What is a Reformed Baptist..

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. Good evening everyone and welcome to our Wednesday Bible study. This evening we're going to continue with a series of studies in the definition of what a Reformed Baptist Church is.

And I brought the last week started with a very important topic. We're going to be addressing the work of the Spirit in the life of the church and in the life of the christians and our brother taught us last week the spirit as the given of special revelation our brother taught us the difference between general revelation and a special or specific revelation and the bible as the closing of that special revelation which we call the bible this evening we are going to continue with that addressing the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church and in the life of Christians. And if you have your Bible, I'm going to get you to open to 1 Corinthians, please. 1 Corinthians chapter 12. 1 Corinthians chapter 12.

We're going to be reading from verse 27 through verse 31, 1 Corinthians chapter 12, verse 27 through verse 31. I'm reading from the English Standard Version of the Bible, and this is the Word of God. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church first apostles, Second, prophets. Third, teachers.

Then, miracles. Then, gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers?

Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? Verse 31, but earnestly desire the higher gifts, and I will show you a still more excellent way.

Amen. This is the words of God. Beloved, here, this passage that we have in front of us in 1 Corinthians chapter 12 is perhaps one of the most controversial passages of Scripture. And I would say that probably for the last 100 to 120 years. And when I say 100 or 120 years, it's very important because the Church as a whole and the majority of the Church has been rather unified in the interpretation of what we call the gifts of the Spirit or the continuation of the gifts of the Spirit.

Historically, the Church has been rather unified in their understanding of the interpretation of 1 Corinthians 12 and 13 and 14 and 15. The Church, as I said, historically, from history, has been rather unified about this. But it's in the last 100 to 120 years that what we know as Pentecostalism and Charismatism has arisen or has appeared in the life of the contemporary Church, and this passage has become a controversial passage of Scripture that requires a biblical explanation. So now, we are not called to make or derive our theology from church history. We are not called to derive or to make theology from the trends of the contemporary church.

We are called to make our theology and to derive every piece of understanding from the Bible alone. However, when we look back and we see history, it's very important to see what our brothers and sisters throughout the centuries have believed, because there is a principle of the preservation of the Church, a biblical principle of the preservation of the Church, and a preservation of the truth. So we see historically what the Church has believed and what they have appointed based on Scripture, and we hold to that insofar as it is congruent and in line or insofar as it goes in alignment with the Scripture and with the Bible. That's why we hold to confessions and we hold to creeds. Beloved, we have a contemporary challenge, which is the interpretation of this passage that we have here at hand, and we are not to go to church history to give an answer to this particular issue that we have, but rather we are to go to a scripture.

Beloved, we know that there are different views of the interpretation of the spiritual gifts, the continuation of the spiritual gifts, or the cessation of the spiritual gifts, and the work of the Holy Spirit in general. And what we're trying to do with this series of studies is to bring to you a historical reformed view of the understanding of the Holy Spirit, which we believe corresponds to that which is written in Scripture. So a brother taught us something very important last week, and that is the closing of the canon. And I want you to think about something very important, because the Bible that you have in your hands is, we easily assume that it is the Word of God. But as our brother taught us last week, not always was that clear for the church, and the church arrived to a point in which they understood that this was the intended Word of God given to the church.

So, having the book in our hands become a communication of God to his church that tells us not only what is contained in the book, but also tells us what he has done with his church throughout history. So, having that in our mind, that the canon is closed, that what we have in our hands, this evening, beloved, we are going to be addressing the role of the prophets and the apostles and those signs or those gifts that are attached to the role or to the office of apostles and prophets. And now what I'm saying here is very important. I'm saying two words. I'm saying the role or the office of apostles and prophets and the signs or the gifts that are connected with those two roles.

Because if you pay attention to the text and put your eyes in the text again, The apostle is going to distinguish between the office that which people are and those things that people do. And you can see it in the English very clearly from verse 29 when you have words such as are all apostles, are all prophets, or are all teachers. we have that word are that is referring to the office or to the role of a person but then in verse or the continuation of the verse we have questions that start with do do all work miracles do all possess gifts of healing do all speak with tongues these are actions or gifts or signs that belong to someone who holds an office Why is this very important, beloved? Because the Reformed historical position about the spiritual gifts of the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church has been historically that the office of apostle and the office of prophet have come to an end. They have ceased.

