Question 48
New City Catechism • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 3 viewsNotes
Transcript
Question 48
Question 48
By way of review, I want you to take a couple minutes working with the person next to you and write down 5 things about baptism and 5 things about communion/Lords Supper.
Baptism: public, washing with water, signifies and seals our adoption into Christ, shows our commitment to the Lord and His church, is a witness to family & friends, does not save us, done in obedience
Communion: involves bread (body of christ) and wine (blood of christ), celebration of Lord’s work on the cross, done in remembrance, commanded by Christ in final hours, does not save us, is not literal, methods & frequency not specific
We covered the two sacraments which are God’s gifts to us to remember him and to celebrate the redeeming work in our lives. God has given us an even bigger gift than the sacraments which we are going to begin today.
God has given us the church.
When I say church—what are some things that come to mind? What pops in your head?
You have hit on some of these but lets think about the church:
What do people do at church?
Why do people go to church?
What is the purpose of the church?
Be honest, who in here has never thought about why we come to church or what the purpose of the church is?
Many of you have been coming since the day you were born and you don’t know any other way and praise the Lord for that. But you have never had to stop and think why am I doing this—why am I not free Sunday mornings—why do my parents make this such a priority.
For some in this room they didn’t grow up in the church. Perhaps they never attended church and so at some point they had to make a decision I am going to go to Church. For some when that point came they had to give a defense to family or friends—perhaps there spouse or children about why the are going to church.
Pew research, which is the top researcher when it comes to this stuff, released in 2018 a study on why people do or do not go to church.
We are going to do a little bit of family feud style—without the craziness. Can you guess the top 10 reasons people go to church:
To become closer to God
So children will have moral foundation
To make me a better person
For comfort in times of sorrow/trouble
I find the sermons valuable
To be part of a community of faith
To continue family religious traditions
I feel a religious obligation to go
To meet new people/socialize
To please my family, spouse or partner
For the sake of time I will give you the top 3 reasons people don’t go to church:
I practice my faith in other ways
I am not a believer
I have not found a church/house of worship I like (I would add based on what I have seen and/or I have been hurt at a church)
Perhaps quickly we should define: what makes up a church? People
All of this helps us understand how the world views the church and even reasons we all come to church but I don’t think it gets to the heart of the issue.
Question 48: What is the Church?
Answer 48: God chooses and preserves for himself a community elected for eternal life and united by faith, who love, follow, learn from, and worship God together. God sends out this community to proclaim the gospel and prefigure Christ’s kingdom by the quality of their life together and their love for one another.
We are going to break down this answer focusing on the various parts, look at some passages and I’ll add some thoughts.
God chooses and preserves for himself a community elected for eternal life and united by faith, who love, follow, learn from, and worship God together. God sends out this community to proclaim the gospel and prefigure Christ’s kingdom by the quality of their life together and their love for one another.
First part is God chooses—the church is made up of believers who are protected by God and cannot be removed from God.
18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
We have all heard that verse right, while that is true that passage is Jesus interacting with the disciples about who he is and Peter correctly assesses he is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. 5 verses later Jesus is calling him Satan.
Jesus is using a play on words here, Peter means pebble or small stone “petros” while Jesus used the word “Petra” meaning foundation boulder, cornerstone.
Christ is the foundation and cornerstone of the church but he uses stones, pebbles like us as part of it. We see this in 1 Peter
5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
6 For it stands in Scripture: “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” 7 So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,”
11 For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
My hope is built on nothing less
than Jesus' blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
but wholly lean on Jesus' name.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand:
all other ground is sinking sand;
all other ground is sinking sand
United by faith—this is important because many people hear the good news. This morning 300 people will hear the good news of Jesus Christ proclaimed but that doesn’t make them part of the church. Those united by faith are part of the church.
2 For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened.
Turn to 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 where we see much of this flushed out—God choosing a people, protecting them as a community of elect for eternal life and united by faith.
13 But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. 14 To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter. 16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, 17 comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.
God is writing this letter to believers in Jesus Christ, to people like you and me.
Give thanks, God has chose you to be saved, he has called you through the gospel, that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Stand firm, hold to the traditions, as a group of believers; faithful adherence to the truth should be flushed out.
Lets go back to our answer:
God chooses and preserves for himself a community elected for eternal life and united by faith, who love, follow, learn from, and worship God together. God sends out this community to proclaim the gospel and prefigure Christ’s kingdom by the quality of their life together and their love for one another.
34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
9 Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another,
Follow
24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.
12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
1 Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Learn from
17 Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.
1 Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.
1 You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, 2 and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.
Worship God together
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
26 What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.
11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
God chooses and preserves for himself a community elected for eternal life and united by faith, who love, follow, learn from, and worship God together. God sends out this community to proclaim the gospel and prefigure Christ’s kingdom by the quality of their life together and their love for one another.
We all know the passage from Matthew
18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
But we are called to be ready at all times
15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,
Doing so intentially and with the right attitude:
1 And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. 2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, 4 and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
The church is called to be a light. Jesus calls us to be the light
14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
We have the good news, the hope of the gospel and we cannot contain it or keep it, we should be eagerly sharing with others. We don’t hide this light or put it under a basket but rather put it on display through our actions and words so that people can see it and glorify God.
The church is God’s people coming together to worship God.
There is a ministry called 9 Marks that is dedicated to what the local church should look like.
First of all let me add, they have a really amazing tool called a church locator. If you ever find yourself moving away, and thats okay its not wrong to move. I’m young in ministry and I can’t tell you the number of times I have been asked if I know of a church in an area for someone or someone’s family members. I have traveled a lot but I couldn't tell you very many solid churches. 9 Marks has done the research and they are a good place to start.
