That's what the scripture said.
None of them that trust in him, none of them, shall be ashamed,
shall be made found guilty. 1 Timothy chapter 3 is our text
this morning. 1 Timothy chapter 3. I want to read verses 14 through
16. 1 Timothy 3. verses fourteen through sixteen.
Let's read these verses. 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, pillar and ground
of truth. And, without controversy, great
is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh,
justified in the spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the
Gentiles, believed on in the world, and received up into glory. Paul is writing this letter to
a young preacher named Timothy, who was his good friend and traveling
companion, who is now separated. And he's writing this letter
to Timothy, and he said in verse 14, I hope to see you again. I hope to come see you again. But verse 15, if I tarry long,
if it is a while before I see you, he says, I'm writing this
letter that you may know And the first thing he says is how
you ought to behave yourself in the house of God. There's a way in which not only
a preacher, but everyone needs to know how to behave themselves
in the house of God. As Paul said, I'm writing to
that you might know that how thou oughtest to behave thyself. There's a marked difference between
the true church and the false one. You can see it in the behavior.
You look at them, watch them carefully, turn on your television
and watch the purported or supposed worship services of the world,
and then witness the worship service of God's true people. There's a marked difference.
in their behavior, is it not? A marked difference in the behavior
of the preachers of the gospel and those who are false ones. The thing that characterizes
true worship, one thing that characterizes true worship is
a fearful seriousness about this thing of worship. Listen to me
carefully, this is absolutely so. The thing that marks a true worshipper, true preachers
and hearers alike, is a profound seriousness about what they're
doing. This is not a ball game, this is not a game at all, this
is serious, this is life or death. This is not entertainment, and
we don't treat it as such. We don't act as if it were. We
don't come looking for that. God's church is made up of serious
worshipers, though joyful. God's people are very joyful,
very thankful, very happy, but all of their joy and rejoicing
is in him, in the gospel. And when they come to worship,
they know who it is that they're coming before, and they act accordingly. And this is how you can tell. The scripture says, God is in
the heavens, thou art upon the earth, therefore let thy words
be few. He said, be not hasty to utter
anything before God. God said, be still and know that
I'm God. And you can't hear the message
if there's a tumult going on. And the preacher of the gospel
is not a showman running about all over the stage to be seen
in a great, dramatic display of preaching. This pulpit was
created back in the time of Ezra the scribe. Remember when Ezra
stood behind a pulpit of wood? It was for that reason, to stand
behind it, to contain the flesh. Pulpits, this is just for your
information, pulpits started out about like this, great big
huge boxes, for a reason. You're not here to see this man.
You're here to hear him. You're here to hear a voice,
not see him. It's indicative today of religion
that what do they stand behind? Or what, rather, what are they
supposed to be? A big plexiglass thing. They want to be seen. Well, enough
of that. Anyway, Paul tells Timothy, you
need to know how to behave yourself, didn't you? How to behave yourself
in the house of God, which is? what he said the purpose of the
church is, the house of God, the church of the living God,
which is, verse 15, the pillar and ground of the truth. This is what the church is for.
This is why it exists. This is the purpose of the church.
I'm not talking just about the preacher, but you. This is why
there is a church. It's called the pillar and the
ground of the truth. Pillar. If any of you have a
large front porch. You have a pillar holding it
up, several pillars. Pillars are posts that hold up
the porch. That pillar serves one purpose. What's that? To hold something
up. That's its sole purpose. Well,
he says here the church is the pillar of the truth. That's what it does. Every time
the church gets together, Every time, everywhere, without exception,
the purpose of the church is to uphold the truth. When you come in the church,
not only will you see the difference in the behavior of the people,
but you'll hear the difference. What you'll hear every time in
the church is a man standing up declaring The truth. That's what it's for. A pillar
is of no value unless it holds something up, right? You don't
have a pillar out there standing so you can admire a pillar. Its
only purpose is to hold something up. You remember the story of
Moses. The people were bitten by the
serpent in the wilderness. They were dying. It was only
one hope for those dying people. God told Moses to fashion a serpent
like unto the one that bit the people and put it on a pole and
hold it up. And he said, everyone that looks,
everyone that was bitten and is dying that looks to that serpent
will live. Look and live. Moses had one purpose. The pole had one purpose, to
hold up the serpent. That's the purpose of every true
preacher of the church, is to hold up Christ. He said, if I
be lifted up. He is the truth, Brother John.