And therefore, all signs and all gifts that are attached to apostles and to gifts, they have also come to a cessation or they have come to an end. And the reason why the church, the Reformed Historical Church, has come to that conclusion is because prophets and apostles, they had a particular, a specific role, which was the giving of a special revelation, as our brother explained to us last week. So when a special revelation or a specific revelation in the Bible was given entirely prophets and apostles will come to an end and also all signs and gifts and actions that were connected to these two offices. So the reform position beloved goes something like this. All prophetic ministry and all apostolic ministry has come to an end, and therefore all signs and all gifts that are attached to those ministries, prophets and apostles.

Why? Because the purpose for which they were given, that is the giving of the Bible, has come to an end. So they have come to an end and then we do not have no more prophets and no more apostles and no more signs or gifts that are connected with them. This is foundational and this is very important beloved. Why?

Because some of our brothers, Charismatics or Pentecostals, they would say that the offices or the ministry of prophets and some will say that even the ministry or office of apostles is still continuing until this day and therefore all signs or all gifts that are connected with these two ministries or with these two offices or with these two roles. So we have brothers and sisters in the world that believe that there are apostles today and we have brothers and sisters in the church that believe that there are still prophets in this time of the church and therefore they will come to the conclusion that all the signs and all the gifts that are attached to apostles and prophets will also continue until today or until this day and this particular point in the life of the church now beloved so i'm saying to you i'm making an assumption or a claim of truth here I'm saying that the gift of apostle and prophet have come to an end because they had a specific purpose. And that purpose was to reveal something that in the Old Testament was hidden. There was a mystery, a mystery from God that was hidden in the Old Testament that it was not clearly revealed. And the apostles and the prophets in the New Testament, they come and the purpose of their role is to bring this specific revelation of a ministry, of a mystery.

And when they bring this revelation of that mystery, then... their office and everything that is attached to them, their signs and their gifts also come to an end. Now, illustrations are really bad because they never match what you're trying to explain. And I'm really bad at giving illustrations, but let me just try to give you an illustration just to see if I can make it clear to what I'm trying to say. If you have a town and in that town there's only one bakery, you can say that all the bread to that town comes from the bakery.

So all bread that exists in that town comes only from that particular bakery because it's the only bakery that exists in the town. If you remove the bakery from the town, there will be no more bread in the town. And this is logic. This is easy to understand. But this is what signs and gifts are to the apostles and to the prophets.

When you remove apostles and when you remove the prophets because they have fulfilled the ministry of the purpose for which they were called, then all what they produce and all the signs that are attached to their ministry will also come to an end. So as I said, I'm making a huge claim here, a huge claim, and I'm going to have to prove that to you. So the thesis, beloved, and this is very important that you bear with my words and with the limitations of my explanation, that you bear with that and that you concentrate your mind as much as you can. And even if you have questions after that, you can approach. Brother Bernie, you can come to me and you can ask any type of question that you may have about this particular topic, because it's very important for us, and as a church, that we have clarity about the work of the Holy Spirit.

Not only clarity according to a tradition, but clarity according to what the Word of God says. So the thesis goes like this. Prophets and Apostles have ceased, and with them all signs, all gifts attached to them, because they have fulfilled their specific purpose, which was to bring a specific revelation that was not given under the Old Covenant or under the Old Testament. They brought that light about Jesus Christ in the New Covenant, in the New Testament, and once they brought that revelation, prophets and apostles came to an end, they ceased, and all the signs." So therefore, the prophetic ministry and the apostolic ministry are not the norm for the church after the canon.

They are not the norm for the church and for the canon. Now, beloved, I'm going to have to prove a number of things to you from scripture, and I'm going to try to do that. So I've said to you that apostles and prophets, that they have revealed a specific mystery that was hidden in the Old Testament. that in the Old Testament there was a revelation, a mystery, that it was not that clear. But in the New Covenant, in the New Testament, apostles and prophets, they have revealed that mystery, and that was their specific role.

So the first thing that I have to prove to you is that there was such a thing as a mystery, something that was in the Old Covenant, or in the Old Testament, that needed to be revealed in the New Testament. So in order to do so, we're going to go to Genesis. Open your Bible and go to Genesis chapter 15. Genesis chapter 15. Now, you have probably seen how much we've tried to give preeminence and importance to the topic of Abraham or Abram and the covenant and the promise that was given to him.

