|
Every
Church that wears the Name of Christ is obligated to make good its pledge to
Jesus Christ, to faithfully perform its duties, and proclaim the Glorious Gospel
of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Church
is more than a building of wood, stone or brick. It is an assembly of saints, or
followers of Christ, whom Christ came from Heaven to gather out of the world to
Himself, whom He loves and gave Himself for it (Eph. 5:25), and whom He purchased
by His own precious blood shed on the cross of Calvary (Acts 20:28).
The word
Church means a called-out company or assembly of people. People who make
up the Church are people who wear the name of Christ (Acts 15:14).
The Church
is made up of people who are separated from the world, of whom God hath said:
“I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall
be My people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the
Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you” (2 Cor. 6:16,
17).
The Church
did not originate in man. It was in the mind and heart of God from Eternity
past.
The mind
of God conceived the idea that men should be called out of the world of sin by
men who were known as “God’s men”. They were to be called out by the preaching
of the Glorious Gospel (2 Tim 1:9, 11).
I. The
Church does not belong to men. It belongs to God. It is God’s special property,
purchased at a price far beyond human or material terms (Acts 20:28).
Men talk about the Church being in danger. A more foolish statement was never
made. Those who make such a statement have not weighed the facts.
They forget to Whom the Church belongs. If it belonged to men, that could be
true. God knows how to protect His property better than men.
Man has devised many devices and weapons of various descriptions for the
protection of property. He drafts soldiers, marshals, F.B.I. agents, sheriffs,
policemen and security guards who are heavily armed with the latest weapons to
guard human life and property.
The Church is the Bride. The Lamb’s wife. It is as safe on earth as the Church
is in Heaven. God takes special care in looking after it.
II. God’s
Church will survive and will never be overthrown by men, because every weapon
formed against it is worthless in God’s sight and shall not prosper (Isaiah
54:17).
It matters not whatever else may perish, God’s Church will live. What is true
respecting God’s Church is also true of every individual believing saint of
which the Church is composed.
Many things may depart from the Church, but God’s loving-kindness shall never
depart from it. The Church is a Divine and secure citadel. It is an invincible
and triumphant army.
It has won many victorious trophies, as a result of the defeat it has inflicted
upon many of its enemies in various warfares.
It’s no surprise to God for Him and His Church to encounter opposition.
As Commander of the forces of His Church, God is fully acquainted with all of
the enemies of His and of His Church.
III. God
knew from the beginning that His Church would constantly and repeatedly face
persecution and opposition, but they would serve profitable purposes for making
it succeed and grow.
Yes, God knew His Church would face opposition and persecution, but it would
serve profitable purposes in several ways:
A.
Opposition and persecution would test the sincerity and loyalty of His people.
B.
Opposition and persecution spur God’s people to be less dependent upon
themselves and more dependent upon God.
C.
Opposition and persecution inspire God’s people to walk closer to Him.
D.
Opposition and persecution encourages God’s people to suffer with Christ, in
order to reign with Christ.
IV. The
Church of Jesus Christ has a mission. But it is not yet completed, because it is
seeking to reconcile earth with heaven by urging men to make peace with God
through Jesus Christ before it is eternally too late.
Matt. 24:14: “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the
world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.”
Just as the Lord Jesus was sent into the world, so He also sends His own
(disciples). In
John 17:18, Jesus says: “As Thou hast sent Me into the world, even so have I
also sent them into the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the
end come.”
The Church is to act as an ambassador for Jesus Christ. An ambassador is a
high-ranking diplomatic representative of one country to another. He is an
official messenger on a special mission. The Church, God’s intermediary
ambassador is seeking to reconcile earth with Heaven and urges men to make peace
with God through Jesus Christ.
Each member of the Church, therefore, is to pray that men will become reconciled
to God (2 Cor. 5:20), to go into all the world and preach and make disciples for
Christ, preach the Gospel of repentance and remission of sin through the name of
Jesus Christ, preaching that Christ died for our sins according to the
Scriptures, and that He was buried and rose again the third day, according to
Scriptures.
In the power of the Holy Spirit, the Church is to witness unto the uttermost
parts of the earth. (Acts 1:8)
The mission of the Church is not complete, while there remains any part of this
earth un-evangelized.
The early Church went everywhere preaching the Word (Acts 8:4).
The Church is to shine as a light in this dark world, holding forth the Word of
life. It is to be faithful to Christ.
The progress of evil in this world should lead the Church to avoid it, and be a
faithful witness for Christ.
The Church should clothe herself with the character which becomes the Bride of
Christ.
It is to strive for the edification of one another; follow after the things
which make for peace and refrain from doing anything which would cause a brother to
stumble, be offended or made weak.
Rom. 14:19-21, Eph. 4:12 and 1 Thess. 5, give a beautiful description of how the
Church should conduct itself in looking after itself and one another.
V.
There are
several important facts and truisms every Christian ought to know about the
Church, without guessing or supposing:
A.
God named
it.
“For Zion’s sake, will I not hold my peace, and
for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth
as brightness, and the salvation thereof go forth as a lamp that burneth. And
Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be
called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name...And they shall
call them, The holy people, The redeemed of the Lord: and thou shalt be called,
Sought out, a city not forsaken” (Isa. 62:1, 2, 12). “And
the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch” (Acts 11:16).
B.
Jesus is Building It
– Matt.
16:18.
When Peter confessed Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the Living God, our Blessed
Lord said, “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.”
Jesus Said “upon
this rock I will build”.
He did not say “I have built it.”
He did not say “Upon this rock I may build it.” But He said “I will
build it.”
C.
The Church
is Built on a Strong, Solid Foundation.
