The Christian life - Church..

Welcome to Cornerstone Reformed Baptist Church. Thank you for using and sharing our resources. What you're about to hear is God's Word from one of our teaching elders. We trust that God's Word will inspire, instruct, and bless you. For further teachings or information on our ministry, please visit us on our website at cornerstonerbc.

com. That's cornerstonerbc.com. We've been in our series of the Bible studies for a little while now, the Bible studies that is entitled the Christian life. And if my estimations are right, we're almost approaching a year since we began the Bible study, but we've had a lot of interferences, a lot of breaks in the meantime.

But if you remember from the very beginning, we said that we wanted to divide the studies into three sections. And the first of the three section was the more narrow view of the Christian life in the life of a believer. the Christian life in the life of the believer, how the Christian life impacts the individual person. That is to say that the life with Christ begins somewhere and it begins with the individual having his eyes opened and receiving by faith the salvation of God through the knowledge of Jesus Christ. And so we began by looking at or examining and considering together as a church the details or the things that pertain to the life of the individual.

So we engaged in salvation, for example. What is true salvation, genuine salvation? What is the assurance of your faith? What is it to walk in the spirit, to be alive or to walk in the spirit, to live in the spirit, to be led by the spirit of God? What is it?

What are the practices for the individual, like the life of prayer in the secret place? or fasting, the very things we engage in as individual Christians. And then we said we want to expand a little bit further and look at the life of the Christian in a little bit broader context, in the context of the family. So the life of the Christian in the life of the Christian family. And then we engaged in topics that were pertinent to the family, topics like the father or the husband, to be more precise.

The role and responsibility of the husband, a Christian husband, in the family and the role and responsibility of the wife in the context of the family. And then the role and responsibility of the father and the mother and the children, because they have roles and responsibility. Our God is not a haphazard God. He's an orderly God. And in every context of life, He's given us instruction of how we can honor Him and how we can flourish in the circumstances that He's given us, no matter where we are, whether it's as individuals, as single people or whether it's as family people, individuals in the context of a family, whether the family is Christian or the family is not Christian, but you're a Christian abiding in that family.

And then we extended even further, expanded even further in the broader sense, and we spoke about the life of the Christian corporately. So we looked at the corporate sense, the corporateness, if you will, of the church of Jesus Christ. These are the individual Christians who come together and constitute the church. Now, it was more so than the worldwide church because we do know that every Christian belongs to something bigger than the local church. As believers, we constitute part of the body of Christ and the body of Christ is all Christians.

Everyone who's been united in Jesus Christ, cleansed by the blood of the Lamb, forgiven of their sins, united in Christ. forevermore. We are part of something big. It's worldwide and it's not just the here and now. It carries over centuries and centuries of all who Christ has redeemed and saved.

And that is the worldwide body of Christ, the worldwide church, but we're not speaking about that. We're speaking more intimately, the local body of Christ, that which pertains to the local body of believers who, where the Lord has placed us providentially, and the city, and the state, and the town that we're placed, the local body of Jesus Christ. Christ has promised in His word that He will bless the local church. He has promised that when the believers come together, and they're true believers, they're of His flock, that they have been saved by Jesus Christ, that He will bless them, and He has promised many promises to His people. Now, we have to remember that he is the head of the church.

He's the true husband of the bride. He's the good shepherd of the flock and he is the king of his people. He right now sits enthroned on the right hand of the father as supreme king over all. And in particular, he is king over his church. So the instruction we get of how we should organize the church or how we should run, for lack of a better word, the things or what we do and engage within the context of the local church has to come from the head, from our King, from the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ.

Because, beloved, it is Christ who has promised that he'll do amazing things within the context of the local church. He promised that every elect individual he will bring out of darkness and into... Hey, that's Mark, just around the corner. So we've got someone who's trying to get in. Thanks, bro.

He's promised to bring every one of these elect people out of the darkness, because there are many people, many of his sheep who are still in darkness, still with enmity or in enmity towards God. His promise, Jesus has promised that he will bring them out of the darkness and into the glorious light. He will redeem every one of his own by grace, through faith in Christ Jesus. And that is the message that the church upholds. The church has been entrusted with that truth.

And as she proclaims that truth, we rest in the promises of God that Christ will bring every one of his elect and not a single one will be lost. Why? Because he has promised his church, universal. He's promised that the church will be built. And who's the one who builds the church?

You remember what he said in Matthew 16 verse 18? I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not, or hell will not prevail. over it. And beloved, as I said earlier, he will, Christ is one who will continue to build his church on the earth, even though he is in heaven physically, he will continue to build his church on the earth until his church is complete and it will be missing, beloved, not a single brick. Every one of God's elect will be redeemed and will be brought into the church.

We trust that. You remember the passage I reminded you of on the Lord's day, in John chapter six, that reads like this, all that the Father gives me, Jesus says, will come to me and whoever comes to me, I will never cast out. For I have come from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose, how many? None, nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day, John 6, 37 verse 39.

Now, with Christ having accomplished all the work that the Father has given Him, having accomplished in the incarnation. He came as the eternal son of God in the eternal glories of heaven, face-to-face relationship with the Father from eternity past. He came into this world in the incarnation, in an epoch, in a particular time in history to accomplish the work of salvation, which he has accomplished, willingly going to the cross, shedding his blood to redeem his people. Now, Christ has already accomplished that work of redemption, and now he sits at the right hand of the Father. is physically in heaven.

