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The following program is a production
of Truth For The World.
♪ "Day by day and with each passing moment,
strength I find to meet my trials here.
Trusting in my Father's wise bestowment,
I've no cause for worry or for fear." ♪
We're looking at the exclusive nature of God and the church.
And the first question we want to ask is,
what does it really mean to be exclusive?
What is that word really talking about?
Well, we're going to look at 3 things that are related
to the meaning of exclusive.
Number 1, when we say exclusive, it simply can mean
that some are included in, and some are left out.
The idea of exclusive means that there's a limitation.
Some are included in, and some are left out.
If we say, "That country club is very exclusive," of course,
it means that some people are allowed in
and some people are left out.
Secondly, the idea of exclusive means
that there are defining standards, or terms of entrance.
In other words, there are things
that will determine whether someone is allowed in,
or someone is left out.
Going back to our country club scenario, the idea might be
that an exclusive country club might say,
"You can join our country club,
but only if you make a million dollars a year for your salary."
Well, that is a defining standard, or a term of entrance.
And some people will be able to meet that term of entrance,
and be allowed in, and many will not be able to meet that,
and they will be left out.
So, of course in order to allow some in and leave some
out there must be some kind
of defining standard, or term of entrance.
And thirdly, the idea of exclusive can also mean unique.
Unique, of course, means different, special,
different from other things.
Now, there are common misconceptions
when it comes to religion.
One of those is the idea that God really never has limits.
You might hear people say, "God will accept me for who I am
because if I say He won't, that would be limiting God."
Or, some people might say, "We need to find
out who God is for ourselves.
No one can tell us, or limit who He is."
Another misconception is that we can worship God as we see fit.
People might say, "I can worship God while I'm fishing.
I don't have to be in the assembly."
Or others might say, "Let's worship God
as we feel our spirit guides us."
Another misconception is that God is only capable of love.
Some would say, "God would not punish us,
and send some to Hell."
Others might say, "As long as we love God and believe,
He will accept and save us."
And another misconception would be
that all are included in God's family.
Some people would say, "We're all on the way to Heaven,
we're just taking different paths."
Or, "Attend the church of your choice,
because they're all in Christ's body."
Or, "You don't have to be a member
of any church in order to be saved.
You don't have to be a member."
Well, we may re-examine some of those misconceptions
when it comes to religion at the end of our lesson.
And maybe they'll become clearer
to you how they are misconceptions as we continue.
Because as we continue to look at God and the church,
we will realize, that in reality, God is exclusive.
We're going to look at several ways that God is exclusive.
Number 1, God is exclusive in number and nature.
Number 2, God is exclusive in regard to worship.
Number 3, God is exclusive with salvation.
And number 4, God is exclusive with the church.
So let's dive in and start with number 1.
God is exclusive in number and nature.
You know, when the word God is used,
it really means the words Divine Nature.
And there is only one Divine Nature.
The idea of God actually excludes any others.
In Exodus chapter 20, we read verse 3.
Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Now God is setting defining standards, is He not?
Isn't God being exclusive here?
He's saying, I am God, there are no other gods.
That means that some are included in, God is included in,
all other ideas of gods are left out.
In Ephesians chapter 4 and verse 4,
we even read the idea regarding the Spirit.
There is one body and one Spirit.
Well, that sounds exclusive when we use the term ONE.
It means there's only one.
Remember, one of the definitions of exclusive is unique.
There's only one.
If there's only one of something,
then that makes it unique.
There aren't any others quite like it.
In Ephesians chapter 4, verse 5, we read that there's one Lord.
There's only one.
That's exclusive.
Ephesians 4 verse 6 says, One God and Father of all who is
above all and through all, and in you all.
In those few verses we see one Spirit,
one Lord, one God and Father.
The idea of the word God means Divine Nature,
and there's only one.
There's only one Christ.
The word Christ means The Anointed ONE.
In Ephesians chapter 1, and verse 22,
And hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him
to be the head over all things to the church.
Do you know that Jesus is the head over the church?
There is only one head over the church.
It's exclusive.
And Jesus the Christ means The Anointed One.
So, when we talk about Christianity being exclusive,
it originates from the idea of Christ,
not from an earthly man or group.
