Untitled Sermon (4)

Introduction:

I am not sure if you have noticed, but we have corporately read 1 Timothy 3:14-16 multiple times now over the last couple of months. Have you ever noticed that? Our task for this morning is to figure out why that is.

You know one of my favorite TV shows that I enjoyed watching with my family as a kid growing up was America’s Funniest Home Videos. There was no better commentator to the videos than Tom Bergeron. That guy was hilarious. And one series of clips that I always enjoyed were clips where the recorder has the camera intentionally zoomed up so close on an image that as the viewer, you can’t quite make it out as to what you’re seeing. And then the recorder begins to slowly zoom out, and you begin to slowly see the full picture of what it was that they were recording. So initially you think you’re looking at maybe the ripples of a flag blowing in the wind, but as the camera zooms out it’s something ridiculous like grandpa’s lips fluttering about from his snoring.

It’s always helpful to see the big picture, isn’t it? Sometimes in life, we can get so deep into the “weeds” that we completely forget the big picture. In our study so far of 1 Timothy, Paul has really dialed in on particulars; specifically, he has touched much on the structure & organization of the church and how the members of the church are to relate with one another. What Paul does in our passage for this morning is that he pauses on the particulars and has us zoom out for a second to help us gain clarity and see the big picture to what this is all about. Commentators say that 1 Timothy 3:14-16 is the framework for Paul’s letter.

Main Points:

1. Our conduct matters because we are the expression of God’s family (3:15)

The first observation I would like for us to see is found in verse 15

(Read the first part of verse 15).

Since we have moved here, I have had the privilege of being involved with Walk Worthy. I am so thankful to God for Jim and Karen and the rest of the leader’s burden to disciple MCC’s youth. For the last couple of years we have been working through the New City Catechism, and the very first question that the youth had to answer was this: “What is our only hope in life and in death?” That we are not our own, but belong, both body and soul, in life and in death, to God and our Savior Jesus Christ. As Christians, we are the expression of God’s family; meaning, we are members of His eternal household. His. We are, purely by grace (nothing we have done), a part of God’s family. We are his children. His. And God has expectations for how his children will act.

Illustation: Right? I mean, this principle is no different than how parents have expectations for how their children will act and respect them.

· You will eat those green beans that are on your plate.

· You will go to bed at a certain time.

· You won’t have a cell phone and social media until you reach a certain level of maturity.

· You will treat your mother with dignity and respect.

· You will clean your room.

Whenever parents give an order to their kids, it’s often common for the children to always ask the question, “Why?”. And it is often common for the parents to respond back…. “Because I said so.” You know, if you think about it, there’s a lot packed into that tiny little statement. It is a very succinct way for parents to explain the 100+ reasons why they have the right to tell their children how things are going to go down. One is because it is their household, not the child’s! One of the things my dad always said to me as a kid is, “Kevin, your mother and I brought you into this world, and we’re not afraid to take you out if we need to.”

In verse 15 here, Paul is making it very clear that the church of Ephesus’s conduct matters greatly because it is God’s household, not theirs. It is God’s rules, not theirs. It is God’s direction, not theirs. We are the expression of God’s family.

This is why it is so imperative that we as a corporate body collectively and you individually must always seek out God’s will in each and every situation. God has an expectation for how we ought to behave, and are we sensitive to that? Are we sensitive to that when conflict arises? Are we sensitive to that when we engage in debates or arguments? Are we sensitive to the commands that God has clearly laid out in Scripture, specifically, the instructions Paul has given in chapters 1, 2, 3 and in the chapters to come? Do not forget whose household you belong to. Your conduct matters given that you are part of the expression of God’s family.

2. Our conduct matters because we are the dwelling place of God’s presence (3:15)

But next, as we move along in verse 15, we see that our conduct matters not just because we are an expression of God’s family, but it’s also because we are the dwelling place of God’s presence. What is God’s household?

Read verse 15.