But here are the 9 things a healthy church should have:
Preaching and specifically expositional preaching. “Expositional preaching is important because God’s Word is what convicts, converts, builds up, and sanctifies God’s people (Heb. 4:12; 1 Pet. 1:23; 1 Thess. 2:13; Jn. 17:17). Preaching that makes the main point of the text the main point of the sermon makes God’s agenda rule the church, not the preacher’s.”
Biblical Theology “Biblical theology is essential for
Evangelism. The gospel is doctrine. Therefore, sound doctrine is necessary for evangelism.Discipleship. Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them in the truth. Your word is truth” (Jn. 17:17). Christians grow by learning and living in light of the truth—in other words, by sound doctrine.Unity. According to the New Testament, the only true unity is unity in the truth (1 Jn. 1:1-4; 2 Jn. 10-11).Worship. To worship God is to declare his excellencies (1 Pet. 2:9-10) and to exalt him because of who he is (Ps. 29:2). True worship is a response to sound doctrine.”
3. The Gospel. “A biblical understanding of the gospel is important because the gospel is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes, and it is the only way for sinful people to be reconciled to a holy God.Not only that, but everything in a church flows from its understanding of the gospel, whether preaching, counseling, discipleship, music, evangelism, missions, and on.”
4. Conversion “A biblical understanding of conversion is important for churches because
It clarifies how churches should exhort non-Christians—they should call non-Christians to repent of sin and trust in Christ.It reminds churches that they must rely upon God in all of their evangelistic efforts; only he can give new spiritual life.It teaches churches to maintain a sharp distinction between themselves and the world.
Church members’ lives should be marked by the fruit of conversion,Churches should admit to baptism and the Lord’s Supper only those who show evidence of conversion.”
5. Evangelism “When a church has an unbiblical understanding of the gospel, they don’t evangelize, they evangelize in misleading or manipulative ways, or they share a message that’s not the gospel.On the other hand, a biblical understanding of evangelism clarifies our role in the mission God has given to the church: we are to preach the good news about what Christ has done and pray that God would bring people to believe it.”
6. Membership “Biblical church membership is important because the church presents God’s witness to himself in the world. It displays his glory. In the church’s membership, then, non-Christians should see in the lives of God’s changed people that God is holy and gracious and that his gospel is powerful for saving and transforming sinners.”
7. Discipline “Think of discipline as the stake that helps the tree grow upright, the extra set of wheels on the bicycle, or the musician’s endless hours of practice. Without discipline, we won’t grow as God wants us to. With discipline, we will, by God’s grace, bear peaceful fruit of righteousness (Heb. 12:5-11).”
8. Discipleship “Promoting biblical discipleship and growth is important because none of us are finished products. Until we die, all Christians will struggle against sin, and we need all the help we can get in this fight.If a church neglects discipleship and growth, or teaches a skewed, unbiblical version of it, it will discourage genuine Christians and wrongly assure false Christians. On the other hand, if a church fosters a culture of Christian discipleship and growth, it will multiply believers’ efforts to grow in holiness.A church that is not growing in the faith will ultimately yield an unhealthy witness to the world.”
9. Leadership “God gifts churches with elders to
feed God’s sheep God’s word (Jn. 21:15-17),guide the sheep (1 Tim. 4:16; 1 Pet. 5:3, Heb. 13:7),and protect the sheep from attackers (Acts 20:27-29; 2 Tim. 4:3-4; Tit. 1:9),while protecting both themselves and the church through the wisdom of their plurality (Prov. 11:14; 24:6).
The bottom line? Biblical church leadership is important because without it, God’s people are like sheep without shepherds.”
I realize each of these look different depending on the context that you are in. Different churches emphasize these differently. But if you want to be a part of a healthy church, if you want to be part of a solid church, they need to have elements of all of these.
I want to close with this.
The church is made of up of people. Its not a building, its not a person.
Raise your hand if you have ever been to a church in another country? I hope that one day each and every one of you can do that.
Why? The church is not confined to Canton, OH.
The church is not confined to middle-class white people.
The church is not confined to english speaking americans.
The church is not confined to the Northern Hemisphere.
The church is not confined to 2023.
One of the most amazing parts about Uganda, Mexico, Haiti—the other places I have been, is God’s church gathering together on Sunday mornings. You can’t put it into words. You can try and try but until you see if in person it doesn’t hold water.
The church is God’s people coming together to worship the risen Christ.
This summer in God’s providence something really cool happened. At SOS you get to be with these people all week and spend lots of time with them and see them in their mud huts or work along side them and then Sunday morning hundreds of people, including all those you me and spent time with during the week and you get to worship together.
Emarie, Brandon & I had dinner with this older lady who had never left the Luwero district of Uganda and had a small little mud hut for her and her son & daughter in law and grandchildren. And she spoke zero english. And Sunday morning I was sitting across the isle from her.
And that Sunday we sang a song and she sang it in Lugandan and I sang in English and others in the room sang it in Swahali. And that same song on the same Sunday you guys sang here at this church.
And when I think that God, His Son not sparing
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in
That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing
He bled and died to take away my sin
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee
How great Thou art, how great Thou art
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee
How great Thou art, how great Thou art
The church is not confined to a local church. The gospel does not need Faith Bible Church. Faith Bible Church needs the gospel. And together with Kumbitatwe Community Church and Word of God Community Church and Grace Community Church and all the other churches we make up the Church of Jesus Christ.
The Church which Jesus died for.
23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. 25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.
Lets pray