The question is, if Christ is in heaven, who's building his church on the earth? He said in Matthew chapter 16, verse 18, that he's the one who will build his church. It was with the disciples at that point. Now Christ is in heaven. Has he handed the baton over to someone else?

Or is it still Christ who's personally involved in building his church? Beloved, the scripture abounds in answering that question. Yes, Jesus continues to build his church. And there's one scripture in particular that I wanna take you to that I believe paints this picture so beautifully for us. I have mentioned it before, but let me take you there again to repeat it and to remind you of this truth.

Let's open our Bibles to Acts chapter one, Acts chapter one. Acts chapter 1 from verse 1. Now the context here is that Jesus Christ, our Lord, has been already crucified upon the cross. He was then buried and on the third day he rose victoriously. And then for 40 days he showed himself to the disciples and many others.

And then He ascended into the heavens before his disciples. Now, before he ascends, the context here in Acts chapter one is Jesus giving his final instructions to his disciples before he ascends into heaven. And this is what Luke, the inspired author, writes for us. It's incredible. From verse one.

In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach until the day when he was taken up after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he has chosen." Now, I want you to see here, in the first book of Theophilus, Theophilus is the person that Luke is writing to, but he references a first book. So this is, the book of Acts is the second volume written by Luke. What is the first? Luke, the gospel according to Luke, right, the third gospel in our Bibles.

And it's interesting here he says that Theophilus, in the first book, I have dealt with all that Jesus what? Began. All that Jesus began to do and teach. Hold on one second. The book of Acts deals with the whole and the entirety of Jesus's earthly life.

In fact, it begins before Jesus was even born. It begins with the prophecy of John the Baptist's birth, who was six months older than Christ. So essentially, the book begins around 13 months before Jesus was born. And the way he ends, actually, the last paragraph in the gospel according to Luke, is Jesus drawing his disciples over the Mount of Olives to a place called Bethany. maybe say under an hour's walk east of Jerusalem and there he gives the final instructions to his disciples and then before his very disciples he ascends into the heavens and the disciples worship and rejoice in the message of Christ.

The entirety of Jesus's life was portrayed and written of by Luke in his first volume called Luke. And he was given and he gave that to the, to Theophilus. And he says that I've dealt in the first book, which really summarizes the whole of the life, the earthly life and ministry of Jesus Christ, the 30 plus years that he's been alive and then three plus years in his earthly ministry with his disciples. He says, all of that is what Jesus began to teach, what he began to do. What is the assumption here?

The assumption is Luke telling Theophilus from the very beginning in the book of Acts is this, that this, that what you've seen and what you've read in my first volume is the beginning of what Jesus has taught and has done. And the assumption is he has more to go, that he will continue and continue. And the book of Acts is the continuation of Jesus's work. Beloved, we read on in Acts chapter one. And we hear the Lord Jesus Christ telling His disciples, don't depart from Jerusalem.

Don't leave Jerusalem until the Spirit of God, until the Father and I send the Spirit of God, my Spirit, and you receive the power from on high. Why? Because you will be my witnesses. Because I will continue to build my church as I promised, but I'm gonna be doing it through my Spirit, by my Spirit, which I pour out into your hearts. The indwelling spirit of God in the apostles of Jesus Christ will continue the work of building the church for the glory of God in the exaltation of Christ himself.

Now, the apostles at first were the ones who continued the building of the church of Christ, and we know how the church is built, right? Through the gospel of Jesus Christ, essentially. But we know also that the disciples will die. and they will not be replaced. Christ will continue to build his church.

In the Great Commission, we know that Christ will continue to build his church in this age until he comes back. So the building of the church will be Christ himself personally through his spirit, through his church, through his people until he comes back to take them for glory. How will this take place? Well, the same way The same way that Christ conducted his earthly ministry, he will conduct his continuing of the building of the church while he is physically in heaven and his spirit is working in and among his people through his apostles and through his church in the very same way. How?

Through his teachings. through his word. Christ did perform many miracles and many wonders and many signs that were all to authenticate what he was saying to stop people in their tracks and to say that God is with this man. Now listen to what he has to say. Open your ears, open your hearts, open your minds to what Christ is saying because he carries the words of eternal life.

In them is life. Listen to what he has to say. He will continue to build his church through his spirit, by the power of his Holy Spirit, and through his word. Now, this is not gonna be a surprise to any of his disciples, because his disciples already knew as much. You might remember on the night that Jesus was betrayed, you have that wonderful section of scripture in John chapter 13 through 16, and we can include 17 in that as well, which is called the upper room discourse.

And in the upper room discourse, Jesus had already told his disciples what to expect. Let me give you some of what Jesus said. In John chapter 14, verse 25 and 26, this is what he says. These things I have spoken to you while I'm still with you, but the helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things. And here it is, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

So Christ has already taught his disciples. He'd already spoken to them. He'd already revealed the word of God, this plan of salvation. He's the savior. And what that would require to continue, right?

