What is the Church?
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· 1 viewI am doing this for my Advanced Systematic Class. I have to write a sermon called "what is the church?" I am taking 1 Timothy 3:15 as my text
Notes
Transcript
Introduction:
Introduction:
What makes a good church?
What should I look for in a church?
Or
What should our church look like?
These are all questions that people ask regularly when looking for a church, or when trying to evaluate their own church.
-Mark Dever, in his book “9 Marks of a Healthy Church” asks similar questions, as well as pointing out many other questions that people ask when visiting a church
-Things like:
“What kind of music does the church have?”
“What is the pastor like? Is he a dynamic speaker?”
“Are the people friendly?”
“Do they have good programs for me and my family?”
“How big is the church?”
“Are they more modern or traditional?”
“What are their facilities like?”
“Do they offer free coffee in between services?”
These, and many more questions flood the minds of first-time church visitors.
-There are many ways that people evaluate churches
-But beneath these kinds of questions, there lies an even greater question:
-What is the Church?
You see, the way you answer that question will have huge implications for the way you live the Christian life
Let me give you a few examples of the kind of decisions you will make based on how you answer that:
-If you simply think that church is a place to meet people who also believe in God, then you’ll probably choose some church in your community that has the kind of people that you want to be friends with
-If you think that the church is a community center that provides activities for your kids, then you’ll find the church in the community that offers the most children’s programs, ideally ones where you can drop the kids off and get some time to yourself
-If you think the church exists for humanitarian efforts, you’ll probably look for a church that has a soup kitchen or food pantry that you can volunteer at to help aid you in your own humanitarian efforts
-Or maybe you think the church is something nice, but not necessary in the Christian life. It’s there if you find it useful, but maybe to you it’s not particularly useful or interesting. You feel you’re better off on your own with your Bible and you’d be slowed down by such things. In which case, you’re probably better off staying at home on Sunday’s and watching Billy Graham or Charles Stanley reruns.
You see, brothers and sisters, how we answer the question “what is the church?” Has huge ramifications for our lives and for the lives of those around us.
This question is broad enough and weighty enough to spend a whole series of sermons answering it.
-But tonight, I want to look at what I believe to be one of the most foundational verses in all of Scripture on the nature of the church
but if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
Now, there are three statements in this passage about the nature of the church, and we’re going to look at all three of them this evening and see how God would have us to answer this big question, “what is the church?”
1. The Church is the Household of God
1. The Church is the Household of God
-Now, the idea here with this phrase is better translated as “household of God”
-It doesn’t seem that Paul is meaning to refer to the church as a structure (although there are other places where he does use that kind of imagery), but instead, he’s referring to the church being the household of God
-This seems to be the sense he is trying to convey, seeing as he uses that same word 3 times in this chapter, vs. 4, 5, and 12, with all three of them referring to the household, the family, not a physical structure
-So brothers and sisters, the church, first of all, is the household of God
-We are the family of God!
Now, this is something that I think we can take for granted as New Testament believers
-We hear this kind of language a lot:
-We pray to “our Father”
-We talk a lot about being God’s children
-We sing about it in songs
And this is all right and good! We should talk about these things often
-But when was the last time you spent some time to really think through that incredible truth?
-You see, in the OT, we don’t have a lot of the kind of familial language when it comes to God’s relationship with people
-At least not nearly as much as we do in the NT
We have a couple references, such as those in Exodus where God calls Israel his firstborn son
Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Israel is My son, My firstborn.
But by and large, that kind of familial language is not very prevalent in the OT
-We see God as Judge
-We see God as King
-We see God as Savior, Deliverer, Warrior, Protector
-We even have pictures of God being a husband to Israel
-But God being our Father,
-People being family members of God (sons and daughters), is very seldom discussed in the OT
But then Jesus comes
-And one of the incredibly unique things about Jesus is how He constantly refers to God as His Father
But Jesus answered them, “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.”
Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.
He would say things like Matthew 7:21
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
And then, something incredible happens
Jesus claims that through Him, we can have that kind of familial relationship with God as well
You see, after Jesus died and rose again, he appeared to Mary Magdalene, and said to her John 20:17
Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.’ ”
And we see the NT authors revel, and rejoice, and worship God for this incredible truth, that through Jesus, we get to be part of the household of God!
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:
Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,
having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,
to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.
And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’
Brothers and sisters, what is the church?
-First of all, the church is the household of God
-We are the adopted children of God
-We are brothers and sisters of our Savior Jesus Christ, and we are siblings of one another
-We are not family because we like each other and and are loyal to each other, though that is certainly the case!
-We see this kind of comaraderie in sports teams or movies
-Football players who say things like, “those are my brothers out there.”
-Movies, where a band of very different people develop a bond and call each other family
-While that is nice, that is not how we are family
-We’re not just family because we like each other
-We are family because of being adopted by God the Father, through our union with our older brother Jesus Christ!
