Our Purpose and Identity
Notes
Transcript
13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 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. 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. 19 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.”
What is the Church?
Who is the Church?
Why do we gather?
In these verses of Matthew we find the first mention of the church in the Bible and it is a very important one.
The greek word used here in these verses is Ekklesia.
The word literally means assembly or gathering.
Where there is no physical gathering there can be no church.
However much we may enjoy watching a church’s services online, if we do not physically gather together with that church we are not part of that church.
The only exception to this is those who are not physically able to gather.
I for one am very thankful for the technology that we have available to us but this can never be a substitute for the gathering of believers, it must only be used to supplement our gathering together.
24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
There are so many things that you miss when you don’t gather.
You miss feeling the warmth and love of the body of Christ.
You miss the fellowship that is enjoyed with your brothers and sisters in Christ.
You miss using your own unique gifts for the benefit of others, whether that be your smile, a hug, or a word of encouragement.
In short, you miss the people and if you miss the people, you miss the Church.
So I plead with you brothers and sisters, do not neglect meeting together. I know the temptation is great, but the cost of not gathering is even greater.
You need the Church and the Church needs you!
That is what the Church is. It is a gathering.
Who is the Church.
If the Church is a gathering. Who are the ones that are gathering?
We find this in verse 16 when Peter answers Jesus’ question. “Who do you say that I am”?
16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
It is our belief and confession about who Christ is that sets the Church apart from every other gathering.
It is on this confession that Christ is building His church.
Those then that are gathering must be those who have believed that Jesus is the Christ, the promised Messiah, the Son of God, the Savior of the world.
This alone is what identifies and sets the Church apart from every other gathering.
20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.
12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.
So the Church is a gathering, but not just any gathering, it is the gathering of those who believe and confess that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.
But for what purpose do we gather?
What exactly are we supposed to be doing as we gather?
Acts 2:42 gives us a clear picture of what ought to be at the center of our gathering together.
42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
They devoted themselves to 4 things.
These are not things that they did only when they felt like it, or if they had some extra time to kill.
They consistently prioritized these things in their life as they gathered together.
The Apostles Teaching
This is nothing less than the preaching of the Word of God.
They devoted themselves to sitting under the teaching of those who had been entrusted with the ministry of the Word.
Where there is no biblical preaching of the Word of God, the whole counsel of God, there is no Church.
This is, I believe, where many American churches have gone so far astray.
They simply do not preach the Word.
Here is an example of just how bad it has gotten:
A very popular megachurch pastor out of Atlanta recently said, “there is a big difference between being biblical and being Christlike”
He goes on to say that some pastors are “too biblical.”
I wish I was joking.
The preaching of the Word is the first and most important aspect of what the Church is called to do as we gather.
16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
The Word of God must always be revered and highly esteemed in our gathering together.
2. The Fellowship
We typically think of this word as just enjoying one another’s company but it is much more than that.
Greek: koinonia
This word also means partnership as it does in
3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.
So when we think about fellowship it is much more than just hanging out together, it is partnering together for the sake of the gospel and the growth of the Church.
It is using your own unique gifts and abilities alongside your brothers and sisters in Christ to accomplish a common goal.
We must be devoted to this.
3. The breaking of bread
Now this of course refers to sharing meals together as the disciples commonly did, but it also refers to observing the Lord’s supper.
This is a very important part of what we are called to do as we gather together, for the last 2,000 years of Church history this has been one of the defining marks of the true church.
And this is one of the few times that we have the opportunity to immediately apply God’s Word in our gathering together, and that is exactly what I would like for us to do.
23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
4. The Prayers
This is not so much referring to their own personal time of prayer as it is dedicated times of prayer together.
As Jesus Himself said, “my house is to be called a house of prayer.”
Amazing things happen when the people of God devote themselves to praying together.
So, this is what the Church is, it is a gathering, a gathering of those who have been transformed by the grace of Jesus Christ, gathering for the purpose of hearing God’s Word, fellowship, breaking bread, and prayer.
This is the Church.
Response:
Maybe you have neglected gathering together with other believers and you need to repent of that sin.
Maybe you’re here this morning but you have never believed and confessed that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.
Maybe you need to get involved in the work of the ministry and become more than just a spectator.
