Acts of the Assembly: The Lesson I. Introduction A. In the New Testament we see examples of brethren assembling and engaging in various activities 1. These activities include singing, praying, the Lord's Supper, hearing a lesson, giving, and studying the Bible 2. Such, then, are the things we do as we assemble together with one another B. It is good for us, then, to spend some time examining the nature of these activities so that we can engage in them more properly and more profitably C. We have already examined singing, having seen that we are to sing songs to encourage, teach and admonish one another, and therefore must give all diligence to what we sing D. We have looked into praying and how our prayers in the assembly are to function, giving thanks to God, making requests of Him, and in so doing encouraging one another E. We have considered the memorial of the Lord's Supper, how we are to remember the Lord's death and resurrection, and how the Lord's Supper represents the communion of believers F. Let us continue by looking into the lesson G. Before we begin, let us keep two important truths in mind: 1. In the New Testament, "worship" is not limited to practices inside an assembly; the "assembly" and "worship" are never explicitly connected in the New Testament. Our lives of spiritual service-- being a living and holy sacrifice-- according to God's will represents our worship to God in spirit and in truth (Romans 12:1, John 4:20-24). Assembling with the saints is a part of that spiritual service, but not the sum of our worship to God 2. Likewise, we have seen from 1 Corinthians 14:12, 26 and Hebrews 10:24-25 that the purpose of what we do in the assembly is to edify and encourage one another-- everything we say regarding the lesson in the assembly must be considered in that light H. Having established such things, let us explore from the Scriptures the lesson II. The Lesson in the Scriptures A. Let us begin our examination by seeing what the Scriptures say in regards to having a lesson during the assembly B. Acts 20:7 1. When the disciples gathered together to break bread, Paul spoke with them and prolonged his speech until midnight 2. This is the best example of a lesson of some form being given in an assembly 3. Notice that the lesson was not the purpose of coming together, but was done while the brethren were assembled! C. 1 Corinthians 14:19 1. While the context is regarding spiritual gifts of a sort no longer present today (cf. 1 Corinthians 13:8-10), Paul's instructions are still helpful today 2. He speaks of speaking in the assembly so as to instruct, which, as we will see, is one of the types of lessons D. 1 Corinthians 14:26 1. When the brethren assemble, some have "a lesson" 2. Therefore, it is manifest that lessons were given during the assembly E. Having seen, then, that lessons were indeed given during the assembly, let us explore them in more detail III. What is a Lesson? Who Produces it? A. It is good to first look at what a lesson is B. The lesson goes by various names 1. sermon 2. lesson 3. preaching C. They all represent the same concept: a religious message, presented in a lecture format-- one person presents while the others listen D. We do not see many guidelines as to who can produce lessons in the Scriptures 1. 1 Timothy 2:9-10 would indicate to us that women are not to preach a lesson before men 2. Based on 1 Corinthians 14:26, we can see that any man can produce a lesson before the assembly 3. Elders can most certainly preach a lesson (1 Timothy 5:17)! 4. Generally, however, the one who produces the lesson is frequently the evangelist, one who walks in the footsteps of Paul, Timothy, and Titus, in producing lessons for the brethren (cf. 1 Timothy 4:11, 4:16, 5:7, 6:2; 2 Timothy 1:11, 2:2, 2:24-25, 4:1-2, 5; Titus 2:1, 2:15, 3:14) E. We can see, then, that the lesson is a religious message that can be presented by any man yet normally is done by an evangelist IV. Why a Lesson? A. It is good for us to now consider the purpose of the lesson: why preach? B. The lesson during the assembly is for edification and encouragement 1. 1 Corinthians 14:26 says so explicitly 2. Hebrews 10:24-25: such is the purpose of the assembly C. We should keep this purpose in mind 1. I fear that many times we look at all the gospel lessons in the book of Acts and other places and equate those with what should be preached in the assembly 2. Those lessons, however, were not preached in the assembly-- they were presented to unbelievers! 3. The assembly, as we have seen, is designed for the saints and their edification; any visitors to the assembly are incidental 4. To gear the assembly toward the visitor is to miss the point of the assembly according to the Scriptures: the encouraging of one another 5. The lesson, then, ought to be designed to encourage the brethren, and not primarily designed to convert the lost-- there are times and places for focusing on converting the lost, but it's not the assembly! 6. If an unbeliever is convicted regarding a lesson, well and good (1 Corinthians 14:22-25); but let us keep in mind what the purpose of our assembling is and keep lessons consistent with that purpose-- encouragement! IV. What Types of Lessons are Preached? A. We can see from the New Testament many different types of lessons that were designed to encourage the brethren B. Report of work in other places-- Acts 14:27 1. When Paul and Barnabas returned to Antioch after having preached in southern Asia Minor, they reported the work that God had done among them in those places 2. It is good, then, to hear of the progress of God's work in other areas C. Exhortation to remain in the faith and handle trial-- Acts 14:21-22 1. As Paul returned to some of the cities where he had formerly preached, he encouraged the brethren through lessons exhorting them to continue to be steadfast in the faith and recognizing that despite trials and difficulties that we must press on to the Kingdom 2. Exhortation is a consistent theme in preaching (cf. 2 Timothy 4:2) 3. Exhort (Webster): To incite by words or advice; to animate or urge by arguments to a good deed or to any laudable conduct or course of action. 