The King Has Spoken: How to Establish bible Authority

Introduction

Good morning. Hope you open your Bibles with me to Malachi chapter 2. I hope you open your Bibles with me to the last book of the Old Testament, Malachi chapter 2. We think about the people of Israel. You think about all that God did for them, and you think about all the ways that they rejected God. And of course, we find Malachi in chapter 2 as both the last book, as we have the Old Testament comprised. But frankly, in the Israelites’ history, Malachi prophesied about 300 years after Isaiah. What’s interesting about that, and what’s interesting in a sad way about that, is the similarity between Malachi’s message that we’re going to look at here in chapter 2 and verse 16 and 17, and Isaiah’s message to the people that he prophesied to 300 years or so before Malachi.

Will you read with me in verse 16? For the man who does not love his wife but divorces her, says the Lord the God of Israel, covers his garment with violence, says the Lord of hosts. So guard yourselves in your spirit and do not be faithless. You have wearied the Lord with your words. But you say, How have we wearied him? By saying, Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and he delights in them. Or by asking, Where is the God of justice? When you looked at verse 17, of course, perhaps the most startling to you is what is most startling to me. It’s that phrase right in the middle there when they say, Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord.

It’s all too similar to Isaiah chapter 5. Turn with me there quickly. As we look at Isaiah chapter 5, Isaiah again, who prophesied about 300 years before Malachi had this to say to the people. In Isaiah chapter 5 and verse 20, woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and shrewd in their own sight. Woe to those who are heroes of drinking wine and valiant men and mixing strong drink, who acquit the guilty for a bribe, and deprive the innocent of his right. Therefore, as the tongue of fire devours the stubble, and as dry grass sinks down in the flames, so their root will be as rottenness, and their blossom go up like dust, for they have rejected the law of the Lord of hosts, and have despised the word of the holy one of Israel.

You have a people who not only had rejected God, but had degraded so far that as verse 20 says, Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil. I mean, that’s about as far as you can drop when you consider that man is to discern right from wrong, to look at, as the mature Christian does, as we spoke of this morning at the 9 o’clock hour in Hebrews chapter 5, the Christian, the mature one, can discern good from evil in serving God. And his people of any nation in the world should have known what is the will of God, and yet it was them who called evil good and good evil. I can’t help but be reminded of our country today and our world at large, and thinking of how man has so far ignored God that now we celebrate evil, and we call good evil.

You think also about the fact that God has always reigned. God is yearning for everyone to come to him into repentance, and yet man rejects him at every turn, celebrating kind of what we saw in verse twenty one. Is it not our own wisdom? Oh, how do we understand now? We know how humans are to be. We just know so much better than those of the oppressive past, those who submitted to that God, that mythical God who created the heavens and the earth. As Christians, we know that God exists. We understand that what Genesis chapter 1 and verse 1 says is not only true, but the way it happened, and we should praise God for creating the world with just his spoken word. But when you think about the world today, and you think about rejecting God, I can’t help but see events of this past week spill into the thoughts of the Bible text.

Perhaps you heard about the case in New Mexico. It came to my attention on Tuesday afternoon. And in Mexico in New Mexico, there was a case of incest, or at least prosecuted incest. And the idea was a woman of about 17 years old gave birth to a son who she gave up for adoption. And about 19 years later, when the son is now 19, and the mother is now 36 years old, they found each other, and they are in an incestuous relationship. Now there’s a lot of details of this case that are swaying. Perhaps the boy was trying to protect his mom, but nonetheless, evidence is strong that they had that type of relationship. But even if that was not true, that’s the way it was first reported.

And tragically, I saw what people thought about it. And keeping in mind the words of Isaiah chapter 5 and verse 20 and Malachi chapter 2 and verse 16 and 17, there were those who said, as you might fear, what’s the problem? They’re just too adults. We have birth control nowadays. Now you think about why would birth control matter? I want to think about this issue for a moment. I want to move past the obvious wrong of saying what’s the problem with that. I want to focus on the birth control argument for just a moment and say, why does that even matter? For those who reject God, why does the birth of a child having any kind of problem from an incestuous relationship even matter? Whose standard is being violated by creating something that would have some type of defect that we’re afraid of or bothered by?

