And I invite you to give your attention to God's Word. And today we come to 1 Timothy. Continuing our journey along in the books of the Bible, getting one sermon out of each book. And so we come to the pastoral epistles, as they are called, where these letters written to individuals. Two to Timothy. Lord willing, we'll be in 2 Timothy next week. But today, 1 Timothy. And so, look with me or listen as I read from 1 Timothy chapter 3, just verses 14 through 16. Hear the word of God. I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth. Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness. He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory. So may the Lord bless this reading of his word. For as we say, the grass withers and the flower fades, right? But the word of the Lord stands forever. This is the word which by the gospel is preached to you. Amen. Church matters. It matters to the writers of the New Testament. It matters to the Lord. I learned that lesson when I was growing up in more of a physical kind of way. We had a gentleman, a World War II veteran in our congregation, Lawson Summerow. His father had been a member of the church since 1916, and after Mr. Summerow passed away, his family remained, and among those were his son, Lawson, who would teach us kids to do things like not run in church, not chew chewing gum in the sanctuary, The difficulty there being it was his brother John who gave us the chewing gum to start with. And I had fun at each of their funeral services relaying that message, how those two personalities were so different. John would give us juicy fruit and Lawson would make us spit it out. Just one of those joys of growing up in a church as a kid and there's no substitute for it. but behavior in the house of God. And yet we're here today not talking so much about the physical plant, for which we're very grateful. And those of you who have gone to such great lengths that we might have a place of worship, yet we think of the church not as a building made with hands, not made out of bricks and mortar or made out of wood. We think of the church made out of living stones, the Lord Jesus Christ being the cornerstone. And so, 1 Timothy, as well as the rest of the books of the Bible, tells us that God has a plan and purpose for his people, and that the church is a priority. The church of the Lord Jesus Christ is a priority to God, and so it should be to us. As we begin in the letter, we see that Paul, identifying himself as an apostle, that is, one specifically ordained or set apart and sent by Christ Jesus by the command of God, He's writing to Timothy, the one who considers to be his true child in the faith. Timothy is from Lystra. Having grown up there, he probably observed the time when Paul, because of his faithfulness to God, was nearly stoned to death in that city. But it was during a second visit that Paul actually encountered Timothy in person, and we read about that back in Acts chapter 16. in verses one through five. Paul also came to Derbe and to Lystra. A disciple was there named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek. He was well spoken of by the brothers at Lystra and Iconium. Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him, and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. As they went on their way through the cities, they delivered to them for observance the decisions that had been reached by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem. So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and they increased in numbers daily." Timothy, we begin to see in Acts 16, becomes an indispensable servant along with Paul. Paul considers him to be of extreme importance, and he is with him throughout his journeys and ministries. In fact, we find Timothy's name mentioned in 11 New Testament books, obviously including the two that bear his name, but also the book of Hebrews. He became a leader in the church in Ephesus. That's how history remembers him. He was someone, however, who seemed to struggle with physical infirmities, as Paul addresses that matter even here in this very book. but one who nevertheless was faithful, and as we shall see next week, the one that Paul sent for even in his very last days on this earth. The church is a priority to the Lord Jesus, to God, Jesus, of course, having given his life for us. And so the Bible tells us to pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock. as he speaks especially in this matter to those who are elders, those who are leaders in the church. He says, pay careful attention to all the flock in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. If you want to remember how important the church is, we have only to remember that Jesus shed his blood for us and that the church is of significance. And just because we have access to the word of God in other ways than to come and hear it read from a pulpit like this one, that doesn't diminish the importance of the church. It is still a priority for us to gather together as we struggle to do it over the course of this last year and the COVID pandemic. We managed to do it, didn't we? Wearing our masks and social distancing, washing our hands and using the hand sanitizer over and over and over again. So nice now to eat at a restaurant without my food tasting like hand sanitizer. I mean, my hands are clean, but to have that fresh sanitizer on there when you eat, there's just nothing like it. But we know that the Lord Jesus being the king and head of the church is God's gift to us. And he put all things under his feet and gave him his head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. This is an extraordinary statement that's echoed in Colossians, that this one who is over all things is God's gift to the church, Jesus