He said, I am the way, the truth, the life. I am. Every time the
church meets, Christ is upheld. Christ is set forth. The truth
is set forth. And the ground. I love this term
here. A couple of you army men. Brother Henry, you'll enjoy this.
This is a military term. The church is called the pillar
and the ground of the truth. This is a military term. in the days when there was ground
fighting, strictly infantry tactics, when you had taken ground and
you were going to stand your ground. In other words, you're
not going to give up an inch of that ground. You're going
to stand your ground. He says the church is the pillar
and the ground of the truth. The church is where the truth
The church is where people are not going to give an inch on
the truth. They're not going to compromise
an inch, or a doctrine, or a word of God's truth. This is the ground.
This is the higher ground. This is holy ground. This is
God's word. We're not going to give an inch. I was just reading, I remembered
Martin Luther's famous statement, which would serve well here,
and I started reading. And he stood alone before hundreds,
literally thousands of persecutors and persons that just insisted
that he recant, that he denounce his heresy, they called it. Because
he refused to believe that the Pope was the vicar, the substitute
of Christ, that the priests could confer salvation on the people. He refused that. He rejected,
hands down, the notion that the wine and the bread actually turned
into the blood and body of Christ, and so priests were administering
salvation to the people. No, he said Christ was sacrificed
once. He stood his ground. And everybody
was against him, being threatened with death. And he made that
famous statement as he stood before that throng of people,
alone, poor little fellow in a robe, poor little German fellow. He made that great statement,
he said. When they insisted he denounce it, he said, Here I
stand. I can do no other. I'm not given an inch, though
the whole world be against me. Here I stand. You're not moving
me. That's the church, Brother Stephen.
It's the ground of the truth. Don't give an inch, though the
whole world demand it. The ground of the truth. John wrote those letters. 2 John, 3 John to the elect lady
and Gaius and others, and he said, I just rejoiced when I
heard that your children are standing in the truth. Rejoice. So while the whole world
takes up any and all manner of foolishness to attract a crowd,
to win proselytes, the Church continues to do one thing, behave
itself. in the presence of such a one,
and to declare the truth in no uncertain terms, which is the
pillar and the ground of the truth. Now, there's your first
sermon. All right? Now, here's the message. Here is the truth. Paul writes
what this truth is that the church is the pillar to uphold and the
ground. to not compromise. Here it is
in verse 16. My God, help us enter into it. And without controversy, Paul
writes, great is the mystery of godliness. Without controversy,
great is this mystery of godliness. Now, it's not, Paul says, it's
without controversy. Not that there was no controversy
back then. On the contrary. This was the greatest controversy
in the history of the world. The greatest controversy. It
began when God sent his prophets. The controversy began when God
sent his prophets to declare the truth. It was a great controversy. Apostles, controversy means those
opposed to it, opposing views, and it causes all manner of tumult
and division. The apostles, when they came
and declared, there was vehement opposition to it. Great controversy. One person said, these fellows
have turned the world upside down. Oh yeah, it was a great
controversy. One of Paul's Jewish captors said to him, now let's
hear what this is again. He said, we know everywhere this
is spoken against. All over the world. Everybody
is talking about this. That's a controversy. And he
said, I want to hear it again. What everybody is talking against. In Paul's words. before some
other persecutors. He said, the way they call heresy,
the way that everybody is calling heresy, is the way, is what I
believe. And today, more than ever, over
2,000 years later, the truth has never been more controversial. There's a greater controversy
now than ever. You declare these basic truths
now and you will be thought of as a caveman. Who ever heard of such a thing?
