Amelia Church of Christ - Christian Church in Amelia, OH near Cincinnati in Clermont County

Guest Speaker: Mike Morrissey.

Good morning and welcome to 2011! It was the late actor and comedian George Burns who said: “The secret of a good sermon is to have a good beginning and a good ending; and to have the two as close together as possible.” I am going to do my very best to fulfill Burn’s description of a good sermon for you this morning as we focus on what we as Christians believe.

We just celebrated the birth of Jesus and it seems like every year at Christmas time, the word Believe becomes more and more prominent. We see add campaigns in stores and in the media that use the word Believe. Holiday ornaments and Christmas decorations are adorned with the word. The movie adaptation of the book called The Polar Express centers around a boy who struggles to believe in Santa Clause; and in that movie, Josh Groban sang a song entitled, “Believe” that was nominated for an Oscar as best song in 2005. The chorus of that song includes these phrases:

When it seems the magic slipped away, We find it all again on Christmas Day. Believe in what your heart is saying, Hear the melody that's playing. There's no time to waste, There's so much to celebrate. Believe in what you feel inside, And give your dreams the wings to fly. You have everything you need If you just believe.

This prompts me to ask Hey Church: What Do You Believe? I want you to think hard about your answer to that question and prayerfully, by the time we get to the end of this morning’s message you will have an unshakeable answer to that question and have absolutely no doubts about what you believe.

I think it was Peter Marshall who said that “a person who doesn’t stand for something will fall for anything, so: ”Hey Church: What do You Stand For? Prayerfully, by the end of today’s message you will have a foundation of solid rock to stand upon.

We live in a sports rich state. We have sports teams at every level from high school through professional. We have our favorites and our not-so favorites. Many of us love to wear our sports team colors to identify ourselves with the team we support. But: Hey Church: How do You Identify Yourself as a Christian? I sincerely hope and pray that by the end of the message you will know without a doubt that you are a valuable member on God’s team.

In order to help us answer these questions I want to take a look at the subject of church doctrine. Say what?? Mike couldn’t you just talk about aero-dynamic wake properties or nuclear physics or some simpler topic? I pray I didn’t scare off a good percentage of you with that word – doctrine. But before you begin looking for the exits or counting the seconds down until 12:00, I want to ask you to just bear with me a little while, because what I have to say may be something you need in your life; or more importantly what someone who is outside of Christ needs in their life. What we believe, what we stand for and who we identify with are all answered by the doctrine we profess.

Please pray with me as we seek the answers to these life changing and life impacting questions this morning.

In the 5th and 6th chapters of the Book of Hebrews, Paul tells the Hebrew Christians they are not yet ready for “solid food” because they are still relying on “milk” for their spiritual sustenance.

He defines "milk" as the "elementary truths of God's word" and "the elementary teachings about Christ." As examples of milk, the writer describes laying a "foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instructions about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment."

These are the kind of things often considered meaty topics for discussion. But the Bible actually calls them “baby food”. Nutritious, yes, but the Bible states that anyone who lives on milk is "still an infant."

Solid food is for those "who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil." Constant use of what?; of the basic milk teachings of doctrine.

Many Christians avoid the subject of church doctrine, saying they're not ready for such "meaty" topics, mistakenly equating "intellectual" with "meaty." Others avoid doctrine because it doesn't seem to have much practical relation to their daily Christian walk.

There are really only two purposes for learning doctrine: The first purpose is to make and to grow Christians. Doctrine is essential for people who are unsaved. They have to be taught about faith in God and the sacrifice of Christ and about repentance and baptism. The potential Christian needs doctrine and Christians who want to evangelize also need a solid foundation in the milk of doctrine in order to share it with others.

The other purpose for studying doctrine is to learn how to be a more mature Christian. Doctrine is the foundational milk for maturity as a Christian. But it will only stimulate spiritual growth if we refuse to be just satisfied with filling only our heads with doctrine and instead apply ourselves to making use of that doctrine in our daily lives, so we can “distinguish good from evil” as the Hebrew writer states.

