What the World Needs from Your Church

0:00 Thank you, Dave and Gloria and all of you for welcoming us to your city. I hope you have a Bible either in print or on your phone and I invite you to open it to 2 Corinthians chapter 5 or it's printed in the bulletin on page 8 if you want to follow along. That would be nifty because you could actually mark it up. And there are a few of these phrases I will want you to mark up for the sake of your memory as we focus on them. 2 Corinthians chapter 5, verse 20. And I'm going to read through chapter 6, verse 13. The title of the message that I gave them weeks ago was What the World Needs from Redeemer Church of Dubai. And by world, I mean all unbelievers, the ones in this room and the ones in this city and the ones who will watch this church in the years to come from other places.

1:09 2 Corinthians 5.20. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake, he made him to be sin who knew no sin. God made Christ to be sin who knew no sin. so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

4:25 Let me state the main point of this message at the outset. So the question in the title is, what does the world of every religion need from this church? And my answer is going to be, and you'll see it eventually from the text if you don't already, what the world needs is indomitable joy in Jesus in the midst of suffering and sorrow.

5:07 Indomitable. invincible, undefeatable joy in Jesus through suffering and sorrow. That's what the world needs from you. When I came to the end of my 33 years of pastoring, 11 years ago, At the last service, I wrote a note, or before the last service, I wrote a note, an email, to all of our worship leaders, like these folks who are up here, to help them grasp the feel that I wanted for that last service. So Dave has a last service coming. I don't know if he does what I would do, but I just tell him, here's the way I want it to feel.

6:02 And I'm going to read you a couple of paragraphs. I wanted it to feel like verse 10, as sorrowful yet always rejoicing. That's the way I wanted it to feel. Here's what I wrote. I believe for these decades, I was there for three decades, I believe for these decades this theme and tone has marked us deeply. We are a happy people, but we are not what you would call a chipper people.

6:45 There is a plaintive strain. You know that word plaintive? That's not a real common word in English. Sad. There is a plaintive sad strain in the symphony of our lives. You probably play it with an oboe. because of the way an oboe sounds. I think Jesus was the happiest man who ever lived. And oh, how sorrowful. A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Our signature song, I'm still writing to my worship leaders, our signature song has been for all these decades, when peace like a river attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll, whatever my lot, you have taught me to say, it is well, it is well with my soul.

7:53 We started that hundreds of times while we were praying over people, broken people, hurting people, broken marriages. Somebody would just start out, It is well. And then I finish like this. I think that would be a good song to end the service with. And that's what we're going to do today. I ask him, can we do that? Last sentence.

8:24 God bless and guide you, worship leaders, as you build a joyful service that makes all the sufferers know we've been there. So I tried for 33 years to help our staff, our elders, our people experience verse 10, sorrowful yet always rejoicing. And why has that become such a big deal for me? I turn with dismay. Now, I'm speaking out of my American context. You tell me whether it fits yours. I turn with dismay from worship services that are designed to feel like radio talk shows or chipper, happy podcasts where everything sounds frisky and lighthearted and chatter and cheerleading.

9:32 I just turn with dismay. I said, I just don't get this. I don't understand why pastors do that. I look at those services and I say to myself, don't you know that people are sitting out there dying of cancer? Don't you know that? Whose marriages are a living hell this morning? whose children have broken their hearts and they live with it every day, who are barely making it financially,

10:15 they're lonely, many, frightened, misunderstood, depressed, not to mention that we're here to worship the almighty God who created the universe is infinitely holy, and a lot of these people are on their way to everlasting destruction. What's to be chipper about? There's plenty to be joyful about. But it's another feel. It's a different kind of feel if you're in touch. Now, I'm aware, at least in my context, my guess is some of you might feel the same. Somebody's going to hear me say how bent out of shape I am with that kind of chipper, cheerleading approach to worship and say, oh, oh, Piper, we get it.

11:11 We see what you want is people to watch Redeemer Church of Dubai and see a morose, gloomy, sullen, dark, heavy atmosphere of solemnity. To which I say no. If that's your only alternative to cheerleading, you're not grown up yet. You haven't suffered enough yet. I want you as a church to be people of indomitable joy. Nobody can take it from you. Cancer can't take it. Broken marriages can't take it.

