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Sermon Outline
“These are your people” or “these are my people”. Those are two of Phil Sasser’s many iconic sayings in the life of our church. Phil was our senior pastor for many years and then our pastor emeritus before he passed away in 2024. And he would use those sayings in at least two different settings. One was when he talked about his family lineage from Kentucky, “Those are my people” he would say. And he wouldn’t hide the fact that his family contained both saints and sinners. But more often he would use this phrase when he was introducing new members to our church, “these are your people” he would say to them. He would also say that to the church concerning the new members.
He was describing the truth that, at least for this season of life, these are the people that God has joined you to. Those that you will walk with as you seek to grow in the Lord and serve one another and build up the church. Today as we continue our seven week series on the church we are going to discuss both what theologians call the visible and invisible church and the local church and the universal church. We see Paul addressing not only the local church at Corinth but the universal church, all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours”. These are our people as well!
We are united in Christ with them and will be for all eternity. And what I want you to see today is the glory of our calling to be part of the universal Body of Christ and the local Body of Christ. This calling is the calling of our lives. Yes, there are other things that God has appointed us to do but to be in the Body of Christ, the apple of God’s eye, the bride of Christ, the church triumphant, the family and army of God, the church of the Living God which is the pillar and buttress of the truth and which is part of God’s eternal purpose - this Beloved is the calling of our lives! Psalm 87 tells us of the glory of the church in a prophetic way.
On the holy mount stands the city he founded; the Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwelling places of Jacob. Glorious things of you are spoken, O city of God.
— Psalm 87: 1-3 (ESV)
Our first point has not so much to do with what the church is as to how we get into the church! It has to do with being called. In the two verses of our text this idea of being called or set apart is mentioned five times. In verse two the members of the Corinthian church are described as those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints. This word sanctified has the idea of being set apart, that is to be consecrated or made holy. Remember in the Old Testament there were instruments (such as utensils and vessels and basins) that were set apart, they were (just ordinary) made holy or consecrated/dedicated for a special purpose.
This is what God has done for us, in us! This is what He has done for every genuine Christian. He has taken “ordinary” sinners and set them apart for Himself! Our salvation is rooted in God’s initiative - He called us and set us apart for Himself and for his purposes - to know him and to serve him. These two words in verse two, called and sanctified are two different words with slightly different meanings but they are involved in one action = God called us and set us apart as holy for himself.
Now often as New Testament believers when we hear the word sanctified we think of sanctification which is the process of being made holy. It is God’s work in us to make us more like Christ, to grow in godliness. And that is a very important part of the Christian life. God is always at work in our lives doing this. And if you’re not aware of that process, that it is the will of God for your life you will be perplexed as to what is going on in your life. Peter actually addresses this in his first epistle:
Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.
— I Peter 4:12 (ESV)
Don’t be surprised at the work of sanctification going on in your life including fiery trials which can help purify us. But the word sanctified actually begins with the idea of the initial calling and setting apart by God for His purposes. We are set apart as holy and then the process of becoming holy begins. I dedicate this person as holy, I see him/her as holy in Christ and now I am working to bring that about in their life.
We see both of these ideas in Romans 8:
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
— Romans 8:28-30 (ESV)
This calling is from God. If you are in Christ it’s because of God’s calling upon your life. Verse two of our text tells us that the Corinthian believers were those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints. In the world/culture the meaning of saints is a”really good person” who never does anything wrong. In the Catholic church, Christians who are deemed saints are like Super Star Christians or more accurately venerated Christians. “Canonization – the formal process by which the Church declares a person to be a saint and worthy of universal veneration.”
Biblically speaking this word saints includes the meaning pure, morally blameless, sacred or holy or set apart as holy. The NIV translation of verse two reads “called to be his holy people”. All Christians are saints - those who have been called and set apart for God and called to be holy.
As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
— I Peter 1:14-16 (ESV)
When the Lord saves a person he is setting them apart as holy to himself. This is part of our great salvation. We have been set apart to live for God. This is a part of our identity as a Christian. We have been called out of the world and called into the kingdom of God. In the Old Testament the tribe of Levi was called and set apart to be priests unto God. They had a special calling to serve the Lord and minister to him and his people. In the New Testament we are all called to be priests (to God).
It’s good to remind ourselves that we are not our own, we have been set apart for Jesus. I know that most of us want to be able to interact with non-Christians and for them to see us as those who share many things in common with them. And that’s understandable. But we must never allow that sentiment from keeping us from our calling as a people who have been set apart to live for God.
