Morning Sermon

September 30, 2007

The Invisible Church

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I will finish our study of the church today, after some 16 sermons on various texts in the Bible, and we'll end with a bit of a different focus than all the other sermons. My emphasis to this point has been upon what is generally identified as the visible church. That is to say, the church as it exists on earth. The church as God has designed it and ordered it to exist upon earth. The church whose foundation was laid by the apostles. The church now governed and ruled by Elders, with the leadership of Deacons in the ministry of mercy. The church with membership, with services of worship. The gathering of the saints together in one place, places in every town and country throughout the world.

The visible, organized, established church. My emphasis has been upon all of those things because, as I said at the outset, we are called to love the church, for the church is the bride of Jesus Christ. It is his own body. His body on earth, established on earth. And, therefore, visible. And we live in a day when so many professed Christians simply don't care about that visible church. They don't care to live under the oversight of Elders, they don't care to be connected to one another with responsibilities that go along with being part of the community of the church. So there is no commitment, or little commitment. There is little sense of the priority of the church. We live, as Christians, as individuals, perhaps even in isolation from other Christians. Or we serve in various parachurch ministries, disconnected from the church. And church becomes optional. Perhaps beneficial, but nonetheless optional. At its worst, actually detrimental to the faithful life of godly service to Christ.

But that cannot be! The church is the body of Christ, and a profession of love for Jesus must be joined with a connection of love for his body. And that has been my emphasis from Scripture these past several months.

On the other hand, there is a movement about today that tends to greatly de-emphasize the subject I want to address this morning. What is commonly called "the invisible church." Not so much the organization upon earth that we call the church, but the universal, eternal church which most simply put, is the church which shall consists of all the future inhabitants of heaven. All true Christians, from all ages. Joined together, obviously not in the physical, visible reality of an organization that is established upon earth in this age, but a body identified in Scripture also by the name "church." The invisible church, that is to say, the church as it is seen only by God. The church as it is defined and established in terms of God's eternal decree and purpose.

It is a tendency to diminish the significance of that invisible church that has stimulated much of what is called the Federal Vision, a movement in the broader reformed church that wants to focus objectively upon the covenant promises of God as they are fulfilled primarily, or even solely in the visible church. And the notion of any emphasis upon the invisible nature of the church is seen as unhelpful or even as a hindrance to the assurance of salvation. So the focus for them is the membership and sacraments of the visible church, not the decrees and determinations of God as they are revealed in Scripture. And yet, because they so stress that the only assurance of salvation is joined with membership in the visible church, the actually contradict any possibility of that assurance because there are any number of people who are actually removed from the visible church as non-believers.

So it is to those invisible aspects of the church which I turn this morning, beginning with the right and proper sense of the assurance of salvation. And that assurance is tied to the outward, objective experiences of membership in the visible church, but rather with the idea of,

I. MEMBERSHIP IN THE INVISIBLE CHURCH. Now, in an ideal world, the two would eventually become identical. That is to say, everyone in the visible church would actually be born again, regenerated, redeemed by the blood of Christ. And every true Christian would also be in that visible church. Sadly, though, with an equally obvious observation, neither of those things is demonstrated to be true in reality. Sometimes non-Christians are found in the visible church. And sometimes, true Christians are not found in the visible church.

So who are members of the invisible church? Paul seems to be addressing those members here, by defining what it is to be a Christian. Who belongs to the invisible church? Well, first of all,? A. All those who are redeemed. v.7a

Redemption is, perhaps, the fullest definition of our salvation in the Scripture. It is the fullest word, encompassing the most comprehensive idea of what it is to be saved. Ultimately, the word means to rescue. To deliver. Or to purchase. To buy back. To ransom. With a price to be paid.

Redemption means that something was paid. It means that we were purchased. By God. For God.

For example, Heb. 9:11 "But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. 12 Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption."

And, 1 Peter 1:18 "...knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot."

So the redemption price was Jesus' own blood. And that purchase price was the cost incurred by our sins. The redemption is the satisfaction of God's wrath and justice that is accomplished only when the blood of Jesus Christ is applied to your account. That's the meaning of,

Rom. 3:22 "For there is no difference; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed."

The redemption means that we are justified. The penalty for our sins has been paid. The demands of justice have been satisfied. And so those who are Christians are identified simply as those who, in Christ, "have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace."

