{"id":4551,"date":"2021-08-09T20:08:05","date_gmt":"2021-08-09T20:08:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/?p=4551"},"modified":"2021-08-09T20:08:05","modified_gmt":"2021-08-09T20:08:05","slug":"why-the-church-is-in-the-world-gods-historical-agenda","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/why-the-church-is-in-the-world-gods-historical-agenda\/","title":{"rendered":"Why the Church is in the World: God’s Historical Agenda"},"content":{"rendered":"
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But now\u00a0I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have\u00a0my joy fulfilled in themselves.<\/span><\/span>\u00a014\u00a0<\/sup>I have given them your word, and\u00a0the world has hated them\u00a0because they are not of the world,\u00a0just as I am not of the world.<\/span><\/span>\u00a015\u00a0<\/sup>I\u00a0do not ask that you\u00a0take them out of the world, but that you\u00a0keep them from\u00a0the evil one.[a<\/a>]<\/sup><\/span><\/span>\u00a016\u00a0<\/sup>They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.<\/span><\/span>\u00a017\u00a0<\/sup>Sanctify them[b<\/a>]<\/sup>\u00a0in the truth;\u00a0your word is truth.<\/span><\/span>\u00a018\u00a0<\/sup>As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.<\/span><\/span>\u00a019\u00a0<\/sup>And\u00a0for their sake\u00a0I consecrate myself,[c<\/a>]<\/sup>\u00a0that they also\u00a0may be sanctified[d<\/a>]<\/sup> in truth. (John 17:13-19)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Introduction<\/b><\/p>\n

Particularly in the last several decades of American Evangelicalism, there has been a massive preoccupation with being raptured out of this world. Many of these end times speculations have been built more on fiction novels, than the Word of God. Now as I preach against these various end times rapture theories, let it not be confused with the biblical doctrine that we heartily proclaim, that the Lord Jesus will come again to wrap up history, and judge the living and the dead. But when Christians become consumed with the speculation of being raptured out of this world, we cannot help but notice that it is one of the various things that has led to the societal degradation and collapse that we are witnessing today. This is because when Christians are consumed with these theories of getting out of here, it has led to many, not all, but many Christians in large numbers withdrawing from societal roles and responsibilities and kingdom building. It has led to many churches stepping back, taking their hands off the plow and refusing to say to governors and doctors and schools, that Jesus is Lord over our government, medicine, and schools, and look at the condition of things today. This idea of escaping out of the world is antithetical to Christ\u2019s prayer for His Church. What did Jesus pray? Jesus said to the Father, \u201cI do not ask that you take them out of the world.\u201d That\u2019s what Jesus prayed for His Church. Yet, what do many Christians desire, what do we desire at times? We look around at the condition of the world around us, we see how quickly things are declining, and how proudly vile sin is being promoted, and we just want to escape and get taken out of here, because it\u2019s such a big mess, and we think we can\u2019t do anything. But Church, there is no escape from the responsibilities that God has placed right in front of us. There is no escape from the time and place and world that God has placed us in. He has put us here for a reason. And that reason is not to escape from it.<\/span><\/p>\n

I remember as a younger Christian, in my own life, I would think about the difficulties and major responsibilities and hard tasks that were coming for me in my life, and I used to think, \u201cman, I really hope God raptures me out of here before I have to do this or do that or face this thing.\u201d Or in great trials in my life, I would just desire, not to suffer patiently with good hope and endurance, but I just wanted to zapped up out of it. But that is not God\u2019s design for His people. I am sure many of you can say similar things, there are times where you just want out of here. There is of course a holy desire to depart from the body and be with Christ. But it is a sinful desire when we want to escape our responsibilities and the difficulties of this world. And when it is a desire to escape responsibilities and to escape suffering and the war of dragon slaying, it is weak and cowardly effeminacy. And that is one of the problems in evangelical culture today. Even if it not manifested in a fascination with rapture theories, it is often manifested in a cowardice to address sins in our own lives and churches, and since we won\u2019t do that, we then are weakened and so avoid confrontation with the sins of our culture and world around us, because we don\u2019t to be hated by the world or be canceled by them. The root sin is the same. And in this sin, we are denying what Christ prayed for us, that we not be taken out of the world.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why is it that Christ makes this request? Why does He not want us to be taken out of the world? You will notice that when someone is converted to Christ and becomes a Christian, they can look around, and they\u2019re still here. When we were converted, we did not get instantly zipped up to heaven. We are still here. Why is that? Why are we here? Why is Christ\u2019s Church in this world, where there is all kinds of sin and suffering and persecutions? In short, it is because God has a historical agenda for His Church in the world. God has an agenda for His Church that involves the progress of the Church in time and history in this world.<\/span><\/p>\n

