Foundation of the Apostles & Prophets

Introduction: The Gentiles' Transformation and the Temple Imagery

0:02 We return this morning to our studies in the second chapter of Paul's letter to the Ephesians. Ephesians chapter 2, and I shall read verses 19 through 22, the concluding statement of the Apostle in this second paragraph of Ephesians 2, this second great contrast of the chapter. Follow please as I read Ephesians 2 verses 19 through 22.

1:00 In this second paragraph, beginning with verse 11 and concluding with verse 22, the Apostle is seeking to enlighten the minds, the understanding of the Ephesian Christians, in order to inflame their affections, and thereby to stir them up to greater carefulness in their walk before God. And he does so by contrasting what they were, particularly the Gentile segment of this church, what they were prior to the coming of the gospel, and what they now are since the gospel has come, and he has particular reference to what they were with reference to the visible people of God. In the first half of the chapter, the contrast is between what they were as individuals in sin, and what they now are individually as united to Christ. Here the contrast is broader in its perspective. There was a time when they were strangers from the commonwealth of Israel, as we read in verse 12.

2:24 The Gentiles had no part in identification with the visible community of God's people. But now, this has all been changed and the Apostle goes into some detail in describing the transformation that has occurred. The procurement of that transformation in verses 14 to 16, the proclamation of it in verse 17, and then their actual participation in it in verse 18. Then in verse 19 to the end, there is this grand climax which summarizes and expands everything that is gone before.

3:01 And in our previous study, we tried to gain a broad overview of these four verses. And I suggested that what the Apostle does is to give us a negation of their past status. So then, ye are no more. And he says that the past status was one of strangers and sojourners.

3:23 In modern jargon, visitors and resident aliens. But they had no place. In the visible family of God. And having given this statement of the negation of their past status, he then expounds their present status as comprised in three things.

3:44 He says they are now fellow citizens with the saints. That is, citizens of the city or nation of God. They are household members of the family of God. And they are living stones in the temple of God.

4:00 And I sought in the study a month ago, when we had our last study in this passage, to set before you something of the glory of being members of the city of God. Household members of the family of God. And living stones in the temple of God. So much for our brief review.

The Significance of the Temple Imagery and a Word of Caution

4:21 Now you will notice that once the Apostle introduces this concept, the third concept, citizens are now part of this living temple. He then launches into this rather extensive description of the nature of that temple, the qualities of the temple, and many facets concerning this third imagery. In terms of the lines that it takes to deal with it in our English Bibles, I find that in two lines he dealt with the concepts of fellow citizen and members of the household of God. But it takes eight lines in my Bible to deal with the concept of living stones in the temple of God. So that very simply breaks down to an eight to one ratio. He gives that much more space, that much more thought, that many more words to develop this third concept. Now that is not an accident.

5:23 There was something about the concept of the people of God being constituted living stones, stones in the temple of God, that more powerfully served the purpose of this paragraph. Now never forget, the Apostle had a distinct purpose in mind. And its purpose, or his purpose, is most succinctly set forth in the repeated use of the word one. Four times we have the use of the word one.

5:54 He has made both one. Reconciled both in one. One body, through the cross, of the two he has made one. And there is something about the concept of living stones brought together to form a temple which underscores the principle of oneness more vividly than do the concepts of the city and of the family.

6:21 For you see, in a city there are many individuals. Altogether, they comprise the city or the nation. But they have significance and worth and identity simply considered as individuals. Likewise with the family.

6:36 Though the family is a unit, every individual is a total entity. He has significance in and of himself. But you see, if you take the stones that comprise a temple and scatter them, they have no real significance of themselves. They're just stones.

6:54 But put them together into a beautiful edifice. And together. In that relationship to the whole, they have significance. And so, in this immediate context, since the purpose of the apostle is to drive home this tremendous concept, no longer is there a middle wall between Jew and Gentile.

7:15 But the same Christ who has reconciled his people to God has reconciled them to one another. He drives this imagery home. He fleshes it out. He expands it.

7:27 Until there is set before us this amazing, this wonderful, this astounding reality that Jew and Gentile as living stones in the temple of God have actually become God's dwelling place on earth. Now let me say by way of introduction, as we come to a detailed and careful analysis of the apostle's words in this paragraph, having looked at the paragraph in a general overview. Or this last part of the paragraph. Let me give a word of caution and then a word of exhortation.

