The Church That's in Your Bible Part 1

Matthew the sixteenth chapter verse number thirteen hmm it is time for Atlanta to know what church is in their Bible when Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi he acts his disciples saying whom do men say that I the Son of Man am and they said some say that thou art John the Baptist some Elias and others Jeremias or one of the prophets he saith unto them but who say ye that I am in Simon Peter answered and said thou art the Christ the Son of the Living God 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 and I say unto thee vow that thou art Peter and upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it for those of you who need a title for this our sermon it would simply be the church that's in your Bible the church that's in your Bible I want to suggest to you that one of the most misunderstood words of the Bible is this we're Church it's a simple word it is use redundant ly throughout religious circles but it's a misunderstood word and what we want to do for the next few weeks is try to provide some clarity in regards to what is the church and not only what is the church but powerfully do our best to identify what the church that Jesus built looks like so you can know it when you find it there's a lot of folk looking for Church but you got to know what you're looking for before you know that you found the right Church and what I want to help you do on the next few weeks is just help you to understand that there is in fact a church in the Bible and that search is the Church of Christ when I say Church of Christ are simply being it's the church that belongs to Jesus and there is a church that belongs to Jesus and then there are churches that do not belong to Jesus and I want you to be clear on today that you have to understand what the concept of church is in the Bible the Word of God now many times you'll hear people say as they use this way they'll say I'm going to church or you hear people say I got saved and I'm going to find a church but if you really understand the word church then you will understand that you don't find a church necessarily but when a man gets saved God puts them in the church there is no such thing as joining the Church of your choice when a man gets saved God adds him to the church and you have to understand the day that it is impossible to separate the concept of the church from the concept of salvation because when a man gets saved it is by that same process that he becomes a member of the church so many people today are confuse about the word church so let me start by giving you a definition when we say chance the word church is from a Greek term ecclesia now ecclesia by etymology means called out now I want to help even those of us in the body of Christ because we have not necessarily done this word justice the word by etymology means called out but that's not its usage in the scripture it's usage in the scripture is assembly so the word by edimar let me explain etymology you start using big words and don't explain it folk you know it's almost like speaking in tongues so you need to interpret this thing etymology simply means the breakdown of the word so when you break down ecclesia you have two words ik and classy a' meaning out of and Crisium meaning called so by etymology or through the breakdown of the word itself it's called out but the way it is used in Scripture is that it describes and assembly now if you need scripture for that in acts 1932 you'll find where there was a large mob out there who was giving Paul some problems in the Bible refers to them as in ecclesia that is an assembly so when Jesus said upon this rock I will build my church he was saying I will build my assembly now what is the concept of that word it means that a summons goes out and when the summons goes out is calling people to a gathering that's the idea of church so when Jesus said upon this rock I'll build my church he's saying I will build my assembling now when we're talking about the church the church is not a physical building the church is not brick and mortar and many times people who choose churches based on the ambiance of the building and some people will pass by this church and go to that church because they like the building better I've come to Dahlia that the building has nothing to do with the biblical concept of the church absolutely nothing and there's a lot of people to religious rails here well I'm gonna find me a church and this and then look for the nicest building they can find I've come to tell you that's not a sure way to know whether or not that's the right Church now there's nothing wrong with large buildings in as much as there's nothing wrong with a small building praise God as a matter of fact there is nothing wrong with worshipping under a tree because it's not the building the church in the Bible as a matter of fact didn't hardly worship in nice facilities you aren't going to stand when we're talking about the church we are talking about people now who's the church it's those people who have obeyed the gospel of Jesus Christ when a man obeys the gospel God summons him into his Assembly how you found that on a day so that's the concept of church and the Bible says upon this rock I'll build my church that is Jesus was saying I will build my Assembly now a lot of folks in the religious world today the reason they can't find the right church is because they got wrong definitions start with the right definition what was the right definition it means assembly and is referring to building not or not is referring to people not a building so understand the first thing you got to get out of your mind when you're thinking about the word church is the idea of a physical structure it is a group of people that have been summoned by Christ into his spiritual assembly are you find that order day that's definition of church and if you start with that you're starting on the right track so jesus said upon this rock I'll build my church and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it now I want to show you three things in the text can we go to school for a few