The Church: Its Meaning - The Plan and Possession of the Living God

It's so good to have you with us today as we come to celebrate the personal work of Jesus Christ the Messiah That's what the church does. That's how we are described in the scriptures We're called the ecclesia the the called-out ones. We have been called out from the world into the kingdom of God We have been called out by at the as the Bible says a a holy Calling 2nd Timothy 1 9 says you've been called with a holy calling the Bible tells us in Hebrews chapter 3 verse number 1 that it is also a Heavenly calling in Philippians chapter 3 verse number 14.

It's described as a high calling So those who are the assembly of the redeemed the church the called-out ones Have been called with a holy High heavenly calling the reason we are gathered together today the reason we gather together to celebrate the personal work of Jesus Christ the Messiah is simply because God has called us into the assembly of the righteous he's taken us out of God's Satan's kingdom and Transferred us into his kingdom the kingdom of light the kingdom of God We are now citizens of the kingdom of God.

We are no longer citizens of this world, but we truly are Citizens of the kingdom of God we are no longer slaves of this world or slaves of disobedience But we are slaves of God. We are called children of obedience Why because of a high and holy calling? By which God has called us into his glorious kingdom So beginning today and throughout this summer into the fall. I want to talk to you about The church I want to speak to the church about the church I want to speak to the assembly of the redeemed about what it is.

We are Celebrating when we gather together So we're going to talk about the meaning of the church We'll spend the several weeks on that then we're going to talk about the mission of the church and then we're going to talk about the ministry of the church And we're going to take it for as long as it takes us to get through that to understand what it is God wants for you and me as Part of the assembly of the redeemed we are the children of the Living God and So we need to understand that when we gather together what unifies us is that we are all looking and Longing for the victorious one who is the victorious one Christ himself?

He was the one who gained victory over Satan sin and death. He said in John 16 in the world You shall have tribulation but be of good cheer. I have Overcome the world. I have won the victory over the world So when we gather together, we are looking and we are longing for the victorious one We're not looking at longing for what's gonna happen this weekend at work or what date? I'm gonna have this week or looking at longing for the day Married or to have a child know we're gathered together to look into long for the victorious one as We look in long for the victorious one.

We listen in learn From the voice of the victorious one. In other words when we open the Word of God, we are listening We are learning from the voice of the victorious one and as we listen and learn Then we learn to live And love the virtues and values of the victorious one That's what happens when we gather together the celebration of the personal work of Christ the assembly of the redeemed That's what's to happen every time we get together It's all about the Christ. It's all about who he is and what he's done so we're going to begin by looking at the meaning of the church and we're going to begin by looking at This fact that the church is the plan of the Son of God The church is the plan of the Son of God if you got your Bible turn with me to Matthew chapter 16 Matthew chapter 16 and Matthew chapter 16.

It's the first time in the New Testament The word ecclesia is used Referring to the church the ones who are called out So the first time it's used is to help us to understand that the church is the plan of the Son of God Now context is important, right?

And so we're a little over two years into the ministry of Christ and when Christ began his ministry There was so much excitement about him mainly because of his miracles There was even excitement about his teaching in Matthews 5 6 and 7 the Sermon on the Mount at the end of that sermon They all concluded that never a man spoke like this man spoke I mean they were overwhelmed by the way Christ himself would speak And so at the beginning of his ministry, everything was great. People were listening.

They were looking they were anticipating But now we're two years plus into the ministry and there's a lot of disillusionment about this Christ This so-called Messiah Is he really going to do the things we anticipate the Messiah to do? And so there was disillusionment. There was some discouragement even among the twelve So Christ is going to use this scene to help his men understand that he has a perfect plan It's running on course. It's going to happen exactly as he is determined it to happen And so they find themselves in the northern part of the land of Israel the north the most northern part in a place called Caesarea Philippi or if we want to see it correctly, it's Caesarea Philippi But that's exactly where they are in the northern part of the land of Israel.