being king and head of the church. And if you don't understand the importance of that, Just think about how in history, particularly during the Reformation, that the reclamation of this doctrine of the kingship of Jesus over the church was at the core of that Reformation. And in fact, that's why many met their deaths. I think in particular of John Hus, who came 100 years before Luther, ministering in what is now the modern Czech Republic, was burned at the stake because he proclaimed salvation through faith in Christ alone. But what got John Huss burned at the stake was not his emphasis on the gospel. It's that he claimed that Jesus Christ alone was king and head of the church, which ran, of course, diametrically opposed to the papacy. And they burned him to death because of that. This idea that Jesus is given as a gift to the church, who is head over all things to be the king of the church, is central to our understanding and to our values. And it's emphasized here by way of presupposition in this book. I hope to come to you soon, but I'm writing these things to you so that if I delay, you may know how you ought to behave in the household of God. And as you read through the book of Timothy, you see all of Paul's concerns mentioned. He warns against false teachers. He reminds them that Jesus came to save sinners. He gives us here the command to pray. He says, first of all, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. He talks about the way that church leadership is to be structured. a passage of scripture that is largely ignored in our day or misconstrued, but which is important. We see the qualifications for those who are to be in these positions of leadership. And here he speaks of the mystery of godliness. He goes on in chapter four to talk about how some will depart from the faith, how the Spirit expressly says that in the later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons. through the insincerity of liars, whose consciences are seared. We are seeing the church ravaged today by false teachers and false teaching because we've gotten away from scripture. We have ignored God's revelation to us. But the church has a responsibility to adhere to the truth, that we might proclaim it to the world. gather from this passage that the church is the dwelling place of God, a place where God meets with his people. And it is here that the truth, once concealed, has now graciously been revealed and proclaimed. He speaks of the mystery of godliness. What is a mystery? Well, it is something that once was hidden but now is revealed. A lot of mysteries in the world. A lot of things remain hidden from our eyes. But God's word is his revelation. And the word revelation in the original means the lifting or parting of a veil so that you can see beyond it to what otherwise was concealed prior to. This mystery is revealed to the church, this mystery of godliness. But that God is pleased to dwell among us is a wonder, isn't it? To think that as we sing his praises, he dwells in the midst of his people. To think that we can experience fellowship with him as we're together in a way that is unique. Now we all may have fellowship with God individually. We can worship individually in our homes, or as I used to like to do it when I was walking in the woods, or high up on a mountain. One of my favorite places in the world is to be up on a mountain where I can hear absolutely nothing. I love the silence and the quiet. in those places. And oh, how many times I've, having carried my little pocket testament with me, have just sat there in the woods under a tree and read and thought about God's goodness. We can do that individually, but there's no substitute for meeting together wherein we enjoy God's presence. Where two or more are gathered in my name, there I'll be present in the midst of them. Or as someone has paraphrased it, if more than If one of you ever gets together on anything, I'll show up and see it myself. The promise of scripture is that God will be our God, and we will be his people. In the Revelation, John says, and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. That's the promise all the way from the Old Testament, the covenant that God made with Abram, promising to be his God, and that Abram would be the father of many nations, but a nation in particular that would be God's own people. So as we read here about this building and the idea of a building, John R.W. Stott says some things, I think, that are very helpful. He speaks of, first of all, as we read here, about the foundation, or more to the point, the pillar, the hedreomena. It's the mainstay of the building and may refer, in this case, either to its foundation or to a buttress or bulwark which supports it. In any case, It's the means by which the building is stabilized. Now the stylos means pillar or column, which not only holds the roof firm, but thrusts it high so that it can be seen clearly even from a distance. The Temple of Diana or Artemis, which was one of the seven wonders with its 100 columns that Timothy would have been very familiar with in Ephesus, each of those columns over 60 feet high to display the marble white shining roof. Stott says, likewise the church's function is not to advertise itself, but to display the truth. So meeting here together today as we sing and as we read the scriptures together, among the things that we're doing is displaying the truth before the whole world, some of whom are watching. We've even had six people in Fiji who have watched this service. I've tried to convince the elders that maybe an associate pastor ought to travel out to Fiji to pray with those people in person, you know, since they're tuning in. They said they'd get back to me. So the church has a double responsibility with regard