The Church: One, Holy, Catholic, & Apostolic

Lead Vocalist (Kelly)

Welcome & Announcements (Sterling)

Good morning family!

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Announcements:

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Now please take a moment of silence to prepare your heart for worship.

Call to Worship (Philippians 3:7-8)

Prayer of Praise ( Susanna Donahue)

There is One Gospel

The Church's One Foundation

Prayer of Confession (Mike Montgomery), Divisiveness

Assurance of Pardon (Daniel 9:9)

MISSIONARY VIDEO (Knapps)

Nothing But the Blood

Nicene Creed Reading

Pastoral Prayer (Sterling)

Prayer for PBC—Biblical understanding of missions

Prayer for kingdom partner—Knapp, Jeff & April (Cru)

Prayer for US—Against secularism

Prayer for the world—Aruba

Pray for the sermon

SERMON

START TIMER!!!

In a quiet town in modern-day Turkey lies the ancient city of Nicaea. Today it’s called Iznik.

SHOW IZNIK IMAGE

It was in Nicaea, in the year 325, that church leaders from across the Roman Empire gathered to clarify what Christians believe about Jesus. The result was the Nicene Creed—a confession of faith that has united believers for centuries.

In honor of the 1700-year anniversary of the Nicene Creed, thousands of Christians will fill this town this year. But all of them will be tourists. [1]

Something is missing in Iznik. There’s a mosque. A museum. A few scattered ruins. But almost no visible sign of a living Christian presence. The great basilica where early Christians once worshiped and confessed their faith now lies submerged beneath the waters of Lake Iznik.

One reporter put it this way: “The church that helped define Christianity has disappeared.”

What happened?

Over centuries, waves of political, theological, and religious change swept through the region. Empires shifted. Cultures changed. And somewhere along the way, the church lost its way.

That’s not just a story about a town in Turkey. It’s a warning.

If we lose sight of what the Church truly is—if we stop believing rightly about the Church—we will eventually stop acting rightly as the Church.

Because Who the church is determines what the church does.

That’s the Big idea I hope to communicate with God’s help this morning.

I want to show you Four Attributes of the Church that should direct the activity of the church.

You won’t be surprised to learn those four attributes are taken directly from the final section of the Nicene Creed...

...we believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church; we acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; and we look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

But far more important than what the creed says is what God says.

So turn in your Bibles to Ephesians 2:18.

Much like our world today, there was a lot of division in the ancient world. And just like today, the fault line for many of those divisions were issues of race. Not blacks and whites, but Jews and Gentiles.

These two groups were separated by history, religion, culture, and deep hostility. But in his letter to the Ephesians, Paul proclaims that through Jesus Christ, those walls of hostility have been broken down, through this new institution called the church.

And in Ephesians 2:18–22, he shows us who the church is...

Ephesians 2:18–22—For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

In verse 18, we’ll see that the church is one.

In verse 19, we’ll see that the church is holy.

In verses 21-22, we’ll see that the church is catholic.

And in verse 20, we’ll see that the church is apostolic.

1) The Church is ONE

To say that the church is one is to say that Jesus has one people.

Jesus doesn’t have a Baptist people and a Presbyterian people, or a black people and a white people, or a Jew people and a Gentile people, or a rich people and a poor people.

Believing this would turn Jesus into a polygamist with multiple brides!

But Jesus has one people, made up of every believer in every place in every age!

John 10:16—“And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to My voice. So there will be one flock, one Shepherd.”

Jesus doesn’t have multiple flocks, multiple brides, or multiple peoples. The church is one.

And the reason we believe the church is one is clearly demonstrated in...

Ephesians 2:18—For through him [Jesus] we both [Jew and Gentile] have access in one Spirit to the Father.

There is only one church because there is only one gospel!

Notice what Paul says: Through Jesus all people—both Jews and Gentiles—have access to the Triune God.

There is one and only one way to have access to God and that’s through the work of Jesus.

EXPLAIN THE GOSPEL

Unbeliever: repent and believe!