God’s household is the church. It’s you and me. We are the household of God. As the apostle Peter put it, we are the “chosen and honored” “living stones” in which God has purified and is using to build up his Kingdom.[1] We are the “spiritual house” in which God will be glorified for all of eternity. Or as Paul words it to the Corinthians, our bodies are the “living temple” for the Spirit.[2] As verse 15 puts it, we are “the church of the living God”.

Now this part of Scripture may not really jump out right away to us 21st-century American Christian believers, but to the 1st-century Jewish Christians this reality about the church, the body of believers, being the household of God made their jaws drop. Why do you think that is? Well, consider the content of their Bible in that day. The only revelation that they would have possessed up to this point on paper would have been the Old Testament. And what does the Old Testament say about the household of God?

Consider what took place in Jacob’s life in the book of Genesis. Jacob, who was on his way to Paddan-aram to find for himself a wife…and during his travel he stops at a certain place to rest for the night. And Jacob has a dream unlike any other. He dreams a stairway coming down from Heaven to where he is. He sees God’s heavenly angels going up and down that stairway. And YAHWEH stands before him, promising him a promise very similar to the one that he gave to Abraham. A promise of land, and offspring, and how YAHWEH will use Jacob’s offspring to bless the people of the earth. When Jacob wakes up and realizes what he dreamt, to say that he had goosebumps is an understatement! Genesis 28 records this: “When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he said, ‘Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.’ He was afraid and said, ‘What an awesome place this is! This is none other than the house of God. This is the gate of heaven.’”

Consider what is recorded in Exodus, when God uses Moses to bring the people of Israel out of Egypt and to the wilderness. God instructs Moses and the Israelites to build for him a sanctuary, a house for God, so that he can dwell among them.[3]

Or how about further along in the narrative of the Old Testament, when Israel is established as a nation and David’s son Solomon was ruling as king? Solomon carries out the instructions from God to build for him a temple so that he may dwell among them… and after the project was complete…the day of dedication came…Solomon sees the cloud, God’s glory, filling up the temple…and he can’t help but say in wonder: “The Lord said that he would dwell in total darkness. I have indeed built an exalted temple for you, a place for your dwelling forever.”[4]

This is the Scripture that the Jewish-Christians of Ephesus know, and Paul is reminding them that they are in the midst of experiencing a new revelation from God. And because of what Christ has accomplished at Golgatha, God’s new and everlasting dwelling place is among them. Just as in these occasions of the Old Testament that I have mentioned, except this time, there is no veil of separation between God and his people. There is no one particular city where God only dwells. There is no temple building. There is no Holy of Holies room.

Rather, God is among them, and it’s true for us too! God is among us! We are the dwelling place for the living God. And it’s because of this reality Paul is arguing that our conduct indeed matters. When we gather on a weekly basis for corporate worship, it indeed is tremendously significant! This is not just another Sunday. This is not just something we do to occupy our time. No! Rather, when we gather to worship through singing, through the listening of His Word preached, through prayer, through the participation of communion…we are his house where he dwells and is among us.

This is why Christianity cannot be a personal endeavor. The church cannot be irrelevant or optional for the believer. When life is incredibly demanding and we are worn out, when push comes to shove and we need to remove an activity from our daily living, our commitment to the corporate-body cannot be the first thing that comes off our list. And even watching church online…while it is indeed a good resource for those who are unable to attend, it cannot be the primary means of one’s participation when they are actually able to physically attend. Our physical gathering matters.

Consider Scripture’s high view of the church:

· Matthew says that is was Christ who founded the church (16:18-19)

· In Ephesians, Paul says that Christ died for the church (Eph. 5:25)

· In Acts, when Saul is on his way to Damascus to arrest believers, Christ appears before him on his travels, and Luke records Christ saying, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” You see, the church means so much to Christ. He identifies intimately with the church.

