Kerwin Baptist Church Daily Broadcast

Welcome to the Kerwin Baptist Tour.

We talk first about obviously his suffering, his blood we talked about. We talked about his salvation. And today I'm excited and we're going to preach fast and hard to you and let you get out before it gets toasty in here. But today we're preaching on an exciting subject, his church. And by the way, it is his church. We're going to talk about this today. And you know a lot of times as you go through just trying to remind folks what Christ has done, the way he set things up.

It's not necessarily the most motivational that, you know, you got all these decisions you need to make in your life. But I believe that you and I need to take the subject of the church extremely serious because he purchased the church with his own blood. We're getting ready to read. Look at verse 25. For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. 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 which he hath purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, Paul speaking, speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after them.

Therefore watch and remember that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn everyone night and day with tears. His church, let me read you a verse that we will deal with a little bit later on. And this is I believe one of my favorite verses in the Bible. Matthew chapter 16 verse 18.

Listen to it closely. And I say also unto thee thou art Peter. Upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Wow. His church. Let's pray this morning. Lord we love you and Lord as we do our best to rightfully divide.

Lord we cannot exhaust this subject this morning as just too much. It would take too many services but Lord as we just try to briefly look at a few aspects of your church. God I pray that you would bless us today. Thank you for the local church.

Thank you for founding it, for setting it up. Thank you for purchasing Lord our salvation with your own blood. And Lord I pray that we would get excited as believers and Lord I pray that you would encourage our people as a result of these brief moments together. Lord to be more dedicated, more faithful, more serious about the church. And Lord I pray that you would bless us. Lord this is the avenue you have chosen.

It is the preaching of your word through the ministry of the local church. And so Lord I pray that you would bless us today in Jesus precious name we pray. Amen. As we look at the church this morning. Number one.

I want you to see this. The purchase of the church. In order to understand the church we have to know its background. We have to know what happened.

We have to know why it's here. You read it in verse 28. Feed the church of God which he hath purchased with his own blood. Listen to me. The church belongs to Christ because he purchased it with his own blood.

Well I appreciate six of you that are excited about that fact. Now listen to me. The church doesn't belong to me. And the church doesn't belong to you.

The church doesn't belong to any of us. It doesn't matter what I want. Doesn't matter what you want. Doesn't matter what sister so and so wants.

It doesn't matter what the local college wants. it doesn't matter what society or culture wants because they don't own the church, I don't own the church, you don't own the church, none of us own the church because we didn't purchase it. Christ purchased it with his own blood.

He did all the work, he spent all the cost and we get all the benefit. We need to understand right now the reason that oftentimes we look to God and say, God, you know, a lot of people might be doing a lot of different things and we might be right, right, wrong on certain areas, but all we're trying to do is do our best to operate the church like we believe. God wants it operated because it's his. I want you to understand, I know it's not mine, trust me.

If it was, you would be in trouble. Could you imagine, I'd have TVs on every wall and no, I'm just joking, I wouldn't do that. Listen, all of us, if it was up to us and we had our way, we might do things different and we might want this and we might want that, but dear friend, I want you to understand, we all have different preferences, but we've got to understand this morning, Christ is the one that purchased the church. He did all the work, we got all the benefit. I've told you this, I don't know, a few years back, might be many of you, Lord's laid it on my heart to share it I was talking to my son, Daniel, this week and his cousin was at our house, my son's birthday was Thursday, you remember from the announcements last week, I'm sure. And so his two cousins came over and spent the night in different things and one of his cousins has braces. And talking about how long he has for, he gets his braces off in different things and we were talking to Daniel, probably you're gonna have to have braces and I had braces and different things and we were talking about that and I just don't know why I did, but I led into how and why I had braces. I had very, very crooked teeth and there had to be a flaw somewhere, so I guess that was it.

