These All Continued

Q: What does the Bible say about the Holy Spirit's role in the church?

The Holy Spirit empowers believers and unites the church as one body in Christ. The Holy Spirit plays a vital role in the church by empowering believers and uniting them as one body in Christ. In Acts 1:4-8, Jesus promises His followers that they will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon them, making them witnesses in Jerusalem and beyond. Additionally, in 1 Corinthians 12:12-27, Paul illustrates the church as a body where each member has a unique function, all working together through the Spirit. This divine companionship ensures that believers are equipped with spiritual gifts for the edification of the whole body, fostering unity and mutual dependence among members.

Q: Why is prayer important for Christians?

Prayer is vital for Christians as it fosters communion with God and strengthens faith. Prayer is essential for Christians as it nurtures a relationship with God and strengthens one's faith. In Acts 1:14, the disciples are described as continually devoting themselves to prayer and supplication with one accord. This collective prayer is a demonstration of dependence on God for guidance and empowerment, embodying the principle that believers are to seek God's presence together. Furthermore, prayer invites the Holy Spirit's work in evangelism and spiritual growth, teaching congregants to rely on divine power as they face challenges. The communal aspect of prayer reflects the unity of the body of Christ and encourages believers to support one another in their spiritual journeys.

Q: How do we know the promises of God are true?

We know the promises of God are true because He has proven His faithfulness throughout history. The truth of God's promises is grounded in His faithfulness and character, which are consistently demonstrated throughout scripture. In Genesis 12, God establishes His covenant with Abraham, showcasing His commitment to fulfill what He promises. Hebrews 6:10-15 further emphasizes that God is not unrighteous to forget our work and labor of love and assures us that He will fulfill His promises. The culmination of these promises is seen in Jesus Christ, who embodies God's ultimate covenant, assuring believers that they can trust in His provision and presence. As believers experience God's faithfulness in their lives, they are further strengthened in their assurance that His promises will always come to pass.

Q: What does it mean that the church is the body of Christ?

The church as the body of Christ means that all believers are united under Christ as their head. The concept of the church as the body of Christ signifies that all believers are interconnected and united under Christ as their head. This metaphor is notably discussed in 1 Corinthians 12, where Paul explains that just as a physical body has various parts with distinct functions, so does the church with its diverse members. Each member is necessary for the body to function effectively, highlighting the importance of mutual care and reliance within the Christian community. Furthermore, Ephesians 4:15-16 teaches that every member is fitted together and grows in love, emphasizing that the health of the church depends on every believer's active participation and reliance on each other and Christ.

Harry S. Truman signed into law in 1948, I think, that this would be Mother's Day. It was where it came from. So happy Mother's Day. And Emily's first Mother's Day. That's special. Acts chapter 1. I only know that because my mother sent that to me this morning. Acts chapter 1. We'll begin in verse 4. Acts 1 verse 4.

And being assembled together with them. Christ assembled together with his disciples, and he commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which saith he, you have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, Wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, it is not for you to know the times or the seasons which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and in Samaria and unto the uttermost parts of the earth. So since the Lord gathered them together and he was with them, what do you think they did next? Then returned they unto Jerusalem. From the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey.

When they were come in, they went up into an upper room where abode, both Peter and James and John and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James, the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas, the brother of James. And these all continued with one accord. in prayer and in supplication with the women and Mary, the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren. These all continued. These all continued.

Now, the first thing I want to show you, and we saw this last time, where the Lord does the assembling together, Christ is there. Where he does the assembling, he's there. He's there in spirit, and by his power, he unites his people together. It says in verse four, being assembled together with them.

God smoked the shepherd. The Lord Jesus fulfilled that prophecy. He bore the sin of his people, and God made him a curse. God smoked the shepherd, and the sheep were scattered. and his first order of business when he arose from the grave was to gather them back together.

He gathered them together, and he assembled together with them. Wherever Christ has assembled his people, Christ is assembled together with them as real as he was with them bodily that day. Our God, our Savior, the Lord Jesus, is omnipresent because he is God. He can be everywhere at once. And he's in his people, that's born of him, and he's in his church, assembled together with them, no matter how far apart the local assembly may be from another local assembly. He's with his people, assembled with his people.

