The Church is Marked by Doctrine
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The Church is Marked by Doctrine
The Church is Marked by Doctrine
To all who are weary and need rest,
To all who mourn and long for comfort,
To all who feel worthless and wonder if God cares,
To all who fail and desire strength,
To all who sin and need a Savior,
This church opens wide her doors with a welcome from Jesus Christ, the Ally of his enemies, the Defender of the guilty, the Justifier of the inexcusable, the Friend of sinners. Welcome!
What is Gospel Doctrine?: The biblical message of divine grace for the undeserving, through the perfect life, atoning death and bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ, rescues all of His people from the wrath of God bringing us into the peace of God.
What is Gospel Culture?: The Shared experience for the undeserving: the total human reality of the church defined and sweetened by the Gospel. (virtues, vibe, tone, priorities, aroma, honesty, freedom, humility, gentleness, cheerfulness etc.....)
Why does this matter?: Why must our church preach Gospel doctrine and embody gospel culture at the same time?
It is possible to sincerely preach a true gospel centered doctrine while at the same time deny that doctrine by the way we employ it into our culture.
For Example: We know that the greatest commandment is to Love God and Love people! How do we employ that into our culture.
Every Church is communicating something. If a church is not positively communicating the Gospel both by what it says, and what it does, then the church risks undermine it’s very message.
MY VERBAL WITNESS WILL ACCOMPLISH VERY LITTLE IF MY LIFE CONTRADICTS WHAT I SAY.
Opening Up 1 Timothy When Confrontation Is Kind
The spirit of the age that we live in can be summed up by the slogan ‘This is my truth, tell me yours’, first used by the British politician Nye Bevin and popularized by the rock group The Manic Street Preachers. Truth is considered to be relative and anyone who is prepared to say that God has given us absolute truth in the Bible is considered to be a fanatic.
*IF we truly love God and believe in his Word, we will be prepared to break through the pain barrier’ and make a stand against ideas that contradict what we believe.
1. Grace traded for
1. Grace traded for
but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,
;
What happens when the church is not holding to sound doctrinal teaching?
Marks of a false teacher
2 Marks in discovering Sound Doctrine
1. First Mark is teaching that moves us towards Godliness
1. First Mark is teaching that moves us towards Godliness
2nd mark is the teacher’s attitude. Instead of being humble, a false teacher is proud; yet he has nothing to be proud about he does not know anything. , ) (Paul) if I boast in anything let it be Christ crucified. (the person who understands the word will have a burning heart not a big head.
he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions,
and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain.
1 Timothy 6
*The tragedy of all things is that people are robbed of the truth.....
(Grace traded for ignorance)
1. Grace traded for ignorance
1. Grace traded for ignorance
We ought to be able to distinguish between different types of essential doctrines
Essential for the life of the Church. These doctrines are necessary for Salvation; without them; there is no true church.
Essential for the Health of the Church. These are necessary for Christian Growth; getting these doctrines wrong doesn’t put people outside the kingdom, but it may make them sick and unable to thrive. This category is best regarded as a spectrum—the closer you get to Category 1, the sicker you get.
Essential for the practice of the Church. These doctrines are necessary for functional unity. While you may not regard Christians who differ with you as sick or unhealthy, the practical considerations necessary to get along may prove too burdensome.
Essential for the practice of the Church.
Non-essential doctrines or adiaphora (things indifferent). These doctrines should never divide Christians, meaning that those who differ could be members and even elders at the same church with no division at all.
Non-essential doctrines or adiaphora (things indifferent). These doctrines should never divide Christians, meaning that those who differ could be members and even elders at the same church with no division at all.
We now must evaluate the person holding the doctrine, to discern where he stands on it and why. What then are the different stances?
A person may affirm the doctrine to be true.
A person may fail to affirm the doctrine because he’s never heard it.
A person may deny the doctrine out of ignorance or mis-understanding.
A person may deny the doctrine with a true and accurate understanding of it.
Once we have determined where the person or church stands on doctrine, we still must make some distinctions.
churches and individuals
leaders and congregants
confused sheep and ravenous wolves
How does a person hold to a particular doctrine. Are they making mountains out of molehills, or molehills out of mountains?
True unity in the church demands that we grow up in our thinking about doctrine, truth and fellowship. It demands Christian maturity, the kind that can speak the truth in love.
Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
Ephesians 4:5
One of the most important traits to have in a Gospel Culture is Honesty
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
2. Second mark is the teachers Attitude.
2. Second mark is the teachers Attitude.
*walking in the light, is an honest relationship with Jesus, and one another, so that we’re free to grow.
The social environment at church can become infested with shaming, posing, blaming, finger pointing, fault finding. The opposite of growing in godliness.
There are two religions constantly competing for the soul of every church.
1 ) the wondrous cross of diving sacrifice
2 ) the hideous cross of human sacrifice
if we are not continually being healed by the wondrous cross of Jesus where he offered himself as a scapegoat for our guilt and shame we will sacrifice someone else on the cross of our own invention. Honesty of our own sins helps keep us inside God’s love.
2. Second mark is the teachers Attitude.
2. Second mark is the teachers Attitude.
Instead of being humble, a false teacher is proud; yet he has nothing to be proud about he does not know anything. , ) (Paul) if I boast in anything let it be Christ crucified. (the person who understands the word will have a burning heart not a big head.
We must set a tone of need with expectancy (begins with a gospel culture)
We experience need as negative, exposing our inadequacies. We experience expectancy as positive, looking to the Lord.
Both attitudes together:
NEED: Blessed are the poor in spirit
EXPECTANCY: For theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.
Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.
You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
*Some churches who have gospel doctrine with no gospel culture may have difficulty in stepping down into the low places of blessing. Some churches feel to successful, to significant to mingle with the common people.
HERE IS WHAT WE CAN EXPECT:
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
Luke
MAY ALL OF OUR CHURCHES FAIL OFTEN ENOUGH TO STAY HUNGRY AND POOR BEFORE THE LORD.
Our ministries must be accessible to the weak.
we must not be so demanding that only the mighty can participate. We must constantly be aware of peoples desperate need for the Saviors massive love. We need to frequently admit sin, weakness, and our need for a Savior.
Establish as the dominate pattern for how we relate to one another.
Our churches tend to live on a starvation diet of personal affirmation. The honor of is not flattery it is the outworking of the doctrine of glorification. It is gospel obedience to honor another Christian.