Well, brethren, once again, it is my privilege to be among you and to see some newer faces to me, or maybe I forgot, but it is still good to be here among you. And we trust that we will together know the help of our God and by the Lord's spirit that we will come to an understanding of his word and that the Lord will be pleased to minister to every one of us. I would ask that you would take your Bibles and turn with me to First Timothy chapter three. First Timothy chapter three. I'll read a few verses and then we'll pray. First Timothy chapter three, beginning with verse 14. Paul is writing to Timothy, the apostle Paul, and he writes, these things write I to you, hoping to come to you shortly. But if I tarry long, that you may know how men ought to behave themselves in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. Let us once again pray and ask that the Lord will help us as we consider this portion of this word. Our Father, we come to you in the name of Jesus. And Lord Jesus, you have said that if two or three are gathered in your name, there you are in their midst. And therefore, Lord, we would claim this promise because you have said so. And Lord, your word is true. And we know that you will be in our midst. You are in our midst, for we have gathered together in your name. And so we pray, Lord, that you would give us your spirit, that we may receive your word. As you've said, my sheep hear my voice and they follow me. And Lord Jesus, help us to follow you. And may there be those who may not be your sheep. May you convert them to become your sheep. We pray, Lord, that you would help us, that we would understand our calling in this world. that we would be rooted in your word, that we would be encouraged in our souls, and that we would press forward in our lives, giving glory and honor to your name. So, Lord, come, help us, for we need your help. And we ask for these mercies in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, as you can think concerning this text, our theme is related to the church. And this is the theme we'll consider this morning and, Lord willing, this evening. And if you want a title, you can call it The Role of the Church in the World. And here we see in these words, from Paul to Timothy, My desire is to encourage God's people. We live in a day, and as I was speaking to Brother Chris earlier, we live in a day when the church can be intimidated and bullied by the culture. There is so much change occurring in our world. And there was so much compromise existing within the church. And there may be doubts and questioning the truths that we've held and believed for so many years because of the change in our culture. But I want God's people to be secure and firmly rooted in their identity, in their calling by God and understanding what God has called us to that we would not be tossed about whether it is by false teaching. And as Jesus said, because iniquity shall be multiplied, the love of the many will grow cold. But he that endures to the end shall be saved. And it seems as though in our culture, the church is relegated as something as insignificant. And even in some places, something that needs to be done away with. Jesus says, I will build my church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And so therefore, what I hope to do this morning and this evening is to encourage the people of God. maybe correct some thinking that may not be in align with scripture, maybe to lift up the hands that are hanging down and figuring what's to use. Are we doing it right? Do we need to change what we're doing? We need to have more growth and maybe perhaps we're not. Well, if we are following the scriptures, if we are clear as to what the word of God says, then we should have a good conscience, We should be encouraged, and we should be confident that God is being honored by what we're doing. These words Paul wrote to Timothy, we see in 1 Timothy 3. And there are three points that I have. And these points this morning, just to give you the picture, is really an overview of what I want to say. And then this evening, Lord willing, we shall zoom into some of the specific details and expand on one of these headings. But the first heading is this. What the church is, or if you will, what is the church? we see from this text, we have an explanation or a statement regarding of what the church is. Is it a club? Is it a group of people who share certain convictions and they've come together? But what is the church? Look at what Paul says to Timothy in 1 Timothy 3. Paul says, verse 14, these things I'm writing to you, and I hope to come to you soon. But if I'm delayed, that is what's meant by tarry long. If I am delayed, I'm writing in order that you may know how men ought to behave themselves in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. Now we see in this text, the fundamental identity of the church is that the church is God's house. We see it from this text. He says, I'm writing that you may know how men ought to behave themselves in the house of God. And what is the house of God? The house of God, which is the church, the church of the living God. Now the church is described elsewhere as a temple, and that is true. I'm not minimizing that. But there are some similarities between the temple and a house. Both are dwellings where God dwells. God dwells in His temple, and God dwells in His house. The church is described in different terms. But fundamentally, the identity of what the church is, is that church is God's