not have to become Jews to enter in to the promises of God's covenant, but they come as sinners, and in Christ are fully accepted.

1:24 And now, in the light of all of the privileges that God has given, to His people, in Christ, flowing out of His free, sovereign, eternal love, the Apostle wants the Ephesians to know that he prays for them, and this is what he prays. It's the second prayer recorded. The first one is in chapter 1, verse 15, and following, now here in verse 14, For this cause, that is in the light of all that I have laid out, of your great privileges in Christ, for this cause, I bow my knees, unto the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory,

2:09 that you may be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inward man, that Christ may dwell in your heart through faith, to the end that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be strong to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ, which passes knowledge, that you may be filled unto all the fullness of God. Now unto Him that is able to do, exceeding abundantly above, all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,

2:52 unto Him be the glory in the church, and in Christ Jesus, unto all generations. For ever and ever. Amen.

3:06 Living together in the Father's house. That's the title I have given to a series of sermons that will, God willing, be preached over the next few months here in our Lord's Day morning services of worship. Following the very clear directives contained in our church constitution, this series of messages will be comprised of no fewer than 15 sermons and in these sermons I will be expounding some of the major biblical precepts and principles reflected in our church constitution. And in order to set this course of ministry on a solid biblical foundation

3:50 and in an attempt to persuade you of its importance, last Lord's Day I directed your attention to 1 Timothy 3, verses 14 and 15. And in those sermons I will be expounding some of the major biblical precepts and principles reflected in our church constitution. And in those two verses we noted together the circumstances out of which Paul wrote this letter to Timothy. And then we noted the central burden of the Apostle's concern and that was to give directions to Timothy relating to behavior in the church or the churches there at Ephesus.

4:27 And Paul's passion for behavior in the church is rooted in what I described in the text as the glorious identity of the church and the strategic function of the church. Paul is passionately concerned about behavior in the church because of its glorious identity. He identifies it as the house of God, the church of the living God. It is God's house, the place of his peculiar and gracious dwelling, among his people.

5:04 And it is the assembly of the God who is the living God. Unlike the dead idols that were everywhere in Ephesus, these former idol worshippers had come to embrace, through the proclamation of the gospel, the true and the living God and were now the assembly of that God. He had gathered them and in his livingness he dwelt among them. And then we noted, Paul's emphasis upon the strategic function of the church.

The Supreme Purpose of the Church: To Glorify God

5:37 He calls it both the pillar, the support, the lolly column, and also the foundation or the footing of the truth. It is both pillar and foundation beneath the pillar. It is God's primary instrument for the preservation, the proclamation, the advancement of his truth in the earth until, until the Lord Jesus returns. Now today we take up the very crucial issue addressed in article number two of our constitution.

6:12 I trust persuaded that this is not fiddling while Rome burns to consider at least fifteen messages on the theme of living together in God's house.

6:27 Nothing is more important with respect to our living together in God's house, than this matter of the purpose of the church. And while there are a multitude of voices being raised, and some of them quite loud and clamorous, proclaiming that the purpose of the church is this or that, and therefore the church ought to be this or that, and do this or that, we must remind ourselves of the truth that was underscored again in the previous hour, that Christ alone is the only God, that Christ alone is the head of his church, Christ is the architect and the builder of his church,

7:09 and the architect and builder alone has the right to define for us the purpose for his building. The Christ who says I will build my church has revealed to us in his word why he is building his church, and what function he expects his church to have in keeping with the divine purpose. And so this issue of the purpose of the church is indeed a critical issue. And as I attempt to address it with the scriptures as our authority,

7:49 and our constitution as a road map through that authority, we're going to consider this morning and again next Lord's Day morning, God willing, three categories, of concern that will cover the major aspects of our constitution and the biblical principles and precepts it reflects. Here are the three heads. The purpose of the church is to glorify the God of the scriptures. That's the first statement in our constitution.

8:21 We will consider that this morning under this heading, the supreme and all-encompassing purpose for which the church exists. And then God willing, we will take up the remainder of the opening paragraph of our constitution, which I will call the biblically mandated activities in which we are to pursue this purpose. Here is the purpose. Then we have described in six participles in our constitution, each of which is appended with at least one or two texts of scripture relevant to the issue, what activities are given to us in pursuit of that purpose.

9:02 That grand, that supreme, that all-encompassing purpose is to find expression in certain activities by which the purpose is pursued. And then thirdly, the last paragraph of the statement of purpose in our constitution, I will call the primary means to be employed to accomplish this purpose. The primary means for the accomplishment of this purpose are prayer and the public and private ministry. Thank you.

9:32 Thank you. Now, I have mapped out where we will be going and now we sit this morning on this element of the purpose under the heading the supreme and the all-encompassing purpose for which the church exists. The language of our constitution is simple and straightforward. I quote it, the purpose of this church is to glorify the God of scripture.