When we look at what Jesus prays here in John 17, there are four reasons, you could say, that He gives for why He does not ask that His church be taken out of the world.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Jesus does not want us taken out of the world, but to be distinct from the world.<\/b><\/p>\n

The first, isn\u2019t so much a reason, as it is a statement of fact. Jesus does not want us taken out of the world, but to be distinct from the world. The way Jesus says it, a couple of times, is not so much as a job that we have before us to be distinct from the world, but as a statement of reality of who we are. Jesus says, \u201cthey are not of the world.\u201d This is a statement of identity and origin. The source of our becoming Christians, is not from the world. If we are Christians, it is because we have been born from above, born of God. We have been made New Creations in Christ Jesus, we have been given the Holy Spirit to indwell us as believers, and we have a new nature in Christ. This new nature and identity comes from Jesus Christ, who Himself was not of this world, but was sent from the Father, into the world, to accomplish our redemption.<\/span><\/p>\n

So while we are not asked to be taken out of the world, we are yet distinct from the world, referring to the world of the natural, sinful man. We have a new identity that comes from Christ who came from above and outside the world, into it. Thus we have new desires that don\u2019t come from the world, but come from the Spirit of God. We have new desires to obey Christ, to mortify sin, deny the flesh, to love God and love one another, and much more. Certainly it flows from this fact of our new identity in Christ, that we are to strive to be distinct from the world, in accordance with our new identity in Christ.<\/span><\/p>\n

When it comes to how we ought to live as Christians, and how we ought to function as a Church, we don\u2019t look to the world, or the fleshly way of thinking, or how we used to think in our flesh, but we look to God\u2019s Word. And, in our society today, someone who is a simple Christian, who just believes every word in their Bible and seeks to obey it, they will look radically different than the world today. What the Bible defines as living a quiet and peaceable life, will look like a fringe extremist in our world today. And we have simply got to be okay with that, if we are to be faithful Christians. A Christian today who believes every word in their Bible, including what it says about marriage, family, gender, and sexuality, is way more countercultural than the punk rockers from the 90\u2019s who thought they were just the most radical people in society. Those guys are very normal now in our society. We are not to be taken out of the world, but we are distinct from the world.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jesus does not want us taken out of the world, but to be kept from the evil one.<\/b><\/p>\n

Secondly, Jesus does not want us taken out of the world, but to be kept from the evil one. Jesus has not left us here to Satan. He has not left us here to be sifted, consumed, and devoured by the evil one. While we are here, and there is evil around us, we are kept from being defeated by it. So often we can feel as if there is no way we can survive or resist temptation with it in our faces everywhere we go. How can a man keep his way pure in this world? Maybe this is a fear we have in raising our children. How are we supposed to keep them from all this evil, how are they going to be able to survive the onslaught of temptation they will face? We must recognize this is the promise Jesus makes over and over again in this prayer about those whom the Father has given to Him: not one of them will be lost. This is the work of Christ through His Spirit and Church that those whom the Father has given to Him, will not be given over to Satan, but will be kept from the evil one, no matter how much evil there may be around us today. Satan cannot and will not have those who belong to Christ, and being here in the world does not jeopardize that promise, for the promise was made because of the fact that Jesus is leaving us here in this world. The promise is given for the fact that we are in the world. If we were not left here, this would not really be a promise that we need. This means we can face our tasks, we can face evil, we can make war and fight against it with confidence in the promises of God, knowing this is what Christ prayed for us, that we be kept from the evil one. This means we don\u2019t have to try and take the job of preservation out of Christ\u2019s hands by withdrawing and hiding from our enemies, but rather, we can face them.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jesus does not want us taken out of the world, but to be sanctified (historical endeavor)<\/b><\/p>\n