I don't even wanna hear it, I do not wanna hear it. But my mom and dad could not afford braces and the older I got, obviously my teeth were crooked in different things and that was just the way it was gonna be and mom and dad were in evangelism, traveling and we could not afford braces. Doctor said I need to have them, obviously it was obvious I needed to have them and anyway, and dating was very difficult back in those days and at eight, nine years old it was very hard, but my mom, years before that, my mom and dad were preaching, I believe it was Indiana, I'm sure I might get certain details not correct, I'm sure dad will correct them when we're done here today, but I'll just tell you the details that I can remember pretty much, but there was a dentist, I believe it was in Indiana, and years ago they had preached in that area and had met this dentist and he was young, pretty much just kind of starting off at that point and he had done some dental work for my mom and dad is where they were in revival meetings that week and as they met him, my mom obviously said, well what do we owe you for this and he said, well I know you're a preacher and in the ministry and different things and I believe he was a Christian man, I'm not sure of the extent, but I believe he was a believer, but anyway he said, well that's no charge, I just wanted to do that for you and you all know dental work is very, very expensive and so my mom said, well is there anything I can do, can you do me this, can you just give me something to pray for you about? My mom was obviously a great prayer warrior, very faithful every morning, before I ever woke up my mom always had her prayer time done and I don't know if he meant it flippant, I don't think he meant it that way, but it would probably put him on the spot kind of last minute and she said, what can I pray for you for? He said, well, he said, if you'll do, just pray that God will bless my business and make me a millionaire, just pray God will make me a millionaire and my mom said, okay and of course they went on traveling and it was years after that and my mom put that on her prayer list and prayed every day for that dentist to become a millionaire. Now you say, well that sounds kind of dumb, that's what he asked to pray for and he had given free dental work to them and my mom felt, that's what he's asked and I'm gonna do my best to pray for it.

You all remember this and some years later we were in that area and obviously I was older, I didn't have braces and we couldn't afford them in different things and we were near that area and so they wanted to take me over to this dentist and when they saw them, my mom, they were talking to him, it was so good to see him and his business had grown in different things and my mom said, well, can I ask you a question? He said, well, yes, Ms. Patney, she said, did you become a millionaire and he just kind of looked like that's a very strange question for somebody to ask and she said, well, years ago you asked me to pray that you'd become a millionaire, that God would bless your business and I've been praying every day for that. I just want to know, can I mark that as a praise? Has God done that for you? And he said, well, yes, ma'am, a few times over and she said, well, that way I can put a praise.

Amen. That man looked at me that day and knowing my mom had prayed all those years, he put braces on my teeth and I have straight teeth today because my mom prayed. She did all the work. I got all the benefit and my wife got the benefit of that. It's the gift that keeps on giving. I just wish I gave it more, that's all.

I like kissing you, babe, I really do. Do you know that you and I get all the benefit of the church? We get the encouragement, we need it, we get all these things from the church.

Why, because we put all the effort and we put all, nope, because he did all the work and we get all the benefit. Number two this morning, I want you to see not only the purchase of the church but the purpose of the church. Notice if you would, verse 25 in Acts chapter 20 where we read, notice this. And now behold, I know that ye all among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God shall see my face no more. Number one, I want you to understand one of the primary purposes of the church is to evangelize.

He said I have been preaching the kingdom of God. Do you understand that the main purpose of our church is not to have a club where we get entertained. This generation, they want all this fellowship but they don't wanna get out and tell anybody about Christ.

Dear friend, you oughta get fellowship here at the church but I'm gonna tell you something, we're over fellowship sometimes and we're under outreach. The purpose of the church is to get out and preach the kingdom of God. The Bible says the great commission, we call it, go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. One of the main purposes of the church is to evangelize. He said this, I have been faithful to preach the kingdom of God to every one of you. Notice number two, the purpose of the church in verse 27.

He says for I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. Purpose of the church is not just to evangelize but second, to educate. You know why it's important for us to be in God's house is for us to learn everything we can learn about God's word and it is the job of the church to not just preach what is enjoyable to people and not just preach what they might deem as positive but it is our job to share and preach and teach all the counsel of God. It's to educate. Do you know sometimes, and my kids go to school and you know what, I don't remember the last time I came home, you know, brought them home from school and they just said, Dad, I am so glad that literally for the next at least 12 to 13 years of my life that I could go to school and learn and put that into my head how wonderful I can, wait to get up every morning and be educated. Now if your kid did that, God bless you.

I didn't do it, my youngins don't do it but you know what, we educate them anyway. You know what, sometimes educating or being educated isn't always fun but it's necessary. It's our job as the church to educate, to teach all the counsel of God. Notice number three, purpose of the church is to evangelize, to educate. Number three, to edify. Look at verse 28 if you would. 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. You know what the word edify means? It means to build up, it means to make better. Do you know what happens when you feed things?

They get bigger, they grow. And do you understand that literally it is our job as a church to encourage when a person needs encouraged and to challenge when they need challenged and it is our job to edify, to build up, to feed. Why? Because it's the church that Christ purchased. First Thessalonians chapter five verse 11 says this.

