COMMON CONFESSION THE BAPTIST FAITH AND MESSAGE Article VI The Church. Select Scriptures

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1 COMMON CONFESSION THE BAPTIST FAITH AND MESSAGE 2000 Article VI The Church Select Scriptures I. Introduction a. Opener Lamenting the Decline of American Christianity while Neglecting a Crumbling Church i. The call to arm our churches. 1. Worshippers holding AR-15 rifles hold commitment ceremony (USAToday). ii. The cry against gun control 1. The problem is not guns, it is hearts without God, homes without discipline, schools without prayer, and courts without justice (FACEBOOK). iii. The silence over the demise of the church. iv. In a NYTimes Op-ed, Rod Dreher addresses the skewed focus of the church. 1. Christianity is declining in the United States First, Americans are falling away from the church in unprecedented numbers. According to a 2014 Pew study, more than one in three millennials refuse to identify with a religious tradition a far higher number than among older Americans. Most of these young adults are likely to stay away from church as they age Second, the faith American Christians profess is, from a moral and theological perspective, shockingly thin. Christian Smith, a sociologist of Notre Dame, finds that moralistic therapeutic deism has displaced authentic Christianity as the true religion of American Christians. MTD jettisons the doctrines of historical biblical Christianity and replaces them with feelgood, vaguely spiritual nostrums. The highest goal of the religious life is being happy and feeling good about oneself. It s the perfect religion for a self-centered, consumerist culture. But it is not Christianity Since the 1980s, conservative Christians unwittingly participated in our own marginalization by placing too much hope in Republican politics Conservative Christians helped elect Republican politicians, but that did not stop the slide toward secularism. Too many of us are doubling down on the failed strategies that not only have failed to convert Americans

2 but have also done little to halt the assimilation of Christians to secular beliefs. 2. Lay Christians in the 21 st century are certainly not called to be cloistered monks. But Christians are going to have to step back to some meaningful degree from the world for the sake of building up orthodox belief, learning the practices of discipleship and strengthening our communities. 3. The most pressing problem Christianity faces is not in politics. It s in parishes. b. Comments The problem is in our churches, and the problem is much bigger than America. Many of our churches have ceased to be what God created us to be, what He has called us to be, what Jesus commissioned us to be. We have become a people enslaved to our traditions rather than a people submissive to the clear teaching of the Word of God, because we have long assumed that the way our parents did it and the way our grandparents did it and the way their parents did it was right. Only we never stopped to look at the Bible to see if it was so. c. Main Point of the Texts The Bible teaches that the church is made up of the people of God, only those who have repented of their sin and placed their faith in Jesus and in His finished work on the cross, a people founded upon a common confession, that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, a people characterized by shared attributes displayed according to the presence and power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, and a people wielding an authority vested in them by the God of Heaven Himself. d. Main Point of the Sermon The local church is a microcosm of the universal church, mirroring her in every way, a family of believers founded upon a common confession, a family of believers characterized by shared attributes displayed according to the presence and power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, and a family of believers who wield an authority vested in them by the God of Heaven Himself. e. Transition statement. The sermon answers three questions. Question #1 What is our common confession? Question #2 What are our shared attributes? Question #3 What do we do with the authority vested in us by God? II. QUESTION #1 WHAT IS OUR COMMON CONFESSION? a. READ TEXT Matthew 16:13-19

3 b. EXPLANATION The foundation of the church, that which grounds it, that which sustains it, is what it believes about Jesus. How does the local body answer the question, Who do you say that I am? i. The confession is counter-cultural vv Who they say Jesus is doesn t matter. a. They say Jesus was a great teacher. b. They say Jesus was a great prophet of God c. They say Jesus was one prophet among many prophets of God. 2. Who you say Jesus is matters a great deal. a. Jesus was asking His disciples, those who were supposedly following Him. b. But signifies the real intent of His inquiry. Who do those who claim to know believe Him to be? ii. The confession is supernatural vv It was knowledge revealed to Peter by God directly. 2. It is knowledge revealed to us by the Spirit of God working through His Word and the proclamation of the gospel. a. Regeneration b. Faith iii. The confession is missional Christ will build his church upon this confession with the apostles and prophets serving as the foundation. 2. Christ will build his church through His disciples. a. As we take the gospel 3. Christ will succeed in building His church; Hell will fall before it. c. THE POINT i. A New Testament church is a church of the Lord Jesus Christ. ii. A New Testament church is a local congregation of baptized believers. iii. A New Testament church is a body of people who are associated by covenant in the faith. iv. A New Testament church is a body of people who are associated by their fellowship around the gospel, who seek to extend that gospel to the ends of the earth by whatever means is available to them. d. ILLUSTRATION Kelly, Land & Mohler, The Baptist Faith & Message Bible Study In Matthew 16:13-19, often called the Great Constitution, Jesus declared the establishment of the church and instructed the disciples about its meaning. Jesus clearly stated that the church is established not on Peter but on

