Preach The Word

Three words are translated by the word "hell" in the New Testament. One of these is the Greek word "Tartarus." It refers to the place of darkness where the "angels that sinned" are kept -- II Peter 2:4. Jude 6 says these demonic "angels" are "reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the day of judgment." These are the rebellious from the spirit realm (physical and mental realm are not here) which will be released in Revelation 9. This also speaks of the "lower pits" of hell. Bullinger says this is not where men go in death, but is a separate and distinct place. Another word that is translated "hell" is "Gehenna," or the Valley of Hinnom. This was the dumping ground where the bodies of criminals, animals, and all kinds of filth were cast. These were burned, and a continual smoke rose, accompanied by a terrible odor from the rotten, burning flesh. This term clearly has reference to the place of torment where Christ rejecters will go. The third word is "Hades" -- literally, the unseen world. This is (probably) the place the rich man of Luke 16 was sent to at his death. Its use shows the place of confinement for the wicked until the Great White Throne Judgment. Hades, along with death, will be cast into the lake of fire at the Judgment -- Revelation 20:14. Hades and the lake of fire are not the same, but since Hades will be in the lake of fire, all the horrors of it will, no doubt, be included in the lake of fire. Hell, or the lake of fire, is a literal place -- as real as Heaven or Earth, or any other thing God has created.

I. THE PURPOSE OF HELL.

II. THE PHYSICAL HORRORS OF HELL.

III. THE EMOTIONAL OR INNER HORRORS OF HELL.

God’s Word has a lot to say about singing . . . and songs. In fact, God put a song book right in the Bible. What are the psalms? They are songs. Psalm 96:1 ; 98:1: “O sing unto the Lord a new song . . . ” But let me warn you, IT IS POSSIBLE TO LOSE YOUR SONG -- Psalm 137:1-4. That is why Psalm 108 and especially vs. 1 is so important to us - “God, my heart is fixed; I will sing and give praise, even with my glory.” I want to ask you this morning, “Have you lost your song?” Better yet, have we as a church lost our song? For 16 years there had been no song in the Temple in Israel. Then, one day something wonderful took place. Early in the morning the king and rulers of the city went up to the Temple. The Levites came with their harps, and the priests were there with their trumpets. There was a great chorus of trained singers. Suddenly, it says, “When the burnt offering began . . . ” The trumpets blew. The harpers began to play with great volume. And like the sound of many waters, came the voices of the Temple singers, and the house of the Lord was filled w/hallelujah music (no doubt somewhat like that we will hear in heaven - Revelation 5:9). So, finally,16 years of song-less time came to an end. The Israelites were accustomed to song. They celebrated every victory with a song. They went into every battle with a song. Whenever the Lord was with them they were singing all the time. It must have been a long and sad 16 years when there was no song in Israel’s heart and no note of praise to God on their lips. Question: When did the song of the Lord begin in your heart? No doubt it was at the moment you realized your lost condition and turned to Jesus for salvation. And, it continued as you faithfully worshipped and served Him. But, are you still singing? Is there still a song in your heart as a child of God? I heard of an old man on his way to church. Someone asked, “Why should an old man be so merry?” He replied, “Not all are.” So they asked, “Then, why are you so merry?” The old man answered, “Because I belong to the Lord.” The interviewer asked, “And others are not (happy)?” The old man replied “Listen and let me tell you a truth. The devil has no happy old men!” It is Christ and His everlasting salvation that makes one happy and puts a song in his heart and praise to God on his lips. In this message I want us to see the answer to 3 questions, and they are . . .

I. WHY DID ISRAEL LOSE HER SONG? (CHAPTER 28).

II. HOW DID ISRAEL RECOVER THE SONG OF THE LORD?

III. WHY HAVE THE LORD’S CHURCHES LOST THEIR POWER AND JOY TODAY?

CONCLUSION: HOW CAN WE INDIVIDUALLY GET BACK THE JOY OF THE LORD?

