Think about as we read this passage,
we'll look at verses 13 through 20 of Matthew 16, the church. That'll be our consideration
this morning. We'll speak maybe again on this
passage and maybe look at some of the other language more closely,
but the Lord said something about the church here that I believe
is important. causes us to think about, in
all of the scripture, what is God's church. When Jesus came
into the coast of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying,
whom do men say that I, the Son of Man, am? And they said, some
say that thou art John the Baptist, some, Elias, and others, Jeremias,
or one of the prophets. And he saith unto them, but whom
say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and
said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus
answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona, for
flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which
is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, that
thou art Peter. And upon this rock will I build
my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven,
and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven,
and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Upon this rock will I build my
church, I saw in one of those Christian bookstores once. I
found myself in them more than you might think just for different
things. But I saw a book in there once
called How to Build a Church. And I didn't buy it. I wasn't much interested in it
because even knowing so little The Lord has taught us that that's
not only presumptuous, but it's anti-scriptural. The Lord Jesus
Christ said, I will build my church. That's not our business. He has commanded us, you go and
preach. I will build my church. If I
build something and call it a church, it won't be worth being a part
of. Think about this now. If the Lord Jesus Christ builds
his church, what a privilege, what an honor it is to be part
of it, to be counted among that number. The writer of Acts said
in chapter 2, verse 47 of the book of Acts, regarding the church
and how the Lord has been saving his people by the preaching of
the gospel. back then and now, he said this,
as the gospel went forth and people, some believed, some believed
not, but here's what happened also. The Lord added to the church
daily, such as should be saved. The Lord added. And that's the
way a church is built. The word church is an interesting
word. It's a compound word. It's two
words combined together in the original language. It's a word
that means called, joined with another word that means out,
called out. The portion of the word which
means called is the same exact words word that is used in Matthew
4.21 where it says, And going on from thence, the Lord saw
other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother,
in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and
he called them. He called them. There's a lot
in that word. I'm sure he called their names.
He called them from something. He called them to something.
He called them irresistibly. He called them with authority.
He called them to do something. He said, I'll make you fishers
of men. He called them, called out. That's what a church is.
It's called out. It also is the same word used
in Matthew 9, 13, where our Lord said, but go ye and learn what
that meaneth. I will have mercy and not sacrifice
for I have not come to call the righteous. but sinners to repentance. The Lord came to call some people,
called them out. Out of this world, as the songwriter
said, out of my sin and into thyself, out of my darkness,
into thy light. In 1 Corinthians 1.9, it says,
God is faithful by whom ye were called. Same word. unto the fellowship
of his son Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see who the church is
here. Called. Called unto the fellowship of
the Lord Jesus Christ. Called to the ministry. Faith
Fishers of men. Called out of a place to a place. And the way that it was used
in this combined form in the scriptures was to designate a
called out assembly. It wasn't just individual. The church is not an individual. The church is an assembly of
called out individuals, a gathering of citizens. So you see what
the Lord meant by it. Those I have called out to assemble
in my name, citizens of the kingdom of God and every citizen of the
kingdom is part of what we call the universal church. I'm sure
you've heard that phrase before, the universal church. What's
that? The Lord didn't say anything there about a universal church.
He just said church. Yes. But the scriptures speak
of what we call a universal church. You can call it something else.
Many don't believe that there is such a thing as a universal
church. Well, if you're one of them and
you don't believe that, then tell me what this is in Hebrews
12. Turn there with me, please. Hebrews chapter 12. Maybe you know somebody that
doesn't believe in a universal church. Ask them what this is
right here referring to, who these people are. Hebrews 12,
18. For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched.
This is Paul preaching concerning Mount Sinai and Mount Calvary,
the two mountains, Mount Zion, which is the city of God. You know, you are not come unto
the mount that might be touched and that burned with fire, nor
unto blackness and darkness and tempest. You're not called to
Mount Sinai. The sound of a trumpet and the
voice of words, which voice they heard, They that heard entreated
that the word should not be spoken to them anymore, for they could
not endure that which was commanded. No man can endure that which
God commands. And if so much as a beast touched
the mountain, it shall be stoned or thrust through with a dart.