4 Peter s confession that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. This is the confession of all true Christians, and it is the great foundation on which the church stands. e. APPLICATION Who do you say that Jesus is? i. If we say that Jesus is just a great moral teacher, then the church is nothing more than a religious school to instruct people how to live their best life now and respect their fellow man. In other words, if Jesus is just a great moral teacher, then the religion of moralistic therapeutic deism reigns supreme. Folks, that is, in fact, what many in our churches today believe. Jesus is a means to an end. As Rod Dreher characterized it in his article, the church has nothing to do with the doctrines of historic biblical Christianity. It is nothing more than a feel-good, vaguely spiritual religion whose goal is to make me happy and to make me feel good about myself. ii. If we say that Jesus is just a prophet or one among many, then the church is just a religious country club with its own set of unique rules and regulations. We pay our dues, we gather for our various observance. You do the same. I don t interfere with you. You don t interfere with me. All is well. Everyone is happy. iii. If we say, however, that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, that changes everything. Then, Jesus is God. Then, Jesus is Lord of all the earth. Then, Jesus is Savior and Lord of His Church. And we pledge our allegiance to Him. We submit ourselves obediently to Him. We give our very lives for Him to be all that He has called us to be, as individuals and as a local church. 1. Counter-cultural 2. Supernatural 3. Missional f. Transition statement. So, the local church is a community of believers founded upon a common confession, that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. Question #2 What are our shared attributes? III.QUESTION #2 WHAT ARE OUR SHARED ATTRIBUTES? a. READ TEXT Acts 2:41-47 b. EXPLANATION The local church, this community of baptized believers founded upon their confession of Jesus Christ as the Son of God and Lord of all and Savior, now filled with the indwelling Spirit of God, collectively devotes itself

5 to the things of God or to put it another way collectively devotes itself to the things that God loves. i. The community of faith collectively devotes itself to the apostles teaching, the Word of God 1. The apostles believed their teaching to be the Word of God. 2. The community of believers had received the teaching of the apostles as the Word of God, and they were eager to learn it. a. Acts 17:10-11 The brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so. b. Acts 18:11 And He stayed a year and six months, teaching the Word of God among them. 3. The community of believers obeyed the Word of God. a. I John 2:3-6 By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, I have come to know Him, and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we now that we have come to know Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked. ii. The community of faith collectively devotes itself to the fellowship, the church of God. 1. Translations that get it right CEB, CSB, ESV, HCSB a. CSB to the community (i.e. the community of faith, the church) 2. That is, they devoted themselves to corporate worship a. Baptism & Communion b. Prayer c. With one mind d. At the appointed place and time of meeting 3. That is, they devoted themselves to corporate community, what Bonhoeffer called life together. a. They sacrificed for one another. b. They took care of one another s needs (GIVING). c. They took meals together i. Sincerely

6 ii. Joyfully iii. The community of faith collectively devotes itself to the mission of God, making disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything that Christ commanded, trusting that He would be with them until the very end. 1. And the Lord was adding to their number implies a gospel witness. 2. Those scattered because of the persecution connected to the death of Stephen also spread the gospel as they went. a. Acts 11:19-21 So then those who were scattered because of the persecution in connection with Stephen made their way to Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except to Jews alone. But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who came to Antioch and began speaking to the Greek also, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord. iv. Others 1. Acts 5:11-14 a. Characterized by reverent fear of God b. Characterized by unity. c. Characterized by a stellar reputation in the community. 2. I Co. 12 a. Characterized by spiritual gifting b. Characterized by love 3. Ephesians 5:21 a. Characterized by submission to one another 4. Hebrews 13:17 a. Characterized by submission and obedience to church leadership c. ILLUSTRATION imb article, 12 Characteristics of a Healthy Church Not every church is in good health. Some are gravely ill. Some are downright toxic. All are certainly in process, but towards what, exactly, is that process meant to move them? How can a sick church heal without first knowing in what direction health lies? What, after all, is a healthy church? i. Biblical discipleship ii. Biblical membership