Whose standard is it that’s violated when a mom who gave her son up for adoption 17 years later wants to be with him? Whose standard has been violated? I think what we see is an eroding of not only the Christian and American ethic, but as we have compromised upon compromise the will of God, we have degraded to a point where we can’t point towards what is good. We have no concept because we’ve left the word of God. What a pity and a tragedy. And please know that for both myself and my life and each and every one here, we will answer to God for his will. But no doubt this type of response to this obviously flawed and wrong action of these two adults is an understanding of the way that God’s word has been chipped away at.

Think about homosexual marriage. What have been the arguments? Well, just love the person. It doesn’t matter the gender, it doesn’t matter the age. Just love the being. Love the person inside the body, right? How would that argument not apply in this case? You see, anyone who wishes to say that incest is wrong is stuck without the standard that is the will of God or any other concrete standard because we continue to compromise. Not just one man and one woman, as I preached of several weeks ago, but it could be one man and man, or a woman a woman. Or we can divorce at will, we can divorce because of burnt toast or because of bad finances. We don’t have to do what the will of God says.

And you can make that choice, but you can’t turn around and say something else is wrong because the only standard that man has ever had is from God. Any other standard is on sinking sand. It can be flushed away, it can be ignored because there is no true standard if God does not exist. But the beauty is that God does. But we know that. We accept that as Christians, but sometimes the question comes up when it comes to Bible authority. Why do we preach so much about Bible authority? Why does establishing Bible authority mean so much? Why is it so important? Can I tell you that news articles like this New Mexico case are exactly why submitting to God is so important? Because when we do not, when we let issues slip by, when we don’t practice exactly what God wants us to, we have left the one standard God expects us to cling to, and we will have no sight of choosing to follow after him anymore.

1. It Starts First With the King

We will be just like those who call good evil and evil good. When you think about how to establish Bible authority, it starts first with the king, and we as Bible believers, as God believers, as Christians, accept that there is a standard, but there’s still a worry for me out there, and it’s in Romans chapter 2. When you look at Romans chapter 2, when you think about the context of Romans, Paul’s speaking to both Jew and Gentile alike and suggesting that they have both fallen short of the glory of God. We know Romans chapter 3 and verse 23 says exactly that. And so when you consider this, he turns his attention towards the Jews. After undressing the Gentiles in chapter 1, knowing how they had turned from God and God continually gave them up.

But do you see in chapter 2 the Jews who were God’s people, who knew the law, who knew there was a God, who knew there was a standard. What had become of them? In Romans chapter 2 and verse 1, therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges, for in passing judgment on another, you condemn yourself. Because you, the judge, practice the very same things. We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. Do you suppose, O man, you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?

But because of your heart and penitent heart, you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteousness judgment will be revealed. But skip down to verse 17 and note the depths to which they had sunk. But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast in God and know his will and approve what is excellent, because you are instructed from the law. And if you are sure that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth. You then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal?

You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in the law, dishonor God by breaking the law. For as it is written, the name of God is blaspheme among the Gentiles because of you. Yes, the Romans, the Jews in this Roman letter in chapter 2, are being addressed by Paul, and they’re clinging to the old law, saying, We have the law, and so we will be saved. We are God’s chosen people. He won’t turn his back on us. But in Romans chapter 2, Paul raises the point that I think applies to us as well. If we know God is there, if we know the standard has been given, are we keeping it?

Isn’t that the very problem that the Jews had again? You see in verse 21, you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? If we’re going to stand in our seat, even in our minds or with our mouths in judgment, on condemning incestuous relationships, condemning redo divorce and remarriage on the basis of Bible authority, then we as Christians and as servants of the Most High God better stick to what God has said. Otherwise, we are just as hypocritical as these Jews who had missed the boat. We need to know as Christians that the King, Jesus the Christ, has spoken. And if Jesus is the king and he has spoken, then if we’re going to understand what is God’s will, we have to see that Jesus is the authority.