Alright; enough is enough. I haven’t even gone 5 minutes and I have used the word doctrine over a dozen times. You are probably thinking to yourself, why didn’t I stay home and fix that snow-blower or take apart the sink or paint the house; anything but listening to this guy ramble about doctrine.

What does the word doctrine mean anyway?

Doctrine is a system of beliefs or "a body of teachings” or "instructions", taught principles or positions, as the body of teachings in a branch of knowledge or belief system. To put it simply, doctrine specifically refers to the religious teachings of the church. Our doctrine refers to what we believe in; what we stand for, what we teach, and who we identify with.

Let’s start with this basic truth:

The Amelia Church of Christ is committed to restoring the church as it was in the time when Jesus founded the church of the New Testament as presented in the Bible. Our Christian church heritage established certain principles expressed by phrases like these:

•    Where the Bible speaks, we speak; where the Bible is silent, we are silent.

•    In essentials, unity; in opinions, liberty; and in all things, love.

•    We are not the only Christians, but we are Christians only.

•    No creed but Christ.

These key biblical principles are not intended as a test of fellowship, but are simply meant to affirm our belief in key issues of biblical doctrine.

The Amelia Church of Christ is an independent, non-denominational fellowship of believers who seek to follow Christ and identify ourselves by and with his name. The foundation and focus of our ministry is Jesus Christ and him alone, and our sole purpose is to connect people to Christ and to one another.

The Amelia Church of Christ is patterned after the New Testament ideals taught by Jesus and his Apostles. We are not the only Christians, but we are Christians only. Our goal is unity, not division. Jesus had each of us in his mind when he prayed, “that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us” (John 17:21). In the spirit of his prayer we seek unity with all others in Christ.

What do we mean by “non-denominational”?

Individual churches that associate themselves with the principles and practices of the historical Restoration Movement often state they are non-denominational. By that they usually mean, that they do not belong to an official organization of churches that has a central headquarters with various levels of leadership and specific doctrine, practices, and regulations that are recognized and followed by all churches within the denomination.

We acknowledge that Jesus Christ is the head of the church, both universally and locally. In Ephesians 1:22, 23, the apostle Paul writes these words: “God placed all things under his feet, and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.” Christ was given “all authority” (Matthew 28:18). In all things to the church, “He is the head of the body, the church, so that in everything he might have the supremacy” (Colossians 1:18).

With this information as background, let’s examine what we as Christians, as people who bear the name of Christ, believe in.

First and foremost: WE BELIEVE IN GOD.

He is the one true God. God is the absolute and sole creator of the universe, and that creation was by divine command. (1,2,4) God is infinitely perfect and eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God, by his sovereign choice and love for man, sent Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son into the world to save sinners. After God raised Jesus from the dead and back into Heaven, he sent his Holy Spirit as a gift for all Christians and to be a counselor and guide until Jesus returns. (5,6,7) (Genesis 1:1, 26-27; 3:22; Psalm 90:2; Matthew 28:19; John 3:16; John 14:26; Acts 2:38; 1 Peter 1:2; 2 Corinthians 13:14)

Lee Strobel, a Christian author described a number of the Biblical characteristics of God in his book “The Case For a Creator”.

Here are just a few:

Creator: In the beginning you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. Ps. 101:25

Immaterial: God is spirit. John 4:24

Personal: I am almighty God. Gen. 17:1

Enormously powerful: The Lord …is great in power. Nahum 1:3

Omnipresent: The heavens, even the highest heavens cannot contain you. I Kings 8:27

The Old and New Testaments of the Bible contain a rich range of the images of God. Individually and collectively, these build up to give a profound and deeply satisfying image of who God is, and what He is like. We see Him as both shepherd and rock. He cares for His people and He is a secure place of shelter from the storms of life, a place of refuge from sin and evil. We believe in God.

WE BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST.

We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in his virgin birth, in his sinless life, in his miracles, in his atoning death through his shed blood, in his bodily resurrection, in his ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in his personal return to power and glory. (9,10,) (1 Corinthians 15:1-8)

To help us identify with Jesus and remember what He did for us on Calvary, Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper during one of the most precious hours of his earthly life. On the evening before his death, as he shared the Passover feast with his disciples, he “took bread, gave thanks, and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, ‘Take and eat; this is my body.’ Then he took the cup, and gave thanks, and offered it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it all of you. This is the blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:26, 27). “Do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19).

