As always, the case, I do consider it a privilege to
speak. Concerning the word of God.
And I hope what we have to consider for a little while.
Would be helpful to you, excuse me, encouraging to you and
edifying to you in some way I preached this sermon about four
years ago and I really think it's very important, not only to
have lessons that are practical that are relevant, things that
are encouraging and edifying but it's also important that we
teach and preach things that Our doctrinal, you know, I think
there are things that we practice in our Christian Life
and things that we do as the church.
But the question is, can you all or can I can all of us defend
it? The title of our lesson.
Today is Bible classes and Sunday school.
And I want to take Acts chapter 20 and verse 7 as our
introductory text, Hang on one second.
It acts 20 verse 7, the bible says, now, on the first day of
the week when the disciples came together, to break bread, Paul
ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his
message until midnight. I think there's really three
things that really make us stand out with the religious world.
Number one is we sing without instruments of music.
Number two is we have one loaf and one cup on the Lord's table,
and we commune every Day. And number three, we don't have
Sunday school and we don't have kids church as it's often called
today and I'll tell you this, if all the things that people have
asked me as a Christian if you invite them to services and
their visitors and we welcome them and want them here and many
times, they'll say, how come you don't have Sunday school?
How come you don't have kids church?
I mean, after all it's not the little guys have to learn to
Well, the question is, why do we do the things that we do?
Why do we practice the things that we practice?
There is a answer to that, but let me just say at the very
outset of our lesson Bible classes and this is very
important. Bible classes are not a method
of teaching, Bible classes are an unauthorized type of
assembly, for teaching the word of God.
So, the question before us today is not whether the Bible class.
Our scriptural method of teaching, its whether Bible,
classes are a scriptural method of assembly for public teaching
in the church. Okay, where did Bible classes
come from? Where did they originate did?
They always exist. Well, according to World Book,
Encyclopedia volume, 17 and Page 790.
It says this the present day. Sunday, school movement was
started in Gloucester England by the publisher Robert.
Drake's in, 1780, he launched his ragged school.
He tried to Aid the children of the poor in his community, by
teaching them Reading Writing, and the principles of religion
in America, the Sunday School movement became widespread After
the Revolutionary War. However, according to history
these Sunday, schools were not connected with church
organizations until 1814. And since that time Many
religious affiliations have adopted this denomination of
practice from our Methodist friends with various
modifications, okay? Let me just ask this.
When you talk about the church, I have to say.
The church is not a denomination.
Nomination. Okay.
I got the bible discussion, just the other day with somebody.
That asked me that very question and I said that I said that the
Church of Christ is not a denomination.
And here's what distinguishes, the two, a denomination really
means a part of something else. In fact, one definition for
denomination is this, a religious group that has
different beliefs from other groups, but they're all
professing to be the same, they're all pissed professing to
be Christians. So the different practices and
different beliefs between them or among them, are what causes
them to be called a denomination?
They are part of the whole, but the Church of Christ is not a
part of anything. The Church of Christ, is the
whole of God's people. So what do we believe in the
church? What do we believe in?
We believe that we do things that are according to a Bible
pattern and it not only happens in the New Testament, even going
back to the Old Testament. Notice this Passage in first
Chronicles 28 beginning in verse 11.
Then David gave his son Solomon. The plans or the King James
says, pattern for the vestibule. It's houses, its treasuries, its
upper chambers, its inner Chambers, the place of the mercy
seat and the plans again pattern in the King, James for Albany
had by the spirit of the Courts of the house, of the Lord, of
all the chambers all around of, the treasuries of the house of
God, and of the treasury's. For dedicated things, verse 19
says, and All all this David said, the Lord made me
understand in writing by his hand upon me, even all the works
of this pattern. So there are patterns for
assembly and it goes all the way back to the Old Testament.
What I want to notice is I want to notice these three passages
one after another, from the Old Testament notice, In first in
Deuteronomy, chapter 12 and verse beginning of their inverse
Deuteronomy chapter 31. Beginning in verse 12, Gather
the people together, men and women and love little ones.
And the stranger who is within your Gates, that they may hear
and that they may learn to fear the lord your God and carefully.
Observe all the words of this law and that their children who
have not known, it may appear and learn to fear the lord your
God, as long as you live in the land, which you cross the Jordan
to possess, please notice. In the assembly, there was men.
There were women. And there were little ones, not
only that there were strangers, who is with their Gates and in
that assembly. They heard and they learned the
children learned to fear the lord they heard and they learn
to fear the lord in an undivided assembly.