Third, Jesus does not want us taken out of the world, but to be sanctified.<\/span><\/p>\n

The last two weeks we have looked at the doctrines of election and preservation, and then reprobation as seen here in John 17. Today as we continue to make our way through Christ\u2019s most glorious prayer here in John 17, what we have essentially been considering and talking about is the doctrine of sanctification, as it is set forth here for us in Christ\u2019s prayer. Why does Jesus not take us out of the world? It\u2019s because He wants to sanctify us. And sanctification is a historical endeavor. It is something that does not happen instantly. It is something that happens in time, in history, in our lives. It happens over time. It is a progressive work that God\u2019s Spirit does in us. And if Jesus wants us to be sanctified, then we need time here for God to work on us and for that to happen. And it is through suffering, and overcoming temptation, and being afflicted with trials, and facing evil and enemies, and being brought through the things we face in this world that we are sanctified. Sanctification happens through difficulty. It is not always pleasant or easy for us. Indeed the difficulties that we face in this world are necessary for our sanctification. It is necessary that we be here in this world, to be sanctified. God\u2019s plan for history is the sanctification of His Church – the purification of His bride. This is a task that takes historical time. This is why we are given responsibilities, they sanctify us. Being a child, learning to obey your parents is sanctifying. Being a man and providing for a household is sanctifying. Being a wife and mother and bearing children is sanctifying. Getting really sick is sanctifying. Facing financial difficulties is sanctifying.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Now let me take a moment to give a really good definition of sanctification so we are all on the same page. To define sanctification, I will just read for you how our confession, the 1689 London Baptist Confession, words it in chapter 13, \u201cOn Sanctification.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>They who are united to Christ, effectually called, and regenerated, having a new heart and a new spirit created in them through the virtue of Christ’s death and resurrection, are also farther sanctified, really and personally, through the same virtue, by His Word and Spirit dwelling in them; the dominion of the whole body of sin is destroyed, and the several lusts thereof are more and more weakened and mortified, and they more and more quickened and strengthened in all saving graces, to the practice of all true holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord. This sanctification is throughout the whole man, yet imperfect in this life; there abideth still some remnants of corruption in every part, whence ariseth a continual and irreconcilable war; the flesh lusting against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh. In which war, although the remaining corruption for a time may much prevail, yet through the continual supply of strength from the sanctifying Spirit of Christ, the regenerate part doth overcome; and so the saints grow in grace, perfecting holiness in the fear of God, pressing after an heavenly life, in evangelical obedience to all the commands which Christ as Head and King, in His Word hath prescribed them.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

So in short, sanctification is our growing in grace, which involves the weakening and defeating of sin in our lives and the strengthening of obedience to Christ. It involves warfare and time. We are left here, not to withdraw and pray that God get us out of here, but we are here to put our hands to war with the flesh, consistently throughout our lives. The reason we are here and not in heaven right now, is because we are not yet ready for heaven. Yes, in one sense we are ready for heaven the moment we become Christians. We are secure in Christ, ready to die. Yet, in another sense, we are not yet ready as shown by God\u2019s providence in leaving us here. We are not ready, not in that we are not justified and secure, but in that God desires us to grow and become more like Christ, more sanctified, more mature, and more holy in practice. God is the one who says, in His time, when it is our time to come home to heaven. While we are yet here, God still has sanctifying purposes for us. There is still sin to be mortified. There are still jobs to be done. There is still more obedience to be had. There is still more grace to give and receive.<\/span><\/p>\n