He is the rule of the ruler. When you look at Acts chapter 20, why is it that Christ has command? Why is it that he is put where he is? Well, in regards to the church, we know from Ephesians chapter 1 and verse 22 and 23 that Christ is the head of the church. But in Acts chapter 20 and verse 28, what is said of Jesus and his affiliation with his church. Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. Jesus purchased the church. He bought it with his blood. The very blood that we just remembered moments ago in partaking of the Lord’s Supper.

2. There Is Objective Truth

The blood through which we can have forgiveness of sins. The blood which stands as the blood of the new covenant that God has made with us that is impacted on better promises. Jesus is the authority. Whether you call him the high priest from Ephesians chapter 4, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords from Revelation chapter 17, or settle him as the purchaser and head of the church, Ephesians chapter 1 and Acts chapter 20, we know Jesus is the authority. And so then we consider, secondly, that what this world rejects, and part of how we degrade to the point of Isaiah chapter 5 and Malachi chapter 2, is we say, there is no real objective truth. Who are you to tell me how to live my life?

And the fact of the matter is, you can live your life however you want. I bet you didn’t expect to hear that this morning. But in Matthew chapter 7 and verse 21, before you go off and live your life, how you see fit, how you want to live, consider Matthew chapter 7 and verse 21. Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven, but do you see this at the end of verse 21? But the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Who is going to enter into the kingdom? Those who do the will of the Father. Before I go and say, Who are you to tell me what to do? I can choose my own life, which I can.

I can live however I feel like, which I can. I need to know that I’ll give an account of that. Perhaps 2 Corinthians chapter 5 and verse 10 would be important here. We will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. What will we answer for? What we have done. How do we know that there’s objective truth? Because we’re going to be judged based upon the objective standard. That is what at the end of verse 21. Do you see it? The will of the Father who is in heaven. That is singular, that is owned by God. If I believe that God created the heavens and the earth, if I believe that Jesus is high priest, king, Lord, and Savior, and purchased the church with his blood, I will submit to his will if I want to please him.

3. Command, Example, Necessary Inference: Tell, Show, Imply

And so we know that there is objective truth. And so when it comes to understanding, then, how do I know? Because I don’t want to be one of those who has my senses blinded. I want to mature in the faith to where I can choose to distinguish right from wrong. How are we going to understand? I would say using common sense, or you might say, basic communication skills. You might read commands in the scripture. You might read of apostolic example in the scripture, and you might read of necessary inferences. Perhaps you like the words in parentheses better, tell, show, or imply. We know how this works because this is how we communicate. When you think of telling, for example, you would say, go take out the garbage.

How easy is that? And yet, how many of us forget to do that? We think about the example, right? You might show someone how they take out the garbage, to go around the house to get all of the waste bins, to put it together, to take it out by the curb. You might show that. And we might know that that’s how this action is to be carried out. Or to imply even consider, you might say, it’s about time that something gets taken to the curb. Or are you forgetting something that you’re supposed to do on Tuesday nights and Thursday nights? There’s all ways to imply this. But what’s interesting about this is to assembly this morning, this may be of no consequence. But if you were to go and read works of men, reading articles or commentaries, you might see many who say, This is made up.

Do you see in command, example, necessary inference the letters C, E, N, and I? Many will say, C E and I, that’s made up. That’s just something that members of the church of Christ do. But I asked you, if you’re gonna make fun of that, if you’re gonna tell me that’s not right, tell me, communicate to me how that’s wrong without telling me, showing me, or implying anything to me. Give money to anyone who can do that right now. No takers. Because you can’t. Not only is it basic communication, but that’s how God has communicated to us. He’s left us his revealed word. We are blessed as a people to have the word of God. So we won’t be blinded. We can know exactly how God feels about how we are to live.

We can know what God thinks about this tough part in life that we’re going through. But we have to be willing to read it, to search it, understanding that God’s communicating to us in different ways. The Bible is not a book of commands. It is not just Genesis 1 to Revelation chapter 22, command after command after command. Yes, there are plenty of those in there. But there’s also stories that show us how God acts, how he responds to the way people respond to him, whether they submit to his will or not. And there certainly are many implications that are necessary to conclude with. And if that’s if that’s not convincing enough that no one can communicate something without telling, showing, or implying, how about looking at the Bible?