What about Deuteronomy chapter 6 beginning in verse 7, you shall
teach them diligently to your children and shalt talk of them
when you sit in your house when you walk, by the way, when you
lie down, and when you rise up, You shall bind them as a sign on
your hand and shall be as frontlets between your eyes.
I had to put this passenger up because listen, please get this.
It is not the church's responsibility to teach our
kids. It is not kids come together in
the assembly and they learn to, but my responsibility is to
train my children and prayerfully, they will stay as
they should be in their life. But it's my responsibility, it's
the parents responsibility to train their children.
It's not the church's responsibility to do that and
it's not the responsibility of a congregation to break off into a
group to train the little once that is done in the home.
In fact, the Bible says, you shall bind them as a sign on
your hand. In other words, the word of God
as a sign on their hands. Describing what you do, that's
your actions. In other words, in all of your
actions, do it with the word of God and frontlets between your
eyes. In all of your direction is the
word of God that guides you. That's the frontlets before your
eyes. That is figurative.
Hands and eyes your direction and your actions.
So it's the responsibility of parents to do that.
Also notice this in Joshua chapter 8 and verse 35.
There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded, which
Joshua did not read before all the Assembly of Israel.
Listen to this, who were they all the Assembly of Israel?
Women little ones and strangers who were living among them.
So, nowhere in the Bible, does it talk about in the Old
Testament? Does it talk about any kind of a
segregated assembly. They didn't break up into
groups. They didn't do that.
They came together in. In one place you might ask.
Well, that's the Old Testament. Why is that significant?
That is significant because God sees the end with the beginning.
I don't think that there's an accident there.
I don't think it was just thrown in there.
I think it was for a purpose and the reason that I say that is in
all the things that God has done in the Old Testament, going all
the way back to when Adam and Eve sinned in the garden and God
prepared coats of skins. It was the first time the
innocent would die for the guilty.
God sees the The end with the beginning, the same is true with
the assembly. God sees the end with the
beginning and in the Old Testament, these are things that
we learn. We therefore are learning and
were instructed by that. We find that they meant in an
undivided assembly. All right.
What about the New Testament pattern?
In the Bible, we get Bible Authority by command, by
example, by a positive statement and by inference or implication.
So in Hebrews 10:25 we have there, the we are to assemble
ourselves together by command. The example is found on the
first day of the week. We have a positive statement
that's found in Acts chapter 11 and verse 26 that says they
assembled with the church. Furthermore, in Acts and 1st
Corinthians chapter 11 and verse 20, they came together in one
place. So at First Corinthians chapter,
14 and verse 23, it puts the two together.
Notice the whole church came together in one place.
If people ask, why don't we have Sunday school?
The Bible pattern is coming together.
First of all, we are commanded to assemble.
The example is on the first day of the week, we are to assemble
with the church. We are December with the church
in one place that is the Bible pattern for scriptural assembly.
And that's why that's why we do that.
But you know, there's also another thing to that is by
inference or implication. In Acts chapter 15 verses 30 and
31. It says in when they were sent
off or dismissed, they came to Antioch.
And when they had gathered the multitude together, they
delivered the letter. When they read it, they rejoiced
over its encouragement. So the very fact that they were
dismissed in Furs, they were assembled.
How were they assembled the whole church coming together in
one place? Now, let's talk about the method
of teaching for just a moment in First Corinthians chapter 14,
and verse 31. Paul says for, you can all
prophesy one by one that all may learn, and all may be
encouraged, all right? In this passage, we don't know
who that all are, but whoever it is, whoever is going to be in
the all whoever's going to be doing the speaking.
It's to be done one at a time, one by one that they may learn
and all would be encouraged. So, whoever that is, it is a
person speaking. Want one one speaker at the
time. Okay.
So who is that First Corinthians chapter 14 verses 34?
35. It's the men.
Let your women keep silent in. Churches for they are not
permitted to speak but they are to be submissive as the law also
says, and if they want to learn something, let them ask their
own husbands at home for it is a shame, it is shameful for a
woman to speak in the church, all right.
This was not a statement against women.
And when the Bible says in the church, it doesn't mean that a
woman can never say anything anywhere Anytime Anyplace when
we read in the church, it means get this in the assembly.
That's all. So, in the assembly, we have all
set. We just already, proved
somebody's going to speak one at a time.