The first 3 chapters of Ephesians deal (primarily) with doctrine while the last 3 deal (basically) with our conduct as members of a New Testament church. We need to understand how doctrine is related to daily living. We cannot separate doctrine and practice. What we truly believe will determine how we live. “Subscribing” to a statement of beliefs will mean nothing if we do not allow those beliefs to guide our lives. Example: We believe that all people without Christ are lost and bound for hell. But does that belief cause us to actively seek the salvation of the lost? “Therefore” = understanding the doctrine laid down, let us apply it to ourselves. This is a reference to all Paul has said previously pointing out 1) mankind’s need of salvation, 2) God’s provision of it in grace, and 3) the unity of an authentic church. But one statement that is made 3 times in chapter 1 stands out as our “motivation” for living as we are instructed in the rest of this book. In 1:6, 12. 14 we see that we who are saved are to be “To the praise of the glory of his grace . . . to the praise of his glory . . . unto the praise of his glory.” Then, the very last statement of chapter 3 says, “Unto him be glory in the church . . . ” We are going to see in these last 3 chapters how to live “To the praise of the glory” of God’s wonderful, marvelous grace. Babies have to learn how to walk, and parents want them to walk as soon as they can. (We want them to walk and talk as soon as possible, then we spend the rest of their lives as children telling them to “sit down and shut up.”) But we know the process of teaching them to walk - holding them up, teaching them how to put one foot in front of the other, etc. And when they take their first steps we are so excited. Believers have to learn how to walk spiritually and should be encouraged to do so. New believers are babes in Christ and need to be taught. This is what Jesus was talking about when He commissioned His churches to make disciples.

I. THE CALL TO WALK.

II. THE CHALLENGE TO WALK WORTHY.

III. THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE WORTHY WALK.

One grandparent said, “Grandchildren are God’s reward to us for not killing our children when they were teenagers.” Jeff Allen said, “Teenagers are God’s revenge on mankind. They let us see what it’s like to have someone created in our image who denies our existence and refuses to listen to us.” But listen to what God’s Word says about children: Psalm 127:3 (again): “Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward." Proverbs 17:6: “Children’s children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers.” Proverbs 22:6: “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 23:24: “The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him.” But there is also a warning -- Proverbs 29:15: “The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.” I believe children have a special place in the heart of God and of our Lord Jesus. I also believe our greatest resource as a nation and as a church is our children. Sadly, though, in many homes in America children are regarded as a burden more than as a blessing. In many homes the children are ignored and even left to themselves. (May that NEVER be in a home that professes to be a “Christian” home!) I believe many young people right here in our city are longing for someone to give them a little positive attention. I believe a child desiring attention will take any kind of attention he/she can get. That may explain why some act out or act up. (Even negative attention is attention!) This message began to take form in my mind recently when I read something like this on Facebook: “If you want to get respect from others, you must respect others.” As I read that my mind went immediately to young people, children, especially with the new school year just starting. Having been around schools and the teaching profession for several years now - not just with my children, but serving as a substitute teacher and in school security - I have seen young people “act out” in order to get attention. It may range from being called down in front of the class to being sent to the principal’s office. Even though it is negative attention, it is attention that sets them apart from others. I am not a psychiatrist or psychologist, but I have observed people for a lot of years and have come to one conclusion: If you do not respect yourself, you likely will not respect others. I believe we have raised (a) generation(s) with little or no respect for themselves. With that thought in mind I would like to suggest some reasons that we are (and have been) raising generations that do not respect parents, teachers, law enforcement, but especially themselves.

I. WHAT YOUNG PEOPLE HAVE BEEN TOLD.

II. WHAT YOUNG PEOPLE HAVE NOT BEEN TOLD.

III. THE GREATEST THING YOUNG PEOPLE (ALL PEOPLE) NEED TO BE TOLD.

Paul has just finished pointing out and praising God for the unity that is in Jesus Christ and in His churches. A church is not to be a body divided over earthly considerations - ancestry, race, possessions, position, power, etc. Instead, it is to be a united body, united in Jesus, “That we should be to the praise of his glory,” (Ephesians 1:12). Having offered the petitions of vv. 16-19, the apostle realizes that such blessings are possible only through the grace of God. The demonstration of His grace deserves our praise, so in these last to verses of the chapter Paul breaks into a grand doxology of praise. DOXOLOGY = (doxa = glory) an expression of praise. We should feel compelled to join Paul in praising God after comprehending His love and grace. Paul praises the Lord for . . .