· The apostle John records Christ identifying the church as his very own bride (Jn. 3:29)

· Also in Ephesians, Paul says that the church is Christ’s body (5:30)

· And our passage for this morning also points to God’s high view of the church

We have the awesome privilege of being the dwelling place for the living God, and that reality should move us in the way that we conduct ourselves as a church.

3. Our conduct matters because we are the guardians of God’s Word (3:15)

But also, consider Paul’s next point for why our conduct matters. The church indeed is the expression of God’s family, the church is the dwelling place of God, and third God in his infinite wisdom has chosen the church to be the “pillar and foundation of the truth” or as some of your translations put it: the “pillar and buttress/support/ground of the truth”.

In Ephesus, there were a number of large buildings with massive columns all-constructed from some of the finest rock that was known in that day. It was inside these buildings where, in the world’s eyes, some of the most valuable and precious things were stored. And so it makes sense, when you have something that is considered so valuable, you store it in a massive building built of the finest material to communicate to everyone that passes by this idea of guardianship to what’s stored inside. And this idea is something that we can relate to. Some of the grandest buildings in all of the world are located in Washington DC, our nation’s capital. These buildings communicate our country’s strength and value. And in Ephesus commentators believe that Paul is more specifically referring to one of the pagan temples that was known worldwide as being one of the seven wonders.

Paul wants his listeners to be thinking about this in the back of their minds, so he chooses to use construction-like language to communicate the reality of the church. It is the church that is the pillar and foundation. And what does the church possess? We the church possess the truth. And not just any truth. We possess the truth about God and mankind.

When Paul says that the church is the “pillar and foundation of truth” he’s getting at our third point for this morning: Our conduct matters because we are the guardians of God’s Word. When the church’s conduct does not reflect the teachings of truth, we do great damage to the perception of the church. In fact, we lead people to come to false conclusions about the church. Our conduct matters. And this is why Paul is so dialed in on correcting the behavior of the church of Ephesus.

We’ve seen examples of misbehavior in previous chapters:

· In chapter one: the church is engaged in horrible methods of interpreting Scripture

· In chapter two: the church is engaged in so much inappropriate behavior –men constantly arguing and in anger, women flaunting their image and attempting to seize power and control

But if you also quickly skim over the remaining chapters, you see more misbehavior:

· In chapter four: more bad theology being taught

· In chapter five:

o the church is neglecting the widows who are truly in need

o strong inferences of older men in the church living as alcoholics

· In chapter six:

o Christian slaves not demonstrating proper respect to their masters

o Church leaders desire for wealth

Do you see how much damage misconduct can do?

This is not what it looks like for the church to be the pillar and foundation of truth…to be guardians of the truth that God has entrusted to them.

There are two elements that are absolutely crucial for the church to be what it is supposed to be, the pillar and foundation of the truth:

1) Like a firm foundation, we must hold firm to what the Scriptures teach:

Which, in order to hold firm to the Scriptures, there’s at least one implication for us to be able to do that…we have to read it. We have to (1) read it so that we (2) know it in order to (3) hold firm to it. And this may sound simple and a no brainer to us, but the average Christian does not know know their Bible. According to Lifeway Research, when it comes to how often the American protestant reads their Bible, their research shows this[5]:

· Daily: 32%

· A few times a week: 27%

· Once a week: 12%

· A few times a month: 11%

· Monthly: 5%

· Rarely or never: 12%

Which category do you fall in? Collectively speaking, we say that we believe the Bible is God’s Word, but only about one third spend time reading it daily. Christians, we cannot hold firm to the truth of God’s Word if we do not know God’s Word. We bear the responsibility of passing this Word on to the next generation…we don’t do the next generation justice if we give them the Bible but do not teach and help them know what the Bible says. And part of passing this Word on to the next generation entails defending the Word from false teaching. We cannot rightfully defend the Word if we do not know it. And if we do not know the Word, we can easily become false teachers without even recognizing it. False teaching can appear in a number of ways, not just behind the pulpit or in the classroom. False teaching can appear in the day to day conversations that we have at home, at work, and wherever else. In our parenting advice, our counsel to friends, and even what we say to ourselves…It is easier than you think to misrepresent what the Bible teaches. We have to know the Word. I know what my excuses can be, I’m not sure what your excuses are…but God in his infinite wisdom gave us a book to read so that we can worship and serve him well.