Why? Because this is foundational for understanding of this topic tonight. So you might remember from the studies that we've done, in Genesis 12, Abraham is given the promise. Remember? He said, the Lord said to him, leave your land and go to this other land.

leave your people, go to that other land, go with your family, and then I will make a nation of you. I will make a great people out of you. I will bless whoever blesses you. I will curse whoever curses you. Just go with me.

This is the promise that God gives to Abraham in Genesis chapter 12. Now in here, in Genesis chapter 15, which our brother explained to us a couple of weeks ago, we have these passages and it says, After these things, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision. Fear not, Abram, I am your shield. Your reward shall be very great. But Abram said, O Lord God, what will you give me?

For I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eleazar of Damascus. And Abram said, Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir. And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, these men shall not be your heir. Your very own son shall be your heir. And he brought him outside and said, look toward heaven and number the stars.

If you are able to number them, then he said to him, so shall your offspring be. And he believed the Lord and he counted it to him as righteousness. So beloved, the Lord has given Abraham a promise, go from this land to this other land, and I'm going to give you an offspring that is multitude. There are many of them. Now we know that they could not have children in the flesh, and we know what's going to happen.

But the promise is, I'm going to make a great nation from you, Abraham. Now go to Genesis 22. Go to Genesis 22, verse 18. So Genesis 22, verse 18, when the Lord now is blessing to Abram, we are going to have a little bit more light about that blessing that is given specifically to Abram. And as I said, beloved, I really need that you bear with my words and that you follow the verses that I'm going to be giving you so we can build the argument for the thesis that I gave you.

Now, chapter 22, verse 18, it says, or let's just read from 17. I will surely bless you and I will surely multiply your offspring the offspring that was promised to him in Genesis 12 confirming Genesis 13 and now that we're just writing Genesis 15 it says I will surely bless you and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore and your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed Now, how many nations of the earth will be blessed? All the nations of the earth will be blessed because you have obeyed my voice. So Abraham returned to his young men and they arose and went together to Beersheba and Abraham lived at Beersheba. So the promise, beloved, that Abraham was given is leave this land and I'm going to make you a great nation and all the nations of the world will be blessed in you all the nations of the world will be blessed in you now beloved this is very important because under the old covenant the nations of the world will be blessed or will will get to know the true god the creator of heaven and earth only through israel So the Gentiles, they had to come to Israel, or they, by the providence of God, they will come to Israel, and only through the people of Israel, they will get to know the God of heaven, the true God.

So the Israelites thought that, of course, they were the people of God, and they were, and that there was no other way by which the nations will be blessed if they, the only way was for the Gentiles to become people of the covenant of Israel. So this was the understanding of the Abrahamic promise of the people of Israel. This was their understanding. that by keeping the covenant that was given to Israel, that was given in the loins of Abraham in circumcision, and then that circumcision will be a shadow of the law that was given to Moses, that by keeping this covenant, people will get to know the God of the universe. But then the Apostle, when the Lord Jesus Christ comes, there is a great revelation given, because the Apostle will say, that Israel and the men of Israel, they misinterpreted the words of God given to them, because this promise is for all people.

Go to Romans, and let's just put it in his words, because I cannot say what he said. Romans 9, go to Romans 9. Now this is, beloved, this is the Apostle Paul now speaking, this is the Apostle Paul speaking of the promise that was given to Abraham and how the Israelites understood or related to that promise. So now, Romans 9 verse 1, it says, I am speaking the truth in Christ. This is the Apostle Paul.

I am not lying. My conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers. Now, who are his brothers in the flesh? The Israelites.

My kinsmen, according to the flesh." Verse 4. They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.

But now, pay attention to verse 6. But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel. This is what the people of Israel believed. They thought that the only way to get to know God or to be in God or in a covenant with God is to be a son or a children of Abraham.

That's why they were the unique, the chosen people of God. And then he says, But it is not as though the word of God has failed, for not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, and not all are children of Abraham, because they are his offspring. But through Isaac shall your offspring be named. This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring. Beloved, the people of Israel thought that it was only through the flesh, only through the covenant of obedience that you will become a children of God.