house. And as God's house, God has rules or code of conduct. I've started a new project in my job, and we have to go through the training modules. And very often as you start a job, especially in these days, you have a code of conduct. And the company wants you to read that, and they want you to agree to it with compliance, et cetera. But a code of conduct, and God has a code of conduct for his house. Thus Paul is writing, Paul is writing these things, that Timothy may know how men ought to behave, code of conduct, how they ought to behave themselves in the house of God. And that's what the church is. The church isn't our house, it's God's house. The church isn't the house of the government, It's God's house. And because it is God's house, God is the only one who gives the rules for conduct and behavior in His house. It's His house. If I come over to your house, and I just start reaching into the fridge and pull out the DVDs, kick off my shoes, start popping in, I want to... What am I doing? It's not my house. There is a certain code of conduct and behavior that is required in a person's home. Turn with me to Ephesians chapter 2. Just another supporting passage. Ephesians chapter 2. Here, Paul is writing to the church in Ephesus, and he's describing them. He's describing what God has done for these Gentile believers. And notice what we read in verse 19, Ephesians chapter two, verse 19. So then you are no more strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and of the household. of God household being built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the chief cornerstone in whom each several building fitly framed together, growing into a holy temple in the Lord. There we have temple in whom you also are builded together for habitation of God in the spirit. But notice they are described as saints of the household of God. And as a temple, they are built together as a habitation of God in the Spirit. And here in this passage, we have both temple and household together, describing the people of God. And that's what the church is. It is God's house. And this is just another reference to support that fact. These Gentile believers are now included, are now members of God's household. And that's important to get a hold of when you think about the church. Yes, I understand these are basics, but these basics sets the stage for our understanding and our direction in terms of how we ought to conduct ourselves in terms of our life and our ministry in these present evil days. The church is God's. house. Secondly, back to 1 Timothy 3. What the church is, now let's consider what the church does. What the church does. What does the church do? Alright, it is God's house, but what is it supposed to do? What is its calling? And notice the language here. Paul says this, These things I'm writing that if I tarry long that you may know how men ought to behave themselves in the house of God, which is the church of the living God. And now this following phrase, the pillar and ground of the truth, the pillar and ground of the truth. This phrase, it signals to us the role and function of the church. The church in terms of its role and function in the world is that the church is the pillar and ground of the truth. Now, a pillar is like a huge column. And you may see columns in front of maybe some buildings, like a library, a big building. I'm thinking of some in New York City. But you go to Washington, DC, and there's these big, massive, round columns, right? And so it is a pillar. So that's what it's describing. And these columns can serve two functions. It can serve the function of upholding a superstructure, And in ancient days, it may have served the function of advertising. We may have billboards for advertising. And they may have used columns as a form of advertising the greatness of a building. But notice what Paul says. The church is the pillar and ground. And ground has to do the foundational structure. the foundation upon which the column rests. So you have this foundation. And on top of the foundation, you have these huge columns, and these columns and that foundation together, because if the foundation is sand, what's going to happen? Remember the parable? The wise man built his house on a rock, and if the foolish man, he builds his house on the sand, you can have a massive column, but if it's built on sand, the whole building structure is going to crumble. You need a solid foundation. And so the church is these things. The church is the foundation, solid foundation. It is the column, the pillar, and it upholds the superstructure of a building. And that's the metaphorical imagery that is given to us. The church is the pillar and ground of what? Of the truth. The truth. Remember what Pilate said to Jesus, what is truth? Very cynical, right? What is truth? And in our day, people are trying to find, uh, the truth, if you will, by discovering and writing books and having seminars and talk shows about how to improve your lives in various areas in terms of diet and exercise and how to be a better husband and a better family and how to have a more positive attitude in your work and So this expert and this expert writes a book and have a discussion, and they have the secret of a meaningful life, and somehow you're supposed to find the quote-unquote truth of a good life by listening to all the experts. Well, what we see here is that the church is the only institution on the earth Think about this. The church is the only institution on earth that