It's at the very base of Mount Hermon, okay now that's important why because after this setting comes the Mount of Transfiguration and People will tell you that the Mount of Transfiguration Took place on Mount Tabor. Well, those people are wrong. It didn't take place on Mount Tabor It took place on Mount Hermon or Mount Hermon. Why because it took place on a high Mountain Mount Tabor is not a high mountain But Mount Hermon Mount Hermon is a very high mountain. In fact, it's covered in snow all year around And so it's at the base of Mount Hermon where this city Caesarea Philippi is and this is where the conversation takes place because even the 12 Might have been disillusioned about what Christ was doing so In verse 13, it says no one Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi He was asking his disciples who do people say that the Son of Man is Now listen, this is life's most important question Who is the Son of Man?

Who is Jesus? That's life's most important question Because everything about Christianity centers around the identity of Christ the ministry of Christ flows out of the identity of Christ But everything about Christianity centers on the person and work of Jesus Christ the Messiah To misunderstand the identity of the Messiah is to misunderstand Christianity So Christ is going to take his men back to the very beginning and say who? do men say the Son of Man is And so they respond they say well they said some say John the Baptist others Elijah still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets In other words you're saying you know what the popular opinions this you are good.

In fact, you are great But nobody's saying You are God you're a prophet and He is a prophet know that about that, but he's much more than a prophet. You're like Jeremiah or John the Baptist or Elijah You are really great But you see you don't get to heaven because you think God's great you don't get to heaven because you think God's good You must understand exactly who it is. Jesus Christ is In order to understand that heaven is only entered through him So he says okay But this he says Who do you say?

that I am So forget about the popular opinion because the popular opinions are relevant what is your personal opinion Who do you say? that I am now what Peter is going to say is representative of the twelve and What he says is the foundation of Christianity. He says these words Simon Peter answered you are the Christ the Son of the Living God Now that statement right there sums up everything you are the Messiah The Messiah of God the Messiah of Israel you are the Christ You are the Anointed One and You are the Son Rios equal in nature to the Living God Christ was never called the little born one of God the Technon of God It'd be called it would be in the Greek and be Technon.

So you're the little born one of God He was never called that he was never called the brief us of God Which is a a child in the womb or a newborn child But he's called the we oss of God. He's called the Son of God It's a term that does not or ever refer to origin It refers specifically to one who was equal in nature to the one described It's a word of position it's a word of authority. It's a word of preeminence So Peter is saying you are the Messiah you are equal in nature to the Living God Now that statement right there sums up the identity of the Messiah Do you have to believe that Jesus is the Messiah in order to go to heaven answer?

absolutely John 20 these things are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ the Messiah and Believing in him you might have life through his name. Nobody ever got to heaven without believing that Jesus was the Messiah Because the Messiah is the Messiah of God and the Messiah is the Son of the Living God You see we forget that the identity of Christ is everything Jesus said in John 8 24 unless you believe that I am You will die in your sins In other words unless you believe that I am the Living God I am the God who spoke to to Moses from the burning bush way back in the book of Exodus Unless you believe that You will die in your sins You must understand the identity of the Messiah Why is that so important because this is what Christ says Jesus said to him blessed are you Simon Barjona?

Because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you But my father who is in heaven the magnitude of that statement is insurmountable why Listen, I can talk to you about Jesus I can take you to every verse in the Bible to show you that Jesus is God, right? But I can never convince you that Jesus is God. I can't do that Even on my best day. I can't do that But the father who is in heaven is the one who reveals him to you It's true. I must present the truth. I must speak the truth I must open the Word of God because God speaks to us through his word But I've sat and talked with Mormons and I've sat and talked with Jehovah's Witnesses And I've used Greek and I've taken them back to the Greek text and I try to explain to them what the original language says They don't see it.

They don't get it. They don't understand. I can't convince them Nobody was ever convinced of anything unless the father reveals it to them and so Christ is Admitting that the Peter the only way you could know that the only way you can understand that is through my father Who is in heaven? That's why the call of God is a holy calling That's why the call of God is a high and heavenly calling why because it's directly given to us by God himself He calls us into his kingdom And then Christ says this he says I also say to you that you are Peter Petros and upon this rock Petra I Will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overpower it Now what you believe about that verse Will determine whether or not you're a Roman Catholic or you're a Christian Because the doctrine of Romanism is based on this verse But you need to understand the grammar.