No man can lay a foundation like this. 1
Cor. 3:11 says: “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which
is Jesus Christ. There could be no other foundation on which to build the
House of God than Jesus.
Eph. 2:20 says: “And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and
prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone.”
D.
The Church is a Family – The Household of God – It’s God’s Family.
Eph. 2:19: “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners,
but fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God.”
1. Each member of this family is a saint by calling
and beloved of God (1 Cor 1:2).
2. Each member of the Church or family of God is a
member of the body of Christ,a precious stone in the building of God and a part
of the Bride of Our Blessed Lord. 1 Peter 2:5 says: “ye are lively stones.”
Eph. 1:22, 23 tells us the Church is “…the body of Christ.” “For we
are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones” (Eph. 5:30).
a.
Each member of the Church is a precious stone
fitly framed together to make up the holy temple in the Lord (Eph. 2:21; 1
Peter 2:5).
b.
Each member of the Church or the family is a part
of the Bride. The Church is the Bride of Christ – Matt. 9:15. The apostle
affirms and confirms this truth in 2 Cor 11:2. He speaks of the Church being
espoused to Christ. And in Eph 5:23 he speaks of the husband being the head
of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the Church. He is the Savior of
the body.
Therefore, as the Church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to
their own husbands in everything – Eph. 5:24. Paul says: “This is a great
mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the Church” (Eph. 5:32).
In Rev. 21:9, John says, “Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the
Lamb’s wife.”
In Rev. 19:7-8, John says: “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to Him:
for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife (the Church) hath made
herself ready.” The Bride, which is the Church, shall be dressed up in fine linen, which is the righteousness of the saints.
3.
Each member’s name is written in Heaven
(Heb. 12:23).
4. Entrance or admission into the Church, or family,
of God is by the new birth, by spiritual adoption through Jesus Christ (John
1:12; Gal. 3:26, Gal 4:5, Eph. 1:5) and by the baptism of the Holy Spirit. John
3:5: Jesus answered and said unto him, “Except a man be born of water and of the
Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God.” “For by one Spirit are we all
baptized into one body” (1 Cor. 2:13).
E. Christ is the Head of the Church - Col. 1:18. Eph. 5:23
says: “For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of
the Church: and He is the savior of the body.”
F. The Church is Subject unto Christ – Eph. 5:25-27:
Christ loved the Church and gave Himself for it, that He might sanctify it and
cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word. “That He might present it to
Himself a glorious Church, not having spot, nor wrinkle, or any such thing; but
that it should be holy and without blemish” (Eph. 5:27).
G.
The Church belongs to Christ
not only by Creative (John 1:1-3) and Redemptive Rights (Gal. 5:1;
1 Peter 1:18, 19), but also because it is the gift from the Father.
Since Christ is the Head of the Church, God has placed in His hands the
authority to govern it.
God has purposed a Bride for His Son. Every day He is sending out His
servants to bid sinners to the wedding (Matt. 22:1-9). The wonderful thing about
it is – those who accept God’s invitation will become a part of the Bride, which
is the Church. God gives them to His Beloved Son.
In John 6:37-39, Jesus says: “All that the Father giveth Me shall
come to Me; and him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.
“for I come down from Heaven, not to do Mine own will, but
the will of Him that sent Me.”
“ And this is the Father’s will which hath sent Me, that of
all which He hath given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again
at the last day.”
Seven times in our Lord’s Intercessory Prayer, in John 17, verses 6, 7,
9, 11, 12, 24, Jesus speaks to His Father of “those whom Thou has given Me.”
1.
“Those whom Thou hast given Me: are those who constitute the
Church. Jesus gives eternal life to as many as God has given Him.
2.
He manifests the Father’s Name to them, so they keep and obey God’s
Word.
3.
He prays for those whom His Father has given to Him. He prays for them
- not for the world.
The world of unsaved sinners has no Intercessor before the
throne of God.
The Lord Jesus prays the Father to “keep those whom Thou
hast given Me”, just as He kept and guarded His own disciples while He was
with them in the world.
If God does the keeping, we shall be well kept. No one can
pluck us out of the Father and the Son – the One Who gives and the One Who
receives.
VI.
The Church is safe, and shall always be safe, even in an evil
world like this.
A. It is Divinely
Protected. The Lord has said: “I the Lord do keep it; I will water it
every moment: lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day.”
B.
The
Church of God is safe even in evil times like this because its completion is
sure.
Christ is still in the process of building it. It is not yet completed. All its
enemies allied together may come against it with the mighty force of a tornado,
but that will not hinder its completion.
Its enemies might breathe out threats and slaughter against it and all who call
upon the Name of the Lord, but that will not hinder it. Its completion is sure.
The avalanche of atheism, modernism, skepticism, and all the forces of doubt may
sweep against it with dynamic power, but they will not hinder its completion.
C. God
left the Church in the hands of Jesus to complete it – we are co-laborers.
God knew He could count on Jesus. In spite of everything, it will be
completed.
Everyone who’s not on board should get on. This is one of His travel
agencies.
D. The
Church is a safe ship that God has provided to assure safe transportation for
every believer across the Jordon of death.
It’s in the world, but not of the world.
E. Jesus Christ is
the Pilot and the Captain of it.
He is the safest and most experienced and
knowledgeable Pilot of time and eternity. The Church, with Christ as Pilot, has
traveled the sea-lanes of time for centuries. With Christ on board, there are
no dangers worth fearing.
It has landed many thousand and will land many more.
It has never met with a shipwreck.
It has met with many storms, but it has ridden out every storm.
It has landed every passenger safely on the other shore.
You have trusted other pilots who were unworthy of your trust, why not
trust Jesus and let Him and His Church pilot your eternal destiny?
Sermon delivered by Rev. Dr. Robert L. Fuller |
