How Many Are There? 4-6-25 AM

I.            Jesus said He would build a church (Matt. 16:18).

a.      This verse is the ending point of a much longer discussion.

                                                              i.      It began back in verse 13.

                                                            ii.      Jesus asked the disciples who men were saying He was.

                                                          iii.      They told Him the various people they had heard people saying He was.

b.      Jesus then got personal by asking them who they thought He was.

c.       Peter gave the great and inspired answer in verse 16 (Matt. 16:16).

d.      Jesus told Peter he was exactly right and based on the fact that He was the Son of God, Jesus says He was going to build His church.

                                                              i.      Notice that “church” is singular.

                                                            ii.      He did not say He was going to build a multiplicity of churches.

e.      Another important point to notice is that Jesus used the words “church” and “kingdom” interchangeably.

                                                              i.      This is important!

                                                            ii.      The reason it is important is because the word “kingdom” is what we see used in the Old Testament.

                                                          iii.      Jesus was uniting the concepts of kingdom and church into one unit.

f.        It was revealed to Daniel that there would be a kingdom established in the future.

                                                              i.      Daniel 2:44.

                                                            ii.      Daniel 7:13-14.

g.      Each of these mention just one kingdom – Jesus said He would build one church.

h.      Another concept seen in the Old Testament that would be combined with the church is that of a house.

                                                              i.      Isa. 2:2-3.

                                                            ii.      These concepts are tied together by inspiration in 1 Tim. 3:15.

                                                          iii.      Isaiah was inspired to write about one house of God.

                                                          iv.      Paul was inspired to write that the house of God is the church of God, by which is meant the church belonging to God.

i.        When John began paving the way for Jesus, John spoke of the kingdom (Matt. 3:2).

j.        When Jesus began preaching, Jesus used the same wording (Matt. 4:17).

k.      All that the prophets and Jesus mentioned was one kingdom or church.

II.            Jesus purchased one church (Acts 20:28).

a.      Paul met with the elders of the church that met in Ephesus one last time.

b.      The conversation he had with them is recorded towards the end of Acts 20.

c.       Paul told them to take heed or pay attention to themselves and to all the flock over which the Holy Spirit had placed them.

d.      The reason they needed to pay attention to themselves and the flock was to make sure they were feeding the flock, which Paul called the church of God.

                                                              i.      The main job of an eldership is to make sure the church is fed properly.

                                                            ii.      The proper feeding of the church is God’s word (1 Pe. 2:2).

e.      For our purposes, notice the last phrase of the verse: which He has purchased with His own blood.

                                                              i.      This shows us Jesus is God because Jesus is the one who shed His blood.

                                                            ii.      This also shows us the church is singular.

                                                          iii.      This also shows us the importance of the church.

f.        If one is as good as another, then you are saying that the blood of Jesus is not that important.

                                                              i.      Each of us that is of age has purchased a car.

                                                            ii.      If you take that car to be serviced and they brought out another vehicle how would you feel?

                                                          iii.      If you expressed your disapproval and they responded by saying one is as good as another, how would you feel?

g.      How do we think Jesus feels when we say that about the church that cost His own blood to purchase?

h.      If something cost such a precious thing as the blood of our sinless Savior, we should never denigrate by saying one is as good as another.

III.            Jesus has one body.

a.      Romans 12:4-5.

                                                              i.      A body is made up of a lot of parts.

                                                            ii.      The church is made of a lot of members.

                                                          iii.      As with the parts of a body, each member is very important.

                                                          iv.      But, we make up one body in Christ.

b.      1 Corinthians 12:12-20.

                                                              i.      Christ has one body.

                                                            ii.      We get into that body by being baptized into it according to verse 13, which corresponds with Php. 3:26-27.

                                                          iii.      Each part of the body is important and God has given us the abilities we have for a reason.

                                                          iv.      But the important part for us to notice is that there is one body, not many.

                                                            v.      Another important point is found in verse 25 – that there be no schism, or division.

                                                          vi.      A body doesn’t do different things and it suffers when there is a problem or division in it.

                                                        vii.      We need to understand this when it comes to differing doctrines among religious groups.

                                                      viii.      A body of people can’t all teach and believe different things as we see in the religious world today.

                                                          ix.      It didn’t work for an individual congregation in Corinth (1 Cor. 1:10-13).

                                                            x.      It doesn’t work for the church as a whole universally either.

c.       Ephesians 2:16.

                                                              i.      This chapter shows how our Lord brought Jews and Gentiles together for the purpose of salvation.

                                                            ii.      According to verse 14, Jesus made both Jew and Gentile one.

                                                          iii.      He did this by doing away with the Old Law.

                                                          iv.      He united the two into one body.

                                                            v.      Eph. 4:4, in listing several things of which there are just one, Paul was inspired to write there is one body.

d.      Colossians 3:15.

                                                              i.      We are called to be in one body.

                                                            ii.      We are called by the gospel (2 Th. 2:14).

                                                          iii.      Therefore, the gospel calls men to be in body.

e.      You might be asking, “What is this body?”

f.        You are asking a great question and one which is answered in the scriptures.

g.      Ephesians 1:22-23.

                                                              i.      Jesus is the Head of one body, which is the church.

                                                            ii.      Ephesians 2:16 mentions one body just a few verses after Ephesians 1:22-23 says that the body is the church.

                                                          iii.      Therefore, Jesus united Jew and Gentile into one church.

h.      Colossians 1:18.

                                                              i.      Jesus is the head of the body, which is the church.

                                                            ii.      As a body only has one head, a head only has one body.

i.        The New Testament, by means of the illustration of a head and a body, show there is only one church.

IV.            Jesus has one bride.

a.      Ephesians 5:22-33 compare the relationship of Jesus and the church to a husband and a wife.

b.      A husband is to love his wife just like Christ loved the church (vs. 25).

                                                              i.      Jesus showed that love by giving Himself for the church.

                                                            ii.      This goes back to the earlier idea of Jesus purchasing the church with His own blood.

c.       Notice the singular phrases.

                                                              i.      Christ loved the church.

                                                            ii.      Gave Himself for it.

                                                          iii.      That He might sanctify and cleanse it.

                                                          iv.      That He might present it.

                                                            v.      It should be holy and without blemish.

d.      A man should only have one wife.

e.      This illustration loses all its power if Christ has more than one church.

f.        Paul makes sure that we understand that he is talking about Jesus and the church (vs. 32).