The Mystery Revealed
Identity Revealed
Andy Woodfield –24.03.07
Hickman Community Church
INTRODUCTION: Building a room on Devaneys garage. Need to know what this room is for, what is its purpose? So, to understand what it means to be the church is of utmost importance if we are to understand Hickman Community Church and its purpose.
There is a crisis of identity when it comes to the Church – What is it?
For many, the church is a building with stain-glassed windows and a steeple, which sits as an imposing structure of greatness, on a main street in the centre of town. For others, the church is something you go to one day a week to fulfill your religious duty. For others it is a place where you go for confession and cleansing at the hand of a priest or minister of religion. It is the place where babies are christened, men and women get married and the dead are buried. For others, the church is a mysterious thing, a mystical and religious entity that we should never try to understand.
Yet, we won’t find any of these definitions in the Bible.
The word church is used some 114 times in the NT and is always a translation of the Greek word ekklesia. Ekklesia is a compound word of ek, “out” and Kaleo, “to call or summon,” which together mean “called out.” This is a good start to defining the church.
Paul says the church was a mystery revealed: Colossians 1:25-27"Of this church I was made a minister according to the stewardship from God bestowed on me for your benefit, so that I might fully carry out the preaching of the word of God, that is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints, to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." So the church consists of those whom Christ dwells in – both Jews and Greeks.
1 Corinthians 1:2,26 to the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours: …
1 Corinthians 1:9"God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord."
26…for consider your calling brethren….
"And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28)
"and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified." (Romans 8:30)
"I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel;" (Galatians 1:6)
"But when God, who had set me apart even from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, was pleased" (Galatians 1:15)
"This persuasion did not come from Him who calls you." (Galatians 5:8)
"It was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ." (2 Thessalonians 2:14)
"For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance." (Hebrews 9:15)
"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;" (1 Peter 2:9)
The Church is Us We are the Church. Our very destiny is to be found in this community called the church. YET there is a crisis of destiny because there is a crisis of definition. E.g. (Gideon): “You valiant warrior”, “Who me?”
We need to know who we are! It was the reality and grandeur of the church that caused Paul to burst forth in praise to God – Paul understood what a glorious entity the church was and so was willing to endure prison and hardship for her sake.
Join me in Ephesian 1:1-11 where we will consider what the church is. We are going to see seven distinguishing marks of the church which define who and what we are to be.
Proposition: We are going to see “Seven Distinguishing Marks” of the church which define who and what we are to be.
The first distinctive aspect of the church is that we are:
I. Called before Time: Chosen by God before time began. The elect v. 4a
The author of our choosing is God: It is not of accidental existence, nor of the will of man, but it is sovereignly planned and predetermined. The church is not those who by their own will and effort have got it together, for there in would be a boast of the greatness of man. The church is those who by the will of God have been drawn together according to the kind intention of His will. We exist then, not as a human organization but as the people of God, We exist by God, through God, and for God. We are the building blocks that make up the church.
The time of our choosing is before the foundation of the world – literally “from before time began.”
The nature of our choosing is to be holy and blameless.
Ephesians 1:4b…that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love – NOTE: He did not choose us because we were holy….
Christians have been called from the world to pursue holiness. Romans 12:2 says…do not be conformed to the pattern of the world. This literally means to be squeezed into the mould of the world. We are to be separate from the world. Instead of trying to be as much like the world as we can without slipping over the mark we should be pursuing holiness and righteousness.
1 Timothy 6:11 But flee from these things, you man of God; and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness.
2 Timothy 2:22 Now flee from youthful lusts, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
The bottom line for me is found in 1 John 2:15 which says, “Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” Those who claim to be the church while loving and seeking the world are only fooling themselves. God has called us to sanctification. 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.24 Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.
The second distinctive aspect of the church is that we are:
II. Called to belong to God’s Family – The Adopted v. 5
The Christian is one who is intimately identified with God in Christ. The prepositional phases, “in Him,” “before Him,” “to himself” and “in the beloved” all reveal this intimacy. We want to be one with Him. We are proud of our new name as the children of God (1 Thess 1:1; 1 John 1:3; John 17:22; Romans 8:14-17; Rom 6:4-5; Gal 2:20).
I am His and He is mine. This is a sweet life embracing relationship. I am not just a sinner saved by grace, I am a child of God, one who has been placed in the circle of His beloved. My desire is to walk worthy of the new name I have inherited. I am no longer a child of the devil, but by adoption I am a child of my Heavenly Father.
Benefits of adoption
• Absolute unconditional acceptance Rom 8:15; Gal 4:6
•Guaranteed likeness
1 John 3:1 “See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, which we should be called children of God and WE ARE... We shall be like Him.”
•Inheritance Gal 4:7; Rom 8:16 “heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ.
•Effective Fatherly discipline Heb 12:9.
•Future Glory Col 3:3; Rom 8:21 Hidden now, revealed latter.
So then the church are first those who are called before time, second those who are called to belong to God’s family, and the third distinct aspect of the church is that she is called to glorify God…
The third distinctive aspect of the church is that we are:
III. Called to glorify God – The Graceful v. 6
The church are those who proclaim the glorious grace of our Lord Jesus by word and deed. We are called to the adoration (praise) of the manifested excellence (glory), of the undeserved favor (grace of God.
The Word of Grace: That is although He was rich yet for our sakes He became poor that we through His poverty might become rich. (Phil) The world thinks the message of the cross is foolishness but for those who long to glorify God it is the power of God unto salvation. Paul could therefore say I am not ashamed of the gospel. He preached Christ and Him crucified. This is the message that is glorious to God. This is the message that the Holy Spirit came to embolden us with. Matthew 5:16 “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
The deeds of Grace: We are called to glorify God with our bodies. How do we do this? Not by going to the Gym. We do this by keeping ourselves unstained by the world, denying the flesh and resisting the devil.
