We Are Called To Belong – 2 of 2

Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith. In 1 Peter, believers are said to be part of a royal priesthood. Today, we consider our place in a local church. We'll look at the role of the priesthood, past and present, and see that our status in the church may be higher than we think.

Stay with us. From the Moody Church in Chicago, this is Running to Win with Dr. Erwin Lutzer, whose clear teaching helps us make it across the finish line. Pastor Lutzer, some churches have priests, but it seems from your teaching that all believers are priests.

Is this correct? You know, Dave, it's impossible for me to over-exaggerate the importance of the priesthood of the believer. When Martin Luther recovered that doctrine, and of course it's based on the New Testament, everything changed. Just imagine it used to be that only the priest was believed to have access to God. But now that everyone was a priest before God, everything that we do can be considered to be a good work in God's sight. We all come to God on the same basis and have all the same privileges.

It really did revolutionize the church. You know, we here at Running to Win are deeply committed to getting the gospel of Jesus Christ to as many people as possible. You've heard me say before that we make resources available to help you make it all the way to the finish line. I'm holding in my hands a book entitled When You've Been Wronged.

Now at the end of this message, I'm going to be giving you some contact info as to how this resource can be yours. For now, let us listen even as we talk about the solidarity of that which binds us together in Jesus Christ. Sometimes you know whether it's a picnic or a luncheon or whatever, the person in charge will look around and find me. It often happens, this is Pastor Lutzer, would you lead in prayer? I'm glad to lead in prayer because I love the opportunity of talking to Jesus.

But actually, my prayers are not any better than anybody else's. If we all as sinners are coming in the name of Jesus, I have no special clout with God. The only person who has clout with God is Jesus Christ. And if you pray in his name, you too will be heard by him. Priests have access to God, and priests also offer sacrifices to God. You say, well, what's that in New Testament terms? I'm so glad that you asked, by the way.

See, I try to follow your mind and ask the questions that you are asking when you're sitting there. Because the New Testament lists a number of them. In Romans chapter 12, it says, I ask you to present your bodies a living sacrifice to God. Hebrews chapter 13 speaks about the sacrifice of praise. That's why in our services, you will always find praise because God loves it when we praise his name.

And he has every right to love it when we praise his name because he's worthy of all the praise that we could possibly give him. And so you have the sacrifice of praise. You have the sacrifice of good deeds. You also have the sacrifice of money. Imagine coming into God's presence and you offer him nothing.

You just simply say, well, you know, you're there. I'm here to receive nothing. And so it's the sacrifice of our gifts. And you'll notice there in the last part of verse five, we are built up as a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Everything that we do is tainted. We do a good deed and we want to tell somebody about it so that we can feel good about what we've done.

So what happens is this. We bring our worship, we bring our praise, our good deeds, our bodies and all that we have, and we give it to God. And Jesus makes it acceptable to the father and the father is pleased. And how do we do it?

We do it in community. Oh yes, we commit to the Lord singly, but it's in community that we have a spiritual priesthood. Also, let me say that we are a holy nation, it says.

I won't say much about being a holy nation except this. You look at the Old Testament. Where was the tabernacle and then how was it constructed?

The tabernacle was there when they were in the desert and all of the tents of the people were around it. What was God saying? God was saying, there's no lone person out there.

You belong to community and my presence is going to be among you. That phrase occurs in the Old Testament. My presence is going to be among my people. You remember when Moses was praying to God and says, God, if your presence doesn't go with us, I don't want to go, he says. Because, he says, how then are we going to be distinguished from all the other people on the earth?

It is your presence that distinguishes us. Now let's translate that to the New Testament. Because in the New Testament we now know that all believers are indwelt by the Spirit, believers think therefore, well yeah, see that's why I don't need church. I have the Holy Spirit and I can do my own thing.

Yes, if you're a believer you have the Holy Spirit, bless God. But within the church the presence of God is to be manifested in ways that you can never participate in it individually. 1 Corinthians, the Apostle Paul is speaking about this and he makes this statement in chapter 14. He said when somebody, an unbeliever, comes into your midst and he hears the word preached, the prophecy of the word, he should fall on his face because the truth in his heart will be revealed that he is a sinner. He'll fall on his face and say, surely God is in this place. How should you pray for Moody Church? Many different prayers. But one prayer I hope that you pray often is, surely God is in this place.

So that people who come, who observe us and also those who participate, that they might know that we are together in the presence of God and something happens when we are together that can never happen when we are simply separate. So what he says is, we are a royal priesthood, we're a holy nation, a people for God's own possession to proclaim the excellencies of God. What I would like to do, Peter used a bold metaphor, I'd like to use a metaphor of my own.

Mine is not as inspired as his because his is inspired scripture, but I believe that it accurately reflects scriptural truth. I'd like to use the metaphor of the Redwood Forest in California. Many years ago I was there at the Redwood Forest and Rebecca wasn't with me, I wish that she were because I know how she would have enjoyed these tall trees that seemed to go into the sky as straight as an arrow.