This is what they thought under the old covenant. But now when Jesus Christ comes full of grace and truth, he reveals that it is not by the keeping of the law, but it is by grace through faith. And therefore, the promise is not for those who are children of the flesh, but it's those who are children of the promise by grace through faith. So the New Testament in Jesus Christ, beloved, reveals a mystery. The mystery that the children of God is not only the people under the Old Covenant, but also the Gentiles.

So, God, in other times, in different manners, in many times, in different ways, He spoke to the fathers through the prophets, Hebrews 1. But in this last day, He has spoken to us, Through the Son, Jesus Christ. So in other times, he spoke to the fathers through the prophets. In this last time, he has spoken to us through the Son. Through the prophets, the covenants of obedience were given to the people of Israel.

These were only shadows. Shadows of the Messiah that was to come. These were illusions of the Messiah that was to come. But when Jesus Christ comes, He reveals the fullness of the Gospel. He reveals the fullness of the grace of God.

And then everything that has witness of Christ brings more light about that. And the big revelation, the big mystery is now that this Gospel of Grace was not only for the Jews, but also for the Gentiles. So, beloved, the apostles and the prophets of the New Testament had a specific role. And their specific role was to bring that revelation from the Old Covenant that was hidden, and to make it public to the Gentiles and to the people of the world. The prophets under the Old Covenant, or the prophets under the Old Testament, spoke all the things.

Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and all the fathers and all the prophets spoke of the Old Covenant. But then when Jesus Christ comes through his apostles and prophets, he brings this glorious revelation that salvation is for all the Gentiles. This is the purpose that they had. So now go to Ephesians chapter 2. Ephesians chapter 2.

Beloved, the only thing that I tried to do with all those verses that I gave you in that explanation is to prove to you that there was a need of prophets and apostles who will bring a special revelation, that they will bring a mystery, that it was hidden from the old covenant. There was a specific need. So then in Ephesians 2 we have in verse 19, pay attention to this. So then, you are no longer strangers beloved here the apostle paul we know the verse in chapter 2 verse 8 and 9 that salvation is by grace through faith this is a famous verse now he's going to make the case that gentiles have been inserted or that there is no hostility anymore between jews the old covenant and gentiles people of the new covenant that there is no distinction, that there is no hostility between the two. And then he says, so then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.

Pay attention to this. Built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets. Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone in whom the whole structure being joined together grows into a holy temple in the Lord. There is a sense in which I could stop there and simply say to you, I cornerstone and a foundation is something that is set in the first place, and then it does not repeat. But that argument will not be sufficient.

Let's continue. It says in verse 22. In Him you also are built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. Now let's go to chapter 3. Remember, there's no chapters and divisions in the Bible, so this all continues.

For this reason, He's going to speak an apostle who is Paul. I, Paul, who is an apostle, a prisoner for Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles, assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for you. How the mystery was made known to me by revelation. Pay attention slowly to what he says. how the mystery was made known to me by revelation.

As I have written briefly, when you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations. The mystery was not made known to the sons of men in other generations, as it has now been revealed to who? His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. Now, what is the mystery? The mystery is this.

The mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise, Genesis 12, 13, 15, 17, given to Abraham, people of Israel, people of the old covenant. This is the promise of the old covenant, that they are partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the Gospel. Beloved, the Lord, in His mercy, when He wanted to reveal Himself to His people, He sent the prophet under the Old Covenant so that we will receive a scripture and know who the God of the Old Testament was. At least, as He was revealing the Old Testament, we'll know it through the scriptures of the Old Testament. But when a greater level or extent or degree of revelation was by His mercy and His providence allowed to human, simple beings like us by the coming of His Son, He extended that revelation given to us in His Son.

So now when Jesus Christ comes, beloved, He is the fulfillment of all the promises, all the shadows, all the illusions that were contained in the Old Testament. Now, if He is the fulfillment of all of those things, now we need a revelation and we need information about Jesus Christ that tells us who He is and what He has done in a greater light. So, in other times, God spoke to the Fathers through the Prophets, but in these last days, He has spoken to us through the Son. The Apostle Paul here in Ephesians is saying that this mystery, that it was hidden under the Old Covenant, was revealed to the Holy Prophets and to the Holy Apostles. Now, Colossians is a book that is a parallel to Ephesians.

