What the Bible Affirms About...The Church

Introduction

Although we often refer to the building that we meet in as the church, I think we all know that the building is in fact not the church. The church is the people. You and I make up the church. We often talk about the church, and we have read about it in the Bible, but if someone were to ask you about it, what would you say? Today, we will try to help one another to better understand what the Bible affirms about the church.

READ Scriptures- Acts 20:28; 2:40-41; Ephesians 4:11-16

Purchased by the Blood of Christ (Acts 20:28)

The Flock, the Church of God, was purchased with the blood of Christ. This is why the cross has such great significance in Christian doctrine. God has redeemed us with the blood of His Own. We are His purchased possession. We are not independent men and women, and the church does not belong to itself, but we are all bought by the blood of Christ.

Populated by All True Believers in Christ (Acts 2:40-41)

One the day of Pentecost, when the church was first established, those who heard the message of the Gospel and received it were baptized and added to the church. Those who had genuinely repented and believed were baptized and added. We, too, have all heard and believed the Gospel. All of us who have put our faith in Christ belong to, and are in fact the body of Christ.

Provided Leadership (Eph 4:11, 15)

The chief point that we must grasp is that the Church was bought by the blood of Christ, it is His, and Christ is the head of the body. Let us constantly remember that we belong to and answer to the Lord Jesus Christ. After we understand that we can begin to see how He establishes His church. He Himself gave some apostles and some prophets to the church. They were the unrepeatable foundation on which the church is built. Those offices are not held today. Yet, Christ still makes provision for the church as He gives some evangelists and some pastor/teachers. Evangelists establish churches and trouble-shoot for them. They are not always around, but pastors are locally resident. We have already seen in Acts 20 that God has given the church elders who are to shepherd the flock. They are first to take heed to themselves and then to the church. I have argued in the past that our English translations use five different words for one position. Elder, Pastor, Overseer, Bishop, and Shepherd are all terms that refer to the one office in the church that is responsible for the well-being of the whole church. This is a great responsibility mainly because the church was purchased with the precious blood of Christ. Men and women that we can also talk about as a gift to the church, not mentioned in this passage, are the deacons. They are to serve the church, mainly tending to the physical matters of the body, under the direction of Christ-the-Head and the Elders.

Preparing for Ministry (Eph 4:11-12)

The passage tells us that the Elders are to be preparing the church for ministry. You, the saints, are to be equipped for the work of ministry. The Elders and I are supposed to be equipping you for ministry and building you up in Christ. Whether you take advantage of them or not, we are constantly trying to offer you several opportunities to grow and serve one another and the community.

Promoted by Unity (Eph 4:13-14)

This work in the church is supposed to continue until we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God. We are aiming to measure up to the stature of the fullness of Christ. Disunity is one of the greatest enemies of individual congregations and the church as a whole. If we are going to be edified, there’s going to have to be some love. We are going to have to come here to worship together and much more. We are going to have to gather around the Word of God, we are going to have to serve one another, and we are going to have to reach out to our community.

Conclusion

“Christ is at once the One into whom all Christians grow and out of whom . . . the church [unites] itself in love” (Wood, 59).

What the Bible Affirms About...The Lord's Supper

Introduction

We will continue our study of the major doctrines of the Christian faith today. Our next stop is to see what the Bible affirms about the Lord’s Supper. Our goal today will be to answer four questions on the subject (listed below).

READ Scripture- This is the Word of God (1 Corinthians 11:23-28)

What is the Lord’s Supper?

It is the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. It was inaugurated by the Lord on the night of His betrayal in the upper room. Now, we are not people that believe that these emblems are or becoming the actual, physical body and blood of the Lord. Jesus was not telling us to drink blood which was actually prohibited in the Mosaic Law and was against the teaching of the Apostles. We believe that the bread and juice represent the body and blood of the Lord. Partaking in these emblems signifies our devotion to and faith in Christ’s atoning work on the cross. It symbolizes our union with Him, as we consume the bread and juice. It also demonstrates our common bond, as we partake of the same bread and cup. We are one body all with the same Lord and Spirit. When we commune with the body and blood of the Lord, we remember the Lord’s death.

