The Apostolic Foundation of Scripture + Christ's Church

 

Luke 9:1-6 – The Foundation of Christ’s Church – Sermon Outline

Intro: Sinners today are called to be disciples through the Apostles’ written message in the Bible.

Need: Through Jewish lineage & Apostolic proclamation Christ has created His Church bride.

Theme: Christ the cornerstone spreads His Church’s foundation:

 

1.            By sending His 12 Apostles to preach with power & authority over demons & diseases. (1-2)

2.            By knitting the Apostles & Jewish people together by serving one another (3-4).

3.            By departing from & denouncing those who reject His Kingdom & Apostles (5-6).   

 

I.       By sending His 12 Apostles to preach with power & authority over demons & diseases. (1-2)

A.      Jesus with power and authority has preached, cast out demons, cured diseases, and raised the dead.

       1.      He now multiplies His ministry by giving power and authority for His 12 disciples to do the same.

       2.      This of course includes Judas Iscariot, who would betray Him. These are also the ones, minus Judas, who are empowered with the Spirit on high at the day of Pentecost.

       3.      Eph. 2:20 Christ is cornerstone, apostles and prophets the foundation of the Church. A cornerstone is the first stone that holds all the other stones together. The Apostles’ power and authority in the Church is foundational but derivative, coming from Christ the chief cornerstone who binds them all.

B.      Only the 12 are given this commission to preach the kingdom of God with miraculous power/authority.

       1.      Because they and the prophets in the early NT Church alone have this power/calling/gifting, they alone form the foundation of the NT Church. They are connected to Christ the cornerstone uniquely.

       2.      Of course, the Church today must proclaim the Kingdom of God, and be merciful to the sick and needy, especially fellow Christians but also deeds of mercy to others as well.

       3.      Thus the Church collectively continues to preach the kingdom of God & serve the sick & needy.

       4.      But that full realization of the kingdom and complete healing of body and soul comes when Christ returns and makes all things new.

       5.      “Sent them” is the verb form of the word Apostle, ἀποστέλλω. They are now being sent out on the important work Christ hand picked for them, out of all His disciples, to accomplish.

       6.      By the beginning of Acts Peter and the Apostles are keenly aware of their unique calling. They know they must replace Judas Iscariot in their unique ministry, Acts 1:17, to “take part in this ministry and apostleship, so Matthias is chosen since He was with Christ the whole time of His ministry.

       7.      None are apostles or prophets today, b/c none were with Christ or empowered by the Apostles.

       8.      Thus none possess the miraculous gifts and healings of the Apostles & prophets today either.

C.      But the NT itself, is in essence a miraculous, God-breathed, Apostolic revelation of Jesus Christ.

       1.      Christ came as God incarnate, the Word made flesh, to fulfill all righteousness, preach, teach, spread the Gospel of His kingdom, and entrust it to His chosen Apostles, in order for them to write the N.T. as Spirit-empowered witnesses for succeeding generations of Christians, the Church/bride/body.  

       2.      This is precisely what Paul says in Eph. 2-3. After saying that the Gentiles are also fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household, built on the apostolic and prophetic foundation with Christ as the chief cornerstone, and saying that the whole building is fitted together into a holy temple in the Lord for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit, Paul says in Eph. 3:3 God by revelation made known to Paul the mystery of Christ, which was not made known in other ages to the sons of men, “But has now been revealed “by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets” 3:5.

       3.      Paul and the other Apostles’ calling is to make known this mystery of Jew and Gentile together redeemed and united in Christ the God-Man. The various mysteries of God, His will, of Christ and His kingdom, the mystery of godliness, etc., has all been entrusted to Christ’s apostles to manifest to His Church bride through writing the N.T. Scriptures.

       4.      Having the Truth of God in writing is better than having it merely orally, or by a vision. It is permanent.

       5.      Both Roman Catholic papal authority & charismatic new revelations/prophecies deny sola scriptura.

       6.      Seeker sensitive and shallow churches that substitute knowing Christ in His Holy Word by experiences and entertainments also in practice deny sola scriptura.

