Art 46-47 Congregation and Associations

Sovereign Grace Family Church

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00:02

All right, so if you have your confessions we should have reached article 46 and article 47 for my portion and then Brother Keith will be back in and he'll do 48 and 49 and then as I said next week, we'll we'll finish it up.

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Good evening, sir.

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All right, so Article 47 and article 46 and article 47 it really has to do Continually with certain aspects of what takes place within the church in the area of As we've looked at over the last few weeks discipline responsibility accountability Those areas which Really are practical in the outworking of of our life together as a body of Christ.

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So specifically tonight in article 46 It talks about and remember these are subtitles that have been added in not necessarily were in the original confession article 46 is on Congregational unity and then on in article 47 Thoughts about associations, which is an interesting subject.

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We'll just touch upon it tonight But before we do that, I want to talk about Article 46.

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Let me read it to you.

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And then maybe we'll we'll be able to understand it a little bit article 46 says this thus being rightly gathered and continuing in the obedience of the gospel of Christ None are to separate for faults and corruptions For as long as the church consists of men subjects to fall on fallings There will be difference in the true constituted Church Until they have in due order and tenderness sought redress thereof so a lot said in in a very few amount of words and and really this whole idea of Congregational unity or if you will, what is it that that we should focus on? In our seeking to live at peace with one another and to promote if you will Unity within the body and basically I want to think about it in in really two ways One is this how are we to handle differences among ourselves and then how are we to handle? deficiencies among ourselves And I think those are two different things.

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In other words, there are going to be let me pose it as a question Would you not agree that there are going to be differences? Okay Us being created in the image of God unique in so many ways and yet so similar in so many other ways, but how are we to handle differences that we have amongst ourselves and How do we handle deficiencies? What is it that I mean by deficiencies? Does anyone have a deficiency here? besides vitamin deficiencies for things like that What I mean is how are we to handle each other's sin And I would hope that we would all fully agree that we all not only have differences we all have deficiencies we all have sins that we are all dealing with and That how are we to handle it? And how does that work? With this thought of seeking to promote Christian Unity and I want to make this as a foundational point before we go any further And again my thinking my understanding and some might have Some different thoughts and we could discuss that anytime you want But I will say this that all believers all believers are to put themselves under the government of a local church I do not believe that there is any scriptural warrant for anyone to be in that sense on church or living the Lone Ranger kind of thinking that every single believer is Commanded by the scriptures to put themselves under the government under the discipline under the fellowship of a local church And many see that as an option I do not see that as an option never have never will I See it as something that is absolutely essential and all believers are to determine once they have put themselves within a local body to promote unity and to seek for the welfare of the body in total and not just The idea of what's in it for me because again that seems to be in our days something we live in I want to quote something from Augustine and Or if you like Augustine whichever way you want to say it, but but Augustine said this he said in things essential We need to have unity Then he said in things non-essential.

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We need we need to have liberty And then he said in all things we need to have charity or love And so I think that's a well Thought out statement and it's something that should enter into our lives as we seek to have Congregational unity that we have to determine what is absolutely essential and once we determine what is essential There must be unity Okay But there is also a large area in which There is going to be Differences of thinking and I will say that those areas which are Non-essential and maybe we'll talk a little bit more about what is essential versus what is non-essential but in those areas that are Non-essential there needs to be a great measure of of liberty and there needs to be a great measure of if you will us Not seeking to have others conforming to what we think what we feel what we want what we believe and Then there is the final statement which says in all things there needs to be charity or love and that certainly Is absolutely essential.

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I Also want to say this is about congregational unity We ought not to join a body of believers Because of external reasons and what I mean by that is You know I think about When our kids were still at home, and we had four and they were all Within close enough age that they were all basically in pajamas at the same time and I remember when I first came to Christ I Basically went to the closest church I could find and Then it wasn't long before I realized that I shouldn't have gone to that church And I don't believe that that we should determine which body we're going to put ourselves in and under Merely because of external reasons whether it be the closest or whether it be the farthest some people think that they're more spiritual if they travel 50 miles to a church There shouldn't be external reasons Of why we join a church whether it's the biggest the smallest Or anything I I think if we do that we dishonor the Lord Jesus himself because again We need to always remember that the church does not the church belongs to Christ It's his bride, and and we are his people and so It ought to be the result of essential beliefs so just for a minute I've got a few minutes.

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I want to ask you What do you think is essential if if we have to if we agree that what Augustine is saying? It's true that in things that are essential.

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We must have unity as a body What would be what would be something you see as? essential doctrine all doctrine brother all doctrine Okay so if I'm a millenniast or a partial preterist or pre-millenniast or whatever and you're not Should I leave the church? I'm just asking should I leave the church? Should I seek to make? Your end times doctrine my end times doctrine So I agree with you Doctrine, and I think what we have to do is we have to delineate this down a little bit because again Doctrine it carries a wide swath.