Who are they that's the men. And in that assembly, the women
are silent. In the Assembly of the church,
okay? Now, Paul gives the reasons in
first Timothy Chapter 2. Beginning in verse 11, I have to
tell you before we go to this passage, I was listening on the
radio. And the the radio there's guy on
there, he was answering questions.
Some preacher of some sort people were calling in.
They were saying okay, how come this and how come that and this
guy would just give whatever answer he thought was correct.
Somebody called in. It was a lady and said, how come
we don't have any kind of? I don't know.
Women, preachers. And Paul says that women are
being silent. And this man says we should have
women teachers, Paul just had a problem with women.
What that? That is a ridiculous position.
In second to in first Timothy Chapter 2, verses 11 through 14,
you know, what I would rather do instead of coming up with what I
think. And by the way, I got to share
this with you. My father, when we were kids, we
had to sit around a table and this was kind of a game, kind of
a fun thing we did and he would throw something out at us and we
had to answer us kids. We had to answer the objection,
we had to support our position, we had to do so with book,
chapter and verse. I'll never forget one day I
says. But Dad, I think and He stopped
me right there. He said let me just make
something very clear, nobody cares what you think.
Especially the Lord. The Lord cares about what the
Lord thinks so book chapter and verses a better way to describe
what we answer and what our positions are rather than.
Well, Paul just had a problem with women.
In fact, First Timothy Chapter 2, here's the reason.
Here are the reasons let the woman learn in Silence with all
subjection And I do not permit a woman to teach nor have
authority over a man, but to be in silence, notice the reason
here they are beginning in verse 13 for Adam was formed first,
then Eve and Adam was not deceived, but the woman being
deceived fell in the transgressions.
So whether I like it, whether I'd like it or not really is
irrelevant. Paul said let the woman learn in
Silence with all subjection when and where, when they're in the
Ali of the Lord's Church, the public assembly, get more will
get back to public and private later, but here's the reason for
Adam was formed first, then Eve Adam was not deceived but the
woman being deceived fell in the transgression.
And for that, they are reasons that the women are to learn in
silence. So says, the great Apostle,
Paul. What else?
well, not only, is it going to be men that speak but in second
Timothy Chapter 2 and verse 2, And the things that you have
heard from among many witnesses. Commit, these to Faithful Men
Who will be able to teach others.
Also, not only spend a lot of time on this, but, you know,
exactly. You know exactly this point. if
a person is not a faithful man, he will have no influence
whatsoever and teaching the word of God.
It doesn't mean by the way that we reach some sort of higher
level of spirituality or some higher level of perfection.
That's not what that means. Either talk about a faithful
Christian. If a man is not faithful and has
that kind of influence as being faithful, he will have no impact
whatsoever but not only that, Paul said that the men that are
going to teach our exclusive to those that are Faithful Men.
Okay. Faithful Men are the ones to
teach are. Here's the question, can a woman
ever teach? Can a woman ever teach?
Well let's talk about the method of teaching in public and
private Acts chapter 18 beginning in verse 24.
Now, a certain Jew named Apollo's born at Alexandria an
eloquent, man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus.
This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord and being
fervent in spirit. He spoke and taught accurately,
the things of the Lord, though he knew only the baptism of
John. So he began to speak boldly in
the synagogue. When Aquila and Priscilla heard
him, they took him to side. And explain to him the way of
God, more accurately or perfectly the word privately or
a side means private in the King James version.
It says they took him unto them self.
Now when people say, I've heard I've actually heard this.
Priscilla and Aquila were actually there.
Yes. But Aquila was the man.
So persil a she was there but she must have just served coffee
and whatever. No, that's not what it says.
It says. So we began to speak boldly in
the synagogue went Aquila and Priscilla.
Heard him, they took him aside and they explained to him the
way of God more accurately. Can a woman.
Teach a man. Yes she can.
It's not a matter of men and women, please get that.
It's not a male and female issue.
It is a public and private issue.
So here was the man that was speaking and eloquent, man.
Speaking publicly, they took him unto themselves, which means
they took him aside, they brought him to a private setting
and they they expounded unto him or they explain to him the way
of God. More accurately.
So let me just say this where a woman May teach which is
privately. She may teach anyone, whether
it's a man, a woman or a child where she may not teach, which
is publicly, she may not teach anyone whether that's a man, a
woman or a child. All right, so what's public and
private, what's public and private?
What's the difference? And I have to share something
with you. I was talking to somebody one
time and a congregation somewhere.