I Say to you Petros Peter a small little pebble that you can pick up and you can throw If you're in Caesarea Philippi, I'd pick up a little pebble right now and I'd throw into the water That's that's there but we're not we're there are no stones here But Petros is a little stone that you can pick it up and you can throw But Petra is a bedrock Petra is a rock that's immovable, right? Now he says this at the base of Mount Hermon At the base of our amount Hermon. It's solid rock solid rock So he's he's taken the the the area and helping them understand the permanence of the church and the plan that God has for the church I Say to you Petros that upon this bedrock Petra I will build my church and the gates of Hades the gates of hell shall not prevail against it The church is the plan of the Son of God I've got a plan fellas.

It's running right on course and That plan is based on a bedrock confession that Peter himself makes Because the church is based on the bedrock of Jesus Christ himself Who is the Son of the Living God The Son of Man is the Son of God is the Son of David He is equal in nature to the Living God. He is he is God in the flesh Who came to die for your sins in mind? and to understand that is Essential to understanding Christianity Because everything is based on the identity of Jesus Christ He says upon this Bedrock confession that I am the Christ the Son of the Living God.

I will build my Church, the church is based on believing in the identity of Christ That's how we are called to the kingdom God has revealed to us that he is the Son of the Living God And then he says that and the gates of hell shall never prevail against it In other words, there's nothing that's going to keep you in Satan's kingdom Once I call you into my church, it speaks of the certainty of the church. It speaks of the invincibility of the church in other words the gates of hell will never override or never prevail over the church of Jesus Christ it is the bedrock confession of the Messiah Being the son of the Living God that the church was planned by the Son of God so important But get this the church is not just a plan of the Son of God The church is the possession of the Living God The church is the possession of the Living God He says I will build my church It's his church.

It's not your church. It's not my church It's the church of the Living God, it's his church so the church is the possession of The Living God he's the creator. He is the architect. He is the maker. He is the owner He is the Lord of the church No one else is and that's why it's so important to understand that Jesus Christ is Building as Peter says Living stones, we are called living stones, right? living stones believing in a living hope based on a Living God and Therefore we are being built up as an assembly of the redeemed so that we can Celebrate the person and work of Jesus Christ the Messiah Do you understand what it means to to be the possession of the Living God?

That he owns us. We are called the bride of Christ. So that makes him the bridegroom, right? So we are the bride of Christ He's the bridegroom. He's the shepherd. We are His sheep it says in verse number 3 of John 10. He says the sheep hear his voice He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out verse number 14 John 10 I am the Good Shepherd and I know my own and my own know me even as the father knows me and I know the father and I lay down my life for the sheep in other words, I Know mine Mine know me why because they call them by name.

They are my possession Listen to what the Bible says the Bible says in 1st Corinthians 6 17 The one who has joined himself to the Lord is one spirit with him He was 11 16.

God is not ashamed to be called their God first Peter 2 9 We are a people of God's own possession First to me 315.

We are the church of the Living God 1st Corinthians 6 verse number 19 says these words 1st Corinthians 6 19 or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who was in you whom you have From God that you are not your own for you have been bought with a price therefore glorify God in your Body, in other words you are owned by God. You are his possession therefore magnify God glorify God honor God in that body because that body is the Temple the housing place of the Spirit of God and so you make sure that you live in accordance with who God is because it's a Holy Spirit and you need to have a Holy Temple So important that's because God Possesses us John 6 37 says all that the Father gives me will come to me and The one who comes to me I will certainly not cast out All the father gives me are going to come to me why because I'm going to own them.

They are my possession so the church is the plan of the Son of God the church is the possession of the Living God How were we possessed we were purchased? How we purchased by the blood of the Lamb 1st Peter 1 18 and 19 The Bible also says in Acts 20 verse number 28. He purchased us with his own blood. He bought us back He brought us out of the slave market of sin and purchased us for himself. We are his own possession How much better does it get than that than to gather together as the assembly of the redeemed knowing that we are all owned by the?

