The Church: 9 Marks of a NT Church: Preaching

The Church: 9 Marks of a New Testament Church: Preaching

http://www.9marks.org

Today we will be continuing our study on the church, and will look at the first of 9 marks of a New Testament church. 

Method: 1. We’ll be giving you our reason for how we study through this portion of this series, 2. we’ll be moving through Scripture starting with Genesis and moving our way to a single big idea at the end by doing a biblical theology of “preaching”, then we’ll make some application points. 

Would refer you to: “9 Marks of a New Testament Church” – Mark Dever 

“Preaching the whole bible as Christian Scripture” – Graeme Goldsworthy

You will need the notes on the blog and a bible. 

So, hang on.

Mark 1: Preaching

This portion of this series is going to be biblical theology practiced as preaching. 

We are not going to “proof text” anything to the best of our ability. 

1. We want you to develop the discipline of deriving theological conviction from the whole bible. 
2. We want to model how to do biblical theology even in our preaching.
3. We want you to pound this out inside covenant fellowship. 
   1. There is no way to do this justice in the timeframe we have. 
   2. The discipleship we give you on Sunday mornings has to be worked out further inside your RL Group. 
4. We want to ruin you for the ordinary so that you can see and never be able to unsee good things. 

Have you ever asked the question: Why are church worship services constructed around “preaching”? Let’s answer that question.

What is the basis for “preaching”?

1. God speaks effectively Genesis 1-3

2. Man and the Serpent are the only other creatures who speak like God. Genesis 2:23; Genesis 3:1

3. Man honors God with his words then distorts God’s words when presented with an alternative message. Genesis 2:23; Genesis 3:3
   1. In speaking God’s word there is truth, there is worship.
   2. In distorting God’s word there is evil intent.
      1. There is a battle shaping up over words and what is true and not true. 

4. God “calls” / speaks in order to bring confession and repentance and sentence for sin. Genesis 3:9, 13, 14, 16, 17

5. God takes inner-Trinitarian counsel in speaking amongst himself and speaks sentence for rebellion. Genesis 3:22-24

6. God speaks to Noah for their saving. Genesis 6:13ff

7. God speaks to Noah for blessing on mission to fill the earth. Genesis 9:1

8. Man speaks in rebellion against the blessing of mission to fill the earth. Genesis 11:3
   1. Man is not speaking the word of the LORD, rather he is speaking along the lines of the distorted words of God. 

9. God speaks judgment on the people for refusing the mission to fill the earth. Genesis 11:6

10. God speaks and calls Abraham to go and be his ambassador to the nations he just scattered for their blessing in knowing God. Genesis 12:1-3

11. God speaks with and to Moses and even writes his word down for him to relay to his people.
    1. Exodus 31:18 (ESV) And he gave to Moses, when he had finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God.

12. God proclaims himself to Moses. Exodus 34:6
    1. Exodus 34:6 (ESV) The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,
       1. Hebrew word for proclaimed: “To cry out loudly.”

13. The prophets preach and then write or, in Jeremiah’s case, have their helper write down their words as they preach the law and its application to the people and the nation. 
    1. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel and the 12 Minor Prophets. 
    2. The prophets fulfilled the role of reminding people of God’s word. 

What truths about God and his work in the world emerge from Genesis 1-12, Exodus and the Prophets?

1. God speaks. God communicates and it is effective. God’s word is the very basis of what is true and defines what is false.

2. God speaks to man and commands creation to obey. 

3. Mankind, as image bearers, communicates with effect. 
   1. God’s co-regents have the ability to speak his word that carries his effect. 

4. Satan, an intelligent creature, communicates with evil intent and effect. 

5. There is a counter narrative, opposite speech, that combats God’s word and intent. 
   1. There is dark preaching of a dark kingdom that is deceptive.

6. Man is susceptible to this deceptive and dark counter narrative.

7. Man became ensnared in this counter narrative and deceived by it. 

8. God corrects this counter narrative with his word to uncover, convict, and correct for their good. He will save them by his word. 