Of course the idea of Christianity means a follower
of Christ, doesn't it?
So if that's the case, if Christ is exclusive,
then Christianity would be exclusive, as well.
In Matthew chapter 28 and verse 18, let's read there.
Matthew chapter 28, and verse 18.
Jesus came and spake unto them saying,
All power is given unto Me in Heaven and in earth.
Jesus has all authority.
And Jesus has the ability
to give us the laws and commandments.
In First Corinthians chapter 1, and verse 10, let's read that.
First Corinthians chapter 1, and verse 10.
Now I beseech you brethren by the name
of our Lord Jesus Christ that you all speak the same thing,
and that there be no divisions among you.
But that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind,
and in the same judgment.
Do you see that exclusive nature there?
There is supposed to be unity, and unity according
to what Jesus has said.
When Jesus speaks, He is speaking with all authority.
And as Christians, we are to follow Him.
And when He speaks, we are supposed
to mold ourselves to that word.
We are supposed to obey that word.
There is not to be divisions among us.
We are to be perfectly joined together.
We are to follow those terms of entrance in order
to become a Christian.
We are to be following the definitions and the standards
that make us Christians.
And what are those definitions and standards?
It's what Christ has set forth.
Christ is an exclusive being,
and setting forth exclusive commands.
Commands that we follow in order to be an exclusive Christian.
Let's also look at the idea
that Christ sets the terms of Christianity.
This makes sense, right?
If Christians are to follow Christ,
then Christ sets the terms of Christianity.
And by setting those terms, He makes it an exclusive group.
Some people will be Christians,
and those who do not follow those terms will not
be Christians.
We're going to look at three different things here.
The idea that Christ sets the terms of Christianity
in worship, in salvation, and in the church.
First Timothy chapter 2, and verse 5, let's read that first.
First Timothy chapter 2, and verse 5.
Of course the idea is that man has rebelled against God.
Man has sinned against God and needs reconciliation.
He needs to be able to return to God's presence, and in order
to do that, he needs a Mediator.
Who is that Mediator?
First Timothy 2:5 says, For there is one God,
and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.
Do you see that idea of one?
That's exclusive.
There is one Mediator that can bring us back
to the presence of God.
If you hear a man say, "I know how to get back
to the presence of God.
I can tell you how to be saved.
I can tell you how to approach God in worship.
Follow me and do whatever I say."
The only way he's going to be correct is
if he's repeating what Jesus has said, because in reality,
there's only one Mediator between us and God.
God and Christ are exclusive, in number and in nature.
So when we look later, in various lessons, or we may touch
on it a little bit in this lesson regarding worship
and salvation and the church- we may not be able to get
to everything in this lesson, or cover everything in this lesson-
but Christ is the one who sets the terms of Christianity.
Christ is going to be the one, the exclusive one,
who can bring us back to the presence of God.
So when it comes to approaching God in worship,
returning to God's presence in salvation, or being a part
of God's body in the church,
Christ sets the terms of entrance.
And that's what the word exclusive can mean.
That somebody has set terms of entrance
to allow some, and leave out others.
God is also exclusive when it comes to worship.
The exclusive God sets the terms of approaching Him in worship.
In Exodus chapter 34, let's look at verse 14.
Exodus chapter 34, and verse 14.
There, we read, for thou shalt worship no other God,
for the Lord, whose name is jealous, is a jealous God.
That sounds exclusive, doesn't it?
You're only to worship God.
You're not to send your worship anywhere else
or towards anywhere else.
Do you realize that also includes man?
And of course you might say, "Well, of course that means
that we're not supposed to worship man.
Why would I ever worship a man?"
But some worship men, and don't realize they're worshipping man,
because they put their own ideas of how to worship.
They look and say, what can I get out of this worship?
What can we all get out of this worship?
What can make this worship more entertaining,
or this worship more pleasing to me?
Well, where's the focus?
If the focus is on you, and other men,
then you're not worshipping God, because, in worship,
you are to approach God as the audience of worship, not man.
Man is not the audience of worship.
God is the One who you are approaching, so therefore,
God will set the terms of how you approach Him.
You know, one of the best rules I ever heard
about that makes sense in this application is,
the inferior never sets the rules of how
to approach the superior.