Why Participate in the Lord’s Supper?

We participate in the Lord’s Supper because Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of Me” that is, continue to do this in remembrance of Me (1 Cor 11:24-25). First and foremost, we participate in the Lord’s Supper because we have been commanded by the Lord to do so.

Another reason we partake of the Supper is because we see that it was the practice of the early church (and I will show you more Scripture on this in just a bit).

A third reason we participate in the Lord’s Supper is because it is a means of grace. There is no power of grace in the elements themselves, but in the event of the church we receive grace. When we come together to remember and proclaim the sacrificial death of the Lord, we encounter once again the loving grace of God – forgiveness of sins, and the gift of eternal life.

Why Participate in the Lord’s Supper Every Week?

We participate in the Lord’s Supper every week because the Apostle said, “For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes” (1 Cor 11:26). The phrase “as often” could be taken to mean once a month, once a quarter, or once a year I suppose, but we make it our practice to take it as often as every first day of the week.

In (1 Cor 11:20) the Apostle says, “Therefore when you come together in one place, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper.” He then goes on to scold them for their conduct in the gatherings which tells me that the Lord’s Supper was the reason that they were supposed to come together.

(Acts 2:42) tells us of four devotional activities that the early church continued in. One of those things is the breaking of bread. The church was devoted to the Supper!

We need the weekly reminder of the Lord’s death. It should control our lives week after week. Why do you think that the Lord said, “Do this in remembrance of Me”? We are sinful people who are often weak, and we tend to stray. The Apostle John says in (1 John 1:8), “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” We need to be reminded of the death of the Lord, and we also need to be confronted with our own sins. It is at the Table that we meet anew the grace of God in the person and accomplishments of Jesus Christ.

How Should we Participate in the Lord’s Supper?

We want to teach and practice what the Bible affirms concerning the Lord’s Supper.

[1] We are to eat and drink in a worthy manner, first examining ourselves (1 Cor 11:27-28). If there is anything clear from this passage in 1 Corinthians, it is that the sin that the church was guilty of was the neglect of brothers and sisters. You see, when you partake of the meal you are partaking with the person beside you, in front of you, behind you, all around you in the assembly. When you partake, you partake as a member of this congregation- intimately connected to all the other men and women here who have put their faith in Christ. Thus, examining one’s self must include your relationship to the entire church, not just personally. This involves searching your own heart, considering your own life, and reflecting on your Christian relationships with brothers and sisters and with God. If there is a wicked way found in us, we are called to confess it to God who is quick and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

[2] The Lord’s Supper is a time to give thanks. Remember that when Jesus took the bread and the cup, He first lifted it to heaven and gave thanks. We do the same, thanking the God for the life-giving sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

[3] The Lord’s Supper is a time to proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes. When we put the bread and cup to our lips, we proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ; God made Christ who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Conclusion

What is the Lord’s Supper? It is communion with the “body and blood of the Lord.”

Why do we participate in the Supper? Our Lord said, “Do this in remembrance of Me.”

Why participate weekly? The Apostle said, “As often as you eat this bread and drink this cup.”

How should we participate? First examining, remembering, giving thanks, and proclaiming

What the Bible affirms about. . .Baptism

Introduction Things just work out beautifully, even when they are not exactly planned. I began this series of sermons without regard to holidays or special days, and I don’t think I could have planned a better subject for Mother’s Day than baptism. What Christian mother does not want to see her family saved? All Christian mothers want to see their children baptized. Another thought I had is that today we can bring together the two points that Jesus brings together when He teaches Nicodemus about the new birth. He told Nicodemus in John 3:5, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” In the very next verse the Lord says, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” Mothers introduces us to our physical life and (through the Holy Spirit according to the accomplishments of Christ) God gives us a new spiritual life.

