1112. Choosing a Local Church

Welcome to The Daily Platform from Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina. Today on The Daily Platform, we're continuing a study series about the role of the Church called Christ's Body, the Church. Today's message will be preached by Dr. Brent Cook of the Bob Jones University Seminary. Let's go to Acts chapter 2 and verse 42. Now we will find a record of the formation of the first Church at Pentecost.

And we are going to find here an emphasis not on consumerism, but on commitment. Acts 2 and verse 42. And Luke will tell us that the early Church committed themselves to four things. And they continued steadfastly in the Apostles' doctrine and fellowship and in breaking of bread and in prayers. So let's just simply examine these four things and see what it is that the earliest Church committed to.

And I will spend the majority of our time with the first. What is the Apostles' doctrine? Well, this is a term that doubtless refers to everything the Apostles taught.

But I believe that in this context, Luke has a much narrower meaning when he uses this term. He is actually focusing our attention on a central doctrine from which everything else is going to radiate. Remember that at Pentecost, none of the New Testament has been written. Paul hasn't been converted yet.

In fact, it's going to be another 15 years before he begins his public ministry. And it's going to be another 20 to 30 years before we even have the majority of the New Testament. The apostolic teaching that the Church commits to at Pentecost is Peter's sermon in the immediate context. Now to understand this sermon, we've got to go back approximately nine months to the last summer of Jesus' public ministry. To an event that's recorded for us in Matthew chapter 16.

In Matthew chapter 16, Jesus has journeyed to the north of Israel to a place called Caesarea Philippi. And Jesus has two great truths that he wishes to communicate to his disciples. The first truth concerns his identity. Who is Jesus?

And so he puts a question to them. Who do people say that I am? And the apostles say, well, some people say you're John the Baptist. And some people say you're Elijah. And some say you're Jeremiah. But then Jesus changes the question. Who do you say that I am? And Peter, in a moment of triumph, boldly responds, thou art the Christ, the son of a living God.

And that's the right answer. And so Jesus is going to move very quickly to the second great truth. From that time forth, Matthew says, he tells them, I'm going to Jerusalem. And I'm going to suffer. And I'm going to die. And I'm going to come back to life in three days. And Peter is caught off guard by this statement regarding Jesus' death.

This will never happen to you, he says. And Jesus responds to Peter with the harshest rebuke imaginable. Satan. Peter is profoundly mistaken about the purpose of Christ's incarnation. Now between these two truths, this truth of Jesus' deity and the truth of his death and resurrection, Jesus will introduce to us the church for the first time.

And here is the very first thing that he says about it. Matthew 16 verse 18, I will build my church and the gates of hell, that's our word Hades or the grave, shall not prevail against it. Now this phrase, the gates of hell, has been a source of much confusion throughout church history.

Many believe it refers to some sort of underworld government ruled over by Satan trying to conquer the church. But this is actually a medieval interpretation that's influenced by Dante's inferno. Do you realize that Satan has never been to hell?

The lake of fire is his future judgment, it's not his present dominion. This term, the gates of Hades, the term gates refers to an entrance. In this case, the entrance to the grave. We have this identical phrase occur in the Septuagint translation of Isaiah 38 and verse 10, where Hezekiah is at the point of death. And he says, I was about to go into the gates of Hades or the grave, but God gives him 15 more years of life. So clearly what Jesus is referring to here is death. Death will not conquer the church. Death will not conquer the founder, he's coming back in three days. And death will not conquer his followers.

If you lose your life, you'll find it. So Jesus in his first mention of a church is claiming a whole community of people to participate in his resurrection life. Christ literally built his church on this great truth of the resurrection. The halo of persecution would surround Christ's church for the first 300 years of its existence. More than seven generation of martyrs will follow Christ to the death before the coming of Constantine.