I. THE PROMISE OF GOD’S POWER - Vs. 20.

II. THE PLACE OF GOD’S PRAISE - VS. 21.

As we look at these verses we are going to consider four requests the Apostle Paul made of God for this church at Ephesus. I believe it is important to remember that he is writing to a church and putting forth an example of requests we need to make in relation to this church. First I will say that there is nothing wrong with making requests for physical needs, especially in relation to one’s health and well being. However, often our prayer requests for physical health outnumber and overshadow our requests for spiritual needs - individually and as a church. Dr. Vance Havner: “So many of our prayer requests sound like an organ recital. Pray for my liver, my heart, my lungs, etc.” It is my experience that (at least) 75-80% of prayer requests made in church are for physical needs. Where are the requests for our spiritual needs? James 5:16: “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed.” In vs. 14 Paul gets back to the prayer he began in vs. 1. “For this cause” = goes back to what he has said in chapter 2. Because both Jew and Gentile can be one body in an authentic, New Testament church. He further reveals the unity that is in Christ in vs. 15 as he says, “(14) our Lord Jesus Christ, (15) Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named . . . ” Here Paul declares that all of the saved of every age, both “in heaven and earth” are in the “family” of God. Here is a clear distinction between the “family” of God and a church of the Lord Jesus Christ. FAMILY = (patria) It is from the word for “father” and refers to paternal descent. CHURCH = (ekklesia) Speaks of an assembly called together for a specific purpose. The “family of God” has existed since the first person in the Old Testament was saved (Adam), but includes those saved in the New Testament all the way through to those who are saved today. You become a family member by birth or adoption. You become a church member, after salvation and Scriptural baptism, by being fellowshipped into the church. “The church and family of God are never synonymous in the Scriptures” (Dr. Albert Garner). And now because through Christ God has made it possible for both Jew and Gentile to be one in the same body (an authentic ekklesia), the Apostle is going to make four requests of God for them.

I. A PRAYER FOR STRENGTH - VS. 16.

II. A PRAYER FOR STABILITY - VS. 17.

III. A PRAYER TO SEE AND SEIZE - VV. 17b-19a.

IV. IT IS A PRAYER FOR SUFFICIENCY - VS. 19b.

This is a prayer of David that should be the prayer of every child of God. In vv. 1-4 he declares his faithfulness and commitment to obedience to God. In vs. 5 he prays for God to “keep him on track” (“hold up my goings”) in order that he would not waver, and slip, and fall. God’s people do not usually go away from Christ all at once. It happens over time. Someone said, “Church members are like old cars. They usually miss a lot before they quit altogether.” In my years of being a pastor I have found that to be all too true. Their departure usually starts by missing Wednesday evening (if they ever came to that at all), then Sunday night, and finally Sunday morning. And, based on current day attendance figures, I would say that most who have been saved any length of time will have to admit that they are not as close to Christ and as faithful to His church as they once were (if they are saved at all). In Romans 7:15-17 Paul is writing of his own struggles with the flesh, sometimes becoming things he didn’t want to become. He said: “For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. (16) If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. (17) Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me." Here is what he was saying: “I do not understand what is going on. I am confused. Somehow I do not seem to do the things I know to do and need to do. And the very things that I hate, things which my own conscious condemns, that is what I do.” And in vs. 18 he contrasts his “desire” (as a saved man) and his “doing” (in the flesh). Desire - “ . . . for to will is present with me . . . ” (I want to do what God wants). Doing - “but how to perform that which is good I find not.” (I just don’t seem to ‘get around to it’ when it comes to living for Christ.) Do you ever feel that way sometimes? So he says in vv. 19-20: “For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. (20) Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.” If this could happen to a faithful servant of the Lord like Paul, we are not immune! In God’s Word, in the book of Hebrews we are given 5 warnings to help us avoid becoming what we don't want to become. How does this happen?