This word holy includes the meaning of different or other. God in his holiness is like no other! He is the holy one of Israel. He is separate and different from any other creature or being. And we, his people, are called to be different, we are called to have holy behavior, the very likeness of Christ. And so though we are very similar in some respects to our non-Christian friends and acquaintances we should not be ashamed of the very clear ways that God has called us to live differently from the world. He has called us to holiness in our thoughts, words and deeds. We are called to be like the people who are described in I Peter 2.
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people
— I Peter 2:9-10a (ESV)
So Christians are set apart individuals who then become a part of a set apart people which is the church. First let’s discuss what is meant by the visible church and the invisible church. These are theological terms but they are important terms. Wayne Grudem states that:
The visible church is the church as Christians on earth see it. ie those who are genuine believers and have an understanding of the difference between a believer and a non-believer.
— Wayne Grudem
Now it’s not necessarily everyone who calls themself a Christian. Our confession of faith gives us a good description of who it is describing:
All persons throughout the world who profess faith in the gospel and practice obedience to God by Christ according to it, who have not destroyed their own profession by any foundational errors or unholiness, are and may be called visible saints. Individual congregations ought to be composed of those who profess such faith.
— Trinity Fellowship Churches Confession of Faith 28:2
In today’s vernacular you could say that the visible church is what is known in our culture as the evangelical church. That is the church that is made up of those who have made a profession of saving faith and are seeking to live that out . But we know from experience and more importantly from Scripture that in all evangelical churches not everyone is a believer. This should be concerning but not surprising to us. Jesus himself spoke of it in Matthew 13:
The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.”
— Matthew 13:24b-30 (ESV)
So even in a Bible believing church we know that there can be those who end up leaving the faith. I John 2 describes this situation:
They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.
— I John 2:19
John isn’t saying because they left a certain local church they were not Christians but because they left the faith. This group also would include those who remain in church but have never truly been converted.
In our text Paul is writing to both the visible local church, “the church that is in Corinth”. And the visible universal church, “ all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours”.
When it comes to the invisible church Grudem defines it as the church as God sees it. 2 Timothy 2:19 states that The Lord knows those who are his. Again our confession of faith is helpful:
The catholic or universal church may be called invisible in terms of the internal work of the Spirit. The universal church consists of the whole number of the elect from the past, present, and future. They will be gathered into one, under Christ, its head. The church is the spouse, the body, and the fullness of him who fills all in all.
— Trinity Fellowship Churches Confession of Faith 28:1
We are a part of this invisible eternal church - we are seated with Christ in the heavenly places. This is part of our glorious salvation that when we believed upon Jesus Christ and passed out of judgment into eternal life we became part of this universal church of all the saints including the Old Testament saints and the early church saints. I Corinthians 12:13 tells us that when we believed we were baptized into this invisible universal church.
For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
— I Corinthians 12:13
Now in this second point we are discussing the visible universal church. When we believed upon the Lord with saving faith we were united to the universal invisible church (which includes all true believers past, present and future) and as an extension of that we became part of the visible universal church - all people throughout the world who have made all confession of faith and are seeking to live it out.
This is part of our identity. We are part of the universal body of Christ. It is interesting that Paul would include this greeting to “all who in every place call upon the name of the Lord” in his letter to the Corinthians. The Corinthian church was characterized by arrogance and pride and Paul may have been addressing this as early as verse two. He was reminding them that they are a part of the church made up of believers throughout the known world at that time.
The Corinthians thought they had it all together and were “the church”. And that arrogance showed itself in a sectarian or partisan spirit. We see this in a few verses following our text. After Paul encourages the church and affirms their faith in verses four to nine he addresses this pride which has led to quarreling.
For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.” Is Christ divided?
— I Corinthians 1:11-13a (ESV)
The clear answer is no! Do individual Christians and churches disagree about certain points of doctrine, yes. But we should not let that divide us. We should reject this party spirit that says I follow Peter, or Paul or Apollos or whatever current Christian leader’s names you could insert there. For all who call upon the name of the Lord in saving faith, all who are seeking to follow Christ we should embrace as brothers and sisters in the faith and rejoice in our common citizenship in the kingdom of God. These are our people! We should not be ashamed to be counted among them.
By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.
— Hebrews 11:24-26 (ESV)
The thing that unites us with every other Christian is the gospel. We have the following truths in common with every genuine believer: We were sinners - some of us may have been more intellectual sinners (dignified) and or maybe some of us more blue collar sinners. But we all shared the fact that we were a long way from God. We also share with every genuine believer that we were recipients of God’s grace and mercy. Through the gospel He called us to himself. He saved us by grace through faith.
