5 March, 2017 Church The Household of God 1 Timothy 3:14-16

Today we are going consider the topic: Church. Some of us here may have joined church for a Long
time, and some of us may be new; but no matter how long we have been to church, that fact that we
are here, suggests that it is worthwhile to know, or to refresh our memories, about what the church really
is. It is important to note here that by church we do not mean a fixed place or building. In the NT,
church refers to a collective body of Christians. Whether locally or universally, church is a group
people redeemed out of the world by Jesus and confesses that He is Lord. There is no better place to
begin learning about church by looking at 1 Timothy 3:14-16. In this passage, Paul gives us some vivid
descriptions about the church. But before we get into the passage, let us talk a little about the
background of the passage: 1 Timothy is a letter written by Paul to a young pastor called Timothy, who
was at the time serving at a church in Ephesus (present day Turkey). Timothy was close to Paul, he
accompanied Paul during his long and dramatic missionary journeys, and Paul treated him as his own
son. By reading the letter, we know that the Ephesian church has been struggling with some issues, such
as false teaching, confusion in Christian living, and not knowing how to choose church leaders. Paul
heard of the struggles and wanted to go to Ephesus to help Timothy with these issues; but he knew that
he will be delayed on the way 9v.14). So Paul wrote a letter to Timothy, to let him know what he should
do in Gods church, in case he does not make it quickly. Whether Paul made it to Ephesus we do not
know, but tanks be to God that he wrote this letter, so every church throughout the next 2000 years
may know what to do in Gods church. 1Timothy is a letter in which Paul gave specific instructions on
how the church should run; and in 3:14-16 Paul tells us why these specific instructions were given it is
because the Churchs special identify, it is unlike any other organisations of the world. In v.15, Paul
describes the church as; the household of God, church of the Living God, the pillar and foundation
of the truth, and lastly the great mystery of our faith. Let us take a close look at each one of the four
identities.

The Household of God

The first identity that Pal gives to the church is the household of God. It is not just the house of God.
i.e. the building; but the household of God, i.e. Gods family. The language of family or household gives
a feeling of warmth and security and closeness, and that is exactly what we get in Gods household. It
is the place where Gods children can rest; and it is the place where they can love and be loved. In the
household of God, God is not only the master of the house, but also our heavenly Father. The first thing
Jesus teaches us to pray is to call God our Father in heaven. We all have different earthly fathers,
some may be very good, some may be not so good; but we all have one heavenly Father who is
perfect. Every earthly father will let their children down at some time, but the heavenly Father will never
let His children down. In J I packers classic book knowing God, he singled out the doctrine of
adoption as one of the most important things that a Christian should know. It is a tremendous privilege
to have an all-loving, all-mighty, and all-sufficient God to care for us our Father. This relationship is a
channel of Gods resurrection power, to bring healing to our past, security to our present, and bright
hope for our future. In Gods household, we also experience the love of Jesus Christ. The only reason we
can be accepted into Gods household, is because of Jesus died for us on the cross so God could
forgive our sins. This is the highest form of love that can be found anywhere the Creator God died for
the sins of the creature. Paul says in Ephesians 2 that Christs love is so wide and long and high and
deep, that it is impossible to understand fully. But this love is available and is freely given to all, and it is
only by this love we may gain entrance into Gods household and to enjoy the care of our heavenly
Father. In Gods household, we also have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit gives us direct
access to the Father through Jesus Christ; He prays for us, and He helps us to pray. The Holy Spirit opens
our eyes so we may understand what God says to us in the Bible. The Holy Spirit facilitates
communications in Gods household, where we have exclusive communion with God the Father, the
son and the Holy Spirit.