How about we look at the New Testament and say, if the New Testament Christians had a question, if they had to deliberate over how do we understand what God’s will is on a controversial subject, how will we understand? Do you know that that’s in the Scripture? That in the book of Acts, the Christians had that type of problem? Look at Acts chapter 15. I think it’s interesting. For anyone who would say, well, this is just not right, or this sounds man-made, that they haven’t read Acts chapter 15. In Acts chapter 15, there’s a great problem. You’re going to see what it is, beginning in verse 1. Look there closely with me as we read the first six verses of this chapter and see what is the problem in the new Christian church.

Acts chapter 15, beginning in verse 1. But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved. And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question. So being sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles and brought great joy to all the brothers. When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they declared all that God had done with them. But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, It is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses.

The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter. Now I want to note a couple of things. The problem is obvious and stated in both verse 1 and 5. There were those teaching that unless the Gentile converts were circumcised according to the law of Moses, they could not be saved. Of course, in verse 2, we see Paul and Barnabas were debating with them, and how large was the discussion? How tumultuous was this? Well, the Bible says in verse 2, there was no small dissension and debate among them. Do you think there’s ever a Bible issue that different churches separate over, that different Christians have different opinions over? If there was a controversial subject that had deep, lasting implications that the church could face, this was it.

And in verse 6, we see the apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter. Now, this is interesting to me because what we’re going to see from Acts chapter 15 is exactly how the apostles and the elders of this church came to understand and make a decision based on God’s will to answer this tough, divisive question. How do you think they did that? Well, in Acts chapter 15, we see the problem was do the Gentile Christians need to be circumcised. But do you note first in verse 7 beginning, Peter steps up? How is it that Peter’s going to reason? Well, in verse 7 of Acts chapter 15, and after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe.

And God, who knows the heart bore witness to them by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us. And he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith. Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will. Peter is thinking of his experience in Acts chapter 10. Will you look there quickly with me? In Acts chapter 10, what was Peter’s experience with the Gentiles? Well, we may know the name Cornelius, but why did Peter go over there? The same Peter who had problems separating Jews and Gentiles at various times in his life.

I want you to note the commitment that Peter had to God. As we think about trying to not be like the Jews in Romans chapter 2, who had the standard of God and yet hypocritically did not keep it. Think about Peter’s devotion to just doing what God says. You see in verse 20 of Acts chapter 10, he says, Rise and go down and accompany them without hesitation, for I have sent them. This is Peter seeing men coming to him after he’s had a vision from the Lord, he doesn’t quite understand it. He’s told to go with these men, and guess where he goes? Well, you know he ends up at the household of Cornelius. But what’s interesting about this, it’s not just that he’s told to go and he does.

That’s kind of basic. But when you look with me at verse 28 and 29, note what Peter kind of says just these eight and nine verses later in the text. And verse 80, and he said to them, You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation. But God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean. So when I was sent for, I came without objection. I asked then why you sent for me. You know what’s interesting about verse 29, that last part? I asked then why you sent for me. It means that Peter didn’t know why he was sent for. And yet, why did Peter go? He doesn’t know why he’s there.

As of verse 28, he thought that it was unlawful for a Jew and Gentile to be together, and yet he went why? Verse 20. Because he was given a direct command to go with these men. How is he to go, by the way? Without hesitation. I wish that I went sort of like Peter did in this case. Sometimes when you say, I wish I was like Peter, that may not be the best circumstance. But in this case it was, because Peter went with two things that often pull me down. Even though direct commands seem like the easiest thing to follow. Peter was told to go without hesitation. Have you ever done what I do, which is you kind of hesitate over, I know the right thing to do.