8:03 As glorious as this passage is in setting forth the nature of the church of Christ, it gives us but one facet of the biblical doctrine of the nature of the church. In this very epistle, we have at least two other major pictures of what the church is. In chapter 4, verses 12 to 16. The church is described under the figure of a body.

8:33 In chapter 5, beginning with verse 22, it is described under the figure of a bride. And we could possibly add to that the figure of chapter 6, verses 10 through 18. The church is pictured as a fighting army. Now what is the church?

8:52 Is it living temple? Living body? Living bride? Or fighting army?

8:58 Well it's all of those things, you see. Now we need to approach then this passage with caution because in the history of the church right to our own day, tremendous harm has been done by a failure to recognize two things. When we come to a specific image representing some facet of the glory of the church, we must not try to harmonize that with the other pictures and bleed it of its own distinctness. We must try to have a distinctive emphasis.

9:29 And we'll see later on why that principle is so necessary. We read about a foundation here. Well you don't take every passage that talks about the church's foundation and wrench it into this passage and make this fit the others. No, no.

9:43 Every single facet in the diamond contributes something to the glory of the brilliance of that diamond when held under light. And so every single facet of the doctrine of the church, whether envisioned or just as we have in Ephesians, as body, as army, as bride, or as temple, each has its own distinctive contribution to make. And we must not allow the glory and the beauty, the brilliance of that facet, to be obscured by simply overlaying it with other aspects of divine truth. On the other hand, we must never think that one facet is the whole diamond.

10:26 We must never take the concept of the church as living temple and regulate all of our thinking about the church in terms of a living temple. No, no. There are certain aspects of the constitution and life of the church which cannot be appreciated unless we view the church as living body. Other aspects that cannot be appreciated unless we view the church as a glorious bride.

10:53 Other aspects that cannot be appreciated unless we view the church as a glorious bride. Other aspects that cannot be appreciated unless we view the church as a fighting army. Now you see, if all people think is that the church is fighting army, they get to be a rather contentious, cantankerous, militant, right-angled group that's not very beautiful. I wouldn't want them as a bride.

11:12 But if we only think of the church under the figure of bride, there is something of the militancy of the church that will be missed. If we think of the church simply as body, something of the concept of living temple will be lost. So let me give this word of caution at the very outset of our detailed study. Lest, on the one hand, we fail to extract from this passage all that God has deposited in it.

11:39 Lest, on the other hand, we become so enamored with the glory of what's deposited here, we let that overshadow the glory of what is found in chapter 4, chapter 5, and chapter 6. Then I give, by way of introduction, a word of exhortation as well. Well, as a word of caution. As much as I fully intend to labor at simplicity, clarity of structure,

Exhortation for Diligent Study and Overview of the Temple's Structure

12:07 illustrative material that will help to make the material plain, these are mind-stretching truths that are going to demand two things of you if you're to profit from them. In other words, if you're to do anything other than go out of here and say, man, that was the most boring hour I ever sat through, it's going to demand something of you. It has demanded, and will continue to demand, literally hours upon hours of study and thought and analyzing and structuring and restructuring. If I had a dollar for every different approach I've tried to make to this passage, I'd have some good pen money for my next vacation.

12:44 But no matter how much I labor in these areas, and I trust that I shall not stint upon my labors, I exhort you to bring to this study two things. Fervent prayer, for the illumination of the Spirit, and a determination to expend mental pains and effort. As one servant of God said, there is no limit to what God will do through the prayers and pains of His people. Let us have the attitude of Ephesians 1, in which the Apostle prays that God would give to the saints the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Himself.

13:22 God must open to us these glorious truths. But at the same time, let's have the disposition that we find in 2 Timothy 2, in which Paul says to Timothy, Think upon these things, and the Lord give the understanding in all things. We must bring fervent prayer, expressive of our conscious dependence upon the spirit of illumination, and add to that mental vigor and discipline that we may grasp what God has said. So much then for the introductory word of caution, and the introduction of the word of prayer.

13:56 Let's have the disposition that we find in 2 Timothy 2, in which Paul says to Timothy, The introductory exhortation. Now then, what is before us in this glorious image of the church comprised of Jew and Gentile constituting this living temple? Well, let me give you the broad overview that forms the structure of where we'll be going in the next few weeks, and then we'll attack but one little facet of that this morning. First of all, we'll consider the component parts of the temple.

14:24 What are the parts that constitute this temple? Look at the passage. You will notice, first of all, there is reference to a foundation being built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets. Secondly, our attention is drawn to a chief cornerstone, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone.