Same maker the same King the same Lord the same God and we owe him our life That's why we live for him not for ourselves So important to to understand that so it in in the in the plan of the church, it speaks to us about the the certainty and invincibility of the church In his possession of the church. It speaks to us about his intimacy and our authority Because we are owned by him Listen to what Matthew 16 says it says I Will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven Peter is said I'm going to give you the keys now when you have keys you have authority When you have keys you have control Now it is true that was Peter who opened the door to the Gentile world to understand the gospel through the conversion of Cornelius and Acts chapter 10 we understand that right But if you go to to Capernaum today, there is this bronze statue of Peter It's probably about 15 feet tall and I'm not sure it looks like Peter but they think it does and so they made this bronze statue of Peter and he he's got a Fish down by his feet and he's got keys in his hand, right?

Symbolizing that the keys to the church were given to Peter because Peter is in Catholicism the first Pope Well, that's a problem Because mark one says he has a mother-in-law That makes Peter Mary he couldn't have been the first Pope right so we understand that from a biblical standpoint but the keys given are Are the are the keys that open the door to the kingdom and what is it?

It opens the door to the kingdom the identity of the Messiah that he is the Christ the Son of the Living God When you understand that when you confess Jesus Christ as Lord That's what the Bible says Romans 10 verse number 9 If you confess Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead you will be saved There is no other name under heaven given on a man whereby you must be saved The word name is the word character dealing with the character of the Messiah Jesus Christ himself The Bible says very clearly that Christ is the way the truth and the life no man comes into the father But by me so the keys to the kingdom center on the identity of Christ and that identity is based on that Confession that says that Jesus Christ is the Son of the Living God the Messiah of Israel so important This is this and whatever you bind on earth Shall be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth Shall be loosed in heaven That's the authority of the church in other words You can tell someone whether or not they have been set free from their sins based on How they understand the identity of Christ?

Or you can tell them you are still in your sin if you deny the deity of Christ Why because the key is centered on the confession that Jesus Christ is the Messiah? Now you have authority what kind of authority to tell someone whether or not they're in their sin Or they've been set free from their sin They're set free when they confess Christ as Lord when they believe in the heart that God raised him from the dead They're set free from their sin. You can tell them you've been set free from your sin because whatever you Loose on earth has already been loosed in heaven, but whatever you bind on earth Shall be bound in heaven It's a great statement.

It's used again in Matthew 18 the second time the word ecclesi is used in the first time It's used it deals with the construction of the church the second time.

It's used it deals with the Instruction for the church and that's in Matthew chapter 18, so turn to Matthew 18 And Matthew 18 verse number 15 It says if your brother sins go show him his fault in private if he listens to you you have won your brother But if he does not listen to you Take one or two more with you so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed If he refuses to listen to them tell it to the ecclesia the called-out ones Tell it to the church Let him be to you as a I'm sorry And if he refused to listen even to the church let it be to you as a Gentile and a tax gatherer Truly I say to you listen carefully Whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven same phrase Christ is saying I'm giving you authority based on the authority of my word That if you follow my instructions for the purity of the church First is the construction of the identity of the church now comes the instruction concerning the purity of the church in Matthew chapter 18 If you follow my word and you do what you're you're told to do you see a brother in sin you go to that brother And you confront him on a sin you beg him to repent He doesn't you take two or three witnesses with you you beg him to repent and he doesn't you go to the called-out ones And the called-out ones they pursue him they go after him because they want him to repent They want to restore the brother.

They want the the brother to understand that they've been forgiven it can experience the the the love and forgiveness and and fellowship of Christ But if he refuses to listen even to them you treat him as a tax gatherer and a Gentile now those are unbelievers, right? You treat him as if he doesn't know the Lord Because he's give evidence that he doesn't And the Christ is listen Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven In other words, you have the authority Why because he goes on to say that we're two or three are gathered together in my name There I am in the midst of them.

In other words, this is not about prayer. It's about confrontation of a sinning brother That I am with you. I am behind you in this whole process And if you say that individual listen, we've gone to you we've confronted you we've talked to you And they refuse to repent you can tell him you don't know the Lord because if you knew the Lord you were possessed by God You would want to live a pure and holy life, but because you don't Your sins are still bound to you. You need to go you treat him as as an unbeliever you go to him Evangelistically, you don't disassociate with him.

