Three Things to Remember as a Church
1 Corinthians 11:2
July 10th
2011 PM
Pastor Craig Ledbetter
I.
Introduction
(1Corinthians 11:2)
A.
Jesus gave us some things to
constantly work on as a group of believers. Three things to remember, to
reminisce, to constantly review as a church.
B.
They are three “ordinances” –
three special commands, just for believers, in a local church.
1.
People who are not saved are
commanded to repent and believe the Gospel
2.
People who are saved, are
commanded to become members of a Bible believing church near them – we call
them, local, Bible Believing Baptist Churches
3.
Those already members of a
local Bible believing church have some duties – some commandments to obey – they
are called “ordinances”
C.
What is an Ordinance?
1.
It is not a sacrament – there
are seven of those – and they all are steps towards heaven
2.
It is not a suggestion – to
many churches, Christ’s commands are optional; but not to a Bible believing
church!
3.
It is a command that Jesus
gave to His disciples to cause them to act as a unified body of believers
4.
It is a memorial or reminder
of some precious historical event of great significance.
5.
Usually a set of symbolic
ceremonies that set forth a central truth of the Christian faith – they have no
power of themselves, but are simply acts of obedience to remind us of the
important things in the Christian’s life!
D.
Why all the Reminding?
1.
So that we will Protect our
church
2.
So that we will stay Humble
3.
So that we can Promote the
Foolishness of the Spirit instead of the Flesh
E.
Let’s talk about the three
ordinances of a Christian church!
II.
Message
A.
Loving the Brethren
(John 13:34,35; 15:12)
1.
This was the first ordinance
that Jesus commanded His small group of followers
a.
Tens of thousands followed Him
for the free food, and fun, and excitement
b.
But in the end, almost all
left when the going got tough, and the preaching got hard and tough to
understand (John 6:66,67)
c.
It was then that Jesus taught
about loving one another!
2.
Of all the “ordinances”
that Jesus gave to His followers, this is probably the most neglected! The most
easily rejected
3.
Yet, this one act of
obedience most clearly identifies a group of believers, not just by what they
believe, but by how they live (John 13:35) – beyond feelings and human
limitations!
4.
The command is, We are to
love one another!
a.
It doesn’t come naturally –
not a work of the flesh
1)
Loving people in spite of
themselves
2)
Loving people because Christ
loves them
3)
Loving them more than you love
your needs
b.
It never gets easier
1)
It is easy to start out with
love
2)
It is a whole lot harder to
let it continue (Heb 13:1)
c.
We are to love one another
“as I have loved you” (John 13:34)
1)
This is how to love one
another…
2)
Not in word only (although
that is important), but in deed and in truth (1John 3:18)
3)
Fervently (1Peter 1:22)
4)
Endeavouring to keep unity
(Eph 4:1-3)
5)
Love as a servant, not the
master (Gal 5:13)
6)
Embarrassingly – adapt to
one another
7)
Sacrificially
8)
Forgetfully – as Jesus
forgot about Peter’s denial – overlook 99%!
9)
Ruggedly – not letting the
other person’s actions and reactions dictate our feelings!
10)
Patiently – allow the other
person to grow
d.
1Cor 13:4-8 gives the
greatest description of HOW to love anybody!!!
1)
Charity suffereth long, and
is kind – always respond better than treated
2)
Charity envieth not – never
think anything is unfair
3)
Charity vaunteth not
itself, is not puffed up – never worries about your reputation – only the other
person’s
4)
Doth not behave itself
unseemly – is always under the control of the Holy Spirit
5)
Seeketh not her own –
doesn’t seek anything for self
6)
Is not easily provoked –
has thick skin, and not offended easily
7)
Thinketh no evil – never
let’s the mind surmise!
8)
Rejoiceth not in iniquity,
but rejoiceth in the truth – never rejoices when another person gets into
troubles
9)
Beareth all things,
believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
10)
Charity never faileth –
that is some love!
5.
Believers in a local church
MUST learn to love each other, or else they will never be a unified body – they
will only be selfish creatures that meet together – and will leave when their
needs are not met!
B.
The Remembrance Supper
(Matthew 26:26-30; 1Cor 11:23-34)
1.
One the evening of His
betrayal, just before being crucified, Jesus asked that His followers would
always remember His death for their life.
2.
And He used two simple
foods to remind us of His LIFE that was sacrificed
a.
Unleavened bread – His body
b.
Unleavened wine – His blood
c.
Leaven is a type, a picture
of what? Sin in our nature
3.
The three ideas about the
Lord's Supper.
a.