And they have passages, they are very similar in how they run. And the Apostle will give more light sometimes in one book and more light in the other book. So now let's just read the parallel passage that is contained in Colossians about these that we have read. The church is founded upon Jesus Christ, who is the cornerstone, the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. To these apostles and prophets, a mystery has been revealed.

A special revelation has been given to them uniquely. Now, the apostle is going to say in Colossians chapter one, verse 24. Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake and in my flesh. I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you." Now, when we see the word to, that means a purpose.

So the purpose of that was to make what? The Word of God fully known. What is that? The mystery hidden from ages and generations, but now revealed to his saints. Through whom?

Apostles and prophets. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, Gentiles, the hope of glory. The Apostle is saying that the purpose of his ministry as an Apostle was to make the Word of God fully known. A revelation, a mystery that was hidden under the Old Covenant, under the Old Testament, has now been clearly revealed to his holy Apostles and Prophets. Just as the ministry of the Prophets in the Old Testament was unique, was unique and exclusive for them, The same thing, the same ministry of the apostles and the prophets is unique for the revelation of this very important word.

Beloved, this is why the only two agents or means by which this revelation is given under the new covenant is only apostles and prophets. Now, beloved, we are Gentiles. We are not Jews. So for us to assume that salvation is for Gentiles is very simple. We assume that very naturally and very easily.

But when Jesus Christ came to Israel and when the Gospel started to spread, it was not that clear for the Apostle. It was not that clear that all the Gentiles were going to receive also the salvation that belonged only to the people of Israel. What I have to prove to you, or what I think I have proven to you, I hope, by the grace of God, is that there was a specific revelation that needed to be revealed. That is the mystery that this salvation belongs to the Gentiles also, and that that revelation, the Bible says, that was revealed to the holy apostles and to the prophets. Now, I'm going to show to you how the apostles are unique in their ministry.

Because you could say, yeah, but God could have revealed that through some other people also. But I'm going to prove now to you that this unique revelation that has been given to us through the apostles and the prophets has to be given through them because the apostles are unique in their ministry. Now, I want you to go to Matthew. Let's just read in Matthew and I will build my case from there. Matthew 28.

Here the Lord Jesus Christ is going to give to the Apostle that which we know as the Great Commission, right? So he's going to say something. Pay attention to what he's going to say. He says, And Jesus came and said to them, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations.

Beloved, pay attention to that. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations. baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always to the end of the age." Now, this Great Commission, it is for the church.

Yes, it is for the saints. It is for all of us. But here, the Lord Jesus Christ is speaking to Jews who are His disciples, And He's saying to them, go and make disciples for Me, for this message. I am the consummation, the fulfillment of all the promises of the Messiah that are in the Old Covenant. And you thought that that was for the people of Israel, but now I'm telling you, go and make disciples of all nations.

Go to the world. And as you will know, as you will remember your New Testament, the apostles did not actually get it immediately. Go to Acts chapter 1. In Acts chapter 1, before the ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ, in verse 8, then the Lord is going to make this a little bit more clear and more specific. He is going to say in verse 8, But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses.

And then he gives the location, the geographical location, for the witnessing of these disciples to the Lord Jesus Christ in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. The Lord Jesus Christ was now given a commandment that was very not known to the mind of the apostles. They were just familiar with the people of Israel or those who were close to them and bringing them into the old covenant of Israel to make them knowers of God. But now he's saying, go there to the nations. And we know that the disciples did not get it.

They did not understand this in the Great Commission perfectly. And they did not understand this when the Lord Jesus Christ was saying these things. Why? Because in Acts 10, go to Acts 10, please. We know that when Peter is sent to Cornelius, remember?

When Peter is sent to Cornelius, who was a Gentile, he was not very happy with the idea of eating food that, you know, like eating food that it was not according to the old covenant rules. And he did not know properly why Gentiles would receive the Holy Spirit as they received it. Now in Acts chapter 10 verse 34 it says, So Peter opened his mouth and said, this is when he is with Cornelius, Truly I understand that God God shows no partiality, but in every nation, anyone who fears Him and does what is right is acceptable to Him. As for the word that He sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ, His Lord of all, you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee, after the baptism of John, that John proclaimed, how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil of God.

and the devil, for God was with him. And we are witnesses of all that he did, both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree. But God raised him on the third day and made him to appear not to all people, but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he arose from the dead. They were chosen.