If you have done that, you need to identify with Jesus publicly through baptism.

That’s why the creed says “we acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins.”

There are not different ways for different people to profess their faith in Jesus “Some people walk down an aisle, some people sign a card, some people join a church, and some people get baptized.” No!

There is one, and only one, God-ordained way to publicly identify with the one church. And that’s baptism!

Some of you might respond, “Yeah, I get that. And I have been baptized. I was sprinkled when I was a baby. But to join a Baptist church you require me to get baptized again. Aren’t you contradicting your belief in one church and one baptism?”

That depends on what you mean by baptism...

Ephesians 4:4–6—There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

Let’s go through this list again, and ask, who is it who receives the blessings listed here? Is it believers or believers and their infant children?

Who is truly a part of the One spiritual body of Christ? Only believers, or infants also?

Who is indwelt by the One Holy Spirit? Only believers or infants also?

Who has been called to the One hope the creed talks about? Who looks forward to the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come? Do infants have this hope, or is it only believers?

Who has turned from their sins and trusted in the One Lord, Jesus Christ? Only believers!

And who has been adopted into the family of the One God and Father of all? Only believers!

It makes sense then that only believers would participate in the one baptism that Paul mentions in this passage!

Some of you may have very strong emotional attachments to the sprinkling ceremony your parents held for you when you were a baby. But that wasn’t baptism. True baptism is for those who truly believe!

If you’ve not yet taken that step to publicly identify with Jesus through believer’s baptism, I invite you to talk with me after the service. We’d love to help you take that step here at PBC.

But we want to be careful, church, not to let our right insistence on believers’ baptism become a reason to undermine the real faith of those who disagree with us about this.

Baptism matters. But it doesn’t matter most.

Everyone who turns from their sins and trusts in the true Gospel is a part of the One true church, even if we disagree with them about this issue.

If you’re not a Christian, you might look at these disagreements among Christians as a reason to reject Jesus.

But the truth is, we agree on far more than we disagree.

Herman Bavinck put it this way: “That which unites all true Christians is always more than that which separates them.” [2]

And, as the creed instructs us, we take this as a matter of faith. We fight to believe this, even more than what our eyes can see. Even when it feels like Christians are so divided, we fight to believe that Jesus has one and only one church.

How should the unity of the church affect what we do as a church?

Because the church is one, we should fight for unity amongst ourselves.

The unity of the church is both a gift and a goal.

It’s something we already have through the shed blood of Jesus, but it’s also something we must pursue and grow in.

We should fight the temptations to divide over lesser matters. We should fight to believe the best about one another whenever possible. When we disagree about something, we should stop and consider how serious this disagreement is. Is it worth fighting over? Or is this something I can agree to disagree and move on?

Because we are united in Christ, we should pursue unity among each other.

Because who the church is determines what the church does. The church is One, and...

2) The Church is HOLY

Ephesians 2:19—So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God

When you see that word “saint” what do you think about?

Do you think about some stained-glass super-Christian? Somebody who’s been dead for hundreds of years? Somebody who performed miracles in days of old? Maybe somebody you can pray to?

But notice the Apostle Paul uses this word to refer to the entire believing community, in Ephesus and beyond.

If you’re a Christian, you’re a saint. Whether you feel like it or not.

The word “saints” literally means “holy ones.”

Which is why it’s entirely appropriate for the Creed to say we believe in one holy church.

But let’s be honest. If we were told to list four essential attributes of the church, how many of us would choose the word “holy”?

Think of all the well-known, big-name pastors over the past decade who have disqualified themselves by their unholy actions.

Think of all the Christians on social media who are guilty of some of the most mean-spirited and unholy language.

Or think of all the churches that have been guilty of covering up unholiness, instead of dealing with it!

So what does it mean to say the church is holy?

Remember, the Creed says “I believe in one holy church.”

In other words, this is an attribute we have to receive by faith.