to the truth. First, as its foundation, it is to hold firmly to the truth. so that it does not collapse under the weight of false teaching. Secondly, as its pillar, it is to hold the truth high so that it's not hidden from the world. To hold the truth firm is the defense and confirmation of the gospel, says Stott. To hold it high is the proclamation of the gospel. So holding firmly to confirm it, lifting it up to proclaim it, the church is called to both these ministries. And that's what we learn from this particular passage. It's also important to note that the Church exists to exalt and express the glorious person and work of Jesus Christ. He, after all, is the embodiment of the truth that is here revealed. When we sing and when we pray and when we confess together the faith, whether we do it collectively or whether we simply go about living our lives as believers, we are proclaiming the Lord Jesus Christ and we exist for that purpose. It is the Lord Jesus himself who declared just prior to his own trial and death. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. We often look at wars, earthquakes, and famines, or great storms as being harbingers of the coming of the end. There are always those prophets, would-be prophets, who show up in times like that, warning the end is near. Well, Jesus says there will always be wars and rumors of wars. And yes, of course, there will be earthquakes and famines and other natural disasters as we so describe them. But Jesus says the big news event is this, is that the gospel will be proclaimed in the whole world. That's the thing to pay attention to. Because every day, more and more people are hearing the name of Jesus. Every day, more and more people are hearing his name proclaimed in their own language. Bibles are being translated everywhere into the languages of people. That's the big news event. You're not going to see it on CNN, or Fox, or NPR, or ABC, or CBS, or any of the others. They're focused on matters which will gain ratings for them. It's like Jerry Springer is now the way in which all news is presented. You remember when that used to be an oddity? And now it's the norm. Well, don't be deceived. Don't think that these things that are reported as the big news events are actually the big news that's happening. The big news is that more and more people in Africa are coming to know Jesus. In South America, they are coming to know Jesus. In the Near East, they're coming to know Jesus. Did you know that there is an individual in the last several years who reported that he was in the nation of Iran? And one evening, he showed up in one of the villages there where he was supposed to meet with someone. And he went to the place of residence and knocked on the door. And the person that he was looking for wasn't there. He knocked on the neighbor's door. And that person wasn't there. And he searched all over the village. And finally, he found a place where he heard some noise. And he thought, oh, everybody is here. And he knocked on the door. And there was silence. One little girl came to the door and opened it and said, can I help you? And he said, I'm looking for so-and-so. That person came to the door and said, how can I help you? And the man told about who he was. And come to find out, he was a Christian missionary who was there in Iran. The door was opened. The entire village was meeting in this one dwelling, including the mayor of that village, all of them professing Christians in Iran, meeting in secrecy, obviously, because of the huge threat that would come against them. But the Lord is at work there. The Lord is at work in China. He's at work in North Korea. We're not hearing about it, but He's at work. And He's at work right here, in spite of all that's being reported in the United States. I can assure you that today, people will come to saving faith in the Lord Jesus. How can I say that? Because I believe that the gospel is the power of God to salvation to everyone who believes. And when I say power of God, I'm talking about real power. I'm not talking about a tiger in your tank. I'm not talking about nuclear fission. I'm talking about real power that God demonstrates when lives are transformed. And it's this gospel that we have the privilege of proclaiming. Do you know what the answer to our nation's ills are? It's not found in the Democrat or Republican parties. It's found right here in the word of God. It is the truth that transforms lives. And we need to remember. that we exist to exalt and express the glorious work of Jesus Christ so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. Satan is finding out more and more every day about God's glorious work. How? Because of the church. That's a mystery. I can't begin to describe all of that, but I'm telling you, your testimony is not only being borne out and seen by those around you that you can visibly discern, but by those invisible powers and authorities. I'm just simply telling you what's in the Bible. I'm not making this stuff up. So that when we praise the name of Jesus, we really are saying something, something meaningful, something powerful, something life transforming. And so as we look at this and as we see this, probably what was a hymn that Paul draws from, or perhaps he's the one who penned it, which I tend to think is the case. I think this is a hymn that finds its origin right here in 1 Timothy chapter 3, verse 16. He, that is the Lord Jesus, was manifested in the flesh. He became flesh, as John pointed out for us in his last message. God incarnate, he became one of us. vindicated by the spirit. When he was raised from the dead, God was saying, this is my beloved son in whom I'm well pleased. The debt had been paid. He was pleased with the sacrifice. And he raised him gloriously, vindicating