has this role of being the pillar and ground of the truth. And what that means is that the church is to uphold the truth. It is to defend the truth. It is to display the truth, but it is not to determine the truth. That's the problem with Rome, and the Pope, and ancient Roman Catholicism, and even Catholicism to this day, is that they put the church on a par. with the scripture. And therefore the church has equal authority, in some cases, more authority than the word of God. And hence the pontiff can make these pontifications about what truth is and determine, no, the church does not determine what the truth. The truth is something that is passed on to the church, fully intact, perfect in its essence. And the church's responsibility is not to alter it, modify it, change it, determine it. The church's responsibility is to uphold it. It is to defend it. It is to display it. And this is a unique purpose of the church. In terms of what the church does, it supports and upholds the truth. You don't go to the university to find truth and listen to your philosophy teacher and your secular teacher on economics and society and all kinds of subjects that many young people are studying in our land. And somehow you think as you sit in these classrooms, you're going to find the truth. Now, I'm not saying don't go to university. My daughter is in a university. but it's what they're being told there. No, the universities of our land does not have the role of being the pillar and ground of the truth. The government of the United States does not have the role of being the pillar and ground of the truth. The public school systems and any other group of organization does not have the role of being the pillar and ground of the truth. Only the church. And that's you, brethren. Only the church. That's what the church does. Turn with me to Jude, to the book of Jude. Jude, beginning in verse one, Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James to them that are called beloved in God, the father and kept for Jesus Christ. Mercy to you and peace and love be multiplied. Beloved, while I was giving all diligence to write to you of our common salvation, I was constrained to write to you, exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith, which was once for all delivered unto the saints. And here Jude, as he was thinking about writing about the glories of salvation, he was constrained to write that they would earnestly contend for the faith. And to contend means to fight, to defend, to take a stand for the faith. And what is the faith? The faith here is not describing something subjective, but it's describing something that is objective. He's not telling them to defend how they feel, to defend their feelings. No, he is urging them to contend this body of truth, this body of teaching, which is called the faith, the tenets of what we are to believe if we are to be saved. In other words, the teachings of the Word of God, that is the truth. And what's bound up in the faith is the truth. And my point in turning to this passage is showing how Jude is writing that the believers there would contend and take a stand for the truth, for the faith, that is. And what's included in the faith is the truth. You can't have the faith in error. No, the faith embodies the truth. And so this is the function of the church in this world. Now we come thirdly, how the church carries out its purpose, how the church carries out its purpose. And at this point, here is where we're going to expand. But for this morning, we'll continue with an overview. How does the church carry out its purpose? Okay, we see from 1st Timothy three that the church is the house of God. We see that the church, its function is to be the pillar and ground of the truth. Now, how does the church goes about accomplishing this? Well, I have three things that the church does. The church accomplishes by, number one, it's God-honoring life. It's God-honoring life that is the lifestyle, the life that we live as a group, as a body of God's people. And this God-honoring life is marked by three things, at least. It is marked by church unity, church purity, and church order. It is marked by our unity, by our purity, and by our order. And in these ways, we glorify God in the way that we live, so that when people come among the people of God, when they come among the church, what do they see? Remember, it's the pillar and ground of the truth. And the truth is to be showcased and delivered and on display in the church. And how do we display the church by our lives? Well, when the unbeliever comes in and the unlearned one comes in our midst, they look at the men of the church and they see them. They know that the men are present. It's not just women and children. They know that men are in positions of leadership. They note that the men are there and they're caring for their wives and they note that the women are there. And they note that the children are there. And believe it or not, the children are sitting and they're listening to a sermon. And they say, what is going on in this place? You don't see anything like this anywhere else in the world. The truth of what a man is called to be and what a man is supposed to be as a head and leader in his home. The truth of women, as God called the women to be in subjection to a man and not to usurp authority over man. They see that in the church. And they see children who are being obedient to their parents. And outside in the world, the philosophers and the educators are writing