March 24, 2013
Morning Worship
Text: Luke 9:1-6; 10:1,17-20
Subject: The Church
Title: What We Believe Part 5 – We Are The Church
This is our fifth week of studying about what we believe. I want to begin with Matthew chapter 16 and the words of Jesus. How many of you believe that if we read something in the Word that Jesus said we ought to pay close attention to it?
Matthew 16 and starting in verse 13, When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
14They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
15“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
16Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
17Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. 18And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
Who do you say Jesus is? The depth of your answer to that question will have a life long impact on your faith and it will also determine what you can expect to see happen in your church experience.
1. Do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God – the Messiah? And if so then…
2. Do you believe that He is building His church? Church = ekklesia – the called out ones… always refers to people and never to a building.
3. What kind of church do you see Jesus building?
4. Do you believe that Jesus has the authority to build His church? Matthew 28:18, Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
5. Do you believe that He has the authority to pass authority to you?
That’s a good place to start. Today we are talking about the church. Last week we talked about the fall of man and the salvation of man. Everyone who is saved now has become a temple of the Holy Spirit – you are the church. God has established the Body of Christ as a corporate body of believers and has also given local assemblies through the work of the body can be carried out.
1. the local church provides an avenue for the evangelism to the world… this also includes compassion ministries to the needy and hurting…
2. the local church provides a place for corporate worship to take place…
3. the local church provides a place for believers to grow and fellowship under the five-fold ministry…apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers…
All of that to ask this question,
What kind of church do you want to be?
Turn to Luke 9 if you would and let’s read the first six verses. I believe that the Lord is building a greater church than we could ever imagine because the time is short for His return.
1When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, 2and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. 3He told them: “Take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra tunic. 4Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. 5If people do not welcome you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave their town, as a testimony against them.” 6So they set out and went from village to village, preaching the gospel and healing people everywhere.
What did Jesus give to the disciples? Power and Authority! Are these the same things?
Power = dunamis – force; miraculous power; a miracle itself…
Authority = exousia – privilege, capacity, competency, freedom…
God has given you authority which means He has given you the legal right to carry out what He has called you to do.
If He has called you don’t you then think that also has given you the miraculous power – the spiritual muscle to back up the authority given you?
To do what?
…to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, 2and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick…
Do you think that the devil wants you to understand the power and authority that you have?
No! He’ll do everything he can to make you believe that you can’t do a thing about your situation – that it is God’s will that you be sick, poor, defeated, in bondage…
Look again at verse 1. Jesus gave authority to drive out what? ALL demons… What does that word “ALL” mean?
A young seminary student did a word study on the word all. He studied the Greek and Hebrew and the Aramaic and Chaldean – spent two days in his study and we he had finished he came to the conclusion that the words in those languages that were translated “all” in the English meant – A.L.L – EVERYTHING!
In verse 3-5 Jesus told them something even more – What I am authorizing you to do you are going to have to do by faith.
3He told them: “Take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra tunic. 4Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. 5If people do not welcome you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave their town, as a testimony against them.”
Listen, to me this doesn’t make a lot of sense. Wouldn’t it be a lot easier to do the work of ministry if you didn’t have to worry about where you were going to stay and what you were going to eat and that you had enough finances to get you through your evangelistic services?
Wouldn’t it be easier for me to be healed if I had the right insurance for the right doctor in the right hospital?
No, you see that’s not real faith.
Faith is the evidence of things not seen…
Not being concerned about what Jesus is going to provide for you anyway opens the door for your faith to be put into action through the power and authority given to you…
Now a lot of well intentioned “religious” people will tell you that this power and authority was given only for the twelve…
1When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority…
Does that sound right? Well if you let this stand by itself it does. How many of you remember several months ago when we did a brief study on Wednesday night about how to study the bible? One of the things we learned was that you cannot take one verse or one passage by itself and make a doctrine out of it. You have to see what the rest of the scriptures say about the subject. So with that in mind turn over to Luke 10… starting in verse 1 Jesus deputizes a new group to go out… 1After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. 2He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. 3Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. 4Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.
Now aren’t these the same instructions that He gave the twelve? Why is He sending out more? Verse 2, 2He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.
What is the harvest?
Who are the workers?
Do they have authority?
16“He who listens to you listens to me; he who rejects you rejects me; but he who rejects me rejects him who sent me.”
How can that be? Because He gave them power and authority!
OK, so now we’ve got Jesus going around casting out demons, healing and preaching…
Then the twelve…
And now seventy or seventy-two others (depending on which translation you read)…
So that’s it right? Turning the world upside down? Eighty-three preachers making a big difference…
17The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”
18He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.
19I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. 20However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
This is pretty cool… look at verse 20 – the last part of that… rejoice that your names are written in heaven…
The word “names” in the Greek is onoma and it means, the authority or character that is associated with a name… Not only is your name written in the Lamb’s book of Life but your authority and your character is as well – because Jesus has given you His authority and His character… Whose names are written down in heaven? All the redeemed – the church of Jesus Christ. So who has He given power and authority to? All the redeemed.
19I have given you authority (exousia) to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power (dunamis) of the enemy…
The enemy’s power is nothing compared to the power and authority that is given to you…
16Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
This is the Great Commission. This is for the church. When Jesus commands He also gives power and authority. His command itself does that. By His very nature Jesus could not call us and then fail to empower us.
Look at verse 20,and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you…
This is the church that He said He would build…
A church He has authorized…
A church He has empowered…
A church that He is with always… even to the end of the age…
Jesus has saved fallen man and has established this church to be a power church for reaching, teaching, trusting and loving…
And His Spirit is calling you today to be that church…