As we think about this prayer being Christ\u2019s High Priestly Prayer, we realize that sanctification, or consecration is a priestly duty. Christ fulfills this, and we are His kingdom of priests. Leviticus, the book of priestly duties, tells us in Leviticus 11:44, which is quoted by Peter in the New Testament, \u201cFor I am the LORD your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy.\u201d This is what Jesus fulfills, and what HE prays for us, to be accomplished in us.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now how else is it that we are sanctified? Jesus tells us in verse 17 of John 17, \u201cSanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Truth is the means of sanctification. By truth, the gospel is primarily intended, but also the whole counsel of God\u2019s Word, mainly the ministry of Christ to His people. It is not simply facing trials and temptations in this world that sanctifies us, it is facing them with the truth. Unbelievers face all kinds of evil and hardships as we do. Yet they are not sanctified by them. They instead turn more and more into their rebellion against God. But the believer faces those things in truth, and are turned more and more to Christ, who is the Truth, and are thus sanctified by them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This is one reason why truth is so vital to the Christian worldview. By it we are sanctified. If we face trials and difficulties, but in doing so we believe lies or falsehoods about God, or if we turn to sin and disobedience or turn to idols when we are vexed, that is not sanctifying. It is rebelling. It is sinful. As Christians we cannot just grin and bear it and turn to fleshly coping mechanisms, or employ worldly psychology to find solutions to our problems. We must turn to the truth, found in the word of God. If you come to the elders of this church for counselling because you are having marriage problems, or problems with your children, we will not give you books or counseling based on worldly philosophy or personality trait tests. We may not be the best counselors or be able to fix all of your problems, but we will do our best to give you the truth of God\u2019s Word. For it is the truth that sanctifies Christians.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is why reforming our doctrine and practice to the Word of God is often very hard and uncomfortable – it is sanctifying. It hurts to grow. But it is necessary.<\/span><\/p>\n

And note here, that in Jesus saying \u201cSanctify them in the truth\u201d what is namely in view is Christ clothed in the gospel. It is that gospel of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, that not only saves us and justifies us, but it is also that which sanctifies us. The more deeply we understand the gospel, and how the work of Christ is applied to us by faith, the more we grow in grace and sanctification. Because we can learn all of the law and morals that we are to live by, but if we do so apart from the proper knowledge of Christ in the gospel, it is not sanctifying to us. We\u2019ll just become like the Pharisees who knew all the law of God better than anyone else, yet they rejected Christ and were damned. Sanctification is growing in grace, and grace comes not from the law, but through Jesus Christ.<\/span><\/p>\n

So often as Christians, we know the right answers. We know what we are supposed to do. But what sanctifies us, is when we understand what has been done for us. And that gives us power to obey and do what we are supposed to do. We can know all day long that we are supposed to forgive 70 times 7. But it is when we know and believe that we have been forgiven by God in Christ for more than can ever be done to us, that we are then able to forgive again and again and again. If I don\u2019t have grace in my heart, I can\u2019t give it. I can know all day long that I am supposed to love my wife and give myself up for her. But it is not until I know and believe that Christ loved me and gave Himself up for me, that I am then able to do that for my bride. You can know all day long that you are supposed to love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. But until you know and believe that you were once an enemy of God, and that while you were yet a sinner, Christ died for you, you won\u2019t be able to do it. The gospel that saves us, is the means by which we also are sanctified.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

God\u2019s agenda for history is that Christ be all in all. Sanctification is being transformed more and more into the image of Christ. We are being made to look like Him. We cannot be sanctified apart from Christ.<\/span><\/p>\n

And in this program of Christ being all in all, we see that God\u2019s agenda for history is progress and victory. Those who know and love more and more of Christ, obey Him more and more. They conquer sin more and more. Every corner of our lives is to be subjected to the authority of Christ in obedience to Him. Every thought is to be taken captive to the obedience of Christ.<\/span><\/p>\n