14:47 And then thirdly, there is the superstructure in whom each several building fitly framed and groweth to a holy temple in the Lord. So the component parts are the foundation, apostles and prophets, the cornerstone, Jesus Christ, the superstructure, Jew and Gentile who are incorporated into Christ and thereby rightly related to the foundation and the cornerstone. Well then, Paul gives us in the second place the primary characteristics of this temple. Not only the component parts, what makes it a temple, but what does it look like?

15:29 What are its chief characteristics? And he gives us three. He tells us, first of all, it is a symmetrical temple. Notice the language in whom each several building fitly framed together.

15:45 It is builded together. It's not a pile of rubble. It is a beautiful edifice. It is symmetrical, reflecting the wisdom and the power of its architect and builder, the living God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

16:02 Then he tells us it's not only characterized by symmetry, but it is a growing temple. Now what a strange thing. Whoever heard of a temple that grows? Well, this temple grows.

16:14 Notice, it grows into a holy temple in the Lord and then thirdly, it is a holy temple. So those are the three outstanding characteristics of the temple. There is, it's symmetry, it's growth, and it's holiness. Then in the third place, he tells us what is the purpose for this temple.

16:33 Why in the world did God design this temple? Why has he moved and does he continue to move in sovereign power to build man upon the foundation of that temple? Why does he, by the dwelling of his spirit, cause it to grow? Well, its purpose is this, that we might be a habitation of God in the spirit of God.

16:55 The spirit. The ultimate purpose of that temple is to be a habitation of God and then in the fourth place, there is inferred throughout the whole passage the identity of the architect and the builder. Most of the verbs are passive verbs. Ye are builded.

17:13 He doesn't say you built yourself. It grows. You are fitted. You don't fit yourself.

17:19 Somebody's at work to build this temple. If you drive by this blank space of a lot, on the way to the auditorium for our morning service week after week and there's nothing but land and one week you drive by and you see a hole's been dug and then a foundation's been raised and after a few months a house is there, you know somebody's been at work. The man didn't just suddenly one morning say, hey, let's shift ourselves around and suddenly there was a hole. And then some blocks at the West Essex building said, you know, we're tired of the environment here.

17:51 Let's take a walk over to that empty lot and make ourselves... No, no.

17:55 If you see, if you see a hole and a foundation and a superstructure, somebody's been at work. And when we see this living temple comprised of these materials totally unfit for that temple by nature and yet made fit to become a dwelling place of God himself, we're to stand back in amazement as we behold the architect and builder, the living God himself. Well, I hope that whets your appetite for the passage. Now then, let us begin this morning a consideration of the component parts of the temple.

Component Parts: The Foundation of Apostles and Prophets

18:28 Now, you kids, you know what component means, don't you? You say, no, I don't. Well, I'll explain to you. How many of your parents have a stereo set or a hi-fi set?

18:37 Huh? Kids, any of your parents have a stereo set or a hi-fi set? Well, sure they do. Okay.

18:44 Now, most of them bought them in a shop where it was advertised stereo components. In other words, the individual things that when you put them all together give you a stereo set, are the components. There's a turntable, many times a receiver, an amplifier, and some speakers. And when you put all those things together, you have a stereo set.

19:07 You have a hi-fi set. So the component parts are the individual parts which together make up the thing you're talking about. And without which, you don't have it. All right?

19:19 We're looking at the component parts in this living temple. The individual things which, when put together, constitute the temple, and without which, there can be no temple. Now, what is the first component part to which our attention is directed in the passage? Well, look at it.

19:40 Being built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets. The apostle Paul, in writing the letter, first of all, directs our attention to the temple. The temple is the temple. The temple is the temple.

19:55 The temple is the temple. The temple is the temple. The temple is the temple. The foundation.

19:57 Now, the foundation of a building is both the first thing to be constructed and in a real sense determines the shape, the size, the strength and stability of everything else. Many of you kids learned a little ditty early in your lives. The wise man built his house upon the rock. The foolish man built his house upon the sand.

20:21 Taken from Matthew 7 and again from Luke chapter 6. And in Luke chapter 6, and in Luke 6, 46 to 49, Jesus talks about a man who digged deep and laid a sure foundation before he built. Another man did not dig deep. He was so concerned with superstructure that all the dirty work of foundation was distasteful and his house had no stability because it had no foundation.

20:48 So the concept of foundation, I trust, is clear to all of us. In Psalm 11, the psalm to which your attention was directed, last Lord's Day evening, the psalmist asked the question, if the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do? If those things that support righteousness and godliness in the people of God, if those things are gone, you cannot hang morality on a sky book. It must be resting down upon the concepts of God and law and responsibility.