To continue to build the church. Christ builds a church, but he's using his disciples who are spirit indwelt. But he says, the spirit will come and he'll bring into remembrance that which I have spoken. I've spoken many things to you. You don't remember them all.

You might not understand them all. Actually, they don't. John tells us it in John chapter two, that they didn't understand about Jesus saying that his body is the temple until after the resurrection. But the Spirit of God will be brought and they will now be brought into remembrance by the Spirit of God, Spirit of Christ, who brings remembrance to the disciples. But that is that enough?

No. Listen to what he says in John chapter 16, verse 12 through 15. Jesus continues, still the upper room, still the same evening. He says, I still have many things to say to you. The three and a bit years that he's taught them in the word of God that he's spoken to about his precepts, about his claims, about the profound mysteries of the gospel.

And yet he says there are many things that he still needs to tell the disciples. And he goes on to say, but you cannot bear them right now. You can't handle them right now. You can't receive them. right now.

When the spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth for he will not speak of his own authority, but whatever he hears, he will speak. Very similar to the words of Jesus in John chapter five, whatever I see of the father, I do. You remember that? And then he says, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He, he will glorify me for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

The things that I want to tell you, the many things that I want to tell you that you cannot receive right now because you can't bear them now, I will send my spirit helper and he will reveal that which belongs to me to you. He will bring to remembrance the things that I taught you when I was with you and those things that I couldn't have told you right now. The things, the truths, the realities, the veracity of the truth of the Word of God, that you need the Spirit of God to open your eyes and minds to really understand. I will give you those things through my Spirit who will reveal what is mine and declare it to you. Then he goes on to say, all that the Father has is mine.

Therefore I said that what he will take, therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you. as ambassadors of Christ, as witnesses of Christ, as those who are given the function and the purpose to continue to honor the Lord through the proclamation of the gospel, to build the church of Jesus Christ by the spirit of Christ, who is now revealing the word of Christ, the apostles, will be enlightened not to only what Christ has told them in his earthly ministry, but they will be enlightened to the truths that they need so that they can now sufficiently go into all the world and be the witnesses of Christ in Jerusalem, in Judea, in Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth. See, Christ is the one who from heaven taught his apostles and the New Testament prophets by His Spirit, truth. And He directed them. It is the Spirit of God who directed them, not only to take that truth and to proclaim it into all the world, which we see as we work our way through the Book of Acts.

You remember, we did a systematic study in the Book of Acts, but also that they would write the inspired words and inscripturate those in the canon of Scripture that we have before us. so that the instruction given will be given to the church in every generation until Jesus comes back because he has provided for his church all that is required for life and godliness. You see I said earlier the apostles will die and they will not be replaced. that were illuminated in the heart and the mind by the Spirit of God to the words of Christ, the fullness of what Christ wanted to give them so that they would be able to function as his ambassadors, as his witnesses on the earth. But does that mean when they die that that dies with them?

No, because God intended for his truth to be given to the church in all generations. He was pleased to inscripturate his scripture. The apostles died, they're not replaced, but the church is never left wanting. How come? Because he's provided sufficiently and abundantly for the church to flourish and to grow and to continue the work that Christ has given her throughout the generations until he comes back.

And he's done it through the word that he's given us and through the power of his spirit. It's the same. as he's given to the apostles. The apostles received the word and they prophetically spoke the word and the church grew. We don't receive the word prophetically, but we've been received the word prophetically in the written word of scripture.

It is the same Holy Spirit who reveals truth to the heart and brings salvation. It is the same faith. It is the same savior. It is the same father. Beloved is the same cornerstone that is Christ.

And we're told that the apostles and the New Testament prophets, they built the foundation on the cornerstone. You remember Ephesians chapter two. That is that they went out, originally Christ sent them out with his word and the power of the spirit to proclaim the truth of the gospel. And that gospel, that truth, that word has been inscripturated for us. The apostles are no longer among us, but the apostolic writings are.

The Word that Christ wanted to preserve for His church is now among us. And so what we have now before us, as the Apostle Paul says in 1 Timothy 3, the household of God with the Word of God is now able to know how to behave until He comes home and takes us. So the continuation of the building of the church that Christ is personally involved in continues. But it continues through the proclamation of the Word and through the power of the Spirit. Now, I want us to see how critical the Word of God is for the building of His church.

Absolutely critical. Now, let me take you to a passage that began these studies, Ephesians chapter 4. Ephesians chapter 4, you might remember when we began the studies, we began them by reading this chapter. And this was very much the backbone of why we began to do these studies. Ephesians chapter four.

Let's read from one through 11. Ephesians chapter four from verses one through 11. Therefore, I, therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called. with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the spirit, the bond of peace. There is one body and one spirit, just as you were called to one hope that belongs to your call.

One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore, It says, when he ascended on high, he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men. It's saying he ascended. What does he mean?

But that he also had descended into the lower regions of the earth. He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all heavens, that he might fit all things. 11. And he gave. Let's stop there.

And he gave. Stop there. What we hear here the Apostle Paul telling us in summary is he's saying that that Christ is the one who descended as a son of God he descended in the incarnations to the earth because the father had given him a work to do to complete the plan of salvation that is to offer his life as a sacrifice for sinners like us to live a perfect life born under as a born of a woman born under the law. He was the true human representative. He truly experienced the humanity that we experience yet without sin.