minutes three things in the text three things right there in Matthew 16:18 number one I want to show you the foundation of the church the next thing I want to show you is the formation of the church and then the third thing I want to show you is the fortification of the church all right there in the Bible upon this rock foundation I will build my church formation and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it fortification three concepts right there in the Bible I want to deal with all three of them and we're not going to leave this context first thing we got to deal with is the foundation of the church because the church has a foundation and you need to understand the assembly that is the called out assembly that Jesus is going to establish which is a people will be built on a solid foundation and we need to find out what is the foundation now why is that important brother hey what because in the field of religion there are some people who would take the position that the church was built on Peter I want to clarify that because some people the text says upon this rock or rather says thou art Peter and upon this rock I will build my church and there is a religious group that believes that Peter is the first pope on the basis of this passage let me tell you is about power in politics what some people try to do in a specific religion is they try to give credence to the Pope today by saying polls can trace their lineage back to Peter and they used this verse to show a couple of things excuse this verse to show Peter was the primary apostle not so and then they show that Peter the church was built on the foundation of Peter that also is not so so what I want to show you in this message what is the foundation well the first thing Jesus does in verse 13 he says whom do men say that I the Son of Man am can I do a little bit of this like are we gonna slow this down Jesus is at the close of Caesarea Philippi he is not in Judea he's not in Galilee he is far from Jewish territory Caesarea Philippi is a Gentile district now he takes his apostles to a Gentile district where in the district they worship the god of pan of which the city before that was called penny in but they changed the name Philip change the name to caesarea philippi caesarea gives honor today to the to the caesar who was in rule Tiberius Caesar and Philip I of course comes from Philip so he changed it to Caesarea Philippi now this is a Gentile district far from the Jews he's not in a Jewish community he's not in Galilee he's not in Judea he's in a Gentile area now in this Gentile area where they worship idols he makes an announcement that I will build my church or my assembly well Jesus makes this statement at a time when the Jews were God's assembly sewing the Jews that a day is going to come when you will no longer be God's assembly and I'm going build a new assembly and I've made my announcement in a Gentile district which means Jesus is showing when I build my church my church will not be made up of just tools but it will include people of all ethnicities now when it comes to the foundation of the church here's what happens if you want to know which is the right foundation how do you know the right foundation well Jesus at the close of Sesame Phillipi his concern is whom do men say that I the Son of Man some say how I John the Baptist some say thou art a lion some say you are chair a Maya or maybe one of the prophets and then finally he said well you know that is really my concern whom do you say you watch me change water in the wine whom do you say you watches me walk on the surface of water whom do you say you saw me fie 5,000 with with two fish and five loaves of bread whom do you say you you watch Smith we watch me fix crooked bodies and unstop deaf ears who do you say you remember when I was in the book with him and you saw me tell a storm peace be still who do you say how the son of man am and Peter said thou art the Christ son of the Living God and Jesus said flesh and blood didn't reveal it to you but my father which art in heaven you are Petros and upon this fat trust I will build my church the word Peter means stone Petros but the word Petrus means large foundation stone he uses two different greek terms to describe peter as opposed to the rock that he's talking about peter is a rock but he's not the large foundational stone we got to find out in the context what rock is he referring to well Peter just said thou art the Christ the Son of the Living God and so the rock that the church is built on is not Peter but on the confession he made what was the confession now I want for Christ's son of the Living God and Christ is the foundation now if Peter is the foundation then Jesus built the church on a sinful man if he could build it on Peter he could build it on me can't be theological II it can't be that he would build a church on a sinful man Christ built the church on himself he is the foundation of the tides well let's get it in plain English Brian get me first Corinthians three and begin reading in verse number 10 because because of course theologically and grammatically I could prove Petros and petrels two different things one means stone the other means large foundational stone he's saying you're Peter and upon this rock what rock rock you talk about what you just confessed what you just confesses that's not I am the Christ son of the Living God now that's the context now what I'm going to do is get other verses that prove that conclusion because you may say brother hey man I don't know none of our Petros Petros or any other a Soros so why don't you give this to me in plain English that why watch Paul 1st Corinthians 3 verse 10 says work according to the grace of God according to the grace of God which is given unto me which is given unto me as a wise building as a wise builder I've laid the foundation I've laid the foundation another buildeth then another bill that they're all let every man whatever man he'd killed how he built upon go and read for other foundation or the foundation no man no man laid that is laid that is laid which is Jesus Christ is no need no Petros