21:22 Therefore, in describing the great privileges of generation, Gentile Christians in terms of being incorporated into the church made vital parts of the living temple or sanctuary of God, the apostle zeroes in upon the foundation because it is the foundation of the temple which determines its shape and its stability. Now, of what is this foundation made? Look at the Bible again. Being built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets.

Identity of the Apostles

22:06 Now, may I say there are a few phrases that we've studied in recent months that are of greater importance than this little phrase. Foundation of the apostles and prophets. And in order to lay hold of what is set before us, I want to ask two questions. And draw together a number of lines of biblical thought to answer those questions.

22:32 Question one. What is the identity of these two classes of people? The apostles and prophets. The article V is in front of the apostles.

22:43 It's not repeated indicating they're considered as a specific class. The foundation of the apostles and prophets. What is their identity? Who are these apostles and prophets?

22:56 Having established their identity, then we shall ask a second question. How do they constitute the foundation of this living temple? Alright? Two simple questions.

23:07 Who are they? How do they constitute the foundation? Alright? Question number one.

23:13 What is the identity of these two groups? Let's take the first. The apostles. Now, as you've heard before, this noun simply means a messenger or a sent one.

23:25 But its meaning is determined by the determined by its usage in the scriptures. And in the New Testament there are approximately 80 occurrences of this word apostle. In all but three or four of those usages they refer to one or more of those who are commonly identified as the twelve.

23:51 Those who had a peculiar commission and mission in the church of Jesus Christ. The word apostle is used in a looser sense in three or four other instances but the preponderant usage in the New Testament refers not to anyone who is sent but to that peculiar class. Now the requirements for that office of an apostle were unique and non-transferable. An apostle must have seen the risen Lord.

24:26 Requirement number one. Acts 1.22 when they're about to select a replacement for Judas they say we must find someone who has been with us going out and coming in from the very beginning and who is a witness of the resurrection. That's why the apostle Paul in defending his own apostleship is very careful in 1 Corinthians 5 and 8 to say that Jesus Christ the risen Lord appeared directly to him.

24:58 For if he had not had this direct appearance of Christ he would not qualify to be an apostle. The second requirement is he must be commissioned by Christ himself. Matthew 10.2-4 you have the 12 commissioned directly by the Lord and then Paul records his own commission in Acts 26.12-18 the risen Lord commissions him and says I've appointed thee and then he defines his task. Now of course Matthias elected by the apostolate in Acts 1 is the exception but he is the exception and then the third requirement for this office was an apostle was given special miraculous powers and teaching authority. In Acts 2.43 we read and signs and wonders were done by the apostles.

25:54 2 Corinthians 12.12 Paul says the signs of an apostle were done in me and then he describes those peculiar miracle working powers. Coupled with that special miraculous power was this peculiar authority to instruct the churches. Paul could say in 1 Corinthians 14.37 if any man seemeth to be spiritual or a prophet let him acknowledge that the things that we say unto you are the commandments of the Lord.

26:27 The commandments of the Lord. Therefore there is no intimation of an expansion of the apostolate a succession of apostles apostles a continuity of the apostolate the identity is clear it refers to that limited exclusive group who were given a peculiar task in laying the foundation of the temple of God. Revelation 21 and verse 14 is a key text in this regard and the wall of the city of God that is the church the wall of the city had twelve foundations and on them twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

Identity of the Prophets and Interpretive Debate

27:16 The foundation of the church of Christ is to be identified as constitutive of the apostles. Well then what about the identity of this second group the prophets and since as I mentioned earlier there is no repetition of the article they are classed with the apostles somehow in the same ballpark with them. Now a prophet is one who speaks in the name of God the very words of God now follow closely by direct revelation from God. Have you got that?

27:51 It's a simple definition. A prophet is one who speaks in the name of God the very words of God by direct revelation from God. Two texts which make this very clear Deuteronomy 18 and verse 18.