Church of the Living God

The second identity that Paul gives to the church is that it is the church of the living God. The word
living simply means alive, with a sense of immortality. God is a living and immortal God, which
contrasts with a dead god, such as an idol made of wood and stone. Acts 19 tells us that there was a
big idol manufacturing business in Ephesus; the city was filled with idols, just like many big cities at the
time. But no matter how glamorous and real an idol is made to look, it is dead, not alive. Idol worshipers
worship creatures that are tangible; but we worship the Creator who is living and active and cannot be
seen. In an age of science and technology, people do not worship idols of wood and stone as thye
used to, but we worship idols nonetheless. Calvin says that human nature is a perpetual idol factory.
Whatever gives us security, comfort, and joy apart from the living God is an idol. And whoever worships
idols are cut off from the life of the living God. Church belongs to the living God. Traditionally there are
four marks that makes up the Christian church. According to Nicene Creed, the church is one, holy,
catholic and apostolic. The church is one, because every church is united under the headship of
Jesus Christ. No matter where or when, the church is one entity, and we are brothers and sisters with
Christians around the world and throughout the ages. Ephesians 4:4-6 describes the unity of the church
by using seven ones in three verses, stressing that Christian churches have so much in common, they
cannot be divided and must be united with one another The church is also holy, meaning that it is set
apart from the rest of the world. Sin is a serious issue in the church, because Christ died on the cross
precisely for the problem of sin. The church set apart from the world so it may not conform to its pattern
but be transformed and renewed according to the will of God. The church is catholic, not in the sense
that it has a pope; but that it is universal and without a boundary. The church opens its door to anybody
and everybody who wishes to know the Truth and follow Jesus Christ. Regardless of race, nationality,
gender, social class, no one is excluded from the ministry the church; the Gospel is for anyone who has
ears to hear. The church is apostolic, because it is based on the teachings of the Apostles. Christian
church does not invent new teachings, it teaches the same things but with improved understanding
and illumination. Any church that claims to have received new revelation apart from those handed
down by the Apostles are at risk of falling apart from the apostolic tradition of the church.

Pillar and Foundation of the Truth

The third identity Paul gives to the church is that it is the pillar and foundation of the truth. This particular
identity stresses the importance of truth in the life of the church. Of course, there are other important
things in church, such as love, joy, peace, etc., but these are secondary compare to the primacy of
truth in the church. Without truth, everything else, such as love, joy and peace are only superficial and
cannot be sustained. Church is the pillar and foundation of the truth, meaning that the church must
uplift truth as pillar uplifts a building; it must be the foundation for truth by teaching and preaching of
the Word. The truth of God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ cannot be heard anywhere in the world
apart from church. It is the responsibility of the church to uphold biblical truth and Christian values.
Revelation describes church as golden lampstands, TV programs, or fashion magazines to tell us about
truth, because it is virtually non-existent there. The light of truth is in the Christian church for those who
has eyes to see.

Great Mystery of Our Faith

After describing the church as the household of God, the church of the living God, and the pillar and
foundation of the truth, Paul then speaks of the great mystery of our failth. This phrase points out the
crucial important of faith in Christianity. Christians believe in somethings that makes them distinctively
Christian. Most often these believe are set out as doctrines or creeds; the Apostles Creed is a good
example. Here Paul sets forward another creed, which contains six lines: Christ was revealed in a
human body, vindicated by the Spirit; He was seen by angles, announced to the nations; He was
believed in throughout the world, and taken to heaven in glory. We do not have time to go through
each of these, but a simple way to understand, is to divide the six in twos: lines 1 and 2 talks about
Christs work accomplished, lines 3 and 4 talks about Christs work proclaimed, and lines 5 and 6 talks
about Christs work accepted. In other words, the entire faith of the church is centred on the work of
Christ: His life, death, resurrection, ascension and session. The church is not about us, but about the Lord
Jesus Christ; His life, death, resurrection, ascension and session. The church is not about us, but about
the Lord Jesus Christ; and by virtue of His work, salvation for mankind is accomplished and the church is
established. Having studied the passage of 1 Timothy 3:14-16, hopefully we are a little clearer and
refreshed about the role of the church in the mind of God. The church is Gods household, it is not a
stony cold place, but a family where we hold communion with the Triune God. The church is the church
of the living God; God is with us here and because God is with us, we are distinct from the rest of the
world by being one, holy, catholic and apostolic. The church is the pillar and foundation of the truth, to
provide the light of the Gospel to a world of darkness and sin. Finally, the churchs faith is none other
than the person and work of Jesus Christ. Because of the work of Christ, there exists a special and
intimate relation between He and His church, which is illustrated well by a well known hymn with the
following words: from heaven He came down and sought her, to be His holy bride; with His own blood
He bought her, and for her life He died. Are you attracted to this love of Jesus Christ? No matter who
you are, by accepting Jesus love for you, your may be accepted into Gods household too, even here
and now.