Jesus - The Way Out Of Religious Confusion
TEXT: John 14:1-7
INTRODUCTION: Many people who wish to follow Jesus are repelled by the multitude of denominations, diffenerences in beliefs, and conflicting doctrines and practices taught by those professing to be Christians. Such a strong distaste for denominational division is in keeping with the spirit of the New Testament...Jesus prayed fervently for unity in His High Priestly prayer recorded in Jn 17:21 - "I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you." Paul outright condemned religious division in 1 Co 1:10-13 - "I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. My brothers, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, I follow Paul; another, I follow Apollos; another, I follow Cephas; still another, I follow Christ. Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul?"
While some denominational leaders like to justify their existence, we know that religious confusion does not come from God...because "God is not a God of disorder but of peace." (I Co 14:33). God is the author of peace, not confusion - religious strife is indicative of carnality, and a it is a work of the flesh - 1 Co 3:3-4 - "You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men? For when one says, I follow Paul, and another, I follow Apollos, are you not mere men?"; Ga 5:19-21 - "The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God."
So, is it possible for people today to simply be Christians, and refrain from collaborating and contributing to the denominational division that exists today? The answer is Yes! And Jesus is the great example that shows us The Way Out Of Religious Confusion! Let’s take notice of Jesus’ own example in the religious climate of His day...
I. THE EXAMPLE OF JESUS
A. NOTE THE RELIGIOUS CLIMATE OF HIS DAY...
1. When Jesus came to this earth, the Israelites were living under God’s law given by Moses
2. In that law, God had not made any provision for the division of His people into religious sects or parties
3. Yet, by the time of Jesus, the Jews had formed several distinct religious parties:
a. Pharisees (somewhat conservative)
b. Sadducees (very liberal, the "modernists" of their day)
c. Essenes (radical isolationists)
d. Herodians, Zealots (political religionists)
4. The assumption was that all who were serious about religion would be associated with one of these groups
B. JESUS MAINTAINED A NONSECTARIAN RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD...
1. To which of these groups did Jesus belong? NONE!
2. Instead, He maintained a "nonsectarian" relationship with God to the very end
a. As an Israelite, living at a time when the Law of Moses was still in effect, He was simply an "Israelite"
b. In addition, He encouraged all to live by the Law while it was still in effect - Jesus said in Mt 5:17-20 - "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven."
c. In other words, He encouraged all to simply be what the Law of Moses intended them to be - true "Israelites"
C. WHAT WOULD JESUS BE TODAY...?
1. Would He be a Baptist, a Catholic, a Presbyterian, a Methodist?
2. I firmly believe He would simply refer to Himself as a "Christian".
3. That was certainly what His disciples came to be called - Ac 11:26, 27 - "Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch."
The example Jesus has set for us is clear: just be what God originally intended for us to be. Since in the New Testament the disciples of Christ were called "Christians", so we should be!
Not only should we be content with being "called" Christians, we should also be concerned with "just being Christians." Nothing more, nothing less! But how can we be sure that we are simply Christians, members of the church we read about in the New Testament? It helps to see what the Bible tells us about ...
II. THE LORD’S CHURCH
A. THE LORD’S CHURCH WAS PROMISED BY JESUS...
1. Jesus promised to build His church - Mt 16:18 - "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." (Not Peter but Peter’s statement - you are the Christ, the Son of the living God)
2. The word "church" comes from the Greek word ekklesia, which means "a called-out group, an assembly, a congregation"
3. Jesus was promising to create His own group of people who have been "called out"
B. THE LORD’S CHURCH WAS ESTABLISHED THROUGH PREACHING THE GOSPEL...
1. How does this "calling" take place?
2. According to Paul, we are "called" by the gospel - II Th 2:14 - "He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ."
3. On the first Pentecost following the ascension of Christ, we see by preaching the gospel Peter "called out" those who were willing to express their faith in Jesus - Ac 2:38-41 - "Peter replied, Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off--for all whom the Lord our God will call. With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, Save yourselves from this corrupt generation. Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day."
4. Notice that those who gladly responded in faith, repentance and baptism were "added"
a. To what and by whom were they "added"?
b. We find the answer in verse 47 - "And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved." To the number - the church - by the Lord.