And so terrible was the sight that Moses said, I exceedingly
fear and quake, but ye are come unto Mount Zion. and unto the
city of the living God. That's where God calls us. To
his house, to his city, to his kingdom, the heavenly Jerusalem,
and to an innumerable company of angels. And look at verse
23. Who is this? And to the general assembly and
church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven. That's
not College Grove Grace Church. You can't limit those that are
written in heaven to this place or to any place. That's God's
entire universal church. To God, the judge of all, and
to the spirits of just men made perfect, all those who are made
perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant, and to the
blood of sprinkling that speaketh better things than that. of Abel. Now you can call that general
assembly, whatever you want to call it, but I suppose universal
church works just fine. I know what's meant by that,
don't you? It's the general assembly before God of all of his people
throughout the world of every age. We've never all met together
in one place yet, but we will in our experience do that very
thing. From God's eternal perspective, we always have. We always have. He's always had one church. There
is also the local church, what we call the local church, which
is an assembly of saints in a specific location. College Grove, Danville,
Lexington. And this church is a group of
believers, but there are always unbelievers among them. Always. Wheat and tares. The universal
church is the perfect church of God. The local church, as
we see in the book of Revelation, has problems. They all have problems. The universal church is the whole
body of believers of all time, seen by the eternal God only.
Some call it the invisible church because you can't see them. You
don't know who they are. and seen in Christ. Seen only
by God and seen in Christ. His son spotless, without blemish,
holy and pure. Every one of them. Every one
of them. There's no terrors in that church.
Ephesians 5, 25, husbands love your wives, even as Christ also
loved the church and gave himself for it. Who's that? That's all
of his people all over the world in every age. The church, that
he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water
by the word that he might present it to himself a glorious church
not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing but that it should
be holy and without blemish. Everyone that Christ died for
is that church and that church is precious to him. He gave himself
for it. The local church is what we experience
here. And God's people experience in
other places where they meet these assemblies in which we
meet every week. And there is in that church,
the local church, every local church, a striving to keep the
unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. That's what Paul exhorted
us to. There's a continual striving.
There are tares growing up in the midst of the wheat, and we
don't know who they are. We don't know the wheat from
the tares good enough to do anything about it. There can be some knowledge
by their fruit, you shall know them. Especially those who preach
and speak for God, you'll know them by their fruits. And there
can be some knowledge, but we don't have enough knowledge to
really know the difference enough to do anything about it. We can
know enough to stay away from somebody and to fellowship with
somebody else. But the Lord said that if we
try to tear up the tears, we'll pull some weed up with them.
We don't know enough to do that. That's not our business. We leave
that to him to finish in the end of the world. He said he'll
take care of that. And that'll be fine. He don't
need us to help with that or with anything for that matter.
All of God's people within these local assemblies in every place
and of every age are part of the General Assembly of the Firstborn. So we see what the church is
in those two senses. The church is a group of people. And I've said this to you many
times, but I don't know who all was here and who wasn't. And
I know that most of you know this. This building is an auditorium. That's what I call, this is an
auditorium. That means a large building or hall used for public
gatherings. That pretty much describes it,
doesn't it? And that the word auditory is
in it, says that it has something to do with hearing something,
doesn't it? It's a place that we come to hear. But this is
a special large building or hall, because it's where God's people
meet. But it's still just a building. This is not the church. It's
a very fine auditorium, but we're the church, God's people are
his church. Ephesians 1.22, and you can turn,
we're gonna look at a lot, a lot, a lot of scripture this morning,
because this scripture is gonna be a comfort. If the Lord will
speak to our hearts this morning, this will be not only comforting,
but very instructive regarding what we are. what we are as a
group, as an assembly. Ephesians 1.22, the Father hath
put all things under Christ's feet and gave him to be the head
over all things to the church which is his body. The church
is Christ's body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all. We're the fullness of Him. Colossians
118. And He, Christ, is the head of
the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn
from the dead, that in all things He might have the preeminence. Christ is going to have the preeminence,
and we have something to do with that. We're in on that. Not because
He needs us or we add anything to Him. But we are his body and
it's that way he the head and we the body that he might have
the preeminence What does that mean he is the
head and we are his body Well, I know a couple of things about
that. I know this I'll tell you one thing it means for sure You
don't want to be against his church in any way Because it's
his body You do not want to harm in any way, even one of his little
ones. Matthew 18, 6, whoso shall offend
one of these little ones, which believe in me, that's his church,
it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck and
that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. That sounds very
unpleasant, but that's preferable to opposing God's church, either
as a group or as individuals. He said in Matthew 25, 40, verily,
verily, I say unto you, inasmuch as you've done it unto one of
the least of these, my brethren, you've done it unto me. If you've
done it to the body, you've done it to the head. I'll tell you what else it means.