You'd go to him and appeal to him based on Evangelism based on him coming to understand the truth of the gospel See that and so there's a there's a plan that God has for the church the plan is based on the Son of God Nix is the possession of the church that's based on the Living God. So the church is the plan of the Son of God It's the possession of the Living God number three.

It is the pillar of the truth of God The church is the pillar of the truth of God first Timothy chapter 3 verse number 15 first Timothy 3 verse number 15 Paul says I am writing these things to you hoping to come to you before long but in case I am delayed I write so that you will know how to how one ought to conduct himself in the Household of God, which is the church of the Living God.

Okay, so the house of God is the church of the Living God The pillar and the support of the truth The church is the pillar of the truth of God In other words, the church is that sole foundation that holds upright the truth of the Living God in fact the only reason the church exists is to uphold the standard the divine standard of The truth of God to a lost world That's the only reason we exist as a church To be a pillar and foundation of the truth We stand to uphold the truth of the Living God The foundation of that truth so that the world will know who Christ is because without that They're not going to know We're not called to alter the truth.

We're not called to invent the truth We're not called to make up some kind of truth. We're not called to trifle with the truth We're not called to tamper with the truth We're just called to persevere in that truth to protect that truth to guard that truth to uphold that truth That's what the Church of Jesus Christ is called to do. So that's what we do That's why Proverbs 23 23 says by truth never sell it In other words do all you can to obtain it once you have it don't ever compromise it why? I'll tell you this a hundred times over again every single day to the day I die the only thing that matters in life is truth.

Nothing else matters Nothing else matters You need to understand that Truth is all that matters because as the church the assembly of the redeemed we gather together to uphold the divine Standard of God's Holy Word. We don't rewrite it. We don't reinterpret it. We interpret it as it is We speak it forth. We memorize it. We preach it. We live it That's what the Church of Jesus Christ is. The church is the pillar of the truth of the Living God Now I have a lot to say about this a lot to say and my time is gone But I'll pick it up next week.

Be sure to that Because it's so important Listen we live in a post-modern world a Postmodern world says there is no such thing as absolute truth It doesn't exist in a postmodern world The problem is if there is no objective standard by which we are to measure people's claims of truth Morality and reality will always descend into subjectivism and that's exactly what's happened Our morality and the reality of life has descended Into subjectivism in other words, whatever I think is moral is moral What I whatever I think is immoral is immoral Whatever I think is real is real and whatever I don't think is real is not real That makes you the authority that's the world we live in so this past week Our former governor the Terminator Arnold Schwarzenegger was asked What happens after you die?

And his response was nothing Six feet under And if anybody tells you anything else they're a liar now Is he right or is he wrong? Based on what? That's his truth And he'll say that's my truth But that's not objective absolute truth. There's a standard In a standard is the truth of the of the Living God What does God's Word? actually say He would go on to say in a similar interview that heaven is a fantasy But we know what the Bible says Absent from the body present with the Lord We know what the Bible says.

It's a point of the man wants to die after that the judgment you see now Arnold was raised Catholic you would think he would believe in a heaven and a hell But he doesn't Because in a postmodern age you can believe whatever you want to believe and it's okay But you see what's happened is that we have diluted the truth You can't do that in fact if you watched yesterday Where the president of our country? Celebrated Pride Month on the lawn of the White House You have to understand that this present administration is the most openly corrupt administration ever to exist ever And what they have done is they've pushed their pride agenda on everyone Where they are making seven and eight year old children Read books about the pride agenda That is this administration's push Into the public school system It's getting worse as as days go on And so the president said these words yesterday he said That This is the most as he speaks to the LGBTQ community plus plus plus plus plus whatever they got going on He says is the most inspiring people he has ever met Calling them an example for the entire world to follow This is Romans 1 to the nth degree He's been given over to a reprobate mind an unthinking mind an irrational mind, right?

so he says to the Community that's there Happy Pride Month. Happy Pride Year. Happy pride life That's the agenda But what is true What is right? What does the Bible say? They continue to suppress the truth in Unrighteousness, how do you suppress the truth? How do you downplay the truth by living an unrighteous life? By living the life you want to live that's what the pride month is all about, right? Pride month is all about living life according to my natural instincts and my base desires So I can do anything I want.