28:11 Remember I said you're going to have to think friends I've reduced it to the irreducible minimum and if you value your soul think hold the argument together concentrate apply yourself with diligence your spiritual well-being may in great measure depend upon it. Deuteronomy 18 18 I will raise them up a prophet from among their brethren like unto thee and I will put my words in his mouth and he shall speak unto them all that I command. God says a prophet is one into whose mouth I put my words and you see the example of that in the commission and call of Jeremiah in chapter one of his prophecy Jeremiah one verses nine and ten God lays his hand upon Jeremiah for the prophetic office and he tells him the precise nature of that office in these words Jeremiah one verses nine and ten then the Lord put forth his hand and touched my mouth and the Lord said unto me behold I put my words in thy mouth I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms to pluck up and break down destroy to overthrow to build and to plant my words in thy mouth of course to be spoken unto men now the

29:40 preponderant use of this word in the old and new testaments refers to such men who were the mouthpieces of God to speak the words of God to men by direct revelation from God when their pronouncements became embodied in literature in the old testament as we now have it the term the prophets was used to describe not just the writings of Isaiah and Jeremiah but many other parts of the old testament so that as was pointed out to you in your studies in Matthew 5 17 to 19 or 19 to 20th 17 to 19 the very term by which you would describe the whole old testament was simply to say the law and the prophets the law then would refer to the five books of Moses the prophets would refer to everything else because whoever wrote was a direct mouthpiece of God to men so that the words of the biblical authors are the words of God constituting them prophets now they may not have had the office of a prophet while they were alive David was a king but yet the scripture says he being a prophet you see anyone who became an organ of giving to the people of God the words of God by direct revelation was constituted a prophet a prophet now then we come to Ephesians 2 what is the identity of these prophets who formed

31:09 the foundation of the church of Jesus Christ many commentators particularly in the past though some in the present say what Paul is telling us is this the foundation of this great temple made up of Jew and Gentile is comprised of the New Testament apostles those who were the organs of revelation in the New Testament and those who were the organs of revelation in the Old Testament so that we do not have this terrible disjunction between New Testament church and Old Testament church but rather the New Testament church is organically united to the Old Testament church and the New is the flower of the Old and you have the great biblical doctrine of the unity of the one covenant of grace the unity of the people of God in the Old and the New Testaments and there is some warrant for this position as I shall seek to demonstrate because whenever the apostles preached they continually said all we preach is fulfillment of the Old Testament in Romans 1 1 and 2 Paul identifies himself as an apostle of Jesus Christ set apart unto the gospel of God what gospel which he promised of four through his prophets holy scriptures concerning his son Jesus Christ our Lord you see what he's saying everything I preach

32:39 and everything I do as a New Testament apostle is but the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophets therefore the picture would be the foundation of the new temple of God or the temple of God in its New Testament expression is the word of the apostles the word of prophets however there are some serious objections to this interpretation I'll only mention them in passing and give you in a matter of about 45 seconds what literally takes many many hours to flush out to assert but I'll give it to you there is the problem of order look at the passage it does not say built upon the foundation of the prophets and apostles that would be the natural order on the surface of things there would be little question then as to whom Paul was referring so you have the problem of order in terms of the interpretation I've given then you have the pressure of context what's the context this new thing that God has done Jew and Gentile together in the visible community of God's people no longer a middle wall and as he goes on to tell us in the next chapter this is a revelation that is now being made known as it was never made known with such clarity before that Gentiles would be included yes there is a plethora of references in the Old Testament that the Gentiles would be included

34:06 but that they would be included on an equal status with the Jews that's a new revelation and so the context would favor that these prophets are not Old Testament prophets who did not enunciate that truth but New Testament prophets so you have the problem of order the pressure of context and then you have the prejudice of the parallel passages in Ephesians look down at chapter 3 verse 5 something is revealed to his holy apostles and prophets in the spirit chapter 4 and verse 11 he gave some apostles and some prophets and in those two passages the prophets obviously refer to New Testament prophets because the content of their revelation is peculiar to the New Testament well you say Pastor Martin with the problem of order and the pressure of context and the prejudice of parallel passages why certainly you believe they were New Testament prophets don't you no I do not believe they are New Testament prophets though that position is taken and ably defended by such men as Hodge and Hendrickson and many others having weighed all the arguments and kicked it back and forth and prayed and thought and discussed with others literally now since a month ago when I knew this was coming up I've come to the position that I believe the Lutheran commentator Lenski is right when he expounds and defends the position that the identity of these prophets is to be understood

35:35 as the Old Testament prophets and I would commend to any of you who are interested in doing so and I think we have Lenski's commentaries in our own church library that you look at his commentary on this passage however suffice it to say the key issue with me is this the apostle puts in this class together the apostles and prophets as a people who share something in common with reference to the foundation now there is no question that the teaching of the apostles has become the permanent possession of the church by which the church governs its shape and upon which its stability rests the New Testament prophets we have no record that what they pronounced was made the abiding possession of all the churches and there is but one class of prophets whose words are recorded for our directive and that is the Old Testament prophets and so it is my assertion I take it decidedly but humbly knowing that there is good ground for differing but I'm convinced as of the present that he's talking about the Old Testament prophets well having worked on the identity very quickly now how do they constitute the foundation it says built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets

How Apostles and Prophets Constitute the Foundation: Their Teaching

37:04 well some would say they are the foundation by virtue of their activity the prophets predicting and the apostles announcing the gospel Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3 I have laid a foundation so some people import 1 Corinthians 3 into this passage and they say it's very simple the apostles and prophets are the foundation by virtue of their activity some people would say by virtue of their persons there is a rather large ecclesiastical organization that claims to be the church that Peter built and if we have organic connections with the person of the apostles then we are the true church but I think it's quite obvious that they are the foundation by virtue of their teaching not their activity not their persons but their teaching since the foundation is laid once for all for the people of God in all ages it cannot be their activity unless we had living apostles we couldn't have a church to relay the foundation for the church in this hour no no it can't be their persons they were sinners redeemed by grace such as we are but it is in their teaching as the recipients of the word of God and the conveyors of that word for all ages and it is this that puts Isaiah Jeremiah Hosea Paul and Peter and John in the same category the apostles and prophets what brings them together?

38:33 Isaiah Jeremiah Hosea Peter John Paul they have this in common they receive the word of God by direct revelation they conveyed that word to men and that word has been embodied in the scriptures of the old and the new testaments therefore the apostles constantly say as Paul does in Acts 26 22 and 3 he says when I preach what I preach I preach I say nothing but what Moses and the prophets did say should come he says my message is rooted in the word of the prophets he says the same thing in Acts 24 15 and 16 Peter says the same thing when he is preaching to Gentiles in Acts 10 42 and 43 he says to these things all the prophets bear witness and so because the apostles had all of their teaching rooted in the word in the prophetic utterances of the old testament and then they add to that their own body of teaching listen to the apostle when he says these sobering words 1 Corinthians 14 37 if any man seemeth to be a prophet or spiritual let him acknowledge that the things which I say unto you are the commandments of the Lord think of it the apostles were self-conscious that their words had equal authority

40:03 with the very words of Christ furthermore apostles equated their own writings with the scriptures 2 Peter 3 16 Peter says our beloved brother Paul has written certain things some of them hard to be understood which the ignorant and the unstable twist they rest to their own destruction as they do also the other scriptures in other words Peter is equating the writings of Paul with the other scriptures and the other scriptures and Paul asserts in 1 Thessalonians 2 13 that his words were the very words of God he says we give thanks that when you receive the word of the message from us you received it not as the word of men but as the word of God Warfield has commented so accurately and I want to just quote briefly and if you've hung in this far congratulations and then the application will be smooth sailing Christianity is often called a book religion it would be more exact to say it is a religion that is not a religion which has a book its foundations are laid in the apostles and prophets upon which its courses are built up in the sanctified lives of men but Christ Jesus alone is its chief cornerstone he is its only basis he its only head and he alone has authority in his church but now listen carefully

41:30 he has chosen to found his church not directly by his own hands speaking the word of God say for instance in faith undertones from heaven but through the instrumentality of a body of apostles chosen and trained by himself endowed with gifts and graces from the Holy Spirit and sent forth into the world as his authoritative agents for proclaiming the gospel it's because the apostles were Christ representatives that what they did and said and wrote comes to us with authority all of the authority of the church of the church of the apostles stands behind the scriptures and all the authority of Christ stands behind the apostles the scriptures are simply the law code which the law givers of the church gave to it apostolicity that is the word of the apostles thus determines the authority of scripture and any book or body of books which were given to the church by the apostles must always remain of divine authority in the church well then what does this say when we try to summarize it as we look back at the text Ephesians 2 this great edifice that brings together living stones Jew and Gentile into one temple to be the habitation of God

42:58 what determines its stability what gives it shape and form what is its foundation and the answer of this passage is the foundation is the foundation the doctrine of the apostles and the prophets that foundation was laid powerfully by God by giving his own word through inspired apostles and prophets that word which asserts the great realities of creation fall in redemption that word which presents a redemption dependent on the enfleshment of the second person of the Godhead that word which presents a redemption effected by the curse bearing of the son of God that word which proclaims a literal resurrection from the dead as essential to the salvation of men you see the church has as its edifice not the passing fancies of men not the subjective experience of people who are religiously inclined not the pronouncements of the councils of bishops and prelates the foundation of the church is the written word of God of the old and the new testaments and there is no other foundation it and it alone is the true foundation of the living temple of God and very quickly