1 Peter 2:12 Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may on account of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.
"For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds." (Titus 2:11-14)
The church is distinct in that she is called before time, called to belong to God’s family, called to glorify God and …
The fourth distinctive aspect of the church is that we are:
IV. Called out by Blood – The Redeemed v. 7 – 8a
Paul identifies that the church are those who have been redeemed through the precious blood of Christ, and know the forgiveness of our sins and the riches of His grace.
We are a redeemed community. We are a blood bought community.
"but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth; knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ." (1 Peter 1:15-19)
We cannot claim to be the church if we deny the redeeming, purchasing power of the blood of Christ. Unredeemed people who gather under a religious banner with the title of the “church” are not a part of the church that Christ is building. There are many false professors, many who claim allegiance to the church and yet are not those whom Christ bought with His own blood. These people are like children in the playground who pretend to be something they are not but want to be. They are pretenders, playing church, having a form of godliness but denying the power of it. The Bible says without the shedding of blood there can be no forgiveness of sin. It is only as the blood of Christ cleanses us that we can then have the deposit or guarantee of the Holy Spirit come and dwell in our lives.
The church is distinct in that we are called before time, called to belong to God’s family, called to glorify God, called out by blood and..
The fifth distinctive aspect of the church is that we are:
V. Called to know His Will v. 9
We are not of the darkness but children of the light. The church are those who have been filled with great spiritual truths concerning life, death, God, man, and eternity. We are children of the light, We have been given the mind of Christ. We know God’s will and are called to submit our lives to His will as revealed in the Word of God.
What is Gods will?
1. God is not willing that any should perish - 2 Pet 2:9.
2. It is Gods will that you be filled with the Spirit – Eph 5:18
3. It is Gods will that you be pure - “For this is the will of God, even your sanctification” (1 Thes. 4:3–7).
4. It is God’s will that we live in submission to authorities – 1 Pet 2:3-15.
5. It is Gods will that we suffer for His names sake - 1 Pet 3:17; Luke 9:57-58; Phil 1:29
6. It is God’s will that you do what ever you want to do –Psalm 37:4 “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart (That is He will place in side your heart godly desires).
Gods will is not illusive and hard to find – we simply need to read it and obey it – and when we do we know the blessing of it. All we need for life and godliness has been given to us in the Scriptures. Wisdom and insight are freely offered for all who would seek in faith without fear and doubting (James 1). Wisdom finds it’s beginning in the fear of the Lord. That is in being obedient to His Word.
(Cf. Eph 1:15-23 Paul’s prayer for enlightenment; Psalm 19:7-11 – the sufficiency of the WOG)
The church is distinct in that we are called before time, called to belong to God’s family, called to glorify God, called out by blood , called to know His will, and..
The sixth distinctive aspect of the church is that we are:
VI. Called to reign with Christ v. 10
The ultimate purpose of Gods redemptive plan is to place all things under the headship of Christ, and for the Church to reign together, in submission with Him. The church is the symbol of that now submission and exultant reign yet to come on the earth.
We are called to subject ourselves to one another in the fear of the Lord (Eph 5:21). This is not a threat this is so that we might experience the blessing of fellowship and unity. There is no such thing as a Christian who is an island. You have been baptized by the Holy Spirit into One body (1 Cor 12:13). We must make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit. (Eph 4:3). This is possible when we realize that there is only one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism and one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all. We are called to the fellowship of Christ in each others lives, not to isolation.
The church is distinct in that we are called before time, called to belong to God’s family, called to glorify God, called out by blood , called to know His will, called to reign with Christ and..
The seventh distinctive aspect of the church is that we are:
VII. Called to glorification vv. 11-12.
Peter describes our inheritance: 1 Peter 1:4 to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,
A Christians we are committed to glorification. We are aliens and strangers in this world. Our home is beyond this earth. We are building up treasure in heaven. Our future focus is to be where Christ now is. Colossians 3:1-2 If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.2 Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.
Notice v. 12 – we are the primary manifestation of the glory of God on this earth. We display to the watching world visible and invisible the power of God and the grace of God. The glory of God should be the most important checkpoint in our lives. We should be asking at all times, “Is what I am about to do going to bring glory to God?”
CONCLUSION:
Wow what a glorious building God is constructing.
We have seen that the seven distinguishing marks of the church which define who and what we are to be are that we are:
Called before Time, Called to belong to God’s Family, Called to glorify God, Called out by Blood, Called to know His Will, Called to reign with Christ, Called to glorification.
The only right response to such a calling – to our existence in the church is to thank God for the wonder of being in such a community as this.
Quote: J MacArthur: “I believe the church has been called into existence by God Himself. We are what we are because God so ordained us to be that. It is not due primarily to the genius of man, the charisma of leaders, the power of persuasive speech, the affluence of the membership, the effectiveness of our facilities, the wisdom of our committees and programs or the hard work of our members. It is ultimately the work of God. The true church has never been led by men; it has only been served by men. It has always been led by God through the Lordship of Jesus Christ, which is mediated by the Holy Spirit through God’s Word in the lives of obedient people. It is Christ’s church – He build it and leads it. He is the caller; we are the called. This fact helps to explain the churches overall success and blessing. On the other hand, the weakness and failure of the church are explained by the fact that God has chosen to work through human agencies: When we succeed it is because of Him not us. When we fail, it is because of us not Him…The main goal of the church is to let God work and build His kingdom as we obediently submit to His Word and Spirit.”