We are looking this morning at
the first book of Timothy, the first letter of the Apostle Paul
to Timothy, chapter 3. First Timothy, chapter 3, and
here in this letter is the instructions of the old experienced preacher,
the Apostle Paul, to a young pastor and preacher named Timothy. But yet this is God's word to
his preacher and to his church. And here in just a couple of
lines, we will find the manner or the behavior of the church
and the preacher, and then we'll find the purpose of the church,
and then we'll look at the message of the church. In verse 14 of
chapter 3, 1 Timothy chapter 3, the Apostle Paul writes, These
things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly. But
if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave
thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living
God, the pillar and ground of the truth." Paul writes to young
Timothy, and yet this is God's word to his preachers and people,
and he says, to know how you ought to behave yourself in the
house of God. How you ought to behave. This
is the behavior of the church. There is a marked difference
between true worshipers, the true church, and mere pretenders
throughout the world. The thing which characterizes
true worshipers, God's true people, His true church, is a fearful
sober and serious attitude toward worship. God's church is made
up of serious worshipers who, though joyful and thankful and
happy, yet they know whose holy presence they are in when they're
worshiping, and it is more a serious time and needful time for thoughtful,
prayerful studying and the hearing of God's Word. Let me read to
you from Ecclesiastes 5, verses 1 and 2, Ecclesiastes 5, which
is the message of the preacher. That's what the word means, the
preacher. And he writes, Ecclesiastes 5,
verses 1 and 2, Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house
of God, and be more ready to hear than to give the sacrifice
of fools, for they consider not that they do evil. Be not rash
with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing
before God. For God is in the heaven, and
thou upon earth, therefore let thy words be you." So this is
the behavior of the preacher and the people in God's true
church. made up of serious worshippers
who know whose presence they are in. It's a time for more
quiet and thoughtful, prayerful study in the hearing of God's
word. The mouth and the ear do not
work simultaneously. So he says, be more ready to
hear. James says, be more ready to hear. Also, let not thine
heart be hasty to utter anything before God. That's the behavior. Paul writes to young Timothy,
he says, you ought to know how to behave yourself in the house
of God, which is the church of the living God. And here he gives
the purpose of the church in one line. He says, the church
of the living God is the pillar and ground of the truth. The
pillar and ground of the truth. or a column is what holds something
up, holds up a porch or a ceiling or a roof. A pillar holds something
up. And he says the purpose of the
church is to be a pillar which holds up the truth. In the church,
in the true church, God's true church where his true preacher
is found and his true worshipers are found, what you will find
is the truth upheld. at the forefront. The truth is
the aim and purpose of the church, to declare the truth every time,
always, like a pillar which always stays in its place, holding something
up. So it is with the church of the
living God, always holding up the truth. There's a story in
the Old Testament of the Israelites in the wilderness being bitten
by fiery serpents. And it says, Moses fashioned
a brazen serpent and put it on a pole and held it up for all
those who were bitten to look to. And for all who looked to
that brazen serpent, they were healed of a certain death. And
that's a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the truth. He said, I am the way, the truth,
and the life. No man cometh unto the Father
but by me. Christ is the truth of who God
is, the truth of what salvation is, the truth. The church is
like that pole which held up that brazen serpent. The only
use for that pole was to hold up that brazen serpent for the
people to look to, and so it is with the church. Christ said,
If I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto me. So the purpose
of the church is to set forth and declare and hold up the Lord
Jesus Christ, to exalt him for men and women, for all whom God
grants repentance and faith to look to for their healing. And
he says the church is the pillar and the ground of the truth. The ground of the truth. Now
this is an old military term. A term used in the military when
they would say, stand your ground, men. Stand your ground. Don't
give an inch. Hold the high ground. Hold that
ground. I'll give you an illustration
of this. Martin Luther stood before a vast crowd of those
who hated the truth. And they told him to recant.
They told him to renounce the truth. The gospel he was preaching.
To renounce it. To fall in line with everyone
else. And he said his famous words
were, Here I stand. I can do no other. So it was with the apostles who
were before the Sanhedrin, before the Jewish Pharisees that said,
don't preach in this name anymore. Don't preach this Jesus Christ
anymore. And the Apostle Peter said, we
ought to obey God rather than men. And so while the whole world
takes up any and all manner of foolishness to attract a crowd
and win proselytes, the church continues to do one thing. that
is, declare the truth, for it is the pillar and the ground
of the truth. And while the whole world seems
to be forsaking God's word and rejecting it and translating
it away and willing to compromise with the world who does not like
the truth, God's true people, God's true preacher say, here
I stand. We're not about to give an inch.