10:02 Now you children, you could memorize that a lot quicker than even mom and dad. The purpose of this church is to glorify the God of the scriptures. And I will attempt to demonstrate from the scriptures that this purpose to glorify the God of the scriptures is indeed the supreme, the highest, the unrivaled, as well as the all-encompassing, all-embracing, fully comprehensive purpose for which the church exists both now as the church militant

10:40 and in the ages to come as the church glorified in the presence of her God and her Savior.

The Primary Text: Ephesians 3:21 and its Context

10:52 Now how will I make this effort? Well, I'll make it by considering with you what I'm calling, the primary text, and then four secondary texts, and then we'll make some, I hope, helpful and relevant applications. Remember what we said, I'm not preaching the Constitution. The Bible is our authority on anything pertaining to the church.

11:19 This is our authority, our Constitution is just a road map to help guide us through all the terrain of the scriptures. And we have started. We stated in very simple language and in the Constitution that we have all agreed reflects our understanding of scripture that the purpose of the church, not generically, but this church, is to glorify the God of scripture. Where do we get such a notion?

11:45 Well we're going to look together, first of all, at what I've indicated I will call the primary text. Now it happens to be the very text etched in stone on the commemorative stone, or, if you want to loosely use the term, cornerstone of this building. I hope, at least once a year, you pause to the left of the entrance to the lower foyer and see that stone and read the text on it. The elders and deacons gave me liberty to choose a text.

12:16 Back when this building was being constructed in 1985, it was dedicated March of 1985, and I was given leave from my fellow office bearers to choose a text that I felt would be most appropriate to be etched in stone so that a visitor coming among us, wondering what's all this building about, what goes on in there, what's the rationale for everything, could get it in a nutshell. And that when some of us are dead and gone and our bodies are rotting in the grave, and you wonder why in the world was the sacrifice ever made, and the effort, to build these buildings and carry on these ministries,

12:58 it will be etched in stone until someone comes and rubs it out with a grinder. All of this goes up in the mighty conflagration at the second coming of Christ that this church exists for this central, fundamental, unrivaled, supreme, overarching purpose to glorify the God of the Scriptures. And what is? What is that text?

13:26 Well, I hope you know it. Let's turn to it if you don't. Ephesians 3. Ephesians 3 and verse 21.

13:33 Here is the text. Unto Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus, and a very unusual construction unto all the generations of the ages of the ages. Amen.

13:54 Now let me say just a word about the context. The context of this verse, for you know that a text taken out of context can often be a pretext. I've already given you a hint of the context. Paul, after laying out our marvelous salvation in Christ, constituting Jew and Gentile, the new humanity, God's living temple, prays some amazing things for these Ephesians.

14:22 And Paul records his prayers because his prayers recorded then become, a platform of instruction. Every Ephesian would know that if this is what the Apostle is praying for me, and under the inspiration of the Spirit it's recorded in this letter, then these are the things I ought to pray for myself. We ought to pray for ourselves as a company of God's people. This is the will of God for us.

14:51 Let us pray that we may experience it in His grace. And as I indicated a few weeks ago, in making this text, in reference to this prayer, it is one that I still feel is a matterhorn. And that I'm just crawling around, clawing at the base of it, trying somehow to begin to come to the dizzying heights of this prayer. He says that he's bowing his knees to the Father.

15:18 And he's asking God to grant them, by the measure of the riches of His own glory, strength by the Spirit in the inner man, to be, to the end that Christ might dwell in their hearts through faith, to the end that they might be rooted and grounded in love, and being rooted and grounded in love, may come to comprehend, to apprehend what is the immeasurable extent of the love of Christ, to the end that they might be filled not with all the fullness of God, for the finite can never contain the infinite, but be filled unto all the fullness,

15:59 filled with all the fullness that God can impart to His people. I say there are dizzying heights of spiritual aspiration that the Apostle has for the Ephesians. Would you agree with me that these things just stretch your mind? How can I know the unknowable?

16:19 Know the love of Christ that passes knowledge? How can I know that which passes knowledge? How can I, a little creature, be filled with fullness that has as its measuring stick God Himself?

16:38 Now, if you don't feel something, then either I'm not reading it rightly, or you're not understanding the magnitude of just the language.

16:48 My reaction when I read that prayer is, Oh God, it seems like pious talk that I'll never be able to grasp. My faith withers before this. And I believe Paul sensed that the faith of the Ephesians would wither before such a prayer. So what does he do?

17:12 Before they can wither and turn away from it and say, No use seeking to know the unknowable, seeking to grasp the ungraspable, seeking to experience that which eludes me, he says, Uh-oh, don't back off. Unto him that is able to do. Not what we ask, but he is able to do exceeding, abundantly, above all we ask, or even think, according to a power that is actually operative in us. You see what he's saying?

