THE SUFFICIENCY OF THE SCRIPTURES
November 23, 2008 AM
Sermon Outline
IN REVEALING THE CHURCH
MT 16:16-19
INTRO: One of the great hymns which I have enjoyed over years of time has in it these words: "I love thy church, O God." The church has been so much a part of my life since childhood that I have difficulty thinking of myself apart from it. I do love the Lord's church. Were it not for the scriptures, however, I would have no knowledge of it. It is not something of which I can learn in nature. It is not something of which I can learn from human philosophy. All of the knowledge I have of the church of our Lord comes directly from scripture. Beyond scripture, anything one say or think is mere conjecture they value of which is certainly questionable. The scriptures, then, are completely sufficient in revealing the church.
- SOME PRELIMINARY THOUGHTS...
- Mk 9:1 - Of what did people who heard these words think?
- probably not of the church which is familiar to you and me
- Acts 1:3,6 - "kingdom" brought to their minds Israel's Davidic glory
- but Jesus thought of "kingdom" and "church" as synonyms
- Other descriptive terminology?
- "body of Christ" - Col 1:18
- "the bride, the Lamb's wife" - Rev 21:9
- "the household of God" - Eph 2:19
- "a spiritual house" - 1 Pet 2:5
- "church of the living God" - 1 Tim 3:15
- Mk 9:1 - Of what did people who heard these words think?
- FACTS SCRIPTURE REVEALS ABOUT IT?
- Christ is its "head"
- Col 1:18 - "And he is the head of the body, the church..."
- He does not share this headship with any human agency
- as its head, He gives all direction (Mt 28:18)
- One becomes part of the church when baptized into the body
- 1 Cor 12:13 - "..baptized into one body.."
- membership does not depend on a scheme of human origin!
- when a believing, penitent person is baptized, he is added to the body of believers (so, Acts 2:41)
- The "saved" are in the church
- Acts 2:47 - "...the Lord added to the church..saved"
- if the saved are in the church, there are no saved out of the church
- this should help us understand the importance of the church to us
- Churches of Christ are congregations of such who are the saved
- Rom 16:16 - "..The churches of Christ salute you"
- scripture notes existence of such churches throughout Roman Empire
- these were not denominations of various origins, beliefs
- The churches were bound together by a common faith & practice
- 1 Cor 4:17 - "..as I teach every where in every church"
- 1 Cor 16:1 - churches believed and practiced the same things
- there was no earthly headquarters sending out edicts - no creedal statements of councils of men ... just inspired teaching (1 Cor 2:13)
- The local congregations did have a revealed structure within them
- Acts 14:23, Phil 1:1, 1 Tim 3:1,12
- each congregation was to be so constituted - 1 Tim 3:14,15
- yet, there was no organic tie such as a synod, council, society - such inventions as these came later and produced denominations
- The revealed "pattern" for the church was/is vital to its existence
- 1 Cor 11:2, 2 Tim 1:13,14
- 2 Tim 4:3,4 - such warnings as this abound in scripture
- if the pattern is not followed, that which results cannot be the church revealed in scripture!
- There is only one body, or church
- Eph 4:4 -"There is one body.."
- I am well aware this is a hard truth about which emotions run high
- but I did not and do not make the rules ... scripture reveals, and I must faithfully proclaim that which is therein revealed
- the Lord, via scripture, has given us what we need to know about the church and how it is to be constituted ... it is a pattern which can be followed in any place and in any age
- Christ is its "head"
CLOSE: Yes, there is much more to the revealed pattern than time has permitted me this morning. And I encourage you to read it for yourself within the pages of scripture. Are you in the body of Christ today? Have you been baptized into the Lord's body? If not, may I inquire in love, "Why?"
Cecil A. Hutson
23 November 2008