The Worthy Walk & The Unity of The Church Pt.1

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The Worthy Walk & The Unity of The Church Pt.1

Ephesians 4:1

August 27, 2023 • Richard Caldwell Jr. • Ephesians 4:1

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Introduction:

The unity of the church is experienced when it is built on something larger than the idea of unity. The unity of God’s people is called for in direct terms, but in a way that references larger issues.

Verse 3 addresses the matter of unity directly. Various statements in this larger section (1-16) address the idea of unity. But the unity called for — if it is to be experienced — will be understood and chosen considering all that is said in this entire section.

Like many other things in the Christian life, we sometimes want to get to an issue DIRECTLY, when our answer will be arrived at in more INDIRECT fashion.

The Christian life is not just doctrine, and it’s not just doctrine and doxology. The Christian life is doctrine, doxology, and duty. The Christian life is principle, praise, and practice.

The word of God never divides these things. Our doctrine, our praise and our living must never be separated. The three are interdependent realities. Doctrine must always come first because you cannot live in the light of what you don't know. But where doctrine is really learned there will be praise and where praise is genuine, there will be obedient living.

All three go together.

In chapter 4, verse 1, you have a call for a WORTHY LIFE.

He says in affect, "Christian, have you really grasped, or are you beginning to get hold of what God has done for you by His grace in Jesus Christ?

Do these really belong to you?

Are you the person who is described in these first 3 chapters?

If so, then realize you have certain obligations. Realize that grace always imparts responsibility.

I implore you to live the kind of life that is in keeping with your profession of faith in Christ.

That worthy walk can be described in four ways.

I. THE CALL TO THE WORTHY WALK IS A LOGICAL CALL (therefore)

The word therefore is found throughout the New Testament. It is such an important word. It carries with it many lessons.

A. IT TEACHES US HOW TO READ OUR BIBLES (Application)

It reminds us that the Bible was never meant by God to be read or studied or taught piece meal. The Bible must be taken as a whole, and we are responsible to know and to learn the whole. We must understand the parts in the context of the whole.

*Many errors in doctrine and many errors in thinking and living would have been avoided if passages of scripture had only been understood in their context.

B. IT TEACHES US HOW TO LIVE THE CHRISTIAN LIFE (Action)

The Christian life is not just learning. The Christian life is not just praising or having some experience. The Christian life is also living and choosing.

It teaches us about how sanctification takes place.

*Doctrine gives us the KNOWLEDGE for Christian living.

*Doctrine gives us the MOTIVE for Christian living.

*Doctrine gives us the CONFIDENCE for Christian living.

But then we must put those things into action; there are real choices that we must make.

NAS Philippians 2:12 So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as In my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

**In other words, it teaches us about BALANCE (proper interdependence) in the Christian life.

We can't always live on the Mount of Transfiguration.

You remember that Peter wanted to stay there and to build three tabernacles. But the Lord made clear that that wasn't what they were to do and coming down off the mountain the Lord delivered a man's son who was demon possessed.

That is how we are sometimes. We want to live on one end of the extreme or the other.

You have those who do not give themselves to doctrine as they should.

You have others who want to do nothing but talk about doctrine yet it never gets into their everyday living.

Both are wrong.

C. IT TEACHES US ABOUT WHAT PRODUCES THE CHARACTER OF OUR LIVING (Apprehension -Appreciation)

Having said that about the importance of practical application, we must also note, however, that the Bible ALWAYS begins with doctrine.

Our lives for Christ will never rise above our understanding of sound doctrine. As our doctrinal understanding is the product of the Holy Spirit’s teaching ministry, our APPRECIATION and HUMILITY will grow with it.

ESV 1 Corinthians 8:1 Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that "all of us possess knowledge." This "knowledge" puffs up, but love builds up.

II. IT IS A LIVING CALL (The Prisoner of the Lord)

He doesn't just exhort them to this life; he commends this life to them. He doesn't just exhort them to it; he serves as an example of it. What do we see in Paul’s words?

A. IT IS A COSTLY LIFE

The Christian life is not pain free. The Christian life is not an easy road.

NAS Matthew 7:14 "For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it.

B. IT IS A CONSECRATED LIFE

It is a life that no longer belongs to you.

NAS 2 Corinthians 5:15 and He died for all, that they who live should no longer live for

themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.

NAS 2 Timothy 2:4 No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.

NAS Acts 20:24 "But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, in order that I may finish my course, and the ministry which I received from the lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God.