And there's only one way to explain that. They believed that they were already resurrected in Jesus. Ignatius of Antioch, who was thrown to the lions, wrote a letter to the church of Rome in anticipation of his martyrdom. And just listen to what he says, when I suffer, I shall be the freed man of Jesus Christ and shall rise again, emancipated in him. Now let's go back to Acts chapter 2, where Peter preaches the inaugural sermon in church history. This is nine months later, and I think that Peter is likely thinking about this incident in Matthew 16. And notice in verse 22 the subject of his sermon.

Jesus of Nazareth, a man. Verse 23, second half of the verse, ye have taken and by wicked hands have crucified and slain. This is exactly what Jesus told Peter what happened to him at Jerusalem. Verse 24, whom God hath raised up having loosed the pains of death because it was not possible that he should be holding of it. Peter is here proclaiming what he didn't understand back at Caesarea Philippi.

It was actually impossible for Jesus to stay in the grave. And in verses 26 and 27, Peter will quote David in Psalm 16 as proof for the resurrection. He says, my flesh, notice the emphasis here on the body, my flesh shall rest in hope because that will not leave my soul in hell. That's the very word Hades that we found back in Matthew 16.

Neither will thou suffer thine holy one to see corruption. And in verse 31, Peter is going to interpret Psalm 16 and apply it to Jesus Christ himself. He, that is David, seeing this before, spake of the resurrection of Christ. That his soul was not left in hell, Hades, the grave, neither his flesh or his body did see corruption. Peter is claiming that God not only took a body in his incarnation, but in his resurrection he kept it uncorrupted forever. In the resurrection, my friends, Jesus becomes permanently incarnate so that we can be permanently united with him. And when Peter preaches this, 3,000 people believe. And in verse 42, they commit themselves to the apostles doctrine.

What is it that they are committing to? The permanent incarnation of Christ through his resurrection and his permanent identification with his church. Now let me give you several additional reasons why I think that Luke is particularly focused on the resurrection when he refers to the apostles doctrine. If you would just glance over at Acts chapter 1 and verse 22, the apostles believe that it is necessary to replace Judas Iscariot.

And notice how they put it. One must be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection. This is how the apostles view themselves. We are witnesses to the resurrection of Christ. We see the same idea in Acts 2 and verse 32 and again in chapter 3 and verse 15 where Peter will identify himself as a witness to the resurrection. In Acts chapter 10, Peter will tell Cornelius that God raised Jesus from the dead and he commanded the apostles to preach the resurrection. And that's why in chapter 3, we have a record of Peter's second sermon. And guess what his second sermon is on? The resurrection. And in chapter 4, we have a record of Peter's third sermon where Peter will defend his healing of a lame man.

And notice what he says. By the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him does this man stand before you whole. What Peter is claiming is that this miracle only happened because the power of Christ is not buried in a tomb.

That's why this miracle happened. And Peter is not the only one that emphasizes the resurrection. You're going to find the same emphasis in Paul. After his conversion, Paul will journey to Jerusalem and he will tell us that he receives his doctrine straight from the apostles to make sure that he gets it correct. And listen to what he says in 1 Corinthians 15. I delivered unto you, you Corinthians, that which I also received. Christ died for our sins according to the scripture. He was buried and he rose again the third day according to the scripture. And beginning in Acts chapter 22, we have a whole account here of several trials that Paul is going to go through toward the end of his ministry in which he will defend himself.

And I just want to read to you selections from these trials. And I think it will really make the case that Paul is centered on the resurrection. Acts 22 and verse 14, Paul says that he was chosen to see the resurrected Christ, to hear the resurrected Christ, and to preach him to all men. 23 verse 6, of the hope of the resurrection, Paul says, I am called in question. 24, 21, touching the resurrection of the dead, I am called in question by you this day. 28, 25, 18 through 19, Felix says to Agrippa, the accusers had certain questions against Paul of one Jesus which was dead whom Paul affirmed to be alive. 26, 6 through 8, Paul says, I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers. Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you that God should raise the dead?