And then go to Acts 11, please. when the Apostle Peter is now given the report of what he had done. Acts chapter 11, verse 15. As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit, now the Apostle Peter, is given an account, a report of what God did with Cornelius, who was a Gentile. As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning.

And I remember the words of the Lord, how He said, John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. If then God gave the same gift to them as He gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God's way? When they heard these things, the ones who were receiving the report, they felt silent and they glorified God saying, To them, to the Gentiles, also God has granted repentance that leads to life. They had not understood yet that this message was also for the Gentiles. Now, beloved, This revelation of this message of grace being available, not only to the Jews, but also to the Gentiles, is a specific revelation that was not clearly contained, and that was actually a mystery under the Old Covenant.

Now, this starts to be revealed by the ministry of the prophets and by the ministry of the apostles. And this is not something that they knew after the ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ. As you can see here, Peter, he took 10 chapters, and whatever amount of time that represents, it took all of that amount of time for him and the other apostles to realize that this message was also for the Gentiles. But the Lord Jesus Christ had already told them in the Great Commission, and before he ascended, he said, to the end of the earth. So there was a progressive special revelation that it was given to the apostles and to the prophets.

It's not like Paul was saved and then upon his salvation he received all the New Testament into his mind. No! Revelation happened progressively. progressively and organically, because God is a God, is a beautiful God who works through providential means of the life of people. So even Paul and Peter and the disciples, they learned through time of this glorious revelation, and they were growing in this revelation that will become the Holy New Testament Scripture.

Why? Because their role was unique, their role was exclusive. Just as the prophets spoke to the fathers in the Old Covenant, then the apostles and the prophets gave this information to the Church. Now, beloved, I want to show you then, therefore, it is not only that which I said. Remember when I started saying, when we read the passage in 1 Corinthians 12?

I require your attention for 10 or 15 minutes. And then I think that we will finish. Last time I said 10 or 15 minutes and I went for 20, but let's try just to make it 10 or 15 minutes. But this point is very important, beloved. This specific revelation was given to the apostles and to the prophets.

And when God wanted to manifest something very important to people, he always performed works and wonders. It was not only for the prophets, but it was God himself. When God Himself wanted to reveal His glory before humans, He will perform wonders and mighty things, so people will acknowledge who He was. Remember the 10 plagues of Egypt, and what the Lord says to the people of Israel, tell them to remember what I've done. So these works and mighty wonders were always attesting signs to those who were the holders of these divine specific revelations.

So that's why I said to you, when we read 1 Corinthians chapter 12, to distinguish between our all apostles, our all prophets, our all teachers, which are offices, and the do all work miracles, do all speak in tongues, do all interpret, because these are the offices who people are, and these are the actions or the signs or the gifts what people do. If I remove those who are, then whatever they do also is removed. Just as when I take the bakery out of the town, there's no more bread in the town. So if I remove the bakery, or if I remove those who perform the actions, then the signs and the gifts that are attached to their ministry will also come to an end. Why?

Because God intended that they will have a specific purpose. We don't complain that Jesus Christ is not with us anymore. We know that He's reigning in heaven. He came to the earth with a specific purpose. He fulfilled that purpose, and now He's sitting at the right hand of the Father, awaiting for the day of judgment.

There are other things in a specific revelation that have been given to the church with a specific purpose, a side foundation, the apostles. and the prophets. So signs and wonders are always attesting mechanisms for those who bring with them a special glory of revelation. And just because, beloved, apostles and prophets, let's just, I stick with the apostles, just because apostles were witnesses of who? Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ will perform works and mighty signs that will attest of him.

And then when he goes, he will give those signs and mighty works to his apostles. Why? Because Greeks demand wisdom and Jews demand signs. because the people of Israel were demanding signs. Every time that someone will come from God, the Jews will say, show the signs.

So we're going to do a very quick exercise through the book of John and ask to see the purpose of signs. So go to the book of John, chapter 2. And we're going to go rather quick because we're going to see a few verses there. But I really want you to see with your eyes So you can see the purpose of signs. But now, I don't only want you to see the purpose of signs, beloved.

