The Church is a Kingdom, with a Government and Officers.

Invocation

You are the king of Glory. You who have made everything. The earth and all that fills it, the world and those who dwell in it. You have fixed and established the boundaries of the sea by land. And you have summoned us to draw near to you, and as we do we ask that you would draw near to us. To make your glory presence known to us as we lift our hands and hearts to you in worship. Receive glory from us as we recount your mighty deeds in salvation, through songs of praise, and confessions of Faith, through the reading and preaching of your word, and through our prayers offered through Jesus Christ Our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, and the Holy Spirit, One God, world without end. Amen.

Pastoral Prayer

For your Kingdom to come, and your will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.

For our nation, president, cabinet, house and senate, local magistrates and police officers

For racial reconciliation through the gospel

For our church, officers, families, ministries and witness

For our missionaries, and the church throughout the world

Michael Goodlin and his wife Natasha

bless pregnancy

Ministry to Lehigh (not able to go on campus; creativity)

For reconciliation and unity amongst this church, and the broader church scattered throughout the world.

For provision (daily bread)

Guard and keep us from sin and evil

For the word preached.

Tithes and offerings

Transition to Sermon

Intror

When I ask you what is the church? what comes to your mind?

Do you think of the building, like all of the lovely church building we have around here, almost an omage to all the different styles of church architecture from al over the world?

Or do you think of your particular church, as in Hope Church. With the people, and your shared history.

Is the church just a voluntary association, like any other club.

Is it just a group of people gathering at the coffee shop for encouragement, prayer and scripture reading?

Now the question is even more complicated because half of us don’t meet together physically, so what about so called “online” church? Is that church?

Is the concept of the church flexible, does it ebe and flow with the times?

Add to that our secular cultures expressive individualism and our distrust of institutions and the situation becomes even more complicated.

As we drive to answer the question what is the church what I am going to propose is not radical, or novel—but coming to us, in our current reality—it may just be that.

We confessed earlier from WCF 25 that the church “is the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ, the house and family of God, out of which there is no ordinary possibility of salvation.”

Further in section 30 we confessed that “The Lord Jesus, as King and Head of his Church, hath therein appointed a government, in the hand of church officers, distinct from the Civil magistrate.”

As those imminent divines did before, we will look at scripture ourselves to answer the Question what is the church?

Primarily, we will be looking at one text, Matthew 16:13-19, but along the way we will draw in other texts as well.

Read text

Matthew 16:13–19 ESV

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.”

Pray

The Church is a Kingdom

This is a pivotal moment for Jesus and his disciples. As they make there way far up north to Caesarea-Philippi Jesus asks a pointed question.

“Who do people say that the Son of man is?”

Son of man was one of Jesus favorite designations of himself, and it has many allusions from the OT, but chief among them is Jesus’ self-identification of himself with the Son of Man from Daniel 7 that we read earlier.

That man comes on the clouds of Heaven up to God and receives a kingdom. Which was fulfilled when Jesus ascended in to heaven. It is also why Jesus statement before the High priest was to them so blasphemous:

Matthew 26:64 ESV

64 Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

So who do people say that Son of man is, then is a veiled question meant to make them think about who they thought he was.

They answer not with what the nay-sayers say about him, but the more positive statements. John the baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, one of the prophets. Each of these has significant theological reason, but for our purpose we are going to focus on how Peter answers next.

Jesus asks “But who do you say that I am?”

Matthew 16:16 ESV

16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Notice that Jesus asks “them,” this is, all the disciples “who do you (all) say that I am?”

We need not think Peter was the only one who knew the answer. But as will become clear from the rest of this narrative, and the rest of scripture, especially the Acts of the Apostles , Peter responds as a spokesperson, for the whole group.

So he makes the great confession, the Jesus is the Christ (the messiah), the son of the living God.

Jesus assures him that no one could have revealed that to him but his Father, and then he responds similarly to Peter

V. 18 has caused some level of difficulty and a great deal of ink has been spelt, over how to take Jesus’ statement.

I am not going to spend any time outlining what others think. But suffice it to say, that contrary to the Roman Catholic Church this is not cause for the primacy of peter and apostolic succession. It’s clear Peter was foundational in the establishment of the church in the first century, but we have nothing of him passing on that “authority“ to others. So we can agree that the church is founded on Christ Jesus first of all, and the teachings of the apostles. Which is peters confession that Jesus is the Christ the son of the living God.

The question has always been what is this rock...

Is it Peter himself, or is it Peter’s confession of faith.

First remember Peter answers as a spokesperson for the rest of the disciples, second it is odd that after Jesus directly address Peter by name and you are Peter, why he wouldn’t continue that with something like, and on you I will build my church...

Also its clear from the rest of the story that Peter is not the most reliable foundation, but his confession of faith is, so as protestants we have never needed to make appeals to this text to defend our status as a true church.

This become more clear as we go.

There are two things that are absolutely vital to notice in what Jesus says.

First, that He will build the Church

Second, notice how close he identifies the Church, which he is building, with the Kingdom of heaven.