12:04 Kids can't take it. Nobody can take it. It is invincible because it comes from sources they can't touch. In Jesus, in the midst of suffering, that's what I want. I think that's what the world needs. I think the world needs to taste that from this church. You don't need to try to replicate the enthusiasms of the world. They've got it. They don't need your help to feel enthusiastic the way the world feels enthusiastic. That's not what they're coming for. If they are, you shouldn't be helping them expect it. You got something way better than the hype of a football game. What the world needs is the greatness and the grandeur and the thunderous power of God over their heads like galaxies of hope.

13:10 They need the unfathomable, crucified, risen Christ embracing them with blood on his face and his hands. There are different kinds of embraces.

13:31 And when the king of the universe embraces you, you're going to be happy. And if there's blood on his face, you're going to be trembling with, how could this be? And it will be so good. It will be so good. It's so different from Chippur. You need, the people need to see in you a thousand mile deep rock of God's Word under your feet. They need to hear you sing. Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take. The clouds you so much dread are big with mercy and will break in blessings on your head. His purposes will ripen fast, unfolding every hour.

14:37 The bud may have a bitter taste, but sweet will be the flower. Only Christians sing songs like that. They need to hear our indomitable joy in sorrow as we sing, His oath, His covenant, His blood, support me in the whelming flood. When all around my soul gives way He then is all my hope and stay On Christ the solid rock I stand All other ground is sinking sand If you ask me, doesn't the world need to see us happy? Of course they need to see us happy we have a very happy Savior.

15:39 In God's presence is fullness of joy. At his right hand are pleasures forevermore. And they need to see that our happiness is invincibly, unshakably deep so that no tragedy can take it away. Sorrowful, verse 10, yet always rejoicing. So that's the point of the message. Now let's put some Bible under it, okay? We've got a text to work with here, and it's a glorious text. I don't need to make anything up. In fact, you should say, now what was your name? Piper's the name. And you should think, your opinion, Piper, in Dubai doesn't mean anything to us. Tell us what God thinks. And if you can show us what God thinks we'll listen. We don't care what you think. I think that's what you should be thinking right now. It's kind of feisty.

16:44 That's my responsibility right now. If these are only my ideas, then farewell. Okay, I need to show you that it's God's idea, so let's focus on verses 3 through 10 of chapter 6. Notice how verse 3 shows you what Paul is doing. He says, verse 3, we put no obstacle in anyone's way. so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God, we commend ourselves in every way.

17:44 In other words, he's saying, what I'm about to do in the rest of this chapter is remove obstacles to a right grasp of my ministry and Christianity. I don't want to put any obstacle in the way of a right grasp of Christianity or a right grasp of what my apostolic ministry is about. I want to get obstacles out of the way. And I want to commend the real Paul, and I want to commend the real Christ. That's what he's saying he's about to do. He really does want to win them. His opponents in the church and outsiders, he wants to win them. So he's going to remove obstacles. Now how does he do it? And the reason I chose this passage is because how he does it is so utterly counter-cultural, counter-intuitive, counter-prosperity gospel.

18:45 So let's watch him do it. Many church growth specialists around the world, in America in particular, would have no categories for what Paul does here as a way of removing obstacles. They would say, Paul, this text is doing nothing but creating obstacles. It's creating obstacles to Christianity. All this negative talk about your sufferings, all these crazy paradoxes that you have to survive, that's not helpful. People aren't going to want to come to your church.

19:29 And Paul just doesn't think that way. So he does three things. Number one, he describes his sufferings. We'll do each of these. Number two, he describes his character in suffering. And number three, he describes the paradoxes of the Christian life. Let's take those one at a time. So first, verses three through five, the sufferings of Paul. We put no obstacle in anyone's way so that no fault may be found with our ministry. But as servants of God, we commend ourselves. How do you commend yourself? We commend ourselves. We commend Christianity. We commend the truth. by great endurance in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, and hunger.

20:32 Welcome to Christianity. So you should ask yourself, how is that removing obstacles? How is that commending his ministry? Why is that not just putting people off rather than drawing them in? So hold that question. We'll come back to it in just a minute. Now let's do number two. So first was what are the sufferings? Number two, what's his character in the sufferings? How is he responding? How is he living in that awful list? What if that described your life? How would you be living? What would you be like if you were living in those afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labor, sleepless nights? And here's his answer in verse 6.

