The Church s M & M June 3, 2018 1 Timothy 3:14-16 I. Introduction As coach of the Green Bay Packers, Vince Lombardi was known for his emphasis on the fundamentals. His teams won championships because they could block, tackle, and execute better than anyone else. Once, after a particular poor performance, a frustrated Lombardi held up a football and said, Gentlemen, this is a football! When things are going poorly, it is especially important to remember the fundamentals. When Paul wrote this letter to Timothy, things were not going well. Some of those in the church at Ephesus were starting to drift away from the basic truths of the Christian faith. Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 1:3 that some were listening to those who taught false doctrines and myths. Later, in verse 6, he wrote that some had turned to meaningless talk. The Bible is a storehouse of knowledge and information; sometimes churches or individual believers get so caught up with minutiae or peripheral things that they lose sight of the primary or fundamental things of God s Word. After telling Timothy of his purpose for writing, Paul reminded Timothy and the church of the church s fundamental mission and message The Church s M & M. II. The Church A. It is God s household. Paul began by writing that the church is God s household. The church isn t a building, it is a family a collection or an assembly of Christians. One of Paul s favorite words for Christians is brother (1 Timothy 4:6). Believers are members of God s household Ephesians 2:19 says, Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow-citizens with God's people and members of God's household. Because it is God s household, Christians need to conduct themselves according to God s commands, not man s commands. 1
B. It is the living God s church. Paul went on to write that the body of believers, i.e., the church, is the church of the living God. In Acts 20:28 Paul told the Ephesian elders that the church was God s because he bought it with his own blood. In his letter to the Ephesians in Ephesians 1:14 Paul wrote that the church is God's possession--to the praise of his glory. Unlike the pagan goddess of Ephesus, Diana, the church belongs to the living God Jeremiah wrote in Jeremiah 10:10, The LORD is the true God; he is the living God, the eternal King. As Paul was about to write of the mission and message of the church, it was important to remind Christians that they serve a living God not some idol which is made of stone or wood or man s imagination. As Jeremiah 10:5 says, Like a scarecrow in a melon patch, their idols cannot speak; they must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them; they can do no harm nor can they do any good. They aren t living, but, on the other hand, Christians serve a living God. III. The Church s Mission A. Be the pillar of the truth. Paul then described the church s mission; he wrote that the church was to be the pillar of the truth. The image of being a pillar would mean much to Timothy and the Ephesians the great temple of Diana, one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world, was located in Ephesus and it had 127 pillars. Each pillar had been donated by a king and was made of marble and some were covered with jewels or overlaid with gold. The pillars did two things, they were a display of the idols importance and they held up the temple. As a pillar of truth, Christians the church is on display to the world about the living God. The local church puts Jesus Christ on display in the lives of its faithful members. Christiana must do more than talk the talk, they must walk the walk. Peter wrote in 1 Peter 2:12, Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. One way that Christians are to be visible is by their sacrificial love Jesus said in John 13:35, By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. 2
B. Be the foundation of the truth. Not only does the church hold up Jesus Christ through the lives of believers, it must be the foundation of truth. The church must protect the truth and make sure it doesn t fall or move. Beginning with the leadership and supported by the congregation, the church must make a stand against sin and apostasy. The church must uphold the truth of God s Word. It is the church s duty to guard the truth as the most precius possession on earth. Let me say it again: It isn t just the job of the leaders of the church, but every believer must be committed to maintaining the truth of God. IV. The Church s Message There is much truth that is found in the Bible and that must be upheld by the church, but, as Paul wrote in verse 16, the most essential truth, the main truth is beyond all question, the mystery of godliness. The mystery of godliness is the person and work of Jesus Christ. In Luke 24:46-47, Jesus said to the disciples, This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. This was the theme throughout the messages in Acts, turn to Acts 10:37-43. Using the lines from an early church hymn, Paul then summarized this mystery: A. First, He appeared in a body. At His Incarnation, at His birth in Bethlehem, Jesus