He descended from the heavens. He accomplished the work that is the cross of Christ. And now he ascended back to the right hand of the Father as the God-man. Does that not blow your mind? That in the Godhead, humanity is represented.

Because Christ is still the God-man. It's incredible. Now, he's the one who ascended into heaven. And then the Apostle Paul tells us, because his work is not yet done on the earth, his church is not built up in its entirety. There's still work.

He uttered from the cross, it is finished. He has accomplished all that is required for the redemption of all these people for all time. But in real time, this is still being played out according to the plan of God. And because that's the case, we were told in verse 11, where I got you to stop pretty abruptly is, and he gave, and he gave, he gifted, continue, the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, or the shepherd teachers, pastor teachers, to equip the Saints for the work of ministry for building up the body of Christ until we attain to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God to mature manhood to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ so that we may no longer be children tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine by human cunning by craftiness in deceitful schemes rather speaking the truth in love, we are to grow in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. So much I want to say.

So little time. So let me just continue the train of thought that I have. Christ is now at the right hand of the Father physically, but He's still personally building His church. He builds His church through the Holy Spirit. He says it is His Spirit.

And He builds the church through the proclamation of the Word. And then as he knows that the function, his building of the church will take face through his apostles and through his church and through the Christians of all ages, he's left us the scripture. But what is the giftings that he's given? What gifts has he given so that the work, his work on the earth, that work that he began in the gospel of Luke from beginning to end will continue? He says the gifting he gave were the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds, and the teachers, brothers and sisters.

What do all these have in common? They all pertain to the ministry of the word. Every last one pertains to the ministry of the word of God. God has gifted the church with men to teach and to preach and to exhort and to admonish and to rebuke those who are in error in the truth of God's word. The word is the light unto the world.

The word of God is truth. That's why the apostle Paul says the church Though the church, remember I said who comprises of the church, it is blood-washed believers who have been by faith inserted into the body of Christ. The blood-washed believers, those who are the bride of Christ, the church of Christ, is the pillar and the buttress of truth. The word is essential. It is critical for the work of Christ upon the earth, his work continues through the Word that is kept, that is preserved, that is given us, and through the power of His Spirit.

It is critical for the building of the church. Now, beloved, there are two phases in the building of the church, two phases. The building requires, firstly, and both phases require the Word of God, and that's why the essential critical nature of preserving His Word. The first phase, and think of the church, how's the church built, the first phase is to bring souls out of the kingdom of darkness into the, or the domain of darkness into the kingdom of the sun. The first phase involves salvation.

It involves the proclamation of the truth of God's word, that is the gospel of Jesus Christ, the good news and the believing upon Christ through the gospel that one has heard who was previously in enmity to God and now has been reconciled to God through Jesus Christ, forgiven of their sins and inserted into the body. And numerically, the church grows through the preaching of the gospel. The adding This is why we're told the gospel is the power of God unto salvation. To who? The gospel is the power of God unto salvation for all who believe.

So the believing is required. The gospel is the truth of God's word, the truth of what Christ has done, proclaimed through originally his apostles and then through his church throughout all ages. But the gospel is the power of God unto salvation for those who believe. How does faith, belief and faith, how does belief, how does faith come about? By hearing the word of, through the word of Jesus Christ.

The proclamation of the gospel is essential, and that's what we call evangelism, to go into a dark, sin-saturated, dark world and to speak of the light that is Christ and the redemption and the salvation that is found in him and him alone. He's the only way to the Father. That's called evangelism. By God's grace, I will consider and meditate upon evangelism next week. So enough of that now.

Let me take you to phase two. Phase one is evangelism, where numerically the church is growing in numbers. Phase two is when the church is being built up. in depth and in maturity. Now that soul has been brought into the kingdom of the son, now that soul is redeemed and has been added by the grace of God through faith to the church, it is Christ's desire to mature every single individual, every single soul that he brings into salvation.

His desire is to grow them spiritually and to grow them or to mature them spiritually. And the maturity takes place in the context of the local church and the maturity takes place with the word of God being paramount and the spirit of God who is the one who illuminates the word to the heart and then performs a surgery in the heart slowly purging and purifying the person so that he makes him more and more like Jesus Christ. And the Ephesians 4 passage that I read before speaks to that point if you realize. The Christ has gifted men in the ministry of the word to proclaim, to teach, to exhort, so that the church, every member would be edified and will grow in holiness. Verse 12 goes on, because I ended at verse 11.

Verse 12 in Ephesians chapter four goes on to say that these men that Christ has gifted the church, these men who are ministers of the word, he said, they are being given to the church to equip the saints for the work of the ministry, for the building up of the body until we attain to the unity of the faith of the knowledge of the son of God to mature manhood. To the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful scheme. In a word, in a word, phase two in the building up of the church that requires essentially the word of God, the word that Christ has given to his church, and the power of his spirit can be summarized like this. It's to make her like Jesus Christ. It's to make every individual more and more like Jesus Christ.

Through the word, sinners are saved. Through the word, sinners are sanctified. This is what Jesus is telling us. All scripture is breathed out by God. Appropriate place to mention this.