5. The day of Pentecost was the beginning of the Lord’s church (His "ekklesia")
6. This "called-out" assembly or group was created when the gospel was proclaimed and people responded to it
C. THE LORD’S CHURCH WAS EXPANDED THROUGH PREACHING THE GOSPEL...
1. At first, the church existed only in Jerusalem
2. As the gospel spread, and people responded to it, groups of these saved people in various cities began to meet together
3. Each group became known as a church in a local sense (in contrast to the church universal which is made up of all those saved throughout the world)
4. For example, during Paul’s first missionary journey, many such churches were established - Ac 14:21-23 - "They preached the good news in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God, they said. Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust."
5. By simply teaching the gospel of Christ, a local church was formed when those who obeyed the gospel joined together in their work and worship
D. THE LORD’S CHURCH WAS EDIFIED THROUGH THE APOSTLES’ DOCTRINE...
1. Though united in Christ, these local churches were independent of any human association or federation of churches
2. Christ directed them through His inspired apostles, as they taught them how to worship and work together - Ac 2:42 - "They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer."
3. Sometimes this teaching by the apostles was done directly, other times by appointed emissaries - I Co 4:17 - "For this reason I am sending to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church."
4. Just as often, the teaching was done through the epistles or letters written by the apostles - I Co 14:37 - "If anybody thinks he is a prophet or spiritually gifted, let him acknowledge that what I am writing to you is the Lord’s command."
When we read what the Bible tells us about the Lord’s church, we learn that by responding to the gospel and paying close attention to the "apostles’ doctrine," people in the first century were able to simply be Christians, without all the confusion so prevalent today.
Is it possible for us to simply be Christians today? Yes! Here is how...
III. THE WAY OUT OF RELIGIOUS CONFUSION
A. ACCEPT THE CALL OF THE GOSPEL...
1. Remember, Christ calls us into His ekklesia (church) through the gospel
2. Therefore, we can begin by obeying the same instructions that Peter gave on the Day of Pentecost - Ac 2:38 - "Peter replied, Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."
3. Repenting of our sins, and being baptized grants us the same blessings as did the 3000 on that day: salvation!
4. By being saved in this manner, we know that the Lord truly adds us to His church just as He added them -- BUT What then...?
B. FOLLOW THE EXAMPLE OF THE EARLY CHRISTIANS...
1. The early Christians continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine -
a. They joined no other religious organization
b. In Christ, we are automatically united with all others who are in Him!
2. As members of the Lord’s church, we should carefully study the New Testament description of the church that continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine
a. This description is found in the Book of Acts and in the Epistles which follow it
b. It is here that we will find instruction from the Lord’s apostles on how:
1) To worship the Lord acceptably
2) To be scripturally organized as local congregations
3) To live and work together as Christians, spreading the gospel of Christ through word and example
3. Since the apostles were guided by the Holy Spirit, we may be sure their instructions were exactly what Jesus wanted them to be!
a. If we duplicate the early churches by following the apostles’ instructions, we will simply be "Christians", and we can be certain the Lord is pleased with us
b. As Jesus said to His apostles about those who would receive or reject their instructions: "He who listens to you listens to me; he who rejects you rejects me; but he who rejects me rejects him who sent me." - Lk 10:16
CONCLUSION: Simply being a Christian, and duplicating a New Testament congregation is not as difficult as one might think...there are literally thousands of such congregations throughout the world. By following the example and teachings of Jesus, as revealed by His apostles, we can be led out of the religious confusion that dominates the religious world today!
Do you want to be simply a Christian, a member of the Lord’s church we read about in the New Testament...? If so, then I plead with you to first render obedience to the gospel of Christ as proclaimed by Peter and all the apostles. You have the assurance of God’s Word that you will then be added by the Lord Himself to His church. Then, you have the responsibility to learn and follow the apostles’ doctrine as you serve the Lord Jesus in your life.
If you have not yet responded to the commands of the gospel as put forth by Peter, why not let the reaction of those who did on the Day of Pentecost describe your actions today: "Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day." - Ac 2:41.