We're not about to give up one word of God's truth. This is
the truth, and we declare it, whether men like it or not. Well,
here is the message of the church. Here is the truth. Here is the
truth which Paul said the church is the pillar and the ground
of. And it concerns a person. As Christ said, He said, I am
the truth. Well, in verse 16, We have a
description of the Lord Jesus Christ, of the truth. In verse
16, I read, and without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness. Without controversy, Paul is
going to tell us what the gospel is and who Christ is. Without
controversy, he said. Now, it is not that there is
no controversy over the truth, over who Christ is. For there
is great controversy. When the prophets and apostles
declared the truth, they were vehemently opposed and persecuted. And it caused great controversy,
the truth did. Paul's Jewish examiners said
to him, everywhere this way is spoken against. And Paul said,
well, the way they call heresy, that's what I believe. And today,
in the modern 21st century, the truth has never been more controversial,
more despised in a world which loveth and believeth a lie. But Paul is saying here there
really is no controversy, because this is the truth. This is the
truth, he said, though a mystery. He said it's a mystery of godliness. Now, it's a mystery, and God
must reveal it. The mystery of godliness is how
man can be just with God. That's the oldest question in
the Bible that Job asked. How man can be holy though sinful. How man can be accepted by God
though he's totally unacceptable. How man can be righteous although
he's altogether wrong. This is a mystery. It's in the
will and purpose and mind of God and only understood when
revealed by God Himself. It's a mystery, kept hid from
the wise and the prudent, the mighty and the noble, but revealed
to poor, ignorant, God-called sinners. It's a mystery. And
it all surrounds the person of the Lord Jesus Christ and his
work. A person. Who was Jesus? Who was that that
walked this planet 2,000 years ago, around which so much controversy
is? Well, it says here, great is
the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh. God was manifest in the flesh. That man who walked this planet
was none other than the creator of the planet. Isaiah 9 says,
unto us, a child is born, a son is given, thou shalt call his
name, wonderful counselor, the mighty God everlasting Father,
the Prince of Peace. Why, there's a whole denomination
out there going door-to-door to disprove the deity of the
Lord Jesus Christ. The Scriptures are very clear,
and Paul says it's without controversy, though the controversy remains
in men's minds. They're the ones confused. They're
the ones who create the controversy. No, this man was God Almighty
and is God Almighty. God was manifest in the flesh.
Why? He came down here to do a work,
a particular work for a particular people as God does all His work
according to His will, according to His purpose, and none can
stay His hand. That's why He came, to do the
work of God. It goes on to say, this mystery
is that He was justified in the Spirit. The Holy Spirit declared
Jesus to be the Christ, the Son of God. At his birth, at his
baptism in the garden, at his resurrection, he was declared
to be the Son of God with power by the Spirit of holiness and
the resurrection from the dead, justified in spirit. Only one
man who ever lived of whom it was said he was well-pleasing
to God, and that's the Holy One of Israel. the Son of God Himself,
and it goes on to say He was seen of angels. The angels of
God bore witness to who He was at His birth. It was a heavenly
home, and all through His life the angels of God ministered
unto the Holy One of Israel, the Son of God Himself, seen
of angels, it says. Also, those are angels of the
Church, prophets, apostles, evangelists, pastors, and teachers who are
called angels throughout the Revelation. They have seen His
glory and they bear witness of Him. It goes on to say, He was
preached unto the Gentiles. Christ said, Other sheep I have
which are not of this fold here in Jerusalem, them also I must
bring. And so He sends the gospel throughout
the world, gathering His elect, gathering His sheep which are
made up of every tribe, nation, kindred, and tongue unto heaven.
Not just Jews, but Gentiles. Yea, the world. And it says he
was believed on in the world. What a mystery. What truth that
Christ is believed on. I just returned from a trip to
Mexico into the deepest part of the Yucatan Peninsula, and
there you find many churches full of people who believe the
gospel, who believe the truth and love it. And he says this
mystery is he was received up into glory without controversy.
That was God. And we know He was the true one
because He was received up into glory. This is the truth to be
upheld by the church, which is the pillar and ground of that
truth. This is the message every time we gather. May the Lord
bless His word to your understanding. Amen.