This means that we cannot be comfortable with our \u201clittle sins.\u201d We cannot be content to simply refrain from all the \u201cbig sins\u201d out there. That is an easy temptation for us. We can look out at the chaos and rebellion in the world and think with pride that at least we know the difference between a boy and girl. At least we know that homosexuality is nothing to be proud about. At least we don\u2019t have four different kids with four different people, and the person we\u2019re with now we aren\u2019t married to. Those are major problems that we can\u2019t back away from preaching about in our society. But the goal of our sanctification is not just to not be obviously like that. Our goal is every thought, every single word we say, every intention behind our actions, to be in obedience to Christ. We cannot say \u201cwell, it\u2019s not that big of deal if I look at this pornography, because I\u2019m not acutally going out and committing literal physical adultery, and everyone else in the world is.\u201d That\u2019s not Chirstian thinking. We cannot say, \u201cwell, it\u2019s no big deal that I talk to my wife in this rude way, because I\u2019m not actually going to physically beat her.\u201d We cannot say, \u201cwell, its not big deal for me to disrespect my husband and be unsubmissive in these small ways, because I\u2019m still actually working at home and not divorcing him, and everyone else in the world is.\u201d Or for kids living at home, it is not okay to say, \u201cwell, it\u2019s not big deal if I have a bad attitude and disrespect my parents, because I still obey them, and I\u2019m not out doing what all the other kids are doing.\u201d We cannot think it is okay to be relaxed with our faithfulness in how we function as a church because there are way more compromised and apostate churches out there. Gossip, complaining, pride, uncharitable thoughts toward one another. These are seeds of destruction. We must destroy them. Church, these sins are not little. They are great seeds of rebellion. Christ prays that we be sanctified, not just from the big sins out there in the world, but from all of these little one in us. Each person\u2019s sanctification is different. Some people may struggle with those so-called big sins – their sanctification starts there. Others of us are in a different place and we\u2019ve got a bunch of little tiny seeds of rebellion that haven\u2019t born great fruit of rebellion yet. We need to go after those, and not give the devil a foothold.<\/span><\/p>\n

We must not be resigned to excusing sins or struggles because that\u2019s \u201cjust my personality\u201d or that\u2019s \u201cjust my struggle.\u201d Christ wants to sanctify you. Even 50 year old sins, now is the time to mortify them. Now is the time to repent. And in Christ, we can. Through His power and Spirit we can have victory and success against these little things that seem so hard to shake. We are not allowed to give up on certain struggles, or have no hope, Jesus prays for our sanctification.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jesus does not want us taken out of the world, but to be sent into it.<\/b><\/p>\n

Fourth, Jesus does not want us taken out of the world, but He sends us into it. Verse 18, \u201cAs you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.\u201d We are sent into the world to take dominion for Christ. To claim every area of life to the obedience of Christ, under His authority. We are sent into the world with a mission. To make disciples of all nations, baptizing them and teaching them to obey all that Christ has commanded.<\/span><\/p>\n

These things imply that we will have conflict with the world. Obedience to Christ will bring hatred from the world, as Jesus says the world has hated them. We are sent into the world to do things that will necessarily bring confrontation and conflict with the world, with sin, with the evil one. We need to understand this. Evangelical thought leaders today will tell us that if we have enemies, we\u2019re being jerks or unloving. But just look at the life of Jesus and look at what He told us what would happen. He is sending us on a mission that necessitates trouble. He has sent us into the world. This means we have trouble from enemies, and also that we have hard providences from God that are not easy. For this we need strong Christian conviction. We need to act like men, and women act like women. We need to know more of Christ to face these things. Being a Christian does not mean a life of ease.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Listen to what Calvin says on these verses, \u201cIn short, he promises to his disciples the grace of the Father; not to relieve them from all anxiety and toil, but to furnish them with invincible strength against their enemies, and not to suffer them to be overwhelmed by the heavy burden of contests which they will have to endure. If, therefore, we wish to be kept according to the rule which Christ has laid down, we must not desire exemption from evils, or pray to God to convey us immediately into a state of blessed rest, but must rest satisfied with the certain\u00a0 assurance of victory, and, in the meantime, resist courageously all the evils, from which Christ prayed to His Father that we might have a happy issue. In short, God does not take his people out of the world, because he does not wish them to be effeminate and slothful; but he delivers them from evil, that they may not be overwhelmed; for he wishes them to fight, but does not suffer them to be mortally wounded.\u201d I love that line, \u201cGod does not take his people out of the world, because he does not wish them to be effeminate and slothful. When God sends hard providences, He\u2019s doing something in us. He\u2019s making us into what He wants us to be. Christian men cannot be effeminate. Men and women cannot be slothful or lazy. But everyday take up the tasks that God has set in front of us. And do this in faith, that is how we overcome the world.<\/span><\/p>\n