-And whether you feel like each other or not (which I hope you do), that ultimately not the basis on which we are family
-We are family on the basis of being part of God’s household
-We are His family
Application of point 1:
Application of point 1:
-brothers and sisters, let’s spend a little bit of time and apply this point before we move on
-How ought this truth to change and affect us?
-First of all, we ought to worship God that we are His household
“you can’t choose your family” is what people often say
-And they’re right, no one gets to choose their family
-Except for God
-He’s the Only One who got to choose His family
-And He chose us
-That ought to humble you right there and give you cause for worship of God
-Because let’s be honest, we’re not worthy of being chosen by God, are we
-Can you take that with you this week?
-Can you worship God for that, that He chose you as His family?
Second, this should impress upon us the importance of being with our local church family and interacting with them in love and grace
-Why do I say that?
Some people may say, “This is speaking of the Universal Church! We’re all children of God whether we go to a local church or not.”
-When I talk to people on the prayer line, I will ask people if they’re part of a local church
-Sometimes they say something like, “You and I are the church right here!”
-And it is true that each Christian in the world is a member of the Universal Church!
-But Paul here in verse 15 is saying this in reference to the local church
-How do we know?
-Because 1 Timothy is all about specific instructions about the local church
-Paul addresses how the local church is to select pastors and deacons, how the local church is to submit to their specific pastors, how the local church is to care for their widows, which widows they are to care for, and other instructions about how to conduct ourselves in the local church
-So when he comes to verse 15 and says, “I’m writing these things to you so that you know how to conduct yourself in the household of God”, he’s referring to the local church!
-And this ought to lead us to take our relationships very seriously!
-We ought to really hold each other in the highest esteem and treat each other with much love and grace
-Why?? Because each person deserves that for being such a wonderful person?
-No! Because you are interacting with God’s family!
-Do we think of each other in those terms?
-Look around right now. Take a good look!
-These are God’s children. These are Christ’s brothers and sisters
-Let’s let that shape how we interact with one another!
This leads us to our second point
-Not only is the church the household of God, but
2. The Church is the Church of the Living God
2. The Church is the Church of the Living God
-Now, I’m aware that my second point sounds kind of redundant
“The church is the church of the living God”
What does this mean?
Let’s break down both aspects of this phrase:
-First of all, let’s deal withe the church part
-the church, is the Assembly of the God
-The idea of assembling together is foundational to the concept of what the church is
-We get this in part from the word for church, ekklesia, which as the idea of being a called out assembly
-But we have this idea throughout the NT
In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,
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.
not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
The assembly of God’s people has always been a foundational idea in God’s plan
-In the OT, there were several festivals each year where the people of Israel were to gather together to worship God and celebrate His character and mighty acts
Praise the Lord!
Sing to the Lord a new song,
And His praise in the assembly of saints.
God was very protective of the assembling of His people, commanding that unclean people were not allowed to be part of the Assembly of God’s people
And brothers and sisters, in the NT, we, as the Church, are the Assembly of the people of God!
-When we gather together to worship God and to submit to His Word, it is a visual reminder of belonging corporately to God, and a taste of what is to come when we worship with all the Assembly of God in Heaven one day!
But not only are we the church, the Assembly of God, but we notice that we are the church of the LIVING GOD!
There are many people who gather together for other religions:
-Muslims gather together to pray to a made up God, Allah
-Jehovah’s Witness gather together to worship a fake Jesus who who was created by God
-Hindus may gather to worship one of their thousands of gods
I had a chance a little bit to witness to a friend of mine at the Y last week.
-He’s a man in his 50’s who claims to be a Christian
-I got to talk to him and asked him more about his Christian beliefs
-And he told me that he goes to a community church in the area
-But he admitted to me that he doesn’t believe that God is perfect
-God must make mistakes if there’s all this sin and suffering
-And I told him, “you’re view God doesn’t match what the Bible says about God.”
-You see, that man, as kind and nice as he may be, who goes to church with his wife each week and worships, he’s worshipping a dead god, a false god, a god who doesn’t exist
-A god who isn’t living
-Who doesn’t hear prayer
-Who doesn’t love
-Doesn’t do anything!
But brothers and sisters, not us!
-This gather together is not some trite religious ritual that we’ve been handed down
-This is a gathering of people who belongs to the Living God!
-Isn’t that a wonderful truth??
We are the church of the living God!
Application of point 2:
Application of point 2:
-Let’s take a minute and apply this truth before we move on
-How ought this truth, the church being the church of the living God, how should this affect us?
-There are probably many ways, but here are a couple:
-First, we ought to love assembling together
-We ought to relish every opportunity to come together and worship God and listen to His Word together
“At home,” says Martin Luther, “in my own house there is no warmth or vigor in me, but in the church when the multitude is gathered together, a fire is kindled in my heart and it breaks its way through.”
