unday, January 29,
2017 am
THE NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH (2)
The Church Described (1)
A good way to understand what something is, is to see how it is
described. A good car
salesman will get you interested by showing you the various features of
a car. In our last lesson,
we noted some misunderstandings as to what the church is.
Studying the various descriptions will help give us a clearer
understanding of what the church is.
The next 2-3 lessons will examine some of these descriptions.
Some of these we have addressed recently, so we will not devote
extensive time to them.
a.
Last week, we addressed
what the Greek word translated
church in our Bibles means.
It is a word that means to call out of or an assembling.
We noted the term is descriptive of the saved (universal) or a
group of the saved in a given location who joined together in an
ordered, arranged and organized way to work and worship as the body of
Christ.
b.
But BEYOND that, when we
see the word church we think
of a special calling. The
root word “call” means to summon or invite.
One way we are described as Christians is called.
This is not a miraculous, uncontrolled call, but an invitation to
follow Him. On who is part
of His church has accepted that invitation or calling.
c.
We are called:
i.
Colossians 3:15 speaks
of being called in one body.
ii.
2 Thessalonians 2:14 –
call by our gospel
iii.
Of God – 1 Peter 5:10,
the God of grace called us to His eternal glory.
Philippians 3:14 speaks of pressing toward the prize of the upward call
of God in Christ Jesus
iv.
1 Corinthians 1:9 – we
are called into the fellowship of His Son
v.
2 Thessalonians 1:11
speaks of being counted worthy of this calling
2 Timothy 1:9 speaks of how He has saved us and called us with a holy
calling…
vi.
1 John 3:1 – we are
blessed being called children of God
vii.
1 Peter 2:9 – we are
called out of darkness, and into His marvelous light
d.
Because we are the
called out body:
i.
We are to walk worthy of
that calling
– Ephesians 4:1
ii.
We are to be separate
from the world
– holy – 1 Peter 1:15-16 – as He who called you is holy, you also be
holy (holy means to be set apart or sanctified); 1 Thessalonians 4:7 –
He did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness.
1 Corinthians 1:2 – we
are called to be saints, with all who call (summon or invite Him to save
us) on the name of Jesus…; Romans 1:7 – again, called to be saints!
iii.
We are to be willing to
suffer – 1 Peter 2:21 – to this you were called, because Christ also
suffered for us…
iv.
We are to make this call
and election sure - 2 Peter 1:10
v.
Our calling ought to
cause us to cherish this body in all that we do.
a.
One of the clearest and
most detailed descriptions.
We have addressed this extensively.
b.
The idea of a body, is a
living organism, with a head and members.
It is a collective noun.
1 Corinthians 12:12-13 says, For
as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one
body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we
were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves
or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact the
body is not one member but many. This
leads to a discussion of how important each part of the body is
(12:12-27) – we are different parts, with different functions, yet all
needed for the body to fully function.
c.
Christ is the head of
the body, which is His church – Ephesians 1:22-23, Colossians 1:18, etc.
d.
Romans 12:4-5 – as parts
of the body, we have a function to fulfill.
Not all have the same function, but we are all important and need
to do our part.
e.
Ephesians 4:16 – this is
essential for the growth of the body.
f.
Because we are the body of Christ:
i.
We are subject to the
head – Christ – Ephesians 5:23-24
ii.
We are called upon to
work together – seek to be united in truth – Ephesians 4:4
iii.
We are called upon to
grow – Ephesians 4:16
iv.
We are called upon to do
our part to promote that growth – Ephesians 4:16
v.
We are called upon to
keep her pure – just as we are to take care of our physical bodies (cf.
Ephesians 5:25-30 – we nourish and cherish it).
Cf. 1 Corinthians 5:6-7 – a little leaven…
a.
When we think of a
kingdom, we think of a form of government with a king, a territory,
subjects and a law.
b.
Matthew 16:18-19 – the
church and kingdom are used interchangeably.
Both descriptions find their beginning with Pentecost as recorded
in Acts 2.
Both Jesus and John preached repentance because, “the kingdom of heaven
is at hand” (Matthew 3:2, 4:17).
Mark 9:1 clearly states that the kingdom would be established
during the lifetime of some present when Jesus taught.
During His time of preaching and teaching, He often addressed the
“kingdom of heaven” in parables and other messages.
After Acts 2, the kingdom is always spoken of as in existence.
Cf. 1 Thessalonians 2:12 – we are called into His own kingdom and
glory.
Colossians 1:13 speaks of us being conveyed (transferred) into the
kingdom of the Son of His love.
c.
Christ is our king –
i.
1 Timothy 6:15 – He is
the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords…
Acts 2:36 – God made Him Lord and Christ.
ii.
It is a spiritual
kingdom. John 18:36-37 –
before Pilate, Jesus declared Himself our king.
But it is a kingdom, NOT of this world (cf.
Romans 14:17, Luke 17:20-21 – it is within you).
iii.
He conquered Satan at
His resurrection – Hebrews 2:14-15.
1 John 3:8, He was manifested to destroy the works of the devil.
iv.
Matthews 28:18 – He has
authority as our king.
v.
He is resigning as king
in heaven now over His territory – 1 Peter 3:22 – He has gone to heaven
and is at the right hand of God,…
Acts 2:33 – He has been exalted to the right hand of God, Hebrews
10:12-13, etc.
vi.
His law is our law –
John 12:48 – the word He spoke will judge us.
Again – Matthew 28:18-20 – go teach (of His authority); Matthew
7:21 – He calls for obedience
d.
We are fellow citizens
of this kingdom – Philippians 3:20 – our citizenship is in heaven.
Ephesians 2:19 – we are fellow citizens with the saints and members of
the household of God.
e.
Because we are part of
the kingdom of God:
i.
We are subject to Him
and His laws
ii.
We are called upon to be
loyal to Him as our King.
iii.
But we are also under
His protection as long as we remain loyal to Him.
These are some of the descriptions we find associated with the church.
Next week we will continue this study.
With these descriptions, may we learn to better appreciate what
the church is and seek to make her such in our lives.