Latest / Reformed Thinking / Do This in Remembrance of Me, for I Will Build My Church | John Piper

Transcript

Do This in Remembrance of Me, for I Will Build My Church | John Piper · Reformed Thinking

0:00
Welcome everyone. You're listening to Reformed
0:02
Thinking. It's great to be here.
0:03
We do these deep dives into topics, really foundational
0:08
topics that shape how we understand our faith.
0:11
And today we're really getting into something central, Jesus's
0:15
own promises and, well, the provisions he made for his
0:19
church. Yeah, it's a huge topic.
0:20
How did he actually set things up so his followers could
0:24
continue after he wasn't physically here?
0:26
Exactly. That's the mission for today.
0:28
We want to uncover how Jesus built the church and how he
0:32
keeps sustaining it. You know even now, right?
0:35
Straight from the sources looking at his design.
0:37
So this should hopefully give some real clarity on how the
0:39
church functions today, or at least how it's supposed to
0:43
function according to Jesus's plan.
0:45
It's fascinating because it shows his foresight is planning.
0:48
It wasn't an afterthought. Not at all.
0:50
So let's start right at the beginning.
0:52
The foundational promise, really, we find it in Matthew
0:55
16. You're going to see him.
0:57
Jesus is with the disciples, and he asks them that direct
1:00
question, maybe cutting through some confusion.
1:02
Who do you say that I am? And Peter steps up.
1:05
Classic Peter. Right, he says.
1:07
You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.
1:10
A divinely revealed truth, as Jesus points out immediately.
1:14
Yes, Jesus says blessed are you Simon Barjona for and blood has
1:17
not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.
1:21
And then comes the big statement and I tell you, you are Peter,
1:25
and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell
1:28
shall not prevail against it. I.
1:30
Will build my church. That phrase is just packed with
1:33
significance. It really is.
1:35
What exactly did Jesus mean there by church?
1:38
What's he building? Well, the Greek word he uses is
1:40
ecclesia, and it's really important to get this right from
1:43
the start. In their world, ecclesia didn't
1:46
mean a building like we often think of church today.
1:49
It meant an assembly citizens called out for a purpose.
1:53
The Septuagint, the Greek Old Testament, used it for the
1:56
Congregation of Israel. So a gathering of people.
1:58
Exactly. People, not stones, not wood.
2:01
Jesus is saying he's going to gather a people, a specific
2:05
group called out by him. And who are these people?
2:08
What defines them? Fundamentally, they're the ones
2:10
who place their trust in Him. They recognize Him like Peter
2:13
did, as the Christ, the Son of God, their Lord and Savior.
2:17
That confession is the starting point.
2:19
But it doesn't stop it just belief, does it?
2:22
They were identifying marks, he expected.
2:24
You know, absolutely not. It had to be visible.
2:26
He gave clear marks. Think about John 13.
2:29
The new commandment. Right, love one another.
2:33
Just as I have loves you, you also are to love one another.
2:36
And then he adds, By this all people will know that you're my
2:39
disciples if you have love for one another.
2:41
So this specific kind of love, his kind of love was meant to be
2:46
their public ID, essentially. It was their badge, Yeah, a
2:50
radical self giving love for each other.
2:52
But he pushed it even further, didn't he?
2:54
He did Matthew 5. Love your enemies and pray for
2:57
those who persecute you. I mean, that's completely
2:59
countercultural then and now. For sure, it's not just a nice
3:03
idea, it's a command tied to their identity as his followers.
3:06
And it was powerful, that kind of love, empowered by the
3:10
spirit. It often baffled people in the
3:12
Roman world. It was a huge part of their
3:14
witness, showing this community was different, built on
3:17
different principles. It made them resilient.
3:19
So he's building up the people identified by faith and this
3:22
radical love. And he uses another image too,
3:26
doesn't he? The shepherd gathering his
3:28
flock. Yes, in John 10.
3:30
That's another crucial passage for understanding his intent.
3:32
He says I am the Good Shepherd, I know my own and my own know
3:36
me. And then he mentions laying down
3:39
his life for the sheep. That image itself conveys so
3:43
much care, guidance, protection, sacrifice.