Don’t really want to. Or is this really the right thing to do? Maybe I’m trying to decide between something that seems gray. Or maybe it’s not so gray, but I wish it was, so I didn’t have to make the right decision. But also, something that really struggles that I really struggle with, the end of verse 29. Why would he do something without knowing why he was doing it? Who likes to do things without knowing why? I can tell you, I am not in that camp of people. And yet, what did Peter do? Without hesitation, he went. Because God told him. That was all that mattered. When God gives us direct commands, we need to obey without hesitation. And not needing to stop to ask why. That’s not to say that the reason is not there.

That’s not to say that we won’t understand the reason why. In fact, Peter comes to understand that God no longer separated between the Jew and the Gentile. Peter got the answer to his question later. But Peter had to go.

But that’s kind of the easy one. But if you look back in Acts chapter 15, you see that Peter wasn’t the only one to give an answer. His answer, obviously, is answering the question, do Gentile Christians need to be circumcised according to the law of Moses? That’s one for saying no. But in verse 12, let’s see who’s up next. In Acts chapter 15 and verse 12, and all the assembly fell silent. And they listened to Barnabas and Paul as they related what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles. Now in verse 13, James gets up, and so we might think for a second, in verse 12, what’s the big deal about that? We know from verse 2 that Paul and Barnabas were obviously opposed to this idea, but what is their sharing about the signs and the miracles that God had done with them have to do with this discussion?

Well, Paul, being an apostle of Christ, had lived a very specific circumstance. What was it that Paul had done? Well, yes, Paul had been converted on the way to Damascus. But what was Paul’s experience with Gentiles? He had done these many wonders. Well, you look in chapter 13. In Acts chapter 13, what had Paul done when approached by some Gentiles? Well, in Acts chapter 13 and verse 9, we know that Saul was familiar, as he comes, Paul in this verse, actually. He was familiar with doing miracles. But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him and said, You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight path of the Lord?

And now behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and unable to see the sun for a time. Immediately mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking people to lead him by the hand. Now there was this false prophet by Jesus, who was in this story in Acts chapter 13, and he was being a hindrance to the spread of the gospel to the Pro Consul. And Paul strikes him with blindness.

Well, what purpose? Verse 12. Then the Pro Consul believed. When he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord. There are many examples. Acts chapter 14 provides more. Even perhaps the miracles associated with the conversion of Cornelius, the Holy Spirit coming upon the Gentiles. What was the purpose of miracles in the New Testament? To confirm the word. To show the source was not from men, but from God. And so when Paul and Barnabas in Acts chapter 15 and verse 12 say and show that they had done many wonders and signs among the Gentiles, that would be an irrefutable proof that God intended for the Gentiles to know who he was and submit to his will. You see, there’s a final example.

This is one that Christians and Jews alike should be well versed in, and that’s checking Scripture. If anything, the idea of necessary inference is the one that perhaps draws the most scrutiny, because after all, who can argue with the direct command, although some do? Who can argue with doing what the apostles did, although some do. Look at, look with me in Acts chapter 15, beginning in verse 13, though. After they finished speaking, James replied, replied, Brothers, listen to me. Simeon has related how God visited the Gentiles to take from them a people for his name. And with this, the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written, after this I will return, and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen, I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it.

Key in on this, verse 17, that the women of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who makes these things known from old. Now, Peter has gone on record and said that he opposes this idea of circumcision being necessary, keeping the law. Paul and Barnabas have gone on the record and done the same through example. What is James’ point here? He says, God, that Peter’s already spoken, and he speaks to these words of the prophet. Well, what prophet is that? That would be Amos. A prophet in Amos chapter 9 and verse 11 and 12, he’s quoting from. But what’s the big deal about this in verse 16? After this, I will return, I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen, I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it.

We can tell from verse 17 that all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who makes these things known from of old. It means the Gentiles were going to be included. They were going to be part of that, but what’s the rub here? Here’s the question. If the tabernacle of David has been restored, if it has been rebuilt, and Jesus is on the throne, what does that mean for verse 17? You see it, that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, including who? All the Gentiles. If Jesus is reigning as King and Lord, the Gentiles are part of the kingdom as well. And if the Gentiles are part of the kingdom of the Lord, they answer to the same king that we began this lesson speaking of, the same king we follow after, that is Jesus the Christ, our Savior, the great high priest, our King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.