R. Kent Hughes and Bryan Chapell, 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus: To Guard the Deposit, Preaching the Word (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2000), 91.
-It ought to be such a blessing, a joy, and delight, to assembly together with the people of God
-I hope that’s something you relish and enjoy
-Through the costly death of Christ, and His glorious Resurrection, you and I have been brought into the Assembly of God
-Let’s worship God for that!
-Second, this ought to motivate us in missions
-This is especially of importance for us as we find ourselves in our Mission’s Emphasis month again
John Piper has said, “Mission’s exists, because worship does not.”
-There are billions of people in the world who will never know the joy of worshipping the Living God
-They will never have the opportunity to worship the God who loves, the God who actually hears and sees them, the God who gave His Son as a sacrifice
-Brothers and sisters, this should encourage us to love be willing to love the lost enough to share the Gospel with them in hopes that they too may worship the Living God!
So first, the church is the household of God.
Second, the church is the church of the Living God
3. The Church is the Pillar and Ground of the Truth
3. The Church is the Pillar and Ground of the Truth
-Now, what does this mean?
-Let’s start with what it does not mean
It doesn’t mean that the church is what decides truth
-This would be similar to a Roman Catholic view, in which the Church is an equal or higher authority of truth than the Scriptures
-This is why the word of the Pope or Church Tradition is placed on par with, or even above, the Scriptures
-And this is certainly not what Paul is saying here
Rather, the Church is tasked with supporting and defending the truth
The idea of a pillar has to do with support
-The church is to support the truth
The second word, translated as “ground” or “foundation”, could also be translated “bulwark”.
-It also has to do with the idea of support, but could also carry the idea of defense
We see the task of combatting falsehood and protecting and proclaiming the truth all throughout the Pastoral Epistles of 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus
Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons,
If you instruct the brethren in these things, you will be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine which you have carefully followed.
These things command and teach.
Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.
Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.
You see, local churches have been given the task the responsibility to guard and support the truth
-How do we do that?
We do that through the regular proclamation of the truth!
-We do that through our preaching and teaching
-We do that through singing theological correct and enriching hymns
-We do that through our discipleship of one another
-And we do that through our calling out falsehood and error in our own midst or in those voices around us who call themselves Christians who confuse and distort the truth!
Brothers and sisters, this is not optional!
-The regular, consistent, accurate proclamation of the truth and the denunciation of error by the church is not a nice ministry that you can participate in from time to time
-No, this is what the church is!
Notice that Paul does not call the Church the Pillar and Foundation of Love and Acceptance
-He does not call the Church the Pillar and Foundation of Niceness
-He does not call the Church the Pillar and Foundation of community and relationships
-He does not call the Church the Pillar and Foundation of entertaining music and cool programs
Now, are some of these things helpful or even commanded?
-Yes, we’re commanded to love, commanded to have relationships
But brothers and sisters, we are living in a cultural moment in American Christianity where there is a push to move away from the Church being the Pillar and Foundation of the Truth!
-Churches are finding ways to make their sermons shorter and have less of them
-Let’s get rid of Wednesday evening preaching, of Sunday evening or afternoon preaching times
-Let’s make our main service have a shorter preaching time where it more resembles a TED Talk or a motivational speech or a self-help video
-As Steve Lawson says, people come into church and during the preaching time they end up getting a little 22 minute pat on the head
Let’s instead do more programs, more community groups and small groups, more soup kitchens, more children’s activities
-Let’s offer a youth group that plays fun games, let’s do more small groups centered on discussing life issues, and have a concert that takes up most of our worship service
Brothers and sisters, do you see how our ecclesiology, our view of the church, affects what we do?
Local Churches are called to be the Pillar and Foundation of the Truth!
-Brothers and sisters, we don’t need shorter sermons
-We don’t need less preaching
-We don’t need less discipleship amongst one another
-We need more of those things!
-We need to proclaim the truth and guard the truth, week in and week out!
Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.
Application of point 3:
Application of point 3:
-So let’s seek to apply this point and we’ll be done
-Let’s ask this question: do you love the truth?
Jesus certainly did
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
As a local church, Christ has entrusted the truth of the Gospel over to us to guard and support the truth
-And this is the responsibility of us all
Do you come ready to hear the word of God preached and taught?
-Are you supportive and eager to receive the Word of God?
-Or are you more concerned with having shorter services so that you can go do other things that you deem more important?
-Do you aid in supporting and defending the truth by participating in discipleship?
-By studying the Word of God on your own?
-Brothers and sisters, we are to love the truth
-And we are to guard, support, and defend the truth as a local church
-This isn’t an option. This is what the church is
What is the church?
-It is the household of God
-the church of the living God
-the pillar and foundation of the truth