And the reason this is so important is the Lord will save through the foolishness of preaching. And so he assembles his people to preach him, to preach the gospel. And not only that, by assembling us together, he teaches us in the process. We hear the gospel, and then by being assembled together, he teaches us together. Everyday, things we experience together. Christ compacts us together. Joins us together and compacts us together. Let's go look at this in Ephesians 4. Ephesians 4. This is the wisdom that our God is. This is just his wisdom and this is his power. He has the power. to do this, and this is what he does.

We're told in this chapter that after he accomplished redemption, he arose and he gave pastors, he gave teachers, he gave evangelists. And the reason he did this in verse 12 is for the maturing of the saints, for the perfecting, the maturing, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.

And we're told in verse 13, he will continue this, till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. Until he's drawn every single member that makes up his body, the gospel's gonna keep going forth, because each member makes up his body, and he won't stop until every member is in the body, and the body's full, the full stature of the measure of Christ. He tells us there, verses 14 and 15, so that we'll no more be tossed about with false doctrine. We hear the truth, the gospel, and that's how he grows us. Now look here in verse 16. Verse 16, from Christ, the whole body is fitly joined together.

He does the calling, he does the assembling, and he unites us by one Holy Spirit. And he says, and compacted by that which every joint supplieth. Christ supplies each member, every joint in the body, he supplies each of you with a measure of grace We can read it back up there in verse seven. Unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. He gives to each one a supply, what we need, and each one has that, and by that, he compacts us together. He's provided in you what your brethren need, and in your brother what you need, and by that he compacts us together. And it's all according to the effectual working in the measure of every part. It's all Christ. He's working effectually in every member of his body. And by this he maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love."

Now isn't that wisdom? That's wisdom. This is another reason why he's pleased to save through the foolishness of preaching. Not only is he calling out his lost sheep, he's teaching us how much we need him, how much we need his gospel, and how much we need each other as we go through this wilderness.

Go with me to 1 Corinthians 12. The Lord gave these supernatural spiritual gifts and the church at Corinth were using the gifts as if they didn't receive them from the Lord. They were using them to glory that they had a gift somebody else didn't have. And the Lord reminded them, first off, you were dead, you were lost, you were worshiping idols, and it's only by the Spirit that you believe. That's how he started. But then he goes into talking about the body. The Lord made our human body to illustrate Christ being our head and his church being his body. He made the human body for that purpose, to illustrate that. That's one of the reasons. Look here in verse 12, 1 Corinthians 12, 12.

He said, as the body is one and hath many members, and all the members of that one body being many, or one body, So also is Christ, for by one spirit are we all baptized into one body. Whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free, we have all been made to drink into one spirit, for the body is not one member, but many. For the body is not one member, but many. Now he's gonna start declaring why we need each other. He purposely made each member to have a function in his body which every other member of the body needs. He did that on purpose, just like our human body. Look here in verse 15.

If the foot shall say, because I am not the hand, I am not of the body, is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, because I'm not the eye, I am not of the body, is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?

But now hath God set the members, every one of them, in the body as it hath pleased him. He set you where you are. He gave you what you have spiritually, and he set you in the body as it hath pleased him. Now get this next word. And if they were all one member, where were the body?

He didn't make one member. There are no one member local assemblies. None. They don't even meet the criteria. He made us one member among many other members. Verse 20, now are they many members yet one body. Now listen to what he's teaching. And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee. Nor, again, the head to the feet I have no need of you. That one's important because Christ is the head. Does he need me?

Ephesians one says that the body is the fullness of him. His body will not be complete till he's called every one of his members. He promised the Father he would bring us to the Father perfect in his righteousness and his holiness. So he will call every one of his people. He will bring us to the Father righteous and holy by what he has accomplished for us.

So we wouldn't say to one another, I have no need of you. Christ is teaching you and me, we need each other. That's what he's teaching. Nobody can say, I have no need of thee. If we need Christ, if we need the gospel, we can't say, I don't need you. And he did this on purpose. Now listen, verse 22, no, No, we can't say I have no need of you.

