The church is presented as a glorious entity, defined by its relationship to Christ as His body and His bride. The sermon explores the etymology of 'ecclesia' as 'called out ones,' emphasizing that the church is a divine assembly, not merely a human institution. It highlights that the church is a living organism, with Christ as its head, and that believers are living members of this body, each with a function to fulfill. The text also touches upon the church as the temple of God, indwelt by the Holy Spirit, underscoring its sacredness and the importance of unity among believers, as Christ is the unifying name for all true Christians.
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got run over and didn't matter which way I was going. There were so many others. And it's a joy to see that and see them being looked after. And I don't think I'll cheat anymore after hearing that thought. Looking at Ephesians chapter five, verse twenty-five through twenty-seven as a starter. Ephesians five, verse twenty-five. Husbands love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it, 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 a wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish.
like to dwell on that wonderful exhortation to Christian husbands to love their wives and what a standard he set for us. But our subject tonight is the church, the glory of the church and the glory of the churches. And I hope that it captures our hearts afresh as we look at the scriptures. This word for church is occurred eighty times in the New Testament, just singular, church, speaking of the church, the whole company of God since the birth of the church, and thirty-five times the word churches, same word just in the plural, referring to the local assemblage of God's people, the local church.
So in all about a hundred and fifteen times, this word occurs in the New Testament. And I say that to just point up the fact that it's an important subject to God. If he refers to it, leading these chosen apostles to write about it, in particular the apostle Paul, who revealed the truth of the church, and writes so many of the letters in our New Testament addressed to churches. It's important in God's sight, and we dare not treat it lightly.
But I'd like for us to look, first of all, at the word itself, the word church. It's from the Greek word, and you're familiar with the fact that our New Testament was translated, was written in Greek. And it was the ordinary Greek of the day. God didn't leave them to write in a stilted form, classical Greek, but in Koine Greek, which means common. The common people spoke this language. And for a long time, scholars didn't understand where this form of Greek came from. It was so distinct from classical Greek.
And Then they began to find scraps of notes and things of that sort in their excavations, especially in dry areas, like in Egypt even. And they read those papers that they found and they discovered it was the language of the New Testament, that form of Greek, which tells us that God wants us to understand this book. He had it written in common Greek, Greek of everyday use, that people normally use their conversation and correspondence.
Now the word for church is ecclesia, and it literally translated is called out ones. It's a called out company. If you... translated bone literally, called out once. The first occurrence of it in the New Testament is our Lord's own word about it. Matthew sixteen, eighteen, where he said, On this rock I will build my church. The Apostle Peter had just made this tremendous statement about who Jesus really was.
And He said, thou art the son of the living God. And the Spirit led him to say that. The Lord Jesus said, flesh and blood, that is human wisdom and knowledge, didn't reveal this to you, but my Father revealed it to you. And he said, and on this rock I will build my church. I believe that the rock he's referring to there is the rock of Peter's statement that was unique. It was so different from what others were saying of him.
Some of them even spoke of him as the Christ, but nobody had spoken of him as the Son of the living God. And so I believe that's what he's talking about when he says, and on this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. That's the first occurrence of the word church, which indicates that it didn't exist before, doesn't it? Because he said, I will build my church. In other words, he hadn't started building it yet, but common sense would tell us that. Now, this word church can be translated assembly, church, church.
Or, as we notice, bone literally called out company. And that's where we get the idea of an assembly. It's a gathering. And a called out gathering. Let's look at it in some of the places in the New Testament. Acts chapter nineteen. Where this word equicea, which we generally translate as church or assembly. Acts chapter nineteen, verse thirty-two and thirty-nine and forty-one. Acts nineteen, verse thirty-two.
And now, brethren, Acts, I mean twenty, I'm sorry. Acts nineteen, verse thirty-two. Some therefore cried one thing and some another, for the assembly was in confusion, and the greater part knew not for what reason they would come together. This is a heathen crowd here, a mob, and only a man that was very wise was able to slow it down and delay any action. But they were... set on persecuting the Christians.
And yet it says, for the assembly, Ecclesia was in confusion. In other words, he calls this crowd of heathens, heathens gathered together, he calls it the Ecclesia, an assembly. Look at verse thirty-nine. Verse thirty-nine. in the same context. But if you inquire anything concerning other matters, it shall be determined in a lawful assembly, ecclesia. So the word refers to, first of all, to any kind of gather.