2) But God does not give us this Word just to simply know it. It’s not his will to make us well informed. Rather, our second responsibility is that we must proclaim this Word. Like the tall pillars of the temple in Ephesus, we must lift high the truth of God’s Word. We possess the light, and we must magnify the light into the nations, our country, community, workplace, to our neighbors, and even in our church and home. God has given us the task to make and mature disciples of Jesus Christ.

When it comes to kingdom work, Paul David Tripp says this in his devotional book New Morning Mercies[6]:

“God has not revealed his truth to you so that you can be the audience, a viewer of his work of redemption. God has called all his children to participate in the work of his kingdom. Everyone who has been brought into a relationship with God through Jesus Christ has also been drafted into the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. He really does mean to employ all his children in his work of redemption. Yes, you read that right--all his children. The total involvement paradigm is his normal plan for the church…He has called all his children to be his ambassadors, that is, to represent his message and his character in whatever environment he has placed them. Here's the plan: a God of grace makes his invisible grace visible by sending his people of grace to reflect his grace to people who need grace (2x). You have been called to be the look on his face, the tone of his voice, and the touch of his hand. You are to represent his presence and his love. You are placed where you are to make his mercy and faithfulness visible and concrete. This all means that your life doesn't belong to you anymore. You have been bought with a price. Your mentality, your personality, your emotionality, your physicality, your possessions, and all your relationships belong to you from the Lord for his using.”

Church, our conduct matters. Our conduct matters because we are the guardians of God’s Word.

4. Our conduct matters because we are the testimony of Christ’s power (3:16)

And so, we have a heavy task, do we not? Our conduct matters because we are (1) the expression of God’s family, (2) the dwelling place of God’s presence, and (3) we are the guardians of God’s Word. The apostle Paul is calling the believers to be godly.

And then we come to verse 16. And it is easy to recognize that the tone of Paul’s language dramatically shifts. Indeed it does. Paul goes from giving instruction to then writing a poem/hymn here in verse 16. Because while we do have a heavy task, the ability to carry out godly conduct does not lie within our own strength. Rather, the key to godliness lies in the person who has carried the yoke we could not carry. Take a look at verse 16.

Read verse 16.

My fourth point for this morning’s message is that our conduct matters because we are the testimony of Christ’s power. He is this great mystery to godliness.

All throughout the Old Testament, it was a mystery of how one could be holy like God. While God gave them the law, the people quickly found out that they couldn’t live up to God’s standard. Which led to confusion. How can one be holy like God? But yet, all hope wasn’t lost because:

· It was God that promised through Eve’s offspring that the head of the serpent would be crushed (Gen. 3)

· It was God that promised Abraham through him all the nations would be blessed (Gen. 12)

· It was God through Moses who promised the people that there would come a day when they would receive a heart of flesh (Deut. 30)

· It was God who promised to David that he would have a son whose kingdom would last forever (2 Sam. 7)

· It was God who spoke through prophet after prophet promising of a coming messiah who would deliver them

And Paul here in verse 16 is reminding Timothy and the church to run to the source of godliness. To run to the source of grace. Run to Christ. Godliness will not be found through any other means. But how so? How is Christ the source of godliness? Take a look again at verse 16:

· He was manifested in the flesh:

o Jesus Christ is God in the flesh

· Vindicated in the Spirit:

o In other words, the Holy Spirit has affirmed that Christ is indeed God’s Son.

o It was the Holy Spirit who played a role in the resurrection of Christ. Consider what Paul says to the Romans: “And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, then he who raised Christ from the dead will also bring your mortal bodies to life through his Spirit who lives in you.”[7]

· Seen by angels

o It was angels who sang at his birth (Lk. 2:13-14)

o It was angels who announced his resurrection (Mt. 28:1-7)

o It was the angels who witnessed Christ’s ascension into heaven along with the disciples (Acts 1:9-11)

o It is the angels who testify to Christ’s glory

· Preached among the nations

o As it was true in Paul’s day, so it is still true today. The gospel message of Christ is being shared all over the globe to countless nations.