17:51 He's saying, No, no, don't back away from this lofty ideal that I've set before you in the prayer, because I am praying to the God who is able to do. He's able to do. What? Not only what we ask, what I'm asking of you, but also able to do exceeding, abundantly above all we could ask or even think, by a power that is presently at work in us, the power of the Spirit who has come as the executor of all of our privileges in Christ and is able to strengthen us by His power that Christ may dwell in us in fuller measures by faith to the end that being rooted and grounded,

18:34 we may comprehend or apprehend with all the saints, not just a few esoteric, super-duper saints, but with all the saints, what is the immeasurable dimensions of the love of Christ to the end. We be filled with all the fullness of God. Don't walk away shriveling in unbelief and being dispirited. The God to whom I pray is the God who is able to do exceeding, abundantly above all we ask or think, all we ask or think, all we ask or think, all we ask or think, all we ask or think, all we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.

19:07 Now He comes and says, and unto Him, the great end of all of this redemptive grace, all of this redemptive privilege, you Ephesians already have. I've spelled it out all the way through the first three chapters. I've pointed you to your election in Christ before the foundation of the world. I've pointed you to your redemption by the blood of Christ.

19:32 I've pointed you to your salvation and your healing by the Spirit of Christ. I've pointed you to your personal quickening from a state of spiritual death. I've pointed you to your union with Christ, raised up with Him, seated with Him in heavenly places. I've pointed you to your relationship to the new humanity, Jew and Gentile, now one in Christ.

19:56 You are His living temple. He says, now what's the great end of all of this? Now I've prayed that you would come to me. Now I've prayed that you would come to me.

20:04 Now I've prayed that you might, with that foundation of redemptive privilege already in place, that you'll not coast and be satisfied. I am praying that there will be deeper, richer, fuller, more expansive experience of the love of God in Jesus Christ. That's what I'm praying for. And as my prayer is answered by the God who's able to answer it, the great end of the whole shebang is what?

20:33 Unto Him, the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus, unto all generations of the ages of the ages. Now do you see why I say the supreme and the all-embracing purpose of the church and all that God does for those who are part of His church and all that God will yet do to those who are not content to dwell in the lowlands, all their days, but are pressing on for no more experientially of the love of Christ? What's the great end of all of that?

Analyzing Ephesians 3:21: What, Where, How, and How Long?

21:15 It's that the God who graciously confers it would be glorified in His church and in connection with Christ Jesus unto all the generations of the ages, unto the ages of the ages. Now let's look. A little bit at this text as we ask four questions of it. I've tried to give you a feel for its context and the flow of thought and the larger context of the letter to the Ephesians.

21:48 And we ask four questions of our primary text. And the first question is this. What is glory? It says, unto Him, obviously God, the glory.

22:00 There is no verb, but we supply B to give it a little smoother English. Unto Him be the glory. What is the glory? Well, for those of you serious about doing a good, helpful word study on the word glory, I would urge you to look at Hendrickson on Philippians, his commentary on Philippians, and he has an extensive footnote on page 62 and 63 in which he lists and demonstrates ten different meanings of the word glory in the Pauline literature alone.

22:34 Ten different meanings and nuances. Some of them, some of them distinctly different meanings. Sometimes glory refers to the outshining of God's perfection. When we speak of the glory of God, it is the outshining of the perfections of His being and His attributes.

22:52 But when we are said to give glory to God, we don't add some attributes to Him. We recognize some expression of those attributes and we give glory often the synonym that goes along with it. Honor. Power.

23:07 We ascribe honor to God. Now obviously when it says here that unto Him be the glory, it is speaking of glory in terms of praise, adulation, adoration. Unto Him be the praise, the adoration, the adulation, the appreciation of who and what He's done, returning to Him in the dashing of the soul, in worship, praise, honor, adoration, etc. That's what glory is.

23:42 The great end for which God has done all He has done in His church and all that He will yet do in the expanding experience of those in His church, here's the great end, that unto Him there will be glory. What is glory? I've sought to answer. Now where is the glory to be given?

24:05 Look at the text. It is to be given Him in the church. In the church. In the assembly.

24:15 In the congregation. In the midst of those called out by Him to constitute His new living spiritual temple as He describes it at the end of chapter 2. It is that church described in chapter 5 as the bride of Christ for whom Christ gave His life's blood. It is His people.

24:40 What is glory? It is the ascription of praise and honor and adulation. Where is the glory to be given? In the church.

24:48 In what particular connection? Look at the text. Glory in the church and in Christ Jesus. That is in connection with Messiah Jesus.

25:01 It is to be glory to God in the church in connection with what God has revealed of His glory in the purpose and procurement and application of redemptive grace in the person and work of the Lord Jesus. That's what's condensed in those brief words. Unto Him be glory. Where?

25:29 In the church. And in what connection? Is the glory to be brought unto Him in the church? It is to be brought in connection with all that has been unfolded even in this one epistle of what God has revealed of Himself of His heart, of His grace and of His power in the planning chosen in Him before the foundation of the world.