They were something to behold. So with that metaphor in mind, let me be very clear about what I intend to say. First of all, number one, a ruthless Christian is a fruitless Christian.

Have you got that? A ruthless Christian is a fruitless Christian? You know that what happened is this, that when you are there in the Redwoods, what you find is that there are some trees that were blown over. And the reason that the trees were blown over is because their roots were not very deep.

They didn't connect properly and that will become clear in just a moment. And so what happened is when the storm came, they blew over. And if you are not connected relationally, if you are not connected relationally with other Christians and only superficially perhaps connected, you'll blow over when this storm comes. A rootless Christian is really a fruitless Christian.

Write it down. You know, people are concerned about homelessness and well they might. The Bible tells us that we should help those who are poor over and over again.

We should be concerned about homelessness. And yet there are Christians who are concerned about homelessness and they are not concerned about spiritual homelessness. So they do not commit to a church. They are not loyal to the ministry of a church. They don't say to themselves, I'm going to be there whether the sermon is great or whether it's mediocre or whether or not the music is exactly my taste. I am committed to this body, to this church. I have put my roots down here because we are a community called by God. So first of all, a rootless Christian is a, is a fruitless one.

The reason I'm a little confused here is I had something I was going to read to you and I know I put it in my Bible and God willed that it either not be in here or that it not be found one of the two. So I'll tell you the story. You know that there are such things as special Olympics, marvelous idea by the way. And this happened in, I believe it was Spokane. These special Olympics are for special needs children and nine children were in the 100 yard dash. And as they were running along, one of them stumbled. And when one of them stumbled, all the other stopped, turned around, a little girl with down syndrome kissed the the boy who was down and said, this'll make it better. And all nine of them, the eight helped the other one up and all nine of them walked over the finish line together and the stadium broke out in applause for several minutes. Why?

Because for a brief moment that large crowd grasped something that there is more to life than simply an individual win. At the end of the day, what we need to do is to recognize that God has given us people and connections and a rootless Christian is actually a fruitless Christian. So what I'd like to do also now is to give you another statement. Number two, we must develop roots by connecting with other trees. We must develop roots by connecting with other trees. Now we're back to the redwoods.

Here's what I was told. That the redwoods actually do not have a root system that is as deep as other trees. But what redwoods do is they connect with one another. So this tree's root system is connected to this tree's root system, which is connected to that root system. If you could see underground, it would be something like looking at a huge tangled spider web.

But the advantage is this. Over here there is a tree that is very close to water. Over here there's a tree growing on a hill that really doesn't have much water.

And because of the connectivity of the roots, what happens is the water goes through this whole complicated connected root system and it helps the other tree. My friends, there are times in life when you and I need the help of others, when we can hardly believe for ourselves, when we are going through times of difficulty and times when we're in darkness and we do not see light. There are other people who can pray with us and believe with us because we recognize very clearly that it is important to see that we develop roots by connecting to others. We are called to community. If you're called to Jesus, you are called to community.

Finally, you can connect with other trees by choosing to do so. We here at the Moody Church, when you stop to think of it, what do we have really to offer you? If you're interested simply in a sermon, you can get that on the computer nowadays.

If you're interested in good music, you can buy CDs. What we have to offer you is a transforming experience of spiritual growth that happens because you are connected. You are called to community because something happens in community that can't happen individually. You see, because the thing that unites us is not a common interest. You know, you can belong to some kind of a gun club because you're interested in guns.

I hope that if you're interested in guns, you're normal in other ways, but there are people who belong to those gun clubs or maybe it's a photography club. I mean, it's a common interest. My dear friends, we're not united because of a common interest.

We're connected because of a common life. I told you the story years ago about a man in Canada who was invited by a doctor over to his home and the doctor was on call and the doctor left and said, whatever's in the fridge you can have. So the man opened the fridge and there in a plastic bag there was a human hand.

The man said that after he saw that he wasn't hungry anymore. Why? What's wrong with a human hand?

I'm looking at both of mine right now. Human hands are beautiful, but not when they're disconnected from the body. And we believe very strongly that there are many of you, I think for example of the TMC communities, the Moody Church communities. What you need to do is to connect. I think of the women's ministry. Our women leaders are looking for other women. We use the word mentor, maybe the younger ones, but actually that word scares some people to befriend those who are going through times of difficulty and maybe not even difficulty.

They just want to talk to somebody who's a mature woman and you can't do that on the computer. You can't do that unless you relate because we are called to community and God has given us the opportunity of being together. I don't know how to say this more clearly, but I'm a little bit concerned about the fact that several thousand people can attend a morning worship service and yet the church basically in terms of volunteers and commitment, maybe be a church of four or five hundred.

So you have a church of five hundred that masquerades as a church of several thousand. I'm inviting you today to join community. Now you say, well, I'm an introvert and if I were to be with other people, I don't want to be with other people because you've got all those issues. You be with other people and don't worry about the issues. You don't have to say anything if you don't want to.