Here it's even gathered for a wicked purpose against the Christians. Verse forty-one. And when he had thus spoken, he dismissed the assembly, the ecclesia, it says, in the original. So you see, this word has different applications. Basically, it's assembly, gathered out once for a special purpose. But it can refer even to unsaved people gathered together. And so we have to make a distinction as we read it. We have to read the context the scriptures before and after this statement is made and determine what kind of an assembly he's talking about.
Here it was a crowd of heathen, and yet it's the same word, ecclesia. Now, Acts seven and verse thirty-eight. Here he's speaking of Israel in the Old Testament days, and he says in verse thirty-eight, this is he that was in the church in the wilderness. This is a misleading translation here. It's the word ecclesia again. And the NASB, which is quite an accurate translation, translates it, the congregation in the wilderness.
And Darby translates it, assembly in the wilderness. But it couldn't have been the church in the wilderness because it would contradict all that we know about the church. The Lord Jesus said, I will build my church. So how could it have been back in the wilderness when he hadn't even started building it yet? It's so simple and obvious that I don't think it needs to explain it. And really that is not a true, a correct translation. It should be this is he that was in the assembly, that is of Israel, that assembly, the assembly of a congregation, if you like that better, in the wilderness.
He's speaking of Israel back yonder, and he's certainly not calling it the church. But now the word, we distinguish it when it is the Lord's gathering. When it's his people gather together unto him in his name, as he said, where two or three are gathered together in my name. There am I in the midst. And we realize that The word assembly there can be translated church. I think it came, the original word from which it came had to do with the Lord's gathering.
And therefore it was, the word that was used was church. I don't mind the word church at all. The word church, as long as we realize it's people of God gathered together. unto the Lord himself and they are doing what he prescribes for his assembly to do. The church is church or assembly and we have to read the context where it is in the scripture to determine when we see that word what assembly is and what we're interested in now is his assembly.
his church now what makes this church glorious as we just read in Ephesians is the fact that it was its relationship to Christ imagine the Lord saying my church my assembly my gathering of my people if he calls it his then it ought to put it give it a glory in your eyes and mind my church he said the relationship to him exists in several ways this church and it's why we consider it so glorious Ephesians one twenty three says the church which is his body that which completes Him who completes all in all.
The church is His body. The church is a living thing. It's composed of born-again people. And the moment you were saved by faith in Christ, as we were saved this morning, in that split second you are put into this church by one spirit were we all baptized into one body and the church is that body Ephesians one twenty three says it is the church which is his body that which completes him that's one says in Ephesians five the this is a great mystery but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
The number of mysteries are mentioned in the New Testament, and it's not meaning that it's a mystery now. It's something that was hidden in previous times, as in Colossians chapter two. He mentions that it was hidden in God in times past, but now is revealed through his apostles and prophets. So these mysteries were things. For instance, the coming of the Lord for the church, which is going to be absolutely separate from the judgment of this world and preceding it by at least seven years, the rapture, we call it.
When he teaches that in First Thessalonians four, he says, I show you a mystery. It's a, he calls it a mystery. Or is that, rather, First Corinthians fifteen, I show you a mystery. We shall not all sleep. That is, we won't all die. There are going to be some Christians alive when he comes again and they won't ever die. They'll just be changed. And in that fifteenth chapter, First Corinthians, he calls that a mystery. It was hidden in times past. They didn't know about this. rapture of the church and our being changed and caught up in the air as first Thessalonians four which I mentioned a moment ago tells us in detail he says don't sorrow like others that have no hope because he says if we believe that Christ died and rose again he's going to come again and those that sleep in Jesus he'll bring with him and those that are alive and remain alive will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the clouds.
And so shall we ever be with the Lord. That was a mystery, he calls it. And there are a number of mysteries, a mystery of the kingdom of heaven, but they are secrets that belong to God and were not known in times past, that is in the Old Testament days, but have now been revealed and shouldn't be a mystery to any Christian. for he is revealing these secrets to his people. And he calls the church a mystery. This is a great mystery, he said, in Ephesians chapter five. Nevertheless, I speak concerning Christ and the church.
What an amazing thing that we are living members of his body, the church. He has set each believer in the church the moment we were saved, we were put into that body of Christ, and he's the head in heaven, and he's our only head, and he is the one who dictates to each Christian what his work is and what he should be doing as a fellow member with the other members of the body of Christ. I used to think years ago that being a member of the church meant your name was on the church roll.
But of course that's far from what scripture means when it says we are members. We are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones, he says. We are like an arm. That's a member. It's not a name on a roll. It's a living part of a living body. and the head dictates to that arm what it should do for the good of the whole body. And that's the truth that we see the relationship of the church to Christ is we are his body and living members of that body. And it ought to really get hold of us, dear Christians, and make us examine ourselves.