25:53 In the procurement of redemption in whom we have redemption through His grace by His grace to the praise of the glory of His grace. The one who applies that redemption with power this Christ who can dwell in our hearts by the Spirit all of the glory that is brought to God in the church is in conjunction with what God has purposed and accomplished in and for the church through Christ the Lord. That means it will be Trinitarian praise. Because it is in the actual accomplishment of redemption that God makes the full revelation

26:37 that He is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It is when we pick up our Bibles and read for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that we have that blazing revelation that there is a God the Father and God the Son. Not two gods. One God.

27:01 This God inherently Father, Son and Spirit from all eternity but revealed fully as such in the accomplishment of the redemption of sinners. Unto Him is the glory to be given in the church in connection with His revelation in Christ and for how long? Look at the text. Unto all the generations of the ages of the ages this is a very unusual construction.

27:32 When the biblical writers in the New Testament want to describe eternity they will say unto the ages of the ages. But here Paul adds a phrase or word unto the generations of the ages of the ages. And as I have searched out the commentators I am satisfied in my own mind basically what Paul is doing is this. What I am setting forth that glory is to be brought unto God in the church in connection with Christ Jesus is to be the dominant the overarching the supreme purpose of the church for how long?

28:11 For as long as there are generations and one generation enfolds another to itself and another enfolds another until all the generations are enfolded in eternity. Generations unto the ages of the ages that is. Forever and forever and forever and forever God will be receiving glory from His church long after the church has been presented to Himself as a spotless wrinkleless bride. God will be getting glory through His bride.

28:49 He will be getting glory that reflects all of the peculiar manifestations of Himself in the redemption of His people. That is why Paul could write in chapter 3 and verse 10 these amazing words God has done what He has done here in space-time history making it plain that Jew and Gentile are fellow members of the body fellow partakers of the promise. Why has God done this? Look at verse 10 to the intent that now here and now to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places these unseen spiritual beings might be made known through the church

29:32 the manifold wisdom of God according to the eternal purpose which He purposed in Christ our Lord. Dear people if you're sitting for hours in front of a TV dumbing out you'll just find it impossible to even feel uncomfortable with words like these. He's writing to common ordinary people slaves and masters and ordinary people ordinary Christians and He uses terminology such as God is now in you people there at Ephesus whom He has made an expression of His church. God is making you the theatre in which He's causing unseen spiritual powers

30:15 and unseen spiritual beings to gasp with wonder. They see my wisdom in what I'm doing in the formation of my church and these holy unseen unseen but real beings they see the manifold wisdom of God and God purposed this in eternity when He set apart a people and gave them to His Son and purposed that in time the Son would come and die for them and rise again and ascend to His right hand and the Spirit would be sent all of this is that which He purposed in eternity it's now unfolding in time that glory

30:59 might be brought to Himself and there will be glory in heaven for all eternity that would never have been had man not fallen and redemption not been accomplished. God who is determined to reveal His glory has chosen that in the fall of man and in the redemption of a people out of fallen humanity He would display facets of His character that would not be so fully displayed in any other context but redemptive grace well I think

31:43 at least I've pointed the finger in the direction of what the verse is saying and if it's saying anything it's saying that the grand the supreme the unrivaled the overarching purpose of the church is to be to glorify the God of the scriptures to glorify Him in the light of all that God has revealed in the person and work of His Son the Lord Jesus as I was trying to think of a hymn that expressed this I thought of Samuel Davy's hymn that's in our hymn book Great God of Wonders all Thy ways

32:27 are matchless God-like and divine and as I turned to the hymn in our hymn book the words the next words don't sound right and sure enough I saw that the next words have been altered they've been altered listen to the difference I have an old hymn book I have a lot of old hymn books I have an old hymn book that has the original Trinity hymn book says stanza one lines three and four altered Great God of Wonders all Thy ways are worthy of Thy self divine and the bright glories of Thy grace among Thine other wonders shine there's the word the wonder of His power in creation the wonder of His wisdom the wonder of His all

33:11 encompassing control over the galaxies et cetera and the alternate version here the altered stanza says among all these things grace shines that's not what Davy's wrote this is what Samuel Davy's wrote Great God of Wonders all Thy ways are matchless God-like and divine but the fair glory fair glories of Thy grace more God-like and unrivaled shine who is a pardoning God like Thee and who has grace so rich and free crimes of such horror to forgive such guilty daring worms to spare

33:56 this is Thy grand prerogative who and none shall in the honor share who is a pardoning God like Thee or who has grace so rich and free angels and men resign your claim to pity mercy love and grace know what he's saying if you ever say a human being was pitiable merciful not pitiable but showing pity mercy love and grace you know angels and men resign your claim to pity mercy love and grace these glories crown Jehovah's name with an incomparable blaze who is a pardoning God like Thee and who has grace so rich and free