If the tabernacle of David has been restored, if not, if they insisted on circumcision, they would have to deny that Jesus was reigning and that the tabernacle of David had been restored. What a bad pickle to be in if you’re trying to bind circumcision. So when you consider Acts chapter 15, they’re considering the problem. Do Gentile converts need to be circumcised and keep facets or all of the law of Moses. Well, Peter, through his showing an example of direct command, when he went to Cornelius and then talking about that experience, says no. Then Paul and Barnabas, who are talking about the wonders and signs they were able to do among the Gentiles, they said no. And James, by virtue of an inference drawn from the very scripture of the Jews, is able to conclude profoundly and certainly no.

4. The Lord’s Supper: Do This in Remembrance of Me

Not just because the law was bad, but because Jesus is now Lord of all, and we, just like the Christians in Acts chapter 15, submit only to our Lord. And so when you think about that, you see some practical uses quickly with me. I want to look at just one in particular, and we’ll look quickly at the final two. Look at Luke chapter 22. I think with the Lord’s Supper, you see three different illustrations of this Bible authority, yet of the same event. In Luke chapter 22 and verse 19, Jesus gives us a very specific direct command. Luke chapter 22. As they were taking of the Passover Lamb, the Lord’s Supper, in verse 16 beginning, read with me. For I tell you, I will not eat of it until it was fulfilled in the kingdom of God.

And when he had took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he said, Take this and divide it among yourselves. For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes. And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me. How is the Lord’s Supper to be done? In remembrance of Jesus. That’s pretty clear, kind of hard to argue with. Well, then the question becomes, well, we know Christians need to partake of the Lord’s Supper. Jesus says clearly, do this in remembrance of me. When? Well, Acts chapter 20 and verse 7 contains the answer, but look there with me.

So you can see it and you can understand how we can recognize right from wrong. How do we know what God says? Here’s a good example. In Acts chapter 20 and verse 7, on the first day of the week when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight. Paul finds himself on the first day of the week where? In the company of Christians for what purpose? Gathered together to break bread. Now, when you think about the direct command to do this in remembrance of me, we know as Christians we need to partake of the Lord’s Supper. Jesus gave a direct command. Well, when do we do that? Well, on the first day of the week, Paul did it, and Paul, apostle of the Lord certainly would be well equipped.

He’s the one who wrote 1 Corinthians chapter 11, of which we read, and we can read about further instructions or clarification to the Corinthians about the Lord’s Supper. Paul understands when and how it’s to be partaken. When? On the first day of the week, as Paul, an apostle of Christ did. But how many first days of the week are there? Well, there’s just one, but they’re every week. So do we do it once a month, once a quarter, once a year? Do we do it once a lifetime? How do we know when to partake of this Lord’s Supper that we know we have to, and that has to be done the first day of the week? Well, in Exodus chapter 20 and verse 8, and again, lest anyone say that this is made up, consider with me what that text says.

Do you know Exodus chapter 20 and verse 8? Remember the Sabbath day, right? Now, did it have to say, remember every Sabbath day? Remember every Saturday, every day it comes. No. Remember the Sabbath day. Do what with it? Keep it holy. Well what’s to be understood by the Jews? When the Sabbath day would come, the day of rest that God had appointed for his people to keep, it would continually be there. Just like the first day of the week, as long as the Lord wills, will continually come at the beginning of each week. Isn’t that crazy how the first day of the week comes at the beginning of each week? So you see different examples of that. But also when it comes to instrumental music, I think you see a couple instances of Bible authority coming into play then.

5. Singing and Making Melody With Your Heart

When you think about a divide between many congregations, it’s over that of instrumental music. And yet Ephesians chapter 5 and 19 makes a couple points. And let’s apply our knowledge of direct command, examples, and necessary inferences to this text. In Ephesians chapter 5 and verse 19, a passage that in verse 15 is clearly illustrated to the individual Christians when he says, look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise, making the best use of the time because the days are evil, right? Your translation might say, Redeeming the time. If the Christians are to redeem the time, we know this is applying to Christians serving God in our daily walk. But when we come to verse 19, note how it begins. Addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart.