Just listen to me. Wherefore comfort yourselves together and edify one another even as also ye do and we beseech you brethren to know them which labor among you, to get to know each other, to build up, to encourage. Do you understand sometimes that we are guilty at church that when folks are broken and down we break them more.

They're down bowing and crying, we put our foot right on that neck and say well you deserve it because you were living that way. Dear friend I want you to understand the part of the job of our church is to edify, to build up, to encourage, to strengthen Romans 14, 17 for the kingdom of God is not meat and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God and approved of me. Let us therefore follow after, listen to this, the things which make for peace and things wherewith one might edify another.

We ought to look for ways to build up our brothers and sisters in Christ instead of ways to break them down. The church is to evangelize, the church is to educate, the church is to edify. Notice verse 31, the church is also to exhort. What does exhort mean preacher? What's the difference between that and edify?

Edify is to build up, exhort means to warn. Notice if you would verse 31, therefore watch and remember that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears. Listen to this, Hebrews 3.12, take heed brethren lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God, but exhort one another daily while it is called today, lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

Did you hear that? Lest you get hardened as folks are growing away from Christ, exhort one another daily. Warn them, this is dangerous, you're gonna regret this. Give your life to Christ. We oughta look at our young people that are in our homes and in our classes here at this church and part of it should be exhorting them, warning them that when you live a life according to the flesh, it will bring destruction. I don't know if this is real popular this morning, but that's the church's job.

It's not just to have a social, it's to warn. May I say number three, I want you to see the promise to the church. We've seen the purchase, we've seen the purpose. Number three, I want you to see the promise to the church. Look at verse 29. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after them. This passage makes it very clear, number one, that Satan can cripple the church.

He can do that. You say, what do you mean cripple the church? It means to prevent the church from going where it needs to go and accomplishing what it needs to accomplish. Satan can bring divisions in a church and he can bring strife in a church and he can bring jealousy and he can bring complacency. Satan can cripple a church.

He said in verse 29, after my departing, grievous wolves will enter in, not sparing the flock. There's a whole bunch of things that can come into our church. Jealousy can come in. Strife can come in.

Complacency can come in. And dear friend, I want you to know Satan can cripple a church. Number two, I want you to understand that Satan can confuse the church. Notice verse 30. Also of your own selves shall men arise. Do you not think that it's confusing sometimes somebody gets in church and they think, well, hey, I love this church and boy, they're doing good and then they get around somebody else and they're talking about they don't like this and they don't like that and they don't like this person and they don't like how we do this and I don't think they oughta do that and before long, literally there's confusion in a church that wasn't caused by God's word and it wasn't caused by God. It was caused by us.

Amen. Behind all of it, Satan. It doesn't mean that you can't disagree and it doesn't mean that you don't have an opinion and Lord knows sometimes that we may well get it wrong and we mess up and like, boy, you're right and we just, you know, we learn from that. That's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about when you just literally or an individual has a spirit, a critical spirit, an angry spirit and literally they can bring confusion into a church and Satan uses that. Number three, he makes it obvious here that Satan can contaminate a church. I want you to look at verse 30, the end of it.

He said, speaking perverse things to draw away to sight. Do you know that Satan has done that a lot? He can get into good churches, good people and get them off track believing wrong things, believing false doctrine, getting caught up in this mess and that mess and before long here's a good church, good people and all of a sudden it's contaminated and Satan can cripple a church and he can confuse a church and he can contaminate a church but I read you a verse to start off the entire thing and God did say this, that upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. You look at me today, God, Satan can cripple it and Satan can confuse it and he can contaminate it but I want you to know number four this morning that Satan cannot conquer the church.

He can damage it, he can hurt it, he can prevent it, he can slow it down but I'm here to tell you God has promised he can overcome it. Now you look at me, you say, well preacher, no just listen to me real quick. You young people out there, you teenagers, you young couples, now you listen to me real close and I love you and I know this is a Sunday morning but you just hold on to your britches just for a second. I want you to understand this, you need to make a decision right now and realize that there's a whole lot of things in your life that can be temporary, that can end, that can break up, a lot of things that you can put your trust in and put your money in and put your enjoyment in and they can come and go and there's nothing everlasting about it but you decide this morning that you're gonna connect yourself to a church because I'm telling you, God said Satan can't conquer that. Now look at me, I want you to get this, you need to support the church, you need to love the church, you need to be faithful to the church, you need to give to the church, you need to attach yourself to the church. It's the one thing that Satan cannot ruin in your life. They have people that connect themselves to everything else and then all of a sudden something bad happens, now they want the church. I'm here to tell you, listen, the gates of hell, that means everything hell has to offer cannot conquer the church. So you just get up as close to it as you can and you live for God and you make God's house a priority, you get in, stay in, stay happy, stay content and just serve God and I'm gonna tell you right now, a lot of things that a lot of people do might fade away but Satan cannot conquer the church. You just excuse me, I'm caught in the mouth this morning.