34:40 in wonder lost with trembling joy we take the pardon of our God pardon for crimes of deepest dye a pardon sealed with Jesus blood as our English friends would say it who is a pardoning God like Thee or who has grace so rich and free oh may this strange this matchless grace this God like miracle of love fill the wide earth with grateful praise and all the angelic choirs above who is a pardoning God like Thee and who has grace so rich and free

Secondary Text 1: 1 Peter 4:10-11 – Glorifying God in Service

35:21 dear brothers and sisters the church exists now to do what she will do for all eternity bring glory to this God in Christ Jesus to all generations unto the ages of the ages but now we take up several secondary texts that's the primary text I would rest the whole case on that passage but now there are several other texts and we'll look at them more quickly we go back to our friend first Peter our friend Peter in his first letter first Peter chapter four remember what I'm seeking to establish one thing

36:05 only one thing this morning and I'm passionate about it I'm passionately going after it with more conviction than a man who's persuaded his client is guilty and is arguing before the judge and the court and jury and all the rest I want you to be persuaded in the depths of your being that this is the supreme all-encompassing purpose for the church this church second text first Peter chapter four verses ten and eleven I read them and say a word about the context and then I trust underscore the relevance according as each has received a gift ministering it among yourselves as good stewards of the manifold grace of God

36:50 if any man speaks speaking as it were oracles of God if any man ministers or serves ministering as of the strength which God supplies in order that here in the original what you call a henna clause of purpose in order that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ whose is the glory and the dominion forever and ever Amen it's a context of specific directives for living together in the Father's house as we noted in preaching through first Peter here beginning at verse seven he calls the people of God to spiritual sobriety

37:33 and to prayerfulness fervency of love among themselves now then notice how he's talking about living together in the house in the Father's house if you have fervent love the love will produce a blanket factory in your heart and you'll always be making blankets to throw over the foibles the shortcomings the petty sins of your brethren furthermore verse nine you'll use hospitality one to another without murmuring you'll count it a privilege to entertain your brothers and sisters in Christ's name knowing that in so doing you entertain him then he says you'll do something else living together in the Father's house as you ought as each has received a gift there's the generic directive as each has received

38:17 a gift ministering it among yourselves as good stewards of the manifold grace of God then he specifies two kinds of gifts speaking gifts and ministering or serving gifts and he says if any man speaks speaking as it were oracles if any man ministers as of the strength which God supplies now sixty four dollar question Peter as you sit there writing this letter and you envision the churches there in Asia Minor this letter is going to be read and this specific paragraph dealing with living together in the Father's house will outline how they are to have fervent love to one another how that love should be manifested in covering a multitude of sins

39:00 opening their homes and their tables one to another using their gifts as good stewards that they might minister one to another Peter what end do you have in view of all of this well someone would say well it's obvious you want to have a happy church well you will have a happy church any group of God's people that takes this seriously and internalizes it by the Holy Ghost is going to be a happy place people are falling over one another to forgive one another they'll go and say you know I'm sorry I think I offended you and they'll say what are you talking about offend me that thing that wouldn't offend me in a hundred years oh good thank you isn't that wonderful grace can do that I know a few people in whom grace has done that

39:45 you go and apologize for something and they don't know what you're talking about you say well didn't it offend me I don't even remember other people are like one huge big swollen red toe and everything and everybody is always hitting you and it's ouch me ouch me ouch me ouch me now you put yourself in one or the other category but Peter says I want you all to be in this category where you have this blanket factory of love sure that'd make a happy congregation and surely if everyone's using hospitality one to another that will mean there's open faced communication if everyone is using his gift there will be efficiency there will be productivity but you see Peter does not have as the grand end any of those things that are byproducts here's the great end

40:28 Peter has in view the arching concern over all that he has said in this paragraph is that in all things i.e. all things pertaining to your property and your practical life living in the fathers house God may be glorified through Jesus Christ because to this God belongs glory belongs that's why he has established the church that they will be a place in this idolatry world where God is seen is all glorious and it is recognized is all glorious and where everybody whose apart of the high

41:11 That family has a passion that everything he has and does will contribute to this glorious end. God may be glorified in all things through Jesus Christ because glory belongs to him.

Secondary Text 2: Philippians 1:9-11 – Glorifying God in Righteousness

41:34 Now folks, I don't care if I die preaching this. If I want to die preaching, anyone worthy of glory will be the passionate object of all that we are and do in this place together. That's Peter's passion. Now turn to a second secondary text, Philippians 1.

42:02 Philippians chapter 1. This is part of a letter written to a church. Some of us confess with shame. We had devotions in the letters of the New Testament for years before it ever dawned on us.

42:18 But these letters didn't come in a big packet to all the Christians of Philippi in the mailbox so they could have something for their devotions. They were written to churches. Some of us lived as Christians for years before that simple thing registered in our brains. But God's been merciful to many of us.