3:46
It's intimate. It is, but then he adds
3:48
something about gathering others.
3:50
Right. And I have other sheep that are
3:51
not of this fold. I must bring them also.
3:54
They will listen to my voice. They must bring them.
3:56
Yeah. Notice the authority there.
3:57
I must bring them and they will listen.
4:00
It's not passive hope. It's active determination.
4:02
So that connects back to I will build my church.
4:06
Directly, Yeah, shows Jesus taking the initiative, actively
4:09
gathering people from, well, everywhere.
4:12
Not of this fold, meaning beyond just the Jewish people he was
4:17
initially addressing. He's the one doing the gathering
4:20
through his call, his voice. Forming 1 flock, 1 Shepherd, a
4:24
unified people under him. Precisely.
4:27
It underlines his sovereign role in creating this community.
4:30
He doesn't just invite, he actively brings them in.
4:33
OK, so we have Jesus building his church, gathering his flock.
4:36
How does this relate to his teaching about the Kingdom of
4:39
God? That was his central message,
4:41
wasn't it? Are they the same thing?
4:42
Different? That's a really common question,
4:44
and it's easy to get confused. But no, they're not
4:46
contradictory. Actually, the Kingdom is what
4:49
produces the Church. How so?
4:51
Well, the Kingdom of God as Jesus preached it isn't
4:54
primarily a place or even a people initially.
4:57
It's God's dynamic rule or reign breaking into the world through
5:00
him, through Jesus the King. So God's active power at work.
5:04
Exactly. And this active rule, this reign
5:06
is what creates a people. Think of that parable in Matthew
5:09
13. Yeah, the net thrown into the
5:11
sea. The Kingdom is like that net,
5:13
gathering all kinds of fish, people from the sea of humanity.
5:16
The Kingdom's operation brings the Church into existence.
5:20
So the King, through his kingdom's power, builds his
5:24
church. They're inseparable, but
5:26
distinct and function. That's it.
5:28
The Church is the community formed by the reign of the king.
5:32
It's the visible result, you could say, of the kingdom's
5:34
advance. That clears things up.
5:36
The King's rule gathers his subjects.
5:39
OK, and it seems Jesus wasn't just thinking short term here,
5:43
he knew he'd be leaving physically for quite a while.
5:47
Oh absolutely. There's strong evidence he
5:49
anticipated a long interval between his first and 2nd
5:51
comings. Where do we see that?
5:53
His parables often hint at it, like the one in Loop 20.
5:56
The parable of the wicked tenants.
5:57
Right? The owner of the vineyard goes
5:59
into another country for a long while.
6:00
That's pretty explicit language. So Jesus is the owner going away
6:04
for a long while. Seems to be the clear
6:06
implication. He knew he'd be physically
6:09
absent from his flock. He calls them his little flock
6:11
in Luke 12 for a substantial period and knowing that must
6:15
have prompted him to make specific plans, specific
6:18
provisions for them during that time.
6:19
Precisely his foreknowledge LED directly to these deliberate
6:23
provisions we're talking about. He wasn't going to leave them
6:26
unprepared or alone. OK, so that brings us right to
6:28
Part 2, The provisions themselves.
6:31
What was the first major way Jesus planned to care for his
6:35
church after he left? Well, the most immediate and
6:37
profound provision was the promise of the Holy Spirit.
6:41
To ensure his presence in a way. Exactly.
6:43
Think about the disciples. Jesus had been everything to
6:46
them for three years. Teacher, guide, friend, leader.
6:50
His leaving would feel like abandonment.
6:52
Like being orphaned. He uses that exact word.
6:54
John 14 point O6I will not leave you as orphans.
6:57
I will come to you. Which sounds a bit contradictory
7:00
at first. He's leaving, but he's coming.
7:03
Right. But then he explains how he will
7:05
come just before that. He says I will ask the Father
7:08
and he will give you another helper or comforter advocate to
7:11
be with you forever. Even the spirit of truth.
7:14
Yes, whom the world cannot receive, because he neither sees
7:18
him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with
7:22
you and will be in you. So the spirit is this other
7:25
helper who will in them. And crucially, the Spirit's
7:28
presence is Jesus's presence with them.