9. Speaking words / proclaiming a message that is composed of words is powerful and a battleground of ideas for either good or evil. 
   1. This is why words and grammar and definitions matter.
   2. This is why as Christians our words need to be shaped by God’s word. 

10. God pursues man in his state of being ensnared by this counter narrative by speaking to him and calling him to repentance and mission to carry his word to the world. 

11. God proclaims himself. God’s word reveals himself, his nature and character to his servants he calls who then proclaim/preach about God’s word to other people. 

12. God’s vehicle for speaking to his people is a “preacher” / “prophet” (who models their labor after God himself) who tells people who God is and how God is working from his word. 

13. God is urgent to preach his message to his people and the world. 
    1. He proclaims loudly. 
    2. “God spoke/said” occurs some 50 times.
    3. “The Lord spoke/said” occurs over some 250 times. 
    4. “Thus says the Lord” occurs over 400 times. 

What about Jesus and the New Testament? 

1. The context of the NT is the church “preaching” the message of Jesus as the Messiah, the faithful and obedient Israel who fulfills all of God’s word.
   1. 1 Corinthians 1:22-24 (ESV) For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
   2. 1 Corinthians 2:1-2 (ESV) And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. 2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.

2. The apostles modeled what Jesus himself did and sent them to do. 
   1. What did Jesus do? Jesus preached God’s word.
      1. Matthew 4:17; Matthew 11:1
         1. Matthew 4:17 (ESV) From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
         2. Matthew 11:1 (ESV) When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in their cities.
   2. Jesus sent the apostles to preach his message that he was preaching.. 
      1. Mark 3:14 (ESV) And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach…
         1. The sent ones were preaching like they learned from Jesus. 

3. Why? Jesus is himself the “word” of God who shows us God’s glory.
   1. John 1:1-3, 14
      1. Jesus is the means as the “word” of God, the speaking of God, by which all creation came to be. 
         1. Jesus is the speaking of God the Father. Want to know what God says? Look at Jesus. 
         2. This is what Paul means in Colossians 1:15-16.
            1. Colossians 1:15-16 (ESV) He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.
         3. This is why Paul preached a “Word” of Jesus because he is God and the full revelation of God. 

4. Hebrews 1:1-3
   1. Hebrews 1:1-3 (ESV) Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.
5. Because Jesus is the preacher and the content of the preaching as the Word, we have a message that will do God’s work and a mandate to take that message to all who will hear. 
   1. Romans 10:5-17 (ESV) For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them. 6 But the righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” 14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

5. Therefore, from the Jewish synagogue to the earliest church all the way until today, opening God’s word and expounding it with Jesus as the goal and fulfillment of the whole OT and the very incarnation of truth, and the interpretive key to its entire message, has been and must continue to be the centerpiece of a Christian worship service. 

How do we make application?

1. We need to know preaching serves to put God’s word, God’s communication to his people and the world in the place it should be, primary, because there is a real battle between truth and error.  

2. We must preach from God’s word with the gospel in all its multifaceted glory and application as our aim. 
   1. At times we preach through books. 
   2. At times we teach through topics using expository preaching and biblical theology in  order to equip you to read God’s word and equip you to use your whole bible and not misuse it. 

3. We believe our elders and all members of TRC are preachers of God’s word sent on mission to know Jesus and make him known in covenant fellowship among all nations beginning right here in Rome, GA. 
   1. See Acts 8:4

4. We believe that the preaching of God’s word does supernatural work.
   1. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (ESV) All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, (THE EXACT WAY WE HAVE SEEN THAT GOD USES HIS WORDS) 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

5. Believe that a mark of being a biblical church is Christ-centered whole bible preaching that aims at equipping the whole body to grow up into Christ who is the head of the church. 

6. TRC, we worship because God’s word has come to us, brought us from death to life and shown us Jesus’ glory (like Romans 10 says) , so let’s worship in thanksgiving for Jesus, the Word became flesh and for giving us himself in his word,the Bible!