21:26 By purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love, truthful speech, the power of God, Weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the left. I think what he has in mind there is probably you hold the sword of the spirit with the right hand and the shield of faith of the left.

21:57 Like that. It's your left hand is defensive with the shield of faith and the right hand. I mean, those are the two weapons put together in Ephesians 6. I think that's what he probably means by left and right hand. And so, instead of being embittered, this is the temptation of John Piper. You mistreat me. You slander me. You lie about me, persecute me, hurt me. Those are my... I don't typically feel that way. kindness, purity, patience, Holy Spirit, love, truthfulness, power, faith. So instead of being embittered and frustrated and angry and resentful by all these afflictions, he is patient, kind, loving.

23:00 His spirit hasn't been broken by all his troubles. His spirit hasn't been broken. And he hasn't blamed anybody. He doesn't go around blaming people. Oh, in America today, it's just rampant people blaming everybody. Blame, blame, blame, blame, blame. You just can't find it. Jesus wasn't like that. Paul wasn't like that. He gives. He doesn't grumble. He's patient with God's timing. He's not pitying himself. He's kind to people instead of taking it out on people. So that's second.

23:53 So first was sufferings. And then came his response and his character in suffering. And now third, the paradoxes of the Christian life. that grow out of this. This is starting at verse 8. Through honor and dishonor, slander and praise, we are treated as imposters and yet are true, as unknown and yet well-known, as dying. Behold, we live as punished and yet not killed, as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing, as poor, yet making many rich, as having nothing, yet possessing everything.

24:47 If you walk in the light as a Christian, if you speak the truth, if you act in purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, and love, Some people will honor you, and some people will dishonor you. Some people will slander you, and some people will praise you. Some people will call you an imposter. You're just a fake. Christians are just fake people. You're not real. You're just a religious hypocrite. So Jesus said, you remember, woe to you when all people speak well of you. All, not some.

25:44 Woe to you when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the prophets. So you might say what Paul is doing here by saying we're both honored and dishonored is that we are removing the obstacle of being accused of a false prophet because false prophets are only spoken well of and we get both. Then come six more paradoxes, and I'll linger over these. Six more paradoxes. And if you aren't careful in reading these six paradoxes, you might think that Paul means that the first half is wrong and the second half is right.

26:43 So you say this, but this is true. I don't think that's right. I think you'll see as we walk through them, the first half is not all wrong and not all right. Let's see if you don't think that's the case. Verse 9, first half of the verse.

27:10 You see us, you opponents at Corinth and you world, you see us as unknown, and yet we are well known. What does that mean? Yes, we are nobodies in the Roman Empire. This church, as big as it looks in this room, is absolutely nobody in Dubai. Nobody cares about you. Most of these, what, 2.5 million people or so, they don't even know you exist. Middle East, you're nothing. Tiny little movement following a crucified criminal king, and Paul says, no, that's not the whole truth. We are known by God, and that's what counts.

28:09 Middle of verse 9. You see us as dying, and behold, we live. And Paul would say, that's right, we die every day. I am crucified with Christ. Some of us are in prison. Some of us are killed. I have a good friend in prison in the Middle East right now we pray for every day. We thought a few days ago he was going to be part of a trade with some... I won't give you any more details. There are people all over the world right now in prison for Christ and dying for Christ. But, oh, we live because Christ is our life now and he will raise us from the dead. Third half of verse 9, last half of the verse. You see us as punished, and yet were not killed.

29:08 So Paul was punished over and over. He had prisons, three times beaten, five times with lashes, and yet God saved him and saved him and saved him until he didn't save him. Until his work was done, he was immortal. And when God was finished, the sword passed through his neck in Rome under Nero. Verse 10, you see us as sorrowful yet we are always rejoicing. Yes, we're sorrowful. We are. There are countless reasons for us to be sorrowful. If you try to pretend like they're not, you've got your head in the sand. if you love anybody, you're going to be sorrowful.

30:05 but you're going to always rejoice. I love to linger over this verse. I would preach a separate sermon on it just to make sure that you hear what he's saying. The Bible does teach that there is sequential sorrow and joy. Weeping may last for the night, but joy comes in the morning. That's what the psalm says. So most people think in terms of sequence. Sometimes I'm sorrowful. Sometimes I'm glad. That's not what this verse says. It is also true that for the Christian, the person in Christ over whom there is no condemnation is always rejoicing. I have tasted this. I know what he's talking about. It is possible to weep your eyes out over loss while rejoicing.

