fromthepreacherspc

WHY I AM A MEMBER OF THE CHURCH OF CHRIST #2

INTRODUCTION
A. Why are you a member of the church of Christ?
1. If you are not a member of the church of Christ, why are you a member of the religious organization that you are?
2. Is it because that was the one your Dad and Mom were members of?
3. Is it because that is the one closest to your home, or has the nicest building in town?
4. Is it because it because you think that one church is as good as another?
B. If our neighbor were to ask us why we were a member of the church of Christ, could we give them a sound reason?
1. Isaiah 41:21
2. 1 Peter 3:15
3. If your neighbor were to say that one church is as good as another, how would you answer them?
C. Over the next few weeks we will be answering the question: “Why am I a member of the church of Christ?”
E. Previously we studied that I am a member of the church of Christ because:
1. It was founded by the Scriptural Builder – Christ
2. It was founded on THE Scriptural Foundation
DISCUSSION
A. I AM A MEMBER OF THE CHURCH OF CHRIST BECAUSE IT WAS FOUNDED AT THE SCRIPTURAL PLACE – JERUSALEM
1. If a person should be a member of some church first founded in London, Rome, Salt Lake City or New York, he cannot be a member of the Lord’s church.
a. The Lord’s church did not have its origin in any of these places
b. Man just cannot be a member of the scriptural church unless he is a member of the church founded at the scriptural place.
2. Let us consider some passages which point to the place where the Lord’s church was established:
a. Isaiah 2:2-3
1) From this prophecy we learn, first, that The Lord’s house would be established in Jerusalem.
2) Second, the Lord’s house would be exalted and all nations would flow into it.
3) Third, the time of fulfillment would be in the “latter (or, last) days”
4) The apostle Paul spoke of “the house of God, which is the church of the living God” (1 Tim. 3:15).
5) Thus, the Lord’s house is the church, and Isaiah tells us that it will be established in Jerusalem in the last days.
b. Micah 4:1-2 … the same prophecy, almost verbatim, as Isaiah.
c. Zechariah 1:16 … So once again the Holy Spirit taught that the church was to have its origin in Jerusalem
d. Jesus, in giving His worldwide commission, taught that Jerusalem was to be the starting place of the church
1) Luke 24:46-49
2) From this passage we notice:
a) Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead before repentance and remission of sins could be preached in His name.
b) The proclamation of this message was to begin at Jerusalem.
c) And they were to tarry in Jerusalem until they be endued with power from on high – the Comforter of John 14:26
3. Let us now consider the fulfillment of these passages:
a. The Holy Spirit was not to come until Jesus had gone away … John 16:7. The apostles saw Jesus ascend out of their sight in Acts 1:9.
b. The apostles were commanded to tarry in Jerusalem (Lk. 24:49). After the apostles watched the Lord’s ascension they returned unto Jerusalem (Acts 1:12), the appointed place; and there they tarried.
c. The apostles were to be clothed with power from on high (Lk. 24:49)
1) In Acts 2:1-4 we read of the fulfillment…
2) The Holy Spirit was to come and we see that it did come in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost
d. The word of the Lord was to go forth from Jerusalem in the last days or later days (Isa. 2:2-3; Mic. 4:1-2)
1) We have the fulfillment of this prophecy in Acts 2:14-42 in which a stirring sermon was preached in Jerusalem.
2) This occurred in the last days; for Peter quoted Joel’s prophecy (Joel 2:28-32) as proof of that which was to come to pass in the last days.
3) Hence, this was the right place and the right time
e. Repentance and remission of sins was to be preached in the Lord’s name, beginning at Jerusalem (Lk. 24:47) … This was the message of Peter … Acts 2:38
f. The Lord’s house (the church) was to be established in Jerusalem in the last days (Isa. 2:2-3; Zech. 1:16)
1) And that is when and where it was established.
2) Notice Acts 2:41, 47
3) Beginning at this time we find the church being spoken of as a reality, while prior to this it was spoken of as a future institution.
4. So, according to the prophecies and their fulfillment, the Lord’s church, the church of Christ, had its origin in Jerusalem.
a. This is the church of which I am a member!!
b. This is the church you must be a member of…
B. PLANTING THE SAME CHURCH IN ANY COMMUNITY AND AGE IS DEPENDENT UPON SOWING THE SAME SEED INSTEAD OF CHURCH SUCCESSION
1. Even if a man could trace an institution, year by year, back to its establishment, he would have no assurance that it was the identical institution that existed in the beginning.
a. Over a period of years, a church could so apostatize that it could no longer be the true church.
b. The apostle Paul said that there would come an apostasy, or a falling away:
1) Acts 20:29-30
2) 1 Timothy 4:1-3
c. These passages make it clear that an apostate church would grow out of the true church
2. Thus, we had better be interested in seeing if we are sowing the same seed that was sown by the apostles.
a. Jesus says that “the seed is the word of God” (Lk. 8:11).
b. If we sow the same seed the apostles sowed, the same church will spring forth … Galatians 6:7
c. Every seed produces after its kind:
1) Sow corn, you get corn…
2) When the seed of the kingdom was sown in the first century, you did not get different denominations.
3) Today if the seed of the kingdom is planted in its purity you will not get a denomination, you will have the church of Christ.
4) Denominations exist today because the seed of man has been sown
3. We must realize that if all the growing corn throughout the world was destroyed, corn would not be destroyed as long as it exists in seed.
a. The same is true concerning the church!
b. As long as the seed of the kingdom exists the true church will never be destroyed
c. Jesus said … Mark 13:31
d. If we want to have the church in any community, we must do as Paul and Apollos did … 1 Corinthians 3:6
CONCLUSION
A. I am a member of the church of Christ because
1. It was founded by the scriptural builder – Christ,
2. It was founded on THE scriptural foundation – Jesus Christ
3. It was founded at the scriptural place – Jerusalem