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I'm going to show you in Romans 14 where Paul lays out doctrine and yet Paul says That there are two going to be differences in understanding.

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So so what else? in other words How about this the person of Christ is that essential Trinity, okay What else Okay, virgin birth Inspiration That essential Absolutely, if I walk into a church or you walk into a church and they say well the Bible contains the Word of God But we're not really sure the Bible is the Word of God Maybe you turn Right.

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The Bible doesn't contain the Word of God.

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The Bible is the Word of God So so there are still I guess we don't have to continue this but I think we you catch my point there are things that are absolutely essential and and we should be in a Body of believers where there is agreement and unity under those essentials the personal work of Christ the Trinity the virgin birth The final judgment those things are absolutely essential, right? But there are other doctrines and again We'll look at a few that might not necessarily fall into that essential category And those are the things that I think we have to be careful about that.

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We don't overstep What the scriptures would give us as far as those things that are essential and again I've seen churches decide that if you if you don't read the King James, that's essential enough to get rid of you.

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I Mean, that's as wild as that sounds there are those churches that you'd unless you read the King James and Unless you read the authorized 1611 version.

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Guess what? You can't play with them And it's absurd and I Guess what? I'm trying to ask us as the brothers say that that being rightly gathered and continuing in the obedience of the gospel of Christ none are to separate for faults and corruptions and I'm including within that even diversity and Differences for as long as the church consists of men subject to failings there will be difference in the true constituted church So so we have to we have to believe in Absolute essentials and it could be no variableness in that To me.

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One of the essentials is that if you're a believer you ought to be attached to a local church It would be once the church establishes in other words would I be right if if coming into sovereign grace We have adopted the 1646 first on the confession and You come in and you say well, you know what? I'd rather hold to the Westminster Confession or I rather hold to to the Belgic Confession or the Heidelberg or the second London Confession in We would say and rightfully so We understand that we have Differences however as a body believes hey Nicole as a body of believers we have adopted this and it would almost be that It would almost be a source of disunity For you to come and to join if you were going to make that a point of contention, right? again, there'll be differences I Guarantee you that every one of us in this room have different thoughts about different things And one of the biggest subjects of course is end times, right and probably one of the reasons why We spend so little time on in times is because it becomes such a contentious issue And although there's so much more that's attached to it.

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But my whole point is that we must be We must be wise enough to realize that there is essentials and it has to be absolute unity Then there are those things that are non-essential and within those there must be Liberty in other words, we need to be careful and so I wanted to ask you if you would just take your Bibles and turn to Romans 14 for a minute and I just want to read a couple of verses in Romans 14 to show how Paul deals with this whole issue of Areas where Some have one understanding and some have another understanding and And he does not say either one of them are in and of themselves necessarily wrong His real warning is to be careful what you do with those differences and not merely to cause Disunity amongst the the body over certain things so just read it and I think you'll pick up on it, right? So Romans 14 received one who is weak in the faith But not to disputes over doubtful things For one believes he may eat all things but he who is weak eats only vegetables Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat Let not him who does not eat judge him who eats for God has received him Who are you to judge another servant? To his own master he stands or falls indeed He will be made to stand for God is able to make him stand One person esteems one day above another another esteems every day alike.

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Let each be fully convinced in his own mind He who observes the day Observes it to the Lord he who does not observe today to the Lord He does not observe it he who eats to the Lord For he gives God thanks and he who does not eat to the Lord and does not who does not eat And gives God.

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Thanks for none of us lives to himself No one dies to himself for what for if we live we live to the Lord And if we die, we die to the Lord therefore whether we live or die We are the Lord's for this and Christ died and rose again that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living Why do you judge your brother? Why do you show contempt for your brother for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ What is written as I live says the Lord every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess to God Each one of us shall give himself shall give account of himself to God Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this not to put a stumbling block or cause to fail Cause to fall in our brother's way.

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So as you read this These are doctrinal issues.

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Why we think they would be steaming date Paul talks about the way some people hold certain days and certainly in the early church and The idea of the festivals and keeping of Sabbaths and all those other things in other words I guess what what I'm trying to get us to think about in this Article of the confession where it talks about Congregational unity we have to determine again What is essential and we have to stand firm? then we have to we have to understand what is Essential but not absolutely essential if I could put it that way and there we have to have a certain degree of liberty Because again, we shall all stand and give account of himself to God and if we If we go back to an essential Truth, this is Christ Church.

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He's Lord.

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He's master and we are not to Usurp our place Over someone else that will give answer to him in that day.

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So as you think about these things they're not small issues and I'll tell you what.

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I've seen churches split over much less than that I've seen churches split over what color they're gonna paint the sanctuary you You might not think that happens, but it does I've seen churches split over versions.

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I've seen them split over music Again I've been in Christ.

