Building the Church - Approaching God (08-24-91)

I.        Building the Church -  Approaching God

A.      Eph 4:11-13

And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,  for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God,  to a mature man,  to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.

1.       The word which which is translated service is a word that means practical service. The primary aim is to strengthen the Church.

2.       The word equipped is a word which was used in surgery for setting a broken limb or for putting a joint back in place.

3.       But equipping for the work of service is the means not the goal.  The goal is Christian unity, knowledge and maturity.

4.       If is for this cause that we teach and preach, encourage and minister.

B.      Exercise for building - Number 1

Approaching God with Confidence  Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:1-3

1.       Our great High Priest

a.      Heb 2:17-18  sheds additional light on the conditions required of our Great High Priest

Therefore He had to be made like His brethren in all things, that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.

b.      I suppose that if we wanted to state this truth in the langauge of today we would say that he is able to relate to us because of his experiences in life. Or put another way, He has been through the experiences that we face.

c.       There is very little in the world today that can be taken at face value.  Products are labeled continually as “NEW AND IMPROVED”.  How many times however,  has reality lived up to expectations.

d.      Jesus, our Lord and Savior was the pioneer,  the trailblazer, the author,  the perfecter, the beginning.  It is a comfort and an assurance when we can go to someone who has already experienced the heartaches, trials and temptations of this life.

i.        Hebrews 6:19-20

This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us...

2.       This scripture seems like the perfect introduction for the last phrase in verse 14:  “let us hold fast our confession.”

a.      What is our confession

i.        Jesus is our Lord and Savior

ii.       He is our only hope

iii.      Our Faith is in Him

iv.      The point that I am trying to make is this,  there are some aspects that we all share in common that we can agree constitute a portion of our confession.  But depending upon our own life experience and the time we have spent in the Lord.  The Word says to the widow he becomes a husband and to the orphan He becomes a father.  This one of the truly amazing aspects of God. He is able to supply our area of need.

3.       Holding fast

Hebrews 3:12-15

a.      The enemy of our souls is the master of “bait and switch”.  Hebrews 11: 24-26 reflects on the life of Moses stating plainly that he chose to endure illtreatment with God’s people rather than to enjoy the passing pleasure of sin.

b.      No reasonable person would contradict the statement that sin does indeed bring pleasure,  but it is a passing, momentary pleasure.

4.       He sympathizes with us in our weaknesses

a.      Isa 53

“He was despised and forsaken of men,  A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face.” ... “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open his mouth.”

b.      He is without peer in His qualifications to be our counselor.  He is not like a marriage counselor who has never been married or a family counselor who has never had children.  His qualification to be our great high priest comes from the things that He experienced.

5.       Let us draw near with confidence

The Amplified Bible gives this emphasis:

“Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near.”

a.      There are no presupposed conditions placed upon our coming unto the throne of grace.  No conditions which would exclude those who do not measure up to a predetermined minimum qualification.  Only a desire to receive help.

b.      It has been said that Christianity is the religion of free access to God.

II.       Approaching God as individuals

A.      Commonly,  I have heard stated many times that the Reformation could best be summed up this way.  Luther rediscovered the truth of the scriptures that state that “the just shall live by faith.”  However, recently I heard someone state that in his opinion the greatest discovery to emerge from the Reformation was that we could approach God directly, that is without the benefit of clergy.

B.      Having this access to God carries with it responsibility, the one who truly understands that God is directly accessible must go to Him. In effect we become the priesthood, commissioned to carry out priestly duties.

1.       Peter states this (I Peter 2:5)

...you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (and in verse 9) “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into is marvelous light.

C.      We then must take the initiative to go to God not only for our needs, but for others as well.

III.      Leading others to God

A.      Having said what we have about being able to go to God directly, we must not forget that others do not know how to or even that they are permitted to go directly to God.  We are reminded that according to II Cor 5: 18-20 we have been given the ministry of reconciliation, that is reconciling the world to God.

B.      The priesthood of old carried a perpetual responsibility to interceed on behalf of the people.  The priesthood in which we serve must seek to raise others into the royal priesthood so that they also may know to approach God directly with their needs and the needs of others.

C.      Looking again at the priestly characteristics,  people must see in us traits that give them confidence.

1.       The Scottish author, George MacDonald wrote: “You have got to save your own soul first, and then the souls of your neighbors if they will let you;  and for that reason you must cultivate, not a spirit of criticism, but the talents that attract people to the hearing of the Word.”

2.       This was found in the Houston Times, All Church Press: “If you want your neighbor to know what Christ will do for him,  let the neighbor see what Christ has done for you.”

IV.     Conclusion

Jesus said in Matt 11:28-30

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My load is light.”