INTRO:
1) As we read in Mt. 16:18, We saw were Jesus speaks of His church...
A) He promises "I will build my church"
B) & Even states, that not even the "gates of Hades" (ie. death) shall prevail against it.
2) Nothing short of Jesus' decision himself, could stop Him from founding & building His Church. Not even death.
3) It's not uncommon in our day to here people say [they need Jesus, but not the church].
A) Others... seem to have genuine love for Christ, desiring to follow Him... but they seem to have little use for "the church".
4) It seems to me this low estimation of the value of the church may be due to many different reasons: a couple of the more prominent ones may be:
A) A lack of true understanding of what scripture teaches about the church (many times because true thoughtfulness and Biblical reasoning has not taken place in a person's mind).
B) A misconception of the church, due to erronious ideas held by man. (ie. improper Teaching & therefore, improper learning).
1) As you may well know, most religious bodies try to show their "correctness" by tracing back to the beginning of their break off from another religious body.... The further back they feel they can go, the more correct they think they are!
2) Sound reasoning should tell us, it doesn't matter what our forefathers from the 1800's, 1700's, 1600's or even all the way back to 3AD said they believed & practiced!... they were not infallable... they could be wrong!
a) Therefore, Some leave themselves to blindly following rules & regulations that were created & constituted by man... for man.
b) There must be a better way!....
I believe there is! - If I wanted to grow a certain type of squash here in Lubbock, but the original plant was in Ammarilo... would I need to grow the vine from Amarilo to Lubbock? Of course not! -- we all know, All I would need to do, is take a seed from the squash in Amirlo, bring it here to Lubbock, and plant it here... the product would be the same.
Friends If the word were the seed (as it is sometimes reffered to in scripture), All I should have to do is take that seed and plant it -- would it not bring forth the same product it did 2000 yrs. ago on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2?
I submit, the ONLY way of knowing more about the TRUE church that Jesus built is by turning in the Scriptures & reading about it! (then implimenting what we read.)
5) Contrary to seeming Popular opinion, we need to know & be convinced... THERE IS A TRUE CHURCH! --- And finding this true church is not open to every man's different interpretation of Scripture..... There is a TRUE church....
A) It is "true" , in that Jesus built it and He himself is the corner stone...
B) Is is "True" in the sense that he selected a few, calling them "Apostles" & "prophets" who were foundation factors in this true church!
1) Anything less would be contrary to Eph. 2:20... Which tells us the TRUE church [has] been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone"
6) Some would claim "we couldn't possibly be in agreement about such topics as the church... because we all interpret the Bible differently... it's not as simple as saying 'lets all go by the Bible'!" (I had someone tell me this just the other day!)
A) The problem w/ that kind of thinking is: God apparently... "forgot" to make provisions for that our different interpretations of Scripture! -- B) The only allowance He made was for Unity among believers based upon proper understanding of TRUTH / Scripture! ---
1) When "believers" don't have unity the problem is w/ either the "Heart" or "Knowledge" of man... but it is certainly not w/ God's inability to communicate in such a way as to allow all men to understand the principles contained in Scripture alike.
1) Perhaps you recall the passage in John 17:
Jesus is praying for the unity of His discples, both those present w/ Him, and those of us who would come after them.
Vr. 11 Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are.
Vr. 14 I have given them Your word;...
Vrs. 17-18 "...sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.
Vr. 19 "And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.
Vr. 20 - 21 "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; 21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.
1) The point is, Sandwiched between the topic of "Unity", in Christ prayer, is the topic of Accurately discerning truth... so that unity might come about!
3) Could Christ & the Father have had unity if they had "interpreted" truth differently?
3) 2 Peter 1:20-21 "...knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, 21 for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. --
My friends, if the prophets were not allowed to interpret what God said in their own way... then how is it, men think it's O.K. to do that today? Are we grater than the prophets?
7) Paul understood this fact... Looking back to the book of Eph. notice briefly w/ me Eph 3:3-5
Paul says that "by revelation [God] made known to me the mystery... by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), 5 which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets:"
1) Paul says concerning the things of God.... We CAN understand the knowledge he & the other Apostles & Prophets were given... by our READING of their writings!
(& I believe it would be properly understood that he means we can understand them alike... that would certainly be consistent w/ the passages we've looked @.)
a) And notice he does not exclude his previous point of discussion... as we referred to it in Ch.2, that being Christ and the church.
2) There is great effort taken to show God's High Estimation of His Church in Scripture -- Therefore, it should stand to reason We also should have a high estimation of the Church ---
a) And so, Having concluded that we can understand the Bible alike, & that what we read about the church is not open to individual interpretation....
8) Notice this fact w/ me. In the book of Eph. there is much attention (& emphasis) given to this topic.