Let's say you have a boss at work.
You wouldn't just rush into your boss' office,
kick back on a chair, prop your feet up on the desk and say,
"Hey boss, how's it going today?
Let me have some of your candy you've got in your desk here."
He would look at you as if you had just lost your mind.
He's like, "Don't you know how to knock?
Don't you know how to wait until I tell you it's ok to come in?"
What if you were in the military?
In the American military, we have what's called Private.
That's one of the lower ranks in the military.
And then you have a Colonel or a General,
who's much higher in rank.
Would the Private go up to the General and slap him on the back
and say, "Hey General buddy, what's going on today?
How about letting me borrow the car tonight?"
The General would look at the Private as if,
"You've lost your mind.
What happened to a salute?
What happened to waiting to speak
until I acknowledged you and spoke to you?"
You don't approach a superior any way you want.
You approach a superior the way the superior allows you
to approach him.
Well, why is that not any different with God?
Why do we look at worship and approaching God and say,
"We can worship God and approach Him any way we want to
and any way we please."
No. God is exclusive and has said, "I will set the terms
of how you approach Me in worship."
In Matthew chapter 4 and verse 10,
we see that exclusiveness again, when Jesus said to Satan,
get thee hence, Satan: for it is written,
Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God,
and Him only shalt thou serve.
Well, that limits who we can worship, and that's God only.
But how can we worship?
Well, once again, the exclusive God will set the terms.
Let's look at John chapter 4 and verse 24.
John chapter 4 and verse 24.
There Jesus says, God is a spirit:
and they that worship Him must worship Him
in spirit and in truth.
Now here are terms and defining standards that are being set.
If you're going to be one of the few that are allowed
in to worship God, you have to follow these terms and standards
that Jesus is setting forth.
You need to worship Him in spirit,
with the right attitude, and in truth.
Well, what is truth?
God's word is truth.
John 17:17 said that.
Sanctify them through Thy truth.
Thy word is truth.
So put these together and what does it mean?
Jesus is saying, if you're going to worship God,
you have to approach God with the right attitude, and you have
to do it according to His word.
Now that settles it.
God is being exclusive when it comes to worship.
He's saying, if you're going to worship Me, you're going
to do it the way I say to do it.
So why does the Church of Christ and Christians
around the world worship God in singing
without mechanical instrumental music, with prayer,
with partaking of the Lord's Supper,
with teaching, and with giving?
The answer is because we can find all those things
in the New Testament.
We can find singing in the New Testament.
We can find praying.
We have examples, we have commands to give.
We can find the Lord's supper, and teaching.
So that's why we do it.
Because we can do that, with the right attitude, and we can do
that according to God's word, which is truth.
And when we worship, we can worship in spirit and in truth,
because Jesus said, you must do it that way.
God is being exclusive when it comes to worship.
God is also exclusive when it comes to salvation.
You know, how many did Jesus die for?
How many people did Jesus die for?
Well, that's an easy question, isn't it?
John 3:16 says, God so loved the world
that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth
in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
But that says God loved the whole world right?
How many did Jesus die for?
He died for the whole world.
But in Matthew 7, verse 14,
how many did Jesus Himself say would make it to Heaven?
He actually said few would make it to Heaven.
Now, what's the difference here?
The question comes up, what must I do to be one of the few saved,
and not be one of the many lost?
Or the question might be rephrased,
how can I join this exclusive group?
Remember the definition of exclusive is
that some will be allowed in, and some will be left out.
And there will be terms and definitions
to determine whether someone is allowed in
and someone is left out.
Well, even though Jesus died for all, He said there's going
to be many that are left out.
In Acts chapter 2, and verse 37,
the men there asked this same kind of question.
When Peter had preached to them that they had crucified Christ,
they said, men and brethren, what shall we do?
They looked around at each other and said,
what are we going to do?
We've made a big mistake here.
Peter told them what to do.
Christ, who is exclusive, has given His commandments,
and given His word, and given the New Testament to us,
to set the terms of salvation.
In John chapter 14, and verse 15, Jesus said,
If you love Me, keep My commandments.
Jesus is telling us what to do.
Keep His commandments.
Obey what He has said to do in order to be saved.
