What the Church Should Be

1 Timothy 3:14–4:5 NASB95

I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you before long; but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth. By common confession, great is the mystery of godliness: He who was revealed in the flesh, Was vindicated in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Proclaimed among the nations, Believed on in the world, Taken up in glory. But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron, men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude; for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer.

Intro: Over the past several weeks, we’ve spoken about the importance of “Guarding the Gospel”. In this, we’ve looked at the call to godliness- specifically as we’ve addressed the character of the pastor/ elder and the character of the deacons. Today, we are going to broaden our scope and speak about the church as a whole.

What we see here is a brief explanation that Paul gives as to his reason for writing all of this detail and emphases on character. In essence, in v. 14 Paul says that he writes so that we would know the proper expression of godliness that should be exhibited within the church.

But in this section of his letter, Paul is not detailing character qualifications. Instead, he is making a profound statement of identity that drives the character of the church.

In other words, It is because of WHO we are that we aspire to godliness through the strength of the Holy Spirit.

So, this morning, we are going to look at 3 descriptors of the church and then a warning. I pray that you will leave today with an excitement about the church and sense of urgency about the Gospel.

Discuss: How is your identity related to your call to godliness?

Family of God (15b)

Paul says that we ought to know how to conduct ourselves in the household of God. Some translations render this “house of God” and therefore people have assumed that Paul is going to harp on a certain attitude or behavior that we ought to exhibit in the church building. That is not to say that we shouldn’t have rules - these are helpful at times, but this is not what Paul is getting at. He is talking about our identity as the family of God.

We are God’s people. We are called, as John puts it, to be children of God.

As a family, we ought to recognize that Christ is the head of the family (After all, it does say “household of God”) God has placed a structure within the church- pastors to lead, deacons to assist and serve, and relationships between one another.

Paul lays this out in his letter to the Ephesians (Ephesians 5:22-6:4 ) and likens the relationships within the church to the family as He intended. (We talked about that in the character of elders and deacons)

It’s been said, “You can choose your friends, but family, you’re stuck with!”

Because we are a family- God’s family, we should understand that our relationships with one another are not a preference of personality, but rather more of a divine kinship. This means that we are connected through blood- indeed, through the blood of Jesus Christ.

As part of God’s family, our conduct should reflect our commitment to one another. Christ said that the world would know that we are His by our love for one another.

Some of you are holding a grudge against someone else. Others have been hurt or have hurt someone else. Folks, you need to reconcile these relationships and accept one another as Christ has accepted us.

Some people say, “I want to be a Christian, but I don’t want to be part of a church” You might as well say, “I want to be born, but I don’t want to be part of a family” Listen, there is no need for you to be a “homeless Christian” - God has not called us to such a life. Rather, He has called us to be His family.

Discuss: What does it mean to be part of the family of God?

From this description, Paul says that the family of God is the

Church of the Living God (15c)

Folks, this is quite the statement!

The word “church” means a gathering. The building is not a church. An individual is not a church. You are not the church until we gather. And friends, don’t miss this, the church is made up of renewed men and women- born again believers, washed in the blood!

Charles Spurgeon said, The church is not a number of unregenerate people coming together entirely of their own notion to defend such and such dogmas. Such persons may form a club, but they cannot make a church. There must be a coming together of renewed men, in the name of Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit, and these must meet for purposes which God himself ordains, and be joined together after his own fashion. Jesus must be the uniting corner stone, and his Spirit the indwelling power, as it is written, “In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.”

C. H. Spurgeon, “What the Church Should Be,” in The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, vol. 24 (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1878), 542–543.

Hey and it gets better! We are the church of the LIVING GOD! Look, this isn’t the dead poets society, this is the church of the living God!

Ephesus had temples and shrines to the goddess Diana, but she was just a myth- an idol! We get to gather together knowing that our God is alive, He reigns on high and has shown Himself all around us.

We see evidence of our Living God in His sustaining of life and nature- He shows His life and power through the Holy Spirit as He transforms lives and reveals Himself through His Word. He is answering prayers, giving wisdom, guiding history.