Some medication I'm on. When the tongue quits working, I'm just gonna keep gumming if I preach, okay? Number four and last, we're almost done. I want you to look at Ephesians chapter five, if you will, and we'll be done this morning. Last, I want you to see the purification of the church. Ephesians chapter five, you say, well, this is a weird chapter to go for this. Let's look at verse 25.

Oh, that's even stranger preacher. Ephesians 5, 25, the purification of the church. I want you to understand God is doing a work in the church and God is doing a work in you if you'll stay faithful and stay committed to a church. Notice if you would, verse 25, husbands love your wives even as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it.

Now, why did he do it? Look at verse 26. That he might sanctify and cleanse it, the church, 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. Listen, Christ purchased the church and he has a purpose for the church and he made a promise to the church that if you'll just do things the way I've told you to do them, the gates of hell can't stop it.

Now get this, what is he doing in this? He is taking you, the believers, the people that he died for, that he purchased our salvation and he chose the local church for folks to get in and learn and be edified and be exhorted and be educated and be evangelized and the whole purpose is to change us and mold us and to make us into the bride that Christ deserves. I want you to notice, number one, he presents a clean church. He said in verse 25, as Christ loved the church, gave himself for it, that he might sanctify and cleanse it. Now, how do you cleanse a church? Thank God we got some good people that clean this church and they're doing a great job. We got good people that take care of the grounds and they're doing an awesome job. We got people that work ministries in the church and they're doing a great job but how do you clean a whole church? There's only one way, by getting up, spitting, hollering, screaming at them.

Nope. How did God say that he cleans his church? By the word. You find yourself in your life getting a little bit dirty, getting a little bit further from God.

Let me tell you where you get it right. You get in God's word. You've gotten away from it and I've gotten away from it and we get away from it and I'm here to tell you that you can try to just decide one day I'm gonna motivate myself and I'm gonna get right and I'm gonna clean up my life and I'm gonna go talk to so and so and they're gonna help me clean up my life and I'm gonna get this DVD series on this and it's gonna help me clean up my life and I'm here to tell you all those things are fine but where you get clean is through the word of God. If everything else you try doesn't get you in God's word, you leave all that alone and get in God's word. God is presenting himself a clean church and the only way that happens is if the word of God is preached and taught. Number two, he's giving a consecrated church. Notice if you would, it says husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it that he might sanctify and cleanse it with a washing of water by the word that he might present to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing but that it should be what? Holy and without blemish, consecrated, set apart.

Look at me, dear friend. How can we be as a church what Christ wants? It says that why he purchased the church because he loved it and he wants to present it back to himself a clean church and a consecrated church. Consecrated means set apart. How can we be the same as the world and still be consecrated? If we're the same, then we're not set apart.

We're set among. But he says what I want from my church is to set apart. Now remember, he already said you gotta evangelize and exhort.

Doesn't mean we don't love people and reach people. But when he looks at the church, Christ expects different. He wants us clean and he wants us consecrated.

Notice this third thing. I want you to see a cherished church. Verse 25, husbands, you determine, you decide right now to love your wife no matter what.

Why? Because Christ cherished the church so much that he loved it and he gave himself for it. Let me tell you how cherished this local church is.

Christ loves it so much that he gave himself for the church. I'll tell you something. I can stand up here. You know why? Well, because you bought, you got all the, nope. Because I had a mom that prayed. Got all the benefit.

She did all the work. Dear friend, I'm here to say that the church is probably the most important thing in your life. Besides, obviously, your personal walk with God and your family, the church should be the most important thing in your life. Because all the church is supposed to do is to help make us what Christ wants us to be. Because we get all the benefit and he did all the work. It's the least we can do. His church, I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Why would we not want to be part of something like that? Thank you for listening today. We hope you received a blessing from our broadcast. The Kirtland Baptist Church is located at 4520 Old Hollow Road in Kernersville, North Carolina. You may also contact us by phone at 336-993-5192 or via the web at kirtlandbaptistchurch.com. Enjoy our services live and all our media on our website and church app. Thank you for listening to the Kirtland broadcast today. God bless you. God bless you, God bless you, God bless you, God bless you.