books. In fact, in our day, we're seeking to redefine what a family is. But when you come into the church, the matter is made clear, crystal clear what a family is. And in this way, we are showcasing the truth before an on watching world. Our God-honoring life, it's by our love one to another. And Lord willing, we'll get into this this evening. Jesus says, by this shall all men know that you are my disciples if you have love one for another. It has to do with our God-honoring lives. Our purity. There was so much immorality and corruption in the world and in the church. The church is to be a place marked by purity. And that purity is upheld. Yes, there may be outbreaks of immorality and sin, but it is dealt with according to the Word of God. And the purity is maintained. The leaven, a little leaven leavens a whole lump and we get rid of the leaven and we deal with it. Because it's God's house. And then our order. The church is not a three ring circus. It's not a free for all, where this one will get up and that one will get up and say, I have a word from the Lord. I have a psalm. I have a hymn. I have something I want to say. And it's all, everything is all upside down. It's a circus. No, it is a place of order in our worship. And so when the unbeliever comes in and they know that since the presence of God, they will fall down, as it says in first Corinthians 14 and say of a truth, God is among you. You see, our God honoring life is very important. But how does the church carries out this purpose? Not only by its God honoring life, secondly, by its proclamation. The church is not mute. The church doesn't merely have a silent witness in the world. It is not only by the lives that we live, but it is the message that we proclaim. The church is not a platform for political opportunity of councilmen or councilwomen in the community to come in and address their ideas for a better community. The church is not for that. The church is not a place of social improvement, although a byproduct of that will issue out, yes. No, but the message of the church is, the church, in other words, it carries out its purpose by being the pillar and ground of the truth by its proclamation of the gospel. By its proclamation of the gospel. And the gospel is something that is to be preached, not something to be sung, or something to be acted out in plays and performances and all kinds of things. The gospel is a message. It is a message that requires a messenger. And both the message and the messenger are defined by God. How shall they hear without a preacher? How should they preach if they're not sent? How beautiful are the feet of those who bring glad tidings of good things! God raises up messengers, and these messengers are to open their mouths and proclaim this message, the message telling men that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. There is salvation in none other but in the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved. And if we don't turn to Christ, there is wrath, there is judgment for those who refuse to turn from their sins. And yes, God will cast people into hell. There is judgment. And so we warn men about judgment. We warn them about wrath, and we show them the way of salvation, that God sent his son into the world, that he became a man, and he continued to be God, and he lived and obeyed the law of God perfectly. And he died under the punishment of that law, according to the will of God. Cursed is everyone who hangs on the tree. And that happened to the Lord Jesus Christ. He was a cursed for our sakes. And then he rose again from the dead on the third day. And now he is ascended into heaven. And now this message is being proclaimed to the ends of the earth. You see, this is the message of the church to the world. The church carries out its purpose, not only by its God-honoring life, not only by its proclamation of the gospel, but also by its witness to the world. Now, its witness to the world, this really can fall under the first point, its God-honoring life. But I'm thinking here of what is said in Matthew 5 and 13, when Jesus says, you are the light of the world. You are the salt of the earth. In other words, the church is to be a beacon It is to be like a lighthouse to a world where people are so confused and they're miserable and they don't know their right hand from their left. And they don't understand the meaning of life. They don't understand why we are here, why things are happening the way they are. And then when they come into the church, the church is to be a beacon, a place to show them the way. It is to be a center that radiates the light of the gospel. In the language of Psalm 122 says, I was glad when they said unto me, let us go to the house of the Lord. Notice house of the Lord. And there are thrones of judgment standing. There is truth. When you come into the house of the Lord, you're going to encounter truth. You're going to encounter justice and equity and righteousness and holiness and joy and purity. You're going to encounter, you're going to say, yes, this is the way things ought to be. This is what God has called us to. This is how we ought to live in this world. And we are a hope for that better world to come. Yes. And amen. These things are true. And thus he says, I was glad when they said to me, let us go to the house of the Lord. And that's what the church is to be a beacon, a haven, a lighthouse to give direction. as to the way of what the gospel does to families, to relationships. People are