Actually, I was holding a meeting in another state and the
person was trying to tell me, he really meant.
Well, he's trying to tell me that they had, they had a
private study. And it was at a certain time on
Wednesday night and it was in the building.
And I said, well, how is it private?
You got it on the sign, you announced that people know about
it and everybody's welcome. If you have a public assembly
and it's for anyone and everyone and all are welcome, that's no
longer private. In fact, here's the difference
between public and private. According to Webster's
Dictionary public, is this, it is that which is supported by,
or for the benefit of the people as a whole All it's open to all.
I like what Darren said, one time.
This is really a good way to put it.
This is the easiest way to figure out.
Whether some, whether it is a public or a private Gathering,
did you announce it? If you announced it, it's no
longer private. If you announced it and
everybody's welcome, its public. So that's really the point, two
things. One, did you announce it?
And to was everybody, welcome if that's the case, it's no longer
private. It is.
It is public. What about this?
What is a private Gathering? It is that, which is not freely
available to the public. It's carried on by an individual
independently rather than under the institutional or
organizational direction or support.
That is a private. Setting Bible classes that are
open to all supported for the benefit of the people.
As a whole, they are public functions and such an assembly
for teaching the word of God is not, authorized in scriptures.
Now, let's talk about this because many people
misunderstand scriptures because they can't tell the difference.
If a passage is literal or figurative and, you know exactly
what I'm going to say. When you talk about the
Revelation letter after a Did bible study on Thursday night,
somebody shared with me something and the kitchen of
their house that we had study at and this person said that they
were talking to somebody about Pub about the idea of literal
and figurative. And this person said and I made
the statement, I said, you know, it's amazing how many people
know nothing about Jesus, but they seem to know everything
about the end of times. They seem to know everything
about the Revelation letter. This person said in response to
that. Yeah, I was Talking to some of
the other day. That said, when you start
studying the Bible, don't study about Jesus, study the
Revelation letter. Really, first of all, when you
take someone into the body of Christ, when you reach out to
try to convert somebody, you have to convert them to Jesus
first. You have to convert them to
Jesus. The most important thing is
converting them to Jesus. They can learn the Revelation
letter down the road. We want to study about Jesus.
But the problem is is the misinterpretation of what is
literal and what is figurative. So when Lotus biblical
interpretation and by the way there's a rule for hermeneutics
describing what is literal and figurative and that's this.
Every word statement or passage? Must be understood literally
unless one is forced to understand it figuratively.
That means, when I open up the word of God, I have to assume
that the wording there is literal unless a literal
interpretation of that. Passage does not make any sense
and violates other scriptures. And it is something that meant
that is impossible. One scholar wrote that the
communication between the writer and the reader can only take
place. If the reader attaches, the same
meetings to the words of the writer, that the writer gave
them, if the reader is arbitrarily, making the words
figurative than no communication takes place.
And I'm going to give you a great example of that a great
example before we go to x and Jesus, and eisegesis
interpretation. Okay, here's a great example,
people that are advocates for individual cups on the Lord's
table, Okay? Advocates of that, say when the
Bible talks about cup, it is talking figuratively, and it
means the contents. So it really doesn't matter.
The container doesn't matter. The number of containers, do not
matter. All that matters is the
contents. And the company itself is a
figure when it says this cup. No.
In First Corinthians chapter 11 and verse 25. when Paul wrote to
the church at Corinth, this cup, Is the New Testament in my
blood? The cup that we're going to see
in just a few minutes, the cup is the New Testament in the
blood of Christ, which is the contents, the cub.
And the contents is the communion of the blood of Jesus
Christ. literally, Not figuratively.
And you know what happens, sometimes folks is these two
words? Right here, big fancy words but
they're really simple exegesis or an exegetical.
Interpretation is a drawing out the meaning in the context that
it was given. And by the way, there's nothing
better than ever studying the Bible passage or even teaching
from a Bible passage in the context that it was written.
That is an exegetical or exegesis drawing out the
meaning. I said, Jesus is putting in
one's own personal meaning. even though somebody did that,
anybody, by the way that says, I know what that says.
But I kind of think. They are putting an eisegesis or
ice and Jet achill, interpretation on that passage.
They're not going with what the word of God says.
They're plugging in their own interpretation.
And folks, I'm going to tell you.
We've got a world filled with people that plug in, whatever
interpretation that they want. We just can't do that.
What distinguishes people, this congregation, for example, from
the religious world, that's all around us.
