THE CHURCH AS THE KINGDOM, BODY,
AND FAMILY
1. INTRODUCTION:
A. A church is an assembly of people good or bad.
I . Assembly in Acts 19:32 is from the same Greek word
that is translated "church."
2. He was not speaking of the church of Christ in Acts
19:37 when he said, "Neither robbers of other churches,"
but of their temples.
B. There were many sects (churches) in the first century.
1. Hellenist.
2. Essenes.
3. Pharisees.
4. Sadducees, etc.
5. Jesus joined none of them.
6. Just because an organization is called a church does
not make it The Lord's church, Acts 19:37.
C. Jesus has only one church, Matt. 16:18-19; Col. 1:18; Eph.
4:4.
D. Different senses used in referring to the Lord's church.
1. Local, Rom. 16:16; 1 Cor. 1: 2.
2. Geographical, Gal. 1:2.
3. National, Rom. 16:4.
4. General, Matt. 16:18; Acts 2:47.
E Jesus used things that we are familiar with to help us un-
derstand our relationship to him, etc.
1. Example, The vine and the branches, Acts 15:1-6.
2. Example, The parable of the sower, Luke 8:4-15.
F. The same is true of the church and its relationship to God
and to Christ.
11. THE CHURCH AS A KINGDOM:
A. Christ is its king-lawgiver, etc. jno. 18:36, 39; 1 Tim. 6:
15-16.
1. Jesus his all authority in heaven and on earth. Matt.
17-5,, 28:18.
2. He rules with the rod of His mouth, and not a sword.
Isa. 1 1: 1, 4; jno. 18:36; Eph. 6:11, 16, 17.
B Hard to get people to understand.
1. Pilate didn't understand. jno. 18:36, 39.
2. Nicodernus didn't understand. ino. 3:1-6.
C. The. citizens of Christ's kingdom are in His kingdom by
the new birth. jno. 3:1-6.
1. No longer in darkness. Col. 1: 13.
2. Being familiar with a temporal kingdom and its sub-
jects will help us understand this relationship.
D. The church and the kingdom are the same institution.
Matt. 16:18, 19; Heb. 12:22, 22, 28.
III. THE CHURCH AS A BODY:
A. The church is the body of Christ and Christ' is its
Col. 1:18; Eph. 1:22-23.
1. Being familiar with the physical body and the rela-
tionship between its members and head will help us to
understand the church as a body.
2. One head (Christ) and one body (church). Eph. 4:3-6.
B. One "body of Christ" yet many members. Rom. 12:4-5;
Eph. 2:16.
1. One Body in Christ. Rom. 12:5.
2. Can't live out of Christ where His blood does not
flow anymore than the members of my body can live
out of my body where my blood does not flow. Rom.
6:3, 4; Matt. 26:28. - -
3. Members must work together. Rom. 12:4-5.
4. The whole body (church) must co-operate and work
together. Eph. 4:11, 16.
IV. THE CHURCH AS A FAMILY:
A. God is the Father, jno. 6:27; 8:41; and "Jerusalem which
is above" is the mother of us all, Gal. 4:26.
1. Must be born into the family of God, jno. 3:1-6.
2. The family or house of God is the Church, 11 Tim.
3:15.
B. Jesus is the bridegroom, and we are married to Him, Rom.
7:4.
1. We must wear His name, Acts ll:26; lPet.4:16.
2. The whole family of God wears this name, Eph. 3:15;
Acts 4:12.
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