That's why it's called pride, right? All sin is rooted in pride and It's based on the fact that I can it's based on the very first sin Right way back in Genesis chapter 3 when God said to Eve and Adam has God really said truly said He just doesn't want you to become like him So the lie is God never said that and guess what?

You can become just like God In every person involved in transgenderism believes they are God because they have Disrespected and Turned their backs on the true living God who said you are created in my image male and female created he them and you're saying no, I think I am a male not a female or vice versa and therefore I can change all that in The begin to act like God That's why That's why MacArthur Pastor John MacArthur Said some words in 2021 That he was vilified for Because he said that He asserted in a sermon in January 2021.

I Do not support religious freedom He went on to allege that religious freedom is What sends people? to hell To say I support religious freedom is to say I support idolatry Is to say I support lies. I support hell. I support the kingdom of darkness You you can't say that no Christian With half a brain would say we support religious freedom. That's a direct quote He suggests that Christians should proclaim one thing one thing only we support The truth That's it we support the truth He says if the new administration Which is the present one now supports religious freedom get ready Persecution will be ramped up because the more supportive they are the devil's lies the less they're going to tolerate the truth of Scripture And that's absolutely correct If I believe and support religious freedom I say I support Satanism I support Jehovah's Witnesses.

I support Mormonism right So McCarthy's saying don't say you support religious freedom say you support the truth Because you stand on the truth. The church is the pillar and foundation of the truth. Listen This is this is a message that the church needs to understand That that if we're going to be a light to a dark world The only way we can light the way is through the truth of the Living God You know, I'm not a boycott kind of guy Some of you think we got a boycott target or boycott whatever. Listen get ready.

You got to get you got a boycott everything It's gonna come you got a boycott everything. All right, every restaurant every hotel every every Place of where you frequent to buy your clothes You're gonna have to boycott them all because they're all going to end up supporting the gay agenda the pride agenda So if you're gonna boycott one be prepared You got to boycott them all and if you're not prepared to boycott them all don't boycott just one Now you can do whatever you want. I don't care what you do.

I Don't believe in boycotts. I believe in the Bible and I believe in staying strong on the truth Because people need to hear I don't believe in marches. I believe in the message of the truth of the gospel They'll need to preach the truth teach the truth. Tell the truth live for truth stand on the truth Never compromise the truth of the Living God We'll be speaking the truth to people telling them this is what the Word of God says, but if you do that You're gonna begin for all kinds of problems That's being seen evident all throughout our society today in schools Interathletic teams right You can't go anywhere today Because you're labeled a hater hate speech Trans phobic homophobic.

We just tell them they're truth phobic. They're afraid of the truth They don't want to hear the truth Because the truth doesn't tickle people's ears towards the last couple weeks ago truth boxes people's ears And we're getting to a place where people don't want to hear the truth anymore We are the pillar and foundation of the truth We are the sole possessors of the truth the assembly of the redeemed And if we don't stand strong on it, who will? If we don't tell the truth who will? So my prayer for you and for me is that as a church as the assembly of the redeemed That we would know that that this church is planned is the plan of the Son of God that this church is the possession of the Living God and this church is the pillar of the truth of God That we might never compromise what God's Word is said, let's pray Father we thank you for today and the opportunity you give us to spend time in your word.

We are so grateful Our prayer Lord is that we would live in accordance with your word never compromising the truth Standing strong on the truth. I pray for our students in junior high in high school That Lord they would never compromise. They would speak forth the truth and be willing to suffer the consequences for that Even those in the marketplace The Lord there are so many Agendas coming down the pipe that men and women would stand up and speak what we know to be true We know what the Word of God says When you know the truth That truth will set you free from the enslavement of sin, but only the truth of God will do that nothing else So may we be the preachers and proclaimers of that truth without compromise in our families with our friends at work wherever we go Until you come again as you most surely will in Jesus name.

Amen