4. Lessons of exhortation, then, are designed to show from the Scriptures how we as Christians ought to strive to do good and be the obedient servants we ought to be 5. Exhortations are best when phrased positively-- too much beating up on brethren will lead to calloused hearts! D. Instructing one another-- Romans 15:14 1. Another form of lesson is one of instruction 2. Instructions can be anything from interpreting a passage for the benefit of brethren, to explaining a topic or concept as seen in the Scriptures, and so on and so forth 3. As we will see with all types of lessons, it is not as if there are hard and fast lines between a lesson of exhortation and a lesson of instruction-- for our purposes, however, we can view instructive lessons as somewhat neutral, striving to help brethren gain a better understanding of what we can see in the Scriptures so that they are better armed with the knowledge of how to obey God E. Reproving and Rebuking one another-- 2 Timothy 4:2 1. A not pleasant form of a lesson is a reproof or a rebuke 2. Such are not done out of a great desire to beat up on people, but because it is necessary to correct things that are not right 3. Rebukes are inherently negative, and do not lead to obvious encouragement, but are necessary so as to keep the faith and to encourage in the long run 4. Rebuking people-- chastising them for wrong-- should be handled gingerly and with the utmost respect (1 Timothy 5:1) 5. While it must be done, it is best to first try to handle it privately (Matthew 18:15-17), first by yourself or with other witnesses; only when people persist in sin (1 Timothy 5:20), should rebukes be necessary 6. When done appropriately and humbly, rebukes can help brethren have the reverence they ought to have and to desist from sin; when done too casually and often, they can lead to the despair of many a soul F. Having seen the types of things that the lesson ought to be, we can see some things the lessons are not to be V. What the Lesson is Not A. The lesson is not entertainment 1. Our society today is addicted to entertainment 2. Billions are spent in order to distract and to please the senses 3. Far too many "churches" are following this impulse and working to entertain more than to encourage 4. The importance of the lesson is in its message, not in its production 5. The lesson is not being given for you to be amazed at someone's ability and to enjoy the act of hearing a person-- it is designed for you to hear a message to encourage you in the faith 6. Many complained that Paul's production was not that great (2 Corinthians 10:10), and yet how great were his messages! 7. Just as with singing, the production of the lesson should not distract from the message-- it is to complement the lesson! 8. The production can interfere in two ways: being too rough or being too fine 9. If the production is rough, people may not be able to really get to the message or understand the message 10. If the production is too fine, people may get caught up in the hearing of the message and not the message itself 11. While preachers always need to strive to better their production, that does not mean that finer is always better-- the production must complement the message! 12. Let us focus then on the message-- not the production! B. The lesson is not to be a one-person exercise 1. The lesson was not designed to be the time of the assembly where one person gets up and talks and everyone waits patiently for him to be done so that everyone can go home 2. The lesson is designed for encouragement-- and it can only be encouraging if brethren make it something encouraging for their lives! 3. People do not get up and preach for their own benefit; they've already received the benefit because of the study they have put into that lesson 4. The lesson is designed for the benefit of everyone else, so that everyone else can share in the encouragement from the Scriptures that the one presenting has already found (Romans 15:3) 5. Just as all have some share in participation in singing, praying, and the Lord's Supper, so everyone has some share in participating in the lesson! 6. You only will get out of the lesson what you put into it with attention to the speaker and attention to the Scriptures which he is citing 7. If you ever feel that lessons are not encouraging you, please first consider yourself and your own attitude before chastising the one preaching! C. The lesson is not designed to always please people 1. Let us not confuse "encouragement" with "ear-tickling" 2. Sometimes the lessons you need to hear are not going to be pleasant for you! a. it will expose your sin to yourself b. it will make you feel uncomfortable, as if one has stepped on your toes 3. If lessons are not making you feel this way, be concerned! 4. 2 Timothy 4:2-4 a. Timothy is encouraged to preach in and out of season b. this means that he will need to preach things that many times people will not want to hear c. this is necessary since the time is coming when people will no longer want to hear the truth but have preachers for themselves telling them everything is fine d. such is comparable to the false prophets of Israel 5. If you want to have a preacher who is faithful to the Gospel, recognize that said preacher will sometimes have to preach a message out of season-- one that may make you feel very uncomfortable! 6. Remember the alternative: falling away and wandering off to myths! 7. Let us then remember that encouragement sometimes means that we need to change some things and that we will be better off in the end, even if the moment seems painful! D. The preacher is not infallible 1. It is absolutely critical to remember that the focus of the lesson is on the message, not the one presenting it! 2. The value of the message is only in how faithful it is to the message of the Scriptures 3. God, through the Scriptures, is the arbiter of right and wrong, not any preacher! 4. Preacher cults of personality is what Paul condemned in 1 Corinthians 1:12-13 5. Nothing is right because preacher so-and-so says it; it is only right if God says it 6. Let us not confuse the two! VI. Conclusion A. Today we have seen the nature of the lesson B. We have seen that lessons were presented during the assembly in the New Testament C. We have seen that lessons included exhortation, rebuke, instruction, and strengthening in the faith D. We have seen that the purpose of the lesson is to encourage in the faith E. We have seen also that the lesson is not to be a one-person exercise, nor is the lesson designed to always make you feel good F. Let us strive then to participate in the lesson in every way we can G. Songbook/invitation H. Lessons in the New Testament were designed to convict souls and encourage brethren in the faith I. If you are not a Christian, you must heed the words of God and come to faith in Christ Jesus, or risk eternal perdition! 1. Come in obedient faith today J. If you are a Christian, you must continue to heed the words of God 1. If you have been failing in your walk, we can help strengthen you 2. Or if you simply require encouragement to keep going, we can indeed help you with that today K. However we can help you, let us please do so now; come to the front as we stand and sing