Transubstantiation:
The Roman Catholic doctrine which teaches that the bread and wine actually
become the body and blood of Christ when consecrated by the priest during mass,
even though they still look and taste the same. Thus the one partaking literally
eats Christ's flesh and drinks his blood. Needless to say, this is without
scriptural support. In fact, it is totally refuted by the book of Hebrews
(7:24-27; 9:12, 24, 25, 28; 10:11, 12).
b.
Consubstantiation:
The Lutheran doctrine which teaches that, while the bread and wine remain the
same, the presence of the body of Christ is nevertheless "in, with, and under"
both elements. While this error is not as severe as the above, it too is totally
unscriptural.
c.
Memorialization:
The doctrine which teaches that the bread and wine are mere symbols to remind
and aid the believer in observing both the first and second comings of our Lord.
This belief is both scriptural and sensible (1 Cor. 11:24-26).
4.
The purpose of the Lord's
Supper.
a.
The Lord's table involves a
threefold look.
1)
We are to look backward.
"For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's
death" (1 Cor. 11:26).
2)
We are to look inward. "But
let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that
cup" (1 Cor. 11:28).
3)
We are to look forward.
"Till he come" (1 Cor. 11:26).
b.
To remind us of Jesus, and
what He did to make us free!
5.
The prerequisites
(necessary conditions) of the Lord's Supper.
a.
What group is invited to
this table?
1)
Salvation - The Lord's
Supper is only for believers, but it includes all believers.
2)
Sanctification – only for
those who are clean in their heart
a)
Prayed up
b)
Confessed up
c)
Yielded up – not rebellious
b.
Individuals who are
forbidden to partake:
1)
The unsaved
2)
And the unclean.
3)
To the unsaved, God offers
John 3:16,
4)
To the unclean (backslidden
Christian), he extends 1 John 1:9.
6.
The penalty of the Lord's
Supper (1Cor 11:29, 30).
a.
Several words deserve our
consideration.
1)
Unworthily.
a)
Unsaved makes you unworthy
b)
Sinning makes you unworthy
2)
Damnation.
Condemnation and judgment of life and health. This judgment may be manifested in
a twofold manner:
a)
through physical sickness
(11:30)
b)
and through physical death-
"and many sleep."
b.
There is a wonderful way to
become able to participate in this memorialisation (11:28,31)
1)
Examine yourself – your own
heart
2)
Repent to God
3)
Humble yourself to the
people you have sinned against
7.
The frequency of the Lord's
Supper.
a.
As often as we want
b.
I wouldn’t do it every week
– too precious – it would be like having Christmas every week!
c.
It needs to be more often
than just once a year so that we don’t let sin creep into our lives!
C.
Baptism
(Mt 28:19)
1.
The meaning of the word
baptism.
a.
Baptism by definition means
the placement of something into something else, as in immersion.
b.
The words sprinkling or
pouring are never used in the New Testament for baptism. Every scholar knows
that the original meaning in the New Testament for baptism meant immersion.
2.
In Acts, publically
immersing new believers into water was to show everyone that they now were
following the RISEN Jesus!
a.
At Pentecost, 3,000 were
baptized by Peter and the apostles (Acts 2:41).
b.
In
c.
In
d.
In
e.
In
f.
In Philippi, Paul baptized
g.
In
h.
In
3.
The false views on baptism.
a.
Is it necessary for
salvation? (Eph 2:8,9; 1Cor 1:17)
b.
Is it for infants? (Acts
8:36-38)
c.
Does it have any power at
all? No! It is only an act of obedience!
4.
The symbolism of baptism.
What exactly does baptism symbolize?
a.
The death of Jesus –
and my death with Him when I got born again
b.
The burial of Jesus –
and my old life and past being buried and put away like Jesus’ body was buried
c.
The resurrection of Jesus –
and my new life now as a follower of Jesus
5.
The Purpose of Baptism.
a.
Identification with the
Jesus Christ – like the wearing of a uniform.
b.
Baptism is also an
identification with the right kind of
church. A church that believes correctly about baptism, and about the
Bible.
c.
It keeps people out of a
local church who don’t want to obey the Bible. Baptism is the sign that someone
is ready to start obeying the Bible, and will follow it all their lives!
6.
Have you been SCRIPTURALLY
baptized? By a church that believes the BIBLE?
III.
Conclusion
A.
Can you Remember the Victory
in your Life when you were forgiven? Isn’t the Lord’s Supper a precious
reminder?
B.
Have you taken the First Step
since becoming a follower of Jesus? Baptism
C.
Are You Willing to Stay
Humble? Love the Brethren as much as Christ loves YOU?