7 iii. Biblical teaching and preaching iv. Biblical ordinances v. Biblical worship vi. Biblical prayer vii. Biblical fellowship one anothers viii. Biblical accountability and discipleship ix. Biblical giving x. Biblical mission d. APPLICATION i. Devotion to the Word 1. We listen and receive it with meekness, not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in us. 2. We believe it by faith. 3. We speak it. a. For the salvation of those who are lost b. For the encouragement of our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ 4. We obey it, that the love of God might be perfected in us. 5. We lay down our lives for it. ii. Devotion to the fellowship 1. Covenant in faith and fellowship of the gospel a. I John 1:3 that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. b. I John 1:6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 2. Fulfilling the one another s a. Be at peace with one another Mark 9:50 b. Wash one another s feet John 13:14 c. Love one another as Christ loved us and so prove to be His disciples John 13:34-35 d. Outdo one another in honor Romans 12:10 e. Instruct one another I Co. 3:4 f. Care for one another, no division I Co. 12:25 g. Comfort one another II Co. 13:11

8 h. Agree with one another II Co. 13:11 i. Greet one another I Co. 13:12 j. Bear one another s burdens Gal. 6:2 k. Bear with one another, with all humility and gentleness and patience, in love Eph. 4:2 l. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted and forgive one another, as God in Christ forgave us Eph. 4:32 m. Address one another in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs Eph. 5:19 n. Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ Eph. 5:21 o. Admonish or warn one another Col. 3:16 p. Encourage one another with the Word of God I Th. 4:18 q. Build each other up I Th. 5:11 r. Do good to one another II Th. 5:11 s. Stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another Hebrews 10:24-25 t. Confess sins to one another and pray for one another James 5:16 u. Show hospitality to one another I Peter 4:9 v. Use our spiritual gifts to serve one another I Peter 4:10 w. Clothe ourselves with humility toward one another I Peter 5:5 x. Consider II Th. 1:3 We ought always to give thanks to God for you brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. y. Consider Galatians 5:15 But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another. 3. Corporate Worship a. For the purpose of spurring one another on to love and good deeds Hebrews 10:24-25 b. For the purpose of speaking to one another in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs Ephesians 5:19 c. For the purpose of observing the sacraments together Acts 20:7 d. For the purpose of collecting tithes and offerings I Co. 16:2

9 e. For the purpose of prayer I Timothy 2:1 f. For the purpose of preaching and teaching I Co. 14 iii. Devotion to the mission of God 1. Matthew 28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. 2. Matthew 24:14 The gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come. 3. Rev. 7:9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and people groups and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; and they cry out with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb. 4. II Corinthians 5:20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin in our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. IV. SUMMATION AND RESPONSE a. Reddicks Grove, are we going to be the church God has called us to be, the church that Jesus commissioned us to be? A people devoted to the Word of God, to receive it, to believe, to speak it, to obey it? A people devoted to this fellowship, to covenanting with one another in a common faith and around a common gospel, to gathering with one another for corporate worship that we might display the love and humility of Jesus in our service to one another and in fulfilling all the other one anothers in Scripture? A people devoted to the mission of God whatever the costs, wherever God sends us or calls us to do mission? Regardless of the people group? Regardless of the distance? Regardless of whether or not we know them? Regardless of whether or not we receive any recognition for our efforts? b. Or will we continue to be a people enslaved to our traditions, a people who continue to try and do yesterday s church to today s generation?

10 c. Reddicks Grove Baptist Church is supposed to be a reflection of the universal church, mirroring her in every way, a culturally and ethnically diverse family of believers founded upon a common confession, a culturally and ethnically diverse family of believers characterized by shared attributes, peace and love, displayed according to the presence and power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. d. What are you willing to do to see that we get there? What are you willing to sacrifice to see what we get there? What are you willing to change, personally and corporately to see that Christ s body is healthy? e. Let us pray.