I Went to Church Yesterday

The tenth of an undetermined number in a series on the character and need for corporate worship.

I went to church yesterday. It was Easter, Resurrection Day, the day our Lord Jesus Christ was resurrected from the grave. Easter celebrates the cosmic victory of our triumphant King of kings and Lord of lords, who in his (life,) death burial and resurrection, soundly thrashed the evil forces of Satan, sin and death, for all those that are in him, boldly and consolingly declaring to his disciples, " "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me." " Mt 28:18.

What was my biblical text? My text for preaching on Christ's resurrection was Isaiah 25:1-12. You might ask why choose the Old Testament when the New Testament accounts of Christ's resurrection are presented with such clarity and detail in the four gospels? Why return to the old covenant when Paul gives us the most powerful, convincing theological defense, not only of Christ's resurrection but also of that of all believers, in 1 Corinthians 15, the locus classicus of the biblical doctrine of resurrection? Why go to the Old Testament which comes under the category of shades, shadows, prophecies and predictions concerning Christ and his Messianic ministry while the New Testament provides us with the fulfillment of our Lord and his work? To these just answers I answer: I chose the Old Testament because of the unity and continuity of the Scripture – the Scripture is one book comprising several books, with one unifying, controlling story, that is, the holy, righteous and offended God’s gracious provision of salvation for condemned sinners through faith alone in the Person and work of Jesus Christ, his eternal Son. Secondly, I selected an Old Testament passage because the doctrine of the resurrection is clearly stated there, as we will soon see.

Isaiah 25 falls within the larger subsection of chapters 24-27, which, because of their occupation with and portrayal of end time or eschatological concerns seen in such passages as 24:21-23; 25:6-12; 27:1-5, 12-13, and so on, are frequently and appropriately termed "The Little Apocalypse." A suggested broad outline of this section is as follows:

24:1-25:5 God's Universal Judgment of the Nations

25:6-12 God's Lavish Victory Feast on the Mountain of the Lord

26:1-21 The Joyous Song of the Redeemed on Their Way Home to
Jerusalem

27:1-13 The Final Gathering and the Security of God's Remnant on the
Mountain of the Lord in Jerusalem

The first five verses of chapter twenty-five complete Yahweh's universal judgment of the earth for its gross defilement by the ruthless nations. It is a judgment that highlights the Lord's destruction of the fortifications of the vicious nations which he transforms into a pitiful heap of ruins, while at that very moment presenting himself as the stronghold and refuge of his people. In the aftermath of and upon the foundations of this cosmic victory, the sovereign Lord of Hosts hosts a celebration, a lavish feast, on the Mountain of the Lord, for his redeemed covenant people from all the nations of the world, spreading a table before them in the very presence of their enemies.

Immediately we identify the prophet's reliance upon and fulfillment of the Exodus event when, after supernaturally defeating the Egyptian Pharaoh and his army, the Lord gathers his people on Mount Sinai to have a feast with his people who were represented by Israel's leaders and elders, Ex 24:9 -11. However, here in Isaiah this feast is unrivaled in scope-it extends to all nations; in opulence – it is a state dinner of matchless proportions; and in its location – it is held in the new city, the new Jerusalem.

Who is the chief enemy over whom the Lord has secured an eternal victory? Verses 7-8explicitly declare "And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken." Death, which the apostle Paul calls the last enemy, and its faithful, gruesome attendants of sorrow, disgrace and misery, are the primary foes that the Lord has crushed. This death, the justly imposed curse for breaking God's covenant, that once filled the land, 24:6, and that once was a veil, a dark shroud, a blight and a burden upon the people bringing reproach and disgrace upon them and causing them to live in abject fear, has now been swallowed up by the sovereign, omnipotent God. Then, in an unparalleled act of ultimate TLC, the sovereign Lord personally wipes away every tear of each of his redeemed covenant people. This act of sovereign condescension attains its consummation in the eschaton, Rev 7:17; 21:4.

The apostle Paul appropriates Isaiah's words, "death is swallowed up in victory," in 1 Cor 15:54, part of his climactic conclusion to the greatest exposition of the doctrine of resurrection which ends with these taunting words, " "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."" vv. 55-57. Here Paul teaches that by By his resurrection from the grave, the triumphant Christ has killed death, has swallowed it up and has removed its fangs and its teeth, its sting and its venom, for those that are in Christ.