I want you to see how signs move from Jesus Christ when he was in his ministry, signs in him, and then when he's ascended, signs are transferred to his apostles. Why? Because they were witness of him. God spoke to the fathers through the prophets. Now he has spoken to us through the son.

But this son has witnesses, and those witnesses are the apostles and the prophets. Now, signs in chapter 2, verse 11 it says, speaking of the first miracle of the Lord Jesus Christ, this, the first of His signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him. With the first of His signs, He manifested His glory, and those who were with Him believed in Him. Initially, the first ones that believed are the disciples. Then you go to John chapter 3.

You might remember the story of Nicodemus. Now, John chapter 3 verse 1, it says, Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. Now, these men came to Jesus by night and said to him, Rabbi, we know, this is a ruler, and then when he said we, he's speaking of rulers or people of Israel, we know that you are a teacher come from God. Why? For no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.

The signs attested that a person was sent from or by God. Then go to John chapter 7. John chapter 7, verse 31. This is the people meditating and questioning themselves. And you can see in their questioning of their minds what they thought about the signs and the coming of the Christ.

The people said, yet many of the people believed in him. They said, when the Christ appears, will he do more signs that this man has done? Why? Because the signs attested to the coming of the Christ. Go to John 20.

John 20. Now, this is the Apostle John finishing the book, coming to the closing of the book, and he's going to say something glorious here. Verse 30, he says, Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book. But I love what he's going to say here. But these, the signs that were written, which I think there are seven, right, bro?

seven signs in the book of john but these are written so that you may believe that jesus is the christ these signs in the book of john he performed many signs but these signs are written so that you may believe that jesus is the christ the son of god and that by believing you may have life in his name signs attested the office and the role of a person coming from God. And then when the Lord Jesus Christ is taken, the witnesses of the Lord Jesus Christ will start to perform the same signs. So, the message of the Christ who came, that is now being extended and bringing to the Gentiles, because that's the revelation that was closed and kept in the Old Covenant, now will have the same power that the message with Christ had. And we read that in Acts 2. Acts 2, verse 22.

It says, men of Israel, hear these words. Now, this is Peter speaking of the ascended Jesus Christ. Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with what? Mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him. Now, this statement there, that statement is a heavy statement.

It's a very important statement. Signs and wonders are performed by God through a person. So when a person says that he has done a mighty work or a mighty wonder or that they have done something on the name of God, they are saying that God did that through them. Now, he says here, "...wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst.

As you yourselves know, this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men." So Peter is alluding to the mighty works and signs of Christ to say who he was. Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God. Now, now that He's ascended, I want you to see now the transition of these mighty wonders, not as Jesus did, not as our Savior or our Lord did, but now, once they are empowered by the Holy Spirit, it's the apostles, the ones that perform this. Go to now, to Acts chapter 5.

Acts chapter 5. Verse 12. Beloved, pay attention. It says, Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles, and they were all together in Solomon's portico. Beloved, All these mighty works and wonders and things were now started to be performed in the life of the church by the apostles or by men that the apostles lay hand on.

When they lay hand on a man, they will receive this power. That's why Simon, what do you call him, Simon the Magician? the sorcerer. He wanted that the apostles will give him the power of the Spirit. He wanted to have that power of laying hands and transferring the power of the Spirit.

Now go to Romans. Romans 15. Romans 15. This is the Apostle Paul. For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience by word and deed, by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God set up from Jerusalem all the way around to Lyricum, I have fulfilled the ministry of the Gospel of Christ.

Here is the Apostle speaking of his own ministry, mighty works and wonders. But now I'm going to take you to the last verse, which is in 2 Corinthians. Please go to 2 Corinthians chapter 12. The only thing that I've tried to do, beloved, and I hope that by the grace of God and by this purity is to show you the uniqueness of the ministry of Apostles and Prophets as agents of a specific revelation, and why the signs of the Apostles were necessary to attest to them as the carriers of that specific revelation that was given to them. 2 Corinthians 12, verse 12, it says, The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with utmost patience with signs and wonders and mighty works."

These signs, wonders, and mighty works, the apostle calls them the signs of a true apostle. So, the one that performs signs and wonders and mighty works will be a true Apostle. And these signs will testify of the role of the Apostle as the giver of a specific revelation of the Son, who has made the salvation that belonged to the Israels available to all the nations, because that was the promise that was given to Abraham. This is what the author of Hebrews speaks. Let's go there, to Hebrews chapter 2.