It is the Christian’s privilege and responsibility to remember Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection by taking part in the Lord’s Supper, on a weekly basis, with the fellowship of believers. We do this because we believe in Jesus; we believe in His deity; and in His sacrifice for our sins.

WE BELIEVE IN THE HOLY SPIRIT.

We believe that the ministry of the Holy Spirit is to glorify Jesus Christ, and that during this final age, the Spirit abides within believers to convict them of sin, guide, instruct, comfort and empower them for godly living and service. We believe that the Holy Spirit was sent after Jesus ascended into Heaven to provide counsel, comfort, and direction in our spiritual lives.(11) Although we cannot dictate to the Holy Spirit as to when and where he acts, the promise of his presence may be claimed at the point of conversion (13) (Acts 2:38). The Holy Spirit then gives gifts of ministry to each one for the good of the body (14) (1 Corinthians 12:4-7).

WE BELIEVE IN THE BIBLE – THE HOLY SCRIPTURES.

Both Old and New Testaments are the inspired and infallible Word of God, without error in the original writings, the complete revelation of his will for the salvation of men, and the divine and final authority for all Christian faith and life. The Bible is the basic textbook of the church and the basis for all preaching and teaching (DOCTRINE). (15,17,18,19) (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20, 21; 2 Timothy 1:13; Psalm 12:6; 19:105, 160; Proverbs 30:5)

WE BELIEVE MAN WAS CREATED IN THE IMAGE OF GOD TO GLORIFY AND FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD FOR ALL ETERNITY

We believe that every person has worth as a creation because they are created in God’s “image and likeness” (Genesis 1:26). The Bible clearly states “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). We believe that man’s relationship with God has been broken by man’s own sin. However, we can be restored to a relationship with God, only through the sacrificial blood of Jesus Christ. (23) Apart from Christ, man remains eternally separated from God and is committed to hell. Yet God is patient, “not wanting anyone to perish, but for everyone to come to repentance” (24) (2 Peter 3:9).

WE BELIEVE IN ETERNAL SALVATION

We believe salvation is a free gift from God (God’s grace) and that it is not deserved, nor can it be earned. We are saved by God’s grace, which we accept by placing our faith in Jesus Christ who willingly sacrificed his life on our behalf. Because we believe in Jesus, we show obedience through repentance of our sins, public confession of our faith, and baptism by immersion into Jesus Christ. The word baptize comes from the Greek word baptizo which literally means “to dip, to immerse, to plunge.” In addition to the literal meaning of the word, immersion is practiced because it was the practice of the early church in New Testament. Still further, only immersion conforms to the description of baptisms as given by the apostle Paul in Romans 6:3-5 where he speaks of it as a “burial and resurrection”.

As a result, our relationship with God is fully restored and we have the promise of eternal life (26, 27, 28) (John 3:16).

Following our baptism into Christ, we are to grow in spiritual maturity through obedience to the Word of God and the indwelling Spirit. At death, the Christian’s spirit departs to be with Jesus Christ. At the return of our Lord, our bodies will be raised to the likeness of his resurrected body and will live forever in the presence of God. (30) (John 3:16; Romans 3:25; Romans 6:23; 1 Corinthians 15:12-20; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)

WE BELIEVE SATAN IS REAL

He desires to “kill, steal, and destroy” the Church and that he is ruler over the present world system. (31,33,34,35,38,39) (Job 1:6-12; 2:1-7; Matthew 4:1-11; John 10:10; 2 Corinthians 11:14; 2 Thessalonians 2:8, 9; Hebrews 2:14; Ephesians 6:12; 1 Peter 5:8)

WE BELIEVE JESUS WILL RETURN SOMEDAY FOR HIS CHURCH

All the dead will be resurrected, the believer to everlasting joy with the Lord, the unbeliever to everlasting punishment. Heaven and hell are both very real. (40,42,43) (2 Thessalonians 1:6-10 Peter 2:4-9; 3:7; Revelation 20:12-15)

