We’re Still Here

The title of our message is “we’re still here”. By way of introduction, this will be a message about the presence of God, and about the providence of God, and the preservation of God, and the power of God, and provision of God, and the protection of God that He has bestowed upon His Churches. I love those “P” words! Of course we’re not going to preach on all those subjects, but the Lord’s true Churches are “still here” only because of Jesus.

Beloved, we’re still here! It’s great to know that after all these years of ups and downs, and uncertainties with COVID and people moving and limited funds, the Lord has blessed us and we are still here! But, beloved, as you well know it’s not because of our own strength, or our wisdom, or our goodness, or our righteousness, or our own worthiness… but we’re here, and we’re still here only because God chose to love us, and to set His affections upon us, and to make us His people, and to make us His Church, where He dwells with His children and manifests His glory in this world today.

We have nothing to boast or brag about, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ who shed His precious blood for our wicked sins… And in the Father who chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love… And in the blessed Holy Spirit who made Jesus real to us by His mighty power in regeneration and saving faith in the gospel of our salvation, who led us to the waters of baptism and membership in one of His true churches. Beloved, it was all of God from start to finish! Yes, we’re still here, but only by the grace and mercy of God! All glory, and honor, and power, and praise be unto God!

So then, for our message I want to consider four simple points on the subject “we’re still here”. When I say “we” in our message, I will mostly be referring to the Lord’s true local New Testament Baptist Church.

1. For our first point, I want to ask the question “Why are we here in the first place”?

There’s no point in asking why we’re still here unless we know why we are here in the first place. There are a lot of religious organizations that are still here, but so what! The Catholics, and the Methodists, and the Campbellites, and many others are still here… so what! They have no part or lot in this matter. They were founded by mere men and not the Lord, and therefore they are not, and cannot be the Lord’s Churches.

So then the short and simple answer to the question of “why were here in the first place”, is that Jesus put us here!

Jesus said in Matthew 16:18 “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

Now, Jesus wasn’t talking about Peter, or Peter’s confession as the rock upon which He would build His Church! Nor was He talking about the apostles as a whole… or about anything or any one else. But Jesus was referring to Himself. Jesus is that Rock upon which He built His Church. He alone is the Head and Founder of His Church! Writing to the Church of Ephesus, Paul said in Ephesians 2:20…

“And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;”

Jesus is the Chief Corner Stone of His Church! The apostles were only the materials that Jesus used in building His first Church at Jerusalem!

1 Peter 2:6-7 Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. 7 Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,

Like the Jews of old, so many so-called “church builders” have disallowed, and “set at naught” Jesus Christ, the Chief Corner Stone!

Beloved, Jesus is the Rock, and the Chief Corner Stone of His Church! Jesus built His first church at Jerusalem, and from that church Jesus has continued to build His kind of churches through a chain-link succession of churches all the way from Jerusalem to Catlettsburg Kentucky, and every place where you find a sound Baptist Church today. Beloved, Jesus only is the Head and Founder of His kind of Church, and therefore we are here because Jesus put us here!

Now, I understand that Jesus uses means to build His Church. He uses preachers and evangelists (or missionaries), to preach the gospel to the lost. And He uses the authority of existing true churches to organize new converts into new churches, and the Holy Spirit works to orchestrate and to empower all these human instruments to accomplish God’s will and purpose to build His Church. But it is Jesus who builds His Church according to His designated means, and according to His purpose.

And so that’s why we’re here, because Jesus put us here!

2. Secondly, we want to consider “the reason, or reasons why we are still here”?

Beloved, there are many good reasons that I can think of for why we’re still here, but for time sake I will give you just four…

1) The first reason we’re still here is so that His Church would spread the gospel to the whole world…

Matthew 28:18-20 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Beloved, preaching the gospel is God’s foreordained means to save His elect people, whereby the purpose of Christ is fulfilled to “save His people from their sins”. And Jesus built His Church, and commissioned His Church to do just that. That is one of the main reasons why we’re still here! To carry out the great commission that Jesus entrusted to His Church.

2) The second reason why we are still here is to be the pillar and ground of the truth in this world…

Paul said in 1 Timothy 3:15 “But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.”

Beloved, the Lord’s Church is God’s repository of His Word, which is the truth! No other institution, religious or secular, was given that privilege, and honor, and responsibility. How important to the Lord is the truth of His Word? God has magnified His Word above all His Name! (Psalm 138:2)

We’re not talking only about the physical KJV Bible (and yes, I am a KJV only man)… but equally important is the rightful understanding and interpretation of the Word. There are many so-called churches that use the same Bible as we do, but they come to far different conclusions as to the meaning of the Scriptures.

So then, beloved, one very important reason why the Lord’s Church is still here is to uphold, and to hold up, and to stand for, and defend, and to declare the precious truth of God’s Word! Where else can truth be found in this world if not in the Lord’s true Churches?

3) The third reason why we’re still here is so that Jesus can prepare for Himself a glorious bride…

Paul said in Ephesians 5:25-27… “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.”

As Jesus saves His people through preaching the gospel, and builds His Church, He is also preparing His bride for glory!