Now, it's important first that we get some definitions here:

First, what is the kingdom of heaven/God?

The Kingdom of God, is not a place, but refers to the reign of God. It may be best not to think of it in terms of kingdom at all but in terms of kingship. It is a dynamic, or relational term, and not one of geography.

Viewing it this way keeps us from thinking that our works, say of planting trees, or delivering hot meals to the homeless somehow extend the kingdom of God.

The kingdom of God is anywhere that people submit to God's rule and reign in their lives.

One very helpful summary statement comes from theologian Greg Gilbert:

"the kingdom of God then, we may say, is God’s redemptive reign, in the person of his Son, Jesus Messiah, which has broken into the present evil age and is now visible in the church."

That is a helpful definition, notice the kingdom of God is visible in the church. It’s not identical with the church but visible in the church.

The church is like an embassy for the kingdom of God. For the kingdom of God, that is the reign of God is radically breaking into this present age.

The kingdom of God creates the church.

We talked a few weeks ago about eschatology the study of last things. And we mention the word inaugurated, which means to begin.

Christ came in the middle of the story to begin the age to come, to usher in the latter days.

But we noticed that although Christ had won a decisive victory against this evil age, yet not everything that has been promised concerning the new heavens and the new earth is a present reality.

And so we said we live in the time between. The already/but not yet.

Illustration

Think of it like an engagement. When a man gives a woman a ring, and she consents to be his wife, they are engaged. That ring is a symbol, is a token of their commitment to one another. But the marriage has not yet been consummated, they have not yet been joined together as one flesh. So the marriage is not yet a full reality.

As long as the engagement goes on, you can say they are already married, but until the wedding day it is not a full reality.

Application

Why is it important that we think of the church as an embassy, as an outpost of the kingdom of God. A breaking in of the kingdom of God into the kingdom of this world?

There are several reasons why this is important.

First, it’s important to recognize that the kingdom of God has a visible representation in the church.

This is why in the confession, it states that: “the visible church, which is also Catholic or universal under the gospel not confined to one nation, as before under the law, consists of all those throughout the world that profess the true religion; and their children: and is the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ, the house and family of God, out of which there is no ordinary possibility of salvation.”

Noticed that last line: out of which there is no ordinary possibility of salvation.

There is a famous dictum from Cyprian of Carthage which Calvin used often: “you cannot have God as your father unless you have the church as your mother.“

Second, and I’m sure it goes without stating but to be a part of the kingdom, you have to have Christ as king. Which means you have submitted to him, his rule, his reign.

And third, the kingdom has an ethic.

How can you be said of the church that she is a visible representation of the kingdom of God here on earth, a manifestation of the new heavens and the new earth breaking into the old world to the old age, and not expect to live differently than the world around us.

The Church therefore is not identical with the Kingdom of God; God’s Kingdom creates the Church and works in the world through the Church. Men cannot therefore build the Kingdom of God, but they can preach it and proclaim it; they can receive it or reject it. The Kingdom of God which in the Old Testament dispensation was manifested in Israel is now working in the world through the Church.

With a Government

And so the church is a kingdom, with a government.

Look with me at v. 19.

Matthew 16:19 ESV

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.”

Government is defined as the action or manner of controlling or regulating a nation, organization, or people.

Before we get into the nature of these keys, and this binding and loosing. We first noticed that Christ gives the authority to the apostles to govern his church, that he is building.

What do keys do?

Keys open and shut doors. They allow people in and they keep people out.

This are confession states relates to church censures, what we call church discipline.

The rabbi's used the words bind to mean forbid, and loose to mean permit.

Matthew Poole:

The sense is, Peter, I will betrust thee, and the rest of my apostles, with the whole administration of my gospel; you shall lay the foundation of the Christian church, and administer all the affairs of it, opening the truths of my gospel to the world, and governing those who shall receive the faith of the gospel...

Some very learned interpreters think that our Saviour here speaketh according to the language then in use amongst the Jews; who by binding understood the determining and declaring a thing unlawful; and by loosing, declaring by doctrine, or determining by judgment, a thing unlawful, that is, such as no men’s consciences were bound to do or to avoid. So as by this text an authority was given to these first planters of the gospel, to determine (by virtue of their infallible Spirit, breathed upon them, John 20:21) concerning things to be done and to be avoided.

Application

We see then that the government of the church is given by divine right, and does not exist because of expediency.

But what does that mean for the government of our Church?

We as a governing body the elders, do not have the same authority as Peter did. In the sense that the spirit is not inspiring us to lay the foundation of the church in and through the New Testament writings.

But rather the authority the elders have today is to take up the word of God and interpret and apply it to the people gathered together today.

So then, because we believe that our elders are to be selected by the congregation, as men who fit the qualifications( which we will look at in a minute), Chief among the characteristics we should be looking for is there ability to take up the word of God and apply it to their lives. Particularly we should be looking at the manner of their lives.

This also means, that when we have elected them we should submit and obey their leader ship.

This is probably the most difficult one. We hate submission. But we have to remember that God has given these men authority over you as men that will give an account to God for you. There is a heavy weight and mantel that comes with that authority.