The head and the body. Think about this picture. My
head is part of my body. No question about that. It's
one body. We're one with Him. We're vitally
united to Him. Insomuch that the Scripture says,
as He is, so are we in this world. That's vital union with Christ. 1 John 4, 17, Herein is our love
made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment,
because as He is, so are we in this world. In what way? Loved of God even as the Son
is loved of God his Father. John 17, 23. He who loves the
head loves the body the same even as. Sent into this world
to preach his gospel even as he himself was sent. Isn't that
a privilege as the church? We're defining what we are. We're
one with him. He's the head. We're the body.
In what way are we in this world as he is? Well, he said to his
disciples, peace be unto you, as my father hath sent me, even
so, just like that, send I you. As he is, so are we. What a privilege. He said, I must be about my father's
business. We have the same business. Oh,
what a privilege that is. We quoted well ago, Ephesians
5, 27. Listen to this. Not having spot
or wrinkle or any such thing, holy and without blemish. Who's
that describing? The church. Hmm. You know, that language sounds
familiar. Not having spot or blemish, holy and without blame. Listen to 1 Peter 1 18, for as
much as you know that you were not redeemed with corruptible
things as silver and gold from your vain conversation, received
by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of
Christ as of a lamb. What kind of lamb, Paul? Without
blemish and without spot. As he is, so are we. As it is with the head, so it
is with the body. There is no spot or blemish in
the head. And there's no spot or blemish
in his body. That's who his church is. As
he is, so are we. Now look at with me these places
in scripture where the church is referred to, and let's learn
something about ourselves as God's church from each one. First of all, the church is His
bride, His eternal bride. Revelation 19. Now look at this
with me. Revelation 19, verse 6. Revelation 19, 6. And I heard,
as it were, the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of
many waters, and as the voice of mighty thundering, saying,
hallelujah, for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Let us be glad. Are you glad
he reigns? And rejoice, and give honor to
him. give honor to the one that reigns
and there's a good reason for that for the marriage of the
lamb is come and his wife hath made herself ready and to her
was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen clean and
white clean and bright that's what that word there is clean
and bright you remember What the Lord looked like on the Mount
of Transfiguration? He was bright. And we in Him
are the same. For the fine linen is the righteousness
of saints. It's His righteousness. His righteousness
is my righteousness. My righteousness is not like
His. It's not derived from His. It is His. It's His. He is the Lord, my righteousness. And He saith unto me, Write.
Write this down, record this forever. Blessed are they which
are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, these are
the true sayings of God. His wife, his wife, hath made
herself ready. I would say from this passage
of scripture, we could conclude one thing about his church, if
nothing else. we are blessed. Blessed are they,
blessed are they. He said to his church as he walked
with them on this earth, I am the vine and you're the branches. Now this teaches us something
about what we are too. You know what it teaches us?
What he said after he said that, which is this, without me, you
can do nothing. Can we remember that? Boy, as
your pastor, that's something I need to remember. And he has
a way of reminding me of that quite a bit. Without me, you
can do nothing. You know, religion talks about
his mighty church, onward Christian soldier. We're nothing. Nothing. I'm a voice crying in the wilderness. And that's what this church is.
That's what we're here for. For the support of a ministry,
a voice, a message. Go and preach. And everything
else that happens is only that which is necessary that we might
go and preach. And without Him, we can't do
that. We can do nothing. Let's remember that as His church,
shall we? I pray that I will. He calls
his church his little flock. Look at Luke 12. This is instructive
now. There's a reason why he calls
us his little flock. That's because he's our shepherd,
and he's the bishop of our souls. He has the care over us, the
watch over us, the responsibility of us. Luke 12, 29, listen to
what he says. And seek not ye what ye shall
eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. For all these things do the nations
of the world seek after, and your father knoweth that ye have
need of these things. But rather seek ye the kingdom
of God, and all these things shall be added unto you." So
you see the context here in which he says, don't be afraid, my
little flock of sheep. in the context of our needs.
Our earthly needs, in particular, are here addressed. All of them. All of them. Fear not, little
flock. Don't be of doubtful mind about
these things. Don't worry about these things.