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I've been in churches for 45 almost 50 years now I've been able to see a lot of things and I've seen these things happen and and usually it's because again we've lost sight of The need to promote unity and then the need to distinguish what is essential from what is not What is not essential and then we've totally many have lost the whole idea in all things charity or love because again That's The area of differences right but then there's this other area and you know in 30 minutes.

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I certainly can't cover anything, but there's this whole area of deficiencies or sin You know, we've all heard this saying if you find a perfect church don't go to it because you'll destroy it You know that kind of thing But the reality is brothers and sisters if you if you're looking to see sinlessness in me It's not gonna happen.

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If I look to see sinlessness in you It's not gonna happen.

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If you do not think that we are going to hurt each other Maybe not on purpose You're wrong if you don't think we're gonna step on each other's toes you're wrong if you don't think that we're gonna at times cause Divisions whether we we consciously are seeking to do that.

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You're wrong There will be differences and there will be As they put it and I like the way they put it right as long as the church consists of men subject to failings And that's what we are sinners that have been Translated out of the world into the kingdom of his son and we are being sanctified We are being prepared as a bride for for the groom and until that day guess what in heaven There's absolute doctrinal unity There's not one town for the pre-millenniast and another town for the amillenniast Although if there was the pre-millenniast would probably be all the way in the back just like the Presbyterians.

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I'm sorry See Deficiencies two final thoughts before we just quickly touch on association One Is to me one of the greatest remedies against this is to realize and to submit to the Lordship of Christ and to act like the Son of God who Did no one know home and Everyone he came in contact with he sought to do good to them.

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But if you and I will seek to to concentrate on that rather than on Things that really in the in the biggest scheme of things mean absolutely nothing Then I think we will we will have a better ability to promote Christian unity and listen If we're not here if we're not gathering together to build one another up that we might as well not gather together We'd be better off just going and living on our own island and and and and just worshiping God as we see fit And again, that's why a lot of people do that They're not willing to submit to to the authority of a local church So number one is to realize that we are not the master Christ is and then number two That we are Not the one who's placed the members in the body But the spirit has in other words as We would submit to the sovereignty God.

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None of us would say I hope that we are here by accident or chance We are we have been sovereignly Placed here.

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No you came in you were smiling.

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So He owes me three minutes from last week I Know you I know good to see you That we all realize that we are here by sovereign decree Whether it be forever or for a certain period of time so Lord moves and that should again help us to deal with reality of congregational unity and to Especially as I said as you read through Romans 14, it's an interesting Discussion that Paul has and you really in some ways you you kind of like where's Paul falling on on all this stuff? And we do have indications of where as Paul says that you know, he's not he's not going to be caught by Anyone who's weak in the faith saying he can't we were talking about before the price of steak And if I want to have a steak, I'm gonna have a steak if you come to my house and you're a vegetarian Well good I could feed you a lot cheaper on vegetables than I can on steaks But this whole idea of Congregation is absolutely essential that we unite in and again the things that are essential absolute unity No, no Disagreement the person of Christ if you come here and you want to become a member here And you're not sure that Jesus Christ is the Son of God in the Son of Man Well, you could sit among us But you're not going to be a member here because we hold that is absolutely essential same thing with the inspiration of the Word Again, if you believe the Bible contains the Word of God you can sit with us until you come to the understanding that the Bible is the Word of God There's a big difference between containing it and being it so that deals with article 46 very quickly article 47 I just want a couple of passing remarks about associations But let me read the article with you Article 47 says this and although the particular congregations be distinct and several bodies Everyone as a compact and knit city within itself yet.

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We are Yet are they all to walk by one rule of faith? so also they by all means convenient are to have the council and help one of another if Necessity requires it as members of one Body in the common faith under Christ their Lord again Just a few thoughts and the first one is this And perhaps you would say I kind of go back to this often and I do and I do it for a reason the local body of believers is fully Gifted and charged by God to govern themselves That we do not need If we are a truly constituted New Testament Church we are under the the Lordship of Christ and we ought to and Must be able to not only govern ourselves, but to manage ourselves without any in outside interference that is a big subject this whole idea of the autonomy of a local church it has It has been an issue down through church history and and I think the best way for us to understand it is we are under the Lordship of Christ and That he is our head and that we are members of his body.

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I will also say this when it comes to this whole idea about associations that much harm has come out of this subject of associations should we be part of association shouldn't we and I I Guess again in my experience most of the times when there's errors friends.

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They usually way off on one side Way off on the other side.