But your elders will be no help to you, if you do not submit and obey them. If you do not see them as given to you by God, for your good to instruct and teach you in ways ways of God.

As concerns government the Church is never to be a mirror of the Culture, if anything—like Presbyterianism, the state may actually gain by looking at our form of government, and indeed our founding fathers did. Even if they weren't all professing Christians, they were profoundly impacted by Church polity, which just means church government.

And Officers

So what and who are these officers That have been appointed by the apostles.

Acts 14:23 ESV

23 And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.

Here Paul and Barnabus, as they go about planting churches, ordain elders, that will have the authority over these particular churches.

Even though each particular church is united together as one, universal, or catholic church, still its clear from this and other texts such as Titus 1:5, that each particular church is to have its own governing Body.

Along with these elders, authority was also given to the deacons to assist them in their task.

Acts 6:1–4 ESV

1 Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. 2 And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. 3 Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. 4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”

There we find that the apostles quickly found that meeting the physical needs of the church was a demanding task, and was taking them away from doing their primary task, that of word and prayer.

So a distinct office was developed, called the deacon. These men were to be assistants to the elders, relieving them of the burden of what Acts calls "waiting on tables."

The qualifications for both of these offices , is expressly set down in 1 Tim 3.

1 Timothy 3:1–13 ESV

1 The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. 2 Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4 He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, 5 for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? 6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. 7 Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil. 8 Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. 9 They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. 10 And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. 11 Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. 12 Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well. 13 For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

Now I am not going to open up all these qualifications, that is for another sermon. But what we notice is that most of these refer to the mans character. That is what he is known by.

Elders and deacons should be known by these qualities long before they are ordained to the office.

Application

Elders are given the authority to govern and rule.

Deacons are given the authority under the oversight of the elders to serve.

These are the two permanent offices that the Apostles instituted.

But what about apostles? What about other officers mentioned in Scripture, such as prophets?

These in fact were offices, practice in the New Testament church, but they are what we call extraordinary offices.

Apostles were called and instituted by Christ, and specifically had the qualification of being Eye witnesses of all that Christ did and said in his life. Even Paul, who was not among the 12, but was never the less commissioned as an apostle, was called by Christ to that task.

As we looked at earlier from Matthew 16, these apostles were given the authority, by the inspiration of the spirit, to teach the church.

So it is apostolic teaching that forms the foundation of the church, with Christ as the cornerstones as it says in

Ephesians 2:20 ESV

20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,

So the Apostolic office and the office of a prophet both ceased with the closing of the first century in the death of those eyewitnesses.

The canon of Scripture being close then, no longer is the church adding to scripture new apostolic teaching.

And so these offices are extraordinary.

One question that always surfaces about this topic, is what about women? Can women be elders or deacons?

No we have been skimming the surface, looking at the big picture, spending most of our time learning that the church is the visible representation of the kingdom of God and the importance of that truth for our view of the church.

Which means we have not spent a great deal of time exegeting the text that refer to officers, reserving that for future sermons.

But lets look at one text and I will just say a few things about women as elders and deacons.

1 Timothy 2:11–15 ESV

11 Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. 12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve; 14 and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. 15 Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control.

Teach: Paul doesn’t say that women can’t teach, only that women can’t teach in the sphere of public worship. Paul is saying that women are not to teach when the church is gathered together. But women are instructed elsewhere to teach one another, as in Titus to an older women instructing younger women in the faith. Further in private Priscilla takes Apollo‘s aside and teaches him, in private not in the gathered worship of God‘s people.

Secondly a woman is not to exercise authority over a men: “Paul excludes women from the title or exercise of the office of elder.“

The objection is often that these are culturally conditioned statements that Paul makes but notice Paul grounds these and they created order these are not just roles that are in flux but God has created man and woman in such a way.

She will be saved in childbearing… Does not mean that she will be saved by works. Paul is encouraging Women to serve in the capacity for which God has created them. Men cannot bear children this is just a biological fact, but women were fitted and suited biologically for this task.

In the report of the committee on women in the church office by our denomination: they say this:

“Covenant women are saved in their God-given, created roles as mothers in the tradition of Sarah, Elizabeth, and Mary. The curse for which she was partly responsible, by failing to submit to her husband‘s authority, is lifted in God‘s gracious salvation. Now by recalling to her God-given role as a suitable helper in the covenant task, the Lord promises to save her as she trusts and obeys.

Much more scripture, and much more could be brought in in support of this. But what’s important is that Christ has made the church a kingdom with the government and officers.

Conclusion

The church as kingdom, is the place where the gathered people of God, are submitted to the rule and reign of Christ.

That rule and reign is mediated through the godly rule of elders invested with the authority by the apostles teaching, as men who will give an account.

They are responsible for guarding the teaching and preaching ministry of the church. Forbidding error and heresy, to creep in. And opening up the way of salvation through the preaching of the gospel.

This government consists in the ordinary perpetual office is of elders and deacons to govern Christ church until he comes again.

So what is the church? The church is a kingdom, with a government and officers.