God is sovereign. Man is dead. Who ever heard of
such a thing? That God doesn't love everyone. Where did you get that? It causes
a great controversy in a world that loveth and believeth a lie."
Now Paul, so Paul is not saying it's not without controversy. It has created great controversy. But what he's saying here, as
a bold preacher of the truth, what he's saying is, it doesn't
matter if the whole world doesn't believe it. This is without controversy. This is without question. This is without argument. It
doesn't matter who opposes it. This is what—he's talking to
young Timothy, Brother Henry, a young believer, a young preacher,
whom he told earlier, don't answer all their foolish questions.
Don't get into fights with them. Just declare the truth. He said
they're going to turn their ears from it. Declare it anyway, because
it's without controversy. You and I know this. It's without controversy. It's
without question. This is the truth. This is the
truth without controversy. And he's going to build his case
here. He's going to give undeniable
proofs here. He's going to bring forth the
evidence to prove that there is no controversy. That the controversy
is only in man's confused mind. That this is not confusing, it's
crystal clear, but the confusion lies in man's ignorant and blind
will and mind and heart. Now, he says the first thing
about it is it's a mystery. Great is the mystery of Godliness. What's he talking about? Godliness.
He's talking about everything pertaining to God,
who God is. How man can someday get to God? This whole relationship between
God and man, he said, it's a great mystery. Great mystery. Now, this right here distinguishes
the truth from all this stuff today. Why? It's no mystery about
salvation. It's just a simple decision.
Preachers tell you, whenever you get ready. You can accept
it. Just come on down front, shake
my hand, sign a card. Right? No mystery. What's hard
about that? Whenever you get ready, you can
live your whole life. When you get ready to die, if
a preacher can get to you quick enough, you'll be all right. It's easy. Just make a simple
I do and you're in. That's easy. No, Paul says it's
a great mystery. It's a great mystery, the truth,
how man, listen, how man can be considered by an all-knowing
God who looks on the heart, who doesn't look on the outward
countenance, who looks on the thoughts. How God can look at
a man, God who is holy, who is perfect. and will not clear the guilty,
and how we must be absolutely holy and perfect just as he is
in order for us to be loved and accepted by him. How that God
can look on us as being holy when we are altogether sinful. That's a mystery, isn't it? It's a great mystery. How that
God, how that we, everything about us is unacceptable to God.
Everything about us is unacceptable. He said in Isaiah 1, he said,
from the sole of your feet to the top of your head. There's
no soundness in you. No soundness. Nothing there. Good. Nothing
acceptable about any of us. Nothing. But yet God says we're
absolutely holy, unblameable, undefiled, accepted in his sight. How? Now that's a mystery. It's a great mystery. How that God who is altogether
righteous, and the righteous Lord loveth righteous things,
holy things, how that he can only love righteousness. His holy character won't allow
him to love anything else. And everything about us is unrighteous.
Everything about us is wrong. But God loves what's right, and
God can look at us and say he's right when we're all wrong. Now, that's a mystery. Well, how? Well, here's the answer
to the mystery. Great is this mystery, verse
16, great is the mystery, and here's the answer to it, and
it's without controversy. God was manifest in the flesh. God was manifest in the flesh. The whole controversy is around
this person. All controversy and the mystery
is surrounding this person. Are you with me? All the controversy surrounds
this person. That man named Jesus that walked
this planet 2,000 years ago, that's what the whole controversy
was about and is about now. And this is all the mystery surrounds
this person. Who was Jesus? Who was that? Who is Jesus of Nazareth? That's
the whole controversy, even today. It's the subject of much discussion,
argument, and debate. This is what the whole controversy
is surrounding. Him, this one who came. Our Lord himself stood before
his disciples one day. He said, whom do men say that
I am? Whom do men say that I, the Son
of Man, am? And they said, well, some say
you're this, some say you're that, some say, all of them said,
you're a man. He said, you're a good man, you're
a prophet, you're a great man like Elijah. A great man. You know, this is still the controversy.