Much more, those members of the body which seem to be more feeble are necessary. And there's some, if he has a weak, feeble member of his body, they're there on purpose. He put them there. He made them that way. We only have what he gave us. The measure of the gift of Christ. So if there's somebody feeble, weak in faith, he put them there on purpose. They're necessary. Look at this. And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, upon these we bestow more abundant honor. And our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness. See that?

That's Christ supplying to other members to provide for the feeble member. And he says, for our comely parts have no need, but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honor to that part which lacked. He did that through other members. He did that through other members. He gave more honor to the feeble member by giving and supplying other members to give to that member. Christ is working all this. Now, here's why. Look at this.

That there should be no schism in the body. That word schism means no rent, no separation from the body, no separation from Christ, If I cut off my finger, my finger's gonna die. Christ said, if you cut the branch away from the vine, the branch is gonna die. He's the vine, we're the branches. We have to abide in him, and he abide in us.

Now here's the second reason. The first is that there be no rent, no separation in the body. Here's the second reason, but that the members should have the same care one for another. And here's what that will mean. When we're taught by his grace, by his love, by his mercy, when he's given you faith and he's given you faith to trust that he's providing, then here's what will happen in the body. Whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it. Every member of your body can be perfectly fine. And you have a sore toe. If your pinky toe is sore, every member of your body can be fine. And all you can think about is that pinky toe.

Well, the Lord's done that in his body on purpose. By one spirit, everybody has one spirit. If we're born again, we have the same spirit. the same love, the same faith, the same, not in measure, but the same Lord gave it. So if one member's gonna suffer, that's a part of your body. So you'll suffer with that member. And look here, or if one member be honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now we are the body of Christ and members in particular.

Here's what we get from all of that. Christ has gathered his people, assembled us. He's present. He's given to each one grace according to the measure he's pleased to give. He's done it to make us know none of us can say, I don't need you. We need each other because we need Christ. We need his gospel. And we need each other to have the gospel. Now that is wisdom.

To carry us through this wilderness, I've said it to you before, it's like somebody going to nursing school and you get the book learning from the professor, then you go through a clinical and you practice what you've heard so you really learn it. Well, that's sort of what the Lord's doing with the body. He preaches the gospel to us And he put us in a body together so we have needs. And he gives you a trial so you have to work things out as you go through trusting him to give the supply. So you experience his power and his grace and his mercy and his love and his forgiveness. You hear it preached. He blesses you in the heart with it.

And then through all the things we go through together, we learn that he's really present, he's really working in power, and we learn something of his grace, his mercy, his forgiveness, we experience it together. That is wisdom, and that's something that we don't get unless we're together in a body. You're not gonna get it. So, he's present.

The name of the church, we're the city, we've been seeing we're the city, we see it in Isaiah 60. And he said, the name of the city from that day shall be the Lord is there. Jehovah Shema, the Lord is there. We open this service and we sing, we stand to sing.

The reason we do that is because the ancient of days is present. And the Lord said, thou shalt rise up before the gray head and honor the face of the old man and fear thy God, I am the Lord. If the king came in, you would stand. If a gray headed man walked in, in respect, you would stand. We stand in the presence of the king to sing his praises.

So what did they do when he told them to go back to Jerusalem? What did they do? Our text says, then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey. It wasn't easy to get back there. They turned around and went back.

All right, go back with me to Acts 1. We see Christ's power. doing this, and him being the one that gets the glory, we see it, that he's able to strengthen our faith and calm our fears. Verse six says, when they therefore would come together, they asked him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? I understand why they asked this.

He told them to go back to Jerusalem. They had left Jerusalem when he was crucified. And he told them to go back to Jerusalem. And I can see them sitting there thinking, Lord, you want us to go back to that angry mob and what they just did to you, what we saw them do to you, and you want us to go back there?

This passage is very special to me because when I was in Tennessee, we had some problems, and a lot of us were going to leave. And the Lord gave me a message to preach from this in a house one night, and this was the text. And the illustration was that the Lord told them to go back to Jerusalem and wait, wait on the Lord. And the Lord blessed it, and everybody went back and waited, and waited on the Lord. And the Lord provided.