       7.      Christ in our text is sending out His apostles after training them, and will continue to train them until He atones for sin and rises again, and then will further equip them with the Holy Spirit. It is no lie to say that Christ bled and died in order for His Church to know Him through the Bible, His Holy Word.

       8.      God in the OT & NT has completed revealed Himself, and Christ to us. All of Scripture speaks of Him, and thus reveals God to us. The Old and New are understood only together. Cherish it!

       9.      It is the living Word of God, sharper than any two-edged sword, discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Jesus told us that we must live by every single word that comes from God’s mouth, and not a jot or tittle of His holy word shall pass away. It is by the Word of God and the Spirit’s mighty work upon us that we have been born again of imperishable seed.

   10.      James Boice said back in the 90’s the battle today is no longer over the inerrancy or inspiration of Scripture, but the sufficiency of Scripture. Catholics and charismatics alike aren’t Protestants, and many so-called Evangelicals practically are not, since they deny the sufficiency of Scripture.

II.       By knitting the Apostles & Jewish people together by serving one another (3-4).

A.      The Twelve are now literally taking God’s Word to the Jewish people.

       1.      Christ is God’s Word, the Word made flesh, & all Scripture is God’s Word b/c it all speaks of Christ the incarnate Word as God had his holy men speak and write. The apostles preach/teach just as Christ was doing. Christ came to do what His Father did, His apostles were sent to do what He did.

       2.      Consider 1 John 1:1-7’s opening, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life – the life was manifested and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us – that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the father and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things we write to you that your joy may be full. This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.” This is in essence what the 12 are already doing/proclaiming in Luke 9.

B.      Notice now how Christian Jews & Gentiles all get equal fellowship with the Apostles.

       1.      Notice how we come to know the “Word of Life” which is Christ, the Word made flesh who dwelt, not among you and me, but among the Apostles. Notice that not to us, but to the Apostles, Christ the life was manifested and seen, and thus it is the Apostles alone who bear witness and declare to us the eternal life which was with the Father and manifested to the Apostles, and not to us.

       2.      And yet, that very same Christ is heard with our own ears, and seen with our own eyes, and touched with our hands, THROUGH the Apostles’ declaration! And why? 1 John 1:3 tells us, “that you may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.”

       3.      How do you get communion with God like the Apostles’ had? How is Christ spiritually & emotionally & communally near to you and known by you? How do you have true fellowship with Christ & Apostles?

       4.      By the declarations of the Apostles, who were eyewitnesses to Christ, empowered and inspired by Him to do the unique work He gave them to do. And where alone are these declarations of the Apostles found? Verse 4 tells us, “And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.”

       5.      It is in God’s written Word. It is in what the Apostles, under the Spirit’s inspiration, wrote down for us.

       6.      When the Church of God knows the Word of God through the Apostles of God, our joy is full!

       7.      This is precisely how the true Church is built upon the foundation of the Apostles & Prophets, with Christ the cornerstone. It is through the Scriptures, the Bible. The Bible is the foundation.

       8.      We have the same union and communion with God as the Apostles had through the Bible, as the Spirit takes the truth of God’s Word into our hearts so that we know God Himself in His Word.

C.      That is why the means of grace are Word, prayer, and sacrament, fundamentally the Bible alone.

       1.      God’s Word governs both prayer and the sacraments; without God’s Word the rest is meaningless.

       2.      The Bible is everything for the Christian faith. To know it truly is to know God Himself truly.

       3.      To read it and understand it is to have God speak to you Himself. To have it preached to you is to have God Himself preach to you with authority, conviction, and love.

       4.      And so the foundation we are built upon comes to us through God’s written Word, through the Apostolic message of Christ and Him crucified.

       5.      So long as you are studying the Bible to know God, love Him, serve Him & His people, there is no such thing as Bible idolatry, for God is to be our “idol” known & revealed by the words of Scripture.

D.      The written Word of God alone gives full joy in the Lord, full access to the Father, the same intimacy as the apostles had with Christ, and full fellowship with one another as the body of Christ today.