31:12 I could give you illustrations, but if you're mature enough, if you're old enough, if you suffered enough, if you're close enough with Jesus, you know what I'm talking about. It's not just sequential. middle of verse 10.

31:33 You see us as poor, yet we are making many rich. Yes, Paul had very little of this world's wealth. He says, basically, we don't live to get rich on things. We live to make people rich on Jesus. end of verse 10. You see us as having nothing, yet we possess everything.

32:06 Christian, whatever your socioeconomic status is this morning, Christian, you own everything in Dubai. All the oil under Saudi Arabia is yours. Just a matter of time. We are children of God, and if children, then heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ. That's Romans 8, 17. What does God own? Just tell me. Go ahead. Yes. Everything. He made it. He owns it.

32:58 You're the heir. Listen. 1 Corinthians 3 to 21. Why do you boast in men? For all things are yours, whether Paul or Cephas or Apollos or life or death or things present or things to come. All things are yours and you are Christ's and Christ is God's.

33:30 It's just a matter of time. And for some of us, really short time. So, of course, the text says they see us as having nothing, and we own everything. You will come into your inheritance if you don't give up and turn this world into your treasure. You lay up treasures in heaven, not on the earth. Do that. Now, let's step back and remember verse 3. I said I would come back to this.

34:13 We put no obstacle in anyone's way so that no fault may be found with our ministry. But as servants of God, we commend ourselves in every way. He really does believe that everything he has said is commending himself and the gospel, himself and Christianity. He is removing obstacles. And you scratch your head and say, I think the world would look at that and think, I think those are obstacles you just built up. How did you remove obstacles? What obstacle has he removed? And here's the answer. he has removed the obstacle that someone would think Paul is in this for the money. Paul is in the ministry for the money. And Paul does everything to remove that obstacle.

35:14 Paul is in this to increase his earthly comforts. Paul is in this to create a life of ease for himself. That's the obstacle he wants to get rid of and that's not even an obstacle for the prosperity gospel The prosperity gospel builds its whole view of the world on the basis of that obstacle instead of trying to remove the obstacle Huh, it's such a damnable vision around the world. Oh my goodness The destruction it is doing in view of 2nd Corinthians is is appalling all over the world. It's been one of America's worst exports. There are many pastors today who think just the opposite of the way Paul thinks. They think having a lavish house, driving a lavish car.

36:13 I was at a church one time, and a man looked at my watch. Now, I've got an Apple watch because they gave me this at T4G. That's an expensive watch, I think. I've never bought one, but I wear it. They gave it to me. But before I had the Apple Watch, I had a Casio from Walmart. I don't know if you know what Walmart is. It's just a $15 watch, and I had it, and I was driving in a car with a man from church. He kept looking at my watch.

36:41 He said, why do you wear a watch like that? I was like, like what? It tells time. It's just a good watch. It costs $15. dollars. His whole conception was, you're a big international pastor. Why you wear a watch like that? I'm just thinking, man, you're from another planet. I don't even know what you're talking about. I live in 2 Corinthians. At least I try to.

37:18 he thought that if people thought he was in this for money and security and comfort, the gospel would be lost, would be obscured. And he wanted to remove those obstacles. If we could, in Dubai, entice tens of thousands of people to this church by offering them no imprisonments, no beatings, no sleepless nights, they would come and perish as Christians, so-called. that's not what the world needs from you the world needs indomitable joy in Jesus through suffering and if you're not walking through sorrows and sufferings at the moment you will it's just a matter of time that's what life is whether you live in UAE or a poor country or America.

38:45 How was he commending himself? He says in verse 4, As servants of God, we commend ourselves in every way. I am an authentic Christian. I'm an authentic apostle. My gospel is authentic. Christianity that I preach is authentic. It's real. I'm commending it to you. How was he doing that? By showing that knowing Christ, being known by Christ, having eternal life is better than all earthly wealth, health, comfort, security, prosperity. We commend our life and ministry by afflictions.