We believe in following the Bible pattern, we believe in
drawing out the meaning. Eating and sticking to it,
simple. All right, let me get a couple
examples of literal and figurative using the same word,
and that's the word fox in Judges chapter 15.
We have a literal interpretation of that word.
And then in also, in Luke Chapter 13, we have a figurative
one. Let me show you what I mean.
In Judges, chapter 15, and verse 4.
Okay? And this is, when Samson
captured 300, foxes and used them a drag firebrands, to the
crops of the Philistines and judges, 15 and verse For then
Samson went and caught 300 foxes, and he took torches, and
turn the Fox's tail to tail. And put a torch between each of
their tails. That is literal.
There were literal 300 foxes. Literal interpretation of
remember the rule remember the rules of hermeneutics which is
interpreting scripture, you have to assume that the passage is
literal until a literal interpretation is impossible.
So in this, it's possible in this, it's probable in this, it
makes sense that we're talking about literal real animals, real
foxes. Okay, let's talk about another
one. Let's talk about in a figurative
sense, from the words of Jesus. In Luke chapter, 13 verses 31
and 32. On that very day.
Some Pharisees came saying to him, get out and depart from
here for Herod wants to kill you and he said to them, go tell
that fox. Behold, I cast out demons and
perform cures today and tomorrow and the third day I shall be
perfected. Is he talking about a literal
Fox, know a literal. Fox doesn't make any sense.
So a literal interpretation of that passage cannot be given.
We have to assume it's figurative.
Who's the fox Herod? Figurative language.
So when you look in the Bible and you want to know if it's
figurative or literal, go back to the little scenario.
It must be literal unless a literal interpretation is not
possible. One passage with Fox.
Yep, that's possible. That makes sense.
We could take it literally. This one has to be figurative.
Has to be figurative. All right.
The final thing I want to notice.
To sum up our remarks today. And why we don't break up the
assembly and why we don't have Sunday School.
And folks, really want to know that.
Why don't you do that? I'll tell you why we don't do
that. Here's the reasons.
We believe that we are people of the pattern, we follow the
pattern, God is always instructed us to follow the
plans or the pattern. It goes all the way back to the
Old Testament, they met in an undivided assembly, who were
present in that undivided assembly, men, women children,
and strangers going all the way back to the Old Testament.
Very significant God sees the end with a beginning.
Number two, in the New Testament.
How did they meet they met in an undivided assembly?
The whole church came together in One place and who were
present men, women children and visitors, all present, all in
that same Gathering the method of teaching was not only one man
speaking at a time, but faithful men that spoke one.
At a time, we talked about the idea of public versus private
rules for teaching where a woman can teach.
For example, she could teach anyone a man woman or child
where she cannot teach publicly she.
Can't teach anyone man woman or child and finally the rules of
biblical interpretation. The rules of literal and
figurative. We must assume that the passage
is literally literal unless a literal interpretation is
impossible. Then it must be figurative.
Okay, I'm finished but I want to say one final thing to you.
It matters. That all of you and me.
Can defend Why We Believe The Way We Believe?
Do you know why? What if you just said to
somebody? Hey, how come you don't have
Sunday school? Well, we just were were against
that. In the Bible somewhere.
They didn't do that in the Bible.
Do you know that somebody at some point in time can offer a
better argument than you? To make more sense to have
something that is diametrically opposed to the scriptures.
It's imperative that we can not only know what the scriptures
are, but be able to defend it. Why do we have one loaf and one
cup on the Lord's table? Why can you defend it?
I'm talking about after you obey the gospel.
We know how. We know what it means to be a
Christian. But can you defend why?
We believe the way we believe what about this?
Remember the very beginning in our introduction.
What about our music? I hear people say all the time.
Oh, I just love the music over. So and so, the mute, the band is
wonderful, this is wonderful music.
You know what? It may be wonderfully sounding
stuff. But why do we believe that we
must meet in an undivided assembly and sing without
instruments of music? Can you defend that?
I'll tell you something. If you can, it'll make you
strong, it'll make you rooted and grounded in the truth.
It'll make you in the matter what comes your way, you will
not deviate, you will not pull up Stakes, you will not quit.
You'll stay firm all the way and you'll take the word of God and
just maybe you can plant the seed in the heart of somebody
that needs it. And just maybe you might have
influence converting them to the truth.
It's found in the word of God. We thank you for listening to
our podcast, put on by the Church of Christ at 22:15 plans.
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