looking for love in the wrong places, and this one is now getting divorced, and this one has committed infidelity, and this child is rebelling and is on drugs and rebelling against their parents, and this one is threatening to commit suicide, and the whole thing is a mess, and everybody's getting therapy and counseling. What's needed is the grace of God. What's needed is the power of the gospel. And the church is the pillar and ground of the truth. And as people are so confused and their lives are so messed up, when they come into the church, they say, ah, this is what I've been looking for. This is what we need. I trust, brethren, you get a sense. a renewed appreciation of what we're called to. Not according to the ideas and the musings of the preacher, but according to the word of God. And there are a few things I wanna say by application here. is that the church is to instruct the world, not to follow the world. The church is to instruct the world, not to follow the world. And you see, we can be so intimidated and we think, well, people are doing this in the world, and so, you know, you just put the word Christian in front of it, Christian nightclub, Christian, well, disco, I'm dating myself, right, if I say that. Who goes to the disco anymore? But you get my point. You put the word Christian in front of it. And now it's okay to do it. And it's just another way of being like the world. Just put the word Christian in front of it. No. The church is to instruct the world. It's to show the world how we ought to live and conduct ourselves. It's not to follow the world. And that is a problem in every age of the church, where this problem of worldliness, it's a problem even from the days of the apostle. Paul can say, be not fashioned according to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind. And those who love the world will perish with the world, but he who does the will of God in first John chapter two shall abide forever. And therefore we need to say, wait a minute, Before we begin to introduce things in the lives of Christian families, in the practices of a congregation in a church, we need to make sure that, wait a minute, do we have biblical warrant for doing this? Or are we trying to be like the world? Remember the problem with Israel? They wanted a king like the other nations. They weren't satisfied with the God who they couldn't see. The God who brought them out of Egypt. But we want a human king. We want to be like the other nations. And they wanted Saul. King Saul. Head and shoulders above everyone. Someone that they can feel proud of and they can brag against. They weren't content to boast in Jehovah. But they wanted to be like the nations around them. And if you recall, if you read in the early chapter of the book of Judges, after the death of Joshua, after the death of the elders that served with Joshua, there was another generation and they turned aside quickly to do the things that the nations were doing. They were modifying their lifestyle and their worship, and they were serving the gods of the nations around them. No. And I'm not saying they were a church, but they were the people of God. under the old covenant. Brethren, we are not to be like the world in how we, our values, in our entertainment, how we dress, how we spend our money, how we spend our time. All this is to be regulated, even in the scripture reading this morning in Matthew chapter six. Seek ye first the kingdom of God. and all his righteousness. Number two, be mindful, brethren, and conscious of who you are. As the church, you are the pillar and ground of the truth. So when you gathered for worship, When we gather for prayer, when we gather for our business meetings, when the church gathers together, have a renewed consciousness of who you are. It's not the church of the pastor. It's not his church. It's not the church of the congregation. It's not your church. It's not the church of the deacons. It's not their church. No, it is God's house. It belongs to God. And so when we gather together, be mindful of our calling as the pillar and ground of the truth. in terms of how we live, in terms of our message, in terms of our witness. Thirdly, do not measure your success by worldly standards. Do not measure success by worldly standards. You know what I mean. Numbers, how many members do we have? Wealth, how much money collectively do we have? Popularity, how popular are we in the community here? No, those are not the metrics of success. It is not about how many you are, because Jesus says, if you're only down to two or three, I'll be there. And if Jesus is not here, what does it matter if it's two or 3,000? So numbers is not the measure. Wealth. Remember that widow who cast in her two mites in the treasury? God looked upon her and accepted her offer. That offering was more pleasing to God than the people who had all the abundance of money and they were throwing it into the treasury. It didn't impress them because their heart wasn't right. But that widow with her two mites, her two little pennies, if you will. So it's not about wealth and it's not about popularity. Jesus said, the world hated him. Remember that? And he said, the reason the world hates me because I tell the world, he tells them of their deeds and he exposes them. And he said, if the world hates me, and you know something, the world still hates Jesus. You can't say the name of Jesus in public settings, can you? You can't talk about Jesus in the workplace. You can't talk about Jesus in