I. DRIFTING (INDIFFERENCE) -- HEBREWS 2:1.

II. DOUBTING (INSTABILITY) -- HEBREWS 3:5-6, 14.

III. DISOBEDIENCE (INSOLENCE) -- HEBREWS 4:6,11.

IV. DEFICIENCY (INATTENTION) -- HEBREWS 6:1-3.

V. DIRECTION (INFLUENCE) -- HEBREWS 13:9.

This morning we are going to examine a “mystery” and a ministry. We will briefly see the “mystery” of the church. When I use the word “church,” I am using it in the way God, in the New Testament, intends for it to be used. I am not referring to some universal, invisible entity that can never assemble. Instead, I am using it according to the accurate meaning of the word. EKKLESIA = “Ek” (out) + “Kaleo” (to call). An “ekklesia” is a called out assembly, called together for a specific purpose. One of the first qualifications for a scriptural “ekklesia” is that it must be able to assemble! And, we will examine the ministry of an authentic New Testament church. This church and all true churches were purchased by the blood of Jesus. In Acts 20:28 Paul told the Ephesian elders, pastors in this very church to “feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.” (That alone should make a church special.) However, even though we are to love the Lord’s churches, we are not to worship the church. We are to worship and bring glory to God in the church - Ephesians 3:21. In vs. 4 Paul mentions “the mystery of Christ.” That is another way of referring to the whole message of the Gospel -- the whole truth concerning Christ. I Timothy 3:16: “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.” Certainly the coming of the Christ, Messiah, was no mystery, for He had been promised in the Old Testament. The mystery is the amazing way in which God has sent salvation to men -- The virgin birth, that Jesus was fully God and fully man (Emanuel = “God with us.”), His sacrifice, His resurrection, and His ascension. It was always God’s plan to bless all the people of the earth, including the Gentiles through the offspring of Abraham. Genesis 22:18: “And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.” Galatians 3:16: “Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, seed, which is Christ.” But until Jesus came and died on the cross, rose from the grave, and ascended into Heaven, there was no way that any human could have fully understood how God was going to accomplish that. Before Jesus, the Jews did believe that the Gentiles could receive the promise of God -- but only by becoming Jews and observing all the Jewish laws, including circumcision. But in Christ Jesus as vv. 14-15 of chapter 2 tell us, God “. . . hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; (15) Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace . . . ” So that now, according to Galatians 3:28, the distinction between people -- Jew and Gentile, bond and free, etc. -- is abolished forever: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.” (UNITY!)

I. THE MYSTERY OF THE CHURCH -- VV. 5-6.

II. THE MINISTRY OF THE CHURCH - VV. 7-13.

In this year of and on this day after the 250th birthday of this wonderful nation I want to reaffirm my love for this United States of America. I have been blessed to travel half way around the world and back - twice! - but I know of no other place I would want to live than here (except, maybe, Heaven). I have said before and will unashamedly repeat today that I get a lump in my throat and a tear in my eye when I watch our flag (the most beautiful flag in the world) being raised while our National Anthem is being played. Sadly, the America I knew as a child is gone. Those happy, carefree days are gone! Today we are living in a post-Christian era. We are living in hostile territory. The kind of people who used to be considered good, old-fashioned, decent Christians, because they believe the Bible, are now labeled “religious nuts,” the religious right, fundamentalists, zealots, wackos, extremists. And, if you can believe the mainstream media, a recent poll says that pride in U.S. history and democracy have dropped and fewer people are proud to be Americans. Well, of course when you fill the nation with people who hate it and want to make like the place they came from that will happen. (If it was so great, why did you leave?) Of course, when you use our schools (high schools and colleges especially) to indoctrinate people to socialism and communism. Of course, when you use the entertainment medium to push those ungodly beliefs, what can you expect? (Don't doubt it, Hollywood is pro-socialist/pro-communist.) Remember what Soviet Premier Nikita Krushchev said in the 1960s, “One day you will just wake up and find that you are Communist nation.” (This is their goal.) Something terrible has happened in America (for further information, consult any news source), and in light of that, there are two dangers. Number one - As believers we may just retreat. We just adopt a “live and let live” attitude. We may say, “Since there is little or no hope for America or the world, let’s just try to hold out ‘till Jesus comes (and pray that He comes soon). We cannot do that, because, among other things, there is no place to hide. If we lose our freedoms in this nation . . . We will not be permitted to exercise our beliefs in private. Churches will not be allowed to protect their precepts/doctrines. Our church houses will be invaded. We will either speak up, or we will have to submit in silence. Martin Niemoller was a pastor in Germany when Hitler was coming into power. Because of his preaching, he was arrested under orders from Hitler. Other pastors were killed, but he survived, and after the war he was freed. That is when he began to speak. He would always ended his speech with these words: “First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out because I was not a Socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak out for me.” We do not have the luxury of just being quiet, of saying “Live and let live,” because they will not let us “just live.” The second danger is that we will begin preaching a political agenda instead of the Gospel. Satan has always wanted to substitute something for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are supposed to be salt and light and must, “Preach the word.” However, we must also be involved in our nation. God's people today need to stand up and say, “Enough is enough is enough.” The times we are facing are new to us, but they are not new in Christian history. First Peter is a handbook for survival in days just like ours because believers of that day were being persecuted much like what may be coming to America. They were accused of being subversive because they would not bow to Caesar and confess that Caesar was Lord. They were perceived as being an economic threat because they were against idolatry, and idolatry was more than religion. It was big business. They were persecuted because of their lifestyle. They said as we say, adultery, fornication, homosexuality, etc. are all wrong, and that ran against the powers of the day. I Peter 3:15 gives us some principles of how we can be involved in sharing hope and being a help to our neighbors and our nation in the America of today.

