Fundamentals of our Faith Part 10

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Recap:

Beginning to wrap up our series

Last week Wade spoke on Sanctification

Each week as we look at the core doctrines and theological matters we seek and search and dig in hopes not to puff ourselves up but in order to know God

So that we can love Him truthfully and serve Him faithfully

Set up:

Growing up I had 5 brothers and sisters

I’m number 3 in the sibling order

When I was about 14/15 years old my cousin was dropped off at our house and essentially they never came back for him.

And we spent a lot of his younger years never really knowing if or when they would ever come back

The days turned to months and months to years and eventually he became my brother

My parents took a baby who wasn’t wanted at the time and brought him in, made him their own, treated him as if he was their own, and gave him something that we all so desperately long for

a belonging.

Most people categorize themselves introvert or extrovert, I definitely fall on the introvert side.

I like my alone time, although kids throw a big wrench into that.

But, you know, I love to be with people, but I typically need down time to recharge, I can’t go, go, go all the time

And although I’m wired that way and maybe you are as well, no matter how extreme it may be, I still long to belong.

And we all are. We all love to belong to something.

We claim political parties, and social clubs, and hobbyists, and titles, and so on and so on

And it all springs up from this sense of belonging.

You and I were created to belong to something bigger than ourselves

It is God given, God ordained, God driven. It’s innate and it’s true for us all

This isn’t some new story, in fact, it’s an old one.

And a true one.

The Bible speaks to this often.

The value and the necessity of belonging, commitment, and shared belief and purpose.

In recent years there’s been this really big emphasis put into a personal relationship with Jesus.

And no doubt there’s some truth in there and a large appeal especially in our society today

But, Scripture always paint the beauty of the individual in the scope of the family.

I believe, to be a believer is to be in a relationship with both God and His church.

And so that’s what I want to talk about today.

The doctrine of the church.

pray

So, a few teaching points for us and then we will talk some practical things.

So the Greek word for church is “ekklesia” which simply just means “gathering” or “assembly.”

So, when I say church, I don’t mean a building or programs, I mean the gathering of God people because that’s how the Bible defines it.

So where the doctrine of salvation declares that we belong to God, the doctrine of the church declares that we belong to one another

And in our current culture climate today, where individualism rules and reigns, the call to belong is both countercultural and compelling.

So, the doctrine of the church would teach us that Christian individualism is an oxymoron.

You are called, not just to believe in the church but to belong to it, both universally and locally.

Which gets us to the next point,

The universal church is made up of all believers of all times and all locations.

Right, so John’s vision in Revelation shows us a snapshot of the church universally, where every nation, tribe, and tongue worships before the throne of God.

So, this is a good reminder to us of the beauty of our unity in Christ, despite culture or context.

The local church is the gathering of Christians in a particular time and place, centered around the proclamation of God’s Word.

so, these local churches may speak different languages, believe slightly differently on secondary issues, and express worship through varying styles,...

each seek to make the glory of God known where they are in their particular context.

So, the local church reminds believers of the beauty of diversity amongst the children of God

When Scripture begins to unfold, unpack, and explain what the church is and it’s purpose, it uses a few different metaphors. Some of which I’d like to use to help us get a better understanding of this doctrine.

Scriptures tells us to consider church as family, a temple, a priesthood, a stranger, a body, and a bride.

Family

Pentecost marks the birth of the church. The day where we see the Holy Spirit descend and enter into the people of God

So that even today when we declare Jesus is Lord of our lives the Holy Spirit enters us so that we are united not only with Christ, but also with one another.

Each and every believer has the Spirit of God living inside of them, guarding, guiding, leading, correcting, comforting, and so on

It’s a unifying common ground we all have.

And right after we see this pouring out of the Spirit we see the church form and then explode and it’s all done when the Father and Son pour out the Spirit in order to bring about this new sort of family.

So, the church doesn't make itself come into being, Christ, who is the head of the church, brings it into being by making dead people come to life through His Word.