7:31
When the Spirit comes, Jesus Himself, in a mysterious but
7:35
real way, will be in them. So that's how he fulfills the
7:39
promise from Matthew 28. I am with you always, to the end
7:42
of the age. Precisely through the indwelling
7:45
Holy Spirit. It's his way of maintaining his
7:48
personal presence and care for his people across all time and
7:51
space, even while he's physically ascended.
7:54
Wow, OK, that promise must have landed with enormous weight for
7:57
those first disciples and for us too.
7:59
What was the intended emotional or spiritual impact of this
8:02
promise? What kind of assurance was it
8:03
meant to bring? Immense encouragement and
8:05
specifically peace. Jesus connects the spirits
8:08
coming directly with peace. Later in John 14 he says peace I
8:12
leave with you, my peace I give to you.
8:14
Not as the world gives, do I give to you.
8:16
Not like the world's peace, which is usually just the
8:18
absence of conflict, right? This is different.
8:21
It's a deep internal stability, a divine calm even when the
8:26
external circumstances are chaotic or hostile.
8:29
Let not your hearts be troubled, he says.
8:31
Neither. Let them be afraid.
8:33
And that peace would be vital, wouldn't it, because he also
8:36
warned them about facing trouble.
8:38
Absolutely vital. He was very clear about the
8:40
opposition they'd face. John 15.
8:42
If they persecuted me, they will persecute you.
8:45
The Church was and is destined for trouble in a hostile world
8:49
of unbelief. But Despite that.
8:51
Despite that, he says in John 16, take heart, I have overcome
8:55
the world. That confidence, that courage to
8:58
take heart even amidst persecution, comes from the
9:01
Spirit's presence. It connects back to that promise
9:03
in Matthew 16 to the gates of hell shall not prevail against.
9:07
It exactly. The Spirit's presence is the
9:09
guarantee that they aren't alone, that Jesus himself is
9:12
with them, empowering them, giving them His peace, His
9:15
victory over the world. It provides the courage to stand
9:18
firm. That's a profound source of
9:20
strength, and it wasn't just a promise for later.
9:23
He gave them a practical instruction related to this
9:25
right before they were to start their mission.
9:27
Yes, a very clear command after his resurrection.
9:30
Luke records Jesus telling them in chapter 24 verse 49.
9:35
But stay in the city until you are clothed with strength from
9:38
on high. Stay, wait, don't rush out.
9:41
Don't try to do this in your own strength.
9:44
It was mandatory. They had to wait for the
9:46
Spirit's empowering arrival, that strength from on high,
9:49
before they could effectively carry out the Great Commission.
9:52
And does that command imply something for believers today,
9:55
too? Oh.
9:55
Absolutely. It signifies that every
9:57
generation of believers needs this same spirit.
10:01
We all need that divine empowerment, the Spirit's
10:03
strength, the presence of the risen King to do his work
10:05
effectively. We can't fulfill His mission
10:08
without His Spirit. Trying to do ministry or live
10:10
the Christian life without relying on the Spirit's power
10:13
would be futile. Utterly futile.
10:15
It's the Spirit who gives the wisdom, the boldness, the
10:17
spiritual inside the perseverance needed.
10:20
It's what enables ordinary people to do extraordinary
10:22
things for the Kingdom. Now just a point of
10:25
clarification here. When we say the Spirit is
10:28
Jesus's presence, are we saying they are the same person in the
10:31
Trinity? Good question.
10:33
No, the Person, the Holy Spirit, and the person of the Son Jesus
10:36
are distinct persons within the one Godhead.
10:39
That's Orthodox Christian teaching.
10:40
OK, but they share a mysterious unity.
10:44
The Spirit's role is in part to glorify the Son, to reveal Jesus
10:48
to us, to make his presence real to our spirits.
10:52
So experiencing the Spirit is experiencing the presence of
10:54
Christ, even though they remain distinct persons.
10:57
It's a deep theological truth about how God relates to us.
11:00
That helps clarify the relationship.
11:02
So think about that, you listening.
11:05
This promise of the Spirit's active presence is meant to give
11:08
you courage right now, especially when things are
11:10
tough. It's not just history, it's
11:12
current reality. But Jesus's provisions didn't
11:15
stop with the Spirit, crucial as that is.