39:42 We commend our life in ministry by calamities. We commend our life in ministry by sleepless nights. We commend our life in ministry by imprisonments and on and on. What does that mean? That means Christ is real. and he's more precious, more sweet, more satisfying than keeping your life free from imprisonments or sleepless nights or afflictions. He's more real. That's the way he's being commended here. More to be desired than anything this world can offer. Sorrowful, yet always rejoicing. What the world needs from Redeemer Church of Dubai is indomitable joy in Jesus through suffering and sorrow.

40:48 Let me close with two pictures, images, one from Jesus and one from Paul. you don't need to look this up because you know this text probably do you remember how the Beatitudes come to an end in Matthew 5 he says blessed are you when men persecute you and revile you and say all kinds of evil things against you falsely rejoice and be glad for great is your reward in heaven. But have you ever noticed what follows that, what I just quoted? That's verses 11 and 12 of Matthew 5. The next thing out of his mouth is, you're the salt of the earth.

41:46 You're the light of the world. Now, do you think that's random? Rejoice in being slandered. Rejoice in being persecuted. Sorrowful yet always rejoicing. You're light.

42:12 You're salt. I don't think it's random. I think the tang of salt that the world needs to taste from this church is that. rejoicing when all the world expects you to be angry.

42:32 This people is so counterintuitive. They don't make sense. They get hurt. They get lied about. They get cheated. And they return good for evil, and they keep rejoicing. I don't get this. That's light. That is so bright. The world's never seen a light like that. That's what they need from you. So that's the picture from Jesus. Salt of the earth, light of the world are defined by when you are slandered, rejoice.

43:09 Second picture. This is Romans 9 compared with Philippians 4. Okay, you know Philippians 4.4, where Paul doubles down and says, Rejoice always, and again I say, Rejoice. Okay, rejoice always, and people do a double take and say, Always? And Paul says, Again I say, Rejoice. Then you read Romans 9.2. I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart, for I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen, according to the flesh.

44:06 great sorrow, unceasing anguish in my heart for my lost Jewish kinsmen whom I love. Rejoice always, unceasing anguish. Do you think that's a contradiction? It's not. That's sorrowful yet always rejoicing. If you were honest and you're old enough, everybody in this room feels some measure of anguish about something in your life right now. I live with two sons who don't follow Jesus. It is a daily anguish.

45:04 And if I had a bigger heart, I would feel more because I'd love you more. But since I don't know you, I don't have those same feelings. If I were a better man, I would. But in every one of your lives, there's somebody dying of cancer. There's somebody falling away from the faith. There's somebody who's not yet believing. There's somebody who's on drugs. There's somebody who's breaking your heart. There's anguish. And this sermon is designed to show you that there's a biblical way forward not to deny that at all and to be rejoicing in it.

45:47 That's a miracle. It's a work of the Holy Spirit. It's a mark for Dubai to look and say, that sure looks real. That sure looks amazing. picture yourself, and I'll close with this, picture yourself taking out to lunch a family member, a neighbor, a friend, a colleague, a roommate, and they're not a believer, and you have told them about Jesus many times, and they have expressed disinterest or rejection, and you want to give it another very personal, face-to-face shot at sharing your heart with them. So you're sitting across from them at the restaurant, the meal is done, and you ask for permission to share something very personal.

46:53 They give you permission, and you say something like, I want so bad for you to believe and be a follower of Jesus with me. I want you to have eternal life. I want us, you and me, to be with Christ forever together. I want you to share my joy of knowing my sins are forgiven. I want you to know the joy of your sins forgiven and have eternal life and be happy with me forever. I can hardly bear the thought of losing you. How do you think that would go down? That would be pretty rare, wouldn't it?

47:50 Because people like that are used to hearing happy, happy, happy talk or angry, angry, sad, sad talk. Seldom have they ever heard anybody put it together. I want you to know the joy that I know, and I can hardly bear the thought of your not being with me forever. That's what the world needs from this church.

48:23 Let me close with just the text that was cited at the very beginning of this service, which is the ground under our feet in every tragedy and every sorrow.

50:07 Redeemer Church of Dubai You have good reason to always rejoice in Jesus, in suffering and sorrow. So, Father, as we close and sing this weighty and glorious song, I pray that you would press your word, your vision for your people into the hearts and lives of our friends here at Redeemer Church of Dubai. Oh, God, work miracles. For those who walked into this room outside Christ, not trusting Christ or believing in Christ, I pray that they would see that even though it may be costly to follow Jesus, it is worth it all the way.

51:07 I ask this in his name. Thank you.