To this end, the Scripture tells us that the reason for Christ's Incarnation was precisely this – to defeat Satan and death. For example, the writer to the Hebrews states that through his bodily death, Christ destroys "the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil," in order "to deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery." 2:14-15. In his first epistle John records “.. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil." 3:8. Indeed it was he who “.. disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.” Col 2:15, and who also "…abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel." 2 Tim 1:10.

Moreover, Isaiah’s phrase swallowed up is directly employed in the New Testament, not only by Paul in the above-mentioned text but also by Peter with reference to, none other than the devil himself, whom he fittingly describes as our adversary, likened unto a roaring lion, constantly on the prowl "seeking someone to devour." 1 Pe 5:8. Devour may also be translated swallow up or swallow down.

Thus, the New Testament clearly expounds that the victory over death foreseen by Isaiah on the Mountain of the Lord is fulfilled in Christ by his resurrection. Likewise, the festal celebration of which Isaiah speaks obtains its fullness in the resurrected Christ who bequeaths his supper, the Lord's Supper, to his people, the body of Christ, the church, as an act of proclaiming his death as often as it gathers in corporate worship, 1 Cor 11:23-26, until he comes the second time. Further, both Christ's victory over death and the ensuing celebratory, commemorative meal he institutes are foreshadowed in God's victory over his enemies in the Exodus event; are currently observed in the ordinance of Holy Communion; and are anticipated in the Wedding Supper of the Lamb in heaven, Rev 19:9. [The message of Scripture is one!]. Here John, the banished apostle, poignantly captures the triumphant dimension of this meal in the vision of ".. An angel standing in the sun, [calling] with a loud voice .. to all the birds that fly directly overhead, "Come, gather for the great supper of God, to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, both small and great." " vv. 17-18.

Christ's resurrection from the grave thunders throughout history with a most authoritative, distinguishable sound vindicating his claim to be Christus Victor, the indisputable King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Alpha and the Omega, the living One who died, and who is now alive forevermore, holding the keys of Death and Hades, Rev 1:18. Whereas believers view weekly corporate worship as a gathering on Mount Zion in the Presence of the Lord, Heb 12:22-24, in celebration of Christ's Person and work, as Resurrection Day, Easter is that special day memorializing Christ's resurrection as a decisive historic act, a victory over all authorities, thrones and dominions, which he will consummate at his Second Coming when "the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of Christ, and [when] he shall reign forever and ever." 11:15. Thus yesterday, we observed our resurrected King with a special regard. We especially delighted in singing Zion’s songs acclaiming Christ's finished work, one of which was Brian Wren’s "Christ Is Risen! Shout Hosanna!”, the third stanza of which affirms that:

Christ Is Risen! Earth and Heaven
Nevermore shall be the same
Break the bread of new creation
Where the world is still in pain
Tell its grim, demonic chorus:
“Christ is risen! Get you gone!”
God the First and Last is with us,
Sing Hosanna, everyone!

Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed!

I went to church yesterday.

I Went to Church Yesterday

The ninth of an undetermined number in a series on the character of and need for corporate worship.

I went to church yesterday. It is always a humbling privilege to be in the presence of the Lord with the rest of the saints. It is always a joyous and fearful experience to join with the members of our local congregation on the Lord's Day. There, in the congregation of the righteous, among those who have already fled for refuge in Christ alone as our only comfort in this life and in the life to come (Heidelberg Catechism Lord's Day # 1), we receive strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us, Heb 6:18. There, in the very presence of God, in the ark of his safety, he sweetly and sovereignly protects us from the chaos, hazards and evils of the world. There, we hear his voice in the preaching of the Word and as we eat and drink with the Lord Jesus Christ in the sacrament of the Lord's Table. There, we truly taste of the powers of the age to come. There, we are reminded of God's love for us, a love that reaches its highest expression in God’s sending his son to live a sinless life for us and to die for us, while we were yet sinners, Rom 5:8; see also v. 6.
Clearly the coming together in joyful, worshiping assembly is primarily an occasion for those that belong to God through Christ. Truly this is an event designed for God's people whom Christ purchased with his blood. Certainly this moment for those whom Christ states “Behold, I and the children God has given me.” Heb 2:13. Obviously this is a celebration for members only.