2 Timothy 3.16, you've heard us mention it many times. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, training, and righteousness, that man of God may be completely equipped for every good work." Now, it's true that Timothy was very likely speaking to the Old Testament, but the nature of the Word of God in the Old and New is the Word of the Spirit of God. It has a thread that goes through it, and it is the thread that is the truth, the truth and the Word of truth.

And Christ, even though the first century believers only had the Old Testament, it was sufficient. They were lacking for nothing. But as he progressively revealed more of his son and more of the mystery that wasn't found in the old, he said that Paul speaks of about the mystery of the two people becoming one in the world of hostility, breaking down and more of the teachings of Christ, then we have the whole canon of scripture before us. And that is sufficient, abundantly sufficient for what Christ intends for his people to accomplish. To build the church.

by His power, through His word, and He does it personally. Now you see, the word of God is necessary from beginning to end, and it's the church that has been entrusted to yield the word of truth. Beloved, without the truth of God, without the word of God, no man can be saved. The church, I said earlier, is the pillar and the buttress of truth, 1 Timothy 3.15.

I've mentioned it before. You may remember on Sunday, you'd remember I mentioned another type of temple. You remember, I mentioned that in Lebanon, in the place of my mother's birthplace, that the Roman Empire had decided to build a temple in the place called Baalbek, but not any temple, it would be, it was said to be the largest temple that they built in the whole of the empire, the largest temple. You remember it was called the Temple of Jupiter. 54 massive columns, pillars that held up the roof.

You could see this temple and the grandeur of this temple from miles away. As people approached slowly to the temple, even from a distance, the temple that had been constructed by the Roman Empire, it communicated something to the It wasn't big and majestic and a fate of architecture simply because that's just what they decided without any purpose. It had a purpose. Its size and its magnitude was purposeful and it was symbolic of something that the Roman emperors that wanted to portray. It communicated something.

It communicated the greatness and the vastness and the supreme power of the Empire, the Roman Empire. It communicated the power and the greatness of the false deities they thought were true deities that they would worship and thought that they, the deities, had favor upon them to protect them and to enlargen their territory. So when people can see this temple and they knew that the Romans built it, it always pointed to something. It was symbolic of something. It stood for something.

It communicated something. Beloved brothers and sisters, what does the Church of Jesus Christ communicate? The Apostle Paul says it is the pillar and the buttress of truth. What does the truth of Church of Jesus Christ communicate? Truth.

The truth that is rooted in God's Word. God is truth. We can know nothing specific about God and salvation and His Son and the way to salvation apart from the revelation that we have in His Word. Nothing, zilch. And the church needs to be predicated and built and rooted upon the church.

Everyone who looks upon the church, she should not be known for her programs or her events. The church should not be known for the beautiful architecture in the building that they meet as saints, but rather it should stand as a symbol of truth, upholding the Word of God, the Word of salvation. standing unashamed upon the Word of God. Even if the Word of God is offensive in the day and age to whatever the world teaches and believes, we stand upon the Word of God. And beloved brothers and sisters, if the church is not known for its truth, if it doesn't uphold the truth of God's Word, then she is no church at all.

She's the pillar and the buttress of truth. And from a distance, whoever looks upon the church may not agree with her doctrines or her teachings, but they should know that we are concerned to uphold the truth of God, no matter the cost. May he give us grace. May he give us strength. Have these convictions that when the time comes and we're facing difficulty that we're able to stand up.

and trusting by faith that whatever the consequences are, are left in the hands of the Saviour. Brothers and sisters, the truth saves. The truth sanctifies. Upon this truth and by His Spirit, Jesus is building His church. Tonight's Bible study was meant to be primarily on the offices of the church, the two offices that we know to be the office of deacon and the office of elder.

And it still is. I'll speak about those offices very briefly. That's okay. Don't worry. I know the time is escaping, so hopefully we won't be too long.

But I felt it necessary that I laid down that foundation, which is very pertinent. It is very much linked to the offices, the two offices of the church, the office of deacon and the office of elder. Elder, what I've spoken to you about, about the primacy, the preeminence of the Word of God that carries with it the authority of God, the Word of Christ that carries with it the authority of Christ. All authority in heaven and earth has been given unto me, he says in the Great Commission in Matthew chapter 28. This is foundational to the church's understanding It's foundational for the life of the church.

It's foundational to the building of the church that we understand that the word is preeminent. And it's no different in the offices of the church. Rather than spending our time together emphasizing the characteristics of what is required for someone to be, or a man to be, an office bearer in the church, which would be a very fruitful activity because it is scriptural. Rather, instead, I've decided to hopefully show us and remind us, because this reality, this truth is known to all of us, I believe, that the Word not only determines all aspects of the church, all aspects of the life of the church, including who is to hold the position of deacon and who is to hold the position of elder. What is required, the characteristics, what properties and attributes must they have?

How do you examine these things? The word determines all these things, but I want us to see also how those two offices of the church, both the office of deacon and the office of elder, are both primarily uphold the word and to facilitate the continued preaching and teaching of the word. Now, we've...I'll get to that and hopefully I can prove that to you. We've already addressed the offices in previous studies.

