Why I Am a Member of the Church of Christ #1*
Categories: Sermon Outlines, Topical Sermon Outlines Tags: Sermon Series on Why I am a Member of the Church of ChristINTRODUCTION:
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…
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 – 1 Peter 3:15
2. 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…
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, 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 2:20
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 has 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
*Sermon outline taken from Leroy Brownlow’s Book – “Why I Am A Member Of The Church Of Christ”