This is normal Christian living.

The Lord’s Church - It’s Importance Part 2

September 1, 2024 • Richard Caldwell Jr. • 1 Timothy 3:14–15

Introduction: The importance of the church is on display in Paul’s life and ministry. We saw it in Paul’s passion for the church. We saw it in Paul’s patience with the church. We saw it in the urgency and authority of the message committed to the Lord’s church. We saw it in the detailed instructions given to the Lord’s church. We saw it in the problems faced by the Lord’s church. BUT NOW WE SEE IT IN YET ANOTHER WAY. The importance of the church is seen in its GOD-GIVEN IDENTITY. What is the church? How are we to understand ourselves? Why are we here and what are we to be about? I. THE CHURCH IS THE HOUSEHOLD OF GOD (The church considered as a family) When the church is described as a household — the FAMILY OF GOD — it communicates several truths. This speaks of HONOR — His name is upon us. This speaks of AMBITION — We desire to please our Father. This speaks of UNION — We belong to a family so that we have been brought into a union with our God in Christ and are members of each other (brothers and sisters). This speaks of AUTHORITY — We are under His headship — His rule (Christ is the head of His church). This speaks of NEW BIRTH — We are God’s by means of adoption, but also by means of new nature. There are two families in the earth. Those who have God as their Father, and those who are of their father the devil. This speaks of RESPONSIBILITY — We have care for each other that has been assigned to us. ESV 1 Corinthians 5:11 But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler-- not even to eat with such a one. 12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? 13 God judges those outside. "Purge the evil person from among you." II. THE CHURCH IS THE ASSEMBLY OF THE LIVING GOD (The church considered as an assembly) ἐκκλησία ekklesia Meaning: an assembly, a (religious) congregation We are not just God’s family, we are, at the same time, His assembly. A. THIS SPEAKS OF ORGANIZATION As we said earlier, there is a proper way to conduct ourselves in the Lord’s church. There is a leadership structure. There is an organization God has set forth. ESV 1 Corinthians 14:37 If anyone thinks that he is a prophet, or spiritual, he should acknowledge that the things I am writing to you are a command of the Lord. 38 If anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized. 39 So, my brothers, earnestly desire to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. ESV 1 Corinthians 12:28 And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. So, the church is the family of God, organized in accordance with the Word of God, for the purpose of carrying out the ministry of the local church that has been assigned by God. B. THIS SPEAKS OF REPRESENTATION The church of the LIVING (the God who really exists) God. In a sea of paganism and multiplied false gods, the church belongs to the true and living God. This is a test of a healthy church — do they represent God in the FULLNESS of His character? Do they preach the whole counsel of God about EVERYTHING, including what God has revealed about His own NATURE and ATTRIBUTES? C. THIS SPEAKS OF PROTECTION The church is cared for by its OWNER. ESV Matthew 16:18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

The Lord’s Church - It’s Importance Part 1

September 1, 2024 • Richard Caldwell Jr. • 1 Timothy 3:14–15

Introduction: To love the Lord Jesus is love what He loves. It is to be devoted to all that He would have us be devoted to. And if you love what Jesus loves, then you must love the local church. If you are devoted to what He would have you be devoted to, then you must be devoted to the local church. He loved the church and gave Himself for her, and He has promised to build His church, and He has, and He is. But we are living in times when there is a gross misunderstanding of the local church. We don’t know who we are, and we don’t know why we are here. And what is sad and amazing about that is that God has given us His Word for the very purpose that we would never find ourselves in that position. As the title of one book about elders reads, “When all else fails, read the directions.” Well, here in the word of God, and specifically, in the Pastoral Epistles, we have the directions. What do they teach us? I. THE IMPORTANCE OF THE CHURCH This is perhaps the first thing that we have forgotten, just how important the Lord’s church is. There is error on both ends of the spectrum when it comes to this issue. **There are those who treat the church as if it isn’t important to God, or to genuine Christianity. -Some place the church on the same level with any Christian teaching organization. -Some place the church on the same level with Christian television or radio -Some see the church as a tragic failure and abandon it altogether -Some give the church their time and their attendance as it fits into their schedule *If it doesn’t interfere with their work, or their pleasures *If it gives them what they want *If it can be fit into their retirement plans and travel plans **There are others who treat the church as important, but they don’t really understand why it is important. They see the church not through the eyes of the New Testament, but through the eyes of their own ideas. They see the church as important, but not for the reasons that they should and what they really desire is not at all what the Lord intended His church to be. Indeed, it is a sad reality that with many professing Christians the more the church becomes what it was intended to be, the less they desire it. A. SEEN IN PAUL’S PASSION FOR THE CHURCH 1. RECENTLY RELEASED FROM ROMAN IMPRISONMENT 2. VISITING CITIES WHERE HE HAD MINISTERED, LEAVING TIMOTHY IN EPHESUS TO SET CERTAIN THINGS IN ORDER 3. HOPING TO COME TO THEM PERSONALLY IN A SHORT TIME 4. GIVING THEM CLEAR INSTRUCTIONS UNTIL HE CAN BE PRESENT Why did Paul have such a passion for these assemblies? HE CARRIED THESE CHURCHES IN HIS HEART. ESV 2 Corinthians 11:23 Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one-- I am talking like a madman-- with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. 24 Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27 in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. 28 And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. BECAUSE OF HIS LORD’S LOVE FOR THE CHURCHES ESV Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, To love the Lord Jesus is to love what He loves.