A) Notice first, that In Eph. 1:22-23 we are told, "...[God] put all things under [Christ's] feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
1) It seems clear what "ALL things" means... (there is nothing that Christ is not over.... (in reference to what?)
a) Here in the context it is clear the Spirit speaks of "The church"!
(Christ is head over all things TO the CHURCH!)
2) When it comes to the TRUE church then... man is not @ liberty to do w/ it what he chooses... he is not @ liberty to bind rules, regulations & traditions were God has not.
a) Nor is he @ liberty to annul those which God has established.
b) WHY? BECAUSE IT IS NOT A MAN "ESTABLISHED, ORGANIZED, OR COMMISSIONED" CHURCH... We cannot go back 1, 2, or 300 years and find our "Original teachings" (We have to go to scripture lone Because The TRUE church is not "man made", but "God made" (if it were, as some apparently must be, then we would feel free to make decisions and laws based upon our own likes and dislikes rather than God's.) Christ is the head of His church, therefore as the head thinks the body does. (unless there is a problem w/ the body.)
9) Notice what else this text points out: Not only is Christ the head, and the church his body, But vr.1:23 further points out the church is "the fullness of Him who fills all in all"
A) The vrs says, "Christ fills all in all"
B) and the church Constitutes His fullness... it is the "fullness of Him"
1) Therefore we understand If one is to be in Christ, he or she must be in the church... if he or she is in the church then they must, (by necessity) be in Christ!.
(one cannot be part of that which is Christ's fullness, If they are not part of His body.)
10) But notice further Paul goes on in Ch. 3:8-12 to say the church is also part of God's "eternal Purpose" --
He says he was given, to "preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; 10 to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, 11 according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, "
A) It is throu' the church (ie. the people who make up the body of Christ) that God's wisdom is made known!
B) How is that done?
1) Not by everyone teaching something different,
2) not by us teaching something the same.... but it's origian man made!
3) it can only be accomplished by our keeping w/ God's eternal purpose; ie. His plan which He had from eternity as found w/in the Written word.
"God is glorified when His People (the church) is faithful unto Him"
C) It is in this, that the TRUE church is able to Glorify God as seen in v. 23 (here in ch.3)
11) But Paul does not concluded his discussion about Christ & His Church until we come to ch. 5.
A) God's high estimation and importance of the church can be seen even more easily in 5:25-27
"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. v.32 This is a great mystery, [Which we might add, Paul has just revealed so that it is no longer unknown to us]... but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
B) Several things to notice w/ in the text:
1) God tho't so much of the church, that he "Gave himself up for it" (v.25)
2) We often emphasize how Christ died for each person individually... (& that's correct), but notice here the text says, He died w/ the church in mind! "Christ also loved the church & give Himself for her"
a) When man changes the church & the purpose of it... They are not just changing some orginization that evolved throu' hard work and someone's sweat.... They are changing that for which Jesus bled & died! That for which He gave his very life!
b) Ax. 20:28 likewise testifies: "Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood."
1) how tearable it is for people to say or believe they need Christ but not the church... when scripture teaches His very life was given for it.
Notice also, from our text of Eph. 5:27, Paul makes the point, Jesus' desire is to present the church spotless and w/ o wrinkle. v. 27
A) Could a church be Spotless & w/o wrinkle if those who made it up refused to heed the standard which brings forth unity? not very unblemished or unwrinkled!
Therefore, Christ desires that we know Just as we care for our bodies, so He cares for His.
Eph 5:28-30 "For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. 30 For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones"
1) Even as we have care for our body -- we don't polute it, we don't abuse it... So it is w/ Christ's
2) "For we are members of His body -- of his flesh & of His bones." (therefore brethren, we ought to have great care & concern for the church.
Lord willing we will look more @ "The Church" in the future:
CONCL: We made the statement earlier that we can see out of Eph 1:22-23
He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
1) If one is to be in Christ, he or she must be in the church... if he or she is in the church then they must, (by neccessity) be in Christ!.
And the reason is because the "church" is Christ body and those who are to be saved must be in that body.
(one cannot be part of that which is Christ's fullness, If they are not part of His body.)
Perhaps there are some Here this morning asking the question: "How is it one enters this body to be saved?
There are many examples, but perhaps one of the best is out of Ax. 2.
1) After the people understood they were lost w/o Christ, Peter would tell them,
a) "Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the Forgiveness of your sins and you shall receive the gift of the H.S." (v.38)
2) After they obeyed the Word spoken from the Lord, V. 47 tells us:
a) "The Lord added to the CHURCH daily those who were BEING saved"
If you've not responded to this Truth, then your Outside the Lord, ie. Not in his body. therefore, not saved... you can change that even now......