· Believed on in the world

o God’s kingdom building program is happening all over the world. It is the gospel message of Jesus Christ that is bring life to death for individuals of every tribe and tongue.

· Taken up in glory

o Christ reigns as King of kings

o He is sits on his throne next to the Father

Jesus Christ is the mystery of godliness. It is through the power of Christ that we can change. It is through Christ’s power that we as the church can conduct ourselves in such a way that is God-honoring and makes us the foundation and pillar of truth. It is the hope of the Gospel that the church has to offer. Too often we belittle the Gospel and see it only as the means to our salvation. But the Gospel is so much more powerful than that. It’s the power of the Gospel that sanctifies us and makes us more like Christ. It is the power of the Gospel that gives Paul confidence to say to the church of Philippi: “…he that started a good work in you will carry it on to completion…”[8].

Paul David Tripp goes on to say in his book exactly what I believe the apostle Paul is trying to get at with our passage for this morning. Indeed, as a church we have a heavy task before us. Tripp says this in light of our responsibility:

“So God's people of grace are driven to the throne of grace so that they can reflect his grace in the place where he calls them. You and I have no ability to represent God well. His ambassadorial call drives us to him to receive the grace we need to represent his grace in the lives of others. What a plan!”

Conclusion:

Tripp is indeed right. We have no ability to represent God well. By our own might we cannot be the church that is the foundation and pillar of truth. But there is a throne of grace, where we are encouraged to come boldly before to make our requests known.

Application:

So church family, Paul gives us a lot of instruction on how the church is to conduct itself. We don’t do what we do in God’s household simply because as the church we are called to good behavior. But everything that we do is rooted in the truth of who Christ is and what he has done. This reality about Christ and the gospel should dramatically shape the way we live and the way we conduct ourselves as a corporate body. Paul wants us to never forget the awe-inspiring reality: If you have been saved by this gospel, you will live godly lives because Christ lives within you.

A few thoughts of application.

In light of the power that we have in Christ, as a corporate body let us not shy away from engaging in the mission. May we be sensitive to God’s instructions for the church in how we ought to live and relate to one another. May we live in such away for the world to see the incredible hope that is found in Christ alone.

But also, the truths that we encountered this morning also have powerful application for beyond what Paul doesn’t mention in his letter.

Christian[9]:

· Going through a difficult time? Do not forget that Christ is with you.

· Struggling in a particular weakness? Do not forget that Christ is your ultimate strength.

· Are you hurting? Do not forget that Christ is healing in you.

· Are you confused or unsure? Do not forget that in the midst of uncertainty, Christ is your peace.

· Are you wondering how in the world you will overcome all that you’re dealing with right now? Do not forget that he “who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world”.[10]

As one commentator puts it: “The God-centered life is the Christ-empowered life”[11]. Jesus is your source to life. Jesus is your source to strength. Jesus is your so

[1] 1 Peter 2:4-5

[2] 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

[3] Ex. 25:8

[4] 1 Ki. 8:10-13

[5] https://lifewayresearch.com/2019/07/02/few-protestant-churchgoers-read-the-bible-daily/

[6] November 10

[7] Rm. 8:11

[8] Php 1:6

[9] These points of application are verbatim from Exalting Jesus in 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus (CCEC)

[10] 1 Jn. 4:4

[11] CCEC, Kindle version: location 1304.