This is how we're made to continue, is the Lord keeps speaking to us and say, go back to Jerusalem. Even now, brethren, there's a spiritual application of that because he's in heavenly Jerusalem, and any problem we need, who do we go to? Go to Jerusalem, go to him. And he's gonna keep assembling his people together, and he was able to calm their fear by strengthening their faith in him to go back, to go back to Jerusalem. You just put yourself in that place now, and what they just witnessed that mob do to their savior, and now they're going back there, and they're gonna wait on the Lord. He's told them there in verse four, wait for the promise of the father, which saith he, you've heard of me.

Speaking of the Holy Spirit, God the Father had promised them the Holy Spirit, and the Lord Jesus had promised them the Holy Spirit. And the point I'm making is, He strengthens your faith to simply trust the Word of God, His promise. He will do what He's promised. He gave them the Spirit like He promised. Faith is not Him giving something to you beforehand and then you believe and he'll give it. He blessed them. They were born of the spirit and they believed him by the spirit and they had his word and he strengthened that faith and they went back and the Lord provided. He gave them the spirit just like he promised he would. Every aspect of our salvation is by God's promise. Every aspect of it. We're waiting on God to fulfill his promise.

He's done it in Christ, sent Christ to lay down his life for us and redeem us. And he's promised us an eternal inheritance with him. He's promised us he'll feed us through this gospel. He's promised us he'll supply everything we need so we can continue together. Everything about this salvation is according to his promise and we're waiting on him constantly to fulfill his promise. Everything he's promised, we're dependent on him to do what he promised.

I want you to go with me to Genesis 12. Everything Abraham faced from the day the Lord called him, it was all by promise. He was waiting, he constantly depended on the Lord to fulfill his promise. In Genesis 12, The Lord had already given this word to Abraham.

He said there, verse one, now the Lord had said unto Abraham, at this time Abraham's in Haran, but when he was back in Mesopotamia, you can find this in Acts, when he was back in Mesopotamia, God came and said this to him, and that's why he left Mesopotamia and made it as far as Haran. But God came to him again, God had said, get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee, and I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee and make thy name great, and thou shalt be a blessing. And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse them that curse thee, and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. So, on that promise, Abraham departed as the Lord had spoken unto him. The Lord told him this promise again, so Abraham believed by God's grace and he left Haran, then he got to Canaan, and look at verse seven. And the Lord appeared unto Abram and said, unto thy seed will I give this land.

He strengthened him again with his promise. What did Abraham do? And there he built an altar unto the Lord who appeared unto him. Verse eight, second part says, and there he built an altar unto the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord. Every time Christ preached the gospel to Abraham, he gave him his promise and strengthened his faith, and Abraham did what he did solely based off that promise.

Just like the apostles that day and the rest of the disciples. Go back to Jerusalem and wait on the promise like I've told you. Genesis 14, 14, look there. And the Lord said to Abram, and the Lord said to Abram, let me see here, maybe it's 13, 14. And the Lord said to Abram, after that lot was separated from him, he said, lift up now thine eyes and look from the place where thou art, northward and southward, eastward and westward, For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed forever. And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth, so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.

And on that promise, the Lord blessed him, strengthened him, and he just obeyed the Lord. This was after him and Lot, you know, they fell out. Verse 18 says, then Abraham removed his tent, and he came, and he dwelt in the land of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the Lord.

This is all by the Lord. This is him just giving Abraham his promise again. That's what the gospel is. When we hear the gospel preached, we hear God's promise again. And this is how he strengthens you in faith to continue, to wait on him, to continue.

After they delivered Lot out, and the king tried to give Abraham the spoils, Abraham said, I don't want the spoils. What happened? The Lord appeared to him, and the Lord said, fear not, Abram, I'm thy shield and thy exceeding great reward. Just kept giving him the promise.