            --“That which is born of the flesh is flesh” – Physical life by our Mothers (childbirth)

            --“that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” – Spiritual life by the Holy Spirit (baptism)

Every First-Century Believer was Baptized

Let me begin by making a few concise statements of what the Bible affirms concerning baptism:

1. The word baptism is a transliteration of a Greek word that literally means immersion

2. Every believer in the first century was baptized, and those who weren’t were commanded to

3. *The Bible affirms that baptism is our only guarantee of salvation

            Will someone be saved that was not baptized? I don’t know . . . Probably . . .

The Bible affirms in the book of Acts that there were some people who received the Holy Spirit that had not been baptized, but we must admit that they were/are the exception, not the rule. Let me explain why I teach that baptism is our only guarantee (and of course I am assuming that the baptized individuals that we are talking about are true believers who have repented of their sins and confessed Christ as Lord and Savior).

Eph 1:13-14 states what as the guarantee of our inheritance? The gift of the Holy Spirit

When does the Bible teach that you receive the gift of the Holy Spirit? Baptism Acts 2:38

 

Romans 6:1-4

In Rom 5:20 we can see that the Law was given that sin may be known. And it has been proven by the Apostle and by our experience that humanity is made up of sinners. Sin has abounded to the present time. But the New Testament teaches that grace has met every sin. Not only does grace reverse sin, but it does much more. The question now becomes, should we continue in sin that grace may abound? The answer is non-negotiable and firm – Certainly not!

The main point of chapter six and the chief concern for the Christian is that we are dead to sin. Why does the Apostle want to use the language of death on this point? First, it creates an immediate tie with the death of Christ. Second, it marks a decisive and final break in one’s state of being. Christians have a decisive break with sin. We are not only spared from the penalty due to sin, but we are no longer controlled by the power of sin.

The main question today is, when can we say that we died to sin? The Apostle says in baptism.

As sin has the power to control us, so does the death of Christ. His atoning work has the power to save us from the wrath of God.

Something Special

When I was baptized, and I can probably safely assume that when you were baptized, we didn’t know exactly everything that was taking place. We had a good idea of what God was doing, but as we have grown in Christ we have a better idea today. There are many that claim that baptism is nothing more than an act of obedience. I beg to differ! Something special happens at the time of baptism. The New Testament affirms the continual practice of baptism and it describes the significance of it. The great Reformer, Martin Luther, said, One is baptized so that he “may receive in the water the promised salvation” (Cottrell). God meets us in the water to do a mighty work in our souls. Baptism is neither a work on our part nor on the part of the minister, but it is a work of God Almighty.

Conclusion

You may be surprised to find out that, “. . . the entire Christian world for the first 1,500 years of its history was in agreement: water baptism is the God-appointed time when he first gives saving grace to sinners” (Cottrell). The common view of baptism today began around A.D. 1523. What is it that we usually hear from denominations on the subject? Something to the effect of, baptism is an outward sign of an inward work. Most denominations today claim that baptism is not necessary for any part of salvation. The only importance that it has is its representation.

Yet, we want to teach and practice everything the Bible teaches about baptism. We are not interested in making it more important than Scripture does, but we are not going to “water it down” either (excuse the pun). Therefore, baptism is not simply for church membership, or obedience, or to illustrate new birth (it does all those things), but it is primarily to unite us with Christ Himself. Baptism is the extraordinary moment when we break with sin and become united with Christ as His Spirit comes to dwell within!

As you stand in the waters of baptism with a repentant heart- you die with Christ; as you are immersed in the watery grace of baptism- you are buried with Him; and as you come out of the water- you are raised to a new life in the likeness of His resurrection. If you believe, but have never been baptized, then let’s do it today. Give your self to Christ and receive life.