Am I doing what the Lord wants me to do with regard to the church? I am a living heart, a living organ in that body of Christ, and I should be filling my function as such. And it ought to put us on our knees to find out what he wants me to do, whether it's big or small, whatever it is, to do it for the good of the whole body. And you notice in Ephesians the church which is his body, that which completes him who completes all in all.
The Lord Jesus is certainly complete in himself. The scripture says that in him all fullness should dwell. It was God's pleasure that all fullness should dwell in his son. And he is complete. What can you add to deity? And he is very God, a very God. As much as the Father is, and as much as the Holy Spirit is, he is very God. And God said, let the angels, let them worship him, referring to his son.
And he is complete in himself. And yet the church is so glorious. It has been given such a place with him that it says the church completes him who completes all in all. I think in this regard of the wealthy, let's say a wealthy couple, and they're fine Christians, godly people, and you look at them and you feel like that they're really have made a success in life and they've prospered and they're loving and caring people.
But if they don't have a child to share all that wealth and all that love and care upon, you feel like there's a lack, don't you? We feel like it completes them to have someone or someone that are their own children and that they can lavish this riches and love upon us and that's the only way I can imagine the Lord Jesus is made complete by us it was like when God spoke about Adam and Eve after he had made the man he said it is not good that the man should dwell alone I will make and help his counterpart, as Darby translates it, his counterparts.
That which wouldn't be like an animal that he was lord over, but as him corresponding to Adam, that would answer to Adam, that she would be just flesh of his flesh and bone of his bones, and one with him, and that They could enjoy the creation of God together. So God said it was not good that Adam should dwell alone. And he made this a corresponding creature that must have really been a joy to Adam's heart.
And that's what I believe is being pictured there is the church's relationship to Christ. We complete him. who completes all in all. And he's lavishing his love upon the church. And then another facet of this relationship that exists between Christ and the church. First Timothy chapter three and verse fifteen. Here the apostle is speaking to Timothy and he's giving him instructions concerning the church and in first Timothy three fifteen we read his words to Timothy if I carry along that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God which is the church of the living God the pillar and ground of the truth.
Here he calls it a house, a building. We read of it in First Corinthians of three. Let's turn to that passage too. First Corinthians chapter three. Here he's speaking of the church as a building. And remember the churches is the people. It's not the building. The Lord said to that woman that he saved that day, he said the time comes and now is when those that worship God won't worship him in this mountain, Gerizim, which was where the Samaritans thought was the holy place.
nor in Jerusalem, even that chosen city of God. He said, but he wants those that worship him, to worship him in spirit and in truth. There's not a place. We are gathered together as the house of God, the household of God. It says in Ephesians chapter two. And that's the idea of the house. The household of God. First Corinthians three. Verse sixteen. Know you not that you are the temple of God?
Now he's not speaking of us personally, individually. He's speaking collectively. That's the plural. If you have the King James, it's ye, which is always plural. The plural of you. No, you're not that Ye or you collectively are the temple of God. Think of it. That's God's words. You are the temple of God. Not this building, not any other building. But the people, the saved ones, gathering to him in his name. They are the temple of God.
And that the spirit of God dwelleth in you. You remember when God had them to set up the tabernacle. In Exodus forty, verse thirty-five it says, the glory of God filled the tabernacle so that they couldn't even minister. The glory of God filled the tabernacle because he was dwelling there. Later on under Solomon, when the permanent temple was built, again you read in Second Chronicles chapter nine. verses one through three, that when that temple was completed, according to God's instructions, that he filled it with the glory of God so that the priest couldn't minister.
The glory of God fills his temple. And that's what he's telling us here. In First Corinthians three, verse sixteen, know you not that you are the temple of God. And that the Spirit of God, that's the glory of God. It's the very person of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit. My how we ought to tread carefully in our association with God's people, with the church, because it's holy ground, not the building, but the people. We are the church. And we are the house of God.
And his glory is in our midst. And that's why he warns of anyone tampering or sowing discord or corrupting the things of God in connection with the church, because it is such holy ground. The temple of God is holy. Which temple you are? You're the temple, not the building. That certainly should put the church before us as the most important, most significant thing in God's word.
Then we have the fact that the church is glorious in its union with him, the spirit of God being in us and operating in us. And we are in a living union as members of his body and for his glory. You know, the truth of the church was lost in the dark ages, and it was with great difficulty that it ever came forth in a clear fashion. I'd like to quote for you what I copied from Presbyterian ministers systematic theology, Schaefer, who started Dallas Seminary, Dallas Theological Seminary.