Hebrews chapter 5, verse 9, makes it clear.
Let's look at that.
In referencing Jesus, we read Hebrews chapter 5, and verse 9,
and that says, And being made perfect, He became the author
of eternal salvation to whom?
To all them that obey Him.
That doesn't say He became the author
of eternal salvation to everybody.
It says there's an exclusive group of people
who will receive eternal salvation.
And what is the defining term or standard to determine whether
or not you are allowed in?
It's if you obey Him.
In Acts chapter 4 and verse 12,
let's read Acts chapter 4, and verse 12.
Neither is there salvation in any other,
for there is none other name
under Heaven given among men whereby we must be saved.
That's exclusive.
There's no other way to be saved.
Jesus will set the terms of salvation.
Jesus is the only One who can bring us back to the Father.
In John 14, verse 6, Jesus said, I am the Way,
the Truth, and the Life.
No man comes to the Father but by Me.
That's exclusive.
Jesus is saying, you can't get
to the Father unless you come by Me.
I'm going to set the terms on how you can approach the Father.
I'm going to set the terms on how you can be saved.
And in that regard, Jesus is going to be exclusive,
because He said Himself, many will be left out,
but I will be the author
of eternal salvation to those who obey Me.
And that is the term or standard on who will be allowed in.
It's those who obey what He has said.
In Ephesians 5, verse 23, we can easily dispel the idea
that everyone's going to be saved, that some people teach.
Jesus Himself said, many will be going
into the broad way of destruction.
But in Ephesians 5:23, it says Christ is the head
of the church, and He's the Savior of the body.
Well, that's exclusive.
There's an exclusive group there.
It's a body, and He's going to save them.
I don't think we can find any other promise
in the New Testament of any other group being saved.
But here is a promise.
He will save the body.
Well, who is the body?
Well, look at Ephesians chapter 1, verses 22 and 23.
It says the body is the church.
So Jesus has an exclusive body, an exclusive church,
and He says, those are the people I'm going to save.
But wait, that goes against what
so many people in religion teach.
It goes against the idea that any church is good,
and any church is fine, and just believe, you don't even have
to be a member of the church.
That's not what Jesus said.
Jesus said, I'm going to save the body,
and the body is the church.
So if you're not in the body, guess what?
You're not in the church, and if you're not in the church,
you're not going to be saved.
That's what Jesus said.
He's exclusive with the church.
He said he was going to build His church.
He is the Savior of that church.
We can find in Ephesians 1, 22 and 23,
that the body is the church.
Colossians 1:18, the body is the church.
In Matthew 16:18, I will build My church.
Notice that's singular.
I will build My church.
It's His church, and His exclusive church.
And that's the one He's going to save.
It's His body, so why wouldn't we want to be in that?
Notice First Corinthians 12:12.
This can help clear up a lot of the confusion as well.
First Corinthians 12:12.
For as the body is one, and hath many members,
and all the members of that one body being many,
are one body, so also is Christ.
How many Christs do we have?
We only have one.
Well, how many bodies do we have?
In other words, how many churches do we have?
In reality, there's only one church that Christ built.
Here is a correlation it says.
There is one body, and it says so also is Christ.
So can't we say then that if there is more than one body
or more than one church,
then there's also more than one Christ?
Ephesians 4:4 says there's one body.
So, now the exclusive Christ is going to set the standards
of admission into that church.
It's His body, and He's going
to say who's allowed in, and who's not.
He's already told us those who obey Him will be allowed
into eternal salvation.
In John chapter 1, verse 12, we read this,
As many as received Him, to them gave He power
to become the sons of God.
God gives us the ability to become children of God.
We need to understand what His terms are.
As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons
of God- we saw that before- but now look at the rest of it,
even to them that believe on His name.
Well there's one of the conditions to enter the body.
Jesus said, if you want to be a child of God, here's a standard
of admission, here's a term, a criteria you have to meet.
In order to be in My exclusive body, you need to believe.
In Luke chapter 13, verse 3, He gives us another one.
He says, I tell you nay, but except, that means unless,
you repent, you shall all likewise perish.
Well that doesn't sound like eternal salvation.
Jesus said if you want eternal salvation, you've got to repent.