Petros Paul said no other foundation can any man lay then that which is laid which is Christ Jesus Christ is the foundation of the test let me give it to you prophetically get me Isaiah chapter 28 verse 16 Isaiah 28 in verse number 16 let's get it prophetically Isaiah 28 seeing watch watch Isaiah talked about Jesus 676 or 700 years prior to Jesus coming on the serie there for the self the Lord does save the Lord behold behold lay in Zion Zion our foundation or foundation stones don't I trying to hide stole our precious questions cornerstone sure fast foundation we neither believe he's that believe it will not make haste now get me ax full now give me X 4 beginning in verse 10 what are you doing brother hey what I'm trying to show you who is the foundation of the church and it's not Peter it is a matter of fact that ain't no man ain't nobody could be the foundation is I couldn't be the foundation of the church you could not build a church on my morality or on my power no no no no only Christ watch him watch him Acts chapter 4 and verse number 10 read he had known unto being known unto you and to all the people of Israel and to all the people of Israel by the name of Jesus by the name of Jesus of Nazareth you crucified you crucified God raised from the dead God raised from the day by him even Siam does this man 10 here before you huh Henry this is the stone yes is the stone which was set at nought you said it now if you bill of you builders which is become which I come to have the corn read neither is there so either is this salvation any other and any other but there's nothing no other name under heaven under heaven given among living among men whereby we by you must be same be saved Christ is the foundation of the church he is the stone that they prophesied would come and he is the foundation of the church so when we're talking about the foundation of the church Christ is the foundation and we are resting upon the resurrected Savior the church is built on His redemptive work and you've got to understand there is no other foundation that any man could lay so if you're going to be the right Church I would not be in a church whose foundation is somebody and sinful as you that's wrong Church because no sinner can be the founder and I know Peter was the sinner I mean I know it don't let you know and let me pull this list because I don't like putting our focus in sins for Peter hansoms it could not be the foundation of the church Christ is the only foundation not only is there foundation but I want you to understand I want you to see the formation foundation Christ I will upon this rock I will build my church then he says in in take what we see what formation is that I will build Christ would lead in the formation of his church it begs the question how does Christ build his church well he doesn't do it by calling a construction company son I built turns how does he build how does Christ build the church and a lot of people don't understand this Christ builds the church but how does he build it how do we have the formation of the church I told you the word church means an assembly and the legal term of of calling an assembly includes sending out a summons the way Christ someone's you into the assembly is by the calling of the gospel i'ma tell y'all up front God doesn't call no other way except by the gospel of Jesus Christ now there you got a lot of folk in the religious world claiming God called them but but ain't talking about the gospel God talked to me yesterday and call me and told me that I was going to be saved right now today and I'm just so glad the Lord talked to me Lord ain't talking to folk like that today no no no no God is calling he is sending out of someone's butt the summons is the gospel mark chapter 16 15 he says go preach the gospel why Jesus because that's my months hit me second Thessalonians 2 second or second Thessalonians 2 beginning in verse number 13 what does it say but we are bound to give thanks always always read brethren beloved of the Lord Riis God have from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit go ahead relief of the truth three we run - he called guerrant he did what he called you what did he do he called you how does he call by our gospel God calls he's still calling for today but he calls by the gospel if you're going to get in God's Assembly you've got to answer his summons and the summons is the call of the gospel of Jesus Christ and that's the only way a man becomes a member of God's Assembly it's the only way man becomes a member of the church as a matter of fact when a man obeys the gospel is by that same process he becomes a member of the church you don't get saved and then finally de you get saved and God adds you to the church and all such things join it let me figure out what church I'm a join who told you that you choose that that's a misconception and religion is that I get saving and I go find a church that pleases me no you got to find the church that pleases God and that's following God's / requisites and you must find any only way if I didn't go no further the way you know you in the church or not is did you answer the calling if I didn't do nothing else if I didn't identify the church which I will do but if you didn't know nothing else and in part one of this series what you need to know is the only way you get in the church is by obeying the calling we trust and pray that the message you just heard from the West End Church of Christ was uplifting and edifying we invite you to come and worship with us we are located at 13 Oh three Ralph David Abernathy boulevards Atlanta Georgia three zero three one zero we meet every Sunday at a.m. 10:45 a.m. and 6 p.m. worship services we have Bible study classes every Sunday at 9:45 a.m. Tuesday at 7 p.m. and on Wednesdays at 10:00 a.m. at 7:30 p.m. for more information or to order a copy of today's

Channel: Official Renaissance Church of Christ

Views: 37,929

Rating: 4.8257427 out of 5

Keywords: Christianity (Religion), spirit, Holy, Truth, Word, Salvation (Christianity), Study

Id: -JEHCkRi68A

Length: 25min 40sec (1540 seconds)

Published: Thu Jan 03 2013