Are you getting the point? One more, 26, 22 through 23, I continue to this day witnessing both the small and great that Christ should suffer and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead. The apostles were constantly talking about this. Why is the resurrection so important?

Well, I want to give you three reasons among many others. The resurrection authenticates Christ's identity as God. Paul will say in Romans 1 and verse 4 that Jesus was declared to be the son of God with power by the resurrection from the grave. Secondly, the resurrection authenticates the gospel. Paul will say in 1 Corinthians 15 that if there is no resurrection, the apostles are liars and that your faith is vain and the dead are gone forever and all of you Christians are the most miserable people in all the world. And thirdly, the resurrection inaugurates the second half of the story of mankind on the earth.

This is the new humanity that again Dr. McGonigal spoke of last week. After his resurrection Jesus Christ claimed to his disciples that all authority has been given to me. This is Matthew chapter 28. Have you ever wondered what he does with all that authority? That authority in heaven and in earth has all been given to him?

You don't have to wonder. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15 precisely what he does with it. This is Paul's great chapter on the resurrection. He says for instance, for as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

And listen to where all of this is going. Then cometh the end when he that is Christ shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father when he shall put down all rule and all authority and all power for he must reign till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. With the rolling away of the stone, Jesus begins to roll back the curse and recover all that is lost in Adam. Do you understand what we have been celebrating every Sunday morning together with the apostles and with the martyrs and with the fathers and with the reformers and with the missionaries and with the saints from all ages from the last two thousand years?

What have we been doing every Sunday morning? Jesus is alive and we are permanently united with him through his resurrection life. The story of Christianity my friends is the story of Christ continuing incarnation in his people.

And it is not only the greatest story ever told, it is the greatest story that could ever possibly be told. Well that's the apostles doctrine. What about fellowship? What is fellowship in chapter 2 and verse 42? This is the second thing the church commits to. Well when you and I think about fellowship we are likely to think about food at somebody's house after church or pleasant conversation with friends, play dates for our kids, perhaps a Saturday morning Bible study.

You know these are all very good things. But the first Christians were much more radical. We have a description of their fellowship in verses 44 to 45.

Look at these words. And all that believe were together and had all things in common and sold their possessions and goods and parted them to all men as every man had need. We are talking about a kind of ecclesiastical communism. What do you make of this? Let's be careful how we interpret historical passages. History tells us what happened but history is not always precedent setting. Luke gives us no indication that this practice becomes the norm in the early church. In fact he tells us in Acts chapter 5 that the practice will actually prove disastrous for one couple. But at the same time let's not dismiss this passage as irrelevant. I think what Luke is communicating to us here is that the early church responded to the resurrection of Jesus by becoming suddenly charitable with their possessions.

That's a lesson for us. When you get a hold of the truth that Jesus Christ is alive and that his resurrection body is merely the seed of a whole new world to come, you begin to hold your possessions a little more loosely for the sake of Christ's church. For my entire life I've known a man in India who was the founder and president of a Bible college.

He told me many years ago that he would be quite content to die without a dime in his pocket. This man has poured his whole life, his resources, all of his abilities into training men for the ministry. And within the context of my life his students have planted more than a thousand churches across India. That's the fellowship of the resurrection. Welcome again to Acts 2 and verse 42. Let us look at the third item that the church committed to. What is the breaking of bread? Well, Luke in the book of Luke chapter 22 and verse 19 will use a similar phrase to describe the institution of the Lord's Supper. The breaking of bread and the cup were to be permanent testimonies of Christ's suffering and his death. But they were also permanent testimonies to Christ's resurrection and his second coming. Because Christ told the apostles that he would eat this meal with them again in the kingdom. So regular communion is the means by which we keep ourselves centered in the incarnation life of Jesus. Regular communion was so vital to the early church. In many cases they practiced it every Sunday. And it was the means again by which they keep themselves centered in the new life of Jesus. Paul will tell us in Colossians chapter 3 that believers have already died.

