What Is The Church?

Sermon- What is the Church?

- A broad topic of what the Church should look like, or what the Church should be

doing, goes throughout the world.

- A very narrow minded view of the Church is, only a certain denomination will go to

Heaven.

> Only Baptist’s (www.abamablog.blogspot.com/2006/08/few-religious-jokes.html)

I’m sure we’ve all heard this joke, but One day a man dies, who was a devout Christian. Saint Peter meets him at the Pearly Gates and begins to give him a tour of Heaven. As the tour goes on, Saint Paul points out all the different Christians. "There's the Catholics, there's the Lutherans, the Methodists, the Presbyterians", and so forth. As they come to this one group way off to themselves, Saint Paul motions for the man to come closer and whispers. "Now, for this next group, we need to be really quiet. They are the Baptists and they think they're the only ones in Heaven."

- We know what saves us, Jesus Christ!

- There is a lot of religion coursing Throughout our world today, & it saves you no

more than lifting the tv remote is the ultimate exercise routine.

- We should be more devoted to being the church today than anything else.

Q- So, What is the Church?

- We’ve already talked about being the Ekklesia.

- Jesus describes the church to Simon Peter, & He challenges us to be that Church.

- Let’s read the account in Matthew 16:13-19

Matthew 16:13-19

13 When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?

14 And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.

15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?

16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

- Prayer

- For the religions that deny Christ is the messiah, God in the flesh, second member of

the trinity, Perfect Lamb of God, slain for our iniquities, & Savior of the world, then

they are not the Church!

Q- Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?

- This question was what we base our whole faith upon.

* Our Foundation

- If Christ was not fully man & fully God(hypostatic Union) Then He Couldn’t have

been our Savior.

- If Jesus had been an ordinary man, who was sinless, He would still be guilty of

sin.

Q- Why would that be?

- It’s because He would still have the blood of His Father Adam, If he was not fully

God & fully man.

- Jesus was born of His Father, as the Holy Spirit passed over Mary.

- Here we have God wrapped in man, & in all ways tempted, but yet without sin.

Hebrews 4:15

15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

- So now, our faith is personal. Rather than going to a priest that doesn’t know you, or

what you’ve been through, He knows with intimate detail exactly what you go

through.

- Let me put it to you this way.

- Immediately after Jesus was baptized He was taken into the wilderness by the

Holy Spirit & fasted for forty days.

- In the wilderness it is recorded that Satan tempted Jesus three times.

- Now think about this. I’m sure Satan waited til day 37 before He started

tempting Jesus!

- I’m sure Satan was at the edge of the wilderness saying, hello good buddy, let’s

have a talk for awhile, the very second Jesus entered it!

- In all accounts He was tempted!

- We have a foundation that has been tried, true, & immovable.

- That’s Why we have faith, Hope, & comfort!

- These three emotions are what drive us to be the Church.

* Our Function

- In our great foundation we realize we have a goal we want to reach.

Q- What’s the goal?

- Serving our God & Savior.