Those who are redeemed, really and truly redeemed, are not merely identified by the outward actions of the visible church. They gain an inheritance in heaven. They gain a membership in the invisible church. And, with their redemption, that membership includes, therefore,

B. All those whose sins are forgiven. That's really the same thing. To be redeemed is to be forgiven. To be purchased by Jesus means that the debt of your sins are cancelled by Jesus. That forgiveness is defined even in the Old Testament,

Ps. 103:8 "The LORD is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. 9 He will not always strive with us, Nor will He keep His anger forever. 10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor punished us according to our iniquities. 11 For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; 12 As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us."

And with explicit reference to Jesus, we read, Heb. 9:26 "...but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself."

That's what it means to claim membership in the "invisible church." By faith, you claim the forgiveness of sin that is offered to you in Jesus Christ. You claim the promise of the gospel that your sins are forgiven, that they are removed from you, hurled into the depths of the sea, removed from you as far as the east is from the west.

Ultimately, the visible church can only imperfectly reflect the true and complete body of the invisible church. The visible church can only imperfectly give evidence and identification to those whose sins are forgiven, because that work of forgiveness is God's work. The work of applying the blood of Jesus Christ to redeem you from your sin is God's word. And we do seek to reflect that work in the visible church. We do seek to discern, as best we can, in whom that work has been accomplished before admitting those to membership in the church. But the reality remains, that the church in its ultimate, perfect form, is yet invisible.

And thus we speak of the "invisible church" as that body whose membership consists of,

C. All those who are children of God. So our redemption is not merely the legal matter of the judge declaring us "not guilty." Redemption is not merely a legal acquittal of charges, but rather also a legal adoption. And that legal adoption becomes a family matter. It establishes our family identity. We become the children of God. So it is, Paul writes, v.5

So membership in the "invisible church" belongs to the true family of God, to all the children of God. And actually, as we would define it, it must include all the children of God from all ages. All those who are redeemed from all the ages, past, present and future. All those who sins have been forgiven by Jesus Christ, and all those who will receive that gift of the forgiveness of sin in the future.

All true Christians in every age. So our Westminster Confession of Faith puts it this way: "The catholic or universal Church, which is invisible, consists of the whole number of the elect, that have been, are, or shall be gathered into one, under Christ the Head thereof; and is the spouse, the body, the fullness of Him that fills all in all."

The contrast with the visible church is that that church "consists of all those throughout the world that profess the true religion; and of their children." So it is, the visible church consists of those who profess the true religion, who profess faith in Jesus Christ. Their children belong to that church with them.

But the universal church, the invisible church, "consists of the whole number of the elect, that have been, are, or shall be" redeemed in Christ. That's the difference. And notice how our confession rightly connects the membership of the invisible church with God's decree of election. So does Paul. I just read, v.5

You see, we were predestined to be adopted. We were chosen in Christ "before the foundation of the world," according to verse 3. And so this eternal choice of God, identifying those whom Scripture labels as "the elect," is the definition of membership in the invisible church.

II. ELECTION AND THE INVISIBLE CHURCH. The members of the invisible church are all the elect. And Scripture uses that identification often. For example,

Rom. 8:33 "Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he who condemns?"

And, 2 Tim. 2:10 "Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory."

The elect. Who are they?

A. Those who are chosen by God and predestined according to God's own plan and purpose. That's what Ephesians 1 is really all about. The passage concludes with this reference to what we call the invisible church,

v.10 "...that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth--in Him."

But the passage begins with the emphasis upon God's own eternal, free and sovereign choice of those whom he would saved. We read in verse 7 that, "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace," and we learn of the origin of that redemption in the mind of God in, v.3-5

Those words are explicitly clear. They don't mean or imply anything other than what they say. God chose us. He elected us. When? Before he made anything. Before the foundation of the world.

He predestined us. He determined beforehand those whom he would adopt as his children.

And Paul even makes that emphasis more broad, declaring that this choosing whom he would adopt is actually but a small part of the greater purpose and overarching declaration of his predetermination of all things. Just look at,

v.11 "In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will." "According to the good pleasure of His will."

This is stupendous! I remember a time in my life when it was rather troublesome, for it challenged what I had believed about God. But there it was. Here it is. God has a purpose, a predestinating purpose. In that purpose, he brings to pass all things "according to the counsel of His will." He does all things because of his own predetermined choice. His own counsel. His own purpose. His own will. The words are just piled up on top of each other.

And in the midst of that, there is the choice of some to be his children, the elect. It is the elect who define the membership of the invisible church, and the reason why that word "invisible" is used is because we cannot infallibly identify who that group is. Indeed, many are yet to be saved. We don't know who they are. Some are not yet born, assuming the Lord tarries another generation. Yet God knows them. Every one. By name. They are the ones he gave to Jesus. They are the ones for whom Jesus laid down his life. And so we read of these elect,

John 6:37 "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. 38 "For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. 39 "This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day."

