THE CHURCH

 

   We begin this morning with a study of the church.  Something I read recently made me realize we are not emphasizing the Church of Christ as we should in our teaching. It is important and it is necessary that we teach what the Bible says concerning the church.  We begin with a rather long reading, but it sets the stage for our study.  Ephesians 3:8-21É

Matthew 16:13-18É the time had not yet come for the building, the establishing of the church.  In these passages and a host of others, specific reference is made to the church about which I want to speak this morning.  In fact, we will look at lessons on the church throughout the month of October.

 

I)           Upon this rockÉ

A)   Upon this great fundamental truth that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.

B)    Il will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

1)      I will buildÉ

(a)   I have it in my mind;

(b)   ItÕs according to GodÕs pre-arranged plan and from the foundation of the world,

(c)   It was the intent of Jehovah, that unto principalities and powers in heavenly places, might be known by the church, the manifold wisdom of God and for that reason, I expect to build it.

(d)   All the power of the Hadean world will not prevail against my so doing.

(e)   Now, letÕs analyze just what he said in these verses.

2)      I will build

(a)   Who is the builder?

(b)   Jesus Christ is the one who said it.

(c)   That should cause us to see that any church built by anybody other than Jesus Christ is not the one of the Bible.

(d)   I, Jesus Christ, will build my church.

(e)   If I decided to start out and organize or build a church, could it possibly be the one mentioned by Christ? Wearing my name, according to what I thought was proper doctrine, etcÉ  The answer is NO!

3)      The church mentioned by Christ was built in 33 A.D. according to our calendar.

4)      The church mentioned by Christ was built in city of Jerusalem (Zechariah 1:16).

5)      Mark those three thingsÉ

(a)   Who built the church?  Jesus Christ

(b)   When did he build it?  In the year 33.

(c)   Where did he build it?  In the city of Jerusalem.

6)      That is as simple as it getsÉ.

C)    Let me mention briefly that the church of Christ is not a denomination.  We will go into more detail later.

1)      You can trace all of them back to less than 500 years old.

2)      Someone other than Jesus Christ built each one of them, at some other time than 33 A.D. and at some other place than Jerusalem.

3)      The conclusion has to be; the wrong person began them, at the wrong time, in the wrong place.

4)      Therefore they cannot be the thing, which Jesus Christ had in mind when he said: ÒUpon this rock, I will build my church.Ó

D)   You notice again that Jesus said, ÒI will build my church.

1)      That means he had not done so previously.

2)      ÒWill buildÓ certainly cannot point backward.

3)      It refers to something not yet done. 

4)      Most people in the denominational world are attached to some organization, which teaches that the church was organized and set up previous to the time mentioned in this connection by Christ . . . and thus they are wrong about it!

5)      Practically all denominations represented in this nation are based upon the erroneous idea that the church started back in the days of Abraham, or in the days of John the Baptist, or during the personal ministry of Jesus Christ our Lord.

6)      There is not a person on earth who can prove the correction of such contentions.

7)      We have to go back to Jerusalem, to the year 33, and recognize Jesus Christ as the builder of that great institution.

8)      The church was organized on Pentecost and started out on its great mission as GodÕs institution through which his wisdom was to be revealed to mortal man.

E)    The establishing of the church was the main purpose of Jesus Christ.

1)      Notice again Eph. 3:8-11. 

2)      Now what do you have?

(a)   The very medium through which, from the foundation of the world, and according to GodÕs eternal purpose, His revelation was to be made known to mortal man.

(b)   Thus, for any man to come along and say, that the church was a Òspiritual contingent, an incident, an accident, or a mere chance,Ó is but little short of blasphemy in the sight of Almighty God.

(c)   Yet, statements like that are made continually by religious world!

F)     I Timothy 3:15

1)      Why did Paul say he was writing?

2)      ÒThat thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of GodÓ

3)      Now notice, Òwhich is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.Ó

4)      What did God intend for the truth to rest, upon what is it founded, and what is its support?

5)      God says the church is not only the pillar, but it is the very foundation, the ground of the truth.

6)      For someone to minimize the church and talk about it as a mere accident is quite contrary to the very sentiment that prevails everywhere in the Bible.

7)      The church is the ground and support of the truth and since the church is made up of men and women who have been born again, it imposes on each of us the responsibility to uphold the truth.  Are you supporting the truth? If you constitute the church, there is your responsibility. 

II)         What is the church of the New Testament?

A)   Not intended to reflect upon anyoneÕs intelligence. We are in the 21st. century and it is still necessary to talk about this subject.

B)    What is that thing which you read about in N.T., called the church?

1)      It is not a material building, yet that idea has always been prevalent. (Acts 7:48É 17:24)

2)      The church is not that old Jewish institution perpetuated on down the line.

(a)   Entered it through physical birth.

(b)   Enter the church through spiritual birth (John 3:3,5)

3)      Church is not a denomination.

(a)   That is the most difficult matter to get people to see.

(b)   It is very difficult to get a person to make clear the distinction between the church of the Bible and a human organization, founded by some uninspired man, at some other time than the year 33, at some other place than the city of Jerusalem.

(c)   Where in the Bible do you ever read about a denomination existing by the authority of Jesus Christ our Lord?

(d)   When Paul said, ÒHusbands, love your wives, as Christ also loved the church and gave himself or it,Ó (Eph. 5:25), for which denomination did Christ give his lifeÕs blood?

(e)   The answer is, absolutely none!

4)      The church is the people, the Òekklesia,Ó the called out.

C)    The church is the only place where GodÕs children are.

1)      It is hard for some to conceive of the idea that all of the saved people of this earth are members of the church.

2)      The common idea is that a man first gets saved and then later on and by a different process, he becomes a member of the church.

3)      Such is not the case. That idea is not in the Bible

4)      Eph. 5:23É

(a)   What is the body?  It is the church of the Lord

(b)   Of whom is Christ the Savior and of what?  The body, but the body is the church, therefore Christ saves those in the church.

(c)   People will say, ÒThe church does not save anybody!Ó

(d)   That is true!

5)      Think about this.

(a)   Who is the savior of mankind?  Jesus Christ is

(b)   When does Christ save?  When we obey the gospel (Mk. 16:15,16)

(c)   Where does he save them?  In church, which is his body.

(d)   You have who, when and where.

6)      If a person can be saved outside the church, he can be saved w/o the blood of Christ (Acts 20:28; Eph. 5:25).

7)      Church is called the family of God, hence, it is GodÕs family upon this earth.

(a)   If you can be saved outside the church, you can be saved outside of family of God.

(b)   All of GodÕs people are in His family. 

8)      We are born again into the kingdom or family of God

(a)   John 3:3,5

(b)   I Cor. 12:13

Con:  Are you a member of the church that you can read of in the Holy Scriptures.  Have you been born again, washed in the blood of the lamb and added to the body of Christ as the scriptures teach?  Are you in relationship with GodÕs family?  If you are, stay faithful until this life is over.  If not, you need to make some changes today.  Do you want to stand before God, knowing that you are not part of His family?  Obey his will and the Lord will add you to His body.  You can leave here today with hope of eternal life.  

 

From N.B. HardemanÕs Tabernacle Sermons, Vol IV, 1938