Tom Moore
P. O. Box 107
Hamilton, Texas 76531
http://www.harrisandmoore.org
http://www.fromthepreacherspc.org
http://preachersfiles.com/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/list/preacherspc/
http://www.parkheightscoc.com

WHY AM I A MEMBER OF THE CHURCH OF CHRIST? #1

INTRODUCTION
A. Why are you a member of the church of Christ?
1. If you are not a member of the church of Christ, why are you a member of the religious organization that you are?
2. Is it because that was the one your Dad and Mom were members of?
3. Is it because that is the one closest to your home?
4. Is it because it has the nicest building in town?
B. Illustration
The husband asks his wife who asks the mom, who asks the grandmother, why the end of the ham is cut off before cooking it…
C. If our neighbor were to ask us why we were a member of the church of Christ, could we give them a sound reason?
1. Isaiah 41:21
2. 1 Peter 3:15
3. If your neighbor were to say that one church is as good as another, how would you answer them?
D. Over the next few weeks we will be answering the question: “Why am I a member of the church of Christ?”
DISCUSSION
A. I AM A MEMBER OF THE CHURCH OF CHRIST BECAUSE IT WAS FOUNDED BY THE SCRIPTURAL BUILDER – CHRIST
1. No church can be scriptural unless it was founded by THE scriptural builder.
a. The fact that a religious body exists is proof that it was founded by someone.
b. There are at least 3,000 different religious groups in the world today!
1) Thus each group will either be scriptural or unscriptural, and will have either a scriptural or unscriptural builder.
2) We must know who the builder was of each religious organization to know if it is scriptural
c. If a church is founded by a scriptural builder it is scriptural, but if it is founded by an unscriptural builder it is unscriptural
2. Christ founded the scriptural church
a. In proof… Matthew 16:18
1) Therefore, it is certain that no church can be scriptural unless it was founded by Christ
2) If a church was founded by John Calvin, Joseph Smith, John the Baptist, or any other man it is not scriptural.
b. Jesus, in keeping with His promise to build the church, gave Peter the authority to state the terms of admission into the kingdom or church.
1) Matthew 16:19
2) Peter later stated these terms on the day of Pentecost when the church was established in Acts 2:38, 41, 47.
3) No human being ever had the authority to do what Jesus did, that is, establish a church.
3. In our day and time it is also important to note that John the Baptist did not establish the church
a. There are many in our world today who assume this and take on the name “Baptist”
b. But it is important to note that John the Baptist was dead when Jesus promised to build His church
1) In Matthew 14:10 we read that John was beheaded
2) Notice that about 1 year later in Matthew 16:18 that Jesus promised to build His church
c. John the Baptist was a great man, but he did not establish the church
d. Notice also that John the Baptist was never a member of the church or a citizen of the kingdom
1) Matthew 11:11
2) How was it possible to be one of the greatest born of woman, and yet, the least in the church would be greater than he? The answer…
3) John was not in the kingdom/church
4. The Bible tells us that other churches, not established by Jesus, would be rooted up.
a. Jesus, concerning false religion, said… Matthew 15:13
b. Jesus said this during the time of the law of Moses