As I reflected on these truths, it began to dawn on me that to be a member of Christ's body, to be purchased by him and placed by his Spirit in his body, which receives its nourishment, strength and guidance from its head, Jesus Christ, is to be the recipient of an incomparable honor. There, unworthy in ourselves to be beneficiaries of Christ and all the benefits that he communicates to us, we are reminded that it is only by Christ's Person and work that we have been made adequate to receive such rewards.

I began to wonder again, that if all these are true, then why is it that some take church membership so lightly? Why is it that some regard it as an unpleasant, inconvenient option? Why is it that even among some professing true religion, they speak of the church as an unpleasant gathering that is full of hypocrites? Why do many perceive it to be a mere social and religious institution whose pastors are only out to get our money? I remember once having a discussion on this matter with a bank teller who stubbornly insisted that although she was not a member of a local, visible church, Christ still dwelt within her. In so doing she pointed to her heart. She was rather buxom.

Notwithstanding, the biblical witness is very clear: the Lord God has always been creating a people for himself. From the time of Adam and Eve, the first family, and from then on to Noah and his family, then to Abraham's family which the Lord expanded into a nation variously called the children of Israel, the sons of God, my people, and to which he often referred as his sheep, we understand that the Lord has always been concerned with sovereignly creating a people, a community, for himself. In this regard, Israel, the church of the Old Testament, was commanded by God to authenticate itself as God's own treasured possession by obeying his precepts regarding worship, diet and social/legal relationships. As Moses reminded his hearers "See, I have taught you statutes and rules, as the LORD my God commanded me, that you should do them in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. Keep them and do them, for that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, 'Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.' For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the LORD our God is to us, whenever we call upon him? The New Testament continues this pattern and principle. And what great nation is there, that has statutes and rules so righteous as all this law that I set before you today?" Dt 4:5-8. In sum, God's people, the members of his covenant community, the members of his church, have particular God-given signs by which they show themselves to be separated from the rest of the world and unto God.

The New Testament continues this pattern. The apostle Paul tells us throughout 1 Cor 12 that the church is indeed a body consisting of many members. "For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ… For the body does not consist of one member but of many." If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body." vv. 12, 14, 19 -20.
How did the many members come to be placed in this body? By what means were they constituted as one body? By the sovereign work of God alone: "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… But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose." vv. 13, 18. Thus, it is the Lord God himself who chooses us for our neighbors and who chooses our neighbors for us! We are his people! We are family!

Further, membership in the local church is based on the expression of our common confession of faith: "There is one body and one Spirit--just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call-- one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." Eph 4:4-6.

In this era, the body of Christ marks itself off, rather, is marked off by God, from the rest of the world, not my keeping the law but by its members' Christ-like love for one another, Jn 13:35. "For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Gal 5:14.

It is therefore within the body of Christ, that the power, love and Presence of God in the Person and work of Christ as proclaimed through the faithful preaching of the Word and as received through the proper administration of the sacraments, come alive!

These were some of the great truths that were reinforced in church yesterday. As we sang together, prayed together, confessed our sins together and received God's pardon [on the basis of Christ's merits alone] together, we were reminded that we were God's covenant community, a corporate entity, his chosen people, his own treasured possession, that he is constantly forming and shaping, molding and growing, into the image of Christ, for his own glory.

I went to church yesterday. I am a member of Christ's body.

Next week, God willing, we'll continue this discussion on the topic of church membership.

I Went to Church Yesterday

The eighth of an undetermined number in a series on the character and need for corporate worship.

I went to church yesterday – – well, really not yesterday or the day before (Tuesday and Monday) because on those days I was ill. Today, as the Lord slowly heals me, I'm trying to redeem the time. But I did go to church on Sunday; I communed with the saints.

Together with all the other believers throughout the world, we are members of Christ's body. That universal body is represented visibly in each specific, local church. As members of the church are in union with Christ through genuine faith in him and his his finished redemptive work, a union that is initiated, sustained and strengthened by the loving initiatives of his grace working through us by the effective work of the Holy Spirit, this union is necessarily reflected in the communion of the saints. This communion is an organic relationship in which all believers share with one another not only a spiritual oneness, but also a doctrinal unity deriving from our common confession of one Lord, one faith and one baptism.