Matthew 12:48–50 NIV

48 He replied to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” 49 Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. 50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

So, Jesus is teaching us here, you are adopted by God through Christ and become part of the family of God

No matter your family of origin, no matter your history, no matter your race, no matter if you’re an only child or have 36 siblings, you are adopted into the family of God

And where our earthly families may skew this Biblical truth of our Spiritual family, the thing that marks the family of God is love.

Brotherly and sisterly love for one another

The Temple

1 Corinthians 3:16–17 NIV

16 Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? 17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.

Now, we may read that and think, that sure sounds personal.

Isn’t Paul talking to the individual here? He uses the word you a lot.

There’s a theologian, John Dyer, who happens to be from the south that notes the trend to read passages individualistically, and the problem in doing so.

Did you know there are 4,800 verses in the Bible that contain the English word “you.”

The problem with that is, there is no distinction made between singular or plural in the original language.

So, this theologian uses a plug in where he changes the word you to y’all.

Now, reading this letter written from Paul, to the church, to be read to the church, don’t you think a word like y’all is more fitting.

So, let’s read that again except this time with the “y’all” plug in.

1 Corinthians 3:16–17 (NIV)

16 Don’t you know that y’all are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in y’all? 17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and y’all are that temple.

Paul isn’t describing you the individual, but us, the collective body of believers.

We, the church are God’s temple.

And the Spirit of God breathes life through the church

So, instead of going to a tabernacle or a temple to experience the presence of God, the Church is now indwelt by the Spirit and enjoys, in a special sense, the presence and care of God in the world.

Priesthood

The apostle Peter points out this powerful metaphor

With the coming of Christ, the Spirit begins to fulfill a promise made back in Ex 19 where we see a kingdom of priests.

Then in

1 Peter 2:5 NIV

5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

So, now, instead of a select few. Instead of just a priest or a pastor having this ability

We all are invite into this precious privilege and sacred duty to offer spiritual sacrifices for the glory of God

What are these sacrifices?

Romans 12:1 NIV

1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.

What is the call?

To love God with heart, soul, mind, and strength in everything we do, say, and think

the church is called to be a priesthood.

Or in other words: to sacrifice their lives for the kingdom and glory of God

A stranger

Peter also reminds the church of it’s status as foreigners and exiles

As strangers on this earth who are sojourners on the way to our true home

1 Peter 2:11 NIV

11 Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul.

The church is not called to get comfortable

We are called to be like Christ

We are not of this world, it is not our home, more on that next week

We are strangers

The church is also a body

1 Corinthians 12:12 NIV

12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ.

To help us grasp our interconnectedness and our interdependence as well as our individual contributions Paul describes the church as the body of Christ

Right? so the NT teaches us that as the body of Christ we all belong to one another but each have individual functions

It is stressing the unity yet diversity of the church

It also helps us see that we do not represent ourselves but Christ

We are Christ’s body

and so today, in this age, we act as a physical representative of Jesus

As part of the church, whatever you do, wherever you go, however you act, you are representing Jesus to the world around you

The church is the bride

So Paul compares the marriage of a husband and wife to Christ’s marriage to His bride, the church.

That the church is now knit together with Christ in an unbreakable union.

So a couple things here and then I want to talk practically for a second

Christ gives His life for His bride

Yes, Christ dies for you individually but Christ also dies for the church

He lays down His life for the church because that’s how much he thought and loved her

Also, as the bride of Christ, purity and holiness become paramount

practical holiness and walking in righteousness is the task of the bride as she awaits her Bridegroom

Revelation 19:6–8 NIV

6 Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: “Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. 7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. 8 Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.)

The Bride “made herself ready.”

How?

her righteous acts, empowered by the Spirit, have set her apart as holy.

As the bride of Christ, the church, we are called to walk in righteousness preparing ourselves for the return of the King

Now, practically, what are our next steps here?

#1 Join a church

You can’t do this alone

#2 Join a small group

#3 serve, give, and love the church

#4 walk in the ways of righteousness preparing yourself as a bride should