Hebrews chapter 2. I just want you to see with your eyes. I don't want to quote this. I want you to see with your eyes. Hebrews chapter 2, verse 1.

The author of Hebrews saying, therefore, We must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared, the salvation, the salvation was declared at first by the Lord. Pay attention to how he progresses the argument here. The salvation was declared or was revealed at first by the Lord.

And it was attested to us by those who heard, who heard Him. The Apostle John will speak that they were the ones that were close and heard of Him and saw Him with their eyes and touched Him with their hands. attested to us by those who heard now pay attention to verse four while god also bore witness of the lord who brought that revelation and those who heard the apostles while god also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the holy spirit distributed according to his will beloved this is foundational and this is very important Their ministry was unique, and it was a glorious ministry. It is upon the foundation of the apostles and the prophets that the church is built up as a holy temple. We are not built upon them as human beings.

We're built upon the truth that they convey from the Spirit of God about the Son, Jesus Christ. We are not built upon Peter as the rock as a man. We're built upon the apostolic truth that it was given by Jesus Christ. And for that reason, that foundation is unique and it's only a foundation. So when they spoke, they spoke of God.

So I started saying, beloved, the Reformed Historical Church has said that the role of prophets and apostles have come to an end, and all the signs and the gifts and all the things that are for the attestation of the role. Why? Because apostles and prophets had a unique ministry and purpose, and that was bringing the revelation of the New Testament. So that means, beloved, that in this present age, after the giving of the canon, there are no apostles, and many will agree with that, but there are no prophets. Ephesians says that this was revealed to the holy apostles and also to the prophets.

I have shown you today, I hope by the grace of God, that this unique ministry of the apostles was unique and the signs that they had was unique. Now, we hope next week when the Lord extends our day that we can come and then speak about the work of the office of the ministry of the prophets. But what I want you to have in your mind is that it pleased God in His divine providence to bring this book to an end. And we know that this book has come to an end because those who had the word in their lips, they came to an end. Now, if we say that there is still apostles, and if we say that there is still prophets, it's okay, you can say that, but you cannot hold to the cessation of the canon.

You cannot say that the book is finished. You have to say that whatever the apostle or this prophet says has to be added to the book because the holy apostles and the holy prophets have received the revelation from God that it is for the building up of the church. and now this is contradictory beloved because this book says of itself that it is sufficient for everything that the church needs that we don't need anything else so if someone comes to us saying that they have a prophetic word or that they have a word of wisdom or that they had a vision or they have a revelatory dream or they have something that is revelatory in nature then that means that we need to add to this specific and close revelation that we have in the book now The thesis, beloved, that I gave you in the beginning is that prophets and apostles have ceased, and therefore all the signs that are attached to them. And I said that they are not the norm for the Church. And this is very important.

Because the fact that they are not the norm for the Church does not mean that God cannot do things. So those, the Reformed Church, The historical Reformed Church does not say that God does not operate with miracles, does not say that God does not heal. What we say is that the gifts of healing or that the gifts of miracles were given to particular people. And in the church, there were healers. There were workers of miracles.

But now, once the Bible has been given, God still heals divinely or God still operates miracles. But he does not. This is not the norm for the church. He does it through prayer. If there is a brother or a sister who is sick, we come before the Lord and we pray.

The means by which God operates His power in the midst of the church is not by the gifts or the offices of people. It's not about healers. It's not about prophets. It's not about specific people or persons. It's about the church as a whole coming before the Lord and praying.

That's why we don't have to be reactionary and go to the other extreme of not thinking of the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is still operating in the life of the Church as God has intended that He will operate in the life of the Church. So these things are not normative, but this does not speak that God is not able to do those things. We come before God and we pray for Divine healing. We pray for the salvation of people, which in and of itself is a miracle.

We pray for those things. But understanding apostles and prophets and signs attached to them have come to an end because our God is so glorious. that He had a purpose for everything. And then in this book, we have assurance, uncertainty, full confidence, that what it says about God here is sufficient, that I don't need to wait for someone whispering in my ear, or someone coming to me and saying something about God, that I can come to this book and know about God and who He is and what He has done for me. And in that, the Church is built.

Cornerstone Jesus Christ, the Apostles and the Prophets. Amen?