Why Are You here?.

Hey guys, if we haven't met before, my name is Nermalis, and I'm the associate pastor here at New Culture, and I get to preach to you guys today on a fun topic, if I do say so myself. But before I start, I just want to know, can I be like super honest today?

All right, good. You guys gave me an actual response. That's great. All right, cool. So I was going to say the things anyways, but now you gave me permission. So now you've decided to receive what I say.

All right, guys, I have a really important question to ask you. Why are you here? When I say here, I mean in that seat, in a church, on a Sunday, during Sunday service. If you've never asked yourself that question, I want to challenge you right now to not take it as a rhetorical question and to actually think about it.

Why are you here? Is it because that's what Christians do? Is it because it's what your parents did? Is it because your friends are here? Is it because you were invited? Did you come hoping to find something in particular? Is there something you need that you think you can get here today?

Why are you here? Maybe you've never asked yourself that question before, or maybe you just don't have an answer to it, or maybe you have an answer and when you think of the answer you're not really satisfied with it. But either way, today we're going to wrestle with the question: why do we gather? Why do we gather?

I said I was going to be honest, right? I'm going to talk about some Scripture today about gathering as a fellowship of believers, but that's not enough. The reason that I asked, why are you here, is because this has to become personal. The reason it needs to become personal is because if it's not deeply rooted in us, we'll follow our feelings instead of our convictions.

This is true of a lot of things, not just why you come to church or go to small group or whatever. Why do we gather? Why do we come to church on Sundays and show up to community? Why do we gather regularly as a body of believers?

Before answering that question, let's answer this one: what is church? What is church?

Church is the body of Christ. It refers to literally every single person that professes Jesus Christ as Lord. Believers around the world constitute the church. We are one body. But there's this word in Scripture, ekklesia, that is used in Scripture specifically when referring to the gathering of believers. I've heard this Greek word preached with a lot of fervor and passion and excitement because it means "the called out ones." We're called out, set apart, all the things. It's usually preached referring to the missional aspect of what the body of believers is, and it's all true.

But this week I did my own word study on ekklesia, and this is the definition that I found: called out or forth. Properly, a gathering of citizens called out from their homes into some public place and assembly.

So then the church is both a body of believers called to a purpose outside of these walls, out there, and it is a gathering of believers called out of our individual walks into community with one another. The church, by definition, is as missional as it is communal. It has a responsibility to the world out there and to its own members.

In the spirit of being honest, we could do a full semester-long course, three times a week, on this concept of what is the church. I know because I took it. It's called Ecclesial Theology. I wish we had time this evening to get deeper into the full depth of what the church is. But in a few weeks, we're going to be talking about seeking the renewal of our city, and that's going to be talking about the missional aspect of the church and what the body of Christ does out there. So I'll let Pastor Abbie preach about that on that day.

And today we're going to talk about the gathering part, the communal aspect.

Why we gather: not to be made holy

So now that we have a baseline definition of what the church is, the question remains: why do we gather? I want to start with Hebrews chapter 10, verses 11 through 18.

Day after day, every priest stands and performs his religious duties. Again and again, he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says, this is the covenant I will make with them. After that time, says the Lord, I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds. Then he adds, their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more. And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary.

Hebrews 10:11-18

I want everyone to take notes today. So if you have a notebook and a pen or your phone or whatever, I don't care. I want everyone right now to write this down, ready? Going to church does not make me holy. Going to church does not make me holy.

Let me tell you what coming to church doesn't do for you. It doesn't save you. It doesn't qualify you for the forgiveness of sins. It doesn't make you holy or righteous. It doesn't put you in right standing with God or guarantee relationship with Jesus. It sure doesn't make you better than anybody else.

The church doesn't offer you any of that. We can't. I'll be as clear as I can. Pastor Abbie, can I have permission to speak for you for just a quick second? Awesome.

As the pastoral team here at the church that you've decided to attend this evening, I would just like to honestly and lovingly let you know that I can say with assurance we do not come together here because it is part of a magic formula that will save you or make you holy. It is not. Sorry, y'all. It is not. It is not the responsibility of the church or your leaders to justify you or sanctify you. It's not only not the responsibility of the church or your leader, it's not something we are capable of offering you.

Let's look at what this passage is saying. Day after day, every priest stands and performs his religious duties. Again and again, he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. Every day, showing up, doing the things, trusting in the leaders, and it could never do a saving or sanctifying work in you or anyone else.

But when this priest, Jesus, had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, and since that time, he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. For by one sacrifice, he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

Jesus, the high priest of God, stepped down out of heaven in the form of not only a human, but a poor, marginalized, cast-aside human. He experienced temptation, betrayal, and all the things you and I do, yet he did not sin. He lived a perfect and blameless life and chose to die a miserable death on the cross for one purpose: so that the one he loves could be made holy, you. So that you could be made right with God. The ultimate sacrifice that only he could offer. So that once and for all you could be made clean.