politics. You can't talk about Jesus in the public school. It's because the world hates Jesus and they don't want anything to do with him. It's not these measures. But success brethren is upholding the truth. It's being faithful to God. It is doing what God has called us to do. It is enduring to the end. Remember, because of iniquity shall be multiplied, the love of the many shall grow cold, but he that endures to the end, the same shall be saved. It's all about persevering in the truth. faithfully proclaiming this message of the gospel. Remember what happened to John the Baptist? John the Baptist, he was invited to this, or he was at this, well, I don't know if he was there, let me not say that, but when Herod had this birthday party, and he had the wife of his brother, he took her to be his wife, And her daughter did this dance, and the mother asked for the head of John the Baptist, because John had told Herod, perhaps on another occasion, because I don't think John would have been at that birthday party, he wasn't there. He told him on another occasion, it's not lawful for you to have her. John told the king it's not right. And then John was in prison. And John was beheaded in prison. And Jesus says, there is none other born from women that is greater than John the Baptist. You may say, well, look at that guy. I mean, here he is, he's dressing like a wild man with leather, and he's eating locusts and honey, and he's living out in the wilderness, and he looks like Elijah the prophet or somehow. And somehow, Jesus says, John was great. He had a short ministry, he was executed in jail. It wasn't a glamorous way to go in human terms. But John was great. Why was he great? Because John was faithful. And faithfulness, like I said, don't measure it in worldly terms and worldly standards. So you look at the size of the congregation, and I know this church has been through a lot over the years, brethren. But what I'm saying to you, brethren, if you know that you are doing what you're doing according to the Word of God, I'm telling you, brethren, don't be discouraged. Don't think that something is wrong. because of numbers. Don't think something is wrong because of wealth. And don't think something is wrong because of popularity matters. But know, if you know that you're doing and you're walking according to the word of God, give thanks to God, rejoice in his truth, and press on in the work of God. Remember, if you're down to two or three, remember Jesus' words. He said, Fear not, little flock. It is the father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. And then finally, persevere, brethren, in the work of God. Persevere in the work of God, believing the truth. proclaiming the Jews. In 2 Timothy 4, Paul told Timothy, the time will come when men will not endure sound doctrine, but have teachers, keep teachers to themselves, teaching things according to their own lusts. And people are changing the message of the gospel. No, brethren, you know what the Bible says. You know what the Bible says. You know what sin is. You know what righteousness is. You know that marriage is between one man and one woman. You know that, brethren. Why should we change? Why should we say something other? Why should we be silent about the matter? We don't need to be looking for a fight, but we shouldn't be ashamed of the truth. Persevere in the work of God. And I say to any here who are not Christians, if you don't know the Lord, there's no better place to come to know the Lord than in the church. Now, I won't give you the era of Rome and say salvation comes from the church. No, salvation comes from Jesus Christ. But when you're in the church, on the Lord's day with the people of God, when Jesus promised to be present with his people, what better place to be saved than in the presence of Jesus Christ by his spirit. You know Jesus is here by his spirit. And you know that when you hear the truth, that something resonates within you that says, you know what, that's right. Even though I don't like it, I don't want to hear it, but I know it's right and I can't wait till I'm out of here. Even though if you feel that way, It is the pressure of the truth pressing on your conscience and your mind. And I would encourage you, if you don't know the Lord, stop resisting the Holy Spirit. And come to the Lord Jesus and turn from your sins and your evil ways and get right with God. Don't worry about what other people will think about you, what other people will say, what relationships that may have to be altered. The most important thing is that if you don't know the Lord, Your friends are not gonna be a comfort to you when the Lord sends you to that place of eternal destruction. It won't matter who lights you then. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Receive the message of the gospel. Well, I'll end it here, and we'll continue, Lord willing, this evening. So let us pray, brethren, and ask that the Lord will write his word upon our hearts. Let's pray. Our father, we thank you again for your word, and we pray that you would encourage us as your people, that you would help us to press on in the work of God. Lord, that you have called us to be the pillar and ground of the truth. Lord, we pray that you would minister to every heart and to those who have not yet believed. Lord Jesus, we know that you're here. And we pray, Lord, that you would bring salvation to those who sit in darkness. Lord, be merciful and hear our prayer. And we pray and ask this in your name, amen.