42:36 This is written to a church. Paul, verse 1, and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus to all the saints in Christ that are at Philippi with the overseers and deacons. He doesn't intervene. He doesn't envision any of the saints who are in Christ at Philippi who don't have a real relationship to the overseers and the deacons.

42:56 That is, they're all church members. Very simple. Now, he says in verse 3, I thank God upon my remembrance of you. And he lets them know the things for which he is thankful.

43:07 When he prays for them, he begins with praise. Now he wants them to know what he prays for them. When he's done praising, he prays. Verse 9.

43:15 And this I pray, that your love may abound. Yet more and more in knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and void of offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are through Jesus Christ unto the glory and praise of God. He says now, I'm thankful for all God's done among you. And I'm going to let you know that.

43:48 I thank my God upon. Every remembrance of you. Furthermore, I'm persuaded that the God who's begun a work in you, which work I see and for which I praise him, he's not going to leave his hands off it. He's going to carry it on till the day of Christ.

44:03 I'm confident of this. However, however, I don't want you to be content that you've got all you can have in Christian experience. And he's not praying that they'll have a baptism of the Spirit and some coat of many colors experience and speak in tongues and walk across the ceiling. Have visions.

44:21 No, it's very dense language. He said, this is what I pray. And again, when Paul records his prayers, it's to the end that the prayers might instruct the people. If this is what he prays for us, this is what we ought to pray for ourselves.

44:33 And this is what we ought to pursue in the way of the use of the means ordained of God to pursue these things. So what does he pray? He said, I pray your love may abound yet more in knowledge and discernment. He wants the grace of love.

44:50 He wants a love to increase, but he wants a love to increase that has the boundaries of, notice what he calls it, may increase in knowledge and discernment. He doesn't want them to just have a big shot of unprincipled gush in their gut. He wants love that is guided by knowledge and discernment. Ethical judgments that are right and accurate.

45:19 That your love may abound in relationship to or in the context of knowledge and discernment to what end. So that you may approve, and this is a difficult thing to translate. The old ASV has distinguished the things that differ. It's the verb that means you look at things and evaluate.

45:39 One can be considered past and the other is not past, like a quality control inspector. That you may approve the things that are excellent. I want your love. I want your love to abound, guided by knowledge and discernment to the end that you'll have a heightened ability to make right choices when you need to make them right and wrong, better and best, good and bad, and why do you want that, Paul?

46:05 He says, I want that so that in turn, this would be a description of what you are, that you may be sincere and void of offense until the day of Christ. That's what it will mean in its God word dimension. What will it mean in its practical, horizontal dimension? You will then be filled with the fruits of righteousness.

46:26 The singular is there, with the fruit of righteousness. Your life will be a fruit bearing life and the fruit will be righteousness. Not the righteousness which we have imputed to us in the throne room of God, justifying righteousness. This is imparted practical righteousness, practical conformity to the law and to the revealed will of God.

46:49 Now notice, in all of this, praying that love will abound in knowledge and discernment, to the end that they may distinguish things that differ, to the end that they may be blameless, harmless, to the end that they be filled with the fruits of righteousness, what is the telic, what is the telic, or telic, whichever way you pronounce it, point in the apostle's mind? Look at it. Here's the capstone over it all. All of these things.

47:19 All of these things are through Jesus Christ unto the glory and the praise of God. Paul's burden for the Philippians, as a church, as he prays for their growth in these graces, is to the end that God will get more glory from his people at Philippi. And so, what was Paul's burden ought to be our burden. Another secondary text.

Secondary Text 3: Romans 15:5-7 – Glorifying God in Unity

47:50 Romans 15, And I'm giving you these several texts because I want to do what God says pastors and teachers are to do. They're to equip the saints unto works of service. And I want to give you texts that you can sit down with someone who may challenge your obsession with God's glory in the church and say, No, no, we have no choice. Look at what the scripture says.

48:14 And you can walk them through as I'm seeking to walk through them with you. Romans chapter 15. You remember the setting. If you're familiar with this part of the book of Romans, in chapter 14, the apostle begins to address the problem of Christians with different backgrounds, religiously and culturally, coming into one church, and they bring with it the baggage from their backgrounds, and certain people had always associated certain days with the worship of God and with sacred things.

48:46 Others had no such background. Some associated certain foods and beverages as no-nos. Others said, I have no problem. Now, Paul recognizes that the Spirit of God has taken hold of people from these diverse backgrounds.

49:02 Remember, Rome was a cosmopolitan place. And he's incorporated them into one church. And now Paul is seeking to give them the materials by which they can live harmoniously in spite of all the different baggage. So that this group is not judging this group over here as being over-scrupulous.