If you don't repent, that's the defining term.
That's the criteria.
That's the exclusive nature of salvation.
Jesus is saying, unless you repent, you're going to perish.
And then in Romans 10, verse 9, if thou shalt confess
with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart
that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Well there's that word if.
That's a defining standard.
That's a term.
That's a criteria.
If you want to get into this exclusive group of salvation,
this exclusive group of saved people
in the body, you need to confess.
So what's the opposite of that?
If I don't, I'm not allowed into the body,
because I didn't meet the standards to get in.
In John chapter 3, let's read verse 5.
Here's another standard that we have to meet.
Again, these are all being given by Jesus.
These aren't my standards that I created.
These are the words, and commandments, and laws of God.
And God sets forth the criteria.
In Hebrews 5:9, we saw Jesus described as the author
of eternal salvation to those
that obey Him, that obey His words.
Jesus said, verily, verily, I say unto thee,
except a man be born of water and of the spirit,
he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
Do you see that defining standard and term?
If you want to come into the kingdom,
you've got to be born of the water.
You've got to be baptized.
You've got to be immersed in water
for the remission of your sins.
That's what Peter told people to do in Acts chapter2,
when they said, men and brethren, what shall we do?
Peter said, you need to repent and be baptized.
He didn't tell them to believe, because they already believed.
They obviously believed.
They said, we've done wrong.
Jesus was the Christ.
So then he said, you need to repent.
You need to be baptized.
You need to have those sins washed away.
And Jesus said, except a man be born of water and of the spirit,
he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
And you might say, Kendal, you're being really,
really exclusive here.
I'm only reading the words of Jesus Christ.
I'm only reading the words of the Bible
that God has delivered.
God is one and exclusive, in number, and in nature.
God is exclusive in worship, and God is exclusive in salvation.
It's man that has come up with all these ideas,
these misconceptions, like we saw before:
God never has limits, He'll accept me for who I am,
we don't need to limit God.
Well, God limits Himself in truth.
We only limit God but what He says are limits.
If you say, you're limiting God by saying all this, I say,
I limit God only to what God has limited Himself.
If God limits Himself by what He's going to do,
then that's what I'm saying.
I'm only repeating what God has limited Himself.
We can worship God as we see fit,
remember that common misconception?
I can worship God while I'm fishing, I don't have to be
in the assembly; we can worship God
as we feel our spirit guides us.
That's not true.
In truth, God sets the terms of approaching Him in worship.
God sets forth exclusive ways that He will be approached.
The idea that God is only capable of love;
He wouldn't punish people and send them to Hell.
As long as we love God and believe, He will accept us.
The truth is, God already loved us enough to die
for us, and to mediate peace.
Man ignores that peace and that solution to his problem
in exchange for something else.
All are included in God's family,
do you remember that misconception?
We're all on the way to Heaven,
we're just taking different paths,
attend the church of your choice.
You don't have to be a member of any church to be saved.
Well, the truth is, God determines who are adopted
as children into His family.
He says that some are not in His family.
God determines who will be in His body,
and Jesus set forth those terms of admission
to enter the kingdom of Heaven, to be in the body of Christ.
Do you want to be adopted into God's family?
Do you know that, if someone is an orphan in an orphan home,
do they demand who adopts them?
That seems kind of backwards, doesn't it?
You walk into an orphan home and the orphan says,
I demand that you adopt me.
Well, I'm sorry, but that's not really your choice.
The choice is up to me, and I will set the terms
and the standards by which you will come into my family.
Well, the same is true with God.
God wishes to adopt you into His home, but He's going
to give you the terms and the criteria to enter His family,
and if you will obey Him, and you will follow those rules,
you can be added to His family,
and you can have the eternal salvation that was offered
to all those that obey Him.
If you would like to learn more about God's word with
a free Bible Correspondence Course,
then write us at Truth For The World
P.O. Box 5048 Duluth, Georgia 30096
The United States of America
Or visit us online at truthfortheworld.org
♪ "Day by day and with each passing moment,
strength I find to meet my trials here.
Trusting in my Father's wise bestowment" ♪
Truth For The World is a work of the Duluth Church of Christ
in cooperation with Churches of Christ throughout the world.