“Exclusive!”

Ephesians 4:1-6

A Sermon by Bryan Collins

Purpose:  To persuade men and women of the biblical truth of one church, one body.

Introduction:  Media outlets claim exclusive rights to stories they report.  They will say, “Your heard it first, here!”  There is a desire to set oneself apart or to be a part of an exclusive club or organization so colleges have fraternities and sororities.  Communities have organizations and clubs with conditional membership.  Many big city neighborhoods market themselves as “exclusive locations.”

Exclusion is a reality in our society and appeals to a certain segment of society; it is an ideal that is upheld, defended, and promoted without shame.  However, there is always that segment left out of any exclusion who do not like it and protest it, citing exclusion as discrimination.  There is a great hypocrisy in our time: you may claim exclusive rights to a product or service, journalists can actually set themselves apart and claim they have an exclusive story, clubs and organizations can claim exclusivity for their members on the basis of social and economic status.  However, no one had ever dare to claim any religious exclusion!  You will make people mad and they might even try to hurt you, spit in your face, oppose you violently, and call you names.  As a member of the church of Christ you face accusers who say to you, “you church of Christ people think you’re the only ones going to heaven!”

This is a problem.  First, it is a problem because it is agreeable to be exclusive on the basis of social and economic status but it’s not agreeable to be religiously exclusive?  Does anyone else see an inequity here?  It is a popular belief today even among religious people that all religions are or should be on a level playing field; one is as good as another.  The overwhelming sentiment is to just choose one; choose ideas from many; be spiritual and not necessarily religious.  It is a popular belief to think that all “good” people will go to heaven or paradise or whatever afterlife your spirituality teaches.

I challenge that thinking.  In Mark 10:17 a “good” young man came running up to Jesus calling him “Good Teacher.”  Jesus’ response?  “Why do you call Me good?  No one is good but One, that is God.”  Whoa!  The Son of God made an exclusive religious claim, There is only one who is good and that is God almighty.  This also shows us that our definition of good is just too subjective meaning that we don’t really have a good, clear idea of what good is, and never have.  Two thousand years ago men didn’t have any idea of what it really meant to be good.

So how in the world do we define what is good?  How is it up to me to decide who is or who is not worthy to go to heaven?  I don’t mean to say that we have no ability to see good in others because we do, generally speaking.  Our definitions of it are all different.  I can see goodness in others and so can you but I cannot decide that they are worthy or not worthy of eternal life (thank goodness); my determination of a man’s goodness is not what God goes by.  As a matter of fact in Matthew 7:21-23 Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to Me Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.  Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?  And then I will declare to them, I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.”  Defending all the “good” we do isn’t going to work with God; we’d better make sure we’re following His word.

These popular, comforting beliefs about religious inclusion are a problem because they are not biblical.  If you believe the Bible to be true you need to take a look at what the Bible says and give it some heavy consideration.  I’m not asking you to believe me; I’m asking you not to go to another preacher, imam, priest, or any other religious person.  I am asking you to go to the book for yourself.

Let’s look at Ephesians 4:1-6 (READ).  The apostle Paul boldly made exclusive claims and each one was consistent with Scriptural teaching.  Maybe we/I have been a little too soft on this issue.  Let’s look at this passage more closely.  I want to start at the top of the list and I will not deal with each of these individually I only want to look at two.

I.                    There is only one God.  Paul adds (speaking to Christians) that the One God is above all, through all, and in all.

A.                 Men of all stripes and backgrounds popular and unpopular say that there are many gods, many faiths and all lead to the same place.

1.                  The God of the Jews and Christians.

2.                  Allah to the Muslims.

3.                  Vishnu and Hanuman and others of the Hindu’s.

4.                  Buddha and a host of others in other parts of Asia .

5.                  They will add that no one can claim theirs is better or the only one (maybe an attempt to be polite).

6.                  John 8:24 “Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”

7.                  John 14:6 “I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

a.       Notice that Jesus didn’t say you need to go out and fight and kill everyone who doesn’t believe…

b.      Christianity is all about choice and free will.

B.                 God says He is the only one.

1.                  Deuteronomy 6:4, 5 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is One!  You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.”

2.                  Exodus 20:1-6 (READ).

3.                  Isaiah 45:5 “I am the Lord, and there is no other; there is no God besides Me.”

4.                  Isaiah 46:9 “Remember the former things of old for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me.”

5.                  1 Kings 18:17-40 (READ).  This was God’s proof of His reality; His existence, power, eminence.

a.       People may want to know why God doesn’t do this today to prove Himself.

b.      He already has, He’s asked you to believe.

c.       Paul said in Ephesians 4:5 there is one faith: faith in the one true and living God and His revealed word.

d.      The Hebrew writer said that without this faith it is impossible to please God, Hebrews 11:6.  So is God impossible to please?  No, you make it so because of your lack of faith.

II.                 There is only one body.  The Old Testament teaches that God only had one people, the New Testament teaches that God still only has one people.  In each case anyone from any nation or race could be in that number.  God wants all men to be saved, 1 Timothy 2:4.

A.                 Identification of that body.

1.                  Ephesians 1:22, 23 “And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.”

2.                  Romans 12:5 “So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.”

B.                 Composition of the body.

1.                  That one body is not made up of a multiplicity of different religions; that is not what Scripture talks about.

a.       1 John 2:22, 23 “Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ?  He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son.  Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.”

                                                                                                                                       i.      Many of the religions I listed deny the Son.

                                                                                                                                     ii.      According to Scripture that eliminates them from being a part of the body.

b.      2 John 9 “Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God.  He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son.”

2.                  That one body is not made up of a multiplicity of denominations.

a.       Paul spoke to that one body about endeavoring to keep the spirit of unity in the bond of peace.

b.      The word “denomination” speaks of division.

c.       In Matthew 16:18 Jesus made the statement that He came to establish His church, one church, not many churches.

d.      The rest of New Testament Scripture points to one church (1 Corinthians 3:11 and Ephesians 2:20.

3.                  1 Corinthians 12:12-31 demonstrates that the composition of that one body is its individual believers (READ vv. 12-18).

a.       The body is made up of those who are in Christ, Ephesians 1:4-12.

b.      Those who are in Christ are those who have put on Christ, Galatians 3:26, 27 “For you are all Sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.  For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”

c.       Have you put on Christ?

d.      Would you put Him on in Baptism today?

Conclusion:  People make all kinds of exclusive claims without a problem.  However, in an effort to stay out of a religious discussion we are just polite.  In being polite we’re being too soft, being too soft we give credence to these popular beliefs circulating today: the idea that religion should just be quietly open to all, let each one make his own decision without outside influence.  Many don’t want to be confronted with the truth that eternity for them might just be dismal.

Religion, spirituality is open to all; it’s not that exclusive and it does not discriminate based on skin color, age, or sex.  You do get to make your own decision.  God is not going to save you against your will.  I can’t change you, I can only give you the opportunity to change yourself and if you’ll change everything will change for you.

Joshua told the children of Israel to make a decision, Joshua 24:15 “And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell.  But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”  You disagree with my influence?  You never learned anything without someone influencing you.

I’m not asking you to believe me or “my interpretations.”  I am asking you to let the Scriptures be your guide.  There is one God, this Bible is His word, the only one we have and it is about our relationship with Him.  Scripture says if you want to be in the church that Christ came to establish ( Church of Christ , Romans 16:16) Scripture says you must:

Believe, John 8:24; Hebrews 11:6.  Repent, Luke 13:3, 5; Acts 3:19.  Confess, Matthew 10:32, 33.  Be baptized, Acts 2:38, Galatians 3:27.