him as the Holy Spirit did the work, witnessed by angels. Were there not angels at the tomb when they came, looking for the body of Jesus, only to discover that it wasn't there? The angel said, why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, for he is risen, witnessed by angels. proclaimed among the nations. That's taking place right now. Believed on in the world, it's happening right now. Taken up in glory. The Lord Jesus will return and we will see his glory. We discussed a hypothetical on Thursday evening about if Jesus came back in the way that he came the first time, would people recognize him? Would they listen to his message? And the consensus was no, we'd treat him the same way now as happened then. Well, let me tell you something. That won't be the case when he comes back. When he comes back the next time, everybody will know it. There will be no question, as he will be taken up in glory. Then the exaltation will be complete, and we have the privilege of proclaiming it even now. And so we're reminded that glory is the goal, and Jesus is the way. As surely as Jesus is glorified following his sacrificial death and resurrection, so we too look forward to following him. And those whom he predestined, he also called. And those whom he called, he also justified. And those whom he justified, he also glorified. Paul describes this in Romans chapter 8 as something so certain it is as if it has already happened. You see, God called you from before the foundation of the world. You experience the reality of salvation when you come to that place that you repent of your sins and you trust in the Lord Jesus, whom you believe died for you. I had to come to that place where I realized Jesus died for my sins, sins that I've done, crimes that I committed. He died for those upon the tree. I experienced that salvation in the present. But oh, the best is yet to come. That glorious experience when we will appear before him and see him as he is and be like him. That's what Paul points Timothy toward, and he does point all of us toward it, too. Memorial Day is a somber occasion because, as we've already pointed out, it is a time of remembering deaths, untold numbers of deaths. It boggles my mind to think of all of those who have died in the wars that our nation has fought. As I've stood at Arlington National Cemetery and seen the row upon row upon row of all of those marble markers and monuments, I look at those and I think, those were children, brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers. I think about all the grief. that accompanied each one of those deaths. It's incomprehensible to me. But every one of those points us toward that ultimate sacrifice that Jesus made for our sakes. So those other memorials are a means of causing us to look to the ultimate place of remembrance, of living with the cross at the center of our lives. of exalting Jesus with every breath that we have and realizing that he really is the answer to our ills. And so we pray for our nation, not because we believe that somehow the United States of America has replaced God's ordained and chosen people of the old covenant. We realize we're one country among many countries. But being citizens of this place, we pray for God's deliverance of us We pray that we might, as a nation, more reflect God's will and purpose. But that will only happen as the people of God meeting in the church, not divided by national boundaries or political citizenship, only as we recognize our true calling and purpose. And as we reclaim the truth, hold firmly to it, that we might proclaim it to the world. Will we even begin to see our terrible ills corrected? So you're part of the solution. You are God's ordained purpose in this world by which his name will be magnified among the nations. That's your calling. And at great sacrifice. You know, I can't earn heaven. There's no possible way that I could ever do anything to earn so much as a square inch of real estate in that place. It's simply not possible. Everything that I do would serve to move me further away from that glorious goal. No, Jesus has done everything that needs to be done. He has paid the debt and there is nothing deficient about his life, death, or resurrection. Anything that I would contribute would diminish. what Jesus ultimately has done. And so we're able to receive heaven as a gift because the inestimable price has already been paid. We have the gift of freedom today because others have paid a price. We have salvation because Jesus has paid the price. And so let us remember Him. Let us live For Him, let us dedicate our lives to Him and yield to Him as our Savior and our Lord as we exalt Him together. May God bless America that we may, as a nation, experience repentance and a turning to Jesus in this generation as we have never seen before. That's the hope of our nation. That's the hope of all nations. May God grant it. Let's pray. Gracious Father, bless your name. As we meet together here, we realize that we are an unworthy people. And yet we pray for forgiveness. We pray, oh God, for a fresh work of your Holy Spirit in which there might be a great turning to Christ in our day. Lord, open our eyes. Convince us of the need. Draw us unto Jesus. Begin the work here in Bay Presbyterian Church. Lord, why not? You've done significant things in the past in the most unlikely of places. And in all humility, we can confess and acknowledge to you that we're as unlikely as anyone. So Lord, begin with us. that there might be a great movement of your spirit that would sweep the land, that we might again recognize, blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. All this we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Let's stand together as we conclude and sing together.