49:22 And this group is not looking. He's looking at this group over here and calling them a bunch of libertines who have no concern for being holy because they wouldn't keep this day or because they wouldn't abstain from this particular food. He says, no, each one of us, to his own master, stands or falls, and in matters not explicitly directed and condemned or commanded by the scriptures, these are areas of liberty, a liberty to be regulated by a number of principles. I'm not here giving a distillation of the whole doctrine of Christian liberty.

49:53 I'm trying to give you the context of the verses we're going to look at. So Paul has been painstakingly working through all the principles that need to be internalized if people of diverse religious backgrounds with all the baggage of a diversely conditioned conscience can dwell together, not merely tolerate one another, but from the heart embrace one another as sincere, bought-in slaves of Christ. All right? You've got the context of what's here.

50:23 Now, as he brings his whole argument to a conclusion, and forget the chapter division, forget the 15, he's bringing it to a conclusion, and he says this in verse 5. Now, the God of patience and comfort grant you to be of the same mind, one with another, according to Christ Jesus. Now, he says, that's what I've been aiming at, to bring you to one mind with Christ. That means you're either going to have to get over judging one another in terms of some of your religious and cultural baggage.

51:02 We are to be of the same mind with one another, according to Christ. To what end? That with one accord, you may with one mouth do what? Glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

51:19 Wherefore, receive one another even as Christ. Christ received you to the glory of God. What an amazing statement. When God, for Christ's sake, receives sinners who come in penitent faith, what happens?

51:41 God is glorified as the God of mercy and of pity. The God of Samuel Davies, who is a pardoning God like thee. Now, he says, the God who is glorified. When he receives you on the basis of the work of Christ, that God is to be glorified when you, as those received by Christ, so receive one another that when you are found in the same place, engaged in the same activities, you are with one mind and one mouth, glorifying God, fulfilling the very purpose for which he called you to be.

52:27 That's the church. One mind, one mouth, doing what? Glorifying the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now, there are other texts.

Application 1: No Rival Purposes for the Church

52:42 I took more time on the opening one and left half of my voice somewhere out there.

52:51 And I want some of you, perhaps, who are not accustomed to preaching, this is not something I turn on.

52:57 There are certain truths when God grips your heart with them. God rings you out over those truths. And there's nothing more fundamental. And I bypassed the one or two other texts I'd hoped to address in order to bring, with whatever voice I have left, several, I trust, needful words of application.

53:19 Number one. If indeed the supreme and all-encompassing purpose of the church is to glorify God, then in a real sense, you see, the question of the shorter catechism, question number one, applies to the church. What is man's chief end? Man's chief end is to glorify God.

53:37 To glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. What is the church's chief end? To glorify God. And to enjoy Him forever.

53:45 If that's so, then number one. We must never allow any other purpose to rival or to replace this supreme and all-embracing purpose for this church. You, God's people. And I speak particularly to you in the flush of your adult years.

54:06 And you, the rising generation. In the name of Christ, I charge you. Never, never to allow any other purpose to rival or to replace this supreme and all-embracing purpose for this church. When a church allows any other purpose to rival or replace this one, that church becomes like a ship on an uncharted sea, with its rudder bands cut and no compass on board.

54:44 It'll go wherever it is blown. Any purpose comes in no matter how noble, no matter how useful or successful. Such is too dearly bought at the price of the erosion of the glory of God. And I warn you of the four ends that are causing Christ to say to more than one church, in our day, I'll remove your lampstand.

55:18 When the supreme purpose becomes needs, numbers, names or novelty, the church ceases to be what Christ intended it should be. The church does not exist primarily to meet anyone's needs. You hear what I said now? It does not exist primarily.

55:45 Does the church meet needs? Yes. We'll look at some of those in the subsequent message. The church does not exist primarily for man but for God.

55:56 Christ loved the church, gave himself for it, that he might present it to himself. Unto him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations of the ages of the ages. There are so-called churches all over our country and in many parts of the world. Whose whole philosophy is we exist to meet needs.

56:25 And the needs we exist to meet are the needs people think they have. A slogan of much church growth in our day is find the hurt and heal it. And someone comes and says I'm hurting because I don't have psychological identity. Tell me something that will stroke my self-esteem.

56:42 His only hurt is a bruised ego. He doesn't know his real hurt is sin and alienation. They would never do what I did this morning in the church. In the regular course of reading through the Psalms say there are three Psalms in a row.

56:57 The theme of which is judgment. And we as a Christian assembly are to praise God as the God of judgment. They'd say you're going to turn off people of this present age. Well frankly I don't care.

57:08 It's truth. Church is pillar and ground of the truth. She holds a purpose when she magnifies God in all the full spectrum of his glorious attributes. People's needs must never be the supreme purpose.

57:25 Numbers. You meet somebody. You get talking. You find out you're a pastor.

57:30 What's the first question they ask? And how many people in your congregation? Now I try to be sweet and respond but more than once I've been tempted to ask what difference does it make? If you ask Jesus in John 6 at the first of the chapter how many people in your congregation?