In verse 18 it says, and where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary. We don't gather to be made right with God. Only Jesus can offer you that. And if you're here today and you're like, well, I'm not positive that I'm really in relationship with Jesus, that's great. Well, I can't offer you what Jesus can. I can offer you the opportunity to come into relationship with him, but I need you to know that only Jesus can do that.

Here's the next thing I want all of you to write down right next to going to church does not make me holy. I want you to write this: Only God can be God. Only God can be God.

Why we gather: we need each other

So if we don't gather to be in right standing with God, why do we gather? There's a lot of reasons why we gather. A full semester-long course on why we gather. There are people who spent their lives studying this, and there's a lot of meat here.

Some of the reasons that Scripture tells us we gather is one: we gather for edification. We gather to gain better understanding of the Scriptures and God. We gather to be strengthened in our faith. We gather to pray with and for one another. We gather because a gathering of believers is an atmosphere where the density of God's presence is intensified. That's a long one. We gather to be equipped. We gather to be built up. We gather to fix our focus on Jesus. And so many more reasons.

There is a specific reason that we gather together that I'm going to focus on today, and I really want to drill in on this.

So why do we gather? Here's the next thing that I want you to write down today. It's actually our so what for the message. It's: we gather so that we won't give up. We gather so that we won't give up.

We're going to continue in Hebrews chapter 10, verses 19 through 25.

Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the most holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Not giving up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another. And all the more as you see the day approaching.

Hebrews 10:19-25

This is being written to a discouraged body of believers. This is addressing a group of people who have put their faith in Jesus, and they're struggling. Discouragement is something that we all experience. I won't make you raise your hand or share with the room, but I'd be willing to bet that if I asked you if you're fighting discouragement in some area, you would say yes.

The author of Hebrews urges this group of discouraged, downtrodden, and struggling people by saying, let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful, and let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together. Some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another.

We hold unswervingly to the hope we profess. We spur one another on. We encourage one another when we gather.

Sometimes we come into this space and our faith is strong and we show up and we're doing the things and it kind of feels like we're going through the motions. And sometimes we come into this room and we're in desperate need of something and all the faith it took to get in the room is all the faith we've got left to give.

This week I asked myself: before I asked you, why do I go to church? And for some of you the answer might seem obvious because you work here. But that isn't a good enough reason. Why am I here? And as I asked myself that, I reflected on a specific time in my life.

Can I share a little part of my story with you guys today? All right, this isn't like, how I came to Jesus. This is more like how I stayed when I didn't really want to.

My story: how I stayed

I got saved when I was 15 years old, and that happened in a really intimate encounter between me and Jesus. It happened in spite of the really unhealthy church environment I was in. I don't remember what the pastor preached about that night because I slept through the service. So me coming into relationship with Jesus, it was just me and Jesus. It really had nothing to do with anybody else in that room.

No one taught me to read the Bible. Nobody modeled a prayer life for me. I just did it because I wanted more of this Jesus that I had encountered. Like I mentioned, I was in a really unhealthy church environment. So much of why I had been opposed to being in relationship with Jesus was because the people I knew that went to church, I just didn't want to be anything like them.

The people I knew that said they loved Jesus, I thought were bad people. So I didn't want to be in a relationship with Jesus. But going to church was not an option in the Vera family household. So I used to go to church on Sunday with my family. And then I'd come home.

And those of you that went to 9 a.m. services at some point in your life know about that after-church nap. And when the rest of my family would go to sleep and take their nap, I would go sit in my garage in that hot Florida heat. I would go sit in that garage with my phone and I would watch sermons on my phone after church in the garage in my parents' house.

So for me, church when I first got saved was a 16-year-old girl sitting in her hot Florida garage watching sermons and worshiping and reading the Bible and trying to figure this out. And this experience really led me to not see the need to gather in Christian community, because the Christian community I had was not great. And I was doing great, just me and Jesus. I was learning all sorts of stuff. I didn't work with Christians. My friend group wasn't Christian. I wasn't involved in church beyond being dragged with my parents. And I had a really strong relationship with Jesus. I was in the Word, praying, fasting, all of the above.

So why did I need to go to church?

Fast forward to my freshman year of college. My family went through a really hard season that year, and to honor them I won't be sharing too much of that. But I will say that it took a really big toll on me. That coupled with some other personal things that were happening, I was in a really hard place. My mental health was in crisis. I was honestly barely functional.

I got to work every day because I had to pay the rent. Manny taught me to go to work. I went to school every day and went to my classes because I went to private school and was paying for my own tuition, so I was going to go to class. And that's pretty much all I was capable of doing at that time.