11:18
He also set something else in place, something related to
11:20
truth and it's transmission. That's right, alongside the
11:24
living presence of the Spirit, He provided for the reliable
11:27
transmission and preservation of his teaching through his chosen
11:29
apostles. The Apostles.
11:31
Let's talk about their selection.
11:32
It wasn't random, was it? Far from it.
11:35
Luke 6 tells us Jesus spent the entire night in prayer before he
11:39
chose the 12 apostles from his wider group of disciples.
11:42
A whole night of prayer that signals the importance of this
11:44
decision. Immense importance.
11:46
This is a foundational act for the future church and the word
11:50
apostle itself. Apostolus in Greek from apostle
11:53
in means one who is sent. Sent with authority, yes.
11:57
Sent as a representative sharing the authority of the sender.
12:00
They weren't just messengers, they were commissioned envoys of
12:02
King Jesus. And the number 12 is significant
12:05
too, isn't it? Highly significant, Choosing 12
12:09
deliberately mirrors the 12 tribes of Israel.
12:11
It signals that Jesus is constituting the foundation for
12:14
the true Israel, the New Covenant community, his church,
12:17
which would in a sense fulfill and replace the Old Covenant
12:20
structure. We see hints of this in passages
12:22
like Matthew 21.43, where Jesus talks about the Kingdom being
12:26
taken away and given to a people producing its fruits.
12:28
So these 12 were hand picked, prayed over and designated as
12:33
foundational authoritative representatives.
12:35
Exactly. They were uniquely positioned to
12:37
carry his message forward. But how could Jesus ensure their
12:41
message, their teaching, would actually be accurate and
12:44
faithful to what he intended? People misremember,
12:48
misinterpret. He addressed that directly to
12:50
again with a promise involving the Holy Spirit, but
12:53
specifically directed to these apostles, both the 11 after
12:57
Judas left. OK, what was that promise?
12:58
In John 16, he tells them when the spirit of truth comes, he
13:03
will guide you into all the truth.
13:05
That's a huge promise, for he will not speak on his own
13:08
authority, but whatever he hears, he will speak, and he
13:11
will declare to you the things that are to come.
13:13
Guided into all the truth, not just some of it.
13:16
All the essential truth needed for the foundation of the
13:18
church. And notice the Spirit speaks
13:20
what he hears, implying fidelity to the Father and the Son.
13:23
The Spirit's job was also predictive, declaring things to
13:25
come relevant to God's plan. And there was another part to
13:28
that promise too, in John 14. Yes, John 14.26 But the Helper,
13:34
the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He will
13:37
teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I
13:40
have said to you. Bring to your remembrance so the
13:44
Spirit would actively help them recall Jesus's words and deeds
13:47
accurately. Precisely this divine assistance
13:50
guaranteed the reliability of their teaching.
13:53
It wasn't just based on their memory, it was supernaturally
13:56
aided recall and spirit LED interpretation.
13:59
That's the basis for the trustworthiness of the Apostolic
14:02
message. That's.
14:03
Crucial for the integrity of the message being passed down.
14:06
But was this Spirit guided teaching just for their
14:09
generation, or did Jesus intend for it to reach beyond them?
14:13
He explicitly intended it for all future generations.
14:17
We see this clearly in his High Priestly prayer in John 17.
14:20
What does he pray there? He prays first for the apostles
14:23
he's about to leave, but then he says verse 20.
14:25
I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe
14:28
in me through their word. Through their word.
14:31
That's the key phrase. Exactly.
14:33
Future believers would come to faith through the apostles
14:35
message that directly implies their message needed to be
14:38
preserved and accessible long after they were gone.
14:41
So the need for preservation points towards written records.
14:45
It certainly seems the most logical and reliable way to
14:49
preserve their word for generations, and this preserved
14:53
spirit guided teaching of the apostles is precisely what we
14:56
understand the New Testament to be.
14:58
So the New Testament finds its origin right here in Jesus's
15:02
provision for preserving the apostles authoritative teaching.
15:05
That's the understanding. The books of the New Testament
15:08
are the written form of that Apostolic word through which
15:12
people continue to believe in Jesus.
