The Big Picture

Introduction

Recap -

Blueprint for Salvation

By Grace, Through Faith, For Purpose - God is Making a Work of Art

Today we take a step back and see the Big Picture -

Maps versus GPS: Yes the GPS gives you the detailed command but it is insufficient for the big picture. Carla and I were in Cincinnati one time, typed the name of the hotel and blindly started following the commands. 45 minutes later we found ourselves not in front of a hotel but in front a house - The GPS misunderstood. Had we been using a map, we would have seen the whole area, the big picture

Today is about giving clarity, seeing what God is accomplishing on a big scale

You might understand your individual salvation but there is something else we need to understand

Today we answer the question? - What is God doing? - Its more than just salvation -

Big Idea: There is a vertical purpose is the cross - Salvation -

But there is also a horizontal purpose - . . .

Vertical - Saving

Horizontal - Gathering

Big Idea: Christ is Building A People

This act of the cross is just as significant, real, and important as salvation

It’s not just about seeing people saved - its about the formation of the church

Let’s dive in . . .

Christ Our Carrier - The Cross Brings Us Together

v11-13

We live in the days of rivalries : Polarization

Illuss.: I remember when Elijah showed up to soccer practice on the first day one year to hear that the team name was the Mountaineers and the colors were blue and gold

The greatest of these is the Jews and the Gentiles

There was division

Before Christ - two people - Jews and the Gentiles

Listen to how the gentiles are described

Separated from God’s people

Christless - No Savior

Alienated - Foreigners

No Hope

No God

Christ carries the foreigners (me and you) into the promises given to Abraham - Salvation, Eternal life, Heaven and Hope

We are no longer illegal aliens - v19 - Citizens

How did He do this - His Blood

Illuss.:I grew up playing wiffle ball, and football on 37th st in Nitro, WV. Thats what we did. If you have never played sports in the middle of a city street, let me tell you - injuries happen. One time in particular, I reached out to pick up a wiffle ball, instead my index finger went into a hub cap. When I pulled it out - there was blood - a lot. You should have seen my friends mom’s face when I brought my blood dripping finger into her living room. Panic. I was making a mess. What would happen if I cut my hand and bled on the carpet? People would start scrambling to clean it up. Blood is messy.

We must be careful that we do not clean up the blood of Christ.

There are some that say blood is too violent, too messy - let’s clean it up to be more appealing

There has been a move to sanitize the cross: transform it from a blood soaked wooden instrument of death and turn it into a gold decorations

Remove the blood - remove salvation

Remove the blood - rationalize sin - (sin is a big deal)

Remove the blood - Cheapen grace

Christ had to die for us

Remove the blood - diminish worship

Illuss.: How do you feel when some disrespects military officers? Their sacrifice is great. When we remove the blood - we diminish the greatest of all sacrifices

Must understand the OT significance of the necessity of blood

- Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sin - From the Garden to Christ

- The High priest goes into the presence of God (Holy of Holies), but only with blood on his hand from the sacrifice.

It is the blood that saves us and it is the blood that brings us together

Big Idea: Because we are made right with God, we are made right with others

But only through a blood soaked cross

Christ Our Conquer - The Cross Destroys Division

v14-18

Illuss.: Do you remember the Berlin wall. I remember hearing the stories of people trying to escape to West Berlin to be joined by family - only to be shot trying. Then one day - that wall came down. The joy and the celebration. Reunions, freedom. That is a small picture of what Jesus did

There was a wall separating us from God

There was a wall separating us from God’s people

The Wall - that was the law

On the wall is posted a list:

Have you ever lied - no entrance

Have you ever stole - no entrance

Have you ever worshipped an idol - no entrance

Have you ever disobeyed your parents - no entrance

Then came the cross - and the wall was no more - it was a giant wrecking ball that knocked down the division

-There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

One people with one Spirit

Get this - Christ didn’t just come and die so you could be saved - He came and died so that the church would be one

Warning - Almost every book in the New Testament mention two things

Priority of Church Unity

Danger of False Teachers - which disrupt that unity

Be careful - God takes division very seriously

There are no divisions in the church

a. God’s Power (v3) – This is the Holy Spirit

i. You can overcome any temptation

ii. You can discern (with prayer) any situation

iii. You can have victory of sin

b. God’s Promises (v4) – This is the Word of God

i. God has given us commands and examples through His Word

ii. Promised us victory, assurance, His power and presence, eternal life, and wisdom

c. Illuss.: God has given us the gassed up car and the instructions on how to drive it

d. Recap: Everyone saved can grow in ChristGalatians 3:28

Christ Our Cornerstone - The Church Is Constructed

v19-22

v19 - Foreigner to Family

Biblical building principles:

You better have a sure foundation

The pieces of a house must be stuck together

v20 -The Foundation of the church: Christ the Cornerstone and the apostles (The Word of God)

v21-22 - Believers are now stuck together - “Blood relatives” - By the Spirit

Illuss.: I read an article this week about unusual building materials - ice, coke bottles, newspaper, and corn cobs. It worked because they stuck together and were built on a solid foundation

This is the truth for the church - It only works if we are built on Christ and stuck together by the Spirit

Big Idea: We Are One in Christ

Exhortation

Let The Blood Remain - It is the Cross that brings us together -

We must lose the Us vs Them mentality

Not entertainment, not programs, not personalities, not documents

Have faith in the message of the cross

The Cross will accomplish what God has called it to accomplish

Church is messy - a bunch of redeemed sinners gathering to worship, learn, and proclaim the gospel to the world - What could go wrong?

Church is messy because the cross is messy

My nature is to clean up messes - OCD behavior

Illuss.: My kids room when they were younger -

Some of you want things in a nice neat package - but that not the way church works

We do not need to manipulate - We need to preach Christ, and Him crucified

The Cross is the Accomplishment of Unity

We Must Be Certain that the Message of the Cross is Breaking Division

2. Do Not Build Walls - Christ came to Knock the walls down

We must ask ourselves the question - are we building walls that cause division

Are we dividing by race and gender, money and education, status and power?

Red Church - Blood covered - Not black, not white

The Cross is the Place where division must die

Check Our Foundation

Racism, bigotry, mysogyny should not and can not be tolerated in the church

Am I causing division in any way?

Division at its core is the work of the spirit of anti-Christ

The church thrives when all selfish ambition is lost and the goal of unity is pursued

3. Check Our Foundation

If the foundation is solid - you can build anything

We must make sure we are built on the Word and on the Cross

Illuss.: Would you buy a house with a bad foundation

The same is true for the church

We must make sure (don’t assume) that we are building on the rock

This falls on me mostly - I must instill a culture of biblical dependency and sufficiency - We will get there

Conclusion

The Big Picture - Jesus didn’t just die to save souls, He also died to build the church, to make us one

Do you see the big picture

Am I working towards that cause or against that cause?