Application: What Constitutes a True Christian and a True Church

44:27 and I may expand upon these next week this has tremendous implications let me suggest a couple in closing this morning number one this doctrine extracted opened up from this text this text answers some very profound and important questions question one what constitutes a man a real Christian everybody not everybody but many glibly take upon themselves the name Christian most of you here would take upon yourself the name Christian what constitutes a man a woman boy or girl a Christian well look at the text he says you Ephesians who once were afar off without hope without God verses 11 and 12 he says you are now part of the living temple God indwells you and how did you become such look at the wording it's graphic it's vivid he says literally having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets in other words God took dead bound guilty Jews and Gentiles at Ephesus and by the mighty power of the Holy Spirit in the efficacious workings of his grace he brought them to rest down firmly on the doctrine of the word of God you are built on the foundation

45:56 of the apostles and prophets and when you read the account of the founding of the church at Ephesus in Acts 19 when you read the account in chapter 1 verses 13 and 14 you see that they got into that posture of being built upon the foundation when they received the word of the truth of the gospel in the language of chapter 1 in verse 13 they did not come unto that foundation by virtue of their own minds discovering truth they did not come to it by virtue of submitting to some human authority the apostle Paul and his companions came to Ephesus preaching the word of the Lord proclaiming the truth of the gospel and as we read in Acts 16 the Lord who opened the heart of Lydia to attend to the things spoken by Paul opened their hearts to do what not to argue with apostolic doctrine not to fight with the doctrine of the prophets but to give themselves over to it built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets my friend how can you become a Christian you become a Christian when you cease all of your own reasonings about what life is all about what is the purpose of life is there a God how can I know a God and you begin to submit your mind to the scriptures which say God made you

47:24 you're his creature the scriptures which say you have fallen in Adam you're a sinner the scriptures which say you are helpless and undone and have no power to recover yourself the scriptures which say God sent his son the second person of the pod head through the womb of the virgin Mary to be the savior of sinners the scriptures which say that he died for sinners he underwent curse bearing upon the cross and the wrath of almighty God broke upon his own holy and spotless head the scriptures which say he was buried and was raised again the third day the scriptures which say he went back to the right hand of the father the scriptures which say if you repent and believe you'll be saved my friend you'll never become part of the true church the living temple of God until you're placed upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets you must receive the apostolic doctrine that's why Paul describes the conversion of the Romans in this graphic way Romans 6 17 God be thanked that ye became obedient from the heart to that form of doctrine unto which you were delivered he says you were delivered to the form of doctrine and you stopped arguing with it you stopped sitting around saying well I think and I surmise and I my friend you'll go to hell with your own

48:51 wisdom of this world he's ordained by the foolishness of the thing preached and what is the thing preached the apostolic gospel rooted in the words of the prophets fleshed out with the full revelation of Jesus Christ in history what constitutes a man a true Christian when he gives himself up to the doctrine of the apostles and prophets there's a second profound question that's answered in this text how do we identify a true church notice I didn't say the true church but a true church how do we identify a true church since each visible organized company is to reflect the church universal the body of God's redeemed how do we identify it look at the text the church that God builds has but one foundation and what is that foundation it is the doctrine of the church the apostles and the prophets so when people make the unfounded claims we are the true church because we have apostolic succession no no my friend no no the apostles never claimed to be the foundation isn't that interesting Paul says built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets

50:18 Christ Jesus himself the chief cornerstone and every apostolic witness says Christ is the ultimate foundation of his church as we'll see in a minute in our study next week God willing so when a church says no a certain apostle is the foundation no no it's not built upon an apostle but the apostles and in such a way that all that the church teaches is consistent with the prophetic utterances of the old testament well other churches are built upon the fanatical claims of apostolic signs and wonders you see the confusion you have certain groups say no we believe we are the true true church because we have apostolic signs and wonders the foundation of the church is not apostolic signs and wonders it's the doctrine of the apostles and prophets and others claim to be the true church with their boastful claims of apostolic revelations God speaks to me my friend the true church is nowhere to be found in any one ecclesiastical framework but you ask the truth question how can I identify a true church here's the answer wherever there are rebel sinners who lovingly submit to the teaching of apostles and prophets is found in the old and the new testament