15:14
The foundation of the Church today rests squarely on this
15:18
spirit inspired Apostolic teaching.
15:21
OK, that connects the dots. Now within that group of
15:23
apostles, Peter obviously had a prominent role highlighted in
15:26
that Matthew 16 passage. We started with Jesus says to
15:29
Peter on this rock, I will build my church and gives him the keys
15:31
of the Kingdom with authority to bind and loose.
15:35
How should we understand Peter's specific role and these keys,
15:38
especially given what you've said about the shared Apostolic
15:40
foundation? This verse gets interpreted
15:42
differently. It certainly does, and it's been
15:44
the basis for significant theological differences,
15:48
particularly regarding papal authority in the Roman Catholic
15:50
tradition. Right?
15:51
However, looking closely at the context and related scriptures,
15:55
the interpretation favored in many Reformed circles
15:59
understands the rock not as Peter himself in an ongoing
16:03
office sense, but as the confession Peter made.
16:06
The confession You are the Christ, the Son of the living
16:09
God. Exactly that divinely revealed
16:12
truth about Jesus identity is the bedrock foundation of the
16:16
Church. Peter was the first to
16:18
articulate it so clearly, prompted by God.
16:21
But it's a truth shared by all the apostles and indeed all true
16:24
believers. So the church is built on the
16:26
reality of who Jesus is, as confessed by Peter.
16:29
What about the keys of the Kingdom?
16:31
The keys seem to represent the spiritual insight and authority
16:34
based on that revelation to open the way into the Kingdom.
16:37
Think about what keys do they grant access?
16:40
Peter, having received this revelation, was given the role
16:43
to, in effect, unlock the door for others through preaching the
16:46
gospel, the truth about Jesus. Like you did at Pentecost.
16:49
Precisely. Acts 2 is a prime example.
16:52
Peter stands up, preaches Christ based on this revealed truth,
16:56
and thousands enter the Kingdom. He's using the keys.
16:59
It's also contrasted with the scribes and Pharisees whom Jesus
17:02
condemned for taking away the key of knowledge and shutting
17:05
the Kingdom in people's faces. So the keys are about access
17:08
through the true gospel message and binding and losing.
17:11
That was rabbinic terminology for forbidding and permitting or
17:14
declaring what is forbidden or permitted according to God's
17:17
law. In this context, linked to the
17:19
keys and the foundational confession, it seems to refer to
17:22
the authority vested in the apostles based on Christ's
17:25
teaching and the Spirit's guidance to declare what aligns
17:28
with Kingdom life and entry and what doesn't essentially define
17:32
the boundaries of the faith and community based on the revealed
17:34
truth. Was this authority exclusive to
17:36
Peter? Well, Jesus gives a very similar
17:38
authority regarding binding and losing to all the disciples
17:42
later in Matthew 18 in the context of church discipline.
17:45
So while Peter had a prominent, perhaps initiating role,
17:50
particularly in being the first to confess and use the keys so
17:53
publicly, this foundational authority based on revealed
17:57
truth seems shared among the apostles.
18:00
So Peter's role was foundational and prominent, but the authority
18:02
ultimately rests in the Apostolic teaching itself,
18:05
preserved for us in the New Testament, rather than in a
18:08
continuous office passed down from Peter.
18:10
That's the understanding presented here.
18:12
Yes, the authority resides in the Spirit inspired Word
18:15
delivered through the apostles collectively, which continues to
18:18
function as the Church's foundation today.
18:20
That provides a helpful perspective on a complex
18:22
passage. So we have these two massive
18:24
provisions, the Holy Spirit as Jesus's living presence and the
18:28
inspired Word preserved through the apostles in the New
18:31
Testament. How do these two relate?
18:33
Are they separate tracks or are they meant to work together?
18:35
Oh, they're absolutely meant to work together.
18:37
They're inseparable. Jesus provided both the Spirit
18:40
and the Word for His Church. You can't properly have one
18:43
without the other. Why not?
18:45
What happens if you try to separate them?
18:47
Well, think about it. If you emphasize the spirits
18:50
leading without grounding it firmly in the objective truth of
18:52
the Word, you can drift into pure subjectivism, emotionalism,
18:57
maybe even heresy. Feelings become the authority,
19:01
not God's revealed truth. OK.
