What is a Church? Part One
Opening Bible Study • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:
And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.
Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
What is a Church?
What is a Church?
Introduction
Introduction
A church might be a place that you have taken for granted. Maybe you grew up in church. Maybe you attended church for a while but then something happened and you stopped going. Perhaps you moved and meant to go to church but haven’t.
1000 Illustrations for Preaching & Teaching The Landmark
The Landmark
Years ago a tornado destroyed a little church on the coast of England. The congregation was too poor to replace it. One day a representative of the British Admiralty called on the local minister. The official inquired if his people planned to rebuild. The pastor explained their situation. Whereupon the caller said, “If you do not rebuild the church, we will. That spire is on all of our charts and maps. It is the landmark by which the ships of the seven seas steer their courses.”
The people in this community had not realized what a vital place the church on that hill had for everyone else. That is what a church is to be. A church is to be a landmark that points everyone away from the shoals and rocks of life. A church is to be a place that points us to the preeminence of Christ.
And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
Christ is the head of the church. Not a pastor. Not a deacon. Not a person. Only Christ is to get the glory in the church. That is where we must begin when we talk about what a church is.
Let me ask you, does Christ have the preeminence in your life? Do you bring Him glory. We will see today three ways that the church brings glory to Christ as He intended it to do.
1. At Church We Learn about Christ’s Sacrifice on the Cross
1. At Church We Learn about Christ’s Sacrifice on the Cross
What Christ did for us on the cross is the basis of all that we do at church. We would be nothing but lost sinners without the sacrifice that He made. He changes our lives. He allows us to have fellowship with God. He gives us peace where before there was only enmity.
And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
The Truth about the Cross:
The Truth about the Cross:
For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
Christ came to earth and was born of Mary, a virgin from Nazareth. He was born in the town of Bethlehem as had been prophesied in the Old Testament. This was something that God had to be in control of as Mary and Joseph would only have returned to Bethlehem for the taxes and the census.
But thou, Beth-lehem Ephratah, Though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; Whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
Christ lived a perfect life while here on earth. He was tempted by Satan in the wilderness without sin. In fact, the pattern that He used to resist temptation is how we are to respond temptation today. Each time Satan tempted Him, He responded with a verse of Scripture.
Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
Christ was willing to die on the cross for us. No one made Christ die for the sins of the world. Instead, He volunteered and was willing to give His life so that we could be declared righteous before God. His sacrifice is the greatest gift that has ever or will ever be given.
Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Christ was buried in a borrowed tomb. After He died on the cross, He was buried. His followers believed that all hope had been lost. They thought that it was over. But on Sunday morning, the third day, Christ rose again on the third day from the grave.
In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.
His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.
And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.
And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.
Christ ascended to Heaven to be with His Father. He now sits on the right hand of the Father. He is reigning over us and is the our Advocate (the One who pleads our righteousness through His blood) with the Father.
Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.
Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
How do we learn about this at church?
How do we learn about this at church?
But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;
We learn about this through preaching. Preaching is teaching with a purpose to persuade. Preaching is giving the good news of the Gospel to the world. Many people don’t like preaching. They feel that it is not an effective tool in today’s digital world. Christ preached. Paul preached. And Paul instructed Timothy to preach.
Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
We learn about this through singing praises to God. Hymns are written praises to God set to music. When we sing hymns, we learn more of the truths that God is teaching us about Himself. We think through more aspects of the sacrifice that He made. We remember the joy that we receive as a result of salvation through Jesus Christ.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
We learn through offering ourselves when an invitation is given. At the end of a church service is a time that is called the “invitation”. This is a time of prayer and examination where we meditate on the Scripture and message that has been preached during the service. The Bible is a living book. It is a book that involves action on our part. We are called to make a choice regarding what the Bible has told us in the service.
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
We learn through Christian fellowship with other believers. Fellowship is an important part of the teaching in the New Testament to the early church. Those who are saved ought to be in constant communication with and daily encouragement from other Christians. Christ does not want us to be on our own as we seek to live the Christian life. We need other people to move us forward toward maturity.
Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
2. At Church We Grow in our Knowledge of God
2. At Church We Grow in our Knowledge of God
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
The Truth about God:
The Truth about God:
And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
The truth about God is that He has a standard that cannot be met. Only God can measure up to His standard. As such, He chose to send His own Son to die for us to allow us to measure up through His righteousness.
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
God is Personal - He created us with personality and seeks to have a relationship with us. God chooses to make salvation available. God chooses to bring about a way for us to have fellowship with Him. No other “god” can choose anything. Ours has chosen to reach out to us.
But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:
God is Holy - He can only fellowship with someone who is perfect like He is. We cannot be perfect on our own. Only through the perfection of Christ as we believe on Him for salvation can we be perfect. Though we will still sin, our sin is paid for by the blood of Christ.
Exalt the Lord our God, And worship at his holy hill; For the Lord our God is holy.
God is Loving - He has given us a way to have fellowship with Him. Love is action. Love is a choice. Love is something that is given unconditionally. God has chosen to love His creation. Specifically, God has chosen to love mankind.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
God is Long-suffering - He is waiting for us to accept His free gift. God is not impatient with mankind. He is not angry at our delay in taking the gift of salvation. But there will come a time when it is eternally too late. God wants us to be saved. We must respond while we are able. Tomorrow is not promised to us.
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
3. At Church We Spread the Good News to the World
3. At Church We Spread the Good News to the World
And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
We are sinners and sin must be paid for. We have all done things that are against the teaching of God in the Bible. We are sinners that cannot do anything righteous on our own to merit heaven. Because of our sin, we deserve eternal punishment in a place called Hell. Many don’t like to talk about Hell but Christ taught on Hell more than He did on heaven.
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Christ paid for our sin on the cross over 2,000 years ago. Instead of doing things on our own to earn heaven, Christ has already done for us all that is ever needed. He died for our sins and rose again to give us new life. The work required has already been accomplished.
He is despised and rejected of men; A man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: And we hid as it were our faces from him; He was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, And carried our sorrows: Yet we did esteem him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted.
But he was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: The chastisement of our peace was upon him; And with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned every one to his own way; And the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
So many do not know that their sin debt has been paid. There are people in the world that are still trying to make it to heaven on their own. They are still trying to do enough good things to outweigh their bad. They do not yet know what Christ has already done for them. Perhaps they have not even heard His Name!
Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought: But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
We are commanded by God to bring this truth to the world through the church. The church is the institution that God created to carry the good news of the Gospel to the lost world. The church is made up of saved, baptized believers who are carrying out this mission. You too can be a part of this great task. All that is required is salvation and baptism.
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
This is called the Great Commission. The Great Commission is often the Great Omission. Many people look at the church as a club or a social activity. They see the church as something that gives money to the poor or builds houses in foreign countries. The Great Commission is why we have been left here on earth by Jesus Christ.
Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.
Conclusion
Conclusion
What is a church? A church is where we learn more about Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.
What is a church? A church is where we grow in our knowledge of God.
What is a church? A church is where we spread the Good News to the world.
Are you part of a church? Are you fulfilling these purposes? Today, you can. God is Long-suffering. He wants you today to change to be more like Him. He has a plan for your life. Today choose to be what He desires for you.
If you have never made the choice to accept the finished work of Christ on the cross and the new life that He offers through His resurrection, you can accept that today.
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.