You may remember that. I think we've done it on two occasions. The most recent would have been when we systematically worked our way through the epistle of 1 Timothy. And when we got to chapter 3, We examined and we meditated together on the two church offices. And if my memory serves me well, I believe that we spent four weeks, maybe five, in those two offices.

So we did unpack what the scripture has to say between, you know, between what the scripture has to say in its, not in its totality, but broadly, and even addressed Titus chapter one, which speaks to the elder. So if we have any questions or details about, you know, any specific details about the deacon or the elder, because this evening I will very briefly touch on them for the sake of time, then I would encourage your hearts to, through the week or whenever you have a chance, to go back and listen to the downloads on our website. It speaks quite comprehensively about the two officers. And you'll find, I trust, blessing in them. 1 Timothy 3, I said, and Titus 1, speak most comprehensively.

Oh, thank you. Thank you, sir. To the officers. And before we even speak about those two officers, we need to recognise that when we speak about roles and responsibilities and functions within the church, there's two levels of value. One is Christ alone.

He's the precious one. He's the treasure of heaven and earth. He far surpasses everything else. He is our inheritance. And then everyone else is of the exact same value in His heart, in His mind.

We are purchased by the same price, by His precious blood. So whether you're an elder, whether you're a deacon, whether you are an active church member, it matters not. Before the Lord, you are just as precious in His eyes. This is not a matter of value. As we said, when we looked at the husband and the wife, the husband's being given headship by Christ as he's head of the church, but his value is no different to that of his wife.

It is a difference in role and function, but not value. Let's get that clear. Let's also get clear that the offices in the church are authoritative offices. And because of that, the Bible's very clear that it is only men who hold those offices. the office of deacon and the office of elder.

The text of scripture is quite clear, and we addressed that when we went through the study in 1 Timothy, and I hope I don't need to go through that again. But if you're not sure, come and speak to me later, and I'll speak to you about how we know that for sure. They must be godly men. They must be above reproach, not giving over to too much wine. They must be diligent.

They must be dignified. They must be of good repute. They must be seen to not walk in the flesh, but walk in the Spirit, filled with the Spirit of God, that is to be filled with the Word of God. The Word of God will dwell in them richly. Their families, beloved, their families ought to be evidence of their love for Christ and their love for His Word and their love for the brethren.

So someone who loves the Lord in that way and treasures the Word It also ought to spill out into their family and how they manage their family and how they discipline their children and how they love their wives. And these are things that the gospel, the Bible tells us, the Word of God tells us to examine in the life of those who may be candidates for eldership or to be deacons. In essence, these men are to be upholding the truth. If they're in essence going to be responsible for either teaching or facilitating the preaching of God's Word, don't you think that at the very least the church should examine that the Word of God has actually efficaciously changed them? Don't you think that at the very least that the church ought to examine the seed of the word has found good soil in the heart of either the elder or the deacon and has begun to produce good spiritual fruit that everyone can see?

If they're going to be opening their mouth and proclaiming the goodness and the truth in God's Word, then it would be the uttermost hypocrisy not to also live and to manifest the fruit of God's Word. It is a contradiction to say, I love Christ and I love His Word, and yet not produce fruit consistent with the Word of God and the power of His Spirit. But beloved, every time we speak about those qualifications. Every time we speak about the attributes and the characteristics that are required for a deacon or an elder, I always like to look back upon you and say, don't think for a moment these are exclusive only for those who hold offices in the church because they're not. You see, what he's described for us in 1 Timothy 3, at the time I'd read it with you, but we don't this evening, and Titus 1, What is described about the characteristics of those who hold offices within the church is simply, as I said earlier, that the Word of God has taken root and they are producing spiritual fruit, that they truly belong to Christ, that they are Christian.

And as Christians, these are the attributes that we all should have. Beloved brothers and sisters, I'd love for us to read 1 Timothy 3 and Titus and look through and pick any of those attributes, characteristics, and ask yourself, which one of these would Christ not want in me? It's qualities that we all should aspire to have. We all trust and pray that the Spirit will work in and through us, that we will all look like that. evidence the Spirit's work in our hearts.

There are a lot of similarities, but there are some differences. And it's the differences between an elder and a deacon that I want to bring up today because I think that would be pertinent to the point I've been making all along about the preeminence of the Word of God, for the continuation of the work of Christ, for the building up the church, the body, the bride, of our Lord and Savior until he comes home and takes her home collectively. There are some differences. The elder, we're told, must not be a recent convert. And we're also told he must be able to teach the word, that is in 1 Timothy 3, but in Titus 1, we're told the same, that he needs to be able to teach doctrine, but also that he, as one who's able to teach truth, because the truth has settled in his heart, is also one who's able to refute error.

Because one of the primary responsibilities of an elder of the church is, as a shepherd, is to protect the flock from wolves, from robbers, from thieves. As we're studying through John chapter 10, that should be fresh on our minds. must not be a recent convert and able to teach and rebuke those who contradict the word. Whereas these are not stipulations given or mentioned for the deacon, just the elder. I believe there's a very good reason for this.

And the first one I mentioned is because of the second quality that I mentioned. In other words, when we're told he must not be a recent convert, it's actually explained for us and I believe it's linked to the fact that he is the one who teaches. Now listen, in verse six we're told he must not be a recent convert or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. That's the reason the apostle Paul gives us. Conceit is pride.