19:04
And the other way around, focusing only on the Word
19:07
without the Spirit. That could lead to a cold, dead
19:09
orthodoxy, just intellectual ascent to doctrines, without any
19:13
life, without any power, without the relationship with Christ
19:17
that the Spirit enables. It becomes academic, legalistic,
19:20
missing the heart of the gospel. So we need both the objective
19:24
standard of the written word. The teachings of Jesus
19:26
remembered and recorded by the Spirit through the apostles.
19:30
And the subjective inner work of the Spirit to illuminate that
19:33
word and make it alive in US. Exactly.
19:35
His spirit and His teaching are inseparable.
19:37
Trying to divorce them fundamentally misunderstands
19:40
Jesus's provision for his church.
19:42
That's a really critical balance.
19:44
But it raises another question. If we have the word the New
19:47
Testament, is that enough? Does just reading it
19:50
automatically mean we'll understand it or receive it
19:52
properly? No, and that's where the
19:53
Spirit's rule comes in. Again, specifically in
19:56
regeneration. The hard truth is, as Paul says
19:59
elsewhere, the natural person doesn't accept the things, the
20:02
Spirit. They are folly to him.
20:04
Because of spiritual blindness, Sin.
20:06
Yes, by nature we're spiritually dead, blind to spiritual
20:10
realities. We can read the Bible, but
20:13
without the Spirit's work, we won't truly grasp its divine
20:16
meaning or embrace it savingly. So what's the remedy?
20:19
Jesus Himself provides it in John 3.
20:22
Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he
20:26
cannot see the Kingdom of God. And he clarifies, that which is
20:29
born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit
20:32
is Spirit. Being born again by the Spirit.
20:34
It's a necessary work of the Spirit, this new birth,
20:37
spiritual life and spiritual sight.
20:39
It opens our eyes to see the Kingdom, to understand and
20:42
receive the truth of the Word, not just intellectually, but
20:45
spiritually, personally. So the Spirit is necessary both
20:48
to inspire the Word through the apostles and to illuminate the
20:51
Word in the hearts of believers today.
20:53
Precisely. He authored it in a sense, and
20:56
he applies it. Without the spirit.
20:58
The word remains a closed book, spiritually speaking.
21:01
So for you listening, think about that interplay.
21:03
We need the objective truth of Scripture, and we desperately
21:06
need the Spirit to open our hearts and minds to understand
21:09
and believe it. It's a package deal.
21:11
It really is. Now, besides the Spirit and the
21:13
Word, did Jesus make any other key provisions for the practical
21:17
life of the church community? Yes, he did.
21:20
He clearly foresaw the need for structure and order within his
21:23
community. We touched on it briefly with
21:25
the Binding and Lucy in Matthew 18, but that passage primarily
21:29
deals with. Church discipline.
21:31
Handling sin within the flock. Exactly.
21:33
Jesus laid out a specific process for dealing with sin
21:36
among believers. It wasn't meant to be a free for
21:39
all, nor was sin meant to be ignored.
21:41
What was that process? He outlined clear steps in
21:43
Matthew 18. First, if a brother or sister
21:46
sins against you, go privately, just the two of you, and point
21:50
out the fault. The goal is restoration.
21:52
Keep it small initially, yes. Yes, if they listen, you've won
21:56
them back. If not, the next step is take
21:59
one or two others along as witnesses.
22:01
This adds weight and accountability.
22:03
Still aiming for repentance. Still relatively contained.
22:07
Right. Only if the person refuses to
22:09
listen even then, are you to tell it to the church, the
22:12
gathered assembly. Bringing the community into it.
22:14
Yes, for the collective wisdom and encouragement towards
22:17
repentance. And if even then the person
22:20
refuses to listen to the church, Jesus says to treat them as a
22:23
Gentile and a tax collector. Meaning.
22:25
Meaning sadly, they are acting as if they are outside the
22:28
covenant community through their unrepentance.
22:31
It's a recognition of their spiritual state and serves to
22:33
protect the holiness and witness of the church.
22:36
The goal is always ultimately restorative, hoping they will
22:39
repent, but it takes the purity of the church seriously.