We believe that we are holy, not because we always look holy or feel holy or worked at being holy, but because we receive holiness as a gift.

Theologians call this the imputed righteousness of Christ.

Kevin DeYoung illustrates it this way. [3]

Imagine your life depends on jumping over a high jump bar—10 feet high. God gives you a week to train. "Practice, get a coach, and next Saturday, jump. Clear the bar, and you win the gold medal. Fail, and you face judgment."

There are three possibilities...

Option 1: Just try harder.

You train hard, stretch every day, and give it your all. But when the day comes, you can’t make the jump. The world record jump is 8 feet—there’s no way any of us are making 10 feet. No matter how hard you try, you’ll never reach it.

That’s justification by works: trying to earn God’s approval through sheer moral effort. And it won’t work.

Option 2: God gives you help.

This time, God gives you miraculous, spring-loaded legs. Now you have the ability to jump. You still have to train, still have to work, but now you can do it.

That’s justification by infused righteousness—God helps you become righteous, and then judges you based on your performance. But it’s still you clearing the bar.

And this idea completely contradicts the Scriptures which teach our salvation is “not of works so that no one may boast”!

Option 3: God lowers the bar.

Maybe God says, “Never mind. Let’s make it a limbo bar—just run under it.”

But this would compromise God’s holiness. So this can’t be how it works either.

Option 4: Christ jumps for you.

God sends His Son, who jumps the bar perfectly—every requirement fulfilled, every command obeyed. Then God credits His success to you, as if you had made the jump. At the same time, your failure—your weak attempt to crawl under the bar—is credited to Christ, and He bears the penalty for it. That’s justification by imputed righteousness: Christ’s perfect record counted as yours, and your sin counted as His.

2 Corinthians 5:21—For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.

To say that the church is holy is to say we believe we have received Jesus’ righteousness as a gift!

Dear friend, are you trying your best to earn holiness on your own? Are you hoping that God will just zap you with superpowered holiness one day? Are you counting on Him lowering His standards for you? Or are you trusting in the holiness of Christ, received as a free gift for all who turn from their sins and trust in Jesus?

To be a Christian, to be a part of the true church, is to receive as a free gift the holiness of Christ!

How should the holiness of the church affect what we do as a church?

Because the church is positionally holy, we should fight to be practically holy in our daily lives.

The holiness of the church is both a gift and a goal.

It’s something we already have through the shed blood of Jesus, but it’s also something we must pursue and grow in.

We should be careful who we bring into church membership. The person who claims to be a follower of Jesus but refuses to forsake his sin shouldn’t be recognized as a Christian. Because true Christians are serious about holiness.

We should be willing to revoke someone’s membership if they refuse to repent of their sin, even when they’re confronted.

I’m not saying you have to be perfect to be a church member. If you did, nobody could be a member. But you can’t love Jesus and love your sin at the same time. You must make your choice.

You can either fight your sin and follow Jesus, or follow your sin and fight Jesus.

Because we are holy in Christ, we should pursue holiness in our daily lives.

Because who the church is determines what the church does. The church is One, the church is holy, and...

3) The Church is CATHOLIC

This is the attribute that gets Baptists to start twitching.

We’ve worked hard to make it clear throughout this series that the word "catholic" here is NOT a reference to the Roman Catholic church.

In fact, that denomination as we know it today didn’t even exist when the Creed was written.

The word “catholic” literally means universal.

This is important attribute to mention alongside the first attribute.

When we say the church is one, we’re saying that Jesus has one bride, one body, one flock, one people.

But we are NOT denying the truth that Jesus’ one people meets in distinct local congregations all over the world.

The church is like a mighty oak tree. We are one people. And yet, like a mighty oak tree, Jesus’ one church has many branches. There are many gatherings of God’s people all over the world. And those gatherings are called local churches.

To say the church is catholic is simply to recognize this reality, that the church is universal. It’s worldwide.

You don’t have to go to Rome or Jerusalem or Mecca or the Bible Belt to go to church. Because we believe in the catholic church (little c) you can gather with God’s people in faithful local churches all over the world.