It is your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. His
kingdom in this world is his church, his people. And he as
the head, the king, the ruler. And we his citizens, his subjects. His kingdom is ours, and as such
we shall lack nothing. That's so instructive regarding
the church. We're his little flock. Let me
ask you this. Are you afraid of anything? Me
too. Me too. I am. At times. But I'm not proud of it. I don't
have any excuse for it. My Lord said, don't be afraid. Let not your heart be troubled.
You believe in God, believe also in me. Do you consider yourself
the friend of the Son of God? He considers you his friend.
In John 15, 14, He said, my friends, my friends, he had something
to say to them there. And he started this way. Listen
to it. Look at verse 13, John 15, 13. Greater love hath no man than
this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends. If you do
whatsoever I command you, Henceforth I call you not servants, for
the servant knoweth not what his Lord doeth, but I have called
you friends." In what sense here? This is interesting. He laid
down his life for his friends. That says something about who
we are as his friends. His friends are somebody that
he loved so much that he gave himself for us. And he loves
his friends so much that he said, everything that I've heard of
my father, I've revealed it to you. I want my friends to know
what I know that's good, don't you? If there's anything I know
that'd be good for them, that's been good for me, I'm going to
tell them about it. I'm going to tell them. And that's
what our Lord has done for us. He's told us everything that
he received of his father. because we're his friends, not
just servants. We're privileged to be his servants.
Paul said, I'm a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ, but we're
more than that to him. We're privileged to be the friend
of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Paul said to the elders of the
church at Ephesus in Acts 20, 28, take heed therefore unto
yourselves and to all the flock over which the Holy Ghost hath
made you overseers, to feed the church of God, there again regarded
as a flock, over which the Holy Ghost hath
made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath
purchased with his own blood. Now what does that teach us about
his church? He purchased the church with his own blood. And this is what I asked myself
about that. Is the church important to me?
I'm charged with the oversight under Christ of his church to
feed his church, his flock. And I'm told in the same breath
that he bought the church with his own blood. Is the church
important to me? Is it to you? His church, his
family, his flock. He's taught his church to love
one another and to serve one another. In Romans 16 one, Paul
refers to a lady there in that verse and says, she's the servant
of the church. That's what I want to be, a servant
to God's church. First John four, verse six, to love one another. This is his church. It's a group
of people that are identified by their love for one another. He said, this is the way that
all men shall know that you're my disciples, my people, my flock,
my church, that you love one another. This world is not going
to love us. If you truly love one of God's
people, I'm talking about really loving them. I have family, blood
family. They don't have much love for
me because they know me. as God's child. If you really love, you know
one of God's people and you love them, you probably are one of
them. That is a real good possibility. 1 John 4, 6, We are of God. He that knoweth God, heareth
us. And he that is not of God, heareth not us. Hereby know we
the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. Beloved, let us love
one another, for love is of God. And this is in the context now
of hearing, hearing us, hearing the message, hearing what we
preach, what we testify, hearing our confession of Christ. Those
that are of God will hear it, and those who aren't won't. And
let us love one another, for love is of God, and everyone
that loveth is born of God, loves us as a confessed believer in
the Lord Jesus Christ. Everyone that loveth is born
of God and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not
God, for God is love. God is love. And if you don't
have God, you don't know God, what you call in love ain't love.
That's what he said right there. He that loveth not knoweth not
God, for God is love. And this was manifested the love
of God toward us because that God sent his only begotten son
into the world that we might live through him. This is his
church now. Herein is love. Not that we loved
God, but that he loved us and sent his son to be the propitiation
for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us,
we just read there in Acts where it said he loved his church and
gave himself for it. If that's true, oh, how we ought
to love one another. If God loves you enough to send
his son to die for you, then what in the world do I have against
you? That puts me in a real bad place, doesn't it? If he loves
you and I don't, that's on me. That's on me. The church is called in the scripture,
we've seen this recently in another study, the temple and habitation
of God, the temple of God, where God lives. in this world, where
he lives in this world, like the tabernacle and the temple
of old. First Corinthians 6, 19, what? Know ye not that your
body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you, which
ye have of God, and you're not your own. You see the context
in which he uses that? We're the temple, we're the habitation
of God. And Paul says, as such, you're
not your own. This has something to do with
our behavior, doesn't it? If Christ dwells in you, it'll
show. And that's the context there
in 1 Corinthians 6. He's rebuking them for some things
that are unbecoming. Someone who claims the name of
the Lord Jesus Christ. And he said, don't you know that
you're the temple of the spirit of God? You're not your own. You don't live for yourself.