Nowhere is this communion of the saints, the communion sanctorum, more vividly and more vibrantly demonstrated than in our assembling together in corporate worship. Although we come from different homes, different parts of the town or country as a whole, and although we are affected by a great variety of other circumstances pertaining to our birth, education, habits of life, local customs and even bodily constitution, when we come together on the Lord's Day as the body of Christ, when we come together in corporate worship, precisely because we are all united to Christ, all natural distinctions are subsumed under the gospel reality of Christ's finished work on the cross. In Christ all racial, social, cultural and sexual divisions, the source of conflict and injustice, are abandoned and are correctly viewed and understood in their right context, that is, from God's perspective. Being in Christ enables us to grasp that "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." Gal 3:28. Although these distinctions still apply naturally, we consider them to be an aspect of the diversity of the members of the one church, the corpus Christi, the body of Christ, into whom, Gal 3:27, and into which, 1 Cor 12:13, all members are baptized. As Christ instructed his disciples in the Upper Room, “..you in me, and I in you.” Jn 14:20 [You is plural].

In this holy communion, we are bound together with one another, more closely than peas in a pod or nuts in a shell – we are organically knitted together! In this communion we come together at a common meeting place that is Christ. There, Jesus’ words to the crowd in Jn 12:32, "" And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself,"" signifying both the death that he was about to undergo as well as the cosmic saving impact it would produce, are microcosmically enfleshed when the saints are drawn together to Christ and to one another in worship. There we reflect the magnetic charisma of Christ in a local, visible setting. There we answer the effectual call of the Holy Spirit to assemble together in Christ and at Christ. There we ascend to the high mountain of Jesus Christ. There all that are Abraham's descendants and heirs according to God's promise, Gal 3:29, and their children, come together as one covenant community, the blood-bought people of God whose organic link is clearly denoted by the reality that we ".. are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit." Eph 2:19 -22. See also 4:11-16.

As we gather together in Christ and at Christ, we humbly recall the great privilege the Lord has bestowed upon us in this current dispensation. Whereas the Old Testament saints would meet their God in a physical tent called the tabernacle of God as they journeyed through the wilderness, and whereas that physical location was changed to the temple after the Lord had given them rest from their enemies and had settled them in the Promised Land, in these last days God himself has tabernacled among us in the Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is he, the living tabernacle of God, Jesus Christ, that has pitched his tent among us. As he patiently and pleadingly impresses upon the Samaritan woman "".. the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.""Jn 4:23-24. It is he that spreads "the corner of his garment over us and covers our nakedness.. " Eze 16:8, and that draws us unto and into himself in an unbroken and unbreakable covenant relationship.

Last Sunday, the great devourer, time, did its perfect work and before long we were singing John Fawcett's most encouraging hymn, "Blest Be the Tie That Binds." Thereafter, we lingered around the sanctuary still basking in the afterglow of our rapturous encounter with our living God. Next, we slowly and unwillingly dragged our heavy heels to the parking lot to head home to discuss the events of worship among ourselves and to pray for God's strength to meet the burdens of our secular world in the marketplace where we will bear witness to our Lord and Savior. As we finally left the safe and sublime surroundings of the sanctuary and entered into the hostile environment, we sadly recalled the words of Fawcett’s last stanza “When we asunder part, it gives us inward pain; but we shall still be joined in heart, and hope to meet again.”

I went to church last Sunday. I communed with the saints.

I Went to Church Yesterday

The seventh of an undetermined number in a series on the character and need for corporate worship.

One of the joys we share in corporate worship is the singing of praise to our Triune God who commands his people to "Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth! Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! " Ps 100:1-2. This we strive to do every time we assemble together. Yesterday was no exception.

As believers standing in covenant unity, continuity and solidarity with the Old Testament saints, we understand that we cannot and must not enter God's presence without a sacrifice. When our Old Testament brothers entered into God's presence, they never did so empty-handed. Such a concept was both unheard of and unthinkable to them. The worshiper would bring an animal, typically a domestic animal, one that was physically perfect, and depending on the nature of the sacrifice, after he had laid his hands on the animal’s head, either he or the officiating priest would sacrifice the animal and spread its blood on the sides of the altar, Lev 1:5, 11;
3:2; etc. On the Day of Atonement, the High Priest would sprinkle the blood of the sacrificed animals in front and on the mercy seat, 16:14 - 15. However, today, our sacrifice has already been made. Jesus Christ, the Lamb that takes away the sin of the world, Jn 1:29, 36, is our once for all sacrifice satisfying the holy justice of God for sin and sinners. "… But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself." Heb 9:26. Christ our Savior is our final sacrifice for our sins who took our place on the cross of Calvary. Our sacrifice has already been made for us. It is his sprinkled blood that cleanses our hearts and purifies our consciences, 10:22; 9:13. However God has not repealed his command to always appear in his presence with a sacrifice. These great truths therefore beg the question, what kind of sacrifice must we now bring when we enter into God's presence for worship?