That is the wonderful grace and truth that binds us to every other believer, past, present and future. Second Peter 1 tells us that we have a faith of equal standing by the righteousness of Christ. Fellow heirs of the gracious gift of life. We should rejoice with every person who is trusting in Christ and seeking to follow him. We share with them the truth that we are in Christ, in the kingdom of God and in his eternal invisible church together - regardless of what visible local church we are a part of.
In this last section we are going to focus on the visible local church but remember the local church is connected to the universal church. All the glorious things that the Bible says about the church are spoken about the universal church. You might say, “Mike, what glorious things are you speaking about?”. Well here’s a few of them:
I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
— Matthew 16:18b (ESV)
I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth.
— I Timothy 3:14-15 (ESV)
To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord,
— Ephesians 3:8-11 (ESV)
As glorious as the universal church is called to be, the local church is where those glorious things are actually worked out - often in unglorious ways; mundane, “ordinary” ways and sometimes powerful, awesome, beautiful ways.
A local church is a mutually-affirming group of new covenant members and kingdom citizens, identified by regularly gathering together in Jesus’ name through preaching the gospel and celebrating the ordinances.
— Jonathan Leeman
Last week Daniel mentioned another “picture” or description of the church from the Song of Solomon.
Who is this who looks down like the dawn, beautiful as the moon, bright as the sun, awesome as an army with banners?
— Song of Solomon 6:10 (ESV)
That’s how God sees us in Christ. This is how we as the church will be in eternity. But not so much in this age. We are a “work in progress”! Someone said that the church is a building that always has scaffolding attached to it. That describes our individual lives and our life together in the church. God is always at work in us. But despite its frailty we should never despise the local church. In verse two Paul addresses the church in Corinth. This word church in the Greek is Ekklesia. Daniel mentioned this last week. He told us that the meaning of Ekklesia is to be called out of and into. We are a called out community. Called out of the world and into the kingdom and into the church.
When we read the New Testament we get a realistic idea of the local church. We read in Acts about the first Christians, that they were devoted to the Lord and to prayer and fellowship and evangelism and to one another.
Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.
— Acts 4:33-35 (ESV)
But we also read in the book of Acts that some who were among them lied and there were contentions and also disputes over doctrine. Paul who had many wonderful ministry partners also had those who left him. And at his first defense all who were with him deserted him. In the Epistles Paul often commends the church he is writing to. But we also hear Paul addressing areas where they were not just struggling but blatantly sinning against the Lord and one another. We must have a biblical and realistic vision for the local church. It can be, as Charles Spugeon stated “the dearest place on earth”. At the same time many people have been sinned against in very hurtful ways by those in the local church.
So how should the Christian respond? I think Paul’s own example is a great place to start. He was very buoyant - able to stay afloat amongst the ups and downs of church life. Look at his example in writing to the Corinthian church. They were a hot mess! Think of the Galatian church - they had gone totally legalistic. Even among very commendable churches such as those at Philippi and Colosse Paul speaks directly to some very sinful practices. And yet Paul does not forsake any of them but continues to speak the truth to them in love. Continues to encourage them, reprove them and walk with them. And keep in front of them the upward call of God in Christ.
Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.
— Philippians 4:1 (ESV)
In my fifty plus years as a Christian much of the grace of God that has kept me and strengthened me has come through the local churches that I have been a part of. Not just the faithful shepherds that guided them but the many, many faithful Christians that I have been able to walk with, fellowship with, weep with, rejoice with and minister with as we sought to build up the body of Christ and share the gospel with non-Christians.
Last week Daniel shared a quote about the church from John Stott. Here is part of it:
If instead we keep before us the vision of God’s new society as his family, his dwelling place and his instrument in the world, then we shall constantly be seeking to make our church’s worship more authentic, its fellowship more caring and its outreach more compassionate. In other words, we shall be ready to pray, to work and if necessary to suffer in order to turn the vision into a reality. ”
— John Stott
In closing here are some hopefully practical things that we can do to make Cornerstone or any local church that you end up being a part - fruitful and strong:
“Church membership, in other words, is not about “additional requirements.” It’s about a church taking specific responsibility for a Christian, and a Christian for a church. It’s about “putting on,” “embodying,” “living out,” and “making concrete” our membership in Christ’s universal body. In some ways, the union which constitutes a local church and its members is like the “I do” of a marriage ceremony, which is why some refer to church membership as a “covenant.”
— Jonathan Leeman
Here are some other recent messages.
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