We are sent into the world, because Jesus, before us, was sent into the world. He does not call us to go anywhere that He does not go before us. He does not call us to go anywhere that He has not gone first. He does not call us to face anything He Himself has not faced. And we do not do any of these alone. Look at all the hatred and conflict Jesus endured. We talked about Judas last week. Christ wasn\u2019t exempted from the sufferings and false accusations set before them. He wasn\u2019t zapped out of them. He endured them. For the joy set before Him, He endured the cross.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jesus Himself was consecrated for our sakes<\/b><\/p>\n

Most importantly, Jesus did these things for our sake. Verse 19, Jesus says, \u201cFor their sake, I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.\u201d What does this mean that Jesus consecrates Himself for our sake? What is Jesus saying here? Consecration is to be set apart specifically for the priestly work of God. We won\u2019t look at it today, but this language is all throughout Leviticus, the priestly book. The priests had all kinds of rituals with which they were to purify themselves and be set apart, consecrated, for their priestly office and duties. That is what Jesus is doing here. He is setting Himself apart, consecrating Himself for the priestly office and work that He is doing and is about to do. He is about to go to the cross, the four-cornered altar, and offer the full and final sacrifice for sin. He is about to go and face the greatest suffering ever known. Jesus is not just about to go and offer a great sacrifice. He is about to go and be the sacrifice. He is our Great High Priest, and the sacrificial Lamb of God.<\/span><\/p>\n

As our High Priest, Jesus is putting Himself on the Altar, as our sacrifice. Jesus lays himself on the altar and gives himself as an offering to God. This is the language Jesus uses in verse 1, when He says, \u201cglorify your Son,\u201d and in verse 5, \u201cglorify me.\u201d We have talked about how the language of John\u2019s gospel talks about the work of the cross as this being glorified. As we\u2019ve looked at, Jesus has presented His work in keeping the disciples as perfect. He presents Himself to the Father as perfectly executing His mission and office, and in doing so He is showing Himself to be the acceptable sacrifice and offering for sin. And Jesus says, \u201cthat is what I am doing. I consecrate myself, for their sake, that they also may be sanctified in truth.\u201d Friends, this is the gospel, in that little phrase, \u201cfor their sake.\u201d We are left in the world, but we are not left. We are not left in sin. We are not left without a Savior. We are not left with a sacrifice. Jesus is all for our sake. We can\u2019t go into the world and be kept from the evil one and overcome without Christ consecrating Himself as our Great High Priest and Sacrificial Lamb for sin. Jesus accomplishes this for us.<\/span><\/p>\n

And notice He says that He does so, that they also may be sanctified. This is what Jesus died and sacrificed Himself for, that we would be sanctified. Earlier in the chapter, He says over and over again that they may have eternal life. Jesus is not just another priest in a long priestly line of old covenant requirements. He fulfills it in Himself, instituting a new and better covenant. Where we are given eternal life and we are sanctified, in the world, by the truth, for His purposes.<\/span><\/p>\n