51:45 receiving that doctrine with reverence and seeking to obey it with diligence there you have a true church the external tag may be any number of things it may have no tag it may exist in the phrase of a very ornate building it may exist in the framework of a shabby hut but wherever there are people who rest all of their hopes upon the doctrine of apostles and prophets who submit all of their thinking to the doctrine of apostles and prophets as found in the scriptures of the old and the new testament there you have a true church and I say to any of you wrestling with the issue where shall I commit my soul's well-being in terms of a vision a visible community of God's people find a place where the doctrine of apostles and prophets is foundational to every tacit of the life and ministry of that church the foundation of the church is the doctrine of apostles and prophets and then lastly it answers the great question what is the great responsibility of the church what is the responsibility of the superstructure but to adhere to its legitimate foundation it does that all as well if it moves off that all is tragic if this structure in which we meet decided to move six inches to the left off its legitimate foundation

53:13 we'd all feel it very quickly its legitimate responsibility is to function to fulfill the design of the architect and builder as it adheres to its legitimate foundation not adjusting itself to the winds that may blow upon it not adjusting itself to turn itself a little bit more to the full face of the sun the responsibility of the church of Jesus Christ is not to adjust itself to the winds of the current fads of human thought it is not to turn itself to the warm beams of the sunlight of men's approving gaze the church is to adhere to the foundation it is to give itself to working out in ever increasing detail obedience in thought and in life to the revealed will of God is found in the scriptures all scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable to what end that the man of God may be perfect thoroughly furnished unto every good work I got a letter from someone who bears all the marks of a fanatic he heard the radio broadcast of some of the earlier expositions in Ephesians and he wrote saying there's no question in my mind that you're nothing but a Bible commentator he says what we need is prophets

54:40 who have an oracle from God who have visions and hear voices and I could not help on the one hand weep inwardly that a man should be caught up in such delusion but on the other hand I smiled and said Lord may it ever be so that I should be considered nothing other than a Bible commentator that is seeking to open up the meaning of the words of apostles and prophets oh my dear people that's what the church is to do that's what we're to do what is the rationale for our existence how are we to fulfill the purpose of God being made a living temple as more and more we give ourselves to a careful and serious study of all that God has said the words of apostles and prophets even as our Lord himself commissioned the twelve and said make disciples of all the nations baptizing teaching them to observe whatsoever I have commanded you may God have mercy on us the day we begin to cordon off certain portions of the word of God and call them irrelevant God have mercy on us the day we begin to block off certain directives and say they are secondary we can regard them with indifference Jesus said he that hath my commandments and keepeth them he it is that loveth me he are my friends if ye do whatsoever I command

56:08 oh may God grip our hearts with all our heart with all the richness of implication derived from this simple assertion what is the first constituent element in that living temple foundation foundation what is the foundation apostles and prophets the inscripturated revelation of the old and the new testaments in the light of that may we search our hearts to know whether indeed we are true Christians do we think of ourselves in the light of this book creatures answerable to God creatures fallen in Adam do we think of ourselves in terms of its great message of rescue and redemption we begin a series tonight God willing on what it is to think Christianly in such practical areas as our responsibility to work our thinking about our identity as men and women we are going to consider some very very tacky areas of what it means to have our minds conformed not to the spirit of this age but to the good acceptable and perfect will of God do you find it in your heart this morning to say oh Lord I want all of life to be regulated by the doctrine of apostles and prophets if so that's the mark that you're a true Christian may God be pleased

Prayer of Thanksgiving and Concluding Exhortation

57:36 to write upon our hearts this great truth so that as we stand in a confused generation running after the wild claims of apostolic succession apostolic miracles apostolic revelation we may be content to stand firm upon that which is given and by the grace of God be obedient to its directive in every area of life let us pray oh God our heavenly father how we thank you for this great foundation of the apostles and prophets

58:26 we remember our Lord Jesus Christ himself saying the scriptures cannot be broken it is necessary that it might be fulfilled I came not to destroy but to fulfill oh God we thank you for the impregnable rock of holy scripture we thank you for the words of the prophets we thank you for the words of the apostles we thank you for those writings which received apostolic sanction oh Lord we thank you the foundation is sure we thank you the foundation is adequate to bear every measure of growth until the temple is complete and the Lord Jesus Christ himself comes oh God seal this word to our hearts cause it to bear fruit in our lives help us the remainder of this day that we shall fill our minds with thoughts and words and discussion concerning that word which has been given to us enrich our hearts and stir us up unto greater degrees of conformity to the revealed will of God in scripture and for these mercies we shall thank you through Jesus Christ our Lord Amen