Beloved, it is from His Church that Jesus will make up His bride. And it is here and now that Jesus is preparing His bride for eternal glory with Him. We were all a bunch of vile sinners when Jesus found us. We were filthy, foolish, ignorant, ill-mannered, and most unfit for Heaven, much less to be included in the spotless Bride of Christ! And so one very important reason why we’re still here is to prepare ourselves for the Lord as His pure and spotless bride.

But you might say to me “that’s the Lord’s job”. Yes, and while that’s true, Revelation 19:7 also says that “His wife hath made herself ready”!

The Lord is cleansing and sanctifying, and washing His espoused bride to be, but she is to be doing her part to prepare Herself for Him. It’s not a one-sided relationship. Salvation is all of grace, but preparation for glory involves the conscientious efforts of the bride as well! On her wedding day they will say that she hath made herself ready!

4) And the fourth reason why we’re still here is so that God would get the glory in all things…

Paul said in Ephesians 3:21 “Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.”

The place where God has placed His glory, and where He receives glory, is in His Church! I read of no other institution in the New Testament where it is said that God receives worship and glory. It only stands to reason! Since the Church is the House of God today, and the pillar and ground of the truth, it only stands to reason that the Lord’s Churches would be the appointed place where God would receive glory, and worship, and praise.

So this morning we’ve briefly seen just 4 of the God given reasons why we are still here. We could think of many more I’m sure, but we will move on.

3. Thirdly, why are we still here in spite of the apparent odds against us?

Matthew 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

For over 2,000 years now the gates of hell, or the Jaws of death, have been trying with all their power to “prevail” again the Lord’s true Churches, yet we are still here! The devil and His demons, all the false religious organizations, not to mention the God hating secular world; they all desire to see the destruction of the Lord’s Churches. So then why, against such seemingly great odds, are we still here? Well, the answer can be found in 2 Kings 6:17, where Elisha prayed that the Lord would open his servant’s eyes to see the Lord’s mighty angelic army of chariots and horses of fire all around them! The enemy was great, but they were no match for God’s mighty angelic host!

We could easily preach an entire series of sermons on the subject of God’s preservation of His people and His Churches. As a sample, just take time to read Psalm 46 to see some good reasons for why we’re still here in spite of our countless enemies.

But this morning I will give you just one reason, and that should be more than we need! Jesus said in Matthew 28:20… “and lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” Well, as the district attorney said to the judge… “your honor, I rest my case.”

Beloved, I rest my case. Since Jesus, who has all power in heaven and earth, is with His Church, who or what could ever possibly prevail against it? Need we say more? Satan and his demons, and all the false religious of the world, and all the armies of the greatest nations of the world are no match for the Almighty Lord Jesus Christ!

4. Fourthly, and finally, when will we no longer be here?

The possible answers to this question are pretty simple and fairly obvious.

We will no longer be here when we quit performing our God given reasons for being here in the first place. That is…

…When we quit preaching the gospel to the lost, sooner or later we will no longer be here. Do you want to see a dead church? Just look for one that no longer preaches the gospel of Jesus to a lost and dying world, and you will find a dead church!

…When we are no longer the pillar and ground of the truth, we will no longer be here! Beloved, there are a lot of what used to be sound Baptist Churches that are no longer sound, and no longer around. They might still be here physically, but their candlesticks are gone!

…When we are no longer making ourselves ready for Jesus, it won’t be long before we will no longer be here as a church. Beloved, the world has got a death grip on so many professing Christians and Baptist Churches today! It’s getting more and more difficult to tell the churches from the world. God help us! We are to be sanctified and set apart from the world unto Jesus. And when that’s no longer true of us, I believe we will soon be gone as a church.

…When we no longer give God glory in the Church we will no longer be here! Many what used to be glorious churches have Ichabod written over the door “the glory of the Lord has departed”! These churches exist for every reason but giving God glory. Woe unto us if we fail to see our ultimate reason for being here, and that is to give God glory in everything!

Now, all those are pretty grievous reasons why we might no longer be here at some point in the future. But there is one good reason that we can all rejoice about, and that is, when Jesus comes again for His Church… we will no longer be here!

Oh, beloved, what a glorious day! And what a blessed reason for no longer being here, when Jesus takes us home to be with Him in glory! “Even so come Lord Jesus!”

Conclusion…

In conclusion, I say again with joy and thanksgiving to God, it is wonderful that we are still here! I pray that God will continue to bless and keep us in His love and grace, and in His truth.

God help all of His true Churches to continue fulfilling the reasons why that we are still here.

Keep telling sinners about Jesus. Continue being the “pillar and ground of the truth”. Continue preparing ourselves for the soon return of our Blessed Lord Jesus Christ! And continue to give God glory in His Church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen…!

Who knows, but one day very soon He will come to take us home! May we be ready to meet Him!

Are you ready this morning? If Jesus was to back right now… are you ready? Are you saved? Do you believe in Jesus as your only hope of salvation through His blood that He shed on the cross for your sins?

Christians and church members, are we ready? Are we making ourselves ready to meet our Lord?

I hope that we can all pray with the apostle John…

“Even so come Lord Jesus!”