We catch a glimpse of this reality in...

Ephesians 2:21-22—in [Jesus] the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

Paul talks about a whole structure, a holy temple, a dwelling place for God. All these metaphors are singular, because God has One people. The church is one.

But notice also that the local church in Ephesus can be distinguished from the whole.

"You, Ephesians, are being built together into this big, beautiful people of God called the local church!”

This means that local churches matter.

You cannot travel to a universal gathering with all Christians everywhere and get baptized. Or take communion. Or take a membership class. Or affirm a pastor. Or exercise church discipline. All these things require a local church.

Which means all these things require that we believe in the catholicity of the church.

How should the catholicity of the church affect what we do as a church?

Because the church is catholic—or universal—the work we invest in should be church-shaped.

The catholicity of the church is both a gift and a goal.

The church is already universal through the work of those who have gone before us, but we should continue to work until churches are started and strengthened in every corner of the globe.

We should focus our missions efforts on those that have the strongest connection to the local church.

We want people to get saved all over the world, but those new believers aren’t going to grow unless they’re connected to a local church. So we should prioritize works that start and strengthen local churches.

We should pray for other local churches, not just our own.

We should celebrate when other local churches grow, because the goal isn’t our kingdom but the kingdom of Jesus.

We should partner with other churches because we can do more together than we can do alone.

And, whenever we can, we should especially focus our efforts where there is no Christian church.

So because the church is universal, we should labor alongside other churches until people from every tribe and tongue and nation confess that Jesus is Lord.

Because who the church is determines what the church does. The church is One, the church is holy, the church is catholic, and...

4) The Church is APOSTOLIC

The Roman Catholic church teaches that to be an apostolic church you must have a succession of leaders who can trace their lineage back to the apostles. Which is why the pope is considered the spiritual successor of Peter himself.

But during the Protestant Reformation, Martin Luther, John Calvin, Ulrich Zwingli and others searched the Scriptures and rediscovered the truth.

An apostolic church isn’t one that can trace its leadership back to the apostles. It’s a church that can trace it’s doctrine back to the apostles, and the Scriptures they wrote.

That’s what Paul means when he says the church is...

Ephesians 2:20—built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,

The apostles represent the New Testament and the prophets represent the Old Testament. The church is built on their foundation, which means we are built on the Scriptures with Christ as our cornerstone.

And as you know, a foundation is something you lay once then build upon it, not something you keep adding to thousands of years later!

So really simply this means that an apostolic church is a biblical church.

How should the apostolicity of the church affect what we do as a church?

Like the other attributes, the apostolicity of the church is both a gift and a goal.

The church is already apostolic if we believe the Scriptures, but we should continue to teach the Scriptures and test ourselves by the Scriptures so we can be more faithful tomorrow than we were yesterday.

PBC has already done this, even in the nine years I’ve been your pastor as we tested what the Scriptures said about membership and leadership and church discipline and changed our ways to be more faithful.

But we must continue to do this! One of the battle cries of the reformation was Semper Reformanda—always reforming. There is a sense in which we should always be reforming what we do as a church by the Scriptures.

I was listening to a sermon my friend Nathan preached on these four attributes of the church and he said something incredibly helpful: The most important thing about FHRBC is NOT what sets us apart, it’s what we have in common with every other true church. That’s true for us too!

Our goal is not to be unique from the other churches out there. Our goal is to be faithful to the Scriptures!

Because who the church is determines what the church does.

What will Poquoson Baptist Church look like in 17 years, or 1700 if the Lord tarries?

We can’t control the future, but we can be faithful today.

Let’s be a unified church, pursuing peace with one another.

A holy church, chasing righteousness.

A catholic church, praying for and partnering with true churches worldwide.

And an apostolic church, rooted in Scripture.

By God’s grace, let’s be one, holy, catholic, apostolic church—until the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Prayer of Thanksgiving

O Church Arise

Benediction (Romans 15:5-6)