57:46 He'd say thousands. A little while later how many people in your congregation Jesus? He says twelve and I'm not sure about them. Will you also go away?

57:56 Beware of everyone. Beware of ever letting numbers be your purpose. Needs your purpose. Names.

58:07 I get so sick and tired of the promotion of big personalities. Not unto us. Not unto us but unto thy name be glory. Don't ever talk about Pastor Martin's church.

58:20 That's an insult to God and it's a grief to me. If you want to say the church where Pastor Al Martin has preached for a number of years that's fine. But don't ever talk as though it's possession. It's not Pastor Lamar's church or Pastor Barker's church or Pastor Smith's church.

58:37 It's Christ's church. Let's be jealous that even our words will indicate. We're not taken up with names. We're not taken up with novelty.

58:46 Church exists in some people's ideas to create novelties that will somehow be like a spread of 4th of July fireworks to attract attention. If God doesn't make the beauty of Christ in our midst and the power of God our drawing card. Then we need to be on our faces crying out that he'll come by the power of the Holy Ghost. We must never allow any other purpose to rival or replace this supreme purpose.

Application 2: Individual Passion for God's Glory

59:13 Secondly we'll not be able to maintain this supreme all-embracing purpose in the life and ministry of the church. Unless it's the passion of our individual lives. The whole is no greater than the sum of its parts. I think that's a proper mathematical axiom isn't it?

59:30 I'm not sure if I'm stating it right. The whole is no greater than the sum of its parts. I ask you sitting here this morning member of Trinity Church. Is this the driving passion of your life?

59:42 With Paul can you say this is my earnest expectation and hope that whether by life or death Christ shall be magnified in my body. I want Christ to be big when people look at me. When people watch me in my marriage I want them to say how does that guy give such clear, responsible, manly leadership. And yet he's so.

60:06 Sensitive to his wife. He's thoughtful. He's considerate. I can't figure it out.

60:13 That glorifies God. You see that's not what I am by nature. I'm either Mr. Macho Man or Mr. Wimp Out.

60:24 And we've got a nation full of macho and wimps. And your passion as a husband is to take Christ-like, godly, sensitive, loving leadership. And loving and nurturing your wife as Christ does the church. And your passion is to glorify him in your marriage.

60:47 And you'll have a passion to have him glorified in the church. You can't have your marriage and your whole be a theater of carnality and bitterness and ill will and suspicion and conflict. And think you're going to step in these walls and have a passion to glorify God. It won't cut it my friend.

61:06 And that applies to everything. Your work. Your thought life. Your use of time.

61:12 Will not be able to maintain this supreme all embracing. Purpose in the life and ministry of the church. If it's not the supreme and all embracing purpose of our individual lives. Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do.

61:27 You quote the rest. Do all to the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10 31. And then my final word is this.

Application 3: The Necessity of Saving Grace

61:37 None can have this supreme and all embracing purpose. Who are strangers to God's saving grace in Christ. You see by nature Romans 1 21 describes us. There the apostle describing the Gentiles says this.

61:56 Because that knowing God they glorified him not as God. Neither gave thanks but became vain in their reasonings and their senseless heart was darkened. Knowing God. They did not glorify him as God.

62:14 That's the condition of every unconverted man woman boy or girl in this place. All have sinned and what? Come short of the glory of God. Fall short of the very purpose for which we are made.

62:28 We are images of God. We were made to reflect God not the devil. But in our sin we fall short of the glory of God. We live to please ourselves.

62:39 And the only thing that can break the tyranny. Is God's grace and salvation. In Jesus Christ. So that as Paul says in 2 Corinthians chapter 5.

62:49 They who live. No longer live to themselves. But unto him who for their sakes died. And rose again.

62:57 Well may God help us dear people. We are called together to be a church. To fulfill God's purpose. Not ours.

63:06 Not a purpose articulated by any man or group of men. And certainly not by the people who comprise the church. Christ has defined our purpose in his word. The purpose of the church.

63:18 May God grant that we shall say with conviction of this church. Is to glorify the God of the scriptures. Let's pray. Our Father we confess.

63:35 That we feel so keenly. The narrowness of our hearts. Our pygmy like stature. Before the privileges.

63:47 And the standards of your word. But we thank you that many of us can say. That you have so changed us. That we do desire that you will become big.

63:59 And glorious in the eyes of men. We do desire. That our Lord Jesus. Will be praised and magnified.

64:09 And extolled. And made so glorious. That many will drop the trinkets of this world. Turn aside from the things that can never satisfy.

64:20 And leave them empty in life. Leave them exposed. To judgment. Lord we ask make Christ.

64:28 Glorious in our eyes. Make him glorious. Through the ministry of this church. Through the lives of its people.

64:36 Oh our Father you have defined our purpose. Give us grace to fulfill it. Seal then your word to our hearts. We ask for your praise.

64:47 Through Christ our Lord. Amen.