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In other words, we we have a tendency to go to extremes And so people will look at certain things Sometimes from way out on one side or way out on the other side and when it comes to associations I think that sometimes comes into play that that some They'll take such a a view that we must be under the the Banner if you will of an association of churches, and I'm not even gonna get into the Roman Catholicism thing right now Because it just makes me mad But but there are some that have such a desire to put themselves under association that they'll almost give up the essentials Just for the sake of being part of an association The whole ecumenical movement has a lot of issues in that area where we lose our essential Truths and then there's some that isolate Completely other way and then they have no fellowship with any almost cult-like that they think that they alone are the They alone are the ones who possess all truth and unless everyone else conforms to them well Then they're just not right so again extremes But in this idea of associations, I think I think it's important to ask ourselves But and we probably don't have time now What value we would find in? Being related in an association of churches which again and I'll go back to this point again that we can find essential truths with Not absolutely every truth down the line again, there are many things many differences whether it be on things that we see in the scriptures or other practical matters, but what what is the value of joining or aligning ourselves With an association or a group of churches and I will tell you this for a long time Well, I've had an interesting background I was a member of the Sovereign Grace Baptist Association that was up north and but but I've been many years associated with Sovereign Grace Reform thinking also for many years in the last church that we were at we were under the South of the Southern Baptist Convention and As much as I truly desired to come out from underneath that It wasn't the desire of the body and rather than again, I saw it as something I could work within I preferred not to be part of that Southern Baptist Convention because to me all they really cared about in their association was How much money you gave every month Because that was that on the front page of your newsletter and how many baptisms you had right? And and basically they threw in a story about a missionary or two or something like that But what is the real value in and I will say it this way Whenever we can have fellowship with a church or a group of churches of like mindedness we should I'll put it that way.

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How many people have been underneath associations? Okay, just name a couple of them Okay, anybody anyone different other than the Southern Baptist? PCA okay.

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Yeah They are There are many associations right and then there's even subgroups of associations, so We should I believe we should whenever we could find Unity and like-mindedness as long as it doesn't cross the line where there the association begins to govern Because again, we are charged to govern ourselves If we cannot govern ourselves brothers and sisters, then we're not we're not a truly constituted Church of Christ We must be able to rule ourselves Paul brings that up in 1st Corinthians about judging ourselves And why would we go outside and although he's talking about the world it still I think there's an application to it.

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So Yeah Denominations and associations If your church is a part of certain denominations your church doesn't even own its own property That's right For instance in the Methodist Church There are some churches in the Methodist Church that have wanted to come out because the church Holds the scripture, but the Methodist Church has gone so far afield But they can't if they come out they they lose their building They lose everything because they don't own the the denomination owns and again That's a certain level of authority that you've given away You may not get to call your own pastor, that's right the association can choose who's your pastor and we are part of fire I was gonna mention it.

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Okay.

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Yeah If you've noticed lately what's been in the news what the Lutherans have done now where they have ordained a Transgender bishop and having all kinds of issues within the Lutheran Church.

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I know right to deal with this and again Basically, they have no choice Because as brother Keith brings up Associations can slowly dig their roots down to a point where you lose Your individual identity, right? Again, Rome would be the greatest example of that, but that's another reason.

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So yeah, Southern Baptist Confession PCA many others So how many know the association that we have affiliation with? Fire right anybody know what it stands for Fellowship of independent reformed evangelicals Last year the focus is on the independent.

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Yes.

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All of the churches are independently governed not governed by fire We're associated by fire, but not governed by fire.

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That's it.

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Yeah So so associations are good right in the sense that let's just put in an area of missionaries As much as I would love to see us fully support our own missionaries We can't all right.

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We just live in a day in time when it's very difficult to do that Especially when it involves sending with someone to a far-off place So I would not be opposed to being affiliated with an association of churches who are like minded in an area of seeking to support a missionary as long as there is mutual understanding of the work that that missionary is going to do.

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And again, based on essential truths.

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That would be involved in it.

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Another example might be as far as From time to time when an association of different churches to get together to help support.

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Let's say churches that have evolved in a hurricane or natural disaster.

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We've done that.

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I've done that in many churches over the years where where something has taken place and it doesn't necessarily mean that they have to be, you know, have to read the version we read and and and even in that sense don't have to be Reformed in their thinking, although We would rather they were but that we would we would send aid and Paul brings it up and separate these eight if you want to read about it, where he talks about Gathering together to get to the churches that are in need.

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So my point as I finished this with it with associations is there.

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There is some worth in associations, as long as the associations and as you brought up and as we've been talking about as long as there is mutual understanding of the work that Long as it stays within the boundary of churches of like mindedness seeking to accomplish certain things, but not where it crosses the line.

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Again, where we lose our identity.

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We lose the ability to govern ourselves and almost to the point where we can't even call our own elders and things like that.

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We don't own our own building.

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It's always better to own your house than to Be renting it from someone else kind of thing.

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All right, I've I'm not.

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I'm out of time.

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Any final thoughts on associations or anything that I said.

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All right, brother.

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Keith's going to come down and do civil government.

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So we should be here for about seven hours.