"All that the Father gives me..." That's the elect. "They will all come to me." None of them will be lost. None of the elect. Not one. That's the membership of the invisible church, those chosen by God before the foundation of the world to be adopted as sons.

Let me say the same thing again, with a different focus. A focus not so much upon "when" God elected the members of the invisible church, but why. Why did he choose some? Why not others? Why me, and not someone else?

The answer is simple. And clear. The answer is grace. The members of the invisible church are members of that church, they are elect, because God has shown them his grace. The members of the invisible church are,

B. Those who are the objects of his grace. Those who are chosen by grace. Those who are redeemed because of grace. Go back to, v.5

"The good pleasure of his will." That's grace, contrasted with something you earn yourself. God did it because he chose to do it. He chose to do because of the free and sovereign determination of his own will. The good pleasure of his own will. That's grace.

Likewise, v.9

Again, his good pleasure! That's grace. v.12

That's grace, that our redemption would redound "to the praise of his glory." Because it was he, in his grace, who redeemed us. Our redemption works to the praise of his glory because it was he, by the free grace of his own purpose and determination, who saved us. And all of this, v.6

That's how we become members of the invisible church. By election. By God's choice. By God's predestinating choice. For only in that way will our membership be to the praise of the glory of his grace. So the membership of the invisible church is defined to be those whom God has chosen, the elect.

So now look at verse 10, where this idea of an invisible church comes to the forefront. This is really where I wan to focus, and this is where we will end our study of the church in this whole series of sermons. We will end with,

III. THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE INVISIBLE CHURCH. A look at the perspective of the goal and purpose which God has for his church, visible and invisible. It is the perspective of God's own mission statement. This is what God is all about in building his church. And he uses the visible church as the normal and ordinary means for building the invisible church, but it is this grand and glorious vision that predominates as his ultimate purpose and goal. v.10

What a great perspective that is, and an appropriate place to end our study of the church, for this is clearly,

A. An eternal perspective. That's the goal of the church, eternity. And the visible church ought to reflect that goal. Our purpose is not merely to make ourselves rich and famous in this age. No, the goal of the church must be focused upon this perspective of the invisible church regarding eternity. In other words, the end of this age. "In the dispensation of the fullness of the times." When Jesus returns in glory. When, as we read in,

1 Cor. 15:19 "If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable. 20 But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. 23 But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ's at His coming. 24 Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. 25 For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. 26 The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. 27 For "He has put all things under His feet." But when He says "all things are put under Him," it is evident that He who put all things under Him is excepted. 28 Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all."

That's the proper perspective upon church growth. " For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet." "Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power."

And then, at that time, the invisible church will become perfectly visible. The kingdom of heaven will become the kingdom of earth. And this is what Jesus will accomplish on that day when eternity begins, "He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth--in Him."

That's why we exist here and now, as a visible church. We are anticipating that day. We are waiting for that day, longing for that. And working toward that great day. The day of our own eternal inheritance.

v.11a "In Him also we have obtained an inheritance."

Peter tells us more about that inheritance, 1 Peter 1:3 "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time."

Beloved, it is the possession of that inheritance which is our final destination. That is an eternal perspective. And as is clear in the whole concept of the invisible church, it is also,

B. A universal perspective. That should be clear in the visible church, which is commanded to go to all the nations of the world with the gospel, making disciples of all those nations. And with this great goal and objective clearly in mind,

v.10 "...that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth--in Him."

People of God, that will happen. There shall be one universal church, and when Jesus gathers together all those whom he has redeemed, it will be fully universal. Completely universal. Absolutely universal.

This is a description of that great day, in Jesus' own words,

Mat. 25:31 "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32 "All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33 "And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 "Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world."

Beloved, we have studied many things about the church these past several months, many important things. Many profound things. I hope you will remember some of them, and even in the context of the wedding yesterday, realize that the church is the body of Christ upon the earth and even more so, his beloved bride. Jesus is the bridegroom, the church is the bride.

And that marriage will never be broken, not even by death. For that marriage, between Jesus and his church, shall reach its pinnacle at the end of this age and shall continue then in its perfect state for all eternity to come. And that is why we strive together for the building of this church, here in this place, here and now,

v.10 "that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth--in Him."

And people of God, all of this, every bit of it, everything that the church is and everything that the church does is to be,

v.6 "...to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved."

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