We learned about that yesterday. They've been crucified with Christ, they've been risen with Christ, but nevertheless they are capable of enormous sin. Dr. Pettit spoke yesterday of our need to mortify our flesh, to put to death our flesh. So how is it that we evaluate whether we are living centered in this new life in Jesus Christ?

You know we have many answers to this question. From spiritual checklist to self-help books and accountability partners, these are all good things no doubt. But for me personally, none of them work quite so well as the means that Jesus instituted. Regular communion. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 11 that a primary purpose of communion is self-examination. And he tells us that I could actually end up very sick or even quite dead for taking communion unworthily. That's a frightening thing is it not?

When I was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 17, my doctors gave me all the medical explanations as to the origins of cancer. But I had to ask myself a very serious question. Did my cancer result from taking communion improperly?

That was a live option for me, as it should be for you. Now let's be really cautious. We are never to go around evaluating other Christians who have some sort of physical ailment and wondering if somehow they've taken communion unworthily. The Bible is very clear that some of God's greatest saints are permitted to go through trials and tribulations as a testimony to all of us. Paul says that we have to examine ourselves. And by examining ourselves we keep ourselves centered in the resurrection life of Christ.

So what is the fourth thing the church committed to? Well in verse 42 it's prayer. And notice the Greek text here reads the prayers. And prayers is plural. We are talking about regular scheduled times of prayer. We are talking about the deliberate cultivation of corporate prayer in the church. And it's very interesting to read through the book of Acts and to notice the kinds of things that people actually pray for. They will certainly pray for the advancement of the gospel of the resurrected Christ. And what you will notice is a striking absence to the kinds of petty consumeristic self-interested concerns that so easily occupy our prayers. There's an emphasis here on the advance of the good news that Christ is alive. So let's go back to our question.

What should we be looking for when choosing a church? Three years ago I met a man on a cross country flight who was born on Christmas Day and so his mother named him Jesus. And I had the wonderful opportunity of sharing the gospel with Jesus. And three weeks later he emailed me and told me that he had run into some Christians down in Florida and they had communicated the identical gospel, the identical good news with him and that he had been born again. And here's what he wrote to me. I believe my birthday is not 12 o'clock a.m. December 25th 1985 any longer.

Instead it's 1245 p.m. January 9th 2011. This is a new life. And I don't know what to share at the moment other than I found a great Christian church to go and worship Christ. That's exactly the spirit of the early church. They thought of themselves as part of this resurrection community that was coming together to celebrate the resurrection of Christ.

And they kept coming back Sunday after Sunday after Sunday and we've been doing that for 2,000 years. And notice in Jesus's letter there is not a hint of consumerism. It's commitment. So friends you need to find a church preaching the Apostles Doctrine where you can celebrate your resurrection life in Christ. You need to find a church that expects you to fellowship by sharing your wealth, your resources, your abilities, your talents for the sake of Christ's church. And you need to find a church that expects you. It's commitment that expects you to examine yourself through regular communion and that expects you to mortify your flesh so that you can stay centered in the resurrection life of Christ. And you need to find a church that expects you to be a regular and consistent participant in praying for the advancement of the good news that Jesus Christ is alive.

Would you all just answer this very simple question? Is Jesus alive? If he is, then shouldn't you take ownership in the story of his resurrection life and his continuing incarnation in his people? Our Father, we thank you for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who is very much alive today. We thank you for his church. We thank you for the wonderful privilege that we have to be a part of that church. And I pray that every student that graduates from Bob Jones University would commit themselves to your church for their entire life. We pray this in Christ's name. Amen. You've been listening to a sermon preached at Bob Jones University by Dr. Brent Cook, which is part of the study series about the church titled Christ's Body, the Church. Join us again tomorrow for the conclusion of this series here on The Daily Platform.