(CM 04) The Essence of Church: More Than Just a Building
Notes
Transcript
Handout
What is the difference between two Christians who belong to the same church and two Christians who belong to different churches?
This is a great questions for getting to the hear of what the local church and its membership are.
Let’s think about this a little more…
Pastor Mike belongs First Baptist of Howard city.
Micah belongs to Pierson Bible Church.
How does my relationship differ?
Am I obligated to them differently or the same?
Do all three belong to the body of Christ?
Are all three called to love and care for each other?
To pray for each other?
To hold them accountable for sin?
So what’s the difference?
If there is none, then we would have to day the local church doesn’t exist.
It would be like saying my relationship with Amy is no different than my relationship with other women.
That would only be true if the marriage covenant did not exist.
However, the marriage covenant does exist and there is a big difference in my relationship with Amy compared to other women.
Likewise, the local church DOES exist and there IS a difference in relationships with other Christians.
What is that difference?
Here is a hint: My church and I are can exercise formal church discipline over one and not the other.
Jesus had given me a formal judicial role to play in one life and not the other.
Understanding this role requires us to understand the essence of the the church.
Essence: the intrinsic nature or indispensable quality of something
1. Institutional and organic.
1. Institutional and organic.
There are two ways for us to describe what the church is.
We love the idea of organic.
The flesh of flesh and bones of something.
Flesh is soft.
Flesh is the part we can see.
We don’t like institutional.
The bones.
Bones aren’t pretty but flesh is a blob if there are no bones.
God ordained both.
A. Jesus and the Kingdom.
A. Jesus and the Kingdom.
Let’s start with the institutional side. (the bones)
Let’s start with a definition of church…
A local church is a group of Christians who regularly gather in Christ’s name to officially affirm and oversee one another’s membership in Christ Jesus and His kingdom through gospel preaching and gospel ordinances. - Johnathan Leeman
A. Jesus and the Kingdom.
A. Jesus and the Kingdom.
Where are we getting this definition from?
Last week when looking at the church in the New Testament we left out the gospels.
Because Jesus talked more about the kingdom than the church.
Church: 2 times
Kingdom: 49 times (this is just Matthew)
Paul’s letters mentioned the Church 43 times and the Kingdom 14 times.
Jesus talked about the kingdom and Paul talked about the church.
It is Jesus’s emphasis on the kingdom that establishes the church as an institution.
We will look at more of the organic side that Paul wrote about next week.
If you go all the way back to Genesis you will find that God called Abraham.
He promised him a nation.
This nation was God’s chosen people.
A kingdom.
Put simply, Israel was to represent God on earth.
Israel failed at this assignment.
Jesus came along and some things happened that shook things up a little.
Though they would still be important, John the Baptist warned Israel they losing their job as God’s representative. Repentance was needed.
And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.
Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
“I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
Jesus would represent the God the Father.
and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
He was the perfect image of God.
He was and is God.
God was establishing a kingdom, not as a geographical location like Israel.
But his rule would be over a a group of people who were repentant.
From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
The citizens of this kingdom whom He would purchase through His death on the cross would represent God on earth.
You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
We know we can’t be perfect this side of eternity.
Look at what Paul says:
For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
A. Jesus and the Kingdom.
A. Jesus and the Kingdom.
This is amazing for us, yet a kingdom like this…
No boundaries.
No geographical location.
Has a serious problem…
Anyone could claim to be in it.
Jesus even warned that this could be a problem.
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’
And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
A. Jesus and the Kingdom.
A. Jesus and the Kingdom.
So how does a landless borderless kingdom mark off its citizens?
B. The keys to the Kingdom.
B. The keys to the Kingdom.
Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.
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.
I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
B. The keys to the Kingdom.
B. The keys to the Kingdom.
What or who is the rock that Jesus would build the church on?
Would it be the truth that He is Christ?
Would it be Peter?
Would it be Peter’s confession?
What if it was all three?
Ultimately Jesus will not build his church simply on words.
He will not build His church on people.
Jesus will build the church on Himself with people, like Peter confess Christ!
because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
B. The keys to the Kingdom.
B. The keys to the Kingdom.
Jesus explains how He will build the church.
Then He gave the apostles the keys of the kingdom.
This gave the apostles the authority to do what Jesus had done for them…
Show the world God and affirm true gospel confessions.
This is a powerful interaction between Heaven and earth.
All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;
that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
B. The keys to the Kingdom.
B. The keys to the Kingdom.
Then, look at the exchange between heaven and earth we see in Matthew…
Peter rightly confesses Jesus is Lord.
Jesus says this answer didn’t come from people but from God who is in Heaven.
Yet, Jesus was on earth representing His Father speaking on behalf of Heaven.
Then, He authorizes the apostles to do what He was doing.
Represent what is bound and loosed in Heaven by binding and loosing on earth.
The church affirms those who confess Christ rightly.
The church recognizes those who have not confessed Christ.
Church discipline is removing of that affirmation.
Matt. 18 tells us to treat them like an unsaved person if they do not repent.
“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.
But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses.
If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.
Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
B. The keys to the Kingdom.
B. The keys to the Kingdom.
First a person sins (continuously and unrepentantly).
This sin doesn’t line up with their confession of Christ.
Someone confronts them.
This is done privately.
They continue to sin.
They ignore the warning.
Now it expands to two or three witnesses.
If they continue to ignore the warning, it goes to the whole church.
The embassy says you are not acting like you are a citizen of the homeland. You must not be.
They are loosed.
The protection of the local church is removed and they are turned over to the world. (1 Cor)
The church has been authorized to examen the lives of those who claim to be members to see if they really are.
The church will not always carry they keys perfectly.
The church doesn’t carry the final authority, Jesus does.
What the church does on earth does not change what has been done in heaven.
An embassy does not make someone a citizen.
It simply affirms it.
2. What is a local church?
2. What is a local church?
A local church is a group of Christians who regularly gather in Christ’s name to officially affirm and oversee one another’s membership in Christ Jesus and His kingdom through gospel preaching and gospel ordinances. - Johnathan Leeman
A. A group of Christians.
A. A group of Christians.
For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”
B. A regular gathering.
B. A regular gathering.
Hebrews 10:25 (ESV)
not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some…
C. A congregation-wide exercise of affirmation and spiritual oversight.
C. A congregation-wide exercise of affirmation and spiritual oversight.
Hebrews 10:25 (ESV)
…but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
(Eph 4) - Building each other up, speaking the truth in love.
D. With the purpose of officially representing Christ and His rule on earth.
D. With the purpose of officially representing Christ and His rule on earth.
to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,
Matthew 28:19 (ESV)
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…
We are His hands and feet in the world.
E. There is biblical preaching and observation of the ordinances.
E. There is biblical preaching and observation of the ordinances.
There is unity in a group of people hearing the same preaching and teaching.
There is joy and fellowship when the ordinances are observed in a public church setting.
The ordinances were never meant to be observed privately.
What is the local church?
The local church affirms those who profess Christ, oversees their discipleship, and exposes impostures in its local community.
3. What is church membership?
3. What is church membership?
A. The local church formally affirms that an individual’s profession of faith and baptism is credible.
A. The local church formally affirms that an individual’s profession of faith and baptism is credible.
B. The local church formally commits to give oversight to an individual’s discipleship.
B. The local church formally commits to give oversight to an individual’s discipleship.
C. The individual formally submits their discipleship to the local church and its leaders.
C. The individual formally submits their discipleship to the local church and its leaders.
Questions for thought:
How is this shaping your view on what the local church is?
How is this shaping your view on church membership?
How is this shaping your view on what a local church gathering looks like?