It's haughty eyes. It's to be passed up in pride. And that is very much a temptation for anyone or any Christian. Pride is a problem. It really is the root of all sin.

Especially a concern or a temptation for those who are immature in the faith. It's the condemnation of the evil one. It's the condemnation of the devil, who because of pride, you remember, he fell from his position from being a cherub, an exalted cherub before the Lord and cast out from before his presence because of his pride. Why would this be a potential problem for an elder and not mentioned for a deacon? Well, I believe precisely because of the other quality The other difference that we're given in that passage that the elder must be able to teach.

So great a temptation, beloved, is it for someone to be puffed up when they think they know more than others. When someone is to be puffed up because they proclaim from a platform or from a pulpit as though they know more or better than those who are around them. Do you see, if one hasn't been, and the reason why the Apostle Paul, I believe, is saying it must not be a recent convert is because I truly believe with all my heart that those who are in Christ, as they mature in Christ, as they grow in maturity, as they grow in the sanctification, I said earlier, that can be all summarized in growing into the likeness of Jesus Christ. And Christ is the humble one. His humility rubs off.

He's the one who is in the very form of God, who humbled himself and became a man and was willing to humble himself to death in obedience to the Father, even the death, the curse of death upon the cross. And Christ is the one who bestows his humility on his people, and that comes through Christian maturity. Because if one hasn't been seasoned, one hasn't been seasoned by the Lord Jesus Christ, if the hand of Christ hasn't been upon that person to give that person humility, then it's so easy a temptation for that one to stand before the rest. And maybe in front of you all, it's so easy to act humble, but really pride puffs up in the heart. So I'm the one teaching and you're the ones listening.

Must not be a recent convert. I believe that is because he's been given the gifting and the appointment teach. Beloved, can I say every part of the role of an elder involves teaching. Every single part of the elder requires the Word of God to be paramount in teaching. Because he's meant Think of the elder or the shepherd or the pastor.

These are used synonymously in God's word. Think of the shepherd, think of a pastor. He leads the sheep. How does he lead his sheep? In the paths of righteousness.

He guides them according to the word of God. He shepherds them and cares for them through the tenderness that is given through the Word of God and the power of His Spirit. He protects the sheep from wolves, which is the false doctrine. How? By understanding and knowing and being well familiar with the Word of God and able to refute false doctrine.

He equips the sheep. How? Through the Word of God. All scripture is God breathed. to equip the man of righteousness in 2 Timothy 3.

16. Through the word of God, everything he does has an element of teaching. If he comes alongside someone to restore them in the faith through the word, if he comes alongside someone to encourage them in the Lord, it's in the word. If he comes alongside someone to admonish them, it is through the truth of the word. Every aspect has teaching involved.

The word is preeminent. Teaching, therefore, is the elder's responsibility, his main responsibility, to uphold the word of truth, the word of God, and to proclaim that truth as Christ has revealed through his spirit into his heart. It is his main responsibility, beloved, but it doesn't mean it is. He's the exclusive teacher. In other words, he's the only one who exclusively teaches that flock, that local congregation.

It means that he needs to have oversight of all teaching that takes place in the corporate setting. But it is likely that there is among us men who the hand of Christ is upon, is seen to grow in their maturity and their love for Christ and love for the saints and their understanding of the word and have the gift of teaching where they're able to stand and preach and preach the word to God's people so that they would be edified through the spirit and the truth and that should be allowed but under the oversight of the one who is being appointed to care for the sheep and appointed to take responsibility for all that is being taught in the context of the corporate setting. The elder oversees the teaching ministry in the local church. That is his primary responsibility and in fact the deacon's role. The deacon's role is created to protect it.

Open with me to Acts chapter 6. Acts chapter 6. the primacy of God's word, the preeminence of God, the importance of the words of Jesus Christ in building up the church both numerically and in depth, that is maturity in the faith spiritually, the sanctification of Christ likeness is predicated upon the truth of God's word continuing to be taught and proclaimed and the power of his spirit. So Acts chapter six, actually I think I printed it here. Oh, I have it.

So let me open up Acts chapter six. Let's start reading from verse... Let's read from verse one. Acts chapter six from verse one. Now, it's important that before I start reading, I'm pointing you to this chapter and to this section of scripture to show you the role and the function and the very purpose of the deacon.

Now that word is not mentioned here. Deacon simply means servant. Beloved brothers and sisters, we are all servants. We are all servants of God. The deacon is also a servant.

That doesn't mean for a moment that although the deacon is a servant who is entrusted with the practical needs of the church, that he alone is the one who engages in serving the brothers and the sisters. We are all called to serve in love one another as Christ served us. As I said earlier, just because the elder is responsible for the teaching and upholding and exhorting the truth in the Word of God. He needs to be apt to teach and comes alongside and shepherds the flock through the teaching of the Word of God. But that doesn't mean he's the only one who ever preaches or teaches the congregation, the flock, but he needs to oversee.

Also, the deacon is the same. The name is not used here, but the role seems to be clear in that Acts chapter six is speaking to deacons. But that doesn't mean a deacon does everything practically for the church, but rather that he ought to be the one who is overseeing that responsibility to make sure that the physical things, the physical needs of the church are being met. Acts chapter 6 from verse 1. Now, in these days, when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenistics arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in daily distribution.