Sometimes we come into church and you’d think we came into some sort of funeral or a lecture on some historical figures. Folks, we come together in praise and adoration of the LIVING GOD! And if you can’t get excited about that, maybe you need to question whether or not you have been truly saved.

I am reminded of the letter to the church in Sardis (Rev. 3:1-6). “You have a name that says you are alive, but you are dead! Wake up!” Christ says.

Do not let that be this church. We claim to be alive, let us proclaim and celebrate that we are the church of the LIVING GOD!! Let His life and power be evident in us!

Discuss: How should our church be different from other gatherings?

Next Paul says that the church is

The Pillar and Support of Truth (15d-16)

This description highlights the church’s mission.

In Ephesians 2:20, we see Paul describe Christ as the cornerstone of the church. Here, he says that the church is the pillar and support of truth.

In other words, it is the church’s mission to uphold the Gospel- that’s what we’ve been talking about all along… Guarding the Gospel. This isn’t merely the job of the seminaries, the pastors, or the deacons. This is the responsibility of the church. So how can we do this?

Paul says that we do this by holding up and living out the Gospel in both word and deed.

As the Psalmist proclaims, “Come, taste and see that the LORD is good!” (Ps. 34:8) Or as the children used to sing, “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine!”

Paul says, in v. 16, this is our certainty… beyond all question our hope is in Jesus, the revealed truth of God. We then see a hymn or what we might consider a portion of a confession of faith regarding the Gospel of Jesus…Each line seems to correlate to the next: Listen (1-3, 2-4, 5-6)

He was revealed in the flesh- the writer of Hebrews said he is the visible image of the invisible God.

Was vindicated in the Spirit - in other words, the Holy Spirit testified of His righteousness - we see this both at the cross, the tomb, and throughout the book of Acts.

Romans 4:25 He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification.

Seen by angels - Angels prepared Mary and Joseph for His birth, they announced His arrival to shepherds, they comforted the women at the tomb, and encouraged the disciples following Jesus’ ascension.

Proclaimed upon the nations - This is the gospel being preached to all peoples- not just the Jews. We see this famously throughout the book of Acts.

Believed in on the world - this the result of the preaching

Taken up in glory- He was received on earth by those who believed and received in heaven as the atonement for our sins.

Certainly we could go into more depth here, but what we must see is that the church is God’s plan for the Gospel.

Discuss: How does the church support truth?

The church is the messenger, the model, and the mode by which the gospel is lived out.

But finally, we must quickly look at the warning in the first part of Ch. 4.

WARNING: Some Will Fall Away (4:1-5)

This is indeed a sad reality. Paul said that the Holy Spirit clearly says this will happen. And you want to know why?

Because some will pay attention to these false teachings. They will be led astray by hypocrites who try to teach a false gospel- they might even look like super-Christians from the outside, but they are liars.

Paul uses the examples of some false piety being brought forward in his day- forbidding marriage and abstaining from certain foods under the guise of being spiritual or holy.

We won’t go into particulars of what this might could look like, but rather what I want us to understand is the danger for us- for our friends and family.

Church, I believe this happens when we forget who we are and why we come together. When we begin to think little of Jesus. When we buy into the lies that our sins are not that big or that our coming together means little more than some social event or class lecture.

So, when we make a decision about our attendance on a Sunday morning, we must consider that we are not trying to adhere to a legalistic rule, but rather participating in the gathering of the organism called the church- the family of God; We gather to worship the LIVING GOD and to be equipped to uphold truth as we prepare to engage in the world around us.

Folks, do you understand what the church should be?

As we end our time together this morning, I am challenging you to respond to this reality of what the church should be.

Here is what I will ask:

Reflect upon your role in the family of God and commit to it.

Celebrate and worship the Living God of the Bible.

Boldly and consistently uphold the truth of the Gospel.

Build one another up in the faith

Join in a Life Group

Establish genuine relationships

Sincerely seek God

Pray for the godliness of the church

Discuss: What are the personal implications of this warning?