• Is the church essential?
  • It has always been God’s choice to save man where He chooses and upon what conditions He chooses.
    • II Kings 5:1-14 – Naaman had to respect God’s place and conditions to be cleansed.
    • Ephesians 3:10-11
  • Notice the importance God has put upon the church.
  • Some say they love Christ, but the church is non-essential.
  • Some say the church does not save; Jesus saves
    • Exodus 20:24; II Samuel 7:12-14 – God accepts people’s service in all places where He records His name. The saved relationship is now that place.
  • If saved out of the church, saved without a Savior.
    • Ephesians 5:23; 1:23
  • If saved out of the church, saved without being saved!
    • The church is the saved relationship.

• Introduction
  • Matthew 22:23-32
  • Matthew 16:11 – Jesus warns about the Pharisees and Sadducees
  • II Peter 3:16
• We only use a favorite set of verses
  • Acts 15:13-18
  • II Peter 3:1
  • Acts 20:26-27
  • Matthew 23:23-24
• We overanalyze it
  • II Timothy 2:15, 23
  • I Timothy 1:4-7
  • I Timothy 6:4
  • Titus 3:9
  • Matthew 13:23
  • Don’t take Jesus’ illustrations further than He intended.
• We oversimplify it
  • Matthew 22:36-40 – Jesus sometimes simplified the law.
  • Romans 1:29-30
  • God sometimes gives specific instructions that must be followed.

Word of the Day, Part 10: Speak

• Speak, continued:
  • God speaks (continued):
    • New Testament
      • Through His Son – Hebrews 1:1-3
      • Through His Holy Spirit – John 16:7-13
      • Through the writings of inspired saints
        • I Corinthians 2:1-7; II Peter 3:1-2; II Corinthians 13:1-3
        • Hebrews 2:3-4; I Thessalonians 2:13
      • Man also spoke, but not always inspired
        • The writer recording it was inspired
        • The person recorded might not be
          • The blind man Jesus healed – John 9:31
          • Job’s friends
            • Eliphaz the Temanite
            • Zophar the Naamathite
            • Bildad the Shuhite
            • Job 5:17; 42:7-8
          • Take care whether to speak
            • Takes contemplation – James 1:19
            • Takes caution – Ecclesiastes 5:2
            • Takes wisdom – Proverbs 10:19; 13:3; 15:2
          • Why?
            • Tongue is a dangerous weapon
              • Must be tamed – James 3:1-12
              • Can be unfitting – Ephesians 5:3-4
              • Can defile – Matthew 15:11
              • Brings evil back to life – Colossians 3:5-11
            • James didn’t say NOT to speak
              • Ecclesiastes 3:1
              • We need to take care how we speak
            • Take care how to speak
              • Things in “good taste” – Colossians 4:6
              • Things that are exemplary – I Timothy 4:12
              • Especially to brethren – Titus 2:6-8
            • There are things which must be said
              • Jeremiah 20:8-9
            • Be wary of how others speak
              • Romans 16:17-18

• Lesson 2, continued:
  • Individuals
    • Saints (Ephesians 1:1) – set apart from the world to the service of Christ.
    • Disciples (Acts 11:26) – learners of Christ
    • Christians (Acts 11:26; I Peter 4:6) – belonging to Christ
    • Citizens (Ephesians 2:19) – subjects of the King
    • Brethren (Galatians 6:1) – relationship to one another
  • The saved relationship is spoken of as the bride of Christ, thus is must be identified by His name (Ephesians 5:22-25, 28):
    • To wear the name of another will bring His disfavor.
    • The Bible does not speak of hyphenated Christians.
      • The Bible says nothing about Baptist-Christians or Catholic-Christians. We are to simply be Christians.
    • His name is above every name (Philippians 2:6-11)
      • Why would anyone want to be identified by an inferior name?
      • Let us always give preeminence to Christ by identifying ourselves by His great name. Colossians 1:18
        • Psalms 89:20, 27 – “Firstborn” refers to preeminence.
      • Martin Luther made an appeal to his followers to not call themselves “Lutherans” because they were not baptized in the name of Luther and Luther was not crucified for them. What a noble and scriptural appeal! I Corinthians 1:13
      • Christians belong to Christ because He purchased them with His own blood and they were baptized in His name; thus, they are identified by the name of Him to whom they belong.

• Psalms 51:10

Heart of sinner:

Heart of Christian:

Ignorance – Ephesians 4:17-19

Understanding – Matthew 13:15

Hatred – John 15:18-19

Love – I John 4:19; John 13:35; Matthew 22:37; I John 4:20; Ephesians 4:15

Evil thoughts – Genesis 6:5

Good thoughts – Philippians 4:8

Unbelief – John 16:8-9

Faith – Hebrews 11:6

Impenitent

Repentance – Acts 17:30-31

Disobedience

Obedience – Romans 6:16-17; Hebrews 5:8-9

• What is changed in a change of heart?
  • The intellect – Proverbs 23:7; Mark 2:8; Matthew 13:15; Romans 10:10
  • The emotions – Matthew 22:37; Proverbs 6:16-19; Psalms 119:128
  • The will – Romans 6:16-18
  • The conscience – I John 3:20-21
• A change of heart is essential for salvation. (Matthew 5:8)
  • Ezekiel 18:31
  • Acts 15:9
  • I Peter 1:22