And the 12 summoned the full number of the disciples and said, is it not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables? You hear that? The first three, therefore brothers pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the spirit and of wisdom whom we will appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word. And what they said pleased the whole congregation, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicholas, a proselyte of Antioch.

These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid hands on them." There arose a serious practical need in the church, one, in fact, that could fracture the church. The enemy was trying to fracture the church throughout the book of Acts. a serious need that could not be overlooked, nor did the apostles want to overlook the church or this need. It wasn't belittling this need, this was a serious need.

The Hellenistic Jews or the Hellenistic widows were being overlooked in the rations that were given to the widows, feeling that the Jewish widows were better looked after than they, and there should be no favoritism in the household of God. He's not a respecter of persons, and as I said earlier, we are all of the same value before the Lord, nor do I think at this point. that that was the intention, but the church growing at the extent that it was growing over 5,000 at this point in time, big church in Jerusalem, then it would be reasonable to think that there's some things that had been overlooked, and this was one of them. And the fact that that came to the attention of the apostles, the apostles just decided very promptly that it needed to be rectified, that attention needed to be given to that need. However, It wasn't they who would bring the solution.

The Apostle Peter says very, very clearly, it is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. It is not less dishonorable. It's not dishonorable to serve tables, nor is it deemed by God. If that is the duty of a member of the church, that they have the gift to serve, and they serve the brethren, and they do it faithfully, nor is the preacher who stands out the front to preach the word day in, day out, going to be rewarded more than they. No, it's the faithfulness of the heart.

In God's eyes, they're equal. We are given to be faithful with what God has appointed us. The guy who stands at the front is no more important than the person who serves the table. And Peter's not saying that he's more important to preach the gospel than to serve the tables, but rather he's saying the duty that we've been given, the responsibility that we've been given, the task that we've been entrusted by Christ himself is to proclaim the word of God. That's our responsibility.

There needs to be others that serve the table. It needs not to be neglected, but that's our responsibility. It goes on to say that we need to commit our time to prayer and the ministry of the word. You see, you see the deacons were identified or the need was identified. Deacons were agreed to be appointed by the church, sorry, to be chosen by the church, appointed by the elders because if they weren't, The elders who were the apostles, the apostles, those who were entrusted in the teaching of the word, would then have to take time off preaching in order to serve tables.

You see, the deacons are freeing up the apostles. for them to do what Christ has called them to do, the very thing that Christ has said that they would preach His word, they'll preach the gospel, the truth of the gospel that will build up the church. Christ builds up the church in this way, both as I said earlier, numerically, as they hear the gospel and Christ adds to the number and as the Christians hear it and grow in their maturity, as they hear the preached word over and over again. The responsibility today of teaching and preaching the Word is not one that is given to the apostles, because we have no more apostles. There are elders and pastors and overseers, as we said earlier, which are all synonymous.

That is their responsibility, appointed by Christ to preach the Word. And so the elders are the ones who are entrusted to take care of the physical needs of the church so that they're able to free the elders to study and to pray and to continue to preach. This way, the church as a whole is being looked after, the practical needs and the spiritual needs. All in all, it is Christ who is building his church through his word and by the power of his Holy Spirit. That text That text, listen to how it ends in verse seven, in Acts chapter six.

We go on to say, it says in chapter seven, verse seven, and the result, and the word of God continued to increase. And the number of disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient. Goodbye. both roles, both offices have been given to the church in order to make sure that the church remains the pillar and the buttress of truth. In order that the church continues to proclaim the word of God, the word of Christ, the gospel that saves for good news, that she stands as a beacon, as a light into a dark, sin-saturated world, proclaiming the truth of God and the message of salvation in Christ and in Christ alone, for there is no way to the Father apart from Christ, no other name under heaven given unto man by which we must be saved.

And the word of God, the word of Christ that is proclaimed within the context of the local church that edifies the lives of the Christians, that the Spirit of God who brings the illumination of the Word and sanctifies and purges and purifies us of the sin that remains in us and then conforms us into the image of Jesus Christ. This is no game. This is serious. This is the bride of Jesus Christ. He purchased the bride with his blood and some of his bride is still in this dark world yet to come into the kingdom.

She's his bride, he loves her, and he has given all that is required for his church to live in this age, in life and in godliness, and for him to continue to build up his church through the power of his spirit and the proclamation of his word, which we have before us. Beloved, that is how precious the word is to Christ. He loves his bride dearly, but he knows also that apart from the word, apart from his word, his instruction given to us in inerrant, infallible scripture, she will not grow into the maturity, into the beautiful bride church without spot or without blemish to be presented to the father on that day. He comes back apart from giving us his word. and providing us with his spirit that indwells us to illuminate the word and to conform us into his image.

If the word is that precious to Jesus Christ and he's provided for the church deacons and elders so that the church continues to proclaim the word unashamedly of her master as she looks upon her savior and watches him build and build and build until that final brick has been laid and then he comes home to take us to glory. If that's how precious the Word is in His eyes, then how precious would it be in yours and in mine?