In review then, here are the basics of what we believe at The Amelia Church of Christ: We believe in the one true God, the absolute creator of the universe; in His Son, Jesus Christ who came to earth in the form of a human being and became the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and in His resurrection to Heaven where He is even now preparing a place for Christians to live eternally; in the Holy Spirit who is our spiritual guide, counselor, and comforter and we believe in the triune existence of God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit in one being; in the Bible, the unerring, inspired, and infallible word of God; that man was created in God’s image to glorify Him and to fellowship with Him for all eternity; in eternal salvation through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus; in Satan, the source of evil and torment who desires supremacy over God; and that Jesus will return for His church. We do not waiver in our belief of these facts.

In the Book of Acts, Luke tells us that fifty days after the resurrection of Jesus Christ from death and the grave, and ten days after He ascended up into heaven, a great event took place, the equal of which the world has not witnessed since.

This event is designated in the Bible as “the day of Pentecost” (Acts 2:1). It was the day on which the Holy Spirit made a unique visit to the earth. The Holy Spirit manifested itself in three distinct ways: sound “a mighty wind”; sight – “tongues of fire that rested upon each of the apostles”; and speech – the apostles “spoke in foreign languages” they had been untrained in. All of the apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit.

The natural, worldly reaction was that these men had been partying too much and were drunk with wine. Peter addressed the crowd and boldly stated they were not drunk as they had supposed and then quoted an Old Testament prophet, Joel, who wrote “that in the last days God would pour out his spirit on all people”.

Peter then proceeded to preach a dynamic sermon about Jesus using events and scripture from the Old Testament as background and supporting proof that Jesus had been sent by God to serve as the final atoning sacrifice for sin. This sermon culminated in what I believe is the greatest statement in the Bible:

Acts 2:36-41 (New International Version)

THE GREATEST STATEMENT:

"Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ." (Acts 2:36 NIV)

This statement led to the greatest question:

THE GREATEST QUESTION:

"When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" (Acts 2:37 NIV)

And the question created the greatest answer:

THE ANSWER:

Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call." (Acts 2:38-39 NIV)

The answer led to a great response:

THE RESPONSE:

"With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation." Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. (Acts 2:40-41 NIV)

So What’s Next?

1.    If you’re not a Christian, become one.

You’ve heard the Good News of the Bible proclaimed to you today: that Jesus came from heaven and gave His life on Calvary for your sins and that if you repent of those sins and confess Christ as your savior and if you are baptized for the remission of your sins, you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. You will become a new creature in Christ. You will be saved. This may be a new concept for you, and you may have questions.

I would like all of the ministry staff, elders and deacons to stand.

If you are struggling with your decision to accept Christ, and if you still have questions, I urge you to seek out one of these leaders and talk to them about your life and about your desire to become a new creation in Christ.

But if you understand and are ready, I urge you to come forward when we sing our invitation song and make that good confession of faith. Everything is ready right now for you to begin your new walk in Christ.

2.    If you’re not a member, become one.

Perhaps you are already a Christian and you want to place your membership here at ACC. I can think of no better time than to do it right now as I extend the hand of Christian fellowship to you. One of our leaders would also be happy to speak with you about membership.

3.  Perhaps you are a Christian and a member and you want to grow in the grace and knowledge of God’s word. We have a large number of programs for you to get involved in:

Adult Bible Fellowship classes on Sunday morning at 10AM.

Small group studies on various evenings and at various times.

4.    Maybe you need to take an active role in service here at the Amelia Church of Christ.

We need workers to stand in the gap and be counted. We need workers at every level from children’s education to adult education – from basic home repairs to contract work – from sharing God’s message to visiting with our sick and shut-ins. Don’t get trapped by the thought you can’t do it or you don’t have the training. We can help you. Reach out to one of our staff members or to our leadership team and they will be more than happy to point you in the right direction.

As we prepare for our invitation time, I urge you to come forward and claim Christ as your own. Time after time He has waited before, and now He is waiting again. To see if you are willing to open the door, oh how he wants to come in. Christ stands at the door and knocks. Won’t you let Him come into your life as we stand and as we sing. Come for all things are ready!

Mike Morrissey

Tags: doctrine, belief, foundation