You don't do what you do for yourself, but for him. We're one with Him, and we've
talked about that, the head and the body. But in that context,
look at Hebrews 2. Look at it with me, Hebrews 2.10.
For it became Him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all
things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain
of their salvation perfect through suffering. For both he that sanctifies
and they who are sanctified are all of one. For which cause he
is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying, I will declare thy name
unto my brethren in the midst of the church while I sing praise
unto thee, the church, my brethren, that's it, the church. And again,
I will put my trust in him. And again, behold, I and the
children which God has given me, His church were the ones
that were given to him by his father. In the midst of the church,
he said, and in the same breath, those that you've given me, the
children that you gave me. That's who he was praying for
in John 17, his church. For as much then as the children
are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took
part of the same, that through death he might destroy him that
had the power of death, that is the devil, and deliver them
who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to
bondage. For verily he took not on him the nature of angels,
but he took on him the seed of Abraham, wherefore in all things
it behooved him to be made alike unto his brethren, that he might
be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to
God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. Both
he that sanctifieth by that reconciliation made with his precious blood,
And they who are sanctified, the ones who are washed in that
blood, are all of one. And then I close with just a
thought. We're sent, we're called out, and we're sent with a purpose. We have business in this world
as his church. That's clear in the scripture.
First Timothy 3.15, listen. But if I tarry long, that thou
mayest know how thou," this is Paul talking to Timothy. If I
don't come to you, I want you to know this for a while. I want
you to know this. How thou oughtest to behave thyself
in the church, the house of God, which is the church of the living
God. Listen to the way he describes
the church to Timothy, young preacher. The pillar and ground
of the truth. God has established His truth
in this world, in His church. We are sent to declare the truth. We are stewards of the manifold
grace of God. 1 Peter 4, we're right there
close, if you're still in Hebrew, so turn there real quickly with
me. 1 Peter 4, 7, this is important. But the end of all things is
at hand, Be ye therefore sober and watch unto prayer, and above
all things have fervent love among yourselves, for love shall
cover the multitude of sins. Use hospitality one to another
without grudging, as every man hath received the gift, even
so minister the same one to another as good stewards of the manifold
grace of God. If any man speak, listen to this,
let him speak as the oracles of God. That doesn't mean just
anything I think of to say is God speaking. That means if I
say something, it better be what God said. Let it be as the oracles
of God. If you got an argument with me,
my preaching, you better be arguing with God or you need a new preacher. You see what I'm saying? Let
him speak as the oracles of God. If any man minister, let him
do it as of the ability which God giveth. We minister in so
many ways. I've told you so many times.
It's not just about giving money or singing a song. It's cleaning
the bathrooms. Some have the ministry of just
being an encouragement. Not everybody has that, believe
me. I fear that I'm not much of an encouragement. The psalm
just had that ministry, just being around them. My friend
Tommy Robbins had that ministry. Not only as a pastor, he had
the ministry of Christ in preaching the gospel, but he was just flat
an encouragement to me. Wherever we were, and there are
many like that. If you minister, let him do it
as of the ability which God giveth, not in the flesh. that God in
all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ. He's not going
to be glorified by anything we do in this flesh. He's going
to be glorified by His Word going forth, by us encouraging one
another in Him, by us singing of Him and working for Him and
serving Him and doing everything He's worthy of us doing. that
he might be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise
and dominion forever and ever. Amen. May that be a description
of this church. May God make it so. What do you
have at your church? You know how many times I've
heard that? What do y'all have? Do you have a choir? Do you have
music ministry? Do you have a youth ministry?
You know what we have? We have the truth. The truth,
the pillar and ground of the truth. The Lord Jesus Christ
said in John 18 37, Pilate said to him, Are you a king then?
And Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end
was I born and for this cause came I into the world that I
should bear witness unto the truth. Everyone that is of the
truth heareth my voice." And as we, as he said, as we saw
in John 20, 21, as the father has sent me, he said, even so
send out you go and preach. We bear witness of the truth.
He came into the world to bear witness of the truth. And he
sent us just as he was sent. He said, you're the light of
the world. You're the salt of the earth. And one final thought. His church is where he is. He
feedeth among the lilies. He's in his garden. He said,
where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am. What
a blessed, wonderful privilege it is to be a member of his church. Let's bow in prayer.