1) God planted the Hebrew religion, and all other religions would be rooted up.
2) If God would uproot other religions in the time of the law of Moses, would He not do the same today under the Christian system?
3) The Christian system is superior to the law of Moses, and God would not lower His standards.
B. I AM A MEMBER OF THE CHURCH OF CHRIST BECAUSE IT WAS FOUNDED ON THE SCRIPTURAL FOUNDATION
1. It is important to realize that a good foundation is of extreme importance.
a. It is a recognized fact that no building can be stronger than the foundation on which it rests.
1) No structure built out of proportion with the foundation can stand long
2) A church is no exception – Its stability and benefits depend upon its foundation
b. A scriptural church must have a scriptural foundation; otherwise, it would not be scriptural.
2. What is this foundation upon which the scriptural church is to rest?
a. Matthew 16:18
b. The church is to be built on the “ROCK”
1) This “rock” is not Peter
a) “Peter” comes from petros meaning a pebble
b) “Stone” – petra meaning a ledge stone
2) The stone on which the church was to rest was the confession that Peter made in Matthew 16:16
3) Thus, the church was not founded on the weakness of human flesh, but on the divinity and Sonship of Jesus
c. Other verses prove this interpretation to be true:
1) 1 Corinthians 3:11 … Ephesians 2:19-20
2) Psalm 118:22
a) Jesus applied this prophecy to Himself (Mt. 21:42)
b) Paul applied this prophecy to Christ… Acts 4:11
3. The sublime foundation that Christ is the Son of God has stood and will continue to stand.
a. The malicious and combined attacks of the opposition have not been able to weaken this foundation.
b. The infidels, atheists, modernists and skeptics have raved and ranted, but Christ remains the Son of the living God
c. This foundation may truly be compared to an anvil that as worn out many hammers:

Last eve I passed beside a blacksmith’s door,
And heard the anvil ring the vesper chime.
Then, looking in, I saw upon the floor,
Old hammers, worn with beating years of time.
“How many anvils have you had,” said I,
“To wear and batter all those hammers so?”
“Just one,” said he, and then, with twinkling eye,
“The anvil wears the hammers out, you know.”
And so, thought I, the anvil of God’s word,
For ages skeptics’ blows have beat upon;
Yet, though the noise of falling blows was heard,
The anvil is unharmed – the hammers gone.
d. Today this foundation stand secure and firm
e. Voltaire once boastfully declared that there would not be a copy of the Bible on the earth in a hundred years. It has been more than a hundred years since this blasphemous prophecy was given, and it is no closer to fulfillment now than it was then. As a matter of fact, on the same printing press on which this infidel’s prophecy was issued, Bibles are now being printed by the Geneva Bible Society.
4. What about the institutions founded by men?
a. They are resting upon sand, they are weak and will fall.
b. Christ’s church will come through triumphantly, for it is resting on a tried stone, a sure foundation.
CONCLUSION
I am a member of the church of Christ because: It was founded by the scriptural builder – Christ, and it was founded on THE scriptural foundation – Jesus Christ

Tom Moore
P. O. Box 107
Hamilton, Texas 76531
http://www.harrisandmoore.org
http://www.fromthepreacherspc.org
http://preachersfiles.com/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/list/preacherspc/
http://www.parkheightscoc.com