And Christ won't fail. We know that. We've been, you know, tribulation works patience, you matured a little bit, patience, experience, you experience his faithfulness, And by that he grows you in hope. And this is what he's doing. He's preaching this word to us. And then through every trial of faith that comes, he's teaching us he always makes good on his promise. He's faithful. He will provide. And the great motivator we have to trust him is God spared not his own son. He delivered him up for all his people. How shall he not with him also freely give us all things? He's gonna make every provision that he's promised.

Go to Hebrews 6 and verse 10. The Hebrews were discouraged, they were tossed, they were turning back to the law, all these different things going on, just like goes on with us. And the Lord gave them this letter, and listen to what it says. Verse 10, God's not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love that you've showed toward his name and that you've ministered to the saints and do minister.

And we desire that every one of you do show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope and to the end that you be not slothful but followers of them who through faith and patient inherit the promises. And to give him an illustration, he goes to Abraham, and he says, when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he swore by himself, saying, surely, blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. And so after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.

What I'm saying to you is, he's continually giving us this same word of promise. Whatever you face is difficult. Go back to Jerusalem and wait on me. My father's promised it. You've heard me promise it. I trust my word. We will provide." And he did. And here's the last thing.

When he strengthens our faith by the gospel and he shows us that he's faithful, and he keeps on showing you this, he strengthens you to trust Christ And when you don't even see it, and you don't even know what he's gonna do, you trust he will be faithful to you. They said in verse seven, and in verse six, are you gonna restore the kingdom? Here was his answer, verse seven. It's not for you to know the times or the seasons which the Father put in his own power. You will receive power by the Holy Spirit, and you'll bear witness of me. Do we not experience the exact same thing? We don't know what the Lord's, I don't know what the Lord's doing. I don't know what he's going to do this afternoon. I don't know what he's going to do tomorrow, but I know he will be the one that does it.

And I have his promise and I don't need to know. I have him. I don't have to know what he's going to do. I just know he provided his son. Christ provided his life, poured out his blood for me. And I know there's not one promise in this book I've ever seen him fail to fulfill. And so I don't have to know what tomorrow holds. I know he will make good on his promise. I know he will.

And faith just trusts him. And so we read here that they went, they turned and they went, they did what he said. And they went, they went. And it says, and these all continued with one accord. They continue with one accord in prayer and supplication. And you find this over and over and over.

You find in Acts 2.42, they continue steadfastly in the apostles doctrine and fellowship.

Acts 2.46, they continued daily with one accord in the temple.

Acts 4.23, soon as they beat Peter and got through, beating him and him and the others. He says, being let go, they went to their own company. He just kept them assembled. They would be smitten, persecuted, and be scattered. And then the Lord would gather them back together. And he kept them together, and they kept worshiping the Lord.

We have his promise, brethren. And David, at the end of his life, his last words, he said, although at my house be not so with God, He has made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things ensured, and this is all my salvation. And that's, we have Christ the word, we have, see everything he's fulfilled for us, everything he's done up to this point in our life, and so we trust him.

We don't have to know what's gonna happen tomorrow. We trust him, he will provide. That's just wisdom. That is just wisdom to save us through preaching, to make us experience this together, to keep us assembled. That just amazes me. All right, let's go to him in prayer.

Our Heavenly Father, our great God, we thank you for your faithfulness. Lord, you are so good to your people in so many ways. And you continue to bless us, you continue to provide. And we're thankful that all your promises are sure in our Savior, the Lord Jesus, written in his blood. Lord, thank you for saving the way you've chosen to save. Thank you for keeping your people. providing everything we need, and continually reminding us of what you have done and what you are doing and what you shall do through the preaching of your word.

Strengthen our faith, Lord. Strengthen our love and dependence upon Christ and one another. And keep us knowing that you will not let us be plucked from your hand. Keep us remembering, Lord, you have justified us, you will bring us to glory. Thank you, Lord, for these blessings. In Christ's name we pray, amen.

These All Continued

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about the Holy Spirit's role in the church?

Why is prayer important for Christians?

How do we know the promises of God are true?

What does it mean that the church is the body of Christ?

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These All Continued

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about the Holy Spirit's role in the church?

Why is prayer important for Christians?

How do we know the promises of God are true?

What does it mean that the church is the body of Christ?

Sermon Transcript

About Clay Curtis

Comments

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