I plugged into a local church prior to this season starting, near my university. And really the reason I plugged into that local church was because I had never not been a churchgoer. Like even before I was personally following Jesus, I went to church. Like, this is what we do. We go to church. That's what Christians do. But in that season, I needed it more than I knew I ever could.

Like I said, that season was rough. Two of my roommates, and now two of my dearest friends, Katie and Brianna, would literally have to wake me up sometimes. Like Katie, I love her so much, but Katie used to like take the covers off of me and like lift me out of bed in the mornings. And Brianna used to pick out my clothes and make sure that I got out the house.

And Sundays, I would show up. See, my church in college had five Sunday services. And I went to all five. And I sat in the third row in the center aisle seat, because I like sitting by the edge so I can get up and go quickly. So I sat in the third row right in the center on those wooden pews with the red cushions.

And this is why: because I needed the words in those songs to be true for me. And because I needed what the pastor was saying to stick to my ribs. I went to five services every Sunday because I needed the faith of the person sitting next to me. I needed it desperately, because I couldn't breathe.

But on Sundays in the third row, on the edge of that old pew, I could breathe again.

When I couldn't see God on my own, I showed up to a small group every Thursday. And my small group leader, who fun fact is the only person I had ever met in my life in Wisconsin until I moved here, Angie Hernandez from Kenosha, Wisconsin, would lead us in reading Scripture. We followed a Bible reading plan, and that was the one time a week I was reading the Bible.

When I started counseling for the first time, my small group held me and gave me safe space to walk through that process. As Jesus and I were wrestling through some things, and as the Lord was doing a healing work in my life, the church was exactly what it was supposed to be: a sanctuary. It was a safe place where everything that threatened me outside those doors had to kneel to the presence of God.

Jesus saved me. Angie didn't. Jesus healed me. The worship pastor didn't. But the church was a safe place for me to be held until I could stand up on my own two feet.

I wrestle with church. I do. I said I was going to be honest. I do wrestle with it. Sometimes I show up here and I'm like, I don't know why I showed up here today. Just going to be honest. I know that's not what you want to hear your pastor say. But here we are.

But I believe in the local church because when I had no hope, they hoped for me. And I believe in the local church because when my faith was waning, they let me borrow theirs. And I believe in the local church because they had grace to spare for me. I believe in the local church because even though it is messy and even though it has failed me and so many others, even though it doesn't always do its job, Jesus is still meeting people in and through the local church. I believe in the local church because I'm not willing to give up on something that God hasn't given up on.

Closing words

I'm going to invite the worship team to go ahead and come up.

Brian Chappelle rightly states: Despite all her weaknesses, there's no more powerful an organization of hope in the world than a body of believers loving one another, helping and forgiving one another, praying for the work of Christ in their midst, supporting each other in joy and sorrow, equipping disciples, showing mercy to outsiders, and praising the God who enables it all. The cumulative effect of multiple churches so living is the world's greatest power for good.

I'm going to invite everyone to stand up on their feet.

So this is what we're going to do. In just a moment, I'm going to give you an opportunity to come into relationship with Jesus, because that's why we come to church. That's one of those reasons. And only God can be God. And I don't want you to hear this message and be like, I'll come to church and everything will be better. Nope. That's why I started with, this doesn't save you. Only God can be God. And I want that for you more than I want anything else.

Then we're going to go into a time of worship specifically focused on the gospel message of Jesus, because that is the message of the church, and it is the highest encouragement I could give you: the gospel message of Jesus.

And we're going to pray with one another. If you're in this room and need encouragement in any way, myself and Jackie are going to be hanging out in the back and we would love to pray with you and encourage you the way the church is supposed to do.

But first, every eye closed, we're going to honor the privacy of the people around us. Acts chapter 4, verse 12 says:

There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.

Acts 4:12

If you're in this room today and you want to enter into a relationship with the only one who can save, Jesus, I'm going to invite you in faith to just raise your hand. And all together as a community and a body of believers, we are going to partner with the people that are coming into faith today.

So we're going to pray this together. If you'll repeat after me.

Lord Jesus, I know that I cannot save myself. By faith, I receive your gift of salvation. I am ready to trust you as my Lord and Savior. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for coming to earth. Thank you for bearing my sins and giving me the gift of eternal life. Come into my heart and be my Savior. Amen.

Heavenly Father, we thank you because where two or three are gathered, your presence really is there. Thank you, Lord, because you are here right now meeting us and speaking to us and meeting the deepest needs and longings of our hearts in a way that you have designed the church, you've designed in this gathering of believers, to be able to do in a unique way.

Lord, I thank you for the people in this room today that raised their hand and gave their life to you. Man, thank you, Jesus.

Lord, I just pray that as we go into this time of worship, that you might come and be the center of our focus in everything that we do.

Jesus, I thank you, I thank you, I thank you. In your holy name I pray, amen.