       1.      The written word was first given orally by the 12 apostles to the House of Israel, later to Gentiles.

       2.      Christ came to Earth to establish His kingdom, to preach it, demonstrate its glory and power with His miracles and healings, and to teach His apostles to learn and understand this, as mere men, to transmit Christ and His message to others in Christ’s own words, with His power and authority.

       3.      What the apostles are preaching & performing in Luke 9 is the same things John/the other Apostles are writing down in Scripture for us. When you trust in God’s Word, you trust in God. When you know what God’s Word says and means, you know what God says and means. When you know what the Bible is, you know who God is. When you love the words of Scripture, you love God Himself.   

E.      3-4, Christ knits together the foundational Apostles with the people by their serving one another.

       1.      Those receiving the Gospel of Christ’s kingdom ought to support those who proclaim it.

       2.      The Apostles were not to be troubled with money management, work other jobs, etc., but were to be provided for by those to whom they were sent. The Apostles must faithfully bring the Word to them, in love teaching them, healing them, driving out demons and diseases, & the people must be grateful.

       3.      The application of course is that, ideally, a Church should financially support their ministers today. At the same time, this doesn’t rule out bi-vocational ministries, and in this fallen world that is often necessary, especially when there is spiritual decline or smaller churches are just beginning to form.

       4.      But this also shows the diligence and faithfulness the Apostles & ministers must have in God. The Lord will provide, but that may very well mean going with little for much of your ministry.

       5.      If the minister is greedy for gain, for financial prosperity, he is disqualified from pastoral ministry. Faithful preaching and pastoring if rarely lucrative. But the Church should honor their Elders, especially the ones who faithfully minister to them in the Word and doctrine, I Tim. 5:17-18.  

III.        By departing from those who reject His Kingdom & Apostles (5-6).  

A.      Mt. 10:5-6 tells us Christ sent them only to the house of Israel at this time. Acts 13 shows the Jewish rejection of the Apostolic Gospel message, so they then turn to the Gentiles.

B.      As the 12 Apostles form the foundation for the NT Church, they mirror the 12 tribes of Israel that formed the organizing basis of the Church during the Old Testament.

       1.      These are eternal realities. Go to Rev. 21:12-14, and see the great city/holy Jerusalem has a high wall with 12 gates, 12 angels guarding the way to the gates, and names written on them of the 12 tribes of the children of Israel. There are 3 gates on the east, north, south, & west sides of the gates.

       2.      Then note Rev. 21:14, “Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.” Now what is this great city/holy Jerusalem? Well, its you and me, it’s the Church of God, it is the “bride, the Lamb’s wife” Rev. 21:9 tells us.

       3.      Jew/Gentile are together as one in Christ the Lamb. Our gates are the 12 tribes of Israel, our foundation is built upon the 12 Apostles’ names. 12,000 furlongs, square, length, breadth, and height, is our dimensions. The formation and era of the 12 tribes of Israel and 12 apostles are unique in Redemptive history, unrepeatable, and set apart from the rest of us and redemptive history.

       4.      And yet we are hemmed in/built upon these eras. Without them we have no gates, no foundation.

C.      Without them, we are no city, we are no bride, & we see that the city of God, Christ’s bride, is selective.

       1.      It’s not inclusive to everyone. Those who reject the Lion of the Tribe of Judah as revealed by the Apostolic message are told Sodom and Gomorrah will fare better on Judgment Day than they will.

       2.      Not even the dust of such wicked persons and places shall stick to God’s people. The dust shall be shaken off as a sign of judgment upon those wicked ones. Christ tells the apostles to shake off dust.

       3.      The Apostles’ message is Jesus message, and continues in the Church today, through the Gospel ministers and the church collectively as witnesses to Christ and His salvation.

       4.      Rev. 22:12-17 says -- “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.” Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.”

       5.      Those who reject the apostolic message today are those whom Rev. 22 refers to, outside of the city.

D.      V. 6, the Disciples obey and go out all through the towns, preaching the Gospel and healing.

       1.      How is the power of God and knowledge of Himself and His kingdom known to us today?

       2.      The Apostles in Lk. 24:27 shows that everything revolves around the Scriptures/written Word of God.

       3.      Two were doubting who Christ was after He was crucified and buried, so Jesus in 24:25 says, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?’ And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.”