Worldwide, people, now it's becoming worldwide. Who is Jesus of Nazareth? Who was that that walked this
planet years ago? All over the world, there's a
controversy about who he is. But Paul said this is without
controversy. This is without question. Timothy,
you and I know this. Don't stand and argue, because
it's without controversy. God walked this planet. That Jesus of Nazareth was God
Almighty. Why is this important? God came down here. The only
time in history God came to this planet. There must have been
a reason. Man, God, whom no man hath seen,
nor can see, nor can approach unto. Whom no man hath heard,
Paul wrote, no man has ever heard God speak. But God came down
here. Why is this important? And the controversy surrounds
him. And though it's controversial in men's mind,
Paul said it's without controversy that God was here. That one named
Jesus is none other than the one that created this world.
We read it in John chapter 1, didn't we? The world was made
by him. Without him was not anything
made that was made. He came unto his own. The ones
he made, his own, received him not. The world was made by him,
the world knew him not. He was light, but men loved darkness
rather than light. Yeah, the Word was made flesh
and dwelt among us. And some of us, by his grace,
by his eye-opening grace, beheld his glory as of the only begotten
of God. He who is created in the image
of God, full of grace and truth. We heard God. John said we saw
him. We touched him. We handled him.
We walked around and watched him. God. God was here. God was here. People. Everything depends upon this.
What we're doing here this morning depends upon this. If that man
that walked this planet was just a prophet, like Mohammed, then
what makes us right and the Islamic people wrong? Huh? If Jesus was just a prophet,
a good one, a wise one, but no more than that, same as Mohammed,
then we're not, then nobody's right or wrong. We can take it
or leave it, right? The Muslims don't believe Jesus
was God. They like some things he said. They can take a few things and
leave the rest, right? The Buddhists and so forth, they
may like some things he said. But here's the fact. If he was
God, you can't take it or leave it. You can't just say, well,
I like this and I'll believe that and I won't. Wait a minute. Wait a minute. If this was God, you've got to believe every word
he said, right? If this was God, why'd he come
here? He said he came here, sent with
a job to do. If this was God, what'd he do? If this was God, we're going
to hang on every word he spoke, don't we? If this was God, he
said in John 8, 24, if you believe not that I am, you're going to
die. Who's he talking to? Every human
being on planet earth. You can't take it or leave it.
If it's God, right? And so Paul says, without controversy. This was God. God was manifest
in the flesh. God was here. So it behooves
us, right now as I speak, to hear what he's saying. He said, no man comes unto the
Father but by Nobody is. He said, I am the way. You ought
to be hanging, human beings ought to be hanging on his every word.
This is God talking. He said, I am the way. The way
where? John Phillips said, show us the
way. He said, I am the way. Nobody gets
to God but by me. Explain. Tell us. We need to
know. If we're going to know God, be
with God. If we're going to die, then we're
going to die. You mean the only way we get to God is through
you? That's right. Tell us more plainly. I am the
truth. Everything else is a lie. I am
the truth. I am life. I am come that they
might have life. Tell us what you mean by that.
He's told some great mystery that God has made manifest to
us, that it's in Christ. Why did he become a man? Why
did God become a man? It's a mystery now, people. It's
not easy. He didn't come down here to show
us how man ought to live. And if you'll just do this, oh. He said, here's what God said
when he became a man. He said, with man it's impossible. See, man can't please God. So
God became a man. He became a man in order to please
God as a man. Why? To show us how? No. To do it for his people. As a substitute. But God can't
die. The soul that sinneth must surely
die. A man deserves to die at the hands of God's judgment,
God's justice. Thank you.