22:42
So clear guidelines for maintaining the health and
22:45
integrity of the community that shows real foresight for the
22:48
messy reality of human relationships.
22:50
It does. He knew his flock would still
22:53
struggle with sin. And what about specific
22:55
practices or rituals? Did he institute any ongoing
22:59
symbolic actions for the church? Yes, he gave the Church 2
23:03
specific ordinances or sacraments as visible signs of
23:06
the Gospel in our participation in it.
23:08
Baptism in the Lord's Supper. Correct baptism is commanded
23:11
right in the Great Commission. Matthew 28 Go therefore, and
23:14
make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of
23:17
the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
23:20
So baptism is tied directly to making disciples an entry,
23:23
right? Yes, it's the sign and seal of
23:25
initiation into the visible covenant community.
23:28
It signifies union with Christ in his death and resurrection,
23:31
the washing away of sin, the gift of the Spirit.
23:34
It pictures the whole reality of entering into God's new covenant
23:38
through faith in Jesus and the. Lord's Supper.
23:40
That comes from Jesus actions at the Last Supper, his final meal
23:44
with the disciples before his crucifixion.
23:47
Luke, 22, records him taking bread and wine, giving thanks
23:51
and saying do this in remembrance of me.
23:54
Do this a command for ongoing practice.
23:56
Absolutely. The command itself implies he
23:58
expected his followers to gather regularly for worship after his
24:01
departure and to continue this meal.
24:03
And what does it signify? It's a remembrance of his
24:06
sacrificial death. This is my body given for you.
24:10
This cup is the new covenant in my blood.
24:12
It's also a means of spiritual nourishment and communion with
24:15
the risen Christ by faith, and it expresses the unity of
24:18
believers sharing in Him and looks forward and hope to his
24:21
return. You proclaim the Lord's death
24:24
until he comes, as Paul puts it. So these ordinances are
24:27
tangible, ongoing provisions from Jesus himself for the life
24:30
of his Church. Yes, visible words, you could
24:32
say, constantly reminding the Church of the gospel realities
24:35
upon which it's built. Wow, when you lay it all out,
24:38
it's quite a comprehensive set of provisions.
24:40
It truly is. So just to recap this deep dive,
24:44
Jesus clearly intended to build a people, his church, not
24:47
adulting, a community defined by faith in Him and a distinctive
24:51
love, and to sustain them after he left, He provided first the
24:55
Holy Spirit as his own presence, ensuring guidance, comfort,
24:59
peace and power. The essential inner resource.
25:02
Second, he provided the inspired word through the apostles,
25:06
preserved for all time in the New Testament as the objective
25:09
foundation of truth. The reliable external standard.
25:12
And we saw the Spirit and Word are inseparable.
25:15
We need both for true understanding and life.
25:18
Really important that connection.
25:19
He also gave practical guidelines for community health
25:22
like church discipline, and instituted the ordinances of
25:25
baptism and the Lord's Supper as ongoing signs and means of
25:28
grace. The complete package really
25:30
designed for the long haul. It really seems that way.
25:32
And all this together gives a basis for confidence, doesn't
25:35
it? Absolutely, yeah.
25:36
Knowing that Jesus himself designed this and actively
25:39
sustains it through his Spirit and Word means the church isn't
25:42
dependent on human ingenuity or strength for its survival.
25:45
Despite the hostility it often faces.
25:47
Right. It allows favors to live with
25:49
confidence, knowing Jesus has already overcome the world and
25:52
His promise holds true. The gates of hell will not
25:55
prevail against His church. It's built on an unshakable
25:58
foundation with divine resources.
26:01
That's a powerful assurance. So as we wrap up, here's
26:04
something for you to think about.
26:06
How does knowing that Jesus himself meticulously set this
26:10
blueprint for his church and actively continues to sustain it
26:14
through His Spirit and His Word? How does that personally shape
26:18
your daily trust in his ongoing care and oversight?
26:21
And what does it mean for your role, your participation within
26:24
his gathered people, His church? Good questions to reflect.
26:27
On Indeed. Well, thank you for joining us
26:29
for this deep dive on reformed thinking.
26:31
Thank you. It's been a great discussion.