I. THE FIRST PRINCIPLE IS LORDSHIP - VS. 15.

II. THE SECOND PRINCIPLE IS LEARNING - VS. 15.

III. THE THIRD PRINCIPLE IS LOWLINESS - VS. 15.

IV. THE FOURTH PRINCIPLE IS LIFESTYLE - VS. 15.

V. FIFTH PRINCIPLE: LOVE.

In this message, and in these verses we are going to look at the significance of an authentic New Testament church. We understand the nature of an authentic New Testament church. The word “church” in the Bible is from the Greek word “ekklesia” (EK - a primary preposition denoting origin - “out,” or “out of.” KALEO - “to call.”) So, “ekklesia” refers to a called out assembly as demonstrated in Acts 19:39: “But if ye inquire any thing concerning other matters, it shall be determined in a lawful assembly (ekklesia).” Thus, one of the first duties of an authentic New Testament church is to assemble. Again, this is because that is what an “ekklesia” is, an assembly. And that is why you cannot have a universal, invisible “church” of all the saved of all the ages. It could never assemble. One of the chief characteristics an of authentic New Testament church should be unity! What is unity? Oneness. I Corinthians 12:14-27 compares the human body and the church body and gives us a beautiful picture of this unity. I Corinthians 12:14, speaking of the human body, Paul says, “For the body is not one member, but many.” In vs. 27 the Apostle reminds this church, “Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.” Now, remember the situation at Ephesus. The church was made up of both Jews and Gentiles. There was a division between the two groups of believers. There seemingly was no unity, or little unity there as Paul was writing to them. So, In the first 3 verses of chapter 2 he reminds all of the members of this church that regardless of their familial history, the all had the same spiritual background. They all at one time were “. . . dead in trespasses and sins . . .” (vs.1). They had walked according to “. . . the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience . . . ” (vs. 2). They “. . . were by nature the children of wrath, even as others” (vs. 3). But then he gave them and gives us that wonderful thought in vv. 4-6, “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us” has . . .

1) Vs. 5 - “quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) . . . ” 2) Vs. 6 - “And hath raised us up together . . . ” 3) Vs. 6 - “ . . . and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus . . . ” 4) So that now even Gentiles (vs. 13) “. . . who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.” 8. In vv. 14-18 we see that by His sacrifice on the cross Jesus . . . Has brought peace (“he is our peace”) between the two. “Has made both (Jew and Gentile) one,” by breaking down the wall that divided us. Has “abolished (slain, killed) the enmity (reason for hostility; hatefulness)” between both groups. And in vs. 16 Paul says God reconciled (put away the enmity so that no impediment to unity remains) both Jew and Gentile to Himself and to each other “in one body” (BODY = speaks of a church, one church,) (this church at Ephesus). So as we come to vv. 19-22 Paul talks about this body and our new position, our place, and our purpose as members of an authentic New Testament church.

I. OUR NEW POSITION -- VS. 19.

II. OUR PLACE - VV. 20-21.

III. OUR PURPOSE -- VS. 22.