       4.      Only with the breaking of the bread in vv. 30-32 do they realize this is Christ Himself, risen from the grave, and then they declare, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?”

       5.      Then Jesus appears to the 11 Apostles, and says in 24:44-45, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.’ And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. Then He said to them, “thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And you [the Apostles] are witnesses of these things.”

       6.      Christ’s primary purpose was to fulfill and reveal God’s Word, the OT Scriptures at that point, because they speak of Him, and point to His coming crucifixion and resurrection. Now repentance and remission of sins must be preached in His name to the Jew first, then the Gentile, by the Apostles, those appointed to that commission to uniquely be His eyewitnesses to the death, burial, resurrection of Jesus, and indeed His entire earthly ministry. They will be empowered with the Holy Spirit, v. 49 says, to fulfill this task.

       7.      So at Luke 9, the Apostles begin to proclaim the Gospel, but without a full grasp of it yet.

       8.      Their understanding has not been fully opened, Christ has not yet shed His blood and risen, He has not yet ascended and poured out His Spirit upon them to write down the N.T. Scriptures for us all.

       9.      But if Jesus constantly rebuked His own 12 Apostles for being slow of understanding and not knowing that all the OT Scriptures speak of Him, how much more shall we, the NT people of God, be rebuked for not knowing the full picture now that we have graciously been given both the OT and NT Scriptures, all pointing to Christ and revealing God to us in His Son?

E.      2 Tim. 3:14-17 shows Paul exhorting young Timothy to “continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

       1.      Paul, an Apostle, charges Timothy to preach the Word in season and out of season, convincing, rebuking, exhorting, with all longsuffering and teaching. “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.”

       2.      Brothers and sisters, incline your ears toward the truth, and not toward fables of any sort. God’s Word is Truth, the only Truth. All Scripture is important, there is no secondary doctrines if you wish to be a complete man of God that is thoroughly equipped for every good work.

       3.      The Evangelical church is full of itching ears and false teachers, who water down the Gospel and the full counsel of God’s Word at best, and outright deny it and reject it at worst.

       4.      So Timothy, and every true minister of the Gospel today, must proclaim every jot and tittle of Scripture as God-breathed and necessary for the believer to know and cherish and live out, lest the people of God be turned aside to fables and turn back to sin and darkness.

       5.      And when we know all the Scriptures, we have a complete and full portrait of Jesus Christ, of God Himself, in whose image we were made, and after the heavenly man Christ Jesus, in whose image all those born again have been remade.

       6.      Paul’s apostolic ministry was to pass on to faithful men like Timothy the “pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us” (2 Tim. 1:13-14).

       7.      Further, this was to be perpetuated down through the generations, to ministers of every generation, to us here at Heritage today. 2 Tim. 2:2, “And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”

       8.      We know that Titus and likely Timothy also appointed Elders in every city where the Gospel went forth and converts formed churches. These “faithful men” would be Elders who in turn are able to teach others also.

F.      My job as your minister, your teaching Elder, an under-shepherd of your soul, is to urge you to hold fast to God’s Word, to cherish it, love it, and hold fast to it.

       1.      That’s the same ministry the Apostles had, they just had it in a foundational era with certain foundational giftings, & now we have completion of God’s revelation of Himself to us in the Bible.

       2.      Paul says to Timothy, and indeed all ministers and elders today should follow this, “Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership. Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all. Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.

G.     I and all the Elders here want salvation, sanctification, for ourselves and for you. Let us continue together then in the Apostolic doctrine as revealed and given to us in all of God’s Holy Word.

       1.      Let us lay hold of Christ the cornerstone through the written word of God, which reveals God Himself to us, & the foundational work of the Apostles for the establishing of His bride, the Church.

       2.      Thus may we be built upon the Apostles & prophets as God’s people, & serve Him fully in His kingdom, for His glory. Let us pray.