THE APOSTLES' TEACHING IN BUILDING THE CHURCH
THE APOSTLES’ TEACHING IN BUILDING THE CHURCH
Matthew 16:18, 1 Peter 2:5, Acts 2:42
The grounds for using people to build the church is their acknowledgment (recognition and faithful acceptance) of Jesus Christ as Son of God and Savior of the World, like Peter did. Such people must then offer themselves as living stones for building a spiritual house, the church. The first characteristic of the flourishing church is that they devoted themselves to the Apostles’ Teaching. This sermon looks at how that is so crucial. Here is the outline.
WHO ARE THE APOSTLES?
1. Those that Jesus specifically designated as such (Mark 3:14)
2. Those referred to in the New Testament as such (Rom. 16:7, Gal. 1:19)
3. Those recognized in the church as being/having such gifts as follows:
a) Capacity to lead the entire church to bear witness to the Lord Jesus Christ even at the peril of their lives.
b) Mature Christian leaders recognized by the church as humble and selfless leaders with the ability to guide the flock and other leaders in rightly following the Lord.
Our study concentrates on the first two
WHERE CAN THE APOSTLES TEACHING BE FOUND?
What the Apostles taught can be found directly in the Bible as (a) their sayings, sermons and teachings recorded in the Acts of the Apostles and (b) the Epistles they wrote, which now form the bulk of the New Testament:
a) Peter: 1 & 2 Peter (Also reputed to have supervised Mark)
b) John: John, 1, 2 & 3 John, Revelation
c) James: James
d) Jude: Jude
e) Paul: 13 Epistles + possibly Hebrews
THE SUBSTANCE AND NEED FOR THE APOSTLES’ TEACHING
1. To show from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ (Ac. 18:28). Here are a few examples:
a) “David ... Spoke about the resurrection of Christ” (Ac.2:29-32. cf. Psalm 16:10)
b) “a man whom [God] has appointed..., raising Him from the dead” (Ac. 17: 30,31, 1 Co. 1:23)
c) “Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt (Jude 1:5)
2. To Correct Misrepresentations of the spirit of the Law and the Prophets, such as:
a) 'Certificates permit divorce' (Mt. 5:31)
b) 'Build up towards sin as stated in the Law in not sinful' (Mt. 5:21-26)
c) 'It is virtuous to hate those who hate you' (Mt. 5:38-48, Lk. 9:54,55)
d) 'Godliness is a means to financial gain' (Mt. 6:19-21. cf. 1 Tim. 6:5)
3. To expound the principles of the Kingdom of God taught by Jesus, such as:
a) Being content with little here, while storing treasures in Heaven (Mt. 6:19, 1 Tim. 6:6-10)
b) Unforced righteous living (Bearing fruit of the Spirit, Walking in the light, Presenting yourself as living stone/sacrifice), etc. (Mt. 5:1-14, Gal. 5:22)
c) Laying our lives down for others to enter eternal life (1 John 3:16, 1 Pe. 2:21)
CONCLUSION
The Apostles’ Teaching derive directly from Jesus’ teaching and is for His mission to save the world from sin. The Apostles’ Teaching is already well documented in the New Testament. The three (3) main objectives of the Apostles’ Teaching are: To show that Jesus is the Savior of the world, To correct the misrepresentation of the Law and the Prophets at the time of Jesus, and To teach the principles of the Kingdom of God.
#NotAshamed
Matthew 16:18, 1 Peter 2:5, Acts 2:42
The grounds for using people to build the church is their acknowledgment (recognition and faithful acceptance) of Jesus Christ as Son of God and Savior of the World, like Peter did. Such people must then offer themselves as living stones for building a spiritual house, the church. The first characteristic of the flourishing church is that they devoted themselves to the Apostles’ Teaching. This sermon looks at how that is so crucial. Here is the outline.
WHO ARE THE APOSTLES?
1. Those that Jesus specifically designated as such (Mark 3:14)
2. Those referred to in the New Testament as such (Rom. 16:7, Gal. 1:19)
3. Those recognized in the church as being/having such gifts as follows:
a) Capacity to lead the entire church to bear witness to the Lord Jesus Christ even at the peril of their lives.
b) Mature Christian leaders recognized by the church as humble and selfless leaders with the ability to guide the flock and other leaders in rightly following the Lord.
Our study concentrates on the first two
WHERE CAN THE APOSTLES TEACHING BE FOUND?
What the Apostles taught can be found directly in the Bible as (a) their sayings, sermons and teachings recorded in the Acts of the Apostles and (b) the Epistles they wrote, which now form the bulk of the New Testament:
a) Peter: 1 & 2 Peter (Also reputed to have supervised Mark)
b) John: John, 1, 2 & 3 John, Revelation
c) James: James
d) Jude: Jude
e) Paul: 13 Epistles + possibly Hebrews
THE SUBSTANCE AND NEED FOR THE APOSTLES’ TEACHING
1. To show from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ (Ac. 18:28). Here are a few examples:
a) “David ... Spoke about the resurrection of Christ” (Ac.2:29-32. cf. Psalm 16:10)
b) “a man whom [God] has appointed..., raising Him from the dead” (Ac. 17: 30,31, 1 Co. 1:23)
c) “Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt (Jude 1:5)
2. To Correct Misrepresentations of the spirit of the Law and the Prophets, such as:
a) 'Certificates permit divorce' (Mt. 5:31)
b) 'Build up towards sin as stated in the Law in not sinful' (Mt. 5:21-26)
c) 'It is virtuous to hate those who hate you' (Mt. 5:38-48, Lk. 9:54,55)
d) 'Godliness is a means to financial gain' (Mt. 6:19-21. cf. 1 Tim. 6:5)
3. To expound the principles of the Kingdom of God taught by Jesus, such as:
a) Being content with little here, while storing treasures in Heaven (Mt. 6:19, 1 Tim. 6:6-10)
b) Unforced righteous living (Bearing fruit of the Spirit, Walking in the light, Presenting yourself as living stone/sacrifice), etc. (Mt. 5:1-14, Gal. 5:22)
c) Laying our lives down for others to enter eternal life (1 John 3:16, 1 Pe. 2:21)
CONCLUSION
The Apostles’ Teaching derive directly from Jesus’ teaching and is for His mission to save the world from sin. The Apostles’ Teaching is already well documented in the New Testament. The three (3) main objectives of the Apostles’ Teaching are: To show that Jesus is the Savior of the world, To correct the misrepresentation of the Law and the Prophets at the time of Jesus, and To teach the principles of the Kingdom of God.
#NotAshamed
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