And I'm amazed that this man who was a denominational man would make this statement. But he was a true scholar, and he's sticking to the facts. He says, while there were occasional references to the church, universal, in post-Reformation theological literature, it was not until the middle of the last century that this extensive and important body of teaching was wrought into a doctrinal declaration And it was given to J.N.
Darby of England to achieve this distinctive ministry. Now that's a mouthful, and that's giving credit, where credit is due. I'm not a Darbyite, but I do know a giant when I see one, and Darby was a giant. He translated scriptures, Old Testament and New Testament. from the Hebrew text and from the Greek text. And he had to go and sort out these texts. Only a scholar could do what he did. And besides that, he wrote book after book that's been a blessing.
And he's so accurate in his translation. I've checked him hundreds of times. And I've never found him in an error. As I compared it with the best helps I could get and with my little knowledge of grief, for example. And he was indeed a giant. Now, I don't mean that I agree with Darby and everything he taught, but I'm saying that here is a man that has nothing to gain by making this statement, might even be criticized by his own denomination for making it, but he gives Darby the credit for bringing into focus the truth of the church and we thank God that we now have this before us and we can take it up before God and fill our place in relation to his church now what we'd like to do is to look at the church and look at it this way see what's true of the church the whole of all Christians that have been saved since Pentecost,
from Pentecost on, for that's the birthday of the church. The day the Holy Spirit came fulfilling the prophecy of the type of the feast of weeks or feast of first fruits, as it's also called. And he, that type in Leviticus twenty three pictured this special day when this new thing would appear the church and it's just so important to consider it and then to apply what we learn about it to the local church for the local church is supposed to represent the church As we read about the church, then we look again at the local church and we say it ought to conform to that.
That's the pattern. So let's look at one of these characteristics of the church. In Ephesians four, verse four, Ephesians four, verse four. One of the features of the church that he emphasized. There is one body and one spirit, even as you are called in one hope of your calling.
He's telling us very plainly there isn't but one church. And it's not your church. It's not my brother's church. He goes to a Baptist church. It's not his church. It's not this church. One body. Just one. It's all the believers, since Pentecost, wherever they may be, if they are in the Presbyterian, the Baptist, the Nazarene, the Well, the Catholic Church, wherever truly born-again people are, and that's those that have cast aside their works and everything else to get to heaven, and they've just trusted in Jesus Christ, and what He did for them on that cross alone as their salvation.
Those people, wherever they may be associated, If they've really been born again through faith in Christ, then they are in that one church. We belong to the same church, for that is not but one, and it's composed of all true believers, the world around. All right, if that's the case, then how does the local church operate in the light of the oneness of the body of Christ. Well, let's look at First Corinthians because he deals with that.
First Corinthians, we just have to touch on this tonight and take up where we leave off tomorrow. But let's notice a few verses here in First Corinthians, chapter one, verse two, unto the church of God, which is at Corinth, where he's writing to a local church, To them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, because we are identified with him, we are sanctified, set apart for God. Call saints with all that in every place. Notice this. I love this portion. With all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours.
It's as if he reached out his arms here and is gathering in all the believers in the Lord Jesus, all of them gathering them together, wherever they are, in every place that call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ both theirs and ours. There's that one name. And then in verse ten, I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
Notice what he uses as his fulcrum to pry their hearts, to be of one mind, to be in harmony. I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. That uniting name, I used to take a divisive name. I was born in this denomination, and my father was a minister in it, and it was pretty obvious that I was going to follow in his footsteps, and the people there were getting ready for me to fill his shoes as he was getting older.
But I was under a label that separated me from God's people, those that didn't bear our name. Imagine it. Imagine me having the gall to get up at the Lord's Supper and say, we receive those of right faith and order. And if I said those words and order, I meant you have to have our name, and you have to be baptized by us. Sectarianism. And I was doing just what this tells me I shouldn't do.
I should include in my fellowship all born-again souls, all those that are saved, wherever they may be. And here's the problem that he's dealing with, and that is divisions. And tomorrow night we'll take up there with the divisions that existed in that day and see what God wants us to do as far as names are concerned and keeping this oneness that the Spirit of God is made. Shall we close in the word of prayer? Father, we thank you that your word is complete and that we have these mysteries unknown in the past, in the Old Testament days.
And this mystery revealed to us of the church and its glory. Oh, what a place your church has, dear Lord. And we pray we might take it up and and enjoy the truth with thee, and walk in the light of it, and live and serve accordingly. Give us grace, Father, in this day to truly take the truth and to live in it and serve thee faithfully. We ask it in his precious name. Amen.