Theologian Michael Bull says this, \u201cAs High Priest, Jesus mediates for the true children of God. Instead of ministering ceremonial purity and the continuance of the \u2018land and womb\u2019 promises to Abraham, His crucifixion will make the Aaronic priesthood redundant, and indeed bring an end to the sacrifices for sin. With the carnal symbols stripped away, what they had been pointing to for millennia could finally be revealed in full – the promise of eternal life.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Church, if we give up on our sanctification. If we give up on fighting and mortifying our sin, we are slandering the death of Christ. We are doing violence to the priesthood of Christ on our behalf. He consecrated Himself for our sake, that we also may be sanctified in truth. Let us not be at peace with our sin, but seek to kill it, for it is what Christ died for. Let us then not desire to escape from the hardships of this world, but to boldly face that which God has ordained for us, knowing that through the work of Christ, we too are made in to a kingdom of sin-slaying, serpent-crushing priests, bringing to bear the Kingdom of Christ on this world, so that more and more people and nations are brought in to the Kingdom of Christ. It takes time. It takes our lives. And that is why we are here. To the praise of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Click HERE for sermon audio<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

But now\u00a0I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have\u00a0my joy fulfilled in themselves.\u00a014\u00a0I have given them your word, and\u00a0the world has hated them\u00a0because they are not of the world,\u00a0just as I am not of the world.\u00a015\u00a0I\u00a0do not ask that you\u00a0take them out of the world, but […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":685,"featured_media":4552,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22,27,30,32],"tags":[44,1580,274,277,281,382,557,562,1579,615,645,678,679,687,699,747,765,1088,1144,1172,1235,1342,1365],"class_list":{"0":"post-4551","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-commentary","8":"category-gospel","9":"category-preaching","10":"category-theology","11":"tag-44","12":"tag-agenda","13":"tag-christ","14":"tag-christian","15":"tag-church","16":"tag-disciples","17":"tag-god","18":"tag-gospel","19":"tag-historical","20":"tag-holy","21":"tag-in","22":"tag-jenkins","23":"tag-jesus","24":"tag-john","25":"tag-joshua","26":"tag-life","27":"tag-lord","28":"tag-sanctification","29":"tag-sin","30":"tag-spirit","31":"tag-the","32":"tag-why","33":"tag-world","34":"entry"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2021\/08\/thurnechurch.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1265,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/a-small-church-in-a-mega-church-world\/","url_meta":{"origin":4551,"position":0},"title":"A Small Church in a Mega-Church World","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"February 9, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"There are times when pastors and members of small churches can feel discouraged simply by looking at their numbers. The people of God long to see their churches full as souls are being saved and shepherded. It can be tempting to look online at your favorite preacher\u2019s church and see\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Christ\"","block_context":{"text":"Christ","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/tag\/christ\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":470,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/book-review-onward-by-russell-moore\/","url_meta":{"origin":4551,"position":1},"title":"Book Review: Onward by Russell Moore","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"November 17, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"\"The Bible Belt is teetering toward collapse, and I say let it fall.\" You cannot even escape the introduction to Russell Moore's,\u00a0Onward\u00a0without hearing canon blasts of gospel truth. 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We often hear, \u201cif its true to you, then its true to you\u2026but its not true for me\u201d We are faced with this insanity on a daily. For Christians, it is scandalous to share\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Culture"","block_context":{"text":"Culture","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/category\/culture\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/reecesrainbow.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/prayer-for-the-media.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2186,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/four-marks-of-gospel-centered-church\/","url_meta":{"origin":4551,"position":4},"title":"Four Marks of a Gospel-Centered Church","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"June 27, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"\"When I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, do your best to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there. Do your best to speed Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way; see that they lack nothing. And let our people learn to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "theology"","block_context":{"text":"theology","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/category\/theology\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2017\/06\/architect-church-photo3-l-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2017\/06\/architect-church-photo3-l-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2017\/06\/architect-church-photo3-l-scaled.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2017\/06\/architect-church-photo3-l-scaled.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2017\/06\/architect-church-photo3-l-scaled.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2017\/06\/architect-church-photo3-l-scaled.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2175,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/protecting-gospel-purity-in-the-church\/","url_meta":{"origin":4551,"position":5},"title":"Protecting Gospel Purity in the Church","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"June 20, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"\"The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people. 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