Eventually you will as you begin to build trust and hope and connection. You know, I have to end by asking this question, how do you become a part of the royal priesthood, the holy nation? Well, actually in Israel's time you got into it by being born into it. And the way in which we become a part of this spiritual temple that God is building and the wonderful connections of being this priesthood and chosen race is also by being born, but we are born again. Now your bibles are open. You'll notice it says in verse 23 of chapter one, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable through the living and abiding word of God.

That's how you become a part of this community by being born again. Now, when a baby is conceived and born in its DNA, it's got all the programming for the color of hair, the color of the eyes, the gender, the height. It's all there.

All that needs to happen is for the baby to get food and to grow. Let me tell you something. When you receive Christ as your savior and you're born again, programmed right into you are the characteristics of Jesus, the fruit of the spirit, love, joy, peace, long suffering programmed right into you.

That's your DNA. You know why we exist? We exist as a family, as a community to help you to understand what growing is all about.

As the Bible says, to grow up into maturity of Christ. And that's who we are as a church. The Moody church is a community called by God to live passionately for Jesus Christ.

So I say to those of you who are on the sidelines, join us, become a part of us, connect, take advantage of the communities, find out who we are and who lives here. And who knows what God will do when we become like the early church whose genius was connection. Let's bow together in prayer. Our father, we ask that you will help us as leadership and for all who hear, we pray today, father, that as you give ability to each, help each person to know that we need them and they need us. And for those father who have never been born again, who look at church distantly, perhaps with arms folded, suspiciously, critically, would you bring them into the family today by your Holy Spirit and help them become a part of something that is so great that it's number one on your agenda. Do that for us, father, we pray in Jesus name. Amen. Well, my friend, I just want to emphasize that staying at home, watching a service on your computer is not the same as connecting with the body of Jesus Christ and going to church.

So if you can go to church, go to church. It is there where we experience the priesthood of the believer as we interact, as we grow together, and as we show the unity of the body in the bond of peace. But what is it that oftentimes hinders our relationship with God and our relationship with one another?

Well, I can tell you exactly. It has to do with bitterness. That's why I've written a book entitled When You've Been Wronged. And you know, one of the sermons is, Satan has a mixed bag of offenses. And there are so many people today who, because of bitterness that has been unresolved, are not growing in the Christian life. Now, we are making this resource available for you.

It's entitled When You've Been Wronged. Here's what you do. Hope that you have a pen or pencil handy. You go to rtwoffer.com. That's rtwoffer.com, or pick up the phone and call us at 1-888-218-9337. Jesus said, It is necessary that offenses come, but woe to the person through whom they come. Are you carrying an offense?

Do you know someone who is? I believe that this resource will be of great help to you. It's entitled When You've Been Wronged.

Go to rtwoffer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337. It's time now for another chance for you to ask Pastor Lutzer a question about the Bible or the Christian life. Believers know they're called to pray, but some wonder when to pray and when to stop. Dr. Lutzer, an anonymous listener, is asking this, How do you know when to stop praying? Paul had a thorn in the flesh that prayer would not remove. Or, when do we persist in prayer?

I think of the widow before the judge that Jesus told about. Excellent question, and I need to tell you that we do not have a relationship with God as Paul did. You know, Paul prayed three times, and then the Lord spoke to him and spoke in inspired scripture to him about the grace that he would receive in exchange for his suffering. So what we need to do is to understand that sometimes we don't know when we should stop praying.

Paul knew because God told him expressly, but we don't have that privilege. So there's nothing wrong with continuing to pray, and that's why I think we can harmonize this with the story that Jesus told about the widow who came before the judge and persisted and persisted and eventually the judge gave in to this woman's demands. So it's okay to keep praying, but here's the key. We should not only pray, we should commit, and there's a big difference. It is easier to pray than it is to commit something to God. Because when we pray, we can pray in frustration, we can pray in unbelief, we can flail around in our praying, so to speak.

When you commit, you're actually taking your hands off the situation. You're saying, God, I am praying, but I'm also trusting, I'm believing. And when you and I commit, the pressure is lessened because now the responsibility is taken from our shoulders and put onto God's shoulders. Do we still pray about what we've committed to him?

Yes, but now those prayers are mingled with a great deal of praise because we know now it is in God's hands, not ours. Some wise counsel about praying and committing matters to God. Thank you, Dr. Lutzer. If you'd like to hear your question answered, go to our website at rtwoffer.com and click on Ask Pastor Lutzer, or call us at 1-888-218-9337.

That's 1-888-218-9337. You can write to us at Running to Win, 1635 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois, 60614. Ever wonder why you've been placed on planet earth? In a marvelous verse, our reason for being is a call by God connected with our roles as members of a divine community. Next time on Running to Win, some clarity on why you and I are here and what God expects us to do, based on 1 Peter 2.9. For Pastor Erwin Lutzer, this is Dave McAllister. Running to Win is sponsored by the Moody Church.