We learn a couple things. First of all, what’s the direct command? Address one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. How? Singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart. The whole verse is kind of a direct command, isn’t it? But what do we think about examples? Do you think we have any examples of singing? Well, Paul and Silas sang together, and I don’t think in the jail cell they were playing a bunch of instruments in Acts chapter 16. But let’s think about the necessary inference question for just a moment. Now, if the Bible text in Colossians chapter 3 and verse 16 has a similar idea, in Ephesians chapter 5 and verse 19 says to be singing, the instrument being the heart, my question would be, where is the authority for the instrument itself?

Where is the authority for the piano? If it’s lacking, have we acted on a direct command? No. Have we acted on an example? No. Is there a necessary inference? No. But how about this for a positive necessary inference? How about some might say, well, verse 19 doesn’t apply to the assembly. And that’s an interesting point. But the beginning of verse 19 addresses a group of Christians. And this morning in this assembly, we are nothing if not a group of Christians gathered together to worship God. And in so doing, if we are going to worship God as He has commanded in a direct way that we are to do, we are going to address one another in Psalms and Hymns and spiritual psalms. We are going to sing when we are together.

6. Baptism: They Went Down Into the Water

That is what Christians will do, as Paul writes in Ephesians chapter 5, by the inspiration of God. I think when it comes to baptism, we also see this. If you look just in Acts chapter 8, we know Acts chapter 2 and verse 38. Repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins. Peter makes no bones about that. What do you do to be saved? You believe in God. They were cut to the heart in verse 36. Of course, confession is shown in Romans chapter 10. But you repent, you turn from the old life, you trust only in God and are baptized, becoming a new creature. But how is it to be done? Well, Acts chapter 8 gives us both an example, and we can draw some inferences.

In Acts chapter 8 and verse 35, we of course have the case of the Ethiopian eunuch. And we see that Philip opened his mouth in the beginning with this scripture, Isaiah 53. He told them the good news about Jesus. And as they were going along the road, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, See, here is water. What prevents me from being baptized? Well, here’s something interesting. In verse 35, Philip preached what to the eunuch. Look, he preached Jesus to him. And yet whatever was in that teaching of Jesus resulted in what? Him coming to some water and saying, What prevents me from being baptized? What’s interesting is as you look at verse 38, he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him.

Where did he go? Down into the water. We read in Romans chapter 6 the idea of being baptized into the death of Christ. The death, burial, and resurrection. Do you think that that’s the picture of sprinkling? No. Acts chapter 8 makes it clear that they went down into the water. And what’s the result of that baptism? Well, Romans chapter 6, coming up a new man. We’re slaves to righteousness. But what was the eunuch’s reaction? What can we know that he knew about baptism? It must have done something great because the end of verse 39 says the eunuch saw him, that is Philip no more, and went on his way rejoicing. There was something wonderful about Philip because he had been taught about Jesus, and that teaching taught him a need to be baptized.

Conclusion

No doubt that was a direct command. But can we see that Philip knew some things about obeying God? He learned from Isaiah chapter 53. Isaiah chapter 53 wasn’t a direct command to be baptized. Isaiah chapter 53 was about the crucified Lord. When we think about this New Mexico case, or we think about any disgrace or evil, good, good, evil celebration that this country turns to. We need to remember that if we are going to please God, we need to read His will. Can we as Christians please be engulfed in His Word? Please be full of what God intends for us to be full of. Let’s feast on the bread of life. Take advantage of the sacrifice of Christ. You can be baptized. That is a direct command that Peter gave.

Repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins. That’s the most basic to be followed, but I can tell you, not everyone in this assembly this morning is baptized. Why are you defying the will of God? If you need to be baptized to have your sins forgiven, and you’ve heard that message and you reject it, you’re not rejecting me. You’re not even really rejecting the writer of the gospel message. You’re rejecting the inspiration that is God. Don’t reject God any longer. Submit to His will, whether we like it or not. Let’s do it without hesitation. Know the will of God, obey. If we can help you in any way, come forward now as we stand and sing the invitation song.