The writer to the Hebrews tells us in verse 15 of chapter 13 that through Christ alone we are to "… continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name." Jesus Christ is our sacrifice through whom we come to God to offer the sacrifice of praise as we confess (this is the literal signification of the word acknowledge) his Name. The phrase is taken from Hos 14:1-2 in which Yahweh makes a major plea through his minor prophet for his people to return to him with an earnest plea for full repentance of their sins, accompanied by their offering of the calves or vows of their lips. To confess God's Name is to say the same things that he says about himself, to declare his attributes back to him.

Therefore yesterday, we the congregated covenant community, we the New Testament priesthood, entered into God's presence through our Mediator Jesus Christ and responded to the Lord of the covenant by joyfully, thankfully, and fervently singing his words back to him, that is, confessing his Name. Like the rest of our worship service, our praise centers on the Word, attributes and acts of God in history and time, particularly as these are pre-eminently portrayed and personified in the Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Indeed, is Christ not the very Word of God, Jn 1:1, through whom God the Father speaks perfectly, completely and finally in these last days, Heb 1:2? Further, is he not God in the flesh, Jn 1:1, 14, even as he has testified of himself, “I and the Father are one." Jn 10:30, and again, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father...”? 14:9. Yet further, is he not God's eternal Son who completes and perfects God’s work of redemption in history? Does not the Scripture speak of him in this way: “After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,.”? Heb 1:3. Certainly it is he who fulfills all the Father’s purposes “For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.” 2 Cor 1:20. Lastly, the Scripture clearly teaches "… he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself." Heb 9:26


Undergirded therefore by these majestic and irrefutable truths, we affirm that, like the rest of our worship, our singing of praise is to be rooted in Christ's redeeming work, in the gospel which both forms and informs it. When I say that the gospel informs our praise I mean that God's redemptive work in Christ is the primary reason that he is the object of our worship. By saying that the gospel informs our worship I contend that Christ and his work are the content that we sing.

So, what exactly are our songs of praise? They are songs extolling the excellency of Christ – his birth, life, death, burial, resurrection, ascension and Second Coming- through which he attains redemption for his covenant people, songs which are at the same time, thank offerings to God for the sake of Christ.

What did we sing in church yesterday? Yesterday we sang the gospel of Jesus Christ. We sang the inspired Psalms and hymns of Scripture as well as spiritual songs composed by later Christians addressing and exulting in the incomparable majesty of God in Christ Jesus our Lord, Eph 5: 19 -20. We sang God's words back to him and the Holy Spirit used these very words to glorify him and to strengthen our hearts, sustain our faith and encourage our entire assembly as we anticipate (d) the eschatological victory of Christ over the powers of this world, the final establishment of his kingdom, and our full, unrestrained, unreserved, unrestricted joy in his presence, Rev 4-5. I went to church yesterday! Believe me, I did!

But precisely what did you sing in church yesterday? For our Hymn of Praise, that is, our opening hymn, we sang "All Glory, Laud and Honor," attributed in part to St. Theodulph of Orleans, 760-821. After the reading of the law and corporate confession, our Hymn of Thanksgiving was Horatius Bonar’s (1808-1889) "I Lay My Sins on Jesus" and our Hymn of Preparation, taken from the Trinity Hymnal, was Psalm 11:1-5, 7. For our Communion Hymn we sang a medley of songs comprising C. H. Spurgeon's (1834-1892) "Amidst Us Our Beloved Stands" and "I Know It Was the Blood." Our Hymn of Parting was John Fawcett’s (?) "Lord Dismiss Us With Thy Blessing."


So, yesterday, in response to God's immeasurable blessings to us in Christ Jesus, we assembled together coram Deo to hear from him in Word and sacrament and in return, to offer the sacrifice of praise to him for His Name's sake, for indeed "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!" Rev 5:13 However, as Christians we know that our praise of God is not limited to a weekly assembly but that, according to the abundant mercies of God in Christ, our whole life is to be a sacrifice of worship, a song of adulation and and adoration, offered to God and our neighbor, demonstrated by our loving and selfless words and works, attitudes and actions. Rom 12:1-2. I went to church yesterday.