became the living, eternal God in human flesh. He appeared in a real, physical body. John 1:14 says, The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. Turn to Philippians 2:6-8. B. Second, He was vindicated by the Spirit. Vindicated means justified or declared righteous. In Romans 1:4 Paul wrote that Jesus Christ through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God, by his resurrection from the dead. Jesus resurrection by the Holy Spirit proved His sinlessness. If He had any sin of His own, He would have stayed dead as the penalty for that sin. By His resurrection, the Spirit declared that Jesus was righteous. He was the sinless Lamb of God. C. Third, He was seen by angels. Throughout Jesus ministry on earth, angels observed Him. They were there at His birth, announcing it to the shepherds. They ministered to Him at His temptation in the 3
wilderness (Matthew 4:11) and strengthened Him in the Garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:43). An angel rolled the stone away from the door of His tomb (Matthew 28:2). Angels appeared to women proclaiming that Jesus had risen (Luke 24:4-7). Finally, two angels were present at Christ s ascension (Acts 1:10-11). Angels were involved in Jesus earthly life from beginning to end. That, too, signified divine approval of the incarnate Messiah. D. Fourth, He was preached among the nations. Before His ascension, Jesus commanded the disciples in Matthew 28:19-20, to go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. In Acts 1:8 He told them, You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. There was to be no nation left without the gospel message. As it says in John 3:16, Jesus Christ is the Savior of the whole world. E. Fifth, He was believed on in the world. The plan of God for the whole world to hear and believe was begun by the Apostles. At the first public preaching of the gospel after Christ s resurrection on the Day of Pentecost, 3,000 were saved (Acts 2:41). In the days that followed, thousands more believed on Him. The Gospel was preached through Judea, then to the Samaritans (Acts 8:4-8), to an Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:26-38), to Cornelius the Gentile (Acts 10:1-48), and finally across the Gentile world by Paul and his associates. F. Finally, Jesus was taken up in glory. Acts 1:9-10 describe this event After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. Hebrews 1:3 adds that after he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. Jesus ascension showed that the Father was pleased with Him and accepted His work. This is the church s message, the truth of the Gospel: God, Jesus Christ, became a man, died for our sins, triumphed over death, was honored by angels, and ascended into heaven. This message was preached all over the world and many believed and were saved. 4
V. Conclusion I don t think I need to remind anyone that Tabernacle Baptist Church is not this building Tabernacle Baptist Church is the Christians that come together to worship and serve God. Contrary to some of the present-day skeptics, we serve a living God; a God who answers prayer, a God who cares for each one of His children and who cares how we live our lives. His book is His guide for how a child of God should live. The world teaches that as long as one tries hard and is a good person that person is a child of God. They say that you can believe whatever you wish as long as you are sincere. There are a variety of paths to heaven; you just have to choose one. Is this the truth? What does God s Word say? Jesus said in John 14:6, I am the way and the truth and the life. No-one comes to the Father except through me. So, according to God, how many ways are there to heaven? ONE! What is the truth? What is the message we need to bring to the world? Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures. If you believe this, that is good, but it s not enough. The devil believes it, but he is going to spend eternity in hell. Obviously, you must do more the memory verse from last month, Rom. 10:9 explains it: That if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead you will be saved. This is the truth. If you haven t made Jesus your Lord and Savior, why not do it today before it s too late? John 3:36 says, Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him. For those of you who are children of God, there s another question: Are you a pillar of truth for God? Do you even know what the truth is? Joshua 1:8 says, Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Do you meditate on God s Word not just on Sunday mornings, but 5
throughout the week? James 1:22 says, Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. What do your priorities, your goals, the movies you watch, the things you dream about, your relationships with Christians and non-christians say about your spiritual family? Do you look like a member of God s family or a member of the devil s family? Remember Joshua s challenge in Joshua. 24:15, Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve But as for me and my Household, we will serve the Lord. What do you choose? 6