A Sure & Steadfast Hope

July 14, 2024 • Richard Caldwell Jr. • Lamentations 3:19–24

Introduction: The sorrow expressed in the book of Lamentations is something foreign to us. There are different kinds of sorrow. In some respects, a broken heart is a broken heart, but there are some things that will be unique to each one of us in our particular sorrow. There are tears that we will shed, at some point in our life, that no one but our Great High Priest will ever be able to fully understand. We do our best to comfort one another in the love of Christ, but we sense, even as we desire to be ministers of mercy, our great limitations. We sense our own limitations in trying to help those who are hurting, and we sense the limitations of others when WE are hurting. And when you have tried to pour your heart to another human being who hasn’t faced your particular trial, you can appreciate their love toward you, but there is also a loneliness felt in knowing that they really don’t completely understand. What the prophet Jeremiah describes in this book, we read, and we benefit from, but in a sense, we can only sit in silence and listen as he tells us what he feels, and as he tells us what he has seen. For we have never seen anything like what he saw. For over 40 years this prophet gave to his people the warnings from God. He told them that destruction was coming. They despised him for it. They mocked him, they persecuted him, and they rejected him. But what he was given to proclaim — arrived. Everything that God said, through the prophet Jeremiah, one day came. And what came was horrific. Jeremiah writes this sometime between the fall of Jerusalem in 586 B.C., and when he was forced to depart to Egypt in 583 B.C. (Jeremiah 43:1-7) Throughout the book he tells us of his sorrow in 5 poems. You get a taste of the entire book and a context for our verses by paying attention to his 3rd lament which is found here in this 3rd chapter. In chapter 3 he is the afflicted man. He is telling us of his overwhelming grief. *He is in absolute darkness with the hand of God turned against him again and again all day long. (vs.1-3) *His flesh and skin waste away, and God has broken his bones, and enveloped him with bitterness and tribulation and made him to dwell in darkness like the dead. (vs.4-6) *He is a man who is walled in without escape, and his chains are heavy. He calls and cries out for help but God shuts out his prayers and his ways are blocked, and his paths are crooked. (vs.7-9) *His despair makes him feel like God has become like his enemy. Like a bear that has ripped him to pieces, or a lion. He has been reduced to desolation. He is the target for the bow and the arrows of God and the arrows have gone right to his innermost parts. (vs.10-13) *He is a laughingstock. He is taunted. (vs.14) *His life feels like nothing but unending bitterness and misery (vs.15-16) *He is so sorrowful that he can find no peace, and he can’t remember goodness, he has forgotten what happiness is. (vs.17) *His mindset is that he cannot endure anymore and he has no hope. All he can think about and remember are his afflictions. (vs.18) And before you think Jeremiah to be a bit dramatic, realize what he has seen. His people, God’s people, have been conquered by Babylon. The city walls are broken down. The walls, the towers, the homes, the palace, and the temple have all been destroyed. It was in mid-July when the city fell and it was in mid-August when the temple was burned. (MacArthur Commentary – 883) It is the HEAT OF THE YEAR time in Jerusalem. So conditions would have been miserable. The enemies of God have triumphed, and they are gloating. The children of Zion are treated like trash. Many, many have been slain by the sword, and in fact their bodies lie in the dust. Many have been carried away captive, and those who live and remain are in misery.